Datasets:

libeanim

/

alexandria_finetuning

like 0

TMNT Written by Kevin Munroe Created by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird First Draft Polish August 5, 2005 FADE IN: EXT. STAR-FILLED SKY - NIGHT 1 Studio logo transitions into a CONSTELLATION in space. Cam pulls BACK, as more stars enter frame, forming a starfield. SPLINTER (V.O.) A sensei once counseled a grief- stricken boy, as his older brother 3 prepared to leave for battle. N STARS - Begin to see a DOZEN or so stars, almost forming a zig-zagged line. Cam continues to adjust. SPLINTER (V.O.) . He said, "Child, why do you cry? You are both part of a family. And a family is a bond that cannot be broken by war. By strife. By force or neglect. N STARS - Cam slows its truck-out to a gradual stop as we see the pattern beginning to form. As if following the stars' pattern, the CAM LOWERS as we find ourselves going into- S 2 2 EXT. SOUTH AMERICAN JUNGLE - CONTINUOUS PLINTER (V.O.) And more importantly, you are brothers. And brothers you shall remain, despite time... argument... O LOWER - framing the tops of JUNGLE, moonlit and surrounded by mist. A mountain range peaks over the horizon. SPLINTER ..and even... distance. SUPER TITLE: SOME STINKING JUNGLE IN SOUTH AMERICA CAM RESTS atop an old CHURCH ROOF. The peaceful scene is suddenly stopped by a MACHINE GUN BURST! CAM CRANES over the O roof revealing - 3 EXT. JUNGLE VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS A relatively modern village... for a remote jungle. Dawn is JUST barely beginning to break. The morning mist persists as we see FOUR FEDERALES with machine guns surrounding a group of VILLAGERS. O N GROUND - A WOMAN VILLAGER is thrown down. Her SON, 8, runs 1 to her side. She's mad. Her son cries. 2. WOMAN VILLAGER You monsters! UP ANGLE - As we see the THREE FEDERALES, greasy men, holding AK-47's, and looking down with hardened indifference. OS, we hear an EVIL CHUCKLE. The men part as we see- - COL. PANTERA. A bottom-heavy disgusting pig of a man walks up between them. Pantera leans down, face to face with her. PANTERA We appreciate the generous donation for the continued protection of your village. ANGLE ON - Their jeep, overflowing with the Village's precious crops. WIDER - A tiny group (10) of other villagers stand at a safe distance. The Woman's HUSBAND runs forward. He immediately LUNGES at Pantera, just as- -SHIKA-SHIKA - Pantera is flanked by 3 MACHINE GUNS pointed at the Husband's chest. Pantera slothfully grins. He leans forward and yanks an HEIRLOOM NECKLACE from her neck. PANTERA After all, the jungle can be a very dangerous place. BAH-HAHAHAHA. They jump into the Jeep and tear into the jungle LAUGHING. EXT. JUNGLE ROAD - MOMENTS LATER 4 4 The jeep clamors down the bumpy makeshift path. Pantera sits in the passenger seat as the others are crammed in around the food. The Jungle looms ominous around them. H IGH ANGLE - As we watch the jeep from the jungle ceiling high above... as if from someone's POV. ON DRIVER - He suddenly reacts to a fallen tree on the road ahead. Slams on the brakes. Pantera is thrown around. PANTERA Idiota! Watch where you're going! DRIVER SOLIDER There's a log on the road, senor. (quietly to himself) ...that wasn't there an hour ago. PANTERA Well, what are you waiting for?! REMOVE IT! (to soldiers behind) Cortez! Andelay! B J 3. CORTEZ leaps out. Grabs the winch from the front of the jeep and pulls it to the log, roughly 15 feet away. EEP POV - Pantera and Driver barely notice the out-of-focus bg Cortez get suddenly YANKED out of scene! CORTEZ (O.S.) ...yirk! ON DRIVER - His eyes go wide. Trying to see in the dark. DRIVER SOLIDER (softly, nervous) D-d-dios mio. ON LOG - Cortez is gone. Pantera wakes up. PANTERA What?! WHAT IS IT?! OS - Hear the sound of a CHAIN clinking. Then WHOOSHING as the chain winch suddenly FLIES IN, and CRACKS the BURLY SOLDIER across the jaw! It wraps itself around his neck. Before he can react... - YOINK! He gets pulled over the hood of the jeep, landing on the ground HARD. URLY SOLDIER OOF! Burly gets pulled backward... away from the Jeep and into... the darkness. He SCREAMS the entire way, clawing the ground. ON JEEP - Driver is freaking out now. Last Soldier is in the back. Pantera stands up in the jeep. "Last" jumps out and readies his machine gun. PANTERA (to Jungle) WHO ARE YOU?! SHOW YOURSELF!! DRIVER SOLIDER (WHISPER) ...The Ghost of the Jungle. PANTERA What?! DRIVER SOLDIER ( shaking/nervous) The jungle god that punishes those who prey upon the weak. (looks scared to Pantera) He's coming... for us. O P I 4. OS NOISE - Suddenly hear the whooshing of 4 quick punches, kicks, a short machine gun burst and a WHUMP. Pantera and Driver look to the ground. ON GROUND - Last Soldier lays beaten on the jungle floor. DRIVER SOLIDER I'm sorry, senor. Driver bounds out of the Jeep and runs SCREAMING into the jungle. CAM PULLS BACK with him as Pantera shrinks in bg. PANTERA COWARD!! GET BACK HERE!! Something suddenly skitters behind Pantera! He turns to look. Nothing. He reaches down and pulls up... a MACHETE. PANTERA SHOW YOURSELF! DO YOU REALIZE WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH?! ON PANTERA - He circles backs against the Jungle wall, trying to find him. Tense. Suddenly- -a PAIR OF WHITE EYES open in the blackness behind him! n a quick series of shots we see Pantera getting the raw end of a flurry of fist and foot attacks. His attacker is moving way too fast for the camera to keep up. Pantera falls back, panting heavily. Panicked. He tears off into the dense Jungle! ON PANTERA RUNNING THROUGH JUNGLE - Thick foliage. Panicked. EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING - CONTINUOUS 5 5 An oasis of calm, violated by this sweating, machete- clutching brute. He stumbles, then stands in the middle. ANTERA I am not afraid of a myth! (eyes darting) A I'M NOT AFRAID OF A GHOST! TTACKER (O.S.) Actually... it's "Turtle", pal. Pantera swings around. Eyes wide. N ATTACKER - We pan up the thick green legs. Muscular and strong. Further up. Arms to match. Rough skin. It wears a shorn HOODED PONCHO. Inside are two white eyes and gritted smiling teeth. The poncho falls to the ground. 5. ON ATTACKER - It's LEONARDO! Beaten blue bandana blowing in the breeze. Total hero shot. He pulls out a SINGLE KATANA SWORD, poised for battle. Pantera's backed into a corner. PANTERA Let's see if a ghost can die, then. Pantera SCREAMS and runs to Leo and starts swinging! At the CLASH of sword and machete, we- SMASH CUT TO: 6 6 EXT. JUNGLE VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER The Boy is still at the Village Clearing. Suddenly - - the sound of the JEEP begins to rumble in the distance! The villagers panic and scatter. VROOM! The Jeep flies out of the jungle and bounce-slows into the FG! Only there is no one driving it... and it still has the stolen food in it. And the stolen medallion dangles from the rear view mirror. WOMAN VILLAGER It's a miracle! The village rejoices. The Boy steps aside for a beat, looks back at the Jungle. Something catches his eye. ...a small crouched figure on a tree branch. Barely silhouetted. His white eyes lit in the darkness. One of them WINKS as the boy smiles. B OY VILLAGER (beaming... softly) The Ghost of the Jungle. INT. UNDERGROUND CAVERN - LATER 7 7 Leo leaps into frame. He takes out his katanas and lays them carefully on the ground. He KNEELS, head bowed, eyes closed. LEONARDO My training is now complete. The camera lifts away from Leo... and then PLUNGES into the nearby CAVERN. MUSIC begins to swell. Cam travels a few feet until it DIPS TO BLACK, and comes up beginning our- OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE E T 6. 8 8 INT. MISCELLANEOUS SEWER, OIL AND IRRIGATION PIPES The music is in full tilt as the camera travels through seemingly miles of underground pipes of all types and design. he camera comes to the end of line. It rises up through 9 STEAM... then through a metal grate, as we find ourselves in- EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - NIGHT 9 A mouse-level shot of the spectacular city that never sleeps. It's oddly hypnotic. Still. Until... - BAM! A pair of sneakers land barely in front of the camera, tearing off into the distance. NYPD #1 (O.S.) FREEEZE! STOP OR WE'LL SHOOT! Shoes belong to a panicked MUGGER, early 20's, as THREE NYPD OFFICERS clamor after him. The Mugger is a jackrabbit - hopping newspaper machines, rolling under passing trucks and doing anything he can to avoid arrest. ventually the NYPD peter out. The mugger looks back. Smiles. MUGGER Heh, heh... suckers. ON MUGGER - His eyes suddenly go wide as - VROOOOOM! - we see a jet-black tweaked out motorcycle fly over the cops' heads, aiming directly for Mugger! MUGGER Whaaa!!! The Mugger runs, but can't escape. The Driver is dressed in all-black motorcycle leathers and black-visored helmet. Scary and faceless. He quickly gains on the Mugger and GRABS him by the collar in mid-stride! MUGGER You crazy?! Put me down, man! But Driver doesn't. Instead, he holds him lower without stopping the bike... and proceeds to plow Mugger's head into every trash can and garbage bin along 9th Avenue! MUGGER OW! HEY! WHAT'RE YOU-OW!! OOF! Just as it looks like he'll hit a telephone pole... Driver veers left! He drags the Mugger into... O A 7. 10 10 EXT. DEAD END ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUS Driver tosses him onto the ground at full speed. Mugger SLIDES down the alley and collides with a pile of garbage like he's a human bowling ball. ON HEAD OF ALLEY - The Driver guns the bike and kicks up a ton of dust and racket, peeling donuts at mouth of the alley. And then he stops. Dust slowly settles and smoke dissipates. MUGGER Wh-wh-what kinda freak are you?! The Driver gets off the bike. Silence. Backlit by headlight. He walks directly to the Mugger with purpose. Mugger starts to really freak out. Driver picks him up by the collar and SLAMS him to the back WOODEN FENCE WALL. MUGGER P-p-please. Don't kill me, man. Driver just cocks his head. Mugger can see his own terrified reflection his Driver's black visor. Driver reaches behind his back and pulls out a COMBAT KNIFE! He reels back and... MUGGER Wh-wha-wha-WHAT ARE YOU DOI- AAAGH! W HAM! - Driver nails the dagger through the Mugger's JACKET, PINNING HIM TO THE WALL. Driver turns around to gather the purse's belongings at the mouth of the alley. fter he stops cringing, the Mugger wriggles the blade out of the wall. Driver doesn't notice as - THWIP-IP-IP! - he hurls the knife at the Driver! THUNK! It sticks in the DRIVER'S BACK! N MUGGER - His grinning eyes suddenly GO WIDE as Driver slowly turns around, UNHURT! The Mugger is trapped as Driver moves toward him... and a BOLO CHAIN drops to his side. ON WALL SHADOW - as we see a flurry of punches, kicks and throws as Driver lays a beating on the criminal who needs to be taught a lesson. An OS Police Siren chirps. MOUTH OF ALLEY - The police suddenly show up, cherries flashing. They run to FG, mouths drop. NYPD #1 ...whoa. NYPD #2 The Nightwatcher. 8. ON MUGGER - Hung upside down by a chain. Purse hangs from his neck. He'll live, but never commit another crime again... 11 11 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - CONTINUOUS CLOSE ON A NEWSSTAND - Headlines read "WOMAN MYSTERIOUSLY RESCUED FROM BURNING BUILDING". "POLICE SEEK MAN KNOWN AS `THE NIGHTWATCHER' FOR QUESTIONING". "WHO IS THE NIGHTWATCHER?" WIDER - A quieter area of the city. Broken by the squealing of the bike as Driver (Nightwatcher) roars in to a stop. Nightwatcher drives underneath a TRAIN BRIDGE. He takes off his helmet. Red cloth spills out. He turns around as we see- - RAPHAEL, THE RED-MASKED NINJA TURTLE! He reaches back and pulls out the KNIFE from his SHELL. Looks at it, shaking his head and grinning. He sheathes it. R APHAEL Heh, heh. Nice try, chump. QUICK SHOTS - Ignites and revs engine. Straps helmet back on. Headlight comes to life. Lets the clutch out. VROOOOM! - CAM STARTS TIGHT ON bike as Raphael tears away. MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Dude... I'm scared! CUT TO: CLOSE ON - A PAIR OF TURTLE EYES... MICHAELANGELO'S! They're wide with FEAR. Nervously darting around, unable to keep up with the surrounding danger. MICHAELANGELO Dude! They're all around me! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?! Mikey's eyes continue to panic. DONATELLO's voice comes in over a RADIO. Calming. DONATELLO (O.S.) Just relax, Mikey. Remember your training. You'll be fine. MICHAELANGELO But I need back up this time, man! BACK UP! DONATELLO (O.S.) (SIGHS) ...you're such a prima donna. 9. CAM PULLS BACK TO REVEAL WE'RE IN- 12 12 INT. UPTOWN APARTMENT - AFTERNOON The cam pulls out of a LARGE MASCOT HEAD - looks like a big goofy Turtle head with googly eyes and dumb smile. WIDER we see a fake ZIPPER spirit-glued onto Mikey's plastron. In his hands, he holds two nerf-styled NUNCHUCKS. MICHAELANGELO (from inside mascot head) Okay - waita-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA!! Suddenly TEN KIDS WITH BIRTHDAY HATS AND FOAM NUNCHUCKS run in SCREAMING and start beating on Mikey... a little too hard. SCREAMING KIDS Get him! Yeah! You suck! Hey! Awright! Take that, Turtle-dork! MICHAELANGELO OH-WHOA! OW! YEOW-OW-OW! WATCH IT!! HEY! NOT BELOW THE-OOOFF!! OW!! End WIDER with the kids all walking away from Mikey, now on the floor doubled over from the "playing". A beat, then- -one more kid runs back and kicks Mikey. LITTLE GIRL KEEEEYA! (turns and walks back) This was the best birthday ever, Mommy! Mikey GROANS as we- DISSOLVE TO: 13 13 EXT. UPTOWN APARTMENT - SUNSET/LATER Beautiful downtown autumnal street. Parked in front, we see the "COWABUNGA CARL" PARTY VAN loudly decorated in kid- friendly colors with an embarrassing and low-tech looking TURTLE HEAD ON TOP. PUSH IN on upstairs apartment window. S OCCER MOM (O.S.) Thanks so much. You're worth every penny. I have to tell all my friends about you. You'll love their kids too. 10. 14 14 INT. UPTOWN APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Mascot Mikey is standing at the door, holding a fistful of cash, still in full costume. MICHAELANGELO I can only hope they're as lovely as the rugrats you got here. ON KIDS - They look tough, brandishing their nerf weapons - a toddler street gang. One of the kids does a finger-point-then- throat-slit gesture. The mom looks and beams. The kids quickly smile to cover. MICHAELANGELO (through gritted teeth) Such... angels. Mikey looks to the side, and sees the still piled-high stack of PIZZA BOXES through the fake head POV. SOCCER MOM Okay! Everyone say good-bye to Cowabunga Carl! BYE! MICHAELANGELO (put-on voice) Hyuk! Cowabunga dudes! Bye! KIDS BYE!!!!!! ON DOOR - As the door closes and Mom turns back, a green hand reaches in quickly a grabs a box of pizza. The door closes. MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Heheh... score. CUT TO: EXT. UPTOWN APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER 15 15 Mikey opens the van's rear doors. He PULLS OFF the fake zipper on his chest and then pulls off his fake turtle head. His trademark orange bandana spills out. He turns, breathing in the fresh surface air. A quiet beat until - A POLICE SIREN approaches, faint, in the distance. Mikey jumps in the van, slams the door shut as the car whizzes by. WIDER - the van takes off down the street. 11. DONATELLO (O.S.) Hey, hey, hey... don't forget the face thing. 16 16 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - LATER CLOSE ON - a regular motorist sitting in his car at a traffic light. Don monitors from a small dashboard cam. Man looks OS Left. Reacts. OFF HIS LOOK - We see Mikey beside him in the van. He's behind the wheel - face FROZEN in a goofy SMILE like a ventriloquist to "hide" his identity. Don follows on a small surveillance cam under the rearview mirror. MICHAELANGELO Yes... sir. DONATELLO (O.S.) That's a good boy. MICHAELANGELO All's I'm saying Donnie is that no one would notice if YOU did one of these gigs every now and again. DONATELLO (O.S.) But you add such... panache to the character. Mikey, emotional, pops into "fully animated" facial mode. He rubs his sore neck. MICHAELANGELO Well, if panache is French for "punching bag", I'd have to agree with ya. INT. TURTLES LAIR - MONITOR ROOM - CONTINUOUS 17 17 A darkened room lit only by the lights of dozens of tv's, monitors and TV tubes. Cables run everywhere. In front of them is DONATELLO - our resident tech-head turtle. DONATELLO Close enough. I - uh-oh- ON MONITOR - Don watches Mikey through a TRAFFIC CAM in front of the van. Don is jacked into every major security and surveillance camera in the city. EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - CONTINUOUS 18 18 DONATELLO (O.S.) -you got a peeping tom. M 12. ON CAR - The Man is still looking - only now really freaked out - at the fully animated Mikey head. MICHAELANGELO Aw nuts. Mikey suddenly grips his face back into a tight SMILE, frozen. He looks over and waves at the man who confusingly waves back. MICHAELANGELO (ventriloquist style) Just get me outta here, dude. ON DON - He hits some switches. Monitors change. DONATELLO Traffic's clear eastbound for two blocks. Then hook up with route J. BACK WITH MIKEY - He's still waving with a frozen smile. ICHAELANGELO (ventriloquist style) Righteous. Mikey immediately "unfreezes" and sticks his tongue out and antics at the Man! Before the man can react, Mikey TEARS OUT and zips across traffic down a deserted side-street. ...as we notice the annoying ice cream style music tinkering M along with his gaining speed. ICHAELANGELO (O.S.) You HAD to install the music too... DONATELLO (O.S.) All part of the cover, my friend. CUT TO: EXT. HIDDEN ALLEYWAY - EVENING 19 19 The van parks in a long-forgotten alleyway. A dummy gate closes behind it, obscuring it from view. UNDER THE VAN - We see it's parked over a manhole cover. It slowly slides shut. INT. SEWERS - CONTINUOUS 20 20 The dripping concrete and metal maze explodes with the cacophony of Mikey riding his skateboard, backpack in tow. MICHAELANGELO YEEEEEHAAAAAAWWWW!! 13. But this isn't just any half-pipe - it tests all of Mikey's skills in ninjitsu, extreme sports and cross-training. He jumps on and off the board to occasionally tackle obstacles with all four limbs. A fun rock n' roll sequence. Feels like Mikey is miles away from the surface world when he arrives at a seemingly DEAD END. He smiles as he reveals a BRICK DUMMY WALL that brings him to... INT. TURTLES LAIR - CONTINUOUS 21 21 Mikey lands in the "foyer" of sorts. Atop entrance stairs. He kicks the double doors open. MICHAELANGELO Honeeeeey! I'm hooome! As Mikey slides down the banister, the cam dollies around I behind him revealing the LAIR. Breathtaking to fresh eyes. t has a wonderful lived-in feel - they're not squatters... they've made this their HOME. Furniture is jury-rigged and the place is custom lit to provide the right kind of atmosphere. If we looked behind the surface detail, we'd see a mesh of wires and circuitry powering the entire lair. Donatello runs up to Mikey. Mikey robotically hands him the wad of money from the party. DONATELLO Moneymoneymoneymoney. As Donnie walks away, Mikey LOUDLY CLEARS HIS THROAT. Don stops as Mikey holds out his hand. Don's busted - he peels off a few bills and hands Mikey his share. MICHAELANGELO Domo arigato, dude. Mikey walks into the room and plops down on a sofa. Hits a remote as a BIG SCREEN lights up in front of him. Suddenly- SPLINTER (O.S.) MICHAELANGELO! Mikey springs from the couch. Snaps to obedience. MICHAELANGELO Yes, sensei. ANGLE ON - SPLINTER the Japanese rodent master and father of the TMNT. He is well-kempt, still walks with a cane, and has the same sparkle in his eye. He approaches Mikey. Silent. SPLINTER (a beat) Well? P 14. MICHAELANGELO Sensei? (thinks, then realizes) Oh! Here ya go, Master Splinter. Mikey reaches into his bag and removes a foil-wrapped piece of BIRTHDAY CAKE. Splinter lights up. SPLINTER Ahh! Butter creme frosting! Donatello walks to Splinter. Holds his hand out, judgmental. DONATELLO Master. No cake. You remember your last cholesterol tests. SPLINTER But I- (changes attitude) -Donatello! I am your Master! DONATELLO Nice try, sensei. But you can still be my Master... with low cholesterol. Splinter surrenders the cake. As Don walks away, Michaelangelo reaches into his bag and secretly passes Splinter a smaller wrapped piece. SPLINTER He-heh. You have done well, my son. Donatello walks to the fridge and opens it - FILLED with dozens of other pieces of Birthday Cake leftovers. He tosses it with the rest. C UT TO: EXT. ROOFTOPS - SUNSET 22 22 The street noise below is barely audible. Camera creeps along the edge of the building, reaching a row of GARGOYLES. AN ALONG GARGOYLES - Still. Concrete. Creepy. Just as we pass the fourth, we barely notice it's WHITE EYES OPENING. QUICK SNAP BACK TO GARGOYLE - Only now it's gone. Something strange is coming to town... CUT TO: 15. 23 23 EXT. NEW JERSEY HARBOR - SUNSET Large freighters. Lots of activity. PUSH IN on a steamer as a crane lowers a LARGE VERTICAL CRATE to the dock - it THUMPS down hard. APRIL (O.S.) Careful! That isn't some box full of fish! CAM LOWERS - as APRIL O'NEIL leaps down into frame. Dressed in jungle expedition gear with her head wrapped in a bandana. She takes off her sunglasses and admires the crate. ON BOX - Labelled "O'Neil Cargo". Something ominous about the crate. PUSH IN on it as April steps in front. Admires it with pride. Turns, takes out a cell phone, and hits speed dial. ON PHONE DISPLAY - "Calling HOME". It rings. APRIL (impatient mutter) Where are you? INT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 24 24 A spacious NYC loft - tons of bookcases work as room dividers. Piled with artifacts, unopened crates of all sizes, boxes of maps, and a general organized mess. A hockey game BLARES from a TV set. CAM PANS ACROSS ROOM - The telephone continues to ring just as we reach the KITCHEN - with piles of dirty dishes and fast food. And then a path of strewn clothes that gets messier and messier until we reach - - CASEY JONES, snoring on a sofa. He finally wakes up, clamors for the phone, tripping over mess in the process. C ASEY (GROGGY) Talk to me. APRIL Hey. It's me. I'm back. Casey rubs his face, tries to orient himself. Looks at watch. CASEY Was that today, babe? April's disappointed. Same old Casey. O 16. APRIL Yes. It was today that I returned to you after being in a deadly jungle for almost a month. (BEAT) I thought you were going to meet me down here? CASEY I'm sorry, babe. I must've- APRIL Forget it. I'll take a cab. A long pause on the phone. Casey knows he's busted. CASEY I missed you? April doesn't answer. She closes the phone. Casey slumps in his chair, shaking his head. CASEY Good goin', Case. Back at the dock, April is back to business. APRIL Howie! Get this on the truck for delivery! Let's go! P.O.V. INSIDE BOX - See April through the wood slats. We'd swear we almost hear... LOW GROWLING. CUT TO: INT. MIKEY'S BEDROOM - LATER 25 25 Mikey is on his bed. His thumbs pound away at a video game on TV - bored. He puts down the controller and yells to the ceiling. MICHAELANGELO I'M! BORED!!!!! He stands up and walks to DON'S ROOM. He opens it. It takes only one foot until the door is pushed up against piles of TECH JUNK. Mikey uses his shoulder and pushes it open. N DON - He's hunched over a work table, back to Mikey. Tinkering as always. Wild inventions line the walls, some finished, some not. Some pay tribute to past TMNT adventures. MICHAELANGELO Don, y'ever feel like you were meant for more? To DO more? Like, I mean, sometimes I feel like... (MORE) D 17. MICHAELANGELO(cont'd) like we never really left that glass turtle bowl when we were little dudes. REVERSE ANGLE - Don lifts his head up, eyes MAGNIFIED in some bizarre head contraption. He flips up side panels, ELECTRONICA MUSIC blares out. ONATELLO Oh, hi Mikey. You say something? MICHAELANGELO (sighs - to himself) Every day it's the same thing. Wake up. Birthday party gig. Drive home. Watch TV. Train... Rinse. Repeat. DONATELLO I know. Isn't it great? A beat. Mikey sighs, then walks back downstairs to the LIVING ROOM SOFA. He and the camera think he's alone, but before he knows it, Splinter is sitting next to him, cross legged, still, and sipping tea. MICHAELANGELO WAH!! SPLINTER Michaelangelo. Boredom is never an indicator of your surroundings. It is a reflection of your inner heart. Fill yourself with excitement on the inside... and you'll live the most rewarding life of all. Mikey stares at Splinter, dead pan. A beat. Then returns to flipping channels. He stops on a NEWS program - "NYC DIRT". NYC DIRT REPORTER (O.S.) And so yet again, police officials are baffled at a crime of retribution that can only be attributed to the mysterious figure M known as "The Nightwatcher". ikey lights up. On TV is a flashy well-coifed, know-nothing REPORTER. Beside him is a news photo of the tied up MUGGER from our second scene. NYC DIRT REPORTER This is the latest in a string of vigilante acts that have been plaguing the city for the past year. (MORE) S 18. NYC DIRT REPORTER(cont'd) Although the victims have been criminals themselves, the Nightwatcher's actions have been identified as destructive and overly-violent... verging on the edge of lethal. ON MIKEY - Can't smile wide enough. He runs to his room, returns with a POLAROID CAMERA. He snaps a picture of the TV. He pulls it out, placing it in his NIGHTWATCHER SCRAPBOOK, overflowing with paper clippings and articles on the vigilante. MICHAELANGELO Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Cruising the streets, busting those who hold themselves above the law. (movie announcer voice) But they aren't above HIS. Don walks in, holding an in-process invention. He looks up. DONATELLO Mikey, the man's practically a criminal himself. Anyone who operates without boundary or rule of law cannot be legislated and needs to be reigned in. RAPHAEL (O.S.) Sounds like four turtles I used ta know. ON DOOR - Raphael walks in, his Nightwatcher costume no where in sight. RAPHAEL Whatta we talkin' about, boys? Soundin' a little too egghead fer my tastes. PLINTER Ah, Raphael. Your brothers and I were just discussing the vigilante Nightwatcher once again. (beat - concerned) Where have you been? You've been spending so much time away from home lately... Raphael's on edge from the mention of Nightwatcher already. His attention doesn't break from Donatello. RAPHAEL I joined a book a' the month club. (to Donnie) So just what's your beef with puttin' dirtbags behind bars, Donnie? Go ahead... enlighten me. R R 19. Splinter watches the growing tension with concern. DONATELLO I have no problem with the incarceration of those who deserve it, but if someone like Nightwatcher has ultimate power... then who makes sure he doesn't cross the line? Mikey picks up two NINJA BLADE RINGS, twirling them around aggressively in mock battle. MICHAELANGELO I think he's COOL. DONATELLO Of course you would. MICHAELANGELO (in bg, oblivious) Keeya! HATCHAAAAAA!! RAPHAEL Sometimes there are lines that even the police can't cross. Someone has to be willing to do what needs to be done. And to do that, fear becomes a weapon. DONATELLO You are such a Neanderthal. Raphael does the bully FAKE LUNGE at Don. Don reacts quick and startled, eyes wide. APHAEL I rest my case. S PLINTER (SCOLDING) Raphael! If bullying is the only way to argue your point, then perhaps you do not have much of a point to begin with. APHAEL (gritted teeth) Yes, sensei. (to Mikey) And quit touchin' my stuff. Raph yanks the Ring Blades out of Mikey's hands and storms out of the room by flipping up a series of cables to the second floor. 20. DONATELLO (too-late-retort to Raph) That was just a startle response and isn't really an indication of fear! Raph does the "blah blah" hand gesture from above. Enters his room, slams the door and immediately BLASTS MUSIC... ...and it's some annoying pop HIP-HOP song. RAPHAEL (O.S.) AAAARGH! AND STOP TOUCHING MY STEREO TOO, MIKEY!!! Then HEAVY ROCK starts playing to drown out his family. A silence sits in the room as a CD flies out of Raph's room. Tense in the room for a bit. Don looks at the other two. DONATELLO It's an involuntary thing your body does when stimulated like that. (no response) What? It's true. CUT TO: EXT. HARBOR - NIGHT 26 26 A large JET LINER flies into the city. Lowering. The wheels fold out under the carriages. CLOSER - LEO is on the landing gear, his face lit up by the city glow in front of him. He jumps off as - FOOMP! - a HANG- GLIDER opens up from his backpack. He lowers the glider to the water and RELEASES! INT. SEWER PIPE - MOMENTS LATER 27 27 Disgusting. Dripping. Out of the slime, Leo rises. A beat... inhales, then SMILES WIDE. LEONARDO Mmm... home sweet home. INT. TURTLES LAIR - NIGHT 28 28 All is peaceful in the lair. The big screen TV is the only light source. Mikey snores and drools on the couch, covered in junk food wrappers. Donnie sleeps with an "TECH HEAD" magazine over his face... gadget-in-process in his lap. ON ENTRANCE - Leo walks in and places his bag on the floor. The place feels different... but still feels like home. S 21. He tiptoes with ninjitsu precision across the floor, avoiding the potential noise-making mess below him. He sneaks to- INT. SPLINTER'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS 29 29 Leo peers in cautiously. Splinter is still awake. Expecting him. Kneeling on the floor. Very serious. SPLINTER Enter. Leo walks in and kneels in front of Splinter. LEONARDO I have completed my training, master. I am prepared for the next stage. SPLINTER That you are, my son. You must now apply all that you have learned on your lengthy journey to your everyday life. THAT will be the most challenging training of all... plinter reaches out and hands Leonardo an ANCIENT MEDALLION. Leo is touched. CLOSE ON SHADOWS OUTSIDE OF ROOM - We see a pair of EYES, watching the entire scene... jealous. SPLINTER I've missed you, Leonardo. L eo hugs Splinter. LEONARDO I've missed you too, father. SPLINTER I'm afraid much has changed in your brothers' spirits since you have left. But now that you are home, they will finally have the ethical and warrior leadership they have been lacking. The family needs you. ON LEO - He swallows that big pill very hard. LEONARDO Heh. Yeah... I mean, yes sensei. SPLINTER (to doorway) Raphael, your brother is home. ( 22. ON OUTSIDE OF ROOM - Raphael walks out of the shadows. He's good... but not too good for Splinter. Splinter and Leo break and face the doorway. An awkward silence. LEONARDO Hey. RAPHAEL Hey. Raphael eyes Leo... and then the medallion. RAPHAEL So... congratulations. LEONARDO Thanks. RAPHAEL (awkward beat/fake yawn) Well, I'm goin' to bed. He leaves. TV ROOM - Raph walks through the room, cuffs Don on the back of the head, and keeps on walking. RAPHAEL Leo's home. Donatello wakes up, looks around. LIGHTS UP when he sees Leo. DONATELLO Leo!! ON MIKEY - He wakes up. A Cheese Doodle stuck to his upper snout. Really groggy. MICHAELANGELO But I don't WANNA pop out of the birthday cake, Mrs. Ro- (snaps out of it) LEOOOOO!!! Mikey flips past Donnie and slams Leo with a gripping HUG... and doesn't let go. LEONARDO Hey little bro! a beat) Mikey? You can let go now... um, Mikey? MICHAELANGELO (MUTTERING) So bored... so bored... W O 23. CAM LOWERS INTO FLOOR AS WE... FADE TO BLACK VER BLACK - Quick bursts of AUDIO VIOLENCE. Steel, screaming, trampling, and rumbling. Then- -with each audio burst, we now see a VISUAL BURST. Strong, rim-lit, iconic images of an IMMENSE BATTLE - a slicing blade weapon, screaming mouth, angry eyes. Then- -a monster claw! Gnashing teeth! Scared eyes! Horns and tusks! The edit gets intense, until - WINTERS AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!!! INT. WINTERS BEDROOM - DAWN 30 30 It was all a nightmare. We go WIDER as we take in the ostentatious bedroom of MAXIMILIAN WINTERS, a young mid-40's. Famous NYC entrepreneur. inters is large, handsome, built and powerful in every sense. His bedroom reflects it as well - large simple shapes, decorated with a modern-day tribal/tech appeal. This guy is filled with adrenaline, power and machismo. W INTERS ASSISTANT (O.S.) Mr. Winters, sir. ON DOORWAY - Standing there is a beautiful black-haired assistant dressed in full suit and tie with a clipboard. WINTERS ASSISTANT It's time for your morning workout. INT. WINTERS WORKOUT ROOM 31 31 Rock/hip-hop music crashes in as we see Winters' morning workout - a combination of weaponry work (martial arts and others), floor routines and bag work. He takes it all very seriously. Sequence ends with him smashing the top off of a Mook Jung training block with his bare fist. He walks out of the room, grabbing a towel from a blonde assistant. INT. WINTERS OFFICE - LATER 32 32 Winters walks in his crisp suit. His office is large and austere. Two levels of history in books, artifacts, warrior themed curios and power. W - 24. WINTERS ASSISTANT (O.S.) Mr. Winters, sir? ON DOOR - His Assistant stands at the large doors. WINTERS ASSISTANT The board is waiting. WINTERS Excellent. He walks to the large bay windows that overlooks the city. EXT. WINTERS OFFICE 33 33 Now outside the window, he smiles at the view. WINTERS Tell them I'm on my way down. He slowly LOWERS OUT OF FRAME. CAM PULLS OUT WIDER REVEALING - Winters Office is an "elevator" of sorts that can ride up and down the front of the building, allowing him access to any floor of his Tower without leaving his desk. WIDER - see the Tower is a monolith in the middle of Manhattan - complete with it's own front Central Park-ish gated entry. A true work of modern architecture. WIPE TO: INT. WINTERS LOBBY - DAY 34 34 We see the wonder of everything Winters - mixing of old artifacts with modern day aesthetic and implementation. The ceilings are vast and there is no mistaking the worth of the man and his company. W inters' Elevator Office lowers into a balcony level building overseeing the main lobby. He walks down a stairwell and through the lobby, five Assistants following him. INT. BOARDROOM - CONTINUOUS 35 35 Winters walks in the room. CLOSE ON him as he stops at the head of the boardroom table. INTERS Gentlemen! Let's begin. T 25. CAM PULLS BACK along the impossibly long table as DOZENS OF BOARD MEMBERS stand up. When it reaches the end, it looks as though Winters stands at the head of an ARMY AT ATTENTION. CUT TO: 36 36 INT. TURTLES LAIR - AFTERNOON Leo walks along the upper floor of their lair. As he passes Mikey's room, his brother pops out with his skateboard. We follow them as they walk down to the TV area. MICHAELANGELO Leo... what's up, bro? LEONARDO Just enjoying being home. hey walk past Donnie's Chop Shop room as - BOOM! - something explodes and smoke pours out under his door. DONATELLO (O.S.) NOBODY PANIC! I HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL! Mikey and Leo COUGH, leave the smokey area. LEONARDO Say, what's up with April and Casey? I expected them to drop by after I got back. MICHAELANGELO We don't see much of `em anymore. April seems to be working a lot - eww - and Casey seems to be, I dunno, "different" lately. Maybe he doesn't like having to put the toilet seat down now that they've moved in together. LEONARDO They're living together now? They get to the living room area. Mikey walks to the edge of a jury-rigged HALF-PIPE he built in an old water slough. Mikey continues as he skates back and forth. MICHAELANGELO To be honest with ya, they're kinda buzzkills to be around. LEONARDO Is Casey at least still doing his hockey mask thing? K 26. MICHAELANGELO Dunno. Haven't noticed since The Nightwatcher has come home to roost. WOOOOHOOOOOOOO! LEONARDO "Nightwatcher"? That some new comic book you're hooked on, Mikey? RAPHAEL walks in. Picks up Mikey's scrapbook as he passes the sofa and slugs it in Leo's chest. RAPHAEL This should explain most of it. The legacy of the city's newest hero. Compliments of the fanboy over there. M ICHAELANGELO Joke all you want, Raphy. But train hard and eat your veggies and one day, you too can be as cool as The Nightwatcher, dude. RAPHAEL I can only hope, Mikey. I can only hope... Leo disapprovingly flips through the book. LEONARDO This guy could bring heat on all of us if he keeps this up. Showboating isn't a replacement for justice... it's just self-indulgence. (looks back at book) Someone needs to talk to this thug. ON RAPH - He looks... dying to say something. But can't. CUT TO: EXT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT - AFTERNOON 37 37 CLOSE ON - A familiar-looking white HOCKEY MASK. Eyes blink behind it. ID 1 Yo, Case? Wanna be goalie? The mask is pushed aside by Casey - Kid 1 was holding it. CASEY Nah, you know I work for a livin'. It's Star Center or nothin' else. C 27. WIDER - Casey is with 5 other KIDS prepping for a game of STREET HOCKEY, using tennis balls and trash cans. Chubbier KID 2 walks by and grabs the mask himself. KID 2 Whatever! Let's get it on! They begin a boisterous round of hockey. Trash talk, gentle checking and all the requisite boy things. We see that the kids love Casey. And vice versa. Suddenly- BROOKLYN MOM (O.S.) TOMMY!! IT'S TIME FOR DINNER! TOMMY (KID 1) BUT MA! WE JUST STARTED! BROOKLYN MOM (snapping back) THOMAS! Tommy's defeated. Looks at the disappointed boys. TOMMY Sorry dudes. CASEY Busted! Have fun with your mommy... (face falls, disappointed) ...oh no. OFF HIS LOOK - We see APRIL, dressed stunning in a dark business suit at the other side of the street. She's dangling a WHITE SHIRT and a TIE from her other hand. ASEY Aw, c'mon April! We just started! April just gives him "the look" with an eyebrow cock. Casey knows he can't win. KID 2 Can't Casey stay and play for just five more minutes, Miss O'Neil? Pleeeeeeease? APRIL Not today, Nate. Mister Jones has to pretend to be an adult for a few hours. KIDS Awwwww! Man! Baaah! Casey hands his stick, then quickly turns with a grin. CASEY Later boys! 28. CAM FOLLOWS April and Casey as they walk down the street. April's not really a hard-ass - she's just forced to be the "responsible one" in A the relationship. PRIL I need your help with a delivery. CASEY (Arnold voice) Do you need my funtahstick muscles? APRIL (UNENTHUSED) Heh-heh... yeah. Casey awkwardly places his arm over her shoulder as the cam rests and they walk into the distance. He pulls it back down. CAM ANGLES ON WALL - As we notice CLAW MARKS sliced into the concrete exterior of a building. CUT TO: INT. WINTERS LOBBY - SUNSET 38 38 The doors open in Winters Lobby. April struts in, owning the place. Casey struggles pulling the pallet holding the LARGE CRATE behind them. As she passes reception- RECEPTIONIST Mr. Winters. April O'Neil is here. 39 39 INT. WINTERS OFFICE His darkened office is especially alpha-male - BIG GAME HUNT trophies adorn the walls, as do SUITS OF ARMOR from all time periods and random strange ARTIFACTS spanning history in glass cases. Winters sits at his large desk as the large doors open and April and Casey spill in. WINTERS Miss O'Neil. You are a vision. Thirty days in a jungle, and beautiful as ever. He shakes her hand and double-cheek kisses her. Casey's eyes widen - is THIS what his girlfriend does? APRIL Hello Max. (BEAT) This is my... friend, Casey Jones. ( 29. WINTERS Chris! How's it going? Winters nearly crushes Casey's hand in his grip. CASEY Actually, It's Ca- WINTERS (ignoring, back to April) So how was your trip? APRIL You know, the typical - corrupt government officials, double crossed by a jungle guide, all ending in a heart-pounding chase. Winters and April chuckle. Cam adjusts to show Casey between them in the bg, looking uncomfortable and out of place. APRIL But it was all worth it. beat - excited) I found it. The fourth General. Winters BEAMS, way too excited as well. April holds out her hand to Casey, who doesn't know what she wants. He awkwardly HIGH FIVES her. CASEY Yeah-ha! The fourth General. APRIL (hushed gritted teeth) The crow-bar. CASEY Oh. He hands it to April as she twirls up a CROW-BAR and cracks open the front panel. INSIDE BOX POV - The light gradually breaks in, until - CREAK - the front panel falls to the floor. CLOSE ON - Winters' look. Pure wonder and admiration. He walks up to it slowly. April and Casey cautiously stay back. WINTERS (SOFT) ...the gods be praised. ON BOX - We finally see the statue - GENERAL AGUILA - a seven- foot towering wall of granite and obsidian. Eagle warrior armor reflecting a South American design... though not from a specific time period. Winters rubs his hand over the stone. W 30. APRIL Can I ask you a question? WINTERS (not looking away) Y es. Of course. APRIL I've been so grateful for the opportunities you've given me lately. I'd probably be still selling antique curios if you hadn't visited my shop that day. (off of box) But I have to ask... why the fascination with these particular works of art? I'd never even heard of the Legend of Yaotl until we met. He looks up. The cam PANS RIGHT. It travels past an SUIT OF ARMOR in the FG. Goes to BLACK. Continue PAN until we're in- 40 40 EXT. FLASHBACK BATTLEFIELD - 3000 YEARS AGO -the armor becomes the back of a HELMET. Camera dollies around the helmet until we're looking at a dark and imposing figure. YAOTL. His helmet is impenetrable, with eye slits. Note - the flashback is dark, shadowed and monochromed. Detail is hinted at instead of shown. Very stylized. WINTERS (V.O.) It was a time long before the Mayans, April. Long before the Aztecs and even the Olmecs. It was a time of legends. A time of greatness. The true mother culture of Central America. Cool shots of Yaotl. His armor, his stance, etc. INTERS (V.O.) There was a man named Yaotl. More a force of nature than man. And together with his Four Warrior- Priest Generals, they pillaged every culture in their path. QUICK SHOTS OF EACH GENERAL. The walk along side Yoatl. Possibly slo-mo. We will come to recognize them through their distinct armor as the Four Stone Generals - in human form. WINTERS (V.O.) And for every culture they destroyed, they drank in all the magic and knowledge known to them. (MORE) O 31. WINTERS(cont'd) They became a warring hurricane, gathering more power and knowledge with each conquest. GROUP SHOT - Of five Warriors. High atop a hillside, finally stopped. Ready for battle. Their character-specific weapons are drawn. Around them is a small army of MINIONS. WINTERS (V.O.) Then they came across a culture rich with science, magic and their own technology. A South American version of "Atlantis". ( BEAT) It was like blood in the water for a predator like Yaotl. CLOSE ON - Yaotl. As he raises his sword in the air. CAM DOLLIES AROUND HIS HEAD REVEALING their opposing forces. An army of THOUSANDS. Waving their weapons in the air. The opposing army CHARGES. Yaotl's men pull out a large ORNAMENTAL STAND - a "stargate" of sorts. Yaotl and his men are unmoving... as they begin a ceremony. Yaotl looks to the heavens above - as we see a CLUSTER OF SPECIFIC STARS move into place. WINTERS (V.O.) As the army approached, Yaotl used the knowledge they'd gained in black magic and sorcery. Timing their attack with the alignment of the Stars of Kikin, they opened a portal to another world. ON CHARGING ARMY - they stop dead in their tracks. Front-lit by the OS portal. Don't know what to expect - ON PORTAL - A crackling electric circle opens to another dimension. Suddenly - DOZENS OF MONSTERS EXPLODE OUT! Creatures of all varieties. Gnashing Fangs. Swiping claws. WINTERS (V.O.) They unleashed an army of monsters. N BATTLEFIELD - men getting slaughtered (in a nice PG sort of way). Quick shots. Intense. WINTERS (V.O.) The monsters knew no side - they destroyed the enemy... as well as Yaotl's own army. Men who swore to spill their blood for his cause. Yaotl had to do something to stop more from coming through. W inters SMASHES the portal, stopping the slew of monsters from pouring out. End on a scream. Dissolve to LATER in the battle... A W ( ( 32. Desolate, destroyed battlefield. Smoldering. Bodies everywhere. No monsters. End pan on Yaotl on his knees. WINTERS (V.O.) In the end, there were no victors. And they were responsible for the eradication of the greatest culture that will never be known. The knowledge that was lost would never be found again... DISSOLVE BACK TO PRESENT DAY IN WINTERS' OFFICE Casey has fallen asleep, sitting to the side, head in his hand. A line of DROOL hangs from his mouth. April is fascinated by the story. She nudges Casey who does the slurp/half-snore wake up. C ASEY ("wake up" fast speak) I was just resting my eyes... APRIL Quite the story, Max. concerned re: Statue) You don't think that this could be- WINTERS Oh no, Miss O'Neil. looks back to statue) Like you said... just a story. inters doesn't break his stare. WINTERS One of the girls will pay your fee on the way out. PRIL Thanks. Um... goodbye... Max. April and Casey leave Winters, consumed with his new treasure. He doesn't reply. INT. WINTERS LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER 41 41 April and Casey walk the lobby. She shoots him "the look". CASEY What!? It was a boring story! APRIL That is so perfectly CASEY JONES. I give you opportunity. I give you the chance to become a better man. And what do you do with it? (MORE) W 33. APRIL(cont'd) (BEAT) YOU FALL ASLEEP! Casey stops next to a PODIUM holding a priceless-looking VASE. As he speaks, he gestures very animatedly and dangerously close to the vase. CASEY Well, maybe if you were home for more than four days at a time, you'd see that I DON'T WANT ANY OF THIS! APRIL (sees danger of vase) Casey, you better be careful- CASEY Here I am nice enough to help you out, dress in this get-up and all I get is grief?! ...as he knocks and SMASHES the vase to the floor. CASEY Oh boy. Klaxons sound as SHINK-SHINK-SHINK - METAL PLATES SLAM DOWN OVER THE GLASS ENTRY. COMPLETELY ENCLOSES THE FRONT LOBBY. Room is now emergency light RED. April rubs her temples. APRIL Give me strength. CUT TO: INT. WINTERS OFFICE 42 42 Winters is still alone in his office. Still studying the statue. A beat. He turns his head to the side. WINTERS You can come out now. IDER - As we see FOUR FIGURES appear out of the smallest and darkest of shadows! The LEADER slinks forward - clearly a S woman - dressed in cloak and Japanese Noh mask over her face. he takes it off, revealing KARAI - the beautiful leader of the Japanese Foot Clan, flanked by three, FOOT NINJAS. WINTERS Your talents are commendable. KARAI As are yours. Most don't notice us until we decide they will. 34. WINTERS Well, I guess I'm just special that way. Winters walks over to his desk. The Statue looms behind them. WINTERS So down to business - aside from the other reasons for your visit to America, are you interested in my offer we discussed? KARAI I must confess... I still don't know exactly what we are to do for you. WINTERS I need the finely-tuned eyes and stealth of your Foot Ninja to... monitor the city for me over the next few days. Winters walks to his window. It's night. Overlooks the city. WINTERS Just keep your eyes peeled for anything... strange. KARAI (long beat) What kind of strange things? The question hangs as we PUSH IN ON Statue's face... his eerie eyes. We think his eye GLOWS, only we- MATCH CUT TO: EXT. STAR-FILLED SKY - NIGHT 43 43 The glowing eye is really a STAR. The same line pattern we saw at movie's open. The stars ADJUST... lining up in a more straight-lined manner. CAM LOWERS, placing us back in- EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - NIGHT 44 44 A MAN walks down the sidewalk. As he passes a DARKENED ALLEYWAY, he hears a low GROWL come from it. He stops. ALLEY POV - As the man looks in. Can't see a thing. Hand-held cam. He moves to leave... and the growl comes again. STREET - Man stares in. No one on the street. Looks closer... closer... grows more tense as... 35. ...WHAM! The requisite CAT jumps out of the shadows. Scares Man half to death. MAN WAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! (calms down) Gave me a scare kitty. He pets the kitty a bit, then walks off. CAM LOWERS behind cat, as Man walks off into the distance. Until... ...WHAM! A large burly CLAWED ARM slams out of the shadows onto the cat, yanking it back into the alley! Quick caterwaul. Silence. And then we hear a BURP. C AM LOWERS further through the asphalt, then quickly hooks up with an air duct pipe. Zips faster and faster until we're in- 45 45 INT. TURTLES LAIR - TRAINING DOJO Leo feverishly works out. He stops, looking up, panting. LEONARDO (O.S.) Does ANYBODY train anymore?! MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Just a sec, dude! I'm almost at level eighteen. (OS video game explosion) Scratch that... seventeen. LEONARDO DONNAY! DONATELLO (O.S.) In... uh... a few minutes, Leo. I'm in the middle of- KZZZT-BOOOM! - An OS invention blows up. DONATELLO (O.S.) Um... make that another hour. Leo sighs. Splinter walks by, not stopping. SPLINTER A true leader knows how to motivate his troops regardless of their own motivations. Splinter walks past a large FUSE BOX. Leo thinks a beat. Then smiles. WIDE SHOT OF LAIR MAIN ROOM as - KACHUNK! - the entire room goes BLACK. 36. TURTLES (O.S.) Aw man! What's goin' on?! WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS!? LEONARDO (O.S.) Ninja tag, topside! CUT TO: 46 46 INT. DARK CHAMBER - NIGHT Another place that isn't the TMNT lair. Dark and mysterious. Don't know where we are. Feels ceremonial. We see close up detail of statue GRANITE. A DEEP VOICE chants OS in a South American tongue as HIGH- TECH GEAR is placed on the rock. It becomes powered, triggering a reaction in the stone itself. Music builds as we see quick shots of the granite cracks GLOWING RED. Camera travels with the rising glow. End on a pair of DEAD EYES - suddenly come to life. Red glow. CUT TO: EXT. NYC ROOFTOPS - NIGHT 47 47 The boys stand high atop the city below. Readying to run a gauntlet of rooftop hazards. They spy a BILLBOARD off in the distance. M ICHAELANGELO First one to touch old faithful over there- DONATELLO -does the other team's chores for a week. Leo and Raph glare at each other. LEONARDO/RAPHAEL Deal. MICHAELANGELO I'm with Leo! DONATELLO Actually, I think you and I should pair up, Mikey. MICHAELANGELO You kiddin' me?! I mean, no offense Donnie, but you ain't exactly the biggest hitter on the bench. T 37. Don is grinning. Observing the subtle tension. DONATELLO Just trust me on this one. Music builds to a fun number as the two teams run parallel on buildings. The course requires them to work as a TEAM, throwing, catching and propelling one another from obstacle to obstacle. Leo accidentally slips, PLOWING Raph face-first into a brick wall. Raph, convinced Leo did it on purpose, uses his next opportunity to hurl Leo dangerously high and far over a billboard. The situation escalates at each juncture. LEONARDO Have you been avoiding me? Barely seen you since I got home. RAPHAEL I been busy. LEONARDO (SARCASTIC) I see. So... you're definitely not upset at me or anything, right? RAPHAEL Why'd you think that? LEONARDO I don't know... your brother gets to go on a world-wide training mission and you have to stay home. Might upset me too. RAPHAEL Are you trying to make me mad? LEONARDO I'm just saying, I'd understand if you were upset. Their intensity ESCALATES. RAPHAEL You wouldn't understand the first thing about me, daddy's boy - OOF!. hey both trip over a duct, tumbling in a ball. They stop rolling, continue fighting. LEONARDO Is that what this is about? You think Splinter likes me best? RAPHAEL You'd love that, wouldn't you? M 38. WIDER - Don and Mikey are already sitting there. MICHAELANGELO So nice of you to join us, gentledudes. DONATELLO And by the way, I prefer the classic military corner tuck for my bedsheets. M ikey and Don high five. Leo and Raph aren't amused. They stare down. Raph does his BULLY FLINCH fake-lunge... only Leo doesn't twitch. Suddenly- MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Whoa! Whawazzat?! The others rush over to the edge with Mikey. ICHAELANGELO You dudes see that up there? OFF HIS LOOK - We see LARGE SHADOWS moving with in a large I- BEAM CONSTRUCTION SITE. The movement is coming from one of the higher floors. MICHAELANGELO So what now, captain? LEONARDO We need to come up with a plan. RAPHAEL Later! Raph RUNS OFF toward the action. LEONARDO RAPH!!! But Raph doesn't stop. All three look at each other. Then- MICHAELANGELO Welcome home. EXT. I-BEAM HIGHRISE CONSTRUCTION 48 48 The boys cross over on a large CONSTRUCTION CRANE and scale up the few more stories to the top. They stand on a scaffold underneath the floor of the activity. ON WALL - Deep CLAW MARKS are carved into the steel, much like by April and Casey's loft. Don notices. DONATELLO Guys, I've got a bad feeling... L M 39. RAPHAEL Ahh, let's take a tiny peek. They scale to the top floor. Peering over the edge. MICHAELANGELO Well, there's a good/bad news scenario for ya. CAM BEGINS TO CRANE UP from Turtles to activity on the floor. MICHAELANGELO Good news is that there are a buncha Foot Ninja gettin' the snot kicked out of `em. CAM FINISHES ON FLOOR - Showing SIX FOOT NINJAS and KARAI squaring off against a LARGE BIGFOOT-LIKE MONSTER! It tosses them around like stuffed animals. ICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Bad news is WHAT's kickin' the snot out of `em... ON TURTLES - As they've all now crept up to the dark corner of the floor. A FOOT NINJA gets clobbered and sails past them, and off the building. (safely to a scaffold below) D ONATELLO An interesting conundrum. Do we hold dear the value of life and help the Foot regardless of our tumultuous past? MICHAELANGELO I vote for sitting back and enjoying the show. (to Leo) Whaddaya say, leader boy? ON LEO - He's troubled. The burden of "leader" shouldered. RAPHAEL Nah. We kick butt. Raph jumps forward! Leo rolls his eyes, as all the Turtles jump into the fray. The Foot are surprised at first, and the Bigfoot Monster is confused as well. ON LEO - He stops when he comes face to face with Karai. EONARDO Who are YOU?! ON KARAI - She pauses a moment. They exchange expert katana attacks. Stalemate. She gestures to the Foot as they use this opportunity for their escape. As they leap away, Karai looks back at the Turtles... R 40. The Creature immediately CHASES the boys throughout the structure, as they use all their ninja skills to avoid it, not to mention impalement on the bed of rebar below! aph tries to turn the tables and attacks the Creature! The boys have no choice but to help him... putting them in deeper trouble. The I-Beam is getting dented and twisted with each impact. The tussle begins to fall - whoomp, whoomp - down many flights of floors. Raph gets separated at one point, jumping off the side of the building to catch up, and swings himself back onto the bottom floor to await the others. SMASH! They fall into Raph's floor. RAPHAEL Nice of ya's ta join me. But the Turtles eventually get cornered. And just as the Creature closes in- MICHAELANGELO YEEEAAAAARGGHHH!!!!! The creature stops. Confused. So are the other three turtles. MICHAELANGELO What? I saw it on a nature show once. The creature SCREAMS BACK! Boys freak out. TURTLES AAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!! A NGLE ABOVE TURTLES - As a large teetering pallet filled with dried cement and blocks to come CRASHING DOWN ON THEM! The Turtles are buried under the rubble. RUH? - The Creature is confused... until it's hit with a blinding light, and then an EXPLOSION - FWOOM! We hear heavy footsteps thumping through the light. Shapes start to form until we see... ...LIVING VERSIONS OF THE FOUR STONE GENERALS! Sporting HIGH TECH GEAR - a mix of tech with ancient magic scrawlings. Their bodies "glow" with a red inner life, seeping through their stone cracks and piercing eyes. The Generals are all ANIMAL-THEMED - Mute and powerful Ape- themed costume ("MONO"), Eagle Leader ("AGUILA"), agile Jaguar ("GATO") and the deadly snake-like female ("SERPIENTE"). Large. Imposing. Completely bad-ass. The Creature ROARS and FIGHTS to no avail... 41. BURIED POV - Silent. The Turtles start to GROAN, regaining consciousness. Moonlight shoots in as they move the rock and stand up, groggy. ON MOUTH OF ALLEY - Through the smoke we can see silhouettes - a large hairy shape, along with FOUR VERY LARGE SHAPES. The sounds of freighter doors CLOSING, engines revving and then a caravan of sorts pulling away. WHOOOOOP! - A POLICE SIREN chirps. Approaching the now- destroyed site. DONATELLO Better hit the tunnels, guys. Donnie uses a small prod to prop open a MANHOLE COVER. Don, Mike and Leo jump in. Leo looks back, Raph is still stewing. LEONARDO Raph. Save it for another day. (BEAT) RAPH! Raph knows he has to go. Reluctantly he enters the sewer. The lid closes as the alley is illuminated by POLICE CHERRIES. A beat, then Mikey barely pops the lid open for another peek. MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Y'know, it's not that bad, dudes. ON BUILDING - Actually, the place is destroyed. Dented, torn and looking like a post-night raid in WWII. CUT TO: EXT. WINTERS TOWER - NIGHT 49 49 UP ANGLE on the Tower. Dead of night. No one around. INT. WINTERS TOWER SECRET CELL BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS 50 50 A cavernous structure. Dimly lit. High ceiling. A few odd silhouettes here and there. We hear the clicking of Winters' shoes echo as he enters. WINTERS What seems to be the problem? Karai and six Ninja are already there. KARAI The "problem" is that we were hired to merely patrol the city and report anything "strange" to you. (MORE) W 42. KARAI(cont'd) (grabs sword hilt) You never said anything about MONSTERS. Winters smirks, looking at the mouse who thinks he can take the lion. He reaches to a satchel on the floor. The Foot TENSE in anticipation. Instead... Winters comes up with a MONEY BRICK. INTERS (tosses money brick) So, your job duties were just redefined. Congratulations on your promotion. SHINK! - Karai pulls out her To and slices the brick in mid- air. Winters STOPS and looks back over his shoulder. KARAI We may be hired help to you, but you should never forget... we are the Foot Clan. ON WINTERS - Condescendingly finds this particularly `cute'. WINTERS Oooooooh... It sets the Foot off. They all grab their weapons, moving toward Winters. Karai flips forward, sword drawn and at Winters throat! ...as Winters stands still... and begins to LAUGH. Slowly, the thumping of FOUR SETS OF FEET lumber out of the shadows. Reveal themselves to be THE FOUR STONE GENERALS. They flank Winters, who is just loving the theatricality of it all. The Foot Ninja leap back. Winters remains confident and unmoving. Generals SMIRK at Karai and the Foot. WINTERS I believe we made a deal, Karai. I expect you to honor it. (beat, stares her down) You do understand "honor", don't you? Karai stews... unblinking stare. Of course she does. WINTERS So I don't care what part of "muscle for hire" you don't understand. I hired your muscle. Now exercise the ones attached to your feet and... (closer - terse) ...get back to work. 43. Karai slowly steps back. Winters smiles wide, reaches into the drawer and takes another brick of bills and tosses it to W a Foot Ninja. Then another to a second Ninja. INTERS So I will double... no, no... TRIPLE your pay for your troubles. (stare down) Are we cool? ON FOOT - They just stare back, blank goggles. Probably seething inside. Winters is flanked by Generals. WINTERS Are we... cool? The Foot don't move. Tense. Karai finally nods. Terse. WINTERS Ninjas. No sense of humor. (to Generals) So how did we fare? CORRIDOR ENTRANCE - a hunched SHAPE undulating in chains is wheeled into the light. Winters approaches it - chained to a high-tech and uplit pallet on the floor. We can barely make it out as being the HAIRY CREATURE from the I-beam fight. WINTERS (close, quiet) So it begins... It SCREAMS. Fights it's restraints. Tires. Breathing heavily. Winters approaches, safely inches away from his fanged maw. Creature suddenly lunges forward! Winters doesn't flinch. He merely grins at the creature. WINTERS (to General Aguila) Were there any problems? AGUILA speaks in a gravelly, hardened voice. He towers over Winters by a foot. Clearly the leader of the four. GENERAL AGUILA None, my lord. WINTERS (to Karai) You see, now THAT'S a good soldier. You two should compare notes. Karai and Aguila stare at each other. Karai obviously not used to being handled like this. K 44. KARAI Just what is this all about? WINTERS Oh, let's call it a scavenger hunt. (re: Generals) I now have the power and know-how, but I need the speed and stealth of an organization such as your own. Not to mention an organization that values discretion. KARAI But of course. WINTERS You see, I have nine more beasts like this that should be coming to town very soon. Thirteen in all, to be exact. The Four Generals move the monster into a position on the floor ahead - into a DISK on the floor. ON CEILING - We see the top of a CAGE inserted over top, creating a cell. ARAI But... why? Why here? Why now? WINTERS Instinct, mostly. They're animals at their core. (looks off, distant) And they recognize something familiar in the air... in the stars. (BEAT) What can I say? I'm a lover of animals. The disk ROTATES. WIDER we see that there are already some cells inserted on the large stone disk in the floor. Filled by darkened silhouettes of creatures that we're probably glad W we don't fully see. Glowing eyes pierce out of the darkness. INTERS So you go and get to know each other. And don't forget... play nice. The Generals turn and walk-push the Foot out of the door. They move to fight back, but Karai waves her hand. KARAI Not now. Our business will be handled at a later time... D R C 45. After they leave, we pause for A BEAT on Winters. Quiet. Tired. Contemplative. UT TO: 51 51 INT. TURTLES LAIR - KITCHEN - AFTERNOON Three brothers sit around their breakfast table, looking hung over from the previous night's brawl. Mikey comes in, looking the worst of all, and plops into his seat. Cam circles table. MICHAELANGELO Dudes, did anyone get the license plate of the thing that hit us last night? Oi, my head... Don pours over a thick book on MONSTERS AND MYTHOLOGY. DONATELLO Was it just me, or did that creature look familiar? RAPHAEL We coulda taken it if you slackers woulda pitched in sooner. LEONARDO Fact remains, Raph, that we should have never been there in the first place. APHAEL Well, I suppose that we shoulda let Mr. Cuddly-kins continue to spread happiness throughout the city... oh wait... HE WAS A FREAKING MONSTER TRYIN' TA KILL US!!! Good call, fearless leader. ONATELLO Come to think of it, it WAS pretty strange to see the Foot too. And who was that woman? MICHAELANGELO I dunno, but she sure gave Leo a run for his money. LEONARDO (still fighting with Raph) This is my fault now, Raph? I'm the only one who has to be responsible! RAPHAEL Hey, you're the "trained master", not me. 46. MICHAELANGELO (quickly interjected) Dudes-can-it-here-comes-Splinter. ON DOOR - Splinter walks in, HUMMING to himself. SPLINTER Good morning, my sons. TURTLES Morning, sensei. Splinter makes himself a TEA. Room is SILENT. ON TURTLES - Raph and Leo GLARE at one another while they eat. Don is pouring over a THICK BOOK while Mikey sits with his forehead on the table. SPLINTER If anyone needs me, I'll be watching my stories. S plinter walks out. OS sound of the TV being turned on. At the table, the glare continues. LEONARDO Hothead. RAPHAEL Splinter-junior. NYC DIRT REPORTER (O.S.) And in the latest of a string of strange criminal activity, a construction site was nearly destroyed last night. Authorities believe a violent battle had taken place earlier that evening. The boys react and rush into the MAIN LIVING AREA. ON TV - a well-coifed News Reporter stands outside of the I- BEAM TOWER. In the daylight, we can see the building is twisted and dented from the night's fighting. The boys immediately JUMP FORWARD. Mikey grabs the remote and ups the volume. SPLINTER My sons, what- Splinter's eyes go wide. He looks at his boys listening to the TV intently. Mikey nurses his sore head. SPLINTER I believe you boys have some explaining to do... M 47. Splinter looks at the Turtles. Busted, as we- X-DISSOLVE TO: 52 52 INT. SPLINTER'S ROOM - LATER The Turtles are kneeling before their sensei. SPLINTER Leonardo, I am most disappointed in you. You are the leader of your brothers. I was counting on you to bring order to the chaos of this family. LEONARDO But Master Splinter, how can I be expected to do so when Ra- SPLINTER There are no excuses when you are the Leader, my student. ON LEO - Biting his tongue. Hard. SPLINTER But the involvement of the Foot and their mysterious leader worries me. ICHAELANGELO I'm personally worried about a monster running around the streets of New York. But hey, that's just me. Don elbows Mikey back in line. RAPHAEL We hafta go out and find who's responsible for this. There ain't no other solution. SPLINTER Raphael, there are better ways to use your skills in ninjitsu. Fact- gathering. Analysis. Observation. Direct contact should only be your last resort. RAPHAEL Wow, sounds... exciting. LEONARDO Save the brute vigilante junk for that Nightwing guy. N 48. MIKEY/RAPH "Nightwatcher". LEONARDO Whatever. Raph stands and exits the room. The others stay silent as we- WIPE TO: INT. SECRET NIGHTWATCHER AREA IN SEWER - LATER 53 53 QUICK SHOTS - Nightwatcher gearing up. ightwatcher emerges from a MAN HOLE. Walks to a long- forgotten and shadowed underside of a BRIDGE. He points up with a REMOTE - chirp! Slowly, his MOTORBIKE begins to lower on retractable grappling hooks. O N BIKE - Explodes out of a BACK ALLEY and into the night. EXT. NEW YORK CITY BACK ALLEYS/STREETS - NIGHT 54 54 Various shots of Nightwatcher tearing all over the city. On bike and on foot. Angry. Trying to work it out of his system. He's swallowed it all up to this point... getting harder. BEGIN MONSTER HUNTING MONTAGE 55 55 Aggressive and driving music. Various shots of the Stone Generals capturing a laundry list of CREATURES that are coming into the city. See the tech, detail and precision that the Winters' operation works. Foot Ninja act as living "tracking devices" around the city. - The Generals capture a Sloth-like creature, jumping in throughout rafters above. The Foot try to help by blocking exits. - The Generals capture a werewolf-like creature in the high- speed subway tunnels. The Foot maneuver the subway car. - General Mono takes on a large scale YETI-like monster. A WWE-sized match set in a large abandoned warehouse. - Close calls, as humans come close to seeing the monsters... but rarely do. We see small house pets swiped away. Fleeting glimpses of limbs, claws and teeth in the shadows all over NYC. Meat trucks torn open and their contents "stolen". - Intermix quick shots of Generals and collars clamping, cells locking, etc. 49. - See more cells being filled in Winters Basement. ONLY 3 EMPTY CELLS REMAIN. CUT TO: 56 56 EXT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT - NIGHT Quiet part of the neighborhood. Their lights are fully on. APRIL (O.S.) You sure you don't want to spar a bit? INT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 57 57 April is dressed in work-out gear on a grouping of floor mats. She twirls a wooden KATANA as part of a floor routine. Wow - she's actually pretty good! Casey eats a bag of chips with one hand, does curls with a dumbbell with the other. CASEY Nah. Ever since you started with the blade weapons you, um... you kinda scare me. APRIL Suit yourself. (she stops - a beat) Case? CASEY Yeah? APRIL (AWKWARD) Are you happy? I mean, with your life. With me. Casey pauses a beat. Tries to be upbeat. CASEY Yeah. Sure. (beat - serious) You? April thinks just as much. APRIL Yeah. They sit on that for a moment. Casey leans in for a kiss. April doesn't notice. Awkward. Casey changes his mind. CASEY (walks to the window) I'm going outside for some air. N N 50. Casey slips out onto the fire escape. April knows better. APRIL (to herself) Be safe. 5 8 58 EXT. LOFT ROOFTOP - CONTINUOUS Casey climbs up from the fire escape. Checks to make sure he's alone. He reaches inside a chimney flue and pulls out - A BASEBALL BAT and his CLASSIC WHITE HOCKEY MASK! He slips it on. Does a few warm up swings. Cricks his neck. 59 59 EXT. NYC ROOFTOPS - CONTINUOUS All is still, until the panicked face of a BURGLAR enters frame. Being held by his collar. BURGLAR I'M SORRY MAN! I-I-I WON'T EVER DO IT AGAIN! I'M SORR-OOOF! BAM! - the leather fist of Nightwatcher slams Burglar back, tripping over an A/C duct. He tries to shield himself- REVERSE ANGLE - BOOM! - Nightwatcher lands in the FG. IGHTWATCHER Funny how you jerks don't care about crossing the line `til someone else does it... all over yer HEAD! Night hurls him back into a roof access door, denting it. Raph's loving this. Walks to the Burglar and picks him up. BURGLAR (almost in tears) I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!!! NIGHTWATCHER Boy, oh boy, did YOU pick the wrong night to be a criminal... Night cocks his fist just as- CASEY (O.S.) Hey champ. You think you're being a little rough on the guy? ight slowly turns around. Menacing. Casey's taken aback. ( 51. CASEY Are you that Nightwatcher fella? (beat - unimpressed) A little smaller than I expected. RAPHAEL (inside helmet) Case? No way! CASEY (poking Raph with bat) I'm talkin' to you, pal. You think you own these rooftops? Well, lemme teach you a thing'r two. (takes out bat) Class is Pain 101. Meet your instructor... Casey Jones. It's getting serious. Casey's bat is suddenly wrapped by Night's CHAIN, and pulled down. Raph's visor flips up. RAPHAEL (GRINNING) You keep on playing with fire, little man, you might just get burnt. CASEY Raph?! Is that you?! (scans costume) What-what are you doing?! THINKS) Are you pretending to be... ON RAPH - His eyes look around for an answer. Nothing. CASEY Why would you- (finally gets it) -oh. (a beat) So that would mean... (then REALLY gets it) -OOOHHHHHH! Raph smiles... the first genuine one he's had in a long time. RAPHAEL Yep. IN BG - The Burglar tries to get away. Casey and Raph both spy him. Look at each other. Mischievously grin as we- DISSOLVE TO: ( ( 52. 60 60 EXT. ROOFTOPS - LATER CLOSE ON - The panicked face of the Burglar. CAM ROTATES to show him hanging upside-down. CAM WIDENS TO REVEAL he's bound by chains and dangling from a street lamp! CAM PANS UP THE BG BUILDING TO REACH - the two old friends sit perched on a high tower, surrounded by gargoyles. They blend right in. Both masks are off. RAPHAEL I dunno, I just got tired of the "nothing". Sitting around waiting for some disaster to cross our paths. Of us battling Utroms and Triceratons or any other friggin' creature... when there was still some guy gettin' mugged 100 feet above the lair. Just didn't seem right. `Specially if we had the means to do somethin' about it. Raph twirls a billy bat between his fingers. Stops. RAPHAEL And we did... but turns out I was the only one who was willing to do it, tho. So I just saved up, bought and tweaked a sweet bike, fitted the costume and began moonlighting. BEAT) Papers called me "The Nightwatcher", so I went with it. C ASEY "And a legend was born". So what was your handle before that? RAPHAEL I kinda liked "The Midnight Marauder"... CASEY (makes an "eww" face) Stick with Nightwatcher, ninja boy. (THEN) The guys ever catch on? RAPHAEL Pfft. You kiddin' me? Leo's been away for, like, forever. And the other two are so wrapped up in that party business they'd never notice. BEAT) So what about you? How's things with April? Haven't seen ya's since you two moved in together... 53. CASEY They're good... I guess. I dunno, seems like all I do lately is just make her upset. She used to laugh so much... now it's mostly just working all day, and coming home to point out how I'm a screw up. (points to hockey mask) She doesn't like me doing this. And I know she's pretending to not know I'm out tonight. But she knows. And she knows I know she knows. (looks out at city) Life just kinda got complicated suddenly... y'know? RAPHAEL Yer tellin' me... Casey looks at his old bud. CASEY Raph? RAPHAEL Yeah? CASEY Nice to see ya, man. Raph acknowledges. The moment is broken by a HORRIBLE SHRIEK! CASEY/RAPHAEL What was that?! They both spring to their feet and run to the back of the roof. They hear the scream AGAIN off in the distance. RAPHAEL For old time's sake? CASEY What the shell. ON RAPH - He stops, mid-replacement of his helmet. RAPHAEL (DISAPPROVING) Bro. Seriously. EXT. ROOFTOPS 61 61 The two run and leap across the rooftops. Two vigilantes searching for the source of the scream. They finally reach a point where they don't hear it anymore. EDGE OF ROOFTOP - They look out. Silent. 54. CASEY I think we lost it. RAPHAEL It's gotta be around here somewhere. SCREEEEECH!!! - A large VAMPIRE-LIKE CREATURE flies up from the alley below and spreads its 30-foot wings! CASEY/RAPHAEL WAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!!!! It's about to attack when - THUNKA-THUNKA-THUNKA - it's drilled with TRANQUILIZER DARTS from below! CHOOOM! - A grappling hook winds around its feet. The Creature struggles but is pulled down hard! CASEY WHAT'S GOIN' ON, RAPH?! RAPHAEL Did I mention we ran into a monster last week? CASEY NO. NO, YOU KINDA FAILED TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT ONE, BUDDY! They inch closer to the edge. Peek over. ON ALLEY - See the Four Generals putting a pounding on the Creature. They subdue it with all their hardware. The Foot stand guard, helping in the BG. CASEY The freakin' FOOT?! (looks to Generals) What about the walking statues? Were you going to mention THOSE?! RAPHAEL Nope. Those are a first for me too. (gets cocky) We can take `em. One of the generals effortlessly picks up a TRASH DUMPSTER and wallops the Creature with one blow. CASEY On second thought... The Generals put the Creature in a cell. Wheel it to a TRANSPORTER VEHICLE as it drives away. They're just about to leave when- S HINK! - Casey accidentally knocks a tiny piece of rock from the ledge. It falls down - CLANG! - on a garbage can lid. 6 R G 55. ON GENERALS - they turn around. Look up. GENERAL GATO POV - He scans the two. Organic Earth-based. ENERAL GATO Witnesses. Aguila snarls and fires the tranq gun! Raph dives in front of Casey, taking the hit himself! APHAEL AAAARRGGH!!!!! GENERAL AGUILA (to Gato) Fetch. Gato SMILES as the other three board a Transport Vehicle. CASEY Not good. Raph takes out NINJA SMOKE PELLETS and throws them on the roof - FWOOM! When the smoke clears, Casey is standing there alone! Raph is 10 feet away as Casey flinches and takes off too. NIGHTWATCHER You ever heard of smoke pellets? CASEY Hey - you're the ninja, not me! BOOM! - Gato lands up on the roof and quickly gives chase! They can't lose him, even when they drop to street level. EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - MOMENTS LATER 2 62 Raph and Casey are tearing ass through the alleyways, trying to escape the thing that's close on their tail. CASEY WHAT WERE THOSE THINGS, RAPH?! Raph ignores him, looking for a street sign. Then he sees it - 56th Street. RAPHAEL Bingo. Raphael quickly dashes left through TRAFFIC! DOWN ALLEY BEHIND THEM - BOOM BOOM BOOM - We see Gato bounding down the wall, almost in a four-legged run, occasionally jumping off walls at incredible speeds! A true jaguar. It leaps through the traffic as well. C 56. UNDER A BRIDGE - Raph points up and - CHOOP! - hits a remote that lowers his MOTORCYCLE. CASEY What are we gonna do, Raph? WHAT ARE WE GONNA- (sees bike) -hey, cool ride. RAPHAEL Hop on. Raph leaves Gato in a cloud of dust... but not for long. Gato clamors along... keeping up with the weaving bike! In the fray, Casey looses his mask... as it gets trampled by Gato. It's an insane chase, with Raph trying to lose him as Casey swings his bat, trying to stave off the Stone General. Suddenly - THUNK! A circular OBSIDIAN BLADE lands in his wooden bat. He looks at it. CASEY Um, Raph? Raph sees the blade! They manage to switch positions in mid- ride, with Casey driving and Raph in back. Raph throws kicks and punches at their pursuer when he closes in. The chase takes them to a PARKING GARAGE as they circle upwards, Gato jumping from car to car, still on their tails! ROOFTOP - They're trapped. He doesn't have a hope... aside from jumping the bike to the next roof! ASEY T hisiscrazythisiscrazythisiscrazy. He lets out the clutch as they make the jump! WHAM! - Sparks and crucial pieces fly off the undercarriage. They both look back at Gato up and away at the top of the structure. CASEY SUCK ON THAT, ROCK FACE! (Gato leaves edge) THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT, PUNK! ...and then -thumpthumpthump- Gato JUMPS DOWN TOWARD THEM! CASEY Oh crap. Casey guns it - BUT THE BIKE DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE - as Gato is in mid-air, taking off. Casey grabs the weakening Raph and drags him off. C 57. 63 63 EXT. ROOFTOP BEHIND LARGE LETTER SIGN - CONTINUOUS Gato lands and patrols the roof... almost SNIFFING them out. Casey and Raph are barely hidden inside a rooftop shack. Suddenly - BOOM! - Gato finds them. He tries to smash through the steel door with his bare hands! Raph leans his body into the door as a last ditch effort. He's taking a pounding as the door is denting with each slam by Gato. Casey tries to help as well. Gato comes close to breaking in. Very tense. Then- -the LIGHT on his exo-suit begins to STROBE. A signal. A signal to return home. He surveys quickly... then runs off. Casey and Raph fall out. Both shell-shocked. ASEY Okay, so it was great seein' ya again, Raph. (BEAT) Raph? ON RAPHAEL - He's got a dart in his shoulder, obsidian disks stuck in his shell, and has collapsed unconscious. CASEY Gotta get you someplace safe, pal. And then, then I need to go buy some new undies. CUT TO: INT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT - LATER 64 64 April is finishing up with her workout. She hears the fire escape outside of the building and the window slide open. APRIL Casey, I think we need to talk. (turns around) I don't want- whoa. OFF HER LOOK - Casey is standing there, bracing the near- unconscious Raph, now without his Nightwatcher garb. CASEY Could use a little... help here... RAPHAEL (WEAK) Hey April... how ya been? M 58. Raph passes out as we- WIPE TO: 65 65 INT. TURTLES LAIR - KITCHEN Splinter and the other three are finishing up dinner. They close the pizza box. ICHAELANGELO My compliments to zee chef. (BEAT) Le brrrraaaaaaapp! Mikey walks to the fridge of leftover birthday cake. MICHAELANGELO Anyone for dessert? EVERYONE (sick of cake) NO!! The phone suddenly rings. Don rushes over to the jury-rigged payphone on the wall. DONATELLO COWABUNGA-CARL-PARTY-SERVICES- Cowabunga-dude. (face falls) Waita-slow down April. What happened to Raph? (BEAT) We'll be right there. SMASH CUT TO: INT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT - LATER 66 66 ON WINDOW - One by one, Leo, Don and Mikey slip into the window. They spot Raph on the futon, being tended to by April M and Casey. Mikey looks around. ICHAELANGELO Whoa... I am in the wrong line of work. Nice pad, kids. Don immediately starts checking Raph out. DONATELLO His vital signs seem to be okay. (opens his eye) Pupil dilation is normal. Raph weakly pushes Donnie's head away. C 59. RAPHAEL (WEAKLY) Get the... frig offa me. DONATELLO Temper is normal too. (to others) He's going to be fine. Health-wise, I mean. Otherwise, he's still the same old Raph. (BEAT) Whoa. ON RAPH'S SHELL - Two Obsidian Disks are wedged in his back with a Tranquilizer Dart. Donnie wedges out the Obsidian Disk with pliers. LOSE ON - Disk. It's beautiful and deadly. Don examines. DONATELLO Some sort of stone... probably obsidian, I think. (CLOSER) There's an engraving on it. Looks... South American. Aztec? No. It's definitely not Mayan. April swallows hard. APRIL It can't be. DONATELLO What can't be, April? April sits down on the floor with the disk. Trying to figure things out. Casey leans down to her. CASEY Would it help things if I said that we were being chased by a one of those statues you collected for that Winters guy? ON APRIL - Her mouth is agape. MICHAELANGELO I'd say that's a big ten-four. APRIL (MUTTERING) It's just a myth... a legend. (CLOSER) It can't be. ( 60. CASEY And I suppose that bringing up the thirty-foot flying monster would probably just push this over the edge, huh? ON APRIL - She slowly turns to Casey. Floored. LEONARDO What are you talking about Casey? CASEY Just some story this Winters guy told us. It all started down in South America. Long before the Ashmecks and the Macaroons. APRIL Azteks and Mayans. CASEY That's what i said. APRIL Sit down, Jones. (to group) So there was this guy call Yaotl... CAM PANS TO THE RIGHT - As it passes a FG element, the screen dips to black. We hear sounds of a violent BATTLE. Monsters shrieking. Blades clashing. April's retelling Winters' story. DIP TO BLACK: Everyone is gathered around as April finishes. Mikey, in particular, is hunched over, intent. Casey, like before, has fallen asleep. Silence for a beat. Then- MICHAELANGELO Well?! WHAT NEXT?!!! APRIL No one knows. The legend stops there. THINKS) But it's just a legend. Donnie studies the tranq dart under a magnifying glass of April's. DONATELLO The micro-tech of this dart is astounding. The molybdenum is of a grade only found in a few select markets... not to mention it's current stock is going for a little more than two-grand an ounce right now. (MORE) L D L 61. DONATELLO(cont'd) (looks up) What? I dabble in the market. EONARDO So what do we have? We have someone with a lot of money. ONATELLO Access to technology... and the means to produce it to exact specs. RAPHAEL Not to mention having a keen interest in these monsters... and them four stone jokers. DONATELLO If you ask me, it all somehow points to Winters Corp. LEONARDO How do you figure that, Donnie? Donatello looks up with MAGNIFYING GOGGLES on. Sarcastic. DONATELLO Hello? "Genius"? (a beat) Well, that, and the fact that this part has a Winters Corporation logo on it. EONARDO Do you think he's trying to recreate the events from back then? RAPHAEL Well, what would you do with an army of monsters? MICHAELANGELO Well, aside from having your own wrestling league, I dunno... MAYBE TAKE OVER THE WORLD? LEONARDO Do bad guys still try to do that? DONATELLO Yes, however they're usually mortgage re-fi companies. (THEN) What about it, April? You just finished working with the guy, right? Does it make sense? APRIL Guys! It's a legend! R 62. MICHAELANGELO Is that "legend" like the ginormous freakin' hairball that attacked us? APHAEL Or "legend" like the moving statues and flying creature that attacked me n' Casey? APRIL Okay. Fine. I'll help for now... until we prove you're all insane. LEONARDO Or until we prove Winters is up to something more than collecting art. DONATELLO I'll work with April and see if these Stars of Kikin she told us about can give us any clues. RAPHAEL I say we just storm the castle and face this jerk in person! LEONARDO Raph, that would be the worst idea yet. We hang back. Analyze. Formulate a plan, THEN storm your castle. Are we clear? Tense stare off between Raph and Leo. Raph moves anyway. Casey stops him. Quieter moment. CASEY Raph. Don't do it, man. (BEAT) I spent my whole life running out of rooms ticked off at the world. I wish I could take most of `em back. Sometimes, just takin' a breather is the best thing to do. ON APRIL - She's listening to Casey... maybe her man-boy is growing up. Raph knows he can't win. RAPHAEL Yeah... whatever. - and bolts out the door. CUT TO: A 63. 67 67 INT. SEWERS - MOMENTS LATER Cam is moving fast... really fast down the pipes. Raph EXPLODES into frame, running faster than us. He lifts up a BACK PACK... He pulls it open, revealing his Night gear. - as he grabs an overhead PIPE and flips up and outta sight. EXT. STAR-FILLED SKY - NIGHT 68 68 We see the same stars we've been tracking move closer into alignment... only now it means so much more to us. CAM LOWERS, as we find ourselves- 6 9 69 INT. TURTLES LAIR - EVENING Donnie looks through a thick book on ASTRONOMY. PRIL (O.S.) Think this is all of them, Donnie. ON DOOR - April walks in, holding a 3-foot-high stack of yellowed documents. APRIL I cleaned out my archives on ancient South America. Might have found something useful. She takes out a hand-drawn map. APRIL A map of the stars, as recorded by an Aztec Shaman. They pinpoint the location of the Stars of Kikin... even though the names changed. DONATELLO For use in an Aztec calendar. (picks up map) So, if we can cross-reference our current star field, positioning of the Stars of Kikin and backtrack positioning based off of the Aztec CALENDAR- APRIL -along with taking into account the point of origin of the first occurrence, we should know where another portal could take place. (to herself) Max, what are you up to? 64. Leo paces back and forth in the main area. Splinter walks in. Mikey plays video games on the main TV. SPLINTER Leonardo, time cannot be moved faster by wearing a groove in our floor. MICHAELANGELO Seriously, dude. We're all stressed. Try to chill. LEONARDO You're playing video games on the possible eve of Armageddon, Mikey. MICHAELANGELO (INSULTED) But I never said I was having fun. Leo looks at the clock. LEONARDO Where's Raph? SPLINTER Leonardo, a true leader knows the virtue of patience... and when to stop exercising it. DONATELLO We're almost done, Leo. You might want to go get him... If you can find him, that is. Leo looks at Splinter, clearly feeling leadership pressure and Raph's absence makes it worse. He leaves the lair. CUT TO: EXT. NYC SHORELINE - NIGHT 70 70 Relatively peaceful. A few freighters off in the distance. Tall dry grass rustles in the wind, as we see a- - TREASURE HUNTER - A stocky middle-aged FAT MAN with a clicking metal detector. Big goofy earphones cover his ears. TREASURE HUNTER (SINGING) Monay, monay, monay, MONAYYYY (really high-pitched, bad) ...monay! POV FROM WATER - Steadicam shot, watching the man patrol under the light of the moon. W P 65. The clicking intensifies. He follows the signal for twenty feet. Drops to the ground and digs the sand... . ..and comes up with a old unopened CAN OF SARDINES. TREASURE HUNTER Pfft. Figgers. He turns to leave the beach. TREASURE HUNTER Lousy metal detector. "Happy Anniversary" present, my big fat keister. He HURLS the can of sardines over his shoulder. Only, instead of hearing a tiny SPLASH from it hitting the water... we hear a snarling CRUNCH and TINNY-CHEWING. The man stops in his tracks. He turns his head around. CLOSE ON - Man's face, eyes wide in shock. Cam pulls back, slowing just as the crown of a GNARLY SKULL crests the bottom of the screen. PTOOEY! - The tin "key" is spit back onto the sand. He bolts. TREASURE HUNTER AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!! CUT TO: INT. WINTERS PENTHOUSE - NIGHT 71 71 It's dark. Barely lit in the hallways of the top private floors of Winters Tower. The camera travels the long and ornate hallways. Decorated in a different sense than the main building... in a sense of family, tradition and legacy. ictures spanning centuries in age. Some photos. Some portraits. Families. Loved ones. 72 72 INT. WINTERS STUDY - CONTINUOUS Cam continues until we find a high-backed chair parked in front of an oversized blazing FIREPLACE. ON CHAIR - Winters sits. Tired. Sullen. Sipping brandy. Looks above the fireplace and lifts his snifter in a toast. INTERS To picking up the pieces. 66. ABOVE FIREPLACE - is a suit of armor... THE suit of armor of none other than Yaotl the Conqueror. He looks at it with heavy thought. Then- WINTERS What is it? Winters doesn't turn around. Stays in E-FG. Cam adjusts to show the shape of GENERAL AGUILA in the doorway. GENERAL AGUILA Two creatures remain, my lord. A long beat. Winters closes his eyes. WINTERS Well, by all means then. Let's finish it. ON AGUILA - He squints. Deep in thought and not sharing. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT 73 73 Nightwatcher runs along the rooftops. He pauses. He lifts his visor to feel the night air on his face. He sees WINTERS TOWER in the distance... practically egging him on. CUT TO: EXT. PETE'S DINER - CONTINUOUS 74 74 Classic Diner design, Pete's Diner is closed for the evening. The last light goes out. INT. PETE'S DINER - CONTINUOUS 75 75 A greasy DINER COOK finishes cleaning up the tables. He suddenly hears a noise in the back. Big CLANK. KITCHEN - He walks to the back. He hears the noise... now from inside the WALK-IN FREEZER. He slowly approaches it. ANOTHER NOISE. He moves to open INSIDE OF FREEZER - the door slowly opens. The man's face peers in. His eyes go WIDE. He SCREAMS!!! EXT. ROOFTOPS - CONTINUOUS 76 76 Nightwatcher hears the scream. Runs to the source and looks down at Pete's Diner. Sees the commotion inside. Uses his bolo chain and a power cable to form a ZIP LINE down the street as- 67. 77 77 INT. PETE'S DINER - MOMENTS LATER -KERSMASH! He goes through the front window! He stands, cat- like. Ready for anything. The room is only lit by the neon signage behind the counter. Suddenly - Night creeps to the freezer. He can hear the CHEWING and the SNARLING behind the thick door. He takes out a spiked brass- knuckle. Ready. Places a hand on the door... and opens it. ON DOORWAY - The creature is huddled over a pile of frozen meat. Chewing with pieces flying everywhere. Disgusting. It turns around - monkey-like and ferocious looking DEMON... but "cute" in a bizarre kinda way. Music builds as go- WIDER ON SIDE VIEW - Night stands there. The horrible demon creature suddenly jumps out of the freezer too! Face off with Raph as we realize- -it's only THREE FEET TALL! NIGHTWATCHER Hey there little fella. All that commotion for just little ole y- The Demon SCREAMS! It jumps Night, slamming him to the floor behind a row of tables! NIGHTWATCHER (O.S.) WAHH! OOOF! AAAGGH! OW!! WHOAAA!!! Plates, glasses and utensils fly everywhere, smashing all over the diner as the Demon pummels him. CLOSE ON NIGHT - The Demon is jumping up and down, slamming his helmeted head repeatedly to the floor! It lunges forward, mouth open as Night backhands it with a PLATE. The Demon jumps back and up, landing on a rotating CEILING FAN. T he creature lunges down again, but this time, Night is ready. He fights back. Like fighting with a Chihuahua hopped up on cocaine. A break in the fight. The creature has disappeared. Night knows he's there. He preps. Grabs his SMOKE PELLETS from his pocket. And waits... until... ...the Demon swoops in for another attack! Mouth open, fangs bared as Night tosses the smoke pellets inside! WIDE - POOOMPH! POOOMPH! POOOMPH! The pellets explode in its mouth, sending smoke shooting out of it's nostrils, ears and eyes! It shrieks, flying out of the Diner! A 68. NIGHTWATCHER (victory taunting) Yeah! That's what I thought! Don't mess with the Nightwatcher! Night turns. His helmet is still on. He hits his LIGHTS on the side of his head to see through the thick smoke. He finds the DINER COOK huddled behind the counter. Night looks scary. DINER COOK Pl-pl-please don't hurt me! NIGHTWATCHER Whattaya talkin' about? I JUST SAVED YOU! DINER COOK Please, sir. I have kids. Night looks around. He sees the CASH REGISTER on the floor. He picks it up, puts it on the counter. NIGHTWATCHER There ya go, pal. Make sure this is safe. HEY - YOU HEARIN' ME? DINER COOK TAKE IT! JUST TAKE IT! DON'T HURT ME, PLEASE! NIGHTWATCHER LISTEN! I DON'T WANT YER FRIGGIN' CASH! WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME BELIEVIN' I'M A GOOD GUY? (points threatening) I JUST SAVED YOUR STINKIN' LIFE! Sudddenly - SHINK! - a THROWING STAR is lodged in the cash register till! Night jumps. Looks out the window. CAM PULLS WAY WAY BACK, REALLY FAST - Out the Diner and to the rooftop across the street... and over the green shoulders of LEO. ll he sees is a panicked man and the large shape of Nightwatcher standing over him, holding the register. CLOSE ON LEO - He's fuming. Staring down at Nightwatcher. The frustration of the last few days pent up inside of him. B ACK IN DINER - Night slowly lays down the register. Trying to figure out his next move. NIGHTWATCHER This night just keeps gettin' better n' better... H 69. Tense stand-off as... Night suddenly bolts out the back as Leo bolts the roof in hot pursuit! 78 78 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - CONTINUOUS Night tears down the streets and through back alleys. Leo keeps up with him effortlessly, hurling an assortment of THROWING STARS his way. Night suddenly DASHES OUT into traffic! Jumping over passing cars from roof to roof! LEONARDO Nice try, amateur. Leo crosses the busy street while still maintaining his secrecy. Zip lines through power lines, avoids an oncoming bus, and flips back onto a cable. e swings and manages to snag Nightwatcher in mid-leap! LEONARDO Oof! You're a heavy boy, aren't you? They both land on a fire escape, as Night clamors to the top. Leo wastes no time in catching up. 79 79 EXT. ROOFTOPS - CONTINUOUS The chase continues. Night giving it his all, and Leo keeping up pretty easily. He throws Leo a pretty strong curveball, and Leo barely recovers. LEONARDO Okay, someone's been training pretty hard. It begins to spit rain - and becomes a FRANK MILLER DOWNPOUR. EXT. ROOFTOP DEAD END - CONTINUOUS 80 80 Night reaches an area that's a DEAD END. One side of the buildings has a LARGE LETTERED SIGN facing away. Fills the rooftop with silhouettes. No choice but to turn around... ...as Leo slows to a stop at the other end of the building. LEONARDO I want you to know that I appreciate your intentions. But you can't change the world like this. INSIDE HELMET - All we hear is rain pouring. Raph can't hear Leo - just sees him wagging his finger at him. 70. NIGHTWATCHER (to himself in helmet) L Oh god. He's lecturing. EONARDO (now audible) ...so I'm going to give you one chance to just walk away and stop this vigilante nonsense. Leo unsheathes his two katanas. Raph can't hear him. NIGHTWATCHER (to himself in helmet) Okay, Leo. Wanna play? Nightwatcher drops TWIN BOLOS. He twirls them with expertise... then motions for Leo to fight. Charge at each other, running through the rain, weapons drawn. They fight. Hard. And with expertise. Two masters duking it out. It surprises Leo. It fills Night with more adrenaline. There's a break. They circle like tigers. Renewing attacks. Night knows every one of Leo's moves, and counters in turn. LEONARDO What? How did you- ...then he starts goading him on. Pushing Leo. Prodding. Making him MAD. ...and then Leo fights back. HARD. Night can't keep up. Leo uses every bit of his control, restraint and expertise. He surgically slices the bind under Night's helmet. He jumps on top of the vigilante. LEONARDO Goodnight, dark prince. Leo UPPERCUTS Night, knocking his helmet off! His face falls... IT'S RAPHAEL! Leo pales. LEONARDO R-raph? (THINKS) What? But Raph doesn't feel like explaining. Refuses defeat. RAPHAEL AAAAAAAAGHH!! He mule kicks Leo back. Leo tumbles back, still in shock. They yell at each other through the pouring rain. 71. RAPHAEL You're so friggin' smug! You think the world revolves around YOU, dontcha? That we couldn't POSSIBLY survive without the mighty and powerful Leonardo to guide us through our problems, HUH?! (PACES) Well, I gotta newsflash for ya - we got along just fine without you. LEONARDO I was training! Training to be a better leader! For you! Why do you hate me for that?! RAPHAEL ...and whoever said I wanted to be led? I shoulda gone on that training! LEONARDO Y OU WEREN'T READY! You're impatient and hot-tempered! And more importantly... I'm better than you. Raph stops in his tracks. Reaches behind his back... and pulls out his TWIN SAIS. He flips them to the front. RAPHAEL Well, big brother, I'd have to disagree with you on that one. Raph takes a ready stance. Leo does too. And they fight. Brother vs. brother. Katana vs. Sai. Technique vs. Heart. EXT. ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUS 81 81 In another part of the city, the Generals have caught the Demon from Pete's Diner. As they carry him to the caravan, their RADIO COMM goes off. KARAI (O.S.) The Foot report of strange activity five blocks north of your location. GENERAL SERPIENTE The final creature. EXT. ROOFTOP DEAD END - CONTINUOUS 82 82 Camera RISES UP until we reach the rooftop where Leo and Raph continue to duke it out in the rain. They battle. In the end, Raph becomes an uncontrollable ball of anger, unleashing everything on Leo. R 72. It ends with Raph pinning Leo to the ground... holding a sai MILLIMETERS FROM HIS EYEBALL! Tense. Raph shakes. He looks like he's going to do it... then stops. He collapses back. Almost ashamed of what he's done. Leo just can't believe that Raph bested him. They pant heavily. The rain dies down. Raph RUNS AWAY, across a few rooftops. Away from his brother. He suddenly STOPS and looks back at Leo, small in the distance. CLOSE ON LEO - A SHADOW suddenly falls over him. He looks up to see the FOUR GENERALS surrounding him. He tries to fight back... but is too wiped from Raph. GATO POV - "reading" Leo on the ground. He frowns. GENERAL GATO It is neither monster nor human. CLOSE ON AGUILA - He manages a small smile. GENERAL AGUILA Then he shall perfectly serve our purposes... let us inform our commander that the final creature has been captured. ON RAPH - He sees the commotion from afar... as Leo gets TRANQUILIZED with the Generals' dart cannon. RAPHAEL LEO!!! Raph runs closer as the Generals lower to the ground and drive off. Raph jumps from rooftop to rooftop to try and catch his brother. RAPHAEL L eo!!! Hang on!! But the Caravan is too fast, and eventually loses Raph. APHAEL NOOOOOOOO!!!! Raph gets weak and collapses to his knees on the roof. The sun begins to rise. He has to return to the sewer. CUT TO: INT. TURTLES LAIR - MORNING 83 83 April and Don are poring over books at the kitchen. Mikey paces behind them. Raph storms in, barrels past them all. S 73. 84 84 INT. TURTLES LAIR - TRAINING DOJO Raphael walks to Splinter, practicing himself in the dojo. Raph holds his Sais in one hand, his bolo chain in the other. Clenches both tight. SPLINTER Raphael? What is the matter? RAPHAEL (RANTING) I was out, and did... something... something happened and I- ARRRGH!!! Raphael picks up a HEAVY WEIGHT and hurls is across the dojo. Splinter is unfazed, but he won't take any more. SPLINTER Raphael! Kneel. Raph stops. Breathing heavy. Falls in line - walking to Splinter and dropping to his knees in front of his father. RAPHAEL I did something... I did something really stupid, Master Splinter. SPLINTER Go on... RAPHAEL (SEMI-RAMBLING) I know why you chose him now. I know that there's a reason why he's the better son and I'm not. (THINKS) And I think I made things worse tonight. (beat - calming down) A WHOLE lot worse... I know you must be ashamed of me, father. Raphael is lost in his guilt. Splinter kneels in front of Raph. SPLINTER Raphael. You always bear the world's problems on your shoulders. It is an admirable quality when you are a protector of others... plinter gently lays a hand on Raph's shoulder. 74. SPLINTER But you must realize that while, at times, you may not be my favorite student, it does not mean that you are my least favorite son. Raphael looks up. Having not thought of it that way. SPLINTER You are strong, passionate and loyal to a fault. These are the merits of a great leader as well... but only when tempered with compassion and humility. RAPHAEL But Master Splinter, I messed up big tonight... I mean BIG. Splinter chews on this. SPLINTER Leonardo? R APHAEL (beat, ashamed) Yes. Splinter is grim. Nods. But he moves on. SPLINTER Well then, I believe your brothers may be in need of a leader. Raphael looks up. Finally, his shot. He holds his SAIS in one hand, and his BOLO CHAIN in the other. Ninja Turtle vs. Nightwatcher. He grips them both hard. He drops the chain. RAPHAEL Thank you... father. Mikey bursts in the door, frantic. MICHAELANGELO Dudes. I think you're gonna want to check this out. (BEAT) Where's Leo? Raph and Splinter share a look. Raph has to tell the others. INT. TURTLES LAIR - MOMENTS LATER 85 85 April and Donnie sift through their charts and calculations. 75. DONATELLO So, the first time that this portal was opened, the Stars of Kikin aligned... (sketches on high tech SCREEN) ...and that's why it occurred in that specific South American region. (more doodles) Now if we take into account the continual rotation of the Earth since then, as well as the gradual celestial shift that's happened and been recorded over... well, over the course of that mountain of books over there... we now know our new location. Donnie's drawn a NEW LINE from the alignment of the stars. April elbows Casey to wake him up. APRIL Precisely at 40.748 degrees latitude and -073.985 Degrees longitude. ON OTHERS - HUH?! Mikey air - calculates math in bg. DONATELLO New York City. APRIL Winters Tower. DONATELLO And the alignment is due to occur in precisely- (checks watch) - well... tonight. It sits in the room. Heavy. MICHAELANGELO But without Leo... what do we do? No one answers. Splinter looks to Raph. Raph steps up. RAPHAEL We rescue our brother... and save New York City. Splinter stands to his side. SPLINTER Together. CUT TO: - 8 76. 86 86 EXT. WINTERS TOWER - SUNSET DARK STORM CLOUDS gather over Winters Tower. A horrible electrical storm is brewing. INT. WINTERS LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 7 87 The lobby has changed. Shots establishing the jury-rigged nature of Winters Tower. - The large Aztec-like calendar on the lobby floor suddenly SPLITS and slides open, creating a 100 foot circle in the middle. Underneath is the TOWERS CELL BASEMENT. - The disk in the basement is suddenly RAISED up to the lobby area, replacing the slick marble design with an antiquated stone version. Only now, THIRTEEN CREATURE CELLS surround the disk. Very ceremonial. - Finally, Winters' office elevator LOWERS from high above. He's in the actual ceremonial gear worn by Yaotl years ago. He holds the helmet to his side. Very serious. He looks over his now-ceremonial lobby... satisfied. PUSH IN on one cell, as Leo sits hunched over, unconscious and helpless... SMASH CUT TO: INT. APRIL AND CASEY'S LOFT APARTMENT 88 88 Quick shots of April and Casey gearing up. Casey with his off- the-shelf sporting gear. April with sleek-looking Japanese combat gear and weaponry. They both emerge from their rooms, dressed to kill. Casey's jaw drops as we scope out April. CASEY Wow. APRIL (models it) Picked it up on my last trip to Japan. You... like it? CASEY Oh... oh yeah. They share the moment. Seeing what they forgot about each other when they first met. It's enough for them to smile. APRIL Where's your mask? M E 77. CASEY (faking confusion) Mask? What mask? April runs into the other room and comes back with her hands behind her back. She takes out a NEW MASK for Casey - cool, crisp and a badass paintjob. CASEY No way... APRIL I was saving it for our anniversary. CASEY (BEAT) Thanks. Almost awkward as Casey leans forward and is about to kiss her... Then a MUSICAL TUNE (first bar of the TMNT series) plays on a car horn outside, interrupting them again. APRIL That's our ride. 89 89 INT. VEHICLE - NIGHT CAM PULLS BACK from the back seat. Everyone is in "the zone". Splinter and Don sit in the back seat. Pulling further toward the front, we see April and Casey. nd on Raph in passenger seat and Mikey driving. RAPHAEL You know I ain't much on speeches. (BEAT) But we can do this. Leo, or no Leo. (looks around) Not because of our individual strengths... but because of how we function as a team. ICHAELANGELO I love you man. RAPHAEL Don't push it. (to April) April, this is going to be dangerous. You sure you're in? APRIL I feel responsible, fellas. I found the Generals for him. O 78. CAM CONTINUES TO PULL OUT - as the familiar jingle of Cowabunga Carl fades in and we see the Cowabunga Carl Party R Van in full view. APHAEL (O.S.) Nice an' incognito there, Mikey. MICHAELANGELO (O.S.) Well, I didn't see you offering any suggestions... besides- (imitates Splinter) - a true ninja can hide in plain sight, my son! SPLINTER (O.S.) I heard that! Van takes off as the CAMERA SLOWS in the street, watching it drive away. NYC civilians point to the sky, worried. PUSH IN on a TV/STEREO STORE WINDOW - Simon's Electronics. ON TV - Broadcasting a news report. Weather alert. Black clouds brew over head. BUBBLY WEATHER REPORTER (O.C.) Scientists are calling it the fiercest storm of the new millennium, with Dopler Radar readings coming in off the charts. Authorities are imposing a curfew to avoid possible civilian harm. Stay tuned for more in minutes. FURTHER DOWN THE STREET - We see Winters Tower and the darkest clouds of all beginning to collect overhead. INT. WINTERS LOBBY 90 90 Winters stands with Four Generals in his office, overseeing the portal. Ready. INT. WINTERS GARDEN - MOMENTS LATER 91 91 Karai walks down the center path of the garden, flanked by a DOZEN FOOT NINJA. She motions for them to take position. KARAI As ordered - no one gets in. No one interferes. No one bears witness. SUDDENLY - the security alarm from the front gate BUZZES. Karai waits a beat. It buzzes again. She walks to the SECURITY PANEL by the front gate. N MONITOR - We see CASEY standing there, obscured by a LARGE WOODEN CRATE IN FRONT OF HIM. Karai coldly opens the gate. C 79. KARAI May I help you? CASEY Yeah, hey, I was supposed to drop this off for Mr. Winters. If I don't get this done, I am majorly in the doghouse. You know what I'm sayin', right? Right? The two stare at each other as the CAM ANGLES BEHIND KARAI - she's holding a KATANA SWORD behind her back! AM DOLLIES OVERHEAD as we see that Casey is packing MAJOR sports gear "heat" on his end too. Both don't let on. KARAI Please come in, then. CASEY Really!? (beat - gets composed) I mean, "but of course". Casey wheels the crate inside. The gate closes only KARAI HAS NOW DISAPPEARED! Casey opens the front hatch, revealing Don, Raph, Mikey, April and Splinter. R APHAEL Let's NEVER do this again. (waves hand in front of nose, glares at MIkey) And who did that?! MICHAELANGELO What?! Why does everyone always call ME out? A long beat. Then... SPLINTER I apologize my sons. Everyone looks at sheepish Splinter. A beat. Suddenly- WIDER - The empty garden begins to move. CREEPY, as DOZENS OF FOOT NINJA begin to rise out of the shadows and slink toward our heroes, surrounding them. KARAI makes a dramatic entrance, landing in front of April and Casey. Tense beat. CASEY I suppose this is where we all take out our sharp and pointy things? KARAI You suppose correctly. W 80. ON HEROES - As they all draw their weapons. HIGH ANGLE as the Foot all draw theirs. Stand-off. Raph twirls his sais. RAPHAEL I am SO gonna enjoy this... 92 92 INT. WINTERS TOWER Winters walks along all the cells - a final check. He examines one of the cells. PUSH IN - it's LEO. He's slowly waking up - groggy. Muttering incoherently. He PASSES OUT AGAIN. 93 93 EXT. WINTERS PARK We finally get to see how much of an ass-kicker Master Splinter is. Same with April, who squares off against Karai. They fight hard. April ends up cornered, about to be skewered by her blade when... -CLUNK! She wobbles and then passes out. When Karai falls out of frame, she reveals CASEY JONES a hundred yards behind her holding his HOCKEY STICK! April frowns. APRIL I had the situation under control. CASEY (SMIRKS) You're welcome. Mikey fights the most like Jackie Chan - comical maneuvers backed by solid-hitting blows. Don uses his bo-staff in 1001 different ways, both offensively and defensively. Casey is enjoying the hell out of it. High flying, adrenaline rush. He even catches April checking him out, and vice versa. April suddenly spots an opening to the front doors! APRIL Guys! Front door is open. Now! They all charge the front door! INT. WINTERS TOWER 94 94 Winters is happy. He looks up to the heavens. Checks a time piece. Winters begins chanting ANCIENT MAGICK/SPELLS. Looks up through the opening in the middle of the building. INTERS (THEN) YESSSSSSS!!!! 81. The cam PULLS UP through the building. Up over NYC. Through the clouds... and into space until we pass all ALIGNED STARS. S PACE - The final star drifts into position. A LIGHT BURST EFFECT travels down each star, headed to Earth. BACK IN LOBBY - The light burst flies into the lobby and hits the circle in the middle of all the monsters' cells. ON CIRCLE - The pieces suddenly start to move around. Almost like a sliding puzzle. Then they start to randomly SINK further into the ground. Light pours out of them, until all of them give way to create THE PORTAL. POV OFFICE ABOVE - Each of the Thirteen Cells LIGHT UP to acknowledge their contents. 1... 2... 3... WINTERS Finally... finally! ON GENERALS - they're still. Emotionless. The light sequence gets to Leo's cell... it doesn't light up. WINTERS What? His mind reels. Looks down at the cells. Nothing. Then it hits him like a ton of bricks. He turns to the Generals... WINTERS What did you do?! 95 95 INT. WINTERS LOBBY Our six Heroes all tear into the lobby. They turn back, an army of ninjas closing in on them! MICHAELANGELO What do we do, dudes?! DONATELLO I'm working on it. Raph grips his sais with renewed strength. Casey looks around, putting things together mentally. Tension builds! RAPHAEL We get ready for round two. ON CASEY IN CORNER - He reaches into his back, takes out a hockey stick and - SMASH!!! - kills a LOBBY VASE. Suddenly, sirens blare as the OUTSIDE BUILDING SECURITY SHUTTERS SLAM DOWN just like in Act I! The Ninjas are locked out! 82. RAPHAEL Yeah! Everyone high fives Casey. Except April. She smiles. APRIL Nice work, Jones. CASEY I have my moments... DONATELLO Look! OFF DON'S LOOK - the mayhem builds at the other end of the vast lobby. The cells are glowing. The portal worsens. DONATELLO And that would be the swirling vortex to another world, I assume. (BEAT) Cool. They all run over. Mikey runs to a cell. MICHAELANGELO Leo! Is that you? RAARRGH! - A claw swoops out. He dodges out of the way. MICHAELANGELO I guess that would be a "no". ON RAPH - He finds Leo! DONATELLO Out of the way, please. D on places a small EXPLOSIVE on a key lock. Raph pulls Leo out. LIFELESS. RAPHAEL Hey buddy! Come on, man. Leo, please wake up! Raph holds Leo in his lap on the floor. Looks like Leo is DEAD. Raph's head falls low, as... LEONARDO (O.S.) Wh-wh-what took you s-so long? WIDER - Leo is alive. Coughs and slowly gets his strength back. Stands up. He and Raph look at each other. Leo can only imagine what Raph's been through to rescue him. A beat. RAPHAEL Listen, I - I'm sorry. 9 . 83. Leo forgives him. Moment is suddenly broken by an OS SMASH!!!! ANGLE UP - As WINTERS is thrown out the window of his elevator office! He heads straight for a sword wielding BRONZE STATUE... particularly the sword part. Closer... closer... and... ..just misses it. WHUMP! He crashes onto the floor. MOTIONLESS. ON GROUP - They just stare at him. Back up to the office, nearly 150 feet above them. ON BALCONY ABOVE - Aguila looks down. Snarls. 6 96 INT. WINTERS LOBBY Winters' body still lays on the floor. This is bad. CASEY Is he... is he dead? Mikey takes out a hockey stick from Casey's bag and pokes Winters' limp body. Nothing. MICHAELANGELO Yup. He's WAY dead, dude. WINTERS GASPS FOR AIR! Startles everyone in the room. ON EVERYONE - Their faces all drop as Winters stands up in his mini-crater, brushes himself off and is perfectly fine! Winters' mind is racing a mile a minute. Doesn't even notice those around him. WINTERS (GROANS) Raph can't take it any more. He draws his sais and thrusts them at Winters. THAT gets his attention. Winters looks up in awe at seeing the mutated freaks in front of him. WINTERS Fascinating... SPLINTER Mister Winters. We mean you no harm. RAPHAEL No harm?! Whatever! I'm about to give you piercin's in places you never imagined if you don't tell us what's going on. O O 84. WINTERS We were so close... so close. Winters collapses on the floor. Head in hands. WINTERS This was our chance. We could have changed it all. APRIL We know everything Max. We know you're trying to recreate what Yaotl started 3000 years ago. N WINTERS - He looks up. Sees April. Exhausted, as we- WIPE TO: EXT. FLASHBACK BATTLEFIELD - NIGHT 97 97 The same red-tinted battlefield we left in Winter's flashback. Monsters are leaping through the hoards. W INTERS (V.O.) There are things, Miss O'Neil, no one could possibly know... Camera pushes in on YAOTL and his Four Generals high on a hill, surveying the action. ON YAOTL - He takes off his helmet... IT'S WINTERS HIMSELF. WINTERS (V.O.) It was I who stood on that battlefield all those years ago. Winters/Yaotl looks out at the death and destruction. He looks shocked, surprised. A SHADOW falls over Winters body. He looks up - it's a ceremonial SHAMAN from their enemies' camp. WINTERS (V.O.) And we had to pay a price. The Shaman makes hand gestures, chanting. Winters is pulled up in the air, and in a crackle of red electricity, we see him become... grayer. N GENERALS - Same electricity. Different effect. They scream, slowly turned into STONE. Cracks form on their bodies, light shooting out of it. WINTERS (V.O.) We were cursed that day. My four comrades-in-arms were turned into stone. (MORE) B 85. WINTERS(cont'd) Cursed to live on this Earth... immobile... yet fully aware at all times to ponder the crimes we've committed. ON WINTERS - He stands on the battlefield. Alone. As he walks, the CAM MOVES around him. During this, we X-DISSOLVE BETWEEN A FEW SELECT TIME PERIODS between then and now. WINTERS (V.O.) My curse was to live... forever. To feel the pain of losing love time and time again. Of boredom. The pain... of time. ACK IN PRESENT DAY. Winters stops walking... WINTERS We were doomed to live this way until, as the Shaman put it, "you corrected the mistakes of your past". (gestures to the lobby) That's what this is about. Penance, Miss O'Neil. Finally getting a chance to right our wrongs. GENERAL AGUILA (O.S.) Our master fails to include crucial points in his tale. ON SHADOWS - The Four Generals thump forward. GENERAL AGUILA He fails to discuss the petrified agony of three thousand years. GENERAL SERPIENTE Of the torture of taking CENTURIES to merely blink an eye! GENERAL GATO Of watching the erosion of your own body throughout centuries. GENERAL AGUILA So, while our great leader basked in the warmth of the sun and the glory of fresh air... we rotted in the stone hell that lasted throughout Wmillennia. INTERS My brothers, I- GENERAL AGUILA WE ARE NO BROTHERS TO YOU! Our brotherhood was broken the day that you condemned us to this eternity. ( 86. ON DOORS - CAM PULLS BACK ALONG DOORS as each one is barely forced open and dozens of Foot Ninjas pile in the lobby! Karai comes to FG of group. Surveys as the scene continues. GENERAL GATO And now, our Master has tired of feeding on the nectar of life. Of loving his entire life. Of FEELING. (gestures to portal) So he prefers to end it all. End HIS "misery" at the expense of ours. Aguila walks to the cells. The portal writhes in the bg, sinking into the floor. GENERAL AGUILA But thanks to his cunning, his technology, we are now capable of LIVING... we have now become- (close, creepy) - gods. GENERAL SERPIENTE And we shall finish what we began all those years ago. We will finally have our victory. GENERAL GATO Even with one monster still free, the curse can never be broken! GENERAL AGUILA (to Winters) Join us. Join us Yaotl, and live a life eternal with us at your side! ON WINTERS - He waits. A beat. WINTERS Never. This was our opportunity! We were wrong! Don't you understand?! GENERAL AGUILA NO! YOU WERE WRONG. BEAT) And you are weak. GENERAL AGUILA (to Karai) Destroy them. Karai sees Winters' condition. Clearly getting screwed by the very beings who have been nothing but hostile toward her and her Foot Clan. She suddenly GESTURES WITH HER HANDS - military/ninja style. 87. APRIL What does THAT mean? KARAI It means we're going to help you. WIDER - 40 Foot Ninja disperse around out of the building, leaving Karai and 4 Foot Ninja behind. KARAI My soldiers will find the thirteenth monster. And you will bring it back here. Hurry - we don't have much time. Karai runs off. April looks over at Winters. He nods, still hurting. April takes off after Karai, leaving Casey behind with the Four Foot. They run out into the garden, just in time to see the other Foot disappear into the night. CASEY I got shotgun! BACK ON GENERALS - They move toward Winters! The Turtles quickly look at one another. Know what they have to do. They all leap in the way, standing between Winters and his backstabbing Generals. Aguila moves forward to Leo. Raph steps in beside him, defiant. Then Mikey. Then Don. RAPHAEL If you mess with one of us- (looks around) -you mess with all of us. Aguila smiles at their chutzpa. GENERAL AGUILA Challenge accepted. 97 The Portal worsens behind them. Sound and sight. The Eight 97 are ready to fight. ...and the fight BEGINS! The Turtles leap, pounce and strike with all the exuberance and intensity they've ever had. Winters moves to help the Turtles. Suddenly a WALKING STICK across his chest stops him! SPLINTER They must face them alone. As brothers. Winters debates it in his head for a beat - WHAM! - a tentacle from the portal slams down next to him! 88. WINTERS Alright. We have more important things to do! ON PORTAL - A small DEMON makes its way out of the portal! Winters runs and flips through the air and then CLOBBERS IT with his bare hands, sending it back down! He lands on the other side. WINTERS Help me push the cells into the portal! Splinter does as the two masters also manage to lay some smackdown on any emerging creature out of the portal. CUT TO: EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS 98 98 CASEY (O.S.) This has got to be the suckiest vehicle to save the world with. - as the Cowabunga Carl van roars around the corner. Tinkling musical notes chime along with the speed. Appropriately lame and embarrassing. INSIDE VAN - Casey drives, as April, Karai and Four Foot are crammed in the back. Awkward silence. CASEY So... anybody from out of town? W E BEGIN TO INTERCUT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE LOBBY FIGHT, AND CASEY/APRIL MONSTER CHASE... LOBBY - The combatants all pair off for their final battle. Utter commotion. Mikey is paired with Serpiente. Donnie is paired with the General Mono. He uses his quick speed and expert staff against the hammer-weilding Statue. Leo fights with Gato. He can't dodge him. He's too fast. Leo lands a lucky blow, but Gato recoils - BOOM! Leo's knocked shell-first into a large GLASS DISPLAY CASE filled with swords and bladed weapons of all kinds. LEONARDO Come to daddy. MOMENTS LATER - SMASH! - Leo steps out, ready for action. Strapped with a dozen swords tucked all over his body. He pulls them out randomly as needed throughout the fight. C C 89. Raph and Aguila duke it out in and around the MONSTER CELLS. It's a Jackie Chan-inspired sequence, where they have to be aware of their environment to avoid defeat. RAPHAEL Sensei! How you guys doing?! ON SPLINTER AND WINTERS - The portal is pulling the cells in. About five more to go. Splinter also flips around and takes out another demon trying to escape. Splinter actually seems to be having FUN. SPLINTER Wonderful, my son. WONDERFUL! BACK WITH APRIL AND CASEY - Rush the streets of NYC. KARAI My troops have located the final monster. At the harbor docks. ASEY Oh, I got this one covered. Casey GUNS IT for the pier, music tinkling. CAM ZOOMS AHEAD THROUGH THE STREETS until it reaches the pier. CAM CRANES over the harbor warehouses until we see - - the 13th monster! Looks like a land-locked GIANT CROCODILE. It appears unconscious - a hundred or so TRANQ DARTS sticking out of it's back. The Van pulls onto the scene. I NSIDE THE VAN - Everyone is in shock. The ninjas look at each other. ASEY Huh. Now there's somethin' you don't see every day... They pile out of the van. CASEY (off of monster) Well, I guess we have to figure out how to get handsome here back to Winters' Tower. KARAI We should tie it to the van and drag it back. CASEY Wow. You're... hard core. ON CREATURE - A Foot Ninja stands next to the lifeless body. As he turns his head he doesn't see THE CREATURE'S EYE OPEN! 90. WIDER - The creature stands up as everyone turns to see. The creature DOG SHAKES his hide, sending the tranq darts flying everywhere! They slam into the walls like shrapnel. ON FOOT - As they dive out of the way. One gets hit with a dart in the chest. Looks down. Passes out. CASEY Incoming! ON VAN - As they open the doors to act as shields as - THUNKA THUNK THUNK - darts stick in the door! ON CREATURE - He's now standing... and dying to chase something. It GROWLS/SCREAMS as they all pile into the van! Casey immediately throws it in reverse and starts peeling back on the pier, barely staying out of the clutches of the creature smashing the pier in front of them. Get to the end and spin the vehicle around. APRIL FAST! GO FAST NOW!!! Casey guns it, the 12-foot creature mere inches away! STARS IN SKY - Karai sees the stars are slowly moving out of alignment. Losing time fast. BACK IN LOBBY - CRANE DOWN on Winters and Splinter. On the last full cell. ON PORTAL - A pair of LARGE EYES are threatening to come out. In the BG, dozens of winged DEMONS fly around inside. LEONARDO They better hurry with that last monster! RAPHAEL I'm sure my man Casey's got it all under control... LEONARDO That's what I'm afraid of. BACK WITH VAN - CLOSE ON CASEY'S FACE - As he's screaming his guts out. CASEY I GOTTA TELL YA... I'M, UH, I'M STILL NOT SURE THAT THIS WAS THE BEST IDEA!!!! WIDER - We see that he's on top of the Van, acting as LIVE BAIT to attract the creature! It's working too! The creature pounces along like an awkward greyhound run. April drives. R 91. Casey is throwing SPORTS EQUIPMENT at it from his large hockey bag. The creature is catching and eating it all. INSIDE VAN - Casey slips in. APRIL What are you doing in here?! CASEY Ran outta food. They all look out the back window as the creature pounds closer and closer... BACK IN LOBBY - The Turtles and Generals are at a standstill. Turtles all get thrown into a pile between the Generals. APHAEL Listen. I'm the last guy to sound like a TV cartoon, but I think we need to work together. MICHAELANGELO Teamwork. The more you know... Don clocks Mikey behind the head. LEONARDO (TEASING) Why Raph, no solo act tonight? Raph grins. They stand, backs to back... finally as a TEAM. They trust one another, and their efficiency shows. ON PORTAL - More tentacles begin to come out. More claws surround the surface edges. ON TMNT - The music swells. The brothers act and think as one. The way they should. They way they will from now on. ON SPLINTER - As cam PUSHES IN, he stands up. Seeing his sons. As one. As BROTHERS. He smiles. SPLINTER Yes. Yes, my sons. The Generals can't keep up. It's enough to distract them to make mistakes the TMNT take advantage of. ON WINTERS - Sees the portal light beginning to SHRINK! Because of the TMNT's moves, the Generals are now on the precipice of the Portal, being pulled back. They struggle to stand. The brothers look at each other. The place is violent with a whirlwind and screaming Monsters. T 92. RAPHAEL So who wants ta call it a day? LEONARDO I'm in. DONATELLO Affirmative. MICHAELANGELO Roger dodger, dude. The TMNT launch into their FINAL ATTACK - perfectly in synch and take out each of the Generals, knocking them back into the PORTAL! They're plucked out of mid-air by cloudy tendrils and pulled back! The Turtles collapse onto the floor, back to the portal. Silent. Splinter runs over to them. SPLINTER My sons, I am so proud of you all. Then - BOOM! - the Generals' ARMS slam onto the ridge of the portal - BEGINNING TO CLIMB OUT! The Turtles jump back. TURTLES WAAAHHHHH/OHMIGOD!/WHOOAAA!!! GENERAL AGUILA Silly children. We are immortals made of stone! The Earth has only BEGUN to feel our wrath! The brothers are screwed. They can't stop the Generals. Until- BEHIND TURTLES - Glowing headlights grow larger. Closer. As - KERSMASH!!! The Van flies through the lobby, musical chime and all, being trailed by the Creature! April clips a corner as the vehicle spins out of the path. he Creature tries to stop, but can't on the marble floor. It falls, sliding, clicking its claws trying to stop! WINTERS LOOK OUT! Winters dives in and pushes the Turtles out of way as the Creature flies in and knocks the Generals back into the Portal! The Cloud Tendrils grab a hold of it and pull it back into the Portal! ON STARS - The Stars move out of alignment, ending the cycle. ON PORTAL - It begins to close. The Generals struggle to get out, only now, we see they are HUMAN... their curse broken... and an eternity of pain and suffering ahead of them. 93. Aguila tries to fight his way out of the portal. GENERAL AGUILA YOU CANNOT DEFEAT US! WE- WHAM! - Raph and Leo team-roundhouse him back into oblivion! RAPHAEL I thought he'd never shut up. WIDER - The portal EXPLODES in a upwards funnel. Silence. MICHAELANGELO HOLY CRAP!!! RAPHAEL WE DID IT! TURTLES YEAH! WHOOHOO! WE DID IT! The brothers high five one another. Splinter smiles proud. ON VAN - Dusty and smoking. The door clangs open. Casey piles out. Karai comes next and accidentally FALLS on Casey in a very compromising position! She slyly smiles. April falls out last beside them. CASEY (caught - looks at both) Oh. I, uh - HUHN! - Casey tosses Karai off of him. April's eye cocks. APRIL Don't try to tell me for one second that you didn't enjoy tha- Casey just grabs her, cutting her off and they kiss. Like they should have been kissing all along. They stop. Noses close. Smile. They pull apart, revealing MIKEY standing there. Watching them all gooey-eyed. MICHAELANGELO AWWWWWW.... Raph and Leo look at each other. A beat. Then hug. Brothers again. Dialogue would just ruin this moment. Splinter walks over to them. CAM ADJUSTS to show Karai and the Foot Ninja standing there. Silence. Finally, Karai steps forward - KARAI You are every bit the warriors I was informed you were. You have passed. 94. ON TMNT - they're confused. LEONARDO Passed what? RAPHAEL You know us? KARAI I've known OF you for some time. (beat, to Leo's question) Savor your victory tonight. For soon we will have further business together. SPLINTER What kind of business? KARAI The kind that involves familiar faces from your past... ON TURTLES - They all look at each other. RAPHAEL She doesn't mean... They look back - and see Karai and the Foot have DISAPPEARED. Raph looks over at WINTERS. He's hunched over in the corner. Can't tell what's going on. They walk over slowly. RAPHAEL Winters? ON WINTERS - Looks like he's sobbing. They get concerned. Then the sobs turn to LAUGHING. He stands up. His hand is spotted red with his M own BLOOD from a cut on his cheek. ICHAELANGELO I'm never usually that happy to be bleeding. DONATELLO You would be if you were an immortal who couldn't bleed for three thousand years... Winters looks at all the Turtles. WINTERS Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You've made a very old man, very very happy. MICHAELANGELO So, um, what happens now? R C 95. ON WINTERS - He just SMILES. Content. Finally at peace. As he ages thousands of years in front of us... eventually turning to DUST and blowing away. MICHAELANGELO Okay... just a little bit creepy. (SNEEZES) Oh gawd. I think he's in my n-n- ATTCHOOOOO!! OH GROSS!!! CAM PULLS BACK, out of the building, onto the street. See the destruction. The clearing skies. THE SUNRISE. UT TO: INT. TURTLES LAIR - EVENING 99 99 Raph comes to Splinter's room. APHAEL You wanted to see me Sensei? SPLINTER Sit down, Raphael. RAPHAEL Thank you, Master Splinter, for your guidance. (thinks, humble) I can only hope that one day, I will be able to begin the next stage of my training like Leo. Splinter smiles. Reaches into a box and takes out a similar MEDALLION to the one given to Leonardo. SPLINTER That, my son, you already have. (BEAT) Our training works in mysterious ways. But the answer that lies in all our questions... is family. Raph beams as he accepts the "badge". He excitedly stands up. Splinter looks to the hallway where his eyes meet Leo's. They exchange knowing smiles as Splinter winks and we- DISSOLVE TO: INT. TURTLES LAIR - LATER 100 100 A ROCKIN' NUMBER PLAYS as we cap everyone's adventures. Splinter walks through the lair. It's empty. He walks past their "trophy room". He places the ornate head of WINTERS' CANE on the shelf. L S 96. He sits down to meditate. But first reaches into his robe and pulls out a TIN FOIL PACKAGE. He opens it up and smiles. PLINTER Ahh. Double chocolate fudge. WIPE TO: 101 101 EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT Mikey and Don are on the rooftops. Leo and Raph join them on top. Leo and Raph have an aside to themselves. RAPHAEL So we're cool with the whole Nightwatcher thing? LEONARDO Yeah, we're cool. Our secret, bro. (checks for clear coast) You got rid of the stuff, right? QUICK SHOT - Nightwatcher's gear burning in a barrel. EONARDO What about the bike, tho? RAPHAEL (discreet/confessional) Okay, so I couldn't exactly destroy the bike. (BEAT) Let's just say it's in good hands. LEONARDO What do you mean? RAPHAEL I mean, it's in good hands. LEONARDO (thinks, then realizes) Oh, you didn't. Raph sheepishly shrugs as we- SMASH CUT TO: EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET 102 102 CASEY (O.S.) WHAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! As Casey roars down the street on the black motorcycle of Nightwatcher, barely able to hang on. 97. He drives past WINTERS TOWER - now being converted to a NATURAL SCIENCES AND HISTORY MUSEUM. 103 103 EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET A HITCHHIKER THUMB comes into frame. Casey stops his bike. WIDER - It's April. She smiles. Casey hands her a helmet. APRIL'S POV INSIDE HELMET - We see a small DIAMOND RING taped to the visor. She takes it off. Beaming. Models it on her hand. She leans forward. APRIL ...yes. She wraps her arms around his waist and holds tight for the adventures that await... CAM FOLLOWS for a beat, then rises up the buildings to- EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT 104 104 All four turtles are horsing around. They get geared up... and head off for a game of NINJA TAG. The boys run, hoot and holler as they fly high on the rooftops. RAPHAEL (V.O.) So what makes a family? Personally, it's more than sharing a roof or a bathroom. It's sharing life... My father taught me that, and I think it's pretty much true... y'know, provided that you don't kill each other in the process. Or that no one touches your stuff. Or makes loud noises when you're trying to sleep. Or... They run close to the camera, once again, a family. RAPHAEL (V.O.) Hey, nobody said it was easy. And as RAPHAEL and LEONARDO leap toward camera, we- CUT TO BLACK: THE END TMNT Writers :   Kevin Munroe Genres :   Animation  Action  Adventure  Comedy  Drama  Fantasy User Comments Back to IMSDb

screenplays

Location: Home ► Browse Our Categories ► Toy Making ► Sonny Angel Style Doll- Animal Series With A Lovely Little Bag To Keep It In! Animal Series with a lovely little bag to keep it in! Not suitable for under three years of age due to small parts - choking hazzard.

slim_pajama

Home » News Articles » West Nile Virus spreads quickly in U.S. West Nile Virus spreads quickly in U.S. , Source: Lauren Neergard West Nile virus is spreading so quickly and has hit 33 states, even as far west as South Dakota. Health officials believe it will reach California this year or next. Nobody knows how bad the mosquito-borne illness will get, but it's clear the virus that was first detected in New York City only three years ago has become a permanent summertime threat in most states. Yet it's fairly easy to prevent: Spray on DEET-containing mosquito repellent when you go outdoors, and don't let puddles collect in flower pots, wading pools or other spots where mosquitoes can breed. West Nile can cause a potentially fatal brain inflammation. Anyone suffering such symptoms as a high fever, severe headache, confusion or difficulty thinking, stiff neck or severe muscle weakness should see a doctor right away. It has struck Americans as young as 16, but those most at risk are over 50. For every case of West Nile encephalitis, 150 more people are thought to be mildly infected, not sick enough to see a doctor. They get a flu-like illness, with fever, headache and muscle pains, that last two or three days. How does West Nile spread, It infects numerous types of wild birds, from house sparrows to crows. Mosquitoes spread it among birds, and then to people. So preventing mosquito bites is important. Some health departments track bird deaths in deciding when to spray insecticides, but the CDC says consumers can do a lot on their own: -Wear a mosquito repellent containing DEET; those without DEET aren't nearly as effective. Follow the label's instructions carefully, especially when applying to children. A study concludes that insect repellents containing the chemical called DEET provide the best protection against mosquito bites. Bug sprays and lotions that rely on plant oils or another chemical don't last as long and might require several applications, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine. DEET, scientifically known as N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide, has been on the market since 1957 and a 1998 review by the Environmental Protection Agency deemed normal use safe. Yet many consumers are reluctant to use DEET because it can irritate eyes and dissolve watch crystals, the frames of glasses and certain synthetic fabrics. -Stay indoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. -Get rid of mosquito breeding grounds on your property. Don't allow water to stand for more than two days. Mosquito eggs need only a little water to hatch, and many species don't fly long distances, so West Nile-bearing mosquitoes were probably born nearby. Typical culprits are empty paint cans collecting water under decks, unused pools, blocked rain gutters, flower pots and forgotten buckets.

slim_pajama

admantinoma is second most common benign odontogenic tumor which clinically appears as an aggressive odontogenic tumor , often asymptomatic and slow growing , associated with symptoms such as swelling , dental malocclusion , pain , and paresthesia of the affected area . the radiographic appearance may vary from unilocular to multilocular radiolucencies , imparting a characteristic honey comb , soap bubble appearance or may resemble a caricature of spider . this report highlights the importance of conventional and advanced imaging in the diagnosis of large and invasive lesions . patient reported with complaint of swelling in jaw , which progressively increased ; and was found to be bony hard , both intra- and extraorally . radiographs revealed large multilocular radiolucency on left body and ramus of mandible with soap bubble pattern and knife edged root resorption . computed tomographic examination evaluated the extent of the lesion , internal structure , and relation to adjacent structures ; further a reconstructed image was obtained to evaluate extent of destruction in three dimensions . computed tomography has an important role in the diagnosis and treatment planning is imperative as it is superior in revealing the cortical destruction and extension into the neighboring soft tissues than conventional radiography . admantinoma commonly known as ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumor believed to originate from sources that include residual epithelium from tooth germ ; epithelium of odontogenic cysts ; stratified squamous epithelium ; and epithelium of the enamel organ . it represents approximately 1% of oral tumors ; 80% of ameloblastomas occur in the mandible , and the remaining 20% in the maxilla . the term ameloblastoma was suggested by churchill in 1934 , because the old term adamantinoma , coined by malassez in 1885 erroneously implied the formation of hard tissue . admantinoma is most commonly encountered in the 3 - 5 decades of life and mandible is more commonly affected than maxilla in the ratio 5:1 . clinically , it appears as an aggressive odontogenic tumor , often asymptomatic and slow growing and may be associated with symptoms such as swelling , dental malocclusion , pain , and paresthesia of the affected area . the radiographic appearance of the tumor may vary from unilocular to multilocular radiolucencies , imparting a characteristic honey comb , soap bubble appearance , or may resemble a caricature of spider . the lesion may exhibit extensive thinning and expansion of the overlying cortex , and is occasionally associated with embedded teeth . the role of computed tomography in the diagnosis is imperative as it is superior in revealing the cortical destruction and extension into the neighboring soft tissues than conventional radiography . several histopathologic types of ameloblastoma are described in the literature , including those with plexiform , follicular , unicystic , basal cell , granular cell , clear cell , acanthamatous , and desmoplastic patterns . here we describe a case of massive ameloblastoma in the right mandibular body , with an added emphasis on the role of computed tomography in the diagnosis and treatment planning . a 58-year - old female patient reported to department of oral medicine and radiology , with a chief complaint of swelling in left lower back region of jaw since 1 year . history revealed that the swelling started 1 year back , which was small to start with and progressively increased to attain the present size . there were no other symptoms of pain , discharge , or numbness associated with the same . an extraoral examination revealed gross facial asymmetry , because of a diffuse swelling on the left side of the mandible measuring about 4 cm 4 cm in size , extending from the parasymphysis to the posterior border of the mandible anteroposteriorly and from the line joining corner of mouth and ear lobe to below the lower border of the mandible superoinferiorly . on palpation , the swelling was bony hard in consistency , nontender , and was fixed to the mandible . intraoral examination revealed a diffuse swelling , obliterating the left buccal vestibule , measuring about 3 cm 3 cm in size , and extending from the distal aspect of tooth 33 to the ascending ramus anteroposteriorly . other dental findings revealed clinically missing 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 27 , 16 , 17 ; carious 18 , 46 , 47 , 25 ; stains ; and calculus [ figure 1 ] . intraoral photograph showing expansile swelling in left mandibular region following the clinical examination , patient was subjected for radiographic investigations : orthopantomograph ( opg ) and mandibular cross - sectional occlusal radiograph . opg revealed the presence of a large multilocular radiolucency on the left body and ramus of the mandible measuring about 9 4 cm extending from the distal aspect of tooth 42 upto the region of condyle and coronoid process mediolaterally ; from the alveolar crest to the inferior border of mandible superoinferiorly . there was marked destruction of the left condyle and coronoid process and expansion of the cortex along the inferior border of the mandible with no cortical perforation . other radiographic findings revealed missing 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 27 , 16 , and 17 ; and carious 18 , 46 , 47 , and 25 [ figure 2 ] . mandibular occlusal radiograph revealed marked expansion of the buccal and lingual cortical plates with perforation along the lingual cortex abutting 36 and 37 region [ figure 3 ] . orthopantomograph ( opg ) with multilocular swelling on left side mandible occlusal radiograph revealing expansile buccal and lingual cortices and break in lingual cortex following this , the patient was subjected for fine needle aspiration which was nonproductive . the patient was further subjected for computed tomographic examination for enhanced evaluation of the extent of the lesion into the adjacent soft tissues . axial slice revealed a massive expansile heterogeneous lesion in the left mandibular body , with marked expansion of the buccal and lingual cortical plates and marked destruction of cortical bone at different levels . further based on different sections , reconstructed image using spiral ct of thee patient was obtained and the destruction caused by the lesion was well - appreciated in three dimensions [ figure 5 ] . axial section of computed tomography ( ct ) showing expansive and destructive lesion in left mandibular body reconstructed image of the patient demonstrating lesion in three dimensions based on the history , clinical and radiographic features , a provisional diagnosis of ameloblastoma w.r.t left side of the mandible was given . various differential diagnoses such as keratocystic odontogenic tumor , aneurysmal bone cyst , and odontogenic myxoma were put forth . the patient was planned for surgical resection of the left side of the mandible followed by reconstruction . ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumor believed to originate from sources that include residual epithelium from tooth germ ; epithelium of odontogenic cysts ; stratified squamous epithelium ; and epithelium of the enamel organ . as stated by robinson , ameloblastoma is usually unicentric , nonfunctional , intermittent in growth , anatomically benign , and clinically persistent . according to pindborg , it is a true neoplasm of enamel organ type of tissue which does not undergo differentiation to the point of enamel formation . it is most commonly encountered in the 3 - 5 decades of life , however , the lesion can be found in any age group including children . most odontogenic mandibular lesions are benign , but some may exhibit aggressive and destructive behavior locally . in addition , many of these processes are asymptomatic , particularly in their early stages , and are discovered incidentally at routine dental radiography . the lesions usually progress slowly , but are locally invasive and will infiltrate through the medullary spaces and can erode cortical bone . the tumor is rarely painful , unless infected ; and usually does not cause signs and symptoms of nerve involvement , even when large . if left untreated , they can resorb the cortical plate and extend into adjacent tissue . our patient was a 58-year - old female patient with an extensive swelling on the left side of the face . radiologically , the lesions are expansile , with thinning of the cortex in the buccal - lingual plane . according to white and pharoah , well - defined which may have a corticated margin , sclerotic margin , and the criterion used to determine the degree of definition of the boundary of the lesion was established by slootweg and muller . a lesion is considered to be well - defined when its radiodensity changes markedly within a distance of 10 mm when passing from the lesion to the surrounding bone . the lesions are classically multilocular with a soap bubble or honeycomb or resemble a caricature of spider ( pattern created by the septae ) . . in ameloblastomas , variety of computed tomographic findings like bicortical expansion , thinning and breach in the bony wall , and extension of the tumor into adjacent soft tissues can be seen . axial slices are advantageous over conventional films in demonstrating the curvatures of symphysis , angle , body , ascending ramus , and visualizing changes in outer and lingual cortical plates . these features demonstrate the superiority of ct over conventional radiography in delineating the extent of the lesion , which may be essential to its management . smaller lesions are generally treated by a less aggressive approach ; whereas , larger lesions require a radical surgical tumor ablation resulting in large defects making reconstruction difficult . recurrence rates of ameloblastoma are as high as 15 - 25% after radical treatment and 75 - 90% after conservative treatment . therefore , wide resection is usually recommended for ameloblastomas . recent advancements in understanding the biological behaviors of ameloblastoma and the use of advanced imaging techniques like computed tomography have led to more rational surgical approaches . ameloblastoma is a benign tumor of odontogenic epithelium which is more commonly seen in the posterior region of mandible and the maxilla . about 66% of ameloblastomas occur in mandible most often in the molar ascending ramus area , while only 10% is seen in mandibular anterior area . computed tomography demonstrates the superiority over conventional radiography in delineating the extent of the lesion and other relations of the lesion , which may be essential to its management . thus , it is of utmost importance to correlate the clinical findings and radiographic features to arrive at a correct definitive diagnosis as all such lesions may have prognostically different biologic behavior and the final diagnosis may alter the therapeutic decision significantly .

pubmed

Nathan Sheafor born November 16, 1961 is an American former cyclist. He competed in the team time trial at the 1992 Summer Olympics. References Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American male cyclists Category:Olympic cyclists of the United States Category:Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:People from Fort Bragg, North Carolina Category:Sportspeople from North Carolina

wikipedia

The Düsseldorf-UnterrathDüsseldorf Airport Terminal railway is a branch line from Düsseldorf-Unterrath station on the CologneDuisburg line to Düsseldorf Airport Terminal station in the north of the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital of Düsseldorf in Germany. The railway line is fully duplicated with overhead electrification. It is also connected to the north from Düsseldorf-Unterrath Karthäuser Weg junction over a single-track electrified line. History On 27 October 1975, in preparation for the upgrading of the line between Cologne and Duisburg for the introduction of S-Bahn services, a new line from Düsseldorf-Derendorf Dp junction to Düsseldorf Airport Terminal station opened for passenger traffic. For this purpose an existing siding had been duplicated and electrified and extended to the Terminal C building. At the time the line crossed the north-bound track of freight line 2670 at grade on the approach to Düsseldorf-Rath station, until the late 1980s when grade separated access was built to Unterrath station. On 27 May 1990, a northern access line was put into operation so that trains from the Ruhr area could approach the terminal station directly from the former Kalkum station. After the disastrous fire at the airport in 1996 and the subsequent short-term closure of the terminal, a temporary platform was opened halfway along the line, called Düsseldorf Airport Departure Terminal E. It was located near the temporary Terminal E established only for departures and operated until the opening of the Düsseldorf Airport long-distance station on 26 May 2000. Operations With the opening of the station on the main line from Düsseldorf to Duisburg the connecting line from the north was superfluous. Reversing in the underground station was too time consuming for through trains such as the former S-Bahn line S 21, which ran parallel to line S 1. Due to problems with the installation and acceptance of the Skytrain at first, a bus shuttle was established. The Skytrain is a driverless suspended monorail train, which commenced operations on 1 July 2002 and now connects the long-distance station via two intermediate stops at P4 parking station and Terminal A/B to the Terminal C station. Rail services The track is served by line S 11 of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn operating as follows: Düsseldorf Flughafen Terminal Düsseldorf-Unterrath Düsseldorf-Derendorf Düsseldorf Hbf Neuss Hbf Dormagen Cologne Hbf Bergisch Gladbach. Notes References Category:Railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia Category:Transport in Düsseldorf Category:Airport rail links in Germany Category:Düsseldorf Airport Category:Railway lines opened in 1975 Category:1975 establishments in West Germany

wikipedia

an instance of @xmath0-xorsat is given by a set of @xmath1 linear equations in @xmath2 , over @xmath3 variables , each equation involving @xmath0 variables and a right hand side which is either 0 or 1 . equivalently , it is a linear system @xmath9 modulo 2 in which @xmath10 is an @xmath11 01 matrix each of whose row sums is @xmath0 , and @xmath12 is an arbitrary 01 vector . random instances of many problems of this sort undergo phase transitions around some critical ratio @xmath13 of @xmath14 , meaning that for @xmath15 with @xmath16 , the probability that a random instance @xmath17 is satisfiable ( or possesses some similar property ) approaches @xmath18 , while if @xmath19 the probability approaches @xmath20 . ( there is no loss of generality in hypothesizing the existence of a limit since , in a broad context , a result as stated implies the same with the weaker hypotheses @xmath21 and @xmath22 . ) friedgut @xcite proved that a wide range of problems have such sharp thresholds , but with the possibility that the threshold @xmath23 does not tend to a constant . the relatively few cases in which @xmath13 is known to be a constant include 2-sat , by chvtal and reed @xcite , goerdt @xcite , and fernandez de la vega @xcite ( with the scaling window detailed by bollobs , borgs , chayes , kim , and wilson , @xcite ) , an extension to max 2-sat , by coppersmith , gamarnik , hajiaghayi , and sorkin @xcite , and the pure - literal threshold for a @xmath0-sat formula , by molloy @xcite . the most natural random model of the @xmath0-xorsat problem is the `` unconstrained '' model in which each of the @xmath1 equations @xmath0 variables are drawn uniformly ( without replacement ) from the set of all @xmath3 variables , and the right hand side values are uniformly 0 or 1 ; equivalently a random instance @xmath9 is given by a matrix @xmath24 drawn uniformly at random from the set of all such matrices with each row sum equal to @xmath0 , and @xmath25 chosen uniformly at random . the case @xmath26 has been extensively studied . as shown by kolchin @xcite and creignon and daud @xcite , the random instance has a solution with limiting probability @xmath27 , where @xmath28 for @xmath29 , @xmath30 , and @xmath31 for @xmath32 . daud and ravelomanana @xcite , and pittel and yeum @xcite , analyzed the near - critical behavior of the solvability probability for @xmath33 , @xmath34 . for @xmath35 , kolchin @xcite analyzed the expected number of nonempty `` critical row sets '' ( nonempty collections of rows whose sum is all - even ) , whose presence is necessary and sufficient for the ( boolean ) rank of @xmath10 to be less than @xmath1 . he determined the thresholds @xmath36 such that the expected number of nonempty critical sets goes to 0 if @xmath37 and to infinity if @xmath38 ; in particular , @xmath39 . thus , for @xmath40 , with high probability @xmath10 is of full rank , so @xmath9 is solvable . it follows that the satisfiability threshold @xmath41 is at least @xmath36 . it is an easy observation ( see remark [ > 1 ] ) that @xmath42 . however , kolchin could not resolve the precise value , or even the existence , of the satisfiability threshold . dubois and mandler @xcite ( see also @xcite ) introduced a `` constrained '' random @xmath0-xorsat model , where @xmath12 is still uniformly random , but @xmath10 is uniformly random over the subset of matrices in which each column sum is at least 2 . for @xmath43 ( 3-xorsat ) they showed that its threshold for @xmath14 is 1 . this is of interest because from the threshold for the constrained model , they were able to derive that for the unconstrained model . dubois and mandler suggested that their methods could be extended to the general constrained @xmath0-xorsat , @xmath4 . however , their approach the second - moment method for the number of solutions requires solving a hard maximization problem with @xmath44 variables , a genuinely daunting task . our main result is that 1 continues to be the threshold for all @xmath45 . [ main ] let @xmath9 be a uniformly random constrained @xmath0-xorsat instance with @xmath1 equations and @xmath3 variables . suppose @xmath46 . if @xmath15 with @xmath47 then @xmath9 is almost surely satisfiable , with satisfiability probability @xmath48 , while if @xmath15 with @xmath49 then @xmath9 is almost surely unsatisfiable , with satisfiability probability @xmath50 . we are also able to treat the case when the gap between @xmath1 and @xmath3 is not linear but arbitrarily slowly growing , obtaining the following stronger theorem . [ sharp ] let @xmath9 be a uniformly random constrained @xmath0-xorsat instance with @xmath1 equations and @xmath3 variables , with @xmath51 and @xmath15 with @xmath52 . then , for any @xmath53 , if @xmath54 then @xmath9 is almost surely satisfiable , with satisfiability probability @xmath55 , while if @xmath56 then @xmath9 is almost surely unsatisfiable , with satisfiability probability @xmath57 . rather than using the second - moment method of dubois and mandler , we use the critical - set approach of kolchin . remark [ equiv ] shows that the two methods are equivalent , but the second leads to more tractable calculations , specifically , to a maximization problem with a number of variables that is fixed , independent of @xmath0 . in this constrained model , by the same reasoning given above , kolchin s approach will show that @xmath58 . and , by the same reasoning as for the unconstrained model ( again see remark [ > 1 ] ) , we have @xmath42 . thus , for the constrained model ( unlike the constrained one ) , the two bounds coincide , establishing the threshold . dubois and mandler extended the threshold for the constrained 3-xorsat model to that for the unconstrained model by observing that , in an unconstrained instance , any variable appearing in just one clause ( or none ) , can be deleted along with that clause ( if any ) , to give an equivalent instance , and this process can be repeated . the key observation is that a uniformly random _ unconstrained _ instance reduces to a uniformly random _ constrained _ instance with a predictable edge density ; the threshold for the unconstrained model is the value for which the corresponding constrained instance has density 1 . the same approach works for any @xmath0 , and we capitalize on existing analyses of the 2-core of a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph to establish the unconstrained @xmath0-xorsat threshold in theorem [ unconstrained ] . work on the rank of random matrices over finite fields is not as extensive as that on real random matrices , but nonetheless a survey is beyond our scope . in addition to the work already described , we note that the rank of matrices with independent random 01 entries was explored over a decade ago by blmer , karp and welzl @xcite , and cooper @xcite , among others . concurrently with and independently from our work , the k - xorsat phase transition was also analyzed by dietzfelbinger , goerdt , mitzenmacher , montanari , pagh , and rink as part of a study of cuckoo hashing @xcite . recently , darling , penrose , wade and zabell have explored a random xorsat model replacing the constant @xmath0 with a distribution , but the satisfiability threshold has not yet been determined for this generalization . to translate our result for the constrained model to the unconstrained one , we exploit results on the core of a random hypergraph . for usual graphs , the threshold for the appearance of an @xmath59-core was first obtained by pittel , spencer , and wormald @xcite . for @xmath0-uniform hypergraphs , the @xmath59-core thresholds were obtained roughly concurrently by cooper @xcite , kim @xcite , and molloy @xcite . two aspects of cooper s treatment are noteworthy . first , he works with a degree - sequence hypergraph model ; taking poisson - distributed degrees reproduces the results for a simple random hypergraph . also , he observes ( * ? ? ? * section 5.2 ) that the point at which a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph s core has a ( typical ) edges - to - vertices ratio of 1 is an upper bound on the satisfiability threshold of unconstrained @xmath0-xorsat ; proving that this is the true threshold is the main subject of the present paper . the remainder of the paper is organized as follows . section [ prback ] formalizes our introductory observations about the first- and second - moment methods , the number of solutions , and the number of critical sets . section [ prspaces ] shows that for the constrained model , instead of considering random 01 matrices @xmath10 , it is asymptotically equivalent to consider random nonnegative _ integer _ matrices @xmath10 subject to the same constraints on row sums ( equal to @xmath0 ) and column sums ( at least @xmath60 ) . section [ mainresult ] , using generating functions and chernoff s method , obtains an exponential bound for the expected number of critical sets of any given cardinality . section [ provelemma ] uses this bound to show that , for @xmath61 and @xmath45 , the expected number of nonempty critical sets is @xmath62 . hence , with high probability , there is no such set , @xmath10 is of full rank , and the instance is satisfiable . we conclude that 1 is a sharp threshold for satisfiability of @xmath9 in the constrained case for all @xmath4 . section [ sharper ] builds on the earlier results to treat the case @xmath63 and prove theorem [ sharp ] . section [ unconstrained ] derives the unconstrained @xmath0-xorsat threshold from the constrained one , using standard results on the 2-core of a random hypergraph . let @xmath64 be the number of solutions to the system of equations @xmath9 . [ > 1 ] for an arbitrarily distributed @xmath24 , with @xmath12 independent and uniformly distributed over @xmath65 , @xmath66 = 2^{n - m}$ ] , and the satisfiability threshold is at most 1 . given @xmath10 , there are @xmath67 systems given by @xmath68 , and in all they have @xmath69 solutions since any @xmath70 uniquely determines @xmath71 . so @xmath72}=2^{n - m}$ ] , and @xmath73}=2^{n - m}$ ] . by the first - moment method , @xmath74 = 2^{n - m } , $ ] which tends to 0 if @xmath75 . given a matrix , a _ critical set _ is a collection of rows whose sum is all - even ( i.e. , the sum is the 0 vector in @xmath76 ) . note that the collection of critical sets is sandwiched between the minimal linearly dependent sets of rows , and all linearly dependent sets of rows . let @xmath77 be the number of nonempty critical row subsets of a matrix @xmath10 . where the first - moment method establishes the probable absence of solutions , their probable presence can be established in this setting either by the second - moment method on the number of solutions , showing that @xmath78 } / { \mathbb{e}\left [ { n } \right]}^2 \to 1 $ ] , or by the first moment method on the number of non - empty critical row sets , showing that @xmath79 } \to 0 $ ] . we will use the second approach ( kolchin s ) . the two approaches suggest different calculations , but as the following remark shows , they are equivalent . [ equiv ] let a distribution on @xmath24 be given , and let @xmath12 be independent of @xmath10 and uniformly distributed over @xmath65 . then @xmath80 \big/ { \mathbb{e}}[n]^2 = { \mathbb{e}}[x ] + 1 $ ] . consider any fixed @xmath10 , having rank @xmath81 over @xmath76 . by elementary linear algebra , for each of the @xmath82 values of @xmath12 in @xmath83 , @xmath9 has @xmath84 solutions , giving @xmath85 ordered pairs of solutions in each such case . for the remaining values of @xmath12 there are no solutions , so in all there are @xmath86 ordered pairs of solutions . taking the expectation over @xmath12 uniformly distributed over its @xmath67 possibilities , @xmath87 = { \mathbb{e}}[2^{2n - r(a)-m}]$ ] , thus @xmath80 = { \mathbb{e}}[2^{2n - r(a)-m}]$ ] . since @xmath73}=2^{n - m}$ ] ( see remark [ > 1 ] ) , @xmath88 / { \mathbb{e}}[n]^2 = { \mathbb{e}}[2^{2n - r(a)-m } ] / ( 2^{n - m})^2 = { \mathbb{e}}[2^{m - r(a ) } ] = { \mathbb{e}}[2^{n(a^{\mathsf{t } } ) } ] , \ ] ] where @xmath89 denotes the nullity of the transpose of @xmath10 . on the other hand , a critical row set is precisely one given by an indicator vector @xmath90 for which @xmath91 . for a given @xmath10 the number of critical sets is thus @xmath92 , and the expected number of non - empty critical row subsets is @xmath93={\mathbb{e}\left [ { 2^{n(a^{\mathsf{t } } ) } } \right]}-1 $ ] . in fact , if @xmath94 and @xmath93 \to 0 $ ] , then with high probability @xmath95 ( not merely @xmath96 in probability as given by the second - moment method ) . this follows because @xmath97 implies @xmath98 , in which case @xmath95 for every @xmath12 . thus , @xmath99 } \to 1 . $ ] the work in sections [ prspaces][provelemma ] is to count the critical row subsets . we will show that indeed @xmath93\to 0 $ ] for the constrained random model with @xmath100 and @xmath15 with @xmath47 . this section will establish corollary [ preq ] , showing that the uniform distribution over constrained @xmath0-xorsat matrices @xmath101 ( see below ) is for our purposes equivalent to a model @xmath102 allowing a variable to count as appearing more than once within an equation . let @xmath103 denote the set of all @xmath104 matrices with 01 entries , such that all @xmath1 row sums are @xmath0 , and all @xmath3 column sums are at least 2 . for @xmath103 to be nonempty it is necessary that @xmath105 , and we will assume that @xmath15 with @xmath47 . a matrix @xmath106 may be interpreted as an outcome of the following allocation scheme . we have an @xmath104 array of cells with @xmath0 _ indistinguishable _ chips assigned to each of the @xmath1 rows . for each row , the @xmath0 chips are put in @xmath0 distinct cells ( so there is at most one chip per cell ) , subject to the constraint that each column gets at least two chips . let us consider an alternative model , with the same constraints but where the chips in each row are _ distinguishable _ , giving allocations @xmath107 . then each allocation in @xmath103 is obtained from @xmath108 allocations in @xmath109 , and the uniform distribution on @xmath103 is equivalent to that on @xmath109 . let @xmath110 be a relaxed version of @xmath109 , without the requirement that each of the @xmath111 cells gets at most one chip . let @xmath112 and @xmath113 be distributed uniformly on @xmath109 and @xmath110 , respectively . crucially , and obviously , @xmath112 is equal in distribution to @xmath113 , conditioned on @xmath114 . to state a key lemma on @xmath115 , @xmath116 , and @xmath117 we need some notation , much of which will recur throughout the paper . introduce @xmath118 define @xmath119 by continuity . [ psi ] @xmath120 is strictly increasing . from , @xmath121 for @xmath122 this is equal in sign to @xmath123 times its numerator , i.e. , to @xmath124 . for @xmath122 this is positive , as is immediate from the taylor series expansion for @xmath125 . thus @xmath126 for @xmath122 , and with continuity of @xmath127 at 0 ( easily checked ) this proves the lemma . under our assumption that @xmath128 , the equation @xmath129 has a unique root , and it is positive . this follows from the facts that @xmath120 is strictly increasing ( see remark [ psi ] ) , @xmath130 , and @xmath131 as @xmath132 . henceforth , let @xmath133 be this root . introduce a _ truncated _ poisson random variable @xmath134 , @xmath135 observe that the probability generating function ( p.g.f . ) of @xmath136 is given by @xmath137=\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})},\end{aligned}\ ] ] thus @xmath138=\left.\frac{\partial}{\partial z}\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}\right|_{z=1}= \frac{{\lambda}f'({\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}=\frac{km}{n},\end{aligned}\ ] ] the final equality using , and @xmath139=\left.\frac{\partial^2}{\partial z^2}\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}+\frac{\partial}{\partial z}\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}-\left[\frac{\partial}{\partial z}\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}\right]^2\right|_{z=1}\\ = \frac{{\lambda}^2 f''({\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}+\frac{{\lambda}f'({\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}-\left[\frac{{\lambda}f'({\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}\right]^2=\theta({\lambda})\end{gathered}\ ] ] ( specifically , for @xmath140 , @xmath141 \leq { \lambda}$ ] ) . with these preliminaries done , we focus on asymptotics of @xmath115 , @xmath116 and @xmath117 . [ la ] suppose @xmath15 with @xmath142 . then , with @xmath143 as in , @xmath144}}\,(km)!\frac{f({\lambda})^n}{{\lambda}^{km } } , \label{c}\\ \frac{{\left| { \mathcal{b}_{m , n}}\right|}}{{\left| { \mathcal{c}_{m , n}}\right|}}=&\,\exp\left(-\frac{k-1}{2}\,\frac{{\lambda}e^{{\lambda } } } { e^{{\lambda}}-1}\right)+o(1),\label{b}\end{aligned}\ ] ] so that the fraction @xmath145 is bounded away from zero . consequently @xmath146}}\,\frac{(km)!}{(k!)^m } \,\frac{f({\lambda})^n}{{\lambda}^{km } } \exp\left(-\frac{k-1}{2}\,\frac{{\lambda}e^{{\lambda}}}{e^{{\lambda}}-1}\right).\label{a}\end{aligned}\ ] ] [ preq ] under the hypotheses of lemma [ la ] , uniformly for all non - negative , matrix - dependent functions @xmath59 , @xmath147= { \mathbb{e}}[r(b)]=o({\mathbb{e}}[r(c)]).\ ] ] the first equality is trivial . to show the second , for any @xmath148 , @xmath149 by . equation is immediate from and . proving and will occupy the rest of this section . * we first prove . * to determine @xmath117 , recall that each row @xmath150 is given its own @xmath0 , mutually distinguishable , chips . we can get an allocation @xmath102 by permuting all the chips and allocating the first @xmath151 chips to column 1 , the next @xmath152 chips to column 2 , _ etc . _ ; each chip goes to its predetermined row and its random column . up to the irrelevant permutation of chips within the first @xmath153 , the next @xmath154 , _ etc . _ , an allocation @xmath102 is uniquely determined by such a scheme . we adopt the notational convention that for @xmath155 , @xmath156\,h(z ) : = h_j $ ] . we thus have @xmath157\left(\sum_{j\ge 2}\frac{z^j}{j!}\right)^n = ( km)!\,[z^{km}]f(z)^n \label{14.1 } \\ = & \,(km)!\frac{f({\lambda})^n}{{\lambda}^{km}}\,[z^{km}]\left(\frac{f(z{\lambda})}{f({\lambda})}\right)^n \notag \\ = & ( km)!\frac{f({\lambda})^n}{{\lambda}^{km}}\,[z^{km}]\bigl({\mathbb{e}}[z^{z({\lambda})}]\bigr)^n \quad \text{(see \eqref{pgf } ) } \notag \\ = & \,(km)!\frac{f({\lambda})^n}{{\lambda}^{km}}\,{\mathbb{p}}\left(\sum_{j=1}^nz_j({\lambda})=km\right ) , \label{|cmn|}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath158 are independent copies of @xmath136 . now , since @xmath159=\theta({\lambda})$ ] ( by ) and @xmath160 ( by @xmath161 and the hypothesis that @xmath162 ) , we have @xmath163>0 $ ] . so , by a local limit theorem ( aronson , frieze and pittel ( * ? ? ? * equation ( 5 ) ) ) , @xmath164\right)= \frac{1+o(n^{-1})}{\sqrt{2\pi n\mathrm{var}[z({\lambda})]}},\ ] ] which proves . * we now prove . * let @xmath165 be distributed uniformly on @xmath110 . let @xmath166 denote the number of cells that house @xmath60 or more chips , i.e. , @xmath167 let @xmath168 be the number of pairs of chips hosted by the same cell , i.e. , @xmath169 @xmath170 iff there are no cells hosting more than @xmath60 chips . clearly @xmath171 of course , @xmath172 , but , unlike @xmath166 , @xmath168 is amenable to moment calculations . denoting the indicator of an event @xmath173 by @xmath174 , we write @xmath175,\,j\in [ n]}\sum_{1\le u < v\le k}{\boldsymbol 1}\bigl(e(i , j;u , v)\bigr ) , \label{mm}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath176 is the event that , of the @xmath0 chips owned by row @xmath177 , at least the two chips @xmath178 and @xmath179 were put into cell @xmath180 . each of these @xmath181 event indicators has the same expected value , @xmath182 = ( km-2)!\,\frac{[x^{km-2}]f(x)^{n-1}e^x}{{\left| { \mathcal{c}_{m , n}}\right| } } .\ ] ] to see why is so , compare with and note that once we have put two selected chips into a cell @xmath180 we allocate the remaining @xmath183 chips amongst @xmath3 columns , at least two per column , with the exception ( hence the sole @xmath184 factor ) that the @xmath185th column receives an unconstrained number of additional chips ( as it already has two ) . arguing as for , @xmath186f(x)^{n-1}e^x & = \frac{f({\lambda})^{n-1}e^{{\lambda}}}{{\lambda}^{km-2 } } \ ; { \mathbb{p } \ ! \left ( { \sum_{j=1}^{n-1}z_j({\lambda})+ { x({\lambda})}=km-2 } \right ) } , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath187 stands for an independent , usual ( not truncated ) poisson@xmath188 random variable . this last probability equals @xmath189\end{aligned}\ ] ] by the local limit theorem for @xmath190 , for @xmath191 the second probability in the @xmath59th term of the sum is again asymptotic to @xmath192)^{-1/2}$ ] . then so is the probability in , since @xmath193 , for every @xmath194 . from this , , , , and , @xmath195 = ( 1+o(1))\frac{mn\binom{k}{2}}{(km)_2}\,\frac{{\lambda}^2e^{{\lambda}}}{f({\lambda})}\ ] ] with the usual falling - factorial notation @xmath196 . recalling and setting @xmath197 gives @xmath195 = \gamma+o(1).\ ] ] more generally , we now show that for every fixed @xmath198 we have @xmath199 = \gamma^t + o(1).\ ] ] letting @xmath200 , @xmath201 , @xmath202 , @xmath203 , we have @xmath204^t,\,{\boldsymbol{j}}\in [ n]^t}\,\,\sum_{{\boldsymbol{u}}<{\boldsymbol{v } } } { \boldsymbol 1}\left(\bigcap_{s=1}^t e(i_t , j_t;u_t , v_t)\right).\ ] ] hence @xmath205=\sum_{{\boldsymbol{i}}\in [ m]^t,\,{\boldsymbol{j}}\in [ n]^t}\,\,\sum_{{\boldsymbol{u}}<{\boldsymbol{v } } } { \mathbb{p}}\left(\bigcap_{s=1}^t e(i_t , j_t;u_t , v_t)\right).\ ] ] we break the sum into two parts , @xmath206 and the remainder @xmath207 , where @xmath206 is the restriction to @xmath208 and @xmath209 each having all its components distinct . in @xmath206 the number of summands is @xmath210 , and each summand is @xmath211\,f(x)^{n - t}(e^x)^t}{{\left| { \mathcal{c}_{m , n}}\right|}};\ ] ] see the explanation following . analogously to , @xmath212f(x)^{n - t}(e^x)^t = \frac{f({\lambda})^{n - t}(e^{{\lambda}})^t}{{\lambda}^{km-2 t } } \ , { \mathbb{p } \ ! \left ( { \ ; \sum_{j=1}^{n - t}z_j({\lambda})+\sum_{s=1}^t { x_s({\lambda})}= km-2 t } \right)},\ ] ] where the @xmath213 are @xmath214 random variables independent of one another and of @xmath215 . as before , the probability is asymptotic to @xmath216\bigr)^{-1/2}$ ] . so , using and recalling , we have @xmath217^t\to\gamma^t . \label{sig1}\end{aligned}\ ] ] in the case of @xmath207 , letting @xmath218 , @xmath219 , we have @xmath220 . so the number of attendant pairs @xmath221 is at most @xmath222 . the number of pairs @xmath223 inducing a given pair @xmath221 is bounded above by a constant @xmath224 . for every one of those @xmath224 choices , we select pairs of chips for each of the chosen @xmath225 cells ; there are at most @xmath226 ways of doing so . lastly , we allocate the remaining @xmath227 chips in such a way that every column @xmath228\setminus j$ ] gets at least @xmath60 chips . as in the case of @xmath206 , this can be done in @xmath229\,f(x)^{n-|j|}(e^x)^{|j|}\\ = ( km-2t)!\ , \frac{f({\lambda})^{n-|j|}(e^{{\lambda}})^{|j|}}{{\lambda}^{km-2t}}\,\,{\mathbb{p}}\!\!\left(\sum_{j=1}^{n-|j|}z_j({\lambda})+ \sum_{s=1}^{|j|}{\operatorname{po}}_s({\lambda})=km-2t\right)\end{gathered}\ ] ] ways . again , the probability is asymptotic to @xmath230\bigr)^{-1/2}$ ] . so , as @xmath231 , the sum @xmath207 is of order @xmath232 combining and , and recalling , we conclude that for each fixed @xmath198 , @xmath205 = \gamma^t+o(1).\ ] ] therefore @xmath168 is asymptotic , with all its moments and in distribution , to @xmath233 . in particular , @xmath234 this completes the proof of lemma [ la ] . this section will prove theorem [ main ] . remark [ > 1 ] already dealt with the case @xmath235 . it suffices , then , to show that with @xmath47 , the expected number of nonempty critical row sets goes to 0 : then with high probability there is no such set , @xmath10 is of full rank , and the instance is satisfiable . in the model @xmath110 , lemma [ expbounds ] gives an upper bound on the expected number of critical row sets of each cardinality @xmath236 as a function of @xmath237 , @xmath0 , @xmath3 , and @xmath238 , minimized over two additional variables @xmath239 and @xmath240 . lemma [ hlemma ] shows that , for @xmath241 , there exist values for @xmath239 and @xmath240 making this bound small , in particular making its exponential dependence on @xmath3 decreasing rather than increasing . corollary [ dupcor ] uses lemma [ hlemma ] to show that in the model @xmath103 the total expected number of nonempty critical row sets is of order @xmath242 , proving theorem [ main ] . lemma [ hlemma ] is established by several claims deferred to section [ provelemma ] , and section [ unconstrained ] extends theorem [ main ] to the unconstrained @xmath0-xorsat model ( theorem [ unconstrained ] ) . [ expbounds ] suppose @xmath4 and @xmath15 with @xmath142 , and let @xmath113 be chosen uniformly at random from @xmath110 . for @xmath236 , let @xmath243 denote the number of critical row sets of @xmath113 of cardinality @xmath238 . then , with @xmath237 , @xmath244 as given by , introducing @xmath245 and letting @xmath246 , @xmath247 { \leq o(1 ) \,}\ , \sqrt{\tfrac{1}{{\zeta}_2}}\ , \exp\bigl[n h_k(\alpha,{\boldsymbol{\zeta}};c)\bigr ] , \quad\forall\,{\boldsymbol{\zeta}}>0,\ ] ] where @xmath248 by continuity we define @xmath249 at @xmath250 , and @xmath251 is the usual entropy function @xmath252 by symmetry , @xmath253=\binom{m}{\ell}{\mathbb{p}}({\mathcal{d}}_{\ell});\quad { \mathcal{d}}_{\ell}:=\bigcap_{j=1}^{n}\left\{\sum_{i=1}^{\ell}c_{i , j } \text { is even}\right\}.\ ] ] by symmetry again , @xmath254 where @xmath255 recalling that @xmath256}c_{i , j}\ge 2 $ ] , we see that on the event @xmath257 , @xmath258 thus on @xmath257 the column sums of the two complementary submatrices , @xmath259}$ ] and @xmath260}$ ] , are subject to independent constraints . let @xmath261 denote the set of all matrices @xmath113 with row sums @xmath0 which meet the constraints . then @xmath262 is given by @xmath263 by the independence of constraints on column sums for the upper and the lower submatrices of the matrices @xmath113 in question , latexmath:[\[\label{c = ab } where ( paralleling our definition of @xmath110 in section [ prspaces ] ) @xmath265 is the number of ways to assign @xmath266 chips among the first @xmath267 columns so that each of those columns gets a positive even number of chips , and @xmath268 is the number of ways to assign @xmath269 chips among all @xmath3 columns so that each of the last @xmath270 columns gets at least @xmath60 chips . as in , @xmath271\left(\sum_{j>0,\text { even}}\frac{z^j}{j!}\right)^{\nu } \notag \\ & = ( k\ell)!\,[z^{k\ell}](\cosh z -1)^{\nu } , \label{aseries}\end{aligned}\ ] ] and @xmath272 ( e^z)^{\nu } f(z)^{n-\nu}. \label{bseries}\end{aligned}\ ] ] since the coefficients of the taylor expansion around @xmath273 of @xmath274 are non - negative , we use these identities in a standard ( chernoff ) way to bound @xmath275 we could bound @xmath268 similarly , but we need a stronger bound , namely @xmath276 the bound follows from three components : the cauchy integral formula @xmath277}$}}\!\ ! } \frac { ( e^{z})^{\nu}f(z)^{n-\nu } } { z^{k(m-\ell ) + 1 } } \ , dz,\ ] ] and ( with @xmath278 ) the identity @xmath279 $ ] and the less obvious inequality @xmath280 . \label{pittelineq}\end{aligned}\ ] ] ( see pittel ( * ? ? ? * appendix ) for the inequality , and aronson , frieze and pittel ( * ? ? ? * inequality ( a2 ) ) for how it works in combination with the cauchy formula . ) using , , , , with @xmath117 from and @xmath281 from , we obtain that , @xmath282 , @xmath283^{\nu}f(z_2)^{n-\nu}}{f({\lambda})^n } . \label{peq}\ ] ] now , it is immediate from , , and that @xmath284 = \binom m \ell \sum_{\nu=1}^n \binom n \nu p(\ell,\nu ) . \label{eymn1}\end{aligned}\ ] ] if we restrict to @xmath285 and @xmath286 depending only on @xmath238 , @xmath1 and @xmath3 ( not on @xmath267 ) , then on substituting into the above we may simplify the sum to obtain @xmath284 { \leq o(1 ) \,}&\ , \sqrt{\frac{{\lambda}}{z_2}}\ , \binom{m}{\ell}\binom{km}{k\ell}^{-1 } { \lambda}^{km } \notag\\ * \times&\,\frac{1}{z_1^{k\ell}\,z_2^{k(m-\ell ) } } { \left ( { \frac{f(z_2)+e^{z_2}(\cosh z_1 - 1)}{f({\lambda } ) } } \right)}^n , \quad\forall\,z_1,z_2>0 \label{ymnlless } .\end{aligned}\ ] ] observe that @xmath287 inequality , and thus the lemma , are established by substituting this and the stirling - based approximation @xmath288 into , recalling that @xmath289 , @xmath290 and @xmath246 , substituting @xmath291 and @xmath292 , and observing that @xmath293 . for @xmath294 the stirling - based approximation is inapplicable but consistency of with is easily checked . recall the definition of @xmath295 from . roughly speaking , the following lemma establishes the existence of @xmath296 making @xmath295 negative . an intuitive description of the behavior of @xmath295 is given at the start of the next section . [ hlemma ] let @xmath297 for all @xmath298 and @xmath241 , there exist @xmath299 such that @xmath300 \ , \big ) \ , ( \exists { \boldsymbol{\zeta } } ) & \colon { h_k({\alpha},{\boldsymbol{\zeta}};c)}\leq ( c { \alpha})(\tfrac k 2 - 1 ) \ln ( { \alpha}/ { \alpha}_k ) \text { and } { \zeta}_2>{{\zeta}_0}\hspace*{-2 cm } \label{lemma1.2 } \\ \big ( \forall { \alpha}\in [ { { { \alpha}_k}/3},1 ] \ , \big ) \ , ( \exists { \boldsymbol{\zeta } } ) & \colon { h_k({\alpha},{\boldsymbol{\zeta}};c)}\leq -{\varepsilon}\text { and } { \zeta}_2>{{\zeta}_0}. \label{lemma1.1}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the lemma follows immediately from claims [ asmall ] , [ amed ] , [ alarge ] and [ ahalf ] , respectively treating @xmath301 in the four ranges @xmath302 $ ] , @xmath303 $ ] , @xmath304 $ ] , and @xmath305 . a suitable function @xmath296 is given explicitly in each case . the lemma yields the following corollary . [ dupcor ] under the hypotheses of lemma [ expbounds ] but with @xmath298 , @xmath306 = o\bigl(m^{-(k-2)}\bigr).\ ] ] since @xmath47 , there exists a closed interval @xmath307 such that , for all but finitely many cases , @xmath308 . where @xmath309 and @xmath310 satisfy the conditions of lemma [ hlemma ] , define @xmath311 and @xmath312 likewise . then , for all but finitely many pairs @xmath313 , inequalities and hold true . letting @xmath314 , for @xmath315 , recalling that @xmath316 , and give @xmath317 = o(1 ) \ , \exp\bigl[(\tfrac k2 - 1 ) \ell \ln(\ell/\ell_k ) \bigr ] , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where we have incorporated @xmath318 in the leading @xmath319 . by convexity of @xmath320 , interpolating for @xmath321 $ ] from the endpoints of this interval , @xmath322 for @xmath3 sufficiently large , where we have used that @xmath323 and @xmath324 . thus , @xmath284 & \leq o(1 ) \ , \exp \big ( ( \tfrac k2 - 1 ) [ 2 \ln ( 2/\ell_k ) -0.6 ( \ell-2 ) ] \big ) \\ & = o(1 ) \ , m^{-(k-2 ) } \exp(-0.6 ( \tfrac k2 - 1 ) ( \ell-2 ) ) , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where the last line incorporates @xmath325 in the @xmath319 . given this upper bound that is geometrically decreasing in @xmath238 , summing gives @xmath326 = o \bigl(m^{-(k-2)}\bigr ) .\ ] ] for @xmath327 , by , @xmath328 = o(1 ) \ , \exp(-{\varepsilon}n ) , $ ] giving @xmath329 = o(m ) \exp(-{\varepsilon}n ) = \exp(-\omega(n ) ) .\ ] ] adding the two partial sums yields corollary [ dupcor ] . by the remarks at the start of this section , we need only consider the case @xmath47 . under the hypotheses of corollary [ dupcor ] , let @xmath101 and @xmath102 be uniformly random , and let @xmath330 and @xmath331 denote the numbers of nonempty critical row sets of @xmath10 and @xmath113 respectively , and @xmath332 and @xmath243 those of cardinality @xmath238 . @xmath333 since every row of @xmath10 has @xmath0 1 s . ( @xmath334 is not necessarily @xmath20 since a row of @xmath113 can be 0 , for example if all the 1 s in its defining configuration lie in a single cell . ) then @xmath335 = 0 + \sum_{\ell=2}^{m}{\mathbb{e}}\bigl[{{x_{m , n}}^{(\ell)}}\bigr ] = o(1 ) \sum_{\ell=2}^{m}{\mathbb{e}}\bigl[{{y_{m , n}}^{(\ell)}}\bigr ] = o\bigl(m^{-(k-2)}\bigr),\ ] ] the last two equalities coming from corollary [ dupcor ] and corollary [ preq ] . then @xmath336 } = o(m^{-(k-2)})$ ] , so with probability @xmath48 , @xmath10 is of full rank and any system @xmath9 is satisfiable . recall the notation @xmath246 and @xmath338 as well as the definition of @xmath295 from . in this section we use an explicit function @xmath339 , taking different forms in different ranges of @xmath301 , to establish claims [ asmall ] , [ amed ] , [ alarge ] and [ ahalf ] and thus lemma [ hlemma ] . for intuition about @xmath295 , the case @xmath340 is indicative . figure [ h4 ] shows a graph of the function value against @xmath301 , for a few choices of @xmath341 , with @xmath296 given by for small @xmath301 , and by @xmath342 otherwise . numerical experiments suggest that the optimal choice of @xmath296 leads to qualitatively similar results , though of course without the kinks where we change from one functional form for @xmath296 to another . as shown , @xmath295 tends to 0 at @xmath343 ( treated in claim [ asmall ] ) , but the dependence on @xmath341 here is not critical : an analog of the claim , with different parameters , could be obtained as long as @xmath341 is bounded away from 0 and infinity . at @xmath344 ( treated in claim [ alarge ] ) , the function tends to 0 as @xmath341 tends to 1 , so this is where @xmath345 is required . for values of @xmath301 between 0 and 1/2 but bounded away from them , the function value is bounded away from 0 ( for @xmath346 ) , so relatively crude means suffice to treat this case ( claim [ amed ] ) . function values for @xmath347 ( treated in claim [ ahalf ] ) are dominated by their symmetric counterparts at @xmath348 . note that lemma [ hlemma ] only considers @xmath45 . the lemma does in fact extend to @xmath43 , but this case was already treated by @xcite , and poses additional difficulties for us . in particular , for both choices of @xmath296 we consider below , taking @xmath43 , @xmath349 and @xmath350 leads to @xmath351 . [ asmall ] for all @xmath51 and all @xmath352 $ ] , taking @xmath353 yields @xmath354 for all @xmath355 . also , for any @xmath356 there exists @xmath357 such that @xmath358 for all @xmath359 $ ] . in both cases , @xmath360 . note that the first part of the claim establishes , and the second part , with @xmath361 , establishes for @xmath362 $ ] . trivially , @xmath363 , since @xmath364 . the issue in this range of @xmath301 is to control the final logarithmic term of @xmath295 when the two summands within the logarithm are nearly equal . note that @xmath365 is concave on either side of 0 ( diverging to @xmath366 at @xmath20 , it is not concave as a whole ) , as @xmath367''=\frac{e^x(1-x - e^{-x})}{f^2(x)}<0.\ ] ] since @xmath368 , if @xmath143 and @xmath369 are on the same side of 0 ( i.e. , if @xmath370 ) then concavity gives @xmath371 . or , with @xmath372 , if @xmath373 then @xmath374 recalling from that @xmath375 . it is easily checked that gives @xmath376 , hence from @xmath377 and @xmath378 , so @xmath379 and of course @xmath380 . thus for the final term of @xmath295 , from we have @xmath381 \right ) \\&= ck({\zeta}_2 - 1 ) + \ln \cosh ( ck { \zeta}_1 ) \\ & \leq ck({\zeta}_2 - 1 ) + ( ck { \zeta}_1)^2/2,\end{aligned}\ ] ] using the well known inequality @xmath382 now also using @xmath383 for all @xmath384 , substituting @xmath296 from into @xmath295 , @xmath385 \\ & = ( c { \alpha})(\tfrac k 2 - 1 ) \ln [ { \alpha}\ : \tfrac1e ( ck)^{k/(k-2 ) } ] .\end{aligned}\ ] ] pessimistically taking @xmath386 within the logarithm and recalling @xmath387 from , @xmath388 ( a different upper bound for @xmath341 would simply call for a different value for @xmath387 . ) this proves the first part of the claim . clearly , for all @xmath355 , @xmath389 is negative , so for any @xmath356 , over @xmath390 $ ] it is bounded away from 0 . by hypothesis , @xmath391 ( any positive constant would do ) , thus @xmath295 is also bounded away from 0 , i.e. , there is some @xmath357 for which @xmath392 . this proves the second part of the claim . [ amed ] for all @xmath298 and all @xmath352 $ ] , there exist @xmath299 such that for all @xmath393 $ ] , taking @xmath394 , @xmath395 yields @xmath358 and @xmath396 . taking @xmath397 , @xmath398 is immediate . let us confirm , though , that @xmath399 so that the interval in the hypothesis is sensible . for this , @xmath400 suffices for @xmath401 , and the cases @xmath402 are easily checked . with @xmath403 , @xmath295 simplifies to @xmath404 applying and @xmath405 , it follows that @xmath406 , \label{hmed}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the last step following from convexity of @xmath407 as a function of @xmath341 . the application of convexity is simply @xmath408 , since @xmath409 . the proof of convexity is that , with @xmath410 , @xmath411 is clearly increasing with @xmath341 . from and @xmath391 , it suffices to prove that @xmath412 is negative for @xmath413 $ ] . ( for @xmath43 this fails to hold , not just for the approximation @xmath414 , but also for the true value of @xmath295 with this choice of @xmath296 . ) for a fixed @xmath0 this can be confirmed by interval arithmetic . specifically , since @xmath251 is increasing and @xmath415 is decreasing , if @xmath416 $ ] then @xmath417 . thus , it suffices to cover the interval @xmath418 $ ] with subintervals @xmath419 $ ] for each of which @xmath420 . for @xmath340 , @xmath421 and 73 intervals suffice to cover @xmath422 $ ] and show that @xmath423 . : we chose @xmath424 roughly as large as possible in order to minimize the work left for claim [ alarge ] . however , the proof there can work with @xmath301 as small as 0.2736 ( or smaller , with minor modifications ) , and using that instead of @xmath425 here would allow us to cover with 59 subintervals and obtain @xmath426 . ] for @xmath427 , @xmath428 , and the 2 intervals @xmath429 $ ] and @xmath430 $ ] suffice to show that @xmath431 . for @xmath432 , we first claim that @xmath433 . multiplying through by @xmath0 , taking logarithms , then multiplying by @xmath434 , this is equivalent to @xmath435 . this is true for @xmath436 , and true for all larger @xmath0 since the derivative of the right hand side is positive . we now prove by induction on @xmath0 that @xmath437 over @xmath438 $ ] , for @xmath432 . for the base case @xmath436 , the previous interval arithmetic approach , with the two intervals @xmath439 $ ] , @xmath440 $ ] , establishes that @xmath441 . since @xmath442 is monotone decreasing in @xmath0 , @xmath443 for @xmath444 $ ] , by the inductive hypothesis , so we need only show that @xmath445 for @xmath446 $ ] . over this interval , @xmath447 , while the other term of @xmath442 is decreasing in @xmath448 , and @xmath449 , so @xmath450 ; summing the two terms proves that @xmath451 . [ alarge ] for all @xmath298 and all @xmath452 , there exist @xmath453 and @xmath454 such that for all @xmath455 $ ] , taking @xmath394 , @xmath395 yields @xmath358 and @xmath396 . again , @xmath456 is immediate . in this case , with @xmath301 relatively close to @xmath457 , the key is to govern the term @xmath458 in the expression for @xmath295 . we make the substitution @xmath459 . dealing first with the leading term of @xmath295 , we have @xmath460 for @xmath461 $ ] . this can be verified by checking that @xmath462 and its first derivative are both 0 at @xmath250 , while the second derivative , @xmath463 , is negative for @xmath464 . returning now to the term @xmath458 , motivated by the small-@xmath143 asymptotic equality @xmath465 , we will show that @xmath466 where we may choose @xmath467 for any @xmath461 $ ] and @xmath140 , and smaller values of @xmath468 for restricted ranges of @xmath70 and @xmath143 . to establish this , we first show that @xmath469 is weakly increasing with @xmath70 . @xmath470 where we define @xmath471 . to show that the derivative is positive , it suffices to show that @xmath472 indeed , the final inequality holds for all @xmath473 because the expression and its first derivative are both 0 at @xmath474 , while the second derivative , @xmath475 , is nonnegative for all @xmath476 . we next show that @xmath469 is weakly decreasing with @xmath143 . @xmath477 and we wish to show that this is @xmath478 . it is obviously 0 at @xmath479 , so it suffices to check that it is increasing with respect to @xmath70 for @xmath480 . since the first term is constant and @xmath143 is constant , this is equivalent to @xmath481 being increasing with respect to @xmath482 , which is true by remark [ psi ] . since @xmath483 is increasing with @xmath70 and decreasing with @xmath143 , for all @xmath484 and @xmath485 $ ] , @xmath486 , and @xmath487 . since @xmath488 , the last formulation extends to @xmath250 . that is , for all @xmath484 and @xmath489 $ ] , @xmath487 . since the lemma concerns @xmath490 $ ] we are interested in @xmath491 . we now proceed with two cases . the first case treats @xmath492 and @xmath493 . these range of @xmath143 permits @xmath386 , where @xmath344 would give the ( unacceptable ) value @xmath494 ; _ this is thus the crucial case in the analysis , relying on the strict inequality @xmath495 . _ here , @xmath496 . thus , from and , @xmath497 the second case treats the remaining values of @xmath143 , namely @xmath498 , and @xmath493 . here , @xmath499 . recalling from that @xmath500 , and from remark [ psi ] that @xmath501 is increasing , @xmath502 , as @xmath298 . thus , @xmath503 the final statement can be checked by verifying that the previous expression has nonnegative derivative for all @xmath504 and , at @xmath505 , is @xmath506 . the lemma follows , with @xmath507 . [ ahalf ] for all @xmath298 and all @xmath352 $ ] , there exist @xmath453 and @xmath454 such that for all @xmath508 $ ] there exists @xmath296 for which @xmath358 and @xmath396 . for any @xmath509 , @xmath510 ; this follows from @xmath511 , the last inequality well known . since @xmath512 , @xmath513 , and gives @xmath514 by continuity of @xmath515 with respect to @xmath301 , @xmath239 and @xmath240 , there exist @xmath516 and @xmath517 for which @xmath518 } h_k({\alpha},(1-{\delta},{\delta});c ) \leq -{\varepsilon}.\ ] ] this establishes the claim for @xmath519 $ ] . for @xmath520 , let @xmath338 be given by @xmath521 , the latter determined by claims [ asmall][alarge ] , and likewise @xmath522 . then , @xmath523 the inequality follows from : for the first three terms of its right hand side by symmetry , and for its last term by applying the inequality @xmath524 , with @xmath525 ( in the proofs of claims [ asmall][alarge ] , @xmath526 ) . it follows that @xmath527 where @xmath528 is chosen as the minimum of corresponding values in claims [ asmall][alarge ] , with the value of @xmath529 chosen for also serving as the @xmath529 in claim [ asmall ] . finally , for @xmath530 suitably chosen , we have @xmath531 . this follows because for @xmath532 we have @xmath533 , while for @xmath534 we have @xmath522 , which by claims [ asmall][alarge ] is variously of order @xmath535 or @xmath536 , and in either case bounded away from 0 since @xmath537 . this completes the claims used in proving lemma [ hlemma ] . with relatively little additional work , we can prove the prove the finer - grained threshold behavior given by theorem [ sharp ] . by a standard and general argument we may assume that @xmath14 has a limit . we reason contrapositively . if there is a sequence of @xmath1 and @xmath3 for which the desired probability fails to approach 1 as claimed , then it has a subsequence for which the probability approaches a value less than 1 , it in turn has a sub - subsequence for which @xmath538 exists , and by hypothesis it satisfies @xmath539 . that is , if there is a counterexample , then there is one in which @xmath14 has a limit . the case @xmath540 was already treated by theorem [ main ] , so we assume henceforth that @xmath63 . the unsatisfiable part is immediate from remark [ > 1 ] . for satisfiability , we begin with @xmath298 and treat @xmath43 at the end . * case * @xmath541 claims [ asmall ] and [ amed ] already treat @xmath542 in a closed interval including 1 . so does claim [ ahalf ] , in its treatment of @xmath301 near 1 and the symmetry argument elsewhere , contingent upon claim [ alarge ] . claim [ alarge ] also allows @xmath386 except in the case addressed by , so we need only treat this case . for @xmath3 sufficiently large we will have @xmath543 $ ] , thus @xmath544 and , for @xmath545 as before , @xmath546 . using this to re - treat , @xmath547 we will also need bounds on @xmath265 and @xmath548 $ ] better than those in and . reasoning as for , from we have @xmath549}$}}\!\ ! } \frac { ( \cosh z -1)^{\nu } } { z^{k\ell+1 } } \ , dz \leq \frac{(k\ell)!}{2\pi}\!\ ! \int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac { { | { \cosh z_1 e^{i\vartheta } -1 } |}^{\nu } } { z_1^{k\ell+1 } } \ , d\vartheta \notag \\&= o(1 ) \ : { ( k\ell ) ! } \frac { ( \cosh z_1 -1)^{\nu } } { z_1^{k\ell+1 } } \!\ ! \int_{0}^{\pi/2 } { \left ( { \frac { { | { \cosh z_1 e^{i\vartheta } -1 } | } } { \cosh z_1 - 1 } } \right)}^{\nu } \ , d\vartheta . \label{a2}\end{aligned}\ ] ] substituting @xmath550 , i.e. , @xmath551 and @xmath552 , @xmath553 \ , y + y,\end{aligned}\ ] ] using @xmath554 , and @xmath555 for @xmath556 . this gives @xmath557 immediately , @xmath558 since @xmath559 and @xmath560 for @xmath561 $ ] . from , then , @xmath562 comparing with , note the leading @xmath563 . ( there is also a new factor @xmath564 , but this is @xmath565 . ) this immediately gives an analog to , namely @xmath566^{\nu}f(z_2)^{n-\nu}}{f({\lambda})^n } .\ ] ] we would like to sum @xmath567 times this bound as in , but the leading @xmath563 blocks application of the binomial theorem . however , a quick look at the ratio of consecutive terms , @xmath568 shows that the maximum occurs where the ratio is 1 , at some @xmath569 , and that terms before @xmath570 are exponentially smaller than the maximum . discarding these terms ( which have negligible contribution to the sum ) in the remaining terms we may replace the @xmath563 by @xmath571 ( after which we may add back the early terms with the same substitution ) . we then apply the binomial theorem to get an analog of but smaller by @xmath571 . the same simplifications as for then yield @xmath572 { \leq o(1 ) \,}\ , { \frac{1}{\sqrt n}}\ , \exp\bigl[n h_k(\alpha,{\boldsymbol{\zeta}};c)\bigr ] , \quad \text{for any $ { \boldsymbol{\zeta}}>0 $ with $ { \boldsymbol{\zeta}}= \theta(1)$.}\ ] ] returning to , the contribution of values @xmath573 $ ] ( that is , @xmath574 $ ] ) to the unsatisfiability probability is @xmath575 & \leq \sum { o\big(\frac1{\sqrt n}\big)}\exp{\left ( { n { h_k({\alpha},{\boldsymbol{\zeta}};c ) } } \right ) } \\ & \leq { o\big(\frac1{\sqrt n}\big)}\sum \exp{\left ( { -0.59 n(1-c ) - \tfrac1{15}x^2 n } \right ) } \\ & = { o\big(\frac1{\sqrt n}\big)}\exp{\left ( { 0.59 \ : { w(n ) } } \right ) } \sum \exp{\left ( { - \tfrac1{15}x^2 n } \right ) } \\ & = { o\big(\frac1{\sqrt n}\big)}\exp(-0.59 \ : { w(n ) } ) \ ; o(\sqrt n ) \\ & = \exp(-0.59 { w(n ) } ) \to 0 , \end{aligned}\ ] ] since by hypothesis @xmath576 . adding the contributions to the unsatisfiability probability from other values of @xmath238 , notably @xmath577 , the probability that the formula is unsatisfiable is @xmath578 . * case * @xmath579 we apply similar reasoning . since @xmath580 , values @xmath581 $ ] are covered by claim [ asmall ] . for @xmath582 $ ] , at multiples of @xmath583 we explicitly find values @xmath584 ( again , multiples of @xmath583 ) minimizing @xmath295 ; for example @xmath585 yields @xmath586 . using interval arithmetic , we verify that the same @xmath296 value yields negative values of @xmath295 for all values of @xmath301 between the chosen one and the next ( here , @xmath587 $ ] ) , simply by looking at the extreme values of the possible results in each component calculation for @xmath295 ( see ) . since @xmath341 may be assumed to be arbitrarily close to 1 , allowing for some ( sufficiently small ) range of @xmath341 requires no further checking . this proves that @xmath588 on @xmath589 $ ] , for all @xmath341 in a sufficiently narrow range about 1 . for @xmath590 $ ] we follow the same approach as before . this range equates to @xmath591 $ ] . here , @xmath592 gives @xmath593 , which is good enough to yield an equivalent of albeit with a constant smaller than @xmath594 . values @xmath347 are treated by claim [ ahalf ] just as before . if a variable appears in at most one equation , then deleting that variable , along with the corresponding equation if any , yields a linear system that , clearly , is solvable if and only if the original system was . stop this process when each variable appears in at least two equations , or when the system is empty . dubois and mandler analyzed unconstrained @xmath6-xorsat by analyzing this process , which ends with a ( possibly empty ) constrained 3-xorsat instance . regarding each variable as a vertex and each equation as a hyperedge on its @xmath0 variables yields the @xmath0-uniform `` constraint hypergraph '' underlying a @xmath0-xorsat instance . the process described simply restricts the instance to the 2-core of its hypergraph . the analysis by dubois and mandler for 3-xorsat is easily generalized to @xmath0-xorsat using the ( later ) analyses of the 2-core of a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph , and we take this approach . it is well known that the 2-core of a uniformly random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph is , conditioned on its size and order , uniformly random among all such @xmath0-uniform hypergraphs with minimum degree 2 . ( one short and simple proof is identical to that for conditioning on the core s degree sequence in ( * ? ? ? * claim 1 ) . ) also , the `` core '' of a random @xmath0-xorsat instance is an instance uniformly random on its underlying hypergraph : the ( uniform ) hypergraph core determines the core @xmath10 matrix , while the core @xmath12 is simply the restriction of its uniformly random initial value to the surviving rows of @xmath10 , a process oblivious to @xmath12 . thus , satisfiability of a random unconstrained instance hinges on the edges - to - vertices ratio of the core of its constraint hypergraph . recall the definition of @xmath143 from . [ unconstrained ] let @xmath9 be a uniformly random unconstrained uniform random @xmath0-xorsat system with @xmath1 equations and @xmath3 variables . suppose that @xmath51 and @xmath595 with @xmath596 . define @xmath597 with @xmath598 , if @xmath599 then @xmath9 is almost surely satisfiable , and if @xmath600 then @xmath9 is almost surely unsatisfiable . we treat @xmath0 as fixed . restricting consideration to @xmath480 , from molloy ( * proof of lemma 4 ) , @xmath601 has a unique minimum @xmath602 , with @xmath603 having no solutions for any @xmath604 , and two solutions for any @xmath605 . simple calculus confirms that for @xmath51 , @xmath606 is unimodal ( indeed , convex ) . let @xmath607 be a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph with @xmath1 edges and @xmath3 vertices . molloy ( * ? ? ? * theorem 1 ) shows that if @xmath608 then the 2-core is almost surely empty , while if @xmath609 , then with @xmath610 the larger solution of @xmath611 , the order @xmath612 and size @xmath613 of the 2-core almost surely satisfy @xmath614 see also achlioptas and molloy ( * ? ? * proposition 30 ) . it follows for the core that , almost surely , @xmath615 define @xmath616 so that @xmath617 ; remember from that for @xmath35 this is well defined , with @xmath618 . we claim that @xmath619 is the larger of the two values of @xmath610 for which @xmath620 . given that @xmath606 is unimodal , this is true iff @xmath621 . now , @xmath622 focusing on the numerator , multiplying through by @xmath623 , and replacing @xmath624 , this means showing that @xmath625 multiplying the expression by @xmath626 gives @xmath627 as desired . the inequality is immediate from the taylor series for @xmath623 , as @xmath618 . let @xmath628 . because @xmath619 is the larger of the two values @xmath610 for which @xmath629 , we may apply , concluding that a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph with @xmath630 has a core where , almost surely , @xmath631 . for any @xmath632 , the larger solution @xmath610 of @xmath611 has @xmath633 ( by the unimodality of @xmath606 ) , and @xmath634 ( by remark [ psi ] ) . thus , a random @xmath0-uniform hypergraph with @xmath635 has a core where , almost surely , @xmath636 . by this section s introductory remarks it follows that a random @xmath0-xorsat instance with @xmath635 reduces to a random constrained @xmath0-xorsat instance with @xmath637 converging in probability to a value greater than @xmath18 , the reduced instance is almost surely unsatisfiable , and thus so is the original instance . by the same token , if @xmath638 then either @xmath611 has no solution ( if @xmath604 ) , or its larger solution has @xmath639 and @xmath640 . thus , a random @xmath0-xorsat instance with @xmath641 reduces to a constrained @xmath0-xorsat instance that either is almost surely empty ( and trivially satisfied ) , or has @xmath637 converging in probability to a value less then @xmath18 , and thus is almost surely satisfiable by theorem [ main ] . thus the original instance is almost surely satisfiable . our sincere thanks go to the anonymous referees for their very careful reading and many helpful critical comments . we are very grateful to paul balister for a sketch of a proof that @xmath642 ( the essence of lemma [ hlemma ] ) using patchwork functional approximation to get finitely away from the boundaries , and interval arithmetic for the interior @xcite ; the proof here is a different implementation of those ideas . we are also grateful to mike molloy for helpful comments , to colin cooper and alan frieze for pointing out related work , and to noga alon for suggesting we aim for theorem [ sharp ] . v. chvtal and b. reed , mick gets some ( the odds are on his side ) , _ 33th annual symposium on foundations of computer science ( pittsburgh , pa , 1992 ) , ieee comput press , los alamitos , ca _ ( 1992 ) 620627 . m. dietzfelbinger , a. goerdt , m. mitzenmacher , a. montanari , r. pagh , and m. rink , tight thresholds for cuckoo hashing via xorsat , _ proceedings of the 37th international colloquium on automata , languages and programming _ ( icalp10 ) , s. abramsky , c. gavoille , c. kirchner , f.m . auf der heide , and p.g . spirakis ( eds . ) ( springer - verlag , berlin , heidelberg ) ( 2010 ) 213225 . o. dubois and j. mandler , the @xmath6-xorsat threshold , _ proceedings of the 43rd annual ieee symposium on foundations of computer science , focs 2002 ( vancouver , bc , canada ) , ieee computer society _ ( 2002 ) 769778 .

arxiv

Different results for thermal resistances using different methods A system is set up which is composed of a cylinder with hemispheres on either ends. The length of the cylinder is l and inner and outer radii of cylinder and hemisphere are $R\_i$ and $R\_f$. The thermal conductivity of both parts are same and equal to k. The temperature inside the setup is maintained at a constant temperature of $\theta$ while the surrounding temperature is $\theta\_o$.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7dywr.png) $\mathbf{Approach 1}$: Consider an infinitesimal shell at distance r from the axis of the cylinder and r distance from the center of the hemispheres. Let the thickness of the shell be $dr$. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KiDujm.jpg) The resistance of this shell is $$dR=\frac{1}{k}\frac{dr}{2\pi rl+4\pi r^2}$$. Since all the shells are in series connection, the net resistance is $$\int dR=\int^{R\_f}\_{R\_i}\frac{1}{k}\frac{dr}{2\pi rl+4\pi r^2}$$ which gives $ R=\frac{1}{2\pi kl}(ln\frac{R\_f}{R\_f+l/2}-ln\frac{R\_i}{R\_i+l/2})$ Now consider an alternative approach. $\mathbf{Approach 2}$: (I am not going to show the calculations for the resistance of cylinder and hemisphere; I will directly use the results.) Since the the inner parts of the cylinders and the hemispheres are at the same temperature. Similarly, the outer parts are also at the same temperature. So we can say that the cylinders and hemispheres are arranged in a parallel connection. So the equivalent resistance is given by $$\frac{1}{R\_eq}=\frac{2\pi kl}{ln\frac{R\_f}{R\_i}}+\frac{4\pi k R\_f R\_i}{R\_f-R\_i}$$ which on solving for $R\_eq$ gives a completely different result from the first one. On observing the first approach more carefully, it is clear that the equivalent resistance for parallel combination has been used before integrating the elemental resistance. While in the second approach, the elemental resistances have already been integrated and then the formula for parallel combination has been used. Why do these two methods give different results and which one is correct? > > Why do these two methods give different results and which one is correct? > > > Both are incorrect; but the second more, I'd say. As H.Tofaili pointed out, both *often* are very similar, since every of them makes some approximation which is only always allowed in some limit. * In your second approach you assume, that there is no heat conducted across the (imagined) cut between the cylinder and the hemispheres. But it will. It may be very little in most cases, but you can see it's there in an extreme case: take a thick spherical shell and insert a very thin cylinder (great $R\_f-R\_i$, small $\ell$). It is in practice still a shell and will transport heat radially. Then with $\frac{R\_i}{R\_f} \rightarrow 0$ arbitrarily little of the heat starting in the cylinder will end up in it, it will all cross the border. * In your first approach you assume, that the surfaces of equal temperature are all of the same form and equally spaced. This example is not as convincing as the above (I mean, here the assumption doesn't get *arbitrarily* wrong), but consinder: Take now a thin ($R\_f\approx R\_i$) figure. The central parts of the cylinder and the hemispheres are far from the other form respectively, so the heat conduction in them is decoupled from each other and behaves just as in a cylinder or hemisphere. The mean temperature will be at the geometrical mean of the radii in the cylinder and at the harmonical mean of the radii in the hemisperes. So every approximation has a limit in which it is bad. But I think, the first approximation is "better", it looks so "second-order", and as I said, I don't see how to make it arbitrarily wrong. But this get sheer intuition now... These two forms look different but they are the same in fact. You can try different values for $R\_i$,$R\_f$,$l$ and $k$ to see that the two answers will only differ in a very small error, coming from the calculator. It happens many times when solving differential equations that you get a solution using a certain method, then, solving with another method you get a seemingly different solution. Nevertheless, the two solutions are the same one but in different forms. So you need not to worry because both answers are correct. **EDIT:** I tried to prove them equal but couldn't, so I plotted the two forms as functions of $R\_i$,$R\_f$,$l$ and $k$ using Excel.Here are the results: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cytS2.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kM0CZ.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6hwu8.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nmkmZ.png) You can see that the functions are equivalent to each other,maybe except for the last figure where the error is relatively great. I think you can get a more accurate result using a better program.

stackexchange/physics

Once Upon a Time Lost and Found **Title:** Lost and Found **Summary: **Though it was probably only less than a minute, it seemed like Emma was upstairs for an eternity. Snow and Charming were just on the point of following her to apologize when she emerged from her room and returned downstairs with a portfolio in her hand. **Spoilers:** Up through 4x11, "Heroes and Villains." **Characters:** Charming, Snow, and Emma. Charming Family bonding and comfort, as per usual. **Rating/Warning: **K+, for mild cursing. As is typical, I'm not at all sorry for any feels this may give you. :) **Disclaimer:** _Once Upon a Time_ and its characters were created by Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I'm just trying to get through hiatus without going insane. I promise I'll out everything back the way I found it. **Author's Note:** So, from like, the very second the two items involved in this story were introduced, I've _needed_ a scene like this. I also wanted to address a little unintentional (on Ingrid's part) issue Ingrid's actions could possibly have raised. I decided to combine the two ideas, and this is the result. Feedback thrills me to pieces! Enjoy. * * * In all his time – well, all totaled, "all his time" came down to a couple of months, really, but that was beside the point – as acting sheriff, Prince Charming had never stolen evidence. Never, that is, until tonight. In his defense, he'd done so with the mayor's permission. Of course, the mayor was also his wife but that was _also_ beside the point. The point was, he had every intention of having the pilfered item back in the evidence locker before Storybrooke's other sheriff stepped into the station the following morning with her cocoa and bear claw, so it wasn't so much stealing evidence as it was borrowing it for the evening. Because the sheriff and the mayor needed to go over this piece of evidence in peace, without an audience, and in the privacy and comfort of their own home. Charming hooked up the borrowed video camera to their television, having memorized the connections Emma had made when she'd set it up for playback at the station. When everything was connected, he turned to Snow. "Are you ready?" "As I'll ever be," she nodded. He nodded in return, turned the camera on, and pressed the Play button. A young boy's face filled the frame, and both Snow and Charming held a collective breath in anticipation. Seconds later, the boy vanished from sight and their baby girl came into focus. Charming paused the video, leaving a young Emma frozen on the screen. "Look at her, Charming," Snow breathed. "Look at her." He was looking. Oh gods, was he looking. He was taking in every single detail and committing them all to memory. The waves in her long blonde hair, the distrust and defiance in her bright green eyes. And the pain, oh so much pain. It was written all over her face. It was in the way she held herself. It was in how she stood. It was in her eyes. Heavy, heavy pain. Who had hurt her so? Charming supposed, from what little he knew of his baby girl's past, the more appropriate question was who hadn't? Gods, how he wished he could reach back in time and take all that pain from her. How he wished more than anything in this world that he could go back even further and keep her from ever feeling any of that pain at all. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he reached a hand up to the screen, gently running his finger down his young daughter's frozen image. "She's perfect," he murmured, matching his wife's soft volume. Perfect in every way, except for that heavy, heavy pain. Her eyes should have been sparkling and bright with mischief, not dulled and laden with so much suffering. Beside him, Snow was just as mesmerized by the image on the screen as he was. Just as he had moments ago, she touched a finger to the television, as if trying to reach through and caress her young daughter's cheek. "We should have known her, Charming," she said after a moment, her voice full of anger, anguish, and guilt. "We should have had this time with her. We should have had little kid cuddles and running hugs. Birthdays, holidays, and every day in between. And this little clip of her … this is all we have. We should have had more. We should have had _everything_." For a moment, Charming couldn't speak because he felt every bit of that anger and anguish and guilt himself. Anger that he'd missed priceless and irreplaceable decades with his own daughter. Anguish that she'd suffered so much in this realm. Guilt that he'd been the one to place her in the wardrobe and send her here. He and Snow had only been trying to give their baby girl her best chance at survival. She had indeed survived but the Dark Curse had also condemned her to a life of hardship and struggle and heartache and loneliness, and gods, Charming felt responsible. "We absolutely should have," he finally said, swallowing the lump in his throat. There was nothing else to say, really. None of it was fair. None of it. It was a damn _tragedy_. Of all the happy endings Regina had stolen by casting the Dark Curse, this one – the one she stole from their family – was the hardest for Charming to reconcile. Not even for him and Snow, really, but for Emma. For his child, who'd been completely innocent. For his baby girl, who'd been minutes old when she was taken from them. For his precious princess, who'd grown up alone, unwanted and unloved. His eyes once again found hers on the video. No child should have that look in his or her eye, that look of anguish and defiance and utter hopelessness. Gods, Emma couldn't have been more than fifteen years old in that video and she'd already given up hope. That realization gutted him more than anything else. His poor sweet baby. Both he and Snow were so mesmerized by the video of their young daughter that they never even heard their adult daughter enter the apartment. It was only the jangle of her keys as she tossed them on the table that startled them back to awareness. Emma stepped into the room, a weary smile on her face, and asked in total Emma fashion, "What the hell are you two watching so intently?" _Oh_ no. Charming fumbled with the camera, trying to find the Stop button, but it was too late. As soon as Emma caught sight of the television, she stopped short. Charming watched as a host of emotions flickered across her face in a split second: first, surprise, then anger, then defiance – an expression, he noted somewhere in the back of his mind, not unlike the one on her onscreen face. Then she regained control and he actually witnessed her wall shoot up. "That camera was under lock and key for a reason," she said coolly. Snow stood, wringing her hands as she tried to soothe their daughter's ruffled feathers. "Emma, please don't be angry. We were just trying to … there were so many people in the station when we saw this before and there wasn't time ..." Sensing that his wife was floundering, Charming added softly, "We just wanted to see you." Emma stared at them with an inscrutable expression for a moment before turning on her heel and heading up to the loft. She hadn't said a single word, causing Snow and Charming to exchange a troubled glance. Had they screwed up? They should have asked Emma before just taking the tape, shouldn't they? _Damn_ it. Though it was probably only less than a minute, it seemed like Emma was upstairs for an eternity. Snow and Charming were just on the point of following her to apologize when she emerged from her room and returned downstairs with a portfolio in her hand. She hesitated only a moment before handing the portfolio to her mother and flopping down on the couch. The uncertainty in her eyes broke Charming's heart. What on earth could be in this folder that was making her so uncomfortable? Charming exchanged a troubled and confused frown with Snow, and the two of them decided silently to open the portfolio together. At first, Charming wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at. A painted landscape, obviously an art project of some kind, done by a young but talented hand. It wasn't until he caught the signature in the bottom right corner of the paper that he understood. "Oh, Emma," Snow breathed as she ran her fingers over the painting, lingering over the signature. "This is … this is amazing!" This wasn't simply a file folder; it was a glimpse into their little girl's past. Paintings, writing assignments, tests and quizzes … every single piece of paper in that folder was a precious treasure, a little peek into the time they hadn't shared. It was _incredible_. "This wasn't in the evidence locker," Charming said as he stared down at another painting, this one of the night sky with Orion prominently featured. As soon as he realized how accusatory he'd sounded, he winced. Emma, however, didn't seem to mind. "No, it wasn't. It was Ingrid's. She left it out for me to find … her own version of a bread crumb trail, I guess. I never cataloged it as evidence because … well, because it was mine, and it didn't tell us any more than we already knew. Not really. But now … now I think it should be yours." Snow gave her a teary smile before continuing the examination of the portfolio. She handed Charming a story Emma had written for English class about a young girl making friends with a ghost. Charming had to swallow hard against the emotion rising in his throat; his poor little girl had been so lonely that she wrote stories about friendships that even transcended death. And somehow he knew before he even finished the tale that the protagonist of the story would help the ghost move on, even though it meant never seeing her friend again. His baby had certainly had the makings and the mindset of a heroine even back then, hadn't she? Out of the corner of his eye, Charming saw Snow pull a greeting card off the stack of the remaining papers. The tears in Snow's eyes spilled over as she read it and then handed it over to Charming. He set his shoulders before he opened it, wanting to prepare himself for whatever had made his wife cry. It was a pointless endeavor, he realized after he opened the card. Nothing could have prepared him for this. For there was his baby's handwriting, a bit bigger and more wide-set than it was now due to her comparatively less practiced hand, but undeniably hers. And in his baby's handwriting was a message thanking another woman – a woman who'd plotted to let everyone in town kill themselves so she could keep Emma and Elsa all to herself – for being the family she'd never had. He had to admit, it hurt. _He_ should have been her family, _Snow_ should have been her family. Still, a bigger part of him was happy. Happy that his daughter had found a family with someone else, happy that she had found happiness with someone else since they'd been unable to be with her. But wait a second. Whatever happiness Emma and Ingrid had found was short-lived. Emma hadn't stayed with her. So what the hell happened? "She told me a few times that I loved her once," Emma said softly from the couch, as if reading her parents' minds. "I didn't believe her but she was right. I did. I did love her once." A quick glance between husband and wife was all that was needed. Together they stood and squeezed in on the couch with Emma, one on either side of her. "You remember what happened now," Snow said. It wasn't a question. Emma nodded. "In her Ice Fortress of Solitude, before … before the Spell took her, she returned our memories. Mine and Elsa's, the good and the bad." She paused, though whether she was simply lost in those memories or she didn't want to go on with the story, Charming couldn't tell. He inched closer to her, trying to comfort her with his presence. He would never know whether it was the comfort or simply his movement that captured her attention, but after taking a deep breath, she did continue. "She knew who I was whole the time. She knew I was the savior. She knew I had magic. She'd started processing the paperwork to adopt me and when she told me, I was thrilled. I … I loved her, and she was giving me everything I'd always wanted. And then a week later, it all fell apart. She thought I was beginning to exhibit my magic and maybe I was. I don't know. All I know is that she … she held me in front of a moving car and told me to stop it. I freaked out and ran." Charming and Snow exchanged a pained and angry glance over their poor daughter's head. That woman could have killed their baby! Not to mention betraying her trust in one of the worst and most frightening ways imaginable. Emma, however, was too lost in the story to stop. "It's just … she was the only one who'd ever wanted me, you know? And now I don't know if she ever really wanted _me_ or if she just wanted a magical sister." Again, Charming and Snow exchanged a glance over Emma's head. Snow nodded at him, telling him she'd go first, and then tucked a lock of hair behind Emma's ear. "Sweetheart, you don't keep a file like this for someone you don't really care about. Maybe she did set out looking for you because of your magic but that doesn't necessarily preclude her from having loved _you_." Emma didn't look entirely convinced. Still, she nodded and turned a somewhat sheepish expression on her mother. "I don't even know why it matters so much to me. She was obsessed with me. It never would have been healthy but ..." And as Charming glanced over at the television, where the image of angry, defiant, hurt, lonely, unloved, and unwanted young Emma was still frozen, he understood. "But that lonely little girl on the videotape still lives somewhere inside you, and she wants to believe that someone could love her," he said softly. Though Emma didn't respond in words, the tears welling in her eyes were confirmation enough. As one, Snow and Charming both leaned forward to wrap their little girl in a hug. She tensed at first, seemingly taken by surprise by the gesture, but then relaxed into the embrace, clinging to the two of them as if her life depended on it. Good gods, their poor baby had suffered so much. Once again, Charming found himself wishing he could reach back into the past and take all that pain from her. "I know it's too little, too late," he murmured to her, "but we love you, Emma Swan. We wish we had known the little girl on that video. We wish we had known the little girl who made these drawings and who wrote these essays and who took these tests. We wish we had known you your entire life, because you wouldn't have just been loved. You would have been cherished." Emma rested her head on Charming's shoulder, burying her face against his neck like a small child who needed her daddy's comfort. Charming's heart exploded with love and joy, and he nestled his cheek against the top of her head in an effort to give her that comfort. "And you would have been loved and cherished then – and you _are_ loved and cherished now – for two simple reasons," Snow added, smiling through the tears in her eyes. "You're our daughter, and most importantly, you're _you_. We love you, sweetheart, more than you will ever know." Emma tightened her grip at those words. After a moment, she pulled away, sniffled, and blinked back her tears. "It's not too little, too late," she said, smiling at her parents. "It's absolutely perfect." And as she pulled them into another hug, Charming's heart once again filled with love and joy. His lost little girl had found her way home. End file.

fanfiction

Fast Times at Ridgemont High FADE IN: EXT. RIDGEMONT CENTER MALL - NIGHT From the outside parking lot it looks like an enormous beached whale. It is the prime hangout for all the teenagers in the area. Kids mill around the parking lot or stand by the mall entrance. INT. RIDGEMONT CENTER MALL There are three levels of stores underneath a massive fluorescent roof. Different music comes from each store. It looks seventies-modern, but already used and run-down. Groups of kids cruise the mall, eyeing each other and acting cool. INT. SWENSON'S ICE-CREAM PARLOR - NIGHT The teenage waitresses in their peppermint pattie uniforms are rushing around, trying to keep up with their orders. A good-looking man in his mid-twenties enters and sits. He wears a plastic name tag that says: "Pacific Stereo Audio Consultant, RON JOHNSON." Two Swenson's Waitresses pass by with supreme indifference, and take their orders into the back kitchen. INT. SWENSON'S BACK KITCHEN WAITRESS #1 I think he looks like Richard Gere. The two Waitresses discuss the issue at hand. One of them, Linda Barrett, is the seventeen year old, retired sex queen of Ridgemont High. WAITRESS #1 (CONT'D) I think he looks like... Richard Gere. (Bruce Springsteen) LINDA Did you see his cute little butt? A third waitress enters. WAITRESS #2 Let's talk about C-19. WAITRESS #1 AND LINDA We were! WAITRESS #2 I think I'll drop over and change the shakers. LINDA No, be cool, that's Stacy's section. Through the entrance, we see Stacy Hamilton. She is the fifteen-year-old trainee, sweet-looking with just the last traces of baby fat. She puts down a glass of water for Ron, spills some and mops it up. WAITRESS #1 He's too old for Stacy, she hasn't even started high school yet. A flustered Stacy enters the back kitchen. LINDA How's it going. STACY Do you think that guy's cute? WAITRESS #1 In a blow-dryed kind of way. STACY Does anyone else want to take his table? LINDA Don't you like him? STACY Yeah, but I fucked up. You can take it. Really. LINDA Come on, Stacy, it's your section and your man. STACY What should I do? LINDA Just take his order, look him in the eye and if he says anything remotely funny, laugh a lot. She fluffs up Stacy's hair and gently shoves her towards the door. Stacy reluctantly exits. INT. SWENSON'S DINING ROOM Stacy goes to Ron's table. RON So you working hard or hardly working? Stacy thinks it over, decides it's a joke and laughs (a little too late). Ron looks at her soulfully. RON (CONT'D) You look like you could still be in high school. STACY I know, everyone says that. He stares at her and she stares back uncomfortably. STACY (CONT'D) What can I get for you tonight. RON How about your phone number? Stacy smiles nervously. INT. RIDGEMONT MALL - OUTSIDE SWENSON'S - NIGHT A teenage boy stands in front of an in-mall theatre across from Swenson's. He wears a stiff over-sized tuxedo suit. He is Mark "The Rat" Ratner, a ticket taker on the job. Mike Damone, a transplanted Easterner, bops over from the record store, eyeing every girl he passes. He stops at the movie theatre. THE RAT Do you ever look at those girls who work at Swenson's? They're beautiful. And I have to stand out here and watch them six nights a week. DAMONE You should work for yourself. Two Junior High Kids spot Damone, walk up to him. DAMONE (CONT'D) What can I do for you, gentlemen? JUNIOR HIGH KID #1 You the guy with the Van Halen tickets? DAMONE I could be. JUNIOR HIGH KID #2 What do you want for something in the first ten rows? DAMONE Twenty bucks apiece. JUNIOR HIGH KID #1 Those tickets were only twelve fifty! DAMONE So don't buy 'em. JUNIOR HIGH KID #2 (to friend) All the other scalpers are sold out, Arnold. Damone reacts indignantly. DAMONE Scalper? You call me a scalper? I perform a service, my friends. The service costs money. Now do you want the tickets or not? The Kids look at each other. JUNIOR HIGH KID #1 Are you sure you can't go any lower. DAMONE These are my special back-to-school prices. JUNIOR HIGH KID #2 We'll take 'em. Damone reaches inside his pants pocket for a wad of tickets. EXT. CARL'S JR. - NIGHT At the other end of the mall is a neon-lit Carl's Jr. Hamburger Restaurant. If Swenson's was the warm up, this is the main attraction of the Ridgemont Mall. INT. CARL'S JR. Back-to-school banners hang from the walls. Many kids are lined up at the counters. In the middle of the kitchen, directing all the orders, is a seventeen year old named Brad. He moves confidently, observing the fryer, checking cup supply, and giving an affectionate squeeze to a pretty cashier named Lisa. She lets him kiss her, but only once. A teenage Customer shouts to Brad from the front counter. CUSTOMER Hey Brad! I waited till you came on! I wanted your fries. Brad smiles, walks over to the fryer and discards the fries left from the previous shift. He shouts to the other employees as he puts in a new batch, "his" batch. BRAD We need fifteen Superstars, David! FELLOW EMPLOYEE #1 Okay, Brad! BRAD I'll take care of the fry orders! Just get me the Superstars! FELLOW EMPLOYEE #2 Fish sandwiches! Brad spots three surfers sitting in the dining area. None of them are wearing shirts. BRAD Hey you guys! You had shirts on when you came in here. ANGLE ON THE MAIN SURFER a bleary kid sitting at the head of the table. He runs a hand through his long, stringy blond hair. After a time, he speaks. SPICOLI Something happened to them, mon. BRAD Come on, Spicoli. Why don't you just put your shirts back on? See the sign? ANGLE ON HANDWRITTEN SIGN IN WINDOW that reads: "No Shirts, No Shoes, No Dice" INT. CARL'S JR. A store manager, Dennis Taylor, bustles up to Brad. DENNIS Any problems? BRAD No, just a couple of surfers with no shirts on. I took care of it, Dennis. ANGLE ON SURFERS grumbling, putting shirts back on. It pains them. Dennis heads back to his office when he sees something in the trash bin. DENNIS Did you throw away those fries, Hamilton? BRAD They were left over from the last shift. DENNIS Those were perfectly good fries, Hamilton. (glares at Brad) Perfectly good. BRAD But they weren't mine. Brad laughs, goes back to work. INT. MALL - LATE NIGHT It is closed and only a few janitors remain. Stacy and Linda walk through the large empty mall. STACY He gave me his card. (lovingly) 'Ron Johnson, Audio Consultant.' LINDA (amused) Should we buy a frame for that? STACY Come on, Linda, I haven't had a boyfriend all summer. You promised when I started working at the mall that my life would change... Do you think he'll call this week? LINDA Listen, Stace, you want to know about guys? I'll tell you. They're mostly chicken. Before I met Doug I chased after every guy I thought was cute. I thought if I gave out a vibe they'd get the message and call me up. Well, guess what? They don't call. STACY So what did you do? LINDA I called them. If I was sitting next to a guy and I wanted to sit closer, I'd sit closer. If I wanted to kiss him, I'd just do it. You want Ron Johnson? Grab him. STACY I can't do that. They pass a janitor cleaning graffiti that says: LINCOLN SURF NAZIS and MAGGOT LUST FOR THE DUST. LINDA Face it. With some guys you have to make the first move. A lot of guys are just... wussies. STACY Really? LINDA Stacy, what are you waiting for? You're fifteen. I did it when I was thirteen. It's no huge thing. It's just sex. If you don't, one of the other girls will. STACY (cute) He was hot, wasn't he? LINDA If I didn't have a fiance in Chicago, I'd go for it. A young Girl runs and catches up with Linda and Stacy. GIRL (breathless) Are you Linda Barrett? LINDA Yes. GIRL I'm Carrie Frazier from Toys 'R Us. Judy Hinton from May Company told me I could ask you something. Linda nods. GIRL (CONT'D) I have this situation with my boyfriend, and I wanted to... (looks at Stacy, then whispers in Linda's ear) Linda listens thoughtfully, then clicks into her "sex expert" mode. LINDA Okay, are you over sixteen? The Girl nods. LINDA (CONT'D) All right, what you want to do is go to the Free Clinic and tell the doctor that you have sex regularly - several times a week -- and that you need Nornel One Plus Fifty's. GIRL And they don't call my parents? LINDA Not if you're over sixteen. GIRL Okay. Thanks a lot, Linda. LINDA And don't let them talk you into a diaphragm either. The Girl thanks Linda again. Linda and Stacy get to the back exit of the mall and Linda uses a key to open the door. STACY I can't believe I start high school tomorrow. LINDA Believe it. They exit the mall, into the night. EXT. RIDGEMONT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL - DAY We see all the elements of the first day of school. The students carry new books, explore new lockers, begin to stake out their ground. Someone has taken the steel letters from the green vanguard out front. It reads: "IDG MON SENOR HI HO." The rest of Ridgemont High is covered with toilet paper. And a black spray paint message along the side of the front office building reads, "LINCOLN SURF NAZIS." EXT. RIDGEMONT PARKING LOT - DAY Brad pulls into the Ridgemont High parking lot. He drives a beat-up, four-door model LTD sedan. Three friends wait for him near his parking space. They are dressed in the same golf caps with brand logos on the front like CAT, NATIONAL and CHAINSAW. BUDDY #1 Hamilton! BUDDY #2 The cruising vessel! Hey -- Yooooo! Brad climbs out of his car and pats it admiringly. BRAD Six more payments, gentlemen. Brad joins his friends, and they walk towards the gymnasium. EXT. RIDGEMONT PARKING LOT We see a shiny, new, blue Mustang whip into the parking lot. Students scatter from the parking space. Behind the wheel is football star Charles Jefferson. A huge, black kid. The halls at Ridgemont part for Charles Jefferson. Rat and Damone are in the parking lot. Damone surrounded by underclassmen (customers) selling tickets. DAMONE See that Mustang? U.C.L.A. gave Charles Jefferson that car when he was a sophomore. The underclassmen are impressed. They watch as Jefferson opens his car door and stands to his full height, over six-foot tall. He opens his trunk and pulls out no books, just a football duffel bag. He slowly walks by Damone, Rat and the underclassmen. DAMONE (CONT'D) How ya doing! That car looks great, Charles! Jefferson gives Damone a death glare. JEFFERSON Don't... fuck... with... it. He moves on. Damone resumes selling tickets. DAMONE Shit, that's my man. EXT. RIDGEMONT PARKING LOT We see a clutching, smooching couple walk by. Cheerleader Cindy Carr and her boyfriend, Gregg Adams. EXT. RIDGEMONT PARKING LOT - DAY The Four Stoners (from Carl's Jr.) tumble out of a van in the parking lot. They head towards the gymnasium. INT. RIDGEMONT GYMNASIUM - DAY Standing by the A-B-C-D-E registration counter in the gymnasium, Brad waits to pick up his red ad card. He stands surrounded by his buddies. They nod vigorously at everything Brad says. As he talks, fellow students all say hello or pat him as they pass. One troubled-looking boy, Arnold, walks up to Brad. ARNOLD Brad, can I talk to you a minute? BRAD Arnold. What's happening? Arnold speaks confidentially to Brad. ARNOLD Brad, I really fuckin' hate McDonald's, man. Ever since they started in with the chicken, everything went downhill. BRAD You want to work at Carl's? ARNOLD Oh, man, if you could swing something there, I'd do anything for you. I want to work with you guys. BRAD I can probably get you in there. Just let me talk to Dennis Taylor. ARNOLD All right!! Brad notices Stacy and nods with complete inner cool. STACY Hi, Brad. BRAD Sis. BRAD'S BUDDIES Hey, Stacy. STACY Hi... Where's Lisa? BRAD Everyone wants to know where Lisa is. How should I know where Lisa is? (to buddies) What am I gonna do? Now my little sister goes to the same high school. The party's over. (to Stacy) So who do you have first period? STACY U.S. History. Mr. Hand. BRAD Hey-yo. DAVID Hey-yoooooooooo. STACY (concerned) What's wrong with Mr. Hand? BRAD Nothing... if you like 'Hawaii Five O.' You better get in class, Stacy. That's not the one to be late to. Stacy hurries off. RICH (as soon as she is gone) Your sister is really turning into a fox. BRAD You should see her in the morning. BRAD'S BUDDIES Hey-yooooooooooo. INT. U.S. HISTORY CLASS - DAY Stacy barely slips in the door before the final attendance bell sounds. She finds a seat just as the teacher's cubicle door opens at the back of the classroom. A tall figure comes barreling down the aisle. He is Mr. Hand. The man makes a double-speed step to the door at the front of the class, kicks the door shut and locks it. The windows rattle in their frames. Stacy watches, wide-eyed, at her first high school class. MR. HAND Aloha. My name is Mr. Hand. Mr. Hand writes his name on the green chalkboard before his class. Every letter is a small explosion of chalk. MR. HAND (CONT'D) (almost sweetly) I have but one question for you on our first morning 'together.' (pause) Can you attend my class? Pakalo?... Understand?... History has proven us one basic fact. Man does not do anything that is not for his own good. It is for your own good that you attend my class. And if you can't make it... I can make you. An impatient knock begins at the front door of the classroom. MR. HAND (CONT'D) We have a twenty-question quiz every Friday. It will cover all the material we've dealt with during the week. There will be no make-up exams. It's important that you all have your Land of Truth and Liberty textbooks by Wednesday. At the latest. The knock continues. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Your grade is the average of all your quizzes, plus the midterm and final, which counts for one-third. Got it? The mystery knocker tries a lazy calypso beat on the front door. No one in Mr. Hand's U.S. History class dares mention it, much less answer it. Stacy grips her desk with the tension of her first day. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Also. There will be no eating in this class. You get used to doing your own business on your own time. That's one demand I make. I don't like staying after class with you on detention. That's my time. I don't like wasting it. Just like you wouldn't want me to come to your house some evening and discuss U.S. History on your time. Pakalo? Hand finally turns, as if he has just noticed the sound at the door and opens the door an inch. Jeffrey Spicoli stands in the doorway, red eyes glistening. His long, blond hair is still wet and streaming down the back of his white peasant shirt. He grins, oblivious to such trivial matters as attendance bells. A Student sitting near Stacy turns to his friends. STUDENT That guy has been stoned since the third grade. MR. HAND Yes? SPICOLI Yeah. I'm registered for this class. MR. HAND What class? SPICOLI This is U.S. History, right? I saw the globe in the window. MR. HAND (appears enthralled) Really? Spicoli holds his red ad card up to the crack in the door. SPICOLI Can I come in? MR. HAND (swinging door open) Oh, please. I get so lonely when that third attendance bell rings and I don't see all my kids here. Spicoli laughs. He is the only one. SPICOLI Sorry I'm late. This new schedule is totally confusing. Mr. Hand takes the red ad card and reads from it with utter fascination. MR. HAND Mr. Spicoli? SPICOLI That's the name they gave me. Mr. Hand slowly tears the card into little pieces and sprinkles the pieces over his wastebasket. Spicoli watches in disbelief. His hands are frozen in the process of removing his backpack. SPICOLI (CONT'D) You just ripped my card in two! MR. HAND Yes. SPICOLI Hey, bud. What's your problem? Mr. Hand moves to within inches of Spicoli's face. MR. HAND No problem at all. I think you know where the front office is. It takes a moment for the words to work their way out of Jeff Spicoli's mouth. SPICOLI You... dick. In the tense moment that follows, no one in the class is sure what might happen. Mr. Hand simply turns away from Jeff Spicoli as if he ceased to exist and coolly continues his lecture. MR. HAND I've taken the time to print up a complete schedule of class quizzes, and the chapters they cover. Please pass them back to the desks behind you... Hand begins passing out stacks of purple mimeographed sheets. ANGLE ON STUDENTS all smelling the purple mimeographed sheets. Still standing in the doorway, hyperventilating with fifteen-year-old adrenalin, is Jeff Spicoli. After a time, he fishes a few bits of his ad card out of the wastebasket and huffs out of the room. EXT. RIDGEMONT LUNCH COURT - AFTERNOON It's packed. The school's outdoor dining area is actually just a small courtyard lined with fast food machines and dominated by a large oak tree in the center. Standing at the center of lunch court, under the large oak tree, is Brad Hamilton and his golf-cap Buddies. BRAD You hear about the surfer in Mr. Hand's class? His Buddies shake their heads. BRAD (CONT'D) Told Hand to fuck off. BRAD'S BUDDIES Whoa!_ Brad sees another friend pass through lunch court. BRAD Thompson! Brad waits for him to pass. BRAD (CONT'D) I hear Thompson got canned at Bob's this summer. BUDDY #1 Yeah. They hacked his hours, so he quit. BRAD Where is he now? BUDDY #1 Making two eighty at Seven-Eleven. BRAD Man. (pause) They make you wear a fuckin' candy stripe suit over there. BUDDY #2 Poor guy. BRAD Poor guy. EXT. LUNCH COURT - ANGLE ON THE 200 BUILDING BATHROOM near the outer rim of lunch court. Jeff Spicoli comes stumbling out into the daylight, surrounded by a small group of Ridgemont Stoners. Marijuana smoke billows out behind them. STONER BUDDY #1 It was so bitchin', mon. Everybody is talking about it. STONER BUDDY #2 Totally. SPICOLI The motherfucker pissed me off. STONER BUDDY #2 Totally. You don't have to take that shit. SPICOLI I didn't take that shit. They all laugh, flip hair out of their eyes. STONER BUDDY #1 Tell us again. What happened after he ripped up your ad card? SPICOLI I called him a dick. And then I reached for his class notes, and I ripped 'em up. I said, 'Hey bud. Two can play this game.' The Stoners go wild. SPICOLI (CONT'D) I'll tell you this. If he hassles me again, I can't be responsible for what happens... you know why? STONER BUDDY #1 Because he's a fuckin' dick! SPICOLI You got it. (pause) Gimme a dollar. One surfer digs out a dollar for Spicoli. They look out at lunch court, see it teeming with straight kids. They turn and walk towards the parking lot. EXT. LUNCH COURT - ANGLE ON STACY AND LINDA as they walk onto lunch court. They take a seat on the outskirts of the area and watch all the students crowding onto the eating area. LINDA I hear some surfer pulled a knife on Mr. Hand this morning. STACY No way! He just called him a dick. LINDA God. People exaggerate so much at this school. The school couple, Cindy and Gregg walk by. CINDY Hi, Linda. God, you look so great. LINDA Hi, you guys. This is Stacy. Stacy, this is Gregg Adams and Cindy Carr. GREGG AND CINDY Hi, Stacy. Stacy smiles. Gregg and Cindy move on, repeating the same scene a few feet away. LINDA If there's one thing that never changes... it's a cheerleader. Stacy turns to see a girl with short, black hair passing by, wearing tight black spandex pants, and dark lipstick. STACY Linda. That girl looks just like Pat Benatar. LINDA I know. They watch her pass. LINDA (CONT'D) Actually, there are three girls at Ridgemont who have cultivated the Pat Benatar look. Linda gestures out on lunch court. ANGLE ON ANOTHER PAT BENATAR LOOK-ALIKE wearing pink spandex pants and short-cropped black hair with dark lipstick. ANGLE ON STILL ANOTHER PAT BENATAR LOOK-ALIKE wearing blue spandex pants and short black hair. She stands a good distance away from the other two. LINDA (CONT'D) None of them talk to each other. Linda looks at them with bemusement but Stacy is wondering. STACY Do you think guys find that attractive? LINDA Oh, give me a break, Stacy. You're much prettier than them. They sit and eat their lunches. Linda has her perennial diet lunch of yogurt and raw vegetables. STACY Yeah but they look more sophisticated. You'd probably think they'd be better in bed. LINDA What do you mean 'better in bed.' You either do it or you don't. STACY No there are variables that, like, I might not be good at. LINDA What variables? STACY (shyly) Like, you know, giving blow jobs. LINDA What's the big deal? STACY Well I never did it. LINDA There's nothing to it. She takes out a carrot stick and eases it down her throat. Stacv tries one but chokes. LINDA (CONT'D) You just have to practice a little first. (feels her throat) Relax these muscles. Think of your throat as an open tunnel. The girls try sliding the carrot sticks down their throats without gagging. ANGLE ON A BOY at the next table; sees them and points them out to his companions. STACY What happens... don't laugh at me, but when a guy has an orgasm... you know, like, how much comes out. Stacy stops practicing and looks horrified. Linda laughs. LINDA Just kidding. About 10cc. STACY (enlightened) Oh! That's where that group got its name from. They continue practicing as the boys look on. Stacy manages to get almost a whole carrot down her throat to Linda's amazement. The group of boys break out in applause. Stacy looks very embarrassed. INT. BIOLOGY LAB - DAY The class is situated so that all students sit at Bunson burner tables lining the room. Pat is seated at one of the tables and Stacy takes a seat nearby; she looks at the ledge in front of her. It contains a pig embryo. She listens to the conversation next to her. GIRL STUDENT I'll tell you right now. I'm not going. I'll get sick or something. I'm not going into a room with a bunch of dead guys. ARNOLD You'll go. It's part of the final. GIRL STUDENT (a Pat Benatar) Have you heard what they do? I'm serious. Have you heard? BOY STUDENT What? ARNOLD The bodies are dissected, Mike, and Mr. Vargas pulls out parts of the dead body and holds them up. Okay? BOY STUDENT You mean he reaches in and pulls this stuff out? GIRL STUDENT Yes. BOY STUDENT Like a heart? GIRL STUDENT Hearts, lungs, guts... Stacy strains to hear more, just as Mr. Vargas -- a diminutive man holding a coffee mug -- enters the class. MR. VARGAS Good day, everyone! I just switched to Sanka. I'm running a little slow today, so have a heart. ANGLE ON THE RAT He is riveted on Stacy Hamilton, swooning. DISSOLVE TO: INT. STACY'S ROOM - NIGHT We see Stacy's room, a young girl's room with posters and frilly pillows. Stacy is in bed, and her Mother is just leaving the room. MOTHER Sleep tight, Stacy. STACY Good night, Mom. Her Mother shuts off the light, exits. Stacy pulls back the covers. She is fully dressed. EXT. STACY'S WINDOW - NIGHT We see the window to Stacy's room slide slowly open, and watch her slip outside. She hikes down a drainage pipe to the street. EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT A brown MG pulls up. Stacy jumps from the shadows and hops in. The car drives away. INT. RON'S CAR - NIGHT Ron sits behind the wheel, humming casually along to the music on his car stereo. Ron has on a light-brown leather jacket. He looks like a contestant for "The Dating Game." STACY (a little nervous) Thanks for picking me up. RON No problem. He speeds off, turning up the radio to sing along. RON (CONT'D) 'The Cuer-vo Gold, the fi-ine Columbian.' (eyes Stacy) You look nice tonight. STACY Thanks. So do you. RON Where do you feel like going? STACY I don't know. Wherever you want. RON How about the point? STACY (nervously) The point sounds fine. RON (looks at her knowingly) All right, the point it is. We see Stacy's anxious face, as the car speeds up Ridgemont Drive, with music. EXT. THE POINT - NIGHT Stacy and Ron sit in the car, listening to music. The "point" is a natural lookout spot that lovers can "discover." It is behind the baseball field and dugout of Ridgemont High School. Stacy and Ron get out of the car and walk to the baseball dugout. INT. DUGOUT - NIGHT They sit side-by-side. Above them, a single light bulb shines a very private fifty watts on things. STACY That's a nice shirt. RON Thanks. Thanks a lot. Silence. They look at each other, look away. RON (CONT'D) It's very warm out tonight. STACY It is. It's very warm. I wonder how long it will last? Ron leans over and kisses Stacy lightly on the cheek. Stacy sits quietly for a moment, thinking, was that the first move? Then she lunges at Ron and kisses him square on the mouth. At first surprised, Ron then holds her there and kisses her in return. After a time, he breaks away. RON Are you really nineteen? STACY Yes... I am really nineteen. They continue making out. RON I think I better take you home. STACY What about those other guys you live with? RON No. I mean back to your home. But they make no moves in any direction. They continue making out. Ron begins unbuttoning her blouse and massaging Stacy's breasts. A moment later, he tugs at her pants. Awkwardly, she starts to help him. He tilts her backward onto the concrete dugout bench. They kiss feverishly, her hand pulling off her shoes, then her pants. Ron goes to work. RON (CONT'D) (whispers) Is this your first time? STACY Yes. STACY'S POINT OF VIEW as she feels a man enter her for the first time, we see the graffiti above her: Surf Nazis Lincoln was here -- Sieg Heil Led Zeppelin Dan y Roberto (Disco Fags) DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SCHOOL LOCKERS - DAY Stacy is standing by her locker, twirling the combination. She is joined by Linda Barrett. LINDA Was it great? STACY It was okay. I LINDA You'll always remember your first time. STACY It was nice. LINDA So tell me, do you like Ron? Is it serious? STACY Come on, Linda. It's just sex. LINDA Hey! That's my line! They both laugh and walk down the hall. EXT. HAMILTON HOME - LATE AFTERNOON Stacy arrives home. The Hamilton home has that anonymous prepackaged tract look, like many others in this lower-middle class neighborhood. Brad washes his car in the driveway and listens to the car radio. BRAD Mom says to clean up the pool. STACY Why can't you do it? BRAD Your friends use the pool. Your friends messed it up. STACY Your friends use the pool too. BRAD I take out the garbage. STACY Don't strain yourself. Stacy bristles, and heads inside the front door. INT. HAMILTON LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON The furniture in the Hamilton living room looks like it was gleaned for a sale at Pic 'N Save. Through the living room, one can see a very small, kidney-shaped pool. Stacy checks an erasable telephone message sheet near the refrigerator. There are two names on it: BRAD/STACY. Brad's side is filled with messages. Stacy's is empty. She notices a summer bouquet floral arrangement. Stacy reads the attached note. It reads: "Memories of You, Ron Johnson." She quickly gathers it up and carries it back outside. She fans the door several times to dispel the odor. EXT. HAMILTON DRIVEWAY - AFTERNOON STACY Brad! Have Mom or Dad seen this? BRAD They're not home yet. STACY Brad, what would you say if I asked you to just put these flowers in the trunk of the Cruising Vessel and get rid of them at work? BRAD I'd say... who the hell is Ron Johnson? STACY I'll explain everything later. Brad nods, as Stacy pushes the flowers into his arms. INT. DAMONE'S ROOM - AFTERNOON Damone expertly fills two glasses three-quarters full of Kahlua, then adds a few drops of milk. Music is playing on a nearby speaker. Damone hands The Rat a drink and checks himself out in his mirror. DAMONE See that moustache coming in, Rat? There is only a hint of peach fuzz, but he grooms it anyway. DAMONE (CONT'D) See? You can almost press it out. Damone turns around. His friend is preoccupied. THE RAT I am in love. Damone takes a sip of his drink, looks at The Rat. DAMONE You... are a wuss. Part wimp. Part pussy. THE RAT What do you mean -- wuss? This girl is my exact type. It's her. Definitely her. DAMONE (distracted) It's definitely your mama. THE RAT Damone, you gotta listen to me. Damone quits puttering around his room with the Kahlua and milk. He grabs a chair and straddles it. DAMONE All right... where did you see her? THE RAT She's in my biology class. DAMONE Did you get her number? THE RAT No. DAMONE Did you get her name? THE RAT No. It's too soon. DAMONE It's never too soon! Girls decide how far to let you go in the first five minutes. THE RAT Well, what do you want me to do? Go up to this strange girl in my biology class and say, 'Hello! I'd like you to take your clothes off and jump on me?' DAMONE (thoughtfully) I would. Yeah. THE RAT Really? DAMONE I can see it all now. This is going to be just like the girl you fell in love with at Fotomat this summer. You bought forty bucks of fuckin' film and you never even talked to her. THE RAT (woeful) You tell me, Mike. What do I do? DAMONE Okay. Okay. (sighs, but loves it) Here's what you do. Damone gets up, moves to the door. DAMONE (CONT'D) You start from the second you walk into biology. Don't just walk... move across the room. He saunters over to the chair. DAMONE (CONT'D) Don't talk to her. Let her know. Use your face. Use your body. Use everything. This is what I do. I just sent out the vibe and I have personally found that... girls do respond. Something happens. THE RAT Of course something happens. You put the vibe out to thirty million chicks, you know something's gonna happen. DAMONE That's the idea, Rat. That's The Attitude. THE RAT The Attitude? The Attitude dictates that you don't care if she comes, stays, lays or prays. Whatever happens, your toes are still tappin'. When you are the cruelest and the coolest... then you have The Attitude. Damone knocks down the rest of his drink, and we... DISSOLVE TO: INT. CARL'S JR. KITCHEN - NIGHT We see Brad operating at full throttle in the kitchen, and taking a moment to sneak a kiss with his girlfriend Lisa as she goes to the front counter to open up a cash register. She allows him only one kiss. LISA Were those flowers really for me, Brad? BRAD Of course. LISA How much did they cost? BRAD Don't worry about it. She gives him a kiss... on the cheek. BRAD (CONT'D) Let's go to the Point tonight. She pulls away. LISA What's there to do at the Point? Brad shifts his weight, tries to find the right words. BRAD What's there to do at the Point? God, Lisa, we've been going together almost two years, and... LISA Brad. I don't want to have to use sex as a tool. BRAD Tool? Tool for what? We've been going together almost two years! LISA I don't want to talk about it here, Brad. Brad prepares to respond. He squints his eyes, prepares for a truly sizzling comeback, when Dennis Taylor, short and prematurely balding assistant manager of Carl's Jr., comes bustling out of his back office. He quickly surveys the situation in the kitchen. TAYLOR Hamilton! You have fifteen double cheese to box! Lisa returns to her cashier post, leaving Brad's last words stalled in his mouth. EXT. HAMILTON HOUSE - LATER THAT NIGHT We see the Hamilton's cul-de-sac home. All the lights are off in the house at this hour. Except for Brad's room. INT. BRAD'S ROOM Brad is alone in his room. He's prone on his neatly made bed, reading a paperback book entitled Power With Class. On the wall of Brad's room is a large framed photo of a Carl's Jr. hamburger. Brad hears a muffled knock at his door. BRAD Come on in. Stacy walks into Brad's room. STACY Thanks for getting rid of those flowers. BRAD Don't worry about it. Who sent the flowers? STACY It's just some guy I met at Swenson's. You don't know him. BRAD I don't care it you tell me or not. I got problems of my own. He begins pacing. STACY Is everything okay at work? BRAD Are you kidding? Work is great. I kill at work. I don't even mind Mom and Dad making me pay rent. STACY You're going to break up with Lisa, aren't you? BRAD I've been doing some thinking. It's my last school year. I'm a single, successful guy. I think I want my freedom. STACY Why? Because she won't sleep with you? BRAD Where did you hear that? STACY I'm just guessing. BRAD Well... it's true. STACY Maybe you just need to give her some time. She's so nice, Brad. Everybody loves Lisa. BRAD Everybody loves Lisa. Everybody loves Lisa. But everybody doesn't have to be her boyfriend. Suddenly, Stacy pops the question. STACY Hey, Brad. Are you still a virgin? BRAD Why? STACY I don't know. I was just curious. BRAD Maybe yes. Maybe no. STACY You are a virgin! BRAD I didn't say that. STACY But your face did! They laugh. Then Brad turns serious. BRAD Are you still a virgin? STACY Maybe yes. Maybe no. BRAD Don't give me that shit! I know you're still a virgin! Stacy smiles and stands up. She playfully slaps her brother on the arm and walks down the hallway to her room. We can see there is less frill and lace in Stacy's room. The junior high paperbacks are gone. There are no dolls in sight. EXT. MALL PARKING LOT - NIGHT Linda and Stacy walk past rows of cars. Stacy stops at a brown MG. STACY There... There's his car. I know he's at work tonight. He hasn't come into Swenson's since he called my house. My mother told him I was still at high school, after I told him I was nineteen. I guess I should tell him I'm fifteen. LINDA Don't you dare, you'll never hear from him again. STACY Does Doug care that you're seventeen? LINDA Doug sees beyond that stuff to what the person inside is like. That's why I'm marrying him. STACY If he ever calls again I'll say I'm eighteen. LINDA Boy I am so glad to be through with all these games. They enter the mall. INT. U.S. HISTORY CLASS - MORNING We are now several weeks into the school year. Mr. Hand is dropping test papers on desks like they are pieces of manure. MR. HAND C... D... F... F... F... three weeks we've been talking about the Platt Amendment. What are you people? On dope? A piece of legislation was introduced into Congress by Senator John Platt. It was passed in 1906. This amendment to our Constitution has a profound impact upon all of our daily liv.... Mr. Hand stops on a dime. He is like a champion hunting dog that has just picked up the scent. He scans the room. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Where is Jeff Spicoli? There is silence in the U.S. history classroom. MR. HAND (CONT'D) I saw him earlier today near the 200 Building bathrooms. Is he still on campus? Silence. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Anyone? One student sitting next to Stacy raises his hand. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Yes, Desmond? DESMOND I saw him by the food machines. MR. HAND How long ago? DESMOND Just before class, sir... Mr. Hand snaps his fingers, Hawaii Five-O style. MR. HAND Okay. Bring him in. Desmond hustles out the door. MR. HAND (CONT'D) What is this fascination with truancy? What is it that gets inside your heads? Mr. Hand begins to pace the aisles as he speaks. Occasionally, for emphasis, he bends down to lecture directly into the students' faces. MR. HAND (CONT'D) There are other teachers in this school who look the other way at truants. (points to attendance clip on the doorway) It's a little game that you both play. They pretend they don't see you, you pretend you don't ditch. Who pays the price later? You. Desmond returns to the room with a red-eyed Jeff Spicoli. SPICOLI Hey! Wait a minute! There's no birthday party for me here! MR. HAND Thank you, Desmond. (to Spicoli) What's the reason for your truancy? SPICOLI I couldn't make it in time. MR. HAND (in top form) You mean, you couldn't? Or you wouldn't? SPICOLI I don't know, mon. The food lines took forever. MR. HAND Food will be eaten on your time! (pause) Why are you continuously late for this class, Mr. Spicoli? Why do you shamelessly waste my time like this? SPICOLI I don't know. Mr. Hand appears mesmerized. He then turns and heads for the board. He writes in long, large letters as he slams the chalk into the green board. He writes: "I DON'T KNOW". MR. HAND I like that. He stands back and admires it. He turns randomly to Stacy. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Don't you like that, Miss Hamilton? STACY Yes, sir. MR. HAND I really like that too. 'I don't know'... that's nice. 'Mr. Hand, will I pass this class?' 'Gee, Mr. Spicoli, I don't know'. I like that. I think I'm going to leave your words on this board for all my classes to enjoy. Giving you full credit, of course, Mr. Spicoli. We hear the blare of the dismissal bell. Stacy and the other students get up to leave. Spicoli stays in place. He has just figured out a truly bitchin' comeback... and his mouth is forming the first word, when Mr. Hand cuts him off. MR. HAND (CONT'D) You can go now. Hand turns back to his desk. The rest of the students have already left. Spicoli's audience is gone. He shrugs and lopes out the door. INT. RIDGEMONT MALL - AFTERNOON It's Christmas time at the Ridgemont Mall. All three tiers are strung with neon lights, and we hear the sound of the bell-ringing Santas. INT. SWENSON'S - AFTERNOON Stacy and Linda are enjoying a brief lull in the Christmas season madness. They sit at the sundae bar. Stacy looks forlorn, almost red-eyed, as she makes a sundae. LINDA You've got to get used to working Christmas. People are always screaming and yelling... then they get home and they're all Christmasy. STACY I think Christmas brings out the worst in people. LINDA I guess Ron hasn't called yet. STACY Not since November. Linda nods her head, always the coach. LINDA Stacy, it doesn't look good for the relationship. Stacy continues making her ice cream, slapping the scoops onto the stainless steel dish. STACY (sighs) Don't you think it meant anything to him. Even if I am fifteen? LINDA Stacy. What does it matter? He's a stereo salesman. You want to marry him? You want to have kids with him? You want this guy to come home, fifty years old, and he's still got that little Pacific Stereo badge on? Come on. ANGLE ON GREGG AND CINDY who are seated at a back table, feeding each other. Stacy looks at her finished sundae. STACY I should quit this job. I'm going to get so fat working here... nobody will ever take me out. LINDA Stacy. How many times do I have to tell you? You are really going to be beautiful... someday. STACY Thanks a lot. Linda punches Stacy lightly on the shoulder. LINDA Hey -- Ron Johnson? It's his loss. We follow Stacy, as she walks into the dining room to serve the sundae. INT. WHEREHOUSE RECORDS - MALL - DAY We see a group of buzz-cut young toughs, walking in formation, hunched over, sneering and wearing sleeveless U.S. Army fatigue jackets. None of these damaged-looking kids is over the age of fourteen. They pass to reveal this legend on their backs: LINCOLN SURF NAZIS. Angle on Mike Damone and Mark Ratner, who are standing by the upcoming concert list posted on the door to Wherehouse Records. Damone sees the Surf Nazis pass, turns to Mark Ratner, who is still wearing his Cinema Four jacket. DAMONE The business is changing, Rat. I'll tell you, these kids today... they don't even listen to Aerosmith. THE RAT I hear they all dress like that at Lincoln now. DAMONE There used to be three or four of those guys. Now we see 'em every time we come to the mall. Damone is approached by a couple of young ticket Customers. CUSTOMER #1 Got any Blue Oyster Cult tickets? DAMONE No Cult. I ate twenty-four pairs of Blue Oyster Cult tickets last time around. I was this close to working at 7-11. No Cult. Suddenly we see all ticket business stop. Damone and his customers see someone menacingly coming directly for them. The small crowd parts as Charles Jefferson, football duffel bag in hand, walks up. With him is a thick, tough, miniature version of himself. This is Little Charles. They both stop in front of Damone. JEFFERSON (after long look) When is Earth, Wind and Fire coming? DAMONE (respectfully) I'm really not sure. I haven't heard anything yet, but I'll let you know the second there is the slightest news, sir. JEFFERSON I'm taking my little brother. DAMONE Excellent. So that will be two tickets... All right. Fine, sir. Jefferson and L.C. push past the customers. CUSTOMER #2 Wow. He really lives here. I thought he just flew in for the football games. DAMONE (gaining composure) Shit, he's my man. He knows where to come for tickets. Damone turns to The Rat. DAMONE (CONT'D) Well, Rat. Are you ready for the moment of truth? The Rat adjusts his jacket, and nods. THE RAT She is immune to my charms. They walk together towards Swenson's, as The Rat drapes his aqua-blue Cinema Four jacket around his shoulders, like a French film director. Damone walks a few steps, then stops Rat. DAMONE Hey, Rat. THE RAT Yeah? DAMONE Ace the jacket. The Rat considers the suggestion, gets rid of the jacket. They continue towards Swenson's. EXT. SWENSON'S - DAY The Rat pulls open the door to Swenson's. He walks toward the counter to Stacy Hamilton. STACY Hi. May I help you? The Rat feels the beginnings of cold panic, but barges through nonetheless. THE RAT Yes. I have two questions. I was curious... His voice becomes a shade deeper. He begins to pull The Attitude together. THE RAT (CONT'D) What do you do with the jackets people leave here? STACY (smiling) We keep them. THE RAT You keep them. STACY We keep them, in case the people come back. She reaches under the counter and pulls out a cardboard box with some rumbled jackets and other items. STACY (CONT'D) Here they are. You can look through it, if you want. The Rat chuckles to himself, struggling with The Attitude. THE RAT It's cool. It would take too much time to go through all that stuff. I'll just pick up a new one. Stacy smiles. He's obviously awkward, and she likes it. STACY What's your other question? THE RAT My other question is... can-I-have your-phone-number-so-I-can-ask-you out-sometime? To The Rat's surprise, Stacy continues smiling. STACY Do you have a pen? This one's out of ink. THE RAT Oh... yes. He pulls one out of his jacket pocket, gives it to her. Stacy writes her name and phone number on a scrap of paper and gives it to him. The Rat looks at the paper. THE RAT (CONT'D) Stacy. Nice to meet you, Stacy. My name is Mark Ratner. He sticks out his hand, and they shake. We see The Rat turn around and walk out of Swenson's. EXT. SWENSON'S - AFTERNOON The Rat exits with ultimate cool. He sees Damone waiting just off to the side, talking to some girls. The Rat nods, gives him the thumbs-up. Damone returns the gesture. All-Attitude. EXT. CARL'S JR. - MORNING Carl's is happening tonight. There are lots of kids inside. We hear charging rock music -- "Girls Got Rhythm" by AC/DC -- coming from a radio in the back kitchen. INT. CARL'S JR. BATHROOM - MORNING Inside the bathroom, Brad Hamilton applies the Carl's scrub brush to a felt tip graffiti message near the mirror: I EAT BIG HAIRY PUSSY. He pauses and catches himself in the mirror. He adjusts his hair. BRAD (talking to mirror) Lisa? I have something to tell you. Look, I'm a senior now. I'm a single, successful guy and I've got to be fair to myself. Lisa... I think I need my freedom. Brad pauses, looks at the mirror soulfully. BRAD (CONT'D) Aw, don't do that... don't take it personally, okay? Please? I knew you'd understand, because... The bathroom door opens -- it's Arnold, the boy who Brad got a job. ARNOLD Brad! I know you're on your break, but would you cover me on register three? Brad nods, exits: INT. CARL'S JR. COUNTER Brad stands at the register. We see a prominent display over Brad's head: TRY OUR 100% GUARANTEED BREAKFAST. The last of many harried businessmen customers gets his breakfast order and takes his seat. Brad is joined by Dennis Taylor, the Assistant Manager. DENNIS Come on. Clean that counter off Brad. Let's go. Play ball. BRAD Okay, Dennis. Brad begins polishing the counter and Dennis Taylor returns to his office at the back of the kitchen. Brad watches him disappear behind the door that says: ASSISTANT MANAGER. As soon as Dennis disappears behind the door, the one Businessman in the place rises and returns to the counter. BRAD (CONT'D) (nervously) May I help you? The Businessman has short, curly brown hair. He speaks in a whine. BUSINESSMAN Yes. This is not the best breakfast I ever ate. The Businessman points to the huge display over Brad's head: TRY OUR 100% GUARANTEED BREAKFAST. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) And I want my money back. Brad begins searching under the counter. BRAD Well, I believe you have to fill out a form. There's a pad right around here. BUSINESSMAN No. I want my money back right now. BRAD Well, that's not the way it works, really. And you ate most of your food already, too... BUSINESSMAN See that sign? It says 100% Money Back Guarantee. Do you know the meaning of the word 'guarantee'? Do they teach you that here? Give me my money back. Brad begins looking to the restroom. "Where's Arnold?" BRAD I can't do that. But if you wait a minute... BUSINESSMAN (as if talking to a kindergartner) Look. Just put your little hand back in the cash register and give me my $2.75 back. Okay? (looks at name tag) Please, Brad? BRAD I'm sorry, sir. Just let me find the forms here. BUSINESSMAN I am so tired. I am so tired of dealing with morons. How hard is it to... Brad looks up from under the counter. No amount of pay will make him take that kind of insult. BRAD Mister, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna kick 100% of your ass. BUSINESSMAN Manager!! "Bam!" The door to the Assistant Manager's office swings open, and Dennis comes hurtling out of the back. DENNIS Can I help you, sir? Is there a problem? BUSINESSMAN You bet there's a problem! Your employee used profanity and threatened me with violence! I'm shocked, frankly. I've eaten here many times and I've always enjoyed the service -- until today! Angle on bathroom door as it opens and Arnold starts towards the register. He quickly sees the incident with the irate Businessman and ducks back inside the bathroom. BUSINESSMAN (CONT'D) All I wanted was my money back for this breakfast. It was a little undercooked. And this young man threatened me. Now I plan to write a letter! I plan to... Dennis wheels around to Brad. DENNIS Did you threaten this man or use profanity in any way? BRAD He insulted me first. He called me a moron. DENNIS Did you threaten this customer or use profanity in any way? BRAD Yes, sir. DENNIS You're fired. Brad looks around, expecting his friends to defend him. Dave and Rich seem very occupied with their work. Brad is stunned. DENNIS (CONT'D) (to Businessman) I'm very sorry this happened to you, sir. BUSINESSMAN Thank you very much. Then Brad unhooks his fryer's apron and throws it on the counter. He grabs a backpack and walks out of the place. On the way, he bangs the bathroom door with his fist. BRAD I hope you had a hell of a piss, Arnold. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BRAD'S ROOM - DAY He arrives back in his room and locks the door. He yanks the burger picture off his wall, dumps it into the trash. Then he takes it back out of the trash and cracks the cardboard picture and plastic frame in half. DARKNESS We are in the middle of a deep, dark void. After a moment, a pinprick of light appears in the distance. We head towards the light. We are being led somewhere important. As we draw still closer, curtains suddenly part to reveal a wildly cheering studio audience. We hear the voice of Merv Griffin. MERV GRIFFIN (O.S.) Will you please give a warm welcome to... Jeff Spicoli! The Merv Griffin Show band begins playing a Merv Griffin Show version of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell". Someone hands Jeff Spicoli a microphone. He works the studio audience into a frenzy as he sings the words to "Highway to Hell": Merv Griffin show style. SPICOLI (singing) 'Layin' ladies! Drinkin' wine! You gotta dollar -- You're a friend of mine! Gettin' loose! Feelin' fine! You and me -- It's get down time! We're on the Highway to Hell! The Highway to Hell!' Spicoli finishes up with a spectular pump. The audience goes wild as Merv Griffin greets him warmly, and guides Spicoli to his seat. Spicoli motions for the cheers to die down. Griffin is obviously happy to see him. He touches Spicoli's arm lightly. GRIFFIN How've you been? SPICOLI Outrageous, Merv. Nice to be here. I feel great. GRIFFIN I was going to say... your eyes look a little red. SPICOLI I've been swimming, Merv. The audience howls. It's a famous Spicoli line. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Seriously, Merv, everything is great. I was thinking about picking up some hash this weekend, maybe going up to the mountains. GRIFFIN (concerned) I wanted to talk a little bit about school, if I could... SPICOLI School. (sighs) School is no problem. All you have to do is go to get the grades. And if you know something, all you have to do is go about half the time. GRIFFIN How often do you go? SPICOLI I don't go at all. The audience is howling again. He is Merv's favorite guest. GRIFFIN I hear you brought a film clip with you. Do you want to set it up for us? SPICOLI Well, it pretty much speaks for itself. Peter, you want to run with it? EXT. A MASSIVE WAVE - DAY The film clip begins. It is a mammoth wave cresting against the blue sky. SPICOLI (V.O.) Merv, this is the action down at Sunset Cliffs at about six in the morning. GRIFFIN (V.O.) Fascinating. A tiny figure appears at the foot of the wave. GRIFFIN (CONT'D) Who's that? SPICOLI That's me, Merv. The audience gasps. GRIFFIN (V.O.) Are you going to ride that wave? SPICOLI Totally. We watch as Spicoli catches the perfect wave, and it hurtles him through a turquoise tube of water. GRIFFIN What's going through your mind right here, Jeff? The danger of it all? SPICOLI Merv, I'm thinking... I've only got about four good hours of surfing left before these little clowns from junior high start showing up with their boogie boards. The audience is howling once again... when suddenly we hear the loud noise of a door opening, followed by a shrill voice. It is Spicoli's eight-year-old brother, Curtis. Jeff Spicoli's dream of glory evaporates. INT. SPICOLI'S TRAILER HOME - MORNING It is a messy trailer, part of a trailer park by the sea. Spicoli's area is small, but he has made it his own. The walls are covered with posters, almost all of them naked centerfolds. It is obvious Spicoli's parents are not welcome in his room. CURTIS Dad says you have to get up! SPICOLI Ugh. He groans, starts to struggle out of bed. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Leave me alone! CURTIS Dad says you're late again, you butthole! SPICOLI Leave me alone. CURTIS Dad says! Spicoli reaches over to the floor next to his bed. He pulls a snorkel from the mess, heaves it at the door and his little brother. It bounces off the wall and doesn't even hit Curtis, but the kid starts crying anyway. CURTIS (CONT'D) Daaaaaaaad! Jeff threw a snorkel at me!!!!!! Spicoli gets out of bed, groans again, and kicks the door shut. EXT. RIDGEMONT GYMNASIUM celebrating the big game with rival Lincoln High School. We see Jeff Spicoli stumble from the direction of the parking lot. He heads into the gym, which is already full for a mandatory assembly. INT. GYMNASIUM - DOORWAY - DAY Spicoli wanders into the assembly, takes a seat on a corner bleacher. He sits just below Brad Hamilton and Lisa. On podium in front of assembly, Cindy Carr and another cheerleader, Dina Phillips, are making a presentation before the school. CINDY I just want to say that we are not 'Spirit Bunnies' anymore. We always hated that name. It bugged the heck out of Dina and me... DINA It's just such a put down. CINDY They don't call the Chess Club 'Checker Champs' or anything like that. We're going to go to everything this year, you guys. We're going to go to soccer, wrestling, basketball... everything. We know you've got a lot of spirit! Everybody -- riiiiiight? And we're gonna destroy Lincoln next week? Riiiiiiight? ANGLE ON THE STUDENTS OF RIDGEMONT They don't respond. ANGLE ON JEFF SPICOLI who is asleep in the bleachers. ANGLE ON BRAD AND LISA sitting nearby. We hear them over the drone of the assembly. BRAD Man, I don't even want to see those guys from Carl's again. LISA If you'd apologize I think Dennis would take you back. BRAD Apologize to that wimp? No way. Fuck Dennis Taylor. They sit in silence for a moment. BRAD (CONT'D) I'm just glad we're still together, Lisa, because I need you this year. LISA (sighs) Look, Brad, I've been trying to think of a way to tell you this. We're almost out of high school, this is our last year. I think we owe it to ourselves to be free, and meet some new people. Then, if we get back together, we'll know it's the right thing. TIGHT ANGLE ON BRAD'S FACE as he accepts the news. LISA (O.S.) (CONT'D) But I still want to be friends. TIGHT ANGLE ON BRAD'S FACE as it falls slack. INT. GYM - PODIUM IN FRONT OF ASSEMBLY CINDY We're going to be going to every game this year. We just want the crowd to participate and we want spirit from every little person in this entire school. Allll-Riiiight? There is unenthusiastic, minor applause from the assembled students of Ridgemont High. Vice Principal Ray Connors, a tough-looking man with an H.R. Haldeman crew cut, approaches the podium. He has a sour look on his face. CONNORS Well, thank you, girls. People, don't forget, the big game is one week away. We'll see everybody back here on Monday and have a good weekend. For the first time during this assembly, there is a loud and hearty applause. A GRAINY HIGH SCHOOL FILM 57 We are suddenly watching a movie shown on a class projection screen. We see footage of a serene, middle-class neighborhood -- as seen through the glass windshield of a car. Judging from the other vehicles parked on the street, the film is from the early Sixties. We hear the narrative voice of Desi Arnaz, speaking in his inimitable Latin accent. ARNAZ Driving ess an important part of each and every one of our da-ily lives. Ees a responsibility like no o-ther and ess a matter of life and... A ball comes rolling out into the serene street. A small child runs out after it. The driving of our vehicle brakes, but not in time. The film freeze frames on the terrified face of a child about to be splattered. ARNAZ (CONT'D) Death. There is a swell of dramatic music. ARNAZ (CONT'D) They have foun'... The Braking Point. The words flash on the screen and we hear a high school Driver's Training class groan in mock horror. INT. DRIVER TRAINING CLASS - DAY ANGLE ON CHARLES JEFFERSON AND BRAD HAMILTON who are seated in this class. ANGLE ON LINDA AND STACY sitting together in the class. They are oblivious, lost in conversation. STACY What do you think of that guy who works at the theatre? You know, Mark Ratner. LINDA Oh, come on. What is he? Fifteen? STACY Sixteen. Linda looks nauseous. LINDA Just watch out if he pulls up in a van, and then puts on a Led Zeppelin tape. INT. DRIVER TRAINING CLASS The film returns to another serene street scene as seen through another front windshield. ARNAZ The driver here has had jus' two drinks. Two drinks at the home of a frien'. We hear the very-present sounds of Driver's Training students. STUDENT #1 He's fucked-up, Ricky! STUDENT #2 They guys a drunk, Ricky! ARNAZ And although this driver thinks he ees drivin' well, he may be 'doing okay, but he forgets to per-ceive what ees real goin' on... In the film, another car comes barreling from the left, running a stop sign and exploding into the side of the two-drink goner. In the class, the Driver's Training students are howling. EXT. RIDGEMONT MALL - EARLY EVENING The parking lot is full. Kids and shoppers stream through the entrance in groups of all sizes. INT. RIDGEMONT MALL All three levels are teeming with kids. ANGLE ON THE VIDEO PINBALL ARCADE where we see Jeff Spicoli manning the Missile Command machine. Spicoli wears a red bandana across his forehead. A cigarette dangles from his mouth. He is surrounded by a fleet of young surfers who listen to him with reverence. SPICOLI Be noble. Be aggressive. The thing about Missile Command is to decimate before you can be decimated. Just like in real life. The youngsters hang on every word of the sage advice. ANGLE ON A GANG OF SURF NAZIS walking in formation. ANGLE ON MIKE DAMONE AND MARK RATNER walking the mall. DAMONE Check it out, Rat. The Surf Nazis... out for a Sunday stroll. Damone and The Rat walk on. The Rat is barely interested. He appears deep in thought. THE RAT What do I say after she gets in the car? Damone, obviously in his element here at the mall, stops to flash a winning smile at a well-built older housewife. DAMONE No problem, Rat. What you need is my special Five Point Plan. As he talks, Damone passes a Country Farms shop. He plucks a free sample of cheese and sausage. THE RAT Knock it off, Damone. I need real help. DAMONE What do you mean? Men have died trying to obtain this information. I will give it to you for free. The Rat and Damone continue on. THE RAT Okay. Tell me. What's the Five Point Plan? DAMONE All right. Pay attention. The Rat nods, always the student, as they pass a Wherehouse Record store. Damone stops right in front of a seductively posed life-sized cardboard stand-up of Debbie Harry, the alluring rock singer. Damone begins his speech. DAMONE (CONT'D) First of all, Rat... never let on how much you like a girl. Damone turns to the cardboard cutout of Debbie Harry to demonstrate. DAMONE (CONT'D) (disinterested) Oh. Hi. (turns back to The Rat) ) Two. Always call the shots. He turns to Debbie Harry, who looks on with an inviting cardboard smile. DAMONE (CONT'D) Kiss me. (to The Rat) Three. Act like wherever you are, that's the place to be. (to Debbie Harry; debonair) ) Isn't this great? (to The Rat) Four. When ordering food, find out what she wants and then order for both of you... it's a classy move. (to Debbie Harry; Cary Grant) And the lady will have... (to The Rat) Five. And this is most important. When you get down to making out, whenever possible, put on the first side of Led Zeppelin IV. (to Debbie Harry; seductive) Why don't you put this tape on? It sounds great in the back of my van... why don't we listen from there? ANGLE ON DEBBIE HARRY with the same inviting smile. DAMONE (CONT'D) And that is how you talk to a girl, Rat. Voila. You can't miss. THE RAT I think I've got it. Once I get going, I'll be okay. But... how do I get started? I mean, I hardly know her. DAMONE You wuss. It's no problem. One person says something to the other and that's how it starts... Standing there in the front of the Wherehouse, The Rat nods his head and smiles. He's finally beginning to understand, and we... CUT TO: EXT. THE RAT'S CAR - LATER THAT NIGHT We see The Rat behind the wheel of a green Volvo. Stacy sits beside him. They are driving the streets of Ridgemont. INT. THE RAT'S CAR This is it. The Big Date. "Led Zeppelin IV" is on the car stereo of his sister's van. Finally... STACY Thanks for coming to get me. THE RAT Sure thing. Silence. EXT. THE RAT'S CAR He rounds the corner of Luna Street, off the neon fast-food stand that is Ridgemont Drive. INT. THE RAT'S CAR Yet another silence has fallen. Then, after a time... STACY This is a nice car. THE RAT Yeah. It's my sister's. Silence. STACY Do you have Mrs. George for English? THE RAT Yeah. She is pretty good. STACY Yeah. She is pretty good. EXT. ATLANTIS RESTAURANT - NIGHT They pull into the parking lot of a steak and lobster house called The Atlantis. THE RAT Joey at Cinema Four said this is a pretty good restaurant. STACY I've heard that, too. The Rat finds a parking spot near the back of the lot, grateful that the long silence is over. He walks with Stacy to the front of The Atlantis. INT. THE ATLANTIS - NIGHT The Rat and Stacy are escorted by the host to a nearby table. They are given large wooden menus. THE RAT Do you know what you want? STACY I think I'll have the Seafood Salad Special. THE RAT Excellent. The Rat leans back in the booth. He is starting to feel in control now. Then something hits him. The panic sweeps across his face. Slowly, The Rat reaches back to check his wallet. It's gone. STACY Are you all right? THE RAT (weakly) Oh yeah. Cool. Cool was the name of the game. Stay cool. THE RAT (CONT'D) Do you mind if I excuse myself for a moment? STACY Not at all. Just as The Rat is about to get up, the Waitress approaches the table. WAITRESS Are you ready to order here? THE RAT Well... sure. (settles back down) She will have the Seafood Salad Special. And I will have... the same. WAITRESS Anything to drink? THE RAT Two Cokes. WAITRESS Okay. Thanks. The Rat gets back up again, looking paler by the minute. He excuses himself and walks over to the pay phone by the Atlantis toilets. The Rat dials a number. Damone answers. INT. DAMONE'S ROOM - NIGHT He is sitting in a chair, leaning onto the back two legs, watching television. DAMONE Yo. THE RAT (V.O.) Damone. It's Mark. DAMONE Mark. What happened to your date? THE RAT It's happening right now. I'm here at the Atlantis. Everything's fine except... I left my wallet at home. DAMONE Did you go home and get it? THE RAT No. It's too late. The food is coming and everything. Damone, I've got to ask you this favor, and I'll never ask you for anything again in this lifetime or any other. Will you please borrow your mom's car, go by my house, get my wallet, and meet me back here? There is silence. THE RAT (CONT'D) Damone, are you there? DAMONE (world-weary sigh) I'm really pretty busy... ANGLE ON DAMONE'S TELEVISION as we see the flickering images of Leave It To Beaver. DAMONE (CONT'D) You owe me for this one. INT. ATLANTIS The Rat hangs up, mildly relieved, and returns to the table. DISSOLVE TO: INT. STACY AND THE RAT'S TABLE - AN HOUR LATER The Rat and Stacy have finished the meal, and desert. ANGLE ON THE CHECK as it sits in a little tray before The Rat. The Waitress approaches the table. It is clear she wants to make room for other customers and bigger tips. WAITRESS Are you sure there's nothing else I can bring you? THE RAT I'll have one more Coke... Do you want another Coke, Stacy? STACY (quizzical) ) Sure. I'll... have another Coke. THE RAT Two more Cokes. WAITRESS (sarcastic) Two... more... Cokes. ANGLE ON FRONT DOOR as Mike Damone finally walks in. Damone looks over the diners, then feigns great surprise when he sees The Rat. DAMONE Hey, Mark. Is that you? THE RAT Damone! You come here? DAMONE I come for the seafood. It's great! Hey... you know what, Mark? I found your wallet the other day. You want it back? THE RAT Wow. I've been looking for that thing! Hey, Damone, have you met Stacy Hamilton? Stacy, this is Mike Damone. Stacy smiles politely, with the slightest sparkle in her eye, as the Waitress returns with the two Cokes. DAMONE Well, I've gotta be running. THE RAT Okay. See ya. ANGLE ON STACY looking strangely at the proceedings. DAMONE Nice to meet you, Stacy. STACY Nice to meet you. Damone leaves. The Rat takes a few quick gulps of Coke, and gets up to pay the bill. As he moves out of camera range, we see the strange look on the faces of waitresses and diners. INT. THE RAT'S CAR - LATE EVENING The Rat pulls up to Stacy's house in the cul-de sac. He stares straight ahead, like a zombie. THE RAT I had a really nice time tonight. STACY Me, too. I'm real sorry someone broke in and stole your tape deck. The Rat nods glumly. THE RAT I never thought it would happen at The Atlantis. Jeez. STACY Do you want to come inside? THE RAT Aren't your parents asleep? STACY No, they're away for the weekend. Brad and I are watching the house. THE RAT Okay. Sure. I'll come in. We see a confused but interested look on The Rat's face. INT. THE HAMILTON HOUSE - EVENING They walk in the front door. The Rat stands uncomfortably in the doorway to the living room. THE RAT Where's your brother? STACY I don't know. Probably out. Want something to drink? THE RAT No. That's okay. STACY Well, I'm going to change real quick. I hope you don't mind. THE RAT Naw. I don't mind. Stacy turns her back and pulls up her hair. STACY Will you unzip me? ANGLE ON THE RAT'S FACE as the wheels inside his mind start to spin. This can't be what it seems. He unzips Stacy, past her bra, down to the small of her back. It's the first time he's ever done anything like that. STACY (CONT'D) Thanks! She walks down the hall to her room, easing out of her dress as she walks. She leaves the door to her room open. STACY (CONT'D) You can come in, if you want! ANGLE ON THE RAT'S FACE He is completely unsure of himself, as he begins to walk down the hall. His heart pounds into his throat. He turns the corner and steps into Stacy's room. INT. STACY'S ROOM - NIGHT Stacy stands there, looking gorgeous in an almost seethrough white robe. The Rat pretends not to notice. THE RAT So... pretty nice house you've got here. STACY Thanks. So... (puts hands on hips) What do you want to do? ANGLE ON THE RAT'S FACE as he struggles with the memory of Damone's words. "Always call the shots." THE RAT I don't know. STACY Do you want to see some pictures? I kept a lot of scrapbooks and pictures and stuff from junior high. How stupid, right? THE RAT Sure. Stacy goes to her closet, reaches up to grab the books from the top shelf. The Rat watches her robe slip up her legs. Then she sits down next to him. Her knee grazes his. It is almost too much for The Rat. Go for it. We see The Rat struggle with the action of putting his arm around her. He almost does, but then reacts as she says suddenly... STACY This is me in the eighth grade. Did you have Mr. Deegan? THE RAT (looking pained) Oh, yeah. I had Mr. Deegan. Her knee grazes him again. Does she expect something? THE RAT (CONT'D) Look, Stacy, I want you to know that... The Rat struggles. Try as he might, he can't seem to cross the line. He can't make his move. He is woeful as he completes the sentence. THE RAT (CONT'D) ... I've got to go home. STACY Do you really have to go? THE RAT Well... it's getting kind of late. Suddenly, The Rat is seized with ambition. He reaches one hand around her right shoulder and plants the other hand directly on her left breast. It looks something like a wrestling hold. The Rat looks at Stacy. Stacy looks back at The Rat. The Rat is absolutely frozen. STACY I guess it is getting late, Mark. She shrugs him off, walks him to the door. EXT. THE HAMILTON HOME - NIGHT We see The Rat's forlorn face as he trudges towards his car. He stops. He takes a breath -- it wasn't that late, he really didn't want to leave. The Rat turns and begins walking back up the Hamilton steps. Just as he does so, Stacy's bedroom light clicks off. It was too late. He kicks at his car. THE RAT You blew it, asshole. Behind him, recklessly speeding towards Ridgemont Drive, is Charles Jefferson's blue Mustang. EXT./INT. THE BLUE MUSTANG - NIGHT Jeff Spicoli is behind the wheel. Sitting next to him is Little Charles, "L.C.", Jefferson's younger brother. They're smoking grass and holding Lowenbrau beers in between their legs. The radio is blasting the music of Rick James. L.C. Hey, slow down. This is my brother's car. SPICOLI I thought he was out of town. L.C. He is. SPICOLI Then don't hassle it. They speed off down Ridgemont. L.C. Seen the new Playboy? SPICOLI Naw. Any good? L.C. Suzanne Somers' tits. SPICOLI All right. L.C. I like sex. Spicoli sees something in the rearview mirror. SPICOLI Hold your beer down, L.C., I think it's a cop. Spicoli slows down. The car behind him slows down. SPICOLI (CONT'D) This is a cop. He's definitely cruising me at busting distance. The high beams switch on behind Spicoli. SPICOLI (CONT'D) What the fuck is this guy doing? The car behind Spicoli then advances to the point where it is now almost touching the blue Mustang. SPICOLI (CONT'D) What the fuck is this guy doing? L.C. This ain't no cop. The mystery car bumps them lightly from behind. L.C. (CONT'D) Hey! He's gonna scratch my brother's car! The two boys start yelling. High beams fill the Mustang with bright light and... EXT./INT. MUSTANG AND GRANADA Then mystery car pulls back, then up alongside Spicoli and L.C. on the left. We hear the music on the radio of George Thoroughgood's "Ride On, Josephine". SPICOLI It's a bunch of Jocks in a Granada! L.C. They're fuckin' with us. The drivers of the two cars eye each others. Then the Granada begins inching over, trying to force Spicoli off the road. L.C. (CONT'D) My brother's car! SPICOLI All right. Die, Granada Jocks! Spicoli guns ahead, in a real bullet move, and easily overtakes the Granada. Spicoli is proud of himself. He checks himself out in the rearview and turns to L.C. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Would you roll your window up, L.C.? It's messing my hair. Spicoli pulls way ahead of the Granada, while L.C. rolls his window up. Spicoli looks over to L.C. and smiles wickedly. Now Spicoli wants to show off. He pushes the pedal to the floor. L.C. We just missed the turnoff to the party. SPICOLI You know the thing I love about Mustangs? The steering wheel. Spicoli fingers the bubbles in the wheel. SPICOLI (CONT'D) With a genuine Mustang steering wheel, you can negotiate a hairpin turn with ease, my man. EXT./INT. MUSTANG on the word "ease", Spicoli curls his finger into one of the Mustang steering wheel bubbles and whips it clockwise. The idea is to turn off onto a side street and head back to the party. But instead, at the moment of the hairpin turn, L.C. is attempting to switch the radio station. Spicoli crooks his finger farther into the bubble than he expected. The car swings in a complete circle, a circle that includes a bright yellow fire hydrant. The hydrant rips the side of the car open like a can of tuna. There is a silent moment of terror. SPICOLI Are you okay? There is silence. Outside the smashed car, the Granada Jocks pass Spicoli and L.C. GRANADA JOCKS Fuck youuuuuuuuuu! Then L.C. stirs and utters his first words. L.C. My brother is going to kill us. He's gonna kill you and then he's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill us. SPICOLI Just be glad you're all right. L.C. My brother is gonna shit. SPICOLI Make up your mind. Is he gonna shit, or is he gonna kill us? L.C. First he's gonna shit. And then he's gonna kill us.. SPICOLI Will you just relax, mon? He's not gonna kill us. My father is a television repairman. He's got all kinds of tools. I can fix-this car. L.C. You can't fix this car, Spicoli. ANGLE ON THE BLUE MUSTANG waffled and mangled. It is just inches away from scrap iron. SPICOLI I can fix it. MONTAGE OF SHOTS as we see Ridgemont High gearing up for its big Homecoming Game against Lincoln. We see a series of shots of kids talking about it, wagering on the chances of a Ridgemont victory. We see the many signs and placards all over school, proclaiming Ridgemont revenge. We see students lining up to vote for Homecoming King and Queen in the gymnasium. It is the most spirit that Ridgemont has shown this year. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RIDGEMONT SCHOOL - FLAGPOLE - DAY From the back of the parking lot, we see a crowd around the flagpole. A group of kids are staring at something. They sadly shake their heads at the sight, as if they are witnessing a funeral. As we draw closer, we see the center of commotion. It is an ugly sight. Someone had wrecked Charles Jefferson's Blue Scholarship Mustang and welded it to the flagpole. Spray-painted on the side was the message: LINCOLN SURF PUNKS RULE. EXT. RIDGEMONT BLEACHERS - NIGHT The Ridgemont football bleachers are full of cheering students. We see the same basic groups from lunch court, and many more. The cheerleaders are on the field -- Cindy Carr, Dina Phillips and company -- and their cheerleader "husbands" sit directly in front of them in the stands. Linda and Stacy sit in the bleachers with some of the Swenson's girls. The Rat and Damone sit several rows above them, watching. The teachers sit together in another section. ANGLE ON BRAD HAMILTON who is again sitting alone in the bleachers. Watching. Several old lunch court friends pass by, on their way to the concession area. STUDENT #1 Hey, Brad! How's going? BRAD All right. STUDENT #2 Where you working? BRAD Fish and chips place. STUDENT #1 Which one? BRAD Just a fish and chips place. Brad says nothing more. The students look at each other. STUDENTS We'll be seeing you, Brad! BRAD (sullen) Later. EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - THE GAME - NIGHT Everyone is cheering the amazing game on the field. Charles Jefferson is poised on the offensive line. He mutters a string of obscenities at the opposing Lincoln player. The ball is snapped, and Charles Jefferson comes directly at the player with both elbows up and angled to hit inside his helmet. The Lincoln player is hit and keels over. Charles Jefferson sets up for another play. The ball is snapped. Ka-boom. Down falls another Lincoln player. Jefferson doesn't know who it was who wrecked his Mustang, but he wasn't about to spare any of them. There is pure madness in his eyes. It has taken him over. The Ridgemont points rack up. Jefferson is single handedly maiming Lincoln for Homecoming. EXT. RIDGEMONT BLEACHERS - NIGHT We see Jeff Spicoli and L.C. sitting calmly in the bleachers, watching. SPICOLI I think we may have gotten away clean. EXT. FIELD AND SCOREBOARD The half-time gun fires and the score is 36-7... Ridgemont. Even the Ridgemont players steer clear of Charles Jefferson as they return to their locker room. EXT. THE HAMILTON POOL - HOT AFTERNOON - SEVERAL WEEKS LATER Linda and Stacy are sitting by the pool, dressed in string tie bathing suits. They are listening to the music of Tom Petty's "Breakdown" playing on the living room stereo. Linda luxuriously applies suntan lotion to her chest and legs, in long and writhing strokes. Stacy reads a book. It's called Total Orgasm. Several beats pass. LINDA I sent a letter to Doug today. I'll be so glad when he gets out here. STACY (engrossed in book) You really ought to look at this, Linda. There's a drawing on every page... and all these quizzes. It's like school. LINDA Why don't you put your mother's secret book back? Linda continues regally applying lotion. STACY Listen to this... 'What are your mate's three most erogenous zones?' LINDA (automatic) Okay, penis, that's one, balls... STACY Wouldn't penis and balls be the same category? LINDA You're right. Probably penis, mouth and neck. STACY All right! Here's another one. 'The most satisfactory lovemaking occurs when your mate climaxes first, you climax first, you and your mate climax together?' LINDA Climax together. STACY Does that ever happen? LINDA No. But it's a nice idea. STACY Listen to this ... it says 'Most women derive pleasure from sex, but they don't have real orgasms.' Linda stops applying lotion, considers that thought. LINDA Well... they obviously don't know about Doug. They laugh. Linda resumes applying the lotion. Stacy continues reading the book. A couple of beats pass. STACY How long does Doug take? LINDA I don't know. Thirty to forty minutes. STACY (pause) What's Doug do in Chicago? LINDA He works for the airline. He'll be out here. You'll meet him. Stacy looks at Linda, almost disbelieving. LINDA (CONT'D) (wistful) He's no high school boy. There is a noise by the side fence leading into the Hamiltons' backyard. It is Mark Ratner and Mike Damone. They are already wearing swimsuits. DAMONE Hey! We came over to help you with Math homework! STACY Oh, really? THE RAT Really. We figured you needed the help. On such a hot day. Stacy quickly stashes the book in a stack of towels beside her. She leans over to Linda and speaks confidentially. STACY What do you think? LINDA I think they're both virgins. Stacy smiles, gets up and goes over to the fence. STACY I didn't ask for any help. Did you, Linda? LINDA No. DAMONE Well, that's exactly why I brought some Wisk for the jacuzzi. STACY O-kay, you guys can come swimming. But you have to leave as soon as my Mom gets home. Okay? EXT. HAMILTON POOL Mike Damone yells "banzai!" and dives into the small pool. At one end of the pool is the jacuzzi, which is separated by a tile wall. Damone has already poured the Wisk into the jacuzzi, and the detergent has created a huge bubble bath effect. Damone surfaces and flips into the jacuzzi. Stacy, looking great in a green bikini, sits kicking her legs by the side of the pool. Linda stands on the board. She is poised to dive. The Rat treads water and stares at both girls. Inside the Hamilton living room, the family stereo plays the music of Deep Purple's "Woman From Tokyo". DAMONE Hey, Linda! I'll judge your dive. I'm a champion diver myself. Brad arrives home by the side gate and slams it behind him. He is home from a bad day at work. He walks out onto the patio and stands with his hands on his hips. For the first time, our former campus hero looks absurd. He is still in his uniform from Captain Kidd Fish and Chips -- it is a blue and white striped Pirates of the Caribbean outfit, complete with black plastic sword at the side, and a ridiculously large Ponce de Leon-esque hat. Brad carries the hat under his arm. BRAD Does Mom know you have company? STACY It's just Linda. And Mark from school. Brad ignores the underclassmen, and notices Linda on the board in her maroon bikini. He smiles. BRAD Hi, Linda. LINDA Hi, Brad. BRAD Well, you guys, keep it down. I've got some work to do upstairs. Brad turns and heads back inside. He is just out of earshot when they begin talking about him. LINDA God, he hardly even talks anymore. STACY I know. He hates to have to wear uniforms. DAMONE Poor guy. THE RAT Really. Stacy breaks the spell by jumping into the water, surfacing, and flipping over the tile wall into the Jacuzzi. She sits next to Damone, looking mischievous. ANGLE ON DAMONE AND STACY IN THE JACUZZI talking while the others are at the other end of the pool. ANGLE ON THE RAT casually catching sight of them together from the other side of the pool. We can read the emotions on The Rat's face. He is still taken with Stacy, but his big moment for her appears to have passed. ANGLE ON DAMONE AND STACY IN THE JACUZZI as they talk. Underneath the water, her leg accidentally knocks against his. Then he feels her continue. Damone feels Stacy's cool hand on his inner thigh. Moving upwards, stopping just short of the bulge in his trunks. ANGLE ON DAMONE'S FACE as it loosens and quivers just the slightest bit. This is uncharted territory, even for Mr. Attitude. ANGLE ON LINDA who is now sunning herself by the side of the pool. She rubs her legs against each other, slowly, enjoying the hot afternoon. EXT. BRAD'S WINDOW - ANGLE ON BRAD who is watching Linda from the window in his room. We see him from behind, peeking out the curtains. EXT. POOL - ANGLE ON LINDA who smiles at Damone and flips back into the pool with a splash. Damone steals a look down at his swimsuit. He's popped a big one. THE RAT Why don't you get up and do a dive, Mike? LINDA Go ahead. ANGLE ON DAMONE'S FACE and we know he can't get out of the water yet. DAMONE No. I don't think so. Not right now. THE RAT Chicken! Linda, for one, loses interest quickly. Standing by the side of the pool, she jams a finger in her ear and wiggles it. LINDA Stacy! I've got water in my ears. Do you have any Q-Tips? STACY God, I don't think so. Better look in the house. Linda towels off and heads back inside the Hamilton house. She knows how to walk. INT. BRAD'S BEDROOM AND BATHROOM - AFTERNOON We see Brad's room. The Carl's burger picture on the wall is conspicuously missing. There is music playing from his stereo -- Pink Floyd's "You and Me". We see Brad. He is kneeling on the bathroom floor, his back to us. His green T-shirt is on, his underwear in a pile on the floor behind him. His arm is pumping slowly. Brad is jacking off. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. HAMILTON POOL - BRAD'S DAYDREAM It features Linda Barrett, just as she stood on the diving board a moment ago. She is gorgeous. Her breasts seem even bigger than usual. Her nipples are hard, poking through the film maroon string bikini. Water rolls slowly down her cheeks, into the corners of her mouth. Her lips are parted slightly. Her eyes are filled with desire as she says... LINDA Hi, Brad. (pause) You know how cute I always thought you were. I think you're so sexy. Will you come to me? ANGLE ON BRAD IN DAYDREAM in a nice shirt, his hair combed back and looking great. He walks to Linda. She reaches out and grabs him for a kiss, pulling him close. Then she pushes him away, so he can watch as she carefully unstraps the top of her bathing suit. The incredible Linda Barrett's breasts fall loose. She takes Brad's hands and places them on her, as she begins unbuttoning his shirt. They are just about to fall into passionate lovemaking when we hear... LINDA (O.S.) (CONT'D) Hey, Brad! Do you have any Q-Ti... The daydream evaporates and we see real life again with an... INT. BRAD'S BATHROOM - ANGLE ON LINDA'S FACE in the doorway of Brad's bathroom as she watches the sight before her. ANGLE ON BRAD trying to cover himself and act nonchalant and keep his back turned at the same time. The words barely escape his mouth. BRAD Wait just a... minute. LINDA Sorry. I didn't know anybody was in here. Linda turns and goes immediately, as if she wants to forget what she saw as quickly as possible. She closes the door behind her. ANGLE ON BRAD still kneeling. It had all happened so quickly, so fast BRAD Doesn't anybody fuckin' knock anymore? He slams the toilet seat down and we... CUT TO: INT. U.S. HISTORY CLASS - DAY The third attendance bell rings, and Mr. Hand strides to the front of the class. He locks the door. Then he takes the front of the class and notices something very different. ANGLE ON JEFF SPICOLI bright and clear-eyed, sitting in the front row. His hands are clasped in front of him on the desk. His textbook is open to the proper page. Mr. Hand is suspicious, but continues with class. MR. HAND Now in 1898, Spain owned Cuba. Outright. Think about it. Cuba, owned by a disorganized parliament 4,000 miles away. Cubans were in a constant state of revolt. Mr. Hand begins pacing the aisles as he talks. MR. HAND (CONT'D) In 1904, the United States decided to throw a little weight around, and... There is a brief, sharp knock at the door. Mr. Hand whips his head around, like McGarrett. He approaches the door like a cat. MR. HAND (CONT'D) (sweet voice) Who is it? VOICE Mr. Pizza. MR. HAND Again? VOICE Mr. Pizza, sir! Hand swings the door open, out of curiosity. In walks a young Man in a Mr. Pizza delivery shirt. PIZZA MAN Okay, who had the double cheese sausage and bologna? Jeff Spicoli speaks up. SPICOLI That's me. The Delivery Man takes the pizza, sets it on the desk, as Spicoli whips out some crumpled dollars. Then he produces yet another crumpled dollar, and presses it into the Delivery Man's hand. SPICOLI (CONT'D) For you, my man. The Delivery Man thanks him warmly, just as Mr. Hand rages into the picture. MR. HAND Am I hallucinating here? Just what in the hell do you think you're doing? SPICOLI Learning about Cuba. Having some food. MR. HAND Mr. Spicoli, you're on dangerous ground here. You're causing a major disturbance in my class and on my time. SPICOLI (cool and urbane) I've been thinking about this, Mr. Hand. If I'm here... and you're here... doesn't that make it our time? Mr. Hand is so furious he's almost shaking. SPICOLI (CONT'D) So I thought I'd order us a pizza. Just leave me a lot of bologna... Mr. Hand snatches up the pizza, and starts to throw it in the wastebasket. Then he thinks better, and heads for the door. He opens it just as a gang of young Stoners walk past. STONER #1 There's the pizza. STONER #2 Totally! Mr. Hand pushes the pizza into their hands and slams the door. SPICOLI You better save some for me, you swine! MR. HAND And you, my friend. I'll see you for a two-hour detention every afternoon this week. Spicoli eases back in his chair, shrugs. It was a good idea at the time. INT. CAPTAIN KIDD FISH AND CHIPS - DAY Brad Hamilton, looks terribly uncomfortable in his Ponce de Leon hat and buccaneer uniform. He rings up an order for an older Customer. CUSTOMER Why aren't you in school, son? BRAD I go to school in the mornings. I have a work study program for the afternoon. He bags one final coffee and punches up the amount. BRAD $8.46, please. CUSTOMER Here you go. I have it exactly. (sets money down) Good luck! BRAD Thank you, and thanks for coming to Captain Kidd. Brad loosens his buccaneer scarf, and starts back towards the kitchen. He is stopped by the sudden appearance of Captain Kidd Assistant Manager, Harold. HAROLD Hamilton! I'll take over the fryer. Those boys at IBM need some Catch of-the-Day boxes, and I told them you would personally deliver them within the hour. I'll reimburse you for gas. Brad dutifully unhooks his apron, to reveal the bottom half of his pirate suit. BRAD Just write me out a bill. While Harold leans down to tally up the fish order, Brad goes to a nearby employee's closet. He has completely perfected the art of changing back into his street clothes, and it takes less than a minute. He is just about to finish buttoning his street shirt when Harold sees him. HAROLD Hamilton, come over here. What is that you've got on? BRAD This is how I dress all the time. HAROLD But you took off your Captain Kidd uniform. BRAD I thought I'd take it off for the drive over to IBM. It's kind of uncomfortable. Harold can barely fathom the idea. HAROLD Come on, Hamilton. You're going over there to represent Captain Kidd Fish and Chips. We have stores all over Southern California. Part of our image, part of our appeal is in our uniforms. You know that! BRAD You really want me to put all this stuff back on? HAROLD Yes. I think so. Show some pride, Hamilton. ANGLE ON BRAD as he stands there, stoic looking. BRAD I don't believe you're asking me to do this, but okay. He begins taking off his street shirt. He looks at Harold, looks at the boxes, and returns to the closet. INT. THE CRUISING VESSEL Brad is driving down the freeway, listening to the music of Bruce Springsteen's "Out in the Streets." He pries open one of the fourteen Catch-of-the-Day boxes on the seat next to him and pulls out a small piece of fried fish. Brad takes a bite. The look on his face says it is the worst piece of shit he has ever tasted. He throws the piece out the window, and drives on. Brad turns to see a girl smiling at him from another car. It makes his afternoon. He returns the smile with gusto. ANGLE ON THE GIRL as she bursts out laughing and drives away. ANGLE ON BRAD looking perplexed. Then he realizes that he hasn't taken his Ponce de Leon hat off. Brad drives on. A SERIES OF ANGLES ON BRAD'S CAR as we see the Cruising Vessel move down the highway. We see the Captain Kidd hat go flying out the window. Then the plastic sword, and the scarf. Then a couple boxes of Captain Kidd fish. Then the rest of them. We see Brad rip past the IBM Building. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RIDGEMONT HIGH SCHOOL - AFTERNOON School is out and kids are leaving campus, heading for the parking lot and bus stop. We see Mike Damone carrying some books, walking towards Ridgemont Drive. He is joined by Stacy Hamilton, who hurries to catch up to him. STACY I can't wait until I can drive next year. I walk every day. It's such a drag. DAMONE Get a ride with somebody. STACY Sometimes I get a ride with my brother. But he usually works in the mornings, and then drives to school himself. DAMONE What a guy. Damone turns to her after a moment, all Attitude. DAMONE (CONT'D) You know Mark Ratner really likes you. You like him? STACY Mark is a really nice boy... Stacy walks along, then stops and looks at Damone. STACY (CONT'D) But I think I like you. They turn the corner. EXT. HAMILTON HOME They have arrived at Stacy's house. There are no cars parked out front. No one is home. STACY Do you want to come in for a second? The Attitude starts to weaken. After a long pause, Damone responds. DAMONE Do you have any ice tea? STACY Sure. Come on in. Stacy unlocks her front door, they go inside. INT. HAMILTON KITCHEN Damone stands in the white linoleum Hamilton kitchen. Stacy opens the refrigerator door. STACY I guess the annuals are coming in pretty soon. Are you going to get one? DAMONE I don't know. STACY Aren't you curious to see how your class picture turned out? DAMONE I know what I look like. Stacy places a glass of ice tea in front of him. They are all alone in the house. STACY Do you want to take a quick swim? DAMONE Well... STACY Brad probably has some trunks you can borrow... I'm going to my room to change! Damone stares straight ahead. She's going to her room to change. Stacy scoots down the hall toward her bedroom. DAMONE This is great ice tea! INT. STACY'S ROOM - ANGLE ON STACY IN HER ROOM In the middle of changing, she has caught her own reflection in the mirror. She pauses a moment, looking at the young girl looking back. INT. KITCHEN - ANGLE ON DAMONE IN THE KITCHEN He continues staring straight ahead. STACY (from other room) You don't have to shout! You can come back here to my room! Damone doesn't move. He pretends he doesn't hear. A moment later, Stacy comes bounding back down the hall in her green bikini. She grabs Damone by the arm. STACY Come with me! I know there's a suit in the changing room! She pulls him away. INT. THE CHANGING ROOM They enter the wood-panelled changing room next to the Hamilton pool. There are two swimsuits hanging from wooden pegs. STACY Pick a suit. DAMONE I don't know. It's getting pretty late... She locks the door to the changing room and begins to walk towards Mike Damone. STACY Are you really a virgin? DAMONE Come on... He could feel his leg starting to shake the slightest bit. STACY It's okay if it's your first time. She gives him a kiss. DAMONE Listen. I feel pretty strange here. Because Mark really likes you, and he's my friend. STACY He's my friend, too. She gives him another kiss. He kisses her in return. Standing there, feeling Stacy in her bikini, feeling her kiss him, Damone also felt some of his reservations slip away. DAMONE You're a really good kisser. STACY So are you. (pause) Are you shaking? DAMONE (shaking) No. Are you crazy? It is clear that this is as far as Mr. Attitude has ever gotten with a girl. Stacy takes the initiative, rubbing her hands through his hair, rubbing his sides, kissing his neck, then pulling away. STACY (whispers) Why don't you take off your clothes, Mike? DAMONE You first. STACY How about both of us at the same time? Damone nods, and watches as Stacy unhooks her top and steps out of her bikini bottom. She stands naked in the shadows of the afternoon sun. She sits down naked on a red changing room couch, and gathers her legs up to her chest. She watches as Damone struggles with his clothes. ANGLE ON DAMONE hopping on one leg, pulling first out of his pants, then his jockey underwear. Bashfully, he goes to sit next to Stacy on the couch. They begin to kiss, and it quickly escalates into heavy petting. Stacy pulls away. STACY I want you to know that it's your final decision if we should continue or not. DAMONE Let's continue. Stacy leans back and pulls him on top of her. He enters her and begins pumping so hard, so fast, that he doesn't notice he's banging the sofa into the wall of the changing room. But just as quickly as Damone starts, he stops. STACY (whispers) Hey, Mike? DAMONE What? Are you all right? STACY I think we're making a lot of noise. DAMONE I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. He has a strange look on his face. STACY What's wrong? DAMONE I think I came. Didn't you feel it? STACY I guess I did. They lay there, Damone still on top of her on the red couch. ANGLE ON DAMONE as we read the confusion on his face. He is embarrassed, a little confused... mostly he just wants to be alone. DAMONE I've got to get home. I've really got to go, Stacy. ANGLE ON STACY as she looks up at him. She gives him a kiss. Damone gets up puts his pants and shirt on. He leaves the changing room. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BIOLOGY CLASS - AFTERNOON We see Stacy sitting at her usual seat, and she's wearing a bright spring dress with a slight amount of makeup. She looks at Damone's seat with anticipation, but it remains empty as other students file in. Finally, she turns to The Rat. STACY Where's Mike today? THE RAT Today's April 16th. Damone never comes to school on April 16th. STACY What's April 16th? THE RAT It's John Bonham's birthday. STACY John Bonham? THE RAT John Bonham. The drummer for Led Zeppelin. He died a couple years ago. Every birthday he stays home and plays everything John Bonham ever recorded. It's like his own holiday. STACY Oh. I see. The bell rings, and Mr. Vargas enters the room with his Sanka cup. INT. COLLEGE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Seated at the desk is Mrs. O'Rourke. There is a knock at the door. The door swings open. Brad Hamilton holds out his yellow slip. MRS. O'ROURKE Have a seat, Brad... Brad have you got your list of college applications? BRAD Well, to tell you the truth Mrs. O'Rourke, I've kind of been putting it off. I'm not sure what I want to do yet. MRS. O'ROURKE (by rote) All right Brad. Let me ask you like this. If I were queen of the world, and I could make you whatever you wanted to be, what would it be? BRAD I don't know... Burt Reynolds. There is no humor on Mrs. O'Rourke's face. MRS. O'ROURKE I realize it's important to have fun in your senior year, with your friends, but there comes a time when you have to get serious about your future, think about college, and put aside all this fun. Brad looks up suddenly. BRAD You know what, Mrs. O'Rourke? I broke up with my girlfriend this year. I lost my job at Carl's, and two other places. I wake up at 5:30 to work at 7-11, then I go to school, then I go back to 7-11. I have to pay rent, you know. My grades haven't been that bad, and now you're telling me that the fun is over. Well, I'm still waiting for the fun to start. MRS. O'ROURKE Brad, I'll see you when I'm through with the rest of the seniors. If you want to visit the career office, go right ahead. I'll talk to you when you're more prepared. Brad gathers his books and opens the door to leave. MRS. OIROURKE Next! An absolutely exuberant Cindy Carr pops her head in the door. CINDY Hi-yeeeeeeee!!! DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RIDGEMONT HALLWAY - MORNING The bell has just rung, and Mike Damone comes out of Youth and Law class. He has an absorbed, driven look on his face. He walks past the rows of lockers, and doesn't even notice as he passes Stacy Hamilton standing by her locker. She smiles, grabs his arm affectionately. STACY Hi Mike! Damone turns to see her, is thoroughly unimpressed. DAMONE Oh. Hi. STACY I didn't see you this morning. DAMONE Look, I'm kind of in a hurry. STACY I'm in a hurry too. I just thought I could say hi to you. DAMONE Hello. He pulls away, leaving a bewildered Stacy standing by her locker. She grabs some books and hurries in the other direction. EXT. SCHOOL BUS - DAY The bus pulls up to the front entrance of University Hospital. The students file out and collect next to the front door. Mr. Vargas gleefully addresses the class. This is his favorite field trip. MR. VARGAS Today we're going to explore how this hospital works to preserve human life. We'll be visiting every floor, every level where these fine doctors and nurses take care of us, in life... and in death. INT. MATERNITY WARD The class exits from a hospital elevator, onto another floor. They are now standing outside the maternity ward. We hear the loud noise of babies. MR. VARGAS Over thirty children are delivered here each day... The class moves on. INT. THE BOTTOM FLOOR The class exits another hospital elevator. MR. VARGAS This is part of your third quarter exam, and I'd advise you to take careful notes on what we're about to see. ANGLE ON DR. MILLER a young intern who has joined the class for the last part of their tour. MR. VARGAS May I just ask you one last time to conduct yourselves with the utmost maturity... The kids are beginning to get very nervous now as they are led down the hall to the "Cold Room." The door to the "Cold Room" has only one sign on it. It reads: CADAVERS -- MEDICAL EXAMINATION ONLY. Mr. Vargas opens the door, and the class seems to gasp. INT. THE COLD ROOM There are six examination tables in the "Cold Room". Each of them contains a cadaver covered by a white sheet. Mr. Vargas has gathered the class around one table in particular. He fingers the edge of the white sheet as he talks. MR. VARGAS As you know, all the bodies in this room are recently deceased human bio-structures. A student raises his hand. MR. VARGAS Yes, Randy? RANDY Who are these guys? MR. VARGAS Most of them were derelicts, Randy. They sold the right for medical examination of their bodies for money. Something like thirty dollars, I believe. Isn't that right, Doctor Miller? DR. MILLER Twenty-five dollars. ANGLE ON JEFF SPICOLI who turns to Stacy. SPICOLI Twenty-five bucks is pretty good. MR. VARGAS Now this gentleman here is named Arthur. Arthur died from heart failure last week and we are fortunate enough to view his body in its pristine state. Mr. Vargas suddenly pulls the white sheet aside and we see the body of Arthur. The students' eyes widen. Some gasp. Others cover their mouths. Others begin furious notes. Nobody speaks. The body of Arthur is smallish and withered. It is orange, flaky, and not quite real looking. A deep cut has been made in Arthur's chest. Mr. Vargas bends Arthur upright for a better student view. He gestures to the deep cut made in Arthur's chest. The tension mounts. MR. VARGAS (CONT'D) This incision allows us to pull aside the skin covering of the chest cavity and really observe the human organs as they exist in their natural state. ANGLE ON ARTHUR and his shrunken face, which seems to say please don't. MR. VARGAS (CONT'D) I want all of you to take a look at the chest cavity for just a moment. Mr. Vargas grabs the two sides of Arthur's chest cavity covering, and rips it open. MR. VARGAS (CONT'D) Here we have the human lungs and heart, which you can see is actually located in the center of your chest. With a squish, Mr. Vargas reaches inside Arthur and pulls out the human heart for display. The class stands in silent shock. Only one comment escapes from any of them. SPICOLI Bitchin'. ANGLE ON STACY HAMILTON who goes running out of the "Cold Room", holding her mouth. The Rat runs after her. INT. BOTTOM FLOOR HALL Rat and Stacy sit side-by-side on some orange plastic chairs, by a nurse's desk. Stacy is shook up. STACY I made a fool of myself. THE RAT Nobody noticed. Don't worry about it. We'll just stay out here until everyone comes out, we'll blend back in. STACY What about the notes? THE RAT I'll get you the notes. She squeezes his arm. EXT. HOSPITAL - AFTERNOON The students file out of the hospital, looking like they've just been through a war. INT. LINDA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT It is night, and Linda and Stacy are watching Fantasy Island. MONTALBAN You see, Tatoo, what this man doesn't realize is that he must one day leave Fantasy Island. And he must continue his life as an incurable leper. Stacy is fighting back tears. Linda looks angry. Telephone rings. Linda jumps to get it. LINDA Hello. Linda obviously is disappointed when she hears a female voice. LINDA (CONT'D) Yeah... you're kidding... What did he say... What did you say... How much did it cost? Look, tell him he can have a relationship with you or a 'more open' relationship with someone else... Listen, Debbie, can I call you later. I'm waiting for Doug to call. She plops back on the couch with Stacy. LINDA (CONT'D) I'll bet he forgets to call again. She notices that Stacy is crying over the TV show. LINDA (CONT'D) God, Stacy, it's not that sad. It's just David Soul and Ricardo Montalban. STACY I don't know, I'm just so depressed. Everything is just so... depressing. Linda shuts off the television. LINDA You have been acting very strange the last few weeks. STACY I don't know... I just don't feel right. Linda sits down next to Stacy on the bed. LINDA What do you think it is? STACY What do you think it is? LINDA It couldn't be. STACY It could be. I had a pregnancy test at the clinic. I'll find out Monday. I guess it was Damone. LINDA Of course it was Damone. If it was Ron Johnson, you'd be out to here! STACY I'm not going to tell him. He's an asshole. I hate him. LINDA But it costs money to have an abortion. Even at the Free Clinic. You tell Damone to pay for it. It's the least he can do. It's the guy's responsibility too. She puts the TV back on and they watch. STACY You know, there's one thing you didn't tell me about guys. LINDA What? STACY You didn't tell me that they can be so nice, so great... but then you sleep with them and they start acting like they're five years old. LINDA You're right. I didn't tell you that. EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - TWO DAYS LATER Stacy Hamilton is walking towards Mike Damone on the football field. We see him from a distance, timing track runners. DAMONE What's going on? STACY Mike, there's something that's been on my mind and I have to tell you about it. DAMONE What? Now? He clicks off the time on a runner, and then turns to face her. DAMONE (CONT'D) Why don't you call me up tonight? STACY Mike. I want you to know that I'm pregnant. ANGLE ON STACY as she looks down. They are words she never thought she would be speaking. DAMONE How do you know it's mine? We only did it once. STACY I know it's yours. ANGLE ON DAMONE as he realizes she is sincere, and he truly begins to panic. DAMONE You made me do it! You locked the door. You made me do it! You wanted it more than me! ANGLE ON STACY She does not flinch. STACY Take that back. DAMONE All right, I take it back. ANGLE ON DAMONE He hugs his arms tighter across his chest, and decides to try a more mature tact. DAMONE (CONT'D) There's only one thing we can do. We've got to get rid of it. We've got to get an abortion. STACY We've got to get an abortion? DAMONE Yeah. My brother Art got his girlfriend one once. STACY It's already planned, Mike. It's going to cost $150 at the Free Clinic. DAMONE Doesn't sound free to me. (pause) So you want me to pay for it? STACY Half. Okay? (bites back tears) Seventy-five dollars. And a ride to the clinic. DAMONE Seventy-five dollars, and a ride. Okay. Stacy stands there, hands folded, nodding. DISSOLVE TO: INT. DAMONE'S ROOM - AFTERNOON He is working at his desk, counting through a wad of money. ANGLE ON THE LIST in front of him, which has a split line down the middle. People Who Owe Me -- fifteen dollars Rick. People I Owe -seventy-five dollars REO Speedwagon tickets, seventy-five dollars abortion. Damone counts fifteen dollars into his stack, crosses out Rick. Then he counts through the money. Seventy five dollars exactly. He crosses out REO Speedwagon tickets. This leaves him no money for the abortion. EXT. STREET CORNER - AFTERNOON Here, at the same corner where she once waited for Ron Johnson, Stacy waits for Damone. Cars pass, no Damone. INT. HAMILTON HOUSE - AFTERNOON Stacy is on the phone, calling Damone. We see the phone messages sheet that lists two calls for Stacy, and none for Brad. The line rings four times, then it's answered. FEMALE VOICE Hello? STACY Hello... is Mike there? FEMALE VOICE Hold on. Stacy sags, disbelieving, and looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. It's getting late... FEMALE VOICE (CONT'D) He says he's helping his father in the garage and he'll call you back. Stacy is stunned. FEMALE VOICE (CONT'D) Hello? Stacy hangs up. She punches out another number, quickly. MRS. BARRETT (V.O.) Hello? STACY Hi, Mrs. Barrett. Is Linda there? MRS. BARRETT (V.O.) She went off to the beach. She'll be back later, though. STACY Okay. Thanks. She looks at the clock again, then hears a noise in the driveway. STACY (CONT'D) Brad! Hey, wait a second! She runs out. EXT. CRUISING VESSEL - AFTERNOON Brad and Stacy pull up next to the flea market. STACY Yeah. This is it. I have some shopping to do. BRAD See you later. STACY Thanks a lot, Brad. I really appreciate it. She gets out of the car. EXT. FLEA MARKET Stacy Hamilton watches her brother drive away. Then she looks to both sides, and walks on. She passes the entrance to the Flea Market. She walks around the corner to another building marked BIRTH CONTROL - FREE CLINIC. Brad follows her in the rearview mirror. INT. BIRTH CONTROL CLINIC Stacy is lying in bed wearing a paper dress. Her hair is stuffed in paper shower cap. She looks anxious. In a bed next to her an older girl is being affectionate with her visiting boyfriend. A Nurse comes in with an IV. NURSE This is going to prick a little. She sticks the needle into Stacy's hand. Stacy looks pained but doesn't yell. The Nurse pats the rolling bed. NURSE (CONT'D) Now scoot over here. Stacy moves onto it. Looking up from her point of view, we see the ride out of the room and into: INT. OPERATING ROOM Stacy gets wheeled in. The Doctor looks down at her. DOCTOR Hello, Stacy, I'm Doctor Bartell. Stacy moves onto the operating table as the Nurse and Doctor get ready. DOCTOR (CONT'D) Any questions before we begin? STACY This is going to hurt, isn't it? DOCTOR We'll use a local but you'll feel some pressure. It doesn't last that long. STACY Does it hurt more to have a baby? The Doctor pauses and considers her question. DOCTOR Yes... but I think you mind it less. Stacy looks up at the lights and listens to the sound of suction tubes. INT. B.C. WAITING AREA The other girl and Stacy sit at a table eating toast and jelly. The girl is reading. The Nurse enters. NURSE How are we doing in here? Debbie, ready to leave? The girl nods and gets up. NURSE (CONT'D) Right through here. Stacy, I can't let you go unless you have a ride home. STACY Uh, my boyfriend said held be waiting downstairs. The Nurse studies her, decides she's telling the truth and allows her to leave. EXT. ENTRANCE TO THE FREE CLINIC Stacy walks back out into the sunlight, slowly and weakly. She is surprised and amazed at who she sees standing outside, waiting for her. ANGLE ON BRAD HAMILTON He stands, hands on hips, just outside the door. STACY Brad! He puts an arm around her and leads her toward his waiting car. BRAD Since when do you shop at the Flea Market anyway? STACY Brad. Please don't tell Mom and Dad... He helps her into the cruising vessel. He starts up the car and drives off. BRAD Who did it? Stacy stares out the window. Tears well in her eyes. BRAD (CONT'D) You're not going to tell me, are you? STACY No. BRAD All right, then. It's your secret. Stacy smiles at Brad. Brad smiles back. The car drives on. INT. LINDA'S ROOM - NIGHT Stacy is in Linda's room, sitting on her bed. Her eyes are red and moist from crying. Linda listens to her story. STACY I really thought he would show up. I waited... and waited... and waited... LINDA That little prick. STACY Then I called his house, and his mother told me he was in the garage helping his father. LINDA That little prick. STACY I paid for it and everything. LINDA There goes your stereo for another year. Mike Damone is a no-brain little prick. I'm not letting him get away with this. STACY Don't do anything, Linda. I'd rather just forget about it. I don't even like the guy. LINDA Stacy, he's not a guy. (loud) He's a little prick! Stacy lies back on the bed. EXT. DAMONE HOUSE - MORNING The front door to the Damone house opens, and out walks Mike Damone carrying some books. He looks troubled, burdened, and stares down at the walkway as he moves towards his car. He walks around, starts to pen the car door, then he sees it. There, in white spray paint across the driver's door, is the message: PRICK. DAMONE Shhhhhhhhhit. He looks both ways, and starts back towards the house. EXT. DAMONE CAR Mike Damone travels down Ridgemont Drive, making the turn into the school parking lot. There is a large cardboard panel taped on the side of his car. EXT. DAMONE'S LOCKER He arrives at his locker, where, in white spray paint, there is another message: LITTLE PRICK. Several girls walk by, they laugh knowingly. GIRL #1 Hi, Mike! GIRL #2 Hi, mike! Damone backs up against the locker, with a sick smile on his face. DAMONE Hi... girls. More students pass, looking strangely at the young man pinned against his own locker. EXT. BOY'S LOCKER ROOM - AFTERNOON Damone exits the boys locker room. Just as he does, he is accosted by The Rat. We have never quite heard this tone in The Rat's voice before. THE RAT Damone? What happened between you and Stacy? Damone feigns The Attitude, shakes his head. Damone sighs. DAMONE Let me tell you something, Rat. Sometimes girls just go haywire. It was a month ago, I've been trying to think of a way to tell you ever since. We started messing around and... (shrugs) ... something happened. It's all over with. It's no big deal. I never called her again. The Rat says nothing. DAMONE (CONT'D) If you ask me, she's pretty aggressive. You understand what I'm saying? THE RAT No Damone. I don't understand. DAMONE She wasn't really your girlfriend anyway. THE RAT Hey fuck you Damone. There's a lot of girls out there and you mess around with Stacy. What have you got to prove? DAMONE Jesus. I'm sorry. THE RAT I always stick up for you. Whenever people say 'Aw, that Damone is a loudmouth' -- and they say that a lot -- I say 'You just don't know Damone.' When someone says you're an idiot, I tell them 'Damone's not an idiot. You just don't know him.' Well, you know, Damone, maybe they do know you pretty good. And I'm just finding out. DAMONE Fine. Get lost. Damone starts to push past him, but The Rat shoves his shoulder hard. DAMONE (CONT'D) All right, Rat. You want to do something about it? Damone begins the classic high school fighting ritual. He throws his books down. He takes a step back. He goes into a crouch. He gestures towards himself. Then Damone says the universally recognized high school fighting words. DAMONE (CONT'D) Well come on. The Rat shows no fear. As other kids begin to crowd around the two boys, Rat throws his own books down. He takes a step back, goes into the crouch. He gestures toward himself. THE RAT You come on. They stand there, gesturing, neither one of them wanting to make the first move. DAMONE No. You come on, you wuss. Assistant Coach Mr. Sexton comes running out of the boy's locker room, and steps in front of the two boys. SEXTON Hey! Knock this crap off!! The Rat stalks off, disappearing into the crowd of onlookers. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. RIDGEMONT DRIVE - NIGHT The Ridgemont Drive strip is filled with cars, cruising for parties. There is a lot of honking, and yelling out windows. Everyone is headed towards the beach. We stay on a lowly 7-11 store near the freeway entrance. EXT. 7-11 STORE - NIGHT A yellow Firebird slowly, menacingly cruises the empty parking lot. It does not stop. Then, around the corner, walks Jeff Spicoli. We see him in the neon 7-11 light, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of baggy jeans. He walks inside the store. He is the only shopper. INT. 7-11 STORE Brad Hamilton stands behind the counter in a red and white striped shirt and cap, making fresh coffee. Jeff Spicoli trudges up to the counter. He looks at Brad. Brad looks at Spicoli. There is an unspoken edge between them. SPICOLI Hey, mon, can I use the bathroom? Brad squints his eyes, looks at the sign on the back room door. ANGLE ON sign which reads: Rest Room For Employees Only. BRAD Go ahead. Just make it quick. SPICOLI Totally. BRAD It's the first door on your left. Spicoli disappears into the back room. Brad sighs, looks at the clock. It reads: 11:15. Then he hears Spicoli from the back room. SPICOLI (O.S.) I can't find it, mon! BRAD It's the first door on your left! SPICOLI (O.S.) On the ledge? BRAD First door on your left! SPICOLI (O.S.) There it is! Brad sighs again. He loads a new filter into the coffee maker. EXT./INT. 7-11 STORE A moment later, the yellow Firebird pulls into the 7-11 parking lot. A man in a windbreaker comes hurtling out of the car, into the store. He spray paints the scanning camera above the door. He hustles up to the counter, produces a .45 Magnum and points it chest high at Brad. There is a glazed and nervous speedy edge to his voice. ROBBER I want money. And I want it all -- now. Brad looks pale and young under the fluorescent 7 11 light. He speaks slowly. BRAD They empty and close the big safe here at midnight. ROBBER (getting tougher) I know this store. I know where the safe is. He bangs the gun on the counter, hard. ROBBER (CONT'D) Over there behind the donut case. Now move! Brad slowly moves to the donut case, like a zombie. BRAD I'm instructed to tell you that we are on a video alarm system and there are other hidden cameras in the store ... ROBBER Just give me the money. Move it. BRAD Okay. (legs are shaking) I just started here, and they just taught me the procedure. I'll give you the money, just let me figure this out. ROBBER (very menacing) Move it. Move it. Brad opens the phony back of the donut case and fiddles with the strongbox combination. ROBBER (CONT'D) (more menacing) Let's go, stupid. Brad looks at the gunman. BRAD You motherfucker. Get off my fuckin' case. The Robber is about to react when the bathroom door opens and Jeff Spicoli starts out, wiping his hands on his pants. SPICOLI No towels, mon... The Robber turns to look at Spicoli, and that is all that Brad Hamilton needs. Just like it is the most natural thing in the world, Brad reaches for the hot, steaming coffee pot he has just made and throws it into the gunman's face and hands. ROBBER Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr!!! The .45 falls out of his hand and rattles to the floor. The gunman is still grabbing his face, and looking at his skinless hands in horror when Brad snaps up the gun. In the parking lot, the gunman's accomplice, poised behind the wheel of the yellow Firebird, spots the foul-up and screeches out of the parking lot. BRAD There goes your ride home. Brad pulls the under-counter alarm with newfound confidence. Jeff Spicoli stands there, mesmerized at the entire event. SPICOLI Awesome. Totally awesome. EXT. RIDGEMONT MALL - NIGHT Kids are pouring into the Ridgemont mall. Summer banners are already up. INT. THE MALL - NIGHT In the midst of all the kids and shoppers, we see The Rat walking slowly down the promenade. He is wearing an Army surplus jacket, and his hands are buried deep in his pockets. Two girls pass his way. One smiles briefly at him, and The Rat turns to watch her pass. He is about to say something to her, then no. He walks on, sees Swenson's Ice-Cream Parlor up ahead. The Rat decides to walk the other way. INT. SWENSON'S - NIGHT The place is busy again, filled with shoppers and teenagers in summer-type clothing. We see Stacy Hamilton, once again, at the cash register wearing an Assistant manager name tag and a hostess gown. She handles a customer's bill, then stands there a moment, looking glum. Linda Barrett approaches. STACY Another summer of working at Swenson's. LINDA Come on. There's lots of men around here. Keep your eyes open. STACY You know, Linda. I've finally figured it out. It's not sex I want. Anyone can have sex. LINDA What do you want? STACY I want romance. LINDA Romance in Ridgemont? We don't even get cable TV. ANGLE ON the back kitchen door, which swings open, and out comes Mike Damone in a peppermint Swenson's shirt. He wipes some grime on his pants. STACY Mike! You have a mess on C-9! DAMONE All right. All right. I just cleaned B-8. Give me a break. STACY Get going. The two girls smile, go back to their posts. INT. JEFF SPICOLI'S ROOM - NIGHT Jeff Spicoli sits in his room, and it is his castle. Clothes lie in disarray on the floor. A huge half-waxed surfboard is propped against the window. We see Spicoli dressed in a too large white short-sleeved shirt, attempting to tie his father's fat paisley tie. He stops to take a hit from his bong, all the while talking on the phone. The music of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" plays on the radio. SPICOLI I... am... so... wasted, mon. What is in this shit? (pause) Doesn't that stuff cause brain damage? (pause) Bitchin'. Spicoli listens for a moment. He rubs his eyes, shakes his head. He is really buzzed. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Hey, mon, I am going to Mexico as soon as school is out. Two more weeks, bud. Week from Wednesday. (pause) I am gonna take both boards, my duck feet, many cases of beer, and just jam. (pause) No, mon, from school. I'm leaving as soon as school gets out. I'll be at Sunset Cliffs by nighttime. (pause) Totally. (pause) Later. Spicoli hangs up, and concentrates on tying his tie. He almost strangles himself. Then suddenly the door to his room flies open and Spicoli's little brother Curtis bursts in. CURTIS Jeff you have company! SPICOLI Go away, Curtis. If you can't knock, I can't hear you. Curtis slams the door and leaves. A moment later there is a knock. SPICOLI (CONT'D) That's better. Come in. The door swings open and Jeff Spicoli sits in stoned shock at the sight before him. There, standing in the doorway of his room is Mr. Hand. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Mr... Mr. Hand. MR. HAND That's right, Jeff. Mind if I come in? Spicoli can only nod. MR. HAND (CONT'D) (calling downstairs) Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Spicoli. Hand walks into Spicoli's room, takes off his suit jacket and lays it on the chair back. He stops a moment and catches the stare of Miss January Penthouse on the wall, then turns to Spicoli. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Were you going somewhere tonight, Jeff? SPICOLI Yeah. The Graduation Dance Mr. Hand. It's the last school event of the year. MR. HAND I'm afraid we've got some things to discuss here, Jeff. SPICOLI Did I do something wrong, Mr. Hand? Hand removes several copies of Oui Magazine from another chair and sits down. He sets his briefcase on Spicoli's dresser, next to a bag of pot, and opens it up for easy access. MR. HAND Do you want to sit there, Jeff? SPICOLI I don't know. I guess so. MR. HAND Fine. You sit right here on your bed. I'll use the chair here. (pause) As I explained to your parents just a moment ago, and to you many times since the very beginning of the school year -- I don't like to spend my time waiting for late students, or detention cases. I'd rather be preparing the lesson. Mr. Hand takes a sheet from his briefcase and looks at it. MR. HAND (CONT'D) According to my calculations, Mr. Spicoli, you wasted a total of eight hours of my time this year. And rest assured that is a kind estimate. He returns the sheet to his case and looks into Spicoli's weed-ravaged eyes. MR. HAND (CONT'D) Now, Mr. Spicoli, comes a rare moment for me. Now I have the unique pleasure of squaring our account. Tonight, you and I are going to talk in great detail about the Davis Agreement, all the associated treaties, and the American Revolution in particular. Now if you can just turn to Chapter 47 of Lord of Truth And Liberty. SPICOLI Hey, it's in my locker, Mr. Hand. MR. HAND Well, then, I'm glad I remembered to bring an extra copy just for you. Hand reaches in his case and produces the book. He hands it to Spicoli. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SPICOLI'S ROOM - HOURS LATER Wearily, Spicoli is trying to grasp the material. SPICOLI ... so, like, when Jefferson went before the people what he was saying was 'Hey, we left this place in England because it was bogus, and if we don't come up with some cool rules ourself, we'll be bogus, too!' Right? ANGLE ON MR. HAND who nods his head. MR. HAND Very close, Jeff. Hand reaches over and gets his case. MR. HAND (CONT'D) I think I've made my point with you tonight. SPICOLI Hey, Mr. Hand, can I ask you a question? MR. HAND What's that? SPICOLI Do you have a guy like me every year? A guy to... I don't know, make a show of. Teach other kids lessons and stuff? MR. HAND Well, you'll find out next year. SPICOLI (smiling) No way, mon. When I graduate U.S. history I ain't even coming over to your side of the building. MR. HAND If you graduate. SPICOLI (panicked) You're gonna flunk me?! Mr. Hand pauses a moment, then breaks into the nearest approximation of a grin we have seen all year. It isn't much, but it's noticeable. His lips crinkle at the ends. MR. HAND Don't worry, Spicoli. You'll probably squeak by. SPICOLI All right! Oh, yeah! Mr. Hand has now gathered all his material, and he stands to approach Spicoli's door. Jeff jumps up, extends his hand. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Aloha, Mr. Hand! MR. HAND Aloha, Spicoli. Mr. Hand exits the room, and descends the staircase of the Spicoli household. Spicoli kicks the door shut, grins, and continues struggling with his tie. INT. RIDGEMONT GYMNASIUM - NIGHT Tight angle on the emotion-filled face of the lead singer in a cheesy high school band called the T Birds. He is bathed in a blue light, singing the last verse of The Eagles' 'Take It To The Limit'. We pull back to reveal a large, clumsy banner reading: LAST DANCE. Students are pouring into the gym for this event. Many have brought their annual yearbooks. On stage, the lead singer snaps his fingers and the band goes into Nick Lowe's 'Heart of the City'. Some students start to dance. Every one of our characters is either here, or about to arrive. From Charles Jefferson to Spicoli to Mr. Hand. For once, all classes are partying together. But, just as in the beginning of the year on lunch court, the kids are still cordoned off into their distinctive cliques. ANGLE ON MORE STUDENTS ARRIVING at the Last Dance. They see Mr. Hand signing annuals by the door. They all say the same thing as they pass, "Aloha, Mr. Hand". He nods in return. ANGLE ON STACY surveying the growing mob of annual-crazed students. From behind her comes Linda Barrett in a low-cut black dress. STACY Where's Doug? LINDA He's not coming. STACY Not coming? What happened? LINDA He says he's got to stay in Chicago. (sighs) He says I should visit him sometimes. STACY Sometime? LINDA Yeah, like maybe never. STACY But what are you going to do? LINDA Well I might go to Dartmouth. STACY Dartmouth?! LINDA I didn't tell anyone I applied cause I never thought I'd make it. STACY I can't believe it! But what about Doug? LINDA (STOIC) There's a world of guys out there. I just wish I didn't have to date any of them. STACY Hey -- Doug Stallworth? It's his loss. ANGLE ON MIKE DAMONE in another part of the dance, by the Junior class sponsored food counter. Damone is standing, talking to several girls, gesturing and being Damone, Mr. Attitude. DAMONE Sign my annual, honey. The girls look at each other, laugh. They walk away. ANGLE ON THE RAT standing nearby. THE RAT You're losing it, Damone. DAMONE You're crazy. Those girls love me. ANGLE ON JEFF SPICOLI sprawled out in the bleachers with his surfer stoner buddies. He turns to one admiring stoner (Todd). SPICOLI Hey, mon. Sign my annual. Spicoli slips the annual into the kid's crotch. The stoner winces in pain, but still opens the book and lingers on all the signings in Spicoli's annual. They are all drug-related messages from fellow stoners. After a moment, Spicoli's friend signs: "Thanks for the reds. Todd." TODD Hey, mon, good thing we're going to Mexico this summer. 'Cause you're gonna get kicked out of your house when your parents read your annual. INT. GYMNASIUM - ANGLE ON DOOR Brad Hamilton pushes both doors open, and makes his entrance into the Last Dance. There is a lot of activity going on, but all nearby eyes turn to Brad as he walks into the dance. Fifteen kids immediately gravitate towards him. They all want Brad to sign their annuals, to talk about the 7-11 incident. Onstage, the T-Birds play the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long". We see Brad's old girlfriend Lisa push up to him. Her new jock boyfriend holds a protective arm around her. LISA I saw your picture in the paper. You had the greatest look on your face! ANOTHER STUDENT Front of the Metro Section. I'm telling my parents, 'I know this guy, I know this guy.' Lisa's boyfriend pulls his arm tighter around her. LISA Will you sign my annual, Brad? Brad smiles, nods. He signs, and gives her his. We then see Brad's three Buddies from Carl's Jr. come up, pat him on the back and grab his shoulder. Brad studies them warily. BUDDY #1 Fuckin' manager of 7-11! BUDDY #2 Get us jobs over there, Brad! You can do it! BRAD Since when do you guys want to work at 7-11? BUDDY #2 Come on, Brad! It would be great! All of us together! BRAD Well, 7-11 is a tremendous operation. It's really changed, man. They've got great food, great magazines, videogames... it's class. Total class. BUDDY #3 As soon as you can get us in there, we're gone from Carl's, Brad. BUDDY #2 Yeah, man, all the little punks from junior high have taken over the place. Brad leaves his old buddies. He grins and notices someone across the crowded dance floor. BRAD Hey, Thompson! Wendell! Get a job! They laugh, flip him off. Brad is back in his element at last. He moves into the main dancing area, works his way across the room, past the bleachers, when he hears a voice. SPICOLI (O.S.) Hamilton! Brad turns around, seen Spicoli sitting on the bottom rung of the bleachers. Spicoli looks back with true respect. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Awesome. He throws Brad his annual. Brad gives him his. They sign. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Easy, mon. BRAD Later. ANGLE ON THE BLEACHERS where several couples are passionately making out. Four teachers clomp up into the stands from different angles. They pin the couples in flashlight beams, like the main tower pinning an escaping prisoner. ANGLE ON THE T-BIRDS onstage, singing the Rolling Stones' "I'm Free". EXT. GYNMASIUM - NIGHT We see Jeff Spicoli leave the dance and come backing down the stairs with a stoner bud. His fist is in the air. SPICOLI Summer, mon! We're there! He turns to his stoner bud. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Let's roll, my man. Spicoli backs right into a young buzz-cut kid. SPICOLI (CONT'D) Hey, bud! Watch yourselff Spicoli turns around to see he's backed into a squad of eight Lincoln Surf Nazis. They are all standing on the steps, waiting. SURF NAZI Are you Jeff Spicoli? Spicoli looks up and down the row of Surf Nazis. On the end, he sees L.C. L.C. That's him! He did it! SPICOLI Hey, mon, I don't know what your trip is, but... Spicoli dashes off down Luna Street. L.C. and the Surf Nazis take out in hot pursuit, chasing him through the parking lot, past Ridgemont High, and into the night. They will never catch him. SLOW DISSOLVE: INT. RIDGEMONT MALL School is out and it's summer business as usual at the Ridgemont Mall. We see the same stores, the same packs of kids roaming the three tiers. ANGLE ON MARK RATNER who stands against the railing in his Cinema Four jacket, gazing across the mall at Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor. He sees Stacy walk two girlfriends to the outdoor front tables, and almost look his way. The Rat turns away suddenly. Then he hears her calling out after him. STACY Hey Mark! Turn around! Ratner turns around, affects total and complete cool. He waves across the mall to her. STACY (CONT'D) Come over here! He looks back at his post at the theatre, decides it's okay to step away. He walks across the mall. INT. SWENSON'S Stacy is standing by the sundae bar. Next to her are two empty stools. After a moment, we see The Rat plop onto one of the metal stools. He pounds the seat next to him with the palm of his hand. THE RAT You. Sit. Stacy turns to look at him, smiles. She sits. STACY Hi, Mark. THE RAT Hi, Stacy. How are you? STACY I'm fine. Mark, I'm so glad you came over here because I want you to know something. I just thought I would tell you that I really enjoyed getting to know you this year. The Rat maintains The Attitude. THE RAT Yeah? About fifty people I didn't know wrote that in my annual. STACY I know everybody says it, but I really mean it. The Rat looks at her from the corner of his eyes. THE RAT Really? STACY Yeah. I want you to have this picture, so you won't forget what I look like. And so you'll remember to call me over the summer. She withdraws a picture from her pocket, hands it to The Rat. THE RAT Well, I don't know, I may be doing some traveling this summer. I don't know how much I'll be around... (breaks down, takes picture) But I'll give you a call sometime. STACY I'd like that. She gives him a kiss on the mouth, gets up and walks away. The Rat sits there, smiling at the way things sometimes turn out. He slips the picture into his pocket, a satisfied young man. INT./EXT. SWENSON'S AND MALL The Rat is joined by Mike Damone, who has changed into his street clothes. DAMONE She wants it, Rat. The Rat snickers, shakes his head. DAMONE (CONT'D) I saw you. You had pure Attitude. The Rat turns to look at his friend. THE RAT The Attitude, Damone, is only good until you meet the right girl. DAMONE Whatever you say, Rat. They take off together, blending into the crowd of kids walking the mall. THE RAT And... you can only tell it's the right girl if you're sensitive. DAMONE Sensitive -- what is that? THE RAT Sensitive is when you can tell how people feel without asking. DAMONE So what makes you so sensitive? THE RAT Well, for one, I read. I don't watch as much television as you. I'm trying to feel things more. I'm learning a lot about people. DAMONE What do you read? What's the last book you read? THE RAT Lust For Life. It's the story of Vincent Van Gough. DAMONE (scoffs) Yeah, well, I saw the movie. That must mean I'm sensitive too. THE RAT It's a way, Damone. It's a vibe. I put it out, and I have personally found that girls do respond. Damone laughs, shoves him hard. We lose sight of the two boys in the sea of kids. A SERIES OF ANGLES of Ridgemont Center Mall with music. CREDITS FADE TO BLACK THE END Fast Times at Ridgemont High Writers :   Cameron Crowe Genres :   Comedy  Drama User Comments Back to IMSDb

screenplays

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's 1. On Your Mark, Get Set, DUEL! Duel Arena! In the Kaiba Duel Dom located in New Domino City a Duel was under way only this wasn't look the original kind of duels that took place standing and with duel disk, but this duel was a new form of dueling called Turbo Duel. A large crowd could be found in the Duel Dom of all kinds of duelist from kids to the elder. "Duelist young and old professional and amateur alike," the MC started, "it's the moment you all have been waiting for. So make some noise for the Number 1 Ranked Turbo Duelist in the World...Jack Atlas!" _{Me: More like Jackass. Yusei: Agreed. Me: __*Grins with a peace sign__*__}_ To the large cheers of the crowd a young boy with blond hair and violet colored eyes burst onto the scene on a white Runner. "As he looks to add to his unbeaten streak, one banks the question," the MC stated, "can anyone take this man down?" "What say we kick this Turbo Duel into overdrive?" Jack asked the crowd who cheered louder then ever. The Satellite! Located in the middle of the ocean far behind the Duel Dom as an island called the Satellite which is a ripped apart relic of the main city that wasn't there during the King of Games' time and the people who live there are looked down upon and ridiculed. And the Satellite is where most of the criminals are taken and to most people it's hard, but for some it's just natural. In an abandoned and falling apart once upon time subway tunnel we meet two young teens riding duel runners. One of them was riding a purple duel runner who happens to be a young girl that has auburn knee length hair with bangs that covers forehead as well as frame the face beautifully that was covered by a purple helmet, Caucasian colored skin, brilliant blue colored eyes colored eyes, an hourglass figure, and both ears priced twice on the ear lop and on a red duel runner was a young boy who has black hair with yellow streaks that, too, was covered up only by a red helmet instead of purple. These young teens are Yusei Fudo and Yukari, but she was known by Kari or Yuka. Yukari can be described by people as a beautiful young girl whose not afraid to show her beauty because she wears an old Slifer Red jacket opened over a black tight below chest sleeveless turtle neck shirt, red mini tennis skirt accessorizes with a skull/cross bone buckle belt, black tight elbow length arm warmers, dark red ankle length socks, and medium blue tennis shoes, but is also furious if you try to hurt her friends or her in any way. _{Me: She has kinda the same body as Mai and she does say Hun a lot as well, but she only calls Yusei, Sweetie, Sweetheart, and/or Babe. Yusei: Babe? __*Blushes bright red* Me: Where's the camera? Where's the camera? Does anyone have a camera? This is a must have a picture moment because Yusei is __**blushing**__ People, so I need a bloody Camera! NOW!__}_ 'I'm coming for you, Jack,' Yusei thought as his red runner seemed to be doing great as both Yukari and him speeded down the tunnels. 'And this time I'm going to settle the score.' The two young teens continued to ride through the subway when out of nowhere there was a two small blast and smoke coming off of the runners making them skid to a stop. Yukari was the first off of her purple runner looking at the damage as Yusei got off his own to check it for damage as well. Once Yusei noticed the damage he looked up at the sky through the crack in the ground with a thoughtful look as Yukari walked up to him looking concerned. "Yusei?" she asked snapping him out of his thought, "are you ok?" "Yeah," he answered, "you don't have worry, Yukari." Yukari rolled her eyes at this before she hugged him, "I well always worry about you, Yusei. All part of being in a relationship." Yusei smiled as he returned the hug. "Now let's get back to the others." "Oh alright." After awhile they let go of each other, went to their runners, and started to push it to their home where they shared it with their friends; Tank, Nervin, Blitz, and a little kid name Rally. Hide out! Upon reach their hide out they heard the interview of a certain Turbo Duelist that made Yukari growl under her breath at the sound of his voice. "_Mr. Atlas, can we get a word?"_ the MC asked, _"ever since you burst onto the scene with your first Duel Runner, the competition hadn't been able to keep up. Is it the power of the ride that has catapulted you to the Number One Ranking in the World?"_ Both Yusei and Yukari pushed their runners up the ramp that was put there to up them get their runners to the tracks from the platform and from the tracks to the platform. They walked up to the make shift home where three teens around their age were watching the interview not noticing them as they walked up. "_Let's get this straight," _Jack's voice sounded making Yukari's blood boil even more,_ "it's not the power of the runner, it's the rider! I'll take on anyone on any ride and I'll still be victorious! Anymore question?"_ "_One more,"_ the MC asked, _"do you have any thing to say to those out there who dream of one day challenging you?"_ It was then that both Yusei and Yukari revved up their runners getting the attention of the other teens that where there. "_Yes,"_ Jack started to answer, _"bring it..."_ "Oh, hey Yusei, Yukari," Blitz said as he turned off the TV as the other two looked over at their friends. "Sorry about that," Tank told them, "we would have watched the duel somewhere else Yus honest, but the cable we rigged couldn't stretch any further." "Jack was amazing as always," Nervin stated. "Nervin, zip it well ya?" Blitz asked. "What?" Nervin asked confused, "what did I say Blitz?" "They don't wanna here how amazing Jack Atlas was." "Oh...sorry." "Only one person should be sorry," Yusei told them as he and Yukari hooked up their runners to two computers to check to see what went wrong. "Right," Blitz agreed, "Jack still owes ya for what he did." "With a friend like that who needs enemies," Yukari said with a very none lady-like snort. "Got that right," Yusei agreed with them. As Yukari was working on her runner a transparent furball with small white angel wings appeared hovering over her shoulder watching her as a transparent looking a monster looking young woman sat on the back of her runner watching and their known as Winged Kuriboh and Yubel. "Kuri." Yukari smiled at Winged Kuriboh who chimed happily as he parched himself on her shoulder. "Where ya two been, Yus?" "The tunnels," Yusei answered, "testing new acceleration chips." "So are you gonna tell us if the new chips worked out or what?" "Duh, Tank, does it looked like they worked?" "I guess not," Tank answered, "although, hey, your other runner looked great on TV." Yukari looked over at Yusei while Blitz placed a hand on Tank's head pushing down with a glare. "Tank!" "Just trying to make our friend feel better is all," Tank told him, "that is Yusei's duel runner. I mean if it wasn't for Jack double-crossing Yus and stealin' his ride, Yusei would haven been the one givin' that interview. Well, cuz Jack got all famous with Yus' runner; all the fame, fortune, and glory are Jack's now." "Tank!" "What?" Yukari let out a sigh as she stood up and walked over to Yusei with a small smile that he returned with one of his own as she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely from behind him and when they made skin contact she gave out a quiet gasp that only Yusei heard letting him know that she just had a vision or hint of the future knowing that their seldomly ever right. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly. "Rally's coming and he has a surprise that could get us in trouble Yusei," she answered him just as quietly. "Let's see what it is first," he told her quietly. "YUSEI! YUKARI!" a voice called down to them from the stairs, "hey Yusei, Yukari!" A young boy with long massy red hair came into view of Yukari who smiled. "Are you two down here?" "In here Rally!" Blitz told him as he saw the kid. "What's up little buddy?" Tank asked. "Wait, till you see what I got for Yusei and Yukari," Rally answered before he ran up to them while the others walked up. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nervin asked. "Because you always have bad feelings," Blitz answered. "Check this out," Rally told them as he pulled two acceleration chips, "two Skylight 30 acceleration chips." "Those are skylines," Nervin said, "aren't those incredibly expensive?" "It looks like they never been used," Blitz said as he looked at them closely, "don't tell me, you stole theses?" "I didn't steal nothin'," Rally answered him, "it was just layin' on the ground in broad daylight. Maybe some one dropped it." "Rally, ya shouldn't have token what don't belong to ya!" Blitz scolded. "You know how things are here," Tank told him, "nobody leaves nothin' just lyin' around." "If they saw you, they'll track you down and mark us all," Nervin stated as he bend down and touched Rally's cheek. "Easy Nervin," Yukari told him as she stood up straight which also let Yusei to stand. "Rally," Yusei said getting their attention, "let us see that?" Yukari and Yusei both held out their hands letting Rally to put the chips in their hands before they looked at them. "This is just what we needed," Yukari and Yusei said at the same time. They walked over to their runners and replaced the old ones with the new ones as the other three tried to talk them out of it. "You can't use them, Yus, Yukari," Nervin said. "You two gotta make Rally take them back," Blitz agreed. "I knew you both would like them!" Rally said happily, "I knew it! Well, they make you two faster?" "Absolutely," Yusei answered as he and Yukari typed something on the computers. "Well, then maybe they shouldn't return them," Tank decided. "Tank!" "What?" "We know how you feel Yusei, but I think it's to bury the past, move on, and forget about Jack Atlas," Nervin told him. "But Jack also took Yusei's best card, remember Nervin?" Rally asked, "and not only that, but he also tried to kidnap Yukari!" "And you remember Jack's in the city and the people over there don't take took to kindly to those of us from the Satellite," Nervin told him. "Yeah and?" Rally asked, "in you've forgot sometimes you gotta stand up for yourself!" "Yusei, Yukari, us Satellites should just stay put," Nervin told them ignoring Rally. "Jack didn't stay, so why should we?" Yusei asked. "Nervin, I have to find out more about my past," Yukari stated, "I feel that the city well have the answers I seek." "Let him go Bro," Blitz butted in, "don't risk yours and Yukari's freedom for some wheeles and a card. I think Nerv's right. It's time to put the past in the past." "Huh?" Both Yusei and Yukari reached over and revved up their runners that had a purred that echo through out the tunnel making the others to gasp. "Wow," Rally said with glee, "now that's what I call power." He then picked up Yusei's red helmet with a smile. "Take them out for a spin let's find out what they can do." Yukari was the first to look up at the creaked ceiling just as a bright light shown through. "What's that?" Tank asked as Nervin moved forward to see. "It's Sector Security!" Nervin answered with panic. "_Identification number AWX86007! You're in possession of stole property! Escape is not an option! You're surround_!" Everyone looked over at Rally who was looking at nothing in particular with a glare. 'I was hoping I was wrong about this,' Yukari thought with a sigh. "Look whatcha did!" Blitz yelled at Rally as he raised his fist. "I didn't do nothin'!" Rally yelled at him as he lifted Yusei's helmet in a way to protect himself, "Blitz, I promise I didn't steal anything! It's like I said before; they were just lying there and nobody was around!" "None of that matters, Rally!" Yukari placed her hand out in front of Blitz stopping from saying anymore. "It's gonna be alright," Yusei told him. "But what should we do?" Blitz asked as Yusei started to type away on his computer. "There nothin we can do," Tank answered, "that mark is like a homin' device. It sends a signal to security!" "I got that covered," Yusei informed him as Yukari smirked when she realized what Yusei just did as he stood up and took his helmet from Rally before she through her leg over it and put her helmet on. "I bought you guys a couple of minutes." "What do you two think your going?" Blitz asked as Yusei got on his runner was just putting on his helmet.. "You take the East tunnel," Yusei told them as he looked at Yukari who nodded. "We're gonna take these chips out for a test drive." And with that both Yusei and Yukari was gone so Blitz looked at the other three. "You heard the man!" he shouted at them, "let's bolt!" The Chase! Yusei and Yukari both burst from the subway entrance and took off with Sector Security right behind them in no time which resulted in Yukari saying a few colorful words. 'Man, I didn't think they'd be on us this quick,' Yusei thought. "You two on the runners, pull over!" a Sector Security yelled at them, "there's no use in trying to escape!" Yusei and Yukari both turned into a plant that ended in a dead end. "Remember me, Yusei, Yukari." The officer got off his runner and lifted up his visor. "It's been quit awhile since the center." 'Oh great Trudge,' Yukari thought with an annoyed look on her face. "I'll think Jack for setting up this reunion," Trudge told them, "Jack said with the right bait Rally would lead us right to the two of you. I knew we should have locked you up when you were a kid, Yusei. Looks like I'll finally get my wish, and with you and Rally off to the facility, Jack'll have one less think to worry about and he'll get Yukari as a prize for it as well. Now tell me are you going to make this easy and come along quietly?" "We well," Yusei answered him. "If two of you can beat us," Yukari finished. An other officer walked up to them. "What's your name?" Yusei was the one who had asked for his name though. "That's of no concern to you," the officer told him, "I'll take on the girl Trudge." The Officer looked at Yukari up and down thinking she'll be easy to take down. Yukari glared at the officer thinking that he was checking her out and Yusei didn't look to happy about it either. "Anyways," Trudge said turning their attention back to them, "I see you still think you can out duel Sector Security. It's to bad the rules say you, Satellites can't carry cards." Yusei and Yukari held up their decks with smirks each. "Rules were made to be broken," Yukari said as both Yusei and her placed their decks in their glottis. "Weren't they?" Yusei asked, "now if we win this duel, Rally, Yukari, and me are free to go. No questions asked, Trudge." A random Sector Security Officer came up to them. "The low does not negotiate with-" "And what's in it for us if we accept your proposal?" Trudge asked. "But article 4B clearly states that..." "Well, allow me to clearly stat this; get moving or else," Trudge told him. "This is highly improper," the officer stated. "I said more, or would you prefer to be working on trash detail?" Trudge asked. The Officer ran over to the other officers who were waiting. "Back to command center everyone, direct orders." "Well, should you accept and win, you'll tell Sector Security to call off their hunt for Rally," Yusei started. "And how does that benefit us?" the officer asked. "Cuz I'm gonna say it was me who stole the chips, and that I tried to flee the scene with Yukari, but couldn't out run your pursuit," Yusei told him, "a statement like that'll probably bump you up to Sargent." "What about Yukari's end?" Trudge asked. "How about this?" the officer asked making them all looked at him, "if I win Miss Yukari goes straight to Mr Atlas." "Fine," Yukari agreed. "So what do ya say officer?" Yusei asked Trudge. "Then in that case," Trudge said as he cracked his knuckles, "you got yourself a deal...fool." Yukari, Yusei, Trudge, and the officer moved their runners to a better starting line facing different ways. Yukari Vs. Sector Security Officer! Yukari, Yusei, Trudge, and the officer where all got ready for the turbo duel to get going and it wasn't long till Yusei and Trudge took off starting their duel. "I'll activate the Speed World Speed Spell," officer told her. "_Duel Mode In Gauged_!" an other computer voice spoke, "_autopilot is standing by_." "Alright," Yukari said, "get your game on, Officer!" "Let's duel!" Yukari: 4000 Sector Security Officer: 4000 "Lady first." Yukari said as she drew her sixth card, "I summon Water Magician in Atk mode!" A young beautiful girl with blond hair and green eyes wearing a pink magician outfit appeared on the field. "Next I'll place two cards face down to end my turn." "Alright then it's my Move," officer said as he drew his next card. Yukari's Speed Counter: 1 Sector Security Officer's Speed Counter: 1 "I summon my Wind Guardian in Atk!" the Sector Security Officer said as he placed a card on his duel disk before an other beautiful young girl appeared on the field with white waist length hair and wearing silver armor over a pale blue thigh length long sleeved dress with a sword at her side. (Atk 1600) "Now Wind Guardian Atk her Water Magician with Wind Slash Atk!" "Hold it right there!" Yukari called out to him, "I active the trap card Doble Passé." Yukari braced her for the Atk that went around her monster and the Sector Security Officer looked shocked when his monster went around Water Magician and Atked her instead. Yukari: 2100 Speed Count: 0 "Doble Passé change your monster's Atk to a direct attack on me," Yukari told him, "and now my monster that you were about to Atk get's to rage a direct Atk on you!" She watched as her monster started to flew across the field. "Oh, when Water Magician Atk's some one directly and just by discarding one card from my hand I can increase her Atk points by 600." Sector Security Officer: 2200 Speed Count: 0 "Not bad," the Sector Security Officer told her, "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." "My Move!" Yukari said as she drew. Both Speed Count: 1 "I summon the tuner monster Wind Magician in Atk Mode!" Yukari said as she placed a card on her duel disk before an other _beautiful young girl with medium blue shoulder length hair and medium purple colored eyes wearing a silver magician robs and holding a white staff appeared onto the field. (Atk 1400) _"Now I'll Tune my Wind Magician with my Water Magician to Synchro Summon my...Ice Magician!" _Wind Magician glowed white and then turned into three rings as Water Magician jumped up into the rings before turning into four stars. "____When two great forces combined they bring about a whole new freezing force! Synchro Summon! Freeze 'em with your icy spells, Ice Magician!__" A__ beautiful young girl with white waist length hair and icy blue colored eyes wearing a pale blue magician robs with an Ice staff appeared onto the field. (Atk 2300)_ "Next I'll Activate my Speed Spell; Magician's Wand!" The Ice Staff changed into an Ice Wand. "You see, I can only activate this when I have 1 or more Speed Counter. This Spell raised my Magician's Atk by a grand totally of 1500 points until the end of my turn. (Atk 3600) And now I'll activate my face down...Dust Tornado!" The reverse card lifted up to show the card. "This trap card can destroy on spell and trap card on the field so say good by to you face down." A tornado moved across the field and destroyed Hayden's face down card. "And finally, Ice Magician Atk the Sector Security Officer's Wind Guardian with Ice Blizzard!" The Magician turned around and faced the Sector Security Officer before unleashing a snow storm which shattered the Sector Security Officer's Wind Guardian. Sector Security Officer: 1400 Speed Count: 0 "I'll end my turn with two face downs," Yukari concluded. "Now it's my turn," the Sector Security Officer said as he drew a new card. Yukaris's Speed Count: 2 Sector Security Officer Speed Count: 1 "I summon Pup Guardian in def mode." the Sector Security Officer said as he placed a card on his duel disk before a cute little wolf pup with black fur that blends into white appeared running next to Kontar on the field. (Def 1000) "Now I activate my Speed Spell; Guardian Moon!" A full moon appeared in the sky above them casting light on them. "Now with 1 or more speed counters I can activate this and here's what it does. By sending one card in my and Pup Guardian to the graveyard I summon my Wolf Guardian." At that the pup vanished and in it's place an older version of it appeared onto the field. (Atk 2300) "Now I'll have him Atk your Ice Magician with Guardian Pounce!" "Not so fast," Yukari told him, "I activate my trap card; Ice Barrier." An Ice shield like barrier appeared around Yukari's Ice Magician making Sector Security Officer's Wolf Guardian hit it before he was running next to the Sector Security Officer again. "Thinks to this Trap card my Ice Magician is safe." "I'll place one card face down and end my turn," the Sector Security Officer concluded. "It's my turn now," Yukari said as she drew a new card. Both Speed Count: 3 "I summon my Hope Magician in Atk Mode," Magician said as she placed a card on her duel disk before another beautiful young girl with blue shoulder length hair and matching eyes wearing a mixer of silver and white magician's outfit with a silver staff appeared onto the field. next to Yukari on the field. "You should know that Hope Magician is a Tuner monster so I'll tune her with my Ice Magician to Synchro Summon my...Magician Dragon!" Hope Magician for the second that day glowed white then he turned into four rings, but this time it was Ice Magician who jumped up into them and turned into 6 stars. "___When two great forces combined they create a whole new entity! Synchro Summon! Bring about the elements, Magician Dragon__!_" At that moment a beautiful dragon with a mixer of blue, green, and brown scales and a mixer of white, red, and orange sparkling wings that are longer then it's body appeared onto the field over Yukari's head with it's eyes closed, but when it opened them the officer saw that the Dragon had black colored eyes before it gave off a loud roar. (Atk 3500) "Wow," the Sector Security Officer said in awe as he looked at the dragon. "It's beautiful." "Oh you haven't seen anything yet," Yukari told him, "you see, by sending the top three cards in my deck to the graveyard my Magician Dragon can destroy all cards on your side of the field." Yukari took three cards from the top of her deck and placed them into the graveyard one at a time before her Dragon roared again that shattered all of the cards on Hayden's side of the dueling field. "Now I'll have my Magician Dragon Atk you directly. Go Spell Binding Flare Blast!" The Sector Security Officer braced himself for the blast that the Magician Dragon sent at him that ended the duel. Sector Security Officer: 0 The Sector Security Officer's duel runner pulled to a stop on it's own when his life points hit 0 while Yukari stopped a few feet away from him as the holograms disappeared. "That's game!" Yukari said as she saluted the officer pose, "later _**Officer**_." And with that Yukari turned around and took off now looking for Yusei and had a good idea of where he was and headed to a cliff over looking the ocean to New Domino City. Cliff Looking Out Over the Ocean! 'Get ready Domino City, I'm coming,' Yusei thought. Yukari pulled up making Yusei to turn around with a smile on his face that she returned as she took off her helmet and got off her runner. Yusei walked over to her and gave her a kiss that she happily returned before they got back on their runners and took off. 2. Creepy Crawlies! Tunnels! Yukari and Yusei were riding their runners through the tunnel again one test run to see how fast they can go and plus to race each other so far they where neck and neck. 'You beat me once Jack, but I learned my lesson,' Yusei thought. As he thought about the past Mei was able to pull in front of him with smirk ever so present on her face. Yukari looked over her shoulder at him to see that far away look in his eyes and decided to get his attention. "Hey, Yusei!" she called back to him, "your getting slow!" Yusei shook his head before he looked back up front to see Yukari ahead of him looking at him over her shoulder with a smirk before she looked back up front. "How the...when did you...what?" Yusei stuttered in shock. "You started to think about the past again!" Yukari called back in answer. "Your a sneak!" Yusei yelled up at her. Yukari smirked before she cackled as she and Yusei speed up a bit more and where once again neck and neck. Hideout! Rally stood on the edge of the rail tracks waiting for Yusei and Yukari holding out a stop watch for them to see when as he heard their runners coming his way and it wasn't long till they passed him at the same time making Rally to laugh at their antics before he looked at the stop watch and smiled really big and laughed again before running over to where the two where waiting for him to them their time. "Yusei, Yukari!" Rally called to them with excitement, "That was you two's best time yet!" He then showed them the stop watch that he had. "Do you think it'll fast enough to get you both to New Domino City?" "They better be," Yusei answered. "I just know it's going to work," Rally told Yusei. "We hope your right," Yukari stated. "Time us again?" Yusei asked before he and Yukari took off again. Rally watched as Yusei and Yukari disappeared down the tunnel for the second time that day. Hours late! Yukari and Yusei were setting next to their duel runners typing on the laps as Rally was taking care of Tank, Nerven, and Blitz who had come back from work with cuts and bruise which pissed Yukari off when she saw them injured that it took Yusei about 20 to 40 minutes to calm her. Nerven, Tank, Blitz knew that they would start to feel sorry for the group if they where to ever to come their hideout where they would meet the wroth of Yukari and they knew that no one wouldn't to get on her bad side. Mei let out a sigh before looked back at her friends who Rally was just finishing putting bandages on. "All better," Rally told Blitz. Blitz placed his hand on his cheek looking not at all happy, "Oh really? Then can you please explain to me why it hurts so much? I thought you knew what you were doing Rally. Yeah. I guess I did to when I stood up to that bully. Boy was I wrong. I mean they just ran us over." "I know," Nerven agreed, "I didn't even get a chance to get in the defensive stance." "Now I gotta to but some new shoes for that guy," Tank said with sorrow. Yukari looked at Tank, "You don't have to buy him shit Tank." Every looked at her surprised that she had spoken up because she normal would hit something when she was pissed off, but she just turned back to the lap. "He's the one who tripped you so he can buy his own fucking shoes." "She right," Rally agreed, "come on! Lighten up! Yusei and Yukari masked out their duel runners!" "Yeah?" Blitz asked, "like how masked out?" "Enough to get out of here," Yusei answered. "You should have seen their runners speed through the tunnels," Rally told them, "it was like voom and like swoosh, and then shoom." Rally looked at both of his adult friends who were still at their laptops. "Yusei, Yukari, are you two going to go for it tonight? You two going to try to get to New Domino City?" Both Yusei and Yukari nodded their heads as their friends walked out to them. "Uh...does anybody else beside for me have a bad feeling about any of this?" Blitz asked. "I do," Nerven answered, "but that's not really saying mach. Seeing as I always have a bad feeling about everything." "Yeah, but don't worry you guys," Yusei agreed/told them, "cuz we got it all planned out." Yukari got up from where she was setting, walked over to them, and she moved to stand behind Yusei where she wrapped her arms around his neck having him leaned into it as they all looked at the laptop. "We think." "Huh?" "So what this plan that you two think might work, Yusei, Yukari?" Tank asked. "It's going to work Tank," Rally told him. "Well, we hope your right Rally," Yusei stated, "Cuz if everything fells into place; Stardust Dragon well be mine again and we'll be one step closer to leaving the Satellite." "Yus, are you sure that card's worth the risk?" Blitz asked, "I mean you really think that cards going to make a difference?" "Of course it well," Tank answered instead, "don't you remember the feeling when you first saw it in action along side the Magician Dragon? Cuz I'll never forget it. Seeing the duel runner that Yusei built from spare parts from the recycling center was amazing and then when Yus started it up and showed us what it can do. It was like a whole new world opened up." "Yeah and when he summoned his Stardust Dragon and Yukari's Magician Dragon," Nerven agreed/continued, "I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I mean you were screaming at the top of your lungs Blitz." "That's right," Blitz agreed, "I lost my voice for a week after all of that hollering. To bad Jack took away our dreams." Yukari let out a sigh as Yusei just gently rubbed her arm that was wrapped around his neck knowing that she didn't like to talk about it. "Well, Yusei's about to get 'em back," Rally told Blitz, "cause with this new runner Jack doesn't stand a chance!" "Yeah," Tank agreed, "what are we waiting for?" "Midnight tonight," the two Turbo Duelist answered. "Why?" Nerven asked as Yukari walked up to them from her runner. "What's at midnight?" "The tiniest of opportunities," she answered. "Check this out, guys," Yusei told them as he brought up a blue print, "see, they only way between the Satellite and New Domino City is this sewer pipe line here." Yusei ran his finger along the diagram. "Problem is they flood it with trash 24 hours a day 7 days a week, but once a month at midnight they shut the system down to check the compressor pods. Then a Maintenance hatch is automatically opened, and that's when we'll get out chance to make it through." "A sewer?" Nerven asked, "that sounds a bit unhygienic. The odors and fumes alone- "Remind us of you," a voice sounded making them look over to see three young men walking up. "Yeah, you stink like the garbage you recycle," one of the guys agreed. "How's the healing going?" the one that Yukari thinks is the leader asked. The young girl walked up behind Yusei and stood there with her arms crossed as Yusei and her eyes narrowed. "Hey, you with the hair!" the goon yelled, "you think your a tough guy? Cause I'll show you what tough is!" "Those's are pretty sweet runners you've got there," the leader told them as he walked up to them cracking his knuckles. "How much do you want for one of them?" He's eyes landed on Yukari and he smirked even more. "And does the beautiful young lady come with one of them?" Blitz moved to stand in front of the runners face the guy while Yusei fought back a growl. "The runners are not for sale, so beat it," he told him, "and leave Yukari out of this!" "Well, if it's not for sale," the leader stated, "how bout' you give one of them to me instead of the shoes we're here to collect?" "That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me," the goon agreed again. "Or would you prefer I go topside and tell Sector Security that you're hiding two illegal duel runners down here?" "How about you duel me for one of them?" Yukari spoked up. Everyone looked at her as Yusei stood up to stand next to her. "Duel me?" the guy asked, "you might as well just hand one of them over to me right now. Especially if you duel like how your buddies here fight. Well, how does these's stakes sound? I win the purple runner's mine." He held up his arm and one of his goons placed his duel disk on. "You win and we leave you alone. So?" "Don't duel him, Yukari," Blitz told her as she walked over to her runner. "He's just a bully," Nerven added. "And bullies never learn," Yukari stated as she removed her turbo deck and replaced it with her ground deck. "Unless you stand up to them." "But what if you lose to him, Yuka?" Blitz asked. Yukari pressed a button and the duel disk on her runner disengaged. "Disengaging Duel Disk!" "We'll be fine Blitz," Yukari answered as she attached her Duel Disk to her goblet. "I think I'll change the color," the guy told her. "Don't do it Yuka!" Tank started in, "please? Those runners is the key to our..our-" "Future," Yusei finished, "that's why she has to do this." "Well, your future's coming with me," the leader told them, "so you better start making new plans for tomorrow." He and his goons walked away laughing to get into place as Yukari walked to her side of the field. She turned to face him with a glare. "Get Your Game On!" "Let's duel!" Yukari: 4000 Lenny: 4000 "Your move," Yukari told the leader Lenny. "I can' wait to get my hands on that runner," Lenny told them, "here goes!" Lenny drew his sixth card. "I summon Chainsaw Insect in atk mode!" Yukari let out a sigh as a giant bug appeared onto the field. "I've seen big bugs down here, but nothing that big!" "It's quite the awful bug is it?" "Yes it is," Lenny answered, "and next I'm playing the spell Retribution of the Ant Lion!" A hole appeared in the middle of the field. "I always knew that there were bugs down here in the these's tunnels, but you've got to trust me when I say that you guys haven't seen anything yet!" "Is it just me or is Yukari smirking?" Tank asked. They all looked over to see Yukari's eyes on her cards that where in her hand with a smirk. "I see it to," Rally answered. "She has a plan already," Yusei stated. "You can beat her boss!" the goon called as the other laughed. "I don't think so," Yukari stated as she drew a card before looking at her hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in def mode!" A monster made of clay appeared in front of Yukari on one knee with his arms crossed. (Def 2000) "I'll place one card face down and activate the Field Spell: Skyscraper!" The field changed as buildings rosed up around them all. "Running scared?" Lenny asked, "seems you forgot how to atk." "I bet she doesn't eve finish the duel," Lug added. "There's only one way to find out," Lenny stated as he drew a new card, "I summon Pinch Hopper in atk mode!" Another bug appeared on the field. "I can see the fear in your eyes and it only gets worse cause by sending a card to my graveyard I can play Insect Costume! And add a scarier insect to my hand. This next card you should enjoy cause now I'm going to have to destroy my Pinch Hopper." "But if he destroy's a monster then won't his life points take a hit?" Tank asked. Lenny: 3200 "What just happened?" the bug duelist asked, "did I just atk myself?" "You think, bug boy forgot he still has his Any Lion spell on the field?" "Oh, yeah," Lenny said as it dawned on him, "that's all part of my plan." Yukari looked at him with a porker face. _{Me: Thank Yami's porker face when Mai thought that he and Gardner were on a date and you've got Yukari's porker face.}_ "Cause you see by getting rid of my Pinch Hopper, I can do this. I activate it's special ability to call out a creepier insect to the field like my powerful Metal Armor Bug!" Yukari looked over at Yusei who stood on the side lines to see him swallow before she turned back to the field as the insect appeared. "When Sector Security dumped me here in the Satellite. I thought I'll spend the rest of my life shifting through the trash, but your runner is going to get me out of this dump and back to where I belong." "Oh cry me a river!" Yukari finally snapped. "Uh-oh," Rally breathed as he half way hid behind Blitz. "She's mad." "Try not remembering 15 years of your life, but knowing only your name, date of birth, and how to duel?" Yukari asked, "and then tell me, your sob story. So...SHUT THE HELL UP!" "Uh, Rally, she's not mad," Blitz said as he sweat dropped. "She's pissed," Yusei and Tank fished also with sweat drops. Lenny and his two goons looked at her like they've seen a ghost, but they quickly snapped out of it. "I think it's feeding time for your bugs boss," Lug stated. "Whoa!" "I just hoped she doesn't use her Physic abilities," Blitz said quietly so only Yusei, Nerven, Rally, and Tank could hear him. "With her temper anything is possible Blitz," Nerven stated as he pushed up his glasses. "After this next move your pal's going to wish she never challenged me," Lenny said as he took two cards from his graveyard and placed them in his deck box. "I special Summon Doom Dozer! I bet your worlds spinning round and round right now isn't it?" Yukari felt her eye twitched in annoyances. "And it's going to get more outta control. Chainsaw Insect! It's time to Atk!" "I activate my trap card, Hero Barrier!" Yukari countered as her reversed card lifted up. "If I have one Elemental Hero out on my side of the field then Hero Barrier activates which means my Clayman is safe from your bug." Chainsaw Insect hit the barrier and went back to his card holder. "Since your bug trap is all used up let's see how you save yourself this time!" Lenny ordered, "Metal Armor Bug atk! Take out her Elemental Hero Clayman!" "So are you finished?" Yukari asked once Clayman was destroyed. "Oh, so now you a tough guy?" Lenny asked. "I'm girl idiot," Yukari growled. "Well, my spell Retribution of the Ant Lion is going to soften you right up!" Lenny said as he ignored. Yukari: 3200 "Now Doom Dozer's going to shock you into submission!" Doom Dozer let lose it's atk, but Yukari just stood there not even flinching when they atk hit her. "YUKARI!" Rally cried out. "Those bugs are going to squash her flat," Lug commented. Yukari: 400 'If I'm going to stop those insects I've got to trust in the power of my deck.' "Come one!" Lenny yelled at her, "are you going to atk?" "How's this for answer?" Yukari asked as she drew her next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in atk mode!" A female hero wearing all red appeared on the field in front of Yukari. (Atk 1200) "Next I activate Pot of Greed! With this card I can drew two new cards from my deck!" Yukari removed two cards from her hand and placed them in her hand. "Next I'll activate another spell known as Double Summon which means that your bugs are in double the trouble. With this card I summon out another monster to the field, but ganging up is something you bullies know all about isn't? That runner is staying put." Yukari turned around a monster card. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian in atk mode!" This time a male hero appeared on the field next to Burstinatrix. (Atk 1000) "Yeah!" Rally cheered, "let's go Yukari!" "Next up is Polymerization!" Yukari added as she held up a card, "thinks to this card I can fuse Avian and Burstinatrix together to create...the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" This time a new hero appeared in place of Avian and Burstinatrix. (Atk 2100) "Flame Wingman atk Chainsaw Insect with Skydive Stretcher!" "My monsters' atk points are higher then your Wingman's!" Lenny stared. "That's true, but thinks to Skyscraper effect my Wingman's atk increase by 1000 if he attacks a monster with more atk points then him," Yukari told him as she smirked while Wingman's atk points increased. (Atk 3100) Lenny: 2500 "Now time for my Flame Wingman's special ability!" Yukari shouted. "What?" Lenny asked in shocked. "Thinks to his effect your monsters atk points come out of your life points," Yukari told him. Lenny: 100 "And because of you Retribution of the Ant Lion you lose 800 life points for the monster that Wingman destroyed," Yukari reminded him, "which means my runner is staying with me." Lenny: 0 "That's Game!" Yukari said as she used her pointing, middle fingers, and thumb for a pose. "Man, I was close to winning that runner," Lenny said as he fall to his knees. "You had me on the ropes for a well and I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the duel," Yukari told him. "But an old friend once told me that when your back is up against the wall and you feel like there's no way out as long as you trust in the power of your deck you can find your way out of any sensation," Yusei finished as they both walked up to Lenny, "and it was the belief that Yukari has for the power of her deck that helped her win this duel." "Man, I believed that runner was mine," Lenny said before he stood up, "Yukari maybe you and me can be some day, but next time we duel topside." "No bugs next time ok?" Yusei asked making Lenny and Yukari laugh. "For Yusei's sake," Yukari finished. They watched Lenny and his friends left with a wave before Yusei wrapped his arms around Yukari's waist allowing her to lean into him. 'Look out Jack cause I'm coming to take back what's mine,' Yusei thought. 3. Pipe Dreams! Tunnels! Yukari stood next to her duel runner looking up at the sky through the creak in the street before she looked over at Yusei who was also looking up at the sky. "You only got on shot at this Yusei, Yukari," Nerven from not that far away said. "The maintain hatch opens at midnight and only stay's open for three minutes after that." "They know,"Rally sounded. "Then they flood the pip line with garbage." "They know." "And as soon as you two jump over the segue platens fence the sue…" "THEY KNOW," Rally yelled, "try being positive for once Nerven?" "Uh?" Nerven asked, "I thought I was." "Hey, Yusei, Yukari!" "Mmm," both Yusei and Yukari said looking over their friends. "You know test runs is one thing, but, uh, the real this is something else," Nerven told them, "if they catch you and…" "Don't listen to these guys Yusei, Yukari," Blitz said, "just I don't know…hit the gas and don't ever look back." Yukari climbed onto her motorcycle before she put on her helmet, but looked back at Yusei who was about to get on as well till Rally jumped down from the side of the railway. "Almost forgot," he said as he then handed Yusei a card, "here for good luck." "What is it Rally?" Yusei asked. "Turbo Booster," Rally answered. "Wasn't this your Father's card?" Yusei asked. "I want you to take it," Rally told him, "like my dad always say. You'll never know when you might need a boost. I just hope it can help get back your Stardust Dragon from Jack." Yusei smiled at Rally before placing the card in his deck then looked at them. "Your going to be on the monitor?" Yusei asked as he got his own motorcycle. "We'll go top side, so we can get a clear single," Rally answered him, "now revive it up." "And don't slow down for none thing." Yusei put on his helmet before both he and Yukari took off for the exist. "You go Yusei, Yukari!" Rally called. 'It's time to settle the score Jack,' Yusei thought before he looked over at Yukari. "Hey, Yukari!" Yukari looked over at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" "Of course!" Yukari called back to him, "I can't let you go off on your own cause knowing you, you'll find trouble. Plus I need answers about who I am, Yusei." A sad smile appeared on Yusei's face as they came out of the underground subway that they call home. Platen! As they drew near to the Platen the security alarm started to go off. "Warning!" a computer called out, "warning! Your entering an unauthorized zone. Turn back now!" To both Yusei and Yukari's annoyances a security officer appeared out of no where. "Pull over Yusei!" the officer yelled. 'Trudge?' Yusei thought in surprise, 'how did he find me?' "Where do you think your going?" Trudge asked, "don't you know it's two hours past curfew or can you still not tell time?" Yukari was wondering if Trudge was blind with revenge towards Yusei that he didn't notice her or was he just stupid. "Pull Over!" Trudge ordered him, but Yusei and Yukari speed up. "Kids these day never do what their told. Uh? Is he going for the segue platen?" It was then that both Yukari and Yusei jumped the fence that surround the place. 'This should be fun. Wait a minute.' Trudge had finally noticed Yukari was with Yusei and was wondering how he didn't notice her before. _{Me: Trudge, is an idiot. Yusei: True and his blind. Me: Your so right Yusei. Trudge: You Brats Shut Up! Yusei and Me: *Laugh*}_ "You may have beaten me before in our last duel, but I got something special planned for you and your girlfriend," Trudge called out to Yusei. 'He finally noticed me,' Yukari thought with a sweat drop. "And this time I'm taking you down," Trudge went on, "see with that chip you install I can force you to turbo duel." "Duel Mode In Gauged!" an other computer voice spoke, "autopilot is standing by." To Yukari and Yusei's surprise and horror his own duel mode activated. "Over riding suspect's duel runner," the computer voice answered,." "But how?" Yusei asked. "Autopilot in Gauged." "I let you off the hook last time Yusei, but not this time," Trudge told him, "me and my assault deck are going to haul you to the Facility for good and your girlfriend while be with Jack." Yukari grew an anger vain. "You can't escape Yusei!" Yukari was getting beyond pissed now. "You see that acceleration chip you have installed has enable me to hack into your Duel Runner's Main Frame and the only way to break free of the connection it to beat me." By now Yukari was not in the mood for Trudge's must-get-revenge-episode, so she activate her own duel mode. "Duel Mode In Gauged!" the computer voice spoke catching Yusei and Trudge's attention. "Autopilot is standing by." Yusei + Yukari: 4000 Trudge: 4000 "No Yukari!" Yusei called out to her. "We're in this together Yusei," Yukari told him, "and besides he's getting on my nerves." "I don't care because either way your still going to the Facility and Yukari well be going to Jack," Trudge called out, "and now I'll show you what my special assault deck is made of. First I'll summon out Gate Blocker in def mode!" Yukari stared in surprise when a huge gate like thing appeared in front of Yusei. "Now with the premature secured I place one card face down and end my turn." Trudge + Yukari's SC: 1 Yusei SC: 0 'Nothing happened,' Yusei thought in shock. "Something wrong?" Trudge asked, "didn't you just notice that your speed counter aren't increasing? Well then I'm going to! See it's all part of my plan! In our last duel I underestimated the power of your deck and almost ended back on traffic duty, but unlock you I learn from my mistakes and this time you won't be surprising me, but haven't I got some surprises for you and your girlfriend. It's my Gate Blocker spell card which has your game stuck in neutral. Seems like an appropriate effect wouldn't you say?" "Why's that?" Yusei asked. "Because just like in life," Trudge said, "you are going nowhere unless you count being sent to the Facility as going somewhere. Only this time it isn't going to be some little vacation like your visit to the reeducation center. See this time Yusei, you are going to be locked away for a very, very long time!" "Assuming you can catch us!" Yusei called out to him, 'if we get out dueled down here I may never get another chance to settle the score with Jack. And Jack well never answer for what he did, I can't let that happen." "Hey, Yusei mind if I go first?" Yukari called out to him. "Go ahead," Yusei answered. "Alright," Yukari said with a smirked as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Vampire Magician to the field in atk mode!" A beautiful young girl with black hair wearing a goth like magician outfit carrying a black wand staff and with fangs appeared onto the field. (Atk 1600) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn!" "It's my turn," Yusei said as he drew his sixth card. Trudge + Yukari's SC: 2 Yusei SC: 0 "The green lights all mine and I summon Speed Warrior in Atk mode." "*laugh* I remember that little toy from our last duel," Trudge told him, "and I remember that it's Atk points double the turn that it's summon, but like last time it's just two weak, I guess you still haven't learned how to add. Have you?" Yusei looked at a card in that was in his hand while Yukari looked at him wondering what was going on. 'Ok Rally let's see what this card of yours can do,' Yusei thought, "I special summon Turbo Buster in Atk mode." a yellow monster that looked like a fork lift. "Power up! Speed Warrior release!" "So," Trudge said, "that don't scare me." "It should cause now Speed Warrior can Atk using Turbo's special ability," Yusei told him. "Not good enough," Trudge stated, "even if your able to destroy Gate Blocker with that Booster of yours. Gate Blocker is still stronger. And just like our duel your going to get hurt in this blast not me." Yusei + Yukari: 3800 Yukari looked up ahead see the pip line in front of them at the same time as Yusei. "There it is," Yusei told her, "the main pip line. We still have enough time." They both jumped down into the pip line with Trudge right behind them though Yukari was busy listening to Yusei. "Alright we're in!" Yukari looked at her Vampire Magician who looked back at her before nodding it's head. It was that Yukari tuned Trudge back in though she wished she didn't have to. "Ready for another surprise?" Trudge asked, "I active my Broker Blocker trap, so I can play two Gate Blockers. This time I can put a stop to your girlfriend, too." Yukari growled up her breath though she knew she couldn't do anything about it as two more Cyclopes-like walls appeared ahead. "What made you two break curfew tonight Yusei? Are you two trying to escape the Satellite?" "And what if we are?" Yusei asked. "Don't you know that your kind don't exactly fit in New Domino City?" Trudge answered with a question. "I'm not going there to fit in," Yusei answered him, "and neither is Yukari." "So, uh, what's your plan?" Trudge asked, "we both know you've got some enemies in very high places. You trying to get to New Domino City to settle some scores? "Something like that," Yusei answered. "Though why your girlfriend want's to go I have no clue," Trudge said with a shake of his head. "Why I'm going is none of your business Trudge," Yukari called back at him. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." "There's no escape Yusei," Trudge told him. 'If we don't find away around these blockers fast we'll never make it to the hatch in time,' Yusei thought. "You'll never escape Yusei!" Trudge called out to him, "you and your girlfriend. And to make sure of it I'll calling in some back up." Trudge drew a new card. "I'm radioing the Conogo in Atk mode. Conogo move in and take out Speed Warrior." Yusei + Yukari: 3350 "*Laugh* your lose is my gain," Trudge told them. "Now it's my move," Yukari announced as she drew her next card. Trudge SC: 3 "*Laugh* your lose is my gain," Trudge told them. Trudge SC: 3 "Now it's my move," Yukari announced as she drew her next card. "I summon Winged Kuriboh in def mode!" Yukari stated as the furball with white wings appeared onto the field. (Atk 200) "Kuri." "It's alright buddy," Yukari told the Kuriboh, "everything is going to be alright." Yukari looked at her hand before she picked a card. "I'll place a card face down and end my turn." "Now it's my move," Yusei announced as he drew his next card. Trudge SC: 4 "It's go time," Yusei announced as Yukari looked at him a bit confused. "I summon the Junk Synchron tuner monster! Then I'll active the Graceful Revival Trap card!" Yukari started to smile having finally cought onto Yusei's plan. "What are you planning?" Trudge asked. "Let me show ya?" Yusei asked, "see Graceful Revival let's me summon a level two or below monster from the graveyard, so I'm bring back Speed Warrior!" Yukari watched as Speed Warrior appeared onto the field once again. "Now I tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior to synchro summon! Junk Warrior!" Yukari smiled as Junk Synchron tuned with Speed Warrior. "Let's Revive It Up!" Soon enough Junk Warrior appeared onto the field. "Go Scrap Fist!" Trudge: 3050 "*Laugh* You pulled the same move the last time we dueled," Trudge told him, "your getting predicable Yusei, but I'm going to speed things up. Your not the only one knows how to suite up your monsters. I summon Tuma Fighter!" "That's a tuner monster!" Yusei called out. 'No duh,' Yukari thought with a sweat drop. "Sure is," Trudge agrees, "And there still more surprises to some. Tuma Fighter I tune you with my Gate Blocker to synchro summon Goreo Guardian!" Yukari felt her eye twitched when a weird looking monster appeared on the field. "Look you've underestimated my deck this time. Doesn't it? Now Atk! *Laugh* Goreo Guardian has a special monster see when it Atk's it doesn't destroy anything it just takes control of them and uses them to do it biding." Yusei + Yukari: 2850 "Kinda of like the relationship you have with Jack Altes," Yusei told him, "uh, Trudge?" Yukari giggled which made Yusei smiled at her. "You Satellites never know when to stop talking back," Trudge stated. "Nah ya think?" Yukari asked with sarcasm. Trudge ignored her by looking at his speed counters and drew. "With my speed counter at 4 I'm able to creak up the pursuit to the next level by activating a speed spell from hand. Go Sonic Buster!" Yusei + Yukari: 1450 "When you said you were full of surprises you weren't kidding," Yusei said. "Well I'm glade I didn't disappoint," Trudge said. "And guess what Yusei? I won't he disappointing my superiors other because this time I not just let walk way when the last car is play. And with that Atk it's only a matter of time before your and your Girlfriend life points are running on empty. Getta make sure you don't pull some fancy maneuvers. I'm using a second Sonic Buster to slow your game down!" Yusei + Yukari: 50 "You won't beat me this time Yusei," Trudge went on as Yusei's runner slowed down to where he was riding along side Trudge while Yukari only slowed down a bit. "You and your girlfriend. And yet you'll never escape from Satellite cause once I win I'm taking you in and Jack well get his prize; your girlfriend." Trudge's SC: 5 Yukari's SC: 3 Yusei SC: 0 "Sorry Trudge, but you'll have to wait," Yukari told him as she drew her next card, "I summon Knight Magician in atk mode!" A handsome young man with silver boystyle hair wearing an armor with a blue cap as well as a sword at his side, a shield attached to his arm, and a wand staff in hand appeared on the field. (Atk 1500) "He's not laughing matter either cause with his effect I'm sure you'll won't be laughing." The Knight smirked before he turned around to face Trudge. "If you have one or two more monsters out on the field he can atk you directly. Of cause, I'll also have to remove a Magician that's out on my field from play so I choose my Vampire Magician!" Yukari took her Vampire Magician card off her duel disk and placed it in her deck box well her Knight Magician attacked Trudge directly. Trudge: 1550 "I'll end my turn," Yukari conclude "I really can't wait to see you get locked up, Yusei" "Well your just going to have to keep on waiting Officer Trudge," Yusei said, "cause I'm about to put the paddle to the metal." "But I've got all of the power," Trudge said in a panic. "You sure about that?" Yusei asked as he drew his next card, "I summon the tuner monster Nitro Synchron." "Another tuner monster?" Trudge asked, "you never were one to give up without a fight. To had I've got you speed counters all locked up." "That's what you think," Yusei told him. "Huh?" "I active a speed spell," Yusei announced, "Dash Pilfer!" "No way!" Trudge yelled, "with my blocker on the field you don't have enough power to play a spell." "You should double check you screen," Yusei told him. "What the?" Trudge asked when he did as Yusei told him and saw a trap card. "But…but that's impossible. You shouldn't have any speed counters! How can this be? Oh no. When I played that speed spell you've must have counter with something." "I sure did, so if you think you're the only one full of surprises guess again," Yusei stated, "Now I know your not one for detail, but this little Over Side is going to cost you big time. See when you were, so busy trying to hold my game down I played Slit Stream. Which guess me the same number of counter you had when you played your second Sonic Buster! So by trying to slow one down you only made me faster." Yusei SC: 5 Yusei sped up and started to ride along next to Yukari. "That's just like you," Trudge told him, "waiting for hand outs, latching on to some one else." "Dash Pilfer get in there and rescue Junk Warrior," Yusei went on as Junk Warrior appeared on his side of the field once again. "Trudge, even after all of these years you still don't know anything about me. All you ever see is rules and not being brokin' and you never stop to stop ask why. Have you? I guess it pays well to be arrogant doesn't?" Yukari looked up ahead to see the hatch come into view before looking to the side at Yusei who nodded at her. "That hatch," Trudge said, "your both planning on using it to escape from the Satellite." "Took you long enough to figure that out," Yusei told him, "guess nothing get's by you does it Trudge? That is nothing, but us and our duel runners." "Well I am just on move away from proving you wrong and locking you both up for good," Trudge told them. "Not going to happen cause I'm about to rip things up on more time," Yusei said. "Another Synchro summon?" Trudge asked. "Now Nitro Synchron give Junk Warrior a tune up!" Yusei announced, "I synchro summon Nitro Warrior! Trudge, I've got one last surprise for you. If my Nitro Warrior Atk's on the same turn speed spell is use it gains 1000 Atk points." "It what?!" Trudge asked. "And with that your Goreo Guardian is a goner!" Yusei announced, "Nitro Warrior Atk with Dynamic Crunch." Trudge: 550 "This ain't over yet Yusei," Trudge growled. "Oh yeah?" Yusei asked, "yes it is. See Nitro Warrior comes custom made with a special ability when it destroys one of your monsters and you've got a monster in def mode, like Gate Blocker, it forces it into Atk mode." "But then I can't defended myself," Trudge said in shack as his monster which it's mode. "Now that's my Yusei," Yukari praised Yusei looked at Yukari who was smiling at him to which he returned before looking back up front. "Yukari, on ahead," Yusei told her. "What?" she asked. "Get to the hatch," Yusei answered, "I'll be right behind you." "Are you sure?" Yukari asked. "Yes," Yusei answered, "I promise I'll be right behind you." "Ok," Yukari agreed, "you better hurry up." "Alright," Yusei stated with a small smile. Yukari speeded up till she was almost at the hatch, but still heard the end of the duel. "And even though my Nitro Warrior loses 1000 Atk points it still strong enough to destroy Gate Blocker and end this duel," Yusei concluded. "NO!" Trudge: 0000 Trudge's duel runner came to a stop while Yusei continued on his way to the hatch just as Yukari disappeared through it. It was then that the clock reached 0 and trashed started to flood the pip line again making Yusei do some serious tricks. 'Come on stay on target,' Yusei thought. Yusei slid side ways till he got through the hatch right before it closed and speeded up to catch Yukari who was already far ahead. It wasn't long till he was riding along next to her making her smile. "Happy to see me?" Yusei asked with a smirk. Yukari giggled making Yusei look at her with tender look before looking back up front as they continued on their way. New Domino City! Yusei and Yukari finally reached New Domino before a voice sounded making them both stop. "YUSEI! YUKARI!" Yusei looked up to see a blond haired guy looking at them while Yukari got off her runner, pulled off her helmet, and went to stand next to Yusei. "Hello, Jack," Yusei greeted. "Long time no see," Jack said, "what's the matter Yusei? Not happy to see your old friend Jack?" Yusei looked away from Jack to look at Yukari as he removed his own helmet while she look at him before she placed her forehead against his. "Jamie, I want you get out of here," Yusei told her. "What?" "Please?" Yusei asked, "I don't want anything to happen to you." Tears welled up in Yukari's emerald green eyes before she kissed Yusei head on making Jack to gag at the scene below him. When Yukari pulled away Yusei gave her a small smile that she returned before she ran back over to her runner, put on her helmet, got on it, and took off leaving Yusei alone with Jack. 4. Reunited, But in a Good Way! New Domino City; The Tops! It was night time as Yukari sat watching two little kids with the same hair and eye color play a game of duel monsters. Yukari's mind was some where else wondering where Yusei was and hoping that he was ok as well as what she remembered already from her time in the city like her full name. Yukari still couldn't believe that her last name was Yuki, but she hasn't yet figured out why she felt the need to find some one. The auburn haired girl looked up at the ceiling thinking when all of a sudden one of the kids gasped making her look at the child. "Luna?" Yukari asked. "What is it?" the other child asked. Yukari kneeled down next to the little the girl who was now shaking looking at her in concern. "Luna, what's wrong?" Jamie asked. Without wrong the little girl got up and ran towards the elevator making her and the other child to run after her. "Luna!" they both yelled, "Luna!" When they reached an alleyway they saw a boy on the ground unconscious with a red duel runner next to him. Yukari walked closer and when she got a good look at the boy she let out a gasp when she the very person she has been thinking about. Jamie rushed over to Yusei while the two kids where not that far away from her. "Who?" the other child asked, "who is he?" "Leo, Luna, get his runner," Yukari told them, "I'll get him." "Alright," both of them agreed. With their help Yukari was able to get Yusei inside and laid him down on the coach while the children brought in his runner. As they walked over to her Jamie had already took off his goblet, gloves, and jacket which she used as a pillow before she took his deck from the goblet. When she had covered him up Yukari stood and turned to face the kids who were watching her the whole time. "Leo, Luna, go on to bed," Yukari told them, "alright. I'll stay with him in case he wakes up." "Ok," Luna agreed. "But…" "Come on Leo," Luna interrupted as she pulled her Brother away. When the twins where finally out of sight and in bed Yukari turned to Yusei taking in his looks and noticed the marker on his cheek. Yukari growled under her voice as she thought of ways to get back at Jack for what he did to Yusei, but she kneeled down next to Yusei and gently moved some of his hair out of his face smiling. Yukari laid her head next to on her arms that were resting against the side of the coach and fall asleep hoping that Yusei well be alright. The next morning! Yukari woke up the next morning to see that Yusei was still asleep, so she got up to go and take a shower before she got dressed in clean cloths. When she finished she walked back into the living room to see that the twins where awake already just looking at him though as mush as she would love to stay be his side till he woke up she walked into the kitchen and cooked breakfast for her and the twins. When they finished eating they went back to the living room where they looked at Yusei again till Leo decided to break the silence. "Should we wake him up?" he asked. "I don't know," Luna answered, "look at that marker on his cheek?" "What about it?" Leo asked. "Remember that weirdo who use to clean the pool?" Luna asked, "when Dad came home and saw that guy had a marker on his cheek he fired him. Dad said that mark meant that he was in the Facility." "So think this guy was in the Facility, too?" Leo asked, "cool." "That not cool you dork," Luna told him, "people who been to the Facility are bad." "Luna," Yukari spoked up making the twins to look at her. "Don't judge some one before you get to know them. It's that right there that makes people go to the Facility because they have been miss understood. I bet that half of the Facility mates have been put into it for no reason at all and have been given the title of a criminal when in fact their nice." "Ok," Luna agreed. "Well, talk to his card spirits," Leo told her, "see what they have to say about him." Luna placed her hand on Yusei's deck with her eyes closed. "Well?" "They say he's a very good person," Luna answered, "they also say that he's very sad and in love." "I wonder what he's sad about?" Leo asked, "maybe he lost his dog or his hamster…" "Shhh," Luna interrupted, "he's waking up." Yukari stood up and walked over to the twins where smiling at Yusei as he looked at them before setting up. "Who are you?" he asked. "We found you in the alley downstairs," Luna told him. "You've racked you bike," Leo added. "You wouldn't wake up," Luna stated. "So we brought you up here," Leo added again. "Your heavy," Luna finished. "You two don't know that it," Yukari said with a sweat drop making Yusei look at her. "I was the one who carried him up here." 'Where have I seen her before?' he thought. "My name's Leonardo," Leo told him, "but please call me Leo. This is Yukari, but we call her Yuka and this is my Sister Luna. We're twins in case you couldn't tell. Not identical twins obviously. She's a she and I'm a he, but…so, uh, who are you mister? What's your name?" "I have no idea," Yusei answered. Yukari was shocked to hear that not knowing what to say, but she looked away though Yusei looked at her trying to figure out where he had seen her before and wondering why she was upset. Yukari pretend not to know him as she looked at him with a smile. "Well, then we'll help you," she said. "Thanks," Yusei told her, 'seriously where have I seen her before.' Yukari walked over to help him stand up while Leo looked about ready to explode with excitement. "I never meet anyone with amnesia before," he announced. "Where are we?" Yusei asked. "Cheek this out," Leo stated as he waked his hand. "Leo, just answer his question and tell him were we are," Luna ordered. "Cool, huh?" Leo asked, "it's on a monition sensor. We also got a…" "You in our apt. in the area called the tops," Luna interrupted. "Nice, huh?' Leo asked, "it's the best place in New Domino City only the super rich can live here." "Leo," Luna scolded. "How did I end up in that alleyway?" Yusei asked. "No idea," Yukari answered, "that was were we found you." "I see," Yusei mumbled, 'why can't I remember where I've seen her before? I mean, it feels like she's some one important to me, but I can't figure out why.' Later on! Yukari watched with amusement as Leo tried to help Yusei get his memories back though it wasn't working. "There does that help any?" Leo asked after Yusei put on the goblet. "Now that you've got your jacket on take a deep breath and say my name is and then say you name." "He's tried that 10 times," Luna stated annoyed, "it's obviously not working Leo!" "Well it worked on TV!" Leo told her, "I saw this guy on a show one time. He was helping people remember things they forgot like were they left their keys and stuff. Hey! What chya looking at?" Yukari looked over at the place where Yusei was looking and saw that it was Leo's shrine of Jack Altes which has been getting on her nerves. Now don't get her wrong she cares about Leo, but he has just a warship relationship with Jack Altes that she was starting to wondering if it's a good thing or not. "Those," Yusei answered. "Oh," Leo said as he looked over the shrine. "That's my shrine. Jack Altes, is like my all time hero. He's the greatest. No one can beat him in a turbo duel. And one day I'm going to be the champ just like Jack." "You can't even ride a normal bike," Luna told him. "Now, now Luna," Yukari said with a sweat drop. "I stayed up for 12 seconds last time I tried," Leo said, "so does Jack Altes mean anything to you?" "Yeah, but I don't know why," Yusei answered. "Maybe you're a fan of his," Leo suggested. 'Yusei a fan of Jack's?' Yukari thought, 'if he's a fan of that back stabbing baka then I'm the tooth fairy.' "Or maybe you were hoping to duel him?" Leo asked, "I mean you are a turbo duelist." "How do you know that?" Yusei asked. "Because we found you next to that duel runner," Leo answered. "Huh?" Yusei asked as he looked over to where Leo was looking at to see a red duel runner. "Am I right about you?" Leo asked as Yusei walked over to his duel runner. "Are you a big time duelist in town to duel Jack?" "I don't think I'm a big time anything," Yusei answered. "Maybe you should turn hypnotizing him Leo," Luna suggested. Leo looked at her with a bit of a glare. "I know," Leo suddenly said as he ran over to the shrine to grab a white envelop. "Mister maybe you have one of these." Leo ran over to Yusei who looked at him. "I'll take it out and you tell me if it looks familiar." "Ok," Yusei agreed. Leo pulled out the invite to show to Yusei. "The Fortune cup?" Yusei asked as he took the invite. "Yeah," Leo answered, "it's this big tournament that people from Kaiba Crop randomly select. It's going to be huge. And hey, hey! Get this? The selected me and I'm going to be in it." "Actually they selected me," Luna said. "Technically they selected Luna, but she's to scared to enter so I'm going to pretend to be her to enter and I'm going to win this thing. They have also selected Yuka, too." "No ones going to believe your me Leo," Luna told him. "Why wouldn't they believe it?" Leo asked as he moved to stand in front of her. "We're twins. We look just a like. "I'm a girl," Luna answered, "I'm pretty." "I'll wear make-up," Leo told her. Yukari started to cackle as she pictured Leo wearing make-up. "Leo, wears make-up," Luna stated to teased, "Leo, wears make-up." "You want to know what I think Luna?" Leo asked, "you jealous.' "Why are we even arguing about this?" Luna asked, "we still have a bad guy in out house." "You don't even know for sure that he's a bad guy Luna!" Leo yelled at her, "maybe he was framed for a crime he didn't commit. That's happens you know. I saw it once on TV." "Um…he's still in the room," Luna told him. They all looked at him as he put the invite back into the envelop before tossing it back to it's place. "Thanks for trying to help me and everything, but this Fortune Cup thing isn't ring any bells. I should get out of here." "Where are you going?" Leo asked. "I shouldn't trouble you guys any more," Yusei answered. "But you still don't know who are," Leo argued with him, "I've got it." Leo ran over to the closet and started to go through it. "Just let him go Leo." "No wait," Leo said, "just…a…alright!" Leo rushed back over to Yusei wearing a duel disk. "Before you go mister. I've one more idea. I challenge you to a duel Mr. Amnesia man." "He's got more important things to go," Luna tried to reason with her Brother. "This could help him!" Leo yelled at her. "I saw it on TV this on time." "Ok that's it," Yukari said, "no more TV for you." "Jack Altes, was giving an interview and Jack said the way a duelist duels reveals who he really is, if you duel you might remember who you are," Leo went on pretending that Yukari didn't speak. "Come on. Come on. Come on. Let's duel." Leo had waved his arms in the air and his duel disk fall off his arm. "Dumb thing never stays on right. This is embarrassing. Just give me a second I'll fix it up and we'll be good to go. Just hand on. I've got to put the thing with the…uh." "I think your remembering me of somebody," Yusei told him, "I don't know who, but this might be good. Let's do this." "You mean it?" Leo asked. Yusei nodded before turning to his runner and pressing a button. "Disengaging duel disk." "Sweet," Leo said in awe, "good thing you remember how to do that. Awe man. I'm going to show you moves you've never seen before." Yukari smiled at them as they started to walk out, but Luna stopped to look back at her. "Are you coming Yukari?" she asked. "Nah," Yukari answered, "you go on ahead. I'll start making dinner ok." "Alright," Luna agreed as she walked back out. Yukari walked into the kitchen and started to cook dinner for them as she heard the blast from the duel going on, but it wasn't long till Leo came running in with a huge grin on his face. "Yukari, Yukari!" he yelled. "What is it Leo?" Yukari asked. "It worked," Leo answered, "he's got his memory back." "That's good to hear," Yukari told him with a smile, "say Leo why don't you and your Sister go and get cleaned up for dinner?" "Ok," Leo said as he ran out. Yukari went back to cooking when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist making her giggle already knowing who it was. "Thinks for not telling them," Yusei said. "I figured that you wouldn't want them to know," Yukari said as she turned around to face him. "I'm glade your alright," Yusei whispered as he placed his forehead against hers. "As am I," Yukari said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you remember anything?" he asked, "about your forgotten past?" "I remember that my full name is Yukari Yuki," she answered, "I just haven't gotten around to looking it up yet." "That's good," Yusei said with a smile, "at least we have an idea on where to start." Yukari smiled at him as Yusei leaned down and kissed her on the lips to which she returned, but they pulled apart when they heard the twins in the hallway. "Why don't you sat the table," Yukari said. "Alright," Yusei agreed. Yukari went back to cooking with a smile as Yusei got the plates and silverware and with the help of the twins sat the table. Nighttime! Yukari waked up to the sound noise down stairs in the living room, so she got out of bed to see what was making the noise. When she reached the bottom she saw Yusei setting on the coach working on the twins duel disks unaware of Yukari standing behind him till… "Don't you ever sleep Yusei?" Yukari asked making Yusei almost jump out of his skin. Yukari covered her mouth trying to keep from laughing as Yusei turned around to give her a half hearted glare, but he couldn't keep it on his face. Yukari walked over to him and sat down next to him as he went back to work. "Why are you up Yukari?" Yusei asked. "I heard some noise, so I came to check it out," Yukari answered. "Sorry," Yusei said, "I didn't mean to wake you up." "It's alright," Yukari told him. Yukari watched as he put the last finishing touches onto the duel disks before he turned to her with a smile that she returned. Yusei stood up and offered her his hand that she took and helped her up before he pulled her into him and kissed her. They made out for a little bit before they pulled away to look into each other eyes till Yusei hugged her. "Yusei?" Yukari asked. "We need to leave Yukari," Yusei answered, "I don't won't to be any where without you this time." Yukari smiled as she hugged him back taking in his smell that was unique to him and him only. "Ok," she agreed, "just let me get dressed first." Yusei pulled out of the hug to look Yukari up and down to see that she was wearing a tank top and short shorts. He looked away with a blush as Yukari ran back to her room and dressed in her normal clothes. When she came back out Yusei was putting their runners in the elevator as she walked up to him. "You didn't have to do that Yusei," Yukari told him making the poor boy jump into the air once more. Yukari covered her mouth to hide a laugh as Yusei turned to face her with a slight glare. "Would you stop doing that," he playfully growled. "Not my fault if your easy to scare," Yukari stated as she walked into the elevator to stand next to her runner. Yusei let out a sigh as he followed her before he hit the down button. 'I hate to duel and bash you two, but it's for your own good,' Yusei thought, 'cause if I stay around here you'll only get in trouble.' When the elevator door opened Yukari and Yusei pushed their runners out, put on their helmets, got on, and left for the streets of New Domino City. Streets of New Domino City! Yusei and Yukari were riding along when all of a sudden a Sector Security Runner pulled out in front of them. "I was starting to think you two didn't like me," Trudge's voice sounded as all three runners pulled to a stop as the rider looked at each other. "I'm going to take you in Yusei and then take your girlfriend to Jack." "LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS!" Yukari snapped, "I'M NOT A DAMN TROPHY!" "So are you going to come quietly?" Trudge asked completely ignore Yukari, but both of the duelist turned their runners around to took off. "That's what I was hoping you'd-what the?" It was then that a pair of headlights hit them all in the face making them stop. "Officer Trudge," a high pitched voice sounded as a clown looking man stepped out of the car. "Aren't you suppose to be guarding the Calendars and Candles Kiosk at the outer rim mall?" Yukari snirked as Trudge's eyes narrowed. "I didn't get your name, short stack." "Special Deputy Lazar," the clown told him as he held out his badge to show them. "I work for Director Goodwin, and I outrank you, sorry." Yukari raised an eyebrow as Lazar laughed. "How come I've never heard of you?" Trudge asked. "I'm on official business Officer Trudge," Lazar told him not bothering to answer his question. "I would advise you to leave the area immediately." "This punk's a menace!" Trudge yelled as he pointed at Yusei. "He stoled that runner from the Impound Center! He should-" "Officer," Lazar interrupted, "there's very little room in the city for dead beat cops who don't know their place or when to keep their mouths close." "So what official business are you on?" Yusei asked as Trudge left. "Delivery for Mr Fudo," Lazar answered as he hand Yusei an envelope, "we'd like for you to participate in the Fortune Cup." Yusei gasped when he saw a picture of four people. "If you refuse, the four people you see in that photograph well pay the penalty for the rogue actions you took in obtaining that runner." Lazar looked over at Yukari with a smirk. "And Miss Yuki." Yukari looked at the clown with a glare. "If you'd like to know more about your past then it'll be in your best interest to enter as well." Yukari let out a gasp as Lazar turned around and started to walk away. "Have a good evening." Yusei looked over at Yukari before back at Lazar with glare as he left. 5. Bloom of the Black Rose! **_Me: Leting you all know now that this chapter well have a sex scene in it so if you don't like then skip it, but you do like then go ahead and read. Please let me know on you like the sex scene if you read it._** ...My line... Blisters Place! "This is the place Yusei," a man who Yukari learned was named Blaster said. "You'll be safe here until the Fortune Cup." He opened up a garage door before walking in with Yusei and Yukari who both backed their runners inside. "Now quite five stars, but it's got all the creature comforts you would expect from this part of town; cockroaches, mice, stray cat." "Thanks," Yusei thanked before he raised an eyebrow. "I think." Yukari put her kick stand down before walking over to the dark haired Duelist. "I decorated the place myself," Blaster told them making both Duelist to look at him. "Now get some rest. You still haven't recovered from that fall you took. And if you plan on dueling and winning the Fortune Cup, you're gonna need a clear head." "I'll rest, Blister, when out friends are safe," Yusei told him. "I hear ya, Yusei," Blister said as Yusei walked out of the place. "but you're no good to anybody if you don't have all your strength." "Don't worry, I heal real quick," Yusei stated, 'and I'm gonna show Goodwin just how good I feel.' Yukari let out a sigh before she smiled at Blaster and then walked out to stand next to Yusei to look up at te Kaiba Corp Building. Blister smiled at the two before he turned and left to go take care of something leaving the two lovers alone. "Come on Yusei," Yukari said as she pulled him back in the garage and towards some stairs. "You need to get some rest for tonight." "Yukari," Yusei started in. "Don't start with me, Yusei Fudo," Yukari growled as she stopped and turned to him with her hands on her hips. Yusei swallowed hard knowing that when Yukari used the full name card she meant business. "Your going to rest of tonight." The both of them walked into a spare room, but just as Yukari moved for the bed Yusei grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. "I have a better idea," Yusei said playfully before he kissed her head on. Yukari gasped at the sudden kiss allowing Yusei's tongue to enter her mouth where he pulled her own tongue into a tongue fight. Graphic Scene! Yusei pulled Yukari closer to him to deepen the kiss as Yukari's fingers on her left hand ran through his hair to get entangled in it. As time passed the kiss became more heated as Yusei removed his gloves before he threw them in a random corner of the room before he removed Yukari's jacket and then threw somewhere in the room as well. Yukari in the mean time removed her hands from Yusei's hair and ran them down his chest before she then removed his jacket and threw where it joined her own jacket. They pulled apart to only removed their shirts before they where once again lip locked once again. Yukari ran her hands down Yusei's chest to his jeans where she undid the belt, button, zipper, and then she pulled them off of with his help leaving Yusei in nothing, but his boxers before he went to undo and took Yukari's skirt leaving her in nothing other then a black bra and blue panties. Yusei reached behind her to undo the clips of Yukari's bra and then took it off with Yukari's help once again before he went and removed her panties leaving her naked, but he got a surprised when Yukari reached down and removed his boxers leaving him naked. Once they were fully undressed they pulled apart to catch their breath then Yusei picked Yukari up bridal style and laid her down on his bed before he crawled on top of her and locked his cobalt colored eyes with her brilliant blue ones. "Do you want to go through with this, Yukari?" Yusei asked. "Of course," Yukari answered, "you know that I trust you, Yusei." Yusei smiled at her before he attached his lips to Yukari's neck before he trailed kisses down to Yukari's collarbone where he gently bit. Yusei then moved to take right nipples into his mouth "Yusei," Yukari let out a breathy moan while Yusei sucked, licked, and bite her nipple as his hand twisted and pinched the left one so it didn't feel left out. After awhile Yusei moved his attention to the left breast and gave it the same treatment as the right one. "Oh." Yukari moaned even more before he sat back a bit to look at her naked body that only he was allowed to see. Yukari couldn't help the blush that appeared on her cheeks as Yusei looked her over and she felt the need to cover her self up, but when she moved to do that Yusei stopped her. "Don't hide," he told her, "your gorgeous Yukari, so there's need to cover yourself up." Yukari blushed even more as her brilliant blue eyes meet his cobalt colored ones once more before he leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. When the kiss once again got to heated Yusei moved to kiss Yukari's neck get a moan out of her then he trailed the kisses down her body to her center where he kissed the inside of her thigh before he moved his attention to womanhood. "Oh, God!" Yukari moaned as her fist clenched the bedding as she felt Yusei pleasuring her in every way possible turning her knuckles white. "God!" Yusei smirked as he plunge his tongue into her and rubbed it against her walls. "Yusei...feels...so...good." Yusei smirked when he heard the loud moan come from the most gorgeous woman in the world above him. It wasn't long till Yukari felt that she was close to her release, but Yusei pulled his tongue out of her before she could and he moved back up her body to only be pushed onto his back with Yukari saddling him. "Don't think your going to get away with that." Now it was Yusei's turn to blush red as their lips locked for the fourth time that night before Yukari started planting kisses on his neck, chest, and stomach till she reached her target which resulted in Yusei gasping when he felt something wet and worm engulf his groin. "Yukari," Yusei groaned as Yukari teased him a bit by running her tongue along the slit before she deep throat him being careful on not to gag. Yukari listened to Yusei as groan and moaned while she gave him a blow job by bobbing her head up and down, but before he could release Yukari pulled away and moved up to only be pushed back onto the bed with Yusei hovering over her. They started at each other for a little bit before Yusei placed himself at Yukari's entrance, but he looked at her wanting to know if it was ok to continue. "It's ok Yusei," Yukari told him as she leaned up and kissed him that told him that it was alright so Yusei gently and quickly pushed into her and taking her innocences. Yukari's eyes snapped open as she cried in pain into Yusei's mouth making him to still before he pulled out of the kiss and look at her wanting to now if she was alright, but when he looked at her, he saw tears in her now closed eyes. "I'm sorry Yukari," Yusei apologized to her as he whipped a stray tear away. Yukari opened her eyes to look at Yusei who was looking at her with worry and regret, but she wouldn't have it. "I'm fine Yusei," she told him, "and anyways, a girl's first time is always painful." Yusei smiled at her before he went in for another kissed that she returned quickly, but he still remained unmoving given her time to adjust to him. After a while Yusei felt Yukari's hip wiggle a bit causing a groan to escape his throat before he got the massage to start moving. Yusei started out at a slow pace wanting not to hurt her when she broke their kiss and a moan escape the back of her throat. "Yusei." Yusei shivered when he heard her moaned his name the way she did and it took all of well power to not pick up the pace well till what came out of her mouth again. "Faster...Ah...Harder." That was when Yusei lost control and complied with her request by picking up the pace going a bit harder as making her to moan loudly. "Oh God, Yusei! More! AH!" "Damn Yukari," Yusei panted, "your...so...tight." It was long till they both started to feel their release approaching so Yusei picked up the pace a bit more making Yukari to moan even louder and he was glad that Blister was somewhere else at the moment because he didn't need to hear them to hear. "Yusei! Harder! Faster! Deeper!" Yukari moaned as she started to move her hips in time with Yusei's thrusts getting closer to her release as things started to go over board. "Yukari," Yusei groaned as her walls clenched around his arousal which let him know that she was close and it was long till her walls really closed around him. "YUSEI!" Yukari moaned as she released. Yusei thrust a few more times into her. "Yukari!" Yusei once again groaned as released his seeds inside of her. End of Graphic Scene! Yusei pulled out of Yukari as he rolled over and onto the bed where lay on his back panting and once his breathing slowed he moved to grab his boxers and put them on before turning to Yukari who had already turned onto her side to face him. Yusei reached over and gently moved some of her hair behind her ear as he gave her a smile that she returned. Yukari snuggled up to Yusei before they both fall asleep just holding each other not waiting to let go. The Next Morning! Yukari woke up to find that Yusei was not next to her in bed and figured that he was most likely working on his runner. Yukari sat up in bed and stretched before she took noticed to the fact that she wasn't wearing any clothes and last night flashed across her mind making the female Hero Duelist to blush. Yukari got out of bed carefully before she stood up. When Yukari moved to walk over to her shorts she almost fall over in pain when she moved. She had almost forgot that last night was her first time so carefully the young Hero Duelist walked around the room gathering her clothes before heading off to take a shower. When she was done getting ready for the day Yukari walked out of the room and headed for the garage. Garage! Yukari walked into the garage just in time to hear Yusei and Blaster talking about the Fortune Cup. "So what did that purple haired freak say to you about dueling in the Fortune Cup?" Blaster asked, "well." Yusei looked over at him. "It's not what he said, but what he showed me," Yusei answered before he took his jacket that he had hanging on the back of his duel runner. He took out an envelope from one of the pockets and throw it Blaster who pulled the out the papers before looking through it, but he stopped when he came across a picture. "So theses are you friends?" Blaster asked. "Yeah, and if I don't show up to the Fortune Cup, Goodwin said that they'd pay the price," Yusei answered as he went back to work on his runner. "Sounds like something Goodwin would do," Blaster stated, "if it's not a bribe then it's a threat. Your friends in the Satellite?" "They are," Yusei once again answered. "Ah man," Blaster said as he looked at the picture. "I wanna help you out." Yusei looked over at Blaster who stood up. "I'll check on them, and make sure nothing bad happens." "You can get to the Satellite?" Yusei asked. "I can get anywhere," Blaster answered, "don't worry, you'll be back with your buds in no time." Yusei looked at his runner as Blaster started to walk away. 'That's if Goodwin well ever let me see them again,' Yusei thought. Blaster having remembered something stopped and looked back at Yusei. "You can ask her yourself," Yukari's voice sounded. Both boys jumped before they looked at her. Yukari stood near her runner with her arms crossed her chest. "Yukari," Yusei groaned in annoyances, "what have I-" "Your just to easy to scare," Yukari interrupted before she looked at Blaster. "Well, then what did he offer you for you to be the Fortune Cup?" Blaster asked. "Answers," Yukari answered him, "he promised me answers about my past." "About your past?" Blaster asked, "aren't you from the Satellite? Isn't that were you grew up?" "No it's not," Yusei answered this time, "some friends and I found Yukari when we were 15. She couldn't remember anything about herself expect for her first name, date of birth, and how to duel." Blaster looked at the Hero Duelist with sympathy. "She and I thought that the City might hold answers for her which is why I allowed her to come with me. It seemed that she was able to remember her last name after only about a month in the city." "What's your full name?" Blaster asked. "Yukari Yuki," the Hero Duelist answered. Blaster's eyes widen making both 18-year-olds to look at him. "What is it Blaster?" Yusei asked. "There's only one person with that name," Blaster answered, "the Granddaughter of Jaden and Alexis Yuki. They saw that she went missing the day her parents where killed when she was only 15." Yusei and Yukari looked at each other. "From what I heard was that she duel with aNeo-Spacian/Hero deck." Yukari's eyes widen in shock as her hand went straight to one of her deck box. "What?" "I have a Neo-Spacian/Hero deck," Yukari answered, "but I can't be..." "I'll look to see if I can't find any more info and a picture for you," Blaster told her before he left. Yukari looked down at the ground as the info that Blaster had given her so far ran through her mind. Yusei stopped what he was doing and walked up to Yukari where he pulled her into hug hoping to comfort her. Yusei walked her over to the couch that was in the garage where she sat down and it wasn't long till she fall asleep only when a pained expression. Yusei let out a sigh as he stood up walked over to his runner to get back to work. Yukari's Dream! _A young Yukari walked down the hallway of Duel Academy hoping to get to her next class on time as she was wearing her Grandfather's old Slifer Red jacket. Just as Yukari walked through the door of her classroom she saw the place in ruins and students up against the wall of the room looking at a young girl with red hair who stood in the middle of the room with fear in their eyes. It wasn't long till Yukari spotted a young girl around her age with blue waist length hair and emerald green colored eyes who was the only one not looking at the red haired girl with fear. Yukari made her way over to the blue haired girl who stood straighter when she noticed the Hero Duelist._ "_What's going on?" Yukari asked once she reached the girl, "what happened here Catherine?"_ "_Same Obelisk Blue idiot thought he could beat Akiza," the girl now known as Catherine answered, "what else is new?"_ _Yukari looked at the red head with sympathy knowing what it's like to be picked on cause she was different and she knew what the young girl could do._ "_I think we should talk to her," Yukari suggested looking at Catherine._ "_Your right Kari," Catherine agreed._ _Both girls walked up to the red head who turned to look at them when the whisper of the other students started._ "_What do you want?" she asked._ "_We just want to talk to you, Akiza," Yukari answered with a smile._ "_I'm Catherine Anderson and this my friend Yukari Yuki," Catherine introduced._ "_But you can call us, Cat and Kari or Yuka if you like," Yukari added._ _Akiza stared at the two girls wondering why they weren't afraid of her like the others, but soon a small smile appeared and she walked away with the two girls to talk._ End of Yukari's Dream! Yusei looked over at Yukari to see that her face had smoothed out a bit making him smile before he turned his attention back to his duel runner. A few hours later! After a few hours, Yusei could still be found working on his runner well Yukari slept on the couch this time with a calm expression. I can hear you breathing I can see you coming I can feel the wind It's blowing me around... Yusei had the radio on as he worked not noticing that Blister had walked in with two others till he revived his runner. "Agh!" Blister cried in pain as he and the other two covered their ears. "Turn that off!" "I can't her you!" Yusei called as he continued to revived his runner. "Yusei, it's me!" one of the two that came in with Blister yelled as he came into view. "Yanagi!" Yusei stopped what he was doing to look at Yanagi, an older man with surprise as the other two walked up to him. No one even noticed Yukari walking up. "Yuse, nice place." "Your out?" Yusei asked in surprised. "It's all thanks to you," Blister answered. "When you out-dueled Chief Armstrong, we didn't just get early release, we got WAY early release!" Yanagi added, "so we headed right over to this...um...this interesting...uh..." "This place is a dump! Why don't you get a throw rug and work some fung schwa in here?" "Tanner, you said you'd be nice," Yanagi scolded. "That was nice," Tanner told the old man, "I'm liking the duel runners though." Tanner looked over at the purple runner that was next to Yusei's red one. "Twin exhaust, turbo rotor, and your own deck." Tanner picked up Yusei's deck and looked at it. "Bet you wished you had that back in the facility." Tanner placed the deck down. "What do you say you let me take it for a little right and see what she's got? I'll bring it back with a full charge, and not one scratch." "Yeah, right," Yanagi said, you mean, like your last runner?" "How bout' we duel?" Tanner asked ignore Yanagi as he pulled out his deck. "I win, I get to take her for a quick spin, okay?" "I've gotta see this!" Yanagi yelled as Yusei smirked nodded his head. Yukari stood up which got Yusei's attention who smiled at her. "Yukari, you finally woke up." The other three turned around to look at the Hero Duelist who stood behind them rubbing her eyes before she yawned and smiled at Yusei. "Yeah," she answered, "how long was I sleep for, Hun?" "Not long I say about 2 to 3 hours," Yusei answered as Yukari walked over to him. Yukari nodded before she gave him a kiss that made Tanner and Yanagi gasp in shock before she turned to look at them. "Yusei, whose she?" Tanner asked. "Tanner, Yanagi meet Yukari," Yusei introduced, "she's my girlfriend." "GIRLFRIEND!" Tanner and Yanagi yelled at the same time. "Yup," Yusei confirmed with a nod, "Yukari meet Tanner and Yanagi. I meet them well I was in the facility." "Nice to meet you," Yukari said with a smile. "Nice to meet you, too," Tanner and Yanagi greeted. All five of them walked out though Tanner teased Yusei about Yukari making the girl to giggle. Open Alleyway! The 5 came to an open alleyway where Yusei and Tanner got into place though Yanagi and Blister stood behind Tanner as Yukari stood behind Yusei. She noticed Yanagi turn to talk to Blister before she looked back at the two boys to watch the duel. "Let's Duel!" both Duelist called. Yukari looked off to the side when she heard the sound of a duel runner coming close at the same time as Yusei. It wasn't long till she noticed a white runner turning into the alleyway and pulled to a stop in between Tanner and Yusei. "Hey, Jack," Yusei greeted the rider. Yukari walked over to Yusei and half hide behind him as Jack got off his runner while he took off his helmet. "Uh-oh." "Uh-oh," Yanagi repeated, "why is Jack Altes here?" "Lessons?" Blister answered with a question. "Careful," Jack told them as he looked back at the two. "It's been a long time, Altes," Tanner said, "what's up?" "My career, thank you," Jack answered acidly. "What brings you here Jack?" Yusei asked when the blond turned back to him. "I heard you'll be at the Fortune Cup," Jack answered. "Word get's around fast," Yusei stated. "I've got a deal for you, Yusei," Jack told him as he reached into his jacket, "for you Stardust Dragon." He pulled out the card to show Yusei who let out a gasp. "You add it to your deck, win, and then you can keep the card. I win, I get it, and then you and I are straight." "Straight?" Yusei asked, "what about mine and Yukari's friends?" "What?" Jack asked, "what are your talking about?" Yusei reached into his jacket pocket this time and pulled out a picture of the four. "You're purple haired pal, Lazar stopped by, and if I don't duel, they pay the price." "What?" "Surprised Jack?" Yusei asked as he put the picture back, "well, don't be. I know Goodwin's behind all of this. And I guarantee he's going to regret ever putting this Satellite's friends in harm's way." "Well, then you'll defiantly need your Stardust Dragon now won't you?" Jack asked as he tossed Yusei the card who cought it with ease. "And just so we're clear, I don't know anything about this threat, got it? I duel for me. Goodwin has his own agenda." Jack got ready to leave. "So I guess I'll see you at the Fortune Cup the. And Yusei, you had better bring your A game with you." "I will," Yusei informed before Jack left. Yukari let out a sigh happy that he didn't bring her into the deal this time. The other three walked over to them looking worried. "I have to see that card!" Yanagi yelled making Yukari to sweat drop as Yusei turned the card around. "Oh, it's true! That's Stardust Dragon! It's amazing! This is big stuff! You are a signer!" Yukari looked at Yusei who looked disbelieving as the Hero Duelist just looked confused. "With this card you made the Crimson Dragon appear!" "But Jack was there, too," Yusei told him. "Then that must mean that your both signers," Yanagi said with excitement, "you two are connected." 'But what does it all mean?' Yusei thought as he looked away. Yukari looked at him with confusion wondering what was going on, but she didn't say anything. Street Duels! It was dusk, Yusei and the others where all standing around watching street duels. They were all watching a duel where a duelist who looked like Joey Wheeler was dueling some one. "Is that Joey Wheeler?" "No man, that's his cousin Jesse Wheeler." Yukari blinked a few times before shrugging. "Yusei, Yukari!" Blister called called out making both Duelists to turn around to look at him. "Good news. I've found a work boat that well take me to the Satellite tonight." "A work boat," Yanagi said, "don't those carry trash and deceases?" "If your lucky," Blister said, "but this is no pleasure cruise. It's to check on Yusei's friends. They might be in trouble Grandpa. You see Yusei has much bigger thing's to worry about." "Like the Fortune Cup?" Tanner sounded, "her, our boy well clean them up." "There's a lot more at steak then just the Tournament Bolt," Blister spoke up again, "Goodwin and Altes, forced Yusei to duel. If their going to be involved some thing bad is going on." "Like the end of the world," Yanagi said, "everyone in New Domino. Marked or not. Satellite and civilians all out fates are tied to the Signers. To Yusei." "Not sure that I believe that, but just in case," Blister said, "why don't you win for the sake of all humanity ok?" "Sure," Yusei said with an amused smile. "Mister." Yusei looked over to where he heard a voice making Yukari to also looked over to see that the voice belonged to Leo as he and a friend of his walked up to a man. "Hey Mister," Leo called as he tipped the guys back. "have you see the Black Rose?" "Nah. Don't you know that she's doesn't excites? Maybe she's dueling one of your imaginary friends." Yukari felt her eyebrow twitched making Yusei tense up when he notice having seen her lose her temper before and he has to admit that it was not pretty either. "Maybe she doesn't excite Dex," Leo told his friend after the guy walked off. "I know the blogs never lie," Dexter told Leo, "she'll be here. I just know it." "You sure?" Leo asked, "I mean does anyone really know who she really is?" "Well she better show up because my deck is ready for her," Dexter answered. "Well Dex," Leo said, "we looked for the Black Rose all day. Maybe we should go home." "Huh?" Dex asked, "go home? The Black Rose is the greatest duelist ever. They say her cards make real monsters, her spells are like real spells, and her traps are like…" "Let me guess?" Leo asked, "real traps." "If you don't want to help me the fine, but I'm staying right here got that," Dex said as he looked like he was going to cry. "Don't cry Dexter," Leo told him, "I'll stay." "I don't cry," Dex said. "Hey, Leo!" Yusei called out, "what's up?" Leo looked over at them to see Yusei and Yukari walking up to him. "Hey!" Leo greeted as he ran to meet up with them. "Look Dexter it's the super hero who fixed me and my Sister's duel disks?" Leo's face light up when he saw Yukari. "No way! Yukari!" "He's a super hero?" Dex asked, "ugh." Leo soon stopped in front of Yusei and Yukari with a smile. "So what's up?" Leo asked. "What are you going here Leo?" Yusei answered with a question, "this is a dangerous place for little kids. Where's your Sister?" "She didn't want to come," Leo answered. By then Dex finally cought up to them, but he saw the marker on Yusei's cheek he let out a gasp. "Leo, I don't think this guy's a super hero," Dex whispered, "check out his face." "That's his secret identity," Leo told him. "What are you doing here?" Yanagi asked. "We've been looking around for the Black Rose," Leo answered. "Oh," Yusei said, "he helped me get my memory back. He's cool." "Yes, I'm cool," Leo said, "and this guy's my best friend Dexter." "Hello." "That guy is the best," Leo told Dex, "he's got this combo that's like whoa. You should defiantly duel him." "Huh?" Dex asked, "maybe some other time." He then noticed that Yusei was holding an invite to the Fortune Cup. "Huh? Look at that." "Hey!" Leo said as he took notice to it as well. "That's an invite to the Fortune Cup. You'll be there, too?" Yusei nodded his head with a smile as he held out the invite to Leo. "I get to duel you!" Leo started to chant, "I get to duel you! I get to duel you! But this time your going down, too." He then turned to Dex. "Maybe if I win he'll make me his sidekick like in all of the comic books. Cool, huh?" "Yeah," Dex agreed. It was then that Yusei fall to his knee holding his wrist making Yukari kneeled next to him worried, but it was then that she felt her arm throb in pain though she was able to ignore it. "It's ok," Leo told him, "I'll let you win." "What's wrong?' Yanagi asked. "It hurts just like before," Yusei answered. "Before?" Tanner asked. "When it first appeared," Yusei answered, "the Crimson Dragon." "Let's go," Dex said. "Wait," Leo told him. "some things happening." Just then vines started to pop up out of the ground as a lot of people was running away from a duel that was going yelling about the Black Rose while on of the duelist looking like they were stupid. "There is no Black Rose!" he yelled, but was knocked off his feet by a vine. "Black Rose?" Yukari asked. "She's just a myth," Blister answered. "Oh yeah?" Tanner asked. "There's a reasonably explanation here," Blister answered. 'What's going on?' Yusei thought. Yukari gasped when she saw the out lined of a dragon in the dust making Yusei to look at it as well. "What is that?' Yusei asked, "whose dragon is that?' Yusei took off his glove and pulled up his jacket sleeve to revival the tail part of some kind that was glowing red. 'My Mark.' It wasn't long till the Yanagi noticed that Yukari's arm was also glowing red making him gasp. "Yukari, your arm," he said. Yusei looked at Yukari has she pulled her own jacket's sleeve up and removed her arm warmers to revival a snake like body of a dragon that curled around her left arm from her wrist to her elbow. "Oh my," Yanagi said. "Those are no tattoos," Tanner said. "Your right Tanner," the old man said, "their the marks of the dragon." "Marks of the Dragon?" Leo asked as he remembered seeing a red glowing mark as well. "The Black Rose is real." It was that Yukari and Yusei got up and ran into the dust. "Wait!" Leo followed after them. "It's to dangerous! Even for a super hero!" They stopped when they saw a girl and a black dragon with rose Patel like wings standing before them. "Black Rose?" Yusei asked. "I think, but be careful," Leo answered. "Ok, so she's not made up," Blister said, "now what grandpa?" "I don't know," the old man answered. "Your arms!" the Black Rose shouted, "you two also have a mark!" "We do," Yusei told her as he walked forwarded. Yukari moved to stay by Yusei's side as Yubel appeared in her transparent form to watch over Yukari. "Stay away from me!" the Black Rose yelled as she played a card. Yusei and Yukari both covered their faces from the wind that was made by the card before looking back to see that the Black Rose was gone. "She's gone," Tanner pointed out. 'Thank you captain obvious,' Yukari thought with a sweat drop. "Amazing," Yanagi said, "that's what I call an exist through the ages. What do you think her encore is like?" "We found her," Dex said stunned, "the Black Rose is real." "That was so awesome," Leo said. "That was not awesome," Yukari said, "using her gift like that." "The Black Rose said you two also have a mark," Blister said as he looked at Yukari and Yusei. "What did she mean by that?" Yusei looked down at his arm to see that the mark was no longer there, but when Yukari looked down she saw that hers was still there only not glowing anymore. "Where it go?" Leo asked. "Vanished!" Yanagi said, "like magic." "I know," Yusei said, "I have to find this Black Rose." "Huh?" "After all guys," Yusei said, "I need to find out some answers." Yukari put on her arm warmer before she pulled down her jacket sleeve before anyone could see that her mark didn't vanish like Yusei's did, but Yubel was looking at her worried for her. Yusei then looked at her to see her looking down at the ground with a thoughtful look on her face, so he pulled her into a hug breaking her from her train of thought. "Are you alright Yukari?" Yusei asked. "I'm fine," Yukari answered as she looked up at him. "Just thinking that's all." 6. Welcome to the Fortune Cup! Kaiba Dome! Yukari had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing when Leo stood up with pigtails and make-up on. "Well?" Leo asked, "what do you think? How do I look guys?" "Leo, your just as good as a Luna as Luna is," the old man answered. "Yahoo!" Leo shouted as he jumped up into the air. Luna then kicked him making tears come to his eyes while she looked mad. "Don't embarrass me," Luna told him. "Come on Luna," Leo said, "just chill out. I'm about to make you a dueling legend." He then turned to Yusei and Yukari before speaking in a girly voice. "What do you say Mr. Amnesia man, Yukari? Ready?" "Yup," Yusei answered, "but I think the make-up should go." "Ok, but if only you tell me your name," Leo said. "You'll find out soon enough," Yusei told him. "Awesome," Leo exclaimed, "I bet it's really cool." He then turned to Yukari. "So Yukari what's your last name?" "You'll find out Leo," Yukari answered. "Ok," Leo said. Stage! "Ladies and gentlemen, duelist young and old, professional and armature alike put your hands together for our master of ceremonies Director Rex Goodwin!" the announcer shouted into his mic. From under the stage Yukari heard the roar of a dragon and knew that it wasn't her Rainbow Dragon though she knew that it was calling out to her. "Red Dragon Archfiend has taken to the skies," the MC announced, "you know what that means? Let's hear it for the raining champion, the king of the cards, the one man who rules the duels, the master of faster himself; Jack Altes!" Yukari looked around at the others and she had to hold back a gasp when she noticed two girls that she had seen a dream standing next to each other. The young girl with blue hair who was mouthing what the MC was saying and then pulled a face on Jack's name making her snicker quietly. Yukari was having a hard time to keep from laughing out loud when the girl started to mouth what Jack was saying while pulling faces. "New Domino City!" Jack shouted, "what you say we kick this tournament into overdrive? Let's get this started!" The red head that was next to her elbowed the other girl in the side making her look over at her with confusion before shrugging. "It's time we meet the lucky duelist who were selected for the chance to go head to head with Mr. Altes," MC went on, "The Fortune 12!" The platform started to rise up as Leo started to look around. "Here we go," he said, "this is it. Wow! Look at all the people!" Yukari looked around to and saw that there was a lot of people around. "Now let's hear it for the always mysteries Sheri, the great Greiger, Commander Koda, the Professor, Miss Akiza Izinski, Miss Catherine Anderson, Sir. Randsborg, Miss Sara Oliver, Miss Sasha Oliver, the lovely Miss Luna, the gorgeous Miss Yukari Yuki, and Yusei Fudo." 'It take be!' both Akiza and Catherine thought as they looked around. It was then that their eyes cought sight of Yukari who stood next to Yusei with a blank look while up in the crowd a group of four let out gasps when they not only heard the name, but when when they saw her as well. It was then that the crowd started to shout in anger about Yusei being there though they couldn't do anything. "So your name's Yusei?" Leo asked. "Yup," Yusei answered, "now don't wear out." "That's not much of a super hero name is it?" Leo asked. "Super what?" Yusei answered with a question. "Nothing," Leo answered. "It may not be a super hero's name, but it fits a Knight in Shinning Armor perfectly," Yukari said making Yusei blush while Leo faked gagged. Yukari cought movement out of the corner of her eye making her look over to see that the Greiger guy had walked forward. "Give me that," he ordered MC as he grabbed the mic. "I have to say something." The crowd boos and insults died down at once. "My name is Greiger. I know things are different in this city, but where I come from you judge a guy on his spirit." He then turned to point at Yusei. "This kid right here might have been granted by your people as a no good, but when I look at him all I see is a duelist." He then looked back at the crowd. "And as a duelist myself that means I have to respect him till he gives me a reason not to. Cause a duelist doesn't judge another duelist on where he comes from or who his family is like you've judge young Yuki here because of who her Father was or how much money he has. That isn't what really matters." Greiger turned around and walked back to his place as he returned the mic. "Here's your mic." "Thank you, uh…" It was then that Director Goodwin stood up and started clapping which resulted in everyone in the dome to clap. Yukari rolled her eyes. "Thank you for those well chosen and heart felt words," Goodwin told Greiger. "Heart felt my ass," Yukari whispered to Yusei. Yusei let out a sigh as he shooked his head in annoyances. "In our world social statues and personal wealth draw a line between ourselves and our follow man, but I had a vision of a duel tournament that would if only for a fretfully hour remove that line," Goodwin went out, "a tournament separate for the repetition of life where the haves and the haves not could meet each other on a level playing field and to prove to each other and to the world. Follow Duelist Welcome to the Fortune Cup!" "And now let's turn to the bracket Shuffler," MC announced, "To find out whose dueling who in the first match." Yukari stared in shock at the board to see that Leo was going against Greiger in the first match. "Look I'm going against Greiger in the first Duel!" Leo shouted before looking at Greiger. 'I can take that guy. I know I can.' Yukari noticed that she was going up against one of the Olivers, but she didn't know which one yet. After a bit a more announcements they all left the stage to the lounge to hang out and talk. Lounge Room! Yukari, Yusei, and Leo all sat together as they on the couches while the other contests where either setting together and doing anything or setting alone like Akiza and Catherine were watching Yukari from the corner of their eyes. Leo was talking to them as he ready his duel disk though Yukari were busy going through her ground and turbo decks. "This duel disk your fixed up for me rocks," Leo told Yusei. "Glad you like it," Yusei stated. "Aright," Leo said, "I can't believe I'm actually about to do this. You don't have like any last minute pointers do ya?" "Yup," Yusei answered, "remember to adapt to your opponent." "I can do that," Leo told him before he took off running out the door. Jenifer looked over at Yusei who was looking at the TV screen that was in the room to watch the match. "Do you think that he can do this?" she asked him. "I'm not sure," Yusei answered. Yukari let out a sigh before she stood up making Yusei to look at her. "What is it Yukari?" Yusei asked. "It's nothing, Baby," Yukari answered making Yusei blush. "I'm going to go check with the others." "Alright," Yusei said with a smile. "Be careful." "Right," Yukari agreed before she kissed him again surprising him and right before he had time to react she pulled away with a smile on her face. "I love you Yusei." "I love you, too, Yukari," Yusei told her with that smile still in place. Yukari started to walk out of the lounge with a wave to Yusei, she walked out of the room walking towards the stands where the others where setting. The Duel! Yukari was able to find the others where not that hard to find with Tanner's funky hair style. When they reached them they noticed that MC was just about to announce the next match. "Before we meet our first duelists we have a quick word from our duel sponsor," MC announced, "if your dogs bad breath is making you sick then give him Tomatols Mint Bomb the sparkling animal small buster!" He then stood up. "come to us straight from the tops our precious half pint wonder little Miss Luna!" Yukari rolled her eyes as Leo who was dressed as Luna rosed onto the field on the platform. "Hoping to take her down," MC went on, "the wall wallop, the tower Greiger!" MC said as a second platform rosed to revival Greiger. "Alright children play nice. Let's shake those hands." Yukari watched as they shooked hands, but apparently Greiger said something to Leo making him panic before he did a pose that embarrassed Luna as well as made her mad. "I do not act like that," she said. "And it's to start the duel," MC announced, "players active your duel disks!" Both Leo and Greiger did as told and activated their duel disk as they drew their 5 cards. "Let's duel!" they both said together. Leo (Luna): 4000 Greiger: 4000 "First moves mine," Greiger announced as he drew his sixth card. "From my hand I active Star Blast!" "A spell? Leo asked, "your not starting with a monster?" "First I have to lower my monster's level using the power of Star Blast and sacrificing 500 life points," Greiger answered. Greiger: 3500 "Why would you do all of that?" Leo asked. "See my Summon Reactor SK is a level 5, so by taking it's power down a notch," Greiger answered, "I can summon it directly to the field in Atk mode." Yukari was looking a bit concern for Leo when Greiger's monster appeared on the field with 2000 Atk points though that wasn't what worried them. "This isn't good," Yukari told the others. "Why is that Yukari?" Luna asked. "If Greiger has that monster out on the field then that must mean that he's playing that kind of deck." "What kind of deck does he have?" Luna asked. "I'm not positive yet Luna," Yukari answered, "I have to see his other monsters, but it might be a Reactor deck and that spells trouble for Leo." "Yecks," Leo said when he saw the Atk points. "It's got 2000 Atk points." "That's right," Greiger agreed, "I believe that one most sacrifice a little in order to gain a lot. I end my turn with a face down card." "Greiger's off to a strong start," MC said, "let's see how little Miss Luna response." "Here I go!" Leo shouted, "I drew!" Leo drew his sixth card. "Your not the only one off to a good start! I summon Morphtronic Celfon in Atk mode! Pretty cool don't ya think? My Morphtronic deck rules and I'm about to show you why." "Before you make any more moves," Greiger said, "I active Reactors SK's special ability." "Huh?" "This is not good," Yukari said. "Because you summoned a monster to the field Reactor SK get's to hit you with 800 points of damage," Greiger explained. Leo (Luna): 3200 "Incredible," MC said, "Greiger's monster can Atk Miss Luna anytime she summons a monster." "Not bad," Leo told Greiger, "Mister, but it's going to take a lot more then that to weaken my Morphtronic deck." 'That's right kid get excited,' Greiger thought, 'let's find out if you are who Goodwin say's you are.' "You keep talking up this Morphtronics of yours, but so far I'm not impressed." "Yeah, well," Leo said in shock, "I'm about to impressed your face." "I can't watch," Luna said as she covered her face. "I'll never be able to live this down." "Alright!" Leo shouted, "let's go Celfon! Start dialing now!" Yukari let out a sigh as his monster did was it was told to do. "What ever number the dial lands on that's the number of cards from the top of my deck that I get to flip over. If the last card I flipped over is a level 4 or below Morphtronic then I can summon it out." Yukari let out a sigh as the dial landed on a two. "And we've got a two! The second card is…Oh yeah! Get ready for Morphtronic Boomboxen coming at ya live!" Yukari let out a sigh as Leo summoned another monster only it was in def mode. "Now I play a face down and end my turn." 'If he play's a monster card next turn and Atk's with it, boy, well he be surprise when I flip over my face down. Cause then I'll have him right where I want him.' It was then that Luna griped her head making Yukari and the other to look at her. "Something wrong?" Dex asked. "Just a headache," Luna answered. Yukari looked back at the duel, but looked at Luna out of the corner of her eyes every once in a while. "It's my turn," Greiger announced, "I drew." He then his next card. "and from my hand I summon Trap Reactor YFI to the field in Atk mode." Yukari gasped in shock as he summoned an other Reactor. "Trap Reactor Atk. Take out Morphtronic Celfon." "Get chya Greiger!" Leo shouted, "I active my Morphtransition trap card! And now I can switch my Celfon to def mode and put your Atk on hold." "*Laugh* By playing your trap you've walked right into mine," Greiger said, "it's called Trap Reactor after all. You see, Trap Reactor reacts to your trap's activation and lays into your for 800 points of damage. ATK!" Leo (Luna): 2400 "Oh no," Luna and Dex said at the same time. "These guy's playing a real baiten switch game making Leo's moves back fire," Tanner said, "it's almost like he's trying to get Leo all walked up emontally." "They reason why Leo's moves are back firing on his is because Greiger is playing a Reactor deck," Yukari stated, "I wasn't sure at first till now, but that deck is dangerous." Tanner and the other looked at her wondering how she knew that. "This is not going to end well," Yukari said, 'don't let him get to you to Leo. "That was a cheap shot," Leo said. 'That's right get fired up,' Greiger thought, 'Goodwin say's you might be a signer, so bring it on. Defeat me with the power of the Crimson Dragon!' "I'm not done with your yet little girl. I've got more fight for you." "Bring it," Leo told him. "Summon Reactor SK unplug that boom box amp pramentally," Greiger ordered. Yukari smirked when she saw that Summon Reactor wasn't able to destroy Leo's monster. "It appears that Summon Reactor SK was ground by Boomboxen," MC said. "When my Boomboxen is in def mode it's able to tune out one Atk once every turn," Leo explained. "But that only allows me to use Damage Summon," Greiger told him, "you see, after an unsuccessful Atk on your monster Damage Summon allows my to sacrifice 800 life points in order to summon a new monster." Greiger: 2700 "So your sacrificing your own life points again," Leo said in shock. "I am," Greiger agreed, "and next I summon Spell Reactor RE to the field. You may not like the sound of this, but Spell Reactor RE beat down that Boomboxen!" This time Boomboxen was destroyed making Yukari let out a sigh while shaking her head. "My tunes!" Leo shouted. "I play once card face down and end my turn," Greiger concluded. 'Finally he's done, but at least I was able to keep Celfon around,' Leo thought, 'cause as long as it's still in play I use it to summon Gadget Palamer next. And once I do that it'll be game over for Greiger.' 'He's still focusing on combos he likes,' Yukari thought, 'he's not adopting.' "You don't seem ever raddled," Greiger said, "don't you realize that I've backed you into a corner." "Huh?" "I've got all three of my Reactor monsters on my field," Greiger told him, "you've already brought direct damage on yourself by summoning monsters and triggering trap card, so what power do think this next Reactor monster presses. Seems obvious to me." 'Of course,' Leo thought, 'if I use a spell then I'll take of other two if I summon a monster or active a trap I'll get nailed, too. Not good.' "That's right," Greiger said as if he read Leo's mind. "Every duelist needs to be able to summon monsters and active traps and spells, but if you do any of that your going to bring damage onto yourself. I can spend the rest of the duel doing nothing, but watch you chip away at your own life points every time you try to do something." Yukari looked at Leo to see that he was on the verge of tears feeling sorry for him. "Don't get scared," Yukari said quietly before looking out of the corner of her eyes to see that Luna was clinging to her head. "You ok?' Dex asked, "shouldn't we get you to a doc?" "I'm fine," Luna answered, "it's just a little headache." 'So every time I make a move I'm going to lose 800 life points,' Leo thought, 'I don't know what to do. I'm stuck. No. I just have to adopt.' "Your going down." 'Finally,' Greiger thought, 'she's getting fired up. Get angry kid. Show me that mark." "I've never tried this before, but here goes," Leo said, "this time determines everything. It's my move. Now I drew." Leo drew his next card. "And active Celfon's special ability. Dial now." Celfon opened up and started to dial. "What's it going to be?" It then landed on a three. "It's a 3." he then picked up three cards. "And now I can look at 3 cards." He then looked at them. 'Sweet I've got more Morphtronics on the way. I think I can win this.' He put them back on top of his deck. "I switch Celfon into Atk mode. Start Dialing Now!" 'I've got to be able to bust out Morphtronic Datatron. Come on. 1, 1, 1.' Leo smiled big time when he saw that he got what he wished for. "Alright there we go! I summon Morphtronic Datatron in Atk mode." Yukari now had her full attention on Luna who was clutching her head even tighter. "Is it getting worse Luna?" Dex asked. "I can't tell," Luna answered, "I just feel really weak." "Your life points don't stand a chance against me little girl," Greiger told Leo, "cause no matter what card you play your taking damage." "These Reactors of Greiger's got Luna pined to the wall," MC said. Leo (Luna): 1600 "I can't watch and yet I can't look away!" MC said. "This is it," Leo said weakly, "by, uh, releasing a monster on the field I can active Datatron's special power which well burn you with 600 points direct damage, so I release Celfon," Leo explain. Greiger: 2100 "Alright so far, so good," Leo said, "I release Datatron to advance summon Gadget Hailer. Ta-da. Now if I'm mistaken I won't take damage because Summon Reactor's ability only works once per turn right?" "Phew," the old said, "I was wondering why he risks another summoning." "That was a good call," Tanner said, "Leo needs to stay focus now and not go crazy and break lose." "Time to break lose," Leo said, "from my hand I release Morphtronic Magnen. Now when I send one of my Morphtronics from my hand to the graveyard Gadget Hauler gains 800 Atk points." 'That a girl,' Greiger thought, 'come at me with everything you've got.' "Next I active the Factory of 100 Machines spell and with the power of this card I'm able to remove every Morphtronics in my graveyard from play," Leo said. "What's this all about?" MC asked, "it appeared that Luna's Morphtronics are hitching a ride with Gadget Hauler." "For every Machine-type monster catching a ride with it," Leo went on, "Gadget Hauler gains 200 Atk points. So now it's got a whopping 2900!" "The activation of that spell card brings you once step closer to defeat," Greiger said, "now Reactor Atk!" Leo (Luna): 800 "And that only leaves you with only 800 life points little girl," Greiger told him, "one more move and your finished." "No," Leo said, "not if I Atk. You don't have a Battle Reactor." Yukari sweat drop at this. "Gadget Hauler take out his Trap Reactor YFI!" "Greiger has 2100 life points if this Atk works then your Brother might had a chance." "Go Leo!" Luna cheered. Yukari watched as the Atk went through, but something told her that it wasn't over yet. "Did it work?" Leo asked. "You may be small, but you have a warrior's spirit," Greiger said, "as a warrior myself I salute your strength." "Well, thanks I guess," Leo said unsure, "but how come your not like damage?" "Because of the Delta Reactor Trap Card," Greiger answered. "What does that do?" Leo asked. "By sending Summon Reactor, Trap Reactor, and Spell Reactor to the graveyard," Greiger stated to explain, "I can negate your Atk and Delta Reactor and use Fortress Sky Flier to summon rain of doom." "Looks look like Greiger has activated a fatal trap card," MC said, "it looks like this duel might be over. Could Luna be our first Loser?" "I active Sky Flier Fortress' special ability and with this I can send a card to my graveyard it order to abbreviate one of your cards on your field. Victory is mine." "Gadget Hauler!" Leo shouted as his monster vanished. "And now your wide open for a direct Atk," Greiger said. Greiger's monster Atked Leo and brought down his life points. Leo (Luna): 0000 "It's over!" MC announce, "Greiger well be advancing to the second round and Luna well be getting a gift basket." "I can't believe I lost," Leo said to himself, "man this stinks." "To bad," Dex said. "He dueled well though," the old man said. "Huh?' "What is it?" the old man asked as everyone looked at Luna. "My headaches gone," Luna said in shook, "just like that." Yukari then turned around and walked off to meet up with Leo in the hallway where Yusei was waiting as well. The others soon followed them. 7. Third Hero Duelist Yukari Yuki! Hallway! Luna, Dex, Yukari, and Leo were all walking through the hallway while Leo looked down about losing. "Try and cheer up Leo," Luna said to him, "it's not like everyone saw you lose." "Yeah, she's right," Dex agreed, "15,000,0000,000 tops." Yukari sweat dropped while she smiled nervously. "Thanks," Leo said sarcastically. "It's not a lose if you'd learned something," Yusei's voice sounded, "now you know then you did before. Right Leo?" "Huh?" They looked up ahead to see Yusei leaning on the wall looking at them. "Shya," Leo agreed, "more about losing. I just can't wait to use that in my next match." "That's not what he means Leo," Yukari said as she turned to face him. "He means that you learned more about on how to adopt to your opponent." Leo looked at them before Yukari said that she had to go get ready for her duel, so she left for the lounge room with Yusei while Leo, Luna, and Dex headed back to the stands. Lounge Room! Yukari and Yusei sat together as they on the couches while the other contests where either setting together and doing anything or setting alone like Akiza and Catherine. After a bit longer of going through their decks both Yukari then stood up and put her deck in her duel disks making Yusei to look at her. "Good luck Yukari," Yusei told her. "Thanks Yusei," she said. Yukari bend down and kissed Yusei on the cheek before walking out to head to the stage. Stage! "It's time for the second duel!" MC shouted as the crowd below cheered. "And coming to us straight from the tops our precious Dragunity Princess Miss Sara Oliver!" A platform rosed up to the loud cheer of the crowd with a young girl who has black hair that has red streaks that was pulled into pigtails standing on it. "And now for out mysterious Duelist Yukari Yuki!" Another platform rosed up to the loud cheer of the crowd this time with Yukari standing on it. "Alright children play nicely! Let's shake those hands!" Both girls shocked hands before they walked to their places. "Let's Duel!" they shouted as they activated their duel disk. Yukari: 4000 Sara: 4000 "I'll go first," Yukari said as she drew her sixth card, "I activate Polymerization to fuse Elemental Hero Avian with Burstinatrix to create...the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Everyone in the crowd gasped especially the group of four. "Now I activate the spell Double Summon!" Yukari held up the card before playing it. "This allows me two normal summons. So I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman and Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin in atk mode!" One of the two older looking women looked over at the man who was setting next to her with his chocolate brown eyes wide. "Jaden?" she asked. "I think we might have found her, Alexis," the man answered. "You think that she's really Yuka?" the woman asked. "She looks like her and not only that, but she uses Elemental Heroes," the man answered, "and there is only one of Neo-Spacians, and that set is the ones that I made up when I was a kid Alexis." Alexis looked back at the duel with in her eyes as they watched the duel go on. "Now I activate Aqua Dolphins special effect!" Yukari went on, "Sonar Wave!" Her Dolphin let out a high pitched sound that revealed some of Jamie's cards. "If there's a monster card in your hand with 300 attack points or less it's instantly destroyed. Then you loss 500 life points, so let's see what you've got there Sara?" A monster with a cap and wearing a red suite spirit appeared before it disappeared in a shower of dust. "Level Warrior!" Sara: 3500 "I'll throw down a face down and end my turn," Yukari concluded. "What a strong start for young Yukari!" MC shouted in his mike, "can Sara make an even stronger come back!" "Now it's my turn," Sara stated as she drew her fifth card. "Spear Dragon in atk mode!" A dragon type monster appeared into the field. (Atk 1900) "Next I'll place two cards face down and have Spear Dragon atk your Aqua Dolphin!" Yukari let out a gasp as a blast of wind hit her Aqua Dolphin and destroyed him. "And after my Spear Dragon atks he goes right into def mode." Spear Dragon folded it wings as it turned completely blue. (Def 0) Yukari: 2700 "I'll end my turn." "Now that's a strong come back from Sara!" Yukari looked at Sara before she drew her new card. "I'll have Flame Wingman atk your Spear Dragon with Skydive Scrotcher!" Yukari stated. "Not so fast I activate my trap card Negate Attack!" Sara countered, "this trap card blocks your monster's atk and ends your battle phase." "I'll two cards face down and summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in atk mode," Yukari went on as a new new monster appeared onto the field. (Atk 1500) "And end my turn." "My move," Sara started as she drew a new card. "I summon Mist Valley Falcon in atk mode!" A humanoid monster appeared next to Spear Dragon. (Atk 2000) "Next I'll switch my Spear Dragon into Atk mode!" Her Spear Dragon unfolded it's wings as it was no longer blue. "Now I'll have Spear Dragon Atk Wildheart!" Yukari's teeth grind together as her Elemental Hero was destroyed. Yukari: 2300 "And then I'll release Spear Dragon so that my Mist Valley Falcon can atk your Sparkman!" Yukari: 1900 "And I'll end my turn." "Whoa!" MC yelled, "what is Yukari going to do now." "This ends here!" Yukari shouted as she drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed which let's me draw two new cards from my Deck." Yukari picked two cards from the top of her deck. "Next I'll summon Neo-Spacian Dark Panther in atk mode!" A black panther wearing a cap appeared in front of Yukari. (Atk 1000) "Next I'll activate the spell card Miracle Fusion!" She held up a card that had a picture of two monsters circling a H. "Now my removing Elemental Hero Flame Wingman that's on my field and the Elemental Hero Sparkman that's in my graveyard from play I can fusion summon Elemental Hero Shinning Flare Wingman!" Sparkman once again appeared before he and the Wingman vanished to only be replaced by a new monster. (Atk 2500) "Now thanks to his special ability for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard he get's 300 atk points." Sara let out a gasp as the new monsters atk points went up. (Atk 2800) "Now Shinning Flare Wingman atk Mist Valley Falcon with Solar Flare!" Sara let out a cry as her monster was destroyed. Sara: 2700 "Next up his the second part of his special ability," Yukari went on making everyone to gasp. "You take damage equal to your monsters atk points!" Sara let out a cry as she was attacked. Sara: 700 "Talk about a turn around for Yukari!" MC told the crowd. "Time to end this!" Yukari continued, "Dark Panther atk her directly and put an end to this duel!" Dark Panther nodded before he jumped into the air and atked Sara. Sara: 0 "That's Game!" Yukari said as she used her pointing, middle fingers, and thumb for a pose. Jaden and Alexis gasped as they stared wide eyed at her. "It is her," Jaden told Alexis who was crying quietly. "I-I don't believe!" MC yelled into his mike, "Yukari won! Which means that she moves onto round two!" The crowd went wild as Yukari walked over to Sara who was on her butt from the last atk. The young Hero Duelist offered the Dragon Duelist her hand with a smile that Sara returned with one of her own. "Your a third Generation Neo-Spacian/Hero Duelist aren't you?" Sara asked as she took Yukari's hand who helped pull her back onto her feet. Yukari titled her head to the side with a confused look. "A third Generation Neo-Spacian/Hero Duelist?" Yukari asked. Sara eyes widen when she realized right then and there that Yukari had amnesia if she didn't know that she was the Granddaughter of _the_ Jaden Yuki or least that's what Sara thought. Yukari just shrugged her shoulder before she walked off the field to head back to the lounge room hoping to talk to Yusei. Hallway! Yukari walked through the hallway when the twins and Dex came running up to her with smiles with Yusei right behind them. When Yusei reached her, Yukari moved over to him and kissed which he returned though they pulled apart a little while later. Yukari grabbed hold of Yusei's hand while the twins and Dexter where talking about the duel when all of the sudden they heard footsteps. "Excuse me," a voice said. "Huh?" They all looked to see Akiza walking to their way, but when she past Yusei and Yukari, she glared at them before she kept walking. The twins and Dex moved out of her way to let her by confused. "What's her problem?" Leo asked. Yukari and Yusei looked at each other as the kids went back to their sets while Yusei and Yukari went to the lounge room to watch the match. 8. Battling the Black Rose! Lounge Room! Yukari sat next to Yusei on the coach with Winged Kuriboh in her lap looking at the big screen while Yusei had his arm wrapped around her holding her close to him as her head was laid on his shoulder. "Welcome back," MC said. 'When did we leave?' Yukari thought. _{Me: Sorry, I just had to put that there. I mean it was an open opportunity people. Lol.} _ "Our next duel is about to begin," MC said. Yukari snuggled up to Yusei making him to look at her from the corner of his eyes with a small smile. "And now entering the arena," MC said as a platform started to come up. "A Knight in Shinning Armor, it's the one, the only Gill Randsborg!" "Good people of New Domino," Randsborg started, "thou shill knows my blade and my deck from thy shill witness." Yukari blinked a few times totally confused before looking at Yusei who looked he always did, but she could tell he didn't understand that as mush as she did. Yukari looked over to her other side to see Yubel looking at the screen with a weird out expression before looking back at the screen. "Is he in the right place?" Yukari asked. "I don't know," Yusei answered. Yukari giggled, but she just kept what she wanted to say to herself. "Well, while we wait for a Shakespearean to translate all of that let's get ready for his opponent," MC said just as confused as Jamie, "now entering the arena his opponent with a record of…well it appears we don't have any recorded for her, but we can say she's…um…" Yukari sweat drop while Jz whispered to some one even though it wasn't really whispering. "Are you saying that we have no information for her? Um…Well Domino City let's hear it for Miss Akiza Izinski!" 'Akiza is it?' Yusei thought. 'Why do I feel as if I know her?' Yukari thought. 'So this be thy opponent that I am to battle?' Randsborg thought, "you'll find no mercy here sorceress, but you well find defeat." "Let's Duel!" both Akiza and Randsborg said. Akiza: 4000 Randsborg: 4000 'Sorceress?' Yukari thought, 'no wonder she hates people. I feel as if I was in her place once.' "I hope Akiza wins this. That guy's a complete sexist." "What did he do?" Yusei asked a bit on defenses. "He called me the weaker species," Yukari answered with a glare at the guy. Yusei knew that she hated being called weak and would find a way to prove them wrong one way or another. "Well, your not weak that's for sure," he told her. "And you should know that," Yukari said with a smirk. Yusei shuddered a bit making Yukari to laugh before looked back as the duel started. "Ready Fair Maiden?" Randsborg asked, "behold! I summoth level 3 Masked Knight! Thee shill suffer it's ability most special." Akiza: 3600 "Thou loses 400 points," Randsborg explained, "forweath I shill call upon my spell Level Up. Thee has served nobly, but be banished to thy yard of graves for thy brethren in arms can be summoned. Masked Knight Level the 5th. And like thy comrade in ability most special. Thou shill feel the shape sting of forces that lies against thee. Life points most fail be gone." Akiza:2600 "I shill yield with a face down," Randsborg said, "it's thy turn." "Can our mysteries duelist come back from this?" MC asked, "does she have a chance? Well, I understand anything Sir Randsborg says in this duel?" "Fear not Maiden of Darkness," Ransburg told her, "defeat is soon." Akiza just stared at him with a glare. "A silent tongue or has thy viper take hold of thee?" "No!" Akiza told him as she drew her sixth card. "I'm getting tired of listening to your bad accent." "Right on," Yukari said. Yusei cackled a bit while shaking his head. Akiza then placed a monster on to the field making Yukari blink a bit. 'Wall of Ivy?' Yukari thought. "And next I active a spell card," Akiza said, "Seed of Desperation. With this I get the power to summon another level 2 plant monster from my hand. Or in some words that you can understand. Thou are about to be royally played." Another monster appeared out onto the field. "Now that Copy Plant is on my field it get's to power up to the level of a monster on your field and I can't think of anyone more perfect then your level 5 Knight. This Fair Maiden would like to you think you for all of your help." Yukari sat up a bit straighter knowing what Akiza has plans. "I fear you not milady," Randsborg told her. "You should cause I'm tuning Copy Plant with my Wall of Ivy," Akiza told him, "it's time you stop playing with plastic swords and dice Randsborg. Now I summon to the field Black Rose Dragon!" Yukari was setting up straight now then ever when a dragon with rose petals for wings appeared onto the field. "It is true!" Randsborg yelled, "thou be this the Black Rose! Stay back!" "We've seen that Dragon before," Yusei stated. "Then congratulations," Greiger said as he walked over making Yukari and Yusei to look at him. "Most who comes face to face with this never duel again. It had been said that the Black Rose Dragon's wreath can caused destruction." "Fear not," Randsborg said, "my Knight shill do battle with the great beast and my dark maiden will be made to pay for this." 'And if my eyes deceived me. She knows not of my face down Sakuretsu Armor waiting to strike.' "Your eyes do vices." "I'll take that as a complement, but in cause it wasn't I shill let you know something," Akiza told him, "Black Rose Dragon can take out all of your cards Randsborg." "Curses." "Go Black Rose Gail!" Akiza ordered. Yukari eyes widen when a huge wind picked up through the dorm where the others where. "I don't believe it," MC said in shock, "an incredible tornado has strike inside the arena." Akiza's Dragon and along with Ransburg's cards disappeared from the field. "So thou can command the wind," Randsborg said. "Among other things," Akiza said, "now watch as I play my field spell. BLACK GRANDEN!" From under Akiza's feet veins appeared to create a green house around her and Ransburg. "What evil is this?" Randsborg asked. "It's your move Randsborg," Akiza told him after she placed a card face down. Ransburg drew another card though Yukari was already bored and known who was going to win. "I shill active thy spell The Warrior Returth Alive," Randsborg went on, "it has the power to returth my monsters from beyond the dark veil of graves." "Some one get me a dictionary for this guy?" Yukari asked with sarcasm. Greiger laughed while Yusei just sweat drop while also laughing a bit. "Masked Knight Level the 3rd join thy battle," Ransburg said, "you shill fight again." It was that veins rapped around Ransburg's monster. "Huh? What be this?" "This be the power of my Black Grander," Akiza told him, "as long as we're in this green house you monsters Atk points are cut in half and a Rose Token blossoms on my field." At that a Rose appeared onto the field. "I'm sure a knight like you can held a few thorns. Now watch as her beauty blossoms and be sure to take in the sweet small of my success." Akiza had picked a flower from one of the veins before smelling it with a smirk. "White Masked Knight Atk points cut in half Sir Randsborg can't close to the Black Rose," MC told everyone. 'My Atk points this matters not,' Randsborg thought, 'thou monsters shill still fall to thy Knight's ability so special.' "Vengeance is mine." Akiza: 2200 "You yield?" Randsborg asked. "Not with my Doppelganger trap card in play," Akiza told him, "take that you big tin can." Randsborg: 3600 "I'm liking this girl more and more," Yukari said when she noticed a stretch on Ransburg's cheek. 'Although she has no idea on how to control her Physic powers.' "Oh on," MC said dramatically, "it looks like Sir Randsborg took his first hit and it is a major one." "It is, but a miner stretch," he said as he whipped the stretch with handkerchief before throwing it away. "Her powers scare not this brave warrior, but air witch shill pay." "Be careful on who you call a witch," Akiza told him darkly. 'Poor Akiza,' Yukari thought looking down knowing what it's like to be called a witch as well. "A threat!" Randsborg shouted, "you shill pay dearly for that. I cast this two cards face down. Thy turn." "I know and for starts I'll play the spell Mark of the Rose which let's me select one of the monsters on your side of field and take control of it," Akiza explained, "Masked Knight, what do you say about joining me?" Ransburg's monster went over to her making her cackle darkly as she offered him her hand that he bind his head over. "It looks like your monster has swear his allegiance to me. I think it's time to let Sir Randsborg feel the sting of your betrayal." "Thou bewitched the heart of my noble Knight," Randsborg said, "thou shill suffer such insulins." Randsborg: 2850 "Not before I equip the spell Vengeful Servant onto my new Masked Knight, so now when he goes back to your control at the end of my turn you even more life points," Akiza explained, "one of each of his Atk points." "You dare not." "Oh no," Akiza said with a smirk, "I do dare. Looks like it's the end of my turn. Now Masked Knight why don't you go on home and unleashed the true might of Vengeful Servant. Strike down his life points." Randsborg: 1350 "This Rose has thorns," MC told the crowd, "in one round it appears that she's pulled up the roots of Randsborg like it was a weed infestation." "Thy girl shill suffer thy wreath with this," Randsborg said, "my trap card. Thy Level Change! Thy turn had not finished of thy yet Black Rose. My traitors Masked Knight Level the 3rd shill be sacrificed to the yard of graves, so that a far nobler Knight shill take thy place. My Masked Knight Level the 5th returth to battle my brave warrior." "Sir Randsborg had broken the Black Rose's combo," MC stated, "this is any ones duel now." "It appears you forgot about Black Granden," Akiza informed him, "for every monster that you summon it's Atk points are cut in half. And not only that, but I'll be getting another Rose Token. Now I end my turn." "Sorceress!" Randsborg yelled at her, "you dare enchant my monsters with thy spells. Now my knight you have survived nobly against they most wicked opponent." "He's right," MC said, "thanks to Masked Knight's special ability he out greats level 5 all the way to level 7." "Now join my side," Ransburg said. A Knight that looked like the same as the other two, but different at the same time appeared onto the field. "Black Granden do your thing," Akiza said, "once again another Rose Token shill bloom." "Impressive," Greiger said, "though those Rose Token of hers can't be destroyed in battle. She's got an impenetrable wall. The question it can she hold out? Not even a pretty granden can stop Ransburg forever. I'm afraid that it's only a matter of time before that Black Rose get's clipped." "Fail evil she creature," Randsborg said, "thou have drab thy field in a dark foliage. Aye have seduces my knights, but now thy dark deck shill fall before my might. Behold my Glory Shield. With it my Masked Knight be in previous to any of thy bewitching spells. Masked Knight. Unleashed thy powers on my darkest of monster. The Token of Rose! Cry havoc and strike down thy maiden's life points." "Ransburg has brought the hammer down or should I say sword as Akiza takes a big hit," MC said. Akiza: 1550 "Black Rose is starting to wilt," MC said, "a few more Atks like that and she'll be checking the want ads. Does anyone needs a grander?" "Now my Glory Shield destroys thy Doppelganger," Randsborg told her, "now that thy curse spell is lost to thee. Masked unleash they effect most special." Akiza: 50 "Although with fifty life points left this duel is all, but over," MC said, "it's a fourth, it's a party wit no music, it's the closing credits." "I end thy turn," Randsborg concluded. "So do you think it's over?" Greiger asked. "Not a chance," Yukari said. "She's just getting warmed up," Yusei added. "And why you two say that?" Greiger asked, "you two know her? Some ancient mystical bond." 'No it's more like I've seen her before the other day,' Yukari thought. "Thy turn and any last words fair maiden for you shill not say another," Randsborg told her. "Yeah," Akiza agreed, "I've got some last words. This duels over." "Liar." Akiza laughed at that while Jamie just raised an eyebrow. 'You havth lost already my dear,' Randsborg thought, 'I seeth thy cards as if they be mine. You shill release your Token of Rose hoping against hope to summon a creature and that shill be thy undoing for once summon thy Black Granden would afford me a Token of Rose. You shill Atk and you shill fail. For hasth no idea beneath they card most face down. Like all duelist who battle before me you havth no mind for strategy. Waiting for you is my Mata Flag. A spell so simple that's true, but it shill double thy Atk points of my Masked Knight. You shill taste the agony of defeat. And learn not to trade heel in my arena.' "So what to do?" Akiza asked, "I think I'll destroy my Black Granden." "What's this?" Randsborg asked, "a trick of some sort?" "Trick?" Akiza asked, "no. Strategy? Yes. See you've got to learn to look beyond the beauty of my roses. By destroying my Black Granden and my Rose Token. I get to summon a new monster. One that's in my graveyard." "You would not," Randsborg said in shock. "Oh, boy," Greiger mumbled. "Now if my match is correct and it always is then Akiza has sacrifice enough Atk points to summon…The Black Rose Dragon." "Now say hello to my…BLACK ROSE DRAGON!" "Akiza did it, but is it to late?" MC asked, "with Black Granden gone Masked Knight's Atk points goes back to their maximum. And if you know anything about Fairy tails when it comes to Knights Vs. Dragons it never ends well for the Dragon." "Ye truly are a fool milady," Randsborg said, "perhaps ye should lay thy cards down and go tire in they granden. Green thumb you have not when it come to dueling." "I sure hate to admit, but looks like this duels over," Greiger said. "Yeah," Yusei agreed, "but it won't play out like you think." "Say what?" Greiger asked. "Do to my Black Rose Dragon's special ability," Akiza started to explain, "if I remove a plant-like monster in my graveyard from play your Masked Knight's Atk points go to 0. Go Black Binding Bloom!" "But thouis can not do that to me," Randsborg told her, "it be not fair. I spent all year making this constum for this special tournament. I'm not suppose to lose." "Finally," Yukari groaned, "he's speaking normal English." Yusei shook his head while Greiger cackled. "Well, to bad," Akiza told him, "and next you want to play dress up you should realize that it's not what's on the outside that makes you who you are, but what's on the inside." "I want to go home," Randsborg whined, "take it easy now." "I am taking it easy," Akiza stated, "Black Rose Dragon Atk." Ransburg: 0000 "We knew she'll win that duel," Yusei said. "What do you mean?" Greiger asked, "like you three are connected?" "I don't know, but there's somethings between us," Yusei answered. Yukari let out a sigh of relief when the duel ended with Akiza as the winner, but the crowd was not happy about it. Yukari looked at the screen with a sad look on her face knowing how Akiza feels for she has a feeling that she went through it before. 9. Surprise, Surprise! Duel Runner Garage! Yukari sat on the couch in the garage while she watched Yusei work on his runner before his match as Tanner stood across from her. "What can you tell me about this Shira?" Yusei asked Tanner as he continued to work. "A couple of fellas I know had a run in with the guy a few years back in the underground duels," Tanner answered, "according to them he wasn't exactly a fan of playing nice. Back then he was calling himself the Shadow Ripper. Apparently he never off those robes of his. You planning on use Stardust Dragon?" "I'm saving Stardust for my duel against Jack," Yusei answered, "and when I face him he's going to wish he never gave it back to me." "Good luck," Tanner told him. "Thanks," Yusei stated as Tanner walked out. Yukari stood up and walked up to Yusei where she bended down behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck gently, and rested her chin on his shoulder making Yusei smiled as he leaned into her embrace a bit. When he finished Yukari let go of him so he could stand up and stood up herself as Yusei turned to face her. Yukari stepped closer before she hugged him that he returned and they stayed like that for a bit longer before it was time for Yusei's duel. "Be careful Yusei," Yukari told him. "I well." Yukari looked up at him before she stood on tippy toes and kissed him softly that he returned. When they pulled apart and stepped away from each other Yukari tossed Yusei, his helmet and smiled as he left for the arena. Yukari soon let out a sigh and walked back to the lounge where she could watch the duel on the screen. Lounge! Yukari sat down on the couch just as the arena appeared on the screen getting ready to cheer on Yusei unaware of Akiza and Catherine looking at her. "Alright everyone are you ready?" the MC asked, "it's time for the Fortune Cups Turbo Duel! He's the Spunky Punk trying to get from 3rd to 1st class, he's the little Satellite Who Could. Dueling fans I give you...Yusei Fudo!" Yukari clapped with a smile though she could tell that crowd where booing as Yusei appeared on his red duel runner. "Dueling him is the always mysteries Shadow Creepier himself! SHIRA!" Yukari growled when the guy appeared next already knowing something was wrong. "With both duelist at the starting line there's just one thing left to do. Gents start you runners! This is the point of no return. Both duelist have activated the Speed Weed Field Spell. Now the only spells they can use are Speed Spells." "Turbo duelist count down incinerated," the computer told them as it counted down, "Ready, Set, Duel." When the green was a go both duelist where off, but Jamie let out a sigh as 'Shira' throw off his coat reviling that he was really Hunter Pace under it. "Huh?" "I knew it!" Yukari shouted. Everyone in the room looked at her with raised eyebrows before they went back to watching the TV. "Surprise, Surprise," Hunter called out, "didn't expect to see me out here, did ya?" "This is the Mother of Surprises!" MC yelled, "that's not Shira! That's the Former Champion, the Mid Biker, the Phantom of Fire, it's...it's Hunter Pace!" "Oh," Yukari grumbled, "shut up, you stupid announcer." Akiza got up from her place and walked over to where Yukari is setting at on the couch making the Neo-Spacian/Hero Duelist to look up at her before she gave a smile at her and moved over to let the young red haired physic to set down which surprised the young teenager. "It's ok," Yukari told her with a smile, "I don't bit." Akiza sat down next to the Neo-Spacian/Hero Duelist who turned her attention back to the screen to watch the fuel though she wasn't at interest in it knowing that Yusei well win. "Do you think you friend well win?" Akiza asked all of a sudden. "Of course," Yukari answered as she looked at Akiza with a smile, "I've know Yusei for 3 years now so I should know how he duels." Yukari looked back at the screen while Akiza just stared at her. "Oh." Yukari once again looked back at Akiza with a smile. "Congratulations on winning your duel Akiza." Akiza stared at her wide eye while Yukari just smiled at her not all afraid of the fact that the girl next to her was a supposed witch. "Aren't you afraid of me?" Akiza asked, 'she not remember me?' "No," Yukari answered confused, "why would I be?" "Everyone calls me a witch," Akiza pointed out. "Just because there are idiots out there who see you as a witch and inhuman doesn't mean a thing to me," Yukari stated, "I have feeling that I've been there before Akiza, so I know how you feel. Your not inhuman or a witch, but a person with feelings and their the ones who are inhuman." Both Duelists looked back at the screen to see if the director well green lite the duel or not though Akiza had a thoughtful look on her face. "Are you going to accept me challenge, or are ya gonna back down in front of all these excited people?" Hunter asked Yusei, "so what'd you say Yusei? You game to duel Hunter Pace? Trust me, you didn't want to duel Shira, that guy's a real bore." "Let's do this." "Alright then." Yusei: 4000 Hunter: 4000 Yukari let out a sigh as she leaned back on the couch looked at Yusei like he was an idiot as Akiza just blinked at this. "That's Yusei for ya," Yukari said, "duel first and ask questions never." Akiza couldn't help it, but giggle a little bit though it was feint, however, unknown to the two physic Duelists was that one of the other Duelists in the room where looking at them with a smirk before turning to a stack of files in front of him on the two girls. Yukari bend her knees, pulled them up to her chest, encircle her arms around them, and rested her chin on her knees as she watched the duel. "Uh...I'm not sure if this is...uh...I well...HA!" MC shouted at last, "Goodwin had green lite Hunter's challenge! We are a go! The duel is on!" "First moves mine," Hunter told Yusei, "I drew." He then drew his sixth card. "And from my hand I summon Burning Skull Head in Atk mode! Then I end my turn by place three cards face down." Yukari shuddered when a skull surround by flames appeared on the field making Akiza to look at her from the corner of her eyes before she turned back to the screen. "I'm up then," Yusei said as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Speed Warrior in Atk mode!" Yukari let out a sigh knowing what Yusei was going to do and she wasn't the only one who knew. "Looks like Yusei's not gonna waste any time getting on the offensive," MC told them crowd, "Speed Warrior's Atk points double during it's summoning phase, so I be my pompadour that we're about to see an Atk!" "No duh," Yukari mumbled under under her breath, "thank you for that delightful in sight." "Speed Warrior, strike him with Hyper Sonic Slash!" Yusei ordered as Speed Warrior's Atk went up. (Atk 1800) Speed Warrior charged at Hunter's monsters like Yusei ordered him to and went to do a round house kick. "Sorry, but my Zero Guard trap card is putting the brakes on your Speed Warrior!" Hunter countered, "see, by taking away all of my Burning Skull Head's Atk points I can make it invulnerable to Atks. So you can't destroy it in battle." Yukari let out a sigh as the Hunter's monster hit him and brought his life points down by 1800 points. Hunter: 2200 "Whoa!" MC shouted, "talk about a turn of events! He saved his monster, but Hunter has been slammed with 1800 points of damage!" Yukari raised an eyebrow at the fact that Hunter's speed counter didn't go down, but remained, 'That's weird." "I give the Doom Accelerator trap!" Hunter announced, "thanks to this puppy, I'm gaining one speed counter for every 500 points of damage I take in battle! Starting right now." (SPC 4) "Aw, yeah! That's your first taste of a new Speed Acceleration deck! Custom engineered by yours truly!" "Not a bad play Hunter, but it'll take more then that to shake me," Yusei told him, "for now I place two cards face down and end my turn." "My turn then, I drew!" Hunter said as he drew a new card. (SPC 5) "I'm cranking this duel up a notch with the Summon Speeder Spell!" Yukari sat a bit straighter, but still kept her knees bend, up against her chest, and her arms encircled around them. "And since I have four Speed Counters I can us Summon Speeder to bust out a new monster, so say hello to Skull Vase!" Yukari once again shuddered at the Skull related monster appeared onto the field. "Now by kicking Skull Vase and Burning Skill Flame to the curb I can advance summon, Skull Flame!" Yukari let out a sigh though it still freaked her out at the sight of the new monster. "Sorry kid, but I'm here to duel Jack Atlas again and regain my title! And well Yusei, your blockin' my way! So you gotta fall! Skull Flame, burn up his life points." Yukari let out a gasp as Speed Warrior was destroyed. Yusei: 2300 "Yusei may have kicked started this duel with a powerful attack, but the former Turbo Champion had just unleashed a blistering combo and initially almost even up the score!" "And I'm just getting warmed – up," Hunter announced, "prepare for the red head as I activate the Speed Booster trap card! Welcome to the real world of Turbo Dueling kid! If you can't keep up you're gonna get left behind! I come here to burn rubber and take names Yusei, and no one's gonna stop me from winning the chance to reclaim my title. See, when I was the Number One Ranked Turbo Duelist in the World I learned to defend my title by repeatedly defecting attacks from all directions just like my monster, but I also learned that to stay at the top you gotta disk out damage hard and fast so get to feel to feel the heat! And not to turn up the hear Satellite I initiate Speed Booster's special Atk!" Yusei: 1900 "Ladies and gentlemen this is a whole new Hunter Pace we're seeing!" MC shouted, "he's totally reinvented himself!" "I'm on the fast track to glory!" Hunter shouted, "no on can stop me! Don't blink or you'll miss me! I'm bringin' a whole in intensity to Turbo Dueling. I'm going leave the entire world in my dust! I'm gonna...huh?" Yukari laughed as Yusei was now on Hunter's tail and he didn't even see it coming. "You're gonna what?" Yusei asked as he drew a card. Both SPC: 6 "How are ya keepin' up with me?" Hunter asked before looked at the scream on his runner. "Huh Slip Stream?" Akiza looked confused as Yukari giggled. "Aw, man, you gotta be kidding me! You must think your slicker then slick don't ya? You know, I hear some people saying you were good Yusei, but I'm afraid that your just not good enough to keep up with me." Yukari snorted in a very unlady–like way after she had calmed down from laughing before she placed her chin back on her knees as she watched the duel go on. "I activate, Acceleration Zone!" Hunter speed up making Yukari to groan. "Just try to catch up to me now!" Hunter's SPC: 11 "Incredible!" MC yelled in shock, "Hunter Pace's speed counter has rocketed all the way to 11!" "You may think you outsmarted me by slipin' in your Slip Stream last round, but my deck is so fast that no matter what card you play or move you make, you'll always be a step behind!" Hunter called back to Yusei, "but that's something you, Satellite's have to come to expect, isn't it?" Yukari growled under her breath as she glared at Hunter on the screen making Akiza to look at her. "Well, I wonder if you expected me to play this, the Summon Speeder spell card?" Yusei asked as he played the card. "Whoa! Yusei met Hunter Pace's challenge with a direct counter!" "Really?" Yukari asked with a tone of sarcasm, "I never realized it." Akiza giggled while Catherine who was setting not to far away rolled her eyes as she shooked her head. "Now with the power of Summon Speeder, I can summon Quilibolt Hedgehog in def mode and Junk Synchron in Atk mode!" Yusei explained. "and thanks to my Junk Synchron's special ability, I can summon a monster from my graveyard! So I'm bringing back Speed Warrior! And now I tune my Junk Synchron with Speed Warrior to synchro summon, Junk warrior!" Junk Synchron glowed white and then turned into three rings as Speed Warrior jumped up into the rings before turning into two stars. _"____Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself Junk Warrio__r_!" Out of a beam of light a light purple looking warrior appeared. "Let's rev it up!" Junk Warrior striked his posed. (Atk 2300) "But before I atk, since the Quilibolt on my field is a level 2 Junk warrior can absorb it's atk points." Yukari let out a sigh as Junk Warrior's atk points went up. (Atk 3100) "It's go time!" Yukari face palmed as Junk Warrior went in for an atk. "Heh, forgot my Speed Booster Trap already?" Hunter asked. Akiza's eyes widen when Hunter's monster blocked Yusei's Junk Warrior's atk. "Huh?" Akiza looked at Yukari who was glaring at Hunter. "With Speed Booster out on the field in play Hunter can block atks as many times as the difference in their speed counters," Yukari told her. "I see," she mumbled before turning back to the screen. "I've got to find away to push through this," Yusei stated, "I place one card face down and end my turn!" "Yeah," Hunter cried out, "that's what I thought! I draw!" Yusei's SPC: 7 Hunter's SPC: 12 "Hunter is totally maxed out!" the MC yelled, "he doesn't get any faster then 12 speed counters people!" "After Jack took my title and I failed to snatch it back, I went into hiding to undergo some serious retraining and I realized that if I was gonna again rule the Turbo Duels, I had to put speed first," Hunter started to perch making Yukari to groan. "You're as good as done in a turbo duel if you can't fearlessly hardness the awesome power of true speed! It's not what you do it's how you do it which I will now demonstrate by activating the Accelerate Drew speed spell! This let's me draw two more cards from my deck!" Hunter did just as the card let's me do. "Oh yeah! It's in my hand! The End of Storm spell card!" "WHAT!" Yukari shouted as she shot up onto her feet making the other duelist to look at her. "He has the spell card End of Storm!" Yusei yelled out also in shock. "Shoulda stayed in indoors today Yusei," Hunter started to say, "you're local forecast calls for some hard core schooling, and a whole lot of let down with a slight chance of annihilation! But it's too late for you now! I activate End of Storm!" A strong wind picked up in the arena. "From what I understand you and Jack Altas had some history, so I'm sure you know what this means. The storm destroys every monster on the field and then we both take 300 points of damage for every monster we have." All of the monsters were destroyed by the spell card wind. Yusei: 1300 Hunter: 1900 "Wow! Hunter Pace has managed to nail Yusei for 600 points of damage! But in doing so he had to obliterate his own monster. He can't atk now! What's he gonna to do!?" "Ha! Now that the storm's blown over, I remove one Skull Flame in my graveyard from play." Yukari raised an eyebrow at this. "By doing so I can summon Speed King-Skull Flame to the field in atk mode!" A centaur appeared onto the field. "3000 atk points in all!" "Oh no." "3000 Atk Points?" Yukari asked in shock. "Not only did Hunter destroy every monster on the field and deal damage to Yusei, but he managed to summon an incredible powerful new monster! What a stupendous string of moves! This could be the end of the duel right here. Hunter Pace maybe moving on in the tournament and Jack Atlas maybe getting a little scared right now!" "Scared?" Yukari asked with a raised eyebrow. "If he's scared then I'm the tooth fairy." Akiza blinked while Catherine giggled in the background. "This duel is over Yusei 'cause Speed King-Skull Flame is gonna atk you directly!" "Well, my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow should extinguish it's atk!" Yusei countered. "YES!" Yukari cheered, "that's my Yusei!" 'Her Yusei?' Akiza and Catherine thought. "Yuse has shielded himself from Hunter's Skull Flame!" "Let's see what you do when I activate Speed Booster!" Yusei: 800 "And now I activate Speed King-Skull Flame's special ability! So for every Burning Skull Head in my graveyard, you take 400 points of damage!" Yusei: 400 "Yusei is barely holding on with a measly 400 life points. Can he survive?" "It's my turn!" Yusei's SPC: 8 "First, I'm gonna slow this duel down a little bit with Shift Down!" Yusei's SPC: 2 "In a questionable move, Yusei has intentionally decreased his Speed Counters. What could he be thinking?" "Good question," Akiza agreed. "Yusei has a plan up his sleeve," Yukari stated. Akiza looked at Yukari who by that time had once again sat down before she looked back at the screen. "Now that my speed decreased I can draw two more cards!" Yusei went on, "and next I summon Nitro Synchron! Now that I got a tuner monster on my field I can bring Quilibolt Hedgehog back from my graveyard!" Yukari smirked as the monsters appeared onto the field. "With that done, I'm activating the Give and Take trap card! So now I'm gonna 'give' your defense a little boost and 'take' advantage of the power that beast possesses." "You're going what?" Hunter asked as Junk Synchron appeared onto his side while Quilibolt's LV went up to 5. "You may have been at the top of the rank back in the day Hunter, but that's only 'cause you never faced beasts with abilities like these. Now I tune my Nitro Synchron and my Quilibolt Hedgehog to synchro summon Nitro Warrior!" Nitro Synchron glowed white and then turned into two rings as Quilibolt Hedgehog jumped up into the rings before turning into five stars_. "____Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior__!" _Out of a beam of light a green looking warrior appeared. "Let's rev it up one more time!" Nitro Warrior striked his posed. (Atk 2800) "Pretty cool monster, but I can deflect your atk with Speed Booster so there was no point in summoning that thing!" Hunter yelled at him. "Hunter needs to go back to Dueling School," Yukari stated as Hunter came up behind Yusei. "Check it out Yusei!" he shouted, "I'm so much faster I'm about to lap you!" Yusei drew a card from his deck again and smirked. "Just what I needed," he said as he played the card. "I'm activating the Speed Spell, Gap Storm!" "What is this?" Hunter asked a storm picked up. "I can only activate Gap Storm when the difference in out speed counters is 10 or more, that's why I slowed down," Yusei answered, "now I can destroy ever trap and spell card on the field!" "Oh no!" Hunter yelled in horror, "so that means..." "Say good-bye to your Speed Booster!" "This isn't over." "I will be once Nitro's special ability kicks in," Yusei told him, "and because I activated a spell card on my own turn, my Nitro Warrior gets hooked up with 1000 atk points!" "AHHHH!" "Nitro, Atk with Dynamite Crunch!" Hunter: 1100 "I'm still ahead!" "Not for long, you see Hunter, even though you had te lead for most of this duel your life points are avout to run out of gas and it's all because of my Nitro Warrior's special ability!" "Wait, so, my Junk Synchron is switched to atk mode?" Hunter asked, "but that means it can't protect me!" "Nitro, Atk!" "AHHH!" "Yusei's about to pull off a major come-from-behind victory!" "Can't we be friends?" Hunter: 0 Yukari jumped up from her sit with a hug ass smile on her face before she turned to Akiza, bowed, and then ran out of the room to find Yusei. 10. Catherine VS Sasha! Lounge Room! Yukari and Yusei walked back into the Lounge room just as Catherine was leaving who gave Yukari a smile as she pasted by. "You did great out there Yusei," Yukari told him as she gave him a kiss on the check. "I'm glad you think so," Yusei stated. Just then Greiger walked up to them and almost walked right back out when he saw Yusei and Yukari together, but instead he just cleared his throat making the two of them to look over at him. "Hey, Greiger," Yusei greeted. "Hey," Greiger greeted back. "Do you know anything about Catherine Anderson, Greiger?" Yukari asked him as she looked at the screen where the last duel was about to take place. "I know that she's a Third Generation Crystal Beast Duelist," Greiger answered, "and she's also the Granddaughter of Jesse Anderson." Yukari looked at him as he went on. "I've also heard that she's a Physic Duelist, but she's not apart of the Arcadian Movement." Yukari looked back at the screen. "And unlike the Black Rose, Catherine can control her Physic Powers, but not every well. Just..." "Well enough to not caused so much damage," Yukari finished. "Yeah," Greiger said slowly, "how did you know?" "I have a feeling that I know her," Yukari answered just the MC was about to introduced the duelists. "Alright everyone!" the MC yelled, "it's time for our last duel of the day!" The crowd cheered. "Introducing first. She's the blue haired beauty, the sharp thinker, the Granddaughter of Jesse Anderson. Ladies and Gentlemen, I gave to you, the Crystal Princess, Catherine Anderson!" A platform rosed up to reveal Catherine standing on it with her arms crossed a slight glare. "Next her opponent. She's from the tops as well as is the Sister of the Dragunity Princess, the Ally of Justice, Sasha Oliver!" Another platform rosed up to reveal a young girl with black shoulder length hair highlighted with purple was standing on it. "Play nice kids." "Let's Duel!" Catherine: 4000 Sasha: 4000 "I'll go first," Catherine told the other duelist as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle to the field in def mode!" Yukari and Yusei took a set on the couch as a turtle shell appeared with two glowing yellow circles. "Next I'll end my turn with a face down. It's your move Sasha." "I draw!" Sasha started, "I summon Ally of Justice Core Destroyer in Atk mode!" A machine-type appeared onto the field in front of Sasha. (Atk 1200). "You activated my trap!" Catherine informed her, "the Triggered Summon Trap Card!" Yukari raised an eyebrow wondering what was going to happen next. "With this trap card we each get to summon a level four or below monster from our hand to the field. And I choose to summon...Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in atk mode!" An elephant with four tusks appeared onto the field in front of Catherine. (Atk 1700) "Then I'll summon Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher in def mode!" Sasha went on as a new monster appeared onto the field. (Atk 800) "Next I'm placing one card face down and ending my turn!" "My move!" Catherine drew a new card from her deck. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed which let's me draw two new cards from my deck." Catherine plucked the top two cards from her deck. "Next I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in atk mode!" A beautiful pink cat appeared onto the field. (Atk 1200) "This one looks taste," Amethyst said as she looked at Catherine, "she'll make a purrrrfect snack." Yukari's eyes widen when she heard and saw Amethyst talking to Catherine. "Now, now girl," Catherine laughed nervously, "you say that about everyone that I faced." "That's weird," Greiger said as he also watched the duel, "the cat didn't talk, but yet Catherine acts like it did." "She can see, hear, and talk to Duel Monster Spirits," Yukari told him. "Huh?" Both Greiger and Yusei looked at her. "There are only a few who can see, hear, and talk to the Duel Monster Spirits," Yukari answered, "I'm one of them, Luna's one of them, and it seems that Catherine is one of them as well." Yukari looked at the other Crystal Beasts. 'Where have I seen them before?' "Seeing, hear, and talking to Duel Monster Spirits?" Greiger asked, "it's impossible plus that's counted as insanity." "It's true wither you believe it or not Greiger," Yukari said, "a Duel Monster Spirit well only show itself to it's card holder if the card trusts it's holder." Wind Kuriboh appeared perched on her shoulder. "I have almost a whole deck of Duel Spirits, but the main ones are Winged Kuriboh and Yubel." "Yubel?" Yusei asked, "I never knew you had that card." "Well, I do," Yukari told him. "From what I've heard about Yubel is that her card once belonged to Jaden Yuki before he passed his deck onto his son who passed it onto his daughter," Greiger stated as he looked at her, "and there's only one Yubel card that was ever made along with other versions of her." Yukari didn't say anything as she just watched the duel continue. "Now thanks to my Amethyst cat's effect I can cut her atk points in half and have her atk you directly!" Catherine told her, "so Amethyst go ahead and take a bit out of her life points!" Amethyst Cat ran to the middle of the field before she jumped up into the air and aimed at Sasha. (Atk 600) "I don't think so because I activate the trap card Negate Attack!" Sasha countered as her face down revealed itself. "Thanks to this trap card I can block your monsters atk and end your battle phase!" "Then I'll end my turn my placing two cards face down!" Catherine finished as Amethyst Cat returned to her field. (Atk 1200) "It's your move." "My draw!" Sasha draw a card before she looked at it and then her hand. "I release Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher to advance summon Ally Mind in atk mode!" A weird looking machine-type monster appeared onto the field. (Atk 1800) "I should inform you that my new monster is a tuner monster which means I'll be tuning my Ally Mind with my Ally of Justice Core Destroyer to synchro summon...Ally of Justice Light Gazer!" Ally Mind glowed white and then turned into five rings as Ally of Justice Core Destroyer jumped up into the rings before turning into three stars. "_Wonders of the space-ways, traveler of the flow! Weapon of the Healing Darkness, seeking out the minions of the Light Ruin where their evil beacons shine in the universe! Synchro Summon!Shine bright, Ally of Justice Light Gazer_!" An UFO looking machine-type monster with a lot of lights appeared on the field. (Atk 2400) "Now I'll have my Ally of Justice Light Gazer atk your Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat with Cosmic Cannon!" Amethyst Cat freaked as the monster atked her, but instead of going to the graveyard she stayed on the field as a crystal. Catherine: 2800 "Oh whoa! Looks like the first damage was dealt and it's Catherine who takes the fall!" "I guess you never heard of the Crystal Beasts before," Catherine stated when she noticed Sasha's surprised looked, "have you?" Sasha just shooked her head. "Instead of going to the graveyard they remained on the field in the Spell and Trap card Zone as Continuous Spell Cards." "I'll end my turn with a face down," Sasha concluded as she placed a card face down. "Then it's my turn!" Catherine said as she drew a new card. "I activate the spell Card of Sanctity!" Sasha raised an eyebrow at this. "This spell card let's us both draw until we're holding 6 cards in our hand." Both Duelists draw more cards. "Next I activate the spell card Double Summon! With this card I can normal summon twice this turn!" Catherine held up two cards. "I summon Wind Angel and Water Angel in atk mode!" A beautiful young girl with aqua blue waist length hair and blue angel wings while an other beautiful young girl with silver thigh length hair that has white wings appeared onto the field next to her. (Water Angel's Atk 1200 and Wind Angel's Atk 1400) "Now I'll tune my Wind Angel with my Water Angel to Synchro Summon my...Ice Angel!" Wind Angel glowed white and then turned into three rings as Water Angel flew up into the rings before turning into three stars._ "Through the howling winds of a Snow Storm a Divine being appears! She brings with her the winters coldest nights and freezes the enemies of heaven with her icy gaze! Synchro Summon! Freeze 'em all, Ice Angel_!" A beautiful young girl appeared on the field with pale knee length hair and ice made angel wings hovering in front of her. (Atk 2100) "Catherine just busted out one of her best monsters! What is Sasha going to do now?" "I've never seen monsters like this before," Yusei said in awe. "Their new," Greiger told him, "as a matter of fact Catherine created them herself just for her Crystal Beast Deck when she was 14." 'Why is my head hurting?' Yukari thought as she placed a hand on her head. "She's a beautiful monster, but my Ally of Justice Light Gazer has 300 more atk points then her," Sasha told her. "That is true, but I'm activating my Heaven's Gate Field Spell!" Catherine went on as the arena around them changed as it now looked like that the duelist and Ice Angel where standing on clouds with golden gates behind Catherine. "Thanks to this field spell I can add a spell card to my hand from my deck, but I have to use it before my turn is over!" Catherine took a card from her deck with a smirk. "And I choose the Monster Reborn spell card and I'm going to use it, to bring back the tuner monster Wind Angel!" Once again the Angel-type monster appeared onto the field. "Now I'm going to once again synchro summon by tuning my Wind Angel with my Ice Angel to call out...Angel Dragon!" Wind Angel glowed white and then turned into three rings as Ice Angel flew up into the rings before turning into six stars. "_When two Divine beings come together a path to the Heavens appear to guide it's protector! Grace us with your presences and show your strength that protects the Heavens to this day! Synchro Summon! Descended, Angel Dragon_!" At that moment a beautiful dragon with a mixer of blue scales and a mixer of white sparkling wings that are longer then it's body appeared onto the field behind Lily with it's eyes closed, but when it opened them everyone saw that the Dragon had icy blue colored eyes before it gave off a loud roar. (Atk 3500) "That Dragon's beautiful," Sasha said in awe. "This is new and it seemed to have Sasha in shock!" the MC yelled into his mike, "I hope everyone brought sunglasses cause that dragon's radiates is bright!" Yukari groaned as she gripped her head even more making Yusei to look over at her before he gasped. "Yukari?" he asked as he moved to kneel in front of the young girl. "What's wrong with her?" Greiger asked when he noticed as well. "I don't know," Yusei answered, "Yukari, what's wrong?" Yukari started to pant hard like she had just ran 10 miles. "Yukari?" "I...don't...know...Yusei," Yukari panted, "my...head feels...like some...one hit...it with...a metal...baseball bat." Yusei and Greiger shared a look not noticing that Akiza was looking over at them, but her brown eyes where on Yukari. Yusei looked back when he heard Yukari fall over side ways which made his eyes go wide. "Yukari?" he asked as he started to shake her, "Yukari?" "Let her rest Yusei," Greiger told him, "that headache has to be bad if she just passes out like that, but if she doesn't wake up by the time the ending announcements which is before everyone goes home to rest for the second rounds tomorrow then take her to the hospital." Yusei nodded before he picked Yukari's head, sat down, and then placed her head in his lap where he ran his fingers through her long auburn hair. He and Greiger looked back at the screen to continue watching the duel." "Did you know that my Ally of Justice Light Gazer gains 200 atk points for every light attribute monster in your graveyard?" Sasha asked, "that's 600 atk points." "Actually your monster doesn't get any atk points cause Wind Angel, Ice Angel, and Water Angel is not a light attribute monster, but a Wind and two water attribute monsters," Catherine told her. "How can Angels be a wind and water attribute monsters?" Sasha asked. "Cause that's the element they control," Catherine answered, "well, Ice Angel controls Wind and Water, but that's a bit different." "Her monsters can counter any monsters that takes out Light attribute monsters," Yusei said in shock. "Well, looks like this duels over," Greiger stated, "cause with that Dragon's effect she can atk twice in one turn as long as she removes from play not only the cards in her hand, but the cards in the graveyard as well." "Now I think I'm going to end this duel right here and right now," Catherine growled, "Angel Dragon, Atk her Ally of Justice Light Gazer with Heaven's Flare Blast!" The Angel Dragon threw back it's head before it threw it forward and let lose a stream of silver sprinkling light from it's mouth right at Sasha's monster. Sasha: 2900 "Catherine has finally landed a hit on Sasha's life points! Can she pull through?" "I activate my dragon's special ability!" Catherine went on, "by removing the cards in my hand and in my graveyard from play, my Dragon can atk you again!" Catherine took her hand and combined them with the cards in her graveyard before she placed them in her deck box. "Atk her directly with Heaven's Flare Blast!" The Angel Dragon once again threw back it's head before it threw it forward and let lose a stream of silver sprinkling light from it's mouth right at Sasha's monster. Sasha: 0 "It's over!" the MC yelled, "Catherine Anderson well be moving on to the second round with Greiger, Yukari Yuki, Yusei Fudo, Akiza Izinski, and Commander Koda!" Catherine walked off of the field with a smirk. Yusei turned to Yukari who had by that time regained concusses much to his relief. "Are you ok Yukari?" Yusei asked as the Hero Duelist sat up. "I'm fine," Yukari answered as she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Yusei." "Just don't do it again," Yusei told her. "Can't make any promises, but I'll try," Yukari insured him. Yusei gave her a kiss on the lips before she snuggled up to him with a smile. End file.

fanfiction

Ranma, Toaru Majutsu no Index/とある魔術の禁書目録 A Certain Cursed Martial Artist A Certain Cursed Martial Artist A Ranma 1/2 and To Aru Majutsu No Index crossover fanfiction Written by some madao Ranma 1/2 is the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. To Aru Majutsu No Index is the creation and property of Kazuma Kamachi. * * * Chapter One From the stories she'd heard of the city, she'd been expecting flying cars, warp points, and robots that could shoot laser beams from their eyes. The robot she'd just now appropriated for her personal transportation hardly fired any sort of laser beam. It just zoomed on forward in whatever direction she leaned. It, the city, was all a bit of a letdown. Of course, that wasn't to say she'd previously encountered robots, but perhaps she still retained too much optimism. She'd need to further train herself in realism. Anyway, the robot she was just now borrowing. Probably no one would notice it missing. It was just uselessly picking up trash, anyhow, right? She had a piece of paper in her hand, which had an address. However, she hadn't a map. She didn't know where she was, except in the general cosmic sense of feeling right at home wherever she might be. She sighed, and then languidly said, "Welcome to Academy City." She replied to herself. "Glad to be here." Her name was Ranma Saotome. She was, succinctly, the best. At what? Everything, possibly. She lowered the paper to where the robot had a pair of eyes-looking thingies. "Know where this is?" The machine seemed to understand. It then jolted forward as though it was on a quest. "Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!" She held on for dear life. The surroundings were fast becoming a blur. She was witness to the robot leaving a car behind. She felt common sense had been forgotten somewhere back there, too, but she quickly reconsidered that, as nothing had been common in her life for quite some time. Whatever had been left behind was probably something she didn't need. The robot hit something. It stumbled, but Ranma was thrown into the air. 'Crap!' was her thought. She landed on something, breaking her fall. It took a moment to process what'd happened. It wasn't something she'd hit, but somebody. "Uh, sorry 'bout that," she said to the guy she was sitting on. It was a bit of a compromising position, really. She was sitting on his chest, and his face was near her... She quickly slapped the guy's face with both hands, and then sat up, her face turning red. "Ah, ha, ha! Really sorry!" The guy was blushing (and now bruising), too, but he rallied his senses. "Ah, no, it's okay." He sat up, and then looked at a grocery bag he'd dropped. There was egg yolk dripping from it. "Figures. Such bad luck." He ran his hand through his spiky hair. Ranma offered her hand to him to get up off the ground. However, when he touched his right hand to hers, a shock ran up through her hand to her shoulder. It burned like fire! She ripped her hand from his, and fell back onto her bottom. She quickly massaged her arm, which slowly dispersed the pain. She looked at her hand. Nothing. No burn, and no injury. It still hurt like heck, though! "What happened? Something wrong?" the guy asked, concerned. "Felt like my arm was gonna explode," said Ranma. "Huh?" the guy looked at Ranma's hand, and then his own. "It's never done that before..." "Something special about your hand, then?" "It nullifies powers," said the guy. "Damn near nullified me," said Ranma. She wondered, if his hand could nullify powers, why didn't it reverse her curse? Maybe her curse was too powerful? Or maybe the magic was... alive, and shocked her with the pain to make her let go? Both were possible, she felt. She had deep suspicions about this curse, but they could wait. "I'm Ranma Saotome, by the way. Who are you?" she asked the dude. "Touma Kamijou," said the guy. "Your arm okay?" "Dunno. I'm under a curse, and I'm thinking that's what caused this," Ranma said, shaking her arm, trying to get the pain to lessen. "Curse?" "Yeah. You might not believe me, but I was born a guy," said Ranma. "Eh..." Touma appeared a bit nonplussed, but he was mostly doubtful. "Hey, it's true! I know I'm a really cute and pretty girl right now, but before I used to be a handsome hunk of a guy! So don't fall in love with me, or you'll get your heart broken." Ranma said, without even blushing. "I fell into some cursed pool in China, and got transformed into this. Haven't been able to turn back, since." "Um..." Touma started backing away, as though he didn't believe Ranma and wanted to get away from her, or the story was just so incredible that he had to go share it with others. "Well, I gotta head home, now. Got homework to take care of, and all..." "Wai... wait!" Ranma shoved the paper with the address into Touma's face. "Know where this is?" Touma studied the paper, and then seemed startled. "It's my dorm." "So, you're the one I'm looking for?" asked Ranma. "No, this room belongs to a classmate of mine," said Touma, obviously relieved. "This is good, then. Maybe your classmate can cure me of this stupid curse!" Ranma grabbed Touma by his left hand, and began to run, dragging him. "Point the way, man!" She ignored his screams. He'd just have to get used to travelling at superhuman speeds. * * * "Wha... what the hell are you?" Touma asked, when they'd reached his dorm. He seemed a bit rattled by the experience. "I'm an awesome martial artist," replied Ranma. "The best, in fact." "I don't think being good at martial arts would explain how fast you were running," said Touma. "Are you an esper?" "Nope. I'm just a superhuman, I guess." Ranma shrugged. The details of her 'powers' were probably boring and unimportant. It wasn't worth worrying about. Touma showed Ranma to the room on the address, which he mentioned as being residence to one Motoharu Tsuchimikado. He then stumbled into the room next door, as though he was exhausted for whatever reason. Ranma knocked on Motoharu's door. She waited. Slowly, the door opened. A maid peeked her head out. "Hello?" "You Motoharu Tsuchimikado?" "Nope, I'm Maika Tsuchimikado," said the maid. "You part of his family?" "Yes, I'm his sister, for now," the maid said, happily blushing. "Okay. He in? I got a question to ask him." Ranma then remembered to introduce herself. "Oh, I'm Ranma Saotome, by the way." "He's currently out, but he said something about somebody possibly showing up." Maika appeared a bit doubtful. "I don't know if he meant you, but there shouldn't anything wrong with giving you this." She handed Ranma a sealed envelope. She quickly tore it open. Ranma read the letter: "Hi there, cursed victim! I won't be in for a while, but I can meet with you after I'm finished with some other business. I'll take a pre-payment of you cos-playing for my neighbour next door, as he's been a bit down lately cause of his bad luck." "Do you think it's for you?" asked Maika. "Cos-playing?" asked Ranma, her expression a bit sour. "Well, a martial artist's path is fraught with peril. And I did promise I'd do anything to reverse this curse." "I wonder if this is the one my brother meant?" Maika asked, bringing out an angel costume. "But I won't wear that!" shouted Ranma, slapping the costume from Maika's hands. She noticed Maika's expression of fear and surprise. "Ah, ha, ha! Cause I'm hardly an angel, you know?" "Oh, then there's no need to worry," said Maika, picking up the costume to show Ranma it more closely. "It's a fallen angel costume!" "And what's the difference?" "It's the love-love!" said Maika, seriously. She pulled Ranma into the room. "We'll get you changed right now!" "Wait...!" The door slammed shut, cutting off Ranma's objection. * * * Ranma stood before Touma Kamijou's door. She sighed. She raised her hand to knock, and then lowered it. Wearing the angel was pretty embarrassing. The skirt was frilly. The pure white colour of the blouse just didn't match her personality. And the wings...? Bad memories, there. Also, she had an audience. Maika was standing nearby, watching her intently with an expression of anticipation. She wanted to speak with the younger girl, to let her know this wasn't some shoujo light novel, with 'muddy, sticky romance' as she heard it explained just earlier in the room next door. No, this was more of a screwball comedy, and Ranma's life was the main joke. She sighed. She again raised her hand to knock, and then paused. She looked at Maika, whose expression seemed to be ever more anxious, as though awaiting the beginning of something stormy and furious, and liable to end up on the top of the Empire State Building, for some reason. Just get it over with! She knocked. She waited. She knocked again. She waited. "He isn't home?" she asked, incredulously, after waiting long enough. "There he is!" shouted Maika, pointing down to the street. Ranma looked, just in time to see Touma stepping onto a city bus. Maika grabbed Ranma's hand, and started pulling her. "Hurry! You have to chase him!" "Eh?" Ranma didn't have a chance to object, as the little girl was tougher than she seemed, possibly from the trials of maidhood. Maika quickly pulled her throughout the building's staircases and walkways to ground level, and gave her a push out onto the sidewalk. "You can catch him, Ranma!" she said, absolutely sincere in her belief of Ranma's ability to chase down an automobile. Ranma started running. After a moment, grasping the thread of thought that'd been lost for the past few moments, she wondered, why? Why was she chasing down a bus ferrying a guy she'd just met at the urging of some maid with a brother complex? Her cheeks reddened. She wondered a bit more. Why was she chasing down a city bus while wearing an angel costume, while there seemed to be an ever growing audience of onlookers? Her entire face was now red. Argh! For whatever reason, she couldn't even hazard a guess, now, as she was too deep into this fiasco, she just had to catch that bus. Her pride wouldn't allow her to abandon this challenge. But, not for the first time, she wished she could abandon her pride. A garbage collector robot pulled up beside her. It beeped, as though trying to get Ranma's attention. Ranma jumped onto the robot, and then it sped forward. She could catch the bus, now! Except the garbage bot crashed into a fire hydrant, and Ranma was sent flying into the air. This is really familiar for some reason, she felt, before crashing down to earth. She wondered how her landing appeared to onlookers? Was it magical? She hoped not, as she landed on a spiky haired guy who'd just stepped off the bus, and they both fell and tumbled about in a crumpled heap. It couldn't be considered a miracle, though, how it was she landed on him. She straddled his body. She gripped his arms as though holding him down. She could just bend down, and kiss him so easily... Instead, she slapped the boy with both hands on each of his cheeks, and then jumped up, and then looked about to see who was watching. It was only everyone. "You again?" asked Touma. The oblivious idiot! At the very least, he could be blushing, too! Now, it'd appear to the audience she'd been desperately chasing him, which she had been, technically, but...! Not like that! "Why are you dressed like that?" asked Touma. She couldn't say, for you, cause it'd cause a misunderstanding. Cause it was simply a series of events. "It's just how things worked out," said Ranma. "I'm doing a favour for your neighbour." "Tsuchimikado..." Touma sighed. "It sounds like something he'd do. So, what you gotta do?" Ranma tilted her head, looking at Touma. She was to cheer him up, but she couldn't say that. She crossed her arms, and tried to think of an excuse. She couldn't, and so tried the old trick of misdirection. "I couldn't say. So, anyway, what are you doing right now?" "Getting some eggs," said Touma. He sat up, but then looked panicked. He pulled from his pocket his bus pass, but not... "My wallet. Forgot it." Ranma tried to wear a genuine smile, but it was probably a bit forced. "It's okay. You can get some more inna bit, right? Just a quick trip back home." "Forgot my keys," said Touma. He sighed. "Ah, ha, ha! Man, that's some bad luck." Ranma slapped Touma on the back. "Well, cheer up, okay? This angel'll give you hand breaking into your place." "No, that's okay. I can just ask the dorm manager..." Touma found he had forgotten his cell phone, too. He hung his head. "I don't know the phone number." "No problem. I'm an expert when it comes to sneaking into places," said Ranma. "It shouldn't be a problem to get in from your neighbour's place if you left your balcony door open." "How come an angel's an expert at breaking into homes?" asked Touma. "Sometimes an angel's gotta make do the best they can in this world," replied Ranma. "One can't get by on their looks in all things." "If you're a guy, originally, it'd be almost impossible to tell, " said Touma. "It's adapt, or go insane," said Ranma. "I still don't accept this fate, though, so I'm trying one last cure." "You know, it'd almost be a waste if you become a guy again," said Touma. "I know, right? So many hearts will be broken. But this great Ranma must return to the rightful destiny of becoming the heir to the Saotome school." She wasn't blushing. The walk to the dorm was longer than necessary what with Ranma being stopped by twice by camera-happy otaku who requested to take pictures. "What kind of angel charges to have photos taken?" asked Touma, after arriving at the dorms. "One that's been around the block," said Ranma. She'd bought herself an ice cream. "Kami-yan, I see that you've found yourself a pretty angel," said a guy, shouting down from a few stories up. Looking up, Ranma saw the guy, who was wearing sunglasses and a summer beach-style shirt. He was standing near Touma's apartment door, waving as though completely familiar with her current partner. * * * His name was Motoharu Tsuchimikado. "So, Ms Saotome. What brings you to me?" he asked. Ranma handed him a letter. "It's a referral from a doctor in Nerima. About my curse." Motoharu read the letter, and then as though thinking how to state the difficult, leaned back, sighing. "Jusenkyou, eh? You're in a difficult position. In fact, an almost impossible situation if you're serious about returning to your true form." "You're taking her claim seriously, Tsuchimikado?" asked Touma, who was waiting for Ranma to finish her meeting so she could break into his dorm room. "Of course, seeing as I am descended from Onmyouji priests," replied Motoharu. "Besides, it's not only me who believes her, right?" Ranma glanced at Touma, who was studying his right hand. "Anyway, Saotome, how far are you willing to go to reverse this curse?" "I'm willing to do anything," said Ranma. "Even kill? Not just one life, or two, but thousands, or even millions?" "Tsuchimikado!" said Touma, growling, but was stayed from further interruption by the absolutely serious expression on Motoharu's face. "What? No!" said Ranma. "Jusenkyou is a mysterious land that is of great interest to Onmyouji. It's a rare natural magic seal, which gives the waters there its power. To break the magic spell it casts, you'd have to destroy the entire land," said Motoharu. "However, would the people living there allow you to destroy their homes without a war? And even then, would all that break the curse you're under? I don't know. That's my superficial conjecture, and I could be entirely devastatingly wrong. The variables of an enigma are difficult to ponder. Lifetimes would have to be spent to unravel even the minutest of Jusenkyo's mysteries." Ranma sat, quietly. Eventually, without breaking into tears, she said, "I guess I'm finished, here. Thanks. I'll open up your apartment for ya, now, Kamijou." It took a moment, and quickly, she rejoined Touma out on the commons balcony. They stood on the balcony. She was still wearing the angel costume, but she didn't feel like changing out of it. Maybe after she found a place to crash. "So, what are you going to do now?" asked Touma. He'd invited her to stay for dinner before she left. "Dunno. Feel like I had all the wind taken outta me." "There's probably something out there that can change you back," said Touma. "I used to think that," said Ranma. "I was cursed quite a while ago. It's been about a year, now. Tried a bunch of half-baked cures. And then switched to completely baked ones. And now..." She sat back, trying to relax. "I should register for school. Get in touch with my parents. Let 'em know where I am." She tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. "It's a relief, really. So much pressure, gone now!" Touma placed a bowl of ramen in front of her. He didn't say anything, for which Ranma was grateful. She ate, quietly contemplating, but her thoughts kept circling back to, what am I gonna do? She finished the meal, and then thanked Touma. "I should get going," she said. "I'll walk with you," said Touma. "It's okay. If you're thinking about trying to protect me, you won't need to." Ranma showed him her punch. "If anyone tries anything... I'm actually hoping somebody does." She cracked her knuckles. "Um, that's why I'm gonna come along. Better if nobody gets hurt by you, right?" asked Touma. "You know, you're really sweet. You'll make a real girl happy someday, you know?" replied Ranma. * * * It wasn't a crummy hotel they'd found, and Ranma could afford the price. Ranma got Touma's cell number, and his school information, just in case she needed a hand with anything. "Stay safe, okay?" Touma said, as he bid Ranma a good night. And then, she was alone. She lied down on her bed. It would be hers for a week. Hopefully, by the week's end, she'd be enrolled in a school, or working, somewhere. Touma had alluded to the placement tests being held by most of the schools in the city, and if she ranked decently high, she could possibly be scouted by private school's. However, he didn't have much information on that, being a 0-ranked esper, and enrolled in a no-qualification public school. Che! She clicked her tongue. What was the point of the past year? All her effort, for this end? The lights flickered, then turned off. The power was out. She walked to the window, seeing the city itself had shut down from a bad thunderstorm. Maybe she'd get some sleep, then. Think about her life in her dreams. Maybe tomorrow would be a new day. * * * Jusenkyo. It was all laid out before her. Thousands of pools far as her eyes could see. Jusenkyo. How could this be? She'd left it all behind, long ago. She couldn't have returned so quickly. This had to be a dre... "Miss, you must leave from here. There is no use staying," said the guide to Jusenkyo. He appeared at her side. "I know. You already told me so many times I could throw up your words from my ears," said Ranma, not facing the guide. "And don't call me miss. I hate it." "You must go. Is not safe." "I'm just waiting on my pops." "He says you must go. He will follow." "I want to see him," said Ranma. "Miss..." "Don't... call me that!" screamed Ranma, angrily. There was movement from the pools. A panda was jumping from pole to pole to Ranma and the guide's position. It landed in front of them. "You're here!" said Ranma, relieved. "Tell this idi..." The panda reached a paw out to Ranma, and patted her shoulder. The panda looked into Ranma's eyes, as though trying to impart something it could not speak. "I don't understand. I wish you could speak," said Ranma. The panda sighed. And then it brought its other paw up in a roundhouse punch, knocking Ranma out. * * * Ranma woke with a jerk. She felt disorientated, and lost. She sat up, trying to figure out where she was. It all came quickly flooding back. Hotel room. Academy City. No cure. No past. No future. She took a pillow, and then screamed into it. Chapter One End * * * Author's Notes: Hello, reader. Some of ya may recognize this story from a ways back. Took it down to revise it, but lost it due to loss of OS, and backup. Fortunately, a reader had a copy of the story which they sent to me. My sincerest gratitude to this reader, whose pen name is Haibara-san. Anyway, there are some minor changes to the text. There is also a new scene. Finally, let's all hope for a speedy release of the next part. Unfortunately, I've been whittling away at a different story for the past week, which might instead see release soon. A preview of that story is at my blog: some madao's gutter seat. End file.

fanfiction

William E. Hawkins born May 9, 1966 is a former professional American football defensive end who played four seasons for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League and was an All-American at the University of Miami. High school Hawkins was born in Miami, Florida. He was an All-State selection and second-team high school All-American at South Broward High School, Florida, in 1983. His 3.85 GPA was the highest on the football team. College Hawkins was a 3-year starter at the University of Miami at defensive end. redshirted in 1984 and as a freshman, in 1985, he was a backup and recorded 10 tackles. As a sophomore, he moved into the starting lineup and had 62 tackles 10 for a loss and 7 sacks. In 1987, as a junior he recorded 84 tackles with 14 of them going for a loss to go with his 6.5 sacks. In 1988, as a senior Hawkins was a First-team All-American selection by the Walter Camp Foundation and the AFCA. He was a Second-team All-American selection by the AP, UPI and Sporting News. In 1988 Hawkins tallied 67 tackles 18 for a loss and 7.5 sacks. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award. His coach, Jimmy Johnson called him, the most consistent lineman he ever coached. While at the U Hawkins earned a degree in Finance, with a B average. In his four years at Miami the Hurricanes had a 44-4 win-loss record and Hawkins played in four New Years' Day bowl games: a January 1, 1986, 35-7 loss to the University of Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl; a January 2, 1987, 14-10 loss to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl; a 20-14 win over the University of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1988, and a 23-3 win over the University of Nebraska on January 2, 1989 in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes were National Champions after the 1987 season and the victory over Oklahoma. Hawkins is a member of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Professional career Pre-draft Hawkins measured 6'6 1/18 and 260 pounds at the NFL Combine. Had a superb showing at the combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73. Was described as a Polished player with 5 years experience on one of nation's top teams. Very intelligent. Positive influence on teammates. Type of lineman who would adapt well to the many adjustments. Was reported to have good quickness and leaping ability along with a good closing burst and good upper-body strength and runs well for a big guy Los Angeles Rams Hawkins was the 21st selection in the 1st round of the 1989 NFL Draft and was the 5th defensive end chosen, behind Burt Grossman San Diego Chargers, Trace Armstrong Chicago Bears, Jeff Lageman New York Jets, and Wayne Martin New Orleans Saints. Rams Coach John Robinson stated, Bill is the kind of player that can develop into a big-time pass rusher, the kind of player we've talked about getting but could not find. After a prolonged holdout Hawkins signed a reported four-year, $1.9-million contract that included a $750,000 signing bonus on August 18, 1989. He played in 13 games, starting 1, as a rookie and was voted All-Rookie despite missing the final three games with a left knee injury. Finished season with 11 tackles with a high of 6 against the Dallas Cowboys on December 3, 1989. He also forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Larry Kelm securing the 35-31 win. In 1990 Hawkins played in 15 games without a start. He was slow to recover from his knee injury which ended his 1989 season. He played mostly defensive tackle in the Rams Eagle defense, which was a pass rush scheme. In that role Hawkins made 9 tackles and 3 sacks, with 2 of the sacks coming against the Atlanta Falcons on December 23, 1990. He also batted away two passes in 1990. Hawkins also began pursuing a law degree in 1990. Injuries and an incompatible defensive style reduced contributions in his first two seasons. Bill is consistently improving, coach John Robinson said of Hawkins. He came into 1991 camp really light. We hope he gains weight. His improvement has been very gradual. Hawkins was on injured reserve for 10 games in 1991 and played in only six games as a backup defensive end in the Rams new 4-3 pressure defensive scheme installed by new defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher, recording 4 tackles for the season and one fumble recovery. Back and rib injuries were the reasons Hawkins missed time in 1991. With the arrival of new Head Coach Chuck Knox and yet a new defensive scheme Hawkins earned the starting right defensive end spot. Despite suffering a torn calf muscle on August 6, 1992, Hawkins held the starting job for the first half of the season until he injured his knee on November 8, 1992, which ended his season. An MRI revealed he suffered damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and underwent major reconstructive surgery. In 1992, in 8 games 7 starts, Hawkins recorded 15 tackles and 2 sacks and batted down 2 passes. He attempted to come back from knee surgery in 1993 but failed to make the team. On April 27, 1993, he signed a new contract he was a free agent but during training camp he was cut. Due to injuries to other Rams defensive linemen he was activated on August 25, 1993. Hawkins participated in his first practice since undergoing knee surgery in November, 1992, and said his knee felt pretty good. However, Hawkins' career, ended on August 31, 1993, when Chuck Knox informed him that his services were no longer required. Jupiter High School In the 20102011 season he coached the defensive line for the varsity team. References External links NFL.com bio Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:All-American college football players Category:American football defensive ends Category:Los Angeles Rams players Category:Miami Hurricanes football players Category:Players of American football from Florida Category:Sportspeople from Miami

wikipedia

direct resin composite is the most widely use the restorative material in restorative clinical practice . the mechanical properties are constantly evolving make clinician to use this material as anterior and posterior restorative materials . with the constant evolution of the resin composite materials , evaluation of the material properties such as compressive strength , diametral tensile strength ( dts ) , and flexural strength , diametral tensile strength testing was developed to investigate brittle materials with little or no plastic deformation . in this test , cylindrical specimen is subjected to a compressive load in the diametral plane , which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis . the evaluation of strength properties is done using a universal testing machine which commonly use crosshead speed as 0.5 mm / min . however , some of the studies use crosshead speeds as 0.1 mm / min,0.2 mm / min,0.25 mm / min,0.5 mm / min,0.75 mm / min,1 mm / min,5 mm / min , and 10 mm / min . there exist lacunae in the literature with respect to the application of different crosshead speed to the specimens while evaluating the dts . hence , the aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of different crosshead speeds on dts of a resin composite material , tetric n - ceram ( ivoclar vivadent ) . there is difference between the dts of tetric n - ceram ( ivoclar vivadent ) using different crosshead speeds . there is difference between the dts of tetric n - ceram ( ivoclar vivadent ) using different crosshead speeds . the methacrylate based nano hybrid resin composite material tetric n - ceram ivoclar vivadent ( shade a2 ) , was evaluated for dts using 4 different crosshead speeds 0.5 mm / min , 1 mm / min , 5 mm / min , 10 mm / min . forty prepared specimen were randomly divided by simple random sampling into four experimental groups with 12 samples in each group : group i - dts at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm / mingroup ii - dts at crosshead speed of 1 mm / mingroup iii - dts at crosshead speed of 5 mm / mingroup iv - dts at crosshead speed of 10 mm / min group i - dts at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm / min group ii - dts at crosshead speed of 1 mm / min group iii - dts at crosshead speed of 5 mm / min group iv - dts at crosshead speed of 10 mm / min stainless steel custom split mold was used for the specimen preparation . 48 cylindrical specimens were fabricated from tetric n - ceram ivoclar vivadent ( shade a2 ) ( lot - r47829 ) , having dimensions as 6.0 0.1 mm in diameter and 3.0 0.1 mm in thickness according to specification no . the resin composite material was placed in custom stainless steel split mold of dimension 6 mm in diameter and 3 mm in thickness . each increment was cured for 20 s using a light curing unit ( bluephase , ivoclar vivadent ) with the tip of the light source held as close as possible without contacting the surface . the final increment in all the subgroups was cured by placing a mylar strip ( samit products , delhi ) covered with a glass plate ( blue star company , india ) to get a smooth finish of the specimen . specimens were ejected from the molds and the excess material was removed using 600 grit sic paper . the specimens were inspected for voids or incorrect dimensions and the ones with voids or other defects or incorrect dimensions were discarded . the dimensions of the specimen were checked using digital caliper ( aerospace , panama orthodontics , inc . specimen were then stored in distilled water in light proof container at room temperature for 24 h. diametral tensile strength was evaluated by mounting the specimen diametrically on a universal testing machine ( hounsfield universal testing machine , s - series ) with crosshead speeds of 0.5 mm / min , 1 mm / min , 5 mm / min , 10 mm / min . where p = load , d = diameter ( ~6 mm ) and t = thickness ( ~3 mm ) diametral tensile strength was calculated and expressed in mpa . the statistical analysis technique used was the analysis of variance ( anova ) . in order to find out among which pair of groups there exist a significant difference , multiple comparisons were carried out using bonferroni method . therefore , a one - way anova with a bonferroni adjustment was used to consider each group as a separate entity and to allow for direct comparisons . the bonferroni adjustment is a mathematical correction that can be used to reduce falsely significant results . statistical procedures were performed using the statistical package for social sciences ( spss 13.0 ) for windows forty prepared specimen were randomly divided by simple random sampling into four experimental groups with 12 samples in each group : group i - dts at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm / mingroup ii - dts at crosshead speed of 1 mm / mingroup iii - dts at crosshead speed of 5 mm / mingroup iv - dts at crosshead speed of 10 mm / min group i - dts at crosshead speed of 0.5 mm / min group ii - dts at crosshead speed of 1 mm / min group iii - dts at crosshead speed of 5 mm / min group iv - dts at crosshead speed of 10 mm / min 48 cylindrical specimens were fabricated from tetric n - ceram ivoclar vivadent ( shade a2 ) ( lot - r47829 ) , having dimensions as 6.0 0.1 mm in diameter and 3.0 0.1 mm in thickness according to specification no . the resin composite material was placed in custom stainless steel split mold of dimension 6 mm in diameter and 3 mm in thickness . each increment was cured for 20 s using a light curing unit ( bluephase , ivoclar vivadent ) with the tip of the light source held as close as possible without contacting the surface . the final increment in all the subgroups was cured by placing a mylar strip ( samit products , delhi ) covered with a glass plate ( blue star company , india ) to get a smooth finish of the specimen . specimens were ejected from the molds and the excess material was removed using 600 grit sic paper . the specimens were inspected for voids or incorrect dimensions and the ones with voids or other defects or incorrect dimensions were discarded . the dimensions of the specimen were checked using digital caliper ( aerospace , panama orthodontics , inc . specimen were then stored in distilled water in light proof container at room temperature for 24 h. diametral tensile strength was evaluated by mounting the specimen diametrically on a universal testing machine ( hounsfield universal testing machine , s - series ) with crosshead speeds of 0.5 mm / min , 1 mm / min , 5 mm / min , 10 mm / min . where p = load , d = diameter ( ~6 mm ) and t = thickness ( ~3 mm ) diametral tensile strength was calculated and expressed in mpa . the statistical analysis technique used was the analysis of variance ( anova ) . in order to find out among which pair of groups there exist a significant difference , multiple comparisons were carried out using bonferroni method . therefore , a one - way anova with a bonferroni adjustment was used to consider each group as a separate entity and to allow for direct comparisons . the bonferroni adjustment is a mathematical correction that can be used to reduce falsely significant results . statistical procedures were performed using the statistical package for social sciences ( spss 13.0 ) for windows the mean and standard deviation values ( mpa ) obtained with dts for four groups evaluated are listed in table 1 . the one - way anova [ table 2 ] showed no significant difference among the groups ( p > 0.05 ) indicating that there was no influence of crosshead speed variation on the dts . however , higher mean tensile strength was recorded in dts 2 ( 40.04 4.84 mpa ) followed by dts 4 ( 41.17 7.21 mpa ) , dts 1 ( 40.83 4.79 mpa ) , and dts 3 ( 39.62 6.37 mpa ) [ figure 1 and graph 1 ] . lines on the boxes signify the mean and standard deviation diametral tensile strength values ( in mpa ) standardization of test conditions are difficult to attain with clinical trials , therefore in vitro tests play an important role in carrying out preliminary studies and providing scientific data . the in vitro studies are cost effective and less time - consuming and permits an enormous level of simplification of the system under study . even though laboratory fracture strength tests do not reproduce intra - oral loading conditions , they offer a controlled environment for preparing and testing the specimens thus allowing for comparable evaluation of the variables under investigation . compressive and dts testing are important in vitro analyses that have typically been considered good indicators for simulating the forces that the restorative materials are subjected to under mastication . tensile strength is lower than compressive strength and is considered more relevant . as it is not possible to measure the tensile strength of brittle materials diametral tensile testing is a common method for measuring the tensile strength of brittle materials because it avoids some of the difficulties inherent in direct and flexural tensile testing . comparison of results from different dts studies is difficult at best because of a number of variables that might influence the results obtained . there are significant differences in the storage , preparation of samples , and number of samples per group . due to these variables and the large distribution of results , crosshead speed has also been speculated to add to the variation of test results . to our knowledge , this is the first investigation on influence of different crosshead speeds on dts of resin composites . most of the studies employ speeds of 0.5 mm / min,0.75 mm / min and 1 mm / min . nevertheless different crosshead speeds such as 0.1 mm / min,0.2 mm / min,0.25 mm / min,5 mm / min , and 10 mm / min have been employed by other authors . hence in current study , dts was evaluated using 0.5 mm / min , 1 mm / min , 5 mm / min and 10 mm / min crosshead speed in accordance to plethoric literature . the resin - based composite used in the current study was tetric n - ceram which is a type of methacrylate - based nano hybrid composite . the use of nano hybrid composite have been the focus of much recent research as a potential alternative to conventional composites owing to their advantage of having better strength , radiopacity , surface gloss and lower polymerization shrinkage . for the present study , 27 with dimensions , 6 0.1 mm in diameter and 3 0.1 mm in thickness . the light curing unit used was bluephase , ivoclar vivadent , and the intensity of light was measured after every 10 curing using a radiometer . radiometer was used to check for any loss of intensity of the curing bulb which can occur over time . the statistical analysis for this study a comparative analysis of four different experimental groups showed higher mean tensile strength in dts 2 ( 40.04 4.84 mpa ) followed by dts 4 ( 41.17 7.21 mpa ) , dts 1 ( 40.83 4.79 mpa ) , and dts 3 ( 39.62 6.37 mpa ) , respectively . however , the difference in mean tensile strength between the groups was not statistically significant ( p > 0.05 ) . therefore , the present data in the study concluded that , variations in crosshead speed are not significantly influencing the dts of resin - based composites . the results of this study are consistent with studies by reis et al . and yamaguchi et al . , where they evaluated the influence of different crosshead speeds of 0.1 mm / min , 0.5 mm / min , 1.0 mm / min , 2.0 mm / min , 4.0 mm / min and 0.5 mm / min , 1.0 mm / min , 5.0 mm / min , 10.0 mm / min , respectively on resin - dentin microtensile bond strength . when investigating orthodontic bond strength with different crosshead speeds ( 0.1 mm / min , 0.5 mm / min , 1.0 mm / min , 5.0 mm / min ) klocke and kahl - nieke found no significant difference between different groups with different crosshead speeds the results of this study were in contrast with studies by hara et al . and tamura et al . where they evaluated the influence of different crosshead speeds of 0.5 mm / min , 0.75 mm / min , 1.0 mm / min , 5.0 mm / min and 0.1 mm / min , 0.5 mm / min , 1.0 mm / min , 5.0 mm / min , respectively on bond strength the observed differences in these studies could be attributed to the deviation of the applied force away from the adhesive interface to other components of the specimen , such as a composite or dentine substrate when higher applied forces were used , allowing higher bond strength values to be obtained . furthermore , in contrast with the current study these studies evaluated the bond strength where the methodology for the experiment is different than the evaluation of dts for resin composites . hence , the results from these studies can not be used for the dts evaluation . most of the previous studies on evaluation of dts used different crosshead speeds . if the results of this study could be extrapolated and validated in further research , then studies of different crosshead speed hence for future reference , the current study can guide the researchers in this aspect . according to the results of present study , the research hypothesis was rejected as the use of crosshead speed at 0.5 mm/1 mm/5 mm and 10 mm / min does not seem to influence the dts of a resin composite .

pubmed

Grimm 1. Chapter 1 **This is for the lovely ****gabesmom09 ****who gave me a simple request for a oneshot that I admit I let get a little out of hand. Here is the first part of three!** **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Okay Nick. One last time. Do not, under any circumstances, inhale that. Do you understand?" Rosalie says sternly as she hands me the envelope of powder. "Yes, I got it the first twenty times you told me." I tuck the packet safely into my pocket. "Okay. Make sure Monroe knows as well. You two stay safe out there okay?" I nod, "We will." "You get it?" Monroe asks once I'm seated next to him in his car, he had decided not to come in with me since things have been a little awkward between the two Wessen after their break up. "Yeah." I pat my pocket, "Let's go." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Ni-ck..." I look over to Monroe, he's got three guys on top of him, one with their hands wrapped tight around his throat, cutting off his air supply. The gash on his arm is steadily bleeding out into the sawdust and dirt. My heart is pounding as I simultaneously fight the one guy not on Monroe and search the ground for the envelope of powder that's supposed to stop these guys. I kick the tall man in the groin and drop to my knees as he goes down, searching frantically for the powder. I hear him groan behind me, shuffling in the wood shavings, getting up to come at me again. My hand touches the smooth paper of the envelope and I pick it up, fumbling for a split second with the flap before it's open and I'm able to toss the orange powder into the air. I cover my nose and mouth with my arm, watching as all four men try and run. They're able to make it a few feet before they're frozen in place, skin crackling, slowly turning into smooth grey granite that will disintegrate to dust within minutes. "Shit. Monroe?" I crawl over to the Blutbad, the dust hangs in the air making it hard to see, "Monroe?" I shake his shoulder, "Monroe, come on man." I check for a pulse, "God dammit Monroe!" I start compressions on my friend, fifteen compressions then damn the side effects, I take a deep breath of the dusty air, tilt his chin up, pinch his nose and give him two breaths. He's gasping for air beneath me, hands flying out at attackers that aren't there. "Monroe! Monroe. They're gone. It's just us." I grab his wrists and he strains weakly against my hold. "Fuck, you lost a lot of blood." I rip off my shirt, pressing it to his arm. I reach into my back pocket for my phone, pulling it out only to realize that it's smashed beyond help, "Fuck." I dig into Monroe's front pocket and pull out his phone, dialing nine one one. The ambulance is there in no time, paramedics wrap up his arm and have him on an IV of O negative before he's even on the stretcher. I ride with him, his hand weakly grips mine all the way to the hospital and he gives me a deliriously goofy grin through his oxygen mask. T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K "Thanks for giving us a ride Hank." I pull Monroe's good arm around my shoulders, his other hanging limp in a sling and help him out of the car. "Yeah, of course. Are you two gonna be alright?" "We'll be fine, just going to take it easy." "Okay. I'll see you on Monday." "See you." I close the car door and Hank drives away with a wave. "Alright, let's get you inside." I support Monroe and we hobble our way into his house, I help him to the couch where he sits gingerly on the cushions, the majority of his left side is covered in deep purple bruises and angry red lacerations from being thrown against the wall, I hiss as my cracked ribs protest to my bending over. "I'm going to change, do you want anything?" "Food." He slowly relaxes into the back of the couch. "Want to order pizza? I'm buying." I offer, already pulling off the too small scrub shirt the hospital had given me. "You'd better damn well be buying." Monroe laughs painfully. "Here's my card. Call it in? I'm gonna find a shirt and get us some beer." T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K I've washed as much of the sweat, dirt and blood off of myself as possible and I'm just heading down the stairs in a clean shirt and boxers when the doorbell rings. I move as quickly as I can to grab a tip from my wallet before I answer the door. "Large barbecue tofu and two chocolate lava cakes?" The delivery boy asks cheerfully. "Yeah." I take the boxes from him and hand him a ten, "Thanks." "Thank you. Have a great night." "You too." I shut and lock the door behind me, "Uh, Monroe, what are you doing?" The Blutbad looks up at me with an utterly defeated look on his face, his jeans wrapped around his thighs. "I can't get them off." He groans, "Will you help me?" I struggle not to laugh, setting the pizza on the couch and kneeling in front of him. I gently work his jeans over his feet and knees, pulling them all the way off and tossing them in a pile next to the couch. "Better?" I stand. "Yes, thank you." I go into the kitchen and grab two beers from the fridge finally being able to sink down into the couch next to Monroe. "We should call Rosalie." I lean over Monroe and pick up his cell from the end table, "Should have called her first." I dial Rosalie's number and wait for her to pick up, it rings once and goes straight to her voice mail, I hang up, "I'll try the shop." I dial again but it rings out, "She never told me what would happen if we inhaled it." "Well it's been four hours now, nothings happened. Maybe we didn't get enough?" "Maybe." I settle back, "Oh god." I crack open the beers, handing one to Monroe, "Want to watch Being Human?" Monroe hands me a slice of pizza. "Okay." We settle in to the latest episode. We're about fifteen minutes in when the cramps start, light at first but they grow more intense as the minutes pass until I can't focus on what Josh and Aiden are arguing about. I curl forward, pressing my hand to my lower stomach, not even noticing the pain in my ribs. "Nick? Are you okay?" Monroe runs his hand down my back and just like that the cramps stop. "I-uh, yeah. No, it must have been something I ate not agreeing with me for a second." "Okay." We sit back. Ten minutes later the fidgeting starts and this time it's not me. Monroe uncrosses and recrosses his legs for the hundredth time, smoothing the palm of his good hand down his thigh. "Are you alright?" I pause the TV, turning to face Monroe. "Is it hot in here? Are you hot?" He wipes sweat from his forehead. "No, I'm fine. Are you having a reaction to your antibiotics?" "I don't think that's it." He glances over at me and I can see the red of his eyes. "Shit, do you think it's...I'll try Rosalie again." I grab his cell phone and try both of her numbers twice more with no luck, "She's not answering. Maybe we should see if we can find anything in the trailer." I lean back over Monroe to set his phone down and the next thing I know I'm on my back on the floor with Monroe over me, "Ow fuck Monroe, what the hell?" My ribs are screaming. "Nick I-" He shakes his head, good hand scrubbing down his face, he sits up straight, still straddling me. Standing slowly, he helps me up. "I don't know what that was." Monroe sits back on the couch, I stand in front of him. "Are you okay to go to the trailer or should I go alone?" I'm concerned, he might have gotten more of the powder than me and is having a reaction. Monroe looks up at me from his seat on the couch, eyes flashing red again. He grabs my wrist and tugs me down into his lap until we're pressed chest to chest and my knees are sunk into the couch cushions on either side of his hips. "Fuck Monroe, I know you're not feeling all there but could you please stop...manhandling me..." I trail off. Monroe's face is burning red, back to himself once more. "I'm sorry." His voice comes out in a whisper. He's hard, pressed into my backside through just two thin layers of boxers. "No, it's okay, you're just having a reaction to the powder." I don't move. "You should go. Before I do something I'll regret." "Do you think..." My hands twist into the front of his cotton tee, "I mean..." I clear my throat, "If we...did it? Do you think it would go away?" "No Nick, you can't. I won't let you." "Why? If it solves our problem! I would rather have sex with you than drive all the way out to the trailer and sit for hours trying to find a solution that might not even be there." "And if it doesn't work? If this makes everything awkward between us? I won't have it Nick." "Correct me if I'm wrong, but things should already be pretty damn awkward, but they aren't, are they?" "Yes they are. I'm sitting here with a boner with my best friend in my lap and he's suggesting sex which I know you'll regret in the morning and how is sex where one person is aroused and the other isn't not awkward?" "Well yes, that would be awkward, but that's not the case here is it? See now I should be the one embarrassed and feeling awkward. You have an excuse, you were drugged. I'm just hard at the thought of having sex with you." "Nick you-" "So will you shut up and fuck me before I change my mind and if it doesn't work, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Monroe hesitates for a moment before his lips are on mine, tongue probing and teeth nipping. His one good hand grips the hem at the back of my shirt and pulls, trying to get it off. I end up having to pull the shirt off myself, tossing it to join his previously discarded pants. "Help me out of this." Monroe fiddles uselessly with the velcro on his sling. "You'll tear your stitches." I swat his hand away. "I won't use it much. I just want to feel you." He argues between sucking a bruise onto my neck. "Fine, just don't whine later." I pull the velcro and slide the strap out of the loop, gently helping him work his hand out of the mesh and throwing the sling aside, "Now your turn." He holds his arms up allowing me to pull his tee over his head. Monroe runs his hands down my sides, the fingers of his left hand significantly colder than his right causing a shiver to run down my spine. His hands come to rest on my ass pulling me flush against him. He does his best to thrust up, grinding our erections together. "Oh fuck Monroe." "Sorry, did I hurt you?" "No, no, it feels good." I pant into his neck. "I did hurt myself though." "Your arm?" I pull back to look at him. "No my hip, I hit the wall pretty hard." "Oh. Let me do all the work then." His hips still as I press down onto him, "You have any lube?" "In the kitchen." I give him a skeptical look, "What? I went to the store yesterday and I didn't have a chance to put anything away before you were asking for my help and getting us into this mess." "Alright." I laugh, climbing off of him on unsteady legs to retrieve the bottle. I hand Monroe the lube then gently tug his boxers down over his legs and pull of my own before I return to his lap. Looking between us it's easy to see that his erection is significantly larger than mine. "Have you uh ever done this before?" I ask uncertainly. "Had sex?" "With a guy?" "Yeah, why?" "Any, er, problems? I mean...you're kind of big." "No he was fine." "Was he a Blutbad too?" "He was human." "Okay." That makes me feel a bit better. "Can you prep me?" "Yeah." Monroe pops the cap on the lube, thoroughly coating the fingers of his right hand. I take both of our erections in hand, leaving his bad arm to rest around my waist. "Ready?" "Mmmhmm." His first finger slips in to the knuckle easily and he's quick to add a second. "Anything you want to tell me?" Monroe asks, fingers crooking and searching. "Like?" I let out a moan into his shoulder. "Why you're so easy?" He adds a third finger. "Does it matter? Oh fuck! Right there Monroe!" I cry out as he rubs against my prostate. "Yes." Monroe growls, biting my neck over the bruise he left earlier. "Why?" It's hard to get out even the single syllable. "Maybe I'm jealous." "Jealous? Oh..." A fourth finger joins the others just for good measure and this one stings a bit. "Yeah." "Before I came home yesterday- oh god!" "Yeah? Before you came home yesterday what? You fucked another guy?" Monroe presses mercilessly into my prostate. "No, god no. Ah, Monroe stop, I'm going to come if you keep that up." My hand hangs limp around us, too caught up in the pleasure he's giving me. "Then tell me." He growls into my ear. "I fucked myself." His fingers freeze and I give an involuntary whine of protest. "You..." "Fucked myself. Is that a crime?" I try to press back against his hand but he pulls back. "Tell me about it." "Monroe~" "Tell me about it." He repeats himself, this time pulling his fingers out by a fraction of an inch. "Okay, okay." I concede, "I..." I take a deep breath, "I keep a dildo in my car." I wait for him to laugh but he doesn't so I go on, "Sometimes after work, if I've had a long day or if I'm coming home with a Grimm case and I know you and I will be in tight quarters for an extended period of time...I get myself off. I park in the second to top floor of the parking garage at work where no one ever parks and where there aren't any cameras and I fuck myself." Monroe starts to slowly thrust his fingers into my body. "Why?" "Well, ah, if it was a long day I just want to blow off steam. Oh god...if I'm coming home with a Grimm case, it's so I don't pop a boner while you and I are pressed together in some horridly tiny hiding place." "And what do you think about when you're getting off?" I lean back so that I can look into his eyes, "You. Every time. I imagine it's you fucking me." Monroe's eyes flash red and in one swift move his fingers are gone and his dick is buried to the hilt. My back arches of its own accord and despite the sting of penetration I'm dragged closer to the edge, heat curling in my lower stomach. "Oh~ fuck." My fingernails dig into his shoulders. "Well stop." He waits for me to adjust, "If you have a long day, I'm more than willing to have sex with you." "That's the drugs talking." He doesn't say anything and after a minute I brace my hands on his shoulders and lift myself almost all the way off of him, slowly sliding back down onto his length, I build up a good rhythm and speed until I'm riding him in earnest, watching the way his face twists in pleasure, curly hair matted to his forehead with sweat, chest flushed. This might be my only chance to see him like this, to feel him inside of me and I drink in every second of it, storing away every tiny detail to further fuel my fantasies later. I want it to last forever but it's just minutes before I feel my orgasm tear through me, come coating our lower stomachs. He finishes seconds later, my inner walls clenching and spasming around him as he fills me, coming for several long moments, his arms wrapped around my back, holding me tight. When Monroe is done, when he's coming down from the high of orgasm, I pull off of him, situating myself on his thighs. "Do you feel any better?" I push sweaty hair out of his eyes. "Much." his left hand comes up, tracing the curve of my jaw, pulling me into a gentle kiss. "We should still go to the trailer, see if there's any information, see if having sex would get rid of it completely." "Yeah, can I have a minute first?" He's still holding me tight and I don't protest. "Sure." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Here's something." I sit up off the bed and Monroe comes to stand next to me, "This orange dust composed of blah blah blah," I run my finger under the lines of text, "If inhaled by any other Wessen will cause an intense mating heat, only curable by sating the lust through sexual penetration. Done! If inhaled by a human, Grimm included, will cause extreme...extreme what?" The line cuts off at the end of the page, the opposite trailing on about a completely different Wessen, "What the hell?" "I guess we should head to the shop a little later?" I check my watch, it's seven in the morning, "Well if we leave now we can probably catch her as she's opening." "You want to go then?" "Yeah." I close the book, sending up a cloud of dust and set it at the foot of the bed. **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Rosalie, you in?" The little bell over the door chimes as we enter the quiet shop. "Yeah, Nick, I'm in the back, you want some tea?" She pops her head out of the door to the back room, "Oh hey Monroe, you want some?" "Yes, please." Rosalie waves us back. "So what can I do for you boys?" The little woman putters around the small kitchen as Monroe and I take seats in the sitting area. "You never told me what would happen if we inhaled the powder." "Don't tell me you did." She turns to face us. "Monroe wasn't breathing! I had to give him CPR!" She throws her hands up in the air, grumbling to herself as she stomps over to a shelf and pulls out a book, she flips it open and sets the tome on the coffee table in front of us. "Read." She goes back to finishing up the tea. The page is nearly word for word to the one in the trailer but this entry is complete, I read aloud. "If inhaled by a human, Grimm included, will cause extreme fertility? What?" "Read on." Rosalie waves her hand over her shoulder. "If inhaled by a woman, chance of conception will be increased ten fold, conception will carry on naturally. If inhaled by a male, a uterus will be formed in the fourth or fifth hour after inhalation resulting in severe cramps for a short period of time before the uterus becomes fully functional..." "Keep going." Rosalie sets two cups of tea on the table in front of us. "I don't want to." I don't want to know what it's going to say. She sighs and takes the book from me, reading it herself, "If the male is sexually active with a female, the chances of the female conceiving increase ten fold. If the male is sexually active with another male but is not penetrated, nothing will happen, if the male is penetrated and does not use protection and if his partner ejaculates within him, there is a 99.3% chance that he will conceive. The fertility effects on the human body will last five days before wearing off, the male uterus will remain though it will be non-functioning." Rosalie shuts the book, "Now, considering that Monroe seems to be perfectly fine, I'm just going to assume that you two had sex, whatever, no judgement, but please oh please tell me that you used protection." She sits across from us. Monroe and I glance at each other, faces reddening and I think she has her answer. "What do we do now?" Monroe asks. "You wait. It will take at least ten days before a pregnancy test can give you a clear result. In the mean time, buy a pack of condoms for god's sake. **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** Back at the house Monroe and I are sitting on the couch, the only sound around us is the clocks. "I'm sorry." Monroe is the one to break the silence. "It's not your fault. Besides there's a .7% chance that I'm not..." That sounded pathetic even to me, .7% is nothing. Silence stretches for a few minutes. "You said that you thought of me. Imagined it was me when you were...getting off." "So?" He takes my hand and I let him. "Did I ever tell you why Rosalie and I broke up?" His thumb runs over my knuckles. "No. Why did you? I thought you guys were great together." "We were I suppose. It's all my fault though, I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't put her through a relationship that would go nowhere emotionally or physically. I love her though, just not in a way she deserves. See, I broke it off because I'm in love with someone else." "Oh? Who?" I pull my hand from his and I know I'm being painfully transparent, but I don't care, I've been in love with Monroe for nearly a year now but I put aside my feelings when he started dating Rosalie because they really were good together, then when they broke up a little spark of hope had been lit in my heart only to be squashed out by Monroe here and now, telling me he was in love with someone. "You'll love them, they're smart and funny and brave, very much like you in a lot of ways. Dark hair, green eyes, sweet smile, loves my cooking and listening to me play the cello and will sit next to me for hours while I repair clocks." Monroe goes on and on about this person and I just get angrier. "Can you stop?" I pull my knees up to my chest. "I'm almost done." He persists, "I've been in love with this person for a while now, I thought never in a million years could they be interested in me. They drink really bad beer and on occasion they like to eat meat but I can talk to them about anything and everything and I love them." I bury my face in my knees as the tears start to flow, "What makes it really hard though is that I have to see this person every day and it's been so hard to hide my feelings. You see, this guy has been living in my spare room for a couple of months now when I really just wish he'd move into my room so I could wake up to his stupid oblivious face every morning." Monroe presses himself into my side, wrapping his arms around me and peppering kisses over my neck and what area of my cheek he can reach. "You're an idiot." I sob, wiping my face with my sleeve. "I know." "I love you too." I hug him back. "I know. And I want you to know that no matter what, I'm always going to be here for you. We made a mistake, you might be pregnant but that's okay because it's ours, if you are then I'll love it and spoil it and if not, maybe we can re-visit the subject in a couple of years. I love you." This time it's my turn, "I know." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** **So there we have it, part one, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it :)** 2. Chapter 2 "What are you doing?" I tilt my head to expose more of my neck to Monroe's exploring lips not stopping in my task of chopping up potatoes for dinner. "Nothing." Monroe trails his hands up and down my sides, landing on my hips and pulling me to him, obvious erection pressed into my lower back. "Sure feels like something." I drop the potatoes into the pot of water on the stove. "Mmm, no." "You positive?" I take my knife and cutting board to the sink, Monroe at my back the whole way. "Yeah. I can't just hold you?" I turn to face him. "Well, I don't know, we have about fourty minutes until dinner is ready." I smooth out the collar on Monroe's shirt. "Yeah?" "Mmmhmm." "And," Monroe leans in close, whispering in my ear, "I bought condoms." "That shouldn't be hot." I say as Monroe leads me upstairs. **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "What is this?" Monroe looks up from his work, taking the timepiece from my hands. "It's a clock." I pull up a stool next to him. "I see that, and it's a beautiful piece. The woodwork on this is...wow." "It's for you." I run my fingers over the carved surface of the clock, every inch of the cherry wood is shaped into the faces of a hundred different Wesson, growing up I had seen it a few times and it had really creeped me out, now knowing the meaning behind the seemingly half animal half human faces I can see the beauty in it, "It's been in my family for...well I'm not sure exactly how long, a very long time, I can say that." "I can't take this." Monroe protests, sliding the clock towards me across his work bench. "Yes you can. Come on, if I keep it all it will do is collect dust in a box in a trailer. I know you'll appreciate it, keep it in good shape." I comb my fingers through his hair, kissing his temple, "I'm going to shower, you find it a home." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "I'm going crazy." I stretch out on the sheets, sweat and semen cooling on my skin. "It's only been three days." "I know!" I roll over suddenly, laying myself out on top of Monroe and tangling our legs together, "And there's a week left. That's forever." I lean up on my elbows, stroking his beard with my fingertips. "It'll be over before you know it." Monroe wraps his arms around my shoulders. "And if it's not? If it's nine months and the rest of our lives?" "I will be happy. I will be extatic. As cheesy as it is I will be the happiest man on Earth!" Monroe buries his fingers in my hair, dragging me down into a kiss. "You're ridiculous, but it's the same for me." "And you're sticky." He doesn't make a move to get up or push me off only slides his hand from the back of my head to cup my cheeks and just looks up at me. "What?" I glance away from his searching eyes. "It's all going to be fine." "I know." I cross my arms on his chest resting my head on the makeshift pillow, fully intent on falling asleep and he doesn't protest, pulling a blanket over us. **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Only three more days." Rosalie sips quietly at her tea, watching me wander around her shop, picking up random items and reading the lists of benefits and ingredients. "What does this do?" I hold up a small ash box that only has the Latin name of whatever is inside it scrawled on the front. "That is made into a tea to increase the male libido. Need some?" Rosalie giggles. "Uh, no." I move on, setting the box back in it's place on the shelf. "Are you okay Nick?" Rosalie suddenly dons her serious voice, behind me I hear her tea cup being set onto it's saucer. "I'm fine why?" I pick up a glass jar of rose oil nearly dropping it. "Do I have to answer that?" "No." I stop in my exploring, returning to my seat across the counter from Rosalie, "I'm...I'm not worried. I mean I _am _worried. But if I am...well pregnant, let's just stay it, I'm not worried about it, I think I'll be okay, Monroe will be a great dad weather it's now or three years from now." "So will you." Rosalie offers me a reassuring smile. "Thanks." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "Would, you, stop, that!" My exclamation is punctuated by me slapping Monroe's hands away. "Sorry." Monroe laughs, pulling away, the lock of my hair he had been playing with curls back around my ear and I smoothe it into place, "Why have I never seen your hair this long? How does you hair grow so damn fast?" I set aside my book, turning to face Monroe, "You've never seen it this long because I usually have a chance to cut it every few days and I don't know how it grows so damn fast, I really wish it didn't." I frown at Monroe. "I like it. It's cute." His hands return to my hair, fingers tangling in my damp curls. "Well tomorrow it has to go. It's getting in the way at work." "But tonight?" Monroe pulls me close. "I'll take care of it in the morning." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** "So?" I look up from the test to Monroe. "So." He repeats. "I guess congratulations are in order. You're gonna be a dad." I swallow down the lump in my throat. "So are you." "Yeah." I feel tears well up in my eyes and spill over. "Hey are you okay? Do you not...I understand if you don't want-" There's a deep sadness in his voice. "God no! Monroe I could never- No, I'm just, really, really happy." Monroe pulls me into a hug, kissing the top of my head, "Me too." 3. Chapter 3 "Ouch!" I yank my hand back from the flame, sucking on the little burn. "Come on, everyone is waiting for us." Monroe slides the cake off the counter and we make our way to the living room where all the party guests are, starting the song. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Our little girl kicks her feet excitedly in her high chair as everyone sings to her, clapping along when the song ends and we all applaud. Monroe sets the cake in front of her and we both move to stand behind her, I lean forward. "Are you ready to make a wish Marie?" I take her little hands in my own, "Make it a good one." I squeeze my own eyes shut, making a wish for my daughter's future, "Ready? One...two...three!" I blow out the candle for her and she laughs, "Yay!" I kiss her on the cheek and let her grab two big handfuls of the cake, our friends laughing. Monroe leans down, kissing her on the opposite cheek, "Happy birthday baby girl." We both stand, Monroe goes into the kitchen to get the full sized cake for the guests and I go around the room talking to every one. "Hey man congratulations." Hank pats me on the back, "You made it through the first year alive." I laugh, "And now it's your turn." "Yeah, I don't know that I'll do as good as you guys though. Marie is great." "You'll be an amazing dad. You're amazing with Marie, I can't imagine you'll do any less for your son." "I guess I'm just nervous." "You'll be great. I'll help you out. If you have any problems you can call me, I'll even let you tell her that you did it all on your own." This time Hank laughs, "She won't believe it for a second but thanks Nick." "No probably not." We chat for a few more minutes before I move on. I find Rosalie knelt in front of Marie. "Mmm, that looks yummy." Rosalie says as Marie misses her mouth and smears pink frosting all over her left cheek, "Can I have some?" Marie willingly holds out a fistful of cake for Rosalie who pretends to eat it, "Mmm, delicious!" Rosalie tickles Marie's tummy under her tray, causing a fit of giggles. "What are you girls up to?" I smooth Marie's mess of ebony curls out of her face. "Hey, Nick. We were just talking girl stuff, you know. Oh god, can I get a hand up?" Rosalie holds up her arm and I take it, helping to pull her up into a standing position, "Jesus, did you have this much trouble getting up and down at eight and a half months?" She presses a hand into her lower back, sighing as she takes a little pressure off of her spine from her protruding stomach. "Yeah, most definitely. Don't worry, you're almost there." "It feels like forever." "I know," I laugh a little, "the last weeks are the hardest." "I bit Hank's head off this morning because he didn't fold my pants right." "Oh I know, I was ready to strangle Monroe for the slightest mis-step. Do you want to sit down?" "God yes." We move over to the couch, "I feel so bad for him sometimes, I mean one second I'm screaming the next I'm laughing then I end up crying my eyes out and then it starts all over again. You know what I mean? He say's he understands but really, how could he right?" "They do their best, that's all they can do." I smile at her. "I know." "It's all worth it in the end." I look over to Marie who has nodded off in her chair, face and arms covered in frosting, "I should take her upstairs." "Alright, I'll see you in a few." I stand, going over to Marie and unbuckling her from her high chair, gently lifting her out and cradling her against my shoulder without waking her up. I take her upstairs, changing her out of her bib and onesie, wiping all of the frosting and cake off of her with a warm wipe before laying her down with a little blanket in her crib. Monroe comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing my shoulder. "I think, inhaling that ridiculous orange dust was one of the best things we ever did." Monroe murmurs into my neck. "I think so too. We've done good." Monroe pulls me closer, whispering in my ear, "Wanna try again?" I don't hesitate before answering, "Yes." **T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K-T-H-I-S-I-S-A-L-I-N-E-B-R-E-A-K** **There we have it, the third and final part!** End file.

fanfiction

the utility of this model stems from the fact that few assumptions are needed to determine hazard ratios based on the coefficients . the stratified cox ( sc ) model is a modification of the cox ph model , which allows for control by stratification of a predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption . parametric models are used only occasionally in analyzing clinical studies of survival despite offering some advantages over semiparametric models . parametric regression analysis is an attractive alternative to the widely used cox model when hazard functions themselves are of primary interest , or when relative survival times are the primary measure of association . when empirical information is available , parametric models can provide insight into the shape of the baseline hazard and baseline survival . furthermore , difficulty choosing the appropriate family of distributions leads many researchers to prefer the cox model . some parametric models are accelerated failure time ( aft ) models which assume that the relationship between the logarithm of survival time and covariates is linear one approach to address these difficulties is fitting the generalized gamma ( gg ) distribution . this extensive family contains nearly all commonly used distributions including the exponential , weibull , and log normal , making it particularly useful for estimating individual hazard functions as well as both relative hazards and relative survival times . in this analysis , we applied both semiparametric and parametric models under different conditions of the ph and aft assumptions and compared their results . the data in this study describe 12,531 women diagnosed with breast cancer in british columbia during 19901999 , and followed till 2010 . these were coded using binary variables equal to one if the subject received the treatment and zero otherwise . we defined survival time as a period between the diagnosis of disease and death or the end of patient 's follow - up . a binary censoring variable was used to indicate whether a patient died of breast cancer . for choosing the appropriate parametric model this distribution is a three - parameter family with location ( ) , scale ( > 0 ) , and shape ( ) parameters , in which all the three parameters depend on covariates . it should be noted that the conventional aft model holds only when covariate effects are modeled through the beta parameter . if we extend the analysis to covariates having effects through the sigma and/or lambda parameters , these are no longer conventional aft models . the gg family contains nearly all of the most commonly used distributions in survival analysis , including the exponential ( = = 1 ) , weibull ( = 1 ) , and log normal ( = 0 ) . if a general parametric distribution includes other distributions as special cases , the general distribution is called a nesting ( larger ) family of the specific distributions . the gg distribution includes three specific distributions , and thus represents a nesting family of them , allowing us to evaluate the appropriateness of the specific distributions relative to each other . testing the appropriateness of a family of distributions is equivalent to testing whether a subset of parameters in its nesting distribution are equal to specific values , and can be performed using a likelihood ratio test . the log - logistic distribution is a commonly used distribution in survival analysis , which is not nested in the gg family . to compare the selected parameter distribution with the log - logistic distribution , we used simple procedures based on baysian information criterion ( bic schwarz , 1978 and akaike information criterion ( aic ; akaike , 1969 ) , in which r is defined as . in our comparisons , the candidate distribution with the largest r value was considered the best fit . for aft models , we can estimate relative survival time by exponentiating the coefficient of a variable . for other models , we can calculate the relative time , rt ( p ) , using appropriate formulae . the relative times are defined for 0 < p < 1 as the ratio of the corresponding quantile functions , rt ( p ) = t1(p)/t0(p ) . the interpretation of rt ( p ) is that the time required for proportion p of individuals in the exposed or treated population to experience the event of interest is rt(p)-fold the time for the same proportion of events to occur in the reference population . links between quantiles of the gamma and gg facilitats use of software to obtain the percentiles of the gg . cox was the first to propose the model , specifying the hazard function as a function of time and the covariates : h ( t , x , b ) = h0(t ) exp(xb ) . with this parameterization , the hazard ratio is : hr ( t , x1 , x0 ) = exp(b(x1 - x0 ) ) . the cox ph model assumes that the hazard ratio for any two specifications of predictors is constant over time , and schoenfeld residuals can be used to assess the ph assumption . the sc model is a modification of the cox ph model , which allows for control by stratification of a predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption.the predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption is being adjusted by stratification , whereas the predictor that satisfies the ph assumption is being adjusted by its inclusion in the model . the hazard ratio value for the effect of variables in each stratum can be estimated . nevertheless , the hazard ratio value for the effect of a stratified variable can not be estimated . furthermore , we applied the likelihood ratio ( lr ) test to check the interaction between stratified variable and variables in each stratum . a standard treatment protocol for breast cancer is determined mainly by the patient 's age , stage of cancer , and tumor sensitivity to certain hormones . breast cancer stage has an important role in choosing the treatment , and a patient 's response to treatment depends on her age , so we divided the dataset according to the age of patient at diagnosis of disease ( age < 50 , age 50 ) and the stage of cancer ( i , ii , iii , iv ) . this produced eight combinations of age and stage with different conditions of ph and aft assumptions , and we could compare the treatment effect on patient survival with parametric and semi - parametric models . the presence of hormone receptors has been proven to have an effect on survival time of patient , and was included in all models . for each combination of age and stage , we only included variables for which more than 10 patients received and did not receive the treatment . the data in this study describe 12,531 women diagnosed with breast cancer in british columbia during 19901999 , and followed till 2010 . these were coded using binary variables equal to one if the subject received the treatment and zero otherwise . we defined survival time as a period between the diagnosis of disease and death or the end of patient 's follow - up . a binary censoring for choosing the appropriate parametric model , we started by fitting the saturated gg distribution . this distribution is a three - parameter family with location ( ) , scale ( > 0 ) , and shape ( ) parameters , in which all the three parameters depend on covariates . it should be noted that the conventional aft model holds only when covariate effects are modeled through the beta parameter . if we extend the analysis to covariates having effects through the sigma and/or lambda parameters , these are no longer conventional aft models . the gg family contains nearly all of the most commonly used distributions in survival analysis , including the exponential ( = = 1 ) , weibull ( = 1 ) , and log normal ( = 0 ) . if a general parametric distribution includes other distributions as special cases , the general distribution is called a nesting ( larger ) family of the specific distributions . the gg distribution includes three specific distributions , and thus represents a nesting family of them , allowing us to evaluate the appropriateness of the specific distributions relative to each other . testing the appropriateness of a family of distributions is equivalent to testing whether a subset of parameters in its nesting distribution are equal to specific values , and can be performed using a likelihood ratio test . the log - logistic distribution is a commonly used distribution in survival analysis , which is not nested in the gg family . to compare the selected parameter distribution with the log - logistic distribution , we used simple procedures based on baysian information criterion ( bic schwarz , 1978 and akaike information criterion ( aic ; akaike , 1969 ) , in which r is defined as . in our comparisons , the candidate distribution with the largest r value was considered the best fit . for aft models , we can estimate relative survival time by exponentiating the coefficient of a variable . for other models , we can calculate the relative time , rt ( p ) , using appropriate formulae . the relative times are defined for 0 < p < 1 as the ratio of the corresponding quantile functions , rt ( p ) = t1(p)/t0(p ) . the interpretation of rt ( p ) is that the time required for proportion p of individuals in the exposed or treated population to experience the event of interest is rt(p)-fold the time for the same proportion of events to occur in the reference population . links between quantiles of the gamma and gg facilitats use of software to obtain the percentiles of the gg . cox was the first to propose the model , specifying the hazard function as a function of time and the covariates : h ( t , x , b ) = h0(t ) exp(xb ) . with this parameterization , the hazard ratio is : hr ( t , x1 , x0 ) = exp(b(x1 - x0 ) ) . the cox ph model assumes that the hazard ratio for any two specifications of predictors is constant over time , and schoenfeld residuals can be used to assess the ph assumption . the sc model is a modification of the cox ph model , which allows for control by stratification of a predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption.the predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption is being adjusted by stratification , whereas the predictor that satisfies the ph assumption is being adjusted by its inclusion in the model . the hazard ratio value for the effect of variables in each stratum can be estimated . nevertheless , the hazard ratio value for the effect of a stratified variable can not be estimated . furthermore , we applied the likelihood ratio ( lr ) test to check the interaction between stratified variable and variables in each stratum . a standard treatment protocol for breast cancer is determined mainly by the patient 's age , stage of cancer , and tumor sensitivity to certain hormones . breast cancer stage has an important role in choosing the treatment , and a patient 's response to treatment depends on her age , so we divided the dataset according to the age of patient at diagnosis of disease ( age < 50 , age 50 ) and the stage of cancer ( i , ii , iii , iv ) . this produced eight combinations of age and stage with different conditions of ph and aft assumptions , and we could compare the treatment effect on patient survival with parametric and semi - parametric models . the presence of hormone receptors has been proven to have an effect on survival time of patient , and was included in all models . for each combination of age and stage , we only included variables for which more than 10 patients received and did not receive the treatment . for choosing the appropriate parametric model , we started by fitting the saturated gg distribution . this distribution is a three - parameter family with location ( ) , scale ( > 0 ) , and shape ( ) parameters , in which all the three parameters depend on covariates . it should be noted that the conventional aft model holds only when covariate effects are modeled through the beta parameter . if we extend the analysis to covariates having effects through the sigma and/or lambda parameters , these are no longer conventional aft models . the gg family contains nearly all of the most commonly used distributions in survival analysis , including the exponential ( = = 1 ) , weibull ( = 1 ) , and log normal ( = 0 ) . if a general parametric distribution includes other distributions as special cases , the general distribution is called a nesting ( larger ) family of the specific distributions . the gg distribution includes three specific distributions , and thus represents a nesting family of them , allowing us to evaluate the appropriateness of the specific distributions relative to each other . testing the appropriateness of a family of distributions is equivalent to testing whether a subset of parameters in its nesting distribution are equal to specific values , and can be performed using a likelihood ratio test . the log - logistic distribution is a commonly used distribution in survival analysis , which is not nested in the gg family . to compare the selected parameter distribution with the log - logistic distribution , we used simple procedures based on baysian information criterion ( bic schwarz , 1978 and akaike information criterion ( aic ; akaike , 1969 ) , in which r is defined as . in our comparisons , the candidate distribution with the largest r value was considered the best fit . for aft models , we can estimate relative survival time by exponentiating the coefficient of a variable . for other models , we can calculate the relative time , rt ( p ) , using appropriate formulae . the relative times are defined for 0 < p < 1 as the ratio of the corresponding quantile functions , rt ( p ) = t1(p)/t0(p ) . the interpretation of rt ( p ) is that the time required for proportion p of individuals in the exposed or treated population to experience the event of interest is rt(p)-fold the time for the same proportion of events to occur in the reference population . links between quantiles of the gamma and gg facilitats use of software to obtain the percentiles of the gg . cox was the first to propose the model , specifying the hazard function as a function of time and the covariates : h ( t , x , b ) = h0(t ) exp(xb ) . with this parameterization , the hazard ratio is : hr ( t , x1 , x0 ) = exp(b(x1 - x0 ) ) . the cox ph model assumes that the hazard ratio for any two specifications of predictors is constant over time , and schoenfeld residuals can be used to assess the ph assumption . the sc model is a modification of the cox ph model , which allows for control by stratification of a predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption.the predictor that does not satisfy the ph assumption is being adjusted by stratification , whereas the predictor that satisfies the ph assumption is being adjusted by its inclusion in the model . the hazard ratio value for the effect of variables in each stratum can be estimated . nevertheless , the hazard ratio value for the effect of a stratified variable can not be estimated . furthermore , we applied the likelihood ratio ( lr ) test to check the interaction between stratified variable and variables in each stratum . a standard treatment protocol for breast cancer is determined mainly by the patient 's age , stage of cancer , and tumor sensitivity to certain hormones . breast cancer stage has an important role in choosing the treatment , and a patient 's response to treatment depends on her age , so we divided the dataset according to the age of patient at diagnosis of disease ( age < 50 , age 50 ) and the stage of cancer ( i , ii , iii , iv ) . this produced eight combinations of age and stage with different conditions of ph and aft assumptions , and we could compare the treatment effect on patient survival with parametric and semi - parametric models . the presence of hormone receptors has been proven to have an effect on survival time of patient , and was included in all models . for each combination of age and stage , we only included variables for which more than 10 patients received and did not receive the treatment . results of comparison between parametric regression models have been summarized in table 2 . also , the results of fitting parametric model and cox model are shown in tables 3 and 4 respectively . number of patients receiving treatment by stage at diagnosis comparison between parametric regression models in each category of age and stage relative time estimated in parametric models relative hazard estimated in cox model for patients under age 50 years in disease stages i and iv , the ph and aft assumptions were satisfied . in patients under age 50 years with stage i cancer , the best - fitting parametric model used a conventional gg distribution in which chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) and erposneg ( p = 0.002 ) were significant . for the cox model , radiotherapy ( p = 0.001 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and hormone therapy ( p = 0.01 ) were significant . 50 years with stage iv cancer , a conventional lognormal model was the best candidate in gg family . the aic and bic criteria were the same for conventional lognormal and conventional log - logistic models , but the cox - snell residual plot indicated better fit for the lognormal . radiotherapy ( p = 0.01 ) , hormone therapy ( p = 0.01 ) , and erposneg(p = 0.01 ) were meaningful in lognormal model . for the cox model , radiotherapy ( p = 0.02 ) and erposneg ( p = 0.001 ) were significant and no interactions were significant in any of the models . snell residual plots for the lognormal , log - logistic , and cox ph model are given in figures 13 . cox - snell residual plot for fitted conventional lognormal model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer cox - snell residual plot for fitted conventional log - logistic model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer cox - snell residual plot for proportional cox model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer for patients aged 50 years or more with stage i cancer , the ph assumption was not satisfied , but the aft assumptions held . in parametric models , the conventional gg had the best fit and radiotherapy ( p = 0.014 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , hormone therapy ( p 0.001 ) were significant . in semiparametric model , the covariates radiotherapy ( p = 0.003 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) were meaningful ; and since the variable erposneg did not hold the ph assumption , it was lost due to stratification and the effects of other parameters were estimated by stratifying the model by this variable . no interactions were significant in each model . for patients aged 50 years or more with stage iv cancer , none of the ph and aft assumptions held . in parametric model , the gg family fitted better than the log - logistic according to aic and bic criteria . in models based on the gg family , surgery ( p = 0.001 ) , radiotherapy ( p = 0.004 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and erposneg ( p < 0.001 ) were significant and the interaction of hormone therapy and erposneg ( p = 0.021 ) was meaningful . since the saturated lognormal is not an aft model , the relative survival time was calculated for the 25 , 50 , and 75 quantiles . surgery ( p = 0.001 ) , radiotherapy ( p = 0.03 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and erposneg ( p = 0.001 ) were significant . since the ph assumption only held for surgery , the effect of this variable was estimated by stratifying on erposneg . age50 for all patients with stage ii cancer , and patients aged 50 and older with stage iii cancer , neither the ph nor the aft assumptions were satisfied . in semiparametric models , most variables did not meet the ph assumption and their effect could not be estimated ; in parametric models , the saturated gg fitted better than other distributions . for patients under age 50 years in disease stages i and iv , the ph and aft assumptions were satisfied . in patients under age 50 years with stage i cancer , the best - fitting parametric model used a conventional gg distribution in which chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) and erposneg ( p = 0.002 ) were significant . for the cox model , radiotherapy ( p = 0.001 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and hormone therapy ( p = 0.01 ) were significant . in both models , in patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer , a conventional lognormal model was the best candidate in gg family . the aic and bic criteria were the same for conventional lognormal and conventional log - logistic models , but the cox - snell residual plot indicated better fit for the lognormal . radiotherapy ( p = 0.01 ) , hormone therapy ( p = 0.01 ) , and erposneg(p = 0.01 ) were meaningful in lognormal model . for the cox model , radiotherapy ( p = 0.02 ) and erposneg ( p = 0.001 ) were significant and no interactions were significant in any of the models . snell residual plots for the lognormal , log - logistic , and cox ph model are given in figures 13 . cox - snell residual plot for fitted conventional lognormal model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer cox - snell residual plot for fitted conventional log - logistic model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer cox - snell residual plot for proportional cox model for patients under age 50 years with stage iv cancer for patients aged 50 years or more with stage i cancer , the ph assumption was not satisfied , but the aft assumptions held . in parametric models , the conventional gg had the best fit and radiotherapy ( p = 0.014 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , hormone therapy ( p the covariates radiotherapy ( p = 0.003 ) , chemotherapy ( p < 0.001 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and erposneg ( p < 0.001 ) were meaningful ; and since the variable erposneg did not hold the ph assumption , it was lost due to stratification and the effects of other parameters were estimated by stratifying the model by this variable . for patients aged 50 years or more with stage iv cancer , none of the ph and aft assumptions held . in parametric model , the gg family fitted better than the log - logistic according to aic and bic criteria . in models based on the gg family , surgery ( p = 0.001 ) , radiotherapy ( p = 0.004 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and erposneg ( p < 0.001 ) were significant and the interaction of hormone therapy and erposneg ( p = 0.021 ) was meaningful . since the saturated lognormal is not an aft model , the relative survival time was calculated for the 25 , 50 , and 75 quantiles . surgery ( p = 0.001 ) , radiotherapy ( p = 0.03 ) , hormone therapy ( p < 0.001 ) , and erposneg ( p = 0.001 ) were significant . since the ph assumption only held for surgery , the effect of this variable was estimated by stratifying on erposneg . age50 for all patients with stage ii cancer , and patients aged 50 and older with stage iii cancer , neither the ph nor the aft assumptions were satisfied . in semiparametric models , most variables did not meet the ph assumption and their effect could not be estimated ; in parametric models , the saturated gg fitted better than other distributions . when ph and aft assumptions were satisfied , both the parametric and semiparametric models were appropriate . the models indicate different significant variables , but parametric models have some advantages over semiparametric models in general . with small sample sizes , the ph assumption is satisfied , some studies indicate that parametric ph models are a better approach than the cox model . further , some studies have shown the robustness of parametric aft models to misspecification because of their log - linear form . finally , one advantage of a parametric model compared to a cox model is that the parametric likelihood accommodates right- , left- , or interval - censored data . the cox likelihood , by contrast , handles right - censored data but does not directly accommodate left- or interval - censored data . when the ph assumption is not satisfied but aft assumptions hold , the parametric model can be used as a substitute for the cox model . when neither the ph nor the aft assumptions hold , a member of the gg distribution , the saturated lognormal , can be used to calculate relative survival times in different quantiles . many settings , including breast cancer analysis , where the proportionality assumption does not hold , the lognormal model has been shown to be appropriate.[1214 ] . a meta - analysis has shown that saturated parametric models provide better results than conventional models for comparing treatments . when the ph and aft assumptions do not hold and the saturated gg distribution fits better than other distributions , the gg family contains many different distributions such as the inverse weibull and inverse lognormal . our analysis applied the most commonly used parametric distributions in survival analysis , but we could not determine the best fit . for one category of age and stage in our study , according to aic and bic criteria , the log - logistic distribution gave the same fit as the lognormal model within the gg family . the log - logistic distribution belongs to the generalized f distribution , which includes the gg distribution . when a member of the gg family does not fit satisfactorily , the best distribution can be found through the generalized f distribution family . if the scales of the parameters in cox 's model and the parametric models differ , neither parameter estimates nor their estimated variances are suitable for comparisons . if the cox model is compared to parametric ph models , the efficiency of parameter estimates can be compared by wald - type statistics . for patients with stage iv cancer , semiparametric and parametric models showed lower hazards and longer survival times for patients receiving treatments than those not receiving treatments . for patients with stage i cancer in both the under 50-year and over 50-year age groups , semiparametric and parametric models showed higher hazards and smaller survival times for patients receiving treatments , which might reflect other covariates that caused the patients to receive a certain treatment . for example , studies have shown the ethnicity of patients affect their use of treatments that are more common in lower stages of cancer . in both parametric and semiparametric models applied to different combinations of age and cancer stage , the expression of hormone receptors was associated with a longer survival time and lower hazard , which has been confirmed in many other studies . a major strength of this study is that we fitted models and performed comparisons using a large set of real - life data from a population - based cancer registry . the major limitation is that our findings describe associations with survival , and not causes of survival . a patient 's survival does not necessarily depend on the treatment they receive ; rather , the treatment that a patient receives often depends on disease characteristics that predict survival . in particular , it would be of interest to determine whether the findings are sustained in more - recent patient cohorts where newer treatments have been used . however , there are some recent studies that describe the factors associated with survival time of patients in developing countries . when ph and aft assumptions were satisfied , semiparametric and parametric models provided two different valid approaches for exploring breast cancer patients survival , and the models can be seen as complementary . when ph assumptions were not satisfied but aft conditions held , the parametric model should be used instead of the cox model . when neither the ph nor the aft assumptions were met , the log normal distribution , a member of the gg family , provided an alternative approach to semiparametric model . more generally , when ph assumptions are not satisfied , parametric models should be considered , whether or not aft assumptions are met .

pubmed

The 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship was the 17th staging of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, contested by the 24 senior women's national teams of the members of the FIVB, the sport's global governing body. The final tournament was held in Italy from 23 September to 12 October 2014. Italy played hosts for this event for the first time. The final four was held at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan. The United States won their first world title, defeating China in four sets at the final. Reigning olympic champions Brazil won the 3rd place match, defeating Italy in five sets. Kimberly Hill was selected Most Valuable Player. Qualification The regional qualification stage determined the 24 teams competing in the championship competition. Hosts Italy were granted automatic qualification. Regional governing bodies were allocated the remaining 23 spots. Africa was granted two, Asia and Oceania four, North, Central America and Caribbean six, South America two, and Europe ten places including hosts. Format The tournament was played in three different stages first, second and third rounds. In the , the 24 participants were divided in four groups of six teams each. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, the four best teams of each group total of 16 teams progressed to the next round. In the , the 16 teams were divided in two groups of eight teams four teams from groups A and D in one group, and four teams from groups B and C in the other group. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, matches already played between teams in the were counted in this round. The three best teams of each group total of 6 teams progressed to the next round. In the , the 6 teams were divided in two groups of three teams. A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, the two best teams of each group total of 4 teams progressed to the semifinals. Group standing criteria 1. Ranking points 3 points for a 30 or 31 win; 2 points for a 32 win; 1 point for a 23 loss; 0 points for a 13 or 03 loss 2. Number of wins 3. Sets ratio 4. Points ratio 5. Head to head Source:FIVB Pools composition Teams were seeded in the first three positions of each pool following the Serpentine system according to their FIVB World Ranking. FIVB reserved the right to seed the hosts as head of Pool A regardless of the World Ranking. All teams not seeded were drawn to take other available positions in the remaining lines, following the World Ranking. The drawing was held in Parma, Italy on 10 March 2014. Because NORCECA qualification were in progress on 10 March 2014, FIVB used the best world rankings of NORCECA when the draw was made. Ranking shown in brackets except Hosts which rank 4th. Squads Venues The tournament was played at six venues in six cities. First round All times are Central European Summer Time UTC+02:00. Pool A venue: PalaLottomatica, Rome |} |} Pool B venue: PalaTrieste, Trieste |} |} Pool C venue: PalaOlimpia, Verona |} |} Pool D venue: PalaFlorio, Bari |} |} Second round All times are Central European Summer Time UTC+02:00. The results and points of the matches between the same teams that were already played during the First Round were taken into account for the Second Round. Pool E venues: PalaFlorio in Bari and PalaTrieste in Trieste |} |} Pool F venues: PalaOlimpia in Verona and PalaPanini in Modena |} |} Third round All times are Central European Summer Time UTC+02:00. All matches at Mediolanum Forum, Milan. Second round pool winners were placed in each third round pool, while the second and third placed teams were drawn. Pool G |} |} Pool H |} |} Final round All times are Central European Summer Time UTC+02:00. All matches at Mediolanum Forum, Milan. Semifinals |} 3rd place |} Final |} Final standing * Qualified to the 2015 World Cup. Awards Most Valuable Player Kimberly Hill Best Scorer Zhu Ting Best Outside Spikers Zhu Ting Kimberly Hill Best Libero Monica De Gennaro Best Middle Blockers Thaísa Menezes Yang Junjing Best Setter Danielle Lins Best Opposite Spiker Sheilla Castro Fair Play José Roberto Guimarães See also 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship References External links Official website FIVB VolleyWorld no. 9 / 2014 2014 Women's World Championship edition Category:FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Category:International women's volleyball competitions hosted by Italy Category:September 2014 sports events in Europe Category:October 2014 sports events in Europe Category:Women's volleyball in Italy

wikipedia

Aliens/Predator Bientôt à la Maison L'immensité du noir infini qui se dressait devant elle l'effrayait, et la fascinait, en même temps. Elle ne pouvait décoller ses iris bleus de ce décor dépourvu d'oxygène, non accueillant, mortellement glacial... inhumain. Les bras croisés, postée contre le rebord de son poste, Lambert repensait à des souvenirs heureux, sur Terre, à sa vie avant, en tant que garçon, puis en tant que femme. Les épreuves traversées, les regards qui la jugeaient durant ses études, la difficulté à trouver un travail, jusqu'à décrocher ce poste pour la Compagnie... Tout cela lui paraissait si loin, désormais. Elle qui était désormais au service d'une entreprise intercoloniale réputée, touchant de jolies primes, pouvait être fière de son parcours. D'ailleurs, de la fierté, elle en avait beaucoup eu, quand elle sut qu'elle avait été choisie pour cette mission. Elle s'était sentie heureuse d'intégrer une équipe, même si les contacts humains n'avaient jamais été son fort... Cependant, avec le Capitaine Dallas, elle s'était sentie en confiance, la première fois qu'ils s'étaient vus. Sans doute car il lui témoignait de la sympathie et ne jugeait pas, et parce qu'il était un homme pragmatique, et droit. Leur relation était cependant purement professionnelle. Ce qui n'était pas toutefois le cas de Kane, qu'elle considérait comme un ami. C'était avec lui qu'elle parlait le plus. Il était ouvert à la discussion, et fondamentalement moins chiant que le reste de l'équipage. L'officier Ripley quant à elle était ce masque d'autorité et de froideur... elle et Lambert n'étaient peut-être pas très proches, mais l'entente demeurait déjà plus cordiale qu'avec Parker et Brett, dont les blagues et le non-sérieux du premier, et le manque de personnalité du second, l'avaient souvent exaspérée. Ash quant à lui, demeurait un mystère. Ils ne communiquaient pas des masses, et quand ils le faisaient, c'était souvent elle-même qui faisait le premier pas. Néanmoins, elle aimait beaucoup Ash. Son calme apaisait parfois les esprits, et il dégageait une aura qui lui plaisait. Peut-être n'était-ce que le fruit d'une tension sexuelle s'étant formée, étant donné qu'ils étaient dans l'espace depuis presque cinq mois, et que le Capitaine Dallas et Ripley paraissaient être dévoués l'un à l'autre, et qu'il était impensable pour Lambert de se rabattre sur Parker ou Brett, qui étaient de sacrés lourdauds. Ou bien, c'était autre chose. Quelque chose dans le regard de cet homme qui l'intriguait. Lambert avait toujours été sensible aux charmes des hommes... Hélas, Ash, lui, ne semblait que peu très sensible au sien. Ou à celui de quiconque d'ailleurs... Plusieurs fois il lui était arrivé de suggérer des choses ou de tâter le terrain de manière subtile pour tomber sur un mur. A croire que l'officier scientifique ne ressentait aucune envie... Ou qu'il savait bien mieux se contrôler que Parker dont les principales sujets de conversation descendaient en-dessous de la ceinture. Et Brett, dans sa nonchalance totale, n'arrangeait jamais les choses... Ca avait d'ailleurs déjà déclenché quelques bagarres, entre eux... Mais les querelles possibles avec ses coéquipiers demeuraient plus de bon-enfant qu'autre chose, et elle devait avouer que leur présence était agréable. Mais, maintenant que le mandat avait été effectué, et qu'ils s'apprêtaient à rentrer, une atroce nostalgie l'envahissait... Elle se sentait... dépourvue... Comme si elle était dans un guet-apens...Seule... seule, avec six autres personnes. Mais seule, totalement seule. A des milliards de kilomètres de sa famille... Famille qu'elle risquait à chaque départ de ne jamais revoir... Soudain, un frisson l'envahit et elle sentait l'anxiété croître en sa personne, pour une raison qu'elle ne pouvait clairement identifier. C'était comme si une main froide lui agrippait la nuque, et l'entraînait vers un avenir incertain, austère... Effrayant. Le bruit de la porte automatique lui décrocha un soubresaut alors que Kane entrait dans la salle de contrôle. Le trentenaire s'excusa de l'avoir surprise, avec un de ces habituels sourires avec un faux semblant de timidité. **"Nous allons nous mettre en hypersommeil... Tout est prêt de ton côté ?"** La jeune blonde répondit par un mouvement de tête machinal, sans toutefois détacher son regard de l'espace. L'analyste entendit Kane partir, et, après avoir poussé un profond soupir, qui ne l'engouffra que d'avantage dans sa morne tristesse, elle se détacha du tableau de bord, décroisa les bras et... ...Fixa encore quelques instants l'espace. Et si... elle ne rentrait jamais à la maison ? ...Non. C'était impensable, de mourir seul, loin de tout... loin de ce qu'elle aimait, loin de ceux qu'elle aimait... Mais un hochement de tête, lui arrachant ce contact visuel avec l'intensité de l'infini, la rassura. Non, cela n'arriverait pas. Elle rentrerait bientôt chez elle, toucherait sa prime... et continuerait sa routine de vie. Elle avait un coup de moue, une petite déprime passagère, car bientôt sonnait la fin de leur mission, et bientôt l'équipage serait séparé... C'était tout... Ce ne fut qu'avec le réconfort de cette pensée qu'elle fut capable de finalement éteindre les commandes manuelles, puis de partir dans la salle de sommeil, où ces collègues l'attendaient. Rentrer chez elle... Elle n'avait que cette idée en tête. Bientôt. End file.

fanfiction

Ranma 1. Capitulo 1 ENAMORADA DEL CIELO Adaptación de la historia de "Koizora", misma que pertenece a su autor; los personajes de Ranma son propiedad de Rumiko Takahashi El cielo es hermoso, siempre me ha gustado regalarle a mis ojos, su cálido color azul, las juguetonas formas de las nubes y su inmensidad misma. Aunque ha pasado el tiempo, recuerdo como si hubiese sido ayer que el cielo conquistó mi corazón y me enamoré profundamente de él. Estudiaba el primer año en el Instituto Furinkan, no era una chica muy sociable, únicamente Ukyo y Sayuri eran mis amigas, aquel día cuando descubrí un pedazo del cielo en su mirada, Ukyo nos había arrastrado con ella hacia otro salón para ver a Ryoga, pero él no estaba, después de un momento nos disponíamos a regresar a nuestro salón. ¿No es el chico más guapo?—emitió mi amiga emocionada y con una gran sonrisa—Sayuri y yo volteamos a ver en la dirección que ella observaba. Dos chicos venían por el pasillo riendo a carcajadas ¿Cuál de los dos es? —pregunté con algo de temor, esperando a que no fuera ninguno de ellos. El de cabello corto por supuesto—escuché una respuesta llena de seguridad e inmediatamente lo vi venir hacia mí. Hola soy Ryoga, seguro has oído hablar de mi—dijo con un gran orgullo Simplemente negué con la cabeza y me pidió que intercambiáramos números telefónicos, Ukyo intervino y ellos se quedaron parados yo seguí caminando, pero terminé chocando contra él, era un chico algo diferente, le pedí disculpas y salí huyendo de allí. Los siguientes días Ukyo estaba un poco triste pues Ryoga no había hablado ni mandado mensaje alguno, el último día que estuvo así no duró mucho tiempo pues el chico la citó en la escuela, cuando ella me dio la noticia estaba muy enojada conmigo, por no contestarle a sus mensajes, en mi defensa dije que mi celular nunca sonó, pero al tratar de mostrárselo para que me creyera no encontré el teléfono. Comencé a buscarlo como loca, en todos lados y solamente faltaba uno por revisar. 2. Capitulo 2 ENAMORADA DEL CIELO La biblioteca siempre ha sido mi lugar favorito, así que tal vez pude dejarlo aquí y comencé a buscar mi celular por todos los estantes, pero nada, estaba a punto de salir cuando de pronto comenzó a sonar, guiándome por el sonido lo encontré. Contesté la llamada—Gracias, Ukyo—pensando que mi amiga la había realizado De nada, pero no soy Ukyo—fue la respuesta de una voz masculina. Fue en vano saber su identidad, él no quiso decírmela, por medio de los números telefónicos no iba a funcionar, pues no había ni uno, solamente el de él. No tuve otra opción que quedarme con la duda. Durante todas las vacaciones recibía llamadas suyas a cualquier hora, no sabía quién era, pero algo dentro de mí me decía que no era una mala persona. Mi curiosidad llego al límite, animándome a conocerlo; él estuvo de acuerdo, nos conoceríamos al entrar a clases. Asómate a tu ventana—me dijo—al asomarme vi el cielo, era hermoso, su majestuosidad me embelesó. Toma una foto de la nube que se ve dorada, este será el recuerdo de nuestro primer día juntos, hasta mañana—su voz era juguetona—colgué y dejé el celular sobre mi almohada, en poco tiempo anochecería y los nervios volvían a flor de piel. La cita sería en el techo del instituto, la verdad ya no estaba tan segura de saber su identidad, una mezcla de nervios y miedo me invadió el día tan ansiado por mis amigas y tan temido por mí. Muchas dudas asaltaron mis pensamientos, pero a la vez una gran emoción invadió mi corazón. Ukyo había insistido tanto en maquillarme para deslumbrarlo, no quería hacerlo, sin embargo mi amiga me convenció. Al acudir a la cita, me llevé una gran sorpresa… No podía creer quien era. 3. Capitulo 3 ENAMORADA DEL CIELO El tiempo a mí alrededor se detuvo, mi asombro fue tal que quede paralizada frente a él, en mi mente resonaba "no es verdad"… Me di la media vuelta para irme, pero dijo mi nombre y eso me detuvo, él se acerco hacia mí y yo retrocedí, se inclinó a la altura de mis ojos y sonrió. Parece que hubieras visto un fantasma, además tú no eres así, ese maquillaje esta demás—me dijo sin dejar de sonreír y al mismo tiempo limpiando mis ojos con una de sus manos— la expresión de mi rostro era desencajada, no podía articular palabra alguna. De tantos chicos a mí alrededor nunca pensé que fuera él, el anónimo que encontró mi celular, borro todos los números telefónicos, dejando exclusivamente el suyo. Aún no salía de mi pequeño shock cuando me tendió la mano con unos claveles rojos con todo y raíz, atados con un listón rosa. Me llamo Ranma—sin bajar la mano con las flores—. No tuve reacción alguna, de mi garganta salió un lastimoso "¿No puede ser?". Inmediatamente sacó de su pantalón su celular y me mostró la foto de la nube dorada, era exactamente igual a la que yo tenía en el mío. Aún no me crees—su mirada era segura—bien entonces si te digo que hoy es tu cumpleaños, ¿lo harás? Mi cuerpo se movió inmediatamente, deje a Ranma con las flores entre sus manos, parado en medio del techo. Baje las escaleras lo más rápido que pude, no quería verlo, quería que esto no fuera verdad. Cuando entre a mi salón mis amigas me bombardearon miles de preguntas, que no escuchaba… Ranma… el amigo de Ryoga, aquel, chico que trae el cabello acomodado en una trenza, escuche que tenía novia, la chica es de otra escuela—fue lo único que entendí… Al salir de clases, vi a Ranma caminar hacia uno de los macetones del instituto, por inercia camine tras él, me sorprendí al ver que había plantado los claveles, aún atados. Akane—me llamó sin dejar de ponerle tierra a los claveles—los volví a plantar para que no estuvieran tristes, tal vez fue por eso que no los aceptaste, los voy cuidar y serán hermosos. Verlo ahí dedicándole tiempo a las flores me enterneció, al regarlas formó un pequeño arcoíris. Mira Akane—señalando el arcoíris—es hermoso no crees y no está triste, este es tu regalo de cumpleaños. Sonreía con la inocencia de un niño, su sonrisa era cálida, desde ese momento Ranma comenzó a ganarse mi corazón… 4. Capitulo 4 Enamorada del cielo "Ranma… el amigo de Ryoga, aquel, chico que trae el cabello acomodado en una trenza, escuche que tenía novia, la chica es de otra escuela". Estas palabras no dejaban de rondar en mi mente, día tras día, la duda me consumía, trataba de negármelo a mí misma, pero en el fondo de mi corazón deseaba con todas mis fuerzas que no fuese verdad. Seguí pensando en lo mismo durante la mayor parte de las clases, el sonido de mi teléfono, rompió mis pensamientos. "Te espero en la biblioteca, Ahora", decía el mensaje, de mi único contacto. Pedí permiso para salir del salón, e ir a la enfermería, mis amigas con una pequeña sonrisa cómplice, me susurraron "vas a ver a Ranma", no pude evitar sonrojarme, pues decía que él no me interesaba, pero mi manera de actuar decía que si. Al llegar a la biblioteca, Ranma estaba viendo el cielo. Sus ojos azules parecían caballos salvajes recorriendo cada tramo de la majestuosidad tranquila del manto celeste. Cuando él notó mi presencia me jaló del brazo y comenzamos a caminar hacia la salida del instituto, al pasar por el macetón donde estaban los claveles, se dibujó una sonrisa en su rostro y fue a regarlos. Ranma— aún titubeaba en preguntarle acerca de mi duda, pero mi boca por inercia formuló— tú… ¿tienes novia? Mi corazón parecía estallar, ante la pausa silenciosa, él sin dejar de prestarle atención a las flores contestó. —Antes si, ahora ya no— Mis ojos se posaron sobre el cielo y no pude evitar sonreír. —Eres linda cuando sonríes—dijo Ranma con una sonrisa. Salimos del instituto y caminamos sin saber exactamente a donde nos dirigíamos, durante el camino, platicábamos acerca de muchas cosas y a la vez de nada. Algo dentro de mí me decía a gritos que había encontrado mi primer amor. Después del paseo fuimos a comer a su casa, ahí conocí a su hermana, una hermosa pelirroja muy parecida a él. —Hermana, ella es Akane Tendo—dijo con voz dulce. —Hola, soy Ranko Saotome, por cierto hermanito hace mucho tiempo que no decías el nombre de una mujer sin escupir veneno—riéndose a carcajadas— ante este comentario Ranma se enojo y casi me arrastró escaleras arriba. Nos sentamos en el piso de su cuarto, vaya que esperaba que dentro de la habitación hubiese un verdadero desorden, pero no, todo estaba en orden. Seguimos platicando de nosotros, en ese momento nadie más existía, solamente nosotros. Con un rápido movimiento se acerco demasiado a mí, acorralándome con sus brazos, me asuste mucho, pero poco a poco comencé a relajarme con sus cálidas caricias y sus apasionados besos. La razón me abandonó por completo haciéndome entregarme a él, fue maravilloso, después el sueño nos atrapó a ambos, no se cuento tiempo paso, pero cuando abrí mis ojos, el cielo estaba cuajado de estrellas. Iba a levantarme de la cama, pero uno de sus brazos rodeó mi cintura. —Shampoo, no te vayas—susurró entre sueños, unas pequeñas lágrimas rodaron por mis mejillas, no quería enamorarme de un chico que amará a otra persona, comencé a vestirme para irme lo más rápido de ahí. Antes de llegar a mi casa recibí un mensaje de disculpa, de parte de él, quería preguntarle si aún seguía amando a Shampoo, pero decidí no hacerlo, guarde mi teléfono en la bolsa de mi suéter, sentí que podía confiar en él. Desde entonces comenzamos a salir juntos, uno de esos días, mientras lo esperaba en una banca del parque, un automóvil se detuvo frente a mí, los tipos que venían a bordo, me obligaron a subir al vehículo y me llevaron a un campo, donde me arrojaron, uno de ellos comenzó a desabrocharse el pantalón, un miedo enorme me invadió y con todas mis fuerzas grite "Ranma". Cerré los ojos esperando lo peor, pero de repente esos tipos comenzaron a caer sobre el pasto, alce la mirada con temor y me encontré con esos hermosos ojos azules. Delicadamente me ayudo a levantarme. — ¿Estás bien?— me susurró al oído mientras me envolvía protectoramente en su cuerpo. —Si—emití con sinceridad —pero, ¿Cómo supiste que estaba aquí? —Ese, es el poder de mi amor, y no voy a dejar que te hagan daño Cuando llegamos a su casa, Ranko, curó mis raspones, de repente Ranma entro al cuarto sujetando del cabello a una chica. Ranko, al ver el coraje de su hermano, tomó el cabello morado en sus manos y comenzó a cortarlo sin compasión alguna. — ¡Cállate!, no llores, Ranma te hubiera matado— le gritaba a la chica mientras los mechones morados caían al suelo. —Shampoo, no te vuelvas a meter con ella, porque entonces si voy a matarte— los ojos de Ranma ya no eran como el cielo, parecían dos pedazos de infierno y a cada palabra que salía de su boca le inyectaba un veneno tan letal que mataría a cualquiera. No podía creer que aquella chica fuera Shampoo, ella a quien él, le pedía que no se fuera y que en ese momento había jurado matar. 5. Capitulo 5 Enamorada del cielo Al llegar a mi casa, Ranma, pidió disculpas a mis padres por la hora de llegada, mi madre me tomó de un brazo y me guió hasta dentro, sólo escuché un portazo enérgico y unos pasos dirigirse rápidamente hacia dónde estábamos mi madre, mi hermana y yo. Mi padre, con un tono de voz alterado, me prohibió verlo, una infinita rabia emergió y un rio de lágrimas comenzó a correr por mis ojos. Papá, tu no me puedes pedir algo así, ni siquiera lo conoces—mi voz era entrecortada, pero muy firme— él argumentó que un muchacho con esa pinta no podía ser bueno y cómo siempre sucedía, mamá lo apoyó ciegamente en su decisión. No quise oír más subí las escaleras lo más rápido que pude y me encerré en mi cuarto, sin dejar de llorar, mi hermana, Kasumi, entró a mi habitación, pidiéndome que los entendiera, porque ellos solamente querían lo mejor para mí. Decidí no ir al instituto varios días, no tenía ánimos de nada, pero Ranma me llamaba frecuentemente, para saber si no necesitaba algo y su atención me reconfortaba. ¿Sabes? No debes desobedecer a tus padres—cuándo escuché esas palabras, una gélida sensación recorrió mi espina dorsal— si ellos dicen que no me veas, está bien, no nos veremos…estas fueron sus últimas palabras antes de que la comunicación se cortara. No, eso no, él no podía decidir por mí, lo llamé varias ocasiones, pero el celular estaba fuera de servicio, no me quedaba otra solución que aclarar las cosas, serían mis padres, pero estaba segura que yo no podía, ni quería estar lejos de él y no habría poder alguno que pudiese evitarlo. Nunca me había opuesto a una orden de mis padres y estoy segura que ellos estaban tan sorprendidos como yo. Durante la cena, mis padres mostraban su molestia hacia mí, todos estaban en silencio, eso era algo fuera de lo común las miradas duras y frías se hicieron presentes, no podía dejar que mi familia pensará lo peor de Ranma. Mamá, Papá…—tenía que hablar, ya no podía quedarme callada o retractarme— ellos enfocaron sus miradas en mi y eso me ponía los nervios de punta. Yo, sólo quiero decirles la razón por la cual, llegue tarde y por qué Ranma venía conmigo, aquel día, las escenas llegaron a mi mente como si las estuviese viviendo en aquel momento. Había quedado con Ukyo y Sayuri—No iba a decirles toda la verdad después de todo—para ir a comprar algunas cosas para nuestra tarea y mientras las esperaba en el parque un vehículo se detuvo frente a mí, varios tipos se bajaron y me forzaron a subir, luego me llevaron a un campo baldío, uno de ellos iba a abusar de mi, pero en ese momento Ranma me salvó. Al ver las caras de mis padres, noté un sentimiento de culpabilidad por haberlo juzgado por su apariencia, mi madre, me llevó al doctor para que me revisaran, yo sabía que no me pasó nada, pero ella insistió y mi padre influenciado un poco por Kasumi, me levantó el castigo, alegando que todos cometemos errores. Muy bien, Akane, ahora vete a dormir, mañana tienes clases—la voz de mi madre, era tímida—después de haberles contado parte de la verdad, me sentí animada y de verdad fueron muchas emociones para un solo día. 6. Capitulo 6 Enamorada del cielo Al día siguiente la voz cantarina de mi madre, y el sonido de mi celular me despertaron de mi reconfortable sueño. —Buenos días, bella durmiente—la voz de Ranma, era alegre, aun medio dormida sonreí. —Asómate a tu ventana—su voz era casi imperativa y digo casi, porque escuche a través del teléfono una carcajada divertida, casi como un zombi, me moví por inercia y al correr las cortinas, el cielo me cautivó con su inmensidad, a veces quería ser el cielo para seguir a Ranma a donde quiera que fuera. Poco a poco fui bajando la vista y cuando pose mis ojos sobre la calle, Ranma estaba parado ahí, justo enfrente de la puerta del Dojo, mi corazón parecía un caballo salvaje desbocado, me embelesé al encontrarme con su mirada, su tierna sonrisa y su amable saludo. Cuando salí de mi pequeño trance, me apuré a arreglarme para ir al Instituto, mi familia se sorprendió por mi impaciencia por salir, ni siquiera desayune, como siempre, solamente engullí mi comida a una velocidad impresionante. Una vez en la calle parada frente a él, sentí una gran tranquilidad, parecía como si fuese la calma después de una gran tempestad. — ¿Sabes? Pensé que sería una buena idea, pasar por ti para irnos juntos al Instituto—noté cierto tono misterioso, mientras hablaba, sin embrago, este detalle quedó en el olvido, cuando me di cuenta que ya no estábamos frente a mi casa. Ahora estábamos parados en medio de un gran campo cuajado de hermosas flores, donde el hermoso cielo lo cubría todo. Ese lugar era precioso, pero lo que más disfrutaba era estar con Ranma, estaba tan sumida en mis pensamientos, que no me percate de su acercamiento, un roce mágico de su piel me hizo volver a mi realidad, mi corazón frenético no dejaba de palpitar, luego de un segundo no era un corazón, sino dos los que latían armoniosamente, acompasados por vaivén del viento. Bien es cierto, que la felicidad no dura para siempre, y teníamos que llegar a clases, durante el camino, reíamos, ahora si estaba segura, de haber encontrado a mi primer amor. Una leve sonrisa se dibujo en mi rostro, y no paso desapercibido para él. —Dime, a que debo el honor de tan hermosa sonrisa—parecía un niño pequeño consumido por la curiosidad, ante un regalo sorpresa, me sentí un poco avergonzada, no iba a decirle que recordé. "_Akane, los hombres son tan decepcionantes, no saben hablarle a una mujer sin ser tan vulgares, pues lo único que buscan es satisfacer sus deseos sexuales y después de ello, actúan como si no, nos conocieran, pero claro siempre hay sus excepciones, mi Ryoga, es un claro ejemplo de excepción"…_ Cuando Ukyo había terminado de dar su tan brillante descubrimiento, Sayuri y yo casi nos reímos, pero no lo hicimos, después de todo ella era amiga nuestra desde que íbamos al jardín de niños y había que comprenderla pues estaba perdidamente enamorada de Ryoga. Ahora que lo pensaba bien no sabía si Ryoga era una excepción, pero Ranma si lo era, él era tan diferente al resto de los chicos del Furinkan. Unos cuantos pasos antes de llegar al pasillo donde estaban nuestros respectivos salones, él se detuvo un momento me tomó por lo hombros y muy cerca de mi oído susurró —Akane, sólo quería que supieras que aquel lugar, siempre ha sido mi favorito desde que era pequeño y soy muy celoso si se trata de compartirlo, pero contigo quiero compartirlo para siempre— al voltear a verlo me encontré con su mirada azul, era intensa, podía verme a través de sus ojos, no quería separarme de él, pero había que hacerlo. Estaba a punto de entrar al aula, cuando comencé a ser el blanco de muchas murmuraciones por parte de mis compañeros, mis amigas muy preocupadas se acercaron a mí. —Akane, esto esta así desde la primera clase, ningún maestro ha querido borrarlo, porque supuestamente Ranma y tú tenían que verlo, para después darle una explicación a todo Furinkan y recibir un castigo —Ukyo llevo ambas manos a la cara y comenzó a llorar desconsoladamente, Sayuri enmudeció y salió corriendo del lugar. Las lágrimas comenzaron a rodar por mis mejillas, en el pizarrón había insultos hacia mí y un gran letrero, en el centro, el cual me dejaba ante los demás como una prostituta, lentamente camine hacia enfrente para borrar aquellas palabras denigrantes, pero un rápido movimiento me arrebató el borrador y comenzó a destruir los trazos hechos con gis. —No sé quién demonios hizo esto, pero de una vez voy a advertirles que no se metan con mi chica—esas palabras fluyeron de una voz furiosa y entrecortada, el coraje de Ranma podía sentirse en la atmosfera, todos los chicos que me insultaban minutos antes de que él irrumpiera violentamente, habían enmudecido, las risas crueles de las mujeres se apagaron. Se acercó a mí, me tomo de la mano, y me llevó fuera del salón, nos fuimos a la biblioteca, solamente estábamos él y yo, poco a poco comenzó a tranquilizarse, su respiración volvió a ser lenta, su mirada parecía una puesta de sol, acarició una de mis mejillas y al ver que tenia polvo de gis en sus manos, trató de limpiarme, pero no lo logró, sino todo lo contrario, sacudí el polvo que había quedado en su uniforme y comenzamos a acercarnos lentamente, hasta quedar presos, en el aire tibio de nuestros alientos, el ardor de nuestros cuerpos nos consumió arduamente, hasta fundirnos en un solo ser. 7. Capitulo 7 Enamorada del cielo La fotografía que Ukyo, Ryoga, Ranma y yo nos tomamos en el festival escolar, era muy linda, el brillo de nuestras miradas era genuino, era la prueba más clara de nuestra felicidad. Estaba acomodando la foto dentro de un marco, que pondría sobre el escritorio. —Akane, es hora de cena—Kasumi había entrado a mi cuarto, cuando vio la foto, note una tierna sonrisa, mi hermana, es muy sensible. —Hermanita, te ves muy feliz, pero aún así de amor no se vive—casi a empujones me saco de mi cuarto y fuimos al comedor. Las cosas en casa no iban bien, últimamente mis padres discutían con más frecuencia, y estaban muy irritables, el intercambio de miradas entre ellos era colosal, cuando se lo proponían ambos llegaban a ser sumamente fuertes en ese tipo de batallas. Mientras comíamos, recibí un mensaje, de Shampoo la ex novia de Ranma. "_Deben separarse, tú no eres la mujer ideal, para él, solamente eres una niña estúpida y así tenga que matarte, Ranma será mío." _ Cerré bruscamente el teléfono, un miedo se coló en lo más recóndito de mí ser, comencé a marearme, palidecí y sentí nauseas. Mi hermana se alarmó y llamó a mis padres quienes discutían acaloradamente en la cocina. Cuando me vieron decidieron llevarme al hospital y la noticia no fue del agrado de mi familia, los síntomas que presentaba no eran otra cosa sino que un embarazo. Mis padres, lloraban, mi hermana rezaba para que todo saliera bien. —Muy bien, Akane, ¿Quién es el padre del bebé?—la pregunta resonaba en el fondo de mi corazón, la voz de mi madre, era intimidante, pocas veces me había hablado de ese modo, los minutos pasaban y de mi boca no salía nombre alguno. Reaccione pocos minutos después, deje a mi familia en medio de la sala con la duda dibujada en el rostro, si bien era precisamente, él, el padre, quien tenía que saberlo en primer lugar. "_Necesito verte urgentemente, te veo en la cafetería que está cerca del Instituto, por favor no tardes." _ Las calles eran frías, pero no podía esperar hasta mañana, la reacción que pudiese tener Ranma se convertía en una filosa duda que traspasaba mi cerebro. En ese momento sentí que caminaba por inercia, al llegar a la cafetería un vientecillo gélido sacudió mi cabello, el corazón comenzó a palpitarme a una velocidad increíble, entré al local y me senté en una mesa, Ranma aún no llegaba y eso me intranquilizaba. No pasaron ni diez minutos, pero sentí que había sido una larga espera, su cara era alegre y sus labios formaban una sonrisa hermosa, me embelesó por un momento. —Akane, ¿estás bien? Me preocupa que a estas horas de la noche, andes sola, pude haber ido por ti a tu casa—lo que en este momento no quería es que mis padres lo vieran. —si lo estoy, pero hay algo que quiero decirte—sentí pesados los labios y unas ganas inmensas de llorar me abordaron, comencé a tartamudear y a decir palabras incompletas. —Ranma, yo…tú —Akane, no te entiendo podrías por favor ser más clara, ¿pasa algo?, Pose mis manos sobre mi vientre—Ranma, estoy embarazada, vas a ser papá… Su expresión, era indescifrable, no sabía si estaba molesto o feliz, no dijo nada y se marchó. 8. Capitulo 8 Enamorada del cielo Por un largo rato me quedé contemplando el marco de la puerta, aquella por la cual vi salir a Ranma, no pude evitar derramar algunas lágrimas, no esperaba una brusca reacción de su parte. Estaba por irme, cuando de pronto, Ranma llegó muy sofocado a la mesa donde estaba. —Siento haberte hecho esperar, Akane, pero no me decidía por el color— en ese instante me obsequió un pandita de peluche con un pañuelo rojo atado al cuello, lo vi sonreír y no pude evitarlo hacerlo también. — ¿Crees que a nuestro bebé le guste?, ¿Sabes me gustaría que fuera una niña? Lo abrace lo más fuerte que pude y él correspondió, ahora más que nunca sabia que nada podía salir mal. —Ranma ¿qué nombre le pondremos al bebé? —Aun no sabemos si es niña o niño, pero ya que te embarazaste en la biblioteca, podríamos llamarlo Hon— apenas había recibido la noticia de su paternidad y ya quería mucho al bebe, me acariciaba el vientre con mucha ternura, no había duda alguna, él era la persona ideal para compartir el resto de mi vida. —Akane, iré a hablar con tu familia, pediré tu mano en matrimonio y formaremos una linda familia, Tú, nuestro bebé y yo, no dejare que nada les falte, los protegeré con mi vida si es necesario y te prometo que nunca te arrepentirás de estar a mi lado. Las lágrimas resbalaron por mis mejillas, no habían caído cuando sentí su suave piel limpiándolas. —Vámonos, tenemos que anunciarles a nuestros padres, nuestra decisión y la llegada de nuestro bebé. Me tomó de la mano y salimos juntos de la cafetería, ahí en la banqueta estaba una mujer vendiendo anillos, él se acercó y escogió un par. —Escucha bien, este anillo es símbolo de mi amor y la promesa de que pase lo que pase siempre estaremos juntos. Trabajare muy duro y entonces te compraré un anillo muy hermoso que sea digno de una reina como tú. Mientras caminábamos platicábamos de nuestros sueños y de lo que haríamos cuando estuviéramos casados, estábamos tan contentos que no nos dimos cuenta que ya habíamos llegado a casa de los Saotome. Con la noticia, Ranko era la más contenta. —Yo seré la segunda en cargar a ese bebe una vez que haya nacido— mientras le guiñaba un ojo a su hermano— —Boba, yo seré el segundo por ser el padre—contestó Ranma La mirada del señor Genma, era seria, se notaba cierta preocupación en ella. —Bien hijo y ¿de qué van a vivir? —Dejaré el Instituto y comenzaré a trabajar—Ranma, mostraba seguridad y veracidad en cada una de sus palabras. —Siendo así, no tenemos inconveniente en que se casen, Akane, bienvenida a la familia Saotome— comentó la señora Nodoka, mientras sonreía. En mi casa las cosas, no fueron buenas como esperábamos, mi padre se negó rotundamente a dar su consentimiento para nuestra unión y mi madre lo apoyó. —Señor, Tendo, déjeme aclararle con el debido respeto que un hombre honorable como usted y su familia merecen, No me rendiré ante su negativa, mi hijo todavía no nace y mientras este en gestación yo daré lo mejor de mí para convencerlo de que soy el hombre indicado para su hija, no me daré por vencido, con su permiso y buenas noches—Ranma dejo la duela, se puso en pie y se marchó. El silencio sepulcral que invadía cada espacio de la casa era asfixiante, mis padres se fueron a dormir y Kasumi y yo nos fuimos a la cocina. —Hermanita, si vas a casarte, déjame instruirte en las labores domesticas que una mujer debe saber, si Ranma no va a rendirse, tú tampoco lo harás— nos pasamos toda la noche cocinando. Conforme pasaban los días, iba aprendiendo más y más, él iba todos los días a mi casa para convencer a mi padre de aceptar la boda, y aunque todos los días recibía una respuesta negativa no se rendía, al contrario se esmeraba aun más. Poco tiempo después, me encontré a Shampoo, su mirada era de desprecio, en cada palabra escupía odio. —Mira nada más a quien tenemos aquí, nada más y nada menos que a la zorra que cree que puede arrebatarme a mi hombre, solo por tener a un bastardo en sus entrañas—me tomó del brazo con fuerza y me aventó contra el barandal de contención de la calle, sentí un fuerte dolor, pero aun así encare a Shampoo. —Mi amor por, él e sincero y no me voy a rendir, yo no necesito ninguna clase de artimañas para que me ame—me di media vuelta y la deje parada a mitad de la calle. Por la noche salí con Ranma, pero no le dije nada del incidente que había tenido con se ex novia, sabía que era capaz de matarla y no quería cargar con ese remordimiento. Mientras caminábamos entre los arreglos navideños, él me entregó un pequeño paquete, era un par de pequeños guantes rojos. —La siguiente navidad, ya seremos tres—de repente un fuerte dolor me invadió, caí de rodillas sobre el pasto, lo último que recuerdo es la voz de Ranma, llamándome desesperadamente. Cuando desperté, estaba en el hospital, mis padres y mi hermana estaban ahí, pero Ranma no, me sentí angustiada y enseguida pregunte por mi bebé. —Akane, hija el bebé se ha ido, no está más en tu vientre—los ojos de mi madre se tornaron vidriosos — ¿Dónde está Ranma? —Al llegar aquí salió corriendo, hermana, no sabemos dónde esta Quería que la tierra me tragara, quería dejar de existir, hace apenas unos días creí que lo tenía todo y en un instante ya no tenía nada. Al salir del hospital, vi a Ranma que venía corriendo bajo la nieve, mis padres me dijeron que bebía decirle la verdad. Al verme me abrazó, su piel estaba morada por el frio y de sus congeladas manos cayó una oración rosa para un nacimiento seguro. Los dos caímos de rodillas abrazados, le pedí perdón incontables veces y el solo me abrazaba más y más fuerte, mientras yo sentía caer sobre mi cuello sus frías lágrimas. Caminamos sin rumbo por un largo rato y cuando nos dimos cuenta estábamos frente al macetón, donde había plantado los claveles tiempo atrás, hábilmente hizo un pequeño niño de nieve y colocó los guantecitos frente a él. Oramos y le pedí perdón a mi bebé por haber sido débil, por no defenderlo. Era la navidad más amarga que hubiese tenido, pero aun tenia a Ranma a mi lado y eso me haría fuerte para soportar nuestra perdida. —De ahora en adelante, vendremos juntos cada año a este lugar, donde simbólicamente esta nuestro bebé—asentí a sus palabras, no importa lo que pasará era una promesa. El invierno se fue y con él, Ranma, después de nuestra perdida comenzó a cambiar, me evitaba, me lastimaba en cada ocasión que tenia. — ¿Sabes, Akane?, me di cuenta de que eres un estorbo y esta tonta relación debe terminar, y no llores porque no secaré más tus lágrimas, hasta nunca— Me dolieron sus palabras, pero lo que más me dolió fue ver como delante de mí besaba a otra chica, reuní el coraje necesario para no llorar frente a él y con todas mis fuerzas le aventé el anillo, su promesa. —Toma, estúpido, te devuelvo tu promesa, que al fin y al cabo no fueron más que palabras. Comencé a caminar, pero no fui lo suficientemente fuerte, no había dado ni tres pasos cuando voltee y le pedí a Ranma que no se fuera, que no quería perderlo, pero él no se detenía, al contrario seguía caminando más rápido, hasta que lo perdí de vista. Desde ese día acudía diario a su lugar favorito con la esperanza de verlo y arreglar las cosas, pero era en vano, pues no solo dejo de frecuentarlo sino que ya no asistía a clases. Todo el tiempo estaba triste, la única esperanza que me quedaba era Ryoga, necesitaba que me dijera que estaba bien, pero la perdí cuando me dijo que no sabía nada de él, que no contestaba ni sus llamadas ni mensajes. Si no sabía algo de él pronto me iba a volver loca del dolor, no me importaba su arrogancia ni sus desprecios, solamente quería saber que estaba bien, solo me conformaba con escuchar su voz, aunque no volviera a ver el cielo en sus ojos. Del otro lado de la línea el tono se me hacia eterno y mortal, hasta que alguien me contestó. —Ranma—los latidos de mi corazón eran cada vez más rápidos, como si fueran caballos salvajes. —Lo siento Akane, no sé dónde se encuentra mi hermano, pero sé que no quiere ser molestado, por eso no trae consigo su celular—colgué si despedirme de Ranko. No podía seguir así, no podía seguir lastimándome por él, había decidido olvidarlo y continuar con mi vida, en poco tiempo terminaría el Instituto y necesitaba poner todo mi empeño y dedicación para preparar mi examen de ingreso a la Universidad. Esa navidad fui al santuario de mi bebé y para mi sorpresa vi a Ranma acomodando un par de guantecitos rosas y un niño de nieve, le pregunte porque había decidido terminar así. No me contestó tan solo comenzó a caminar y yo lo seguí, pero justo en la separación del camino me detuve, no podía hacerle daño a Shinnosuke, el chico con él que salía, él me había brindado su apoyo y su consuelo cuando más lo necesitaba. 9. Capitulo 9 Enamorada del cielo Las siguientes dos navidades, cuando yo iba a dejarle su regalo a mi bebé, encontraba un par de guantes y una figura de nieve, esa era la prueba de que Ranma ya se había ido. Shinnosuke, era muy cariñoso conmigo y estaba feliz con nuestra relación e incluso me había hablado de matrimonio, al oír esa palabra recordé a Ranma y sentí de nuevo aquel vacio que me había dejado, aquel que nadie llenaría nunca. Mis calificaciones eran muy buenas y desde esa perspectiva mis padres parecían muy complacidos, sin embargo no sabían de la tristeza que en todo este tiempo ya formaba parte de mí, me volví celosa en cuanto a ella, no me permitía derramar ni una sola lágrima y que alguien me viera, sino todo lo contrario siempre les mostraba mi mejor sonrisa. Pensé muchas veces la propuesta de Shinnosuke y al fin de cuentas acepte, no podía quedarme el resto de mi vida así el que Ranma se haya ido de esa forma, no significaba que mi vida terminara ahí, mi familia estaba muy contenta con la noticia, mi madre me animo con los preparativos de la boda. A partir de ese momento mi falsa sonrisa tenía que estar conmigo todos los días, tenía que fingir emoción y amor. Ese año se fue increíblemente rápido y otra vez la navidad había llegado, la cruel fecha que trajo consigo mi infelicidad. Ese día mi futuro marido había decidido acompañarme a ver a mi bebé y yo asentí, pero el momento que pasaba frente a la tumba simbólica de mi hijo, prefería que fuera intima, al final de cuentas no era hijo suyo. Antes de dirigirme al lugar, Shinnosuke me dio una pequeña caja, inmediatamente supuse que era. —Akane, linda, estas a punto de graduarte y aun no te he dado el anillo de compromiso, es el más hermoso que encontré, digno de una reina como tú—sus últimas palabras resonaron en mi cabeza, le sonreí esforzándome en no romper a llorar. Me tomó la mano y me colocó el anillo, con una linda sonrisa, no lo amaba. Pero tenía que seguir adelante. —Amor, te acompaño —No, gracias, tú sabes que es un momento muy especial para mí y siempre me ha gustado ir sola—sabía que era la única ocasión en que podía ver a Ranma y tal vez cruzar unas breves palabras —Pero, ¿Vas a verlo?—en sus palabras pude percatarme de su miedo e inseguridad —No te preocupes, vamos a casarnos y eso no va a cambiar—vi que mis palabras lo tranquilizaron Al llegar lo vi en cuclillas acomodando los guantecitos los cuales aumentaban poco a poco de tamaño en cada año, me supongo que el imaginaba que nuestro hijo iba creciendo. Al ponerse en pie y darse la media vuelta, la sorpresa y el miedo me invadieron. — ¿Ryoga? ¿Qué haces aquí? ¿Dónde está Ranma? —Lo siento, Akane, Ranma me pidió que hiciera esto cada año a partir de hoy, ¿Sabes? Me dio cientos de pares de guantecitos de todos los colores. —No es posible que sea tan cobarde, que no quiera cumplir la promesa que él le hizo a su hijo, que no le basto con romperme el corazón, es un vil canalla, lo odio—mi coraje había desbordado la barrera de contención que le había formado años atrás. —Cállate, no sabes lo que dices, mientras tú felizmente planeas casarte con otro, Ranma, mi amigo, mi hermano está a punto de morir, sufre por no tenerte a su lado, cada día al ver el cielo te espera pacientemente—la rabia de Ryoga fue tornándose en una inmensa tristeza. No pude evitar caer de rodillas, las amargas lágrimas comenzaron a brotar de mis ojos. —Lo siento, Akane, Ranma me pidió nunca decirte nada, pero tú estás equivocada, lo que piensas no es verdad. Cuando él se entero que el cáncer se había extendido en su cuerpo, pensó en no hacerte sufrir, por eso se alejo de ti, a eso se debe su actitud hacia ti y su falta a clases. Él espera por ti, Akane. En ese momento, Shinnosuke apareció atrás de mí, sólo me importaba ver a Ranma, al amor de mi vida. — ¿Qué pasa, Akane?, la cobardía, no le permitió a Ranma venir hoy—su ironía rasgo mi corazón, me levante para encararlo —Cállate, imbécil, no sabes nada—mi reacción dejo en shock a mi prometido —Lo siento, Shinnosuke, me tengo que ir, tengo que ver a Ranma—él me jaló de un brazo suplicándome que no fuera, pero fue inútil, en el forcejeo el anillo de compromiso cayó a la nieve, estaba dispuesta a levantarlo cuando me detuvo —Déjalo, Akane, tal vez esta es la señal de que tú no eres para mi, siempre supe que seguías amándolo y aun así me aferre a arrancártelo del corazón y fallé Agradecí su comprensión e inmediatamente fui a casa de Ranma, pero no estaba ahí, Ranko me dio la dirección del hospital y corrí lo más rápido que me permitieron mis piernas, hacia frio, pero no se comparaba con el frio que habitaba en mi corazón hasta ese día. Abrí la puerta de su cuarto, él miraba fijamente el cielo por la ventana —Ryoga, hermano, dime como te fue —Ranma… Él volteo hacia mi muy sorprendido — ¿Qué haces aquí? — ¿Por qué no me lo dijiste, Ranma?—mis lágrimas, comenzaron a rodar —Por eso no te lo dije, porque no quería hacerte sufrir Mis ojos se posaron en una de sus manos —Sigues usando el anillo—él trató de cubrirlo con la otra mano Se incorporó de la cama y sus lágrimas comenzaron a caer sobre las sábanas. —Trate de evadirte, porque solamente te hago sufrir, Akane quiero que siempre seas feliz —No me pidas eso, eso no puedo hacerlo si tú no estás a mi lado, quiero ser feliz contigo —Me quedan tres meses de vida—su voz parecía una fina hebra de un hilo delicado —Ranma, yo siempre te he amado—me acerque a él, le di un suave beso en sus labios, no pude contenerme más me abracé a él y sus brazos también rodearon mi cuerpo, había estado esperando por ese momento tanto tiempo que no quería soltarlo, no quería dejar su aroma. Al separarnos, Ranma sacó del cajón de su buró mi anillo, y volvió a colocarlo en su lugar, como aquella vez, al tomarlo entre mis manos, sentí como si el tiempo no hubiese pasado. Desde entonces iba diario al hospital a verlo, sentía que debíamos recuperar el tiempo que perdimos. —Akane, tu presencia le hace tanto bien a mi hijo, antes siempre estaba triste, no tenía ánimos de nada y ahora hasta lo veo sonreír, te agradezco mucho el tiempo que pasas con mi Ranma—las palabras de la señora Nodoka me hacían sentir bien y si él salía adelante yo estaría ahí, a su lado. Me despedí de ella, tenía que ir a casa, en el trayecto, tomé una decisión, la más importante en mi vida y mi familia lo sabría. Durante la cena, llame la atención de mis padres —Papá, mamá, he decidido dejar la universidad para cuidar a Ranma, mientras se repone. —Akane, hija, si lo haces por lástima hacia ese muchacho… —No papá, lo hago por amor, ustedes saben que amo a Ranma y nunca dejé de hacerlo, ni siquiera porque iba a casarme con Shinnosuke, perdón por causarles tantos problemas Al final mis padres aceptaron, todos los días atendía a Ranma, le daba de comer, platicaba con él, siempre junto a él. Cuando iba a su revisión, oraba para que no me lo quitaran, para que siempre estuviéramos juntos, pedía todos los días un milagro… Los doctores estaban muy sorprendidos con la mejoría de Ranma y le concedieron un permiso especial para dejar el hospital, estaban seguros que salir de ese cuarto le haría mucho bien. Planeamos ir a almorzar a su lugar favorito, él me pidió que le preparara su almuerzo, porque la comida del hospital ya lo había aburrido y siguiendo las indicaciones del médico se lo hice. —Akane, esto es delicioso, es lo mejor que he probado en mi vida—Ranma sonreía mientras saboreaba los alimentos —Ranma ¿Te casarías conmigo? —Sabes que si, haría cualquier cosa por verte feliz, pero este no es el lugar ideal para una boda —Claro que si, mira traeré flores para que me hagas una corona con ellas ¿está bien? —Yo Ranma Saotome, te acepto a ti Akane Tendo como mi esposa para…No puedo seguir Akane, no me quiero morir, quiero verte sonreír todos los días—él comenzó a llorar amargamente—quisiera que en este momento que estuviéramos los tres, tú, nuestro bebé y yo. Me faltan muchas cosas por hacer, no quiero que nos separen —Ranma, no te dejaré morir, sabes que no lo haré Él me abrazó fuertemente como si quisiera que nunca me alejara de él —Akane, yo… yo te amo, nunca lo olvides y por ti soy capaz de enfrentar a la muerte, por ti no perderé esta batalla—su determinación me animaba, y yo tenía que estar con él cuando obtuviera su victoria. 10. Capitulo 10 Enamorada del cielo Los días pasaban rápidamente y la mejoría de Ranma era sorprendente, los médicos argumentaban que un milagro se estaba llevando a cabo, ningún paciente en esas condiciones se había repuesto en tan poco tiempo. Verlo sonreír todas las mañanas, me daba fuerza y esperanza —Akane, si muero, quiero ser el cielo para ir contigo siempre y protegerte —Ranma, tú no necesitas morir para ser el cielo, cuando el cielo es azul, significa que tú estás feliz, cuando es el del atardecer es porque estas sonrojado y cuando es de noche, estas tranquilo y cuando las estrellas brillan, tú estás sonriendo. Una enfermera entró a la habitación por él, tenían que hacerle una revisión, Ranma puso cara de enfado y luego sonrió —Esto de estar enfermo es muy latoso, pero bueno, Akane mientras vuelo podrías ir a imprimir unas fotos por favor, te veo después. Al tomar entre mis manos la cámara, sentí un pequeño escalofrío, pero no le di importancia y salí de la habitación. Me dirigía al hospital, cuando mi celular comenzó a sonar, al contestar una punzada atravesó mi corazón, por mis mejillas comenzaron a rodar las lagrimas y el sobre con las fotografías cayó al suelo… —Akane, ven pronto, Ranma se puso mal—la voz de Ranko tenía mucho dolor y sufrimiento Torpemente recogí y el sobre y las fotos cayeron al suelo, mi sorpresa fue muy grande al ver que todas eran mías, Ranma había hecho una colección mía en nuestros mejores momentos. Corrí desesperadamente hacia el hospital, entre a la habitación de manera estrepitosa, lo que hizo que la enfermera me quisiera sacar a la fuerza. —Suéltela, por favor… —Akane… ven acércate—la voz de Ranma era débil, pero audible. —Estoy contigo, no te rindas, lucha por tu vida, por nuestra vida. Recuerda que prometimos ganar esta batalla juntos—mi voz se entrecortaba más y más con cada palabra que emitía. Ranma comenzó a abrir los ojos lentamente ante la sorpresa del doctor y poco a poco comenzó a estabilizarse. La tranquilidad volvió a la atmósfera que nos rodeaba, el médico nos pidió dejar descansar a Ranma, así que me permití ir a orar por su salud. Como todos los días iba a verlo, y su mejoría era perceptible, uno de esos días por el pasillo del hospital vi a Shampoo quien venía de una consulta por su embarazo, al verla en ese estado no pude evitar entristecerme. —Akane, no pensé encontrarte por aquí—su voz era sincera y llena de arrepentimiento —Vine a ver a una persona—conteste —Perdóname, Akane por todo el daño que te hice, mi hijo me ha hecho cambiar mi forma de ver las cosas. —Eso es parte del pasado, solo quiero pedirte que cuides a tu hijo y hagas que sea una buena persona—pose mi mano sobre su pancita y pude sentir una patadita. Nos despedimos y me dirigí al cuarto de Ranma, cuando llegué no había nadie, sus cosas no estaban, solamente un libro rojo sobre su almohada, por inercia lo abrí. "_**TE AMARE AUN DESPUES DE LA MUERTE"**_ Temí lo peor… No podía ser que Ranma hubiera… 11. Capitulo 11 Enamorada del cielo Me sentí invadida por un pánico enorme, sentía punzadas en mi corazón y gruesas lágrimas comenzaron a rodar por mis mejillas, en un gran impulso salí corriendo de la habitación y me dirigí a la recepción. —Disculpe, señorita, el paciente, Saotome Ranma—parecía que la enfermera hubiera visto un fantasma al mencionarle ese nombre. —Lo siento mucho—emitió mientras me extendía un sobre blanco y un clavel rojo, al tomarlos hubiera jurado que deje de percibir lo que sucedía a mi alrededor. Abrí el sobre y un tenue aroma me envolvió, no podía equivocarme era el aroma de su piel, lo reconocería entre muchos, los latidos de mi corazón cada vez eran más fuertes, tan fuertes que las personas que estaban en la pequeña sala del hospital podrían haberlos oído. "_Cuando leas esto, tal vez ya no esté contigo, pero a través de estas palabras quiero pedirte que siempre sonrías y seas feliz. Dentro del libro rojo que seguramente tienes contigo está todo lo que siempre quise decirte, pero el tiempo y esta maldita enfermedad no me permitieron y recuerda __**TE AMARÉ AÚN DESPUÉS DE LA MUERTE**__" _ _Saotome Ranma_ Comencé a caminar por inercia y dudando en leer el libro, las lágrimas no cesaban, mis pasos me llevaron a ese lugar que él tanto amaba. Tenía miedo de amarlo aún más y que él ya no estuviera conmigo, pero me pidió que lo leyera y eso iba a hacer. No sé cuantos días pasaron entre la segunda y penúltima página, pero al leer la última. _**Lamento haberte hecho llorar tanto…**_ Ranma…aún estoy enamorada del cielo. Era un hermoso atardecer, Ranma se sonrojó. End file.

fanfiction

acute type a aortic dissection ( aaad ) is a challenging clinical emergency . despite continuous improvements in diagnosis , surgical treatment , and perioperative management , the latest report from the international registry of acute aortic dissection ( irad ) revealed an inhospital surgical mortality of 23.9% . this is similar to that found in a more recent study from another large registry , while several singlecenter series report mortality well below 10% . several reports have indicated that patients with a residual patent false lumen following an aaad repair have an increased risk of distal aortic enlargement and death . in addition , the irad data have shown that in patients with acute type b aortic dissections , partial thrombosis , more than a completely patent false lumen , predicts a higher followup mortality . as an extension of this observation , song et al found that partial thrombosis of the false lumen after an extensive stanford type a ( debakey type i ) aortic dissection repair is a predictor of aortic enlargement , aortarelated procedures , and poor longterm survival . different factors have been proposed to account for this increased risk , and one possible mechanism could be that the thrombus itself is a risk factor by enhancing the coagulation system . in this context , we anticipated that a partial thrombosis of the false lumen observed at the first hospitalization would negatively affect the remodeling of the distal aorta , increase the need for reintervention , and negatively influence the longterm survival of aaad patients . to assess this hypothesis , in the irad database , we analyzed the patients with surgically treated aaad who were discharged alive from their primary hospitalization . irad is a multinational registry that collects consecutive and unselected cases of acute aortic dissection at 30 aortic centers in 10 countries . the study was approved by the institutional review board or ethics committee at each participating center . we screened the data records for all patients who were enrolled in irad between january 1 , 1996 and january 31 , 2011 . we identified 2380 patients with an aaad , which was defined as any nontraumatic dissection involving the ascending aorta and presenting within 14 days of symptom onset . the patients who were exclusively managed medically , had intramural hematomas , died during the index hospitalization , or for whom followup or information on false lumen status was lacking were excluded from the analysis ( figure 1 ) . of these patients , 414 ( 79.3% ) had a patent , 84 ( 16.1% ) a partially thrombosed , and 24 ( 4.6% ) a completely thrombosed false lumen . a standardized form with 290 variables was used at all irad centers to describe the index hospital stay . this form included patient demographics , past medical histories , presenting symptoms , physical findings , imaging results , treatments , and outcomes ( including complications and mortality ) . all of the patients underwent computed tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , angiography , and/or echocardiography . the false lumen was classified as patent when flow was present without evidence of thrombus at any level of the aorta , as partially thrombosed when both flow and thrombus were present , and completely thrombosed in the absence of flow in the false lumen at any aortic level . intramural hematoma was defined as an aortic wall hematoma without an intimal flap or tear on any imaging study . the distinction between an intramural hematoma and a classic doublebarrel dissection with complete thrombosis of the false lumen was determined by experts at each irad center . followup data were obtained annually for up to 5 years using a standardized form to record clinical variables , imaging data , reoperations ( including endovascular and/or open repair ) , and mortality . aortic size was measured as the largest transversal diameter perpendicular to the flow axis for each segment . patients who underwent arch replacement at the index hospitalization were only included in the growth calculations for the descending thoracic aorta . for patients who underwent reintervention during followup , the latest diameter measure before reintervention was used . the growth rate was calculated as the difference between the most recent diameter measure and the diameter at the index hospitalization at the same aortic level , divided by the time interval between the 2 measurements and expressed as millimeters per year . based on preoperative imaging at the index hospitalization , the patients were stratified into 3 groups according to the status of the false lumen : patent , partial thrombosis , and complete thrombosis . the clinical characteristics of each group are presented as frequencies and percentages for the categorical variables and as meanstandard deviation ( sd ) for the continuous variables . in cases of skewed distributions , the continuous variables are presented as the median and interquartile range ( q1 to q3 , the range between the 25th and the 75th percentile ) . for categorical variables , betweengroup differences were analyzed using the chisquared or 2sided fisher 's exact test , as appropriate . the initial model used variables with a p value of < 0.15 in univariate testing and also included false lumen status . a backward stepwise selection of variables ( after adjusting for sex and age ) was performed sequentially with a default value for inclusion set at p<0.05 . meier curves were created for the overall patient cohort and stratified according to the false lumen status . curves were created for survival and for freedom from major adverse events ( allcause mortality , aortic rupture , and reoperation [ including endovascular repair ] ) . betweengroup differences in survival and freedom from major adverse events were analyzed using the logrank test . all data analyses were performed using spss version 20 for windows ( spss inc ) . irad is a multinational registry that collects consecutive and unselected cases of acute aortic dissection at 30 aortic centers in 10 countries . the study was approved by the institutional review board or ethics committee at each participating center . we screened the data records for all patients who were enrolled in irad between january 1 , 1996 and january 31 , 2011 . we identified 2380 patients with an aaad , which was defined as any nontraumatic dissection involving the ascending aorta and presenting within 14 days of symptom onset . the patients who were exclusively managed medically , had intramural hematomas , died during the index hospitalization , or for whom followup or information on false lumen status was lacking were excluded from the analysis ( figure 1 ) . of these patients , 414 ( 79.3% ) had a patent , 84 ( 16.1% ) a partially thrombosed , and 24 ( 4.6% ) a completely thrombosed false lumen . a standardized form with 290 variables was used at all irad centers to describe the index hospital stay . this form included patient demographics , past medical histories , presenting symptoms , physical findings , imaging results , treatments , and outcomes ( including complications and mortality ) . all of the patients underwent computed tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , angiography , and/or echocardiography . the false lumen was classified as patent when flow was present without evidence of thrombus at any level of the aorta , as partially thrombosed when both flow and thrombus were present , and completely thrombosed in the absence of flow in the false lumen at any aortic level . intramural hematoma was defined as an aortic wall hematoma without an intimal flap or tear on any imaging study . the distinction between an intramural hematoma and a classic doublebarrel dissection with complete thrombosis of the false lumen was determined by experts at each irad center . followup data were obtained annually for up to 5 years using a standardized form to record clinical variables , imaging data , reoperations ( including endovascular and/or open repair ) , and mortality . aortic size was measured as the largest transversal diameter perpendicular to the flow axis for each segment . patients who underwent arch replacement at the index hospitalization were only included in the growth calculations for the descending thoracic aorta . for patients who underwent reintervention during followup , the latest diameter measure before reintervention was used . the growth rate was calculated as the difference between the most recent diameter measure and the diameter at the index hospitalization at the same aortic level , divided by the time interval between the 2 measurements and expressed as millimeters per year . based on preoperative imaging at the index hospitalization , the patients were stratified into 3 groups according to the status of the false lumen : patent , partial thrombosis , and complete thrombosis . the clinical characteristics of each group are presented as frequencies and percentages for the categorical variables and as meanstandard deviation ( sd ) for the continuous variables . in cases of skewed distributions , the continuous variables are presented as the median and interquartile range ( q1 to q3 , the range between the 25th and the 75th percentile ) . for categorical variables , betweengroup differences were analyzed using the chisquared or 2sided fisher 's exact test , as appropriate . the initial model used variables with a p value of < 0.15 in univariate testing and also included false lumen status . a backward stepwise selection of variables ( after adjusting for sex and age ) was performed sequentially with a default value for inclusion set at p<0.05 . meier curves were created for the overall patient cohort and stratified according to the false lumen status . curves were created for survival and for freedom from major adverse events ( allcause mortality , aortic rupture , and reoperation [ including endovascular repair ] ) . betweengroup differences in survival and freedom from major adverse events were analyzed using the logrank test . all data analyses were performed using spss version 20 for windows ( spss inc ) . the mean age ( sd ) of the 522 patients was 57.913.6 years , and 19.6% were aged > 70 years ( table 1 ) . the majority of patients ( 74.9% ) were male and had a history of hypertension ( 70.9% ) . other common comorbidities were atherosclerosis ( 19.1% ) , previous aortic aneurysm ( 11.7% ) , previous openheart surgery ( 8.8% ) , and cardiac catheterization or percutaneous coronary intervention ( 7.8% ) . marfan syndrome was present in 5.8% of the patients , and 30.0% were current smokers . diabetes mellitus was rare in this patient cohort ( 4.9% ) , as were chronic renal insufficiency ( 3.6% ) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( 4.3% ) . patient characteristics stratified by false lumen status sd indicates standard deviation ; copd , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ; pci , percutaneous coronary intervention ; ecg , echocardiogram ; anova , analysis of variance . analyzed using anova . hypotension defined as systolic blood pressure < 100 mm hg . diminution or absence of pulse in either right or left carotid , brachial or femoral arteries . showing signs of old or new infarction , nonspecific stt segment changes , left ventricular hypertrophy or low voltage . any imaging modality showing dissection extending into the brachiocephalic trunk , left common carotid artery or left subclavian artery . chest pain was common ( 85.3% ) ; 15.0% of the patients presented with neurologic deficits , and 28.9% had a pulse deficit . the mean number ( sd ) of imaging studies per patient was 1.80.7 , with a median ( q1 to q3 ) number of studies of 2.0 ( 1.0 to 3.0 ) . the most frequent procedure was computed tomography , which was performed in 81.0% of the patients , and 78.6% underwent a transesophageal echocardiography . complete arch replacement was performed in 12.3% of cases , and the aortic valve was replaced in 29.9% of patients ( table 2 ) . deliberate interruption of systemic perfusion was used in 86.0% , with a median ( q1 to q3 ) circulatory arrest time of 44 ( 28 to 97 ) minutes . replacement of at least part of the aorta between the left subclavian level and the diaphragm . threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . neurologic complications occurred in one quarter of the patients , acute renal failure in 19.3% , and limb ischemia in 13.4% . patients with a patent false lumen were on average 3 years younger than those with a partially thrombosed false lumen and 6 years younger than those with complete false lumen thrombosis . there were no differences with regard to previous medical history , presenting symptoms , or clinical findings . patients with a patent false lumen had fewer imaging studies per patient , with a mean ( sd ) of 1.70.6 , versus 2.00.7 for those with partial thrombosis and 2.00.8 for those with complete thrombosis ( p=0.006 ) . computed tomography was performed more frequently in the patients with partial thrombosis of the false lumen ( 90.5% ) compared to the patients with complete patency or complete thrombosis of the false lumen ( 79.4% or 75.0% , respectively , p=0.034 ) . the distal extension of the dissection was similar between the groups ; however , extension merely to the aortic arch occurred more frequently in the partial thrombosis and complete thrombosis groups than in the patent false lumen group ( 31.8% , 37.5% and 17.1% , respectively , p=0.005 ) . the median aortic growth rate ( q1 to q3 ) was 0.5 ( 0.3 to 2.0 ) mm / year in the aortic arch and 2.0 ( 0.2 to 4.0 ) mm / year in the descending thoracic aorta ( table 3 ) . aortic growth rates ( mm / year ) q1 to q3 denotes interquartile range . on univariate testing , age , preexisting renal failure and aortic aneurysm , presenting with chest or back pain , and the composite of postoperative cerebrovascular accident , coma , or renal failure were significantly associated with death during followup ( table 4 ) . in the multiple regression models , only age and the composite of postoperative cerebrovascular accident , coma , or renal failure were statistically significant ( table 5 ) . the preoperative status of the false lumen did not predict death after discharge in the univariate testing or when adjusted for age and gender . any history of percutaneous coronary intervention , coronary artery bypass graft surgery or catheterization demonstrating > threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . the kaplan meier curves showed an overall 5year survival of 84.7% ( 95% ci ; 79.6% to 88.6% ; figure 2 ) . the extent of preoperative false lumen thrombosis did not affect the 5year survival rates ( figure 3 ) . nor did thrombosis of the false lumen preoperatively affect freedom of major adverse events ( figure 4 ) . meier curves of postdischarge freedom from major adverse events ( allcause mortality , aortic rupture and reoperation , including endovascular repair ) , stratified according to the false lumen status . the mean age ( sd ) of the 522 patients was 57.913.6 years , and 19.6% were aged > 70 years ( table 1 ) . the majority of patients ( 74.9% ) were male and had a history of hypertension ( 70.9% ) . other common comorbidities were atherosclerosis ( 19.1% ) , previous aortic aneurysm ( 11.7% ) , previous openheart surgery ( 8.8% ) , and cardiac catheterization or percutaneous coronary intervention ( 7.8% ) . marfan syndrome was present in 5.8% of the patients , and 30.0% were current smokers . diabetes mellitus was rare in this patient cohort ( 4.9% ) , as were chronic renal insufficiency ( 3.6% ) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( 4.3% ) . patient characteristics stratified by false lumen status sd indicates standard deviation ; copd , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ; pci , percutaneous coronary intervention ; ecg , echocardiogram ; anova , analysis of variance . analyzed using anova . hypotension defined as systolic blood pressure < 100 mm hg . diminution or absence of pulse in either right or left carotid , brachial or femoral arteries . showing signs of old or new infarction , nonspecific stt segment changes , left ventricular hypertrophy or low voltage . any imaging modality showing dissection extending into the brachiocephalic trunk , left common carotid artery or left subclavian artery . chest pain was common ( 85.3% ) ; 15.0% of the patients presented with neurologic deficits , and 28.9% had a pulse deficit . the mean number ( sd ) of imaging studies per patient was 1.80.7 , with a median ( q1 to q3 ) number of studies of 2.0 ( 1.0 to 3.0 ) . the most frequent procedure was computed tomography , which was performed in 81.0% of the patients , and 78.6% underwent a transesophageal echocardiography . complete arch replacement was performed in 12.3% of cases , and the aortic valve was replaced in 29.9% of patients ( table 2 ) . deliberate interruption of systemic perfusion was used in 86.0% , with a median ( q1 to q3 ) circulatory arrest time of 44 ( 28 to 97 ) minutes . replacement of at least part of the aorta between the left subclavian level and the diaphragm . threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . neurologic complications occurred in one quarter of the patients , acute renal failure in 19.3% , and limb ischemia in 13.4% . patients with a patent false lumen were on average 3 years younger than those with a partially thrombosed false lumen and 6 years younger than those with complete false lumen thrombosis . there were no differences with regard to previous medical history , presenting symptoms , or clinical findings . patients with a patent false lumen had fewer imaging studies per patient , with a mean ( sd ) of 1.70.6 , versus 2.00.7 for those with partial thrombosis and 2.00.8 for those with complete thrombosis ( p=0.006 ) . computed tomography was performed more frequently in the patients with partial thrombosis of the false lumen ( 90.5% ) compared to the patients with complete patency or complete thrombosis of the false lumen ( 79.4% or 75.0% , respectively , p=0.034 ) . the distal extension of the dissection was similar between the groups ; however , extension merely to the aortic arch occurred more frequently in the partial thrombosis and complete thrombosis groups than in the patent false lumen group ( 31.8% , 37.5% and 17.1% , respectively , p=0.005 ) the median aortic growth rate ( q1 to q3 ) was 0.5 ( 0.3 to 2.0 ) mm / year in the aortic arch and 2.0 ( 0.2 to 4.0 ) mm / year in the descending thoracic aorta ( table 3 ) . aortic growth rates ( mm / year ) q1 to q3 denotes interquartile range . on univariate testing , age , preexisting renal failure and aortic aneurysm , presenting with chest or back pain , and the composite of postoperative cerebrovascular accident , coma , or renal failure were significantly associated with death during followup ( table 4 ) . in the multiple regression models , only age and the composite of postoperative cerebrovascular accident , coma , or renal failure were statistically significant ( table 5 ) . the preoperative status of the false lumen did not predict death after discharge in the univariate testing or when adjusted for age and gender . any history of percutaneous coronary intervention , coronary artery bypass graft surgery or catheterization demonstrating > threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . independent predictors of longterm mortality after multivariate model adjustments cva indicates cerebrovascular accident . threefold increase in serum creatinine , 75% reduction in glomerular filtration rate , serum creatinine 354 mol / l , urine output < 0.3 ml / kg per hour over 24 hours or anuria for 12 hours . the kaplan meier curves showed an overall 5year survival of 84.7% ( 95% ci ; 79.6% to 88.6% ; figure 2 ) . the extent of preoperative false lumen thrombosis did not affect the 5year survival rates ( figure 3 ) . nor did thrombosis of the false lumen preoperatively affect freedom of major adverse events ( figure 4 ) . meier curves of postdischarge freedom from major adverse events ( allcause mortality , aortic rupture and reoperation , including endovascular repair ) , stratified according to the false lumen status . the data included in the present analysis reject the hypothesis that a partially thrombosed false lumen on preoperative imaging was a predictor of an ominous clinical course in patients with surgically treated aaad . to our knowledge , the relationship between partial thrombosis of the false lumen and longterm outcome in patients with aortic dissection has been examined in 7 studies . all of these studies have included patients with either type b dissections , postoperative aaad , or a combination of both . partial thrombosis was identified as an independent predictor for aortic enlargement , aorticrelated procedures , or death in 2 studies . in the remaining 5 studies , partial thrombosis was not associated with a worse outcome , faster aortic growth , or higher incidence of aneurysm development compared to complete patency of the false lumen . however , in the study by sueyoshi et al , which compared aortic enlargement across different degrees of false lumen thrombosis in type b dissections , a subset within the partial thrombosis group with a blind pouch in the false lumen ( ie , thrombosis covering the potential reentry site ) had considerably faster growth rates . this group was small , only accounting for 15% of the patients with partial thrombosis of the false lumen . results from previous studies on type b dissections and postoperative aaad can not readily be extrapolated to our data , as we examined the influence of preoperative false lumen thrombosis in aaad . in addition , the fact that partial thrombosis of the false lumen seems to be unfavorable in type b dissections does not necessarily imply that this is the case in postoperative aaad . the notion that an operated aaad with a persistent false lumen in the descending aorta mirrors a type b dissection is not intuitive . in aaad , the primary entry tear is typically located in the ascending aorta , whereas the area just distal to the subclavian artery is the predilection site in type b dissections . this region is also most prone to dilation and rupture in the chronic phase . by surgically removing the primary entry tear , residual intimal tears , which maintain flow in the false lumen and remain distal after type a dissection repair , might have a different impact on flow and pressure dynamics compared to that associated with the primary entry in type b dissections . in fact , a residual primary entry tear independently predicts the need for reintervention in patients with operated aaad only . moreover , patients with a patent false lumen distally to aaad repair have better outcomes compared to type b dissections , which is potentially related to the size and location of intimal tears . it is also to be noted , that the one study supporting partial thrombosis as a negative predictor in surgically treated aaad is based on 27 patients with a particularly high mortality of 60% at 5 years . it is unknown why older patients are more likely to have spontaneous complete thrombosis of the false lumen , but blood coagulability increases with age . the group with complete thrombosis was small : 24 patients ( 4.6% of the total patient cohort ) . traditionally , complete thrombosis of the false lumen has been thought to be a prerequisite for healing of the aorta postdissection , as flow and pressurization of the false lumen are thought to contribute to late dilation and rupture . our data did not show that there was any survival benefit associated with complete false lumen thrombosis . because of the small number of patients , even in the irad database , adjusted comparisons with this group lacked statistical power . of great practical importance , however , is that there are no definitive clinical epidemiological data supporting the traditional view that a persistent bloodflow in the false lumen is a definitive negative predictor for outome . thus , an extensive procedure with arch replacement and intraoperative stentgrafting of the descending aorta has little support as a routine procedure in aaad . such an extensive operation is also at odds with the acceptable overall longterm survival rate of 85% at 5 years in surgically treated aaad in the irad database . patients with partial or complete thrombosis of the false lumen were subjected to more imaging studies compared to those with no thrombosis of the false lumen . it could be argued that partial or complete thrombosis of the false lumen is more likely to be diagnosed with an increasing number of different imaging modalities and that a given portion of the patients who were categorized as having patent lumens may have actually had some degree of thrombosis . conversely , diagnosing aortic dissection itself can be challenging , more so when there is no flow in the false lumen . in the case of a classic aortic dissection with flow in the false lumen and a clearly visible intimal flap , the diagnosis is straightforward . when the false lumen is void of flow , establishing the diagnosis can be difficult , particularly by echocardiography . a key aspect in the interpretation of our data is that the status of the false lumen was established once ( at presentation , ie , before surgery ) . the main goal of surgery in aaad is to prevent lethal complications , such as rupture , cardiac tamponade , and malperfusion . a secondary goal is to resect the entry tear and redirect the blood flow to the true lumen . resection of the primary tear and aortic reconstruction will alter flow in the false lumen and might promote thrombosis . thus , our classification ( based on aortic morphology at presentation ) , may be altered postoperatively . however , a distal false lumen remains patent in as many as 79% of patients following the initial repair . the main strength of the study is that it included > 500 patients in an orderly , prespecified manner during a limited time period . as a result , our data might not be representative of the entire irad patient population but might represent a selection from the centers with the most systematic patient registration and followup . information on preoperative false lumen status was lacking for 40% of the aaad patients in irad . in cases of iatrogenic dissections that occur during elective or emergency cardiac surgery for other reasons also , when a patient with aaad present with cardiac tamponade , cardiac arrest , or other critical conditions , preoperative imaging will in many cases be limited to a screening echocardiography , and details regarding false lumen thrombosis will not be available . misclassification of false lumen status was possible as the imaging data were collected and reviewed at each participating center before the start of the study and were not reevaluated in a core laboratory . likewise , patients with a completely thrombosed false lumen might have been excluded and patients with an intramural hematoma might have been included , as this distinction can be challenging . furthermore , traditional firstpass imaging of the aorta might have overestimated the degree of thrombosis in the false lumen . we were unable to provide causeofdeath data and the distribution of aorticrelated and nonaorticrelated death could be different between the groups . the main strength of the study is that it included > 500 patients in an orderly , prespecified manner during a limited time period . furthermore , followup data were not available for more than half of the survivors . as a result , our data might not be representative of the entire irad patient population but might represent a selection from the centers with the most systematic patient registration and followup . information on preoperative false lumen status was lacking for 40% of the aaad patients in irad . in cases of iatrogenic dissections that occur during elective or emergency cardiac surgery for other reasons , also , when a patient with aaad present with cardiac tamponade , cardiac arrest , or other critical conditions , preoperative imaging will in many cases be limited to a screening echocardiography , and details regarding false lumen thrombosis will not be available . misclassification of false lumen status was possible as the imaging data were collected and reviewed at each participating center before the start of the study and were not reevaluated in a core laboratory . likewise , patients with a completely thrombosed false lumen might have been excluded and patients with an intramural hematoma might have been included , as this distinction can be challenging . furthermore , traditional firstpass imaging of the aorta might have overestimated the degree of thrombosis in the false lumen . we were unable to provide causeofdeath data and the distribution of aorticrelated and nonaorticrelated death could be different between the groups . the present study revealed that preoperative partial thrombosis of the false lumen in surgically treated aaad in the irad database was not an independent risk factor for aortic enlargement , intervention , or death in the followup period . the aaad survivors had favorable prognoses , but the factors that influence aortic dilation and rupture following acute aortic dissections are still incompletely understood . new imaging techniques , for example , based on flowdynamics and/or bioimaging can hopefully improve our ability to predict an ominous outcome in patients with aortic dissection .

pubmed

it appears that for spin systems with constant isotropic antiferromagnetic next - neighbour heisenberg exchange the minimal energy @xmath0 for given total spin quantum number @xmath1 is typically a strictly convex function of @xmath1 . for many spin topologies like rings , cubes , icosahedra etc this function is very close to a parabola @xcite . for certain systems this behaviour has been explained with the help of the underlying sublattice structure @xcite . experimentally this property has been described as following the land interval rule " @xcite . in the classical limit , where the single - spin quantum number @xmath2 goes to infinity , the function @xmath0 is even an exact parabola if the system possesses co - planar ground states @xcite . however , we find that for certain coupling topologies , including the cuboctahedron and the icosidodecadron @xcite , this rule is violated for high total spins . more precisely , for the icosidodecadron the last four points of the graph of @xmath3 versus @xmath1 , i. e. the points with @xmath4 to @xmath5 , lie on a straight line @xmath6 an analogous statement holds for the last three points of the corresponding graph for the cuboctahedron . these findings are based on numerical calculations of the minimal energies for several @xmath2 both for the icosidodecahedron as well as for the cuboctahedron . for both systems , additionally , we have a rigorous proof of the high spin anomaly for the case of @xmath7 . this proof rests on an inequality which says that all points of the graph of @xmath3 versus @xmath1 lie above or on the line connecting the last two points ( bounding line " ) . the proof can be easily applied to a wide class of spin systems , e.g. to two - dimensional spin arrays . the observed anomaly linear instead of parabolic dependence results in a corresponding jump of the magnetisation curve @xmath8 versus @xmath9 . in contrast , for systems which obey the land interval rule the magnetisation curve at very low temperatures is a staircase with equal steps up to the highest magnetisation . the anomaly could indeed be observed in magnetisation measurements of the so - called keplerate structure \{mo@xmath10fe@xmath11 } which is a recently synthezised magnetic molecule where 30 fe@xmath12 paramagnetic ions ( spins @xmath13 ) occupy the sites of a perfect icosidodecahedron and interact via isotropic , next - neighbour antiferromagnetic exchange @xcite . unfortunately , the magnetisation measurements @xcite performed so far suffer from too high temperatures which smear out the anomaly . nevertheless , it may be possible to observe truely giant magnetisation jumps in certain two - dimensional spin systems which possess a suitable coupling topology . in such systems the magnetisation jump can be of the same order as the number of spins , i.e. the jump remains finite or is macroscopic in the thermodynamic limit @xmath14 . the article is organized as follows . in section [ s-2 ] we introduce basic definitions and explain how the results have been obtained . in section [ s-3 ] the high spin anomaly is discussed and proven for the case of @xmath7 . we provide an outlook in section [ s-4 ] . the heisenberg hamilton operator of the investigated spin systems is @xmath15 where the exchange parameters @xmath16 are considered as the components of a symmetric matrix @xmath17 , i.e. every bond is taken into account twice . in particular , we assume @xmath18 and @xmath19 which corresponds to antiferromagnetic coupling . in equation ( [ e-1 ] ) , @xmath20 is the spectroscopic splitting factor and @xmath21 the bohr magneton . the vector operators @xmath22 are the spin operators ( in units of @xmath23 ) of the individual @xmath24 paramagnetic ions with constant spin quantum number @xmath2 . because the matrix @xmath17 couples only next - neighbours ( see fig . [ f-1 ] ) the second sum in runs over the set @xmath25 of all next - neighbour pairs @xmath26 of spins of a single molecule at sites @xmath27 and @xmath28 . @xmath25 can be regarded as the set of edges " of the corresponding undirected graph describing the coupling scheme of the molecule . the vertices " of the graph correspond to the spin sites @xmath29 . for each spin site @xmath27 let @xmath30 denote the set of neighbours of @xmath27 . throughout this article we will assume that the number of neighbours per site is constant , say @xmath31 . the distance " between two spin sites @xmath27 and @xmath28 will be the minimal number of edges connecting @xmath27 and @xmath28 ( similar to the manhattan distance ) . @xmath32 as mentioned already in the introduction the anomaly was found numerically . for this purpose the hamilton matrix had to be diagonalized . the total matrix is a huge object of dimension @xmath33 which must be block - diagonalized in advance . using that the hamilton operator commutes with @xmath34 , the ising product states which are a natural basis can be grouped according to the quantum numbers @xmath35 , thereby dividing the hilbert space into orthogonal subspaces @xmath36 . a further reduction of dimension is achieved if the symmetries of the spin array are exploited . the icosidodecahedron for instance shows a tenfold shift symmetry leading to hilbert subspaces @xmath37 with @xmath38 . within these subspaces a lanczos procedure was applied in order to obtain the respective minimal energies . the resulting minimal energies @xmath0 are shown by dashes on the l.h.s . of fig . [ f-3 ] for the isosidodecahedron and on the l.h.s . of fig . [ f-4 ] for the cuboctahedron . the straight lines denote the bounding lines , which connect the highest four levels in the case of the isosidodecahedron and the highest three in the case of the cuboctahedron . at @xmath39 this behavior leads to jumps of the magnetisation @xmath8 @xmath40 due to the effect that the states lie exactly on the bounding line in the graph of @xmath3 versus @xmath1 they take over " for the new total ground state at the same value of the magnetic field , therefore the magnetisation immediately jumps to the highest value . the jumps are marked by arrows in the magnetisation curves of the isosidodecahedron ( r.h.s . [ f-3 ] ) and the cubeoctahedron ( r.h.s . of fig . [ f-4 ] ) . for systems which follow the land interval rule , i.e. where @xmath0 is a parabolic function of @xmath1 , the corresponding magnetisation curve would consist of equal steps . a necessary condition for the anomaly is certainly that the minimal energy in the one - magnon space is degenerate . therefore , localized one - magnon states can be constructed which are also of minimal energy . when placing a second localized one - magnon eigenstate on the spin array there will be a chance that it does not interact with the first one if a large enough separation can be achieved . this new two - magnon state is likely the state of minimal energy in the two - magnon hilbert space because for antiferromagnetic interaction two - magnon bound states do not exist ( at least for @xmath7 ) . this procedure can be continued until no further independent magnon can be placed on the spin array . in a sense the system behaves as if it consists of non - interacting bosons which , up to a limiting number , can condense into a single - particle ground state . in more mathematical terms : in order to prove the high - spin anomaly we first show an inequality which says that all points @xmath41 lie above or on the line connecting the last two points . this inequality holds for @xmath7 and all systems with constant antiferromagnetic exchange parameter and a constant number of neighbours for each spin site . for specific systems as those mentioned above what remains to be done is to construct particular states which exactly assume the values of @xmath3 corresponding to the points lying on the bounding line , then these states are automatically states of minimal energy . note that the high spin anomaly does not contradict the strict convexity of the graph of @xmath3 versus @xmath1 in the classical limit , since in the limit @xmath42 the interval where the anomaly occurs , e. g. @xmath5 to @xmath4 , becomes an infinitesimally small fraction of the total spin range . we set @xmath43 throughout this section . let @xmath44 denote the eigenspace of @xmath34 with eigenvalue @xmath45 . it has the dimension @xmath46 . an orthonormal basis of @xmath44 is given by the product states denoted by @xmath47 with @xmath48 where the @xmath49 denote the sites with flipped spin @xmath50 . a state of this form will be called iff @xmath51 for all @xmath52 . in other words , the flipped sites of an isolated state must not be neighbours according to the coupling scheme . @xmath53 will denote the subspace of @xmath54 spanned by isolated states . we will embed the hilbert space of the spin system into some sort of fock space for magnons . more precisely , let @xmath55 be the totally symmetric ( i. e. bosonic ) subspace of @xmath56 . if @xmath57 is a linear operator , @xmath58 will denote the restriction of @xmath59{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } \smash{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } } \limits_{\sim}\null\!}}\otimes\dots\otimes { { \fontdimen12\textfont3=2pt\fontdimen12\scriptfont3=1.4pt \!\null\mathop{\vphantom{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } \smash{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } } \limits_{\sim}\null\!}}+ \dots + { { \fontdimen12\textfont3=2pt\fontdimen12\scriptfont3=1.4pt \!\null\mathop{\vphantom{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } \smash{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } } \limits_{\sim}\null\!}}\otimes\dots\otimes { { \fontdimen12\textfont3=2pt\fontdimen12\scriptfont3=1.4pt \!\null\mathop{\vphantom{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } \smash{\;\smash{\raisebox{-0.5ex}{$\!\!\stackrel{\!\mbox{1 } \hspace{-0.4ex}\rule[0.0ex]{0.06ex}{1.60ex } } { } $ } } } } \limits_{\sim}\null\!}}\otimes { \fontdimen12\textfont3=2pt\fontdimen12\scriptfont3=1.4pt \!\null\mathop{\vphantom{a_1}\smash{a_1}}\limits_{\sim}\null\!}$ ] onto @xmath55 . an orthonormal basis of @xmath60 is given by the bosonic states @xmath61 where @xmath62 and the symmetrisator " @xmath63 denotes the sum over all @xmath64 permutations of the product state divided by @xmath65 . the linear extension of the map @xmath66 defines an isometric embedding @xmath67 let @xmath68 denote the restriction of the hamilton operator ( [ e-1 ] ) ( with zero magnetic field ) onto @xmath44 and @xmath69 we will show the following [ p1 ] @xmath70 if restricted to the subspace @xmath53 . @xmath71 is the number of neighbours , which is assumed to be constant for each spin site . * proof * : let @xmath72 be an arbitrary isolated basis state and split @xmath73 into @xmath74 analogously @xmath75 and @xmath76 . first , let us consider @xmath77 here sort denotes the procedure which re - arranges a list of integers into its non - decreasing order . note that further summation constraints of the form @xmath78 , @xmath79 , @xmath80 etc . would be superfluous since @xmath72 was assumed to be isolated . now consider @xmath81 now we turn to @xmath82 . recall that there is a total number of @xmath83 links between different sites . for a given basis state @xmath72 we write @xmath84 where @xmath85 denotes the number of links between two @xmath86-sites , etc . hence for isolated states @xmath87 . each basis state is an eigenstate of @xmath82 with eigenvalue @xmath88 for isolated states @xmath89 , but in general @xmath90 since each @xmath91 link deletes " two @xmath92 links of a corresponding isolated state . hence @xmath93 similarly one can show that @xmath94 from ( [ 4.11 ] ) , ( [ 4.10 - 2 ] ) , and ( [ 4.6 - 2 ] ) the proposition follows immediately . @xmath95 if we drop the condition that @xmath72 is isolated we ought to slightly modify our calculations . first , we would have to introduce extra summation constraints of the form @xmath96 etc . in ( [ 4.5 ] ) in order to be sure that the resulting states lie in @xmath44 . although @xmath97 in general will produce some unphysical states with two magnons localized at the same site , these states will be annihilated by @xmath98 . hence again @xmath99 for @xmath100 and @xmath101 the situation is different . the foregoing arguments show that the difference between the left and the right hand side of proposition [ p1 ] is some operator with eigenstates @xmath72 and corresponding eigenvalues @xmath102 which are @xmath103 . this shows that proposition [ p1 ] generalizes to [ p2 ] @xmath104 . now let @xmath105 denote the smallest energy eigenvalue of @xmath68 . note that @xmath106 , since the energy eigenvalues for given total spin quantum number @xmath1 are assumed within each subspace of magnetic quantum number @xmath107 . we expect that @xmath108 holds generally for the spin systems under consideration , this has been proven only for so - called bi - partite systems @xcite , but numerically shown to hold for much more systems @xcite . analogously we define @xmath109 for @xmath110 . since for bosons the ground state energy is additive , @xmath111 will be the smallest energy eigenvalue of @xmath112 . we further conclude @xmath113 since @xmath114 if @xmath115 . together with proposition [ p1 ] this implies [ p3 ] @xmath116 . this inequality says that the minimal energies @xmath105 , resp . @xmath117 , lie above or on the bounding line " @xmath118 . according to what has been said above in order to rigorously prove the high spin anomaly it suffices to construct states which assume the energy values of the bounding line @xmath119 for certain values of @xmath120 . by the results of the previous subsection it is clear that these energy values must be minimal and the states must be eigenstates of @xmath121 in the case @xmath7 . actually we conjecture that these states are also minimal energy states of @xmath121 for arbitrary spin , which conjecture is numerically supported for all cases where we have calculated @xmath105 , but we can not prove it at the moment . nevertheless , we will assume an arbitrary spin @xmath2 in this subsection . we first consider the case of the icosidodecahedron . let @xmath122 . recall that a general state in @xmath44 is of the form @xmath123 , where @xmath124 denotes the spin site where the magnetic quantum number is decreased by 1 . the eigenvalues of @xmath125 are of the form @xmath126 where @xmath127 are the eigenvalues of the coupling matrix @xmath17 . in our case , @xmath128 and the minimal eigenvalue @xmath129 is @xmath130 , hence @xmath131 the corresponding eigenspace of @xmath121 is ten - fold degenerate . it is possible to find linear superpositions which are states of minimal energy and have some intuitive geometric interpretation as localized one - magnon states corresponding to even subrings of the icosidodecahedron . these states have alternating amplitudes @xmath132 for sites @xmath124 of the subring and vanishing amplitudes for the remaining sites . the smallest even subrings generating such states are the 8-loops " circumscribing two adjacent pentagons , e. g. @xmath133 according to the numbering of sites in fig . [ f-1 ] other even subrings are the equators " with 10 sites or the curly equators " with 12 sites which need not be further considered here . now let @xmath134 . if a two - magnon ground state lies on the bounding line @xmath119 , as it is suggested by numerical diagonalization , we would have @xmath135 in fact , this energy is assumed by the following state : consider two 8-loops @xmath136 with a distance of @xmath137 , e. g. @xmath138 and @xmath139 according to fig . @xmath140 and @xmath141 denote the amplitudes which define the one - magnon ground - states described above . then a two - magnon ground - state with the energy of ( [ 5.3 ] ) can be defined by @xmath142 since this state lies entirely in @xmath143 it can be considered as a ground - state of two non - interacting magnons . unfortunately , an analogous construction of three mutually isolated one - magnon states is no longer possible for @xmath144 . here we have to determine an appropriate state by numerical diagonalization . one possible state of three independent magnons is a state which is completely symmetric under the action of the symmetry group of the icosidodecahedron , i.e. the icosahedral group with reflections @xmath145 of order @xmath146 . hence it will suffice to define this state by assigning an amplitude to only one triple of sites within each orbit of the symmetry group . the other triples obtained by applying symmetry operations @xmath147 to each site will have , by definition , the same aplitude . the complete definition of this state ( without normalization ) can be found in table [ t-1 ] . the calculation of the corresponding energy @xmath148 can be done by a computer algebra software . also this state lies entirely within @xmath149 . thus we have obtained a rigorous proof of the anomaly also for the case @xmath144 and @xmath7 . .definition of an @xmath145-symmetric three - magnon ground - state by assignment of amplitudes to representative triple states . [ cols="<,>,>",options="header " , ] the case of the cuboctahedron is largely analogous , up to the fact that here we have only one point of anomaly for @xmath134 . the corresponding two - magnon ground state can be constructed by using two separated 4-loops , e. g. @xmath150 and @xmath151 in fig . [ f-1 ] ( r.h.s . ) . the above proof holds also for the more general hamiltonian of the xxz - model @xmath152 with @xmath153 . since the total spin @xmath1 is no longer a good quantum number , the minimal energies @xmath3 have to be considered as a function of the total magnetic quantum number @xmath35 instead . for the existence of the bounding line and the corresponding magnetisation jump this aspect is irrelevant . the only change in the proof is a multiplication of @xmath100 and @xmath101 by @xmath154 , which does not change the argumentation . also the construction of eigenstates , as carried out in subsection [ sec-3.4 ] , is not altered by the anisotropy @xmath154 in ( [ e - a ] ) , since these states are isolated . the shown proof offers a method to create spin arrays which by construction support a finite number of independent magnons . the basic idea is to design a unit cell which can host a localized one - magnon state , that is an eigenstate of the hamiltonian . triangles play a key role in the construction of such cells because they help to prevent localized magnons from escaping . the total spin array is then obtained by properly linking serveral unit cells . [ f-5 ] shows an example . the unit cell is one quarter of the structure . it can host a single magnon @xmath155 which is an eigenstate of the hamiltonian with minimal energy in the one - magnon space . one easily notices that in total four localized independent magnons fit into the structure . in general it might be possible that more independent magnons , like in the case of the icosidodecahedron , can occupy the spin array . for the example of fig . [ f-5 ] this is not the case . the latter example offers the perspective of observing truely giant magnetisation jumps in two - dimensional spin systems . the number of independent magnons which can be placed on the lattice is proportional to the number of spins itself @xmath156 is the example of fig . [ f-5 ] and thus a macroscopic quantity . this will be the subject of a forthcoming publication .

arxiv

Q: How to start a new clause on a new line in Cypher Query while typing in Neo4j Browser, Currently "Enter" or "Return" key executes the Query If I want to follow the Cypher Style Guide while typing in the query in Neo4j Browser, "Enter" or "Return" key executes the Query while I want to start a new clause on a new line to write remaining part of the query. If "Enter" or "Return" key executes the Query, what is the Keyboard Key or Combination of Keys which will allow me to start a new clause on a new line? Please guide. A: Normally Enter key runs the queries but most of the time you'd need to work with queries spanning multi-lines. To accomplish that you can simply use Shift+Enter to start a new line and switch to multi-line mode. Once you switch to multi-line mode, the line numbers will appear and Enter will no longer run your query but will start a new line. To run queries in multi-line mode you can use Ctrl+Enter key combination.

slim_pajama

Which pH indicator will give a dramatic color change with small changes in the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in water? I want to do a demonstration for students where they take a capped syringe and change the volume above a solution of seltzer water. The amount of carbon dioxide dissolved will vary, hopefully changing pH enough to cause an indicator to change color, the more dramatic the color change, the better. I have tried universal, bromcresol green, and methyl red with little success. I can add substances to the seltzer water or change the temperature of the water. I'd like a SAFE system I can create that will change color upon moving the plunger. Try *neutral red*. It's transition region is from 6.8 to 8.0 > red to yellow Also check this [wikipage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH_indicator) for other options. I once worked in a QC lab where we tested the acidity of organic esters to see if they had any free acid in them. The method was based on titration with strong base in methanol solution, using phenolphtalein. To do this you would need an aqueous solution of sodium acetate or bicarbonate to get the phenolphthalein into its pink range, but I can tell you from experience that if you have a titration right at its endpoint, atmospheric CO2 and a bit of swirling is all it takes to turn the phenolphtalein back to colourless. Whether you can get the CO2 back out again by sucking with a syringe is another matter. Heating would help. If you do it this way, you're going to need to change the experiment somewhat, but you should have something that will work. Here's a simple experiment (not exactly what you want but it uses the reagents I mentioned.) <http://www.sciencegeek.net/Chemistry/chempdfs/QualitativeAnalysis.pdf> A great thing about phenolpthalein is that when it's in its colourless range it is *absolutely* colourless (due to the lack of conjugation in the molecule) so you can put lots in for dramatic effect. According to <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolphthalein> Phenolphtalein is used to test the curing of concrete by CO2, and the reaction and indicator are used in various toys. --- Another thought: We used to add solid CO2 pellets to water with indicator in it for fun. That's certainly a way of getting a lot of CO2 into water. If I remember rightly the indicator was methyl orange. The colour changes only while the CO2 pellet is subliming. Once the pellet has completely disappeared, the colour changes back.

stackexchange/chemistry

Is this a frequency domain plot for audio? [closed] **Closed.** This question is [off-topic](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers. --- This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the [help center](https://physics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic). Closed 8 years ago. [Improve this question](/posts/170932/edit) I have a program "spectrum" that draws an chart for an audio file (a short `.wav` with an human voice recorded on it). I believe it is a frequency domain chart. The problem is, when I play the audio, for each given second of playback there is a separate chart (here are 3 print screens from the program window at different times):  **Shouldn't it be just one frequency(time) chart?** Instead of **X something(time)** charts, where X is the number of time samples (what is that **"something"** on Y axis here?). The code that generates the plot uses **FFT** (I guess). It comes from [Bass audio library](http://www.un4seen.com/): ``` void update(...){ ... float fft[1024]; BASS_ChannelGetData(chan, fft, BASS_DATA_FFT2048); // get the FFT data for (x = 0; x<SPECWIDTH / 2; x++) { y = sqrt(fft[x + 1]) * 3 * SPECHEIGHT - 4; // sqrt makes low values more visible //y = fft[x + 1] * 10 * SPECHEIGHT; // linear scale (alternative) if (y>SPECHEIGHT) y = SPECHEIGHT; // cap it if (x && (y1 = (y + y1) / 2)) // interpolate from previous to make the display smoother while (--y1 >= 0) specbuf[y1*SPECWIDTH + x * 2 - 1] = y1 + 1; y1 = y; while (--y >= 0) specbuf[y*SPECWIDTH + x * 2] = y + 1; // draw level } } ``` I am very much a beginner in the field of the audio processing, **please take that into account**. Yes it is the (square root of) amplitude versus frequency. It presumably breaks the audio into short intervals and then DFT's each interval individually. The DFT of the entire sound would not be very insightful.

stackexchange/physics

Pride and Prejudice Naps and Giggles A/N Feel free to send me prompts at .com This was written before episode 99 aired. Gigi unlocked the front door, closed it behind her and crossed the hallway, stopping at the open door to the lounge. Inside, the TV was blaring the final warbles of 'My Heart Will Go On' from the end of Titanic. Gigi strode into the room, ready to yell and interrupt her brothers sexcapade, and remind him that TV's get turned off when we leave a room, when she stopped dead in her tracks and cocked her head towards the sofa. There, curled into each other, were her brother, and her honorary sister, both lightly snoring. Lizzie's feet were curled underneath her, her arms around Will's waist, and her head was resting on his broad chest. Will's arms were wrapped around Lizzie, and his face, contorted into a smile, was laid on the back of the sofa. They were both wearing jogging bottoms and hoodies; Gigi knew they had been having a day in without any work, a rare occurrence in her brothers life, although it was becoming more frequent since he had become Lizzie's boyfriend a year and a half ago. Gigi went to the cupboard in the hall and grabbed a blanket, which when she returned to the lounge, she laid across Lizzie, and then she grabbed a pillow from the chair in the corner of the room, and carefully navigated it under her brothers head. She went to leave the room, after turning the TV and removing the DVD, and turning the light off, when she heard a deep, quiet voice; "Thanks Gigi" Her brothers eyes opened, and he resettled himself on the sofa, and fell back asleep. Three hours later, Darcy awoke again due to the sound of giggling. Lizzie had awoken, gone upstairs to their bedroom, gotten their duvet, and was now in the middle of the floor in a duvet cocoon, watching Mean Girls. "Miss Bennet, are you aware I was napping back here?" She turned, with a sheepish smile upon her face, "Sorry Will, I didn't mean to wake you, but this film is just so funny and timeless" "I do not believe I have had the pleasure of watching it" "It's a really girls film, a classic girls film, the girls film, a must for every sleepover, cure for every broken and lonely heart, and an excuse to giggle, eat chocolate, and recite ever word of the hilarious dialogue. When our daughter is old enough, she shall watch it...what are you gawking at?" "You. You said our daughter. Do you...do you think about our future?" "Of course I do Will. I'm a woman, it's what we do." Lizzie paused the film, sensing an in depth conversation coming, and crawled back to the sofa, curling up next to Will again. "Tell me what you hope for our future then" Will pressed, as she tucked herself into him "Well, I see, maybe a few years down the line yet, us getting married in a small ceremony, not like the Gibson wedding where the whole town was there, just a quiet affair with my parents and sisters, Gigi, your aunt, Bing, Fitz, Caroline, Charlotte, Maria, my cousin Mary and her parents. A small wedding will drive my mother insane, and our marriage will infuriate your aunt and Caroline, but whatever. Then I imagine us becoming aunts and uncles to the adorable red headed Asian babies that Bing and Jane will have. I imagine our children, a boy and a girl, that are the best of each of us, that we read stories to, and I can see us taking them to work with us when they are old enough, and they sit on the sofa in the corner of your office, and they play all day and watch you in awe, and they wonder how you can be so amazing. I imagine myself rising through Pemberley, at a leisurely pace, and hopefully one day, I'd like to fill your mothers shoes, and become CFO, with you, my adoring boyfriend as CEO. I imagine us fleeing the country before we tell my mother and your aunt that we are engaged, or that I'm pregnant. But the most important thing I imagine is that I am happy, with you, and that we are both healthy, and my sisters are happy and healthy, and that Gigi finds happiness, and Fitz remains as he is, and Bing stays awesome, and that I never lose you, because I honestly don't think I could live without you." Will stayed silent and just looked down at Lizzie. "Say something Will" "Wow" "Not what I meant, but okay" "Lizzie, I had no idea that you imagined all this." "It doesn't freak you out? Because I'm convinced I sound like my mother as I plan out our whole future" "No, you sound like the passionate, intelligent, selfless woman I fell in love with." He kissed her on the forehead. "And I agree that we leave the country to make an big announcements to your mother or to Catherine" "I'm glad William Darcy. What about you?" "What about me?" "Do you imagine our future?" "Yes, and no. I don't imagine any specifics, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He paused, and Lizzie gave him a quizzical brow. "You know last week when I said I had a business trip?" "You better not be telling me you have a harem somewhere" Will laughed. "No. I actually flew to your parents. I, erm, had to speak to your dad. I was going to wait to do this, but now, I have never been so sure of anything in my life," he knelt to the floor as Lizzie started to tear up,"Elizabeth Bennet, please do me the honour of marrying me?" All Lizzie could do was nod her head, before she burst into full on tears, and her lips crashed into Will's. When all was calmer about 10 minutes later, Will spoke, "What country should we flee to then?" A/N The idea for fleeing the country is credit to a fic I read, unfortunately I was unable to find it again :S so credit where it is due, not to me. And yes I know, it's cliche that I got Darcy to propose, but I was writing it and just imagining him in his trackies and hoodie, and Lizzie the same, and all their emotions just everywhere, and then I just got dizzie, and I had to have it this way. Please review guys, loads of you have been so nice with some of my other dizzie fics, which are all on this account, so check them out too, and please favourite if you liked it :) End file.

fanfiction

pseudogap formation in the electronic spectrum of underdoped copper oxides @xcite is especially striking anomaly of the normal state of high temperature superconductors . despite continuing discussions on the nature of the pseudogap , we believe that the preferable `` scenario '' for its formation is most likely based on the model of strong scattering of the charge carriers by short ranged antiferromagnetic ( afm , sdw ) spin fluctuations @xcite . in momentum representation this scattering transfers momenta of the order of @xmath3 ( @xmath4 lattice constant of two dimensional lattice ) . this leads to the formation of structures in the one - particle spectrum , which are precursors of the changes in the spectra due to long range afm order ( period doubling ) . as a result we obtain non fermi liquid like behavior ( dielectrization ) of the spectral density in the vicinity of the so called `` hot spots '' on the fermi surface , appearing at intersections of the fermi surface with antiferromagnetic brillouin zone boundary @xcite . within this fluctuation scenario a simplified model of the pseudogap state was studied @xcite under the assumption that the scattering by dynamic spin fluctuations can be reduced for high enough temperatures to a static gaussian random field ( quenched disorder ) of pseudogap fluctuations . these fluctuations are defined by a characteristic scattering vector from the vicinity of @xmath5 , with a width determined by the inverse correlation length of short range order @xmath6 . undoped cuprates are antiferromagnetic mott insulators with @xmath7 ( @xmath2 value of local coulomb interaction , @xmath8 bandwidth of non interacting band ) , so that correlation effects are actually very important . it is thus clear that the electronic properties of underdoped ( and probably also optimally doped ) cuprates are governed by strong electronic correlations too , so that these systems are typical strongly correlated metals . two types of correlated metals can be distinguished : ( i ) the doped mott insulator and ( ii ) the bandwidth controlled correlated metal @xmath9 . a state of the art tool to describe such correlated systems is the dynamical mean field theory ( dmft ) @xcite . the characteristic features of correlated systems within the dmft are the formation of incoherent structures , the so - called hubbard bands , split by the coulomb interaction @xmath2 , and a quasiparticle ( conduction ) band near the fermi level dynamically generated by the local correlations @xcite . unfortunately , the dmft is not useful to the study the `` antiferromagnetic '' scenario of pseudogap formation in strongly correlated metals . this is due to the basic approximation of the dmft , which amounts to the complete neglect of non local dynamical correlation effects . the aim of the present paper is to describe the main results of a semiphenomenological approach , formulated by us recently to overcome this difficulty @xcite . the paper is organized as follows . in section [ leng_intro ] we present a formulation of the self consistent generalization we call dmft+@xmath0 which includes short ranged ( non local ) correlations . section [ kself ] describes the construction of the * k*dependent self energy , and some computational details are presented in section [ compdet ] . results and a discussion are given in the sections [ results ] and [ concl ] . basic shortcoming of traditional dmft approach @xcite is the neglect of momentum dependence of electron self energy . this approximation in principle allows for an exact solution of correlated electron systems ( in infinite dimensions ) fully preserving the local part of the dynamics introduced by electronic correlations . to include non local effects , while remaining within the usual `` impurity analogy''of dmft , we propose the following procedure . to be definite , let us consider a standard one - band hubbard model . the extension to multi orbital or multi band models is straightforward . the major assumption of our approach is that the lattice and matsubara `` time '' fourier transform of the single - particle green function can be written as : @xmath10 where @xmath11 is the _ local _ contribution to self energy , surviving in the dmft , while @xmath12 is some momentum dependent part . we suppose that this last contribution is due to either electron interactions with some `` additional '' collective modes or order parameter fluctuations , or may be due to similar non local contributions within the hubbard model itself . to avoid possible confusion we must stress that @xmath12 can also contain local ( momentum independent ) contribution which obviously _ vanishes _ in the limit of infinite dimensionality @xmath13 and is not taken into account within the standard dmft . due to this fact there is no double counting of diagrams problem within our approach for the hubbard model . this question does not arise at all if we consider @xmath12 appearing due to some `` additional '' interaction . more important is that the assumed additive form of self energy @xmath14 implicitly corresponds to neglect of possible interference of these local ( dmft ) and non local contributions . the self consistency equations of our generalized dmft+@xmath0 approach are formulated as follows @xcite : 1 . start with some initial guess of _ local _ self energy @xmath11 , e.g. @xmath15 . 2 . construct @xmath12 within some ( approximate ) scheme , taking into account interactions with collective modes or order parameter fluctuations which in general can depend on @xmath11 and @xmath16 . 3 . calculate the local green function @xmath17 4 . define the `` weiss field '' @xmath18 5 . using some `` impurity solver '' to calculate the single - particle green function for the effective anderson impurity problem , defined by grassmanian integral @xmath19 with effective action for a fixed site ( `` impurity '' ) @xmath20 @xmath21 @xmath22 , and @xmath23 . this step produces a _ new _ set of values @xmath24 . new _ local self energy @xmath25 7 . using this self energy as `` initial '' one in step 1 , continue the procedure until ( and if ) convergency is reached to obtain @xmath26 eventually , we get the desired green function in the form of ( [ gk ] ) , where @xmath11 and @xmath12 are those appearing at the end of our iteration procedure . for the momentum dependent part of the single - particle self energy we concentrate on the effects of scattering of electrons from collective short - range sdw like antiferromagnetic spin ( or cdw like charge ) fluctuations . to calculate @xmath12 for an electron moving in the quenched random field of ( static ) gaussian spin ( or charge ) fluctuations with dominant scattering momentum transfers from the vicinity of some characteristic vector @xmath5 ( `` hot spots '' model @xcite ) , we use a slightly generalized version of the recursion procedure proposed in refs . @xcite which takes into account _ all _ feynman diagrams describing the scattering of electrons by this random field . this becomes possible due to a remarkable property of our simplified version of `` hot spots '' model that _ the contribution of an arbitrary diagram with intersecting interaction lines is actually equal to the contribution of some diagram of the same order without intersections of these lines _ @xcite . thus , in fact we can limit ourselves to consideration of only diagrams without intersecting interaction lines , taking the contribution of diagrams with intersections into account with the help of additional combinatorial factors , which are attributed to `` initial '' vertices or just interaction lines @xcite . as a result we obtain the following recursion relation ( continuous fraction representation @xcite ) for the desired self energy : @xmath27 with @xmath28 the quantity @xmath29 characterizes the energy scale and @xmath6 is the inverse correlation length of short range sdw ( cdw ) fluctuations , @xmath30 and @xmath31 for odd @xmath32 while @xmath33 and @xmath34 and @xmath35 are determined by usual momentum derivatives of the `` bare '' electronic energy dispersion @xmath36 . finally , @xmath37 represents a combinatorial factor with @xmath38 for the case of commensurate charge ( cdw type ) fluctuations with @xmath39 @xcite . for incommensurate cdw fluctuations @xcite one finds @xmath40 if we take into account the ( heisenberg ) spin structure of interaction with spin fluctuations in `` nearly antiferromagnetic fermi liquid '' ( spin fermion ( sf ) model ref . @xcite ) , the combinatorics of diagrams becomes more complicated . spin conserving scattering processes obeys commensurate combinatorics , while spin flip scattering is described by diagrams of incommensurate type ( `` charged '' random field in terms of ref . @xcite ) . in this model the recursion relation for the single - particle green function is again given by ( [ rec ] ) , but the combinatorial factor @xmath37 now acquires the following form @xcite : @xmath41 obviously , with this procedure we introduce an important length scale @xmath42 not present in standard dmft . physically this scale mimics the effect of short range ( sdw or cdw ) correlations within fermionic `` bath '' surrounding the effective anderson impurity . we expect that such a length scale dependence will lead to a competition between local and non - local physics . an important aspect of the theory is that both parameters @xmath29 and @xmath42 can in principle be calculated from the microscopic model at hand . for example , using the two particle selfconsistent approach of ref . @xcite with the approximations introduced in refs . @xcite , one can derive @xcite within the standard hubbard model the following microscopic expression for @xmath29 : @xmath43=\nonumber\\ = u^2\frac{<n_{i\uparrow}n_{i\downarrow}>}{n^2}<(n_{i\uparrow } -n_{i\downarrow})^2 > = \nonumber\\ = u^2\frac{<n_{i\uparrow}n_{i\downarrow}>}{n^2}\frac{1}{3}<{\vec s}_i^2 > , \label{delthubb}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where we consider only scattering from antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations . different local quantities here spin fluctuation @xmath44 , density @xmath32 and double occupancy @xmath45 can easily be calculated within the standard dmft @xcite . we performed such calculations @xcite for wide range of @xmath2 and filling factors @xmath32 using quantum monte carlo ( qmc ) @xcite . from these calculations we can see that the values of @xmath29 lie in the interval of @xmath46 and change rather smoothly with @xmath32 and @xmath2 . microscopic expressions for the correlation length @xmath47 can also be derived within the two particle self consistent approach @xcite . however , we expect those results for @xmath42 to be less reliable , because this approach is valid only for relatively small ( or medium ) values of @xmath48 and for purely two dimensional case ( while real systems are quasi two dimensional ) . thus , in the following we will consider both @xmath29 and especially @xmath42 as some phenomenological parameters to be determined from experiments . this makes our approach somehow similar in the spirit to landau approach to fermi liquids . our construction can be further generalized to include other types of interactions . thus scattering by random impurities with point like potential @xmath49 is easily taken into account in self consistent born approximation @xcite . then , in comparison with impurity free case , just we have a substitution ( renormalization ) : @xmath50 if we do not perform fully self consistent calculations of impurity self energy , in the simplest approximation we just have : @xmath51 where @xmath52 is the standard born impurity scattering rate ( @xmath53 is the density of states of `` free '' electrons at the fermi level ) . in the following , we discuss results for a standard one - band hubbard model on a square lattice . with nearest ( @xmath54 ) and next nearest ( @xmath55 ) neighbour hopping integrals the dispersion reads @xmath56 where @xmath4 is the lattice constant . the correlations are introduced by a repulsive local two - particle interaction @xmath2 . we choose as energy scale the nearest neighbour hopping integral @xmath54 and as length scale the lattice constant @xmath4 . for a square lattice the `` bare '' bandwidth is @xmath57 . to study a strongly correlated metallic state obtained as doped mott insulator we use @xmath58 as value for the coulomb interaction and a filling @xmath59 ( hole doping ) . the correlated metal in the case of @xmath60 is considered for the case of @xmath61 and filling factor @xmath59 ( hole doping ) . for @xmath29 we have choosen rather typical values between @xmath62 and @xmath63 ( actually as approximate limiting values obtained from ( [ delthubb ] ) via qmc calculations in ref.@xcite ) and for the correlation length we considered mainly @xmath64 and @xmath65 ( being motivated mainly by experimental data for cuprates @xcite ) . the dmft maps the lattice problem onto an effective , self consistent impurity defined by eqs . ( [ andimp])-([seff ] ) . in our work we employed as `` impurity solvers '' two reliable numerically exact methods quantum monte carlo ( qmc ) @xcite and numerical renormalization group ( nrg ) @xcite . calculations were done both for @xmath66 and @xmath67=-0.4 ( more or less typical for cuprates ) at two different temperatures @xmath68 and @xmath69 ( for nrg computations ) . qmc computations of double occupancies as functions of filling were done at temperatures @xmath70 and @xmath71 . below we present results only for most typical dependences and parameters , more details can be found in ref . @xcite . let us start the discussion of results obtained within our generalized dmft+@xmath0 approach with the densities of states ( doss ) for the case of small ( relative to bandwidth ) coulomb interaction @xmath61 with and without pseudogap fluctuations . as already discussed in the introduction , the characteristic feature of the strongly correlated metallic state is the coexistence of lower and upper hubbard bands split by the value of @xmath2 with a quasiparticle peak at the fermi level . since at half filling the bare dos of the square lattice has a van hove singularity at the fermi level ( @xmath66 ) or close to it ( in case of @xmath72 ) one can not treat a peak on the fermi level simply as a quasiparticle peak . in fact , there are two contributions to this peak from ( i ) the quasiparticle peak appearing in strongly correlated metals due to many - body effects and ( ii ) the smoothed van hove singularity from the bare dos . in fig . [ dos_4t_n08 ] we show the corresponding dmft(nrg ) doss without pseudogap fluctuations as black lines for @xmath59 for both bare dispersions @xmath72 ( left panels ) and for @xmath66 ( right panels ) for two different temperatures @xmath69 ( middle panels ) and @xmath68 ( upper and lower panels ) . the remaining curves in fig . [ dos_4t_n08 ] represent results for the doss with non - local fluctuations switched on . for all sets of parameters one can see that the introduction of non - local fluctuations into the calculation leads to the formation of pseudogap within the quasiparticle peak . for @xmath59 ( fig . [ dos_4t_n08 ] ) the picture of dos is slightly asymmetric . the width of the pseudogap ( the distance between peaks closest to fermi level ) appears to be of the order of @xmath73 . we have checked that decreasing the value of @xmath29 from @xmath74 to @xmath54 leads to a pseugogap that is correspondingly twice smaller and in addition more shallow . when one uses the combinatorial factors corresponding to the spin fermion model ( eq.([vspin ] ) ) , the pseudogap becomes more pronounced than in the case of commensurate charge fluctuations ( combinatorial factors of eq . ( [ vinc ] ) ) . the influence of the correlation length @xmath42 is also as expected . changing @xmath75 from @xmath76 to @xmath77 , i.e. decreasing the range of the non - local fluctuations , slightly washes out the pseudogap . also , increasing the temperature from @xmath68 to @xmath69 leads to a general broadening of the structures in the doss . noteworthy is the fact that for @xmath72 and @xmath77 the pseudogap has almost disappeared for the temperatures studied here . also very remarkable point is the similarity of the results obtained with the generalized dmft+@xmath0 approach with @xmath61 ( smaller than the bandwidth @xmath8 ) to those obtained earlier without hubbard like coulomb interactions @xcite . let us now consider the case of a doped mott insulator . the model parameters are again taken as @xmath72 with filling factor of @xmath59 , but the coulomb interaction strength is set to @xmath58 . characteristic features of the dos for such a strongly correlated metal are a strong separation of lower and upper hubbard bands and a fermi level crossing by the lower hubbard band ( for non half filled case ) . without non - local fluctuations the quasi particle peak is again formed at the fermi level , but now the upper hubbard band is far to the right and does not touch the quasiparticle peak ( as it was for the case of small coulomb interactions ) . pseudogap appears close to the middle of quasiparticle peak . in addition we observe that the lower hubbard band is slightly broadened by fluctuation effects . qualitative behaviour of the pseudogap anomalies is similar to those described above for the case of @xmath61 , e.g. a decrease of @xmath42 makes the pseudogap less pronounced , while reducing @xmath29 from @xmath78 to @xmath79 narrows of the pseudogap and also makes it more shallow . note that for the doped mott insulator the pseudogap is remarkably more pronounced for the sdw like fluctuations than for cdw like fluctuations . there are , however , quite clear differences to the case of @xmath61 . for example , the width of the pseudogap appears to be much smaller than @xmath80 , which we attribute to the fact that the quasiparticle peak itself is actually rather narrow in the case of doped mott insulator . random impurity scattering , in general case leads to the filling of the pseudogap with the growth of impurity scattering rate both for correlated metal and doped mott insulator . as a typical example , in fig . [ dos_40t_04_imp ] we show results of our calculations for the case of doped mott insulator . these were obtained via non self consistent procedure ( using ( [ renepsi ] ) , ( [ etaepsi ] ) , as full self consistent procedure leads only to rather insignificant quantitative changes . in the previous subsection we discussed the densities of states obtained self consistently by the dmft+@xmath0 approach . once we get a self consistent solution of the dmft+@xmath0 equations with non - local fluctuations we can , of course , also compute the spectral functions @xmath81 @xmath82 where self energy @xmath83 and chemical potential @xmath16 are calculated self consistently as described in sec . [ leng_intro ] . to plot @xmath81 we choose @xmath84points along the `` bare '' fermi surfaces for different types of lattice spectra and fillings . in fig . [ fs_shapes ] one can see corresponding shapes of these `` bare '' fermi surfaces ( presented are only 1/8-th parts of the fermi surfaces within the first quadrant of the brillouin zone ) . in the following we concentrate mainly on the case @xmath61 and filling @xmath59 ( fermi surface of fig . [ fs_shapes](a ) ) . the corresponding spectral functions @xmath81 are depicted in fig . [ sf_u4t_n08 ] . when @xmath72 ( upper row ) , the spectral function close to the brillouin zone diagonal ( point b ) has the typical fermi liquid behaviour , consisting of a rather sharp peak close to the fermi level . in the case of sdw like fluctuations this peak is shifted down in energy by about @xmath85 ( left upper corner ) . in the vicinity of the `` hot spot '' the shape of @xmath81 is completely modified . now @xmath81 becomes double peaked and non fermi liquid like . directly at the `` hot spot '' , @xmath81 for sdw like fluctuations has two equally intensive peaks situated symmetrically around the fermi level and split from each other by @xmath86 refs . @xcite . for commensurate cdw like fluctuations the spectral function in the `` hot spot '' region has one broad peak centered at the fermi level with width @xmath87 . such a merging of the two peaks at the `` hot spot '' for commensurate fluctuations was previously observed in ref . however close to point a this type of fluctuations also produces a double peak structure in the spectral function . in the lower panel of fig . [ sf_u4t_n08 ] we show spectral functions hole doping ( @xmath59 ) and the case of @xmath66 ( fermi surface from fig . [ fs_shapes](b ) ) . since the fermi surface now is everywhere close to the antiferromagnetic zone boundary , the pseudogap anomalies are rather strong and almost non dispersive along the fermi surface . for the case of a doped mott insulator ( @xmath58 , @xmath59 ) , the spectral functions obtained by the dmft+@xmath0 approach are presented in fig . [ sf_u40t_n08 ] . qualitatively , the shapes of these spectral functions are similar to those shown on fig . [ sf_u4t_n08 ] . as was pointed out above , the strong coulomb correlations lead to a narrowing of the quasiparticle peak and a corresponding decrease of the pseudogap width . one should also note that in contrast to @xmath61 the spectral functions are now less intensive , because part of the spectral weight is transferred to the upper hubbard band . using another quite common choice of @xmath84points we can compute @xmath81 along high symmetry directions in the first brillouin zone : @xmath88 . the spectral functions for these @xmath84points are shown in fig . [ n08_u4t_tri ] for the case of sdw like fluctuations and @xmath61 . for all sets of parameters one can see a characteristic double peak pseudogap structure close to the @xmath89 point . in the middle of @xmath90 direction ( so called `` nodal '' point ) one can see the reminiscence of afm gap which has its biggest value here in case of perfect antiferromagnetic ordering . also in the nodal point `` kink''-like behavior is observed caused by interactions between correlated electrons with pseudo - gap fluctuations . a change of the filling leads mainly to a rigid shift of spectral functions with respect to the fermi level . for the case of @xmath58 spectral densities demonstrate rather similar behavior @xcite . with the spectral functions we are now in a position to calculate angle resolved photoemission spectra ( arpes ) , which is the most direct experimental way to observe pseudogap in real compounds . for that purpose , we only need to multiply our results for the spectral functions with the fermi function at appropriate temperature . typical example of the resulting dmft+@xmath0 arpes spectra are presented in fig . [ arpes_u4t_n08 ] . one should note that for @xmath72 ( upper panel of fig . [ arpes_u4t_n08 ] ) as @xmath84 goes from point `` a '' to point `` b '' the peak situated slightly below the fermi level changes its position and moves down in energy . simultaneously it becomes more broad and less intensive . the dotted line guides the motion of the peak maximum . such behaviour of the peak in the arpes is rather reminiscent of those observed experimentally in underdoped cuprates @xcite . within the standard dmft approach fermi surface is not renormalized by interactions and just coincides with that of the `` bare '' quasiparticles @xcite . however , in the case of nontrivial momentum dependence of electron self energy , important renormalization of the fermi surface appears due to pseudogap formation @xcite . there are a number of ways to define fermi surface in strongly correlated system with pseudogap fluctuations . in the following we are using intensity plots ( within the brillouin zone ) of the spectral density ( [ specf ] ) taken at @xmath91 . these are readily measured by arpes and appropriate peak positions define the fermi surface in the usual fermi liquid case . our results @xcite are shown in fig . [ fs_u4 ] for the case of correlated metal with @xmath61 and in fig . [ fs_u40 ] for the doped mott insulator ( @xmath58 ) ( in both cases we assume spin fermion combinatorics ) . the qualitative behavior observed in fig . [ fs_u4 ] clearly demonstrates the `` destruction '' of the well defined fermi surface in the strongly correlated metal with the growth of the pseudogap amplitude @xmath29 . quite similar behavior was first observed in pioneering paper by norman et al.@xcite and in numerous later arpes experiments . it is seen , that `` destruction '' of the fermi surface starts in the vicinity of `` hot spots '' for small values of @xmath29 , but almost immediately it disappears in the whole antinodal region of the brillouin zone , while only `` fermi arcs '' remain in the nodal region very close to the `` bare '' fermi surface . these results give a natural explanation of the observed behavior and also of the fact that the existence of `` hot spots '' regions was observed only in some rare cases @xcite . for the case of doped mott insulator shown in fig . [ fs_u40 ] we see that the fermi surface is rather poorly defined for all values of @xmath29 , as the spectral density profiles are much more `` blurred '' than in the case of smaller values of @xmath2 , reflecting important role of correlations . it is interesting to note that from figs . [ fs_u4 ] , [ fs_u40 ] it is clearly seen that rather natural definition of the fermi surface as defined by the solution of the equation @xmath92 for @xmath91 , used e.g. in ref.@xcite is inadequate for strongly correlated systems with finite @xmath2 and nonlocal interactions ( pseudogap fluctuations ) . to summarize , we propose a generalized dmft+@xmath0 approach , which is meant to take into account the important effects due to non local correlations in a systematic , but to some extent phenomenological fashion . the main idea of this extension is to stay within a usual effective anderson impurity analogy , and introduce length scale dependence due to non - local correlation via the effective medium ( `` bath '' ) appearing in the standard dmft . this becomes possible by incorporating scattering processes of fermions in the `` bath '' from non local collective sdw like antiferromagnetic spin ( or cdw like charge ) fluctuations . such a generalization of the dmft allows one to overcome the well known shortcoming of @xmath84independence of self energy of the standard dmft . it in turn opens the possibility to access the physics of low dimensional strongly correlated systems , where different types of spatial fluctuations ( e.g. of some order parameter ) , become important . however , we must stress that our procedure in no way introduces any kind of systematic @xmath93expansion , being only a qualitative method to include length scale into dmft . in our present study we addressed the problem of pseudogap formation in the strongly correlated metallic state . we showed evidence that the pseudogap appears at the fermi level within the quasiparticle peak , introducing a new small energy scale of the order of @xmath29 in the doss and spectral functions @xmath81 and significant renormalization of the fermi surface . let us stress , that our generalization of dmft leads to non trivial and in our opinion physically sensible @xmath84dependence of spectral functions . similar results were obtained in recent years using the cluster mean - field theories @xcite . the major advantage of our approach over these theories is , that we stay in an effective single - impurity picture . this means that our approach is computationally much less expensive and therefore also easily generalizable for the account of additional interactions . we are grateful to th . pruschke for providing us with his nrg code and helpful discussions . this work was supported in part by rfbr grants 05 - 02 - 16301 , 05 - 02 - 17244 , and programs of the presidium of the russian academy of sciences ( ras ) `` quantum macrophysics '' and of the division of physical sciences of the ras `` strongly correlated electrons in semiconductors , metals , superconductors and magnetic materials '' . i.n . acknowledges support from the dynasty foundation and international centre for fundamental physics in moscow program for young scientists 2005 and russian science support foundation program for young phd of the russian academy of sciences 2005 . calculations for different combinatorical factors ( sf spin fermion model , commensurate ) , inverse correlation lengths ( @xmath75 ) in units of the lattice constant , temperatures ( @xmath94 ) and pseudogap potential @xmath63 . left column corresponds to @xmath72 , right column to @xmath66 . in all graphs the coulomb interaction is @xmath61 and @xmath59 . the fermi level corresponds to zero.,scaledwidth=45.0% ] and combinations ( @xmath96 ) used for the calculation of spectral functions @xmath97 . the diagonal line corresponds to the antiferromagnetic brillouin zone boundary at half filling for a square lattice with nearest - neighbours hopping only . the full circle marks the so - called `` hot spot''.,scaledwidth=40.0% ] obtained from the dmft(nrg)+@xmath0 calculations along the directions shown in fig . [ fs_shapes ] . model parameters were chosen as @xmath61 , @xmath59 , @xmath63 , @xmath76 and temperature @xmath68 . the `` hot spot '' * k*-point is marked as fat dashed line . the fermi level corresponds to zero.,scaledwidth=40.0% ] obtained from the dmft(nrg)+@xmath0 calculations along high - symmetry directions of first brilloin zone @xmath88 , sf combinatorics ( left row ) and commensurate combinatorics ( right column ) . other parameters are @xmath61 , @xmath59 , @xmath63 , @xmath76 and temperature @xmath68 . the fermi level corresponds to zero.,scaledwidth=40.0% ] calculations for @xmath61 and @xmath59 . shown are intensity plots of spectral density ( [ specf ] ) for @xmath91 and @xmath65 . @xmath98 ; ( b ) @xmath99 ; ( c ) @xmath100;(d ) @xmath63 . dashed line denotes `` bare '' fermi surface . black lines show the solution of eq . ( [ refs]).,scaledwidth=65.0% ] j. e. hirsch and r. m. fye , phys . lett . * 56 * , 2521 ( 1986 ) ; m. jarrell , phys . lett . * 69 * , 168 ( 1992 ) ; m. rozenberg , x. y. zhang , and g. kotliar , phys . 69 * , 1236 ( 1992 ) ; a. georges and w. krauth , phys . lett . * 69 * , 1240 ( 1992 ) ; m. jarrell in _ numerical methods for lattice quantum many - body problems _ , edited by d. scalapino , addison wesley , 1997 . for review of qmc for dmft see ref.@xcite . k. held , i.a . nekrasov , n. blmer , v.i . anisimov , and d. vollhardt , int . j. mod . phys . b * 15 * , 2611 ( 2001 ) ; k. held , i.a . nekrasov , g. keller , v. eyert , n. blmer , a.k . mcmahan , r.t . scalettar , t. pruschke , v.i . anisimov , and d. vollhardt , cond - mat/0112079 ( published in _ quantum simulations of complex many - body systems : from theory to algorithms _ , eds . j. grotendorst , d. marks , and a. muramatsu , nic series volume 10 ( nic directors , forschunszentrum jlich , 2002 ) p. 175 wilson , rev . phys . * 47 * , 773 ( 1975 ) ; h.r . krishna - murthy , j.w . wilkins , and k.g . wilson , phys . b * 21 * , 1003 ( 1980 ) ; _ ibid . _ * 21 * , 1044 ( 1980 ) ; for a comprehensive introduction to the nrg see e.g. a.c . hewson , _ the kondo problem to heavy fermions _ ( cambridge university press , 1993 ) . r. bulla , a.c . hewson and th . pruschke , j. phys . condens . matter * 10 * , 8365(1998 ) ; r. bulla , phys . * 83 * , 136 ( 1999 ) . a. kaminski , h. m. fretwell , m. r. norman , m. randeria , s. rosenkranz , u. chatterjee , j. c. campuzano , j. mesot , t. sato , t. takahashi , t. terashima , m. takano , k. kadowaki , z. z. li , h. raffy , phys . b * 71 * , 014517 ( 2005 ) .

arxiv

Why does the Co³⁺/Co²⁺ couple have such a high reduction potential? Cobalt is changing from $\mathrm{(3d)^6}$ to $\mathrm{(3d)^7}$ electronic configuration. What's so stabilizing about that? Just by reduction potentials this couple is more oxidising than hydrogen peroxide and that just sounds amazing and crazy at the same time. **The electronic configuration has nothing to do with it.** The reduction potentials of $\ce{Ni^3+}/\ce{Ni^2+}$, $\ce{Cu^3+}/\ce{Cu^2+}$ and $\ce{Zn^3+}/\ce{Zn^2+}$, if they have been/could be measured, would be even greater. The reduction potential for $\ce{M^3+}/\ce{M^2+}$ is most dependent upon the third ionisation energy. If $I\_3$ is large then it will be difficult to oxidise $\ce{M^2+}$ to $\ce{M^3+}$ (hence a high reduction potential). Likewise if $I\_3$ is small then the reduction potential will be smaller. $$\begin{array}{c|cc} \hline \text{Metal} & I\_3\text{ / eV} & E^\circ(\ce{M^3+}/\ce{M^2+})\text{ / V} \\ \hline \ce{Sc} & 24.76 & (-2.6) \\ \ce{Ti} & 27.48 & (-1.1) \\ \ce{V} & 29.31 & -0.26 \\ \ce{Cr} & 30.96 & -0.41 \\ \ce{Mn} & 33.67 & +1.60 \\ \ce{Fe} & 30.65 & +0.77 \\ \ce{Co} & 33.50 & +1.93 \\ \ce{Ni} & 35.16 & (+4.2) \\ \ce{Cu} & 36.94 & (+4.6) \\ \ce{Zn} & 39.72 & (+7.0) \\ \hline \end{array}$$ [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c4qeE.png) Data from Weller et al. *Inorganic Chemistry* 6ed; Johnson *Some Thermodynamic Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry*. Numbers in parentheses indicate predicted values. Graph by me in Microsoft Office 365. So your question is essentially: why is $I\_3$ of $\ce{Co}$ so "large"? Going across the 3d block, effective nuclear charge increases which leads to the **general** trend of IE3 and $E^\circ(\ce{M^3+}/\ce{M^2+})$ increasing. Any stabilisation derived from "special" electronic configurations e.g. the half-filled subshell in $\ce{Fe^3+}$, or the ligand-field stabilisation energy of $\ce{Cr^2+}$, merely lead to *relatively small deviations from the general trend*. Moral of the story is: look at the big picture first. Those $\mathrm{d^5}, \mathrm{d^{10}}, \cdots$ configurations *can* be relevant, but they *aren’t* responsible for the overall trend, and certainly *shouldn’t* be the first thing you consider when trying to rationalise this set of data.

stackexchange/chemistry

Julia Fletcher Motherhood comes first: Julia Fletcher suspends CD 4 campaign Published on June 24, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by A.G. Gancarski Julia Fletcher, a former Navy Intelligence Officer, was a uniquely compelling candidate in Florida's 4th Congressional District. She had buy-in from Republicans in the Jacksonville beach communities, and she presented a contrast to the rest of the field. However, that's in past tense; she made the decision Friday to suspend her campaign. "For the past two months," Fletcher writes, "I have been a candidate to succeed Ander Crenshaw in Florida's 4th Congressional District. I have traveled throughout the District learning from… Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy are campaigning as if Tuesday's primary was already over and they Rick Scott to talk Zika in D.C. Gov. Rick Scott is heading to the nation's capital to "meet with Congressional leaders on Zika preparedness," his office announced. Mosquito season brings no urgency for money to fight Zika The White House and Democrats are pressuring congressional Republicans to act on President Barack Obama's demands for money to combat

slim_pajama

Survey suggests Midwest economic growth will continue The economy in nine Midwestern and Plains states was hampered in part by tariffs and flooding last month, but it should continue to grow over the next three to six months, according to a report released Monday. by Associated Press Jul. 1 2019 @ 8:35am OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy in nine Midwestern and Plains states was hampered in part by tariffs and flooding last month, but it should continue to grow over the next three to six months, according to a report released Monday. The Mid-America Business Conditions Index rose to 55.4 in June, from 54.3 in May, the report said. The April figure was 55.9. "Weak farm income, produced partially by tariffs and flooding , pulled regional growth below that of the nation," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey. "Even so, based on our manufacturing survey over the past several months, I expect overall growth to remain solidly positive." The results from the survey of supply managers were compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The regional trade numbers for June were down for both exports and imports. The index for new export orders dipped to 48.3, just two-tenths of a point under May's 48.5, and the import index slumped to 50.0 from May and April's 57.0. "Creighton's survey is beginning to measure growing impacts from tariffs," Goss said. "June's import reading is the lowest recorded this year, and June's export orders index matches January's low index." According to the June survey, however, 71.1 percent of the supply managers who responded supported continuing the tariffs on China or even raising them. The Business Conditions Index — a measure of economic optimism for the next six months — advanced to 59.1 from May's 54.5. "I expect business confidence to depend heavily on trade talks with China and Federal Reserve's interest rate actions in the weeks and months ahead," Goss said. Jefferson City man hurt in Cole County collision Governor's proposed budget addresses state pay, performance Democrats: Gov. Parson doesn't go far enough on... Shaw remains dedicated to role at JC Parks Cracks in the nest egg: Is the promise... Mid-Missouri roadwork for Jan. 20-31 Jefferson City woman hurt in Gasconade County wreck COMMENTS - It looks like you're using Internet Explorer, which isn't compatible with our commenting system. You can join the discussion by using another browser, like Firefox or Google Chrome. It looks like you're using Microsoft Edge. Our commenting system is more compatible with Firefox and Google Chrome.

slim_pajama

the large - scale structure of the universe provides one of our most powerful tests of the cosmological model , encoding a wealth of information about the expansion history of the universe ( imprinted as a standard ruler in baryon acoustic oscillations ) and its gravitational physics ( inferred from the growth of structure with time ) . a central goal of modern cosmology is to map out this structure through galaxy redshift surveys , and to develop accurate models to link these observations to theory . in the modelling of cosmological fluid dynamics , a particularly important role is played by the vector displacement field @xmath0 , which specifies the trajectory of fluid elements through space ( here denoted by a lagrangian co - ordinate @xmath1 ) and time @xmath2 . in modelling approaches such as lagrangian perturbation theory , perturbative solutions may be formulated for @xmath3 and used to construct models for the statistics of the observed density field ( e.g.@xcite ) the displacement field has assumed particular importance in `` density - field reconstruction '' ( @xcite ) , a technique used to sharpen measurements of the baryon acoustic peak in the galaxy correlation function . measurements of the baryon acoustic peak , a preferred clustering scale imprinted in the distribution of photons and baryons by the propagation of sound waves in the relativistic plasma of the early universe ( @xcite ) , have assumed particular importance in recent years as a robust standard ruler to map out the cosmic expansion history ( @xcite ) . however , the pristine sound - horizon scale imprinted in the high - redshift matter distribution is `` blurred '' by the bulk displacement of galaxies from their initial positions ( @xcite ) . reconstruction seeks to use the observed density field to estimate these displacements , for example using the zeldovitch approximation ( @xcite ) ( za ) , and hence retract galaxies to their near - original positions in the density field , restoring the sharp preferred separation . the technique has been successfully applied to datasets from the sloan digital sky survey ( @xcite ) , the baryon oscillation spectroscopic survey ( @xcite ) and the wigglez dark energy survey ( @xcite ) . a series of studies has considered the theory and implementation of density - field reconstruction . it may be formulated within lagrangian perturbation theory ( @xcite ) , to which the za is the lowest - order contribution , or by alternative perturbative schemes ( @xcite ) , or in fourier space ( @xcite ) . the method is robust to the treatment of the bias of the tracer or redshift - space effects ( @xcite ) , although room for improvement in the algorithm certainly exists ( @xcite ) . in this paper we undertake a forensic study of the performance of the current reconstruction algorithm through comparison with the exact displacement field derived from particle - tracking in n - body simulations . first , we study the accuracy of the za using the initial matter velocity field with different hypotheses for the smoothing procedure and its sensitivity to the local density . this fiducial investigation is not affected by complications due to galaxy bias and non - linear effects on the estimated density field . using this to create an unbiased understanding of how proto - halo displacement is optimally modelled , we extend our results to the reconstruction of the displacement from the non - linear low - redshift halo density field . in particular , we study the error in the estimated displacements as a function of galaxy halo mass , redshift , filter and smoothing scale for estimating the density field . we also also study how this error depends on the order of perturbation theory applied , and local environment . we discuss the consequences of these results for the optimal measurement of the distance scale and the use of the displacement field to test cosmological models . for the purposes of this investigation , we neglect redshift - space distortions in the galaxy co - ordinates . our paper is structured as follows : in section ii we review the connection between the displacement and density fields within lagrangian perturbation theory . we describe our methods for recovering the exact displacement field from n - body simulations , and the estimated displacement field from the initial simulation velocity field . in section iii we examine the performance of the density - field reconstruction algorithm , in particular focussing on the degradation of this performance with increasing local density . in section iv we suggest how the measured post - reconstruction correlation function can be `` re - weighted '' by environment to maximize the sharpness of the baryon acoustic peak , and we consider the level of improvement which may be obtained in the fitted distance scale . in section v we discuss the implications of our findings for the use of density - field reconstruction , and the displacement field itself , for testing cosmological models . in this section we briefly review lagrangian perturbation theory ( lpt ) at first ( i.e. , za ) and second order ( i.e. , 2lpt ) . the displacement vector field @xmath3 links an initial ( lagrangian ) position @xmath1 of a mass element @xmath4 , smoothed on a scale @xmath5 , to the current ( eulerian ) position , @xmath6 in the za , @xmath3 is determined by the gradient of the gravitational potential @xmath7 , which can be expressed in terms of the linearly extrapolated density field . considering only the scalar contribution @xmath3 , at first and second order in the matter density field , we have ( @xcite ) @xmath8 where @xmath9 is the linear growth factor and the gravitational potential can be solved using the following poisson equations : @xmath10 where @xmath11 is the linear density field smoothed on scale @xmath12 and @xmath13 .\ ] ] the first order displacement ( @xmath14 term ) is the well - known za which can be expressed as a function of the initial peculiar velocity @xmath15 where @xmath16 is the cosmic scale factor . the second order term has the label @xmath17 . the variance of the displacement field in the za is directly proportional to the initial matter power spectrum @xcite such that ( e.g. for the @xmath18-component ) @xmath19 where @xmath20 is the linear matter power spectrum at initial redshift @xmath21 and @xmath22 is the fourier transform of the smoothing function . the higher orders of the displacement field can be expressed as higher - dimensional integrals @xcite . in order to determine the accuracy of the za in various scenarios , we test two cases : * case 1 : we use the proto - halo velocities to predict halo positions at @xmath23 assuming the za , and compare to the exact simulation displacement field ( see sec ii b , c ) . * case 2 : we use the halo density field at @xmath23 , and second order lpt , to reconstruct the displacement @xmath24 of halos , and compare to the exact simulation displacement field ( see sec iii ) . the first case extends the work of @xcite ( for the unsmoothed dark matter density field ) to the displacement of proto - halos . in particular , this analysis provides a physical insight of how proto - halos are displaced from their positions in the initial matter density field through cosmic time up to @xmath23 . we also extend these studies to investigate the sensitivity of the result to the smoothing scale and local environment , yielding useful comparisons with case 2 . the second case has a powerful application in the reconstruction of the baryon acoustic peak . previous studies have applied this method using first order lpt and found a low sensitivity to the smoothing scale @xmath12 which enters into eq.([2lptdisp],[poisson ] ) ( @xcite ) . we extend these tests to consider the effect of local environment and evaluate the gain of adding the 2lpt correction to reconstruct the displacement of halos . in particular , we will show how the second order correction depends on the choice of smoothing scale and environment . in order to test the accuracy of the displacement field in cases 1 and 2 , we use the deus simulations . these simulations were run for several scientific purposes described in @xcite . the box side of the simulations is @xmath25 mpc and they contain @xmath26 particles of mass @xmath27 . the simulations were carried out using the ramses code @xcite for a @xmath28cdm model calibrated to the wmap 5-year cosmological parameters @xcite . the halos were identified using the friend - of - friends ( fof ) algorithm with linking length @xmath29 . in what follows we will use the lagrangian size of halos @xmath30 where their mass is given by @xmath31 , where @xmath32 is the mean matter density . we will approximate the shape of proto - halos to be spherical , with volume @xmath33 . we measured the position of the center of mass @xmath34 of all halos at @xmath23 . in order to measure the position of the proto - halos in the initial conditions , we labelled all particles which belong to a halo at @xmath23 and compute the center of mass @xmath35 for these particles in the initial conditions of the simulation . therefore we measured for each halo the exact displacement @xmath36 . the final position of a proto - halo at @xmath23 may be predicted from the initial velocity field according to eq.([velza ] ) . hence , the displacement of a mass element contained in a smoothing radius @xmath12 can be expressed as function of the average peculiar velocity initially contained in a patch of size @xmath12 , @xmath37 as : @xmath38 where @xmath39 is the hubble parameter evaluated at the initial scale factor @xmath40 and @xmath41 is the linear growth rate . in this approximation we can use eq.([psi_zv ] ) to displace the proto - halos by measuring the average velocity @xmath42 around the center of mass @xmath43 and within a smoothing radius @xmath12 . we investigated the accuracy of the za in predicting the magnitude of @xmath44 . the smoothing scale @xmath12 is a free parameter in our investigation , used in the estimation of the local overdensity field . for @xmath45 the average velocity within the smoothed region tends to zero , and hence the proto - halos are not displaced . on the contrary , as @xmath46 we obtain the displacement of individual particles , without considering that they belong to a halo . measured in n - body simulations for two different halo masses ( black squares ) . the upper panel shows halos with lagrangian radius @xmath47 mpc while the bottom panel shows halos with lagrangian radius @xmath48 mpc . for each panel , the histograms show the zeldovitch prediction eq.([psi_zv ] ) using different smoothing scales @xmath12 ( see legend ) . the solid lines correspond to the maxwell - boltzmann distribution with variance @xmath49 computed according to eq.([varzel]).,title="fig : " ] + measured in n - body simulations for two different halo masses ( black squares ) . the upper panel shows halos with lagrangian radius @xmath47 mpc while the bottom panel shows halos with lagrangian radius @xmath48 mpc . for each panel , the histograms show the zeldovitch prediction eq.([psi_zv ] ) using different smoothing scales @xmath12 ( see legend ) . the solid lines correspond to the maxwell - boltzmann distribution with variance @xmath49 computed according to eq.([varzel]).,title="fig : " ] in fig.([fig1 ] ) , we show the measured pdf of @xmath50 ( black squares ) for two different masses of halos : the upper panel corresponds to halos with lagrangian radii @xmath47 mpc ( @xmath51 ) while the lower panel corresponds to halos with lagrangian radius @xmath52 mpc ( @xmath53 ) . as we can see , the mean displacement is not strongly sensitive to the mass of the proto - halos ( varying by only @xmath54 ) . however , the variance of the absolute displacement is reduced for large halos . physically , this is because larger proto - halos are less sensitive to the external shear field which contributes to the overall dynamics . in fig.([fig1 ] ) , we can also see the prediction of eq.([psi_zv ] ) ( plotted as histograms ) using different smoothing scales @xmath12 ( see legend ) when measuring the average peculiar velocities . for @xmath55 , the absolute displacement predicted by eq.([psi_zv ] ) is approximately independent of @xmath12 . for @xmath56 , we begin to smooth out relevant density fluctuations and hence underestimate the absolute displacement . in the limit @xmath57 , the analytical pdf of @xmath50 is given by a maxwell - boltzmann distribution ( @xcite ) , @xmath58 } \label{psiabs}\ ] ] where the variance is @xmath59 the fourier transform of the filter function @xmath60 is chosen to be the fourier transform of a top - hat filter in real space . in fig.([fig1 ] ) we can see this analytical prediction for @xmath61 and @xmath62 ( solid lines ) . for @xmath61 the analytic prediction of eq.([psiabs ] ) matches the zeldovitch prediction of eq.([psi_zv ] ) with @xmath63 ( comparing the green solid line and green histogram ) . for smaller smoothing scales ( @xmath62 ) , the regime @xmath64 is no longer satisfied and we start observing deviations between eq.([psiabs ] ) and eq.([psi_zv ] ) ( comparing the blue solid line and blue histogram ) . interestingly , we observe that eq.([psiabs ] ) qualitatively follows the trend for the absolute displacement of proto - halos ( black squares ) once we use @xmath62 . this observation could be used to model the clustering of halos with high accuracy , although this goes beyond the scope of this paper . -component of the exact displacement and the za eq.([psi_zv ] ) , as a function of the ratio of the smoothing length and lagrangian size of the halos , @xmath65 . the red , black and blue crosses correspond to halo masses @xmath66 , @xmath67 and @xmath68 . ] second , we consider the dispersion between the exact and estimated displacements . for each component @xmath69 , the pdf of @xmath70 follows a gaussian distribution with a mean value equal to zero . in fig.[fig3 ] we can see the standard deviation of the difference between the exact and the zeldovitch prediction ( eq.([psi_zv ] ) ) of @xmath71 , for halo masses @xmath66 , @xmath67 and @xmath68 , as a function of the smoothing length @xmath12 ( similar results are obtained for @xmath72 and @xmath73 ) . independently of the proto - halo masses , the optimal smoothing scale to predict the final position of halos is @xmath74 . at this scale @xmath50 can be determined with an accuracy of @xmath75 mpc , a few per cent of the mean displacement . this is an impressive result considering that we only use the za . it implies that if we can identify proto - halos in the initial matter density field , we can predict their clustering at @xmath23 with high accuracy in a very short time . , [ poisson ] ) with @xmath74 in different environments . colors represent different environments . the black square corresponds to the average density around halos @xmath76 . the blue , red and orange squares correspond to environments with local overdensity @xmath77 respectively , where @xmath78 is the mean overdensity and @xmath79 is the standard deviation of the overdensity distribution amongst the halos . ] -component of the exact displacement , and the za computed using the @xmath23 density field using eq.([2lptdisp],[poisson ] ) , as a function of the smoothing length @xmath12 and the type of filter used . ] finally , we test how sensitive the za ( eq.([psi_zv ] ) ) is to the local environment . each environment is defined by the number density of halos inside a sphere of radius @xmath12 . we divide the halos into environment bins by considering the probability density function for the number of halos at @xmath23 within @xmath74 , in particular the mean @xmath78 and standard deviation @xmath79 of this distribution . we then define 4 different environments corresponding to halos with surrounding densities @xmath80 . in fig.([fig4bis ] ) we can see the standard deviation between the true value and the za prediction of @xmath71 ( with @xmath74 ) , as function of the surrounding number density of halos ( @xmath81 ) , considering halos with mass @xmath82 , which is equivalent to @xmath83 mpc . the black square corresponds to the mean overdensity environment . as we can see , the accuracy of the za prediction is sensitive to the environment . for overdense environments , the za prediction becomes less accurate compared to underdense environments . this suggests that the displacement field of proto - halos contains non - linear information that can not be encapsulated in the simple za . an extension of this work would be to investigate if the sensitivity to the smoothing scale and environment depends on cosmology . in the next section , we will repeat this exercise , comparing the displacements reconstructed using the halo distribution at @xmath23 to evaluate the density contrast in eq.([poisson ] ) , to the exact displacements . we first describe how we predict the displacement field from the @xmath23 halo distribution using the technique of density - field reconstruction . dividing the volume into a 3d grid , we first estimated the halo overdensity distribution at each grid point , using a particular filter ( gaussian or top - hat ) and smoothing scale . we then convert the halo overdensity @xmath84 to a matter overdensity @xmath85 assuming a linear bias factor @xmath86 , which we determine by comparing the amplitude of the large - scale halo power spectrum to the linear - theory power spectrum used to generate the simulation . this allows us to solve eq.([poisson ] ) using fast fourier transform methods , and hence determine the displacement field @xmath87 via eq.([2lptdisp ] ) . -component of the exact displacement , and that computed using the @xmath23 density field using eq.([2lptdisp],[poisson ] ) , as a function of the smoothing length @xmath12 using a gaussian filter . black squares show the first - order ( za ) prediction while black crosses show the prediction including the 2lpt correction . ] considering only the first order of @xmath3 in eq.([2lptdisp],[poisson ] ) , we used several smoothing scales in the range @xmath88 mpc for halos with a mass @xmath89 , typical of luminous red galaxies probed by large - scale structure surveys such as the baryon oscillation spectroscopic survey ( @xcite ) . we used both a top - hat filter and a gaussian filter , and we measured the error made in the zeldovitch prediction compared to the exact values for each component as a standard deviation @xmath90 . the result for the @xmath18-axis is shown in fig.([fig4 ] ) , other axes produced similar results . we find that there is again an optimal smoothing scale which depends on the filter function . the optimal performance of both filters leads to a residual error @xmath91 mpc , around 5 times poorer than the determination based on the initial proto - velocities . for small smoothing scales the performance of the reconstruction method becomes worse , since the number of neighbours becomes too small to reconstruct the density field with sufficient accuracy . furthermore , the higher order correction in eq.([2lptdisp ] ) becomes non - negligible when @xmath46 . for large smoothing scales , the degradation from the optimal performance is a slow function of @xmath12 , consistent with the displacement being generated by large - wavelength modes that may be successfully recovered even in the presence of significant smoothing ( @xcite ) . these effects are illustrated in fig.([fig2lptall ] ) . using a gaussian filter we show the error made in the 1st - order ( black squares ) and 2lpt ( black crosses ) predictions for different smoothing scales . the 2nd - order correction leads to a @xmath92 improvement for @xmath93 mpc and a @xmath94 improvement for @xmath95 mpc . in the next section we will emphasize the connection between this result and the local environment . overall , the choice of filter ( gaussian vs. top - hat ) does not affect the performance of the displacement reconstruction at first - order lpt , once we choose the optimal smoothing scale ( see fig.([fig4 ] ) ) . therefore in what follows we will restrict our analysis to a gaussian filter . , [ poisson ] ) based on the @xmath23 halo density field . the squares show the first order implementation of eq.([2lptdisp],[poisson ] ) while the crosses implement the second order correction . colors represent different environments defined in the text ( from bottom to top : e1 , e2 , e3 , e4 and e5 ) . for each color we choose 3 smoothing scales ( from left to right : @xmath96 mpc . ] in this section we investigate how the accuracy of the reconstructed displacement field depends on the local environment of each halo . given a smoothing scale @xmath12 , we can compute the number of neighbours for each halo and therefore estimate the local density contrast . we used the mean local density around halos @xmath78 , and the standard deviation @xmath97 , to define five bins in environment e1 , e2 , e3 , e4 and e5 with central values @xmath98 . for each local environment we measured the error in the reconstructed displacement at different smoothing scales . in fig.([fig5 ] ) we show the standard deviation of the difference between the reconstructed and exact @xmath71 , as function of the surrounding smoothed halo density @xmath81 . the blue , black , red , orange and green data points correspond respectively to environments e1 , e2 , e3 , e4 , and e5 . for each environment we plot 3 different squares and 3 different crosses which correspond to three different smoothing scales @xmath96 mpc , from left to right . the squares correspond to the prediction of first - order lpt , while the crosses implement the second - order correction . in agreement with fig.([fig4bis ] ) , the accuracy of the prediction is highly sensitive to the environment . furthermore , in fig.([fig5 ] ) we can see the effect of the second - order correction . unsurprisingly , if we choose a large smoothing scale ( e.g. @xmath99 mpc ) , the second order correction in eq.([2lptdisp ] ) is negligible . for a smaller smoothing scale ( e.g. @xmath100 mpc ) , the second - order correction becomes more important . in fact , the second - order correction contains a term proportional to @xmath101 and for small values of @xmath12 the average local density around halos increases ( @xmath102 , @xmath103 ) . however we can observe that even for @xmath100 mpc , the improvement in the residual from the second - order correction is less significant than the difference in residual between e1 and e2 . this suggests that the displacement contains non - linear information that can not be described by deterministic corrections . finally , for dense environments ( e.g @xmath104 ) , a smaller smoothing scale leads to a better reconstruction of the final halo position predicted by the 2lpt approximation ( eq.[poisson ] ) . for halos in a region with the mean density or below , reducing the smoothing scale does not particularly improve the accuracy of the displacement field . this convergence of the optimal smoothing scale toward @xmath105 shows the limits of the reconstruction method . reconstruction applied at @xmath23 on the non - linear halo density field is not equivalent to predicting the final position of halos from the initial conditions . ) , for halos at redshift @xmath106 in the mass range @xmath107 . ] we repeated the previous analysis at redshift @xmath106 . fig.([fig6 ] ) displays these results in the same format as fig.([fig5 ] ) . as before , for large values of the smoothing ( e.g. @xmath108 mpc ) , the second - order correction is negligible , while it becomes important for smaller smoothing scales when the local density around halos is high . in this case , choosing a smaller smoothing scale ( e.g. @xmath100 mpc ) and adding the second - order correction to eq.([poisson ] ) gives a better description of the displacement field ( eq.([2lptdisp ] ) ) . we note that at @xmath106 the second - order correction is more important than at @xmath23 . this is due to the choice of halos we consider . at @xmath106 , halos with @xmath109 are more biased and belong to exponential tail of the halo mass function @xcite . hence the local overdensity around those halos is larger , leading to a higher second - order correction of the displacement field . ) , for halos at redshift @xmath106 in the mass range @xmath110 . ] for halos with mass @xmath110 at @xmath106 , the error in the displacement is shown in fig.([fig6bis ] ) . for @xmath111 mpc , the second - order correction is negligible and the error in the displacement is similar to that found for halos with @xmath112 at @xmath23 . for smaller smoothing scales , the second - order correction becomes more important . overall , at @xmath106 the analytic approximations for the displacements ( eq.([2lptdisp ] ) ) are in better agreement with the true displacements we measure in the simulations , by a factor which depends on the environment . for instance at the average density ( e3 , black cross ) , the standard deviation of the residual is @xmath113 mpc at @xmath23 and @xmath114 mpc at @xmath106 . in this section we study how the reconstruction of the baryon acoustic peak depends on the accuracy with which the displacement field can be determined . in particular , we investigate if the `` sharpness '' of the reconstructed acoustic peak depends on local overdensity , and if this effect may be used to obtain improved accuracy in the resulting standard ruler measurement . in order to obtain an accurate covariance matrix for our bao fits , we require a much larger suite of n - body simulations than we used in the previous sections . we therefore analyzed the `` wizcola '' simulations ( @xcite ) , which were produced in order to extend the comoving lagrangian acceleration ( cola ) technique @xcite to lower - mass haloes to enable reconstruction of the baryon acoustic peak in the wigglez dark energy survey ( @xcite ) . the simulations are generated within a @xmath115 mpc box using the `` wmap5 '' cosmological model . in particular , we used 1000 halo catalogues output at @xmath23 in real - space , using halos with mass @xmath116 as above , which yields a catalogue with number density @xmath117 mpc@xmath118 , characteristic of current and future large - scale structure surveys at high redshift . we applied the density - field reconstruction method to these simulation boxes using standard methods described by , e.g. @xcite . the process involves applying the displacements to both the data and a set of random points , which we generated uniformly within each simulation box with a number density 10 times greater than that of the data itself . the post - reconstruction correlation function is then measured using the displaced data and random points . when determining the displacement field we assumed a linear bias factor @xmath119 , fixed using the large - scale halo power spectrum . as in section [ secenv ] , we divided the simulation into different density regimes by smoothing the density field traced by the halos . fig.([fig7 ] ) displays the probability density function @xmath120 of the local overdensity @xmath121 around halos ( red histogram ) and random tracers ( black histogram ) at @xmath23 . the top panel is for a smoothing scale @xmath122 mpc , while the lower panel shows the pdf for @xmath108 mpc . the vertical lines show the mean of the two distributions ; for random tracers the mean is always zero , while for halos the mean of the distribution increases for smaller smoothing scales due to clustering . we split our sample into different environment bins using the local density around halos . for the purposes of this section we use 5 different environments . we defined the bin divisions by measuring the mean @xmath123 and standard deviation @xmath97 of the density values for each halo . in this case , environment @xmath124 corresponds to the average density and the central density values of the other environments are set using @xmath125 we also tested defining the bins based on the local density around random tracers , which produced qualitatively similar results . we measured auto- and cross - correlation functions between different environments using the landy - szalay estimator ( @xcite ) . the cross - correlation function between environments @xmath126 is therefore @xmath127 where @xmath128 are the pair counts of halos between environments @xmath129 @xmath130 is the total number of halos in the environment @xmath69 , @xmath131 are the pair counts of random tracers , @xmath132 the cross - pair counts , and @xmath133 the total number of random tracers in environment @xmath69 . we determined the covariance matrix of the cross - correlation function between two separation bins @xmath134 by averaging over the ensemble of n - body realizations : @xmath135 the error in the measurement of @xmath136 is then @xmath137 . around halos and random tracers measured at @xmath23 . the top panel shows this pdf for @xmath122 mpc , while the lower panel is for @xmath108 mpc . ] . we use @xmath138 mpc for the smoothing scale . ] in fig.([fig8 ] ) we plot the auto - correlation functions @xmath139 measured in the 5 different environments after reconstruction . the black line ( and dots ) correspond to @xmath124 , the red lines ( and dots ) correspond to overdense environments @xmath140 while the blue lines ( and dots ) are for underdense environments @xmath141 . in order to produce a clearer visualization for the purposes of this plot , we stacked the simulation boxes in groups of 10 , such that the error in the measurements is then determined from 100 realizations of 10 stacked boxes . fig.([fig8 ] ) clearly displays a hierarchy where the baryon acoustic peak is sharper for the underdense regions and becomes more blurred for the high density regions . interestingly , the most under - dense environment produces a `` bell shape '' around the acoustic peak . the cross - correlation functions display behaviour intermediate between the corresponding auto - correlation functions . mpc before ( dashed lines ) and after reconstruction ( solid lines and dots ) . from bottom to top the measurements correspond to environments @xmath142 . ] in order to further understand how the correlation functions @xmath143 are affected by the reconstruction method , we plot in fig.([figbfaf ] ) the full correlation function before and after reconstruction . we see that reconstruction uniformly improves the sharpness of the acoustic peak in all environments . the increased sharpness of the post - reconstruction baryon acoustic peak in underdense environments could potentially be used to improve the accuracy of the standard ruler by upweighting those environments . however , the fluctuating weight could also serve to increase the covariance in our measurements . we now explore the trade - off between these effects . we note that using density - dependent weights will always result in a biased estimator for the underlying correlation function . however , given that the amplitude and shape of the correlation function are marginalized over in standard methods of fitting the preferred scale , this bias is not necessarily problematic if the acoustic peak itself is not shifted . the total correlation function @xmath144 can be expressed as a function of the environmental correlation functions eq.([xi_ij ] ) . we begin with the landy - szalay estimator for @xmath144 , @xmath145 where @xmath146 , @xmath147 and @xmath148 are the total pair counts ( halo - halo , random - random tracer , halo - random tracer ) . the total number of halos ( @xmath149 ) , random tracers ( @xmath150 ) and cross - product ( @xmath151 ) appearing in this equation satisfy @xmath152 , @xmath153 and @xmath154 , where the sum is over all environments ( and is written in this manner to allow us to generalize the relation as developed below ) . the conservation of the total number of pairs can be expressed as @xmath155 substituting eq.([conser ] ) into eq.([lsstand ] ) , we can express @xmath144 as function of the @xmath143 as @xmath156 where @xmath157 hence we have obtained an expression for the total correlation function in terms of @xmath143 . as a first illustration of the effect of assigning a different weight to different environments , we re - write @xmath143 in eq.([xitot ] ) as @xmath158 , where @xmath159 is the weight assigned to each cross - correlation function in terms of weights @xmath160 defined for each environment @xmath161 . in the case where @xmath162 , we recover the original correlation function . for the purposes of this example we consider a simpler split into 3 environments . ( orange dashed line ) . the standard reconstructed correlation function is shown by the black line , while the blue and red lines are particular cases of our new estimate for the reconstructed correlation functions weighting by environment . ] in fig.([xitotw1 ] ) , we show the linear matter correlation function rescaled by the linear bias ( blue dashed line ) and the non - linear matter power spectrum measured in the simulations ( orange dashed line ) . the black line ( and dots ) shows the reconstructed correlation function using @xmath108 mpc with no weighting . for comparison we plot the weighted correlation function for two special cases ( blue and red ) , where we choose @xmath163 for the blue line ( upweighting low - density environments ) and @xmath164 for the red line ( upweighting high - density environments ) . we can see that weighting the underdense environment ( @xmath165 ) more than the overdense environment ( @xmath124 ) allows us to recover the linear ( sharpest ) amplitude of the bao peak . we now construct a general estimator for the weighted correlation function , insensitive to the absolute value of the weights , as @xmath166 where @xmath167 and @xmath168 \end{split}\ ] ] and we re - defined @xmath169 , @xmath170 and @xmath171 . this new estimator has the following desirable properties : @xmath172 for @xmath173 , and @xmath174 when @xmath175 . + to assign a value for each @xmath176 in eq.([xitotw ] ) we used the following parametrization : @xmath177 where @xmath178 corresponds to the environment for which the local density @xmath179 , @xmath180 is the highest density environment , and @xmath18 is a variable that varies in the range @xmath181 $ ] such that for @xmath182 , the lowest - density environment is weighted with the highest amplitude @xmath183 and the highest environment is weighted with @xmath184 . ( orange dashed line ) . the solid lines show the weighted correlation function for @xmath185 which correspond to the blue , dark blue , black , orange and red lines , respectively . we do not show the errors in the measurement for clarity of the figure . ] in fig.([xitotw2 ] ) we can see the resulting weighted correlation functions for various values of @xmath18 , as well as the linear and non - linear correlation functions . we used 5 different environments and @xmath108 mpc . we observe that the hierarchy of the @xmath186 is not as simple as we show in fig.([xitotw1 ] ) . with this parametrization , the standard reconstruction ( black line , @xmath187 ) is closer to the linear correlation function than the measurement obtained assigning higher weight to the underdense environments ( blue and light - blue lines ) owing to the amplitude bias introduced by the weighting . however , the sharpness of the acoustic peak is nonetheless increased by such a weighting scheme . in the next section we consider the implications for the recovered standard ruler scale . in order to determine the accuracy of the recovered distance scale , we fit a simple baryon acoustic peak model to the galaxy correlation functions measured from each n - body realization , using the distribution of measurements across the realizations as the covariance matrix . our fiducial correlation function model is based on a fourier - transform of a model linear power spectrum @xmath188 : @xmath189 .\ ] ] we constructed the model power spectrum using a transfer function from the eisenstein & hu ( 1998 ) fitting formulae , assuming the fiducial cosmological parameters of the wizcola simulations . we then fit for the scale distortion parameter @xmath190 , marginalizing over a normalization factor @xmath191 : @xmath192 this approximate model is adequate for our purposes of exploring the relative accuracy of determining @xmath190 ; we verified that a series of model extensions , such as using a model power spectrum from camb , or marginalizing over an additive scale - free polynomial or a free damping parameter , or using the mock mean correlation function as a template , did not qualitatively change our conclusions . we quantified the standard ruler performance by the standard deviation of the best - fitting values of @xmath190 across the realizations , which we denote by @xmath193 . for this particular test we used the 1000 single - box cola realizations and 12 environments , checking that our conclusions were not sensitive to these choices . in order to test any improvement brought by the new concepts developed in the previous sections , we defined as a reference level the results obtained by a standard reconstruction method using the zeldovitch approximation , smoothing length @xmath108 mpc , and no weighting ( @xmath187 ) . similar assumptions are used in standard implementations such as ( @xcite ) . using the measurements of @xmath193 , we computed the relative difference @xmath194 between the reference model and the results obtained ( a ) changing the smoothing length , ( b ) adding the 2lpt correction and ( c ) introducing weighting of environments as a function of @xmath18 . in fig.([fig9 ] ) we display our results for this analysis , in the form of the relative difference @xmath194 as function of the weighting parameter @xmath18 defined by eq.([wieq ] ) . the solid line uses the reconstruction method with the zeldovitch approximation and @xmath108 mpc , the blue short dashed line shows the result for 2lpt and @xmath122 mpc while the red dashed line shows 2lpt and @xmath100 mpc . in eq.([wieq ] ) which controls the relative weight assigned to underdense and overdense regions . the reference case is the za with @xmath108 mpc and no weighting . ] we find that the environmental - dependent weighting produces a small but measurable improvement in @xmath193 ( @xmath195 ) , with best performance usually produced in the range @xmath196 . the implementation of 2lpt for computing the displacement field also produces a benefit as judged by @xmath193 , such that the total improvement is @xmath197 . we summarize the conclusions of our study as follows : * the displacement of proto - halos can be predicted with high accuracy by the za using their peculiar velocities . in this case , eq.([psi_zv ] ) evaluated at @xmath74 provides a very good description of the displacement field with accuracy @xmath198 mpc , independently of the halo masses . the choice of the smoothing scale is important , since there is a unique scale for which the approximation gives the best agreement with the exact final positions of the halos . the error in each component of @xmath3 follows a gaussian distribution centered on zero with a variance sensitive to the smoothing scale and the environment of the halos . * when reconstruction of the displacement field is performed using the @xmath23 halo distribution in real space , we likewise find that the accuracy depends significantly on the smoothing scale and environment . we extended the za to 2lpt and established a link between the error in predicting the displacement field and the local density around halos . * based on this result , we showed that after applying reconstruction , the baryon acoustic peak is sharper in the correlation function of low - density environments . we hence built a new estimator of the correlation function , constructed by weighting a set of auto- and cross - correlation functions measured between different environments . * fitting a bao model to the results , we found a small but measurable improvement of @xmath197 in determining the standard ruler scale through a combination of using 2lpt to find the displacement field and weighting the environmental correlation functions . further improvements may be possible using more sophisticated weighting schemes . the fact that the reconstruction of the displacement field using the halo density distribution at @xmath199 is @xmath200 times less accurate than the za applied to the initial velocities of proto - halos ( independently of the orders considered in the lpt approximation ) implies that the measurement of the error @xmath201 contains non - linear information which could potentially be sensitive to different cosmological models , especially in high - density environments . the evolution in time of the environmental correlation functions should carry this non - linear information and can be use to test non - standard cosmologies . for instance in fig.([figbfaf ] ) , the correlation function before reconstruction in high - density environments has a smeared bao peak compared to that of the lowest density environment . the ratio of the bao peak widths in those two environments should be directly proportional to the degree of late time non - linear interactions . for non - standard cosmologies , this ratio might be different ( e.g. , fewer non - linear interactions for early dark energy models ) . we will investigate these topics further in future work . we warmly thank y. rasera for providing easy access to the deus simulations@xcite . we are also grateful to jun koda for generating the wizcola simulation suite used in this investigation . part of this research was conducted by the australian research council centre of excellence for all - sky astrophysics ( caastro ) , through project number ce110001020 . we also acknowledge support from the dim acav of the region ile - de - france . t. matsubara , physical review d , vol . 78 , issue 8 , i d . 083519 padmanabhan , nikhil ; white , martin ; cohn , j. d. , physical review d , vol . 79 , issue 6 , i d . 063523 carlson , jordan ; reid , beth ; white , martin , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 429 , issue 2 , p.1674 - 1685 eisenstein , daniel j. ; seo , hee - jong ; sirko , edwin ; spergel , david n. , the astrophysical journal , volume 664 , issue 2 , pp . 675 - 679 . peebles , p. j. e. ; yu , j. t. , astrophysical journal , vol . 162 , p.815 eisenstein , daniel j. ; hu , wayne , the astrophysical journal , volume 496 , issue 2 , pp . 605 - 614 . blake , chris ; glazebrook , karl , the astrophysical journal , volume 594 , issue 2 , pp . 665 - 673 seo , hee - jong ; eisenstein , daniel j. , the astrophysical journal , volume 598 , issue 2 , pp . 720 - 740 seo , hee - jong ; eisenstein , daniel j. , the astrophysical journal , volume 665 , issue 1 , pp . seo , hee - jong ; siegel , ethan r. ; eisenstein , daniel j. ; white , martin , the astrophysical journal , volume 686 , issue 1 , pp . 13 - 24 smith r.e . , scoccimarro r. , sheth r. , 2008 , phrvd , 77 , 43525 angulo , r. e. ; baugh , c. m. ; frenk , c. s. ; lacey , c. g. , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 383 , issue 2 , pp . 755 - 776 crocce , martin ; scoccimarro , roman , physical review d , vol . 77 , issue 2 , i d . 023533 sanchez , ariel g. ; cole , shaun , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 385 , issue 2 , pp . 830 - 840 y. b. zeldovich , astron . astrophys . 5 , 84 ( 1970 ) . white , martin , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 439 , issue 4 , p.3630 - 3640 padmanabhan , nikhil ; xu , xiaoying ; eisenstein , daniel j. ; scalzo , richard ; cuesta , antonio j. ; mehta , kushal t. ; kazin , eyal , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 427 , issue 3 , pp . 2132 - 2145 anderson , lauren et al . , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 441 , issue 1 , p.24 - 62 kazin , eyal a. et al . , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 441 , issue 4 , p.3524 - 3542 noh , yookyung ; white , martin ; padmanabhan , nikhil , physical review d , vol . 80 , issue 12 , i d . 123501 mccullagh , nuala ; szalay , alexander s. , the astrophysical journal , volume 752 , issue 1 , article i d . 21 , 6 pp . ( 2012 ) tassev , svetlin ; zaldarriaga , matias , journal of cosmology and astroparticle physics , issue 04 , i d . 013 ( 2012 ) burden , angela ; percival , will j. ; howlett , cullan , 2015arxiv150402591b seo , hee - jong ; eckel , jonathan ; eisenstein , daniel j. ; mehta , kushal ; metchnik , marc ; padmanabhan , nikhil ; pinto , phillip ; takahashi , ryuichi ; white , martin ; xu , xiaoying , the astrophysical journal , volume 720 , issue 2 , pp . 1650 - 1667 ( 2010 ) mehta , kushal t. ; seo , hee - jong ; eckel , jonathan ; eisenstein , daniel j. ; metchnik , marc ; pinto , philip ; xu , xiaoying , the astrophysical journal , volume 734 , issue 2 , article i d . 94 , 12 pp . ( 2011 ) burden , a. ; percival , w. j. ; manera , m. ; cuesta , antonio j. ; vargas magana , mariana ; ho , shirley , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 445 , issue 3 , p.3152 - 3168 vargas - magana , mariana et al . , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 445 , issue 1 , p.2 - 28 landy , stephen d. ; szalay , alexander s. , astrophysical journal , part 1 ( issn 0004 - 637x ) , vol . 412 , no . 1 , p. 64 - 71 white , martin , monthly notices of the royal astronomical society , volume 450 , issue 4 , p.3822 - 3828 rasera , y. ; alimi , j .- m . ; courtin , j. ; roy , f. ; corasaniti , p .- s . ; fzfa , a. ; boucher , v. , invisible universe : proceedings of the conference . aip conference proceedings , volume 1241 , pp . 1134 - 1139 ( 2010 )

arxiv

Hermiticity of Slater-Koster hamiltonian From the paper written by Slater and Koster, some of the tight binding Hamiltonian seemed to change sign under a sign flip. For example $$E\_{s,x}=l(sp\sigma)$$ Suppose we have two atoms (A and B), each having an $s$ and $p\_x$ orbital. They are connected along the $[100]$ direction. From my understanding, since the A$\to$B is in $[100]$, the hopping integral element between orbitals $s - p\_x$ of A and B is $(sp\sigma)$. Then, along the reverse direction, B$\to$A direction is $-[100]$, so the hopping integral from $p\_x-s$ of B-A is $-(sp\sigma)$. This renders a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. `So I wonder if there is something wrong from my understanding? For example` $(ps\sigma)$ `has an opposite sign?` Edit: Add the cases for nanocluster in response to the OP's comment. You should look the whole lattice structure, instead of isolate two atoms. It is a lattice periodic structure, saying along $[100]$ direction with a lattice constant $a$: ``` - A - B - A - B - A - B - A - B - A - B - A - B - A - B - A - B - ``` Let examine the matrix element with a given Bloch wave vector $k$ in x-direction with A atom in the origin ($S\_a$ in the center). $$ \langle X\_b \vert H \vert S\_a \rangle = \left(e^{-ika} - e^{ika}\right) (sp\sigma) = 2i\sin ka (sp\sigma). $$ [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f8qqg.png) The two Bolch phases are from the B atoms in the right (located at $a$) and in the left (located at $-a$), and the minus sign between these two phase is due to the odd parity of $X\_b$ orbital. --- **Edit: If it is a nanocluster, then each orbital of the atom is an independent basis.** Let's label the center A atom the index $n$, and the left B atom $n-1$, the right B $n+1$. The overlapping intergals among them and their corresponding conjugate elements (matrix transport element) are: \begin{align} \langle X\_{n-1,b}\vert H \vert S\_{n,a} \rangle &= (sp\sigma) \,\, \text{ conjugate to } \,\, \langle S\_{n,a}\vert H \vert X\_{n-1,b}\rangle = (sp\sigma);\\ \langle S\_{n,a}\vert H \vert X\_{n+1,b} \rangle &= -(sp\sigma) \,\, \text{ conjugate to } \,\, \langle X\_{n+1,b}\vert H \vert S\_{n,a}\rangle = -(sp\sigma); \end{align} **The orbitals of the left atom B ($n-1$) are not the same bases as the orbitals of the right atom B ($n+1$). They won't mix under matrix transport.** --- Then, examine the conjugate matrix element with B atom as origin (the $X\_b$ at the center): $$ \langle S\_a \vert H \vert X\_b \rangle = \left(-e^{-ika} + e^{ika}\right) (sp\sigma) =- 2i\sin ka (sp\sigma). $$ [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DKqVz.png) It satisfies the Hermitian relation $$ \langle X\_b \vert H \vert S\_a \rangle^\dagger = \langle S\_a \vert H \vert X\_b \rangle $$ In case of $k=0$, these two matrix elements are both zero due to symmetric consideration.

stackexchange/physics

Parking sensors are proximity sensors for road vehicles designed to alert the driver of obstacles while parking. These systems use either electromagnetic or ultrasonic sensors. Ultrasonic systems These systems feature ultrasonic proximity detectors to measure the distances to nearby objects via sensors located in the front and/or rear bumper fascias or visually minimized within adjacent grills or recesses. The sensors emit acoustic pulses, with a control unit measuring the return interval of each reflected signal and calculating object distances. The system in turns warns the driver with acoustic tones, the frequency indicating object distance, with faster tones indicating closer proximity and a continuous tone indicating a minimal pre-defined distance. Systems may also include visual aids, such as LED or LCD readouts to indicate object distance. A vehicle may include a vehicle pictogram on the car's infotainment screen, with a representation of the nearby objects as coloured blocks. Rear sensors may be activated when reverse gear is selected and deactivated as soon as any other gear is selected. Front sensors may be activated manually and deactivated automatically when the vehicle reaches a pre-determined speed to avoid subsequent nuisance warnings. As an ultrasonic systems relies on the reflection of sound waves, the system may not detect flat objects or object insufficiently large to reflect sound e.g., a narrow pole or a longitudinal object pointed directly at the vehicle or near an object. Objects with flat surfaces angled from the vertical may deflect return sound waves away from the sensors, hindering detection. Also soft object with strong sound absorption may have weaker detection, e.g. wool or moss. The Parking Sensor, originally called as ReverseAid, was a spin-off from the Sonic Pathfinder, an Electronic Guidance Device for the Blind. Both devices were invented in the late 1970s by Tony Heyes while working at the Blind Mobility Research Unit at Nottingham University in the UK. After patenting the device in 1983 Heyes offered it to Jaguar Cars in Coventry. After test driving the prototype on Heyes's car they very politely told him that, You like it because you are a one-eyed driver who cannot judge distances. Real people would not want a thing like this. Heyes teamed up with a local manufacturer and some 150 units were made and fitted to petrol tankers, trucks and delivery vehicles. Very few were fitted to private cars since few people wanted to drill holes into their cars. Electromagnetic systems The electromagnetic parking sensor EPS was re-invented and patented in 1992 by Mauro Del Signore. Electromagnetic sensors rely on the vehicle moving slowly and smoothly towards the object to be avoided. Once detected, the obstacle, if the vehicle momentarily stops on its approach, the sensor continues to give signal of presence of the obstacle. If the vehicle then resumes its manoeuvre the alarm signal becomes more and more impressive as the obstacle approaches. Electromagnetic parking sensors are often sold as not requiring any holes to be drilled offering a unique design that discreetly mounts on the inner side of the bumper preserving the 'new factory look' of your vehicle. Now they also come equipped with a camera to go with the sensor. By 2018 the US is requiring back up camera with sensors on all cars. Blind spot monitors and other technology Blind spot monitors are an option that may include more than monitoring the sides of the vehicle. It can include Cross Traffic Alert, which alerts drivers backing out of a parking space when traffic is approaching from the sides. Inventors The Parking Sensor was first invented by Dr Tony Heyes in the late 1970s, a spin-off from an aid for the blind. Heyes patented it in 1983. It had a modest beginning: see above under Ultrasonic Systems. Toyota introduced ultrasonic Back Sonar on the 1982 Toyota Corona, offering it until 1988. December 13, 1984 Massimo Ciccarello and Ruggero Lenci see List of Italian inventors entered in Italy the patent request for ultrasonics Parking sensors, and November 16, 1988 the Ministry of Industry granted them the Patent for industrial invention n. 1196650. See also Automatic parking Backup collision Backup camera Blind spot monitor Blind spot vehicle Intelligent Parking Assist System Experimental Safety Vehicle ESV Intelligent car Lane departure warning system Objects in mirror are closer than they appear Omniview technology Precrash system Rear-view mirror Side-view mirror Wing mirror References External links Proxel - Operating principle of Electromagnetic Parking Sensor Parking Sensors patented in Italy Category:Advanced driver assistance systems Category:Sensors

wikipedia

the visualization of a three dimensional discrete framed curve is an important and widely studied topic in computer graphics , from the association of ribbons and tubes to the determination of camera gaze directions along trajectories . potential applications range from aircraft and robot kinematics to stereo reconstruction and virtual reality @xcite , @xcite . we are interested in addressing the problem of characterizing the physical laws that govern protein folding . for this we develop a technique for framing a general discrete and piecewise linear curve in a manner that will eventually enable us to combine the geometric problem of framing with an appropriate physical principle for frame determination . our ultimate goal is to have an approach , where instead of purely geometric considerations the frames along a curve are determined directly from the properties of an underlying physical system . as a consequence we expect that our formalism and our results will find wide applicability well beyond the protein folding problem . the classical theory of continuous curves in three dimensional space employs the frenet equation @xcite , @xcite to determine a moving coordinate frame along a sufficiently differentiable space curve . however , if the curve has inflection points and/or straight segments or if it fails to be at least three times continuously differentiable , the frenet frame becomes either discontinuous or may not even exist . in such cases there can be good reasons to consider the option to introduce an alternative framing such as bishop s parallel transport frame @xcite , a geodetic reference frame or some possibly hybrid variants @xcite , @xcite . in this article we derive a discrete version of the frenet equation that introduces a framing along an intrinsically discrete and piecewise linear curve in @xmath1 . we develop the general formalism for the visualization of such a curve without any underlying assumption that it approaches a continuous space curve in the limit where the maximum length of its line segments goes to zero . the continuum limit may as well be a fractal , with a nontrivial hausdorff dimension . thus , unlike in several approaches that we are aware of , our starting point is not in a discretization of the continuum frenet equation . instead our approach is intrinsically discrete , and it is based on the transfer matrix formalism that is widely used for example in lattice field theories @xcite . indeed , we find it useful to adapt some notions of lattice gauge theories @xcite . for us this provides a valuable conceptual point of view . moreover , since the transfer matrix formalism intrinsically incorporates self - similarity and the very concept of line segment length has no rle in our derivations , we can effortlessly consider curves that have fractal continuum limits while at the same time ensuring that if the continuum limit exists as a class @xmath2 space curve we recover the standard frenet framing together with its generalized versions . as an application we consider folded proteins , for which the continuum limit is known to be a fractal with hausdorff dimension that is very close to three @xcite . the locations of the central @xmath3 carbon atoms along the protein determines a discrete piecewise linear curve , this is the protein backbone . we introduce a framing to the backbone by employing the @xmath0 carbon atoms of the side chain amino acids that are covalently bonded to the @xmath3 carbons that define the backbone . the frame at the location of a given @xmath3 carbon is determined by the directional vector that connects it with the ensuing @xmath0 carbon , together with the directional vector that connects it to the next @xmath3 carbon along the backbone . by inspecting the framing of all protein structures in the protein data bank ( pdb ) @xcite we find that such a @xmath0 framing relates intimately to the discrete frenet framing of the backbone . in particular , we conclude that for a folded protein the concept of an inflection point acquires an intrinsic biological interpretation , it coincides with the location of the center of the loop : the inflection points drive the protein loop geometry . at an isolated inflection point of a continuous curve , the curvature which is a frame _ independent _ geometric characteristic of the curve vanishes . at such a point the frenet frame can become discontinuous ( see figure 1 ) . becomes abruptly reflected in the oscullating plane from one side to the other side of the curve . the blue vector equals opposite of the ( reflected ) normal vector @xmath4 ( see also figure 6 ) . , scaledwidth=40.0% ] consequently a single non - degenerate inflection point can not be removed by any local continuous deformation of the curve . an isolated non - degenerate inflection point can only be locally and continuously removed in the presence of another inflection point , by deforming the curve so that the inflection points annihilate each other in a saddle - node bifurcation . in particular a sole non - degenerate inflection point can be removed only by translating it away through an endpoint of the curve which involves a _ global _ deformation of the curve . this kind of stability enjoyed by an isolated inflection point under local deformations of the curve is the hallmark of a topological soliton . indeed , let us recall the topological kink - soliton in a quartic double - well potential @xcite @xmath5 \ = \ - \frac{2m^2}{c^2 } y ( y ^2 - c^2)\ ] ] @xmath6 { \label{ys}}\ ] ] it describes a trajectory that interpolates between the two minima @xmath7 of the potential @xmath8 ; see figure 2 . of the potential ( left ) as @xmath9 . it is topologically stable and can not be removed by any finite energy deformation . , scaledwidth=60.0% ] the center of the soliton is at the point @xmath10 where @xmath11 vanishes . the influence of this center point to the global topology of the trajectory can not be removed by any kind of continuous local deformation @xmath12 , as the resulting curve continues to retain its characteristic global property that @xmath13 as @xmath9 . thus the deformed @xmath11 necessarily vanishes at least at one point . the goal of the present paper is to explain how this signature behaviour of a topological soliton can be detected and described in the case of discrete piecewise linear curves , and in particular those curves that relate to the framing of folded proteins . we start by describing the continuum frenet equation and its generalizations . let @xmath14 be a space curve in @xmath1 . its unit tangent vector @xmath15 ( we assume that @xmath16 ) is subject to the frenet equation @xcite , @xcite @xmath17 where @xmath18 is the unit binormal vector and @xmath19 is the unit normal vector of the curve , and @xmath20 is the _ frame independent _ curvature of @xmath14 and @xmath21 is the torsion . the three vectors @xmath22 form the right - handed orthonormal frenet frame at each point of the curve . in the following we shall assume with no loss of generality , that @xmath23 $ ] measures the proper length along a curve with total length @xmath24 in @xmath1 so that @xmath25 consider a curve with an isolated non - degenerate inflection point ( or more generally a straight segment ) such as the one depicted in figure 1 . at the inflection point @xmath10 the frenet frame can not be introduced since @xmath26 vanishes ; in the proper length gauge @xmath27 conventionally , see _ e.g. _ @xcite , in the presence of inflection points the frenet equation ( [ contds1 ] ) is usually introduced only piecewise between the inflection points , for those values of @xmath28 for which @xmath29 is nonvanishing . but there are also alternative approaches that allow for a continuous passage of the frame through the inflection point ( more generally straight segments ) . for this we view the frenet frame as an example of a general frame , obtained by starting from the observation that while the tangent vector @xmath30 for a given curve is unique , instead of @xmath31 we may choose an arbitrary orthogonal basis @xmath32 for the normal planes of the curve that are perpendicular to @xmath30 , without deforming the curve . this general frame is related to the frenet frame by a local @xmath33 frame rotation around the frame independent tangent vector @xmath30 ( see figure 3 ) , and a generic ( green ) orthogonal frame @xmath34 on the normal plane of @xmath35 , the tangent vector of the curve . , scaledwidth=40.0% ] @xmath36 the ensuing rotated version of the frenet equation is @xmath37 if we recall the adjoint basis of @xmath38 lie - algebra @xmath39 where @xmath40 = \epsilon^{abc } t^c\ ] ] we find that on @xmath41 and @xmath42 the @xmath33 transformation acts as follows , @xmath43 @xmath44 if instead of @xmath45 that specifies the frenet frame ( frenet gauge ) we select @xmath46 so that @xmath47 we arrive at bishop s parallel transport frame @xcite ; @xcite , @xcite that can be defined continuously and unambiguously through inflection points . we note that ( [ sot ] ) , ( [ sok ] ) can be interpreted in terms of a @xmath33 gauge multiplet @xcite : the change ( [ sot ] ) in @xmath48 is identical to the @xmath49 gauge transformation of a one - dimensional gauge vector while @xmath29 transforms like a component of a @xmath33 scalar doublet . this leads us to a gauge invariant quantity , the complex valued hashimoto variable @xcite @xmath50 when we combine ( [ sot ] ) with a @xmath51 rotation ( [ sok ] ) by @xmath46 around the @xmath52-direction of the @xmath38 lie algebra , the effect on ( [ hash1 ] ) can be summarized as follows , @xmath53 \cdot \left [ \exp\left(i\int_0^{s } \ ! \tau \,ds ' + i \eta(s ) \right ) \right ] \cdot e^ { i \eta(0 ) } { \label{hash2}}\ ] ] and thus the hasimoto variable @xmath54 is manifestly independent of @xmath46 . ( note however , that the @xmath55 dependence remains as an overall global phase ambiguity which is inherent to ( [ hash2 ] ) - the local gauge invariance becomes eliminated but a global one remains . ) in fact , the hasimoto variable simply combines the two real components of the @xmath33 scalar doublet into a single complex valued variable , with modulus that equals the frame independent _ a.k.a . _ gauge invariant geometric curvature of the curve . in particular the frenet frame is like the widely used `` unitary gauge '' in the abelian higgs model @xcite . we find this language of gauge transformations in connection of frame rotations introduced in @xcite to be intuitively appealing and beneficial , and we shall use it frequently in the sequel . we proceed to consider a continuous curve with @xmath56 inflection points at @xmath57 , @xmath58 for simplicity we assume that the inflection points are isolated and non - degenerate zeroes of the curvature @xmath59 a generalization to more involved inflection points is straightforward . we take the curve to be of class @xmath2 . this ensures that at each segment @xmath60 the curvature is of class @xmath61 . furthermore , since the inflection points are non - degenerate , as we approach an inflection point the left and right derivatives of the curvature are non - vanishing and in the limit when @xmath62 they become equal in magnitude but have an opposite sign , @xmath63 this jump in the derivative of the curvature is the signature of an inflection point in the frenet frame . but even though the curvature @xmath29 fails to be continuously differentiable the signed curvature @xmath64 with @xmath65 the unit step - function @xmath66 is now continuously differentiable for all @xmath67 $ ] and and in particular @xmath68 the original frenet curvature @xmath29 and the signed curvature @xmath69 are related by a gauge transformation ( [ sok ] ) of the frenet frame , with @xmath46 given by the following gauge transformation ( [ sot ] ) of the frenet torsion @xmath70 this can be immediately verified by comparing the form of ( [ tilde ] ) with that of the hashimoto variable ( [ hash1 ] ) , ( [ hash2 ] ) . we may call this gauge transformed version of the frenet frame the @xmath71-frenet frame , its discrete version will become important to us when we consider applications to folded proteins . for a concrete example we take the plane curve in figure 1 . for this curve , in the vicinity of the inflection point the frenet curvature has clearly a qualitative form that may be described by the absolute value of the kink - soliton profile ( [ ys ] ) , @xmath72\right|\ ] ] obviously the derivative of this curvature is discontinuous with a finite jump at the inflection point @xmath73 where @xmath10 . this discontinuity reflects itself in the abrupt change in the direction of the ( green ) normal vector @xmath4 , as depicted in figure 1 . the ensuing _ signed _ curvature ( [ tilde ] ) is qualitatively described by the kink - soliton ( [ ys ] ) @xmath74 { \label{ys2}}\ ] ] and it is manifestly continuously differentiable , including the point @xmath10 . now the direction of the corresponding normal vector is also continuous through the inflection point . this is because the change in its direction becomes compensated by the change in the sign of the signed curvature when we cross the inflection point ; see the blue vectors in figure 1 , and figure 6 . in the sequel we are primarily interested in an open and oriented , piecewise linear discrete curve that we describe by a three - vector @xmath75 . the parameter @xmath23 $ ] measures the arc length and @xmath24 is the total length of the curve . the curve is determined by its vertices @xmath76 that are located at the positions @xmath77 with @xmath78 . the endpoints of the curve are at @xmath79 and @xmath80 . the nearest neighbor vertices @xmath81 and @xmath82 are connected by the line segments @xmath83 where @xmath84 . we utilize the galilean invariance to translate the base of the curve to the origin in @xmath1 so that @xmath85 the remaining global rotational orientation of the curve can then be fully determined by the choice of @xmath86 and @xmath87 . for each pair of nearest neighbor vertices @xmath88 and @xmath89 along the curve we introduce the unit tangent vector @xmath90 if all tangent vectors are known , the position of the @xmath91 vertex is given by @xmath92 we now introduce the discrete frenet frame ( df frame ) at the vertex @xmath76 at @xmath93 . this can be done whenever the three vertices at @xmath88 , @xmath89 and @xmath94 are not located on a common line so that @xmath95 and @xmath96 are not parallel . this enables us to determine the unit binormal vector @xmath97 and the unit normal vector @xmath98 the orthogonal triplet @xmath99 constitutes the discrete frenet frame ( df frame ) for the curve at the position of the vertex @xmath100 for each @xmath101 , see figure 4 . and at each vertex there is an orthonormal discrete frenet frame ( @xmath102 ) , provided @xmath103 and @xmath104 are not parallel . , scaledwidth=40.0% ] we now proceed to derive a discretized version of the frenet equation ( df equation ) that relates the discrete frenet frame at vertex @xmath76 to the discrete frenet frame at vertex @xmath82 and allows for the construction of the curve in terms of the appropriate discrete versions of the curvature @xmath29 and torsion @xmath105 . from general considerations @xcite we conclude that the df equation should involve a transfer matrix @xmath106 that maps the df frame at the vertex @xmath107 to the df frame at the vertex @xmath108 , @xmath109 the construction of this transfer matrix then amounts to a solution of the df equation : @xmath110 so that once the transfer matrix is known for all @xmath111 , we can use ( [ r ] ) to construct all the frenet frames for @xmath112 and the entire curve @xmath113 using ( [ dfe ] ) together with the fact that the curve is linear in the intervals @xmath114 ; we recall that for the initial conditions we need to specify @xmath115 that we have already chosen to coincide with the origin @xmath116 , and @xmath117 and @xmath118 that remove the degeneracy under global @xmath38 rotations of the curve in @xmath1 . the transfer matrix @xmath119 is an element of the adjoint representation of @xmath38 , thus we can parametrize it in terms of euler angles . we choose the ( @xmath120 ) angles @xmath121 here the angular variables have the following ranges : for the inclination angle @xmath122 we take @xmath123\ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] and for the two azimuthal angles we choose @xmath124 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] and @xmath125 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] . note that since the angular variables are elements of the transfer matrix that takes the discrete frenet frame from the vertex @xmath107 to the vertex @xmath108 , they are all to be interpreted as link variables that are defined on the bonds connecting the vertices . from ( [ b ] ) we get the following condition @xmath126 thus for each bond @xmath127 @xmath128 and we conclude from ( [ t])-([n ] ) that for all @xmath107 we must have @xmath129 this simplifies the discrete frenet equation into @xmath130 here @xmath131 is the discrete _ bond angle _ and @xmath132 is the discrete _ torsion angle_. geometrically , the bond angle @xmath133 measures the angle between @xmath134 and @xmath95 around @xmath135 on the plane that is determined by the three vertices @xmath136 ( figure 5 ) . the torsion angle @xmath137 measures the angle between the two planes that are determined by the vertices @xmath138 and @xmath136 , respectively ( figure 5 ) . is determined by the three vertices @xmath138 . the torsion angle @xmath137 is the angle between the two planes determined by vertices @xmath138 and @xmath136 , scaledwidth=40.0% ] we give these planes an orientation in @xmath1 by extending the range of the torsion angle from @xmath139 $ ] into @xmath140 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] . this introduces a discrete @xmath71 symmetry @xmath141 that we find useful in the sequel . we recall the rodrigues formula @xmath142 where @xmath143 and @xmath144 are the @xmath38 matrices ( [ t ] ) and @xmath145 is a unit vector . with these we can write the transfer matrix as follows , @xmath146 where @xmath147\ ] ] and @xmath148 let us consider the effect of the discrete version of the local @xmath33 rotation ( [ newframe ] ) , @xmath149 for the covariance of the df equation under ( [ discso2 ] ) we need @xmath150 @xmath151 a direct computation shows that this implies the following transformation laws @xmath152 @xmath153 these are the discrete versions of the transformations of @xmath41 and @xmath42 in ( [ sot ] ) , ( [ sok ] ) respectively . explicitely , the gauge transformed transfer matrix is @xmath154 @xmath155 we have here used the notation @xmath156 and the corresponding general frame frenet equation is @xmath157 notice that even though the explicit matrix elements in ( [ exprd ] ) do not have a manifestly covariant form in terms of the link variables , the gauge transformed transfer matrix ( [ rd ] ) is by construction a covariant link variable . the different choices of @xmath158 in ( [ dfe3 ] ) correspond to different generalized frenet frames . we shall now verify that with the general version of transfer matrix ( [ exprd ] ) , this indeed yields the generalized frenet equation ( [ contso2 ] ) in the continuum limit where the distances between the vertices @xmath76 of the curve vanish , provided the limit is a class @xmath2 curve . @xmath159 we define @xmath160 where @xmath161 are some finite constants . when we expand ( [ dfe3 ] ) in @xmath162 we get in the leading order @xmath163 = \left ( \begin{matrix } 0 & ( \tau - \sigma ) & -\kappa \cos \eta \\ - ( \tau - \sigma ) & 0 & -\kappa \sin \eta \\ \kappa \cos \eta & \kappa \sin \eta & 0 \end{matrix } \right)_{\hskip -0.1 cm i+1,i } \left ( \begin{matrix } { \bf e}_{1 } \\ { \bf e } _ 2 \\ { \bf t } \end{matrix}\right)_i { \label{contfre}}\ ] ] if the @xmath164 exists it gives us the generalized continuum frenet equation ( [ contso2 ] ) , with the identification @xmath165 and the identification ( [ ident ] ) between the discrete torsion and curvature angles with their continuum counterparts . consider a piecewise linear curve that has a single isolated inflection point located at vertex @xmath76 ; a generalization to several inflection points and straight segments is straightforward . by assumption , the preceding vertex @xmath166 admits a frenet frame . since the tangent vectors @xmath104 and @xmath103 are parallel , at the vertex @xmath76 both the normal vector @xmath167 and the binormal vector @xmath168 of a frenet frame can not be determined and the frenet frame at @xmath76 can not be introduced . consequently the torsion angle @xmath169 can not be defined . but the definition of the bond angle involves only the tangent vectors so it can still be computed and from ( [ bond ] ) we get @xmath170 in order to introduce a framing of the curve that covers the vertex @xmath76 , we proceed as follows : we first deform the curve slightly by moving the vertex @xmath76 in a direction of some arbitrarily chosen vector @xmath171 that is not parallel with @xmath104 , @xmath172 here the limit @xmath164 is tacitly understood . the introduction of @xmath173 removes the inflection point from the shifted vertex @xmath174 and this enables us to introduce a @xmath173 dependent frenet frame at the shifted vertex @xmath174 . in the limit where @xmath162 vanishes we get a @xmath173 dependent frame at the original vertex @xmath76 , obtained by transferring the frenet frame from the vertex @xmath166 as follows , @xmath175 here @xmath176 is now some description _ i.e. _ explicitely @xmath173 dependent angle . in order to establish that the frame can be chosen in a @xmath173 independent manner we proceed to remove the explicit @xmath173 dependence . for this we introduce the gauge transformation ( [ gaugetheta ] ) in ( [ gtrs ] ) which sends @xmath177 since we have the original frenet frame at the vertex @xmath166 , we also have @xmath178 but @xmath179 is freely at our disposal and we may choose it so that any @xmath173 dependence becomes removed . this leaves us with a @xmath173 independent reminder that we may choose at our convenience , @xmath180 where @xmath181 is now by construction a @xmath173 independent quantity , at our disposal . different choices correspond to different gauges . since @xmath104 and @xmath182 are not parallel , we can proceed to construct a frame at vertex @xmath82 from the frame @xmath183 at vertex @xmath76 using the transfer matrix ( [ exprd ] ) . since the remaining gauge parameters @xmath184 with @xmath185 are all at our disposal , we may return to the frenet frame , or select any other convenient framing , at the vertex @xmath82 and at all subsequent vertices . if the goal is to approximate a continuous space curve , in the limit of vanishing bond length the gauge parameters @xmath184 should be selected in such a manner that in the continuum limit they yield the gauge function @xmath46 and so that the ensuing discrete transfer matrix smoothly goes over to its continuum limit ( [ contfre ] ) the transfer matrix @xmath186 determines the curve in @xmath1 up to rigid galilean motions _ i.e. _ global translations and spatial rotations . the improper spatial rotation group @xmath187 acts on each of the vertices @xmath188 in ( [ dfe ] ) by a rotation matrix @xmath189 that sends each of the @xmath188 into @xmath190 as a consequence only the global orientation of the curve in @xmath1 changes . an example is the improper rotation that inverts the curve in @xmath1 by reversing the direction of each tangent vector @xmath191 but with no effect on the @xmath192 and @xmath193 . from the explicit form of the transfer matrix in ( [ dfe2 ] ) we conclude that this corresponds to the following global version of ( [ gaugetheta ] ) , ( [ gaugepsi ] ) @xmath194 that is , @xmath195 for all @xmath107 . consequently if we include this improper rotation in our gauge structure we can restrict the range of @xmath196 from @xmath197 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] to @xmath198 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] , but we prefer to continue with the extended range . similarly , we can introduce the improper rotation that sends @xmath199 with no effect on @xmath95 and @xmath192 . since the @xmath95 remain intact the curve does not change , and from the df equation ( [ dfe2 ] ) we conclude that this corresponds to the following global @xmath71 transformation @xmath200 this is the @xmath71 symmetry that we have introduced in ( [ z2 ] ) , to extend the range of @xmath201 from @xmath202 $ ] to @xmath203 \ { \rm mod}(2\pi)$ ] . we note that this symmetry of the underlying curve can not be reproduced by the gauge transformation ( [ gaugetheta ] ) , ( [ gaugepsi ] ) , nevertheless the curve remains intact since the @xmath104 do not change . another useful discrete transformation in our subsequent discrete curve analysis is the proper rotation that at a given vertex @xmath76 sends @xmath204 but with no effect on @xmath205 so that the curve remains intact . this rotation is obtained by selecting @xmath206 and with all @xmath207 at the preceding vertices @xmath208 ( with @xmath209 ) . since the @xmath210 appears in the gauge transformation law of both @xmath211 and @xmath212 , this leads to the following realization of the gauge transformation ( [ gaugetheta ] ) , ( [ gaugepsi ] ) @xmath213 if we generalize this gauge transformation by selecting @xmath214 with @xmath215 where the vertex @xmath76 is preselected , the gauge transformation becomes @xmath216 since the bond angle is the discrete version of the frenet curvature ( [ ident ] ) , we recognize here the discrete analog of the continuum gauge transformation ( [ tilde ] ) , ( [ contgau ] ) . for a piecewise linear discretization of a plane curve such as the one figure 1 , this enables us to introduce a framing that captures the kink - soliton behaviour ( [ ys ] ) , ( [ ys2 ] ) of the inflection point , with the change of sign in curvature at the soliton position ( figure 6 ) . ( red ) of the discrete approximation can be chosen so that two neighbors are never parallel and thus a discrete frenet frame can be introduced at each vertex . when we pass through the inflection point the direction of the binormal vectors following ( @xmath217 ) becomes reflected in the plane into ( @xmath218 ) and there is a discontinuity in the frenet framing . but if we introduce the gauge transformation ( [ dsgau ] ) at vertices after the inflection point , the ensuing framing ( @xmath219 ) is continuous . , scaledwidth=60.0% ] an example of problems where the present formalism can be applied is the construction of a discrete and piecewise linear curve from the known values of its bond and torsion angles . these angles can be constructed for example using an energy principle to locate a minimum energy configuration of some energy functional @xmath220 we may define the angles using the frenet frame . examples of energy functionals have been discussed in @xcite , @xcite . three vertices are needed to specify the position and the overall rotational orientation of the curve . to compute a single bond angle from the curve , we need three vertices while for the torsion angle we need four ; see figure 5 . consequently from the first three initial positions of the curve , @xmath221 , we can compute the first bond angle @xmath222 . but in order to compute the first pair @xmath223 we also need to specify @xmath224 . here we are interested in the inverse problem where the set of angles @xmath225 are assumed to be known . depending on the boundary conditions for the energy functional , the known initial data may also include numerical values of @xmath226 , even though @xmath227 lacks a geometric interpretation . in such a case we can immediately proceed to the computation of the entire curve using ( [ dfe2 ] ) or alternatively using the transfer matrix ( [ dfe3 ] ) , starting from an initial choice of frame @xmath228 . different initial choices are related to each other by _ global _ _ i.e. _ index @xmath107 independent parameter @xmath229 in ( [ gaugetheta ] ) , ( [ gaugepsi ] ) . we get both the frame at the vertex @xmath230 and its location @xmath231 when we also employ ( [ dfe ] ) , starting from a given initial value @xmath232 . in general we expect to have a situation where the three first points @xmath221 are given . from these points we get the two tangent vectors @xmath233 and @xmath234 . we then use ( [ b ] ) , ( [ n ] ) to complete the frenet frame at the location @xmath86 . we identify the bond angle @xmath222 with the angle between the two vectors @xmath233 and @xmath235 using ( [ bond ] ) . this bond angle may or may not be determined by the energy functional . if it is determined , the angle between @xmath233 and @xmath235 is determined and instead of fully specifying @xmath236 we only need to specify its distance from @xmath86 and the remaining directional angle that we may call @xmath227 . for a practical algorithmic implementation the following choice can be convenient , @xmath237 @xmath238 @xmath239 @xmath240 where we have introduced the notation @xmath241 for the segment lengths . the generalized frenet frame together with the corresponding location of the vertex @xmath242 can then be computed by iterative application of @xmath243 this can be directly generalized into @xmath244 where @xmath245 is the matrix ( [ exprd ] ) and the @xmath246 are the components of the vector @xmath247 when @xmath248 ( and @xmath249 ) we obtain the transfer matrix ( [ genet ] ) with @xmath250 the tangent vector of the curve , while for general @xmath251 the tangent of the curve is in the direction of @xmath252 in the @xmath253 frame . thus this transfer matrix provides a rule for transporting an _ a priori _ arbitrarily oriented orthogonal frame along the curve . of particular interest is the construction of a discrete version of bishop s parallel transport frame @xcite , as a gauge transformed version of the discrete frenet frame . since the frenet frame starts with @xmath223 and can be constructed once @xmath254 are known ( unless we introduce @xmath227 which lacks a geometric interpretation ) , we assume this to be the case . the discrete version of bishop s frame is obtained by gauge transformation from the frenet frame , by demanding that @xmath255 we can freely choose @xmath256 as an initial condition , and consequently we arrive at bishop s frame by selecting @xmath257 for @xmath258 we get similarly from @xmath259 that @xmath260 and thus the discrete version of bishop s parallel transport frame is related to the discrete frenet frame by gauge transformations @xmath261 when we substitute this in ( [ exprd ] ) with ( [ thetad ] ) , we find that the transfer matrix ( [ exprd ] ) simplifies into @xmath262 where now @xmath263 and with ( [ dfe3 ] ) , we can construct the discrete version of bishop s parallel transport frame at each vertex @xmath76 . as an application we utilize the df equation to investigate the framing of the folded proteins in the protein data bank ( pdb ) @xcite . we are particularly interested in the existence and characterization of a _ preferred _ framing that derives and directly reflects the physical properties of the folded proteins . the identification of such a preferred framing , if it exists , should help to pinpoint the physical principles that determine how proteins fold . from the pdb we get the three dimensional coordinates of all the different atoms in a folded protein . the overall fold geometry is described by the location of the central @xmath3 carbons that determine the protein backbone . we take the @xmath3 carbons to be the vertices in a discrete and piecewise linear curve that models the backbone . we then use the @xmath3 coordinates to compute the corresponding frenet framing . for this we first apply ( [ t ] ) , ( [ b ] ) , ( [ n ] ) to obtain the orthonormal basis vectors at each vertex . we then construct the transfer matrices by evaluating the bond and torsion angles from ( [ bond ] ) and ( [ tors ] ) . we start by analyzing in detail an explicit example , the chicken villin headpiece subdomain hp35 ( pdb code 1yrf @xcite ) . this is a naturally existing 35-residue protein , with three @xmath265-helices separated from each other by two loops . this protein continues to be the subject to very extensive studies both experimentally @xcite-@xcite and theoretically @xcite-@xcite . we note that the overall resolution in the experimental x - ray data in pdb is 1.07a in rmsd @xcite . we first compute the backbone frenet frame bond and torsion angles ( @xmath266 ) from the pdb coordinates of the hp35 @xmath3 carbons . the result is shown in figure 7 ( left ) . gauge transformations ( [ dsgau ] ) at the loop regions . the result clearly reveals the presence of inflection points , they are located between the sites where the ( gauge transformed ) bond angle changes its sign . this can also be used to dentify the center of the loop . note how closely the profile of the bond angle in the right hand side picture resembles that of the kink - soliton in the _ r.h.s . _ of figure 2 . , scaledwidth=100.0% ] we inquire whether the loop regions contain inflection points . as we have previously explained for example in connection of figure 6 , the inflection points can be difficult to identify in terms of the bond angles of the discrete frenet framing alone . but as apparent from figure 6 , we can expect that an inflection point is located in the vicinity of vertices where the frenet frame torsion angle is subject to strong local fluctuations . thus we proceed to inspect the data in figure 7 ( left ) using the gauge transformation ( [ dsgau ] ) to scrutinize the loop regions where the frenet torsion angle in figure 7 ( left ) is strongly fluctuating . this leads us to a particular version of the @xmath71 frenet frame , with bond and torsion angles as in figure 7 ( right ) . by comparing the bond angles in figure 7 ( right ) with the kink - soliton profile in the right hand side of figure 2 we observe that the bond angles of our gauge transformed frames at each of the loops have assumed the distinctive hallmark profile of a ( discrete ) kink - soliton that interpolates between the adjacent @xmath265-helices . in particular , we can unambiguously pinpoint the centers of the loops to the locations of the inflection points on the curve : the inflection points are between the vertices where the bond angle in our gauge transformed frame changes its sign . we have performed a similar analysis to several proteins in the pdb , and some of our results where the techniques of the present article are utilized have been reported in @xcite , @xcite , @xcite . the results are remarkably consistent : in every secondary superstructure that we have studied where a loop connects two @xmath265-helices and/or @xmath267-strands , after appropriate @xmath71 gauge transformations the profile of the bond angles in the loop can be described with sub - angstrm accuracy in terms of a discrete version of the kink - soliton in figure 2 . the two asymptotic ground states at @xmath268 in this figure correspond to the @xmath265-helices and/or @xmath267-strands at the ends of the loop . for the @xmath265-helices we have the frenet frame values very close to @xmath269 the @xmath267 strands can also be interpreted as helices , but in the `` collapsed '' limit with the approximative values @xmath270 consequently it appears that these @xmath265-helix/@xmath267-strand - loop - @xmath265-helix/@xmath267-strand superstructures are indeed _ inflection point solitons _ with the qualitative profile of ( [ ys ] ) . we remark that a long loop may also consist of a number of inflection points _ i.e. _ it can be a multi - soliton configuration . in every amino acid except glycine , there is a @xmath0 carbon that is covalently bonded to a @xmath3 carbon . the positioning of these @xmath0 carbons in relation to their @xmath3 carbons characterizes the relative orientation of the amino acid side chains along the protein backbone , and can be used to introduce a distinctive framing of the backbone ; the case of glycine can be treated like that of an inflection point . since the interactions between different amino acids are presumed to have a pivotal rle both during the folding process and in the stabilization of the native fold , the @xmath0 framing should be a natural choice to intimately reflect the physical principles that determine the fold geometry of the backbone . consequently one way to try and understand the physical principles that determine how a protein folds , could be to investigate the @xmath0 framing along the protein backbone . here we propose that a practical approach is to look for gauge parameters ( [ discso2 ] ) that relate the @xmath0 frames to some purely geometrically determined frames such as the frenet frames or parallel transport frames . the identification of the rules that determine the relevant gauge parameters @xmath158 should then provide insight to the physical principles that underlie the protein folding phenomenon . the @xmath0 framing is constructed from the tangent vectors @xmath35 of the backbone and the unit vectors @xmath271 that point from the @xmath3 carbons towards their @xmath0 carbon . the framing is obtained by gram - schmidt algorithm , by first introducing the unit vector @xmath272 and then completing it into an orthonormal frame @xmath273 at each @xmath3 vertex , where @xmath274 in order to characterize the rules that determine the gauge parameter @xmath158 relating a @xmath0 frame to the corresponding frenet frame , we have investigated the statistical distribution of the @xmath275 vectors in the pdb proteins in the frenet framing of the backbone . for this we introduce , at each backbone vertex , the inclination angle @xmath276 $ ] between the tangent vector @xmath104 and the corresponding vector @xmath275 , together with the azimuthal angle @xmath277 $ ] between the normal vector @xmath167 and the projection of @xmath275 on the @xmath278 plane ; see figure 8 . and @xmath279 that describe the location of the @xmath280 @xmath0 carbon with respect to the frenet frame along the @xmath3 backbone . the distance between the @xmath3 and @xmath0 carbons is within the range of 1.56 - 1.57 a. , scaledwidth=50.0% ] 0.3 cm we first consider the @xmath0 framing of the hp35 . when we compute the directions of the individual vectors @xmath275 in the frenet frame , we get the result that we display in figure 9 . in the frenet frame along 1yrf backbone . the blue dots are the @xmath3 carbons in the helices , and the red dots are the @xmath3 carbons that are located in the loops . , scaledwidth=60.0% ] remarkably , the directions of the @xmath275 vectors in the frenet frame are _ relatively _ site independent . this implies that at least in the case of hp35 , the parameters @xmath158 that relate the @xmath0 frame to the frenet frame can be assigned to a high accuracy a constant and site independent value : the physically determined orthonormalized @xmath0 frame appears to differ from the purely geometrically determined frenet frame only by small nutations in the direction of the vectors @xmath271 in the frenet frame . we observe that these nutations are somewhat smaller in the helix regions that in the loops . we conclude that since the frenet framing of hp35 is determined entirely by the backbone geometry so are the orientations of the amino acids , with a surprisingly good accuracy . in the general case , we have inspected the correlation between the @xmath0 framing and the frenet framing by performing a statistical analysis of the directional distribution of the @xmath271-vectors in the backbone frenet frames for all amino acids in pdb . our results are summarized by figure 10 carbon vectors @xmath271 for all sites of all proteins presently in pdb , with color intensity proportional to the number of vectors . for @xmath265-helices _ ( left ) _ , the direction of @xmath271 nutates very little around the direction @xmath281 . for @xmath267-strands _ ( right ) _ the nutation is somewhat more spread , but still very clearly concentrated around @xmath282 . finally , for loops _ ( center ) _ we observe the formation of a narrow arc that connects the @xmath265 and @xmath267 directions . , scaledwidth=80.0% ] where we display the statistical distribution of the angles @xmath283 that we have defined in figure 8 . we have used the pdb definition to identify the three structures we display separately ( @xmath265-helix , @xmath267-strand , loop ) but we note that there are sometimes ambiguities in determining whether a particular amino acid belongs to a @xmath265-helix , @xmath267-strand or a loop in particular when the amino acid is located in the vicinity of the border between these three classes . we find that the observation we have made in the case of hp35 persists : the orientations of the @xmath0 carbons in the frenet frames are quite inert and essentially protein and amino acid independent . there is only a slight nutation around the statistical average value . furthermore , the directions for the @xmath265-helices and @xmath267-strands are also almost the same , the difference in the statistical average is surprisingly small but nevertheless noticeable . in the case of loops , we find that the statistical distribution of the vector @xmath271 in the frenet frame displays a thin band that connects the @xmath265-helices and @xmath267-strands . this universality is somewhat unexpected , since only a small proportion of the loops connect an @xmath265-helix with a @xmath267-strand . the overlapping regions between the three different classes in the kent plots of figure 10 can be at least partly explained by the uncertainty in classifying amino acids in the vicinity of the border regions . we expect that a careful scrutiny of the class assignments of these amino acids will sharpen our statistical results . alternatively , our approach could be developed into a technique to determine a more definite classification of those amino acids that are located in the border regions separating the @xmath265-helices , @xmath267-strands and the loops from each other . but even at this level of classifying the amino acids the results of our analysis imply that almost independently of the protein , when we traverse its backbone by orienting the camera gaze direction so that it remains fixed in the frenet frames , the directions of the @xmath0 carbons are subject to only small nutations . in figure 11 we display the histograms for the components of the @xmath0 vectors @xmath275 in terms of the @xmath284 and @xmath285 angles defined in figure 8 . these histograms confirm that the directional variations of the @xmath275 are surprisingly inert . angles displayed in figure 10 . for all @xmath0 in the pdb . the histogram shows how the directions are subject to only very small deviations around their average values . , scaledwidth=80.0% ] finally , we have found that in bishop s parallel transport frame the direction of the @xmath0 carbon does not lead to such a regular structure formation as in the frenet frame ; see figure 12 where we plot the statistical distributions of the vectors @xmath271 in the bishop s frames . carbons are distributed in a longitudinally uniform manner inside a segment of the kent sphere . , scaledwidth=60.0% ] we have scrutinized the problem of frame determination along piecewise linear discrete curves , including those with inflection points . our approach is based on the transfer matrix method that has been previously applied extensively to investigate discrete integrable systems and lattice field theories . the introduction of a transfer matrix enables us to describe a framing in a covariant manner , with different frames related to each other by @xmath33 gauge transformations that correspond to rotations in the normal planes of the curve . in particular our construction is not based on , and does not involve , any discretization of a continuum equation . consequently we can effortlessly describe curves that become fractals in the limit where the lattice spacing _ a.k.a . _ the length of line segments vanishes . but we have also verified that if the continuum limit exists as a class @xmath2 differentiable curve , we arrive at the generalized version of the continuum frenet equation . furthermore , the manifest covariance of our formalism under frame rotations enables us to investigate the framing of a physically determined discrete curve in a manner where the framing is based on , and captures the properties of the underlying physical system . consequently we expect that our formalism has wide applications to the visualization of discrete curves and the determination of camera gaze positions in a variety of scenarios . one notable outcome of our analysis is the identification of inflection points with the centers of loops , and the interpretation of loops as kink - solitons . in @xcite , @xcite we have already applied this identification to develop an ansatz based on ( [ ys ] ) , to succesfully describe the native folds of pdb proteins in terms of elementary functions . as an example we have investigated the framing of folded proteins in the protein data bank . in this case no _ valable _ continuum description exist , due to the fact that the universality class of folded proteins is characterized by the presence of a nontrivial hausdorff dimension . consequently any framing of folded proteins should be inherently discrete . in order to introduce a framing that directly relates to the physical properties of a folded protein , we have employed the relative orientation of the @xmath0 carbons in the amino acids with respect to the ensuing backbone central @xmath3 carbons . we have statistically analyzed the relative orientation of these @xmath0 frames to the geometrically determined frenet frames of the pdb proteins . we have found that the two framings are almost identical , they differ from each other only by a practically amino acid independent global frame rotation : for the @xmath265-helices the nutation in the orientation of the @xmath0 carbons in the frenet frame is _ very _ sharply concentrated around its statistically determined average direction . for @xmath267-strands the result is very similar , with only a relatively small increase in the amplitude of nutations . finally , in the case of loops we find that the orientation of the @xmath0 carbons oscillates along a narrow circular arc that connects the @xmath265-helices and @xmath267-carbons . in each case we have used the definition employed in the protein data bank to identify the helix / loop class of the amino acid , and we note that the existing criteria for determining this class in the case of an amino acid that is located in the vicinity of the terminals of each structure is subject to interpretations . consequently we propose that there are several border line cases that interfere destructively with the accuracy of our statistically determined results . we hope that our framing technique will eventually provide a refinement of the existing classification principles . the biophysical interpretation and biological relevance of our observations will be reported elsewhere . we thank maxim chernodub for many valuable discussions and jack quine for communications .

arxiv

Why should we extend the radio antenna to make it work though we board on enough height? [closed] **Closed.** This question is [off-topic](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers. --- This question appears to be about **engineering**, which is the application of scientific knowledge to construct a solution to solve a specific problem. As such, it is off topic for this site, which deals with the **science**, whether theoretical or experimental, of how the natural world works. For more information, see [this meta post](https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/4536/). Closed 7 years ago. [Improve this question](/posts/252404/edit) The old FM radios have an antenna to receive radio frequencies and work on them. If I am in ground floor, I have to extend or spread the antenna to make the radio work. Now if I go to the first or second floor, still then I have to extend the antenna. Why the radio does not work there with the antenna closed or not extended ? The reception of an em wave by an antenna is greatly enhanced if the length of the antenna is in some way related to the wavelength of the em wave. It is a resonance effect. So for a whip antenna the best reception is when the length of the antenna is slightly less than a quarter of a wavelength and for a dipole it should be slightly less than half a wavelength. The fm signal is probably polarised and so it is worth trying see the difference between having the antenna horizontal and vertical or possibly somewhere in between. Antennas are also directional and so it is worth rotating a horizontal antenna in the horizontal plane and find a position where the signal is weakest and then rotate the antenna through 90 degrees. All in all you are trying to pick up a weak signal as efficiently as possible.

stackexchange/physics

Pawlak is a Polish surname, it may refer to: People Alicja Pawlak, Polish footballer Krzysztof Pawlak born 1958, retired Polish football player Mariusz Pawlak born 1972, retired Polish professional footballer Mark Pawlak born 1948, Polish-American poet and educator Mirosław Pawlak born 1942, Polish politician Paul Pawlak, Sr., American politician Paul Pawlak born 1940, former American football coach in the United States Stanisław Pawlak born 1933, Polish diplomat and international law scholar Szymon Pawlak born 1987, Polish footballer Waldemar Pawlak born 1959, Polish politician Zdzisław Pawlak, inventor of the negabinary -2 base numeral system used in UMC computers Other First Cabinet of Waldemar Pawlak 1992, a Polish government Second Cabinet of Waldemar Pawlak 19931995, a Polish government See also Palak Pawlas Pawlik Polak

wikipedia

From where comes the raindrop? First off all, I've no knowledge of how all this works. I've only got some common sense of "how things work"... But I've been wondering this for quite a long time now, so maybe you guys can help me. The question is rather simple: Where does the raindrop come from? And with that I mean: The raindrop that just hit the ground, where did that come from? From the clouds that are right above me, in front of me, or back of me? So let's say that we've got these 3 possibilities, which one is the most likely one? The first one, where the rain is traveling with the same speed horizontal as the cloud it came from: (so it came from the cloud directly above me)  The second one, where the rain is traveling faster than the clouds (due to wind?). So that the rain came from the cloud that yet has to pass me.  The third one, (And i do think that this is the right one) is that the rain is falling slower (horizontally seen) than the cloud (because the cloud is lighter). So that the rain that hits the ground came from the cloud that already past me.  An another possibility is that the rain is going left and right, (keeping it 2D for simplicity) because of the different wind regions (in the high clouds, the wind goes from left to right, but lower it goes from right to left). Is there even an "right" answer for this? Or are there too many variables that could change everything? And could you please explain it as simple as possible? I've got zero knowledge in this area... Suppose a rather simple case where the wind is completely uniform, so it has the same strength and direction at all altitudes and all times (highly unlikely)! Then the horizontal motion of the raindrop will be ambivalent to the wind, moving with it from the moment it leaves the cloud until the moment it falls on your head. The consequence is that the cloud will be directly overhead at the moment of impact, though it was far upwind when the drop began to fall. Now most likely, the wind will become less strong, and also backed (more to the left) closer to the ground. The effect is that if you stand with your back to the wind, the cloud from which the rain landing on your head came will be slightly ahead of you and slightly to your right. The droplets are falling pretty much exactly vertically down from the viewpoint of the moving air mass at the given place because friction would almost immediately eliminate any relative motion of the droplets and the air (except for its vertical portion which is driven by gravity). In other words, the horizontal speed in the $x,y$ directions is equal to the local velocity (speed with direction) of the wind. If there is no wind, the droplets are falling from the point directly above you. Obviously, there is no correlation between the direction from which the droplets are coming and the direction where you turned your head. The vertical speed of the droplets is of order 10 m/s or less. So if the wind speed is also 10 m/s, the angle where the droplets are coming from is 45 degrees. If the wind is faster, the trajectories of the droplets are more horizontal than 45 degrees; if the wind is slower, the trajectory is more vertical. The wind speed may also depend on the altitude. This is in addition to Luboš Motl's answer. Due to the friction, the rain drops move with the wind while falling. ~~So, on windy days, with the wind in the back, the cloud will always be behind you.~~  When we say, the falling speed of $10 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}$ is fixed, the angle $\vartheta$ corresponds directly to the wind speed over $$\vartheta = \arctan{\left( \frac{\text{wind speed}}{10 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}} \right)}$$ Lets say the *wind speed* is $10 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}$ as well, then the angle $\vartheta$ is $45^\circ$. If the wind speed is $0 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}$, so that there is no wind at all, the angle $\vartheta$ is $0$ $\leftrightarrow$ the cloud is directly above you. ~~So, when your with your back to the wind, the cloud is always behind you.~~ So, because the clouds move with the same speed than the drops/wind speed while the drop is falling, even on windy days, the cloud will always be above you. But this is just an approximation. E.g. in reality, the wind speed varies with height. Sorry for the wrong answer at first! You can actually see rain falling from distant clouds. The best situation to see it is a hot summer day that gives birth to a relatively isolated cloudburst a few miles away, where you can watch from the top of a hill. Before the rain, the bottom of the cloud is more or less well-defined and cloudy-looking, with same sort of "tufty" texture that you're accustomed to seeing around the tops of clouds. The rain, by contrast, looks like a curtain of grey fog that takes a half-minute or a minute to grow from the bottom of the cloud to the ground. Compared to the size of the cloud, the rain goes straight down. Here are some excellent photos of rain beneath a thundercloud [via Phil Plait](http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/08/01/mesocyclone_photo_of_storm_cell_wins_nat_geo_photo_contest.html):   You can clearly see the rain — a poorly-defined grey cloudiness — under the thunderhead in the second photo. This looks like a pretty big storm, so the rain has some lateral motion to it, but for the most part it is more or less directly under the cloud. If you have some time to watch a [this time-lapse video](http://vimeo.com/95819708), the cloudbursts start about a minute and a half in.

stackexchange/physics

Miroslav Úradník (born 24 March 1996) is a Slovakian racewalking athlete. He represented Slovakia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the men's 20 kilometres walk. Career Úradník represented Slovakia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the men's 20 kilometres walk and finished in 41st place. Competition record References 1996 births Living people Slovak male racewalkers Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Slovakia

slim_pajama

Q: Task :app:transformClassesWithMultidexlistForDebug FAILED A lot of people had the same error and most of their solutions worked, but not for me. I just can't see to run the code. I tried clean/rebuild, multiDexEnabled true, I also tried tweaking the .gradle file which I just don't understand. apply plugin: 'com.android.application' android { compileSdkVersion 29 buildToolsVersion "29.0.2" defaultConfig { applicationId "com.example.qrbarcodescanner" minSdkVersion 15 targetSdkVersion 29 versionCode 1 versionName "1.0" testInstrumentationRunner "androidx.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner" multiDexEnabled true } buildTypes { release { minifyEnabled false proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro' } } } dependencies { implementation fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar']) implementation 'me.dm7.barcodescanner:zxing:1.9' implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.1.0' implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:1.1.3' testImplementation 'junit:junit:4.12' androidTestImplementation 'androidx.test:runner:1.3.0-alpha02' androidTestImplementation 'androidx.test.espresso:espresso-core:3.3.0-alpha02' } I just want to get rid of the pesky Task :app:transformClassesWithMultidexlistForDebug FAILED error. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you

slim_pajama

Glee, Middle 1. Chapter 1 "I don't know you want me to come down and practice at the shop." Blaine told Finn, for what felt like the hundredth time. Ever since Kurt and he had split, Blaine had been waiting for Kurt's Step-Brother Finn, to come after him. Instead, it seemed Finn didn't blame him as much as Blaine thought he would have. Sure he had tried out for a part for Grease for the musical, but just to release his feelings. When they gave him the part for Teen Angel, he reluctantly agreed. Sam had gotten the part he wanted, and the new guy Ryder, got the part of Danny. In order to get them in the groove repair shop's Greased Lightnin' scene, they would all be practicing at Kurt's Dads auto repair shop. Finally, he agreed to go and sing before all the others had arrived. As he walked into the shop door the smell hit him first; grease, sweat, and oil. It was rather loud in the back part where the garage doors were open to let cars in for repairs. Finn was talking to a guy at the counter, and when he caught his eye, he smiled. "Go ahead and head to the back. Burt has cleaned off the stage for us." he smiled, pointing the way. "Righttt...he had forgotten that when the Glee club had become Kurt's largest source of happiness, his dad had set a little raised platform he used for motorcycle repairs aside as a small stage. As he walked through the next door, he caught Burt's' eye while in the office. He was on the phone so he couldn't talk, but he did wave his hand and smile as a greeting. Nodding, Blaine walked a bit quicker; Burt didn't know Kurt had broken up with him. He didn't want to be around when he found that out. Throwing his bag on a chair, he sighed and looked around, trying not to think of when he had been so happy with Kurt. Momentarily turning to look back toward the front door, he found a new source to take his mind off his woes. The guy Finn was talking to was...cool...and for some reason the word "awesomeness" seemed a perfect word to describe him. Brown curly hair, slim build, no tan yet not as white as a ghost, and a very, very nice face. Feeling a little tug from below he glanced down. It seemed his dick agreed with how good looking this guy was. The guy glanced at him for second, and then met his eye. Blaine gave slight smile, then realizing what he was doing, he turned away. Embarrassed, he felt heat creeping up his neck. Taking a couple of breaths, he casually turned back around; he met the guys' gaze again, and then his attention went back to Finn as they started to talk once more. After a few more words, Blaine saw him nod, and Finn turned and walked to the office door, telling Burt something. A moment later, Finn joined Blaine in the back. Finn started to talk to him, but Blaine wasn't listening, the customer was looking at him as he casually sat down on a chair next to the shop door. This time, it was this turn to blush. "Hello, earth to Blaine Anderson." Finn said loudly, snapping his fingers in his face. "What?" he said startled. Looking at him, Finn glanced through the door and saw the object that was the cause of his distraction. "Oh, that's just a customer who needs his car fixed before he can make it to Indiana. As you can see," Finn gestured at an old beat up car being lifted above the repair pit. "It's about to fall apart. He says it doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough to make it home." Finn explained. "What's his name?" Blaine asked, trying to sound less interested than he really was. "Axl Heck." he said, looking down at the receipt. Walking over to the junker, he slapped the note on the windshield. "So, let's hear what you can do." he said to Blaine with a big dopey smile. "Finn," said Blaine. "You know exactly what I can do." he finished, exasperated. "Humor me." he replied. Sighing, Blaine made his way over to the stage and jumped up as Finn went to his drum set. Keeping the beat for Beauty School Dropout, Blaine began. He didn't need the sheet music, knowing almost every song by heart. Though he was able to keep time, Blaine kept missing the notes. This was odd; he never had a problem finding the right pitch. It seemed Blaine's subconscious mind was too troubled to work properly. Trying once more, and again failing, he hung his head. There was no way he could sing on pitch without some help. "This isn't going to work Finn; I just can't do it today without at least the base chords." Blaine told Finn miserably. Finn gave him a look, and then he stared at the beat up car that belonged to the customer. It looked like he was debating to bring something up. Looking up at Blaine, he raised an eyebrow "Do you at least know all the chords to the song?" Finn asked him. "Of course, but why does that matter?" Blaine said with a sigh. Holding up a finger, Finn rose and went back to the car and looked in the passenger seat. Walking swiftly back to the front, he pushed through the shop doors, and approached the guy sitting by the door. Blaine couldn't hear what passed between the two. The guy nodded, and then got up out of his seat. Following Finn, he joined him in the back. Blaine watched as the guy went to his car and opened the same door Finn at peeked in at. Moments later, the guy joined Finn by the set with a guitar strapped around his neck. Blaine looked puzzled as he looked at Finn. "This is Axl; I noticed he had a guitar, so I assumed he could play it, which he can. He's going to be playing the chords for us as you sing and I keep time. Write down the chords and how many measures long they last for." Shrugging, Blaine went to his bag and pulled out a piece of staff paper and wrote them down then handed them to Axl. Tuning his guitar and playing a couple of notes, then nodded. So, Blaine began again, and this time, he was able to keep the pitch, and had no more trouble. When the rest of the guys from Glee arrived, Blaine got down and thanked Finn, and he finally got to speak directly to Axl. "No problem, bro." he said, smiling. Not being able to help it, Blaine blushed again and looked down at the ground. Axl walked with his guitar back to his car. He opened the door and it swung out faster than usual, causing him to drop it. A couple of strings snapped as it hit the ground. He stood there for a moment, then swore rather loudly. Sighing, he picked the guitar up and placed it back in it's case, face red with frustration. Closing the door, he listened as Finn told him it would be a little over an hour before his car was ready. Looking at the car, where Axl's guitar fell, he informed him that the service was 50% off. Nodding, Axl returned to the lobby and took his earlier seat. There were already two workers under the car while it was over the repair pit. Blaine thanked Finn, knuckle bumped with Sam, and finally exited the back. Making his way to the door, he caught Axl's eye, and he smiled at him. Stopping for a moment, he turned to Axl, and once again thanked him. "Thanks again, I must have sounded horrible back there." Blaine said, trying to sound amused, hoping he was wrong. "Oh my God," said Axl, rolling his eyes. "You sounded really good. I have a band at home in Indiana with my best friends Shawn and Darren. Though, none of us can really sing, we just do it to make noise and mess with my Mom." Axl finished. God, this guy is hot…Blaine thought. He felt another tub below and he briefly glanced down before he could stop himself as the bulge in his crotch made very visible move. Axl followed his gaze and smirked, looking away. Furious with himself, he made his way to open the door but once again, paused. Axl hadn't seemed grossed put off by the event. Biting his lip, Blaine took a chance. "Since it's going to be a while before your car is ready, why don't I get you a coffee at Bread Stix. As a thank you for the help." Blaine said in a rush. Axl looked at him, and then gave a slight nod. Standing, they made their way out the door, just as the guys began to practice their shop scene in Grease. As they walked, Blaine was trying to figure out how he could get into Axl's pants. Yes, he was depressed and missed Kurt like crazy, but what he needed right now, much like back at the shop, was a distraction. His thoughts were interrupted however "So, that guy at the shop said you usually didn't need anyone to help you keep pitch, what ever that is. Why couldn't you today?" Axl asked him casually. "Oh, well, it's kind of complicated. My boyfriend graduated last year, and he's in New York and we haven't been able to see each other. I got lonely, so I met a friend and fooled around with him. Afterwards I felt like crap and had to tell Kurt. After which he broke up with me. It was hard for me this afternoon because the whole shop reminded me of him since it belongs to his dad. I guess to put it simply, I couldn't concentrate." Blaine told Axl. He had stopped and looked at Blaine. "Oh crap." he thought. He hadn't meant to go that into it. "Sorry, didn't mean to gush." Blaine said, expecting Axl to start walking back to the shop than be seen with a gay guy. He looked at Blaine with an odd expression. Then he nodded and started walking again. Taken a back by his laid back attitude was a relief. Smiling, they continued on their way. "How long had it been when you decided to get some?" Axl asked nonchalantly. "Almost three months." Blaine replied sadly. "Dude! What did he expect? I wouldn't have lasted a week. I mean, your hand can only do so much before it runs out of ideas." said Axl exasperated. "What?" Blaine said, amused enough to stop again. Had Axl just made a comment about jacking off? "Oh my God, every guy does it. Some more than others. Though I guess," here, Axl looked him up and down and continued, "Usually those of us that are way hotter than most guys shouldn't have to do it much." Axl finished. It was clear that Blaine was one of those Axl deemed "hotter than most guys". Blaine gave a quick nod and a small smile. Axl smiled at him awkwardly, as if not knowing what to say next. Blaine looked down at his watch and realized they have been walk so slow, there was no way they would make it to Bread Stix get something and have time to get back now. "You know, I'm really sorry your guitar broke. In a way it was my fault. You wouldn't have had to get it out if I could just have sung right" Blaine said to him, his voice becoming husky, taking a half step forward. "Oh, don't wo-" Axl began, but Blaine cut him off before he could finish. "I'd like to find a way to express my thanks..." Blaine let that hang in the air, watching as Axl's face started to turn red. 2. Chapter 2 "I-"Axl began, than broke off, giving Blaine a sharp look. "You said yourself hot guys like us shouldn't have to use our own hands." he said slyly. When Axl still didn't respond, Blaine went on. "When was the last time you didn't have to use your own hands?" he cocked his head at Axl. He was having fun watching the color of Axl's skin change from a slight pink color to a pale red. Looking down at his feet, Blaine saw his lips move as he mumbled something, but he couldn't make out. "What?" he asked in a soft voice. "Never." he whispered, so low that Blaine barely heard. While Axl was looking down, Blaine let his face break into a broad smile, _Perfect, he's untouched_. He thought smugly. "I'm not into dudes Blaine." Axl said looking back up, meeting his eye. Blaine detected a note of uncertainty. The fact Axl hadn't freaked out and run away after he had been proposition, made him confident he could persuaded to give it a try. Smiling, Blaine looked around, taking in his surroundings, thinking hard. He had an idea, and decided to put it out there. "By the time you walk back to the shop, your car should be ready. Drive down this road here, and turn right on that street." he gestured at the street sign above them. Glancing down the street he noticed a lone bus stop bench. "I'll wait on the bench and you can pick me up. There aren't any windows facing this street, so you don't have to worry if someone sees you pick me up. Also, no one knows you here, so you don't have to worry being seen. My parents are out of town and I have the house to myself, with no one else around. Once there; I "pay" you for your troubles. I promise you won't regret it." he said mischievously with a smirk. Axl looked past him, staring at a point behind Blaine while he thought. Slowly, his lips started to twitch, as if he was holding back a smile. Now, Axl was hooked, Blaine was certain. Wriggling his eye brows, he gave a grudging smile. "What are we going to do?" he asked curiously, looking Blaine up and down again. "Anything you want, ANYTHING." he said taking another step forward in a husky voice. Waiting for a reply, Blaine made a sweeping motion with his hand, his finger tips lightly brushing Axl's crotch. Surprised, Axl let out a stifled grunt. Though he only briefly touched him, Blaine had felt a twitch and a lump beginning to grow and harden. "I'll be sitting at the bench for an hour, and if you don't show I'll assume you're not interested." He nodded to Axl, then strolled down to the empty bench, and sat down humming "Beauty School Drop-out. Blaine watched as Axl turned and headed back to the shop, face troubled. Sighing, Blaine waited, expecting Axl would not take the bait. Time seemed to speed up, and before he knew it, the hour was spent. Standing, he reluctantly turned and headed along the street to a path that would take him home. There was a small field on the north side of the road, with a large stand of trees stretched along the hill into a secluded area where his house was. Just as he reached the tree line, he heard a loud motor approaching. Turning, Blaine made out Axl's car, slowly driving on the road looking around. Making a waving motion above his head, Axl finally spotted him, and waited for Blaine to walk back to the road. Finally, he opened the door and got in. Axl smiled nervously, and waited for Blaine to tell him where to go. He nodded at the intersection at the far end of the large empty field on the right. As the car began moving once more, Blaine decided to make a move. Reaching over, he grabbed Axl's crotch, and began to cup and massage it. Startled at first, Axl finally loosened up and let out a small moan as Blaine unzipped his pants. Wearing boxers, it was very easy to reach in and pull out his hardening cock through the front. Just as Blaine began to wonder how big it would be when totally aroused, they arrived at his house. Reluctantly, Blaine let go and got out and headed to the front door to his house. Hearing the other car do slam, he turned and watched as Axl awkwardly joined him, holding his pants up as they were still open. Inside, Blaine threw his bag to the side, reached around and took hold of Axl's now fully hard dick. Smirking he pulled him along, as if his dick were a leash, and proceeded up the stairs and into his room. Stepping into his room, Blaine paused before turning on the light. He tried to remember how he had left it this morning before heading to school. Feeling a movement in his hand, he looked down, and watched Axl's leaking cock throbbed with his pulse. . A moment later, he felt heat as a warm body pressed into his back side. Glancing behind him, he watched as Axl shuffled even closer, lining their bodies up perfectly. Dropping the hardened shaft in his hand, he pushed his ass back, waiting for more. Not missing a beat, Axl lightly pushed his cock right into the middle of Blaine's jeans where his entrance was. Axl's shaky breath was on the very back of his neck, which lowered until Blaine felt light kiss at the base of his neck. Blaine shuddered, and turned to face Axl, but couldn't make out his face in the dark. It seemed his own face was visible to Axl however, because he leaned forward, and their lips met perfectly. Smiling into the kiss, Blaine could feel Axl's curly bangs brushing against his forehead. Still kissing, Blaine backed into his room pushed along by Axl. Feeling a tug below, Blaine gasped as Axl grabbed his crotch. This time, it was Axl who smiled into the kiss, and all of a sudden, Blaine wanted, no, needed to move things along. They abruptly halted as his shins made contact with his bed. Leaning back, he felt Axl lightly lift his body and set him down. For a few moments, they kept this position. Blaine sitting on the bed with his legs apart while Axl stood between his legs, pressing into the bed, cock aching to be touched. Reaching down, Blaine once again grabbed onto Axl's dick, making a fist, which Axl fucked into. Breaking the kiss, Blaine leaned down to blow hot air onto the shaft, and then opened his mouth, surrounding it. Finally, closed his mouth and wrapped his lips around as much of this prize as he could. Axl shuddered, knees suddenly weak as the pleasure began to blossom throughout his body, beginning at his painfully hard dick. "Oh my fucking God." Axl quavered, lifting his hand to set one on Blaine's shoulder and the other on the back of his head. Groaning, he started to move Blaine's head in the traditional bobbing motion. As Blaine began to move his tongue around the member in his mouth, Axl began to undress. Letting go with his hands, he quickly pulled his shirt off, at the same time chucking his jeans down to the floor in one fluid motion. Hooking his finger tips under his boxers, Axl made to pull them off. Blaine reached up and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. Looking down, he gave Blaine a confused look, which he couldn't see because the room was still dark. "I want you to keep your boxers on, at least for now. I know it's weird but I have a fetish about being fucked while still clothed." he explained softly. "What?" Axl let out, "You mean…?" he trailed off, not daring to hope for what he thought. Smirking, he looked up and squeezed Axl's cock with great force. "That's right, you're going to fuck my ass, hard." he whispered in a husky tone. "Oh shit…" Axl explained, voice squeaking. "Wh-" Blaine began, but was interrupted as cum shot out of Axl's cock and into his mouth. Surprised, he barely had time to rewrap his lips around the head to prevent the hot salty liquid from escaping. Moaning and grunting, Axl quickly raised his hands and placed them on Blaine's head, and then as his orgasm came to a close, they had fallen onto Blaine back. They hung there, as if to rub his lower back. As the last few spurts of cum shot out of his dick, Axl finally collapsed on Blaine, pushing their bodies onto the bed. Panting, Axl attentively peered at Blaine, his face red. "God Da-" Axl growled voice full of embarrassment and fury. Blaine realized what had happened was an accident, premature ejaculation. Smiling, he actually thought it was rather hot, not embarrassing at all. He guessed Axl thought that since he came, their fun had come to and end. Lifting his head up to Axl's ear, he blew in it than nibbled on it. Then carefully, voice still husky and full of want said. "Oh, we're not done, don't worry." "What? Really? He asked incredulously not daring to hope for what this meant. "That's right, you're still going to fuck my ass." he grinned grabbing Axl's chin, moving to the side so their mouth's met once more. The effort Axl began to put into their kiss was clearly full of relief. Smiling, Blaine reached over to flick on his bedside lamp. The room flared with a soft white glow, finally revealing what the rest of Axl's unclothed body looked like. Blaine lightly pushed Axl a few steps away so he could clearly observe Axl's hot body. Light pink skin, no fat, tiny nipples, chest hair sprinkled al over, with quite a bit on his pectorals. A thick treasure trail leads from his belly button, down into the prize beneath the boxers. Before proceeding further, he looked closer at Axl's dick. It was almost 7 inches long, wider around the cock head than at the base. The color was a light pink, with a large slit on the head. He was cut, unfortunately but at least he didn't manscape…letting it all grow wild and thick, curling into dark hairs all around his groin. His balls were still hidden in the boxers, so he couldn't make them out, but they looked ample. Entranced with Axl's form, he jumped as Axl reached down and unzipped Blaine's pants. Snapping back into the present, he began to pull off his shirt, but Axl stopped him and took it off himself. Blaine watched as Axl studied his body, obviously surprised at how nice his chest was. Since he had split with Kurt, he abandoned his trimming regimen his entire body. Dark chest hair was starting to become thicker, with an ample amount on his upper chest, trailing down to a much thicker treasure trail than he had in a long time. "Your chest is ever better than mine. " Axl commented, seemed off put. Blushing, Blaine didn't say anything, just kept his gaze on his lap. Axl squatted, and pulled on Blaine jeans until they slid off his legs, revealing tan hairy legs, with large calves, that weren't as big as Axl's. This seemed to please him, as his smile returned, and then glanced down to Blaine's bulging boxer briefs. Shrugging, he reached forward and took hold of them, yanking them off with a flourish. Now thoroughly embarrassed, he watched Axl's face as he studied his crotch. Blaine's uncut dick was a bit bigger than Axl's, the same color as his skin, with thick veins and a slightly smaller head, curving ever so slightly to the left. The lack of his trimming also applied to his groin as well, though it was still fairly short and neat. It wouldn't take long until the hair would be quite a bit thicker than Axl's ample amount. Axl reached out, as if to take hold of Blaine's dick, but paused to look up. Assuming he wanted permission to touch his dick, he gave a slight nod. With tentative fingers, Axl reached out and encircled Blaine's dick. Moving the extra skin up and down the shaft, he experimented with the new found toy. "You've never seen an uncut dick before, have you?" Blaine asked Axl with a smirk. Axl nodded, briefly meeting his eyes. "Yes, just not one with a boner." he said, and then he returned his attention back to his explorations. When he pulled the skin up enough to cover the head, Axl smirked, fascinated. Blaine started to chuckle which finally told Axl he had been spending more time than the situation warranted. Blushing he made to stand up, and then paused. Looking up at Blaine, he lowered his head and wrapped his lips around the very top of Blaine's weeping cock. Bucking his hips, he thrusted deeper into Axl's hot mouth. Coughing, he released Blaine's dick with a troubled expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean to buck; it was just a reflex that I couldn't stop." Blaine said in a rush, hoping he hadn't gone too far. "It wasn't that, I actually expected you to do that." he replied. "Then why do you still have that look?" Blaine asked, now very curious himself with Axl's behavior. "I'm not gay." Axl said, a bit louder than he meant to. When Blaine made to get up and give him space, Axl dropped his hand on Blaine's thigh and looked up. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. It was more of an inner voice that escaped. What I meant was that well…" he broke off, staring past Blaine. "What?" he asked. "I liked your dick in my mouth, and I was trying to remind myself I shouldn't like it, because straight dudes don't like cock." he finished, turning pink. Blaine looked at him curiously. This guy didn't seem gay at all, just curious. "Look, I can tell you're not gay, so you don't have to think to hard on it." he explained. "Just because you liked my cock in your mouth doesn't make you gay, you're just horny." he chuckled with a wink. Giving a grudging smile, he lowered his head back down and began to bob his head again. Blaine didn't really say anything, but Axl wasn't the best, though he did try with some effort. Sighing, Blaine gently got Axl's attention and they both rose. Blaine jumped back and scooted to his head board, watching as Axl awkwardly climbed onto the bed. His cock was still hard, poking out the opening of his boxers. Crawling forward, Axl hesitated when he got to Blaine, looking at him for the next set of instructions. Though he wanted his hole pounded, he wanted to do something else first. Blaine positioned himself on his back, as if going to sleep, and then motioned Axl to crawl forward. Once Axl was over him, Blaine pulled him down. Their bodies aligned, Blaine ground his hard dick into Axl's. Leaning down, Axl met his lips then added his own weight into the grind. Dicks pressed together, they thrusted into each other, using the precum seeping out as lube. Blaine reached down and circled both his hands around their cocks, while they thrusted together into the make shift hole. Axl was moaning and breathing hard, with his eyes hooded with lust. Blaine smiled at him, and released his hold to reach behind him top his night stand. Opening a drawer, he rummaged around inside until he passed over a small plastic wrapper. Seeing this, Axl reached for it and began to open it as Blaine dug around for lube. Finding it, he passed it to Axl who took it and sat it down next to them on the bed. As Axl removed the rubber, Blaine opened lube and squirted some on his hand, and then reached down and applied some to his hole, making sure to get it nice and slick. He also began to stretch and scissor himself, preparing for what was to come. Wanting Axl to pound him as hard as he wanted, he had best be sure to be prepared. Though it wasn't huge, Axl's dick wasn't small either, maybe a tad above average, it would still hurt at first. With the condom on, Axl leaned up to Blaine's face. He kissed him, hard full of excitement. Reaching down, Blaine wrapped his hand around Axl's condom covered dick and squirted lube on it, thoroughly working into a thick lather which he used to spread it over his dick, and then reached down to his hole to add a bit more. Looking up at him, Blaine scooted back, raising his hips a bit for better angle. A vein was throbbing on Axl's temple is he shyly shimmied forward. Smiling nervously, he pointed his dick directly at Blaine's entrance. Wrapping his hand around the base, Blaine slowly pulled on Axl's dick until he felt it beginning to push inside. Making a few last minute adjustments, he smiled. Releasing Axl's dick, Blaine lifted his hands to Axl's hips, steadying them. Looking up, he met Axl's eyes, and with one powerful movement his cock was buried into Blaine's hot tight hole. Axl gasped. Never had he felt anything like this. For a few moments, he couldn't move, stunned with the sensations shooting through his body. "Oh my God, dude." he said staring down into Blaine's eyes. "Does my hole feel good? Blaine teased, blowing hot air in Axl's ear. "It's, "he began, but he broke off as Blaine pulled him even closer, burying his dick deeper. "I'm gunna…" Axl began again, but Blaine pushed him out of his hole. He stared up at Axl, a look of warning told him to calm down. Grimacing, Axl took several long breathes, finally giving Blaine a guilty smile. His face returned into a soft smile… Pulling Axl back down, being forgiven with a kiss. Staring down at his dick, Axl waited for Blaine to aim the shaft back into the surrounding warmth. When Blaine made no mood to take hold to reposition him, Axl grabbed his own cock with shaky hands, and pushed it back to the entrance, than slowly pushed inside. Once in, Axl closed his eyes with a goofy grin, and Blaine found it very amusing, but kept quiet. Opening his eyes, he pulled back a little bit, then pushed in faster. Dipping his head, Axl kissed Blaine on the forehead, working his way down where their tongues battled for control. Sighing into the kiss, Blaine was finally out matched, making Axl the winner… Though a little clumsy at first, soon Axl began to build speed. Sweat beaded down Axl's back, ending up collecting in his boxers. Blaine wanted him to keep fucking him while still wearing the boxers; it soon became apparent that this wasn't going to work, as the boxers became damp. Placing a hand on his chest, Axl slowed, and then reluctantly pulled his cock out of Blaine's ass. Getting the picture, they were chucked off and landed somewhere in the room. This time Axl didn't hesitate and plunged back in, soon returning to his quicker speed. Blaine started clamping down on the shaft, changing how hard and how long he would apply force. While still thrusting, Blaine slowly rotated his hips to the side, raising his leg vertical, and twisted around until his knee landed on the bed. Axl guessed what he was doing do he slowed and waited until Blaine was on his stomach. Lifting his ass and pushing his arms down, Blaine was now in the traditional doggy style position. Turning his head and smirking, Blaine rasped in authoritarian voice. "Come on, Ax-Man, fuck my ass. Do me hard. Make me wish I wasn't gay!" he commanded in a harsh tone, but losing the effect with a chuckle. Pulling out all the way, he rammed his pole into Blaine with a loud grunt. "Shut the fuck up, bitch!" Axl replied, but losing the effect as well. Before they knew it, Axl's powerful thrust soon produced loud slapping noises every time the base of his cock would ram into Blaine's tight ass. Making a quick move, Blaine pushed back into Axl, causing him to fall back. Axl lay on his back, and began to rise, but Blaine loomed over him and sat down over his dick. As Axl's dick was once again deep in Blaine's ass, they began to move, slow at first, but quickly gaining speed and ferocity. Making as if to jerk himself off, he was startled when Axl wrapped his own hand around Blaine's leaking uncut cock. Throwing his head back, Blaine let out a bestial roar, feeling his orgasm approaching. Staring down, the two maintained eye contact. Axl's face started to change colors, his breath becoming labored, and his muscles were contracting. Feeling a tight inner strain, Blaine knew it was coming. "Hurry, Axl, I'm close." he rasped, eyes closing for a few seconds. Using one hand, he pumped Blaine's cock with renewed effort, moving the extra skin over the hand and down the base with a tighter hold. "Cum inside me Axl." Blaine whispered, looking down at Axl's red face. Nodding, Axl thrust up hard and fast as he reached his other hand to massage Blaine's large nuts that were thumping down on Axl's thick bush of hair at the base of his dick. "Now" Blaine mouthed, hips twitching as his orgasm was about to erupt. With a last thrust as hard and deep as he could, Axl came, shooting his load deep into Blaine, simultaneously thrusting into Blaine's prostate. With an almighty roar, Blaine shot ropes of white cum out of his uncut cock, as Axl stroked him through the release. It seemed their orgasms went on forever, almost as if all the fluid in their bodies were draining away all the life inside of them through their cocks. Cum landed all over Axl's chest and even into his face and curly hair. Involuntarily he stuck his tongue out and licked around his mouth; spooning Blaine's spent seed into his mouth as if it were jelly. In reality, anything that had ever landed on his body that didn't taste bad, he would eat it. Once he even ate his little brother Brick's, school project, which happened to be clay like substance, which was modeled to look like the state, Nevada. Everyone had been mad at him, but they should have known that if it's around other food, it was as good as lunch, good or bad. What surprised Axl was that Blaine's cum didn't taste bad at all, salty and yet with a bit of a sweet flavor. Blaine was looked down at Axl, amazed at what he had just seen. That was one of the hottest things ever. What made it ever more astonishing was it seemed Axl didn't cringe and gag at the taste. As if realizing the same thing, his eyes widened in horror, looking up at Blaine as if asking Blaine for help. Smiling softly, he leaned down and kissed Axl, holding the sides of his head so he wouldn't pull away. After a few tense moments, he calmed and returned the kiss. Stretching his legs out, he slowly rose off Axl's still hard and throbbing dick. The condom still on, all the cum pooled in the little bubble of air at the tip of his penis. Blaine was surprised with the amount of cum, seeing as he had already cum just a few minutes before that… Blaine stepped over Axl, and sat down next to him in bed. Slowly turning his head to face Blaine, Axl gave a lazy smile that made Blaine burst out with a shout of laughter. This didn't seem to bug him, for he leaned over and kissed Blaine's cheek, which made Blaine pause. Aware the mood had shifted; he looked at him with a puzzled face and sat up straight. After a few moments, the awkwardness finally dissipated, and they a resumed to a more casual mood. Staring down at Axl's cock, he was stunned to see it was still fully aroused. Attentively, Blaine reached up and carefully pulled the condom off Axl's dick, careful not to pull any stray hairs out from his groin. "So… Blaine let that sit for a while before continuing. "Was it ok?" he asked, fully aware of Axl's blushing face. "Dude…it…it…." he struggled, then just gave up and jumped over and literally realigning their bodies, and then pressed down onto Blaine. Surprised, sat stunned for a moment, then feeling Axl's lips forming a smile, he melted into it. Lowering himself, Axl gently lay atop him and rested his head under Blaine's chine, as if napping. They lay there for a while, relaxed and comfortable in each others arms. Without warning, Axl lifted his upper body so it was easier to speak to him. "Let's do it again." he said, smirking, already slightly grinding into Blaine. Staring at him, Blaine was at a loss for words. Before Blaine could answer, Axl shimmied down his body, planting kisses all across his torso, lingering a bit long on his nipples. By the time Axl's tongue made it's way to the edge of Blaineland Forest, his dick was once again stiff, precum leaking out of his dick, and dribbled over the shaft. Blaine threw his head back, groaning through his clenched teeth as Axl went down and surrounding his dick with his hot, moist mouth. Still not the best cock sucker, he made his way and began mouthing his nuts, using his tongue to massage the area below the sack, eventually making it down in the hot and most crevice of Blaine's ass, still with an ample amount of lube from earlier. Once he was close enough to actually reach Blaine's entrance, he hesitated going in further however. Though he didn't mind fooling around with the front side of a dude's junk, he did have some reservations when it came to certain areas. Blaine sighed, disappointed and made to get into a more comfortable position for Axl to fuck him again; he felt a hot wet tongue experimentally probe his entrance. With a gasp, he felt Axl's tongue actually enter his ass. ""Oh fuck, that's good." he breathed, eyes closed and he pushed his ass into Axl's tongue, catching him off guard. Axl was about to get pissed, but when he saw Blaine's face, he paused. "_Was it really that good?_ He wondered. Figuring it wouldn't hurt to keep doing this a little longer he put in just a little more effort. He slowly worked a finger into Blaine's lubed ass, exploring the hot space. Using the finger, he rubbed the front side that space that was between his dick and nuts. Barely grazing it over a slight bump in the wall, Blaine ground his teeth, almost screaming with pleasure. Axl watched, transfixed with Blaine's reaction. Smirking, he leaned down, trying to tongue fuck the opening, while still working his finger inside. At this point, Blaine was shaking and he looked at Axl. Still maintaining eye contact, as well as his tongue stimulating the entrance, Axl pressed his finger on the lump inside Blaine, and bore down on it with an experimental sweeping pressure. The result was unbelievable. "Fu….." his voice became inaudible, eyes closed, face sweating, and muscles contracting all over his body, more prominent over his abs. Shaking, Axl's vision changed in all he could see was a large amount of white. Pulling back a bit, Axl's mouth dropped as Blaine's swollen uncut cock erupted with cum. What really puzzled him was that Blaine's dick had been untouched; cumming without so much as a single stroke of his shaft, and the amount released was incredible. Unable to stop himself, Axl stretched his neck and wrapped his lips around Blaine's cock, cum filling his mouth. He was careful to keep putting pressure on that magical spot inside. After what seemed like ages, Blaine settled, body going limp, and his head fell to his pillow, panting. "What the fuck was that?" Axl demanded a look of astonishment written across his face with awe. "That…fuck that was good." Blaine said sleepily, reaching down and pulling Axl up to meet his mouth. Tasting his own seed, Blaine wrapped his hand around Axl's dick, pumping it hard and fast, and then stopped just as Axl felt ready to explode. Pouting, Axl looked over at Blaine. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off Blaine turned himself around on all fours. Taking hold of Axl's cock, he positioned it at his entrance. Just as Axl opened his mouth to ask for a condom, he was yanked forward, his bareback cock thrusting deep into Blaine. Gasping, he looked down, shocked that Blaine expecting him to fuck him bareback. Moving a bit, he was amazed at how much better it felt to be bareback. Still, he looked up at Blaine with a puzzled face. "Does it really feel that good when you nothing is touching your dick and cum like that?" he asked, truly curious now. "Dude, it's so good I want you to shoot you load in me. Now do me hard, I want it." Blaine croaked, obviously tired, and yet he wanted to be pounded once more. Shrugging, he pulled back a bit and pounded in, bang curly bangs whipping across his forehead and sticking as the sweaty hair made contact with his skin. His pounding got harder, but it he still wanted to fuck him harder. Blaine rolled over, and spreading his hips, pulling back, giving Axl the best position for the speed, and the depth of his thrusts. Grunting, Blaine smiled, and felt his body jolt every time the shaft was buried to the hilt, his balls slapping loudly as the made contact. Blaine watched as Axl's thrusts became erratic and he had an idea. Lifting a finger, indicating Axl to pause, Blaine scooted closer, and stretched his fingers, trying to push them into Axl's entrance Finding the tight ring, he memorized its exact location, he reached to his own ass and scooped as much lube that still was present where his dick and his ass met., also not forgetting to fondle the much emptier ball sack before returning to Axl's hole. Slowly, he worked his lubed fingers into Axl. Cringing, he caught Blaine's hand, and held his gaze as a warning. "Trust me, please." seeing Axl's serious face, then went on. "Axl, I'm letting you fuck me bareback and cum in my ass. All I'm asking is let me work a finger in, and rub your spot like mine. I'm not going to fucking you with my dick; I'm just going to give you my thanks." Axl finally allowed his face to soften and gave a single nod. "Go slow dude, I mean it." he warned, making Blaine pause… Leaning up, he wrapped his hand around the back of Axl's neck and pulled him in. After a few minutes, Axl's mood softened, and he gave a warm smile. Grinning, Blaine reached down and ever so slowly, worked his finger around the rim. Watching Axl's face for discomfort, he finally pushed in the tip, He hissed, but didn't get mad again. Breathing a sigh of relief, he used his other hand to rub Axl's balls gently. "Go ahead, start fucking me again, it'll take your mind off what I'm doing" he explained with a half smile. "I doubt that," Axl mumbled, but began to move again. Each time he felt the head reached its deepest point; Blaine wriggled his finger in Axl's as, working his way to the prostate gland. Balls slapping on his ass, Axl began pulling out all the way before pounding it back in with great force. Seeing a flicker of a vein pulsing, he buried the finger to the hilt. Giving a stifled grunt, his speed increased and the depth of his cock didn't much move after that. Face turning red, Axl's eyes fluttered. Blaine clamped his ass tightly around the intrude, increasing Axl's pleasure. Just as Axl's mouth began to move, his thrusts slowed, and he opened his mouth tell Blaine what was coming, but was beaten to it as he pressed on the prostate gland in just the right way with the maximum amount of force. Blaine watched, entrance as Axl turned beet red, sweat running down his body, veins pulsing with the rapid beat of his heart, and he gave a shout of ecstasy, as his hot seed drenched the wall inside of Blaine. Collapsing, Axl fell atop him, cum still shooting into Blaine, his ass clamped down hard on Blaine's finger, as it still massage that spot inside. Chuckling, Blaine pushed Axl off of him where he laid him, head resting on his chest. With a grunt, Blaine felt Axl gently pull out, finally rolling over, ending up on his back. Sitting there, he felt the hot liquid slowly making its way back to the hole. Sighing, Blaine clamped his ass shut, then quickly making his way to the bathroom that connected to his room. Only there for a few seconds, he exited and returned to the bed. Still nude, and now shaky from exhaustion, he crawled back and lay next to Axl. Blaine took a closer look and let out a snort. It seemed Axl was asleep. Now flaccid, his penis had shrunk and lay to the side. His nuts looked as though everything had been drained out. His curly hair was matted to his head by sweat, and funnily enough, he had a goofy smile on his face. Blaine looked down at him, smiling softly; finally he lay down on the bed, still nude, and was amazed and touched as Axl shifted over and cuddled up next to him. 3. Chapter 3 He woke as a hot wetness surrounded his cock. Blinking, he glanced down toward his crotch. There was a soft light over to his right on the night stand. The light illuminated a pale face below, with his cock slowly being sucked in and back out of soft lips. Axl winked at him as he took his expanding member deeper into his mouth. He smirked as Axl opened his legs, letting the cool air circulate down to the region below his nuts. It didn't stay cool for long, though. Immediately, Axl pulled his head off Blaine's now fully hard cock, and licked his way down the shaft until he met his nut sack. Slowly, he began wetting his nuts, sucking in one ball into his hot mouth at a time. Finally, he sunk lower and lower until Blaine felt heat begin to blossom around his hole. He groaned as he felt something gently press against the rim of the muscles that was his entrance. Unconsciously, he dropped his hand and began slowly jerking his cock. Suddenly he felt a small jolt as one of Axl's hands slapped his own. Apparently, he wasn't allowed to jerk his own cock. Shrugging, he looked down and met Axl's eyes. He knew Axl was straight, but the way he was treating him at the moment made him wish otherwise. This gorgeous guy had made the first move upon reawakening with an act that was unexpected. Honestly, he thought he would wake in a few hours and find his bed empty, and would never hear from Axl again. To tell the truth, he really didn't want to fall asleep in the first place, fearing that was exactly what would happen. But after having a couple of orgasms, not resting really wasn't an option. Even now, as he looked down, though he couldn't see his Axl's mouth, he could tell by the crinkles on his forehead he was smiling at him. Not being able to help himself, he reached down again, but like before Axl had blocked his objective. Instead, one of Axl's hands shot up, and grabbed his, then finally intertwining their fingers together. After a few moments of sustained eye contact between the two, Axl once again winked at him. After which, he felt a new surge of pleasure as his tongue pushed it's way through the muscles and began probing inside the walls of his hole. Tightening his gripe, he felt heat and pleasure as the tongue switched from probing, to swirling inside. Groaning, he tried to spread his open legs more, hoping it would give Axl even more room for his actions. One of Axl's fingers slipped in and dug at the walls directly around his prostate. Still, he didn't actually touch the spot, just the area around it. Another finger found it's way in and copied the first. Blaine shuddered and pushed his ass down further, hoping for more. When the third finally entered, he began to pant and growl as every touch teased his senses cruelly with the continuation of neglecting his prostate. "Fuck..."he muttered softly, closing his eyes. He heard a chuckle down below. "Yea?" came the hoarse voice, as he removed a finger. "Ohh..." he moaned, even as another finger retreated, causing him to feel empty. "MMmmm" Axl groaned as he licked once more at the entrance. Slowly, he pulled his last finger out and began making his way back up. His ass felt empty, and he wanted his tongue back down there. He began to open his mouth to suggest he go back down. When Axl's tongue slurped and sucked his nuts, he shut his mouth and just waiting for his pink soft lips to once more surround his uncut cock. As if waiting for this thought, Axl licked his way up his shaft. Experimentally, he used his lips to push the extra skin at the head of his cock up and down as far as possible. It seemed he still found the idea of playing with an uncut cock great fun. Blaine wasn't going to complain...most people don't like uncut cocks, finding them ugly or smelly, even though he kept his perfectly clean at all times. Mo- He broke off his thoughts as Axl's tongue slurped the area between the head and the underside of the skin. The sensation was so rare to him, he reveled in the feeling, tightening his grip of their still intertwined fingers even more. Pausing, Axl looked up at him with a smirk, his tongue paused in it's action. Panting, he looked down at Axl, panting and gave him an embarrassed smile. After a moment, his tongue began moving again, going back to his previous actions. Axl, finally let his cock fall out of his mouth and began moving up his mid-region. Licking every bit of his chest, it seemed Axl was making sure to alternate his techniques on his way up. Stopping at his nipples, he gently nipped one and then the other, and glanced up. His white teeth shone in the soft light coming from the lamp on the night stand. Continuing his journey, he made his way to the right, Turning a bit sideways, Axl mouthed his biceps, which weren't that big, but they had never been touched in an intimate manner such as this. While he was turned, he had a shadowy view of Axl's groin. He still found guys with a full bush attractive. His cock looked so hard, even now he saw a drop of precum beginning to form at the slit on the head. He wanted to taste it again. Axl's cock soon was lowered onto his thigh, and soon began grinding them both together. Slowly, the dick made it's way back to the center and finally lined up with his own. Axl's tongue trailed along the side of his neck and shifted until was mouthing his Adam's apple. Not only feeling it, but he also heard a rasp of sound as his tongue slowly moved across his much more stubbly chin and finally his lower face. He couldn't help but smile as he felt his mouth being probed by Axl's tongue. Once in, Axl joined him in the smile as they laid there, his body pressing tight atop his own, eventually causing both their hard cocks to line up. They rutted together, and Blaine could feel drops of precum hitting his shaft every time Axl's cock moved back down after a thrust together. Still smiling, Axl nudged his head to the side and began chewing gently on his ear. He shuddered as hot breath hit his ear canal before finally the wet tongue moved along the lobe. Axl's breathing was heavy and ragged, and it sounded as though he was humming something, but he couldn't make it out. Below, he felt knees dropping to the bed, just behind each of his thighs. Moving his body a bit lower, Axl dropped a hand, stroking their cocks together. Axl's waist bent as he moved his groin below his nuts. His mouth once again moved over his face before reaching his open mouth. A thick tongue darted in as he unconsciously pulled his hips up a bit, giving Axl better access. Axl smiled into his mouth, glad he didn't have to ask what he was planning to do. It seemed they knew exactly what each wanted, and they were going for it. 4. Chapter 4 "Go for it." he whispered into Axl's ear. Axl grinned and leaned down, kissing him hard. Slowly, Axl pushed his hips in until Blaine felt something hard pushing lightly against his entrance. Axl placed his forehead against his own as he applied more pressure to his cock. Blaine felt the rim of his ass stretching as the head of Axl's hard cock entered. Finally through, Axl paused and closed his eyes with a goofy grin across his face. "Does it feel good Ax?"he whispered in a husky voice. "Blaine...it..."he paused and opened his eyes,"let me get the rest in and I'll let you know."he said shakily. His snort changed halfway through into a hissing grunt as Axl shoved the rest of his cock all the way in. Blaine had closed his eyes with the unexpected action. When he opened them, he found that Axl was smirking down with a raising eyebrow. "I thought you sounded a bit too relaxed, kind of like you were having fun at my...innocence."Axl wriggled his eyebrows. "Innocence?"he chuckled. Axl glared playfully, and pulled his hips back and rammed them in again with even more force than the last time. "You best be careful,"he growled, leaning down and kissing him as he repeated the action. "Oh, why is that?" he grunted as his body was jarred again. He usually wasn't that into this kind of aggressive behavior. With Axl however, he found it extremely hot and such a turn on. "Because," he slammed in again."you like my cock in your ass, and if you aren't careful," he pounded,"I may not let you get off."he buried it to the hilt again. Blaine felt a jolt of sensation as Axl wrapped his hand around his cock and began stroking it in time with his thrusts. "Come on, give to me Ax." he hissed as Axl pulled his dick all the way out and slammed in. Grunting, Axl nodded and leaned back. He looked down at him with a smirk as he pulled out and grabbed Blaine's legs. With surprising skill and power, Axl flipped him over on his front side. Reaching down, he felt Axl grab onto his hips and pull his body into a doggy style position. Twisted his head, he watched as the guy behind him lined up his member before grabbing his hips again. Instead of ramming it in, he pulled Blaine back onto his cock. The sound reverberated around the room, as he pushed Blaine's body off of him. Then, he repeated the action, which forced Blaine to do all the work. Finally, he started thrusting his hips forward, their bodies jarred together, increasing their speed with each new movement. "Jerk me off Ax." Blaine breathed, happy it came out as a command instead of a request. Thankfully, Axl was experiencing so much pleasure he didn't bat an eye lash as he reached down and started to fist his cock. "Harder Ax,"he hissed, feeling a tightness and building of pressure in his nuts as Axl jerked his uncut cock faster than he could thrust in and out of his ass. Squeezing his dick harder, Axl kept up his pace. "No,"Blaine said in between thrusts,"pressure on my dick is fine, I mean, fuck me harder."he grunted and shook as he felt it all build. Nodding, Axl leaned down and kissed his back as his jarring began to almost overwhelm his senses. The impacts were so hard that his gelled began to come undone. There was one thing Blaine had wanted to try for a long time, but he never got around to ask. As Axl kept fisting his cock, he decided to take a chance. Turning sideways, he stared at Axl, his bangs sweaty again and his eyes closed. When Axl opened his eyes, their gazes locked for what felt like an eternity. "Choke me a bit Axl, quick."he pleaded. Axl's movements almost halted as a look of shock crossed his face. "What?"Axl asked, looking shocked. "Not too much, but it will feel good. I'll explain later, I promise."he begged. Looking wary,he slowly nodded and reached his hands up and griped his neck. He squeezed lightly, still obviously concerned. "Come on, just do it, and don't stop fucking me. Your cock feels so good in me Axl, don't stop."he said hurriedly. Sighing, Axl again built up his speed, his faced going back to his previous euphoric expression. The sound grew and his panting increased. Then, he finally squeezed his throat hard and his cock probed deeper and deeper inside him. As Axl pulled out and rammed it back in, he aimed his dick at a different angle and increased pressure around Blaine's neck. Blaine felt the head of Axl's dick grazed across his prostate. His vision began to blur and on the next deep thrust, Axl's cock hit his prostate directly, and at the same time, his hands wrapped a slight bit harder around his neck. Blaine's vision went white, and he lost it. His hot white seed erupted out of his dick, blasting the top of his bed. He grunted and almost howled and the pleasure grew and grew, the sensations overloading all his sense. Unknowingly, he clamped his ass down on Axl's thrusting cock, causing him to gasp out loud. "Fuck!"Axl exclaimed,"Blaine, I'm going to cum!" he hissed, feeling his body shake as his load shot out of his cock and filled Blaine's ass with his hot cum. Collapsing atop Blaine, Axl kissed breathed heavily over his back as he still felt his hot seed painting the walls inside him. The extra weight and loss of his energy took it's toll, and his limbs gave out. Without warning, he crumpled to the bed, Axl grunting in surprise. Below him, his throbbing and sore cock landed directly in the pool of his own cum. Axl's sweat from his wet curly bangs began to drip onto his back. The hands around his neck released and lazily pulled away and laid to the either side of their bodies. Though spent, he felt Axl shakily push himself up and he leaned forward and kissed his neck. Turning his head sideways, he leaned down further and pressed his mouth against his own. Unconsciously, he smiled at the gesture, which Axl soon matched. Lifting him up, he again kissed his neck, and after a slight pause began to kiss his way down Blaine's back. When he felt Axl continue his kisses past his waist, he was surprised when he began to flick his tongue into the crease of his ass. He was shocked when Axl gently pulled him up by his hips and forced his tongue into his ass. Raising his upper body, Blaine turned and looked back as Axl didn't even hesitate licking his own cum inside him. After a few moments, he made his way down and sucked on his nuts before shakily reaching under and pulled his uncut soft cock into his mouth. Blaine felt a smile break across his face as their eyes met. Feeling a stirring inside, he became confused and had to force his smile to stay in place, as to not let Axl be aware of his thoughts. Axl looked down and was obviously shocked at the state of their mess. When he looked up, he became shy and reluctant. "What?"he smiled at Axl, finding the face he was making extremely adorable. "We're a mess...can I take a shower?"he asked softly, as if embarrassed. "Can I take one with you?"he asked, hoping he could. It wouldn't be long before Axl would leave and he'd never see him again. He knew it was foolish, but he now had a huge crush on Axl, thinking him both hot and sweet. Knowing he was only setting himself up for heartache, he couldn't help himself. "Definitely! I was hoping you would."he replied, shyly. Smiling broadly, he flipped over and scooted up to him, eventually sitting on the exact spot where his spent seed was. He didn't have to pull Axl in for a kiss, as he found himself falling back as Axl bounded forward to meet him. He chuckled as Axl exclaimed as his knee press down into the cum soaked bedding below. "Gross."he laughed, lifting his knee off the spot. Blaine laughed along with him, reaching down and slapped Axl's bare ass. Grinning, they slid off the bed and stood. They found themselves looking at each other, and both became suddenly shy. Axl slowly walked forward and kissed him. Unlike before, this felt different, like it meant something more than just curiosity. Blaine pulled back and looked him, intrigued. He raised a shaky hand and cupped Axl's face, staring intently into his eyes. Leaning in, he kissed him once more, but this time it was soft and sensual. Dropping his hand, he walked a couple steps to his bathroom, then reached out for Axl's hand. Without missing a beat, Axl readily reached out and intertwined their fingers. Smiling, he led this guy into the bathroom. 5. Chapter 5 Once through the bathroom door, Blaine hit the lights and the room was illuminated from several spots. Four bulbs were stationed above the large counter, another shone to the right of the toilet, while the set was positioned above the large walk in shower than stepped down into a Jacuzzi. Glancing over to the toilet, he sighed that he had for once remembered to flush it. Behind him, he heard Axl come to an abrupt halt in the doorway. Turning, he eyed him as Axl's eyes stared around bathroom. It was clear Axl had never been in such a nice bathroom ever. Briefly meeting his eyes, Axl turned and peeked back into the bedroom for a few moments. Frowning, Blaine was beginning to wonder what Axl was thinking. "Dude," Axl exclaimed, looking back at him with a smirk,"your loaded!"he finished with a grin. Blaine shrugged, not really knowing what else to think. Axl seemed to calm himself and walk forward, giving Blaine a swift kiss on the cheek. Blaine sighed in relief as he recognized Axl returning to his sweet self. Grinning, he walked over and turned on the shower. The water blasted down upon the tiles on the floor as he turned around to face Axl. once more. Standing directly under a light, Blaine was able to marvel at the muscles Axl had. He must have been staring because the skin color changed on Axl's face to a pink and he turned around to look at his body in the mirror. His back side completely visible, Blaine felt himself hardening with the temptation of Axl's perfect ass. "I am pretty awesome aren't I?" he teased, looking at him in the mirror. He began to smirk as he looked down at Blaine's growing cock. "Sorry.."he replied, turning away and walked toward the shower to reach inside for the temperature. He jumped when he felt his ass cheeks being spread from behind. As he peered over his shoulder, Axl wasn't there. Just as he glanced down, he felt something hot and wet push into his entrance. Groaning, he backed up into the feeling. Hearing a muffled chuckle, he felt Axl push him gently into the shower spray. The water drenched his hair as his head moved directly under the shower nozzle. From behind, he felt Axl release each cheek and tongued his way his back until he began placing kissed on his neck. Turning, he saw Axl pull close the shower door before he returned to stand behind him. Blaine smiled as Axl lined up there bodies and reached around his front side. Blaine stepped closer to the wall and grabbed a luffa, not wanting Axl to see his hardness. Reaching up, he pushed the soap dispenser and let liquid drench the luff a. When he attempted to back up, Axl reached around and wrapped his hands around his hard cock. In shock, he dropped what was in his hand. He watched as it hit the floor, while Axl slowly pulled back the extra skin. Axl nudged Blaine's head to the side, exposing his neck and ear. Hot breath lightly blew over his neck as Axl nibbled on his ear. He could feel Axl's erect member lightly bounce on and off his ass. "I see you," he leaned in to whisper."dropped the soap..."he breathed, squeezing Blaine's dick harder and giving it a couple of fast strokes. Normally, that kind of line would infuriate him, but he knew it was in good humor. Though he knew Axl expected him to pick it up, Blaine got an idea. He turned quickly, surprising Axl. Jumping back, he looked momentarily shocked before his face returned to it's playfulness. Blaine glanced down at the luffa, then looked back at Axl, making his meaning clear. He stepped to the side and leaned his back against the shower wall. "Can I ask you to do something?"he asked Axl, feeling his ears burn. "I don't want to be fucked." Axl said wearily. "No, that's not what I wanted to ask...but that doesn't mean I don't want to. Your ass is way better looking than mine, especially all that hair around your hole."he said, smirking and glancing to the side. "Well then, ask Blaine." Axl replied, smiling as if he knew that previous statement to be obvious. "Will you..." he began, then hesitated. "Hmm?" Axl raised an eyebrow, walking to the side and picked up the luffa. "Can I watch you jerk off?:"he whispered, looking down. "You wanna see me get myself off?" Axl asked, sounding surprised and somewhat pleased. Blaine nodded and looked up bashfully. "Like if I was a straight guy taking a shower after P.E. or a football game, and didn't know anyone was watching?"he asked, his voice becoming sultry. Blaine nodded again, smiling. Axl smiled, then looked down at Blaine's crotch with a puzzled look. "Only if you do it at the same time."he answered, this time he was the one who looked embarrassed. "Deal!"he said enthusiastically, reaching down and grabbing his dick. Axl's eyes left his and focused on his actions. For the first few strokes, Blaine was the only one in the shower moving. Across from him, Axl was staring at him. When he slowed, Axl once again looked up and met his eye. Smirking, Blaine glanced down at Axl's cock and tilted his head to the side. Face turning pink, he dropped his hand down and squeezed the luffa, causing the soap to drop onto his cock. Once covered, he began to stroke quickly. "Sorry...I just wanted to see how you could jerk off without any lube."he apologized. "Oh." he said blankly, not really hearing him, but just watched his hand fly. "Would it be weird if..."Axl began, his face turning from the slight pink to an almost bright red. "What?"he asked, his own hand stroking faster, knowing that what Axl wanted to ask was something that was most likely very kinky. Axl hesitated, as if he was afraid of his request being genuinely odd. Still, Axl's hand didn't stop or slow before he switched hands quickly. Blaine's eyes became glued to Axl's low nut sack as his hands switched. They were swinging and would hit his thigh on every other stroke, making a slapping sound. Biting his lip, Axl took a deep breath and walked forward a bit. "Can I..."he started again, but once more broke off. "Just fucking ask you pussy." Blaine let out, surprising himself with the harshness. For a brief moment Axl stopped his hand, and almost looked offended. Scared he had just probably pissed this hot guy off, he hung his head in shame. Looking up, he saw that Axl was smiling shyly. "What?" he said, voice shaking. "That's something that I say a whole lot around my friends." he chuckled quietly, resuming his frantic pace. Blaine let out a huge amount of air he had been holding in. Relieved, he continued as well. "I was going to ask if it's weird that I want to stay the night with you...it's a long drive back to Orson." Axl said softly. Blaine felt his heart lift, and though he wanted to act out his fantasy of watching a straight boy jerk off in the shower, he walked up to him. Without hesitation, Axl smiled as their lips met. "God you're so fucking hot."Blaine growled, jerking his cock so hard it almost hurt. "I guess that it's OK then?" he chuckled back. Nodding, Blaine backed up again, full of excitement. From the looks of it, Axl felt the same way. "Be careful."said an inner voice. Though he still believed Axl was straight, there was now an inkling that he might actually be bisexual. "O.K., back to my fantasy, act like you're taking a shower at school or after a game."he grinned at Axl, who immediately nodded. Axl turned and walked toward the shower head. Stopping and fisted his cock, looking around as if watching for something. Blaine felt precum dribble out his dick. Abruptly, he stopped and looked around at him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at him with a devious smile. Briefly, he glanced down at his dick and looked but didn't touch it. His face began to show frustration. Puzzled Blaine began to open his mouth to ask what was wrong when Axl held up a hand. He watched as Axl took a deep breath and turned the hot water all the way off. Letting his mouth drop open, Axl's hard dick immediately softened into a flaccid state. Once completely soft, he turned the water off and glanced at him with a smirk, still holding up a finger. Axl shuffled out of the shower, his hand still in the air, commanding Blaine not to move. Through the glazed glass shower wall, he watched Axl hurry out of the bathroom. Now completely stumped, he began to fear Axl had gone. Just as his hand reached the shower door, he caught movement of a shadow increasing in size as it came closer. Still puzzled, he shifted back into his previous position at the edge of the Jacuzzi. The figure walked through the bathroom door and stood in the middle of the room. Something was strange about the shape, at first, until he saw his arms shooting towards the ceiling. Immediately, Blaine recognized the act of undressing. This time, Blaine was almost literally floored by the act. Axl had actually redressed, and re-entered into the bathroom and began to undress as if at school. Blaine's cock, which had went from it's hard state to a chubby state, suddenly began to fill with blood again. He couldn't believe this guy, actually recreated his whole fantasy. Not only was the act extremely hot, but incredibly sweet. Shaking his head, he went into a mindset of a pervert gay boy watching a straight jock do his business. The change was easy, almost second nature after living with his actor brother, Cooper for years. Breathing hard, and shallow, he shifted closer to the wall, as if to hide himself from the view of his object of observation. From his spot, he watched as Axl looked around and quickly dropped his boxers in the pile of his dirty clothes. Looking around, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a towel. Towel in hand, he made his way to the shower door. At this point, Blaine had stopped jerking his dick or he was going to blow it too soon, literally. Axl peeked inside, the corners of his mouth twitched as if trying to hold back a smile. Turning on the nozzles, he waited for the water to become the right temperature. The overhead light shone down on Axl, revealing his dick to be extremely small, along with his nuts. Blaine wasn't worried, knowing the size was due to the cold water earlier. His pubes were thick, growing shorter into a treasure trail leading up to his inner belly button. As the water warmed, Axl stepped closer, revealing his taught back side. Bending over to pick up the luffa, his hairy hole was exposed, cherry intact. Blaine wanted to run forward and shove his uncut cock up this straight boys' ass so much. He bit his lip as he imagined how tight it would be around his shaft. As Axl stepped fully under the shower spray, Blaine reached around a bit and began fingering himself as he slowly moved his other hand over his leaking cock. Axl had begun to shampoo his hair, at the same time dropping the liquid soap on his chest and back . Scrubbing his back, his other hand went to his slowly inflating dick. Ducking his head, he rinsed out his hair and put conditioner on it while using the luffa to quickly scrub his lower extremities. Every time his hand glanced over his ever growing cock, he would subtly stroke it a couple of times. Still biting his lip, Blaine watched as Axl looked toward the door, his movements stopping completely, clearly wanting to hear if he was alone. Smirking, Blaine took a few steps closer, fully visible if Axl turned around all the way. When there was no sound, Axl reached down and began to soap up is dick, each stroke gaining in speed. His head tilted back, water spraying across his face. His hands were moving so fast, and yet the sound was almost unrecognizable from the rest of the noise coming from the shower. Blaine stroked himself faster as Axl began to fuck his cock through his fist, his ass clenching and thrusting. A small moan escaped him, causing Axl to look up at the door, hoping no one heard him. The act was causing Blaine to pump his cock loudly behind Axl. Hearing a chuckle, Blaine grudgingly quieted his movements. In front of him, Axl turned to face him, but kept his eyes closed, keeping the fantasy going. Creeping closer, Blaine knelt down and shuffled towards Axl's furious hand movements. Axl's stomach muscles began to contract and his face turned pink. His eyes still closed, he reached around and dug his finger into his own ass. Eyes flying open, Axl grunted as his orgasm hit. Shaking and shuddering, he thrusted his hips forward three or four times, cum shooting out of his dick. As soon as Axl had dug his finger inside, Blaine had shuffled so close that when Axl began to shoot, all he had to do was lean forward. After the first rope of cum shot out of him, Blaine lunged forward and wrapped his lips around Axl's twitching cock. Axl immediately looked down at him, their eyes locked. Giving a slight smile, he released his hand and Blaine opened his mouth wider, letting Axl fuck his face until his release came to an end. Gasping, Axl squatted and sat on the tile floor before slowly leaned back until his entire body was flat. A few more twitches and he stilled. Panting and shaking, he stared blankly at the overhead light and the water from the shower still pulsing down on them. Blaine sucked until Axl's cock became to sensitive to touch and he pulled away chuckling. Eye's meeting, Blaine crawled forward and positioned himself directly over him. Lowering himself, he felt his lips captured by Axl. Grunting, lined his cock up with Axl's and ground himself into him. "That was seriously the hottest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen tons of porn." he told Axl seriously. Axl chuckled and looked up. "It was actually really fun. It felt amazing and it was such a turn on that I didn't see you when I re entered the shower." he praised. Looking down, he noticed Blaine's still hard cock. "Did you cum?" Axl asked him. "Not yet," he smiled reaching down to jerk himself off like Axl had requested. "Wait."Axl said. He looked up at him, face expressionless. After a moment, he nodded and scooted down the tiled floor. The action was easy as it was wet and soap was everywhere. Glancing down, he watched as Axl opened his mouth and pulled him closer by grabbing his thighs. He gasped as Axl's hot mouth surrounded his achingly hard cock. Tongue swirling around the skin and finally down the shaft itself. Pushing him back, Blaine felt his cock leave Axl's mouth and then immediately re-enter. Patting his thighs, he looked up and made a gesture. Eye's widening, he guessed Axl meant for Blaine to fuck his face. "You sure?"he asked Axl, knowing it didn't matter because he wasn't letting Axl off his cock until he was ready to shoot. Giving him a thumbs up, he winked at Blaine. Smiling Blaine pushed forward, his cock once more engulfed in the hot heat of his mouth. Groaning, he began to pick up speed, knowing it wouldn't take long. Before he knew it, he felt a tingling in his groin. He attempted to pull out and away, from Axl's mouth from his cum. But Axl just shook his head and opened his mouth wider, giving him permission to cum in his mouth. Smiling, he thrusted forward erratically and was just about there when he felt Axl insert a finger into his ass. He came, hot, hard, and thick into the straight boys' mouth. Feeling Axl cough, he slowed his movements so as to not make him made or even to gag uncontrollably. After what seemed like ages, he felt Axl pushing himself back up until they were eye to eye again. "That was really good."Axl said, sounding and looking surprised. Blaine leaned down and placed his forehead against Axl's as the water still beat down on their bodies. 6. Chapter 6 Blaine didn't know how long he lay atop Axl, but it seemed like an eternity. The whole time Axl was smiling sweetly up at him. After a while, Blaine felt the water begin to lose the heat. Remembering he still had to shower, he reluctantly tried to push himself up. His plan didn't go so well, and he dropped back down, causing an "oof" to come out of his mouth. Chuckling, he gave a grunt and pushed himself onto his haunches. Now that his face wasn't covering Axl's, the water once more drenched him. Sighing, Blaine stood and walked forward, noticing Axl wasn't moving. Smirking, Axl watched as he walked forward, and when he wouldn't move, he spread his legs and stood over his head. "Perfect." he heard Axl say, then felt a jolt as he felt something prod the area between his nuts and hole. Reaching out, he grabbed the shampoo and applied it to his head and began to scrub. Below, Axl slid his way back down the tiles far enough for Blaine to narrow his stance. With a sigh and then a grunt, he heard Axl rise. Once standing, he felt Axl pressed his chest to his backside. His arms reached around and brought him even closer in a tight embrace. Axl leaned forward and dropped his chin on his right shoulder and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. Blaine felt this was incredibly sweet, and hated to pull away, but he stepped to the side and rinsed his soapy hair. Turning, he meet Axl's eye, and he could tell his feelings were hurt. Giving a tired smile, he closed his eyes and finished the job. "What's wrong Blaine?" Axl asked softly, sounding almost tearful. His eyes shot open, unprepared for the pain Axl's voice. "Axl, you're straight and will be leaving tomorrow."he said. "So?" he asked, looking perplexed. "I'm starting to have feelings for you." he confessed. Axl's face turned a shade of pink and dropped his gaze. "That's alright with me." Axl said, not sounding entirely surprised. "Yea, but when you leave, I'm going to be hurt, knowing I'll never see you again, and not being able to be with you. As soon as you get home you'll get back to you're life and get a girlfriend and will totally forget about me. Which is awful, because you're such a cool guy. I've never grown this close to someone this fast, and what's worse," he says, looking over to the spot where he had hidden during his fantasy."you make me feel special and you don't even know it."he finishes, looking back up. Axl's face is pink and won't meet his eye. He looks down at the water as it pounds the tiled shower floor. Finally, he looks up at Blaine. Blaine is shocked to see a tear drop down his cheek. Choosing not to mention it, Blaine softens his expression and gives him a questioning look. "Blaine, " he whispers in a shaky voice."What if I wanted to give it all a try?"he finishes, so soft, Blaine doesn't quite believe what he heard. "It wouldn't work Axl."he says sadly, feeling a tear fall down his own cheek, but thankfully the shower spray hides it. "Why not?"he asks, walking closer to him. Blaine backs up into the shower wall as Axl stands directly in front of him, they're faces only inches apart. Conflicting emotions began to battle inside him. "You're straight."he said, as if it were an unchangeable fact. "But..."he begins. "Would you be willing to meet my parents, and introduce me to yours?" "Well,"he begins again. "Would you be willing to drive all the way here to see me as much as possible?" he demands. "It..." he starts again. "Would you ever let me fuck you?"he ends, his voice heated by want. Axl looks at him, then down at Blaine's uncut soft cock. What happens next is unexpected. Before his eyes, Axl's soft dick started to expand. "Maybe."he says, reaching down and grips Blaine's foreskin and pushed it up and down the shaft a couple of times. "What?" he asks, not sure if he heard it right. "I want to try to be with you. I don't want you to meet my parents yet. I'd be alright meeting your parents. I would try to drive here as much as I could, as long as you did the same and came to me. I know I'm a good looking guy and girls flock over to me but, to tell the absolute truth, I haven't ever felt anything towards any of my past girlfriends as much as I feel toward you right now."he finishes, his voice returning to his normal volume of speech. Blaine wants him, bad. He knows it won't work, that Axl is just horny right now, and as soon as he leaves in the morning he'll never see him again. "Let's just see how the rest of the night goes." he says, yet despite himself, he sounds cheerful and positive that it's in the bag. Axl's grin spread all across his face and he shot forward seizing his mouth with great force. Between their bodies, he can feel Axl's cock getting harder and smiles into the kiss as he feels the hard rod grinding into his own. Sighing, he pushed him back a bit and reached out toward Axl. Smirking, Axl stepped forward pushed his hips forward, apparently thinking Blaine wanted to take hold of his dick again. Snorting, he shook his head and pointed at the tiled floor. Glancing down, Axl made a comical O with his mouth and bent down and lifted the luffa. Turning around, Blaine glanced over his shoulder and stood there, making it clear Axl was suppose to do all the work. Blushing, Axl soaped it up and began to slowly scrub his back. The whole time, Blaine could feel Axl's cock occasionally poking at his crack. He felt Axl reach around and wrap his arm around his chest and walked him back. He couldn't help but smile and lean his head back while Axl scrubbed his chest. After a few moments, Axl nudged his head to the side, resting his chin on his shoulder. He moaned as he felt a hand wrap around his shaft. Turning his head, he met Axl's blue eyes and was suddenly lost in his thoughts. "_Maybe this could work out..._"he thought, though he cringed inwardly, knowing he was only setting himself up for disappointment. "Put it in." Blaine whispered in Axl's ear. Smiling, Axl shook his head and playfully pushed him back under that water flow from the shower head. The water assaulted his head, causing him to lose focus. His arms were lifted into the air and he was spun around to face Axl. Briefly, Axl moved his fingers quickly, effectively tickling him. Scrunching his nose, he pulled away from Axl until he was out of reach. Axl lifted his hands in a display that said he was done. Slowly, still chuckling, he walked back in front of Axl. "You have even more hair than I do." said Axl, gently stroking his armpits. "Just wait until my hair on my head dries." he chuckled. "Oh?" Axl said, walking closer to him until they were only an inch apart. "Yea. It's not as long as-"he began, but trailed off when he felt Axl wrap his hand around the base of his shaft."as yours. But it's a lot thicker." he finished. "Well, I want to see that." Axl smirked. Blaine nodded, only slightly aware of what he was saying as Axl began picking up speed with his pumping action. Grip tightening, Blaine leaned forward, and began thrusting. Not knowing how long he stood there, he could tell it was coming. Suddenly, Axl released him and turned away. Grunting, he made a whimpering sound. Halting, Axl turned and looked back at him with a curious expression. "That sound you just made might have been one of the cutest things I've ever heard." he said smiling. Feeling his cheeks burn he walked to the shower controls and turned them off. The sound of Axl's footsteps on the tile floor echoed loudly now that the water had been shut off. Axl pulled the sliding doors open and exited the shower into the main bathroom area. Blaine shook his head, flinging quite a lot of water from his hair. Glancing down, his cock was still hard enough that his foreskin was pulled back all the way to the shaft. He noticed it bobbed up and down with his heat beat. Smiling to himself, he followed Axl's tracks. When he looked up, Axl's silhouette was framed in the doorway, a large towel rested over his shoulder. Blaine stopped, staring at Axl's perfect ass, wondering what it would feel like to bury his cock to the base inside it. Without further hesitation he walked quickly up and pressed his chest against Axl's back, his cock coming to rest just under his nuts and between his thighs. Taking the towel off his shoulder, he wrapped it around them and pushed him forward back into his bedroom. Axl began to sit down on his bed, but Blaine held him fast. "I don't want my bed soaked...with water." he said, trying to keep a straight face. Axl grinned madly and nodded, then pulled him in for a forceful kiss. "I want to suck your cock again Axl." Blaine whispered into his ear. "Yea?" Axl asked quietly. "Mmm." Blaine moaned. "Ask me." he smirked at Blaine, already knowing what was going to happen, but was just having fun drawing it all out. "Can I suck your cock, straight boy?"he pleaded kissing Axl's nose and check before leaning in to breath into his ear."please..."he begged. 7. Teaser ***Sorry for the delay but I have been busy on other stories. This is just a teaser I wanted to get out. I wanted something cute and heart warming enough to let you know I haven't forgotten about the story.*** Blaine jumped and looked around in the dark. Some sound had woken him and though he could no longer hear anything, he instantly knew his brother was home for his monthly visit. Blinking, he looked at his bedside clock noticing the time as 3:17 began to rise but as he did so, arms wrapped around him tighter in a cuddling manner. Glancing behind him, he made out a mop of dark curly hair. Grinning, he scooted himself back down into a more comfortable position and snuggled into his pillow. Feeling a warm kiss on the back of his neck, he sighed and let Axl's strong arms rock him back into slumber. ***Full chapter should be up within the next couple of days...I'll try for a really long chapter as a Christmas present for you.*** 8. Chapter 8 Blaine jumped and looked around in the dark. Some sound had woken him and though he could no longer hear anything, he instantly knew his brother was home for his monthly visit. Blinking, he looked at his bedside clock noticing the time as 3:17 began to rise but as he did so, arms wrapped around him tighter in a cuddling manner. Glancing behind him, he made out a mop of dark curly hair. Grinning, he scooted himself back down into a more comfortable position and snuggled into his pillow. Feeling a warm kiss on the back of his neck, he sighed and let Axl's strong arms rock him back into slumber. Some time later, when the morning sun was shining through his bedroom window, Blaine felt something hot and wet surrounding his morning wood. Not really knowing or caring who was doing it, he grinned shifted his body until he was lying on his back. It felt so good, and he moaned as a tongue wrapped itself around the head of his cock. Around the same time, he felt a finger probing his entrance experimentally. Smiling, he plunged his hand under his bedding and took hold of a mass of curly hair hovering around his groin. Feeling rather playful, he began to force the head down and up over his cock, reveling in the knowledge of who was servicing him. After a couple more minutes, his eyes had adjusted to the sunlight and he glanced over to look at the time. The clock read 10:17 AM. He was surprised how late it was and the fact that Axl hadn't left to head back to Indiana. Maybe this could work out, after all Axl was the one who had took it upon himself to pleasure him first. Tired of Axl's fingers lightly probing his entrance, he wanted something more substantial. Still with a tight hold on Axl's head, he forced it down, making sure the tongue lingered over his sensitive nuts before finally moving on to his hole. Giving in, Axl inched down and pried Blaine's legs apart. Releasing Axl's hair, he used his arms to hold his legs far enough to give his lover ample room to work. Grunting and panting, his lower body began to quake as the tongue probed his insides, readying the coming intrusion. After only another minute, he couldn't wait anymore. Reaching down again, he grabbed and pulled Axl's head forward. Surprised, Axl's eyes blinked away the light the poured in, apparently not yet accustomed to the brightness after being under the covers for so long. A moment later, Axl threw off the blankets, revealing his naked body sitting up over his own. His cock leaked precum , balls swung lower over the shaft of his member. Dipping his hips, he ground their cocks together with a grunt of please at the friction. Crouching down, he increased the pressure. The sun shone down on Axl's form, causing his perfect features to enhance, the light sweat beading down his chest. "Can I?" Axl asked shakily, forcing his weight down onto Blaine's. "Do it." was all he could reply. With a nod and a smirk, Axl scooted down a bit and lined his cock up to his entrance. Biting his lip, Blaine nodded at him when Axl glanced back up at his face. Axl's hand wrapped around Blaine's leaking cock and squeezed it hard enough for quite a bit of precum to leak out, at the same time he mirrored the action with his own dick. Taking the precum that came out of their cocks, he lubed up his hole and slowly pushed forward until the head stretched his entrance. Looking up until their eyes locked, Axl made one swift motion and plunged his cock in balls deep. Blaine let out a small yelp that followed with a grunt of pleasure as Axl's cock head glided across his prostate gland. "Mmmm...fuck..." Axl leaked out, eyes closing in ecstasy. Opening them, he pulled out and rammed it in again harder. "Fuck!" he yelled as Axl plunged in a third time. After a couple more hard thrusts, his movements began to ease as his speed increased. Lifting his arm, he reached up and pulled Axl down by the back of his neck. Their foreheads rested against each other, eyes never closing as the pounding began to increase in volume. Axl's brows furrowed and sweat began to bead down his neck. Kissing, Axl's hand reached down and started to jerk off his cock. His other hand was holding his left leg out to the side as the speed continued to increase. Axl's breathing became labored and Blaine feared he was about to cum so he lifted his hand and placed it across his chest. "Not yet."he whispered into Axl's ear. Grudgingly, Axl slowed and began to experiment with different angles of entry. After he was satisfied with his new position, Axl sat up straight and began playing with Blaine's large balls. Grunting, he loved the feeling and closed his eyes. With a nip of pain, he reopened them and looked to see Axl pinching his nipples with a smirk. Grinning himself, he reached up and did the same to Axl. "Ouch!" he said grinning back down. Stretching, Blaine lifted and raised his arms, finally letting his hands land on the head board. Axl was giving him curious look that he couldn't quite place. Raising an eyebrow, he waited for Axl to speak. "Can I try something?" he asked, nervously looking at his arm. Interested, he simply nodded, having no clue with what was going to happen. "You promise you won't get weirded out?"he asked, looking genuinely worried. Smiling softly, he nodded again. Reluctantly, Axl leaned down and tentatively put his mouth on Blaine's open armpit. He felt nothing but shock when Axl opened his mouth and licked and sucked it. It was quite possibly the oddest sensation he ever had. Though not grossed out, he could see why Axl would be apprehensive with the action. Lifting his mouth, Axl looked up with a sheepish expression. Interested in what would happen, Blaine used his other arm and reached around and pushed at the back of Axl's head, forcing his mouth back down on to his armpit. Though he couldn't see Axl's face or expression, he felt his mouth forming into a smile as he continued mouthing armpit. Perhaps it would have been gross if they hadn't had a shower less than a few hours ago, but at the moment they were clean and there was no bad smell coming for the crevices that usually stunk after a while. Axl lifted up and switched to his other armpit, Blaine lifted his arm and let him have at it. With Axl's head completely out of the way, he had a clear view of his door. His eyes widened, forgetting he had forgotten to close it last night before bed, and also that his brother was visiting. In the door way, Cooper stood staring at him as Axl continued to pound away at his ass. Winking, a smirking Cooper quietly stepped into the room and slowly closed his bedroom door without Axl noticing. Blaine closed his eyes in embarrassment, knowing Cooper was probably laughing out loud at them at this exact moment. Cooper knew he was gay and had never had anything against it. They never discussed their sex lives but Cooper had indicated at times that he expected Blaine to be the guy in bed. His thoughts were interrupted as Axl suddenly pulled out of him. He glanced down for only an instant before he felt Axl flipping him over as if he were a rag doll. Now face down in his pillow, he grinned as Axl grabbed his hips and pulled them up for better access. He was surprised when he felt Axl spreading his cheeks and his tongue began to fuck his hole. Groaning, he pushed his ass back into Axl's tongue wanting more. After a few moments Axl went lower and took Blaine's hanging balls into his mouth while reaching his hands around his hips. His hands formed an O and circled around his throbbing uncut cock. Pushing his groin forward, he fucked into Axl's hands, lavishing the feel of the hot wet tongue that pushed into his ass every time leaned back. Without warning, Axl straightened and plunged his cock back into his wanting ass. Blaine dropped his head and bit into his pillow as Axl thrusted fast and hard, clearly wanting to cum. The sound reverberated around the room along with Axl's loud panting. Raising onto his hands, he pushed his ass a bit farther, making it harder for Axl to pull out and build up speed. Stopping, Axl pulled out and rammed his dick back in multiple times before finally keeping it all the way in. Blaine sat up straight, turning his head to the side and kissed Axl when he leaned forward. His hands still on Blaine's dick, he began to pump it fast and hard, leaving little time to prepare for his climax. "Axl..." he grunted opening his eyes and staring at him as his hips began to jerk. "Do it Blaine, cum for me." Axl whispered in a raspy voice. He nodded and grunted feeling the pressure rise, beginning from his nuts and spreading to the shaft. Letting out a whimper, looked down in time to see ropes of cum shooting out of his dick, saturating the sheets below. "Oh, shit..."he squeaked, almost feeling tears of pleasure leaking out of his eyes. Axl still stroked his cock, even after his release, becoming way to sensitive. Jumping, he slapped Axl's hands away from his twitching member. He heard a chuckle behind him before the sound of grunts began to take it's place. Thrusts becoming erratic, Axl collapsed onto Blaine's back. A moment later Axl slowed as Blaine felt a hot liquid filling his ass. Panting and cursing softly Axl finally stopped and rested in place. "I'll give it a try." Blaine whispered, almost to himself. "What?" Axl asked from behind with a surprised edge to his voice. Turning, Blaine looked into Axl's wide eyes. "Do you still want to give it a try or was that offer last night no longer available?" he asked, almost hoping for the later. Axl grinned shyly and kissed him before pulling out and sitting on the end of the bed, where there was no spots of semen that soaked the sheet. "I meant every word. I still mean it." he said cheeks turning pink. Not being able to help himself, he turned and leaned into Axl's chest, kissing his pecs, then moving up his neck and finally ending up at his mouth. His mouth formed a slight smile right before he leaned in to kiss his new boyfriend. 9. Chapter 9 "So..." Axl said to him at the kitchen table a while later, looking up while he was at the stove. "So...what?" he asked Axl, who was munching on plate of scrambled eggs. "What did you think of that...request I made right before we..." he broke off, his face turning bright pink. "You mean when you mouthed my hairy armpit." he chuckled, feeling his own face darken. "Yea.." he said quietly, looking nervous. "Well, it really wasn't half bad." he admitted, loving Axl's look of relief. "Really?" he asked, sounding more animated. "It was different but to tell you the truth, it kind of turns me on. Of course that would have changed had I smelled bad."he laughed. "Good, because I want to try it again soon." he said, unconsciously reaching down and rearranging his hard-on. "That's cool with me Ax." he said joining him at the table, and patting his thigh. "So..." said a new voice coming into the room, making Axl almost jump out of his seat. "I take it my little brother's ass was pretty good." said Cooper, sitting down across from Blaine. Axl looked like he was going to bolt out of the chair and run away. His face was brick red and he refused to look up. Sighing, he squeezed Axl's leg in comfort. When he did finally look up to look at his brother confusion played across his face. Cooper beamed and reached out and pulled Axl's hand out from under his chin and shook it. "Cooper Anderson, Master Actor." he said loudly, releasing Axl's hand and pointing at him with a click to his cheek. Axl just stares at him with his mouth hanging open. Blaine watched his brother and knew exactly what he was going to say before he did. Cooper had no idea that Axl was straight, and that only last night did he ever think about being with a guy. If Cooper let out his snide remark, Axl would leave and would never speak to him again, being to afraid that he was going to be branded as a gay guy. Biting his lip, he stomped down hard the foot beneath the table. Axl jerked his knee up and bashed it to the under side of the table. "Geez! Dude!" Axl cried out loud, turning away from Cooper and glaring at him. "Sorry, I thought I was stomping on Coop's foot." he mumbled, fixing him with an evil eye. "B, I always assumed you were the top in bed. But what I saw earlier was you getting pounded by this guy." he finished, smirking at him. Axl looked mortified, ready to bolt. Instead he looked up defiantly and turned back to Cooper. "Why were you spying on us?" he asked, his face still a dark pink color. "First of all," Cooper said calmly, looking over at Blaine and winked before turning back." I wasn't spying. The door was open and when I heard B here yelp out, I assumed he was hurt. If the door had been closed, I wouldn't have bothered. About halfway up the stairs I started hearing smacking of flesh and knew what it was. I didn't want to hear it so I decided to close the door. The only reason I paused was because it was clear you were fucking my brother, and not the other way around. To be honest before I closed the door the rest of the way I was staring at your perfectly round white ass." he finished, pointing and clicking his tongue again. Without any further communication, he rose and left the kitchen for the living room. Furious, Blaine forgot about Axl sitting next to him and having plates of food in front of them, he rose and headed upstairs to his room, ears burning with rage. Once in the room, he picked up his bedding and placed it over the bed and crawled back under the covers and hid. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and buried his head. This was the reason why he hated when his brother visited. He never thought about what others thought, or how rude he sounded. Axl was probably already in his car and leaving his house forever. The bed lowered and Cooper sat on his bed and patted his back. "Coop, go away. I'll never see him again and it's your fucking fault! Axl's basically straight and he was passing through. Thanks a lot asshole." he gushed. The covers pulled back and Axl snuck under them and wrapped his arms around Blaine and hugged him with immense force. Looking up, Blaine jumped and looked away, ashamed of the few tears that had leaked out. He suddenly felt like he was acting like a drama queen. Axl sat behind him and held him, the entire time kissing his neck and rocking him back and forth. Reluctantly, he looked up and smiled softly at Axl. Returning the smile, Axl carefully unfolded his arms and turned him around until Blaine lay on top of him. Staring into his eyes, Axl brushed the last tear away from his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere Blaine." he said softly, giving him a radiant smile. Leaning up , he kissed him on the lips. "Sorry about being a baby, I just can't stand it when he puts me down." he said with embarrassment. "He was being an asshole. Does he usually pick on you like that, for being gay?" Axl asked, getting serious. "He's very cool about me being gay. Has always supported me for it. There was a reason he was being rather harsh though." he admitted. "Why? He seemed pretty cool with you being with another guy though." he replied, perplexed. "It was because I bottomed for you. He expects me to be a top since I'm so much "butcher" than so many other gay guys. We've always been real touchy feeling...nothing, you know...doing anything to-"he said, feeling award and not wanting to actually say anything that approached incest. "I get it, you never did anything together." he said hurriedly, with an understanding smile. "Right," he continued" anyway, when I had any questions about guys and doing anything sexual he was always very helpful and didn't mind talking about being with another guy. So when I finally did get sexual he congratulated me and asked "Was it tight?"" he said humorlessly. "Your brother actually asked you if another dudes hole was tight?" he asked, incredulously. "Yea..before I responded he went on to ask," you were the guy though right?" so in his view I should always be the top, being anything else is unacceptable." he said sadly. Axl studied his face for a long time, not saying anything, but clearly doing some hard thinking. He kept glancing down at Blaine's crotch and biting his lip. "You OK Ax?" he asked, worried. Shaking his head, he leaned forward and forced their lips together hungrily. Smiling into the kiss, he pushed up with his hips against Axl. For a few minutes, they kissed and ground their middles together, getting hotter and needing more friction. Axl reached down and took hold of his hard cock through his shorts. Squeezing it rather harder then he was prepared for, he gasped in shock. "You're so hard." Axl whispered in his ear roughly. Blaine bit his lip as Axl reached up his shorts through the leg openings. He groaned as his extra skin was pulled down his shaft, leaving the head open for stimulation. Wrapping his fingers around the shaft, he began to work it slowly. The speed wasn't good enough for Blaine though, and he bucked his hips up into Axl's hand. Chuckling, Axl held his down on the bed. Frustrated, he growled at the boy who felt he needed to limit his pleasure. Releasing his hold, Axl stared down at him again with concentration. Biting his lip Axl nodded to himself and pushed Blaine down flat on the bed. Pulling his hand out of the leg openings, he got off the bed and closed the bedroom door. Turning he walked back to the bed looking nervous. Blaine smiled softly at him, not really caring why Axl looked so stressed. Undoing his shorts, Axl pushed them down along with his boxers. His dick was hard and dripping precum. The color of the shaft and head darker due to the agitation of being confined. Crawling atop the bed, Axl pulled of his own shorts, though not needing to take anything else off under the shorts because he was going commando. Raising his arms, Axl pulled his shirt off and indicated Blaine should do the same. Blaine chuckled when he caught Axl's eyes fixed on his armpits. Blaine let his arms fall, denying Axl any more glances at that which he had been staring at. Smirking Axl climbed on top of him, lining their cocks together and pressed down. Sighing, Blaine lifted his arms and Axl grinned and dived in, immediately sucking at the hair. After a few moments he lifted his head and sucked his way across his upper chest and neck and finally ending up at the opposite pit. Axl hummed and ground harder into Blaine's own hard-on. Reluctantly, or so it seemed to Blaine, Axl lifted his face from his pits and sat up. Beginning to rise himself, Axl placed his palm across Blaine's furry chest. Smiling, he scooted down until his crack hovered over Blaine's hard cock that lay against is lower abdomen. Dropping his hips, the crease landed right on top of his cock. Blaine stared at Axl with wide eyes. "I'm not going to bottom for you, at least right now, but I'd like to try to get used to the idea." he said shakily from nervousness. "There's a better way to start." he said, voice shaky as well, but with excitement. "OK, just tell me what to do Blaine." he smiled down sweetly. Nodding, Blaine pushed him up with so much enthusiasm that Axl almost fell off the bed. "Easy." Axl chuckled. "Sorry." he replied with bright eyes, leaning down to press their lips together. "Lay on your stomach." he said, voice a bit higher in pitch. "You're enjoying this too much." he grumbled as Blaine pushed him down on his belly "Your ass is so perfect." he said, mouth muffling as he dove down and plunged his tongue into his opening. "Ohh..."he moaned, pushing his ass back into Blaine's tongue. Blaine chuckled, and sat up, moving his hand up and down his shaft slowly. Axl's hairy unpopped cherry presented in front of him. Shuffling forward, he placed his cock between the creases of Axl's buns and pushed up. The ample amounts of saliva Blaine had applied made his shaft so slick he almost pushed into Axl's opening. Beneath him, Axl shuddered with nervousness. It was clear he wasn't ready to go all the way. Taking a breath Blaine slid through the cheeks with relish. Patting Axl's rump he whispered "lay down." Axl reluctantly complied, still breathing shallow with nerves. "Axl, I'm not going to put it in. Please stop shaking like this, it's making me sad." he said gently. Taking a deep breath, Axl nodded tried to relax. Blaine leaned down and continued pushing his rod through the creases of Axl's cheeks and his own hand, each time pushing with enough force for Axl's tight opening to quiver. Axl suddenly sat up and looked around with a mischievous smile. Taken aback, Blaine paused and sat back. Raising an eyebrow, he gave him a questioning look. "Would you mind your brother watching us doing it?" he asked, excitement in his voice. "Yes I mind. I don't want him to keep watching my ass pounded...even if it is by your awesome cock." he said seriously. "Well, I meant if it were the other way around." he said cheerfully. "I don't get it." he replied. "Is there a way it would look like you're fucking me from behind, but actually just acting?" he asked. Smirking, he lifted Axl by his hips and pushed his legs together. Putting his dick between Axl's thighs, right under his nuts, he pushed forward. His dick slide in nicely, but the friction was as good as he was hoping. "Keep your thighs together and try not to let my dick pass through them." he said. "That's one of the weirdest things I've ever heard." he smiled. "Well, le-"he began before Axl turned around and glanced back. "Can I try it with you?" he asked excitedly. "No. Now turn around and keep those legs together bitch."he said hurriedly, wanting some friction around his cock. Axl raised and eyebrow and opened his mouth, but he just pushed his head to the side, making it obvious he was to keep his head forward. "You know..."he said. "Axl, I'm fucking horny and want to cum in a way that feels like my cock is in your ass." he said with a whine of exasperation. He heard a snort from Axl and felt his thighs tighten. Pushing forward, his length slid in to the crease and back out. He groaned as he slid back out and in again. He wished it was slicker, but didn't really feel like spitting down there or have to get up to grab the lube he seldom used. Changing his angle, his dick nudged at the bottom of Axl's nut sack, causing him to jump. Grinning, he had an idea that would actually work. Reaching forward, he wrapped his hand around Axl's shaft and began to pump with speed. Surprised, Axl glanced back and finally sat up straighter, giving him better access. "Finger me Blaine.."he said hoarsely bucking his hips forward in time with Blaine's pumping. Nodding, he adjusted his position and gently pushed his thumb into his hot opening. Rubbing around the walls, he finally felt the nob that was the source of so much pleasure. Barely grazing over the spot, Axl bucked and looked back in alarm. "Already?" he asked startled, after only working his cock for a little over a minute. Axl's red face nodded, his eyes closing in pleasure. Quickly , Blaine stopped jacking Axl's length and cupped his hand over the head. Still pressing his thumb over the prostate gland, he felt the muscles twitch, signaling the release. Axl groaned, then grunted as cum shot out of his cock, pooling in Blaine's cupped hand. Heaving and panting, Axl relaxed and turned his head to kiss him as Blaine leaned forward. Grinning he leaned in and squeezed the last bit of jizz out of him before leaning back and bringing his hand around to his groin. Axl looked down and watched as he dumped the entire load onto his cock. The white liquid was a startling contrast to his darker colored meat. Pulling back the extra skin, he spread it up to the head and recovered it. The last bit of the sticky mess he applied to Axl's thighs. "What are you doing?"Axl mumbled, though he knew what he was doing anyway. Chuckling, Blaine kissed him and slurped up the rest off his hand except one digit. Presenting it to Axl's mouth he waited. Axl glanced from his smiling face to the cum covered pinky and raised an eyebrow. Making a pouty face, he pushed it toward his lips more forcefully. Tentatively, he opened his mouth let the wet finger inside. Reluctantly he wrapped his lips around it and let Blaine pull it out. Blaine looked at his face, unable to read the expression. Figuring he would ask later, he indicated for Axl to close his thighs once more. Pushing forward, Blaine used Axl's jizz as lube. It was perfect. Still hot and knowing where it came on was almost acting as a mental bonus. Building up speed, Blaine pounded into Axl. His thrusts were hard and desperate. It had been forever since he had topped. Though this wasn't any where near as good as it would be, it was still an improvement. Eyes closed, he rammed his cock in and out, harder and faster. Grunting and moaning he bit his lip as he felt his nuts tighten. He wanted to cum in Axl, but wasn't sure Axl would play along. Opening his eyes he met Axl's gaze. A smile played across his face and he tightened his thighs more. The eye contact and smirk sent him over the edge. Forgetting about cumming in Axl's ass, he made do without. White ropes of cum erupted from between Axl's legs. The cum spread across his nuts and still hard dick as Blaine continued to swivel his hips from side to side erratically, no longer able to control where his cum ended up. With a final jerk of his hips, his orgasm ended. Panting, he landed atop Axl's sweaty back and kissed his neck. A couple more kisses and he collapsed backward. His head was now hanging off the foot of the bed. Wheezing, he tried to raise his head but couldn't. After a few moments, he felt Axl grab hold of his ankle and pull him onto the bed so his head was supported. Axl crawled over his chest and dropped his body atop him. The mess over Axl's groin spread between them . "Gross!" Blaine laughed, but was too tired to get up and clean up. "Your fault dude."he said, grinning evilly. "Go turn on the shower." he replied, chuckling. Axl rose and surprisingly complied, heading off to the bathroom. Turning his head, he watched Axl's perfect ass disappeared through the bathroom door. The sound of falling water erupted from within. Axl called him to come in. Trying to raise himself, he found he was too weak. Grunting, he made as if to push himself up but failed again. Axl's head poked out of the bathroom door and he smirked. Swaggering over, he pulled Blaine to the side, got down on hand and knees on the floor. Patting his back, Axl meant for him to get on his climb on. With effort, he rolled onto his back. Amazingly, Axl rose without any problem and Blaine had to wrap his arms around his shoulders as they head toward the bathroom. "You know," Axl said, turning his head to look back at him."you never did answer me." "About what?" he asked puzzled. "About letting you brother glimpse us doing it, but not really being able to tell that it was just you fucking my thighs."he chuckled, slapping his right thigh. "Oh." he said, surprised."I totally forgot about that. I really don't want him to watch us. How about we just yell or something in the shower loud enough for to him to hear. He'd run upstairs and you shout something while we're in the bathroom that makes it sound like that what we're doing so unmistakable." he whispered, smirking as they walked through the door. "Is he smart enough to figure out all we're doing is acting?" he asked, opening the walk-in shower door. Blaine thought about that, and he knew Cooper would be expecting something. The water beat down on his back as Axl backed into the shower head. He shakily slid down Axl's back and dropped to the shower floor. He looked up and instantly lost his train of thought. Axl's tight white hairy ass was mybe a foot away, his legs spread apart slightly. Reaching up he grazed his hand over the right cheek. Jumping, Axl looked around and smiled softly before backing up close enough for an easier grab. With effort, he pushed himself up and with one swift movement he cupped the left cheek and spread them apart. Pulling Axl in, he forced his tongue inside the hairy entrance. "Oh my god.."he groaned and walked out of Blaine's reach. Turning he shook his head with a smirk. "What?" Blaine asked, trying to look innocent. "No more..."he said, then appear shocked at his own words."My dick is sore and I'm pretty sure by now I'll be shooting blanks." he finished apologetically. Smiling, he nodded and curled his index finger, indicating he wanted Axl to lean in. Matching his grin, he leaned down and met his wanting mouth. "Blaine, I have to actually leave today and head home." he said sadly, looking truly miserable. "I understand Axl." he said softly, touched by the sincerity in his voice "I don't want to." he said hurriedly, "I ju-" he was interrupted as Blaine kissed him again. "I understand stud." he replied, smiling. Pulling him up, Axl pushed him gently against the tiled shower wall, resting his forehead against his own and stared into his eyes. Blaine didn't know how long they stood there, it might have been hours, but was probably only a few seconds. Eventually they broke apart and began to actually clean themselves up. The process was much faster than their last shower. Once finished, they dried each other off and headed back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. There wasn't very many words shared between them as they dressed, gathered Axl's things and sat back down. Blaine could tell Axl didn't want to say it, but it was time for him to head home. Standing they made their way to the bedroom door before Axl turned and pushed him back on the bed and pounced atop him. His kisses were harsh and desperate, as if he wanted to remember every moment. Axl dropped his head and laid it on Blaine's chest. Blaine caressed Axl's dark curly hair blinking his eyes rapidly. He had no idea why this was so hard. Sighing, he patted the guys upper back and they reluctantly rose. Sitting up, they exchanged numbers and kissed once more before standing. Axl appeared to hesitate as they came close to the bedroom door. Attempting to turn around again, Blaine chuckled and gently pushed his back and they made their way down the stairs. Walking down the long hall they passed the living room where Cooper was laid back in the recliner. He looked up and nodded to them in a friendly manner. The back of Axl's neck turned pink and he faced him. Trying to push him onward, Axl finally moved on, not without giving Cooper a murderous glare. Opening the front door, he was about to let Axl out when Cooper appeared in front of them. Axl's demeanor changed, realizing how much taller Cooper was than him. "I didn't mean to upset either of you guys. I just want the best for B here. He's very special to me and I'm not used to seeing him very often. I just want you to be good to him." he finished, looking sincere. Blaine gave him a broad smile behind Axl as Cooper reached over and shook his hand. For a few moments, Axl didn't say a thing until finally he took a deep breath. "He's special to me as well. I'll take care of him as much as I can." he said warmly. Cooper's smile widened and he stepped back and he headed back into the living room. Raising his eyebrows at Blaine he turned to step out the door. From the living room, they heard Cooper say loudly. "I wasn't kidding earlier. You do have such a perfect ass." he called. Blaine snorted as Axl flushed again. "Well you do." he said pushing him out the door and walking with him to his junker car. They kissed and Axl got in the car and started it. He turned and once more they found each other's eyes before he engaged car in drive and slowly drove away. Blaine stood their in the driveway, waiting until the back lights of Axl's car to disappear. A loud chime broke him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he pulled out his cell phone and discovered a text. "Blaine, I meant it too...ur very special to me. we will be together again, i swear. I'd come back here again this weekend but ive got a home football game fri. ttyl Axl... Blaine smiled, and immediately began making plans to go on a road trip on Friday to Orson Indiana. 10. Chapter 10 "Dude im so hard right now." Blaine was reading a text from Axl while in Glee class. Smirking, Blaine was getting a bit uncomfortable. His own dick had stiffened as he pictured Axl's cut cock. Thick, dark pubes grew all around his shaft and nuts. Precum oozing out into his boxers as he sat in class, hard and needing attention. His nuts were full and hung low below his dick. Sweat would be forming under his nuts due to being confined by clothing. Axl's tight hairy white ass was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. The opening into his hole was tight and puckered, as if just asking to be plowed. Of course at this point Blaine was completely hard himself. "Show me." he texted back, not expecting to receive a reply. At the moment, Sam and the other guys were doing their "Greased Lightin" number. The girls all sat in the front row chairs while he sat against the wall on the back row. He hadn't felt this happy since he was with Kurt. Though he was no longer single, he never missed a chance to watch the guys do their bit. Sam's crotch was always fun to watch. They'd known each other for quite a while now, and had become best friends. He had failed to see what he was packing, but had glimpsed his bare ass on several occasions. Sam's ass was a tad bigger, but Axl's with hairy and perfect. He was pretty sure had he asked Sam if he could look at this goods, he would have done so readily. He assumed he was also cut, but that was OK. Sam was naturally smooth, so he figured his pubic hair was most likely nonexistent. Jake was moving around the room doing all sorts of impressive dancing moves. He hated to admit it, but he had spied on him. Yes, he knew it was creepy and perverted, but he just couldn't help they were making the calender of McKinley High's men, he had glimpsed Jake in the shower and had liked what he saw. It was also clear he was uncut. This had surprised him, for both him and Noah had Jewish roots. His pubes weren't thick, but short, black, and curly due to his meat that swung between his legs was huge, at least four or five inches. What that length would be once hard would probably be monstrous. Ryder was another subject though. He had only seen him with his shirt off but a couple of times, and like Sam, had little if any body hair. He jumped a little when his phone vibrated in his pants. Glancing up, no one seemed to have noticed. Grinning slyly, he opened his phone. It seemed Axl had taken his request seriously. The picture showed his jeans open and unzipped, cock sticking out of the boxers open front slit. His left thumb was pushing down on the head, causing precum to ooze out. Staring at the picture in wonder, it vibrated again and instantly opened another image. This time Axl had maneuvered his thick nuts out through the same opening. Once more the phone vibrated and a message popped up. "U hard?" "so hard" he glanced up, not wanting to miss Sam combing his greased hair with two combs. He chuckled as Sam winked at him, knowing how he felt about that action. Cell phone vibrating, he opened it. "show me" Blaine bit his lower lip, nervous. His jeans were rather tight and he was afraid once opened, they wouldn't zip back up. Still, no one was looking and the only person that paid any attention to him was Sam. Knowing Sam would never tell anyone, he unzipped and maneuvered his hard uncut cock out over his briefs. Glancing around, no one noticed so he stood slightly and took a picture. Sitting down again he looked up and met Sam's eyes. After a split second, Sam smirked and winked. Blaine felt his face heat up with embarrassment. Looking down, he sent the image to Axl. Awkwardly, he zipped himself up just as the song ended. Sam walked up and sat down next to him just as he secured his top button. "Dude?" Sam whispered shaking with suppressed laughter. "What?" he asked nervously. "Did you just do a "Josh Hutcherson"?" he asked, still chuckling. "A Wh-" he began. "Did you take a picture of your junk?" he asked back in control. "Why would taking a picture of your junk be called a "Josh Hutcherson"?" "Apparently he took pics of himself and sent them to a girlfriend who leaked them online." he said, looking surprised. "Really?" he said, more to himself, a smirk forming across his face. Snorting, Sam rolled his eyes."So, did you just take a selfie?" "Oh...well.."he started again as Sam grabbed his cell. "Dude!" he said reaching over, determined to get his phone back. Sam grinned as he clicked the "Sent" button. Blaine hung his head and felt as though his ears were going to burn off from the heat. "Huh."he heard Sam say beside him . "What?" he asked, mortified. "I didn't know you were uncircumcised." he said interestingly. Deciding to use Sam's lapse of concentration and rested the phone away. "What does that matter Sam." he said, closing the phone and shoving it back down into his pocket. "Well, I've just never seen another one like mine." he said, somewhat timidly. "You're uncut?" he asked, looking up with surprise. Sam nodded and smirked at Blaine. He wasn't really looking anymore, he just stared down at Sam's crotch, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Sam placed his hands of his crotch and coughed. Blaine looked up and away, not wanting to make his friend uncomfortable. The bell rang and he stood and walked out of the room rather fast. Sam called to him but he just kept going until he came to his locker. Opening the door and shuffled his books around and closed it just as Sam approached. "I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to stare down there. It was rude and I shouldn't have done that." he said quietly walking away. Sam grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Refusing to meet Sam's eyes, he just wanted to get away. He felt San watching him, not knowing what his next move would be. "It's OK Blaine." he said warmly with a smile. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before going on."Do you want to see it?" He looked up quickly, unsure of what he heard. That was something he wanted to see for a long time. Thinking of Axl, he sighed and he felt like he was cheating on him just to even consider the offer. "Yes, but I can't. I'm no longer single." he said shyly, but with confidence. "Really? That's awesome! Well, you know, it's not awesome you don't want to look...I mean that you have someone now." he said hurriedly. "Got it." he said, his manner returning to a relaxed state. "Anyone I know?" he asked, nudging his shoulder into his own. "Not really...do you remember that guy that was at the repair shop last Friday. He had curly hair and drove that junker." he told him, walking to the next class. "I thought he was straight...that's what Finn said. "He is...well..was." he said more animatedly. "How did you get him to turn...I didn't think that was possible." he said as they walked through the door to the classroom. "Well, you know he played his guitar and accidentally broke it putting it back into the car. I offered to ...express my gratitude in certain ways." he said, face flushing. Sam snickered and punched his arm, making an up and down motion with his hand. "We did a lot more than that." he whispered. "I didn't think you'd go all the way on the first date." he said, surprised. "Just depends on the guy."he said. "You must must be good in order to turn someone." he said, looking curious. "He didn't turn. Everyone has a little gay in them, it just depends how far someone will go." he explained, finding the conversation interesting. "Well I'm happy for you. Hope I can meet him sometime." he said sincerely. "Is your offer still on the table?" he asked as they took a seat in the classroom. "You mean wanting to see what's in my basket?" he smiled, his thick lips turning a bit red. As long as he didn't touch, he should be fine. Looking up he nodded at Sam. Winking, Sam returned the nod and looked around. He began to unzip. Blaine reached out and stopped Sam's hand. Shaking his, he nodded at the door as the teacher walked in. Sam smirked and released the zipper and faced forward. Blaine shook his head and couldn't believe he was going to see Sam's cock. Glancing down at his lap, he became aware or his continued harness. The amount of time stretched and his dick began to hurt, giving him his first case of blue balls. Luckily this was the last class of the day, so he wouldn't have to wait much longer until he could take care of the building pain. Just as the bell rang, he received a text from Axl. "can we mess around with friends?' Blaine frowned, and replied. "what do u mean axl?" "every once in a while i'll stay the night at a friends house and we would watch porn and jerk off together...we never touch each other but we do see each other naked and even see it when the other cums." It sounded as if Axl was nervous this was a deal breaker. "axl, that's fine bud. i'd only get mad if you were making out or go all the way. blow jobs and hand jobs are OK with me, as long as it's just to get off. we live really far apart and we're both sexy dudes and have needs." he sniggered out loud. Sam, who was walking next to him raised an eyebrow. Totally forgetting Sam was walking with him, he jumped and looked around. "u sure, bc if not tell me and i won't bring it up again." "go for it ax, it sounds like your horny, and im not there to help you out." "you're fuckin awesome." Blaine's smile broadened and his heart felt lighter. "thanx, i cant wait till u fuck me again. i love it when u shoot ur load deep in my ass" Beside him, Sam coughed and Blaine turned. It seemed Sam was reading over his shoulder. Giving Sam a punch in the shoulder, he clicked send. "o man, ur ass felt so good. so hot and tight around my cock." "ttyl, I've gotta take care of something." "oic ;)" Earlier that day he had already made plans to hang out with Sam at his home. The entire car ride there, he was still aware his dick was hard and throbbing worse than ever. He wondered what Sam's dick was going to look like. Pulling in the driveway, they got out and headed to the front door. Sam let him in and they proceeded to the cabinet to grab a snack. Blaine looked around, noticing his brother and sister weren't there. "Where is everyone?" he asked Sam, as they walked to his bedroom. "Doctor's appointment. We'll be alone for a good hour or more." he said, holding the door open. Once inside, Same closed the door and locked it. Suddenly, Blaine felt awkward, knowing that he was about to be granted something he had wanted since the day he had met Sam. Sam walked over and stood by him. He was about to unzip and looked up with a strange expression. "You...you want to watch something and ...umm...jerk off together" he said, the last three words a soft and shaky whisper. "Really?" he asked, stunned. Sam gave a single nod, looking nervous. "Yeah!" he said, voice brimming with excitement. Sam smiled and his manner relaxed. He shuffled towards his small TV and turned it on. Afterward, he made his way to his dresser. Opening the top drawer, he shoved his boxers to the side and reached in and pulled out a single disc. Blaine couldn't make out a title, but it looked like it was a generic rewritable disc. Placing it in the DVD player he pushed the power button. Making his way over to the bed, he striped off without any further delay. Before Blaine knew it, Sam was naked, standing with his back to him. His ass protruded out perfectly, though a bit too hairless for his taste. He reached out as if to pull Sam's ass closer to his face, then stopped himself. "Go ahead." he said, voice shaky. Nodding to himself, he reached out and placed a hand on his right cheek. The warmth and smoothness of his skin was remarkable. Using his other hand, he copied the move to his left, but didn't pull his ass closer. Hands now extremely shaky, he reached under his crack to the area between his testicles. Sam jumped and turned suddenly. Pulling back his hand, he wasn't quick enough. His face was closer than he had thought and Sam's hard cock had slapped his face with the unexpected movement. "Sorry." Blaine said hurriedly. He stared at Sam's dick. There was no mistaking Sam being intact. The skin stretching over his head. The shaft wasn't really thick, but long and curved slightly forward, probably a bit over seven inches, maybe more. Pubes so light in color, it looked as if they were nonexistent. Sadly they were trimmed extremely close to the skin. What surprised him most was his massive nuts. They seemed huge compared to his own. Sam's hand reached down and pulled back the skin, exposing the head, which was a much lighter color of pink. "Your turn Blaine." he said, sounding rather excited now. Nervous, he stood and removed all the clothing except his briefs. Sam reached out and lightly palmed his aching cock through the material. Blaine gasped and stepped back a step. He hadn't expected Sam would touch him. Sam looked rather chastised and hung his head. Taking a breath, Blaine stepped back to his original position and nodded to his best friend. Smiling slyly, he resumed his previous action. Pulling at the elastic waste band he maneuvered the material down until they slid off without any further action. Again, Sam reached out and took hold of his cock. Smiling, Sam moved his hand up and down, finally releasing his hold after the extra skin was pulled back like his own. "This is the first uncut one I've ever seen." he said, still sounding surprised. His wording sounded odd to Blaine, as if he was used to see cock. "How many others have you seen?" he asked, curious. "A lot. Before my family moved to Lima I fooled around a lot with my other guy friends. Just playing around and getting each other off for fun. A friend had even let me fuck once, though we never did it again. We did all sorts of things, blow jobs, hand jobs, 69ing. Though once we got into high school we naturally began to limit the amount of time with each other and started getting more into girls." he said, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary. Blaine stood stunned and a little hurt. After knowing him for so long and being best friends, he had never hinted that he would like to mess around with him. With this new revelation, he thought of all the times they had been alone, giving them numerous chances to fool around. Yet it seemed he wasn't Sam's type. Biting his bottom lip slightly, he looked away and stared down at his clothes spread out across the floor. All of sudden, he wasn't feeling very horny any more. Sam looked up and knew what he was thinking. Sam looked guilty and released his still hard cock and sat down on the bed. "Blaine, I never mentioned it because I'm straight, and though it would be fun to mess around with you, it wouldn't be fair because that's all it would be, fooling around. I know you really like me and I was afraid if I did do stuff with you it would give you false hope." he explained, sadly. Truth be told, he probably would have gotten the wrong idea and expected more from Sam. Those expectations wouldn't be met and it was a very real possibility that their friendship stretch and might even break. He stood there and he calmed down and recognized the truth in Sam's words and actions. Taking a few breathes, he looked down and waited for his eye to come into his field of vision. Sam looked up and they stared at each other. Blaine smiled and nodded and finally relaxed. "Since you're no longer single, I don't have to worry about you getting your hopes up, so we can mess around and I won't feel too guilty." he said with a smile. "We don't need the TV anymore." Blaine said, as if to himself. "Yea." Sam chuckled, getting up and removing the DVD, and placed back in the dresser. Blaine had mounted Sam's bed and sat with his back against the head board. Sam joined him, nudging him over to one side. Sam stared down at Blaine's uncut cock and smirked. Slowly frowning, Blaine glanced down as well, but didn't see what was so funny. Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head in question. Sam reached out and lightly gripped his dick. Experimenting, Sam pushed the extra skin up and down Blaine's shaft. Taking a tighter hold, he moved his hand up and down the shaft, tracing the slightly curved length. and looked down at his own. "What?" he asked, still perplexed. "I'm just glad to see I'm not the one with a curved penis. All my friends I messed around with had straight dicks. I always felt mine wasn't as good as theirs." he said, looking up with a relieved expression. Smiling, Blaine felt the same way. He had always disliked that his curved to the left, looking deformed. Reaching over and taking hold of his friends dick, he copied his movement, letting his hand trace the curve downward instead of the the left. Leaning back against the headboard, he scooted closer to Sam. Grinning widely, he shifted on the bed until he was sitting directly across from him. Releasing Sam's length, he reached down and fondled the others' hefty nuts. He was so fascinated, he scooted even closer and leaned down. Not being able to help it, he felt his nostrils flare as the unmistakable scent of man sweat wafted over Sam's crotch. He was relieved he didn't smell that horrible odor of an unclean intact penis. That was one thing every one always seemed to think was present with an uncut dick, even if it was clean. "Your nuts are huge Sam." he marveled, looking up. "Yea, well your dick is much thicker than mine." he replied, sounding somewhat amused. Blaine's dick, having been hard for quite a period of time, maneuvered himself awkwardly as it accidentally hit Sam's wrist. His case of blue balls was getting worse. Though he wanted to make this experience last, the pain was telling him to relieve himself. Looking up, he noticed Sam looking concerned as Blaine winced as the action brushed against his balls again. Breathing steadily, he tried to sit in a more comfortable position. "What's wrong bud?" Sam asked, concerned. "I have blue balls." he chuckled darkly. "Oh." Sam sympathized. "Well let's do this" he suggested. Blaine released Sam's dick and reached for his own. Sam blocked him, and indicated they should jerk each other off. At first he didn't want to. It felt like cheating on Axl. His messages earlier from him said they could fool around, but not anything heavy. Also, with Sam working his dick, he'd cum faster than if would with his own hand. Nodding, he reached out again and grasped Sam's uncut cock. Smiling, Sam began to move his hand up and down at a faster speed. Blaine closed his eyes, leaning back and enjoying his friends assistance. His eyes shot open when he felt what happened next. Jerking his head down, he watched Sam's mouth hovered over his dick. With a glance up and a smirk, Sam lowered his mouth over his cock. Sam's tongue wrapped around the length and bobbed up and down a couple of times. His long time crush finally taking his cock in his mouth, was something he had fantasized about too many time to count. The thought, was enough to push him over the edge. His aching cock had only been in Sam's mouth for ten or fifteen seconds before his release erupted like a bomb. Grunting, he shot his load in Sam's hot wet mouth. He had released Sam's dick and moved his hand to the back the blond's head and pushed him down further as his orgasm continued, intensifying as he felt Sam lightly caress his nuts. Coughing, Sam tried to take as much as he could, but there was more than he could handle. White trails of cum traveled down his shaft and came to rest at the base, some eventually dripping down the back side to his nuts. Shaking and groaning, he let Sam's head go. and fell backward, still twitching. Glancing down, he noticed Sam licking up the semen that he had not been able to take in. Panting, he gave Sam a lazy and blissful smile, that caused Sam to burst out laughing. Dropping his head back to the pillow, he sighed, until he felt is body slide down the mattress. He was about to sit up again before he felt the bed move. A shadow loomed over his body and he watched as Sam lowered himself. His dick came to hover over his mouth before he lowered himself the rest of the way. Opening his mouth he let Sam fuck his face, while he played with those balls of Sam's that were hanging large and full around his chin. changing angles, he continued his pumping action. Taking a chance, Blaine reached around and probed Sam's puckered hole and worked his index inside. At that moment, Sam came, hard and thick into his throat. Swearing and mumbling, his legs shook and he whimpered as the last few moments of orgasm came to an end. Finally, he pushed himself over and laid on the left side of the bed. Blaine turned his head, and Sam met his eyes. Both smiling, they chuckled and gave each other a fist bump. ***Ok, So I claimed with my last submission it was to be the end of my Axl Gleease story...but I can't help it...these two guys are hot and I have a dirty mind and want to get all this out...There's a chapter right after this I've already written halfway so expect to read even more.*** 11. Chapter 11 "can u check ur cell at halftime?or do u half to wait till the game's over?: Blaine pushed the send button on his cell phone on his way to Orsin, Indiana. Once school was over he went home and changed into something suitable for his trip. Luckily his parents didn't care what he did on the weekend as long as he checked in with them. Stepping into his shower, he had to restrain himself from jerking off. The thought of seeing Axl again tonight and knowing what they would be doing turned him on insanely. His uncut cock was hard, leaking precum and begging to be played with. Scrubbing his body and shampooing his hair took a bit longer. Making sure to spend the majority of time cleaning his hole and especially his arm pits. Axl would surely want to play with them. Shaking his head, he growled at his mind, trying to put away the inciting thought's of how it would feel with Axl's cock fucking his inside and grazing his prost-Hissing again, he turned the shower's hot water almost completely off. Water poured over his body, suddenly much colder until it felt as if he was freezing. Glancing down, he smirked as his shaft started to soften. Starting to shiver, he rinsed the soap off him and stepped out just as his cock began to recede into his groin. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself off and dressed. Exiting his room, he turned back and stared at the bed, remembering how close they had grown in just under a day. As he pulled out of his driveway, his cell pinged with a text message alert. Stopping the car, he opened and read Axl's message. "ya, i can check it...y?" Biting his lip, he tried to figure out a way that wouldn't give away his plans. "ive got something to send to u that will hopefully be a good luck charm." he answered back, feeling more confused than Axl must be. "ight...well, ive gotta get ready for the game. ill score a touch down for you Blaine...i promise. i miss u so much...even though it's only been six days since we last saw each other." Blaine felt his heart swell with emotion as he closed his phone and made his way west towards Indiana. As he passed the Orsin city limits, he was struck by how crowded the roads were. Luckily, the flow of traffic was in the opposite direction. Wondering what he was going to do until the game started, he glanced at the row of houses on the right. Nothing looked out of place or interesting. Just cheap standard middle class homes. Approaching the stop light, a beat up junker came to a stop directly across from him. Looking somewhat familiar, he pondered why it appeared so. As the light turned green, the car accelerated, he noticed the driver was wearing a blue jersey. Suddenly, he knew who was driving that vehicle. Cursing to himself, he turned his face away and tilted his head so the sun wouldn't illuminate his features. It took all his will power not to stare directly at his boyfriend as they came within three feet of each other. As he passed under the green light he looked at his rear view mirror to see if Axl had noticed. Detecting no out of the ordinary movements, he smirked and continued deeper into town. Wanting to take Axl out to some place really nice to eat. Preferably some where Axl wouldn't be readily recognized. Sighing, he decided to go find a seat at the football stadium. Debating where he wanted to sit, he jumped as his cell buzzed. Chuckling to himself, he ignored it until he found out where to park. Guessing he should have looked online to see where the best parking would be, he soon became lost. Making a left turn, and drove onto a wide street with cars parked on both sides. Figuring he was close, he turned again down another crowded street with buildings constructed with cinder blocks. Going around a corner, he suddenly was looking at a large open field with cars parking in it. Ahead, a red sign indicated the field was a parking lot for sporting events. Smiling, he wanted to find a spot that was secluded and out of the way. The football stadium came into view and he turned down yet another road lined with thick shade trees. There was three parking spots situated near a utility building. Pulling in, he parked and turned off the car. Reaching out for his cell, he unfolded and looked at the text. "wish me luck, im getting ready to hit the field. cant wait for the text at half-time." Smiling, he wished him luck and exited the car. Stretching, he walked slowly down the street. A mass of sounds could be heard from all around. Laughter and conversations came from the stadium. The sounds of a marching band warming up came from around the same direction. Though he wasn't in band, he loved hearing instrumental music. Dalton hadn't had a school band, or even a jazz band. Instead Dalton just used the Warblers as a substitute. He could play many instruments, including brass woodwind, and string. Picking up his pace, he headed for the stadium, hoping to figure out how the night would progress. He paid the gate and tried to find a good place to sit. Preferably one that would be easy for Axl to recognize him, and yet not distract him from the game. Climbing the stairs he decided to sit as far up as he could. That way he wouldn't have to worry about anyone behind him that would give him trouble. Glad he was still wearing his sunglasses, he noticed several people watching him, most were high school girls. Taking a seat, he looked and saw at a glance several heads quickly look away. Smirking to himself, this happened all the time. Chicks found him hot, and he really couldn't blame them. Still, he wasn't remotely interested in girls at all. Kissing Rachel while drunk was fun, but when it happened while he was sober, he was releaved to find out he was totally gay. Snorting, he watched the field, still noticing glances from different people. The announcer began with the standard procedures for the beginning of the event. Thanking the crowd for coming, informing the different rules that must be followed. No alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, no bad language, and no out of control public displays of affection. Again, he smirked, thinking there was no way he was leaving without getting some from Axl, preferably fucking and cumming in his ass. Absentmindedly, he reached up and rubbed his armpit, knowing Axl would be all over that. On the field, the band began to play the national anthem and school fight song. Standing, he watched as the visiting football team was announced with their starting players. Looking over to the left, he watched as the band marched to the 0 yard line and formed two lines. A mass of blue jersey'ed football players gathered under the field goal and began to jump and yell. Standing along with the rest of the crowd, he cheered as the players rushed the field, breaking through the school banner. He regretted not asking Axl what his number was, but he said he was starting. Surely the announcer would name them like he did for the visiting team. Almost right on cue, names were listed as each player ran onto the field from the sideline. "STARTING QUARTERBACK, NUMBER 32, AXL HECK!" the announcer roared, and the stands erupted with cheers. Grinning ear to ear, he savored the delight of knowing his boyfriend was the starting quarterback. The players waved and huddled, and then went to their places. Watching the number 32 was much easier than he thought it was going to be. Axl looked up at the stands and though he wasn't sure, he thought he had looked right at him. A moment later, he breathed easy. What Axl had been looking at was a couple that sat four or five rows below him. Blaine looked at them, and saw the resemblance between them and Axl. Sitting right next to them was what looked like a boy reading a book. That must be Axl's family, he had mentioned having a little brother. The kick off was good, and the game began. His cell buzzed in his pocket. Knowing it couldn't be Axl, but instead it was from Sam. "So is your boyfriend any good at football?" "I think so, I'm watching him, but I'm not the best judge. To tell the truth I'm actually rather distracted watching his ass in that uniform." Send. "figured u'd be staring more at something like that than to be into the game." "well u haven't seen his ass. the only way anyone could say it was the hottest thing ever is blind." Looking up, he noticed halftime was almost upon him. Knowing he hadn't even sent Axl a text yet, he told Sam he'd contact him later. Biting his lip, he tried to think about what to say. For some reason, he was nervous that Axl would be mad he had came to see him without any warning. What if his friends saw them together. Incredibly scared, he decided what to say. "Axl ...I hope you're not mad at me, but I'm actually sitting in the stands. I wanted to see you so bad I drove here after school. I'm sorry if I stepped over the line, but I wanted to surprise you. If you want, I'll leave and not bother you, but...well...we can get together after the game if you want. You look so hot in your football uniform. Tell me what you want me to do...again...I'm sorry if I crossed the line." He pushed send just as the buzzer for half time sounded. He waited, watching as the team made their way off the field and into a building near by. The marching band entered the field and began to play. He watched, impressed with their show and how good they were. About halfway, his cell buzzed. With shaking fingers, he opened the message. "ur here?!of course im not mad. ur my boyfriend and im so touched blaine. im literally standing here speechless. blaine...ur so fukin' awesome. how could u think id be mad?i just want to run up there and kiss you so much right now. we are so getting together after the game blaine...my mind is blown. the rest of the game is strictly for u blaine. where are u parked. as soon as the games over im coming right to you...blaine...i cant believe this...:)" Blaine stared down at his cell, a couple tears falling down his cheeks. His heart swelled with emotion as he read the text again. Why on earth was he acting like this? He sent the message and closed his phone, still breathing heavy. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the girls sitting close to him was staring at him. He figured they were waiting for him to notice them. Still, he wasn't prepared to look up yet, and he sneakily wiped away the stray tears on his cheeks. Finally looking up when the buzzer sounded, he watched the field as the players ran back onto the field. As he watched, he noticed number 32, was standing a couple feet apart form the other players, looking at the stands. Pulling his helmet off quickly, he scanned the crowd. Blaine waited, and when Axl finally scanned the area where he was seated, he froze and looked up. A large smile began to grow across his face. Their eyes met, and Blaine felt as if he was alone with Axl, and no one else existed. The large stadium lights shone down on him, his curly hair somewhat limp and wet looking from sweat. Next to him, another player patted his arm and he jumped back. Blaine smirked and winked as Axl glanced up again after nodding to his team mate. Donning his helmet again, he looked once more at him and headed into the huddle. 12. Chapter 12 It seemed every time Axl was told to sit out for certain periods of time to rest, he'd turn around and look back at him. Though after a couple times, his behavior was starting to attract attention. Finally, Axl limited his continued observations to a bare minimum. The fourth quarter, Axl spent the entire time out on the field. They were losing by a field goal as the last minute counted down on the clock. Not being close enough to see what was said in the huddle, it seemed Axl was arguing with someone. As the whistle blew, his team mates started to nod. Squaring off, they yelled the starting numbers and the play began. The clock read 00:23 as the Axl backed up, looking up and to his left. The defensive line watched Axl's movement and made a move over to the direction he was staring at. As the time indicated eleven seconds to go, Axl cut right and sprinted forward. Not able to help himself, Blaine rose, along with the rest of the crowd as Axl passed the ten yard line. As the clock got down to a single digit, Axl passed the five yard line. Behind him, the defensive line had redirected their movements and were literally a couple feet behind him. A player grabbed Axl's hips and pulled him back. Faltering a bit, Axl leaned forward and fell just over the goal line as the buzzer sounded. The crowd roared and his team mates rushed toward him. Blaine found the whole scene incredibly inspiring. On the field, he noticed Axl not looking down at his friends, but up at him. Touched, Blaine roared his approval and laughed as his helmet became stuck. Grinning, he made his way down the stands, so he wouldn't have to fight the crowd around him to get to his car. Passing out of the gate, he walked toward his car. Walking slowly, he almost tripped as his shoelaces became untied. Sighing, he squatted and tied them. Standing, he continued on his way. He was just passing a tree when someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the trunk of the tree. He looked into Axl's blue eyes and smiled as his mouth pushed against his own. Startled, but touched he returned the gesture, noticing he was still in his uniform. Axl turned his head to the side and bite his ear lightly. "I missed you so much Blaine. So fucking much."he said, voice full of emotion. "I missed you to Ax." he said softly, looking around, noticing people coming closer. Reluctantly, he gently pushed Axl's chest and motioned to the crowd approaching. Eyes wide, he looked around, making sure no one had seen him. Almost as if thinking his sudden action was horrible, he looked back at Blaine, looking very guilty. Figuring Axl was afraid that he had hurt his feelings about not wanting to be seen together, he totally understood his predicament. Smiling softly, he gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and walked in the direction of his car. He felt a tug on his jeans so he looked back. Axl pulled him around the tree and kissed him again. Before he could say anymore, Axl reached down and unzipped Blaine's pants. Watching in stunned disbelief, Axl reached through his zipper and maneuvered his cock out through the opening. Smirking up at him, Axl took his length and put it into his hot wet mouth. Blaine's knees shook as Axl slurped around the extra skin and finally pushed it back to dig his tongue into the slit on the head. Gasping, he dropped his hand and lightly placed on the back of Axl's head. He was already feeling his balls tighten as Axl swirled his tongue around the base, using his hand to jerk his cock with quick strokes. Shaking, he glanced down and stared into Axl's eyes and his orgasm hit. Grunting, hot white semen spilled out of his cock directly into Axl's mouth. Panting, he dropped his head and smiled weakly. Grinning Axl, stood up and seized his mouth. Their tongues fought and he tasted his own seed. Hearing voices around him, he released him, and pushed Axl away. Winking, he walked to his car, tucking his spent dick back into his pants. Unlocking the doors, he opened them and finally worked his way into his seat. Looking up into his vanity mirror, he noticed he was wearing a dorky grin. No matter how much he tried, it wouldn't leave his face. He felt so happy he might burst. The way he felt towards Axl was amazing, though he did wish he could at least sing...seeing as how music was his main talent and way of life. Maybe he could teach him to sing...no...He snorted, knowing Axl would try for his sake but wouldn't be happy. He was trying to think where he was going to stay tonight when he noticed Axl jogging across the now half emptied parking lot. Grinning, he unlocked the passenger door as Axl came around the car. Opening the door he jumped in and closed it. No sooner had the door slammed, than Axl pulled him into a tight hug, kissing his neck fiercely. "I can't believe you Blaine." he said, almost sounding tearful. "I was so afraid I had stepped over the line. I mean," he looked away from Axl, trying to find the words." You're a hot straight guy who just happens to like me. Most people who see me automatically know I'm not normal." he said, but was stopped when Axl pressed his hand to his lips to stop him. "Blaine, this is only the second time I've seen you in person and I already feel closer to you than I have ever felt to anyone I dated over a long period of time. Please don't ever question my feelings for you so much." he said softly, reaching for his hand and finally kissing it. Touched, he nodded at Axl and turned to look around. "So...I have no idea what to do around here. Where do you wanna go?" he asked, bright eyed. Axl bit his lip and looked around, as if in thought. After a few moments, he smirked and eyed him dangerously. "You wanna go swimming?" he asked, raising and eyebrow. "Where?" he laughed. "At the pool. I was a lifeguard and I have a key to the center. No one will be around and we can do what we want." he said brightly. "I don't have any swimming trunks." he said, starting the car. "Well, you won't need them. We're going skinny dipping babe." he chuckled and reached over with one hand to pull at the seat belt, while the other grabbed onto Blaine's right hand. "This is a sweet ride, wish I could afford one of these." he mentioned as Blaine changed gears and began to make his way out of the maze of roads around the stadium. "I like it. My parents got it for me last year after I left Dalton Academy." he explained. "What's that?" he asked, interested. "It's an all boys private high school. I went there because I was attacked by bullies when I attended a public high school." he said, his emotions turning a bit darker. Axl looked closer at him and intertwined the fingers tighter. The gesture softened his mood. Grinning madly, Axl leaned over and kissed his cheek. Glancing over, Axl looked amused as his dark tanned skin began to darken even more with emotion. "Anyways..." he said loudly, making the boy across from him snort."I went to a dance with another guy friend, the only other gay guy in the whole school and we were jumped. After that my parents enrolled me into Dalton because of their strict no bullying policy. There, I made friends, and honed my singing and dancing abilities. The cost of tuition was really high but after I left, the amount of money they saved went toward this baby." he finished, stopping at a traffic light. "Let's get take out and we'll eat pool side." Axl said enthusiastically. "What do you want Ax?" he asked, wondering what kind of food he liked. "What ever you want babe." he said, squeezing his hand. "Okay..."he laughed, embarrassed," no more calling me babe, it makes me sound like a sexy chick." he finished, amused. "But you are so fucking sexy Blaine." he whispered in a hoarse voice that turned him on very easily. "You just wait till we get to our destination, I'll show you sexy." he said, smirking. "Yea?" he asked, dropping his hand to thigh. Blaine grabbed it and shook his hand. That would be too distracting. Smiling, Axl relented and sat quietly and contently. Hands still together, Axl used his thumb to massage the back side of his hand. The act was so sweet and a turn on. Ahead of them, he spotted a long chain of fast food signs. Spotting Subway, he smiled and pulled in. He didn't want to get out, but that couldn't be helped. They got out and walked inside and placed their orders. Axl ordered a six inch cold cut combo and he got a six inch black forest ham sub. They exited and made their way to the city pool. As the drove up to the building, Blaine breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed no houses or other buildings in sight. Parking, they got out and Axl grabbed his hand and they went to the employee entrance. Reaching into his pocket he fished out a large key and inserted it into the lock. Inside, Axl walked him to a table close to the shallow end of the pool. Blaine sat while he rushed off back inside the building. Two soft glowing lights turned on, one directly over the pool and another lite up the seating area. Re-emerging, Axl had two large towels and a big smile. They sat and ate in silence holding hands, holding hands and glancing up at each other every now and then. Finished, Axl got up and walked around to stand behind him in his seat. Axl dropped his hands and rubbed and massage his shoulders. Blaine jumped as he felt Axl bite lightly on his earlobe. Feeling kisses along his shoulders and neck, he closed his eyes as Axl lifted his arms pulled off his shirt. He was thankful the night was still hot with the last vestiges of the summer heat. Axl's thumb and index finger dropped to lightly squeeze and pull on his nipples. Shuddering, he turned and pulled Axl onto his lap, their mouths met. Dropping his head, he swirled his tongue around his nipples before making his way to his armpits. Chuckling, he raised his arm to give Axl better access. Blaine reached and and grabbed Axl's crotch and discovered a hard lump. Smiling, he looked down into his eyes. Returning the smile, he got off Blaine and stood in front of him. With his hand, he reached around the back of his head and pulled his mouth to his crotch. Blaine slid out of the chair and onto his knees. Pushing his mouth in Axl's hard crotch, he used his teeth and unzipped him. Once opened, heat escaped the confines of his pants. Just as Axl did behind the tree, he reached in and pulled out his hard member. Staring at it, he inhaled the musky scent. "Blaine, suck me please. I'm so hard it hurts." he pleaded, staring down with a desperate look upon his face. Winking, he opened his mouth and allowed Axl to thrust into the opening. The taste was amazing. He had missed the hard throbbing meat that fit perfectly into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the head before pressing into the slit. Adjusting his jaw, he deep throated Axl, who moaned loudly. Pulling back, he wrapped his hand around the base of Axl's shaft. Pumping, he reached up with his other hand and undid the top button on Axl's pants. Pulling his hand away from Axl's cock, Blaine re wrapped his lips on the head of Axl's length and pulled down his pants with both hands. Now standing with his boxers and t-shirt on he placed both hands behind his Blaine's head. Gently, Axl moved his head back and forth, building speed. "Blaine?" Axl asked, voice shaky. "Hmm?" mumbled, mouth full of cock. "Will you go slow?" asked, so soft he barely heard. Releasing Axl's cock, he stood in front of him, staring deeply into his eyes. "Axl, you don't have to bottom for me." he replied, pulling him in, pushing their foreheads together. "But you came all this way and I really trust you." Still smiling, he seized Axl's mouth and kissed him hard. "Not tonight Axl. Just because I drove all the way here doesn't entitle me to have at your beautiful ass. Put it out of your mind for now. It will happen, just not now." he said warmly, loving the way Axl was looking at him. "Are you sure?I'll give it a try tonight." he asked, but not with much enthusiasm. Smirking he nodded and couldn't help but noticed how close they were to the pool. Without warning, he pushed Axl backwards and fell into the water. Axl broke the surface spluttering and glaring. Winking, Blaine removed the rest of his clothes and jumped in right next to him, completely nude. Feeling a tug, he turned and saw a hand on his leg. Reaching toward the boy next to him, he grabbed a nipple and turned it a bit more than he meant. A muffled yell came from above and his foot was released. Grinning, Blaine swam under the water to the deep end. He could hear loud splashing behind him, meaning he was being followed. Air supply dwindling, he burst through the surface of the water. Axl smirked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he asked, amused. "Nothing, I just liked the view of your dark hairy ass under the water. You swim a lot faster than I had expected." he said, grinning. Taking a deep breath, he submerged and head to the far corner of the deep end. Realizing he couldn't see much, he noticed that it was now completely dark outside. When they had first entered the pool grounds, there was still a faint glow of the sun from the west. Pushing off the tiled bottom, he rose to the surface once more. Glancing around, Axl was no where in sight. Still, he was able to make see a pale body moving under the water before him. Unlike Axl, Blaine was dark and tan, much harder to locate with no illumination. Deciding to let Axl feel like he didn't know where he was he called his name out, knowing he would be heard under water. A figure moved in the depth and circled until he emerged directly behind him. Grabbing him sides, Axl stabbed a finger in and tickled him. Letting out a real shriek, he laughed and tried to pull away. With grip like iron, Axl pulled him back and lined up their bodies. A hard object slide in between his ass cheeks, lightly pushing at his entrance. Widening his stance, he turned his head and looked into Axl's eyes, well, he thought that was where he was looking back at, but it was to dark to see. Kissing the back of his neck, Axl positioned his cock at his entrance. "I'm so hard Blaine." he moaned, giving a slight push. "You want to fuck me big guy?" he asked in a husky voice. "So much it hurts." he whined, increasing the pressure. You want to shoot your load in me Ax?" he asked again. "Please..." he trailed off as he finally pushed inside. 13. Chapter 13 "Oh my god, your ass feels so good Blaine." he moaned breathlessly. "Your cock is so perfect Ax." he purred. "I jerked off almost twice a night every day this week thinking about you." he confessed. "That's so hot." he said, voice hitched as Axl started to thrust in and out. "You know what's hotter?" he whispered. "What?" he mumbled, grunting as Axl slammed in as hard as he could, though it wasn't very hard since they were in water. "I fingered myself and ate my cum, thinking it was yours." he groaned. "Oh fuck, that's so hot Axl." he gasped. Reluctantly, he pulled out of Axl's reach. Raising an eyebrow with a pouty face he looked at Blaine. Nodding his head, Blaine made his way over to the shallow end. Axl followed as close as possible. Just as Blaine had done when Axl had first entered his home, he took hold of his cock like a leash. Pulling him out of the pool, he hurried over to the towels and got down on all fours. Barely having got into the right position than Axl rammed into him hard. Grunting, he reached down and slowly jerked himself off. Grabbing his hips Axl began a furious assault. "Oh Blaine..." he trailed off in a high pitched voice. "Do it! I want it, give it to me." Blaine cried desperately. With an almighty grunt, Axl deposited his seed deep inside his ass. The hot cum filled him, creating an internal heating effect. His shaky arms gave out and he dropped atop Blaine's back where he wrapped them around his chest. Legs feeling like jello, he sunk to his ass on the ground , bringing Blaine with him. Panting, he pulled Blaine into a more comfortable sitting position on his lap. Dick still planted inside Blaine, he reached around and jerked him off hard and fast. The speed he used to pump his shaft and the pressure increased rapidly. Before Blaine came he turned his head sideways and met one of Axl's eyes. "Fuck me again, right now." he pleaded, feeling Axl's cum slowly slid down the walls of his ass, recoating Axl's cock. "I don't think I can." he breathed, but with a goofy smile. "DO IT AGAIN!" He growled, punctuated each word with emphasis. "You're gonna have to ride me, I can't stand." he whimpered, but smiled sweetly. Nodding, he rotated his body until he was facing him. He started to rise, but hesitated and leaned down. "Jerk my cock, and make it good. I want your face covered in my cum Axl, got it?" he warned, kissing Axl hard and started to move up and down. Eyes wide, he nodded vigorously and reached and took hold of Blaine uncut cock. Blaine used his thigh muscles to lift himself almost entirely off Axl's cock before slamming back down. Hearing a rather odd splat sound, he grinned wickedly. Some of Axl's cum had started to leak out when he had risen, but when he plunged down again, some escaped his hole. Biting his lip, Axl pulled down Blaine's foreskin and wet his lips with spit before reaching back down and rotating his hand around the head of his cock. Axl began to rub the nerve of skin that connected the shaft to his foreskin. Blaine had forgotten how good it felt when his frenulum was played with. Since Axl no longer had foreskin, he had no idea how good this felt. Moaning and breathing out a shaky breath, he stared down at Axl. Seeing how wide his eyes were, Axl increased the pressure, playing with it even more. Grinning, he dropped his other hand to massage the area under Blaine's balls. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes and let Axl work his cock. Tightening the grip his hole had on Axl's cock, he continued to ride him as he felt his own orgasm building. Opening his eyes, he stared down into Axl's. Their gaze locked for what felt like an eternity before he decided to let it all go. "Jerk me hard Axl. I want my cum on your fucking face." he ordered. Axl increased the action as his cock began to twitch inside Blaine's hot ass. Feeling the pressure build into an insurmountable sensation, he rose off Axl's cock. His length was white with his cum dripping down the shaft. Scooting forward, he planted his crotch right in front of the boys face. Gently pulling Axl's hands away, he sat up and jerked his own cock. Seeing hands reach around his body, it seemed Axl was going to jerk himself off. Grabbing them, he shook his head and indicated for Axl to lay still. "Do you want my cum on your face?" he asked seductively. "Yes." he breathed. "Ask me." he ordered. "Shoot your cum all over my face Blaine." he replied. "Are you sure?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Shooting your fucking load on my face right now you bitch!" he roared. Stunned, he stared down and smirked. Holding his cock with both hands he gave one last pump before ropes of cum painted Axl's face white. The hot seed splashed over his cheeks, and some landed in his open mouth. He grunted and moaned as he felt the last few drops land on Axl's fore head. Breathing heavily, he leaned down licked his cum off Axl's face. The rest he let sit there while his tongue dove into Axl's open mouth. Tasting his seed, he sucked on his boyfriend's tongue and finally sat up. Turning, he scooted down Axl's body and turned to face him. Taking hold of Axl's hard cock, he pumped vigorously, watching Axl's face turning pink. As Axl's face turned beat red, he lowered his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head of his cock. "Shit, shit, shit..." he stammered as semen flooded Blaine's mouth. Axl thrusted his hips up erratically, reaching down and pushing the back of his head to the base of his shaft. Coughing, he tried to take as much of the salty cum as possible. The amount was too much and it leaked out of the corners of his mouth and down his cheeks. Releasing Blaine's head, Axl fell back onto the towel he was laying on. Panting, Blaine shakily crawled and laid next to him, resting his head on Axl's sweaty chest. Not knowing or caring how long they were there, he finally looked up and smiled as his brown eyes met the blue. Groaning, he scooted up and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. Sighing, Blaine laid back down with his head on Axl's chest. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow." he mumbled tiredly. Beside him, Axl gave a snort and barked at a laugh at his expense. 14. Chapter 14 "So...did you fool around with your friends from school?" Blaine asked him casually. "What?" Axl asked, looking totally confused, then eyes widened and his pale cheeks turned pink. "That's a yes." Blaine chuckled, leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek. They sitting on the steps into the pool, casually holding hands under that water. Still naked, they had dived back in to clean off all the cum that had landed all over them. There was a lot of cum. Sitting there, Blaine felt uncomfortable and looked up. "l uh...fooled around with my best friend...we didn't kiss or fuck just jerked each other off and ended with head. Please don't be mad at me Axl. He's been my best friend forever and he would never do anything with me before." he said desperately, looking intensely at Axl. Smiling softly, Axl was the one to lean in and give him the peck on the cheek. "Why all of the sudden did he decide to fool around with you. I mean," he said puffing out his chest, as if to look intimidating"doesn't he know what he'd have to go through if he wanted to steal you away from me. I'd fight all the way babe." he said seriously. Snorting, he couldn't really enjoy being called babe, but whatever floats his boat. Still, he was touched by Axl's declaration. "Well...it's a bit of a long story..." he warned. "Blaine, for you , I've got nothing but time." he replied sweetly, scooting closer and patting his lap, as if Blaine was a kid trying to explain something to an adult. Smirking, he hesitated until Axl actually reached over, and began to drag him onto his lap. Chuckling, he rose and sat down facing Axl. As he stared into Axl's blue eyes he felt as if he was in a trance. Only when Axl reached up and pinched his nipple did he blink and remember why he had took this seat. Though he had only been seated for less than ten seconds, he could feel Axl's soft member slowly start to grow. Raising and eyebrow, he slightly lifted off Axl and immediately sat back down onto Axl's ever increasing hardness. Sighing, he explained Sam's back story and how he had fooled around with other guys while attending a different school. Once he started at McKinley, Sam realized that Blaine had a huge crush on him. He hadn't fooled around with Blaine because he didn't want to give him false hope. Now that Blaine was no longer single,Sam didn't have to worry that the new activity would go any further. As his tale came to an end, Axl was completely hard beneath him. Smiling, he slipped off his lap until he was peering at the hard member under the water. Raising an eyebrow, he looked down and back up, asking for instructions. Winking, Axl rose, hips now out of the water. Reaching out, he took the back of Blaine's head and pulled him in. Opening his mouth, he let Axl fuck his face. Using his tongue, swirled around his head, ending but pushing into the slit. Taking hold of his hair he pulled him off and pushed him down to his nuts. Turning sideways, Axl lifted one leg and set it on the step right below the edge of the pool. Twisting his head, he pushed him into a position that made it easy to lick the area between his balls and his entrance. Standing, Blaine rose and exited the water with Axl and headed to the towels again. Once atop the towel, Blaine laid Axl on his back and lifted his legs into the air. Hairy hole exposed, Axl watched as Blaine bent down and stuck his tongue as far into his puckered ass as possible. Letting out a gasp, he lifted his head and watched as he Blaine pushed his thumb into the underside of his penis. Opening his mouth wider, he sucked one of his balls inside his mouth before switching to the other. After a few moments he went back down and rimmed his hole again, before working a finger inside. Axl moaned loudly when Blaine rubbed the walnut sized bump that was his prostate gland. As he pulled away, Axl stared down into his eyes, begging him to go back and do it again. Smirking, he shook his head and went down on his shaft, deep throating the entire length. Lifting his head, he traced his tongue up through his thick pubes and into his belly button before reaching his nipples. Sucking and gently biting, he smiled as he heard Axl groan. There was one more thing Blaine wanted to do that Axl had done to him. Taking a breath he licked up his pecs and to the right until he was hovering over his right armpit. Axl lifted his head, asking wordlessly for Blaine to do it. Winking, he dove into the depression. "Oh fuck Blaine." he growled, shaking with suppressed passion. Blaine watched him and wondered why this was such a turn on for Axl. He didn't mind it being done to him, but he didn't feel as turned on as Axl. Again, he was immensely relieved there was no bad smell. "The left one..." he whispered, looking desperate. Chuckling, he did as asked and Axl squirmed. "What is it with you and arm pits?" he asked, hovering over his body. "I honestly don't know. It's just a fucking turn on." he whispered, looking a bit chastised. Staring at him, he could see he had made Axl feel weird and abnormal. His face looked a bit ashamed and Blaine couldn't stand to see him like this. He wasn't going to judge Axl for what he couldn't explain. Shaking his head, he pressed their lips together. "Don't look so guilty Ax. I'd do anything for you babe." he whispered, smirking as Axl grinned wildly after he called him babe. Blowing hot air into his ear, he started to nibble on the lobe before darting his tongue around the canal entrance. Licking his way down, he pushed his mouth into the armpit with much more force than before. Squirming Axl groaned and pushed his hips up to meet Blaine's. Feeling a tightening in his groin, he knew what was coming and conveyed what was approaching to Axl. Nodding, Axl rutted up harder. Soon Axl's face started to twitch, orgasm quickly building. Blaine laid his forehead against his and pressed their mouths together. Pushing his tongue inside, he traced Axl's perfect teeth and wrestling Axl's tongue, feeling his breath hitch. With a grunt, Axl came, grinding into Blaine's uncut cock above him. The hot liquid Blaine felt, and hearing Axl whimper, pushed him over the edge. A second later, his cum shot out of his cock, mixing with Axl's wetness. Both groaning and rutting erratically, they slowed and eventually ended their movements, cocks too sensitive to continue. The hot sticky mess drenched they're groins. Finally spent, Blaine collapsed onto Axl with an exhaustive sigh. "I think I'm gonna be sore tomorrow too." Axl groaned as Blaine slid off their messy bellies. Grinning, Blaine rose on one elbow and chuckled as Axl scooted closer to him. 15. Before Dawn **see end for notes** "So what time do you need to be home Axl?" he asked him. They were laying together spooning on a cushioned lawn chair. Blaine felt warm and comfortable as Axl wrapped his arms around him from behind. Axl was constantly kissing the back of his neck, while the hand that wasn't wrapped around his waist held his other over his heart. Wearing board shorts and t-shirts they had taken out of his locker, Blaine was thankful they were clean and the same size. Axl squeezed his hand a little harder and whispered. "Whenever you want me to. Blaine, " he said pulling back and twisting his shoulders so they could look each other in the eye."I like you so much and I'm yours." he said sincerely. Touched, he leaned in for a swift peck on the lips. "That's sweet Axl, but I don't want you to get in trouble." he chuckled. "I don't know...what time is it?"he asked looking around. Sitting up, he looked around."Dunno..." Groaning, Axl sat up and got to his feet. Moving off into the dark, Blaine lost track of the dark figure. From the darkness, he heard a clattering, quickly followed by a swear word. A moment later it happened again, with Axl using a much dirtier word. "Language." he called out. There was a pause and a phrase that was so dirty he burst out laughing with a reply. "If I could do that, I wouldn't need you." he laughed. "That would be fucking hot Blaine." said Axl's voice, drawing nearer. Another long pause and he jumped as hands grabbed his shoulders. Axl laughed and threw out his hands as Blaine began assaulting him with his fists. Things quickly got heated as Blaine finally pinned him against a wall. The laughs became grunts and moans as they slowly started to kiss. Grinning, they separated and walked back to the lawn chair. Axl laid down and scooted back. Patting the empty spot in front of him, he smiled and kissed Blaine's shoulders as he took his position. They both sighed and became quiet. " It's after 2 in the morning." said Axl drowsily behind him. Sitting up, Blaine turned and looked back, startled. "Axl, that's so late." he gasped. "So what?" he asked, pulling him back down into his arms. "Your parents are going to be pissed!" he replied. "Nah, I'll just say I stayed the night at Darren's." he said in a bored voice. Then his tone changed to concerned."Oh, crap, do you have to drive home tonight?" "Umm...I don't think so. As long as I gave my parents a shout out they're cool." he answered. Behind him, Blaine heard a huff and muttering. "What?" he asked. "Wish my parents were that cool. They always on me about the littlest things." he grumbled. "Like what?" he asked, curious. "Well, once I got suspended for cutting classes and I didn't mention it to my parents. I was playing this sweet pinball game at this pizza place and it turns out my eats lunch there. When he asked why I was there he totally flipped out." he ranted. "What else?" Blaine asked, wanting to know more. "I lied about an aunt dying to get out of a test. While I was helping my dad repair part of the roof the teacher came by to express her condolences...Mom completely flipped out for no reason!" he raged. Blaine smirked, knowing Axl couldn't see. As much as he sometimes acted a bit obsessed, it seemed Axl was much more of a drama queen than he was. Suddenly feeling frisky,he scooted his ass back into Axl's crotch. Feeling a hitch in the breath against his neck, he continued to push back a bit. Raising up on an elbow Axl gently maneuvered Blaine onto his back. Staring into his eyes, he brushed his curly locks aside. Leaning down, Axl kissed him softly. "Axl." he breathed as he felt a hand working at his waist. "Blaine." he replied. He gasped as Axl took hold of his cock. Smiling, Axl shimmied down over his crotch. "God I love your uncut dick." Axl murmured as he pulled it out through his shorts. Diving down, he took as much of Blaine's meat in his mouth as he could. "Axl..." he wheezed, thrusting his hips up. "Yea, you taste good." he breathed, squeezing his length while pulling his shorts the rest of the way down. Blaine's hairy balls presented themselves, asking to be played with. He licked across them slowly, enjoying Blaine's small moans. Throwing the shorts over his shoulder, he pushed Blaine's legs up and spread them as his tongue began to work down to his entrance. As he worked his way into the hole, Blaine growled and bounced his hips. Using his left hand, Axl continued to pump Blaine's length. Twisting his index and middle finger, he entered Blaine's heat. "Axl..." he whined, lifting his head up. "Hmm?"he asked, eyes squinting with humor as his mouth worked at his shaft. "Fuck me." he pleaded. "Are you sure?" he asked, unzipping his shorts. "Yes." he urged. "What will you give me?" he teased. "Anything." he said desperately. "I want your cum." he growled, stepping out of his shorts and surrounding the head of his cock. "Wait." he said. Axl raised an eyebrow, lifting off his cock. "Jerk yourself off, don't push in until your going to cum. All it will take for me to cum is you wrapping your mouth back over my dick. I know you can bend that way." he praised. Grinning Axl nodded and sat down right in front of Blaine, stroking himself slowly. "You look so hot." Blaine said, eyes wide. "I know." he winked. "Let me do it until your ready." said, sitting up and pushing his hands away. Wrapping his hand around the shaft he pumped. "Faster." Axl instructed. Blaine complied, watching the vein on the side of his throat pulse. "Tighter" he said. Tightening his grip, he pumped faster and twisted at the end. "Oh..." Axl gasped and shook. He clumsily pushed Blaine's hands out of the way. " Oh..." he said again, voice higher. Blaine spread his legs as Axl tried to push in and missed due to shakiness. The second time he made the attempt it worked. As soon as the head passed through Blaine's entrance he came. Feeling the hot wetness spread inside him, Blaine laid back and smiled. A moment later he jerked up as Axl's mouth covered the head of his cock. With a grunt, he came in Axl's hot mouth. Lips twitching in a smile, Axl looked super cute with little lines of wet liquid coming out of the corners of his lips. Slowly, he came down from his heightened sense of awareness. Smiling, Axl pushed his hips inside Blaine. "I'm going to fuck you again Blaine, right now." he said breathily. "Oh?" he asked, smirking. "MMmm" he moaned building speed. Blaine continued to smirk and Axl slowed and tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry, is your cock in me...I can't tell." he chuckled. Facing turning slightly pink, Axl grimaced and pulled out all the way and rammed in the hardest had gad even done. Blaine grunted, trying to maintain his sneering attitude, but it was kind of hard when Axl's hard thrusts began to build even harder and faster. "Get up." Axl ordered. Blaine stood and gasped as he was yanked around and forced onto all fours. Axl growled and rammed in so far the sound reverberated around the dark room. "Ohh.." Blaine grunted as he was jarred forward so hard his hands slipped and he dropped to his elbows. It was still pleasurable, but it started to wear on him. He hissed in surprise when Axl grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. Throat bared, he was pushed forward again, sliding maybe an inch on the floor. Hearing movement, he turned and watched as his lover squatted on two legs and hammer jacked his hips harder than ever. "I've gonna fuck the shit out of you boy." he said in a low and dark voice. Somewhat taken aback, he forgot his pain and he became insanely turned on by this deeper voice. Turning his head back forward, Blaine stared at the wall and grunted, slightly smiling. Smirking, he turned back to look at him. "What do you mean Ax? I don't feel a thing." he said through pinched lips. Axl pulled out and rammed in again, immediately followed by slapping his ass hard. "Ugh..." he moaned softly. "Turn around and suck my cock...Now!" he raged. Smiling to himself he turned and felt his face pulled up to meet Axl's open mouth. Tongues battling for a few moments before his head was pushed up into Axl's left armpit. "Suck it." he hissed. Blaine widened his mouth so much he was able to completely covered the entire depression in his pit. Axl pushed his face harshly over to the other pit. He performed the same act but was once more forced to shift his attention downward. He had barely wrapped his lips around his length when he was pushed ever lower until he met a somewhat loose nut sac. He coated every inch of his hairy groin. "Suck my ass." he said pushing his body down. Blaine rotated his body and pushed his tongue out as Axl hovered his furry hole right over his open mouth. Reaching around his thighs, he jerked Axl's leaking cock as he pushed his tongue into his puckered opening. "Oh fuck yeah, eat my ass. Yea, that's good. Jerk my cock faster, yea like that. Turn back around, I'm going to fuck you." he ordered. Barely turned back around, his ass was assaulted with a feverish pounding by Axl's swollen cock. The speed and intensity grew and Axl reached out and grabbed his hips. Grunting his breathing became ragged and he began to whine. "Oh fuck..." he squeaked. "Yea, do it!" Blaine urged. "Oh, Blaine." he whined. "Yea, give it to me, don't stop." he pleaded. "I'm gonna..." he said hoarsely until he slowed and grunted out a deep moan as his seed flooded Blaine's hot and wet hole. "Axl..." he sighed, contented with the growing liquid heat inside him. Panting, Axl collapsed atop him, planting sloppy kisses to his sweaty back. Blaine crawled forward, letting Axl's spent dick slide out. Feeling liquid dripping from his crack, he reached around and took a small amount. "Stay there." Blaine told Axl, wanting him on all fours. Axl huffed and nodded, closing his thighs. It seemed he knew what he had in mind. Coating his uncut cock with Axl's cum, he pushed pushed into Axl's thighs. The lubrication was perfect as he felt his head rubbing underneath his nut sac. All it took was a dozen thrusts before he came, white liquid leaking down the front of Axl's thighs in ropes. Panting, he smiled as he kissed the back of his boyfriend's neck. Sighing contentedly, they shakily made their way back to the lounge chair. Holding hands and the sides of their heads leaning into each other, they laid in silence, both happy and at peace. Falling asleep, they woke to the sounds of birds outside. Panicking, Axl shot up and looked around. He made his way to the doorways and checked to see if they were still alone. Returning, he smiled in relief and sat with Blaine. It was soon apparent how sore they were. Chuckling, they stretched and headed to the showers to get cleaned up. Finally clean, they gathered their stuff and went back to Blaine's car. They got breakfast at Sonic and returned to the football stadium so Axl could drive home. Sitting on the grass in front of their cars, they didn't have to worry about being seen. Talking and joking, eventually it was clear they needed to head to their own homes. They kissed and hugged , not wanting to leave each other. Blaine felt a few tears slide down his cheek. He wasn't sure if Axl did though, but he couldn't help it. Sighing, they departed, both feeling lonely instantly but hopefully they could get together again soon. ***The examples Axl gives Blaine for his parents flipping out occur during two episodes of the Middle. The episode about Axl being suspended from school is 204, the Quarry. The one where Axl makes up his aunt dying to get out of a test is 305, Bad Choices *** 16. Axl's Plan Sam's Point of View Sam feels his cell phone buzzing. Taking it out, he glances at the number and doesn't recognize it. Looking at the sender info, all it says is . Raising an eyebrow he opens the text. "Hey...u don't know me but im Axl, Blaines bf." the text read. Grinning, Sam replied. "Oh, hey. how did u get my #?" "Well, while Blaine was getting dressed I had 2 check to see no1 was outside the pool house and saw his cell sitting on the table." "u know...hes been walking around sore for the past couple of days." "oic...well...i had my way w/ him." "lol...k" "neways, i wanted to pay him back for driving all the way out here to visit me by going 2c him perform his bit for the Grease show w/o him knowing then surprising him afterward." "oic, that's super sweet of u dude. he'll be so happy." "I was wonder if u could send me the details, on where it is, what time etc. he mentioned u being his best friend and i thought u were the only person that would really know everything." "he's my bro. here's the jizz...jist of it.;)" he said, sending the information. "thanx dude!im sure ill meet u after the play, though of course ull have to wait at least half an hour, ive got plans for him." he replied Sam snorted loud enough for a few people to look over at him curiously. Ahead, Blaine came around the corner of the hall and raised his hand. Nodding,Sam walked toward him and closed his cell with a smirk. Walking by each other, they bumped knuckles and headed in the opposite direction. Glancing back, he snorted again as Blaine walked with his legs stiffer and further apart than usual. Shaking his head, he began humming Beauty School Dropout as he entered the room for his next class. 17. Beauty School Dropout Axl's Point of View. Axl didn't know why he felt so nervous. He was extremely happy with his life. So much more than he had been in recent memory. Still thinking chicks were hot, but he didn't have any desire to sleep with anyone other than Blaine. Blaine...he smiled to himself. Who would have thought the Axl Heck, superstar and coolest guy on earth, was totally into a guy, his boyfriend...Blaine. Snorting to himself, he realized he didn't know Blaine's last name. He had taken a shower and was now dressed in the nicest outfit he had. He had decided to go commando, knowing Blaine would think it was hot. It had taken all his will power not to jerk his cock while in the shower. The drive back to Lima took no time, which he had thanked his lucky stars. He had decided to sit in a seat that reflected the one Blaine had sat in during the football game. Sitting close to the farthest back so no one would notice him. Though he was rather nervous, he knew that he could act different here, as if he was totally gay and no one would bother him. Knowing this, a sense of calm took over just as the audience took their seats and the curtain rose as a tall guy with short hair and guy with glasses in a wheelchair walked onto stage. They were introduced as the director and co-director. As they exited the stage, the music swelled and the show began. To honest, Axl wasn't really paying a whole lot of attention. The songs were good, the singers were excellent and he did recognize almost all the songs. He did like the Greased Lightning scene though. The car was freaking sweet and he laughed as the guys on stage looked and acted so goofy. Sighing, he berated himself when remembering those actions were completely normal for the time period. The blond guy seemed familiar, but until he used two combs on his hair he realized that he must be Sam. Blaine had talked about how he loved it when Sam did that during the scene. He guessed Sam was good looking, though he had nothing on Blaine. Glancing down, he read the program and read the intro and the cast credits. Noticing there was an intermission after the Beauty School Dropout scene, he smiled. His thoughts were interrupted as a familiar tune began to come from the stage. The lighting increased dramatically as the curtain rose to reveal an entirely white background. A large cascading staircase rose above a half circled seating booth occupied by a girl with pink clothing and wig. Girls with white dresses lined both sides of the staircase on different levels. At the top of the staircase a stud in white clothing and slick backed hair stood with his legs apart. Axl gasped as he realized who the guy was just as Blaine began to sing. _**Your story's sad to tell A teenage ne'er-do-well Most mixed up Non-delinquent **__**On the block Your future's so unclear now **__** What's left of your career now **__** Can't even get a trade-in On your smile Ah, ah, ah, ah **__** Ah, ah, ah, ah **_ Blaine made his way down the stairs as the girls circled around him. _**Boo ba-doom La-la, la **__** Ba-doom La-la, la-la-la-la **__** Ba-doom La, la, la **_ Once on the same level as the booth, his attention was directed in the pink clad girl seated within. He began talking to her in song while the girls sang back up and danced. _**Beauty school dropout No graduation day for you Beauty school dropout Missed your midterms and flunked shampoo **__**Well, at least you could have taken time **__** To wash and clean your clothes up **__** After spending all that dough **__** To have the doctor fix your nose up **__**Baby, don't sweat it Don't sweat it **__** You're not cut out to hold a job **__** Better forget it Forget it **__**Who wants their hair done by a slob? **__** Now your bangs are curled Your lashes twirled But still the world is cruel Wipe off that angel face And go back to high school. **_ Blaine circled around and joined the girl sitting in the booth. _**Baby, don't blow it Don't put my good advice to shame, **__**Baby, you know it **_ At this point, Blaine looked up in his direction and his easy going manner changed to pain. For a moment, Axl was worried that Blaine didn't want him there. Looking closer, he noticed Blaine's gaze wasn't on him, but on a boy two rows ahead of him. _**Even Dear Abby'd say the same **_ Deciding to show himself, Axl raised his hand and Blaine looked up and stared in shock for an instant before his face transformed into pure joy. The boy sitting two rows ahead turned and looked back at him. Their eyes met and he looked stunned. Smirking, Axl sat back and watched his boyfriend finish his number. _**Now I've called the shot, get off the pot **__** I've really got to fly **__**Got to be going To that malt shop In the Sky **__**Beauty school dropout **__**Beauty school dropout **__**Go back to high school **__**Beauty school dropout **__**Beauty school dropout **_ _**Go back to high school. **_ As the song ended and the curtain began to drop, Axl rose before anyone else and started to applaud. Blaine smiled down, once again their eyes met. Axl smiled and swelled with pride knowing he had bagged a treasure like Blaine Anderson. The intermission began and Axl made his way out of the seating area and down the hall he figured would be one that would lead to back stage. He barely had made it to a set of doors when they were flung open. Blaine burst out through the doors and ran at him. They collided and thier lips met. "I can't believe you did this Axl." he said, a couple of tears trailing down his cheek. "Just wanted to return the favor Blaine." he said softly through another kiss. "This meant so much to me." he said, voice shaky. "Blaine, the way you sing..." he broke off trying to find the right words,"it's amazing. I had no idea it would sound that good. I mean, when you sang at the repair shop you sounded good but no where near as amazing as that. You sounded freaking awesome. It was super sweet." he praised as Blaine pushed his lips against his once more. "You look like such a stud in that white get-up Blaine." he said, stepping back and staring up and down before resting on his crotch. Blaine laughed and swatted his arm playfully. "You don't look bad yourself Axman." he replied, grinning ear to ear. "**The remainder of the program will began in two minutes ladies and gentlemen, please make your way back to your seats." **boomed a voice from overhead. Reluctantly, they pulled apart. Blaine had turned to head back stage again, but Axl caught his hand again and pulled him in again for another kiss. He met Blaine's smile and pressed their foreheads together. Just before they broke apart Axl leaned in and whispered into Blaine's ear. "I'm going commando Blaine." he said with a kiss and a quick thrusting of hips before he turned around and made his way back to his seat without glancing back, knowing Blaine's face was undoubtedly in shock. 18. Finally Taking his seat again, Axl smiled as he stared blankly at the curtained stage. "So..." a voice said,"are you the guy Blaine cheated on me with?" said the boy seated two rows in front of him. His voice was high and nasally. His cheeks were flushed pink and he wore a scowl across his face. A girl with long dark hair was turned halfway around and listening. He looked disdainfully at whom he assumed was Blaine's ex, Kurt. The guy acted and sounded extremely feminine. Before he met Blaine, Axl had thought that all gay guys acted just like the him. He was the stereotypical gay guy that caused so much drama, it gave a bad name to all those other gay dudes that acted normal. What Blaine had seen in him was a puzzle. Staying calm, he met his gaze and answered back. "No, I'm not. I'm the straight guy that fell for him after he was lost and alone due to a simple mistake he made." he said, voice dropping almost to a whisper in suppressed anger. The guy looked stunned, his face turning pink and eyes smoldering. "You know, you're just the rebound guy. The straight guy that's using him just to get off." he scorned. Axl's ears started to burn and vision turned white as his temper grew. Taking a deep breath, he eye'd the fruit in front of him and whispered low and deep. "You're wrong. We care for each other more than you ever could. I lost my virginity to him, and he traveled all the way to my football game in Indiana last weekend. It meant so much, I returned the favor by surprising him here. You saw his face when he recognized me. If you're as smart as you act, you know I'm right. So why don't you turn around and leave me alone." he finished, low and heated. Glaring with rage, he finally turned around as the show resumed. The show ended with the crowd on their feet roaring like crazy. Finally, the auditorium started to fizzle out. Refusing to look at Kurt, Axl waited for the traffic to slow before making his way back to the hall where he met Blaine earlier. Poking his head out of the doorway, Blaine nodded for him to come closer. Before Blaine could say more Axl kissed him on the cheek and leaned against the wall. "I'll just be a minute, I've gotta change out of this." he smiled, beginning retreat. "Wait!" he said urgently. Pausing, Blaine raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. "Umm" he said, feeling his ears getting warm."Couldn't you stay the way you are right now? Do you have to change?" he asked again, softer. "You want me to stay in this outfit." he asked, sounding amused. Axl met his eye and gave a nod, looking him up and down again. Chuckling, Blaine shrugged and nodded. Holding out his hand, Blaine took it and they walked down the hallway. He found it very liberating, not having to worry about being judged for holding another guys hand in public. They made their way out of the hall and were about to walk out the door into the parking lot when a someone called Blaine's name. Cringing, Axl turned, expecting to see Kurt. Instead a guy with blond hair came up to them. He smiled as Sam joined them beside the door. Winking, Sam knuckle bumped Axl while a bemused Blaine stood watching them. "You two know each other?" Blaine asked him. "Not really," Sam said, "but Axl texted me to get information about tonight's schedule." he explained. "How'd you get his number" Blaine asked him, perplexed. "When I went to check to see if the anyone was at the pool. Your cell was sitting on the table and I snatched it and looked for his number." he said quietly, hoping Blaine wouldn't be mad he had invaded his privacy. Chuckling, he gave him a swift kiss on the cheek just as Kurt and the girl with the lond dark hair came out of the auditorium. He wouldn't have noticed but the color drained from Blaine's face. Turning, he stared scornfully at the guy, who was much taller than he had appeared in the dark. His frame was extremely skinny though and he relaxed. Taking a breath, he grabbed onto Blaine's arm and pulled him out into the night air. They walked briskly until they stopped at his car. Wondering what to do next he looked up. "My parents are gone again, won't be back till late tomorrow evening." Blaine told him, voice becoming husky. Axl grinned at him and reached around and pinched his ass. Blaine jumped and chuckled, staring down at his crotch, noticing the bulge that was increasing by the second. "Meet me back at my place...you remember how to get there?" he asked quickly. Nodding, he leaned in, kissing him groaned but gently pushed him away and walked off toward his car. Grinning, Axl climbed in and turned the engine over. The car roared to life, emitting thick smoke from the tailpipe as he made his way out of the parking lot and to Blaine's home. He reached down and grabbed onto his hard cock through his slacks before releasing his hold and shaking his head. He had barely turned off the car in front of Blaine's large house when headlights appeared down the driveway. Blaine had turned the car off and slammed the door just as Axl came up to him. "Oh my god, I'm so hard for you." he growled in Blaine's ear, reaching down and unzipping his white slacks. "Yea?" Blaine asked, voiced hitched as Axl squeezed his cock inside his briefs. Reaching the front door, Blaine unlocked it and had barely closed it when Axl slammed him against it. Getting on his knees and used his teeth to pull down the elastic of Blaine's briefs. "Wait, not here."he groaned as his wet tongue finally touched his cock. Reluctantly, he rose and pulled Blaine up the stairs using his cock as a leash. Inside the room, they fell atop the bed. Their cocks ground together, Blaine's bare cock onto Axl's slack covered one. "I missed you so much this week." he told Blaine, meaning every word. "You too Ax."he replied. They continued groping and grinding at faster rate until Axl pulled off Blaine. Staring into each other's eyes, Axl glanced down at his waist where his pants were still buttoned and zipped up. Getting the idea, Blaine reached down and fixed that. His cock was pink and leaking precum as Blaine wrapped his hand around it. As his head dove and licked up the shaft Axl flung his head back on the bed, reveling in the sensation. This felt so good, but he had different plans. Incredibly nervous, he reached down and brought Blaine's mouth up and off his length. Scooting back until he was laying against the head board and stared at him. They both knew what he meant, and Blaine looked a bit stunned. Breathing hard, he nodded once and watched as Blaine crawled over him. "Are you sure Axl. We don't have to do this if you're not ready." he said softly. "Let's do it Blaine. My mind is made up, just please go slow, I'm scared." whispered shakily. Nodding, Blaine sat back on his haunches and removed the rest of his clothing while Axl did the same. He stared down at Blaine's uncut slightly curved cock and smiled softly. How would that feel inside him. His thoughts were interrupted as Blaine leaned down again and kissed him. Tongue trailing down, he paused and made his way back up and paid special attention to each of Axl's armpits. Groaning, he involuntarily thrusted his hips up, meeting Blaine's leaking member. Axl heard Blaine chuckle before he resumed his way down to Axl's heavily forested groin. A tongue pressed into the slit on his cock head while a hand began to probe at his hairy entrance. Taking deep breathes, Axl relaxed and let Blaine work two fingers into his hole slowly. After a while he nodded to Blaine, who then added another digit. He grimaced and hissed as his entrance stretched wider than normal. Blaine gave an apologetic face and went slower. Sitting up slightly, Axl gazed down to watch Blaine work and noticed Blaine's dick looked harder than ever. Grinning, he knew Blaine had wanted this for a long time. Hell, he smirked to himself, who wouldn't? "What?" Blaine chuckled at him. "Just noticing your dick is still hard even though you haven't touched it in a few minutes. I hope this is going to be worth the wait Blaine." he said sincerely. "Ax, I would be with you even if I never got to top you." he said gravely. "Stop that Blaine," he said, voice becoming serious. "Sorry just.."Blaine said but he interrupted him. "Get back to work and prepare me for your cock." he ordered with a smirk. Blaine gulped and nodded. He slowly rotated his hand, pushing in and stretched the rim. Axl didn't know how long Blaine sat there working at his hole, but it was long enough for Axl to go slightly soft. Finally looking up, he waited for Axl to meet his eye. Tilting his head, it seemed he thought that he should be ready. Nodding, Axl watched as Blaine leaned down and kissed him while his hand reached to his night stand and removed a small foiled packet. Ripping it open, he pulled out a condom and set it on Axl's ankle while he reached over and grabbed lube. "Blaine, you don't a condom. Just give it to me." he said exasperated. "No Axl, not the first time." said with an unwavering air. Sitting up, Axl took the condom and worked it over Blaine's hard dick. He wondered if the foreskin was suppose to be over the head or pushed back. Looking up, he tilted his head to the side. Grinning, it seemed Blaine knew exactly what he was thinking. Reaching down, he rolled back the skin and nodded for Axl to continue. Feeling his ears burn a tad, he rolled the rubber over his cock. Blaine pinched the end and forced the air bubble out of the end and down the shaft until it escaped at the base. Axl stared down at it, noticing it looked so different without the extra skin covering the head. "What?"Blaine asked with slight amusement. "I like the way your dick looks with the skin covering the head." he said matter of factly. "Well you're one of the few who feel that way. Most see foreskin as gross." he said, grateful that Axl was open minded. "They're crazy, maybe if you were to take a picture and send it to everyone who thinks they're gross, they'd change their mind." he said simply. Blaine barked out a laugh and leaned in shaking his head. After a few moments, they became serious again. Axl bit his lips as Blaine pushed his hips up a certain way. Legs out stretched, he stared down as Blaine positioned his length at the very entrance of his virgin ass. Shaking, Axl stared up and looked terrified. Blaine backed up and attempted to pull off the condom. Berating himself, Axl reached out and caught his hand and shook his hand. "Just please go slow Blaine." he begged. "OK Axl, I promise. If you change your mind at all, tell me and I'll stop immediately." he whispered, leaning down and kissing his forehead. Nodding, Axl took a deep breath and and steadied himself. Blaine smiled and scooted the lube, he dropped a small amount on the tip of his dick and around Axl's entrance. Pumping his dick a couple times, he pushed slightly at the rim. Hissing, he felt the ring that lined his hole stretch further than ever before. He whimpered as Blaine pushed a bit more, sinking his dick deeper into the heat. Once the head finally passed through the rim, Blaine paused and leaned down, kissing Axl. "Are you OK Axl?" he asked, voice shaky with restraint. It was clear it was taking everything he had to not push in all the way. Nodding, he raised a hand, telling him to wait a moment. As the rim stretched, the area began to burn. It stung and once Blaine began to move again, the pain flared. Groaning, he tried to relax and hide his pain from Blaine, knowing it would end if he showed how this really felt. After a few moments, he nodded and Blaine pushed in a bit more. The pain began to subside as the area between his hole and Blaine's shaft receded. Above him, Blaine smiled encouragingly and closed his eyes as Axl felt Blaine's thick bush come into contact with his ass. With a long sigh, Blaine came to a stop as his nuts rested against his ass. Blaine grinned down, and Axl met the look with a strained smirk. "So," Axl winced," this is what it really feels like to be balls deep." he said, as Blaine let out a small laugh before he began to pull back out. 19. Axl Loses His Cherry Blaine couldn't believe how tight Axl was. The heat surrounding his uncut cock seemed to reach to his soul. He had to bite on his bottom lip to keep from pounding Axl's virgin hole as hard as possible. Slowly, he pulled his hips back to a point so only his head was still inside. Pushing in slowly again, he watched Axl's face. He would do everything in his power to keep from hurting him. It was unbelievably clear how much they cared for each other. Axl gave a small grunt as Blaine buried himself to the hilt once more. Frowning, Blaine leaned down and refused to move. Cock still deeply embedded, he took his hands and placed them on either side of Axl's face. Blue eyes stared into his brown, pupils slightly dilated until the creases of pain at the corners recede. Finally, Axl relaxed and nodded, pushing his lips up for a quick kiss. Smiling, he raised his head a bit to kiss Axl's forehead before sitting back up. Pulling back out again, he continued his slow movements. Each time he pushed in and came back out Axl relaxed until his face showed little to no pain. Smiling, Blaine started to increase his speed. Axl matched his grin and stretched has back a bit, getting more comfortable. Blaine grabbed one of Axl's arms and lifted it and placed it on his head board. Immediately after, Axl gripped it, he dove his face down and went at his hairy pits. Groaning, Axl shivered and twisted his shoulders, making it more accessible for him. Smirking into the depression, Blaine still found Axl's armpit fetish so quirky he had quickly grown to like it almost as much. Sitting back up, he met Axl's gaze and he nodded. Axl did the same to the other arm, giving Blaine permission to continue. finally raising back up, he noticed Axl was smiling as Blaine's length really began to pick up speed. Deciding to try something he had learned, he tilted his hips a certain way. After a couple of thrusts, Axl grunted and moaned. Grinning, Blaine knew that if he tilted his hips in a particular way, the slight curve of his cock would rub against the prostate gland inside his lover. That was one thing a guy with a perfectly straight penis was unable to do effectively. "Blaine..." Axl grunted. "Yeah?" he whispered leaning down to breath into his ear. "Mmmm" Axl said as he felt Blaine's tongue enter his ear at the same time as the head of his cock grazed against his prostate. "That feels good."he moaned. "Wanna try a different position?" he asked. Axl groaned and nodded a couple of times. Grinning, Blaine rocked forward a few times until with a mighty grunt, he pulled Axl on top of him as his back hit the bed. Surprised, Axl stared down at him. Understanding his movements, they awkwardly rotated on the bed after every thrust until Blaine felt his head hit the pillows. Panting, Axl rose off him a ways then dropped back down. Blaine stared down, mesmerized as his cock disappeared every time Axl's ass dropped down onto his groin. Axl's cut cock was at full mast, small drops of precum dripping of the head and landing on Blaine's treasure trail. Blaine reached down and lifted Axl's nuts, playing with them as he continued to ride his shaft. He felt a hitch in his gut and knew it was coming. Wrapping his hand around Axl's shaft he began to pump in time with his thrusting. Puffing, Axl stared down, sweat beading down his chest with his thick curly locks of hair turning damp. Lazily, Axl stared down at him and smiled. Blaine thought he looked so hot, the sweat, pink cheeks, and thick bushy pubes were the ultimately turn on for him. Dropping his hands down on Blaine's chest Axl played with his nipples as continued to jerk his cock. Making a twisting movement around the head, Axl groaned loudly and bent down until his hips rose off the bed and didn't really move. Blaine felt his release was close. Biting his lip, he wanted to pound Axl hard until he did. "Tell me if I'm hurting you Ax, I'm getting close. Jerk off your cock so you can cum on my chest." he whispered, leaning up and capturing his lips. Kissing back, he nodded and gripped his cock as he jerked himself at his own speed. Grinning, Blaine grabbed hold of Axl's slightly raised hips and began pumping upward hard and fast with his eyes closed. The slap of his balls against Axl's sweaty ass reverberated around the room. He felt it, it was building and was about to release. Twisting his hips again so his cock would once again hit Axl's prostate. Hearing a a grunt and a moan, his eyes shot open just as Axl released his load. The cum shot everywhere. Ropes landed on his sweaty chest, some even hit his chin. Opening his mouth, Blaine maneuvered his head and was rewarded as he tasted Axl's salty cum. With a final thrust, Blaine released his seed inside Axl, the hot fluid pooling into the bubble at the end of his condom. Blaine groaned and whined with pleasure, words no longer coming out coherently. His release was incredible, the power and intensity was staggering. Whimpering, his movements became shaky as the sensation became to much for his legs to support the position he was in. Panting, his ass settled down on the bed just as Axl collapsed atop him with almost an identical reaction. They laid there, both sweaty and spent, Axl kissing his chest constantly as the high from the orgasms slowly faded. After a few moments, Axl sat up and smiled up at a shaky and spent Blaine. Ginning broadly, he leaned down and gently gave him a kiss on the forhead. Grunting, Axl awkwardly lifted himself off Blaine. He collapsed next to Blaine, staring down at Blaine's condom covered cock. The condom held an unimaginable amount of cum in it. Sitting up, Axl leaned down and looked at the condom closely before glancing up at him."That's a lot of jizz Blaine." he reached down and pulled on it. Blaine squirmed, his dick still extremely sensitive. Finally, he pulled it off and held it up to his face and stared at the amount. Blaine had to agree, the volume inside it was unbelievable. Smirking, he pulled Axl's head over and placed it on his chest. Axl grunted and pulled off as he felt his cheek settle against the cum that had splattered all over his check. "Dude!" he said, trying to sound grossed out but it was clear he thought it was amusing. "Was it OK?" Blaine asked, somewhat nervous. "A lot better than I thought it would be. It felt awesome when you hit my prostate. but," he glanced at Blaine." I'm glad it was you that did it. I'll never forget it. I don't have any regrets. " he finished, serious. Touched, Blaine lifted himself onto his elbow and kissed him hard. "I'm glad it was OK." he said gratefully. Smiling softly, he returned the kiss. "You've changed me Blaine...in such a good way. I feel so comfortable with you." he said tiredly. "Same here." he said, stretching across the bed. Blaine put his hands behind his head and sighed. He was startled when Axl leaned over and started playing with his pit. Snorting, he patted Axl's cheek fondly. Realizing he was covered with cum, he sat up reluctantly. Axl mirrored that act and got up, reaching his hand out for Blaine. Smiling, he rose and took the hand before they headed into his bathroom for a shower. 20. After "Can I say something Blaine?" Axl asked him, while he soaped up his back. "Oh course. You shouldn't have to ask." he chuckled light heartedly. "Well, to tell the truth, it felt a lot better than I expected, but I'd still rather fuck you most of the time." Axl said, nervously. It was clear Axl feared that Blaine would only be with him if Blaine could fuck him more. Smiling, he had to admit Axl's hole was perfect, and he would try to top him as much as possible. But he didn't have a problem letting Axl take control most of the time. He turned and met Axl's eyes. Smiling softly, he leaned in for a gentle kiss. Nodding, Axl's expression relaxed and his manner became warmer. Sighing into his mouth, Blaine let Axl push him against the tiled wall in the shower. "Axl, like _I_ said before, I would be with you even if I didn't get to be top ever." he whispered, feeling a hardening of pressure against his stomach. "Like I said before, put those thoughts out of your mind, I'm yours." he replied softly, leaning in and nuzzling their noses together. They chuckled quietly and went back to soaping up their bodies. The hot water soothed their sore muscles as they stood under the shower spout. They groaned as the soapy water was washed away, leaving them feeling refreshed. Blaine felt Axl's hands on his shoulders and rotated his body around. Gently, he pushed from behind until Axl took hold of his left arm and placed it against the wall. Grunting, Axl squatted and pulled Blaine's cheeks apart. The moment he felt Axl's tongue prob him, he melted and pushed his ass back for better accessibility. A hand reached between his legs and tugged lightly on his ball sack before reaching higher. The hand light gripped his shaft while Axl used his index finger to take the place of his tongue on his entrance. Glancing down, Blaine watched as his foreskin was pulled down to the base of his cock. The tip of a finger dug into the slit before it retreated with a small amount of precum back under his form. Hearing Axl slurp loudly, the romantic atmosphere was broken as the act morphed into something more comical. Biting his bottom lip, he strained to keep his laughter from becoming audible. He had almost lost it until he felt Axl rise. "I'm going to make love to you Blaine." Axl softly, lightly kissing the back of his neck Below, he felt Axl use his feet to nudge his own feet further apart until he had a wider stance than his hips. After a couple of moments, Axl intertwined their fingers and moved Blaine's hand out to match the placement of his foot. Reaching over, he did the same to the opposite hand. His head was forced down abruptly. At first , he was startled by the action. Feeling something hard slap down to rest on his tailbone, he grinned. "You ready?" Axl whispered, taking his hand away from his head, stepping back, and letting his throbbing cock press slightly at his entrance "Yes." he replied, trying to lift his head, but was stopped as Axl's hand returned the pressure on his neck. "Good, because it's been a week since the last time my cock was in something as hot and tight as your hairy ass." he breathed, pushing his member through the rim and as deep as he could go. "Mm..." he grunted, feeling Axl's hairy nuts against his ass. "Oh my god," Axl squeaked,"you feel so fucking good Blaine." he kissed the back of his neck. Blaine raised his head, and felt no resistance. Turning to the side, he watched Axl pull back out and push in again. Meeting his gaze, he leaned in and kissed him hard. Their mouths remained half open, breathing into each other as Axl began to move faster. His hands reached down and took hold of his hips as his movements began to become rougher. Puffing, Axl stepped back and took hold of his hair. Though it hurt, it wasn't painful enough to protest as Axl pulled him out of the bathroom and pushed onto his bed. "Suck me." he ordered, placing one hand on his hip while yanking him by his hair down to his crotch. Using his tongue, he dug into the slit, then wrapped it around the shaft. Axl moaned as Blaine reached forward and gently massaged his balls. "Yea, that's good." he grunted, thrusting his hips forward erratically. Abruptly, he pushed him back on the bed. Startled, he watched Axl crawl up to him before he went down on his crotch. Blaine gasped as Axl's tongue slurped over the shaft and ended at the covered head. His mouth bobbed up and down, slowly working the foreskin down. Unable to help himself, he reached down and took hold of Axl's head and moved it up and down. Using his right hand, Axl stroked him fast and hard, much faster than usual. Before he knew it, he came in Axl's mouth, cussing and moaning. Still shaking, he didn't noticed Axl had moved until he felt his hips raising. With one hard thrust, Axl buried himself. His pace was fast and desperate, face turning pink with concentration. Eye's open, he met his blue ones and his thrusts became labored. Face almost red, Blaine smirked and acted. Pushing one of Axl's arm up, he pulled his armpit down into his mouth. Axl shook and grunted, releasing his seed deep inside. "Oh god, Blaine, keep doing that. It feels so good." he wept, hips shaking uncontrollably. After a moment, Blaine pushed at the other arm. Clumsily, Axl adjusted and moaning once more as his mouth made contact with his other hairy pit. Movements coming to an end, Axl collapsed on top of him, kissing his neck and upper chest constantly. Smiling, he loved the feeling of the hot cum he felt inside his ass. Weakly, Axl made a grunt and pushed himself up and gazed down at him. Blaine watched Axl, puzzled. Something had changed between them. Something, significant. He couldn't put a a name to it, he just felt warm inside, emotionally. One thing he could remember was that Axl had not used the word "fuck". Instead, Axl said "make love" for the first time. Reaching up, he gently pushed Axl's still wet hair to the side. He was surprised when Axl leaned down kissed him softly. The kiss was unlike anything he had felt with him before. It lasted long, and yet there was no heated passion behind it. After a few moments, he lifted up again with a broad smile across his face. Once more, he leaned down and breathed into his ear, so softly he barely heard him. "Blaine..." 21. Love? "Ax?" he asked, cautiously. Axl was sitting behind him on the bed, rubbing his shoulders. "Hmm?" he hummed. "This is more than just sex, right?" he asked, still feeling nervous. "Absolutely." he said, sounding a bit hurt. Turning, Blaine stared back at him with a soft smile. Meeting and then mirroring the expression, he leaned forward for a quick kiss. Chuckling, he leaned forward and pushed him flat on the bed. Kissing his back, he massaged his tanned shoulders. Working down his back, he halted at his perfect ass. Though they were fully clothed, he still felt the heat of his lips as he lightly bit into his covered flesh. Moving down to his thighs, Axl put pressure on them, working out his muscles. Coming to his calves, Blaine hissed as Axl's hands dug into the right one. "What's wrong with your leg?" he asked, concerned. "Well, I didn't want to say it until now but I tripped on my way off those damned steps to see you earlier." he chuckled darkly. "Poor baby."Axl sniffled, reaching down and tickling his foot. Blaine jumped, too aware of how ticklish he was. With a broad grin spreading across his face, Axl reached forward. Laughing nervously, Blaine slid off the bed and bolted for the door. Hearing Axl bark out a laugh, he nearly fell down the stairs but caught himself before disaster. Once on the ground floor, he slipped to the right and through the large den. The sound of pounding footsteps announced Axl's pursuit. Chuckling quietly, he felt like a little kid playing hide and seek. Glancing sideways, he stood next to the large grandfather clock that leaned against the wall. "Fe Fi Fo Fum, where has Blaine gun." came Axl's voice softly, sounding as if he was trying to hold back laughter. Biting his lip, he knew Axl had said gun just to get a rise out of him. When he didn't hear a chuckle, he sighed quietly. He waited as a shadow crept across the floor in front of him. The hallway light showed Axl pausing and turning his head back and forth, curly hair bouncing as he did. Still, he finally crept past him. With a triumphant feeling, he pounced. With a grunt, they toppled to the floor. Axl chuckled as Blaine kissed his neck and rubbed his shoulders. Without warning, Axl lifted his ass in the air to meet his crotch. Pausing, he leaned down stared into his eyes. Smiling softly, Axl lifted his chin kissed him. The action soon began to change into something more heated. Blaine felt his member harden as Axl continued to push his ass up. Reaching down and under, he felt Axl's own hardness buck into the carpet. "Bedroom." they said together, then chuckled as they rose "Can I fuck you again Axl?" he asked desperately as they climbed the stairs. Smiling into the kiss, Axl nodded. Feeling elated, he grinned madly and charged up the stairs quicker. Chuckling, Axl let him be dominated as they entered the room. Pushing his face down, Blaine reached around and dug his hands inside Axl's shorts. His length was hard leaking precum. Squeezing his cock, he ground into him. Axl groaned and pushed his ass back, maneuvering it until he felt Blaine's cock line up with his crack. Grunting, Blaine smiled as he dropped to his knees. Pulling Axl's shorts down just past his ass, he spread the cheeks apart. Standing, he walked over to his desk and removed lube and condoms and walked back. His erection poking a huge tent in his shorts. "Blaine, do me bareback. We did it safe the first time, but I want to feel you in me, I mean, your stuff..." he said, face turning an adorable pink color. Truth be told, that's exactly what he wanted to hear, but he had to make sure"Are you sure Ax?" He gave a single nod, lifting his ass back into the air. Shaking with suppressed lust, Blaine threw the rubber over his shoulder and out of sight. Before him, he heard Axl let out a bark of laughter. Smirking, he slapped his hairy ass playfully. Dropping back down to his knees, he began to prepare Axl for his cock. Spreading the cheeks, he surged forward and forced inside his hot ass. Axl groaned loudly and his knees began to buckle. Using his fingers, he worked his way in, spreading the walls of his anal cavity. He made sure to press into his prostate, but not too much. Finally, when Axl's moans started to become louder and his tone more urgent he was ready. Standing, he looked at his work and smiled. Axl glanced back, eyes hazy with lust. Reaching down, he lifted the lube bottle and poured some around the wet entrance. Lifting the left leg of his shorts, his uncut cock stood at attention. Precum leaked as he squeezed himself and groaned. Pushing down Axl's shorts down just far enough to expose his entrance, he lined up his length and lightly pushed. Axl groaned as he slowly entered his quarry. Almost sobbing at the intense feeling, he stopped when he felt his nuts rest against Axl's flesh. Breathing hard, Axl turned back and gripped the bedding harder. Afraid to move, feeling any abrupt action could overload his senses, he reached forward and pulled at the back of Axl's head. "How's my cock feel?" he growled, twisting Axl's hair to the side. "You're so big Blaine. God I can feel your foreskin without the rubber. It's..." he started, but Blaine pulled back and thrust into him again. "Ugh.."he grunted, glaring back, but only with a playful type of anger. Pulling back and thrusting again a bit harder, he smirked and cocked his head to the side. "It's what, Axman?" he asked as he pulled back again. "I love it. It's so.."he grunted with another thrust,"hot" he finished. Blaine couldn't help it, he was going to cum soon. The feeling of being bareback inside Axl was just too over whelming. Pushing forward with a twist of his hips, Axl gave a shout and a grunt. "Fuck.."Axl gasped, legs buckled completely this time, only held up by Blaine's grip on his hips. "Fuck...Blaine..." he wept looking back and breathed through clinched teeth. Confused, he glanced to the side and down. On the floor, a pool of white liquid lay just below Axl's crotch. A moment later, another few drops of cum dripped into the mess. With a shock, he realized Axl had a hand less orgasm. The thought was so shocking it pushed him over the edge. "Axl!" he hissed, feeling his own hips shaking. "Do it Blaine."he said pleadingly. That's all it took, and he released his seed inside Axl's ass. The sensation was one of the most powerful orgasms he had ever experienced. "Oh my god, I can feel it Blaine." Axl exclaimed, looking back at him in wonder. "Does it feel good baby?"he asked. "It's so odd, and hot. I like it." he said, sounding surprised. Shaking, he pulled out, and watched for the cum to leak out of Axl's ass. Apparently, Axl's hole was so tight it wouldn't let anything escape. Getting down on his knees, he leaned under Axl, and licked his hairy nuts. Axl, groaned and pulled away as Blaine tried to lick at his cock. Apparently it was still too sensitive. The amount of cum on the floor was quite a bit compared to what he had seen before. Suddenly, he realized he was still horny. "Axl, do me again." he asked, crawling under him and lifting him onto the bed with him. Grinning, Axl didn't say a word, just nodded and pushed him further back until his head hit his pillow. Without any preparation, he thrust inside with a single hard thrust. Gasping, Blaine tightened his entrance as Axl fucked him hard and fast. "God I love this Blaine." he said breathlessly. "I love you Axl." Blaine blurted, then bit his lip as Axl slowed. "Shit!"he thought, but was interrupted mid thrust as Axl kissed him hard. "Love you too B."he said, eyes shining. Blaine couldn't look away , and wrapped his arms around his chest, as Axl's speed increased again. "Harder" Axl's pace erupted into a messy movement as he collapsed as his own seed filled him again. Blaine smiled and pulled him in even closer as it all came to an end. As he looked up, he noticed a tear running down Axl's cheek. Touched, he sighed and scooted over on the bed as his love laid next to him in an embrace. 22. Back in Orson, Indiana ***This chapter doesn't have any smut in it, It's an in depth look into Axl coming to terms with the way he is and how his family and friends will react. The smut will return close to the end of the next chapter*** "AXLLL!Get Up!" he heard his mom call through the door. Groaning, he sat up in bed. Curly hair sticking out everywhere as he yawned. Three or four loud knocks on the door preceded his mom bursting in. She looked almost in shock at him already sitting up. Face changing into something that resembled concern. Shoeing her off, he stretched his arms into the air and scratched himself across his chest. Leaving his room, she closed the down at his morning wood, he smirked and reached out for his cell phone. Glancing at the door, pushed his boxers down and snapped a quick picture with his phone. Pulling his boxers back up, he sent his greeting to Blaine. Still grinning, he got to his feet and looked around at his clothing. He didn't really car a whole lot what he wore as long as it felt and looked somewhat cool. He did still think of himself as straight. He found girls totally sexy and attractive, but he was just too happy with Blaine. Surprisingly, his imagination rarely ever drifted to the opposite sex. Usually feeling tired and totally carefree about his day at school, today was quite different. Nervously, he tried to think of a way to tell his two best friends. Sincerely hoping their friendship would be strong enough for them to accept him, he walked back and forth across his room a couple of times. When nothing popped into his head, he groaned and sat back down. Shaking his head, he got dressed and headed into the kitchen. Sitting at the bar, he poured himself some cereal and dug in. He was so preoccupied with his troubles, he totally forgot to pick on Sue. She was doing some sort of dance or jig...something about the wrestlerettes routine. This odd behavior apparently startled his mom. No sooner had Sue gone into the living room to pack her bag than she pulled the bowl of cereal out from under his head. Looking up, he grumbled and reached for it but was met with a stern faced mom. "Axl, what's going on? Are you on drugs? Did you get a bad grade on something? Is someone picking on you? Does your stomach or head hurt? Are in trouble with one of your teachers?" she demanded in a very fast and urgent manner. As she stared at him, he wondered if it was time to tell her. He opened his mouth, but as soon as he did Brick did one of his "whoops" and the spell was broken. Before she could recover, he pulled the cereal bowl back and grabbed his back pack. He was out the door in a flash, spilling cereal on the sidewalk as he jogged to his car. Inside, he turned it on and blasted the radio. This worked out perfectly, as his mom was walking quickly toward him. Acting as if he didn't see her, he backed out and headed to school. Just as he parked and turned off the engine, his cell phone chimed. Knowing who it would be, he grinned and opened his phone. "thats hot. id luv 2 suck u dry right now. i want that buried in my ass again. ur cum feels so good inside me." the message read. Completely hard now, he scolded himself. He knew perfectly well what any message from Blaine would do to him. Closing his car door, he sent another message asking for Blaine to send him a pic. Hearing footsteps approaching, turned and greeted Darren. Darren glanced downward for a moment. Looking down, he saw what he was looking at. The crotch of his jeans tented out completely, leaving nothing to the imagination. Grumbling, he turned around to reach in and pull his hard dick so it rested against his groin. Turning back, he noticed Darren was shaking his head and chuckling. "Better?"he asked, feeling his face burning from the unwanted attention. Darren glanced down fairly quickly and back up, smirking and nodding at the same time. As they walked toward school, he felt compelled to confide in his friend. Slowing, he wondered if Darren should hear what he had to say before Sean. It was true he was much more sensitive than him, but Sean was much smarter and more likely able to see the problem he had to deal with. The three of them never talked or even discussed anything about being gay or anything related to that. Darren slowed his walking and looked at him with a concerned face. "What's wrong, bro?" he asked in his deep voice, coming to a complete stop. "Darren..."he began, but couldn't go on. "Yo!" a voice announced from behind them. Jumping, he turned and watched as Sean came up to them. It must have been obvious there was something wrong because his face immediately grew tense. "What's going on?"he asked, looking back and forth between him and Darren. "Nothing's wrong with me, but Axl's acting like there's something wrong." Darren said, looking at Sean in the eyes. Something passed between his two best friends and just as Sean opened his mouth, he was interrupted as the first warning bell chimed. Axl breathed out deeply, feeling relieved he would have time to think of what to say. It was clear just by the looks they were giving him, he wouldn't be permitted to let it go. Sighing, he headed off to class. Halfway there, his cell buzzed with a message. Unable to help himself, he opened it and looked at his screen. Blaine's uncut cock stood at attention around his thick pubes while his heavy balls hung below. Smiling, he loved the view of his boyfriends meat. Throughout the morning, he wrote Blaine his troubles. "B, I want to tell my two best friends about us. I just don't know how to do it. They're my bro's and we'd do anything and everything for each other. I just don't think I could handle it if they abandoned me once they knew I loved another dude. We've never discussed anything about being gay. You know, as I've told you who knows how many times, I don't consider myself gay at all. You're the only guy I want to ever be with, so that should count for something right?What should I do Blaine? I almost told my mom about us this morning but choked at the moment she knew something was wrong. I know she's going to press me about it when I get home from school...what should I do?" Axl.. Seans' POV "Dude, his phone's buzzing like crazy." he hissed at Darren. It was lunch time and the three of them were sitting at a table. Axl had just left to get more food. He had left his cell phone open on the table. Knowing they only had moments, he was determined to figure out what was bugging his best friend. Darren looked up and over, then down at the phone. They had both agreed to help Axl no matter what. But what that was they had no clue. Axl was being uncharacteristically quiet and odd since this morning. "Should we look? It might be the reason why he's acting different." Darren said quickly, looking down at the buzzing phone. "Hand it here, quick!" he hissed. Darren reached over and slid the open phone into his lap. Glancing up again, Axl was still in line, bouncing up and down impatiently. The message was from someone named Blaine. Frowning, he had never heard of him before. Biting his lip, he opened the message. "Axl...I'm touched, but you shouldn't tell anyone until you are ready. If Sean and Darren are both as good of friends as you say, they'll understand, or at least try to. If they have no clue about you I wouldn't worry to much about it. About your mom though...I don't know. It seems moms are a lot more accepting of having gay kids than fathers, so I-" he shook his head and looked up and back down at the message and continued. Totally confused, he looked up at Darren, who was staring at him intently, looking over his shoulder to check on Axl's location. Luckily, he was still in line. "What is it Sean?" he asked, voice concerned. "Hold on." he said. He didn't want to invade Axl's privacy, but this was an emergency. Opening the last sent message to Blaine, he read it and felt his jaw drop. "What is it?" Darren asked, his deep voice almost frantic. "Read this, and then switch over to the inbox."he instructed. Absentmindedly, he watched Darren out of the corner of his eye while he tried to come to terms of the newest revelation. Darren looked up after reading both messages. Sean reached over and took it from him and set it up to make it look as if the inbox still had a new message and hadn't been read by the two of them. Ahead, Axl had finally retrieved more food and was paying the lunch lady. "What do we do?"Darren asked him, looking utterly confused. "Don't say anything and don't act as if anything has changed. He made it clear in his sent message how much we mean to him. Does this change how you think of him?" he asked, curious. "He's still the same guy. He said he wasn't...you know, but it was just with this one guy." he said.' Thankful Darren was open minded and modern, he felt his nervous tension disappear. Axl was his bro, his best friend. This didn't change a thing. He had been touched with how Axl had described Darren and himself to Blaine. Taking a deep breath, he tried to compose himself as Axl approached. He looked over and made eye contact with Darren as Axl planted himself down next to them. Biting his lip, he had a sudden burst of inspiration...he just hoped Darren would be able to follow. Axl's POV Grinning, he sat back down with another slice of pizza between his friends. He was so thankful they hadn't brought up the awkwardness earlier, his appetite had improved. Noticing his phone, he reached for it and began to read. Mood continuing to improve, his thoughts were extinguished when Sean began to talk to Darren. At first, he had no real intention of listening, but that changed immediately as he realized what he was saying. Looking up, he listened closer. "Did I tell you guys that my cousin...Anthony came out yesterday?" he asked, looking between both. Feeling his heart race, he shook his head and glanced at Darren. The expression on his face was confusion. Of course, that really wasn't that unusual for him. "He's a senior in..Kentucky. He called me last night about it. I didn't know what to say really, I was in shock." he went on, looking off into the distance. Axl felt his stomach start to churn with dread. "He asked if I still liked him. He was so frantic and freaked out dudes." he said, looking between the two. "What did you say?" came Darren's deep voice, sounding intrigued. "Well, at first I couldn't really speak. I had no clue what to say. We don't get together or speak much. To tell the truth I'm a lot closer to you two than him." he said, looking down at his food. Axl waited, fearing what the response had been. He no longer felt hungry and he couldn't help staring straight into Sean's face. The gesture must have been extremely suspicious but at the moment he didn't care. He could always come up with a cover story if needed. Sean's next words seemed to let the air out and breath new hope into his plight. "I said it didn't change a wasn't like it's a choice. I didn't think anything less of him, or anyone else that felt that way." he said, looking up with a warm smile. "It seemed to really help him, me saying that. He talked about being so scared and feeling so guilty for how he felt. I'd say that to anyone I knew, especially if I had known them for a long time." he finished, looking at him, and then over to Darren. "That's real cool of you dude. I'd feel and say the same thing. I don't have anyone in my family that's gay I think. But if I did it doesn't really matter." he shrugged with a nod at the same time. Suddenly feeling a bit emotional, he looked away, contemplating his next move. He wanted to tell them both, but he hesitated, still unsure. Breathing a bit harder, he didn't realize his behavior had alerted his friends until he looked up. Looking at each other and then back to him with confusion written across their faces, they support built up his courage to reveal his dilemma. 23. Confessions "Can I tell you guys something?"he asked, shakily,not looking up. "Anything Ax."came Sean's reply. "Yea." Darren's deep voice rumbled. "Guys..."he hesitated, not knowing exactly what to say, then went on, not sure this was going to make a lot of sense. "Chicks are hot." he said, looking up to glance between the two, who nodded. "But...you remember when I was in Ohio and my car broke down and had to have it fixed?" he asked, voice calming down a bit. They nodded, looking interested. The guy that was talking to me about my car told me how long it would be before my car was ready. He walked to the back and a few minutes later he came back out and asked if I could play a guitar, noticing mine was in my car. They wanted me to play chords for the guy who was suppose to sing because he was depressed and wasn't doing it right. So I did, and as I was walking back to my car I accidentally broke my guitar." he said, but was then interrupted. "So that's how it got broke?" Darren exclaimed, before looking sorry and gestured for him to go on. "Well, Blaine said it was basically his fault and offered to have it repaired and get me something to eat while my car was still being repaired. Blaine's the singer." he said, pausing and looking up. He noticed his friends had a look on their faces like they knew where this was going. Suddenly feeling scared, he figured he should just drop it. "Why was the guy depressed?" chimed in Sean, with a telling look. "You guys know, don't you?" he asked, suspicious and a bit afraid. Looking at each other, Sean shook his head but Darren nodded. There was a grunt and Darren looked down at his foot, then pushed Sean to the side. Feeling his ears burn, Axl turned his head away and began to stand. Sean's hand came down on his own. Looking up, he noticed both of his friends were smiling at him warmly. Halting his movement, he sat back down. His heart swelled as he realized his friends thought no less of him. Sean and Darren reached out with their fists at the center of the table. Smiling, bumped his fist with theirs. "How did you guys know?" he asked, still wary. Automatically, he glanced down at his phone and thought about how he had looked into Blaine's cell. Immediately, he felt pissed and violated. Raising his head, he glared at them. They looked away, faces painted with shame. Taking long breathes, he tried to calm down. Raising their heads, they tried to look apologetic. His temper drained as he realized they had only done so because they knew something was wrong. "We're sorry Axl. You just looked in trouble and we knew it had to be something big or else you would have just come out and said it. We're bro's dude. Just because others might treat you differently, you can count on us to back you up." said Sean with Darren nodding a couple of times. "Thanks dudes. So, can I finish telling my story?" he asked, warm hearted and more enthusiastic than he had planned on. "Sure." Darren chuckled. "Try to keep it rated R, no rated X, at least not yet. Give us some time and you can tell us everything from your positions to-" "Alright alright!"he said, ears on fire. He didn't think he would ever tell them the exact details, no matter how open they were. "Well, getting back to the story. He was depressed because his longtime boyfriend dumped him after Blaine got some nookie with another guy. The thing is, Kurt lives all the way in New York, and Blaine lives in Ohio and he was lonely." he said. "They were in a relationship though." said Sean. "Yea I know, but trust me, once you actually start to get some, and then you have to do without for a while, it's not as easy as you'd think. Blaine waited for over three months before breaking down." he said, remaining calm. "Make's sense."said Darren, clearly having no clue about the subject, just wanting to sound keep the air between them calm. Sean and Axl smirked at each other. "So, Blaine thought it was partly his fault my guitar broke, so he wanted to...pay me back." he said, noticing the smirks on his friends faces. "Anyways, something happened and I actually care about him more than I've ever liked any of my girlfriends. I want you guys to meet him." he said. "Sure." said Darren while Sean nodded. "You know he came and surprised me at the football game a few weeks ago, the one where I scored the last touchdown."he said, smiling at the memory. "Is that why you were standing apart from the huddle after halftime?" Sean asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yea, he told me to check my text messages at halftime. That's when he told me he was in the stands." he said, staring off to his right. "I'm also guessing that's why you bailed on the party after the game."he continued, smirking at Darren. "I used my lifeguard key and we stayed the night at the pool." he confessed, noticing a frown across Sean's face. Sean had lost the lifeguard position to Axl, which had been a sore point between them. The bell rang, thankfully ending the conversation. Standing, they headed to class as Axl pulled out his phone. Grinning from ear to ear opened it and sent Blaine the news. "Sean and Darren know about us Blaine, and they totally support me! I can't believe this. They want to meet you. Do you want to meet them?" He didn't have to wait even a minute for a reply. "You got it. Happy for you Axl. I'm also incredibly proud of you. I knew you could do it Axl. In fact, I plan on coming to you tomorrow after school. Is that OK?" "fuck yea!im also gunna tell my mom when i get home from school." "axl, dont push it, u think u should pace urself?" "i want to tell her now while i have the courage and the success from lunch." "awesome...I'm so proud of you...love you...tell me how it turns out babe." "i will B, thanx for being w me, uve made me so happy." "no...im the lucky one, and u know it, ur so fuckn hot i still cant believe i get to plow u sometimes, especially since i still think ur straight." "lol! ttyl" He smiled all the way to class, and before he knew it school had ended. It seemed his bravery had lessened by that time. The prospect of what he wanted to do was starting to get to him again. Stopping at his locker, he felt his stomach feel as though butterflies were in it. A hand dropped down on his should and he spun to see Darren grinning at him confidently. Smirking, he turned away to gather the rest of his stuff. Walking out the doors, Sean joined them and they made for the parking lot. "Are you going to tell your mom Ax?" asked Darren seriously. Sean nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah...I think so. I'm not ready for dad to know though. The problem is..."he hesitated and looked at them" can I say something you know, about what I've done?I won't go into details but" "Go ahead dude." said Sean, as Darren's ears turned slightly red. "Well, how do I tell her that I'm gay, when I'm not. Girls are sexy and they still get me hard all the time," he said, grinning as they both nodded and glanced down at their own crotches,"but, I've done everything with Blaine. She's going to ask how I found out I like being with guys dudes." he said, leaning against his car. They both looked equally puzzled. "If I say I don't like other guys, and just like Blaine, she'll ask what the difference is and how I know." he through his hands up in the air. The three of them stood in silence for what seemed like ages. Suddenly, Sean looked up with excitement in his eyes. Darren turned and tilted his head at him, while Axl raised an eyebrow. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Sean was showing all the indications that preceded before he went into details that showed how much smarter than he was compared to both of them. Groaning, Darren shook his head and gave Axl a tired look. "Well, she noticed you didn't come home the night while you were in Ohio, right?" he asked. "Yeah, she wasn't happy about that, especially when I didn't give her a good reason for doing so." he sighed. "Just say your car broke down again and the repair shop was closed. You also didn't have enough money to stay in a hotel room and your cell wasn't getting any reception. So Blaine happened to recognize you from the shop and offered you a free place to sleep that night. You thanked him and while at his place you guys connected over a game or movie or something. During that period you became aware that you cared for him and felt safer and happier than you ever did with any of your past girlfriends. That would have made you pause and consider what that meant and decided to see what all that meant. By the time you left to return home the next morning you knew what you wanted and it was him." he finished smugly. Darren and he exchanged stunned glances. Looking at Sean with new found respect. Thinking about it, he knew if any story would convince his mother to understand him, it was this one. He felt his heart swell and he smiled softly at him. There were no words he could say to thank him. Instead, he stepped forward and embraced Sean in a tight bear hug, feeling no shame at all. A hand patted his shoulder and he saw Darren clap Sean on the back rather harder than he meant to. Unprepared for the act, Sean staggered forward, almost knocking Axl down with him. Axl chuckled and backed out of the hug to rub Darren's buzzed head. The moment he stepped into his house, his mom cornered him. She demanded an explanation for his behavior that morning. Sighing, he suggested they talk in his parents bedroom. Feeling unimaginably nervous, he told Sean's story. They sat there for minutes in absolute silence, all the while he felt his heart working overtime. Finally she looked up and spoke in a soft voice, letting him know she loved him and reassured him that nothing would change between them. She gave him full support and wanted to meet Blaine. Promising she would tell no one until he was ready. Also saying his dad would love him no less, but it would take a long time for things to get back to the way they were. She pulled him in and hugged him hard. Feeling elated, he hugged back just at hard. A tear rolled down his cheek. He discreetly wiped it away before his mother would see it. The sound of the front door opening and closing signaled Brick and Sue were home. Rising they left the room and once again went back to the normal routine that would happen every day after school. All the while he felt light headed and in shock of what had just transpired. 24. Introductions Blaine was so nervous as he crossed into the city limits of Orson. He was so proud of Axl. What he had done was just unbelievable. Though he wouldn't be meeting his dad or siblings, he was going to meet his mom. Axl had told him about how accepting his mom was with the whole situation, making a point to meet him. Sean and Darren was also expecting to meet him today. When Axl had tried to describe them to him, he wasn't very good at the details. They had decided to meet his mom first at home, before his dad got off work and his brother and sister from school. He had decided to dress out of his usual attire. Instead, he was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. His hair wasn't pasted down to his scalp like usual, but in a way his dark curls would bounce as he walked. Axl wore his the same way, just at a longer length. Though he looked cool, he wasn't exactly comfortable with the relaxed look he was going for. Still, he was sure it would help smooth things over. Knowing he wouldn't have much time to spend inside Axl's house before else came home, he parked on the curb. Spotting Axl's junker, he smiled as he exited his car. Stretching, he walked to the door and it opened before he could knock. A short lady smiled and looked up at him as she introduced herself as Frankie. Reaching out, they shook hands and was invited inside. Entering the house, Axl was sitting on the couch off to the left. He wanted to sit next to him, but was worried it would be too much and too fast for his mom to handle. Axl grinned widely and patted his lap. Rolling his eyes, he shook his head and asked his mom where she wanted him to sit. Smiling at him, she patted his back and indicated it was alright to sit next to Axl, just not on his lap. Once sitting, Axl reached over and grasped his hand. Edgy, he looked at his mom who gave him a single nod of approval. Smiling, he tightened his hold. "So, Blaine, umm.."she paused, as if not knowing what to say, then went on"well, I can't ask what you do for a living, as you're still in school. So, what do you plan to do in the future?" she asked, her tone becoming warmer and more relaxed. "We-" he began, but Axl interrupted him. "He's going to do something with music." he said enthusiastically. "Is your name Blaine?" she asked, eyeing him. "Well, he wasn't saying anything so I decided to answer. "You didn't give him a chance, he was saying something when you int-" "Well, it's hard not to sound excited about it. You should hear him sing." he said. Blaine looked at them, his head switching every time the other spoke, as if he were watching a tennis match. His mom did look intrigued with Axl's statement. He wished he hadn't said she should listen. He wasn't planning on performing anything. Whenever he sang, he had to be relaxed or else it would sound awful. Axl released his hand and pulled out his cell phone and opened it. Biting his lip, he stared at the screen as he scrolled down. Choosing a track, he only had time to read the title Beauty shop Dropout." Feeling a bit taken aback he hadn't realized Axl had recorded his performance a few weeks ago. The song began and Axl cranked up the volume. Frankie's eyes grew wide and she rose and seated herself on the coffee table in front of the couch. Blaine felt his ears burning as he listened to himself on Axl's phone. He hadn't listening to himself sing, it always sounded so much different than when he sang it. As the song ended, he looked up to see her mouth was in the typical O position. "That's amazing Blaine." she said once she was seated back in the chair. "Thanks." he said softly, embarrassed. "Isn't he good?" Axl said, reaching over and grabbing his hand again. "Yes, he is."She smiled between the two. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "Uhh.." he said, actually feeling a little hungry. "We can't stay Mom, Darren and Sean are expecting us. They want to meet him as well." he explained, standing. "OK, well. Are you sure? I could make something or..."she said, trying to persuade them. "No Mom, we're going to be late." he said, starting to walk towards the door. "Axl, you can at least say bye to your Mom." he said, standing and walked over to her and shaking her hands emphatically. She grinned and winked at him, showing her approval. He turned and stood there, refusing to make any more movements until Axl met his demands. Rolling his eyes, Axl walked toward them and told her bye, as he glared at Blaine. Smirking, Blaine once more told Frankie it was nice to meet her and would look forward to the next time. Standing herself, she actually gave him a small hug. Confused and a bit off put, he looked at Axl for instructions. Now it was his turn to smirk as he leaned against the wall by the door. Tentatively, he patted her arms and was finally released from her embrace. Releasing his hold they walked through the front door. Frankie walked behind and stopped at the door. A moment later, he heard her following them to his car. Pausing, he turned and looked at her. Her face looked stunned. "Did you borrow your parents car to come here?" she asked curiously. "No, this is mine. They got it for my birthday last year." he said, pushing the unlock button on his key chain There was a high pitched chirp as the car roared to life. Looking at her, he could tell she was stunned with the quality of car. Turning his head, he gave Axl a questioning look. "She's never seen anyone I've dated driving a car that was better than hers." he chuckled. "That's not true!" she said, looking nervous. Blaine could tell she wanted to know just how wealthy his family was. He didn't mind it too much, knowing most people were taken aback by how down to earth his family was. "What do you parents do for a living?" she asked. "Dad, well, we're not extremely close. It all sort of fell apart when..." he turned his head away, biting his lip. Axl reached over and held his hand. Frankie gave him a soft smile and nodded."He's a laser medical technician. He travels to hospitals and repairs their equipment. Mom's a major Mary Kay cosmetics sales associate. She travels to the big cities beauty conventions." he finished. "Wow. You have any siblings?"she asked. He began to open his mouth, but Axl beat him to it. "His older brother is Cooper Anderson, Mom." he said, trying not to sound so excited. Blaine frowned and stared at him. Axl hung his head, but couldn't quite lose his smirk. "The actor?"she asked, sounding breathless. Sighing, he nodded, trying not to get annoyed. Axl squeezed his hand again reassuringly. Taking deep breathes, he calmed himself down and looked back up. When he saw her not looking very impressed, his mood began to ease again. Though, he thought she had made an effort to limit her true emotions when thinking about the latest news. Reaching out, she patted his arm again and told him to be careful on his way home. Thanking her, he opened the door and climbed in while Axl hurried around the other side. Once on the road, Axl looked over at him. "You're going to pay for that in there." he said, as Blaine came to a stop at an intersection. "For what?"he chuckled looking over quickly. "For making me be nice to my mom." he growled, reaching over and grabbing Blaine's crotch. Jumping, he tried to swat his hand away but was unsuccessful as Axl unzipped his fly. His hand reached in and rubbed his hardening cock, causing Blaine to open his legs. Pushing in further, he lifted his thick nuts and gently rolled them between his fingers. The light turned green, and he accelerated trying not to take too much notice as Axl pulled his length through the zipper. He gasped his Axl pushed his foreskin down his shaft. Shifting, Axl leaned over and dropped his mouth right on top of his cock. "Oh fuck..." he mumbled, feeling the hot wetness envelope his member. Abruptly, Axl rose and pointed at a restaurant. Looking over, he noticed Axl's smirk and he became furious. "So," he said as he pulled into the parking lot."you get me hard and leave me no time to get rid of it before going into a public building. So the entire time I'm going to be horny as fuck and can do nothing about it?" he asked as they parked. Axl chuckled as he turned the engine off and awkwardly zipped his hard cock back into his pants. "Sounds about right." he said. He felt pissed, and yet still turned on. Noticing they were parked next to the building, he looked up. Through the windows, a couple of guys were looking out at them. Axl grabbed his shirt and before he could do more, pulled him into a kiss. Smiling, he opened his mouth, totally forgetting about what was in front of him. Axl reached down again and squeezed his crotch. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his hand away and exited the car as Axl did the same with a bark of laughter. Closing the door, he readjusted himself and followed Axl into the establishment. "Hey!" came a deep voice from a booth across one of the rooms. Looking up, he recognized the faces of the guys that had looked at them while they were parked by the building. Feeling his face turn hot, he was thankful he had dark enough skin that it wouldn't be easily noticeable. Walking toward them, he gauged their attractiveness. They were certainly good looking, though no where near as hot as Axl. One had a shaved head and was light skinned with blue eyes. The other looked taller, with dark short hair and brown eyes. Both smiling at him, he reached out and shook their large hands. Since they were both siting on one side he assumed Axl and he was suppose to sit on the other side. Though he wanted to sit on the outside, Axl gestured for him to take the seat next to the wall. Sighing, he scooted in and Axl sat next to him. The conversation was flat and nothing exciting happened. They were so comfortable talking to him about anything he felt wanted and decided to talk more than he had planned to. Sean seemed to by the smartest between Axl and Sean, but he seemed modest about it. Darren seemed like a big lovable puppy. For some reason Blaine adored his low deep voice. His facial features were bigger than the other two. His upper chest was a lot bigger than Axl's or Sean's as well. Appetizers were brought out and he had just picked up a mozzarella stick when he felt a hand lightly grasp his left hand. Not looking down, he intertwined their fingers and he laid back in the booth. A few minutes later their dishes were brought out. Everything was really nice and by the time they were all finished, he was feeling rather sleepy. Finally, it all came to an end and when the waitress came around Blaine took the ticket and handed her his card. She walked away and Axl and his two friends were staring at him. "What?"" he asked, a little nervous. "Dude, do you know how much all that was?" asked Sean, mouth hanging open. "Not really...maybe $50." he said, knowing the amount was closer to $100. "Axl, I think you got a keeper here." Darren, giving him a goofy smile. Axl looked smug as he draped his arm over Blaine's shoulder. Feeling embarrassed by the attention, Blaine looked down at the mess on the table. "You guys have to cover the tip." he said as the waitress made her way back. Nodding, they emptied their pockets and placed five or six dollars on the table. She deserved more than that, but it was clear they had no idea how tipping worked. He would have to teach Axl about that some other time. They all stood and walked toward the exit. Since he was the last in line, he tugged out $10 bill and laid atop the table as she started to pick up the rest of the money. Giving him a warm smile, he did likewise and left. Out in the night air, they stood by Blaine's car and chatted for a bit. It soon became clear Axl was getting antsy and indicated to his friends to beat it. Smirking they looked at him, knowing exactly what he wanted to do. Blaine matched their smirks, which seemed to frustrate Axl even more. Finally, Blaine gave in and said bye to both Darren and Sean. Seeing this, Axl opened the passenger door and got in the car. Sean smirked and leaned closer. "Don't be too gentle with him." he said quietly. Feeling his ears heating up, he nodded shyly and got in the running car. As soon as the door was closed, Axl lurched over and kissed him hard. The act was frantic and powerful. Blaine felt himself feeling the same but wanted to be somewhere else when they finally got around to what they would be doing. Sighing, Axl leaned back over to his side and buckled up. They exited the lot and Axl told him to head to the pool again. Protesting it was too cold, Axl agreed , but said the pool house was heated and there would again be no chance of getting caught. "I missed you so much." Axl said, kissing his hand and rubbing his crotch. "You too. I'm so proud of you Axl. So damn proud." he said thickly putting the car into park. They clumsily made their way down the sidewalk to the pool house door. Kissing and unzipping each other's pants. Axl wanted it so much he dropped his key twice before he fit it into the key lock. Blaine had pulled out his cock as the door swung open into the darkness. Grunting, Blaine turned Axl around in the doorway and got down on his knees. He dove down engulfing his entire length in his waiting mouth. Axl gasped, then reluctantly pushed him off his dick so he could pull the door closed and lock it. The moment the lock clicked, he realized he couldn't see a thing. Grinning, Blaine unzipped his own pants while his mouth sucked in Axl's hard member into it. Trying to keep his movements unnoticeable ,he felt Axl take hold of his hair to move his mouth up and down his shaft. Pulling back, he pushed Axl's cock against his groin as he sucked in his sweaty nuts. Once more, Axl let out a loud moan. As his pants and underwear dropped down to ankles, he started to pump the wanting cock in front of him. Stealthily, he turned around back up a into position, he braced himself. With one quick movement, he back up into Axl. The entire length was buried inside Blaine ass. "Oh fuck!" he roared as he felt the sensation. "God I want you." Blaine panted, feel his ass stretch. "Oh my god, you feel so good B." he moaned, sounding almost in tears. Axl thrust forward a couple times, but it became clear their movements were limited. Awkwardly, they shuffled forward while still fucking. Finally, they parted and found a small light fixture to turn on. They stood in a small room, both of their shirts on but everything below their waist's down around their ankles. Sighing the pulled the rest off, never breaking eye contact. Axl walked to the room where the towels were stored. Blaine grinned and laid back on a lounge chair, slowly stroked his uncut cock. As Axl came back into the room, Blaine rolled the skin down to the base of his shaft and pressed his finger into the piss slit. Bringing it up to his mouth, he sucked it off slowly. Dropping the towels, Axl crawled atop him and wrapped his lips around the shaft while his finger dug down underneath Blaine's nuts. Pulling his legs apart more, Axl had full access to his entrance. Blaine put his hands on both sides of Axl's head and moved it up and down his length After a few moments, he pulled off Blaine's cock pushed him all the way on the chair until he was on his back. Lifting his legs and placing them on his shoulders, Axl inched forward and maneuvered his hips until he felt his dick rest against the tight opening. Increasing the pressure, it finally slid in. Once buried, he didn't move right away, just sat there and stared into his eyes. His hand reached around his thigh and wrapped itself around Blaine's weeping member. Slowly, he pumped up and down knowing the pace wasn't fast or hard enough. Giving him a pouting face, Blaine was reward as Axl increased both the speed and the pressure. Pulling back a bit, he pushed in again with a twist of his hand around the head of Blaine cock. Though the light was on, he couldn't really see what his own dick was doing. Blaine smiled, loving how hairy they both appeared. It had now been months since he had done any manscaping and it was showing. As if thinking the same thing, Axl reached down and pushed his finger tips in the thick forest until he felt Blaine's actual skin. Both grinning, he leaned up and Axl met his lips and began to build speed. Dropping a leg, Axl twisted his body a bit until Blaine was on his side. Carefully, he twisted again until he was on his stomach. He knew Axl's favorite position was doggy style. It was almost always the position he wanted to be in when he finally came. Finally, Axl backed up off the lounge and pulled him along. Knees on the floor, he dropped his hands and held his hips hard. Taking a few breathes, he pounded once. The sound of the single movement of slapping skin reverberated throughout the entire room. Copying the movement, the sound echoed. Grunting, Axl stood and took Blaine with him. Tilting his head, he turned and met Axl's lips as the furious assault began to build. An arm wrapped around his torso and gripped his cock. Taking a few tentative pumps, he beat his length fast and hard. He could feel it approaching, as Axl's breathing became labored. Squeezing his hold on Axl's cock, he pushed back to meet his now slopping thrusts. "Jerk me hard Ax" he pleaded between their kisses. Humming, Axl nodded and wrapped his other arm around this chest. Using both his hands, he wrapped them both around his length and pumped, making sure to use his foreskin as an extra extension in his movements. In reward, Blaine clinched his ass at odd intervals. Most were done at random, that way Axl would be surprised and unprepared for the sudden change in actions. Slowing his own movements, Axl pumped Blaine's cock while thrusting randomly. Nudging his head to the side, Axl blew hot air into Blaine's ear and licked the interior. That was all it took for Blaine to shoot his load. Groaning, he staggered forward as ropes of his cum painted the lounge chair in front of him white. Cursing and clinching his dick harder than ever, he felt Axl groan. Axl growled, clearly not wanting to cum yet, but Blaine's ass muscles were just too much, even though Axl wasn't even moving his dick in and out. Feeling a bite to his neck, he glanced back and felt Axl go rigid. A warmth of hot liquid began to fill his ass. "Fuck fuck fuck, you bitch!" he growled as his hips shook and almost collapsed. Blaine hummed with triumph as Axl released his hold on his dick and just grabbed his hips. Unexpectedly, they fell atop the pile of towels Axl had dropped earlier Grunting, he fell on his back. He hadn't realized he was still coming until he felt a spray of hot wetness bead across his sweaty chest. Glancing down, he was fascinated as his dick twitched with his heart beat and small droplets of cum dribbled out with each twitch. Finally it came to and end and he went limp. He didn't know how long they laid there, but it was long enough to feel Axl's cock go soft and slip out of his messy cum filled ass. "I love you Blaine." Axl whispered, kissing neck. "I love you to Axl." he breathed, reluctantly lift his ass and turning to face him. 25. the Pool HouseAgain "Do you want me to trim my...nether regions?" he asked Blaine, looking up. "Why do you ask?" Blaine puzzled, reaching down and scratching his groin beneath the thick mass of hair. "Well..." he hesitated, feeling a bit of guilt. "Go on." Blaine grinned at him, as if knowing what he was going to say. Taking a deep breath, he pushed on. "Well, I accidentally landed on a gay porn site and noticed almost every guy on it seemed to have little to no pubes." "You were looking at gay porn?" he grinned, unable to drop the smirk that was forming. "It was an accident!" he assured him, knowing full well it wasn't. "Don't you dare trim anything. I like a man to be a man, with thick hair in all the right spots. I'm sick of the new fad of trimming everything like you're a fucking girl." he raged, all the while using his fingers to lightly stroke his hardening member, then paused and gave him a sharp look,"though I wouldn't protest if you wanted to trim the area right around your hole." he finished, reaching under his balls and used his thumb to press against his opening. His thoughts were kind of muddied at the moment with Blaine starting to stroke him harder. Shaking his head, he reached out and pulled Blaine in closer so they were facing each other on the mass of towels on the floor. Once their faces were about a foot apart, he reached down and pumped the uncut cock mirroring his own. Stroking him harder, he lifted both of his legs over Blaine's hairy thighs. Scooting forward, he pushed Blaine back until his back was against the floor. Maneuvering his hips, he sat down with his cock resting against Blaine's. Leaning forward, he licked Blaine's dark nipples and made his way up to his mouth. Staring into each others eyes for a few moments, he continued to grind into him lightly. Meeting his lips, he kissed hard, forcing his tongue in side his lovers' mouth. Sucking on his tongue, Blaine hummed affectionately. Lifting his head, he smirked and twisted his body until his armpit was over Blaine's mouth. Smirking, he raised and lowered his eyebrows flirtatiously. "Suck it." he commanded and groaned as he felt Blaine's tongue force it's way into the pit. He groaned and shook, trying not to take too much noticed of Blaine's chuckling. "What is it with you and armpits?"he asked, using his nose to push the pit away and lean over so he could get at his other pit. Groaning, he shook and ground harder into Blaine's hard dick. "Don't know, just don't stop." he shuddered. "Mew got blit" he said in a muffled voice. Finally getting enough, he lifted up and rotated his body so his furry hole hovered right over Blaine's mouth. Feeling a wet tongue probe him, he grinned know Blaine had no qualms whatsoever about eating out his ass. He wasn't going to move for a while, wanting his hole to get good and ready for what he had planned to do. Leaning down, he dropped his mouth over Blaine's hard and leaking cock. Wrapping his lips around the head, he made his way down the shaft, slowly pushing the foreskin down to the base. Hearing a groan, and feeling the hot wetness of the mouth leave his hole. "Keep at it."he whispered back, and was gratified to feel the sensation return. Using his hands, he stroked Blaine slowly, but forcefully. Digging down, he rubbed the area under his nuts and used his other hand work the shaft. Hoping he was ready, he lifted his hips and rotated again so he was facing him. Scooting back, he gritted his teeth slightly as he felt the heat of Blaine's cock come ever closer to his hole. Reaching back, he took hold of Blaine's length and aimed it at his entrance. Slowly, he inched his hips down until he felt the tip pressed into the tight rim. Taking a breath he felt the tip finally enter him. Cringing, he felt his hole stretch as the thickest part finally enter him. Hissing, he closed his eyes and made himself continue until he felt his ass getting tickled by the thick forest of hair at the base of Blaine's shaft. Letting out a breath he settled his entire weight on Blaine's length. Below, his lover smiled as he felt Axl's tight muscles close around his cock. Knowing Blaine wouldn't mind having to wait a bit long to get into the real pounding, he took a few breaths and smiled down at his strained face. "You want to pound me don't you?" he chuckled. Biting his lip, Blaine nodded a couple of times, unable to speak. Squeezing down on his length, he enjoyed seeing his eyes widen as he restrained himself. It seemed Blaine either couldn't or wouldn't wait any longer though. Thrusting up, Axl's ass was for a short time, a few inches of above his groin. Making the most of it, Blaine quickly dropped his hips and thrust up again, making sure Axl couldn't sit back down. He grunted as Blaine thrust up hard. Crying out, he bit his own lip, not wanting Blaine to stop. This must have been apparent because he halted his hard movements. Looking down, he saw Blaine looked incredibly guilty and ashamed. Shaking his head, he leaned down and kissed him, while at the same time dropping his hips and rose again. "Axl, stop, it's hurting you." he said. "No!" he growled, dropping his hips again. "But," he protested. "Shut up and fuck me." he said, trying with all his might not to show his pain. After a minute or two of him riding Blaine, his pain lessened and he began to enjoy the thrusting. Blaine twisted his hips slightly and small curve of his cock rubbed against his prostate. Crying out, he leaned down and kissed Blaine and his thrusts started to become harder. Without saying a word, Blaine grabbed his arm and pulled him around. Now facing the same direction as Blaine, he was pushed forward until he toppled onto his hands and knees. Now doggy style, he turned his head and watched as Blaine rose a bit and thrusted hard. The sound reverberated around the dark room as the skin slapped skin. Feeling hands close around his neck, Blaine pounded into him unmercifully. Suddenly, he felt his cock twitched as his prostate was nudged. Hands still on the floor, he was about to reach down to jerk his dick when Blaine's cock ground into that perfect spot. With a cry, he looked down and watched as cum shot out of his twitching from the handless orgasm. Behind him, he heard cursing and panting as the rough thrusting became erratic and shaky. "Axl, I'm..." he squeaked. "Do it Blaine. I want to feel it in me." he cried, his neck starting to hurt as strained to look back at Blaine's face as he lost it. Blaine's eyes widened, then closed and his face cringed. His movements came to a halt and he felt hot liquid drench the walls of his ass. The sensation really was quiet different, but not exactly bad. Smiling, he felt the twitch and squirt of seed erupting out of the cock in his ass. Sweat dripped off Blaine's face and landed on his back as he shook and finally landed atop him. The extra weight was too much and he topple to the floor, his cock landing in the pool of his own cum. He grunted as his sensitive meat came into contact with the floor. Panting, Blaine kissed his neck and rolled off him. "That was so good Axl. Your ass is so tight." he breathed with a lazy smile. "After a while it started to feel good, though I still like topping more." he confessed, not feeling the least bit sorry. Nodding, Blaine scooted over and rested his sweat body over his. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he rose to his shaky feet. Blaine lifted up on an elbow and raised in an eyebrow in question. Reaching down, he pulled him up. Both still wobbly, they chuckled and limped over to the showers to cool off and clean the sweat and cum off their bodies. Standing in the open showers, he took the initiative and began to soap up Blaine's back. Chuckling, he tilted his head to the side so they could share a kiss. "I don't want you to trim anything either. I like you're thick bush babe." he leaned in and reached around to drag his fingers through the wet mass of hair. "Good, I always hated trimming that anyways, too much work and it made it look like I had a baby dick." he confessed. "B, I don't think it would ever look like a baby dick, it's too thick, even when..." he stopped, then chuckled." I was going to say soft but it's not very soft at the moment, is it?" he grinned, gripping him hard. "Well, what do you expect, you're playing with it." he said, but not sounding mad at all. "You realize, we've never actually jerked each other off, as if we were just friends with benefits?" he asked excited. "Dude, another round and I'll probably be shooting blanks." he breathed, but started thrusting into his fist. "OK, I'll stop." he said turning and washing his own hair, smirking, knowing it wouldn't take long. "Let's get cleaned up first. I hate saying this but I've actually got to head back home tonight." he said sadly. Axl turned and frowned, not wanting their night to end. "I don't want you to go B." he said sadly. "Me either, but I've got to, I've got Glee practice in the morning for regionals. The whole club will be meeting at the school at six in the a m. Turning the showers off, he glanced at the large digital clock hanging on the wall. The time was 11:37 PM. Blaine still had an hourish drive home, so he would only get around four or five hours of sleep. That wasn't nearly enough. It wasn't fair to Blaine when he drove all the way here and had to go home. Sighing, he knew he needed to let him go for his own good. Sighing, he turned Blaine around once they were reclothed. Smiling, he forced his lips on his, only soft and more meaningful. Staring into each others eyes, they both decided to not get off again. Closing the door behind them, he entered Blaine's car and was driven home. A block away, Blaine stopped so Axl's dad wouldn't see them. Shaking his head, he told him to drive right to his driveway. There, he pulled him in and kissed him once more for quite a period of time, not caring if his dad saw. Blaine smiled, knowing the risk he was taking and felt a tear travel down his cheek. Axl reached up and brushed it away with his index finger and smiled softly. "Next time we meet will be at your place. Let me know when the best time would be Blaine. I'm so happy with you, and I hope you're happy too. "I am Axl, much more than I thought I could be after...well you know." he smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek as he exited the car. He watched as Blaine took off down the street and waited until his car was no longer visible before he walked to his front door and went inside. 26. Birthday Wish "What do you want for your birthday Blaine?" he asked with a smile. "It doesn't matter, happy just being with you." he replied. Axl frowned and shook his head. They were sitting in two bean bag chairs in Blaine's room playing a game on a PS2. Just because they were always hot and horny didn't mean they couldn't hang out and do normal teenager stuff. After a while, it was clear Axl much better at playing games. Blaine only had a few games and the only one that interested Axl was the Lord of the Rings game. While he always got Legolas, it suited Axl, for he only liked to play as Aragorn. They were coming close to beating the game at this point. It had been a couple of months since Blaine had met Axl's mom and his best friends. They had hung out in different places and doing different activities. A couple of weeks ago Darren and Sean had actually came with Axl and hung out around his house and even went to the movies in town. It seemed they had all gotten along perfectly. Blaine still hadn't met Axl's father yet. The subject seemed to loom over their heads, something that could destroy everything they had built. Blaine had told Axl time and time again he didn't have to meet him until he was ready. This seemed to cheer Axl up every time the subject was brought up. They finished the level and Axl unexpectedly saved the game and turned it off before he rounded on him in his chair. "Come on dude, anything." he said with a smirk. He began to open his mouth but Axl stopped him again. "Don't lie, tell me...no matter how weird or extreme your thoughts." Axl went on, and finished as he watched Blaine's brow furrow, not in consideration, but instead in contemplation. "Anything?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Anything, no matter what...well...no sex with animals of course." he said. "Dude!"Blaine barked out, disgust and amusement written across his face. "You never know" he shrugged "I want..." he said, before trailing off. "Yes?" he asked. Taking a deep breath, he blurted out his request."an orgy." he said. Axl blinked a few times, completely surprised. "No girls though." Blaine went on quickly. He loved Axl, but he wouldn't even be able to get hard if a girl was in the room. Axl stared at him, chewing on his lip. "OK." he said. "What?" he asked, not believing his ears. "I assume you already have a list of who you want in it." he said, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, well...that's the hard part. The guys I want to be in it won't ever agree. I want Sam to be in it and..." he said, but didn't finish the sentence. Axl didn't look surprised at the first name. He assumed the others would be in Glee club. "Kurt can't be in it at all."Axl said, suddenly serious. "Please, no not him." he agreed and smiled as a look of relief spread across Axl's face. "The other two are..." he hesitated and looked at him skeptically. "Who?" Axl asked, utterly clueless. "Sean and Darren." he said quickly, his dark face turning even darker with embarrassment. "What?"came a reply, somewhere between disbelief and amusement. "They're nowhere near as hot as you Axl, but, I don't know. I'm curious about them. What do their dicks look like?"he asked, suddenly more forceful and energetic. Blinking, Axl just stared in silence. "Come on, I know you've seen them because you guys have all jerked off in the same room watching hetero porn." he said. "Well...Sean's kind of...curves downward, and..." he was interrupted. "Really, is it thick and long?"he asked. "Not really thick...but probably a bit longer than mine. Darren's..."he said turning a bit pink again, and not going on. "What?" he asked earnestly. "It's huge...thicker and longer with dark blond pubes...probably at least seven and a half or eight longer, and quite a bit thicker than yours, and perfectly straight." he finished. Blaine couldn't help it in unzipped his pants and pulled out his uncut dick and started to masturbate right in front of him. Axl smirked at Blaine's reaction. "Let me guess, you want him to pound you?" he whispered low, reaching out and tugging his nuts out of the opening as well. "Would it hurt?" he asked Axl, closing his eyes. Detecting movement, he bang to open them, but Axl placed his hand over the area. Heat radiated from behind as Axl pressed his chest to his back. He gasped as he felt Axl' s hand swat his own away from his swollen cock. Blaine reached backward and gripped his thighs as Axl stroked him slowly. "Yes, it looked almost as thick as a soda can, so it probably would hurt a bit." he whispered. He moaned as Axl stopped pumping his length. Also swatting away his own hands as he attempted to restart his actions. "I bet you'd like to fuck Sam in the ass...wouldn't you Blaine?"he whispered, starting to pump again. "Yea..." he moaned weakly. "Shoot your load inside his ass, as Darren fucked your hole so hard it starts to bleed." he breathed, chewing on his ear. "Oh..." he hummed wistfully. "I would be laying on my back, ass in the air while Sam fucks me hard, while Sean sits his ass on my face and I eat him out while Sam and him kiss, while Sam also jerks his cock. He whimpered, imagining three guy train in doggy style. Darren would be last in line fucking his ass, while he fucked Sam's, who fucked Axl missionary style as Sean sat on his face while Sam jerked Sean off. They would all hold off to cum until they were all ready and blew it all at once. Darren, himself, and Sam shooting inside each other's ass. Sean jerking Axl and Sam jerking Sean until they blew their load all over Axl's chest and stomach while Sam and Sean kissed. "Maybe, we could ask Sam to hold off his manscaping, that way we're all hairy since Sean and Darren don't groom their nether regions like us." he whispered, pulling him up into a standing position. Axl pushed his pants the rest of the way down and started making noise behind him. Knowing his was disrobing, he bit his lip to keep from releasing too early. After a few moments, he felt something hard pressed against his tight an intense pressure, he sighed as he felt Axl push inside and start to thrust quickly. The sound of their smacking flesh reverberated around the room. As he felt his orgasm about to burst Axl's thrusts became erratic and he leaned in. "It's going to happen Blaine, I promise you." he whispered, lightly biting his ear. "Shoot your load baby, I"m gonna shoot in you right..." his voice quivered and Blaine squeezed his ass on Axl's cock and they both came. Axl, hot and thick inside his hole and his own load being shot halfway across the room as ropes of cum erupted from his uncut cock. Both panting and cursing, they slowed as their members became to sensitive to had no idea how long they stood there, being completely dressed except that their pants and underwear pushed down to about their knees. Humming and chuckling, they awkwardly shifted backward until they finally sat down on the bed, Axl''s softening cock still inside his ass. After a few moments, he noisily pulled himself off Axl's cock and sat down next to him, where they laid back and kissed in an embrace as the excitement drained from them. After they settled down, Blaine looked over and gave Axl a soft lazy smile. "How are you going to convince Sean and Darren, they're straight" he asked. "Don't know, but...a hole is a hole. Also, your really hot, even straight guys can tell that sort of thing even if we don't like to admit it."he said with a wink. "The only problem is how I'm going to bring it up." he laughed darkly. "Are they single?" he asked. "At the moment, I think so."he replied. "Um..."he said hesitating..,"Have they ever done anything with anyone...you know, more than jerking off I mean?"he asked, watching Axl's face with interest. "We all claimed we had gotten a little tail. But, I lied of course, since I hadn't done a thing with anyone before you. So I'm not sure , but I bet their lying as well."he said, ears turning slightly pink. "Do you want me to talk to the...I can be very persuasive..." he said, sliding his hand onto his thigh. "No, I'll do it." he chuckled, then scooted all the way back onto the bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "Do you remember the day we met Blaine?" he asked softly. "Yes." he said warmly. "Tell me what it was all about. I wasn't for sure you were gay when you walked into the shop. Though I noticed you were staring at me through the doors." he chuckled, reaching down and intertwining their fingers. "I was so depressed, but when I saw you I felt better, well...my dick started to get hard and that's why I stopped staring." he chuckled. "Did you want me?" he asked, even softer. "Why do you think I asked you to walk with me to eat. I felt bad about your guitar, but I honestly just wanted to flirt and see how far I could take it." he replied. "I knew it."Axl whispered. "After it all went down and you met Cooper the next morning I was scared I'd never see you again. I had already gotten too attached to you, even though we had only met for a few hours." he confessed. Axl pulled him up and onto his chest so they were staring into each others eyes. They didn't break eye contact and Blaine lowered himself until his head rested under Axl's chin. So comfortable, they sighed at the exact same time. Blaine started to hum a song, and Axl rubbed his a few minutes of humming, he felt Axl's groin start to harden. Raising his head, he arched and eyebrow. "I love the way you sound." he said, shrugging. Reluctantly, he sat up and patted the seat beside him. "Once, when I went to Dalton and was the head singer for the Warblers, I convinced them to help me out trying to ask out a guy that was working at the Gap in the mall. We sang and danced and I bought socks. Apparently it was too much. I waited outside the store for the guy and when he came out, he informed me I got him fired. Also, even if he did like me we couldn't be together because I wasn't of legal age. I guess why I brought up the story was because when I felt you getting hard, it reminded me of the song I sang in the store." he chuckled. "You tried to ask him out by singing and having your friends back you up?" he asked, sounding amused, until his face lit up. "Well, to be honest the way you sing could certainly tip the tables. What was it you sang?" "When I Get You Alone." he chuckled, covering his crotch to hide his growing erection. "Really?" he asked sitting up. "Yea, there was a girl in the store that actually recorded the performance." he said, shyly. "I want to watch it, right now." he said enthusiastically. He groaned, not wanting to get into it. Axl just stared at him expectantly. Sighing, he got off his bed and headed to his laptop. Opening it, he had to close the webpage immediately. It wasn't fast enough as Axl let out a bark of laughter. Feeling his cheeks burn, he tried to ignore the image of two guys sitting on a bed using fleshlights to jerk each other off. He didn't know what it was, but he loved it when someone else used something unfamiliar on your dick to get you off. Opening YouTube, he clicked on his favorites and chose the video. Backing up, he turned up the volume and played it in full screen. Axl rose and lifted Blaine out of his chair and sat down in his place. "Blaine?" he asked, glancing at him as the song began. "Hmm?" he asked, enjoying Axl's jumpiness. "Jerk me off while I'm watching this." he ordered, not even looking up, just opening his legs. Amused, Blaine shook his head. Axl glanced over again and made a puppy face. Groaning, Blaine leaned down and unzipped his pants. Axl's face immediately turned into a smirk of triumph. He was almost tempted to stop, but as soon as he felt the hard member in his hand he knew he couldn't stop. But, he did stop, then stood and pushed the pause button. Axl looked up desperately. "There's a price if you want to finish watching that what turns you on, Axl. Will you pay the price?" he smirked. Returning the smirk, he nodded and stood. Shaking with triumph, he pulled Axl's pants and boxers down halfway. Kneeling, he opened Axl's cheeks and pushed his tongue inside his hole. Axl moaned and leaned forward, holding on to his desk for support. When he felt he was ready, Blaine stood and unzipped his pants, and pulled out his uncut cock through his zipper. Deciding to fuck him where he was, he pressed his dick to Axl's entrance and pushed. Grunting , he loved the feel of being buried inside Axl's tight hole. "OK, you can press play." he chuckled. Suddenly the sound blasted out of his laptop as he fucked his boyfriend hard, harder than he meant to. Reaching around he also jerked his throbbing cock. "Fuck me harder Blaine, you sound so good." came a shaky voice in front of him. He pounded into him harder than ever, already feeling his climax. "Blaine, I'm coming." Axl shouted, and a moment later he felt his hand being drenched with hot liquid as the hole surrounding his member clenched and quivered enough to push him over the edge. One last thrust and he came inside him. Grunting and panting, he pulled out and sat on his floor, while Axl continued to watch the remainder of the video. Finally complete. Axl closed the laptop and turned around, hard cock still standing at perfect attention with a few drops of seamen leaking out of the slit on the head. Shuffling forward, he pushed his cock into his mouth, wanting him to clean it off. Sighing, Blaine complied and a sucked it off and stared up at him with a smile. Pulling his pants up, he sat down next to him on the floor. "Blaine, I want you to meet my dad."he said quietly. Turning quickly, he looked at him, and was stunned to see a tear fall down his cheek. "Why Axl? You can't be ready." he said quietly. "It's what's right." he stated. "Not yet Axl."he argued "But, I've met your parents, and your brother, once." he said. "Yes, but you're not ready. I mean, I'm touched yo told you best friends, and your mom. You're sure your brother and sister will be fine with it." he said squeezing his hands and kissing them affectionately. "Blaine, what if my Dad rejects me." he said, voice quivering. Using his strength, he actually lifted Axl and carried him as if he were a bride and laid him on his bed. "Axl." he said softly, reaching out and turning his face to meet his. Tears were streaming down cheeks. Pulling him into his lap, he held Axl rubbing and shushing him gently. He could tell Axl rarely cried, and this might just be the most he'd done in years. Still, he loved Axl, and would stick with him. It almost hurt him to hear how Axl let it tears leaking down his own eyes, he let them fall. "Axl, you just let it out. I'm serious. I don't care how long or how hard you have to cry, you let it out, all of it. I'm here and I've got you, my love." he said strongly. That seemed to renew his emotions. He smiled and rocked him, knowing exactly how it felt to fear a parents rejection. Luckily, he was closer to his mom. Mom's seemed to take the news of their sons being gay a lot easier than it was for fathers. Axl however, had always acted and appeared straight, being involved in every sport there was and being tough. Always being with his dad had set the pair closer than he and his mom. He had told him how scared he was, especially that he had detected his father saying homophobic things at times. For the longest time, he had acted the same, until he had met and fell for Blaine. He felt so touched Axl was willing to do all this for him. Kurt and he had a lot in common with the fine arts, but in some ways, they were too alike. Being so similar wasn't a very good balance. Kurt was a year older, acted so dramatic and feminine at times it was hard to bare it. Axl balanced him out a hell of a lot more than Kurt ever had. The same seemed to be true in Axl's case as well. The shaking started to calm an Axl looked up with a grateful smile. Grinning down, he leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Thank you Blaine. I've never cried like that before...I must seem like a baby to you." he said, looking embarrassed. "Axl Heck," he said in a stern voice,"whenever you feel like letting it out, you fucking let it out, you hear me mister."he said, holding his chin and staring into his eyes with a seriousness that startled Axl. He nodded and leaned upward and met his softened his face admitted to himself how much he liked coddling Axl. Reaching over, he removed a few tissues from his Kleenex box and padded Axl's eyes and wiped his cheeks. "I love you Blaine." he chuckled, intertwining theirs fingers. "I'm pretty lucky I turned you." he grinned mischievously. "Sh!" Axl said chuckling..."you'll alert all those conservatives who spend their life saying that it's a choice."he finished. "It's not a choice...when you're in love...nothing is an option Axl." he said softly. "You should be in politics." he said. "No way!" he shook his head lifted Axl out of his lap. "Aw...I felt so comfortable." he whined. "Not this time bucko."he said, refusing to look at what he was sure was Axl giving him puppy dog eyes. "Blaine, you really are a catch." Axl mumbled, looking down at their locked hands. "Dammit!"he said, pulling him back onto his lap. "No, that wasn't just something I said so I could return to this seat. It was something I meant in complete seriousness. It's funny how much more mature I've gotten since I've been with you. Everyone I know has mentioned how different I am. You know, I even made a B on a math test last week. My mom looked like she was going to faint. She wants to meet you again soon, but she's such a character." he said looking up. Giving him a quick peck on the lips, he wouldn't let Axl leave his lap. He had earned his seat. It thrilled him to know how much Axl had benefited from their relationship. They hadn't really discussed what they were planning to do after high school. Christmas wasn't for another month, and he wondered how to bring up their future. He couldn't help think how this time last year he had been happy with Kurt and had planned out their entire future. How much changed, and most for the better. Wondering how to bring up their future, he sat in silence. Almost missing what Axl said next, he was surprised o hear him say what he had been thinking. "What are you wanting to do after graduation?" he asked, interestedly,"Something to do with singing I"m sure, that's what I would go for if I had a voice like yours." "Well, I was planning on trying out for NYADA, but I don't really want to anymore."he said, but he went on before Axl could ask what it meant." New York Academy of Dramatic Arts." "Oh," he sounded flustered, as if his mind went blank. "What about you?" "I want to play football somewhere. I've already had two or three recruiters come to a couple of games and talked to me afterward. One even wanted to talk to me after the game you came to see. I told him I had plans and would definitely want to reschedule." he said. Shocked, he turned Axl's head around so they could talk face to face. "You turned down an interview just so you could see me?" he asked, more in shock than touched. Axl looked confused at his reaction. "Axl, that was important. Did you at least set up another appointment."he asked urgently. "Yea, I already had at a couple of weeks ago. It went really well."he said, looking nervous, then as Blaine's face relaxed he did the same. "Good."he said, taking a deep breath of relief. Axl looked down at his watch and frowned. It was clear it was time for him to head home. Luckily they only lived a 30ish minute drive apart. Standing, they walked out his bedroom door and held hands down the stairs. The was empty, so they didn't hesitated kiss all the way to the door. Finally to the door they exited and Blaine opened Axl's car door for him. Shutting it, he leaned and kissed him hard, not want to part. Sadly, the time had come and Axl started his car and looked up. "Love you , B, I'll call you and tell you the details about getting together with Sean and Darren." he said. "You really think it'll happen?" he asked truly curious. "I'll think of a way. You just talk to Sam and make sure he wants to join in." he said. Chuckling, he nodded and patted the side of the car as Axl drove out of his driveway and onto the highway to head home. ***Axl's POV Axl stared at his friends, trying to figure out how to suggestion what he wanted to do for Blaine. Maybe he should ask them one at a time. He just wondered who to approach. It wasn't long before he decided on Sean. If he would agree he was sure Darren would follow. Sighing, he crossed the yard over to his house. Luckily, he knew Sean would be alone for another hour or so. Walking to the door, he knocked and a moment later it opened and he was invited in. Sean sat down in an armchair in front of the TV while he took the love seat. "So, what's up?" he asked brightly, looking over. He hesitated, which caught his attention quicker than usual. "What's wrong dude?"he asked seriously. "Nothing bad. Hey...you've known Blaine now for a while, right?" he asked, perfectly aware of the answer. Sean nodded and smiled broadly."The dudes awesome bud, you're a lucky guy." "I know, and I still can't believe you're so cool about all this gay stuff." he said, feelings his palms start to sweat. "Stop that. I told you, it's all cool with me. It doesn't sicken me in the least." he chuckled. "That's good. Look, I know we, you, Darren and myself always bragged about getting to certain bases with the ladies and at least getting a form of...you know..." he said, feeling his face turning pink, noticing Sean's was changing as well. "but honestly, have you ever got anything done, to you know, from a girl..."he hesitated feeling his ears on fire"like a blow job or a a hand job?" he finished, not want to look up."I'm sorry if it's too personal dude, I just..well I lied about ever getting anywhere with anyone. I never did a thing until I was with him , and now, its almost all the time." he said quickly, finally looking up. Sean looked at him and stared off into the distance. "Don't worry about, forget I ever asked." he said, starting to get up, but his arm was grabbed by Sean's hand. "No, I've never done anything. Once Jill kind of rubbed my crotch really hard." he said quietly, face a bright pink." I ended up coming in my pants." he chuckled darkly. Unable to help himself, he let out the air he had pint up and laid back against the seat. "What?" Sean asked, somewhat more animated. "Well...um." he stopped, debating whether to just scrap the whole thing. The only that that urged him on was Blaine's birthday request. "Look, Blaine's birthday is approaching in a couple of weeks and I asked him what he wanted, anything he wanted." he said. "What's he want?"Sean asked, looking interested. "Um..."he paused. "What? Like clothes or a song or something neat like that?" he asked brightly. "Don't fly off the handle Sean...but he wants to have an...orgy." he whispered so soft he hoped Sean couldn't hear. "You mean, with more than just the two of you together"he asked, voice whispering as well. "Sean, he wants you and Darren and his best friend Sam to go for it. I told him I'd talk to you guys about it." he said, looking up nervous as hell. "Ax, I'm totally straight." he said dumbfounded. "I know!" he said quickly, "but...I don't know...a hole is a hole. No one would ever know, I promise. "I don't think I want to take another dude's dick up the a. Even if it was only you or Darren." he said, looking nervous and reaching down to rearrange an obvious bulge. "Well, you wouldn't have to have one. I don't think Sam would want to either, but the deal is you could put it in either me or Blaine, same with Darren and Sam. "I wouldn't have to have dick in my butt?" he asked, sounding more willing. "No, not at all. You wouldn't have to touch one either. You could just do me or Blaine, or we'd blow you." he said, feeling his stomach untightening. "Does it really feel that good?"he asked. "Yea, it does...it's unbelievable. Everything everyone has ever told you doesn't come close to how it really feels."he said normally. He stared at Sean's bulge and thought he could convince him to join. "You want a quick...you know." he said pointing at Sean's crotch, and then at him."No one would know." he finished. Sean looked nervous, staring around in the room and then at the clock. Axl got up, taking Sean's hesitation as an invitation. Reaching down, he began to go for his zipper but his hand was swatted away. Suddenly on edge, he back up, afraid of a fist. Instead, Sean rose and nodded in the direction of his bedroom. Breathing a sigh of relief, he followed and closed the door. Sean stood awkwardly,not making eye contact. Axl shrugged, then got down on his knees, and reached a shaky hand up and unzipped his pants. Staring up, they made eye contact and Sean gave him a shy smile. Giving him a nod, he reached and felt pulled out Sean's erect cock through the opening. Jumping, Sean backed up on wobbly legs and sat on the edge of his bed. The long cock curved slightly downward, but not enough to make a difference. The girth wasn't really thick though. Leaning in, he licked the head and Sean gave a deep moan and instinctively dropped his hand on Axl's curly haired head. Opening his mouth, he took in as much as possible, loving the sound of Sean's cries of pleasure. "Axl, take out my nuts." Sean requested. Nodding, he unbuttoned the top of his pants and pulled down his clothing. Sean's pubes weren't really thick or dark, but you could tell he didn't manscape at all. The nuts hung low, though they weren't very big. Licking the warm sack, he used his hand to pump the shaft above. Slurping his way up the shaft, he once more took in the head and swirled his tongue around it. He did this for some minutes before Sean began to shake. Feeling hands reach down, he felt Sean push him down as far as he could on his cock just as he came. The amount of cum though wasn't much, tasted alright. Swallowing, he stood and patted Sean's thigh. "That was wicked dude, I'm in." he said enthusiastically. "Sweet!" he knuckle bumped him and turned as Sean stood and pulled up his pants. "You want me to do you now?"he asked. Smiling, he shook his head nicely and said good bye. "Where you going?"he asked. "I've got to ask Darren now." he answered, then paused."In case he's not totally in, can I tell him if he asks you've agreed?" he asked. Sean nodded, bumping fists, and he left the house to his car. Grinning, he turned on the car and buckled himself in. He texted Darren to make sure he was home. Even if he wasn't he was going to get something to eat. As he tried to decide what to get, he got a ping saying Darren was home. Feeling nervous, he headed over to his place. Walking up to the house, he couldn't help but reflect on what he knew Darren had in his pants. Shaking his head, he knocked and was let in. Darren's mom was home so he greeted her and followed him into his room. "So, what's up?" came Darren's deep voice. "Um...jeez...I just had this exact conversation with Sean and I'm finding it hard to start."he said aloud, without realizing he was doing so. "What conversation?" he asked. "What?"he said, looking confused. Darren's brow furrowed. "Oh, well...dude, have you actually gotten any play?" he asked, noticing immediately Darren's face turning pink. "That's a little personal dude." he said in a whisper. "Look, I know we've talked about things we've done but to be honest, before I met Blaine, I had done absolutely nothing. Not a handy or head at all. I just said all that because you two said the same. So I was lying about getting some before."he said in a rush, liking how Darren's face returned to a normal color. "I've gotten a hand job." he said quietly. "Really? Who from?"he asked, surprised. "I can't say. It's not right." he breathed. Though he was curious, he felt it was best to push pass that. "Well, Blaine's birthday is coming up and I told him he could have anything he wanted...well...he asked for...an...orgy." he said, voice trailing off at the end. "Are you serious?I don't want to be in one with another dude Axl, sorry."he said, a tad perturbed. "Well, I know you're straight, but no one would ever know. I would never tell anyone dude, you know that." he said quickly. "Axl, I don't think it would be a good idea." he said, voice becoming calm. "Sean's agreed to be in it." he said. Darren's brow rose so fast it was startling. "Really?"he asked, sounding skeptical. "You can ask him, I made sure I could tell you he agreed just in case you didn't really want to join." he said."Look, you don't have to touch anyone's dick you don't want to. Blaine's already agreed if I'm willing, to let someone actually fuck him, so if you wanted, you could." he said. "I don't have to touch you guys at all?" he asked. "Well,that depends on you. Look, this is going to sound gross to you I'm sure, but if you really wanted to, you could hold his hips and pound him hard...or...I don't know dude, I might let you do me as well. But to be honest, I don't think I could handle your size." he whispered and stared down at the floor. "OK, I'm in then." he said, sounding very animated. "Really?" he blurted, looking up with surprise. He looked just as surprised but nodded. "That's awesome dude. This means so much to me. Like I said, no one will know and it'll just be the five of us." he said relieved. "Five of us?"he asked. "Blaine's best friend is going to there as well. Before you say more, he's straight as well, but he's agreed. He's a good guy. He plays football for Lima and is in Glee as well." he said. Reluctantly, Darren nodded and smiled up. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sat down on Darren's bed and looked up at the ceiling. "You really like Blaine, don't you Axl?"he asked softly. Sitting up, he saw Darren was smiling at him warmly. Nodding, he looked down at his shoes. That big goofy grin started to get to him. Why the hell had be become so open about his feelings. Guys weren't suppose to gush about how they felt towards their partner. Feeling kind of foolish, he tried to act more macho and looked at Darren's TV. Standing, he walked over and turned it on, throwing Darren a controller so they could play Halo. Darren laughed and eagerly walked forward and took it. This was more like it, and he felt the air between them return to normal. Hearing a ping, he opened his cell and read Blaine's message. "Sam said he'd do it." "Cool!cant talk tho...playing Halo at Darren's...o..btw, Sean and Darren are also in...you better save up ur energy B. :P" Pressing send, he looked up and noticed Darren smirking at him. Reaching over, he punched him on the shoulder and went back to playing the game. 27. Birthday Orgy, Part 1 "Okay, so look." he said, looking over at Sean to his right and at Darren in his rear view mirror. "We don't ever have to talk about what we're going to do today. I'll never tell anyone and Blaine won't either. You guys are so cool about this. Again, we all know you're straight so don't worry. Blaine's said Sam is feeling the same. He's straight and is in football and all sorts of sports." Axl said, feeling nervous from the lack of talking that usually characterized their car rides. "Ground rules?" Darren grunted from the back. "Oh come on dude, Ax just said no one will ever know. Let it all hang out." said Sean, turning around and smirking at Darren. "I know that, but I don't want a dick in my butt unless I say it's alright, which isn't going to happen." he said stiffly. Axl couldn't help but feel nervous listening to Darren's fears. He had always figured Darren would be more likely to fool around with guys much more than Sean ever would. His big goofy personality seemed to give off a laid back attitude. Honestly, ever since Blaine had asked about Darren, Axl had been more and more curious to see what would happen when they all got together. Blaine had said he wanted Darren to fuck him more than anyone else, seeing as he was extremely well endowed. Axl had a feeling Sean would be a lot more active than Darren would be. The fact he had let Axl blow him seemed to confirm his suspicions. "Okay, Darren tell us what your limits are." Axl told him calmly. Seeming to calm down, he nodded to him through mirror with an appreciative face. "No kissing, unless I'm the one to start it." he said. "Dito." said Sean. Axl nodded, knowing it would be totally fine with Blaine. "Same goes for having a dick in my mouth. I think I'll be okay with jerking another dude's dick, but I don't think I'll want one in my mouth." he said. He looked at Sean, who hesitated. "Um, I think I might be okay with one in my mouth." he said quietly. "Really?" asked Darren, sounding surprised. Axl glanced at Sean in the corner of his eye, not letting him know he was observing him. Sean shrugged and l looked back at Darren. "Just because I don't mind helping out another dude doesn't mean I'm gay." he said defiantly. "Moving on." Axl said loudly, and Darren nodded. "If I get to actually, you know...put it in.." he said, sounding as if he was trying to hide his excitement. "if you get to actually put it in an ass? Yea, you'll get too, Blaine's already said he wanted you to do him." he chuckled. "Cool," Darren said, opening his mouth to go on. "Did Blaine say he wanted me to fuck him as well?" Sean asked, looking over. Turning his head, he arched an eyebrow at him. The answer was no, but it seemed Sean was hanging on his answer. "Yea, he did. He just made a point of requesting Darren to be rough." Axl said with a smirk, glancing back at Darren. "Why?" Darren asked. "Umm..." he stalled, not wanting to reveal some of his conversation. "Why?" Sean echoed. "Because I told him Darren was packing a bigger piece then me or you Sean." he confessed. The car was quiet for a few minutes. Thankfully, Sean didn't look insulted. Also, Darren looked rather pleased with himself. Snorting, Axl returned his attention to the road. "Anyways, I have full permission to call anyone in the room, Bitch." Darren announced. Axl burst out laughing and Sean's somewhat subdued manner vanished as he chuckled as a large grin spread across his face. "I think that'll be okay with everyone...b"he began. "Don't even! I called it!"Darren said, as if it were a law. "Sorry." he said. "That's ok, just don't forget when we actually get down to business. Does, Blaine have, protection?" he asked, sounding business like. "Well, yes. But seeing as you guys are...since he doesn't have to worry you guys have any diseases or anything, he says it would be fine if you want to go bareback." he said. "Really?" they both said, sounding surprised. "Dude."Sean said, turning around in his seat and grinning at Darren, who was smiling just as big. Axl smirked as he turned off the highway and onto the long driveway to Blaine's house. ****Blaine's POV*** "I can't believe this is going to happen Sam." Blaine said, almost bursting with excitement. Sam grinned at him with those large pink lips of his. They were sitting up in his room, rearranging the area where the action would take place. "Do you want to go over any rules or anything?" he asked. "No, I'll pretty much do anything. Though, I don't know if I'd kiss Axl's two friends. I'll do that with you or with Axl though." he said as if it were nothing. "Thanks Sam." he said quietly. "I'll do it because I don't have to worry about you getting the wrong idea about us.." he said quickly. "I know, I know." he smiled. "Sweet. Look...if you want...since it's a birthday present for you, you can do me." he said softly, smiling at the look of astonishment on his face. Without warning, he lunged at Sam and pressed their mouths together. Startled, Sam grunted, then chuckled into the kiss. Finally, he kissed back and let him probe his mouth before pulling away with a smirk. "Sorry." he whispered, not meeting San's eyes. "Don't worry about it, just save it. I can guarantee you're going to need all the energy you can get." he chuckled. Finally satisfied with the arrangement, Blaine stood in the doorway and looked inward. Slightly chewing on his lip he observed his room. The bed, luckily a queen size, was re positioned against the far wall. He had taken a couple of red sheets from his brothers old room and draped them over the bed and on top of the blankets on the floor. He had read somewhere that the seeing red causes muscles to work harder and produce more energy. Grinning, he knew they'd have to have plenty of energy for what was planned. Two bean bag chairs sat off to the side next to a large side table. On the table, was a couple of towels, along with soda and oddly, strawberry flavored lube that heated up once it came into contact with the skin. Two cock-rings and a small black butt plug also laid across the surface. Suddenly feeling nervous, he jumped as he felt something poke his rear. "Sorry, I said your name twice and you didn't respond, so I tried something I knew would get your attention." Sam chuckled, patting his back. "That's okay, I'd better get used to getting poked like that for today. From what Axl's told me his friend Darren is hung. I can't wait." he said bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Oh really, I doubt it." he said, sounding a bit put off. "We'll see, won't we?" he asked, raising and eyebrow and making his way down the stairs. Once down the stairs , he walked to the large living room and looked out the windows hoping to see Axl's junker. Though, he thought with amusement, he would hear it before he would see it. Sighing, he took a seat in the large arm chair and looked blankly at the television. He didn't say anything to Sam, but it sounded like Sam was jealous of Blaine's hopefulness of Darren's supposed large sized member. Of course, Sam still didn't believe him when he had told him Axl was bigger than him either. Staring down at his crotch, he couldn't help it that he was already hard and had been that way for some time. Across the room, Sam sat down and looked at him troubled. "Can I tell you something only you and me could understand" he asked, wanting to lift Sam's mood. "Sure." he said. "Well, I think we're both going to be the stars today." he said, baiting a response from the blond. "Why?" he asked. "You and I are uncut. Those three aren't." he said, and grinned as Sam smirked. "It's not very common around here, is it?" he grinned. "Nope. When Axl and I first really got into it, he couldn't stop messing around with my foreskin, which he still finds fascinating. Before mine, he had never seen one that was hard before. Seeing as how he still makes such a big deal out of it, I bet his friends will be the same." he said happily. "Well, it's the way men were meant to be." he said triumphantly, grabbing his crotch, which was visibly hard. Though he itched to get up and start the party, he resisted. Something Sam had just said had reminded him of another request he had asked when he first asked Sam to join. "Sam, have you, uh...stopped trimming down there like I asked."he posed, nervously. "Yes, I've let it grow out as much as I could since you asked a month ago. It's thicker than I've seen it in I can't remember." he sighed, clearly not liking the absence of his usual routine. "Can I see real quick?" he pleaded, not caring how pathetic it sounded. Sam grinned and stood. He walked over and unzipped his jeans slowly. Blaine couldn't help but reach up and into Sam's jeans. Inside, he felt a patch of soft hair surrounding the base of Sam's hard cock. Wrapping his hand around the base, he gave it a few experimental tugs that caused Sam to grunt. Though the pubes weren't no where as thick as his, it was definitely more than he had seen in the past. Regretfully, he pulled back and reached down and zipped Sam back up. Looking crushed, Sam shuffled back over to his seat. "Sam." he smiled over. Sam returned the smile and shrugged. "I had to give it a try didn't I?" he asked unashamed. Blaine chuckled and nodded and perked up as the sound of an engine approached his house. Nervous as hell, Blaine stood and looked out the window and smiled as the junker came to a halt. He jumped as Sam patted his shoulder unexpectedly. Whirling on him, he punched his shoulder as Sam chuckled. Heading to the door, he opened it and the other three members of Blaine's birthday orgy request entered. Nodding politely, he pulled Axl aside and kissed him in front of the other three without caring. Chuckling, Axl pushed him away and pointed upstairs. "Hi guys, I'm Sam." said Sam walking forward and confidently shook Darren and Sean's hands. Blaine didn't know how he did it, but just that act seemed to relax the two other straight guys in the house. They immediately smiled and loosened up. Sam nodded his head for them to follow him upstairs. Following him, Darren and Sean made their way to Blaine's room. "How does Sam do that?" Axl asked him amazed. "I have no idea. It's something new though. That wasn't what happened when I first met Sam." he said, shaking his head and following the others up the stairs. "What happened when you met him?" he asked. "Oh, well..." he paused entering the bedroom and sitting on the bed while Sean and Darren took the bean bag chairs and Sam stood by the stand of supplies. "What?" Sam asked, looking up. "Oh, well I asked Blaine how you got these two to loosen up with so few words. He replied it was something new because that's not what happened when you two first met." he grinned, smirking at him as he felt his ears burn. "Oh." Sam grinned. "Well, I met him the day I returned to McKinley for the Glee sectionals. I had moved away to a different state and was making money for my family by working at a male strip club." he said. "What?"Darren and Sean said together while Blaine groaned and Axl laughed. "Long story, but I suggested right before the Glee club went on stage to work their bodies in a stripper like manner. Blaine here immediately got mad and said he wouldn't sell his body like that." he winked as Axl laughed aloud. "Anyways!" he said loudly over the muffled laughter in the room. "Rules and boundaries?" he said, looking at Sean and Darren. "Well,"Darren began, but paused, clearly thinking over his words. He glanced at Sean and then at Axl briefly, as if warning them not to say anything." I'm okay with touching dick with my hands, and maybe, my mouth." he said quickly, his face turning pink. Blaine felt Axl's hand squeeze his own in surprise, indicating this was new. "Got it." Blaine said. "And, I might kiss, though if I do, I'll start it. I'm sorry but I don't want a dick inside my ass, no matter how much you tell me it would fell good. That's uh, it." he finished. looking down at his large hands. The room was quiet for a moment. Darren started to look troubled and Axl got Sean's attention and nodded his head, as if to tell him to do something. "Okay, um, pretty much the same goes for me, except I will kiss if anyone wants to. I'll also definitely suck a dick, but like Darren, I don't want a cock in my butt either." he said, looking at a relieved Darren. The group looked at Sam, who grinned. "I'm up for anything. I'll take or give it. I'll kiss and even rim." he finished. Blaine squeezed Axl's hand this time. "Rim?" asked Darren. Sam glanced at Blaine and Axl for directions. "Um," said Axl, clearly nervous. "It means eat out the ass, like sticking a tongue in the hole." Sean chimed in, then looked horrified he let the information slip out. He glanced down at his lap and Blaine read Sean's lips as he silently mouthed "shit." Biting his lip, he glanced at Axl, who was unable to wipe the smirk off his face. "What?" Darren gasped. "Don't knock it till you try it." Sam said to him with a wink. Blaine rolled his eyes and Axl's smirk grew more intense. "Sorry guys, but I'm not going to put my mouth on anyone's hole." Darren said seriously. "That's cool dude." Sam said light heartedly, and Darren's face relaxed. "I'll do it to you Darren, if you'll let me." Blaine blurted out. The room was silent as he met Darren's eyes. He studied Blaine for a brief period before hesitating, then gave a tiny nod. Blaine squeezed Axl's hand even harder. Hissing, he attempted to pull away from Blaine's iron like grip. "You're in for a real treat Darren." he said with an approving smile. "Well, I suppose I should say this and get it out of the way. I know it's a bit crass, but, could each of you do a courtesy wipe? I've got wet wipes in my bathroom." he said, cringing at his own words. "Courtesy wipe?" asked Sean. "He means wipe your ass. I know we all wipe and everything but I kind of agree with him. Better to be safe than sorry."Axl chuckled darkly and stood. He made his way into the bathroom room. "I'll go first." came his muffled voice. Blaine looked around the room, trying to read everyone's face. Darren grimaced but nodded at him when their eyes met, and Sean did the same. Standing, he walked out of the room into the upstairs hall. "I have to get something downstairs. Are any of you allergic to or don't like bananas? They keep your energy boosted, and we're going to need all the energy we can get." he turned and looked back. All shaking their heads, he nodded and turned just as Axl came out of the bathroom and Darren shuffled his way to the bathroom. Meeting his eye, Axl winked and glanced back at Darren. Feeling his ears burn, he rushed downstairs and picked out a few bananas Walking to the back door and the door to the side with the elevated deck, he returned to the front door. Locking it, he turned on the security system. Satisfied, he made his way back up the stairs slowly. With each step, he shook more than the last, nervous beyond belief. He had never really expected this to happen, so it was overwhelming to him. Entering the room, the others were seated and looked at the bananas. "One more thing," he said to them, " I want everyone to get off at least twice, more if possible. This is probably the only chance I'll ever have to be with guys like you again." he said softly, feeling his cheeks burn. Axl smiled and nodded. Eyeing the others, he nodded. Standing there, the four guys came up to him and sat him on the bed, all grinning. He started to shake slightly when he felt a hand on his crotch. Darren leaned in and eyed him. Leaning forward, Darren met his lips just as he felt his zipper be pulled down. His lips were soft and large, and as he tentatively pushed his tongue inside his mouth, he hummed. Axl climbed atop the bed and sat behind him, pressing his crotch into his back. Glancing down, he watched as Sean reached inside his pants and pulled out his hard leaking cock. Feeling a tug at his arms, Sam lifted them and pulled his shirt off. Blaine reached down and grabbed Darren's huge bulge. His eyes widened as he felt what was within. Grunting, Darren shuffled closer, his mouth still firmly planted on his own. Axl kissed his neck, and at this time, Sam ducked down and scooted his way under Sean. Sean was slowly moving his cock, making Blaine's foreskin pull back to the shaft and then back up and over the head. Sam shifted and smirked at Blaine, clearly remembering their conversation earlier about the other guys being interested in uncut dicks. Winking, Sam went back down and unzipped his pants. He groaned as he felt Sean's mouth finally wrap around his cock. From behind, Axl lifted one of Blaine's arm and pressed his face into his pit and started to suck. Darren pulled back a bit and gave Axl a confused look. Shrugging, he shifted over to Blaine's other pit. Giving a shrug himself, Darren met his gaze again and bent down towards Blaine's slightly hairy chest. His tongue darted out and licked one of Blaine's nipples while massaging the other. Stretching his arm, Blaine put one hand on the back of Sean's head and forced him to go down further on his swollen cock. The other hand pulled at Darren's zipper. Barely tapping the button at the top, the fly flew open and the largest cock he had ever seen flopped out. It had to be over eight inches, maybe more. Thick as hell, he tried to wrap his hand around the shaft and couldn't do it. Pulling back a bit, he looked up at a smirking Darren. Reaching down, he patted the top of Sam's head. Sean's hard cock still in his mouth, he leaned up and his eyes widened. Raising an eyebrow, he smirked around Sean's dick at him. "Doesn't Darren have a huge cock, Blaine." Axl whispered into his ear. Blaine didn't break his eye contact with Darren and nodded. Hearing a zipping from behind, he felt Axl rise to his feet on the bed and pulled at his clothes. Glancing back, he watched as Axl's leaking cock came into view. Jumping off the bed, he got on his back on the floor and pushed his head under Sean and didn't stop until he was under Sam's crotch. Mouth still around Sean's dick, he glanced down as Axl unzipped his pants. Though Blaine couldn't see what Axl was doing, he smiled as Sam shook and pulled off of Sean's member a little. Looking back up, he smiled at Darren who mirrored the expression. "B, this is only the second uncut dude I've seen." Came Axl's muffled voice. Sam chuckled around Sean''s cock. Blaine leaned up and captured Darren's lips again. This time, Darren didn't hesitate to kiss back. Reaching out with both hands, he finally encircled his huge cock. Thrusting forward, Darren pulled back and reached out to Blaine. Standing up straight, he pushed Blaine's head down to his crotch. Blaine gazed as the monster sized member came closer. Sniffing it, he detected that strong scent that was all man. Giving it a small lick, he grinned as Darren thrust forward. Taking a breath, he opened his mouth and went down on the head. "Oh fuck," came Darren's deep voice. Feeling a coolness around his cock, he glanced to the side with the cock still in his mouth and stared at Sean, who was watching Blaine bob up and down on his friend's cock. Grinning, he pulled off and reached over and leaned down to meet Sean's face. Sean smiled shyly and leaned forward until their lips met. Lips not quite as soft as Darren's, Sean seemed to make up for it by putting more effort into tongue action. Raising an eyebrow, he awkwardly reached around and pulled on Darren's meat until he came into Sean's field of vision. Now within range, he pulled back from Sean and pushed his head onto Darren's cock. Hesitating, Sean glanced up at Darren and tilted his head, as if for permission. Darren nodded eagerly. Sean nodded back and went down on his friends dick Feeling a tug, he watched as Sam pulled down on Blaine's pants and underwear. Axl grumbled and rotated so he could keep working on his cock. When Sam leaned up to pull at his waist, he saw Axl smirk and quickly leaned up. Using his hands, Axl pulled apart Sam's cheeks. The action seemed to go unnoticed until Sam finally lowered himself to tug at the legs of his pants. Axl's tongue found it's way into Sam's ass. The action threw him off and he dropped his hands off Blaine's clothing and shook as he lowered himself more. "Oh god." Sam said rather loudly. After a few moments, his thick pink lips curved into a smile as he renewed his effort to remove Blaine's pants. Darren had both of his large hands on Sean's head and wouldn't let him up. Darren pulled back and got onto his knees. Blaine watched in astonishment as Darren rushed forward and pressed his lips into Sean's with so much effort, they fell backwards onto the floor. Hearing a grunt, Axl pulled back and glanced to his side watching his two best friends kiss with Darren on top of Sean. Axl chuckled and watched with amusement and finally reaching out to pat Darren's legs. Gasping Darren pushed himself up. His pail color had turned rather pink. "Darren," said Axl, watching as his head turned to him in alarm, clearly fearing being criticized." Get over there and suck Blaine's cock." he ordered, then went back to tongue fucking Sam's ass. Looking back up, Darren smiled at Blaine and shuffled over on his knees. Once in front of Blaine, he stared down at the slightly curved uncut cock with interest. Feeling bold, he reached down and pushed Darren's head onto his swollen length. Groaning as a tongue wrapped itself around the head, he didn't drop his hand from the back of his head. Sam and Axl were now in a sixty nine position, both bobbing up and down on each other's cocks. Sean shuffled backward on his elbows and pulled at Darren's jeans until he got the hint. Slightly standing, Darren lifted one leg then the other until the fabric no longer clung to his body. Returning his attention to Blaine's dick, he once more started to lick the head. Blaine reached down and tugged at Darren's shirt until he lifted his arms. Now totally nude, just Sean and Sam had partial clothing on. Axl patted Sean's leg and pulled his ankle so he could face him. Looking down, he watched as made a gesture for him to lose his clothes. Nodding, Sean backed up and stood. Removing the remainder of his clothes, he reached down and patted Sam's back. Lifting himself up, he watched as Sean pulled at Sam's shirt while Axl pulled at Sam's boxer briefs. Now all completely nude, Blaine quickly glanced at each of them in turn. Eyeing Sean's body, then back up at Darren's discovered he was the darkest one in the room. The other four guys were all pale with little to no tan. Sitting up, Sam squatted over Axl's face and reached his hand out for Sean's cock, which was also slightly curved, but cut. Pulling him closer, Sam went down on the shaft as Sean held his hands on the back of his head. Axl groaned as Sam jerked him off while he ate his ass. Blaine wanted to move things along a bit. Reluctantly, he pulled Darren off his cock and back up so they could kiss again. Their tongues battled as they both slowly jerked each others cocks. Dropping his hand to the base of Darren's cock, he loved the thick bush that surrounded it. Reaching lower, he discovered his nuts weren't as big as the other guys though. That was okay, as he reached lower and slightly pushed his index finger into the crease of his ass. Grunting,Darren squatted a bit and actually picked Blaine up and sat him completely on the bed. Laying back, Darren climbed on top of him and lowered himself so their cocks aligned. Glancing down, he loved how big his new friends dick was, even though it kind of made his own look unimpressive. Blaine thrusted up and bucked into Darren's cock. Eyes widening, Darren added weight and ground into Blaine. The bed dipped as another body joined them, and a moment later it sunk lower as all five guys were now on top. Darren jumped slightly when he felt someone reach between their bodies and started to jerk his and Blaine's dicks together. Blaine wanted to come and wanted Darren to cum with him, but he wanted it inside him. It seemed someone had sensed this, for when Blaine thrusted up again, a hand slid under his ass and kept it from falling back to the bed. Feeling his legs slightly pulled apart, he groaned as a tongue probed him . "You like that B?"came Axl's voice. "Yes," he gasped as a finger pushed it's way inside him. "Sam's eating your ass out Blaine." Sean whispered, crawling up and laying beside Blaine. Turning his head to the side, he tried to lean closer to kiss him, but Darren's weight kind of prevented this. Smiling, Sean met him halfway. They kissed and Blaine reached over and started pumping the leaking cock. Scooting closer, Sean wrapped his leg between his and Darren's thigh's and started to grind into their legs. Darren turned his head and met his friends mouth. At this point it was a three way kiss. The moans were intensifying but soon calmed. They wanted to pace themselves. "Look, Darren, I know Blaine want's you to fuck him, but he's my boyfriend and I'm going to do him first, then he's all yours."Axl said, crawling over on the other side of Blaine. He groaned as Sam's tongue entered his hole again. Darren pulled away from Sean and turned his head to face Axl. Grinning, Axl leaned in and kissed his friend. At this point Blaine was so horny he felt he could cum at any time. The term sensory overload came to mind. After a few moments, Darren nodded at Axl and turned his head back the other way. Axl shifted back and Blaine lost sight of him. He felt his legs pulled apart a bit more and the wetness of Sam's tongue left him feeling empty. "Don't worry Darren, I'll get him slicked up for you." Axl chuckled. Blaine began to tilt his head to the side when Axl slammed into him with all his might. "Fuck!" he screamed, in a combination of surprise, pain, and ecstasy. 28. Birthday Orgy Part 2 "Jesus!" Blaine heard Sam say off to the right. Darren lifted himself up and looked behind him as Axl slammed in again. Turning back around Darren leaned down to kiss Blaine. Blaine's mouth stayed open as Darren pushed his tongue inside. After a moment, Darren leaned down and whispered softly into Blaine's ear so no one else could hear. "Is Axl hurting you Blaine?" he asked, sounding concerned. Grinning, Blaine nudged Darren's head to the side and blew into his ear. "No, it feels good Darren. Can't wait to you shove your cock in me hard. I want to feel you cum in me." he breathed. Darren looked at him, eyes wide. A smile slowly formed and he nodded. "Do you two always go at it this hard?"Sean sat up and looked at Axl. "Sometimes." Blaine grunted with another hard thrust. Catching Sam's eye, Blaine nodded for him to come closer. Doing so, he leaned in and kissed him before he could say what he had planned. Sean shifted to the side and reached over and turned Darren's head to the side and forced him down on Sam's uncut length. Sam gasped as Darren's tongue swirled around his head. Releasing his head, Sean stood and lifted his leg over Darren and Blaine. Shifting forward, he reached out and pulled Axl's head down onto his cock while he continued to pound into Blaine. "Get behind Axl and fuck him while he fucks me Sam." he breathed into Sam's ear."Just start out slow." he said with a quick kiss. Smirking, Sam nodded and backed up. With Sam's cock no longer in Darren's mouth, he turned back down and kissed Blaine again. "Will you rim me now?"he whispered into his ear. Nodding, Blaine pushed at Darren's bulk and he rose and rotated his body so they were now in a 69 position. As Darren began to lower his crotch, he put his hand on ankle, wanting to watch Axl's face when Sam entered him. Some how, Sean seemed to sense this as well, for twisted to the side so Axl and his eye's could look straight into each other. Axl met his eyes and he smiled, then jumped slightly as he felt Sam pull his ass cheeks apart. Slowing, his eyes closed as Sam pushed his tongue into his ass. While Sam prepared Axl, Sean pulled Axl's head back onto his cock to keep sucking. Sam stood and winked at Blaine from behind Axl. Reluctantly, he pulled Axl off his cock so their shared vision wasn't obstructed. Kissing his neck he maintained eye contact as he pushed his length at Axl's entrance. Slowly, he pushed in, causing Axl to hiss and slow his own cock that was thrusting into Blaine. Finally, Sam was all the way in and sat there. Grinning, Blaine patted Darren's thigh, giving him permission to lower himself down. He noticed Sean's patience had gone and shifted again so Axl could service his cock. Darren awkwardly lowered himself over his face. Blaine marveled at the large cock that was still hard as it came to rest on his chest. Leaning up, he licked under his nuts. Bucking forward, Darren dropped with his hands landing on both sides of Blaine's hips. Blaine reached up and pulled Darren's cheeks apart. He eyed the cherry, thinking about how delicious it looked. Giving it a tentative lick, he felt Darren shudder. Grinning, opened his mouth and pushed his tongue inside Darren's hot hole as he pulled at his thighs, giving him final permission lower all the way. "Oh god...fuck..."Darren mumbled from somewhere above his crotch. "Feel good dude?" asked Sean, who's mouth was unoccupied at that point. "So good..." came a deep rumble. Blaine gasped as he felt a hot wet mouth surround his cock. If felt like Darren was putting all his energy into actions. Blain felt an orgasm approaching. Not wanting to make Darren mad, he planned to get his attention. Before he could warn him, Darren lifted his mouth off his cock. He looked back and eyed Blaine. "Cum in my mouth if you want Blaine." Darren said softly. Though he whispered this softly, the room became instantly silent. Both Axl's fucking Blaine, and Sam fucking Axl slowed. Sean turned and looked over his shoulder and down at Darren. His skin had suddenly became pink with emotion. Still stunned, he didn't move, though his tongue was still poking into Darren's tight hole. Then the hot wet feeling of his mouth returned around his cock. Humming, he once more felt Axl thrust into him. Blaine dug his tongue in again and fucked into Darren. Sam continued his furious assault into Axl. One of Darren's large hands reached down and lifted his nuts. "Mu mike oking a my ock ucking Bane?" came Axl's voice, almost unintelligible. "What?" Darren asked him, pulling off Blaine's length. Blaine groaned in frustration, having almost cum again. Hearing a sigh, Blaine listened as Sean apparently, and reluctantly, let Axl's mouth free from around his cock. "I said," he panted, voice shaky," Do you like seeing my cock fuck into Blaine? Suck on one of Blaine's nuts, he loves that." Axl said in a conspiratorial whisper. Blaine shook, and Axl chuckled and grinned at Darren. "See, he jumped when..." he said, panting harder." I mentioned..."ugh..." he said, clearly losing his concentration. "Axl, can I cum in you?" came the shaky voice of Sam. Blaine shook, thinking about that. "Go for it." he said. "Can I cum in your mouth Axl?"came Sean's shaky voice, "I'm close." " Yea dude."...he paused..."oh fuck..."cried Axl. With a final slam, he buried his cock deep inside Blaine and released his seed. The moment Blaine felt the hot liquid filling him, he shot his own load into Darren's mouth. Sam gave a strangled cry, at almost the same moment Sean grunted and cursed above them. Blaine felt almost light headed as his seed continued to fill Darren's mouth. Almost crying, he leaned back up and buried his face in the hole above him. Other himself, everyone had cum except Darren. Feeling Darren shake slightly, though out of frustration or eagerness, Blaine didn't know. Without warning, he straightened and pulled Axl close. Pressing their lips together, Axl grunted and smiled as he tasted Blaine's seed. Darren, moving quickly, pushed at Ax's chest frantically. Grinning Axl backed up, his cock sliding out of Blaine's now cum filled ass. Rotating, Darren eyed Blaine and aimed his dick at his entrance. Adding pressure, Darren pushed his huge cock past Blaine's rim. His ass stretched as the thick member slid in easily due to the slick fluid the lined the walls. Eyes widening, Darren leaned down and pressed their lips together. Blaine could tell he wouldn't last long. His lips never left Blaine, and he breathed words Blaine couldn't quite catch. The bed shifted as weight the number of occupants on it decreased. Axl smirked at him as he made his way over to the table with the supplies., His cock didn't appear completely hard, though it also didn't look entirely flaccid. Winking, he stood there, eyeing Darren as he continued to thrust into him. Sam was sitting on his haunches looking up silently in at Sean. His eyes were glued to watching Darren's cock appear and vanish with each thrust, as if in a trance. Detecting a change in Darren's breathing and erratic movements, he knew what was about to happen. After another six or seven hard thrusts a subdued sound evolved into a roar . With a mighty thrust, he released his cum inside Blaine with a growl, slightly collapsed on to Blaine. Still panting, he gave him a lazy smile and pulled him in close. He wasn't allowed. He didn't get to stay that way for very long though. At this point, Sean moved forward and pushed at Darren's still quivering chest, forcing him to back up. Reluctantly, Darren pulled out for Sean to take his place. Off to the side, Axl was actually eating a banana and slowly jerking his cock. "Looks like your ass is going to be full of cum B." Axl said amusingly. "I know."Blaine said as Sean slid his cock into him. Sam grinned as well, but crawled on top of Blaine. Kissing him, he took hold of Blaine's still hard, uncut cock and aimed it at his opening. Taking a breath, Sam lowered himself onto Blaine's cock. Blaine groaned and thrust upward just as Sean started to build up speed. Glancing over, Blaine watched Darren walk up to Axl and pull him close to the bed. Grinning, Blaine watched Axl look at Darren's huge cock and grimace as he was bent over the bed. Axl shuffled towards the headboard until he was close enough to kiss Blaine. He could tell Axl was uneasy. "Darren, go easy on Axl, for me." he said, in between Sean pounding into him and he pounded into Sam. Darren hesitated and stepped to the side to look at Axl. "I won't do you if you don't want me to." he said understandingly. Blaine could see Axl was scared, and suddenly, Blaine wanted to protect Axl. Reaching out, he took hold of Darren's hand and manually wrapped it around Axl's cock. Hearing a panting from in front of him, he released Darren's hand and watched as Sean continued his thrusting. Looking up, Sean tilted his head, asking permission to unload inside him. Blaine nodded and Sean smiled widely. As Darren jerked off Axl, Blaine pushed Axl down and pointed at Sam's uncut cock. Nodding, Axl leaned over and took his length into his mouth. Sam gasped and thrusted his hips into Axl's open mouth. Once again, Blaine felt a tingling in his nuts. Looking up,his brow crinkled as he felt his release approach. Darren was still jerking on Axl's suddenly climbed on the bed and pushed Blaine down with his cock directly over his mouth. He had barely opened it when Darren went back to fucking his throat. Axl shook and Blaine noticed a flash of white erupt out of the end of Axl's member. Sam groaned, and Axl coughed as white cum started to leak out the corners. Sean also gave a grunt and slowed his hips until Blaine felt another load filling him. Smiling, he thrust up and came inside of Sam as Darren shook. "Oh fuck, eat my cum bitch."Darren growled, eliciting a chuckle from Axl and Sean at the same time. Coughing, he tasted Darren's salty cum slide down his throat, almost choking at the large size. They all came to a halt and panted, looking at each other. Reluctantly they pulled apart and sat back in silence. After a bit, Darren looked up and said what they were all thinking. "I want to rest for a bit, then let's all go again." he said seriously. 29. Birthday Orgy Part 3 It was clear everyone was still just as sex charged as they had been when the action first started. Blaine told them to eat a few bananas, he had to do a bit of cleaning. He loved everything inside him. However, with this amount, it was a bit much. While in the bathroom, he thought about what to do next. He wanted Axl to fuck Sam, and to tell the truth, he wanted to fuck Darren. Knowing that wasn't going to happen, he pushed past thoughts and finished. Walking back out into his room, he glanced around. The four guys were sitting, Darren and Sean in the bean bag chairs, Axl on the bed, and Sam on the floor laughing at something Sean was saying. Looking over, Axl was the only one to notice him back in the room. Grinning, he turned over slowly and prostrated his ass in the air. Axl grinned as Blaine's half hard cock began to stiffen. Walking past the others, Blaine joined Axl on the bed. Leaning forward, he kissed his back, and worked his way down. Finally coming to his hole, he made a gentle lick that made Axl groan and push back his ass. Chuckling, he pushed his tongue in quickly, then back out. Grumbling, Axl turned, took hold of his hair, and pulled him down. Smirking, he gave in and pushed his tongue into Axl ass. "Oh, B. Feels good."Axl moaned. Detecting movement, he turned his head and watched as Sean stood and crawled over to Sam. Darren grinned and winked at Blaine, then redirected his attention as Sean leaned forward and kissed Sam. His thick lips forming into a smile and Sean dropped his head onto Sam's fully hard uncut cock. After a few licks, he straightened up and said something Blaine couldn't make out. Darren chuckled and Sam nodded. "What'd he say?" Blaine asked sitting up, noticing Axl turning his head to listen as well. Still chuckling, Sam looked over" He said our dicks could be twins, they curve exactly the same." he said leaning down and kissing Sean quickly. "That's true," Blaine told them, "except Sean is missing his turtleneck." Axl barked out a laugh and Darren nodded. Sean blushed and kissed Sam again before dropped his face back down to suck Sam's member. Turning his attention back Axl, he dove back down and pushed his tongue in as far as he could. Shaking slightly, Axl dropped his head back down and bit down on one of his pillows. After a minute or two, Sean lifted his head and asked Sam something. Pausing a moment, Sam nodded. Grinning, Sean stood on his knees and rotated Sam around so his dick lined up with his ass. On the bean bag chair, Darren wagged his huge cock at Sam. Crawling forward, Sam went down on Darren's length. "Jesus, your big." mumbled Sam. Darren grinned and ruffled Sam's hair as Sean lined up his cock. It looked like Sean wanted to rim Sam hard, but he hesitated. Though Sam couldn't see his face, Blaine detected a change in Sean's demeanor. Clearly, he didn't want to hurt Sam, so he slowly pushed his cock into Sam. Blaine smiled, everything was a dream come true. Feeling a tug, Axl pulled his face back down. Grinning, he reached a hand around and tugged at Axl's leaking cock as his tongue continued to work on him. Detecting Axl was ready, he straightened up and started pushing his length inside his boyfriend. Axl let out a loud hiss as Blaine buried his cock completely inside him. The other three turned their heads and looked over. Catching their eyes, he smirked at them as he pulled out halfway, then pushed back in hard. They all grinned at him, even Sam, who's mouth was full of cock. "That's hot!"said Darren, apparently louder than he meant to, because he blushed a bit. Pulling at Axl's hips, they were now in a doggy style, like Sean and Sam. Winking at Axl, they scooted over on the bed in between thrusts. Blaine waited until he had the others attention, then patted the bed, inviting them. Darren got up immediately and got on. Sean, slowed, and reluctantly pulled out of Sam. Standing, Sam grabbed hold of Sean's cock and pulled him onto the bed, where they immediately mirrored him and Axl. After a few moments, they all started to thrust again. Blaine leaned over and pulled Sean in and kissed him as they both fucked into the bottoms. Copying them, Axl and Sam kissed. Darren sat between Sam and Axl, slowly jerking his cock. Having an idea, Blaine motioned for Darren to stand. Awkwardly, he shuffled closer. Blaine slowed and took hold of Sean's face. Holding it in place, he opened his mouth and Blaine did the same. With his left hand Blaine pulled Darren closer and had him push his cock between him and Sean. After a minute, Darren got the hang of it and used Sean and Blaine's mouth's as something to fuck. Sadly, soon both their mouths got tired. No longer feeling the pressure, he slowed and pouted. Sean stretched his mouth, trying to get feeling back in it. Now his full attention was directed back at Sam. He started to build up speed as Sam reached over and pulled on Axl's cock that was leaking onto the bed. Frowning, Darren looked at Blaine. Smiling, Blaine patted his ass and looked at his cock. Getting the idea, Darren rushed around and got behind him. Sighing, he thought if he could just get Darren or Sean to bottom, they could make a five person chain. As soon as felt Darren rub his neck, he prepared himself for what was to come. Gasping and thrusting forward, he had not expected a wet tongue to push into his ass. "Fuck!"Blaine squeaked. Sean slowed and turned and eyes widened. Detecting something major happening, Axl looked under them and made out Darren's chin beneath Blaine's balls. Finally getting it, Axl turned his head quickly up and to the right to look at Sean. They made eye contact and though Blaine couldn't tell what passed between them, he knew it was something significant. But Axl tilted his head, and then Sean nodded once. Shaking his head, Axl looked over at Sam and smirked. Winking, Sam reached back down and jerked off Axl harder, and was rewarded with the same intensity. Sadly, the warm, wet tongue disappeared from his hole. A large hand wrapped halfway around his waist. Feeling heat around his neck, he turned his brown eye met Darren's blue. Leaning in, Darren kissed him softly on the cheek until Blaine's head swiveled a bit more. Finally their tongues met and fought for a few moments. Afterward, Blaine pulled away and fell on to Axl's rump harder. Yelping, reached back and spanked his cheek with a chuckle. Feeling something large press at his entrance, he turned his head back. "Ready?" Darren rumbled. Gulping, he gave a single nod. With a smirk, Darren lightly pushed Blaine's head forward. He was halfway through a breath when he felt it ram inside him to the base. He yelled so loud his voice disappeared. Axl raised up, ready to strike, but he placed a hand on his back and he fell back down. Looking to the right, he noticed Sean and Sam had come to a halt and looked at him with concern. Shaking his head, he smiled at them lazily. Darren hadn't moved and he pulled back a bit and looked as if he was scared he had really hurt him. "It's OK." he said, his voice coming out in falsetto. Sam laughed, but Sean and Axl didn't seem to think it funny. "You know," he said, trying to lower the sound of his voice, which wasn't working very well." In order to make up for the pounding Darren is going to give me, I'm going to have to think of a way to equal it out." he said with a smirk. Again, Sam laughed, and Sean and Axl didn't seem to get it. Sighing, he looked down at Axl. "Baby, get ready to get pounded like you never have before." he whispered into Axl's ear. Finally, Sean got it and smirked, as well as thrusting into Sam. Axl's eyes widened as he got it. Turning his head sideways, Blaine winked at a relieved Darren. Giving him a thumbs up, Blaine faced forward again. Leaning down, he kissed Axl's back and pulled out a bit. Darren shifted slightly and pushed back in. Grunting, Blaine didn't look back, but playfully swatted at Darren's thigh. Suddenly, his ass felt empty. He was literally shoved forward as his body took the impact of the thick cock ramming back into him. Trying to think fast, he mirrored that movement and rammed into Axl with just as much force. As the bed shook, Blaine glanced to his right. He noticed Sean staring back with every of Darren's massive thrusts. Biting his lip, Blaine had a feeling Sean wanted to try something else. With a grunt, he refocused his attention at the warmth surrounding his buried cock. Making a swift move back, he rammed in again. Axl gave whimper, and Blaine stalled. Dropping his hand on Axl's back he waited to continue his thrusting. After a moment, Axl glanced back and smiled with a nod. Releasing air he hadn't noticed he was holding, he felt energy surge through his body. Reaching back, he placed his hand on Darren's thigh. Though Darren didn't stop his thrusting, he was going slower. Reaching over, he slapped Sean's ass and winked. Looking at him, Sean smiled and looked down at his crotch. Blaine was amused as Sean watched his dick disappear every time he thrust into Sam. The thick pubes somewhat hiding his nuts from view. Of course, Blaine knew they were there. He could he them slap Sam's ass with every thrust forward. Getting his attention again, he curled his finger for Sean to come closer, Leaning down, Sean gave him a quick kiss before his head was turned sideways. Breathing heavy, he blew hot air into the air and lightly chewed on the lob. "Why don't you feed Darren your cum? I want Axl to fuck Sam now. Don't worry, you can still pound me again if you want." he pleaded softly. He expected Sean to hesitate, but he nodded, and though reluctantly, he pulled his cock out of Sam. Looking backward, Sam appeared disappointed. Getting to his hands and knees, Sam crawled over and kissed Blaine hard. Sean and Sam made almost identical moves. Sean lifted his right leg up and sat on Blaine's backside. Now facing Darren, Sean leaned in and kissed him hard. Darren's hand automatically went down and stroked Sean's member. Sam did the same with his ass resting on Axl. Below, Axl grunted and turned sideways, slight irritation on his face. Leaning in quickly, he kissed Sam and jerked his cock, while Sam reached down and scratched his pubes at the base of his thrusting cock. "Can Axl fuck you Sam? I don't think he's having much fun at the moment." he asked, hoping Sam would comply. To his relief, Sam nodded enthusiastically. Pushing off Axl, he fell on his back. Now laying on the bed, Sam pushed at his sides until he shimmied under Axl's body. Getting the idea of what he was doing, he grinned. Blaine grinned as he noticed Axl's skin turn pink from excitement. Legs pulled out, Sam pushed a bit more until he felt the small drops of Axl's precum falling atop his skin. Shifting a bit, Axl pushed his cock, which had been hard as hell and laying flat against his abdomen, down at a better angle. With the next thrust, it was clear Axl hit the mark. Sam's skin turned pink, and Axl groaned. Body shaking , he leaned down and kissed Sam, before he turned and kiss Blaine. Smirking, Blaine leaned in awkwardly licked Axl's pits. Axl's shaking increased and he bit his lip. Below, Sam gave him a weird look that Axl couldn't see. Winking, he would tell Sam about Axl's fetish later. Turning to the other side, Axl lifted his own arm this time pulled Blaine's face down. Pushing his mouth against the depression, Axl groaned and thrust hard and deep into Sam. Releasing his arm, Blaine placed his hands on both of Axl's hips and began to pound as hard as he could. Detecting Axl leaning down, he watched as Axl lifted one of Sam's arms. The thick blond hair was a change from what Blaine's looked like. Wanting to try it, he gave Sam a pleading face. Raising an eyebrow, Sam looked up at him. Blaine just grinned as Sam gave a single quick nod. 30. Birthday Orgy Part 4 Blaine smirked, watching as Axl leaned down into Sam's right pit. Sam just stared up at him as Axl finally went down on it. Grunting, he turned his head and caught some movement from behind. All he caught was Sean thrusting upwards, apparently his cock into Darren's hand. Turning his head back to the front, he thrust forward a bit harder than before. Lifting up, Axl turned and gave him a pout. Sighing, Blaine slowed and pushed Axl's head over to the left. No longer needing guidance and went down on Sam's left pit. After a tentative slurps he leaned back up. "Sorry Sam, but Blaine's pits taste better than yours. Blaine snorted loudly as Sam crinkled his nose in surprise. Reaching back, Axl slapped his ass as he began to thrust faster into Sam. Blaine tilted his hips a bit to the right, so the slight curve of his cock grazed Axl's prostate. Moaning, Axl glanced back, warning Blaine not to stimulate it too much or it would end. Sighing, he changed the angle angle and reached down around Axl's body and took hold of Sam's cock. Awkwardly, he began to jerked him hard. Axl leaned in and kissed Sam and playfully bit at his neck. Feeling Darren wasn't really pounding him as hard as he wanted, he turned. Darren seemed to be leaning in and kissing Sean passionately. Deciding not to mention the act to Axl, he pushed his ass back. Grunting, Darren slightly pushed Sean aside so he could see Blaine. Smirking, Darren thrust forward. Smiling, he nodded and made the same gesture. Hearing a chuckle from Sean, he felt the weight on his back lighten as Sean rose. Now eye to eye, Darren rammed him hard. Slowing, Darren made a face and stared at Sean. Making a gesture at Sean, he watched as Sean leaned in. Darren whispered something. There was a pause, where they stared at each other and then Sean nodded. Making his way behind, Blaine noticed Sean lay on his belly and disappeared. After a moment Darren's face lit up. Though it hurt his head, Blaine tilted it and noticed Sean's hands on Darren's ass cheeks. Recognizing the position, he realized Sean was rimming Darren. Feeling his head being pulled back up, he met Darren's smirk. With a sudden movement Darren pounded him harder than ever. Grunting, he fell onto Axl with just as much force, who then plowed into Sam. The speed and power was shocking, but it felt good. Suddenly, he felt his ass fill with hot liquid as Darren slowed to a few erratic thrusts. Feeling a weight pressing down on him, he turned his head. Darren kissed his back and neck. Giving him a lazy smile, Darren leaned in and kissed him softly. Slowly, Darren pulled back and slid out of him. Figuring Sean would mount him, he braced for impact. When he didn't feel anything, he turned back around. He felt his jaw drop at the scene. Sean was sitting atop Darren's massive chest. His nuts were bouncing around as he jerked his cock quickly. Darren reached up and pulled Sean down. Kissing, Sean moaned and Darren reached hand around Sean's hip. A hand pushed up into Sean's ass. Though Blaine couldn't see what was going on, he recognized the gasp and the movement of his hips up and down. He was literally letting Darren finger him. Not knowing why, Blaine found the scene intimate and much hotter than the actions warranted. Hearing a groan, he turned his head forward and noticed Sam's face turning pink. "Jerk him off, Axl, make him cum."he breathed leaning down, kissing his back. "Shit..." Sam cried, as a white rope of cum shot out of his cock. Some landed on Sam's own face, while more even landed on the pillows his head was laying on. The act was hot, and Axl laughed softly as Sam poked his tongue out, licking the mess off his lips. Grinning, Blaine pushed Axl down as far as he could. Grunting, Axl turned his head with a smirk as Blaine leaned down and tried to lick off some of the cum that had landed on Sam's face. The distance was a bit too far for his tongue to reach. Chuckling, Axl scooped up some cum on his index finger and placed it in Blaine's mouth. Humming, he smiled and gave Axl a messy kiss on the cheek. Sam laughed when Axl's face pulled back. "Pound him Axl." he whispered conspiratorially. "Kay..." he said shakily. Hearing a moan from behind, he glanced back and watched Sean's face turn pink. Whimpering, he scooted forward and pushed his dick inside Darren's mouth. Darren's hand that was fingering Sean's hole began to dig deeper. Sean released his cock and pushed it all the way inside Darren's mouth. His hands flew to the bed behind Darren's head as his hips thrust erratically into the warm mouth. Twisting awkwardly, Blaine leaned back and pulled Sean's face in. Their mouths met and Sean's tongue darted in. His sounds became higher pitched as his hips slowed and his load shot down Darren's throat. With a last grunt Sean came to a halt. Breathing shaky, his eyes opened and Blaine winked at him, then turned around. His own orgasm was building and he wanted to concentrate on his own release. Below, Axl began to pant and groan. Wanting to boost Axl's orgasm, he again tilted his hips slightly. His slightly curved dick grazed twice across Axl's prostate. Whimpering, Axl turned around gave him a somewhat pained smile. Grinning, Blaine leaned in with a kiss. Then he pushed Axl's head back down until it rested on Sam's sweaty chest. "Shoot your load Ax." Blaine growled, finally tilting his hips even more and pressed his cock into the lump that was the source of the intense pleasure. Bearing down with great force, he strained his head forward and just managed to lick Axl's left armpit. "Fuck!"Axl cried, his hips shaking uncontrollably as he flooded Sam's tight ass with his semen. Suddenly, Blaine felt a hot tongue press into his ass and Darren quickly lifted his legs over Axl's shuddering form. Darren pulled Blaine's face toward his own. Their tongues met as Sean pushed his tongue deeper into Blaine's entrance, as well as his hand reaching up and gently rubbed his balls. That's all it took before he copied Axl and released cum into his lover. He thought his previous orgasms from earlier had been intense. Compared to this one, they were remarkably less powerful. Grunting and heaving his hips slowed. Energy gone, he fell forward onto Darren. It was a good thing Darren was so strong. Large arms encircled his sweaty chest, and managed to not fall atop Axl. Aware what was happening, Sam had slid out from under Axl. Scooting over to the left, Sam grinned as one of Blaine's teary eyes met his. Somewhere below, Axl was muffling about something. Face pressed against the bed, his words were unintelligible. Sean's tongue pulled back and the bed raised as his weight no longer kept it down. Panting, Blaine fell backward, his still twitching cock sliding out noisily from Axl's hole. Axl fell forward, ass no longer in the air. Groaning ,Axl pushed himself onto his side. Blaine really couldn't move except his chest still heaving as his high slowly left his body. Looking up, Blaine chuckled at seeing Darren. Standing up straight, Darren towered over everyone. Thick dick still half hard, it swung to the side as he suddenly looked embarrassed. Turning slightly pink, he squatted and scooted off the bed. Walking over to the bean bag, he sat down and stared up at the ceiling with a smug expression. Axl crawled over to him and lay down, his head falling onto Blaine's chest. "Are we done?" came Sean's voice from the other bean bag chair. Sighing, Blaine pushed himself up to look around. They all looked at him as he met each of their the eyes. He detected exhaustion, but also an unspoken need to continue. Though he was beat, he wanted to keep going. Knowing this would never happen again, he decided to ask them. Thinking about what else he wanted to try, he wanted them to say what else they wanted to do. "Well, this is just me...but I don't want it to end yet. You guys have been awesome. I honestly don't think anyone could have friends as good as you guys...I mean," he looked at Sean, Darren, and Sam," you guys are straight, and yet you don't mind giving me this. Does anyone else want to continue? You don't have to at all. I think we need a bit of a break for a while, recharge if you will." he said, hoping they would agree. He knew Axl still wanted to, but if Sean and Darren didn't, he wouldn't be able to since they rode with him to get here. "I still want to go on." said Sean. "Me to." Darren said earnestly. "Yea, but I want to top again." said Sam. "Well you don't have to ask me B." Axl grinned with a wink. "Um, do you guys...want to take a shower real quick? I have a big walk in shower that we could use at the same time, unless you want to go in solo. We're all sweaty, and now we all smell like sex...usually that's not a bad thing but...five guys...that's got to be a strong odor." he said with a half smile. Axl rose and walked into the bathroom without a second glance. Sam groaned and tried to stand. Taking pity on him, he reached out and helped him up as Sean reached down and helped Darren out of the bean bag chair. As the three of them walked into the bathroom, Blaine stayed back, admiring the view. He had wanted to see what Darren and Sean looked like when soft. Doubting it wasn't likely they'd get any softer once all five were in the shower, he decided to take what he saw now as an estimate. Not entirely soft, Darren's huge cock had shrank unbelievably, apparently, he was a grower. Sean's was roughly the same size, though not as thick. Sam's was remarkably still hard, as was Axl's. Grinning, he looked down at his own still hard cock before following them into the shower. 31. Birthday Orgy, the Shower Blaine grinned, not being able to help looking around at all the straight cock presented before him. The large shower made it easy for all five of them to gather inside. Almost giddy, he walked among them, not caring they were smirking at his expressions. Axl ginned at him, walking behind him and kissing his neck. Slapping his cheek, Blaine turned and looked at him in the eye. Backing away, he leaned against the wall as the water ran over his face. Sean was picking up a louffa to the left. "Wait, Sean." Axl said calmly. Sean looked over and raised an eyebrow. "Blaine wants to wash us. All we have to do is stand still, and he will do all the work. If he's good, we'll completely service him at the end of the wash." he said with an air of smugness, loving the bright eye'd look on Blaine's face. Darren grinned and took a few steps forward, standing directly under the shower head in the middle of the others. Abruptly, he pushed them against the shower walls so he was the lone figure standing. Looking him in the eye, he smiled and glanced down his body. Taking note of his bulk compared to the rest of them, he guessed it would take longer to clean him. Blaine guessed Darren thought this as well, so he assumed it was best to deal with the larger task first. Though he had cleaned Axl a few times, he thought of Darren as more of a straight guy, and therefore his work ahead was something most gay guys wouldn't get to experience. Most straight guys feared being stared at, so this was indeed a treat he was going to take full advantage of. Of course his eye immediately rested once more on Darren's member. He loved the size of that cock of his, even though it was sof...His thinking was cut off midway through as Darren's member began to enlarge. Blaine felt his own member hardening. Sam let out a bark of laughter and Sean sniggered. "Easy now." said Axl, highly amused. "Don't get your hopes up big guy. I'm just going to clean you. Give your dick a rest, it'll need it." Blaine grinned, tugging at Darren's massive member gently. Extremely glad he didn't have to worry very much about Darren's nearly shaved head, he spent the first few moments deciding how to begin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Axl grinning at him. Wanting to torture him, he grabbed the loufa scrubber and added soap. Lifting Darren's left arm, he turned him so Axl had a full view of his pit. His smirk transformed into a pained longing look. Making sure Darren kept his left arm in the air, Blaine raised his right. Now, both pits were visible to Axl. Darren studied Axl's face for a few moments as Blaine scrubbed his body. "I never noticed it until now, but you've stared at us like this every time he changed in the locker room. I never thought anything of it because your focus wasn't on our junk. You like armpits...don't you?"Darren asked calmly, showing no signs of disapproval or disgust. Axl's face turned bright red and dropped his gaze, as if ashamed. "Wha, don't be like that Ax."Darren said, distress in his voice."I don't have a problem with it at all. Do you Sean?" Darren turned his head to face Sean, who was looking at Axl with interest. "No problem at all dude." he said genuinely. Axl's face relaxed and though he didn't say anything, it was clear that a huge weight had just lifted off his shoulders. Grateful for their understanding for Axl, Blaine would make sure to reward them for their open mindedness. Moving on to scrub his massive back, he made his way down until he came to the great mounds of flesh the parted to his entrance. Using his feet, he nudged Darren's stance further apart. Glancing up, he noticed Darren's member still hard. His own hardness throbbed below as he pushed himself up. Standing, he walked around to face him. As he began to wipe the sweat off his chest, he playfully used his own uncut length to bat the thick meat from side to side, as if in a sword fight. Chuckling, Darren mirrored the play. Hearing light laughter, he raised his head and looked over at the others. Winking, he scrubbed Darren's sides and made his way down to his cock. Once there, he gently lathered so much soap that it made bubbles and eventually hid almost the entire length. Squatting lower, he noticed Darren shifted from side to side. The lack of contact with it clearly frustrated him. Ignoring him, he worked over his large thighs and down his legs until finally coming to rest at the feet. He didn't really care for feet, at least not in a sexual sense. It was one of Kurt's fetishes he had loathed. Slowing making his way back up, he paused and eyed Darren's swollen member. Not being able to help himself, he wiped the soap off the head and promptly wrapped his lips around it. Shuddering, Darren thrusted forward, but found no purchase as he backed up and shifted around behind him. The sound of a frustrated growl came from overhead. Ignoring him, Blaine finally worked his thighs and finally stood straight. Noticing his splayed feet,he grinned and walked forward until his chest was against Darren's back. Tilting his hips down, he pushed his uncut dick until it rested between Darren's thighs. Lifting his head, Darren attempted to turn around, but was stopped as he held his hand against his face to prevent further movement. Using a foot, he kicked Darren's left foot and his legs came together. His cock was suddenly surrounding by warm thighs, and he gave an inward shudder. Moving his hips back and forth a bit, he closed his eyes and bit his lip at the feeling. Sighing, he stepped back pulled Darren directly under the shower head. As the soap washed down his body, he looked over to see how was next. Noticing all three had erections, he smirked and shook his head. It looked as if Axl was stepping forward but Sean hurried to his side. Smiling, he chuckled as he heard Axl blow out a puff of air in what must have been impatience. Reluctantly, Darren walked over to the wall and stood as Blaine continued his task of cleansing the entire group. Completed, he smiled around as the others closed in around him. They moved him under the water and scrubbed meticulously until his body was all soaped up. As the water rinsed off, his feet were nudged apart. It looked like they were itching to work him over but Axl sighed and turned off the water. Frowning, Blaine couldn't help but look disappointed. "We're not done with you, don't worry." Axl said sweetly with a kiss to his cheek. Shrugging, he couldn't help but pout as they exited the shower. Reaching under his sink, they pulled out towels and dried off. Once dry, they headed back into the room. Blaine was aware his dick was throbbing anticipation, though it had begun to soften. Walking to the small table, Axl lifted the lube that tasted like something sweet, a cock ring, and a butt plug. Eyeing him, he seemed unsatisfied and turned back around. Hearing a chuckle, he instantly felt his heart beginning to race. "Hold him." said Axl. Hands were suddenly upon him as Axl turned around once more. Though the words might have alarmed most, he felt nothing but safety. Axl walked forward and he pulled at Blaine's now half hard dick. Slipping the cock ring around his goods, he immediate felt his member harden quickly. Tossing something over his head, Blaine half turned his head to see what it was when Axl held his chin forward. His vision went black as something was placed over his eyes. Grinning broadly, he was led to what he guessed was the bed. Axl murmured something to someone softly. Not hearing what he said, he was startled as his left leg was kicked to the side. A hand was placed on the back of his head and was forced down until he felt his forehead coming to rest against his bed. His cheeks were pried apart and a warm tongue slid into his ass. Groaning, he felt his knees go weak. When his prostate wasn't given any attention, he wondered what was going on. A liquid was dropped at his tail bone and he felt it make its way into his crevice and pooled around his entrance. A heating sensation began to stimulate his skin where the liquid had flowed. Finally figuring out what was happening, he braced himself as something warm and hard pushed against the rim. Biting his lip, he groaned as something pushed into him. Gasping, it was much wider than Darren's thick cock. Guessing it was the butt plug, he puffed out air as the largest part finally pushed past the opening and came to rest completely inside him. Without warning, his wrists were tied with something and were restrained from any further movement. When he felt his body completely lifted off the floor, he gave a start. He was laid gently on the floor. Though he couldn't see it, he felt his cock throb with his heart beat as a mouth surrounded the entire length in one quick move. 32. Birthday Orgy Part 5 "Feel good baby?"came Axl's amused voice. "Yes."he breathed, thrusting upward into the heavenly warmth. "Move over, I'll blow him." came a deep rumble. Knowing who it was, he bit his lip. Though he was blindfolded, he could tell when someone stood over him. The muted light almost went completely black. He opened his mouth as he felt the air around his face move away as the person squatted. Furry balls were suddenly dropped into his waiting mouth. He had no idea who's they were, he couldn't remember ever tasting them before. Grinning, he opened his mouth more and allowed Sean drop his nuts inside. "Oh, that feels good..." came a shaky voice. "Sam, get down there below Darren and take care of Blaine's." said Axl, his voice coming closer as he moved around in behind Blaine's head. Hearing some murmuring, he wasn't sure what was going on until the sound of wet slurping came from overhead. A wet tongue enveloped his own balls and he moaned out loud, the sound carried clearly. Chuckling came from all around him. This was all becoming too much. Tying to left his hands, he felt his wrists snap back as his restraints held them down. Noticing the movement, he heard a pat that came from down low. Suddenly the hot wetness left his cock and his building orgasm halted and dissipated. Incredibly, his cock seemed to get harder and he could feel it throbbing easily. "It looks like it's getting bigger." came Sean's astonished voice. "That's one of the good things about cock rings,"said Sam," it keeps you hard and forces more blood into your dick and keeps it there, making it a bit bigger. "Take it off!"Blaine cried suddenly. Silence. "Do it!" he said, excited. "Is it hur-" came Axl's concerned voice. "Hell no, put it on Darren!" he said urgently. There was a chuckle and movement and finally a tug on his dick. He groaned when the ring didn't slip off. His nuts were too large and full. It was an astonishing they were so large when they had already produced three loads today. Hissing as it was once again pulled at. Voices were whispering, though they were so soft he couldn't even tell who was talking. There was a sigh and another chuckle. Unexpectedly, both his wrists were free. Before he could move, hands wrapped around his legs and arms. Rising off the floor, he felt a bit giddy and nostalgic. The sensation reminded him of the time he went with his brother to some amusement park where one could experience a gyroscope ring ride platform. He had stepped forward in the center of three rings which were each a bit smaller than the one above the other. Hands and feet tied down, the rings would rotated him in different directions randomly as if free falling from the sky. The four guys turned him in different directions, giving him no say in how he proceeded a short distance away. Slowing, they heaved him on the bed and immediately retied his hands, and now feet to each corner of the bed. The mattress dipped as more weight made contact by the other guys. Once more, his member and nuts where enveloped by a hot mouth. One of his pits was suddenly becoming wet as a mouth worked on each one. A shadow loomed above his blindfold and descended until everything was black. He moaned as one of his nipples was licked from the left side and a tongue pressed against and then entered into mouth from someone upside down, like Spiderman and Mary-Jane. The bed shook as the mouth around his groin became absent. Another set of deep bounces indicated the weight shifting upwards slightly. Seeing and hearing nothing, he felt his pulse quicken as the head of his member slightly penetrated what he thought for sure was the entrance to a hole. The heat soon engulfed his entire cock is it was buried all the way down and came to rest at the base. He moaned into the mouth as he raised his hips and fell back down. Just as the speed began to increase, the movement stopped. Suddenly the mouth that had been licking his pits disappeared as the person on his cock pulled off. There was a chuckle and the bed bounced as his dick was once more surrounded by that intense heat of ass. As soon as he felt the fury pubes coming to a halt on his own, he knew it was Axl. Feeling the speed increase, he grunted feeling, his orgasm approaching. Just as he was about to blow, Axl came to a stop and stood up. Growling, Blaine tried to free his hands but they still wouldn't move. His release had halted and settled as the person who sat on his cock changed again. "You were close, weren't you B?" Axl whispered, lightly biting his ear. Shaking, he nodded as Axl chuckled. "Darren, trade places with me, I want to kiss him for a bit." said Sean, at which time Blaine felt an end to the lapping tongue that had surrounded his nipples. Sighing, Darren lightly sucked on Blaine's tongue and the inside of his cheek once more before the bed shook from them trading places. Another mouth pressed against his own, at the same time his nipples were once more being treated by who he assumed was Darren. Sean's tongue entered his mouth a little too forcefully, but he didn't complain. A tongue enveloped his pits again as he felt his right hand being untied. Trying to move it around Axl grabbed it and placed it over his crotch. Blaine smiled into Sean's mouth as he wrapped his hand around Axl's leaking member. "That's it." Axl said, thrusting his hips into his hand. Feeling his release approaching, he tried to not let it show so they wouldn't stop. Something must have been noticeable, because he heard a tapping sound on skin. Axl pulled his cock out of his pumping hand, which was quickly replaced with Sam's uncut one as Axl dropped down all the way in one quick movement once more. Whimpering, Blaine thrust his hips upward, wanting to shoot into Axl. Sam slightly slapped his hand when he no longer fisted his uncut dick. Sighing, he once more jerked him in a variety of ways. Sam shifted awkwardly and then pulled out of his reach with a chuckle. "That was close, I was almost there." chuckled Sam from the right. "Well, then you can jerk me a bit." said Sean. "Yea, I'm jerking Axl, and he me." came a deep rumble. Axl's hips dipped dramatically and Blaine felt it rushing forward. Shaking, his breath hitched. He felt his stomach contracting as the tension and sensation built within him "He's close."said Axl, dropping a hand down onto Blaine's lover abdomen on top of his belly button. The other three began to speed up there contact with his body. There was a grunt and Sean was pushed away and to the side as a larger weight shifted around in haste. Blaine smiled with Darren as their mouths reconnected. Sean gave a disappointed pout, but leaned back down and swirled his tongue around his nipples as Sam blew hot air into his ear. After a moment, Sam left and bounced across the bed towards the middle. He didn't want to hurt Sam's feelings, but he wanted to cum inside Axl, not him. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a tingle start to spread through his cock. Whimpering, he thrusted upward, preparing to shoot his load into Axl's hot ass. Suddenly, he felt something wet lick at his balls. He cried out and shook and gasped as his orgasm erupted with vengeance. The lips that pressed into his own smiled through his open mouth as his cry became inaudible . Cum shot deep into Axl, filling his ass. "Jesus!" said Axl. The intensity of his release was unbelievable as he continued to thrust his hips upward erratically. "He's still cuming." said an astonished Axl. Heaving, Blaine collapsed onto the bed, his cock still twitching with his rapid heart beat. Sweat rolled down the the sides of his chest as Darren pulled up. His blindfold was removed and he squinted at his ceiling, eyes too sensitive from the prolonged darkness. Finally, the light no longer caused him any further problems. Looking up, Axl winked at him as he sat on his groin, dick still buried deep inside him. Sam rested his chin on Axl's right shoulder. Sean smirked, but was looking up at Darren, who was grinned down at Blaine. Grunting, Axl pushed himself up and laid back down atop Blaine. They kissed as Sam untied his legs, and Sean untied his left hand. Darren had shifted across the and was pulling at his cock ring. It took a few moments, but it finally slipped off his dick. Instantly, he felt his dick deflate and was soon flaccid. Blaine smirked and Axl turned slightly. The way Darren looked after watching Blaine lost his hardness was very comical. Eyebrows raised, Darren peered down again and back up, apparently aware his observations had been noticed. "What?" he asked defensively. "Nothing dude."laughed Axl, patting his shoulder. Blaine was pooped, but that didn't seem to matter to the rest of them. They looked around and grinned, clearly having something in mind. He sighed and inspected each of their cocks, taking note how hard they still appeared. Tilting his head, Sam looked around, clearly trying to decide something. Cock ring in hand, Darren slipped, or at least tried to slip it onto his member. Taking pity on him, Blaine waved him forward. Scooting towards him, Blaine squeezed lightly at his meat and then quickly slipped the ring around the correct areas. Standing, Axl walked over to the small table in the middle of the room. Taking a moment, he gazed into Blaine's eyes before he sat down and shifted his gaze to the others. Bending down, Darren shifted and picked him up. Muscles straining, he awkwardly slipped off the bed with Sean and Sam following. Reaching down, Axl pushed his dick out at a forty five degree angle. Blaine attempted to jump out of Darren's arms, but he was held fast. Sean stepped to his right side. Darren held onto Blaine's left thigh while Sean mirrored his move. Grinning broadly, Blaine wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders. Sam moved around and his cheeks as Axl aimed his dick at his hole. Slowly, they lowered him and Axl''s cock slid easily inside his ass. Shivering, Blaine turned his head and kissed Darren before he did the same for Sean. Sam leaned in and kissed him as Axl thrusted upwards. For a moment, Axl went slow, as if trying to find the best angle for penetration. Sam leaned down and wrapped his lips around Blaine's hard cock. Suddenly, Axl began to pound him hard and fast. The sound of his nuts slapping against his ass echoed around the room. Maybe only a minute later Axl began to grunt and his hips moved erratically. Finally he gave a hard thrust upwards and the hot wetness of cum erupted inside his ass. Axl shook and twisted before coming to a halt. Sean and Darren lifted him up and Axl slid off the table and Sam took his place. Sam hissed and looked down. Axl chuckled, but Blaine didn't know what was funny. Shrugging, Axl leaned in to kiss him as he was lowered again. Sam's uncut cock slipped in easily with Axl's cum soaked ass. Sam followed Axl's example and started slow. Before he started to speed up, Axl leaned in and mouth his armpits while Sean and Darren once more looked at each other. Hesitating, Axl, looked at Sean and gave him a questioning look. Shrugging Sean nodded. Grinning, Axl went over and Sean lifted up his arm high enough that Blaine's body stayed motionless as Sam began to speed up his thrusting. Blaine watched with amusement as Axl dug his mouth up into Sean's pit. Giving a funny face, Sean seemed not to know how to feel. He chuckled as Axl jerked on his own cock. and shifted over to his other armpit. Standing straight, he walked over to Darren and didn't even ask as he proceeded to do the same. From below, Sam gave a shout and shot his load inside Blaine. The act seemed like tit took a lot longer for the release to come to an end. After a few moments, Blaine was lifted up and Axl took Sean's place as he slipped onto Sam's seat. Legs still wobbly, Sam tried to stand but it didn't work well. As Blaine was lowered Sam sat down on the floor and ended up on his back as if ready to make a snow angel. As Sean's member entered him, Blaine was able to determine that he was a bit smaller than Sam's dick, though not quite as curved. the feel of his thick pubic bush tickled his ass as his pounding grew intense much faster than Axl's and Sam's turns had been. He realized Sean had only cum inside once, where as the other three had done so twice. Feeling, well, not pity, but a sense of obligation, Blaine squeezed his ass, making Sean's turn more enjoyable. Grunts and moans increased dramatically after his adjustments. "Here I come..." he squeaked. Even before he finished the last word his cum unloaded inside him. "Fuck..." he said again, this time in a normal voice. "My turn!" said Darren forcefully. Blaine eyed his dick, which had thickened and lengthened a bit due to the constriction of the cock ring around his goods. The others seemed to notice this as well. Sam groaned and sat up and took Darren's place. He could hear Daren fast breathing behind him as he got into the right position. They began to lower him, but Darren reached up and held his hips and pulled him down as Sam and Axl's lowered him quickly. The force was size was incredible. His ass stretched far to accommodate the larger size. Three loads already inside him, the ease of the passage was greater than normal. Darren moaned and stilled a moment, then he thrust upward hard. Gasping, he let his head fall back and felt Darren's breath hot on his neck. Axl leaned over and kissed him hard. Kissing back, he gasped into his mouth as a hot mouth covered his uncut dick. Glancing down, he met Sean's eyes as he winked. Mouth bobbing up and down, Sean used his other hand and massaged his nuts. The next thrust gave him a jolt as he felt his prostate being hit with every new thrust. Hot breath panted at his neck as he felt Sean pump his length and Axl's mouth against his. Sam awkwardly reached over and massage his right nipple. "Shit!" Darren barked and his load filled what little space that wasn't covered with cum inside him. His large hands held his hips as his own shook. Blaine groaned and unloaded another burst of seed into Sean's mouth. Coughing, Sean tried to keep it all in, but was unsuccessful. Small lines of cum dribbled out of the corners of his cheeks. Finally his release ended, and they all stilled. Slowly he was lifted into the air and was finally placed on the floor. Panting, he laid on his back and stared in utter exhaustion up at his ceiling. Suddenly feeling emotional, he looked at the others and gave a watery smile to each of them. All grinning back, they sat around him in silence. "Thank you guys...I'll never forget this." he said, somewhat choked up. Axl grinned and leaned down, kissing him softly. "Happy Birthday Blaine." he finally whispered, kissing his forehead. 33. Just Once Sean couldn't help it, he was so hard. The sounds of Blaine and Axl going at it in his room echoed through the wall. When Axl asked if they would mind staying the night, he had no problems with that, nor did Darren. It was clear though, that their shared sexcapade was over. They made no move to ask him or Darren to join them, and he didn't feel comfortable to ask. Sharing Blaine's brother's bed, he lay in silence, rubbing his hard crotch. Turning his head, he watched Darren as he snored rather loudly. "Harder Axl." came Blaine's muffled voice. "Fuck it." he whispered to himself. He pushed his boxers down and pumped his length slowly. All of a sudden, jerking off alone didn't feel very good at all. Biting his lip, he realized he'd better get used to using his own hands from now on. Once more turning his head to the side, he stared at Darren's serene face. Dropping his gaze, he followed Darren's form downward to where is crotch was. Sean knew that he wasn't gay, nor was Darren. But, he wouldn't mind getting it on with another dude if the opportunity presented itself. When Darren had kissed him for the first time a few hours ago, he felt so turned on and wanted more. It was a surprise, and he almost felt positive Darren shared the same feelings. Licking his lips, Sean turned on his side and scooted closer to Darren's sleeping form. Reaching his hand out, he placed it on Darren's massive chest. The rhythm of his sleep didn't change. His finger tips grazed against Darren's waist line. Scooting down a bit, he shakily felt his crotch. Darren's member was just as hard as his own. Reaching through the opening, he palmed the meat within. Breath hitching, Darren's eyes blinked open. He stared at him, a look of confusion written across his face. Sean stroked his cock once, waiting to see what Darren would do. His heart leapt as a small smile formed. Automatically, lifted himself up and crawled atop him. Darren was the first to open his mouth and kiss him. Their tongues battled as Sean rutted into him. After a few grunts, Sean broke the kiss and licked his way down his face and down to his large chest. Pausing, he licked at his nipples before sinking further. Kissing his belly button, Sean finally went all the way down and pulled at the boxers confining his hard member. Though he couldn't see in the dark, he knew what he'd find. Wrapping his hand around the piece of meat, he stroked it a couple of times. Darren grunted and thrusted his hips upward into his mouth. Though he tried, he couldn't get very much in his mouth. Smiling, he felt Darren's hands rest on his head. Lifting his head, he made his way down the shaft and to the base. The thick pubes tickled his nose and he sneezed. Darren chuckled and patted his head. Coming to his nuts, he sucked at each one before going even lower. Sean lifted Darren's large thighs and dug his nose in at his hole. Darren groaned as he forced his tongue into his entrance. Reaching down, he jerked his own cock. He really didn't mind the taste, there was no hint any...well, you know. Pulling back, he glanced upward, but couldn't see Darren's face. Scooting forward, he lined his cock up with Darren's hole. How he wanted just to push himself in and fuck him. Sadly, he couldn't, it wouldn't be right and it would change everything. "Do it." came a deep voice from the dark. "No." he answered, just as quietly. "Why not?" Grinning, he pulled back crawled atop him once more. Reaching down, he lined the cocks up. His own looked rather small compared to the monster beneath. Still, he didn't really care as he bore down. Darren grunted and thrust upward. He awkwardly pushed himself up enough so that he fell back down lying on Darren's chest. Their mouths met as they thrust together. Pushing his tongue in, he breathed into Darren as he put more force into his movement. Grunting, Darren suddenly flipped over and Sean found himself laying on the bed with Darren's weight atop him. "Wait for me." Darren whispered into his ear. "You better hurry then, I'm almost there." he moaned His efforts increased greatly, but it wasn't enough to overcome his building release. Panting, he strained his neck up as he felt his load erupt from his cock and make a mess on his belly. "You came..." said Darren, sound a bit astonished. "I know." he said his dick becoming sensitive. Darren pushed him down hard and rutted until his breath shook and his hips came to a halt. He felt a hot liquid spray his upper chest. Lifting his head he looked down but almost at the same moment, hot cum hit his face as Darren continued to grunt and moan. Grinning, he lay back down and chuckled as the little gasps and whimpers came to a halt. Panting, Darren leaned down and kissed him quickly. His head jerked back up and he chuckled. "Did I do that?" he asked. Sean burst out laughing. Darren frowned and didn't get why he was laughing. Rolling his eyes, pushed up on his elbows and kissed him again. "Haven't you ever watched Family Matters?" he asked, biting his lip to stop from laughing. Shaking his head, Sean gave up. He sat up and rested his back against the headboard as Darren fell back on his elbows towards the middle of the bed. Not being able to see much, he looked around and reached for the table. Fumbling for the lamp, he finally found it and flicked the switch. Darren's eyes squinted as the unexpected light made the room glow. Sean was able to observe him long enough to realize what a mess they had made. Opening his eyes, Darren looked at him and then at himself. "Yuck." he said. "Yea." he murmured, reaching over for the box of Kleenex's he spotted on the other side of the lamp. Grabbing it, he tossed it to Darren and began to clean themselves off. Finally clean, they looked at each other. All of a sudden shy, Sean quickly twisted and turned the lamp off. Sighing, he scooted over and Darren lay down beside him again. They didn't talk, but he couldn't help but scoot over and cuddle with the big lug. Darren intertwined their fingers and lay back. Laying his head on top of Darren's chest he drifted off back to sleep. It didn't occur to him that the sounds from the other room had gone silent until Darren began to snore once more. 34. Only You "Do you think Blaine and Axl will let us join them?" Darren whispered, just as Sean was almost completely asleep. "Hmm?" he mumbled, yawning. He was sure Darren had already been asleep as he rested his head across his breast. "Listen." he said quietly. Yawning again, he sat up and listened. He didn't hear anything at all. "I don't hear..." he said, but was interrupted mid sentence with a light thumping noise. "I don't believe that." he said, astonished. "We each cam so many times today I would have thought we'd be shooting blanks." he chuckled. "I know." he chuckled, resting his hand on Sean's thigh. Leaning in, he whispered into Sean's ear." Neither of us got to pound Axl. I want to try. I don't think we'll get a second chance ever again." he said, already pulling on Sean's hard cock. "Well...if you go really slow, you can try doing me whenever." he said quietly, feeling his ears burn. "I feel the same way bud." he said warmly, looking down, but not being able to see his eyes. "What if we went in there, and, I don't know surprised them. You know, do what ever to them, though," he hesitated and mumbled. "Hmm?" Darren leaned down and nudged at his chin. "the only one I'd let do me, is you." he said softly, thrusting his hips into Darren's hand. "Well, there's no way we're going back to sleep now." Darren chuckled low. "It was so weird to feel Blaine's extra skin, wasn't it?" he said suddenly. "Yea, like a really tight sock or something." Darren agreed. "Fuck it, come on." Sean said forcefully and raised his chin to meet Darren's. They bit at each other lightly, and ground their cocks together. Taking the initiative, Sean pushed Darren on his back and licked his way down his chest. Trying something, went back up and nudged at Darren's armpit. Reluctantly, Darren opened his arm and Sean dove in. He could kind of see how Axl found it a turn on, but it wasn't as great as he made it out to be. Pulling back, went down on Darren's large nipples and on down. His chin came into contact with the thick forest of pubes surrounding Darren's massive member. "I guess the armpits weren't very good." Darren said dryly. "It's alright, but I'd rather put my tongue somewhere else." he teased, pushing Darren's thighs apart. Breathing in, he pushed the massive cheeks apart. Pushing his tongue into Darren's hairy entrance, began to open him up. Voice too low to make out, he assumed Darren was enjoying himself. Wanting to give everything he had to make the process easier so he wouldn't get hurt. Something grabbed onto his hand, making him jump. Hearing a chuckle from above, he let his hand be applied to Darren's throbbing cock. Wrapping his hand securely around the shaft, he slowly pumped it as he used his other hand to keep Darren's cheeks apart. Squatting down a bit more, he tried to push more of his tongue into the tight rim of muscles. Shifting forward, he felt something wet touch his own dick. Startled, he reached down and discovered that the spot was damp from the precum leaking out of his own cock. Grinning, he went back to work, occasionally grinding his groin into the mattress. Thrusting his hips forward, his mouth was soon licking and sucking Darren's balls. Removing his hand from the shaft, he reached down and pushed a finger through the tight hole. Darren hissed and went rigid with the new sensation. Releasing the hand that kept the cheeks apart, he reached up and intertwined their fingers as he let a second finger slip into the entrance. After a few moments, Darren's grip slackened enough for a third finger. He twisted his hand and rubbed at the large lump that was Darren's prostate gland. Soon Darren's hissing and painful groans evolved into moans of pleasure. Knowing it was now or never, Sean bounced forward. Landing into an upright position,his cock rested against Darren's entrance. Shaking with repressed lust, he pushed his hips forward slowly. His cock pressed into the depression that was his hole. Finally, he felt the head pass through the rim and he sank into the heat. "Go slow Sean." he hissed. "Kay." he mumbled, biting his lip at the intensive pleasure that wrapped around his cock. Finally the base of of his shaft rested against Darren's cheeks. Not wanting to hurt him, he sat there and breathed deeply. It felt so much better than Sam's or Blaine's ass. Knowing there wasn't any danger of his cock softening, he decided to help Darren out a bit. Reaching downward, he grabbed hold of the large cock below. Still completely hard, he slowly pumped it up and down. Though he was happy with his own member, he felt a bit jealous of Darren's much larger dick. Thick and long, it fit perfectly into his hands. "Can I say something, without sounding too gay?" Darren said low. "Spill." he said, leaning down and laying his chest atop his. "Your dick feels pretty good in there." he said, so softly it was like he didn't want even himself to hear. "Well, your ass feels better than Blaine's and Sam's." he said, leaning down and kissing him on the forehead. "Thanks?" he asked uncertainly. "It's a complement dude." he chuckled," I'm gunna move now." "Ight" he said, shakily, then "slowly." "Kay." he whispered. Pulling back a bit, he pushed in again slow. Groaning, he buried his length back into Darren. Closing his eyes, he began to gain speed. After a few more thrusts, Darren seemed to relax quite a lot. Closing the distance faster, he leaned down, kissing him hard. "I'm going to go faster. It feels so good bud. I'm going to cum inside you in a minute. Is that cool?" he asked softly, keeping his thrusting smooth steady. "Go for it." he said with a kiss. Sean began to lift up but Darren reached up and pulled him back down. "I'm going to fuck you too, so get ready." he said, nibbling at his ear. "Yea?" he asked, speeding up. "I'll go slow at first, but then." he chuckled as Sean rammed him harder. "Yea?" he repeated, feeling a pull in his gut. "My thick cock is going to take your cherry." he groaned, clinching his hole a bit. "Uhh.." he said, feeling the change in pressure. "Feel good?" he asked, biting at his neck. "Yea." he said shakily. "Go for it Sean. Fuck me." he whispered, leaning up for a kiss. His emotions on overdrive, the tightness around his cock, the closeness between him and Darren finally drove him over the edge. With a cry, he buried himself deep into Darren. Cock twitching, he felt his cum empty inside his best friend. Moaning, he dropped on top of him, panting as his orgasm slowly died away. Not knowing how long he laid there, he finally lifted up and stared down. He regretted the darkness, wanting to see Darren's face at this moment. Feeling a bit cheated he sat up and slowly pulled out of Darren's messy hole. "That feels so weird." Darren said after a few moments of silence. "What?" he laughed, the randomness over powering. "I can feel it inside. It's hot and it doesn't feel gross or anything." he said with astonishment. "Thanks bud." he said, crawling back on top of him. They pressed their noses together and kissed. Sighing, Sean crawled forward and rested his ass right over Darren's mouth. "Get to work."he said with a bit of humor. A moment later, his humor changed into a moan as Darren's tongue attacked his hole. Shaking, he lowered himself into Darren's face. A large hand reached around and stroked his now soft cock. He was amazed it began to get hard again. In all his life, he had never been this sexually active in a twenty four hour period. Feeling a digit poking at him, he changed his stance and held his own ass cheeks apart. Darren patted his left cheek in what he assumed was appreciation. Breathing heavy, he tried to relax his muscles as he felt Darren began to use a second finger at his entrance. He groaned as Darren's hand pumped his hard cock faster. Chuckling, he swatted his hand away. A tingling had began to creep into his member. Not wanting to have another orgasm just yet, he indicated to Darren to use his energy in a different area. Using both hands, Darren worked his own cock, while stretching Sean's hole slowly. Knowing it was going to hurt more because of his size, he did all he could to ease what was to come. When he felt the third finger enter, he cringed from the added stress. One of Darren's fingers grazed over his prostate gland and he almost lost it. Adding more weight, he pressed his hips down. Feeling ready, he lifted up and scooted down the bed. Darren reached out and took hold of his hand. Grinning, he glanced down in the area he assumed was where his massive cock would be. Stretching out his fingers, they passed over the head of his dick. Pausing, he gripped the shaft and pumped it a few times. Quite a bit of precum pooled on the slit, as he squeezed upward. Leaning down, he licked the tip and straightened. Holding it steady, he lowered himself. Feeling as he was about to fall over, suddenly one of Darren's hands rested on his hips. Grateful, he squeezed his hand harder. Taking a few breaths, he pushed his hole onto Darren's swollen cock. Scared as hell, but determined, he slowly impaled himself. Gasping with pain, he halted in his progress. "Dude, don't worry about it. You don't have to do this."Darren's voice said into the darkness with warmth. The way he said it, he knew Darren wouldn't think any less of him for changing his mind. That fact alone made up his mind to continue. Hissing, he continued to lower himself. Darren, said something urgently, and made to push him away. Not really understanding what he was saying, he ignored him and slapped his hand away that was trying to push him off. Finally coming to rest at the bottom of his shaft, he took a breath and settled himself down to pull himself together. Glad the room was black, he wiped away a few of the tears that had spilled from his eyes. After a few minutes, the pain lessened and he could breath much easier. Bracing his hands on Darren's chest, he pushed upward. the pain returned as he rose and fell slowly. A few more repetitions and the pain dulled enough that he was able to gain speed in his movements. The entire time Darren never let go of his hand. Finally, after what must have been several minutes, he patted Darren chest in acknowledgement he could go faster. Leaning upward, Darren held his face close as he began to thrust harder and harder. A massive hand wrapped around his cock and pumped as their movements became more frantic. "It feels so good Sean...so fucking good." he whispered, pumping his cock fast and hard. "Cum in me Darren." he said, the cock kept pressing against his prostate with every thrust. "Here it comes." he said, shaky. Darren gasped and his movements halted as he released his seed. The hot liquid poured across his prostate. He gave a cry as he came all over Darren's chest, even though his cock wasn't being touched. It felt so strange, and yet so intimate to actually feel cum shooting out of your friends dick inside your ass. Still throbbing and twitching, the last few spurts of semen finally landed across Darren's chest. Both panting, Sean leaned forward and kissed Darren as he shakily pulled himself off his cock. Falling back on the bed, Sean came to rest with his legs splayed open across Darren's thighs. Darren was in the same position, but with his head on the pillows. Two shadows pulled back out of the room and into the hall without Darren or Sean noticing the movement. 35. Pre-Regionals ***the awful spelling between Blaine and Axl are deliberate...it's shortened to reflect how one usually writes text messages. *** He couldn't get the scene out of his mind. Shawn willingly and what looked like forcefully had ridden on Darren's fat cock. What's more, they said nothing about it to him the following morning. Even now, three weeks later, nothing. They were both eating their lunches at the table, chatting up a storm. It was clear their connection was much stronger than with him. He wasn't feeling jealous about their closeness, but was hurt they hadn't confided in him. Maybe they weren't aware of how they truly felt. Now that he actively watched them, the signs were unmistakable. Tomorrow, Blaine and the New Directions would be going to Regionals in Cincinnati. The performance would take place in the Cincinnati Music Hall. He planned to attend in secret. Though not totally sure, he figured Blaine would expect him to show up. His attendance to Blaine's performance a while back had showed him he was full of surprises. Shockingly, Blaine didn't have a solo this time. Amazingly, Blaine didn't seem to mind, even though Axl thought it unfair. Grinning, he texted him to see how his nerves were doing. As he pressed send, his mom came through the doorway. "What are you doing tomorrow Axl?" she asked, moving around the room and collecting dirty laundry. "I'm busy." He replied, staring at his cell. "With?" she asked again, picking up a plate on the floor. He looked up at her and then at the door. Her face softened and she waited patiently. The attitude she had taken after finding out about who he was dating was remarkable. Touched, he felt closer than ever to her. Still, he dreaded the moment he would have to tell his dad. He knew it would have to be done. The fact he loved Blaine meant he planned on him being with him for the rest of his life…he hoped. Sighing he looked up. "I'm going to watch Blaine at the regional's glee competition tomorrow in Cincinnati Music Hall…it's a surprise." He said softly, glancing at the door again. "That's nice honey." She said warmly. "Whatev's" he said, changing back to his usual manner. She ruffed his hair and left the room as his younger brother Brick entered. Glancing at him briefly, he headed to his bed and opened a book and began to read. His cell vibrated and he opened it eagerly. "OK, I guess. A bit nervous but that's nothing new. Im horny." The message ended. Letting out a bark of laughter, he shook his head. Brick looked up for a moment, then returned his attention to the book. Just reading that sentence made him start to feel blood flow south. In his mind, he could picture Blaine sitting on his bed still fully clothed. There would be sizable bulge to his crotch. Taking his hand he would squeeze his confined uncut cock. Eventually the limited contact wouldn't be enough. Unzipping himself, he would pull his leaking member through the opening and let it stand vertical from his body. He'd press his finger into the piss slit and pull back to suck off a dab of precum. "u've got me hard B." he replied. Almost immediately, the phone chimed and he opened the photo message. There it was, Blaine's cock poking through his pants. "show me" "cant. Bricks in the room." He replied, looking over at his younger brother, reading a book in bed as if there was nothing else in the world. "Ah, come on. He won't notice….bet hes just reading a book neways." "lol! Sorry, not gunna chance it." He finished. "sniff sniff" "don't give me that. Next time we meet u can plow me if u want" "k" "lol! That didn't take long." "hehe, well, ive got to take care of this and im gunna get some sleep…big day text u with the outcome Ax. Luv ya!" "ditto B." Sighing, he leaned back on his bed, staring at his ceiling, happy with the world around him. His phone vibrated again, making him look up. Grinning, he suspected it was Blaine with another pic of his activities. Instead, it was from Shawn. "Sup…what u doing?" "NM, I just finished talking to Blaine. I'm going to surprise him at Cincinnati tomorrow." "Oh, well, nm then." "sup?" "well, Darren wanted to know if you wanted to get together and..hang out." Sitting up, Axl had a feeling this was something more than just hanging out. He glanced at his still somewhat hard crotch. Knowing Blaine didn't mind a bit of fooling around, he replied back to Shawn. "I'm up for ne thing u guys wanna do." "u sure?it might be something that Blaine wouldn't want." "we've already talked about this kind of thing…since he's not threatened, its all good dude." "come on over then." Jumping up, he left the room. Passing by the kitchen, he told his mom where he was going. Without further adue, he exited the house and walked down the sidewalk and across the yard to his friend's house. Barely knocking on the door, Shawn greeted him and held it open. Immediately, he headed for his bedroom. Darren had just arrived so he was just opening the door. Inside, he waited for Shawn to enter. Closing the door, he locked it. Suddenly, the room was quiet and the three of them looked at each other nervously. "Look, we don't have to watch you know…do you want to just go for it?" he asked, feeling his pulse racing. "Sure, um…I'd be ok with kissing too." Darren mumbled quietly. Nodding, he looked from one to the other. It seemed they stood there for ages without making a move. Finally, Shawn walked close to Axl and dropped to his knees. Zipper being tugged down, he reached in through his boxers and pulled out his cock. Hand dropping, Axl placed it behind Shawn's head. Darren jumped off the bed and laid on his back on the floor. Scooting forward he pushed beneath Shawn's crotch. Grunting, Shawn shuffled around until Darren had better access to his it. Axl smirked at Shawn, who had his lips sucking on his cock. Winking, he reached behind with his other hand and pulled at Darren's pants. Looking down, he couldn't help but notice the extra-large bulge in his crotch. Shawn had finally found the zipper and pulled it down. Using his own hand, Darren unbutton his jeans and pulled out his meat. Eyeing the monster, he looked at Shawn with new appreciation. To fit that inside his ass was just incredible. He burned to ask him how it was done. Knowing that if he were to speak aloud his thoughts, their friendship could end. Biting his tongue, he dropped to his knees. Cock slipping out of Shawn's mouth, instead his tongue forced its way in Shawn's mouth. Darren looked up to find Axl's cock touching his forehead. Grinning, he maneuvered himself so he could lick both members at the same time. Shawn moaned into the kiss as the tongue continued sliding along his cock. Thrusting forward he met Axl's cock, beginning to bat it back and forth. The kiss changed into a smile after a few moments. Darren chuckled below and began to pull out both of their jeans. Reluctantly, they pulled back and pushed the material down. Looking up, Axl noticed the time and wondered about how much longer they had before they were no longer alone. Opening his mouth to ask, Shawn pushed him further down until his mouth met his stiff dick. Darren was sucking on his balls as he pulled back. Glancing down, he pushed Shawn back enough that he could get his lips onto Darren's. Humming, Darren allowed the move and pushed himself forward for better access. Shawn stood while they kissed. Pulling at his pants, he yanked them down and turned around to face Darren's cock. Bending, he leaned in and wrapped his lips around the massive head. Making a deep moaning sound, Darren dropped his head to the floor as he felt the wetness surround his aching member. Grinning, Axl scooted back and looked straight forward at Shawn's exposed hole. Pursing his lips, he shook his head and dove in. His tongue attacked the puckered rim. Shawn's moan replaced Darren's, though not as deep. "How much time do we have Shawn?" he asked, reluctantly patting his ass affectionately. "Proly roud hurd min" came a muffled reply. Darren pulled off his cock and gave a laugh. Chuckling, Axl rose and leaned over his back. His hand dropped to the floor on Shawn's left side as his chest came to rest on his back. Taking hold of Shawn's short hair, he pulled him off Darren's cock. There was a soft chuckle from below as he felt Darren pull his crotch closer until Axl felt his dick press against the back side of Shawn's member. He froze as he felt Darren try to take both of their lengths into his mouth. Pausing for a moment, he shook his head and dropped his hand to the other side of Shawn's body. "What did you say?" he asked, knowing he'd understand better without his mouth being filled. "Probably around thirty minutes." He replied, then pulled his head forward out of his grasp. His head dropped and went back to servicing Darren. Reluctantly, he pulled back out of Darren's mouth. Rising a bit, he aimed his cock at the wet hole. Pushing forward gently, he let his member slide through the crease until the base of his shaft rested on Shawn's tailbone. Freezing, Shawn looked back at him. "I'm not going to fuck you dude, I'm just fucking your cheeks." He explained, pushing them together. Shrugging, he went back to work. The act didn't last long before he moved around Shawn until he came to rest between Darren's thighs. Laying on his stomach, he crawled forward and worked on his nuts while Shawn continued sucking the meat. With every lick, he ground himself into the floor to keep his hardness. Gently, he pushed at Shawn's head and had him turn around to face the other boy. They chuckled and he dropped his weight atop Darren, grinding into him. Axl grinned and pushed lightly at Darren's hips until his pelvis lifted off the floor. Diving in, he pushed his tongue into his hole. There was a groan and he pushed upward with more force. Standing, Axl patted Shawn. Turning Shawn pulled him down and he found himself in a three way kiss. Awkwardly, they ground there members together, moaning and thrusting. Pulling back, he pulled on Shawn and pointed to the bed. Shrugging, Shawn rose and sat. Shaking his head, he turned him around and had him lay face down completely nude. He motioned for Darren to join him. Together, they began eating into his ass and licking his back and neck. Grinding into his bed, Shawn dropped one hand to the side of the mattress and the other gripping the headboard. Darren rose and ground his huge cock into his crack, each thrust deeper than the last. By this time, Shawn was shaking. "Turn over. Don't touch yourself, we'll finish you off. Your house, you get to go first. Then Darren, then me. Sound cool?" he asked, flipping him over. There was a nod but it didn't matter, they were both already getting to work. Axl kissed him hard before moving down to his nipples while Darren worked at his cock. Loud slurping sounds came from below as he moved up and down the shaft. Though it would be funner for him than Shawn, he didn't care and dove down and attacked his pits. The sweet slightly salty taste tingled his taste buds cringing a bit, Shawn relaxed as he moved over to the other pit. Finished, he pulled back and turned around. Licking his way down his lower chest he came to the vast pubic bush. Patting Darren's cheek, he pointed between Shawn's legs. Nodding, Darren pulled his thighs apart and push his hips up. Axl, wrapped his lips around the head while Darren tongue fucked Shawn's ass. "Oh, fuck….don't stop." Came Shawn's shaky voice. Darren's eyes flicked up at him. Though his mouth wasn't visible, he read the crinkles on his forehead that signaled amusement. Winking, he gripped the shaft and began working up and down fast. "Push your finger in his ass dude, he's ready." He whispered, knowing Shawn's heavy moans would mask his words. Pulling back, his lips went down to his nuts while his finger dug into the tightness of his ass. There was a hiss, then his body started to lurch faster and faster. Grunting, Shawn's chest came to a halt, muscles tightening. Cock shaking, Axl felt the hot fluid rush into his mouth. After a moment, Darren roughly shoved his face out of the way and took the rest of Shawn's seed. Grinning, Axl turned and pressed his lips into Shawn's as he came down off his high. Panting, Shawn sat up and looked around as if he couldn't see anything. After moment, Axl felt Shawn shifting off the bed. Turning, he noticed Darren pushing Shawn's body off the bed roughly. Shaking, he watched as he took Shawn's place, face down into the pillow. Standing, Shawn grinned and crawled down to Darren's now sweaty hole. Like before, Axl rubbed his upper back and worked his way down. Darren turned himself over and looked down at them. Axl leaned down for the kiss and trailed to his ear. Blowing hot air inside, he lightly chewed on the lobe before attacking each of the boys' pits. He heard a chuckle but he could care less as he worked his way to the massive cock below. Evan as he looked at it, he could see the length twitching with his heart beat. Small droplets of precum pooled at the piss slit. Leaning down, he massaged the underside of his shaft while Shawn worked at his hole. He couldn't get even five inches of his at least eight inch cock, mainly because of the thickness. Shifting, he took Shawn's place and dug at his ass while he moved upward and sat down on Darren's chest, facing his cock. Slurping at the massive nuts, he pulled his ass apart and pushed his tongue inside the crease to the puckered hole. Darren shook as he pushed a finger inside. Probing the interior, he finally found the bundle of nerves that was his prostate. He had barely pressed into it when he felt it contract. Glancing up, he watched Shawn desperately trying to take as much of Darren's load into his mouth as possible. Grinning, he just kept digging his finger in until the twitching stopped. Feeling himself shake with excitement, he crawled forward and laid face down. Immediately, a tongue pushed into him and he groaned. Grinding himself into the mattress he moaned and felt kissing all over his lower back. There was a pause and some slight whispering. "Axl?" came Shawn's voice. "Hmm?" he asked, grinning into the pillow. "You don't have to but…can we…umm…do you?" he asked, voice so quiet he could barely hear him. Eyes opening, he lifted himself and looked around. They were both staring at him anxiously. Biting his lip, he glanced down at Darren's huge cock. He knew it would hurt like hell if he let him. "Text Blaine and ask. If he says yes, you can." He said, voice shaky. There was a scramble off the bed as they dove for his clothes. His mood lightened as he heard their urgency. He kind of hoped Blaine would decline their request, not wanting to be destroyed. The room was silent for a few minutes before there was a bing and a vibrating sound. Turning, he looked at their faces to guess the answer. Inwardly, he felt his heart feel a bit better as their faces fell somewhat. Just as he turned his head back around, he heard another chime. This time, he saw the smirks appear on their faces. They looked up and grinned at him. "Well, your safe today. Blaine said the next time we have a party he said we could plow you hard, just not tonight." They chuckled. Rolling his eyes, felt his body flipped over. "Look how relieved he is." Said Shawn. He felt himself blushing. "Well, of course, my cock isn't exactly small…though it's bigger than both of yours." He chuckled. Axl lifted his hand and flipped him off as Shawn chuckled and bent down. Mouths meeting, he growled as he felt wetness surround his cock. Groaning, he thrust upward as Shawn nibbled on his ear. Passing his pits, Shawn bit down lightly on his nipples before sliding down to his navel. Darren lifted his hips and he felt that incredible tongue push its way inside. Shawn sat on his chest and worked at his swollen cock. A finger pushed inside him, but didn't hit the spot. Frustrated, he growled at the lack of pressure to his prostate. Shawn pulled back and Darren's lips wrapped around the head. Turning, Shawn glanced at his pits. Sighing, he leaned down and pushed his arm up. Shawn's lips and tongue dug into his right pit at the exact moment Darren pressed into that glorious spot. Gasping, he shot his load into Darren's hungry mouth as Shawn lifted his head and went down on the opposite pit. Panting, and cursing, he came to a halt. Totally spent, he looked down at them. Both smiling, they patted his belly. Sitting up, he was about to say something when he heard a car pull up the drive way. Wide eyed, they hurried over to their clothes. Just as there was a knock on the door, they were clothed once more. 36. Regionals Part 1 ***hope you all like it...I was going to describe every move the Glee members make during the song, but it was just too confusing because the vocals are so different...so I just described it at the beginning and the ending of the song. Sorry if it's confusing but it's just that kind of song...if you don't understand go listen to the Hymn of the Acxiom on you-tube and you'll see why I didn't write out every move. *** "_**And now, from McKinley High, the New Directions!"**_ roared the announcer. Axl had sat as close as he could to the stage. The enormous building hadn't been hard to find. He had awoken early this morning and went through which clothes he should wear. Never having been to a show like this, he was unsure. So, he just dressed in nice jeans with a simple long sleeved dark red button up shirt. Figuring he would be getting no action, he wore underwear. Blaine had asked him he didn't know how many times to start to wear briefs or at least boxer-briefs. Grudgingly, he had actually had to go and buy some from the store. He didn't really like his junk being confined so much, but he had to admit it made his bulge more impressive. The two hour trip seemed like it took forever, but he finally made it. Parking was a nightmare. He guessed he should have checked the net to see where it would be best to park. A large red brick building was the site of the hall. Originally, it was three separate buildings, but was eventually connected and became an impressive structure. Each side of the raised stage looked like white lattice work the arched over head into an elegant carved dark wood finish. Directly overhead was an enormous chandelier hanging below a smaller domed ceiling with some sort of art. In his seat, he had looked around casually to see who the crowd consisted of most. Mostly parents, but there were some teens as well. Most likely from different schools, they sat together and acted superior to everyone else. A couple of cute chicks winked at him and gave him the eye. Before Blaine, he would have acted on the instant, joining them and trying to do anything to get close to them. Now, he was content and just looked forward to what the New Directions would do. Five other groups had already performed on. They sounded nice and even danced kind of neat, but he just couldn't really get into it. Being a sports guy, the whole affair was rather boring, but he'd do anything for Blaine. Also, he knew this performance would determine who would move on to the next step in competition at nationals. Each group had performed three songs, usually one slow one, and two others that were faster and with more pop art like. He looked down at the program. Most of the songs he recognized, but were a bit different from the original. Performing last, the New Directions would shift over to one side while all the rest of the groups would join them on stage for the awards. The lights overhead dimmed and the audience grew silent. A light yellow glow shone down upon the stage as a group of girls stood in a circle while the boys hummed behind them. Suddenly, the tempo shot up and the group began to jump and move around on stage to the song All Night. It was much better than the other groups, though he was most likely bias. Glancing around, it seemed the people around him were enjoying it just as much though. Lights switched from yellow to blue to an orange, then back to a soft yellow as it ended. Rising, he roared along with the crowd. He was just able to make out Blaine crouching next to a blond haired girl. Not sure, but he thought he detected a smile appearing on his face. Waiting to sit down last, he wanted Blaine to see him. Again, the lights dimmed and the stage glowed a deep blue color as the guys came forward and stood almost at the edge as a bouncy tune began. Now he was sure Blaine saw him because there was a smirk. Sitting up straighter, he gave him full attention, though he already done that. The girls moved forward yanked on their arms until they were dragged backward singing some song he didn't know. Looking down at the pamphlet, it was called Tilt and was an original song. Not knowing what that meant, he leaned back and watched. They paired off and danced lively as the song built. A couple moved forward and did some sort of jig that reminded him of clogging while the rest of the guys left the stage. To be honest, he didn't like it but the people around him loved it. He rose and applauded, and could make out a wink from Blaine. "I can't believe they're closing with a ballad." A girl said to her friend right in front of him. "I know, that's so risky…what's it called?" her friend replied. "Oh, love this song, it's the Hymn of the Acxiom." She whispered excitedly as the guys returned to the stage, now dressed in dark red suits with silver lining the sides. Blaine looked so hot it that outfit. The lights dimmed as a midnight blue light shone down on the stage as fog began to roll across the floor. Surprised, the effect was unbelievable as two girls and Blaine stood just to the left of the center as the others stood in threes, all facing different ways. The audience became deathly silent as the song began. Almost in whispers, he leaned forward to make it out as the trio started. _**Somebody hears you, you know that, you know that **_ The trios quickly rearranged themselves, but all looked backwards as Blaine and the girls walked towards the center of the stage. _**Somebody hears you, you know that inside **_ The groups all turned and walked forward through the fog as the trio walked past the center and to the other side of the stage as the phrase ended. _**Someone is learning the colors of all your moods **_ All the groups converged and sang while the trio held on to the word "moods" _**Say just the right thing and **_ The trio joined the others in and sang in unison _**Show that you're understood **_ The group became silent as the trio finished the phrase— _**Here you're known. **_ The trio continued as the boys added their voices, keeping their heads facing the audience. The other girls walked forward and placed themselves on every other side of the boys, and looked off to the right. _**Leave your life open, you don't have, you don't have. **_ The girls looked forward and walked in front of the guys as Blaine and the two girls stayed put. _**Leave your life open, you don't have to hide. **_ The guys held the girls and pulled them to the side before starting to walk slowly forward to join the trio. _**Someone is gathering every crumb you drop, these **_ _**minding decisions and moments you long forgot. **_ _**Keep them all **_ _**Let our formulas find your soul. **_ _**we'll divine your artesian source **_ _**in your mind **_ _**Marshal feed and force **_ _**our machines will **_ _**To design you a perfect love- **_ _**Or**_ _**better still **_ _**a perfect lust. **_ _**O how glorious, glorious: **_ _**a brand new need is born **_ _**Now we possess you, you'll own that, you'll own that. **_ _**Now we possess you, you'll own that in time. **_ _**now we build you an endlessly upward world, **_ _**reach in your pocket **_ _**embrace you for all you're worth **_ _**Is that wrong? -**_**the trio sang ** _**Isn't**_**—**the blond headed girl sang while the rest of the paused words were sung by the entire group _**this what you want? **_ _**Amen **_ The group held the last word for an extremely long time, the pitches changing chords from dissonant to melodic and finally ended harmonically. The audience roared as the lights faded as a dark violet light was shone on the retreating fog, with the group's silhouettes holding arms and looking in different directions. Axl stood stunned, never having heard anything like what he just witnessed. Feeling his mouth hanging open, he looked at Blaine who was smiling at him. He shook his head and mouthed "Om my god" to him. Nodding Blaine hugged the group around him as the fog slowly dissipated. An announcer walked onto the stage as the crowd continued to applaud. It went on for what felt like ages until finally settling down. If New Directions didn't win he was going to be pissed. The other groups filed onto the stage as the lights from the audience brightened enough to see everyone around him. He wanted to run up on stage to see him, but knew that wasn't an option. It had been two weeks since he had last seen Blaine. Noticing movement from the stage, he looked up. Blaine raised his hand to indicate to contact him through texting. Giving a thumbs up, he opened his phone. Not quite sure what to say, he just winged it. "u guys were so good." He wrote, knowing it didn't adequately cover what it was like to watch them. "**Ladies and gentlemen please take your seats for the awards ceremony."** Sitting back, he waited as the announcer started the awards. To him, it was taking far too long to say who the winners were. The crowd had already shown who they supported. Though, he guessed that the judged might have been looking for different qualities in how to score each group. Some group from Kentucky placed third, but there was a long wait for the last two placements. Several of the people standing on stage were literally bouncing on their toes in anticipation. "**Moving on to nationals with first place at regionals….we have tie. Both the top groups will move on. Congratulations to all!" **the announcer barely got through it when the place went nuts. Grinning wildly, he made eye contact with Blaine for a brief moment before he was surrounded from other members of his group. Looking to the side, he wanted to know what they thought of a tie. To him, a tie wasn't win, just a compromise. Personally, he thought the New Directions were much better than the others. Thinking back, he had to admit they were really good too. Shaking his head, he wondered how Blaine and the group had traveled here. Figuring they must have traveled by bus he made his way through the mass of people and into the aisle. Having no idea where to find Blaine, he walked over to a bench by a large window near the entrance. Taking a seat, he watched the people around him as they exited the building. It felt like an eternity sitting there, before someone tapped him on the shoulder. Jumping slightly, he turned grinned at Blaine. Standing, he wrapped him in his arms and hugged with all his might. Chuckling, Blaine gave him a brief kiss to the neck where no one could see. Standing close, they walked through the doors, hiding their joined hands from those around them. "You guys were amazing. I loved that last song you did." He got out, as they walked along the sidewalk in front of the building. "Me too. Mr. Shu proposed it to us and we all liked it. I can't really say I don't believe you showed up. To be honest, I kind of expected it." Blaine said softly, looking at him. "I was afraid of that. Still, I'm glad I made it at any rate." He replied. "I'm still touched Ax. Can I say something that might make you mad?" he asked, a hint of a smirk on his lips. He halted and raised his eyebrows at him. "I'm surprised your car could make it all the way down here." He chuckled. Grinning, he punched his shoulder and continued along the road. "How did you get here? A bus?" "Yeah. We have around thirty minutes before we leave for home. So…" he mumbled, his voiced giving a hint of excitement. Snorting, he intertwined their fingers and walked on in silence. "Do you think Mr. Shu would let you ride home with me? I can take you home so you don't have to ride the bus. Would he go for that do you think?" he asked anxiously, looking at the descending sun. "I can ask. He's pretty cool about stuff like that." He said curiously. "Well, just in case, let's find some place secluded, I'm horny as hell." He said, shifting his weight from side to side. Blaine smirked and glanced down, where his smirk transformed into confusion. "I'm wearing briefs, so you can't tell how hard I am." He said, voice shaky. "Well, we better take care of it shouldn't we?" he said, glancing down at his own bulge. He couldn't help but noticed there wasn't a whole lot of places around that would hide them very well. Biting his lip, he looked at the large trees in the small park across the street. Blood was pumping into his cock, starting to make it ache. He wanted fuck Blaine like crazy but that wasn't going to be possible. A hand or blow job would have to do he guessed. Looking both ways, he crossed the street quickly with Blaine beside him. The way they were walking he was sure someone would notice and know what they were up to. Not really caring, he picked two trees that were fairly close to each other and walked around to the side that was in shadow. Blaine slammed him against the tree, pushing his lips on his. Hungrily, he nipped at the tongue as it darted in and out. Groaning, they ground into each other. Feeling the hard cock pressed against his own drove him crazy. A tug on his zipper alerted him to Blaine's already moving hand. Mirroring the act, reached in and grabbed on his swollen dick. Blaine groaned at the pressure. The hand reached in his own and grabbed his. Thrusting forward, he felt Blaine's mouth form a smirk. "Your cock feels so good underneath those tight briefs Ax. It makes me want to bend over and let you fuck the shit out of me." He growled, digging his fingers between the flaps in the front. "I want to plow you so hard." He whispered into his ear, letting his tongue dart into it. "Too bad….looks like I'm just going to have to suck you off, huh?" Blaine teased, pulling his weeping cock through the opening in his jeans. "Yea, get to it." He said, then pulled him for and growled into his ear "and make it good." "Mmmm." Blaine hummed dropping to his knees. A glorious hot wetness surrounded his hard cock. He gasped and bit his lip as his tongue wrapped around the head. Reaching down, he took hold of Blaine's head and moved it back and forth quickly. With each bob, more and more of his length was inserted into his wanting mouth. A hand reached between his legs and dug into his nuts still confined into the underwear. Groaning louder, he widened his stance and held Blaine's head still. Using his hips, he pounded his meat in and out of his mouth with urgency. Feeling his nuts tightening, he let out a weak moan. Abruptly, Blaine pulled back and away. Gasping, he glared down at him. Shaking his head, he pointed down at his own cock. His fly was open, but his cock was still confined. Apparently, Blaine wanted them to come together. Nodding, he switched places with his boyfriend. Shoving him against the tree, he reached in and pressed on the hard lump. Blaine's head tilted back and raised to the sky. Grinning, he got to his knees and leaned forward. Pressing his lips against the cotton covered cock, he could feel each heart beat that flowed into the meat. The slightly curved member pulsed, almost enough that he could make out the veins even beneath the fabric. He couldn't quite make out the head as his foreskin covered it. Trying to use his teeth to open the front of his briefs, he finally gave up. Reaching in, he pulled out Blaine's throbbing cock. The moment it met fresh air, he could feel the heat coming from it. Darting his tongue into the foreskin, he poked at his piss slit. Groaning, Blaine reached down and entangled his fingers in his hair and began to move it back and forth. Taking his hand, Axl wrapped it around the shaft and gripped it hard. Releasing his tight hold, he began to work the length back and forth quicker and quicker. Using his lips, he pushed the foreskin all the way to the base and finally let his tongue wrap all the way around the swollen head. "Shit." He moaned loudly. His lips smirked somewhat, haven't heard that curse very often from the boy before. Somewhere behind them, he heard a couple of people talking. Mouth still around his lovers cock, he let his eyes dart upward to meet the other's. There wasn't any concern on the boy's face, so he let his eyes drop again. Blaine's veins on his cock bulged more than his own. The uncut cock was thicker than his own, meaning there was less room for it to squeeze through the opening of his underwear. Along with that, the foreskin also restricted the blood flow. Feeling the shaft twitch, he figured it was time. Glancing up again, he eyed him questioningly. Blaine nodded, and rose to press their lips together. Kissing, their hands formed holes and wrapped around each other's bothered cocks. Still facing each other, they kissed and thrust forward, each one fucking into the other's hand. Tongues battling, they turned so their back pressed against the trunk of the tree. Neck still turned sideways, they continued to kiss as they felt their release coming. Feeling a tug below, he pulled back just a bit to let Blaine know he was ready. Smiling sweet, Blaine nodded and gripped him tighter. "Faster B." he whispered, his breathing starting to shake from the building of nerves and sensations fueling his body to release. Nodding again, he sped up, and also twisted his hand just around the head. That's all it took, and he was seeing white. Gasping, he let it go and stared into Blaine's eyes as the first rope shot from his member. The feeling became too much and his legs became wobbly from the power of his orgasm. He grunted moan, letting his head drop onto Blaine's shoulder as the release began to fade. Blaine's hand let go and he brought it to his lips. Sticking his tongue out, Blaine slurped what was left of his seed on his hand. Grinning, he turned and dropped to his knees. Blaine made a move as to ask him to stand. Shaking his head, he wanted Blaine's load to shoot into his own mouth. Smiling weakly, he nodded. Axl leaned in and sucked on his foreskin for a few moments before wrapping his lips around the head and letting Blaine thrust into his mouth. Hissing, Blaine held onto Axl's hair and widened his feet and slowly thrust forward. A hand reached in and griped is nuts through the underwear. Grunting, Blaine released his seed into his mouth. Axl grinned as he felt the hot liquid hit the back of his throat. The taste was salty yet sweet, and he savored every drop. He squeezed the last bit out of the still twitching cock and finally pulled back. Standing, he realized how wobbly his legs felt. Grinning stupidly, he leaned in and kissed Blaine hard. The kiss lasted for a while before they pulled back. Glancing down, his own cock had grown soft and retreat naturally back into his underwear. Blaine's was still a bit chubby, but was starting to deflate before his eyes. Stretching, Blaine kissed his cheek as he zipped himself up as Axl did the same. Glancing around, they emerged from behind the trees and walked back toward the street to ask Mr. Shu if Blaine could ride with him. 37. Regionals Part 2 He stood back, watching Blaine speak to his teacher. Even from this close, he couldn't read the man's face. Eyes darted over and inspected his form. Under the man's gaze, he felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. After moment, the expression softened on the teachers face and he nodded at Blaine. Elated, Axl felt his mouth twitch into a smile as Blaine turned and nodded, then walked onto the bus. Confused, Axl wondered at him. After a few moments, he exited the bus with a backpack and walked over to him. Raising his hand in thanks, the man nodded and stepped onto the bus. Immediately, Sam poked his head out the window and smirked at him. Grinning, he turned away as Blaine stood by him and waved. Intertwining their, fingers, he dragged Blaine back towards the way they came. "I can't believe he let you stay with me." He said, walking alongside him. "He's a good guy. He knew me before any of the others from Glee club when he came and visited Kurt at Dalton Academy just after we sang a song together. To tell the truth, he turned me on a lot more than Kurt ever did." He confessed. "You had a crush on your teacher?" he asked, choosing to ignore the other name in his tale. "Haven't you?" he shot back, raising an eyebrow at him. "No." he chuckled. Blaine stopped and stared at him. Squirming under his gaze he relented and told him about the teacher Shawn, Darren, and he had used in a music video last year because of her looks. Still, he maintained he didn't have crush on her, just thought she was hot for a teacher. Glancing at the pack he gave him a questioning look. Shaking his head, he indicated it was just clothes. He supposed Blaine couldn't walk around in the outfit he was wearing. Wearing a jacket, he was still in the dark red suit with silver trimming as he wore during their last number. Continuing on their way, he looked for a bathroom and found one easily. Wanting nothing for but to go in there and do him, he restrained himself as Blaine entered. Sitting on a bench nearby, he must have waited for at least ten minutes before walked back over to him. "What took you so long?" he asked, standing. "Oh, well…" he broke off, glancing at him nervously. "I thought you'd come in side and ravage me while I was unaware." He said, smirking. Letting out a bark of laughter, he reached for his hand and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought about it, but I want to wait until we're in private and we can make as much noise as we want. It's been over two weeks since we've been inside each other, and I want to take my time." He said, smiling softly at him. Blaine tightened his hold as they walked slowly onward. He wondered what they should do in the meantime. They hadn't really done much together that involved being clothed the entire time. Supposing he'd have to find out how compatible they were doing normal things, he relished what was to come. Hearing a rumble from Blaine, he grinned as he recognized the rumble of a hungry stomach. Knowing he didn't have much money, he tried to think of which fast food place to go to. He was determined to give Blaine a good dinner. Instead, Blaine shook his head and kissed his cheek. "Just because you're more macho than me, doesn't mean you have to pay for everything. You're driving me home, the least I can do is pay for dinner for us." He said warmly. "Kay, but no place too expensive." He said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Alright, but I get to choose what restaurant." Blaine declared, slightly nudging Axl with his hips so he stumbled to the side. Grinning, he looked Blaine up and down, feeling a bit more frisky. "Have you ever wrestled?" he asked him, enjoy the look of surprise. "Yes, actually, when I was in middle school and a freshman in high school." He said. "Really?" he asked. Shocked. "Yeah. I dropped out of it after freshman year because when I came out no one wanted to wrestle with me." He explained, looking down at the sidewalk. Axl wanted to ask why, but he knew that answer to that question. Before Blaine, he wouldn't want to wrestle a guy he knew would only relish feeling his goods. Still, it was clear he would be good at the sport. His thighs were strong and he wasn't exactly tall. The shorter stature would aid him in combat with another wrestler. "Do you wrestle?" Blaine inquired, looking at the street they were about to cross. "Nah," he said. "My sports are football, basketball, and baseball. My first basketball game is next week. Last year I started but I don't this year. It sucks because I'm good." He reasoned. "I'm sure you are." He said as they crossed the street. "I am!" he said, looking up. "I believe you Axl." He chuckled, nudging him to the side. Blaine's POV He smiled at the junker remembering the first time he and Axl met. It was where he had touched his cock for the first time. Throwing his bag into the back seat, he sat down and watched as Axl joined him. The door closed and Axl reached over and pulled him in by his shirt. His tongue forced its way inside his mouth. Humming, he grinned and finally pulled away. Reaching down, Axl took hold of his hand and set it in his lap. Chuckling, he squeezed his bulge hard. Groaning, he started the car and backed out of the parking spot. Hand still on his crotch, he unzipped the jeans and reached inside. Axl's shaft lay against his groin, throbbing with his heartbeat. There was a damp spot near the elastic band. Precum had almost leaked through the fabric. Turning onto the street, they made their way north. Not sure where to eat, they drove slowly. Though his hand was still on Axl's crotch, there wasn't anything really sexual going on. They talked about how their classes were going and even a bit more about their family. Ahead, Blaine noticed Applebee's and figured it would be perfect. Pointing, Axl followed the line of his finger and nodded at the building. Pulling into the lot, he parked close. Reluctantly, he removed his hand and zipped him back up. Leaning in, Axl kissed him on the cheek. Opening the door, he stepped out of the car and closed it. He walked over to Axl and started towards the door. Wanting to hold his hand, he restrained himself. Instead, Axl reached over and took his. Touched, he squeezed it tightly. Once inside, he assumed the contact would be lost be he was surprised yet again. A waitress came over and smiled at the interlocked hands and asked if they wanted a table or booth. Telling her to surprise them, she chuckled and made her way through the crowded area. Walking through, he couldn't help but noticed everyone staring at their hands. Uncomfortable, he tried to pull away but Axl just held on. It seemed he was going all out in this place. Since no one would know him, Blaine could expect Axl to behave how a confident and proud boyfriend should. Breathing heavy from emotion, he looked down at his feet as they made their way through the crowded restaurant. They didn't walk far, but it seemed the waitress took them on a route that was on the edge, instead of through the center space. He assumed she was trying to lessen their exposure to the masses. Finally seated, he looked around and was glad to see the stares were gone, or at least most of them. There was a family sitting a ways behind Axl that was gawking. As soon as they met Blaine's eyes, they looked away and concentrated on their own food. It had been a long time since he'd been to an Applebee's, so it took him a while to decide. A waiter soon approached them asking for their drinks while they decided what to eat. He ordered tea while Axl ordered root beer. Smirking, he expected a guy like him to drink soda more than him. The waiter brought the drinks over as they decided to go for the two for twenty deal. Ordering mozzarella sticks as an appetizer, Axl chose the seven ounce sirloin steak meal while he stuck with the three cheese chicken penne. "Thanks for feeding me B." said Axl warmly. "Don't worry about it. We've got to build up our energy if you know what I mean." He grinned. "You bet your sweet hairy ass I do." He said enthusiastically, a bit louder than he meant. Blaine dropped his head and snorted as a couple of girls looked over at them. Glancing up, he caught the smirk on Axl's face, though his ears were a bit pink. Lifting a foot, he set it between Axl's legs on his seat. Expression changing into nervousness, he glanced around. When no one seemed to notice, he scooted forward a bit. Grinning, Blaine let his foot rub against Axl's crotch. "So you think you should be a starter for the basketball team?" he asked Axl, wanting to know even more about him. "Yea dude, I'm great at it." He said earnestly. "Well, why do you think they dropped you that spot?" "Not sure, but I guess it could be because I called the coach a "Tube sock" "A what?" he laughed into his drink. "A tube sock." He said with a grin. "Yea….if I was your coach and you called me that I don't think I'd be too happy." He said. "But I'm good. If they want to win they have to put me in. The others are good too, but I really wanted to start. It's my senior year and I did start the past two years. I guess that's it though." He said glumly. "I always liked basketball more than the other sports" he said, considering Axl. "I wonder why. The guys wear shorts and they're actually pretty close to the crowd." He said with a raised eyebrow. "Guilty. But it's still easier for me to understand than football. There are so many different plays in that sport, but in basketball, I don't know." He gave up, not sure how to explain. "I gotcha B." he said, leaning over the table and kissing him quickly on the lips. Again, no one noticed except the family behind Axl. Shaking his head, he smiled at him and looked as he caught movement off to his right. The waiter was approaching with two large trays and a folded table hung over his shoulder. Setting the table down, he used it to hold their meals while he handed them out. Taking their glasses, he left to refill them as they dug in. The long and exhausting day had taken a toll on his stomach. Even as he raised the fork to his mouth his stomach gave a huge rumble. Axl looked at him, then went back to his own food. Ravenous, they barely said another word until their plates were empty. Too full to order dessert, they sat there for a while. "You wanna stay the night Ax?" he aside, pretty sure he knew the answer. "We gunna be alone?" he asked, but his facial expression said it didn't matter if they were or not. "Parents are gone, but Coop's staying with us this weekend. He won't be any bother." He finished. "Well, that's cool with me." He grinned widely. "Good, I was readying myself to beg." "You will never have to do that with me." Handing his card to the waiter, he waited while he ran it and finally brought it back with the receipt. Thanking him, he looked at Axl, tilting his head to the side in question. Nodding, they rose and Axl held his hand again as they walked through the building and out into the night. Darkness had finally crept overhead as they sat down in Axl's car. Roaring to life, they exited the lot and made their way back to I 75 on their way back to his house. The ride was almost in complete silence, both tired and wanting to conserve their strength. Almost abruptly, Axl turned and looked at him. "What?" he asked. "Well…this may be a bit odd, but how did you learn about…jerking off?" he asked, a strange tone in his voice. "Umm…I don't really wanna say" he said, feeling his ears burn. "Why?" he asked. Stealing himself he glanced over and took a breath. "I walked in on Cooper jerking off and I wanted to know to know what he was doing. He said I was too young to know and I threatened to tell our mom and dad." He said, cringing at his past blackmail. "Ha! That's great. How old were you?" He said in good humor. Feeling his anxiety lessen, he went on with his answer. "I think ten or eleven. I made to leave the room but he stopped me by jumping off his bed and ran to close the bedroom door before I could. He was completely naked and hard." He said, then went on. "I told him to show me or else. He finally agreed and went to his bed and did the deed, or at least started to. I was fascinated and reached over and touched him, not knowing what I was doing or that it was wrong for brothers to touch each other like that. I copied his movements and actually finished it for him. I was so shocked when…you know…he came that I let go in mid stroke." He said softly, feeling rather sick of his actions. "Dude, that would have been so frustrating, getting a hand job and all of sudden the contact stopped right on the edge of coming." He said, sounding sympathetic to Cooper's plight. "Yea…but we're brothers and it was wrong and gross." He proclaimed. "I know, but I mean, you were too young to know what you were doing. I'm not saying this will ever happen, but if for some reason Brick would walk in on me like that, I would have done the same thing as Cooper. Though, I'm determined it will never happen. I don't jerk off in my room because we share it. I wait until I'm in the shower, or I have you do it for me." He said playfully. Taken aback, he wondered how Cooper had felt to all of the coming to an end like that. Thinking about it, he would have been pissed as hell if that were to happen to him. Shaking his head, he looked up and noticed they were already turning onto his driveway. Suddenly, their collective mood began to change into something more intimate, knowing what they were going to do once inside. Deciding not to wait any longer,he unzipped Axl's jeans even before the car engine was turned off. Blaine reached over and pulled him into a kiss. He gasped as his own zipper was pulled down. At about the same time, both of their hard cocks were pulled out through their brief openings. Sighing, he backed away and headed for the house, cock still poking through. Opening the door, he turned to find Axl charging him down. It was a good thing his parents weren't home because he fell on his ass there in the foyer. Ginning, he ground upward into Axl's cock. "Jesus! Get up to your room to do that!" came Cooper's raised voice. Ignoring him, Axl scooted down and wrapped his lips around the head of his uncut cock. Groaning, he thrust upward. He gasped and bit his lip. Closing his eyes, he let his head drop to the carpet. Opening them, he met Cooper's amused gaze. Not really caring, Cooper looked at him and then down at how Axl was sucking him. As his foreskin was pushed down by Axl's lips, he moaned again, meeting Cooper's eyes before he closed them. Letting his hand drop down, he held Axl's head in place and fucked upward into his hot mouth. There was a sigh and he opened his eyes again to see Cooper wink at him, then walk off. There was a nip, then he felt Axl flip him over. Blaine now looked at the carpet instead of the ceiling. Axl loosened Blaine's belt enough for his jeans to be pulled down just far enough for his hairy ass was on display for Axl, and for anyone who would happen to walk up the steps to his open front door. His hips were pulled up slightly. Axl scooted closer to his backside. For a moment, he was too stunned to realize what his plan was. Only having enough time to slightly turn his head, he felt Axl press into him. Letting out a surprised gasp, he felt the entire length slam into him. "Fuck!" Axl growled, sounding almost in tears with the tightness surrounding his buried cock. Apparently it was louder than he meant because after a few moments, he saw Cooper's shoes appear and come to a halt at the entrance from the living room into the entry foyer. "Are you two fucking mad!" he hissed, hurrying forward and slightly pushing their heaving bodies far enough inside he could finally shut the front door. Ignoring him, Axl plunged forward again, his stiff cock poking through the brief and the jean's fly, and into Blaine hot ass. Maneuvering his body into a more authentic doggie style position, Blaine pushed his hands to the floor as his hips were held tight. Axl grunted and gripped tighter as his thrust started to shake. Glancing to the side, he realized Cooper was standing right by them. Giving him a cough, Cooper jumped slightly and walked away. He heard a chuckle coming from Axl as his breath became ragged. A hand reached down and wrapped around his neck and brought him up. Turning his head, he met Axl's mouth as he gave a strangled cry. Hot liquid surged into his entrance and coated the lining of his ass. Smiling into the kiss, he clamped his rim as tight as he could. Giving another hiss, Axl's mouth remained open as the orgasm continued for a few more seconds. Finally, Axl came to a halt and collapsed onto Blaine's back. Placing kisses everywhere his skin was exposed, he reached back and patted his lover. Panting, Axl slowly pulled out, leaving his hole full of cum. Cock still hard, Axl fell back and landed against the front door. Blaine turned and crawled up to him. "I love you. Now, let's get upstairs so I can fuck you." Blaine whispered, nipping at his ear. Nodding heavily, Axl rose and shakily pulled Blaine up. Passing the living room, they looked inside and grinned at Cooper, who was sitting in the chair and smirking at them. Nodding, they passed him and charged up the stairs. Again, they didn't bother to close the door. Fingers shaking, Axl unbuttoned Blaine's shirt with one hand and slowly stroking his uncut cock with the other. He had barely pulled it off before Axl forced his arm up and dug his tongue into his pit. Knowing Axl couldn't see his face, he smirked as he felt the tongue soak the entire area. Deciding to remove all his clothes except his briefs, he noticed Axl's still hard cock poking through the opening. Is seemed like it had been forever since he last pounded into Axl. Still not completely use to bottoming, he always had to go slow at first. Eventually, he wouldn't give him that luxury. Blaine reached down and pulled Axl's jeans off while he pulled his shirt off. Their skin tones were so different it was startling. It didn't really matter though, except he could tell what Axl was feeling just by the shade of pink that would spread throughout his body. Beginning to push does his briefs, Blaine stopped him. They had been together a while now and even though he'd told Axl the first day they met he had a thing about fucking while clothed, it was at this point he had realized he had done that with him yet. Sure, Axl had just plowed him completely clothed downstairs, but he was a bit hot and it would just be too much to handle. Walking up to him, he forced his tongue in his mouth and pushed his back to the bed. Immediately, Axl lifted his own pits, apparently set on them being slathered with his mouth. Chuckling, he bent down and went at it. Axl groaned and thrust upward as his tongue began a rhythm of striking the skin under the mass of hair. Pulling back, he shifted to the edge of the bed. Holding onto Axl's legs, he pulled him along until his ass was on the edge and his legs fell to the floor. Lifting his legs, he pulled just enough of Axl's briefs up his thighs so his tight little ass was accessible. Licking his lips got to his knees and pried his cheeks apart. Pushing his tongue into the puckered hole, he felt Axl shake and moan. Tilting his head upward, he sucked at the underside of his nuts while he pressed his thumb into the rim and gently let it succumb to the heat of his body. There was a hiss, but it was soon stifled as he took in his nuts and finally came to the base of Axl's shaft. Switching fingers, he added another and began to scissor him. He still hissed with each movement, but they became less and less painful. Licking up the shaft, he pressed the tip of his tongue into the piss slit on the head. Axl moaned and reached his arms out and gripped the bedding. Opening his mouth, he took the entire length into the wet space. The fabric of the briefs hid his face, but he was sure Axl's eyes would be shut tight, slightly biting his lip with each time he took more and more of the length in his mouth. Below, he felt his own member throbbing so hard it almost hurt. Each beat of his heart trapped more blood into his cock. The thickness left little room for it to escape through back into his body. Blowing hot air, he backed up and looked down at his member. A thick glob of precum made a pool that was trapped between his head and the end of his foreskin. There was so much, it was almost startling. Standing gently, he walked over to the side of the bed carefully enough that the pool didn't spill over. Turning his head, Axl looked at him funny, "Get down here and suck my precum off my head." He said, almost sounding completely series. Nodding enthusiastically, he turned his body and let Blaine push his cock into his mouth. He felt the suction from the tip, then his tongue dipped into the piss slit for the last bit. Satisfied, he patted his cheek in thanks before returning to stare at Axl's perfect white ass. Bending, he took hold of his legs and pulled them up. Scooting forward, he let his cock sit at the rim of the entrance. Looking up, he watched Axl's eyes as he began to push forward. There was quite a bit of resistance, so he leaned down and mouthed the word "relax". Giving a shaky nod he visibly took a few breathes and gave him a thumbs up. Kissing his thigh, he pushed and it finally sank into the hot wet heat of Axl's tight ass. He bit his lip as he bottomed out. Watching Axl, he waited for a minute or two until his face calmed. It was one of the hardest things to do, not to plow into him hard without mercy. While sitting there, he reached down and pulled his nuts through the opening so they hung below his buried cock. There was a clamping on his dick, causing him to look up at a smiling Axl. Sighing with relief, he slowly pulled back and pushed in again. Still coming to a stop, he let his member sit for less time at each bottoming out until he no longer waited. Building speed, he paused and turned his legs so his knees would be parallel with the bed, giving his hips more room to thrust. His nuts began to slap with each hard thrust until the sound was reverberating around the room. Feeling sure Axl could handle more, so he kept his speed, but pounded into him harder each time. There was a whoosh behind him and he noticed Axl staring at something. Slowing only a bit, he had an idea what he was looking at. Cooper stood a way behind them grinning. Though he didn't mind his brother observing in the slightest, he would have to draw the line if he ever felt him be touched. That was just something he wasn't into. "You can look, but you can't touch" was what he accepted. Axl though, might have a different opinion. He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head to the side to ask. After a moment, Axl shrugged and Cooper took that as a chance to come closer. Suddenly feeling like he was being judged, he kind of wanted to show Coop what he could do. That first time they had done it, Cooper had told him he had expected him to top. Now that he was here, he would actually see did top sometimes. Building speed, he began to blow into Axl harder and harder, causing Axl to let out little gasps. Thankfully, they were gasps of pleasure as time he dipped his cock into his, he turned it so the slightly curved part rubbed at his prostate gland. Straightening, Cooper nodded to Axl and patted Blaine on his brief covered ass as he continued to thrust and left the room. Slowing, he turned and looked at the door. He was so confused and turned to look at Axl, who just laughed at his expression. Feeling a bit more savage, he pulled out and pushed in again. Face changing to shock, he growled at him as he did it again. Reaching down, he realized his hands movements were hidden from Axl's sight by the briefs that were slightly pulled up on his thighs. Discreetly, he reached in and took hold of Axl's rock hard cock and began to jerk it. His hands flew to the sides of the bed as he tried to jerk Axl faster than he had even done before. Eyes widening, he made a face at Blaine that could have meant many things. Not caring, he stroked faster as he felt his own release roaring to climax. He flicked his thumb over Axl's piss slit and cum shot out of Axl's cock everywhere. The speed of his hand literally caused the seaman to take flight and land in all sorts of spots as Axl groaned and whimpered from the sudden orgasm. One last slam, and he buried his cock as deep as possible, feel the cum shoot hard inside Axl. Throbbing and twitching, he wanted to make a bit more of a mess. So while his first few ropes of cum shot deep inside, he quickly pulled at the underwear around Axl's thighs and through them behind him. Then with the last few spurts of his cum he pulled out and let it shoot all over Axl's groin without using his hand to aim it at anything in particular. A couple of ropes landing on Axl's hairy nuts , another one his shaft, and another glanced off his thigh and landed on his chest and lastly, his neck. Shaking, he abruptly fell on his ass to his carpeted bedroom floor. 38. the Quarry The door opened and Gene walked in. Looking a bit weary, he approached Mike. Smiling, he looked up and rose his eyebrows in question. It looked like he was second guessing his move. Finally, he sat looked across at him. "What's up Gene?" he asked, as he finally took a seat. "Um, well." He said, not looking at him. "Gene?" he prompted. "Well, uh, I was down in Cincinnati this weekend because my daughter was at this Glee competition." He said, sounding a bit odd. Not sure where he was going with this, he kept quiet. "After the show we went and ate at Applebee's on our way back. I was surprised to see someone there from here." He said, looking up awkwardly. "Oh?" he asked, feeling he was finally getting to the point. "Well, Axl was there….with a friend." He said, looking cautious. "Really? I had no idea he was down there. Maybe he took his girlfriend for some reason." He reasoned. "No, he wasn't there with a girl, that's for sure." He said, readying himself for something. The way Gene spoke, there was something strange going on. "Maybe it was a friend from school or something. Like tournament nearby." He said, shrugging and looking at Gene with concern. "The friend he was there with was a guy from the Glee team that tied for first." He said quickly and quietly. "I don't really see why that's a problem. If we're done here, I really need you to be getting back to work pal." He finished, a little tiredly. Gene looked almost scared, and as if he was gearing up for trouble. "Mike, he was, uh, holding the guys hand walking in the place and back out. He even leaned over the table and kissed him on the lips." He said quickly, scooting his chair back. "What?" he asked, sure he didn't hear him correctly. When he didn't respond again, he knew he didn't want to say it again. "You must have just been mistaken. Axl wouldn't do that Gene. You must have seen someone that looked like him a whole lot. I need you to get back to work." He said forcibly, but not unkindly. Looking as if he wanted to argue, he shrugged and then nodded. "I guess you're right. Sorry I brought it up.' He said standing and smiling back. Mike stood and returned the smile. Glad to see the man was mistaken, he watched as he walked out of the door. The man was seeing things. He knew for a fact Axl loved chicks. There was no hint of his liking guys at any time in his life. Shrugging, he went back to work and tried to forget the meeting. 39. After School "You wanna come over after school?" Sam asked him, standing by his locker. Turning, he had just pulled out some books and was putting them in his bag. "Um, I guess. Gotta be home by four though. I'm going to watch Axl's first basketball game in Orson." He replied with a smile. "Oh, well, this won't take no time." He said with a smirk. Looking up, he found himself surprised. It had been well over a month since the last time they fooled around. Well, not so much as his birthday orgy. Grinning, he nodded and told him to meet him at his car. Sam usually walked home since it was only a block from school. While in class, he took out his cell to send Axl a message. The teacher never did get mad at anyone who used the phone during class. It seemed Lima High School was home to a large population of inconsiderate pricks. Student's her picked on the overweight lunch lady and were never punished. Teachers that frequently attacked students. Well, that wasn't true. All the attacks had been by principle Sylvester. "Ax, I'm coming to your game. Is that alright?" Almost immediately, he got a reply. "Sounds good to me. We can't really do anything major though…if you know what I mean. Sniff sniff. Grinning, he sent another message. "That's OK. Though that doesn't mean we can't get each other off quickly though…right?" he sent. "Oh, that's a definite. I'm just saying we can't plow each other like we would normally do." "LOL! Sam asked me to come over after school. I'm thinking he wants to fool around. Is that OK with you?" "Yeah, just don't go all the way. Your ass is mine babe!" "I know. It's a lucky ass." "Yes it is!" Letting out a soft chuckle, he glanced around and was pleased to see no one seemed to care. The bell rang and he exited the room and stopped by his locker. Thankfully, there was no homework to worry about tonight. Though Orson wasn't an extremely long drive, it was still long enough that it cut his free time at home short. Dropping off his books, he headed to his car and had just unlocked it when Sam walked up behind him and punched his shoulder. Grinning, he hit back playfully. In the car, they really didn't talk much, as the ride was only a couple of minutes. Once in Sam's house, he followed him to his room. "You know why I asked you to come over right?" Sam asked in a hopeful voice. "Yea, your smirk earlier kind of hinted at it. Why has it taken so long since the last time you asked?" he asked, sitting on the bed. "Oh, well. I just figured the last time we did something probably was enough to last for quite a while. It's not every day your part of a five guy orgy. Which, I have to admit, was freaking hot dude." He chuckled, reaching over and unzipping Blaine's pants. "Yeah…."he trailed off as he felt a hand reach into his underwear and pulling on his hardening member. "What? Did something happen after I left?" he asked, looking up and reaching over lifting Blaine's hand and placing it on his large bulge. Chuckling, he unzipped Sam and unbutton the top. "Not between the four of us still there." He said, then gasped as Sam pulled his hard cock through the opening. "Well, obviously you and Axl fucked more. Did something happen between his two friends?" he asked, standing and walking over until he stood with his crotch right in front of his face. Blaine remained quiet as he pulled at Sam's jeans and watched as they fell to the floor. Sam's uncut cock almost poked out at a ninety degree angle from his groin. Where the tip pressed into the fabric, a small wet spot was forming from his precum. Wanting to keep his mouth quiet about the events that happened between Sean and Darrin, he pulled Sam's briefs down in a quick movement and quickly wrapped his lips around the head of his cock. ****Orson Indiana*** Darrin was sitting in the passenger seat of Sean's car. Since Axl had to stay after for basketball, they were for once alone. Something had built between them that they couldn't put to words. They didn't love each other, or even want to be in a relationship together. But they every time they were along, tension seem to build until they would end up making out. Of course, that didn't happen very often. Rarely were they alone long enough to do this. Today was the first day in weeks that they were guaranteed an empty house. It seemed they had an unspoken acknowledgment of what was to come, as the entire ride was in silence. Turning the car off, they hurried inside. Darrin made his way to Sean's room as he checked the house to make sure it was empty. Through the door, he turned and locked it. Even before his hand left the lock Darrin reached around Sean. Holding him close, he kissed the back of his neck while his other hand grabbed onto his hard cock through his jeans. Pushing his ass back, he let Darrin grind his huge bulge into his backside. As he unzipped his jeans, Sean let out a moan. Grinning, he reached inside and pulled his cock through his zipper. Turning quickly, Sean met his gaze kissed him hard. Moaning in time, they walked backward. With a shove, he found himself laying on top of his bed. Crawling on top of him, him leaned in and kissed him as he tried to unzip his pants. For some reason, Sean couldn't unzip him. Growling, he pulled back and smirked at him. After a moment, Sean scooted himself upward. Sean sat on his knees thrust into Darrin's open mouth. He groaned as he felt the hot wetness surround his member. "Unzip yourself." Sean groaned hoarsely. Chuckling around his the dick in his mouth, he did as he was told. Deciding to go the extra mile, he actually unbuttoned himself and pushed his pants and boxers all the way down as Sean continued thrusting into his mouth. Hand still holding his head in place, Sean reached down and unbuttoned himself as well. Darrin pulled at Sean's jeans and boxers down as he pulled his shirt over his head. Placing his hand on the wall, he balanced on one foot as his became completely naked. Pulling back, he pushed Sean away gently. After a moment, Sean smile and realized he was taking in the complete view. "I don't want to sound gay, but your kind of hot dude. First time I seen you hard in full daylight." Darrin said, feeling heat rise up his face. Looking kind of embarrassed, Sean stood on his bed and stared at him. He nodded when he figured out Sean was waiting for him to drop all his clothes as well. A few weeks ago, when Axl had been over here, it was kind of dark outside and so the lighting wasn't as good as today. Sean stared down at his monster cock. Shaking his head in admiration, he squatted and leaned in. without further hesitation, he wrapped his lips around his hardness. Darrin let his head fall back against the head board as he felt the heat. One of his large hands dropped onto his head as his mouth lowered further and licked at his nuts. Automatically, he lifted his legs into the air. Sadly, Sean didn't go down town. Looking down he planned to frown, but was taken aback by what he saw. In one hand, he held a bottle of lube and squirted quite a bit on Darrin's thick cock. Eye's widening, he looked at him in question. Sean nodded and crawled forward. Their lips met and they ground their members together. Rutting, Darrin felt a twinge of feeling that he felt right before he came. Pressing his hand on Sean's chest and pushing him off, he gave him a warning look. Smiling softly, Sean turned around and presented his hairy hole to him. Licking his lips, Darren pushed his tongue inside the wanting rim. Sean moaned and pushed his ass back harder than ever. Knowing that if he didn't loosen him up, it would hurt more, he spent a long time pressing his fingers inside and stretching his hole. After what felt like ages, Sean pulled his ass out of reach. Glancing back, he nodded and crawled forward and finally settled into a doggy style position. Shaking with anticipation, Darrin grunted as he rocked forward and crawled up to Sean. Placing his hand on Sean's hip, and his dick pressed against his hole, he pushed forward slowly. Sean let out a high pitched whine as his thick head passed through the rim. As Sean let out another gasp, he halted and began to pull out. "No, keep going." He said, staring back. Reluctantly, he pushed all the way in until he felt his groin come in contact with Sean's ass. The feeling was so incredible he shook and placed his head against Sean's back. Placing kisses, he rose and pulled back and then thrust forward again. Knowing he wouldn't last long, he built up his speed. Despite Sean's apparent pain, he continued his pounding, even began to pull out almost all the way just a few seconds before he released. Finally, he gave one last thrust and buried himself as deep as he could. Wrapping his arm around Sean's chest, he shook as the orgasm racked his body. Shaking, he feel back against the bed. Glancing down, he noticed his dick was rather red and he knew what it meant. Oddly, he didn't feel any regret. Of course, that might have been because when Sean turned around, he was wearing a smirk. Darrin gulped as he eyed Sean's leaking cock. He knew Sean wasn't likely to spare him much pain. Still, he couldn't help but look fondly at Sean's expression as he crawled forward. The smirk had transformed into something softer and more intimate. Pressing his lips into his own, he felt Sean grip his still sensitive cock. As he jerked it up and down, he squirmed with displeasure. Chuckling, Sean shifted down and finally raised his legs into the air. Wanting as much preparation as possible, he held his own legs apart, giving Sean more room to work. He bit his lip as the tongue pushed inside him. Moaning, he closed his eyes and grinned stupidly up at the ceiling as a finger was thrust into him. Dick finally ready to be touched, he reached down and jerked his own cock back to full mast. It was easy to do as Sean pressed more fingers inside him. A finger rubbed against his prostate and he moaned loudly. With that, Sean scooted forward and press his cock to his entrance. Leaning in, he kissed him, then thrust completely inside with one hard move. He shouted and grunted. "You asshole!" he growled with a grin. Sean actually laughed and kissed him again. Smirking, Darrin grinned into the kiss and ended it with a nip to his lip. Sean pulled his head back and began to thrust with enthusiasm. Rotating his hips, Sean tried to move Darrin around. Sighing, Darrin decided to help him out. Shifting his body, he turned until he was on his hands and knees. He had barely placed his hands on the mattress when Sean thrust back into him. As his dick entered again, the curve of his dick rubbed against his prostate and he gave a grunt with pleasure. Slowing for a moment, Sean tried to reproduce the same move. Thrusting again, he paused, as if in question. Shaking his head, he waited as he thrust again. The next thrust was closer, but not good enough. Sean grunted in frustration. Then as he turned to the right and pushed in again, he let out a shout of ecstasy. Pausing, Sean thrust in again with the same result. There was a laugh from behind and the thrusting increased in intensity and in speed. Darrin cried as he came again, seed sprayed across his bedding. Giving a last grunt, Sean came inside him. Panting Sean collapsed on top of his back. With the unexpected weight, he fell atop the bed. He squirmed as his bellow and groin landed into his own seed. They laid there for a time before they sat up and stared at each other. Something passed between them, and they leaned in and kissed softly, then looked down at their mess. ***Orson High Gymnasium*** Blaine watched Axl for the first quarter, rather bored with the game in front of him. Grinning, he noticed Axl's hair as a bit shorter. Still curly and long, but it seemed the curls would no longer cover his eyes. The length was perfect now. He hadn't wanted to say anything before, but it was getting a bit too long. The hair that covered the rest of his body was fine. Many times he had reminded Axl not to manscaped at all. Thankfully, he was informed only shortly after they started to date he hadn't planned to anyways. Truth was, he was much happier not having to clip his own hair down there. So many times Kurt would whine about how he needed to trim a bit. Now, he never had to worry about that again. Though, that would change if one day he would start to grow hair on his back. There was a whistle and he looked up. Axl rose and glanced back at him. Winking, Blaine smiled at him as he took the court. On the opposite side of the gym, he noticed Axl's mom sitting next he assumed was his dad, Mike. A man with salt and pepper hair wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. Next to him was a boy with his head buried in a book, which was almost definitely Brick. A row below them sat a girl next to a guy who was using his hands while talking excessively. Snorting, that must be Axl's sister Sue and her ex Brad. Axl had told him that Brady was completely gay, though he nor Sue seemed to be aware of it. Even from across the building, Blaine could see a flamer stand out as if he was sitting in his lap. Snorting again, he supposed he shouldn't think like that. Suddenly, he caught his mom's eye. She grinned and waved excitedly and enthusiastically. Grinning back, he gave her a small wave. There was a man sitting behind Axl's parents that looked familiar, though he couldn't place him. The man had noticed Frankie's wave and looked over. After a moment, the guy patted Mike's shoulder a couple of times. Mike leaned back and looked back at the man. Turning his hand, he seemed to be listening to something as the man behind them pointed at Blaine. On edge, Blaine returned his focus to Axl. On the court, Axl was dribbling briefly before he threw the ball to a teammate. Several times it was passed around to other players and finally back to Axl. Shifting his stance around an opponent, he threw the ball upwards and it swished into the hoop. The crowd cheered loudly, and Blaine found himself rising just a bit off the bench to applaud him, noticing how sweaty he was. Sitting again, he once more looked across the building toward Axl's parents. He found himself looking into Mike's face. Their eyes locked for a few moments. Unable to read his face, Blaine looked away quickly. 40. Free Throw The buzzer sounded and clapped along with the crowd as the players exited the court and ran into the locker room. Smiling, he rose and stretched choosing not to look back across the court. His stomach gave a mighty growl and he decided to feed it. Following a small group of other kids, he made his way down the bleachers and into lobby. He grumbled seeing how long the line already was to the concession stand. "Hey Blaine!" came a woman's voice. He turned and met Frankie's gaze. "Hi!" he said, smiling broadly. Frankie was super nice and not at all annoying, which was what Axl's description of her was. The only thing he found a bit tiring was her over enthusiasm to everything. "How was your competition?" she asked, as the line shifted forward. "Didn't Axl tell you?" asked, frowning. "No, he never tells me anything about what he doesn't with his…._friends._" she said, voice dropping at the end. "Well, we tied in first place, so now we'll be heading to nationals in the spring." He said with a wink. "That's great." She replied. He nodded, then looked behind her. He froze. Staring at him from a few places behind Frankie was the very boy he had fooled around with that caused Kurt and he split. Noticing his expression, Frankie looked over her shoulder. Breaking eye contact, he turned and faced the concession stand as a lady asked what he wanted. Ordering some nachos and waiting to the side. Frankie ordered a few things, presumably for Brick and Mike. "That's Sue, Axl's sister." She told him. "She has the same nose as Axl." He said distractedly. "Sue, have you met Blaine? He's a friend of Axl's." she asked as Blaine received his nachos. "Hi!" she said, quite oblivious of the stare he held with the boy he had known as "Eli" "Hello." He said, looking away and wanting to go back to his seat. "This is Brad." Sue said, finally looking to her side. "We're best friends now, but we used to date." She still not spotting the tension. Blaine nodded with a smirk and told Frankie bye and made his way back into the bleachers. Back in his seat, his mind buzzed. He had the feeling that Axl and he were meant to meet in more ways than he had originally thought possible. Taking a bite of his nachos, he smiled inwardly. Feeling light hearted, he watched as the game resumed. Munching on his food, he grinned down at Axl several times. He didn't look happy, only being on the court a couple more times for the remainder of the game. By the end, he wasn't the only one not happy. Sadly, Orson lost the game. Before the buzzer sounded, he sent Axl a text telling him he'd be in his car and where it was. Choosing not to look at the opposite side of the gym, he exited the furthest door from the one Axl's family would use. There was a ping as his phone received a text "Ever do it in a locker-room?" "NO, but I don't think it would be wise to do that here, especially since the building will probably be occupied for quite a while. "Sigh, OK. But I changed my mind, I need o fuck you. The game was a disaster and I need to relieve some major tension." He read. "Sounds cool. I'll let you pummel me as hard as you want." He replied with another laugh, feeling his pants shrinking. It seemed like forever before he noticed Axl's silhouette approaching. Starting the car, the door opened and he dropped into place. Axl reached over and yanked Blaine close. Smiling into the kiss, he explored Axl's mouth hungrily. "Your mouth tastes like nachos dude." He grinned. "Yea, I'll you about that later. Where should we go?" he asked, putting the car into gear. "Well, we can't go to the swimming pool. So….let's go to …Oh, I've got a great idea." He said, gleefully. "Which way?" he asked, laughing. Axl pointed to the right and Blaine turned. Immediately, Axl unzipped Blaine's zipper and hunkered down. He groaned as he felt his member pulled through the opening. His tongue swirled between his foreskin and the head. Using his lips, he pushed the extra skin down to the base. Pushing his tongue into the piss slit, he reached down and started to pump his length. Lifting his head, Axl leaned up and sucked on Blaine's neck while his hand continued to pump his uncut cock. Axl broke off and told him to turn on the next left. Mind preoccupied, he almost missed it. With a straight stretch of road before him, he slowed and reached out with his right hand pulled Axl back down to his crotch by his neck. "Turn onto the left when you see big white sign that says "Quarry" on it." He said with a smirk across his face "Stay down there." He said, pushing him back down. Chuckling, Axl worked his cock, changing his technique so often Blaine felt he had learned something new. His tongue slurped down the shaft and darted through his zipper. He moaned as he felt Axl's tongue poke at his nuts that were still confined by his briefs. Feeling Axl's head start to rise, he sighed and let him. Hand still fisting his cock, he mouthed his neck and slide his way down to his arm a bit. He glanced down with amusement he felt his arm raised into the air. Pulling at his shirt sleeves, Axl pushed them back to his shoulders and stretched the bottom until he had a clear view of his pits. The tongue dug into his hairiness. He cringed, knowing he had forgotten to reapply deodorant before he traveled to Orson. But Axl just moaning and mouthed it harder. Incredulously, he continued to watch him. Feeling a tingling in his nuts, he patted Axl's hand to warn him. Axl's mouth turned into a smirk as he continued to jerk him. Almost panicked, he tried to push his hand away, but the grip only increased. Shaking, he slowed feeling his orgasm rising. Axl's hand pumped harder and faster than ever. Biting his lip, he willed himself to hold it. But Axl's pace was unrelenting. Still driving, his vision went white. "Oh god!" he cried, as cum shot out of his cock. The cum sprayed in all directions, cover the entire front of his car. Small drops of seed flew all over his own face and Axl's. Some splattered against the windshield and his steering wheel. Groaning, he slowed and just barely turned into a driveway with the large Quarry sign written by it. Axl continued to jerk his now very slippery and sensitive uncut cock. He growled as he finally came to a stop and looked over at him, swatting away his hand from his sensitive meat. "You jerk!" he growled, halfway still shaking from his release. "I couldn't help it." He chuckled, looking around the car. "Oops" he said, though not convincingly. "Oops?" he laughed. "Come on. There's a building around back where they keep old records." He said, giving him a peck on the cheek and exiting the car. Opening his console, he pulled out a few tissues and tried to wipe up the mess. First his cock, only hard because the tight opening of the briefs kept the blood pooled in his cock. Satisfied, he stepped out and closed the door. Looking around he saw Axl waving at him from ten yards away at the corner of the main building. A second later, he disappeared and he made his way to a smaller structure with a light emitting a soft glow. Entering the building, he observed Axl sitting in a chair with his cock already out of his pants. Grinning, Blaine closed the door and he walked over and got onto his knees. Groaning loudly, Axl looked down and let his hand lightly graze his cheek affectionately. The saltiness made his taste buds dance with delight. Obviously, the sweat was still all over his body. Blaine grinned and pulled back and started to pull Axl's clothes off. He met no resistance and Axl pulled his own shirt off. Before he knew it, Axl stood completely naked. His hard cock pointed up, almost hitting his groin. His thick bush still damp, but wiry and full. Standing still he let Blaine do what he wanted. Blaine pushed one leg out to the side until his sweaty nut sack hunger below his body. Moaning in pleasure he opened his mouth and let Axl squat until the sack drop into his mouth. The heat had made them look a bit saggy, and as he pulled back and moved his cock into Blaine's mouth, they swung wildly. Getting as much of his length in his mouth, he let him fuck his face as fast as he could. Slowly, he made his way up his body, licking at the almost dried sweat. Lightly biting his nipple, he moved to the other and up farther. Axl grinned and lifted arm pit. Winking, Blaine ignored the move, watching as his smile faltered. Something in his gaze must have reassured him because the smile returned. Now standing, Blaine licked his way around his chest and ended up behind him. Kissing the back of his neck, he let his tongue slide all the way down his spine. Once more, he found himself on his knees as he pushed Axl's perfect ass cheeks apart. Furry hole exposed, he grinned and dove in. Pressing is tongue inside, he felt Axl shake with pleasure. Reaching between his legs, he jerked his cock slowly. Hole now hot and loose, Blaine rose, silently pulling out his own member again. Finally, he grinned and made his way back up his back, though keep his hands on each ass cheek. To Axl's delight, he lifted up one of his arms. Axl moaned as Blaine slathered his damp and hairy armpit. At that moment, he pushed his cock into the tight wet hold before it. "Hey!" Axl shouted, but didn't pull away. "Couldn't help myself." He ginned as he buried himself. "Your hole is perfect." He moaned, quickly switching sides and mouthed at the other pit. He thrust harder, and pulled back out. Completely out of the rim, he rammed back in. Axl, cried out, but changed his stance. Setting his foot further out to the side, giving Blaine more room to thrust and hold his hips. Growling, he pulled out real quick and pushed his pants and briefs down to his knees before he reentered Axl's tight wetness. Sighed loudly, this felt much better. Pounding him harder, he barely let the head of his cock pass them before he went back in. Balls slapping, he buried himself once more, planting his seed into him. Shaking, he pulled out, cum dripping out of the slippery ass. "That felt so good B. Turn around." he said, not giving him a chance make the move himself. Still shaking, Axl led him over to a desk and placed Blaine's hands on the top of it. Holding the edge, he felt Axl kissing his back licked his way down and bit his right ass cheek. Pulling them apart, Axl pushed his tongue into the puckered hole. Blaine moaned and pushed his ass back for more attention. He didn't spend much time there. Instead, he stood up and aimed his cock and thrust in harshly. Grunting, he held tighter to the desk as his hips were seized by him. With an almost vice like grip, he pummeled into Blaine harder than ever before. The sound of his nuts slapping against his skin echoed louder than Blaine's had done. Wrapping an arm around his chest, Axl nudged Blaine's arm in the air and he licked his ribs upward, finally ending with a loud slurping at his exposed arm pit. Blaine had to admit, he was getting more and more into that kind of play. He suspected that he probably wouldn't have ever discovered that kind of sensation had he not been with Axl. Switching sides, he added even more pressure at the dense patch of hair. Thrusts were becoming erratic and breathing staggered as he finally let it all go. With a shout he slowed and let his hole become fill with Axl's juice. Both panting, they pulled apart and Axl flopped to the floor while Blaine shakily staggered over to the chair. "I feel better now." Said Axl, dully. Blaine barked out a laugh and continued to staring at his sweaty boyfriend laying on the floor. With a grunt, he slid off the chair and crawled over to him. Sighing, he turned over and laid his own back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. He felt Axl's hand reach over and land on his chest. The hand trailed downward and groped at his now completely soft uncut cock. Axl sat up and stared down at it. Blaine grinned and let Axl study it. Finally, he lay back down and took hold of his hand. Fingers intertwined, he sighed and sidled closer to him. Rocking, he turned and kissed Blaine's cheek. Turning his own head, he met Axl's lips and broke apart with a lazy smile. "I have something to tell you." He said, with a bit of apprehension mixed with humor. "Oh?" he replied. "Well, while I was at the concession stand, your mom joined me and we were talking and your sister was also in line with her guy friend." He said, smirking to himself. "What guy? She doesn't have a boyfriend." He said, interrupting. "No, Brad." He said. "OH. Yea, that's not her boyfriend as I'm almost sure he's gay." He said with a chuckle. "He is." Blaine said. "Oh?" he asked, turning his head. He looked at him and was surprised to see worry across his face. "Yes, you don't have to worry Ax. Well, do you remember why Kurt broke up with me?" he asked. "Yea you were left alone and no one was there to help your loneliness so you hooked up with someone named…I can remember…Emmitt?" he asked. "Eli. Well, it turns out the Eli's real name is Brad." He said, nervously. "You and Brad did it?" he asked, sounding astonished. "No!" he laughed, but stopped as Axl's face looked shocked beyond belief." No, he just blew me and licked my ass and stuff. I did the same for him, but didn't really put much effort into it." He explained. He was relieved to notice Axl's face relax completely. Blaine let out a relieved breath. With that, Axl looked over. "What? Did you think I would be mad at you? That was way before we met B. I understand. I'm glad you told me though. I always thought he was gay. He hung?" he asked, almost as an afterthought. "No. smaller than us, but a bit thicker and almost completely bare of pubes, as he manscaped heavily." He said with a bit of amusement. "Cool." He grinned. "What time is it?" he asked. Axl rolled to his side and pulled at his pants and retrieved his cell. "Almost eleven." He said. "I think I should be getting back. I've got a trigonometry test tomorrow I need to study for." He sighed, sitting up and crawling to his clothes. "You can do trig? You must be a lot smarter than me." Axl said, clearly impressed. "I'm in almost all the advanced classes there are." He replied standing and re-clothing himself. "Wish I was smart." Axl said, with a hint of longing. "You are smart." He said, looking at him with surprise. Axl shrugged and finished dressing. Blaine eyed him, now fully clothed and staring at him. Opening the door, they walked out and into the night. 41. the Beginning Blaine awoke from a dream where he played the role of James Lipton from Inside the Actor's Studio. He had been interviewing Miss Piggy about her relationships. She had explained that for the longest time she had loved Kermit with all her heart and that nothing would ever change this. However, after appearing on Sesame Street as a guest she hit it off with Oscar, the Grouch. At that point she had realized it wasn't Kermit she had found attractive, but the color green. Sitting up in his bed in the dark, he glanced over at his clock. It was 1:14 AM. Frowning, he looked at his phone, which was silent. He had just reached over to pick it up when a sharp noise came from his window. Groaning, he flung his legs over the size and rose. Walking over to his window, he pushed away the curtains and stared down into the yard. There was a figure standing below with legs slightly apart. Instantly, he knew it was Axl, his mob of hair bouncing in the moonlight. With the illumination from the moon, he could make out his face, which looked troubled and very upset. He nodded at Axl and left his window. Turning on his bedside lamp, he exited his room wearing only his tight briefs. Something must have happened or else Axl wouldn't be here. it had only been a few hours since he was in Orson. There was only one thing he could think of that would cause this to happen. Hurrying down the stairs, he almost tripped, but caught himself before he fell. Once down the stairs, he rushed to the front door. Unlocking it, he opened it and found Axl, who rushed forward and hugged him tight, sobbing loudly. Patting his back, he reached out and closed the door. Body wracked by grief, they walked slowly up the stairs and into his room. Axl had made a great effort to keep his crying down to a soft pitch. Walking over to his bed, he set Axl down and returned to his door and closed it. Turning, he headed back to his side. Squatting, he reached down and took Axl's shoes off and unzipped his pants. He wasn't planning to do anything sexual, he just wanted to get him comfortable enough to get under the bedding so they could hold each other. Axl seemed to know what he was doing and give a tremulous smile of gratitude, tears still running down his face. Blaine crawled onto his bed and laid with his head against the pillow while Axl followed and laid next to him. Pulling the covers over them, even above their heads, he let the blanket fall. Hugging Blaine tighter, Axl's sobs grew more intense. Blaine hugged him harder than ever, which only seemed to increase his volume. Hushing him, he rocked back and forth, feeling tears running down his own cheeks now. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against Axl's forehead and pulled him closer to his body. He didn't know how long they laid like that, but finally Axl calmed and the crying was replaced by sniffling and shaking. Scooting up, Axl kissed him on the lips, the saltiness from his tears present on them. Sighing, Axl pushed the blanket off their heads and looked at him in the eyes. Blaine leaned in and kissed him back. Scooting his ass back, he leaned against the headboard with Axl still clinging to him. His eyes were now puffy and face red with strain. "What happened Axl?" 42. Earlier Frankie's POV "Who was that?" asked Frankie, looking up at Mike in bed. "It was a picture message from work." He said distractedly. "At almost midnight?" she asked again. "It does that when there's activity at the quarry. For a picture to be sent to me means that someone drove into the parking lot, and entered one of the buildings without authorization. So all I got was two dark pictures, though more will be sent form the security cameras if any of the buildings were entered. One of the license plate from the front of the car and what the back of the car looks like. It's weird, the car is from someone who lives in Ohio." He said, walking into their bathroom to do his business. Immediately, Frankie reached over and pulled out his phone and opened the picture. She was certain she knew who's car that was. The car was expensive, and she had seen it once before parked outside their house. Closing the phone, she got out of bed and hurried into Axl and Brick's room. The lights were off and there was a rumble of snoring inside. Sighing, she entered and walked over to Axl's bed. Gently, she shook him until he looked up with a disgruntled, annoyed look. Not speaking, she looked at him with wide eyes and motioned him to follow. Getting the picture, he nodded and followed. "What?" he asked quietly in the furthest corner of the living room. "Your dad got a picture message from work alerting him to unauthorized entry." She said, glaring at him. His eyes widened and his face turned brick red. He looked down at his feet, clearly scared to death. Seeing this, her stance softened, but just barely. "I hope there wasn't any cameras anywhere that would alert your father to what you were doing. I don't want to know either. You need to tell him Axl. It's clear you care for Blaine and he clearly cares for you just as much!" she said, her tone gentle. "I can't yet. He won't understand. What if he won't love me anymore Mom?" he said, voice quivering. She had barely ever heard more fear in her oldest son's voice. Her heart seemed to throb harder for his obvious pain. Mike would still love him just the same. True, their relationship would change completely though. He had always been close to Axl more than any other of their children. The same could be said for how Axl felt about him. Throughout all the years of their marriage the subject of their children's sexual orientation had never been considered anything other than straight. What Mike would do was a mystery. However, she was sure he would still love Axl just as much. "He'll always love you no matter what." She said softly. "Well, we'll figure it out together. But you really do need to come up with a plan." She told him, patting his back and headed back to her own room. Getting back into bed, she picked up a magazine and began to rifle through it. There was another pinging noise from Mike's cell. She had just reached over for it when he came back into the room and picked it up. Opening it, he pushed a couple buttons and gazed down at the screen. For a moment, his face was expressionless. Then color turned it red and he began to shake. He looked madder than she had ever seen him. Looking down at her, his eyes seemed to be on fire. She opened her mouth to ask what it was when he turned and exited the room as if he were going off to battle. Axl's POV. Only having slipped back into bed, he looked up as the door was flung open with a bang. His father looked in at him, face full of rage. Somehow, he knew what this was about. Surely his mother hadn't told him. Instead, he flung his cell phone at Axl and walked in and stood next to him. Shaking, he picked up the phone and looked at it. Though black and white, there was a set of still photos that were clearly of a security camera. On it, the very first picture was of him stripping down. Shortly after Blaine appeared. Feeling sick, he dropped the phone and wouldn't look up at his dad. "Well?!" he roared. He felt tears starting to slide down his face. His mom came inside and glanced between the two. "I'm probably going to get fired because of this. My own son breaking into the quarry to…to…" his voice shook. Axl glanced up and only met his eye for moment before the heat of the gaze made him feel so ashamed he dropped it. "I can't believe this!" he yelled. Tears falling thick now, he rose and grabbed his clothes and phone and ran out of his room and then out of the house. He heard shouting, but he didn't stop to look back. He dove into his care and backed out of the driveway and turned onto the street. He just glimpsed his mother trying to run to his car and his dad standing on the front porch before he passed them. The hour was so late and none of his friends would be awake. Only one person came to mind where he could go. Knowing it was late, and the drive to be long, he headed to Blaine's. At times he could barely see through the tears leaking from his eyes, and he had to slow down. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled into Blaine's driveway. All the lights were off and the garage door was down. Not knowing if he was alone, he decided to walk around and try to throw rocks at his window, or at least the wall where his bed was. Still crying, he stumbled through the yard and looked up at the window of Blaine's room. Stooping, he felt around and found a few pebbles. Standing again, he couldn't see. Angrily, he wiped his eyes and tossed a pebble. After the third hit, he began to weep again, afraid he was going to have to leave. He threw the last stone and began to walk away when the curtains moved. Looking back up, he looked desperately at Blaine. His face changed to concern and he nodded quickly. The curtains fell back into place. Heart lighter, he walked across the dark yard and to the front door. Blaine opened the door and he couldn't help but to stumble inside and hold him tightly. Feeling a hand run smoothly across his back he was walked forward and up the stairs. Not knowing if anyone else was home, he tried to keep his sobs from breaking too loudly. Unfortunately, this shook him back into reality. Aware of why he felt this way, he let out another wail, though he managed to bring the volume down a bit. In Blaine's room, he sat on the bed and let the tears fall and only managed to lift his feet as his shoes were pulled off. Next, Blaine unzipped his pants, but there was nothing in the move the hinted at an ulterior motive. Blaine hopped on the bed and pulled the blanket back for him to join him. Gratefully, he crawled under them and hugged him as he was surrounded in warm darkness. Feeling much better, he threw the blanket off them so he could stare into Blaine's eyes. Kissing, he sat up as Blaine rested his back against the headboard. Copying him, he told him the story. He felt a few tears fall, but nothing like before. After, Blaine looked furious with himself. Axl stared at him with a puzzled expression. Grasping his lower arm, he pulled at him. Finally, Blaine looked at him with a sad expression. "This is all my fault!" Blaine said furiously. "What are you talking about." He asked, baffled. "If I hadn't been so needy and wanted to see you tonight this would never have happened." He growled. "The hell? It was my fault! I was the one who changed his mind and wanted to go all the way. We could have picked anywhere and I chose the one place that could alert my dad to how things are." He said, disgusted. "You didn't know there was a security camera though. Also, have you considered that your dad wasn't mad that you were…you know, but that he could get fired for it? Did he kick you out or say anything like that?" he asked. That thought hadn't occurred to him at all. No, he hadn't been kicked out at all, but he couldn't sit there under his father's eye. But the way his father had glared at him…he'd never be able to get it out of his head for the rest of his life. Kissing him on the cheek, he leaned over the bed and grabbed his pants. Pulling out his phone, he opened and to see if he had missed anything. There were twenty five missed calls, the first twenty one were from his house phone, but the last four from his dad's cell phone. There were also thirteen text messages in his inbox. They were all the same. "Axl come back! We need to talk!" He didn't want to really talk to anyone except Blaine at the moment. "Can I stay with you tonight?" he asked tentatively. "Of course you can. I was assuming you would. I don't want you to drive in this state." He said firmly. "Don't you have school and a test tomorrow morning?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry about it. I haven't missed a day all year. I'll just make it up the next day. I'm going to take care of you Axl." He said softly. Tears began to falls again as Blaine smiled at him. Leaning in, he kissed Blaine and snuggled close. It was only after they had settled back down on the mattress that he realized what he was wearing. Nothing but tighty whites, though they were a dark orange color he had never seen before. Tired and drained as hell, he couldn't help but pull the blanket back so he could stare at the briefs in the light. Blaine smirked down at him and shrugged. Reaching over, Blaine turned off his lamp and laid back in darkness. Sighing, Axl rested his head on Blaine's hairier chest, and sleep overcame him quicker than he thought it would. Blaine smiled softly and leaned in and kissed Axl's cheek. Even through the dark, he noticed a smile appear across Axl's face. Reaching down, he picked up Axl's Cell and opened it. He was sure his mom and dad were going to be going nuts not knowing where their son was. Sighing he typed a message to Frankie. "This is Blaine. Axl is fine. He's asleep at the moment. He drove all the way from Orson. He's so upset. I calmed him down best I could. I'm staying home from school tomorrow so I can take care of him. I don't think he'll answer his cell for anyone at the moment. Here's my number so I you can keep in touch. Again Axl's fine and I'll make sure he contacts you tomorrow after he's had time to process everything...-Blaine. Nodding, he closed the phone and stared down at Axl again. The smile was still across his face as his body rose and fell with his deep sleep. He had never felt so much for someone like this. Reaching down he hugged him closer, letting his fingertips comb between the thick locks of hair on Axl's head, which he kissed softly. Eyes closing, he began to nod off but a ping woke him again. Normally, he wouldn't answer it, but he knew who it would be. Stretching his arm, he was just able to pick up his phone and open it to the text messages. "Oh, thank god! Thank you for contacting me. We were going nuts. Just letting Axl know, Mike was mad because he could get fired, not that...well...you know. Thanks for contacting us...Frankie." Once more, he smiled down at Axl and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him away. 43. the New Axl Blaine felt something rub against his crotch. Still half asleep, kisses were left across his lower abdomen. As they began to move upward, the last of his drowsiness disappeared. Eyes flying open, he glanced down. A head a curly hair bounced as Axl raised his face up and winked at him. Smiling, Blaine let his head fall back to the pillow. His eyes closed again as he felt his right nipple lightly pinched. Biting his lip, he smiled as his right arm was slowly lifted. The prize revealed, he wasn't surprised as a tongue pressed into his armpit. Helping a bit, he pulled his arm back further, granting Axl more access. There was a hum of approval from below, at exactly the same time as a hand gripping his uncut cock beneath his tight briefs. He thrusted upward automatically, and the hand lifted a bit. Disappointed a little bit, he let his hips fall back to the mattress. Axl pulled back and finally crawled forward until his head hovered over his own. Leaning down, he paused for a moment, his mouth half open. Staring into his eyes, his soft expression changed into something that looked hungry. Their lips met, his tongue was pushed aside as Axl's forced its way into his mouth. Grinning into the kiss, he moaned as Axl's crotch ground into his own. Wrapping his arms around Axl's chest, he pulled him in closer. Breathing heavy, he pulled back and began to come down again. Blaine wanting more, reached up and placed his hand on his head. Surprised and unprepared, Axl was pushed down far enough for his chin to dip into his belly button. "Suck me Ax." He said, lifting his head and glaring down at him. "Yea?" he asked, with a half smirk. Biting his lip, he nodded eagerly. Smiling, he leaned down and mouthed his shaft through the dark orange material of his briefs. Blaine moaned loudly, letting his head fall back. Axl chuckled and began to work at the opening flaps in the front. Cool air rushed in and covered his shaft, signaling the flaps were open. Feeling hair fall across his groin, he lifted his head and watched as Axl mouthed his exposed flesh. Finally, his lips made it to the head of his cock, still covered by his foreskin. Gently, Axl bit down on the skin and maneuvered it up and finally out of the opening. "You're so much more talented around my cock than when we first met Ax." He revealed with a soft laugh. "Well, I've learned from the best." He muttered, briefly raising his head with a wink. Blaine laughed loudly. Axl stopped and looked up with curiosity. "How do you know I'm the best? How many people have blown you now?" he laughed, trying to hold back his amusement. "Umm..." he said, looking up. "You, Shawn, Darren, and…Sam." He said, then tilted his head to the side with understanding. "Yeah, so the only other ones who've sucked you're awesome cock were straight guys. That's not very much competition." He chuckled, seeing the smirk on Axl's face. "Jeez…try to give a guy a complement…" he said, looking sad. Without further ado, he dove down and wrapped his lips around his cock. Letting out a loud moan, he closed his eyes, but didn't let his head fall back to the pillow. Axl's tongue worked its way between the foreskin and the head. Sucking on it a bit, he finally went further down the shaft, eventually pushing the skin to the base. Curls bouncing with each bob, Axl would look up every once in a while. Blaine stared back his head and was able to make out Axl's cock poking through the opening of his boxers. Even from this distance he could make out the precum forming on the piss slit. Axl pulled off and crawled upward, kissing Blaine hard. He could feel Axl using his own cock to bat at Blaine's as if sword fighting. Wanting to give something back, he pushed Axl up a bit and nodded his head to the side. Getting the hint, he quickly twisted up and to the side. Grinning, he stared up at the dark batch of armpit hair above his face. Shaking with anticipation, Axl lowered himself a bit. Opening his mouth wide, he leaned his head up and pushed his tongue into the tuft of hair. There was a loud groan from Axl as his tongue dug deeper. Sitting up, Axl smiled down at him. Blaine reached out and intertwined their fingers, then brought the right hand down and kissed the top side. Axl actually blushed, and looked away embarrassed. Shifting his weight, Axl scooted back and glanced down at Blaine's uncut member standing straight up and out of the opening of his briefs. Placing his feet on both sides of Blaine, Axl pushed himself up enough that he was able to waddle backward. With Axl's gaze behind him, Blaine reached out quickly wrapped his had around the length poking through the boxers Axl was wearing. Head whipping back around Axl was staring at his hand. Grinning, Blaine pulled it in slowly. His eyes flickered up to meet his own, then back to the hand. Blaine giggled when he saw Axl's eyes flickered back and forth from his hand to his cock as if it were he were watching a tennis match. Apparently wanting more, Axl scooted closer and his crotch fell right over Blaine's face. Tilting his hips back, he pushed at his cock so it would point towards Blaine's mouth. Sticking his tongue out, he leaned forward and licked off the dab of precum pooling on his piss slit. Axl gripped his cock and began to move it left to right across Blaine's lips. Finally opening his mouth, he welcomed Axl's hard member. Moaning loudly, Axl's left hand swung forward and rested against Blaine's headboard for support. Blaine reached around and pulled Axl closer as he stretched his ass cheeks apart. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much due to the fabric being in the way. Instead, he pushed his right hand up his right leg hole and his left hand up the other hole. Axl gasped and thrusted his hips forward as Blaine wiggled his finger through the dark coarse hair and into his tight hole. Lightly pulling on his nuts, he rotated his hand around them and gripped the base of his cock. Thrusting forward, Axl halted as Blaine's lips parted at the base of his cock. Blaine looked up as Axl hissed as he finally was able to push into his finger into his tight hole. Thinking, he tried to study the type of fabric his boxers were made of. Just guessing, but he was sure it was a rather cheap material. Pulling his left hand out, he reached around again. Too busy enjoying the tongue on his cock, Axl didn't notice what Blaine was searching for. Blaine grinned around Axl's cock as he felt the seam in the middle of the boxers. The stitching felt loose and worn with overuse. Pulling the finger out of Axl's hole, he rotated it until he felt the inside seam. Axl stiffened as he heard a slight tearing from behind. Opening his eyes, he turned his head and glanced down at Blaine's finger poking through a hole in the seam of his crack. Turning again, he looked down at Blaine with surprise. Trying to look innocent, he looked up with big full eyes. Perhaps he wasn't very convincing, because Axl smirked and shook his head. Guessing he wasn't in trouble, Blaine pulled his head back and pushed Axl's groin further from his face. Blaine swatted his ass, and attempted to turn his body. Getting the idea, Axl rose and turned around. Lowering himself, he halted close to Blaine's face. Feeling his cock was suddenly engulfed in a hot wet mouth, he moaned. After a moment or two, he leaned in and pushed his tongue through the small hole in Axl's boxers. Not far enough back, he patted Axl's back and he pushed his ass back further. He was rewarded as his tongue found his puckered hole. Thrusting his ass into Blaine's face, he was able to get more of his tongue inside his entrance. Axl's tongue pushed between his foreskin and the head of his cock, making Blaine shudder with pleasure. Redoubling his efforts, he pushed into the ass more, determined to get it wet enough. Sensing Axl was ready, Blaine scooted back and pushed Axl forward harshly. Grunting, Axl found his head looking down at Blaine's bedding instead of the dark orange briefs that were previously in front of him. Blaine gave his ass a couple of quick slaps and he rose into a doggy style position. The bed bounced as Blaine gently pushed Axl forward a bit more. Taking a couple of small hops, Axl was now far enough down the bed to make it easier for Blaine to mount him. Bending down, Blaine pushed his tongue back through the torn hole while he jerked his uncut cock a few times. Satisfied, he straightened and shuffled forward. Placing his member at the small opening, he pushed forward until he felt his head press into a thick hairy crack. Glancing down, he chuckled at how it looked. His dark tan and slightly curved uncut cock poking out of the front of his orange briefs and through a torn hole in Axl's white boxers. Lifting his own body, Axl turned and joined him in observation. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up and back into his eyes. "That looks so hot B." he said sincerely. "I know." He grinned, then thrust forward with all his might. "Shit!" Axl howled as his head fell to the bed. "So tight." Blaine moaned, leaning down and kissing Axl's lower back. "You're gunna pay for that." Growled Axl, though Blaine detected amusement and pleasure in the words. "Yea?" he asked, pulling back a bit and slapping his ass. "Mmm." He moaned, readying himself for the thrust. "Take it." Blaine said hoarsely, thrusting just as hard as the first time. "Fuck!" he breathed softly, but this time the word was a positive reaction, not a reaction to pain. "You're such a bitch." Blaine said, leaning down and pulling Axl up by his neck. "I'm _your _bitch, B." he said, eyes mischievous. Blaine faltered, suddenly feeling touched. He leaned in and kissed his hard and full. They moaned into each other's mouths as he began to thrust faster, but not as forceful. Blaine pulled back and pushed Axl's head away and down to the bedding. Gripping his hips, Blaine pulled back and slammed in as hard as possible. Below, there was another tear as he repeated the action. Normally, he would glance at Axl's back or somewhere else while he fucking him, but he couldn't take his eyes off his cock entering and exiting Axl's boxers. Reaching down he gripped Axl's leaking cock and began to jerk it fast. Gasping, Axl sat up on his knees, giving Blaine better access. Blaine pushed Axl away and stood and jumped off the bed. Quickly walking to the foot of the bed, he pulled at Axl's curly hair until he crawled forward to wrap his lips around his cock. Moaning, he kept Axl's head in place as he fucked his mouth. Leaning forward, he reached over his back and was able to push a finger through his boxers and back into his hole. Axl moaned around Blaine's cock, trying to tilt his ass for a better angle. Looking around the room, Blaine tried to think of something they hadn't done before. Feeling he was close, he walked backward and out of Axl's reach. Smirking, Axl jumped off the bed and made to take possession of his prize again. Chuckling, he tried to keep him back but Axl was just a bit too fast. Groaning, he made a quick movement and came up behind Axl. Shoving him against a wall, Blaine looked down and used his hand to guide his cock back into a slightly larger ripped hole in the boxers. Once through, he slammed into Axl. His head dropped to the wall as he cried out. Taking no notice, he dropped his hands down to his hips and began to build his speed, only wanting to shoot. Feeling it build, he whimpered into Axl's sweaty back. Axl chuckled and stood straighter, but with his ass out further. "Come on B." he urged, squeezing his ass tighter around the Blaine's thrusting cock. "I'm close." He breathed, thrusting faster. "Go for it." He whispered, turning his head to the side. Blaine cried out as he shot his load into Axl. His cock pulsed and bulged as his cum raced through his length and into Axl's ass. Shaking and sweating, he came to a halt as the last of his seed left him and was dumped into the hot tightness of the boy in front of him. Grinning, Axl leaned in and kissed him quickly. Meeting his lips he pushed his tongue in quickly and then he dropped his forehead onto Axl's back is the whole orgasm came to an end. Axl chuckled and pulled his ass forward, letting Blaine's spent uncut dick slip out of him. Turning around, Axl met his eyes full on. Blaine grinned lazily, then grunted as Axl bent down and wrapped his arms around his midsection. Shifting his feet, Axl heaved and lifted Blaine up and over his shoulder. Walking quickly to the bed, he threw him down. Blaine's back fell atop the bed, and had barely time to stare up at him before his briefs were yanked down and off of him. Grinning wickedly, Axl pulled Blaine to the edge of the bed. Leaning in, one of his arms held Blaine's head close while the other hand disappeared around his back. Knowing what he was doing, he wasn't surprised as a thick wad of his own cum was plastered over Axl's cut cock. Giving him one more quick kiss, he squatted and thrust inside him with all his might. Blaine screamed as the thick cock head rammed past his rim and deep inside him. Groaning, he glanced up as Axl smirked and pulled out. Ready for it, he clenched his ass just as he thrust in again. "Whoa, that felt good." Axl said, surprised. "I know, when I do that it feels like you enter something tighter." He grinned, released his muscles as Axl pulled back again. Thrusting in again, he repeated the action. It had been a while since he'd done this, but the exercise would be worth it. Not even a minute had passed before Axl began to shake and look up. Instead of releasing the grip his ass had on the intruding rod, he clenched it tighter as Axl started to shake. Axl collapsed atop him as he came. His mouth rested against Blaine's left nipple as he felt hot cum fill him. He hummed and squeezed tighter as he came to a halt. Grunting, Axl pushed himself up and leaned in for a kiss. Smiling, he returned the gesture and pulled him up. The sound of his slick cock sliding out of him was loud enough to make the both chuckle. Sighing, Axl slipped off the bed and sat with his back against it. Blaine chuckled and slid off the bed himself and came to rest with his head on Axl's shoulder. "You need to call your parents Axl. I'm sure they're worried." He whispered softly. Axl stiffened and looked down. "I don't think I can. My dad won't want to see me again. You should have seen his face last night." "Axl, he'll love you know matter what. He was probably just angry he could have been fired. I texted your mom last night after you fell asleep and told her where you were. They were both worried about you." He confessed. "You sent her a message?" he asked, a tone of betrayal in his voice. "Yes, and I'm not going to apologize for it either." He said sternly, letting Axl know he wasn't about to feel guilty about it. "What did you say?" he asked, sounding warmer. "Just that you were here and you were upset and that you would contact them sometime today." He finished. "I don't know what to say. What if I start crying again? I can't believe I bawled like a baby last night." He fumed. "Hey!" he warned, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with crying Axl. Just because we're guys doesn't mean we can't cry. Sometimes you have to let it out. I've cried myself over stupid things. What you went through last night perfectly justified the act." He said firmly without a smile. "You can't say you found me sexy with snot running out of my nose and tears down my cheeks." He scowled. Blaine chuckled and shook his head and pulled him in to stare into his eyes "it's a bodily function we all have. I don't find it sexy when you fart, or when you're taking a dump or" he began. "Taking a dump, huh?" Axl barked out, his smile returning. "Anyways…if you start crying I'll be there with you when you talk to them. Just call them Ax. They're your parents and love you and are worried. If you don't call, I will." He ended sternly. "Thank you for letting me in last night. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't. I had begun to think you weren't going to wake up and I was planning on just going back to my car and sleeping inside it." He said softly with a little shake in his voice. "Stop that. Now call your parents, I'm going to make breakfast." He said with a pat on Axl's shoulder. Standing, he stretched and immediately felt something leaking. Groaning, he went into the bathroom and cleaned himself, though he didn't take a shower. Satisfied, he exited and walked over to his dresser and pulled out some clothes and pulled out a pair of his own boxers. He'd never worn them since he preferred something tight around his crotch. Tossing them over his head, he turned and started to pull on his clothes. Axl was standing by the bed, pulling off his now torn and ruined boxers. Looking down at the pair Blaine had thrown over his head, he raised an eyebrow. "They're new. I've never worn them." He told him, finally dressed. Nodding, Axl pulled them on while reaching for his phone. Kissing him on the cheek, Blaine walked out and down the stairs. If Axl needed him he knew where he was. He wanted to give him some privacy. Something like this demanded that. Yawning, he walked into the kitchen opened the cabinets. Pulling down pancakes mix, he placed it on the counter and pulled milk, eggs, and butter out of the fridge. Placing them beside the mix, he pulled out two skillets and put them on the stove. Above the island in the kitchen, he removed mixing bowls and a plates. Noticing a piece of paper on the table, he set down the objects. "Blaine, I was going to wake you up for school when you didn't wake up but I noticed the car outside. I opened your door quietly and saw you weren't alone. I'm assuming that's Axl. I thought I heard crying last night, and it wasn't from you. Is he alright honey? If he needs anything at all we'll help in any way we can. I decided to let you sleep. Sadly, I have to attend another conference in Michigan so I'll be gone by the time you wake up. I probably won't be home until Saturday. Stay safe and be good. Mom" Sighing, he walked back over to the stove and started it. His mother had always been so supportive in anything he had been involved with. She had also been away a lot, but at least she made the effort. His own father though…they had had their differences and shouting matches. Luckily, they had gotten past that, though they were never as close as they used to be. Thinking this, he turned and wondered how Axl was doing. Walking over to the open doorway he peaked around the corner and stared up the stairs. Perking his ears up, he could just make out Axl's voice. Glad he had finally called, he headed back to the stove. By the time he had a few pancakes sitting on a plate, Axl walked up behind him. Blaine grinned as he felt a kiss at the back of his neck. Turning his head, he smiled at a watery eyed Axl. Giving him another quick kiss on the cheek, he brought him in close and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for being here for me Blaine." He whispered. "I'll always be here for you. Now, help me with the eggs." He said warmly. "I've never cooked eggs before." He said. "Well, it's time to learn. You're pretty face won't always work in getting everything you want." He chuckled. "How do I do it then?" he asked, taking his place next to him. Grinning, he flipped the pancake over that was in his skillet. Picking up an egg, he showed Axl how he held it and lightly tapped it against the skillet. The two halves broke apart easily and the insides poured out into the pan below. Taking the peppershaker off the counter, he added a bit and replaced it. Letting it sit, he glanced back at his own and turned the pancake over once more. Taking a spatula, he demonstrated how to push under the egg and flip it over in a way the yolk wouldn't break. Axl watched as Blaine removed the pancake and set it on the stack and finally how to finish the egg. Axl picked up an egg as Blaine poured more batter into the pan. Cracking it against the skillet, the insides poured out before he could pull the shell away. Blaine chuckled and pulled them out. His face pink, Axl waited for a while and flipped the egg. Surprisingly, it didn't break at all. Feeling more confident, he posture slackened and he added pepper to the egg. The third egg didn't go as well. As he tried to flip it, the yolk broke and the Axl had change it into a scrambled version. After what felt like forever, their meal was done. Sitting at the table, they ate as Axl explained what had happened on the phone. His father had told him he still loved and that he wanted him to come home. He wasn't happy that he was with a guy but seemed ready to give it a try. Luckily, his dad had headed into his office after Axl drove off and cleared the history of all the cameras so he wouldn't be in trouble. Surprisingly, Axl had told him that he was going to stay with Blaine again tonight. That hadn't went over well, but his mother had intervened and he was reluctantly allowed to do so. He had to be home by noon the next day or he'd be in big trouble. Blaine studied his body, noticing how much happier and less strained he seemed. Axl's eyes were brighter and his movements were much more fluid. His laugh and tone of his voice was much brighter as well. Blaine found himself looking at a hotter guy than he had first met. Something about the new way he carried himself just turned him on. The shadow that had been hanging over them had disappeared, as if they had a fresh start with each other. Blaine scooted out of his chair and crawled over to Axl in three quick steps. Eyebrows raising, he looked down as Blaine unzipped his clothing and took his soft cock into his mouth. The rest of the day they sat around the house doing nothing. They'd played on his PS3 for a while. Reluctantly Blaine brought out his bag and pulled some homework out. Axl tried to help with some of it but it was clear he wasn't quite as intelligent as Blaine, at least in academics. Though he wasn't good at it, Blaine rewarded Axl by going into the garage and pulling out a basketball that was never used, but still bounced like new. Eyes brightening, Axl took it in his hands and bounced it as they headed out of the front of the house were the basketball hoop hung over the garage. Every time Blaine tried to make a basket or dribble past Axl, the ball would instantly be taken away. His ears burned with embarrassment as he even made to make a basket and the ball didn't even come close to the hoop. Though he laughed, Blaine knew Axl was restraining himself from making fun of him. After a while, Blaine did start to get better at the sport, though nowhere near as good as Axl. Finally, Blaine moaned enough to indicate to Axl he was done with playing. Sadly, Axl let the ball drop and placed it by the door as they went inside for lunch. Noticing the time, Blaine couldn't believe it was already past five in the afternoon, so lunch really wasn't the correct term. They made sandwiches and went to the living room. Turning on the TV, Blaine passed Axl the remote, but warned him against any watching any sports. Nodding, it was clear Axl had been thinking exactly of watching sports as his face grew a slight pink color. Settling on South Park, Axl looked over to check and was met by a smile. Relieved, he sat back and they watched the episode where the boys were acting like wrestlers. It had been a while since Axl had seen the episode, but Blaine hadn't seen it before. It seemed Axl was having a more entertaining time watching Blaine's reaction to the show. They ended up sitting there for the entire marathon. It felt good to laugh at something they both had unexpectedly liked. The light had gone and when he looked up again, he noticed it was almost 9 PM. "Dude, I'm hungry. Let's go get something." Said Axl, standing and stretching. "Sounds good." He stood and walked over. They kissed swiftly, ending with rubbing their noses together. As they walked out of the house, Axl reached out and took his hand so they walked to Blaine's car holding them. Once in town, they decided on pizza. In the booth, they had just finished and started to stand when Blaine noticed Sam was across the street, dropping something off at the video store. Nodding over, Axl looked and figured out who he was looking at. Outside, Blaine called out and Sam looked up. Through the street lights, he smiled and made his way over. "You wanna…invite him over B?" Axl whispered so softly he barely heard him. Blaine turned his head and studied him as Sam's foot falls began to come closer. Just by the way Axl was looking at him, he knew it meant more than just hanging out. Intrigued, he grinned and gave a subtle nod. Glancing down, he watched as Sam's crotch swung from side to side as he crossed the street. Curious, he wondered what he would do. The last few times he and Sam had fooled around, Sam was the one to instigate them. Reaching out, Axl shook his hand. "I was wondering why you weren't in school today. You haven't missed a day all year dude. You doing OK Axman?" he asked with a smirk. "Sort of." He said, shortly but heavily. Sam studied his face again, looking for something deeper. After a few moments he nodded and smiled between them. Axl squeezed his hand lightly, letting him know to make the offer. Fidgeting, he wondered how to ask. He was sure Sam would accept, he just had to figure out how to put it out there. "Wanna come over to Blaine's?" Axl burst out. "What?" Sam chuckled at him. "Well...um…" Axl broke off, his ears turning pink. Sam glanced at Blaine with a raised eyebrow. Blaine rolled his eyes and looked over at Axl without turning his head. Winking, he gave him a smirk. His thick lips parted a moment, then mirrored the smirk. Turning back to Axl, Sam looked him up and down, deliberately slowly. Axl shifted his feet and looked away. "How many people will be in the house?" Sam asked quietly. "Including you, three." Blaine said with a grin. "Sure." Sam said easily. Blaine felt Axl squeeze his hand in excitement. Nodding, they walked over and got in Blaine's car. Axl held his hand the entire ride until his car was shut off. Exiting the vehicle, they walked up the steps and into his house. Sam took the lead once inside and made his way up the stairs and into Blaine's bedroom. Inside, he turned and looked at them. Grinning, Sam dropped his hand and opened them palms up, waiting. Blaine winked and gently pushed Axl's shoulder. Stepping away, Axl walked slowly towards Sam. Turning, Blaine closed his door before coming up behind Axl. Blaine leaned forward and kissed the back of Axl's neck before pressing his body against his. Sam reached out and placed his hand on Axl's chest. Tilting his head so he could see Sam's face he gave him a wink. Dropping his hands on Axl's shoulders, Blaine pushed until Axl lowered himself to his knees. Looking down, Sam unzipped himself and waited. Blaine bit his lip to keep from laughing as Axl reached up and into his pants. Sam grunted as Axl pulled out his cock through the opening. Eyes darting down, he looked at Sam's own uncut cock, as it became fully hard. Shaking his head, Axl leaned down and wrapped his lips around the covered head. Sam leaned forward and pressed his lips against Blaine's. He hummed as he fought with Sam's tongue, but lost the battle. Of course, he attributed this to the fact he'd used it so much during the day. Feeling a tug below, he glanced down as Axl unzipped his pants as well. There was a tug and he walked so close that Axl pushed Sam's and his cocks together, pulling each other's foreskins over the other for a while. Opening his mouth he allowed both of them to thrust inside. Stepping back, they both slipped out of their clothes the rest of the way while Axl did the same. Expecting to see Axl waiting for them, he noticed he had walked over and laid on the bed. He stared over at both of them, slowly stroking himself. Sam smirked at him and walked over to the bed. Following him, he watched as Sam climbed atop the bed and crawled forward. Eyeing Sam's pink hole, he leaned forward and pried apart each of his cheeks. Using his fingers, slightly pushed against his puckered and definitely shaved rim. Shaking his head, he leaned in and forced his tongue inside Sam. Ahead, Sam moaned as Axl's cock was still in his mouth. Reaching around, jerked at Sam's still hard cock. He could tell he had trimmed recently. There was barely a hair in his groin. Hoping he wouldn't mind, Blaine mounted the bed and slapped his uncut cock on Sam's smooth ass. Spitting down, he pressed his cock against his entrance. He waited, and when Sam finally turned his head, he gave a small nod. Grinning, he slowly pushed into him. Somehow, it didn't feel as good as Axl's hole, even though his hole had now been fucked more than Sam's. Axl gave a shout and Blaine looked up as cum shot out of his dick as Sam jacked him. Frowning, he had hoped Sam would have at least sucked him off. Meeting his eye, he gave him a questioning look. "It's OK B, I didn't feel it coming and I came before I let him know." He said. "What?" Sam asked, glancing back. "Oh, Blaine looked hurt that you hadn't taken my load in your mouth." Axl smirked. Sam laughed and looked back at a now blushing Blaine. Feeling heated, he thrust harder into Sam. Grunting Sam scooted back and lifted Axl's legs into the air. Surprised, Blaine watched as Sam leaned in and sucked at Axl's nuts until he made his way down to his hole. Axl groaned loudly as Sam's tongue entered him. Blaine sat back as Sam rearranged his posture until his slightly downward curving dick rested against Axl's entrance. Slowly, Sam pushed inside. As his speed began to increase, Blaine scooted forward and reburied his own dick inside Sam. Their speeds increased and Blaine was the first to blow his load inside Sam. Shaking, he let his cock slide noisily out of Sam's hole. Crawling around Sam, he leaned in and kissed Axl. Grinning into the smile, Axl reached over and took Blaine's hand and dropped it on top of Axl's hard dick. Chuckling, he turned and shoved his ass in Sam's face. Unprepared, Sam gave a surprised yelp before leaning in and sucking and licking at his ass. Satisfied, Blaine scooted forward and lowered himself onto Axl. Moaning, Axl thrust upward quickly. His speed was so fast that Sam slowed and looked around Blaine's shoulder. "Hey, it feels good. Your cock keeps hitting my prostate and Blaine's hairy hole is heaven. Oh…I'm…" he shook and Blaine felt a surge of hot liquid fill him. "Crap." Sam said loudly. Blaine straightened and turned his head, watching as Sam's light colored skin turned pink as he emptied his load inside Axl. Sighing, Blaine grinned down at Axl and lifted himself off his boyfriend's cock. A few drops dripped out as he rolled over and laid next to him. Staring up at his best friend, he watched as Sam shook from his orgasm. After a few moments, he pulled out and Blaine was finally able to see his entire crotch. He frowned at the bare surface of skin. "I know you don't like a trimmed crotch dude, but I do. I look bigger and it easier to keep clean." He shrugged and slid off the bed. "Hey, you don't have to go already do you?" Blaine asked as Sam started to dress. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything." He said, feeling guilty. "You didn't hurt my feelings dude," he grinned warmly at him, "but I need to get home." "Hold on, let me get dressed." Blaine sighed. "No, I'm going to just take your bike. I saw it leaning against the garage. You can pick it up next time you come over. You two lay there and rest. You guys really do look happy you know." He said, smiling at them. Staring at each other, they smiled and kissed as Sam pulled his shirt over his head. 44. the Pits "What's it feel like to be uncut?" he heard. "What?" Blaine asked, looking over at his boyfriend lying next to him. "Well…I don't know. It looks so different from mine, yet they're the same tool." He said, reaching down and lifting his soft uncut member. "I don't really know how to describe it Ax." He said. "When I was younger I used to hate seeing other guys because mine was always different. At one point I asked my brother why my dick was different from everyone else's, and telling him I wanted it taken off. He said I didn't want to do that, it was perfect the way it was. I pointed out everyone I knew didn't have the hood. He told me plenty of people were like that. I complained that everyone I knew was like that. Then out of nowhere he pulled his out and said want a bet, before putting it away and walking off." He said. Axl laughed heartily. "Sounds like something he'd do. But you don't have to use lube to jerk off, it doesn't get overly dry or chaffed, and I bet it doesn't get cold as much." He went on. "True. I'm glad I left it alone." He said, looking down fondly at his cock in Axl's hands. "I'm glad you did too. I wish mine was like that." He replied looking down at his own, which was hard. "Doesn't it ever get soft?" he teased. "Not when you're around." he said slyly, "Ah, there we go." Axl grinned, feeling the transformation within his hands. "You're such a horn dog." He grinned, pushing Axl's head down. "Mmm" he said with a mouth full of expanding cock. Blaine laid his head back, feeling the tongue probe between the foreskin and his head. It was amazing how good Axl had become at sucking cock. He moaned as his hand wrapped around the shaft and started to pump slowly. Within a few seconds, he was completely hard and thrusting into the Axl's hot mouth. Reaching down, he pulled at the dark curly hair and moved it up and down his length. Tilting his head, he eyed Axl's cut member. A large bead of precum oozed out of the piss slit. Stretching, he pushed his fingertip into the bead and brought it up to his lips and sucked it off. The salty sweet taste danced across his tongue. Though his own cock felt good in Axl's mouth, he suddenly wanted cock in his ass. He roughly pushed Axl off him and climbed over his body. In two quick movements, he took hold of his dick and pointed it up at his entrance and dropped down completely. Axl's head flew back as his ass muscles clenched around his meat. Moaning loudly, he reached out and fisted his uncut cock while his head rested against his pillows. It felt so nice to have Axl's cock inside him. He knew he was just imagining it, but it felt like it grew larger once it was buried. Still, he placed his feet on either side of his hips and pushed up a tad. Smiling up at him, Axl kept eye contact as he pounded upward. His gaze grew carnal and he slammed even harder, making the noise of slapping flesh echo around his bedroom. Glad his parents weren't home, he leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Axl continued his work, stroking him faster. It never ceased to amaze him how many time they could get off during the day and never feel tired of doing it. This was going to be over too quickly. Even as he watched, Axl's pale skin began to darken with color. Knocking his hands out of the way, Blaine reached out and intertwined their fingers and pushed Axl's arms out to the side. Tilting forward even more, he licked at one of Axl's nipples. Catching site of Axl's pits, he smirked. "You almost there?" he breathed, nibbling at his ear. "So close." He shuddered. Nodding, he rose off Axl. Not sure what happened, his hips kept thrusting upward into air. Winking, Blaine scooted forward quickly. Opening his mouth, Axl was ready for his load. Grinning, he shook his head and turned his hips. Aiming his cock at Axl's left pit, he pumped his length a couple of times and his cum shot out into the mass of hair. Halfway through, he swung to the other side. A few shots landed on Axl's chin before finally shooting the rest into the other pit. Still shaking, Blaine scooted down and pushed his body back onto Axl's weeping member. As soon as he felt Axl rebury his cock inside him, he leaned forward and sucked his own cum out of his left messy pit. "Oh fuck!" Axl squeaked. Quickly, he turned and sucked at the other pit. Axl gave a grunt and pounded him like there was no tomorrow. Hot liquid shot into his ass as Axl lost it. Shaking, Axl went limp and stared at the ceiling in wonder. Grinning broadly, Blaine leaned forward and nuzzled their noses together. Still breathing hard, Axl's eyes shifted downward. Meeting his gaze, his mouth was open with astonishment. Chuckling, Blaine groaned and rose to his knees slowly. Axl's cock slid noisily out of him. Cum dripped from his hole and landed back on his meat. Sighing, Blaine crawled to the side and lay next to him. "What is it with you and armpits?" Blaine finally laughed. "I don't know…it's just something I can't get enough of." 45. A Phase, Or A Real Thing "Is it a phase or the real deal?" asked his father. "I think the real deal, dad." He said softly, still not quite ready to meet his father's eye. "I don't understand…for as long as I can remember you've talked nonstop about hot chicks. I know you've made out with them and I'm sure you had…well, other experience with them." He said, sounding embarrassed. "Umm." He didn't know what to say. He knew what he was implying, but there's no way he was going to talk to his dad about what he'd done sexually with anyone. Just from the tone of his voice, he could tell his dad meant blow jobs and hand jobs. Feeling his ears burning, he decided to be truthful, to a point at least. "I've never done anything other than make out with girls." He finally said. "Well how do you know it's the real deal? Women are supposed to do stuff with guys and do stuff to guys. I'm sure they're a lot better at it than any guy could." He said, sounding exasperated. "Not necessarily. He stated, but wouldn't go on, but did look up. The color on his dads face had turned almost brick red. He didn't look mad though. He looked like he wanted to say something more personal. Opening his mouth, he stopped and looked over at his wife. Giving a cough, he leaned over and whispered something to her. Looking as if she didn't to leave, she stood and walked out of the bedroom. Following her, he closed the door and made his way back to the bed. Staring down at his hands, he finally looked up and leaned forward just a bit. "I can't believe I'm saying this to you. My dad would never ever say this to me. It's something no father should ever tell his children, but I'm desperate." He said, as if to himself. "What?" he asked, on edge. "Axl…umm…sex with a woman is incredible and is on all levels better than with a man." He said, matter- of-factly "How do you know?" he asked. "It's just commonsense, son." Said flatly. "So you have no idea." He said defiantly. "Look...trust me on this. People will talk horribly about you if this gets out. Do you really want that?" he asked, looking desperate. "Dad, this isn't just physical." He said, wanting to smile, but keeping his composure. "I care for Blaine. Much more than I've ever cared about any of my past girlfriends. He gets me on so many levels. We're so different, and yet it's like we complete each other." He finished with pride. His dad was looking at him strangely, as if he'd never seen him before. Automatically, he felt uneasy and afraid he was going to become emotional. That's all he needed, to cry in front of his dad after expressing his feelings about a boy. But, even as he thought this, he detected no disgust, or shame in his father's face. For the first time, he started to feel the closeness with him return. The night he had been confronted with those cell phone pictures, it felt like he had lost his dad forever. Now, he saw that the love was still there, and what's better, a willingness to understand what he was going through. Not wanting to say anything that sounded too emotional or feminine, he kept silence, trying to choose his words wisely. "He in any sports?" he heard after he glanced down at his hands, waiting for something. "What?" he asked, not quite sure what he had heard. "Does he like sports" he asked again, but attempting to sound more normal. "Umm…" he tried to think, taken off guard. He wanted to say he was a wrestler, but he was afraid his dad might just through that out the window. A gay guy would obviously like to wrestle with other guys. In truth, he knew Blaine wasn't into sports. He discovered that when he wasn't allowed to turn the TV over to watch any while at his house a few days ago. Though, at least he tried to play basketball. The size of his thighs made him think if he was in track or cross country he could do really well. "He's a singer, but he plays basketball and is good at track." He said, glad to see his father's face relax a bit. "Well that's cool." Said, sitting back and standing, then paused. "I'll love you no matter what Axl, but you've got to be careful about this. You might find some of your closest friends may not approve or understand how you feel. Are you going to tell anyone who asks?" he pondered. "Darren and Shawn already know. They've met him and we've hung out together. They get along great and don't have any problems." He said confidently, loving the surprised look on his dad's face. "Really?" he asked, sitting back down. "Yea, they've known for a while and are supportive." He smiled. "That's good…but again, are you going to tell anyone?" he asked, seeming more insistent on an answer. "Dad, I'm not gay. I just like Blaine. I don't go around checking out other guys. Chicks are awesome, but Blaine is the one for me. So if anyone asks, I'll just say I'm not available for anyone. If they press me, I'll tell them I'm dating Blaine." He said with certainty. "What about Brick and Sue?" he queried. "Oh…" he sat back down. The truth was, he hadn't even considered that in the least. He doubted either of them would care at all. Brick was always buried in a book and Sue was oblivious to anything when it came to sexuality. Her first boyfriend was totally gay, and three years later she still had no clue. Out of nowhere, he began to smirk. Across from him, he heard his father clear his throat. Looking up, he remembered what he had been thinking. "I don't know. Like I said, if they ask about him I'll tell them the truth. I don't think Brick will get it at all. Sue's too moronic to know what it will mean." He began. "Axl," he warned. "Sorry. I'll worry about that when they need to know I guess." He shrugged. "Axl," his dad said again, but this time it was softer and reserved. "I love you, and always will. This is going to take some getting used to for me. But, I'm going to try and want to meet him face to face." He finally said, standing as well. Axl looked up. His dad's head was well over a foot taller than him. He didn't quite know what to say. He didn't want to seem weak, but he couldn't help reflecting how much better he felt. Now that he was here, and he wasn't being thrown out or called names, he felt suddenly much closer to him. Without thinking, he leaned in and gave him a tight hug of appreciation. There was an intake of breath, then he felt arms wrap around him as well. That was what did it for him. Feeling the tears fall, he didn't look back up, wanting to hide them. After another hard squeeze, he pushed his dad playfully and he fell back on the bed chuckling. Using that act as an excuse to leave before the tears were discovered, he turned and left his parents' bedroom. Ahead, he saw a flicker of fabric disappear into the kitchen. Smirking, he realized his mom had been listening in. Had he turned and walked out without the hug, he suspected he would have ran right into his mom. "How'd it go?" the message asked. "Better than I could have dreamed." He confessed, letting Blaine know how it went down. "Really? That's great! What does this mean?" the next message asked. Axl stared at his phone. He knew that the question was asked with multiple reasons in mind. He sat there, stunned to think he could talk openly about Blaine now, anywhere. "He wants to meet you, Blaine." He replied. "Oh?" He smiled, though their speech was in words and conveyed no emotions, he could almost hear the uncertainty in that as if Blaine was right in front of him. "It's a good thing. He even hugged me. That rarely ever happens B. Though, he tried to talk about sex with women. I had a feeling he was going to go more into it…like details but I put a stop to that." He typed, smiling as he pictured the horror on Blaine's face. "No way!" Axl laughed aloud and shook his head. "Yea. All he got out was it was good before I stopped him." "Shivers" He laughed again. "I do wonder what it's like, but the thought of your ass makes me forget about it." "You know…I've wondered the same thing a few times, just as an experiment." Staring at the words, he wasn't sure how to reply. He was so stunned that he sat there for a couple minutes before there was another message "You there? Did I make you mad?" "No, babe. I was just stunned. Maybe we could find a friend and try it out together…just to see." He wrote back, but for some reason, he didn't really want to. Sure he was intrigued and curious, but Blaine was enough for him. "I don't think I want to try Axl. I'm sure it would feel good, but it makes me feel queasy just thinking about putting my dick in a vage." This time he roared out loud. He had to bite his lip to stop from laughing more. "LOL" "Well…lol…it's the truth lol." He felt the easiness beneath the words, knowing that Blaine wasn't worried at all. It was amazing how strong their relationship was even with the distance they lived apart. Knowing his father wanted to meet Blaine had made his spirit soar. Blaine wanted him to meet his parents as well. Axl wanted Blaine to come to dinner as soon as possible. Amazed at his own willingness, he left his phone on the bed and exited the room. Wondering if he was moving too fast he ran straight into his mom. She grunted and hit the wall. Wincing, he pulled her back and gave her an apologetic smile. Patting his arm, she began to walk away but halted at the look on his face. She must have sensed a situation that he felt embarrassed to approach because she smirked. Biting his lip, he looked at her. "I want to invite him over for dinner as soon as possible. "He confessed, a bit louder than he meant. "Oh," she said surprised, then, "sure, I'd like that too. To tell the truth I'm really proud of the way your dad is handling it." She finished. He nodded enthusiastically. "I know. It needs to be something really good to eat." He pressed, hoping she'd get the hint and work on her cooking skills. "Oh course, ask your dad and tell me what you think." She patted his shoulder and moved past and into her bedroom. The sound of a sportscaster from ahead signaled a game was on. Realized he hadn't watched a game in days, he hurried forward. Glancing over, his dad smiled lazily and sat back with his beer. Returning the grin, he laid on the couch, completely forgetting his original intent on leaving his room. Before he knew it he was complaining about a penalty while Mike was laughing at his outrage. Scowling, he griped aloud at the TV. Glad he felt nothing had changed between them he turned and told him that the penalty made no sense. Hallway through the argument, his mom stood at the end of the couch. "What'd he say?" she asked him. "Say what?" Axl asked her confused. She blinked twice. "Oh!" he exclaimed, turning he looked at his dad, but his confidence wavered for a moment before he spoke up. "Um, I wanted to invite Blaine to dinner Friday…is that OK, or is it too soon for you?" he finally said quietly. "Well, sure. I guess. Just don't get all….lovie dovey on us right away and I think it'll be fine." He said, voice sounding somewhat strange. "Really? You mean he can come to dinner?" he asked, not believing his ears. To his great surprise, his dad gave a reluctant smile and a nod. Feeling elated, he grinned broadly and turned back to the TV, wanting to get back to the game. There was a huff, than his mom left the end of the couch with a mutter of "boys." They both looked and grinned at each other. "Girls." And went back to watching the game. He left the couch much happier than his dad. His team won, coming from behind and wiping the floor when the other in the last few minutes. Swinging by the kitchen, he grabbed a banana and headed back to his room. Jumping onto his bed, he picked up his cell and opened it. Groaning, he noticed he had missed several messages from Blaine. Realizing he hadn't planned on getting engrossed by watching a game, he hadn't explained to him where he was going. Smiling, he read through the messages. Most were just idle chit chat. The last one was a pic of Blaine's hard uncut cock. Snorting, he looked closer and realized it was a video message. Excited, he quickly closed his bedroom door and jumped back on the bed. Already feeling himself getting hard, he pulled out a small pair of earphones and plugged them into the side of the phone. Pushing one into his left ear, he pushed play. "Axl, look at my cock. It's hard. It wants your mouth around it." Said Blaine's voice, he tanned hand slowly pushed his foreskin down to the base. Head exposed, he squeezed it and a glob of precum leaked out of the piss slit. "Shit, this is hot." He told himself softly, rubbing his cock through his pants. The phone went fuzzy as the view changed. Blaine pushed his index finger into the slit, letting precum gather on the tip. Turning the camera, he brought the finger up to his mouth. Opening his mouth, he pushed the finger in and sucked the precum off with a wink. Biting his lip, he paused the video and closed his eyes, listening for sounds outside his room. Hearing nothing, he smiled and unzipped his jean, then stopped. He realized he had stopped walking around his house and just boxers. Grinning he rose and pulled his clothes off so he was just basically bare. Looking down, he realized he couldn't do that at the moment. His own hard cock was poking through the opening of his boxers. Hand around his member, he hopped back on the bed and resumed the video. "God I need your cock in man Axl. Look at my hairy hole." He groaned, pulling his legs back. Blaine's furry hole was exposed, the dark pink rosebud puckered hole in the middle. Axl began pumping himself slowly, constantly stopping and listening for sounds outside his room. Blaine's thumb pushed into himself. The image of Blaine's face was blurry, but Axl could easily make out a smirk. A hand went down and Blaine's slight curved cock was pushed forward and stood straight into the air. His hand wrapped around the shaft and began to move up and down. His thick nuts began to bounce up and down as his hand fisted his cock faster. Blaine pulled his thumb out and pushed his middle finger inside. Giving an audible groan of pleasure, Blaine's finger dug deeper into that spot Axl knew he'd hit. Feeling his own release close, he listened again, making sure he was safe. Still safe, he resumed play. "Oh, Axl, I'm close. God I wish your cock was in me." Blaine's voice sounded shaky. Axl pumped faster, watching Blaine's finger digging at his hole. There was a gasp, and Axl looked closer. The bulge of veins and tendons that supplied Blaine's hard cock with blood twitched and pulsed. Axl shot his own load, thick white ropes landing all over his chest. On the video, Blaine moaned and stopped pumping. Hard cock pointing straight up, cum shot into the air and then ran in a river down the shaft as his ass continued to contract with the orgasm. A white stream leaked down the front side of Blaine's cock, following the slight curve and then down the middle of his nut sack. Finally, the lines pooled into the palm of his hand, which was still buried in his hole, pressing into his prostate gland. With a sigh, Blaine let his cock slap to his groin. Pulling out his finger, he brought his palm up to his mouth and lick off the seed. Though he hadn't realized it, Axl had been doing the same thing. Reaching to the different spots on his chest, he wiped it up with his fingers before bringing them up to his mouth and sucking the still hot cum off the messy tips. Letting out his own sigh of contentment, he sat up and leaned over the bed and pulled a rag off the floor. Making sure he got it all, his chest was finally clear of the mess. Pulling his shirt back on, he got up and walked over to his closet, his now soft cock flopping around inside his boxers. Looking down, he found shorts and slipped them on over his boxers and laid back down on his bed, suddenly tired and wanting to sleep. Then he remembered to tell Blaine he was expected for dinner. "Super-hot babe!" he wrote, "I jerked off to that." "Ah…I was wondering when I'd hear from you again :P" "Sorry, I was talking with my parents and we want you to come to dinner Friday night. Then I got wrapped in watching sports with my dad on TV." He wrote. "They want me to come to dinner?" Axl could imagine what Blaine face looked like. He would be totally shocked and not quite believing the words. "You're messing with me, aren't you?" Smirking, he knew that was going to be what he said. "No, you're coming over for dinner Friday night. No excuses. Dad wants to meet you and I want my brother and sister to meet you." He wrote, surprised with the honesty of his own words. "Really" Again, Axl smiled, he could almost see the look of affection across Blaine's face. "Absolutely. You're coming to dinner. If I have to I'll come and abduct you from school and bring you back in chains." He grinned as he pushed send. "Axl…that means so much to me." "You're important to me Blaine. I love you." He felt emotional, but kept it in check. "Luv you too. So, what are we going to have for dinner?" "Dunno…anything you're allergic too?" he asked, wondering how he hadn't asked that before. "Yes, actually. Tuna, Any kind of bean that's not green….like pinto, chili, black eye peas, kidney, etc." Axl stared at the words…beans? How could someone live without them? "You're kidding about the beans, right?" "NO, I'm not. I have to be careful about what I eat. If I have some and don't purge it almost right away I get really, really sick." "Huh, never heard about someone being allergic to beans. I'll tell mom. I don't like tuna myself so I'm pretty sure we'll be safe with that food. Anything specific you want? Mom's not that good of a cook but I can make sure figures out how to fix something by Friday if I have to." "Lol, Axl, don't do that. Let her fix whatever. I'll probably be too nervous to eat much. Your dad is really tall, and kind of intimidating to me." "Nah, he's a cool dad. He hugged me and said he wanted to meet me. How lucky am I?" "I have to go. I'll talk to you later Axl." Frowning, he looked at the message. Feeling his heart sink, something told him he had just made a major error. Biting his lip, he couldn't understand what was going on. After a few moments, he decided to write back. "B?" "I'll talk to you later." He stared at the words, not understanding how he could feel the best he'd ever felt in his life, down to one of the lowest in a matter of seconds. "I'm sorry Blaine." He wrote fiercely, noticing how the screen on his phone was becoming blurry. He waited for a long time, tears fell, though thankfully nothing too heavy. Finally, he heard a chime. Grasping the phone, he looked down. "No, I'm sorry Axl. I got jealous. My dad wasn't like that. Look, now I feel ashamed for treating you like that. You don't deserve that. It's just hard for me…my dad and I were fairly close, but just as I figured out who I was something happened that changed everything. I don't know what it was but after that time, and when I finally came out he wasn't happy at all…Coop was the only one really there for me….sure he would tease me and over criticize like you wouldn't believe, but at least he treated me the same. Again, I'm so sorry Axl. I could tell by the way you typed "B" that you knew something was wrong. Though I'm ashamed, I can't help reflect how well we can read each other even through electronics. I can't wait for dinner Friday. I do have to get some rest now boyo." Unable to help himself, he smiled broadly and looked at the words again. Glancing over at the clock, he hadn't realized how late it was. It was well after 11. The door to the bedroom opened and Brick walked in and climbed onto his bed. In his hands, was a thick book with a finger keeping place of where he was reading. Glancing up, Brick looked at him without expression before turning the night light by his bed on and opening the book. Axl watched him, wondering how he should approach what he had in mind. Finally, he sighed heavily and looked up and stared at his brother. Sensing the look, Brick's eyes shifted from the book to his own face. Putting the book down, he waited expectantly. "Brick…um, Friday, I'm having a friend come over for dinner. Someone who is very special to me." He started. "A new girlfriend huh? Who is it this time?" he asked, seeming to be bored with the subject. Biting his lip, he finally let out "His, name," he said, feeling as if the world had stopped, "is Blaine." Eyes snapping back to his, Brick's head lifted and didn't move. The expression on his face was unreadable. He knew he had said it right though, because the fact Brick was studying him more than the book meant he had more to process in his mind than usual. "Blaine…that's a boy's name I think." He said, hesitantly. "Correct…" he said flatly, feeling his face burning. "Axl, are you…is this a joke?" he asked, suddenly wary. "Brick, I'm straight, but Blaine, is my boyfriend." He finally said it. "How is that possible…you mean you're bi?" he asked, looking even more confused that he thought was possible. "No…I don't know how to describe it. I still like chicks. But I like Blaine, on so many levels. He's more special to me than all my last girlfriends put together." He finished. "OK." He said, not sounding or looking surprised, or skeptical, or disgusted. "You know what I mean by boyfriend…right?" he asked, worried he might not get it. "Yea…." He said distractedly, opening his book again. "Like, I make out with him like I do girls…" he said, unbelievably. "Yes, Axl, I know what it means. Holding hands with him, kissing him, other stuff…" he said, the tips of his ears turning a shade of red. "You're cool with your big bro being with another dude?" he persisted. "Axl, I'm trying to read. Yes, I don't really see much difference." And with that, he lifted his book and his face was hidden. Sinking back into his bed, he began to smile again. Reaching over, he picked up his phone and wrote a text. "Hey Sam, it's Axl." He waited for so long he began to fall asleep when it chimed. "S'up dude?" "Don't mean to bother you, but when does your school have a homecoming dance?" "Was wondering when you were going to message me about that. This year it's actually on Halloween." "Awesome." "I heard you told your parents about you and Blaine. How'd it go?" Blaine sure knew how to pick friends that actually cared about each other. "Yeah. Really well….he's coming over for dinner Friday night…I'm kind of nervous now that I told someone other than just him and my family." "Don't worry about it…remember…Blaine will be even more nervous that you." "I want to take him to your homecoming dance…but I'm wondering how to do it." "Well last year for Mr. Shoe…the whole class did something that might work." "NO! Blaine told me about that lol." "Ight lol." "Well….I really, really want to go with him to his dance. I'll try to think of something…OK if I run it by you and see what you think once I get an idea?" "Sure dude. TTYL, bed time." "Night." "Hey Brick." He called over to him, but Brick hadn't even acknowledged him while the book was in his face. "Oy!" he snapped. Reluctantly, Brick looked up and over his book with an annoyed look. "What?" he demanded. "During dinner Friday, ask me what I'm doing for Halloween" he smirked. "OK" he said distractingly. "What did I just say?" he frowned. "Ask you what you're doing for Halloween" he said impatiently. Satisfied, he looked away deviously. Looking back over, he noticed Brick's attention was back to reading his book. Checking the clock, it was now almost a quarter till midnight. Sighing, he laid back with his arms behind his head. Out of the corner of each eye, he could see the dark tufts of hair sticking out of his pits. Glancing over again, he made sure Brick was still engrossed in his book. He turned a page noisily and pulled his book closer to his face. Grinning, he tilted his head and sniffed each of his pit. They were clean and smelled nice. Sticking his tongue out, he dipped it into the depression. The salty taste made him hard, but he resisted and flipped onto his side, letting his lids flutter closer. Slowly, he drifted off into slumber. 46. Meet the Parents He didn't know what he was so nervous. Already he had tried on four different outfits, but didn't like any of them. Well, he did like them a lot. However, he wanted to dress as casually as possible. Grinning, he looked at himself in the mirror. Instead of wearing khaki's he wore dark denim jeans, with a light tan t-shirt and long sleeved green over shirt. Satisfied, he turned and headed out the door. All day he had been stressing about this. Starting the car, he took one more look at himself in the rearview mirror. Letting out a breath of nervousness, he made his way out of his driveway and headed for Orson. The ride took no time, or so it seemed. Before he knew it, he had parked on the curb. Turning the car off, he hesitated and looked at the house. Darkness had fallen early due to the cloudy skies. His hands were still wrapped around the steering wheel, tight and sweaty. He had the horrible urge to turn the car back on and head home again. The front door opened and he noticed a figure walk through. With the porch light off, he couldn't tell who it was but a moment later Axl's face smiled down at him from outside his window. Shaking, he tried to pry his hands off the wheel but nothing happened. Axl's bright white teeth shone as he laughed at his predicament. Reaching down, he opened the door and leaned in. Giving him a quick kiss on the check, he nuzzled his neck until Blaine felt himself smile. "There it is. Come on, B. They want to meet you." He whispered, taking a step back and holding out his hand for him to grab. ***Earlier*** "Sue, I need to talk to you." He said, just wanting to get it out as fast as possible. "OK." She said brightly. He didn't know why, but he was already annoyed with her. She was sitting on her single bed with some sort of trapper keeper. All across the top papers were scattered along with several pens and pencils. As she looked up inquisitively at him, he inwardly groaned. Telling her yesterday would have been better, but he kept putting off and eventually forgot what he was wanting to talk to her about. Now, he glanced at the clock and realized Blaine should be arriving any time. Knowing he had left her no time to prepare for what he was about to say, he tried to stay calm and not become overly annoyed by her. Taking a deep breath, he sat at the end of her bed. Automatically, her eyes got huge and looked scared. Apparently she knew something was wrong when he didn't start picking on her right away. "Look, I told you yesterday I had a friend coming over for dinner tonight." He started. "I know, I know. I'll try not to embarrass you." She cut in. "No! That's not it…" he looked down at his hands, wishing he could just crawl away. "Sorry!" she said, looking hurt. Groaning, he shook his head. "Blaine, is much more than a friend to me, Sue." He said softly. "Axl, I think he's here." He heard his mom yell. "What?" Sue asked, but he was already standing and walking out of the room. Some part of him knew he had just left Sue knowing less than anyone else in the house. Axl hadn't even taken the time to dress in anything other than his boxers. He had opened the door halfway when it closed again. Turning he looked at his mom in confusion. She stood back and looked at him up and down. Frowning, he looked down and knew instantly what she wanted. Groaning loudly, he raced back to his room. To be honest, it was a good thing she had called attention to his lack of clothes. Halfway down the hallway he felt his junk start to swell. Shaking his head, he slipped his school clothes on, determined to look casual. Knowing he looked good, he exited his room and made his way back down the hall. He thought he heard his name from Sue's room, but ignored it as he opened the door. Parked on the curb, Blaine sat in his dark blue Chevy Cruz. Grinning, he jumping down the steps, he approached, studying Blaine's body language. The engine was off, but his hands still clutched the wheel. Veins on his hands were very visible, even from this distance. Sighing, he walked up to the door and knocked on the window. Blaine slowly turned his head and looked at his face as if looking at something past him. Smiling broadly, he shook his head and opened the door for him. Leaning down, he gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and pushed his nose forward until Blaine finally turned his head. Their eyes met and Blaine's stony expression melted into something more relaxed. Lightly pressing their lips together and pulled back, not wanting to get too into it. Blaine smiled softly gave him a thankful look. "There it is. Come on, B. They want to meet you." He whispered, taking a step back and holding out his hand for him to grab. Taking a breath Blaine reached out and took his hand. Grunting, he pulled him out of the car so they stood side by side. Aware his actions were visible to anyone looking out their window, he reluctantly stepped back. Though he was becoming more and more comfortable with his actions with Blaine, he realized others might not feel the same. Some might even become hostile and would vent at the family as a whole. He wanted to hold Blaine's hand on their way to the front door, but resisted. Thankfully, Blaine looked just as anxious as he felt. Turning, he closed the door and clicked the button to lock it. Looking up, he noticed his dad standing at the door. Starting to feel uneasy, he dropped his gaze to his feet. Hearing the door open, he looked up again and watched his dad approach. Next to him, Blaine side stepped, lengthening the distance between them. "Good to meet you." Blaine said, trying to sound confident. There was a moment's hesitation then his dad gave a small smile and shook his hand. "How are you?" he asked, releasing the hand. "I'm good, a little nervous I guess." He said shakily. "Nice car." He said, looking behind him. Axl released his breath, which he hadn't realized he had been holding. Nodding encouragingly to Blaine they turned back around. "Oh, yea, I really like it. Got it last year for my birthday." He said, sounding a bit more normal. "Brand new?" he asked, taking a look from the back. "Pre-owned." He replied. His dad's stance became even more relaxed before finally turning and heading back toward the house without a second look. A bit taken aback, Blaine looked at him for direction. Nodding, Axl gestured for him to follow. Though they didn't hold hands, they walked side by side. With every other step their fingers brushed together softly. Inside, his mom came to the door and hugged him. His dad looked annoyed and gave Blaine an apologetic look. Axl had told Blaine to do something if this happened. Holding back his excitement, he waited and pressed his foot onto his with urgency. Blaine briefly looked away and then looked back at his dad "Girls" he mouthed. Smiling broadly, his dad smiled approvingly and turned back around and headed for the kitchen. Finally, his mom released Blaine and also headed toward the kitchen. Axl frowned, completely forgetting to check what was going to be for dinner. Sitting over on the couch, Brick was reading for a change. Axl started to open his mouth but Blaine tugged at his arm and shook his head. Looking back, he tilted his head in question. "Let him finish a page before you break his concentration." He said, a bit louder than expected. Brick looked up, surprised by the thoughtful comment. He smiled and nodded his head, then dropped it again. Rolling his eyes, Axl walked over to the kitchen while Blaine walked over to sit next to Brick. Watching him, Axl grinned as Blaine began to speak just as Brick turned a page from his book. Satisfied, he turned back and looked at what was for dinner. Looking around, he couldn't help but notice that there were Pizza Hut boxes on the counter. Feeling his jaw dropping, he glanced behind and made sure Brick and Blaine were fully engrossed in what he was reading, stepped into the kitchen and lifted up the lids. To his surprise, instead of pizza, he found lasagna. Next to the boxes, was a box of powdered mashed potato mix. To the side of the box was a package of Kings Hawaiian Rolls. Biting his lip, he turned and looked at his mom. "Brick, make sure Doris is okay." called his mom, ignoring him. "Who?" he asked, then eyes widened. Setting down his book, he rose and walked off. Blaine rose and followed him out of the room and then out of the back door. Axl shook his head, still not believing his parents were letting him watch their Aunt's basset hound while they were gone. After only a few moments, they both came back inside and sat back down on the couch. Blaine looked over his shoulder at the door and smiled at him before returning his focus to Brick. Pushing him aside, his mom set a pan down next to the boxes and quickly scooped out the lasagna and placed it into than, making it appear as if she made it herself. The microwave dinged and he naturally opened the door. A smell of rich bread hit his nostrils as he pulled out the rolls, which had been pulled apart and placed randomly. Lifting the bowl, he passed it over the counter to his dad. Placing it on the table, he pointed to the silverware. Not sure why, but he began to help set the table, looking over his shoulder and listening to Brick chat with Blaine. Taking the pan with the lasagna, his mom handed it to him. Only then did he noticed the stove was on and a pan was steaming atop it. Turning the stove off, she added salt and pepper and a bit of butter and deemed it ready. Axl took the mashed potatoes and placed the bowl on a pot holder. "It's ready." She said brightly. "Come on, you don't want him to really have what she usually makes do you?" his dad asked, looking somewhat amused. "Hey, I make good food." She said, turning and looking at the living room. "Brick, Blaine, Dinner's ready." Said his dad before he could say anything. Before Blaine stood, Axl raced over to the counter and pulled the pizza hut boxes and rolls package off and opened the stove. Big mistake, the quilt they always kept in there rolled out onto the kitchen floor. Feeling his face burn with embarrassment, he through the boxes and packages into the stove and kicked the quilt into the utility room just as Blaine rose. Blaine said something to Brick as they walked up to the dining table. Looking at the meal, Blaine looked impressed and nodded to his mom. She blushed and his dad rolled his eyes. Brick was about to sit down but his mom tugged at his sleeve. "Go tell Sue dinner's ready Brick." She said calmly. "Sue! Dinner's ready!" Brick shouted, making Blaine jump and caused his mom to cringe. Axl, on the other hand felt panicked, having totally forgot to fully explain who Blaine was. Cursing inwardly, he exited the kitchen and went into Sue's room. He grunted as they collided. She fell back onto her bed and he to the floor at the foot of her bed. Groaning, he looked up and saw stars. Closing his eyes, he finally sat up and looked at her with a scowl. She didn't look too hurt. She was just rubbing her forehead and gazing down at him. Shaking his head again, he stood, and before she could say anything, he spoke. "Look, I tried to tell you before, but Blaine is my boyfriend. Be nice!" he said, and before she could get more than a "what?" out, he left and joined the rest at the table. Sitting next to Brick, who was sitting next to his dad, Blaine looked at him with concern. Shaking his head, he sat next to Blaine with his mom on his other side. Finally, Sue walked into the kitchen and slowed, staring at the table. Blaine looked up and smiled at her. Blinking, she turned her head to look at him, then at her dad, then at Brick, before finally looking back at Blaine. Rotating her body, his mom leaned forward and pulled at Sue's arm. Still not blinking, she kept her eyes on Blaine. Axl could feel his face turning red as she finally sat and looked between the two of them. "Let's eat!" his mom said loudly enough to bring Sue out of her trance. So they dug in. Blaine nodded to her and told her his name. It seemed she didn't really hear him because she kept calling him Brain. Finally tired of it, Axl lost his temper "It's Blaine, dork!" he growled. "Axl!" said Blaine, looking shocked. "What?" he asked, defiantly. "Don't call her names, she obviously is in a state of shock." He said with a smirk, as if he wanted to say something else. "Thanks, Drain, I mean Brain….Blaine!" she finally shouted. "OK." He chuckled over at her. "So," said his father, loudly, "good at track I hear." He said, looking over. "Oh, yea…" said Blaine, trying to play along, glancing sideways at him. Axl's face felt on fire, but luckily Blaine didn't look mad. "What's your favorite part?" he asked, sounding a bit suspicious. "Hurdles and sprinting." said Blaine immediately. Nodding, his dad smiled and looked happier. "I used to wrestle too." Blaine said, taking a bite at his roll. "Really?" asked Sue, finally looking more at ease. "My ex-boyfriend, Matt, was in wrestling. He was really good." She said quickly. "That's nice. Dalton Academy used to have a wrestling team but it was disbanded before I went there." Blaine explained, chewing on lasagna. "What's the school you got to now?" asked Frankie. "McKinley High. It's my second year there, before that I was at Dalton for two years." He went on. "Dalton?" asked Mike. "A private high school for boys, a little west of Lima. I went there after an accident." He said, sounding a bit uncomfortable. "What kind of accident?" asked Sue. Blaine glanced at her, then at him with reluctance. "Don't worry about it Sue." Said Frankie, probably guessing what it dealt with. "I'll just say Dalton doesn't allow bullying of any kind. Strict policy." He finally said. "Sounds nice." She responded, looking over at him. Axl shrugged and continued with his food. The meal went without a hitch. By the time they were done, Axl felt all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing his family was getting along with Blaine so well. Still, he waited for Brick to mention Halloween. Throughout the meal, Brick said only a few words, usually because Blaine had engaged him in the conversation. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sue was telling his mom about what she was going to be. Apparently she was going to be something from a Doctor Seuss character. At that point, Brick looked up and looked at him sideways for confirmation. Giving a slight nod, he looked over at Axl and said in a very loud voice. "What are you doing for Halloween Axl?" he called out of nowhere, cutting off Sue in midsentence. "Well, I wanted to take Blaine here to his homecoming dance." He said, feeling his face burn as his parents looked over at them. "Oh…" Blaine said surprised, and blushed. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw his mom smile but he was determined not to look at his dad. "Well?" he asked again, reaching under the table where his parents couldn't see and giving Blaine's thigh a squeeze. "Umm…yea, of course." He said, very flustered but obviously pleased. "Great." He said, reaching his hand over the table and giving Blaine's a squeeze that was visible to everyone. "Unless your parent's have any objections." Blaine said suddenly and looked at both of them full in the face. "I think it's a great idea." Said Frankie. "Um…"his dad hesitated. Axl felt his heart sink, but Blaine's expression never wavered. "Will it be safe?" he asked, glancing over to Axl and then back to Blaine. Blaine nodded and finally his dad gave a reluctant and visible nod of the head. Once more, Axl felt his heart lift and he could barely get through the rest of the evening. Looking over at the clock, he realized it was almost nine. Energized, he grinned at Blaine and stood. "Let's go see that new movie you wanted to see." He said pulling him up. Oh…well…"said Blaine looking at both his parents for permission. Axl didn't give them a chance as he walked over to the doorway and put on his jacket. Blaine stood and walked over and shook both his parents hands and finally Sue's. As he walked by Brick, he ruffled his hair and finally met him in the open doorway. Both parents called good bye as Axl closed the door behind them. Blaine smirked at him, knowing full well he had no idea what movie he was talking about. Being dark outside, Axl took a chance and leaned in, giving him a full on kiss on the mouth. Blaine moaned, but pulled apart quickly, shaking his head warningly. Jutting out his lip, Axl tried to make Blaine feel sorry for him. Ignoring him, Blaine headed over to his car and unlocked it. Almost giddy, Axl hopped in the passenger side and closed the door. Leaning over Blaine finally opened his mouth and their tongues met in the dark interior of the car. "You were so great. They really liked you, I can tell with them." He said proudly, reaching down between Blaine's legs. "You're going to come with me to homecoming?" he asked, sounding choked up. "Absolutely!" he said without hesitation. "But everyone will see you at my school….we have a huge class." He said, sounding worried. "Who cares, I'll have you beside me." He chuckled, as Blaine gasped as he unzipped his pants. "Not here." He said, voice a higher pitch as he felt his flesh come in contact with his member. "Then you better drive because I want you as soon as possible." he said, pulling his uncut cock through the opening of his pants. Groaning, he turned the car on and pulled out into the road. It was clear Blaine had no idea where they should go. Reluctantly, he released Blaine and looked around. Deciding on the high school baseball field, he pointed the way. This time of year there would be no one around and he had wanted to check out the dugout. As soon as the car pulled into the lot, Blaine grinned over at him as if amused with his extensive sports involvement. Shutting the car off, Blaine opened the door, mirroring Axl. They came together and kissed, intertwining their fingers, they made their way over to the small dugout. Once inside, Axl peered out and then jumped on the edge of the dugout lip and peered over the top. There was a tug and he felt cool air rush into his pants while he was standing on the edge. Instead of jumping back down, he stood there and felt Blaine's hand wriggle into his pants and finally come into contact with his cock. He moaned as he was gripped tighter. Below, Blaine gave a chuckle and he felt his member being maneuvered out of the front of his boxers and into the night air. His cock was surrounded by a hot wetness, making his legs shake. He gave a gasp as he felt his feet slip off the edge, causing him to latch onto the top of the dugout. Blaine gave another laugh pulled back. Now wet, his cock shivered as it exited Blaine's mouth. Arms wrapped around his calves and Axl felt Blaine tug him down. Finally, he released his hold on the top of the building. Expecting to fall, he was surprised as Blaine easily lowered him down and set him down on the edge. Looking down, he smiled as Blaine leaned up and gave him a swift kiss before ducking his head back down onto his hardness. His mouth dropped open and he placed his hands on Blaine's hair, moving it up and down his length. It was too good, he was already feeling his nuts tighten. Still, he could bring Blaine's mouth to a halt. He grunt as he let loose his cum into a surprised Blaine's mouth. There was a groan and then a buzz of humming as he sucked every drop out of his cock. Shaking, Axl released his hold on Blaine's hair. Grinning, he pushed forward and pressed his tongue into his mouth. Tasting his own load, he grinned into the kiss. Below, Blaine pulled at the button to his pants and with a pop, they opened. Blaine reached his hands under his ass and lifted him into the air. Pulling back from his lips he looked at Blaine. Though the light was dim, he thought he could make out a smirk on his face. Shaking his head, he leaned in again and nipped at Blaine's ear. "Are you going to fuck me Blaine?" he teased, feeling Blaine stand him up and turn him around. "Do you want me to?" he asked, yanking his pants and boxers down just below his ass. "Yes." He whispered, though to be honest, he wanted to fuck him instead. "Good." He growled, as he lowered himself and spread his furry cheeks apart. Axl bit down on his lower lip as he felt the tongue enter his hole. He was already getting hard again as he felt a finger probe him. The heat and wetness of his tongue returned and he groaned louder. "Your ass is so wet and tight." Blaine mumbled, his mouth buried into his ass. "Do me." He said, as he felt a finger plunge inside and automatically press into his prostate gland. "OK" said Blaine shakily. The heat disappeared, as the sound of shuffling material took its place. Blaine's breathing began to quicken as he came closer. Turning his head, he peered down and watched Blaine's uncut cock press into his cheeks. With a quick kiss, Blaine pushed into him. Axl hissed and leaned forward, biting his lip. Finally, his entire length was buried inside him. Blaine's hands dropped down to his hips as he held still for a few moments. Clearly, he was halting a too quick release. Laughing, Axl remembered how he had almost done the same thing when he first fucked Blaine. He knew exactly how it felt. Grinning, he squeezed his ass hard and pushed back. Blaine's eyes opened and he shook his head side to side rather quickly. Sighing, he nodded and stopped his teasing. Giving him a kiss, he pulled back and pushed back in slowly. His bare white ass was rather easy to see in the darkness. He could barely see Blaine at all. His skin tone was naturally dark while his own seemed to sun burn after only an hour of being outside. He grunted as Blaine began to thrust harder into him. Turning his hips a bit to the side, he thrust again and the slight curve caused the head to press against his prostate. He gasped and pushed back as he continued to build speed. From behind, Blaine started puffing and he gave a small cry and went rigid. Hot cum filled his insides as shook from his orgasm. Axl leaned back and reached down and jerked his own cock. After a few strokes, Blaine knocked his hand away and took over. He leaned back and groaned as he came again, his seed landing across three feet of the wooden bench near the floor. Grinning, he pointed it out to Blaine who just chuckled. "I needed that." Blaine breathed, stepping back and let his softening cock slide out of him. "I could tell." Axl laughed standing up straight moving his ass back and forth enticingly. Blaine leaned down and gave a kiss to each cheek before slapping it harshly. "Youch!" He yelped. "Too hard?" he teased. "Yes." He said, looking down at hand print outlined across the white flesh. "I'm sorry." He said, sounding really remorseful. "Don't do that again." he warned, but couldn't keep the smirk from forming. Looking relieved and leaned in and pressed their noses together. That was starting to become a thing with them. Something with which he actually liked. Axl smiled and patted his lap. Automatically, Blaine hopped on and snuggled close to him. Sighing, he hugged him tight and leaned back against the dugout wall. They sat there for a while, not saying a thing, just cuddling. Overhead, Axl noticed a shooting star race across the night sky. "I love you." Blaine said softly, kissing his cheek "Love you to B." whispered Axl, letting his eyes close. "Well…I hate to say it but I need to head home. Both my parents are actually home tonight, so they want to hear about tonight….well at least mom does. Cooper is supposed to be there as well, so I know he's going to hound me about you." He explained with a sigh as he stood. "That's cool B. You can tell Cooper you topped again if you want." He said, knowing Blaine would not want to have to conversation. Now that he had gotten used to his brother, he didn't really care that Cooper knew what they did. Well, how could he when he actually stood right next to them and watched them fuck each other. Blaine shook his head and wouldn't meet his eye, a sign he was trying to forget that happened. Laughing, Axl took his hand and they walked back to his car. The way back to his house they talked about how their day at school was and then about what Blaine thought of his family. He got along well with Brick, finding his oddness rather interesting rather than annoying. Sue, he actually thought was sweet. Again, they talked about how she had no idea about what her friend Brad was really like. Though he personally thought within the next few days, she'd figure it out now that she met Blaine. After a really long kiss, he stepped out of his car and walked to the porch and watched the car turn the corner and was out of sight. 47. Don't Touch **another Shawn and Darren chapter. Next one will be Blaine and Axl** "We've got to stop this." Shawn said, letting Darren pull him into his bedroom. "Why?" he asked, closing the door. "Umm…" he tried to say, but dropped off when Darren tugged his zipper down. "Hmmm?" Darren smirked, reaching through the opening in front of his pants. "Nothing, just get down there." He finally said, pushing Darren down to his knees. Smiling, Darren pulled his cock through the zipper and went down on him. Moaning, Shawn closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting it rest against the bedroom door. Reaching down, he put his hand on the back of Darren's head while his other unbuttoned his pants. Immediately, they dropped to the floor. Below, Darren engulfed his hard cock whole, letting his tongue swirl over the head before resting on the underside of the shaft. The slight downward curve made it easy for it to slide in until his lips rested against his thick pubes. Reaching up, Darren scratched the forest above his cock. Darren pulled back and pushed his tongue inside the opening in his boxers, using it to lift his nut sack up and finally through the same opening. He moaned as they were suddenly wet with saliva. Shifting his hands to the sides of Darren's face, he gripped him and pulled him up. He met his mouth with hunger, wanting his tongue pressing against his own. Moaning deeply, Darren forced his tongue into his mouth with haste. In one quick move, Darren slammed him into the door, rutting his hips against Shawn's bare member. It was a good thing no one else was home, because the force was so great that it created a loud bang. He didn't know why he felt like this every time they got together, which admittedly, had been more often than they had originally planned. Battling against his thick tongue, he finally relented. He could feel Darren's huge cock pressing against his own through his pants. Reaching down, he unzipped him, and his cock immediately popped out. Surprised, he tried to reach in the zipper, but the size of his meat took up too much space. So, he pulled at the button and his fly opened, then fell to the floor. Feeling a smile against his lips, he wrapped his hand around his length, giving it a hard squeeze. Gasping, Darren pulled his face back and let his head fall against Shawn's chest. Grinning, he released his hold and slid his fingers down the shaft until he reached Darren's own pubes. Chuckling, he push him back a bit and looked down. It seemed Darren had gone commando today. He still marveled at his best friends' size. Thick, almost too much to wrap his hand around it, and well over eight inches, probably much longer, but he never measured. Gazing into his eyes, Darren smiled softly, reached down, cupping his ass and lifted him into the air. Giving a surprised chuckle, he leaned in and nibbled at the top of Darren's ear as he was turned around and laid across his bed. Legs dangling over the edge, he watched as Darren pulled at his boxers. Lifting his ass a bit, they were then slipped down his thighs and fell atop his pants, which were still around his ankles. Leaning in, Darren sucked at his exposed nuts. Shawn moaned, and let his back fall against his bed. Tugs on his shoes told him they were coming off, and seconds later they were. Pulling harshly at his jeans, they were soon off, along with his boxers, leaving him only in a t shirt and socks. Leaning up on his elbows, he took hold of Darren's shirt and pulled until it slipped off his head. With it off, he brought it up to his face and smelled it. He gave a pause and looked down at the clothing, not believing he had just sniffed his best friend's attire. Luckily, Darren hadn't noticed as he pulled his own shoes off. Throwing the shirt to the side, he pulled his own off as Darren stood. "I'm going to fuck you." Darren said, without any hint of tenderness. "Do it." He agreed. Nodding, he leaned in and kissed him hard, dropping his hand and tugging at Shawn's weeping cock. Their tongues battled for a bit, before Darren licked his face and snuffled at his ear. Biting his lips, he tilted his head, giving him more room to work. Pulling back a bit, he placed kisses down his upper chest and paused at his nipples. Flicking the buds with his tongue, he leaned in and gave them a harsh nip. He yelped, but loved it. "The other." He panted. Looking up, he caught Darren's smirk as he gave another harsh nip. He didn't know why, but he was getting seriously turned on. "The other…"he whimpered. Winking, Darren slowly worked his way over, then just before he got there, and slid his head down, leaving it untouched. He groaned in frustration as Darren kept moving downward, with an evil grin across his mouth. Shaking his head, he dropped it and reached his fingers down and twisted his nipples. Letting out a sharp hiss, Darren had slapped his hands away. "Leave em alone, or I won't touch them again." he growled. "Please." He whined, not able to disguise his need. Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head and went down, briefly dipping his tongue into his belly button. Darren's thick hands wrapped around both of his legs and pulled him to the edge. Ass now hanging off the bed, it was open for him. A thick finger pressed against his entrance, but not hard enough to go through. Shawn tilted his head down until his chin rested against chest. Standing over him, Darren had a hand wrapped around his length, slowly jerking as his thumb finally sunk into his tightness. Hissing, Shawn bit his lip and let his head fall back. "Jerk yourself off." Said Darren, eyes glued to Shawn's cock, which bobbed with his pulse. Reaching down, he pressed his index finger into the piss slit while the other hand went down and around the shaft. Bringing the hand to his face, he sucked off the precum from the digit. His left hand pumped his length, twisting as his palm passed around the head. "Keep doing it." He said, dropping to his knees. Nodding, he kept at it, though not very hard or fast. He wanted to shoot his load into Darren. Winking, Darren sucked at his nuts for a bit, making him groan louder. Slowly, he used his tongue to push the sack to the side and pressed his tongue against the lump of nerve that pumped blood into his cock that made it hard. The finger slid out of his hole as Darren went lower. Shawn could feel the most heat coming out of Darren's mouth in heavy puffs. He felt the tongue weave through the hair in his crack and finally halted at the puckered rim. Not able to help himself, he jerked faster as he felt the tongue enter him. "Oh..." he moaned weakly. "Yeah?" teased Darren, looking up. "Dude…" he smiled down at him. Maintaining eye contact, he pressed in to him more forcibly. "Ugh." He gasped, automatically lifting his legs into the air. Chuckling, he continued to work on him. The thick and hot saliva began to build, feeling like his hole was swelling. Moving his hand around, Darren dug in above his tongue and pressed into hi prostate hard. Shawn shook. He didn't want to come yet, but he couldn't seem to stop jerking his cock. Suddenly, Darren stood abruptly. Looming over him, he grunted, and thick ropes of cum erupted from his cock, landing all over his body. With his other hand, he reached down and pinched Shawn's untouched nipple. Giving a cry, he unloaded, thick white globs splattered over his chest as Darren continued to jerk himself. Still shaking, he dropped to his knees and pressed his cock at Shawn's hole. "Ready?" he squeaked. Unable to speak, he nodded. AXL POV This is wrong, he shouldn't be spying on his best friends. He had noticed them acting strange and talking in whispers during the last class of the day. Guessing they were going to fool around, he waited for them to arrive at Shawn's house. They had hurried into the house, not even bothering to look at him. To an extent, he felt left out and hurt they didn't ask him to join. But, something told him that they were starting to act like a couple. Or maybe it was because they were just teen boys and couldn't get anyone else to do for them what they had to do themselves. He wondered if they would have ever fooled around like this had it not been for Blaine's orgy. Glad no one else in the neighborhood was home, he snuck around the back of Shawn's house. His room was on the back side of the house, with two windows. One window was large and low to the ground. But the second was smaller, and was right over where his bedside table was. The level of the floor was far above the ground. It was high enough that Axl's eyes could see clearly into the room. Most importantly, his head only came to the lower right hand corner of it, where there was a small space that provided a clear view of the bed, and yet no one in the room would notice if someone was peeking inside. Though he felt ashamed, he couldn't help but want to see what his two friends did together when he wasn't around. Looking around, he was happy that the large privacy fence blocked the view of the backyard from any of the other houses that surrounded it. Slowly, he peeked into the window in the small space where his observation would go unnoticed. Darren was down on his knees, moving his head back and forth in front of Shawn. Axl felt his own cock growing hard. After a bit, Darren stood and pushed Shawn into the door and they kissed. Darren shuffled a bit, then his jeans dropped to the floor, showing his perfect white ass. Not able to help it, Axl unzipped his own jeans and pulled his cock out and jerked it. Darren lifted Shawn, and they turned and walked to the bed. Shawn was thrown atop it. They halted as they fully removed the remainder of their clothing. Darren moved down his body and halted, and messed with Shawn's nipple. There was some mumbling, then he moved over and then abruptly went down south. Shawn's face looked frustrated. So…it would appear while his fetish was armpits, Shawn's was nipples. He'd have to remember that. Both of them halted. Darren stood over Shawn, jerking himself. There was more mumbling then Shawn reached down and joined Darren jerking himself off. Axl pumped himself harder and faster as he saw Darren swat Shawn's hand away from his nipple. Darren lowered himself and worked on his nuts and finally down to the prize. Axl started to shudder, feeling himself getting close. Darren stood and shot his load all over Shawn. Axl grunted, shooting his own onto the side of the house below Shawn's bedroom window as Shawn came as well after Darren twisted his nipple. Panting, Axl suddenly felt ashamed and dirty. Grumbling, he put his cock away and returned to his own house, pulling out his cell phone. "I feel so dirty." He sent a text to Blaine. As he entered his home, his cell chimed with an alert. "Oh? Why's that." "I spied on Darren and Shawn." He sent, feeling bad. "Why? Where they messing around?" "Yea…without me Blaine." He wrote sadly. "What did they do?" "Just jerked off, but it was so hot. I feel like such a perv." "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm a huge perv. I can't help it, I don't know how many I've spied on, I just can't help myself. That's one of the things I look for when I search for porn online." "I remember you saying you liked to spy on straight guys." He sent, feeling better. "Yea…I'm a peeping Tom. I've learned to suppress my guilt. I'll show you how sometime." "lol. OK. I feel better. I ended up standing outside this bedroom window and jerked off to them. I shot my load on the side of his house. LOL" "That's hot!" "What are you going to be for homecoming?" he sent, already knowing what his costume was. "I'm not saying. It's a surprise. Axl, I still can't believe you're coming with me to a public dance…as my boyfriend. We don't have to hold hands or dance or anything, I'm just touched you're doing all this in front of others." "I'm holding your hand Blaine, though I'm not very fond of dancing…maybe I'll join you if there's the chicken dance…" he smiled "lol. Alright. Well, I've gotta go. I've got a test tomorrow. Love you Ax. "Ditto B" he sighed. Feeling so much better he through his clothes to the floor and jumped onto the couch in his boxers, reaching for the tv remote. ***Darren's POV*** "Did you see that?" Shawn asked. "What?" he asked, looking over at the window. "There was someone looking in." Shawn said, looking a bit nervous. "No one's home, right?" he asked, standing up straight. Shawn nodded his head. Turning, Darren crossed the room and opened the bedroom door. Looking back he pointed his hand to the right. Shawn shook his head and pointed the other way. Peering out of the room, he listened for any noise. A moment later, he was satisfied that the house was indeed empty. He scurried down the hall and into the living room, his thick cock swaying from side to side as he walked. Smirking, he glanced down and watched it, truly happy with his size. Shaking his head, he walked to the windows and peered outside. All he saw was a flash of dark brown curly hair disappearing around the corner of Axl's house. Frowning, he returned to Shawn's room. Walking through the doorway he found Shawn crouched in a doggy style position on his bed. His ass was raised in the air, as he held onto the headboard with one hand. The other, was slowly jerking his meat. Halfway across the room, he remembered he had left the door open. Hurrying back over, he shut it and locked it with haste. Again, he turned and met Shawn's eyes with a smirk. Wiggling his ass back and forth Shawn winked. Standing next to the bed, he leaned down and captured his lips in a heated kiss. Darren moaned into the kiss, as Shawn reached out and tugged on hi thick member. Pulling on his length, he brought it closer to the bed. Lifting his hand, he reached over and pulled Shawn's head down to his cock. As the hot wet tongue wrapped around the head, he threw back his head and stared at the ceiling. With his other hand, he reached under Shawn's chest, and scooped up a bit of the cum that still clung to it. Leaning further to the left, he smeared it into Shawn's crack and finally into his hole. Using his index finger, he pushed inside and twisted. Shawn shuddered when he found the sweet spot. Feeling he was ready, he gently pulled away and hopped onto the bed. He didn't like the way it bounced though. Sighing, he jumped off the bed and wrapped his arms around Shawn's waist and pulled him off as well. Giving a yelp of surprise, he looked over and let his hands and feet dropped onto his floor. Darren roughly pushed his face to the floor, but kept his ass in the air. Instead of getting on his knees, he crouched, using one hand to steady himself from falling, the other to aim his cock into Shawn's hole. "Can I be rough with you? Like….really rough?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and down at his best friend. He eyed him intently, before looking down at his thick cock. "Please." He added, with a bit of a whine. Shawn's worry evaporated and he gave him a warm smile that made him feel all gooey inside. He gave a definitive nod. Feeling his adrenaline pumping, he pressed the head until it slightly entered him. "You sure? I'm not going to stop once I get going Shawn." He said, emphasizing his warning. "Do it." Shawn said confidently. He gave him a wicked smile, then thrust inside as hard as he had ever done before. Shawn screamed and pounded the floor with his fists. Darren paused, loving the tight hotness that surrounded his cock. He dropped his hands atop his back, massaging the tenseness out of him. Cock still buried, he leaned down and wrapped a hand around Shawn's throat and pulled him up. Rotating his head, Shawn looked back at him, pain etched across his face, but he was sure there was something else…excitement. Smiling at him, Shawn twisted back far enough so their lips could touch. Halfway through, he pulled back out. Shawn's lips formed into a smile as he knew what was coming. Once more, he slammed into him, causing Shawn to let out a groan into his mouth. Pushing his head away, he dropped his hands to his hips. With a last wink, Darren began to pound into as fast and as hard as he could. Shawn started to let out little gasps, and he knew it wasn't a good gasp. Still, he wasn't going to stop now. Tilting his hips a bit, he started to build up speed again. Releasing his hold, he reach down and wrapped his hands around Shawn's neck. Hoping this wasn't going too far, he began to squeeze, and with every thrust, he tightened the hold. Below, Shawn coughed and muttered something unintelligible. Dropping to his knees, his thrusting slowed, but the impacts were just as hard. Feeling his release coming, he sped up and began to pant. Even from his position, he could tell Shawn's head was turning red. Then, as he squeezed a bit tighter, and changed his angle of entry, Shawn gave another gasp, but the good kind. Feeling his ass clamping down on his cock, he tilted his head to the side just as cum shot out of Shawn's cock without it being touched. It was hot enough to take him over the edge. Releasing his vice like grip, he dropped his hands back down to his hips. With a last hard thrust, he planted his seed deep inside of his best friend. The release was so powerful, his legs gave out and he slipped backward. His sweaty hands slipped of Shawn's hips and he fell halfway through his orgasm. There was a pop and his own cum spurted out of his cock and all over him, painting his chest white. Closing his eyes, he couldn't move as it came to an end. Suddenly there was a grip on his thighs and he opened his eyes in surprise. Shawn was red faced, glaring down at him. The expression wasn't anger, but some sort of primeval need for release. Pushing his thighs back, Shawn reached over his chest and drug his fingers through the cum and finally wiped it on his cock and fingering Darren roughly. Hissing, he just had time to look up before Shawn plowed into him. "Fuck!" he roared as Shawn's entire length buried itself. "That's right." He said heatedly, pulling out and thrusting again. "Jesus." He said, as his ass was pounded again. Even though Shawn's face looked furious, his eyes betrayed his emotions. They were full of lust and mischief as he continued to slam inside him over and over again. Leaning in he kissed the side of his cheek as he began to slow. Knowing that he was almost there, he smirked up at Shawn. Reaching up, he took hold of both of his nipples and squeezed, though not too hard. Shawn gasped, and went rigid. Hot liquid filled his ass as Shawn released his load. Giving a couple more whimpers and half thrusts, he collapsed atop him, smearing their cum together. Darren chuckled and nuzzled Shawn's head to the side. Placing a few soft kissed on his neck, he let his head drop to the floor. They lay there for a while, just holding each other. He could feel Shawn's cock shrinking until it finally slipped out of him. Placing hands on both sides of his head, Shawn pushed himself up. Darren could feel the stickiness that they had created and scrunched his nose. Looking down at him, Shawn paused and leaned in once more. Their kiss was hot, but there was something different about it that he couldn't place. Smiling, he grunted and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "So…" said Shawn, out of breath, "who was watching us?" he asked, as if no time had passed since Darren had left the room to check that out. "Oh," he said, but paused looking at Shawn's neck. "Jesus, what did I do?" he whispered in horror. Frowning, Shawn scooted sideways and looked at himself in a mirror. Two large pink hand prints were visible around his neck where he had choked him. Scared now, he slapped Shawn's ass and had him lift it up. Peering closer, he noticed blood seeping from the corners of his rim. Feeling sick now, he turned his head away in a silent fury. A tear trailed down his cheek, and he brushed it away before Shawn could see. Turning, Shawn looked at him and gave him a smile. Slowly, he met his eyes and was relieved to see no resentment or regret. "That was hot dude, we've got to do that again," he said softly, cupping his cheek. "I was too rough with you." He said, still angry. "So…" he said again, ignoring the last statement, "who was looking in at us from the window?" he asked with interest. 48. Hallcoming Dance "What am I gunna see when I get there?" he read. Smiling, Blaine looked at himself in the mirror. The sailor boy outfit was perfect. His dark features seemed to be enhanced when surrounded in a white outfit. He had decided to leave his hair ungelled. Tossing the hat over onto his bed, he took a few steps back so he could see his whole body. The bottoms of the leggings looked almost like bellbottoms. Around his neckline, there was a dark blue kerchief tied into a knot. Walking over to his desk, he sat down. Grunting, he leaned down and pulled the shiny black shoes next to his feet. Pulling off his white socks he had worn to school, he slipped the black one's on in their place. Pushing his feet into them, he tied them and stood back up. "You'll find out when you get here Ax. What are you dressed as?" he asked, grabbing his white sailor hat. "Oh, no you don't. You're not telling me, so I'm not telling you partner." He read. Blaine laughed aloud, sure he knew what Axl was dressed as. He wondered what Axl was going to look like with a cowboy hat on. Shaking his head, he stood in front of his mirror one last time. Just for fun, he thrusted his hips forward. Smirking, he did it again and looked down. Through the white pants, he could make out the outline of his dick with each thrust. Turning to the side, he did it again. From behind him, he heard a chuckle. Spinning, he met Cooper's eyes. "What were you doing B?" he asked, though he knew perfectly well what he was doing. "Nothing." He muttered, feeling his face burn. "Oh, come on now. You've got nothing to hide." He chuckled, walking up next to him. "I'm not showing you what I've got. You already know Coop." he said, glowering at him. He could smell a faint trace of alcohol that surrounded his brother. Usually that didn't happen unless something bad had happened to Cooper. Frowning, he looked at him closer, trying to see through his problem. However, there was a ring from the doorbell and he shook his head. From downstairs, he heard his mom greet someone. Axl's voice responded with enthusiasm. She chuckled and said more, but what that was he couldn't tell. Glancing back at Cooper, he was staring at his own reflection in the mirror, with a hard expression. Concerned now, Blaine looked closer and put an arm on Cooper's shoulder. Tilting his head, he peered at him, silently asking what was wrong. Cooper gave him a sad smile and shook his head. "Blaine, Axl's…here." His mom called. "You better get down there." He said, his real smile returning. "What's wrong Coop?" he asked, ignoring the instruction. "Nothing that concerns you little brother. Now go on." He said, playfully slapping Blaine's ass. "OK" he relented, and made his way down the stairs. Back on the ground floor he looked to the right, expecting to see a cowboy hat. What he saw instead was Axl wearing cop outfit. A belt hung around the waist with handcuffs, a flashlight/baton, and a bottle that looked like it could be mace. The black pants were crisp, with a dark blue stripe going down the sides. His shoes looked exactly like his own, black and shiny. Next to the fake badge on the black button up shirt read "Heck". Under his nose, a fake mustache was painted, along with a pair of large aviator like sunglasses. Topped off with a black rounded hat with another six pointed star badge above the visor. It was quite possibly the cutest thing Blaine had ever seen in his life. "You look hot B." Axl said, a broad smile stretched across his face. "Um, have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You look a lot better than I do." He chuckled, having an urge to press himself onto him. "You both look adorable." Said his mom, smiling at the two of them. "Rick, come look at Blaine and Axl." She called. Blaine noticed Axl stiffen. He had never met his dad, but had heard him complain about how things had changed badly since he came out. Still, he was impressed when his dad walked into the room. Wearing a dark green button up shirt, along with black pants, he walked up to Axl. Smiling warmly, he reached out and shook Axl's hand. He had gotten his build from his father, though his mom was a bit darker. Like Cooper and himself, he had a hairy chest. Once a million years ago, before he knew what sex was and everything he had walked in on his dad doing his business. That was something he tried to forget, but never seemed to shake it out of his head. Who in their right minds would want to walk in on a parent who was pleasuring themselves? Taking a step back, he looked over at Blaine, and then back to Axl, his smile getting wider. For some reason, Blaine felt a rush of affection for his father at the moment. He was staring at them like there was nothing wrong with the way they were. "Go stand next to Blaine, Axl." He chuckled, patting his upper arm and giving him a slight push. Nodding, he walked over to him. With his back to the man behind him, Axl smirked nervously. Unable to help himself, Blaine laughed at him. Giving him a glare, he punched him in the arm and turned. "Don't they look adorable?" his mom gushed, walking over to his father. "They look good together." He said warmly. "Thanks." Said Axl, his skin now a bright pink color. Stealing himself, Blaine leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Awww" came Cooper's voice from the doorway. "Hold still you two." Said his mom, walking over to the counter and picking up her phone. Blaine groaned when Cooper and his father also pulled out their phones. Beside him, Axl snorted and looked at him sideways. As he was standing there, something hit him in the back of his mind. Everyone in the room looked really happy. Once, he had brought Kurt home when everyone was there, and Cooper hadn't looked this pleased. He had spent quite a bit of time giving him and Kurt the cold shoulder. His father didn't like him much either. This was an entirely new experience he had never occurred before. Blinking rapidly a couple of times, he smiled as Cooper and his dad took a couple of quick pictures. Smirking, Cooper turned and disappeared around the corner. Just as his mom lifted her phone, Axl leaned over quickly and kissed him on the cheek just as he heard the clicking sound from her phone. Pursing her lips with amusement, she nodded at Axl. Earlier, they had planned to stay for dinner but Axl couldn't get away soon enough. The sun was already low in the sky and the dance began in half an hour, by which time the sun would be fully set. From somewhere, he heard his ring tone. Looking around, he realized he must have left it upstairs. Giving Axl's upper arm a squeeze, he hurried out of the room and up the stairs. Finally reaching his desk, he lifted the phone and opened it without seeing who was calling. Surprisingly, it was Mr. Shoe, informing him that Glee would be doing a number at the dance. Having no problems, he looked down at his attire and smirked. Just before he hung up, he asked for a favor. There was a pause, and he heard the director talking to someone in the room. After a few moments, he was informed his request was OK. Grinning, he thanked him, and stuffed his phone in his pocket. Halfway across the room, he turned and walked over to his bedside table and turned on the lamp. Turning the main light off as he left his room, he thundered back down the stairs. There was a shushing sound as he re-entered the den and his parents and Axl broke apart, clearly hiding something. Looking at the wall clock, he hadn't known how long his phone call had lasted, almost fifteen minutes. Walking over to them, he tugged on Axl's arm and tried pulling him out of the room. Giving him a gently slap, Axl smirked and turned back. "Thanks for the hospitality and agreement. Can't wait for Thanksgiving." He said, shaking his dads hand and letting his mom give him a tiny hug. Blaine gaped at them, taken completely off guard by their closeness. Finally, Axl turned reached out for his hand. Taking it, they proceeded out of the room as he felt a pat on his back. Glancing back, his parents smiled at him warmly. Returning the gesture, he nodded and waved. Grasping his hand tighter, they hurried down the front porch and Blaine came to an abrupt halt. Once more, his mouth dropped in disbelief. Axl's junky car had a blue horizontal stripe halfway down the door. The door had a five point yellow star just under the blue stripe. Two boxes were on the roof of the car, one painted blue, the other red. Above the bumper, two panels were dangling from the hood, again, with a blue and a red one. "Good Lord!" he exclaimed. Turning back to look at Axl, he noticed the top button on his shirt had been unbuttoned, exposing his hairy chest. Blaine had been expecting to take his own car, but after seeing the make shift police car, he changed his mind. He made his way over to the passenger side and hopped in. It had been a while since he had ridden in this car. Axl opened his door and slid in. Reaching out, he took hold of Blaine's kerchief and pulled him in for a kiss. Gasping with surprise, he relaxed and let the tongue enter his mouth. Breaking apart, Axl started the loud car and they circled around the driveway and out onto the road. Blaine wanted nothing more than to unzip Axl's pants and jerk him off, but he knew better. Not talking much, they traveled to the school holding each other's hand, Axl gently rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. Pulling into the parking lot, they exited the car and looked around. He couldn't help noticing how many were staring at them, well, actually at the car. There was a laugh off to his right and he turned to see Sam hurrying over, dressed as a Native American. He wore a head band with feathers woven into it, as well as in his lengthy blond hair. A buckskin sleeveless vest over his bare chest was quite nice. A tanned loin cloth with beads also hung across his waist. There was red and green stripes going down the front of his chest, with an arrowhead neckless hanging over his pectorals. When Sam was about ten yards away, he looked around and lifted the loin cloth and exposed what looked like tan tighty whites. Axl burst out laughing as he finally reached them, throwing his hand out and shaking it. Tilting his head, he looked at Sam and just smirked. "I thought Indians didn't wear underwear." He teased. "I didn't, but a teacher saw me flashing someone and told me to go put on something that would cover my bits." He shrugged. All three laughed as Sam looked them over. Stepping closer, he pulled Blaine's white sailor hat off his head, letting his hair expand. Axl stood back and looked at him, apparently he hadn't noticed the lack of gel he used. Dropping the hat, he spun him around, noticing the floppiness of his groin. Without asking, he reached out and pushed his hand down the rear of his pants. Blaine exclaimed and pulled away. "Commando, nice." He laughed, then looked at Axl. Taking a long time, he finally pulled at his belt, but his hand was slapped away playfully. Sam jumped back and threw his hands in the air, as if giving up. Blaine grinned as Axl stood straighter and peered at him with menace. The stern look didn't last though, and Sam closed in again. Knowing what he was going to do, he watched Axl's face. Reaching his hand out, he dug his fingers beneath the waist line of Axl's pants. Not moving, Axl smirked as Sam pulled his hand back and looked disappointed. "Sorry Blaine, Axl's wearing underwear tonight." He looked over and gave a pouty face. "Oh well, he won't keep them on all night." He grinned. "What's with the green and red?" asked Axl, pointing at the colored stripes on Sam's chest. "I would have used other colors, but all I had was some paint left over from Christmas." He shrugged. "Sam! Blaine!" came a girl's voice. "Hey Tina." Blaine said brightly, checking out her kimono. "A bit cliché' Tina." Said Sam. "Whatever, I look good in this." She said, smiling at Axl. "Can't argue with that Sam." He said to him, before turning back to Tina. "This is A-"he began. "Axl. Who else would it be." She said, nodding to him. "Shall we?" Sam said, holding out his elbow for Tina, who took it gracefully. "Lets." Said Axl, reaching out and taking Blaine's hand. As they made their way to the gymnasium, Blaine glanced over at Axl. Walking beside him, his gait was rather stiff. Coming to a halt he turned and Axl faced him. Leaning in, he nuzzled their noses together. Face softening, he blew out air he had been holding, and nuzzled back. A soft smile formed and he leaned his head upward and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, they turned and finally entered the building. It was loud and very crowded inside, with all sorts of costumes in use. Blaine saw cowboys, cops, Indians, ghosts, construction workers, doctors, animals, aliens, zombies, movie stars, all sorts of garb. Soon, his friends were closing in, asking about Axl. He looked rather taken aback by all their friendliness. Grateful, he thanked each of them as they made their way through the crowd. Finally reaching the long tables, he picked up a couple of plates. Since they hadn't eaten, they were both very hungry. Sadly, the food wasn't all that healthy or filling. Pie, chips, nachos, cookies, but there were little smokies. Reaching the punch bowl, he looked up to see Coach Sylvester eying him warily. "I'm watching you, butch gay. Don't think you can spike the punch." She warned. "What did you call him?!" asked Axl, in a very heated and loud voice. So loud in fact, that everyone around stopped what they were doing and looked at him. She eyed him, curious to see who he was. Blaine looked at him, and hadn't realized how mad he looked. Worried, he tried to pull him away, but he just shrugged out of his grasp. Looking coldly at her, he stood in silence. Everyone around them also watched. Nervous, he tried to pull him again. Axl turned and looked at him with an expression he'd never seen before, at least from him. He couldn't place it, but it turned him on. "Well?" he asked her. "Well, what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I asked, what did you call him?" he said slowly and clearly. "I called him butch gay." She replied, unconcerned. "Apologize, now." He sad forcefully. She scowled at him, but with a hint of respect and approval. "Sorry guy." She said, sounding a bit odd. Axl held her gaze and gave a nod. Holding his plate in one hand, he turned and grabbed Blaine's with the other. Pulling him along Blaine couldn't help but smile broadly. He was so proud and happy that he felt giddy. Finding a table way over by the stage, they took their seats and started to munch on their food. "I am so turned on right now." He mumbled, his voice shaking. "Ohh?" Axl grinned, winking. "When we get back home you can do whatever you want to me." He whispered. "Good to know." He chuckled, then looked up to see his friends sitting next to them. "That was awesome." Laughed Sam, grinning at them. "Nice." Agreed Tina. They munched their food, while watch others dancing out in the middle of the gym. The whole time, he held Axl's hand under the table. An announcement was made, telling the glee members to report to the stage for their number. Blaine gave Axl's hand a squeeze, and followed Sam, Tina, and the rest of the others to their places. Axl waved at him and pulled over Blaine's nachos and started to devoir the little bit he still had left. Giving him a wounded expression, he turned back around, smiling. They stood together as Mr. Shoe made sure they knew the lyrics and told them to just make up their own choreography. Pleased, they agreed and took the stage. Looking over his table, he was startled to discover Axl had vanished. Glancing around, he had a feeling he went to get him more nachos. Sure enough, a moment later he was walking back to the table when another plate with chips and cheese. The music blared and he almost forgot what he was supposed to until Sam mouth pointed at the monitor. Reassured, he took a breath and began. The group performed the song, "This is Halloween" from Nightmare Before Christmas. Axl lifted his hand in to the air showing a thumbs up. Grateful, he continued and finally the song came to an end. Loud applause issued from the crowd. Looking over at the director, they asked if they could go. Once he nodded, they left the stage and he returned to the table, pulling the nachos in front of him. Halfway through the Monster Mash began to play. Smiling, he stood and pulled Axl with him. Grumbling, he followed reluctantly, while the rest of the table joined them. After a few moments, Axl began to smile, but as soon as he saw Blaine recognizing the face, he tried to look bored again. Laughing, he turned around and faced Tina, who was just as enthusiastic. Applause rang out as the song ended, and an announcement was given for the homecoming candidates. Stand restlessly, the students muttered and chatted while they took the stage. After the reveal, the crowd cheered and balloons and streams fell across the large space. In the mass of confusion, Axl pulled him in by his kerchief and kissed him hard. Chuckling, he let that act play out. That was, until he heard a couple of people sniggering. At that point, Axl released him. Breaking apart, they looked at each other, panting. Axl glanced down and Blaine realized he was hard. Cursing softly, he turned away from everyone, feeling his ears burn. He walked back to the table, turning his body in a way that hid his erection. Behind him, he could hear Sam laughing rather loudly while Axl just patted his back encouragingly. Seated, Blaine didn't dare to look up. Instead he just stared down at his hands, until Axl pushed his nachos back over to him. Grateful, he reached out and started to eat again. Finally looking up, he let out a breath of relief when he discovered they were alone. "I'm sorry B." Axl whispered, looking ashamed. "For what?" asked, looking up with surprise. "I embarrassed you." He said, looking confused. He blew a raspberry and shook his head. Leaning over, he kissed him again, but not as heated as the first time. "Is it gone?" Axl asked. "No." he whispered, smirking. "Scoot closer." He whispered. "No!" he said, knowing what he meant. Axl shrugged and scooted closer to him. Nervous as hell, Blaine looked around as Axl's hand dropped to his crotch. Though the music was loud and the conversations audible even from a distance, he heard his zipper go down. He shook as Axl's sweaty hand wrapped around his length. A thumb pressed into his piss slit while another finger pushed his foreskin back, exposing the head. Biting his lip, he continued to watch the crowd, letting out little grunts of pleasure every once in a while. Feeling a tightness in his groin, he recognized the warning. Quickly, he glanced at Axl and then back to the crowd. Understanding instantly, Axl looked around too, before he dove down. Blaine cried out softly as he felt Axl's lips wrap around the head. A moment later, and he shot his cum into his mouth. Axl chuckled as his hips twitched and his release came to an end. Breathing hard, he pressed hands fell to the table just as Axl rose again. Leaning in, he kissed him, tasting his own seed. Dropping his hands, he zipped himself back up and sat back, feeling at ease. "I love you." Blaine said to Axl, not bothering to lower his voice. "You to B." he said affectionately. "Are you hard?" Blaine asked bluntly, looking down at Axl's crotch. "Very." He chuckled. "I can't tell," he paused," let me take care of it for you." He said cheerfully. "No. Wait till we get back at your place B." he said with a smirk. That right there told him it would be best to wait. Pouting a lip, he nodded reluctantly. Reaching over, Axl gave his hand a squeeze. Sam and Tina approached the table and Sam smirked at him. Blaine glowered at him and looked away, ignoring the laughter his look had made. Making small talk, he couldn't get Axl's crotch out of his head. Now, all he wanted to do was leave and get back to his bedroom. The smirk across Axl's face told him he knew what he was going through. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Blaine looked around to see Mr. Shoe nod at him. Smiling, he got Sam's attention, and they hurried off, along the way, found Artie, Joe, Ryder, and Jake. Heading to the side of the stage, he informed the others of what he intended. They smirked and Jake looked over his shoulder. "I'm guessing this is for your guy?" Jake asked with curiosity. "Yea…" he said, briefly meeting his eyes. The others nodded and agreed. On stage, he walked over to the piano, which had been rolled out after the announcement of the king and queen. Taking a breath, he sat and waited for the others to signal they were ready. With a nod, he began the piano intro to "Come Sail Away" by Styx. A few people cheered as they recognized the tune. After the first few verses, he joined the others at the front as the song picked up and transformed into a more hip hop version. Every once in a while, he'd glance over at Axl, who seemed to be making his way closer to the stage every time Blaine's eyes looked away. By the end, Axl was standing right in front of him, looking up with wide eyes. As the last note faded into the distance, the crowd roared and went about their business. Axl smiled softly at him, looking very proud. Winking, he turned to his friends and thanked them for their help. They waved him off, while Sam patted his shoulder and pushed him into Axl's arms. After a brief hug, Axl turned and hurried through the mass of people, pulling him along. There were a few whistles and cat calls, but he couldn't care less. "Oh, my god…I'm so lucky." Axl hissed, pressing his tongue down his throat. "Let's get back to my place." Blaine gasped, Nodding, he slid in the car and they left the parking lot, heading back home. Parking the car, they entered the dark house. He was glad his parents' room was downstairs. Cooper had a room upstairs as well, but he wasn't worried about that. He'd seen them go at it completely, being less than a foot away and hadn't stopped them. It had bothered him at first, but when he didn't stay and left as if there wasn't anything to gawk at. After that, it didn't creep out at all, though he preferred to be alone with Axl. Taking the stairs two at a time, they rushed into his bedroom. The soft glow from his bedside lamp illuminated the room a bit brighter than he had thought it would. Turning, he twisted the doorknob and began to close the door when Coopers opened slightly. Meeting his eyes, he detected something was off. Opening his mouth, he shook his head and gave him a soft smile. Frowning, he shut the door completely, pushing in the button to lock it. Shaking his head, he looked back at Axl. His large black aviator glasses were back on, a smirk curled across his lips. "You in for shore leave?" he asked, pulling out his flashlight/baton. "Uh…" he said, feeling laughter building up, then he looked at Axl's flashlight/baton. "I asked you a question sailor?" he said, slapping it into his palm. "Is that a dildo?" he roared, feeling his eye's beginning to water. Axl was biting his lip, trying to stay in character. Walking up to him, he pushed him against the door. Blaine pushed his lips out, capturing Axl's. Moaning into his mouth, Axl gave a grunt and stepped back "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to turn around sir." He ordered. Turning, he felt Axl pull him back until their bodies were pressed together. All of sudden, Blaine felt himself go instantly hard. His hat was pulled from his head and tossed to the side. Reaching back, he let his palm fall onto the back of Axl's head, and flipped Axl's own hat off. Pushing his ass back, Axl groaned and reached around his chest and grabbed his cock through his pants. Moaning, he thrust forward. Chuckling, Axl walked backward, pulling him along. Once they were next to the bed, he was picked up and thrown atop it. Lifting his arm he almost closed one of the cuffs around the wrists, but halted. Pulling at his shirt, Blaine let him pull the shirt off, but surprisingly, he left the kerchief around his neck. Satisfied, he closed the cuff. Jumping on the bed, he straddled him and pulled his other arm back to the head board. Taking the empty cuff he wrapped it between the headboard slats. Slapping the cuff down, it closed around his free wrist. Blaine laid there, handcuffed, armpits exposed and a huge tent in his crotch. Smirking, Axl nodded and slid down to the foot of the bed. Pulling his shoes off, he hopped off the bed and stood at the end. Unlatching his belt, it fell to the floor. Unbuttoning his shirt, his chest soon became exposed. Now smirking fiercely, he undid the top button of his pants and unzipped. They fell to the floor softly. Blaine stared down at him, his mouth falling open. He was wearing underwear, but he had never seen this kind before. The waist line was black, with a buckle right above his crotch. The pouch that held his junk was black and stretchy looking. The fabric on the front of the thighs was a dark blue. On the front left side of the thigh, there was a six point star that looked like an officer's badge. Axl slowly turned. The sides were black and see through, like fishnet stockings and continued completely around the back side. Never seeing anything like it, he met Axl's eyes as he turned back around. Wriggling his eyebrows enticingly, he kissed the air. Stalking forward, he climbed atop the bed and knelt over his crotch. Reaching out, he grabbed his meat and gave it a couple of jerks. Smiling, he seemed to take pity on him and he pulled his pants down all the way and through them to the side. Blaine's uncut cock stood hard and aching, thick globs of precum oozing out. Leaning down, Axl sucked at the top, his dark, curly hair fell across the top of his groin, causing a light tickling sensation. Thrusting his hips upward, he groaned when Axl pulled away. Scooting over his body, Axl sat atop him, his pretty much bare ass sitting atop his cock. Leaning down kissed him softly, then tilted to the side, licking at his nipples then pausing, holding his gaze before he dove down on his armpits. When Axl was done, both of them were soaked. Scooting back, he reached behind and pulled the dildo, which he had at first thought was a flashlight/baton. Slapping the narrow end in his palm, then pushed it towards his mouth. Opening it, Axl pushed it into his mouth The length was long enough that when Axl shifted down further and lifted his hips it was still in his mouth. He paused as he felt Axl's tongue press into him. Pushing his ass down, he wanted more. Sitting up, Axl pulled the dildo down and reached for his belt. Unbuttoning the mace bottle, he lifted it, revealing it was actually lube. He laughed, but then moaned as he felt the spray cover his nuts and ass. Winking, he threw the bottle aside and placed the dildo between his cheeks. Slowly, he worked it inside him. He heard a pop, then felt it began to vibrate. "Axl…you are full of surprises." He said, biting his lip as he felt the vibration increase. After a moment, his nuts began to tingle with heat. He eyed the bottle and read the words "self-heating". Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, he looked back down as the bed creaked. The dildo was deep inside him now, and as he scooted forward, he placed his heel against the end, so it would slide back out. Leaning in, he pecked him on the lips. Reaching down, he pulled a tab on the front of his underwear. Immediate, his hard cock erupted from the front pouch. Laughing, he opened his mouth eagerly. The taste of the salty end made him harder. Axl didn't stop until he felt the thick pubes rest against his mouth. Moaning, he held his head in place while he thrust into his mouth. Pulling out, he backed up. A thick strain of saliva stretched from his lips to the tip of his cock head. Gently pulling the dildo out, he placed it atop his own uncut cock. Placing his legs across his shoulders, he positioned his member at his hole. Maintaining eye contact, he thrust in hard, burying his length completely. Blaine groaned as his ass stretched. Axl puffed and looked down, breathing hard. Stretching his neck, he kissed Blaine's forehead and then pulled out and thrust back in again. Pausing, he looked around and jumped off the bed. He barely opened his mouth, when Axl returned, wearing his police officers hat, and had his own sailor hat in his hands. Giving him an incredulous look, Blaine felt the hat pressed back onto his head. With a wink, Axl slammed into him again. Grunting, he felt a tingle below. Almost like he was about to cum. Glancing down, he noticed that the vibrating end of the dildo was still pressed against his cock and balls. Smirking, Axl increased the speed and ferocity of his thrusts, while intensifying the power of the vibrator. Blaine cried out as cum shot out of his cock, painting his hairy belly white. He had never had an orgasm from a vibrator before, and he liked it. Axl smiled, pulled out, and then thrust inside once more. With a cry, he collapsed atop him. Blaine could feel the hot cum filling his ass. Panting he raised his chin and smiled sweetly at him. They lay there like that for a while. When they broke eye contact, Axl had unlocked the hand cuffs. Crawling upwards, Axl laid next to him, laying his sweaty curly hair head across his own sweaty chest. 49. Chatrooms "I don't want" Axl moaned, kissing him in between every few words. "to leave B."…kiss…"I want" …kiss…"to stay with"…kiss…"you." He finished, reaching down and grabbing at his uncut cock. "Axl,"….kiss…"we both"…kiss…"have school"…kiss…"tomorrow" the last word came out an octave higher as he started to stroke him. "Come on." He said, finally relenting. Blaine shook his head at his attempt to stay. His bottom lip pouted out, eyes looking almost misty. The time was almost 11, and he knew it would take almost an hour for him to drive home. Laughing, he reached down and picked up Axl's police hat. They smiled at each other, leaning in and kissing. Unlike before, this was a deeper kiss. Nuzzling his nose, he paused, then took Axl's hat back. Instead, he put his sailor hat on instead. Reaching down, Axl pulled at his hand and put his hat on his head. As they pulled apart, they knew it was time for him to head home. Dressing quickly, Blaine followed him down the stairs and held him back, listening to make sure they were alone. Satisfied, he walked him out. Pausing on the front porch they kissed again, and though they couldn't see into each other's faces, their eyes met, even in the dark. After one last hug, he leapt off the porch and down to his car, and finally down the driveway. Sighing sadly, he turned and reentered the house, making sure to lock the door and set the alarm. Before he headed back upstairs, he went into the kitchen and began to grab an apple. Then, he noticed the bowl of candy that had been used to hand out to trick or treaters. Smirking, he grabbed the entire bowl and exited the kitchen. Pausing by the stairs, he peered into the bowl and took out a kit kat bar. Unwrapping it, he broke a section off and stuck it in his mouth as he climbed the stairs. At the top, he made for his room but for some reason he looked at Cooper's bedroom door. A sliver of light told him Cooper was awake. Stealing himself, he knocked lightly and peered inside. Cooper sat on his bed with his laptop over his lap. Over on the wall opposite his bed, a small TV was on but with no sound. Looking up, he smirked at him. "What?" he asked him. "Come on in," he chuckled, then pointed at his head, "nice hat." Closing the door behind him, he made his way over to his bed. Along the way, he reached up and felt Axl's cop hat still on. Laughing himself, he pulled it off and tossed it over to him. Walking around the other side, he jumped on the other side of the bed and offered him the candy bowl. Putting on the hat, Cooper looked into the bowl and picked out a tootsie roll. Unwrapping it, he popped it into his mouth and threw the wrapper in his small waste basket. Leaning over, he looked at Cooper's laptop and groaned. It seemed he was watching porn when he entered. Thinking about it, he was happy he had knocked first rather than just walk into the room. If he had, he would have seen more than he wanted to. That had already happened once years ago, when he was 13. Shuddering, he looked over at his face and frowned, indicating to change to a different website. "No way, I'm downloading something. Besides it's nothing haven't already seen before B." he complained, scrolling the page down, revealing some of the thumb nails in greater detail. "So, what's up? You've been acting really off lately." Pausing, he looked at him closer. "Shouldn't you be back in L.A.?" he asked, realizing he'd been here a lot longer than he usually did when he came home for a break once a month. "There's a writers strike at the moment. I don't see it changing for a while." He paused and looked over with a grin. "How would you like to become an uncle?" he asked, his face clearing. "Really?! Yea! That's awesome Cooper!" Then he saw the expression harden. "What else?" he asked, on edge. "My girlfriend left me, and left me a note saying she had found someone else and to not come looking for her. I wasn't to be part of the kids' life. Even though I'm the fucking father!" he growled, his cheeks turning pink and rage in his voice. "She can't do that!" he argued. "You have parental rights! "I don't know where she went, and I don't even know where she's from. I thought I'd make a great dad, but now…" he looked down at the laptop and closed the lid, even though the download was almost complete and that by closing it, it would cancel the process. "You would be. You've taken care of me more than Mom and Dad…well, sort of." He said. "Though it'd be nice for you not to watch me and boyfriend get it on. "He said darkly "Told you before, he's a cutie." He smiled with a wink. "Cooper…are you bisexual?" he asked suddenly. "Yea…everyone is to a degree. He said as if it were a fact. "You don't think he…" he began. "NO!" he said, suddenly protective and on edge. "Just thought I'd ask." He said without heat. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. But Coop." he paused looking at him with an apologetic face. "He's my boyfriend, and—"he was interrupted. "So, you had all those guys over here at once." He cut him off, but with a smirk of triumph. Feeling his cheeks burn, he scowled, "well…that was a birthday present and besides, we're all the same age." He said, taken aback. "Age…please. I'm only four years older than you, not exactly a great leap. I want to know who did that." He said, pointing over at a pile of blankets on the floor. Frowning, he paused and at first had no idea, then he broke into a reluctant smile. "Axl's two best friends stayed the night with us after the…event and they took this room. I kind of…" he paused dropping his eyes in embarrassment, "I spied on them. They were supposedly straight but after Axl I finished later on, I heard noises and slipped into the room. They…apparently like each other a bit more than Axl had thought. I snuck back out and drug Al back in here to watch them while they weren't looking. They actually went all the way, both bottoming for each other. Earlier, they said they didn't plan to bottom for anyone. But, they did with each other. From what Axl's told me they seem to be spending more and more time together without him." He finished, remembering the story Axl had told him earlier. "So…it wasn't you and Axl in here then…that makes me feel much better. Anyways…back to my problem. I don't know if I'll ever see my kid. I don't even know where to look. I'm not sure but I think her parents lived down south…Texas…or Alabama…those two states are next to each other right?" he asked, looking over, perplexed. "No…" he laughed "Texas and Louisiana are next to each other, Alabama is on the other side of Louisiana. If you know her last name, I'm sure could find some relatives of her. I don't know if that will do any good but it's a start. I'll help you find her Coop. If it's yours, it's going to be my nephew or niece and I want to be a part of their life. Does Mom or Dad know?" he asked, though pretty sure he knew the answer. "No. Don't you dare tell them. I don't want them to find out unless I find her." He warned, looking very serious. "Why, they could help." He protested. "Just…don't I will tell them when it comes time to do so." He said, looking quite a bit happier. Blaine nodded, though reluctantly. Reaching over, Cooper picked out another tootsie roll. Pausing, he reached further out until he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Bringing him in, he hugged him tight and took off the officers' hat and replaced it back atop Blaine's head. ***Axl*** Pulling into his driveway, he glanced over at Shawn's house. Blaine had told Axl he needed to tell Shawn he had spied on them. He honestly didn't know why…Blaine had done that when they were in the next room. But he insisted this was different. He didn't really want to talk to Shawn like this, in his Halloween costume, but he wanted to get this over with. Also…he wanted to talk to Shawn about other things he was worried about. Glad they didn't have a dog, he made his way in the dark around the back of the house. Looking down, he looked at his watch. Seeing that it was around 11:30, he felt confident Shawn would be awake. Looking at the window, he could make out the small desk lamp emitting a soft glow of light. Sighing, he tapped on the window softly. After a moment, the curtain pulled back and Shawn's faced peered down at him. There was a smirk, then he put up a finger and pointed to the back door. Jogging back around, he met him at the door. "What are you doing? It's so late dude." He said, opening the back door, wearing only a pair of boxers. "Can we talk? It's kind of...urgent." He said quietly. Nodding, Shawn stepped aside. Walking past, he fist bumped him and made his way through the dark living room and down the hall to his bedroom. Inside, he crossed over to the bean bag chair and plopped down on it softly. After a few moments, he followed and closed the door. Pausing for a minute, he looked back and then locked the door and jumped atop his bed, looking curious. From this angle, he could make out Shawn's nuts through one of the leg holes. Smirking he looked down and then back up. It seemed he hadn't noticed what he was looking at because Shawn was studying him, smiling just as wide. Pointing at the sailor hat, he raised an eyebrow. Pulling it off, he looked down at it. "Blaine's." he said simply. "So…what's up." He said with a nod. Suddenly, he found it rather hard to speak. Biting his lip, he finally looked up. "I got a confession dude. I…" he gulped, not looking up. "I spied on you and Darren the other day, while you were in your room. I'm sorry." He said quietly. "We know." Shawn said warmly. "What?" he asked, not believing his ears. Patting the seat next to him, Shawn scooted back and leaned against his headboard. Groaning, he pushed himself up and sat on the end. After a moment, he scowled. "What?" Shawn chuckled. "Dude…we're chatting like chicks…expressing our feelings and crap." He said, with a smirk. Shawn blew a raspberry and shook his head, as if he couldn't care less. "I feel bad I spied on you two. I was…jealous and a bit…hurt…I felt left out." He said, his voice low and soft. "Axl." Shawn said quietly, "we…" he paused…"we feel that you should just stick with Blaine…I mean, you're a couple, and technically you'd be cheating on Blaine, even though he knows and doesn't care. We honestly felt kind of turned on you were watching us…but you left before the main event." He said, with a bit more humor in his voice. "Yea…but we're best friends, I thought if there was messing around, you'd include me. Is it because I wouldn't let you do me a few weeks ago? Blaine said you could, you'd just have to wait until we're all together again." he finished, feeling there was more to the story. "Umm…" he waved him closer. Groaning again, he grunted and shifted close enough so that they could hear each other a bit better. "I'm kind of starting to like Darren dude…more than a friend." He whispered, so low Axl could barely hear him. . Even though he thought he hadn't heard it right, he knew he had. Next to him, Shawn was almost beet red. Axl eyed him, not quite sure what to say. He smiled, mainly because he could see the change now that he thought about it. Still, he didn't quite think Darren felt the same. At least, he wasn't going to tell Shawn that. He could very easily be wrong. That would also explain why they hadn't included him more. Finally, he decided to weigh in. "I can kind of see that dude. There's something there that wasn't there before. Though, I don't know if Darren feels the same way. I mean, I can see that you two are closer to each other more than either you or Darren are closer with me. Again…I guess there's a bit of jealousy there as well. On another note…since we plan to all get together again, I want to be able to…take it from Darren…but he's huge dude… how can you stand it?" he let out, feeling his ears burn. "Oh, "he paused, looking kind of pleased with the way the conversation had taken. " I don't know…it…hurts like hell at the beginning, and when it goes in too fast. You've got to relax…I guess I've gotta rather used to it by now…to tell the truth, we get together more than you'd believe, and in completely different places." He chuckled, looking down. "Shawn, you need to be careful. What if it turns out Darren is just in it to get off." He said, then regretted what he said as Shawn's face fell. "I know. I'd still rather have a girlfriend though. Is that how you felt after you were with Blaine. Or did you know at that moment you didn't care?" he asked, seriously. "You know, I wanted to be with him. I didn't want to have a girlfriend at all. I wanted him to be my boyfriend. So I guess we are quite a bit different. If you still would rather have a girlfriend, then that says it all dude. You have kind of crush on Darren, but nothing serious. As far as that goes, I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same way. I honestly would think it'd be neat if you two…I mean…think about all the double dating." He chuckled, wriggling his eyebrows enticingly. "Ha! No." he said flatly. They both laughed a bit louder than they meant to. Pausing, they remained quiet listening to the house. After a few moments they grinned and just looked away. Axl felt much better, the time alone with Shawn was really nice. He didn't have to worry about making sure Darren wasn't left out. Glancing down he noticed the top of Shawn's dick sticking out of his boxers. Thinking it couldn't hurt, he reached out and wrapped his hand around it. Gasping, he knocked his hand away, then realized what he was doing. Looking at the door, he nodded and scooted over, pulling his boxers down and laid back. Snorting, Axl reached down and gripped Shawn's shaft and pumped quickly. Noticing his eyes were closed, he grinned and lifted his arm. "Um." he began…but didn't have to go on. Before he got there, he could tell it wouldn't be a good idea to put his mouth down. Cheeks blushing, Shawn looked away, embarrassed by his smelly pits. That could have been bad, but he looked past it. "Can you go faster Axl?" he asked. "Want a tighter grip?" he asked, speeding his hand up. "No, actually, a less tight one would be better." He explained. Speeding up, he tried to do as he was asked. Getting onto his hands and knees, he scooted down. Giving him a thankful smile, Shawn shifted over to the center of the bed and laid all the way down. Feeling generous, he leaned down and wrapped his lips around the head. Another gasp rang out, and a hand fell atop his head. Something made him want more though. Biting his lip, he had the strangest feeling to crawl up, and straddle him, letting him fuck him. Now upset he thought that, he almost just left then and there. But, he shifted his eyes up and noticed the smile across his friend's face. Deciding to forget the idea, he spread Shawn's legs, exposing his hairy nuts and crack. Hoping he was clean, he dove down and pushed his tongue into the crease. Relief washed over him as he smelled the scent of soap. Shawn moaned, lifting his hips into the air. His hands shot down and spread his cheeks apart. Axl noted that had he seen this type of act before he had this done to him, he would have thought that a guy moaning like this with his hips in the air was a sign he would have been a bottom bitch. However, he knew how good this felt, and no longer found it funny to hear Shawn, or anyone else sound like this. Forcing his tongue deeper, he reached his hands up and began to jerk his shaft. Pulling back he pushed a finger up his hole. Suddenly, he dropped his hand and felt his belt. Looking up, he met Shawn's gaze with a mischievous smirk. Pausing, he sat up, suddenly on edge. "Axl, you're one of my best friends…but I don't want you to fuck me…yet." He said, his voice thick with lust. "Don't worry," he chuckled. "I've got this." He pulled out the dildo/vibrator. Shawn laughed as well, reaching down. Chuckling, Axl flipped the switch and it began to vibrate, then he handed it over. Biting his lip, Shawn was trying hard not to laugh loudly. Shaking his head, he passed it back. Giving a nod, he waited to see what Axl what do. Reaching down again, he pulled out the self-heating lube and sprayed it across Shawn's groin and finally into his crack. After a moment, his eyes grew wide with surprise. Winking, Axl pushed the dildo end into Shawn's hole, making sure to go slow. Surprisingly, he knocked his hand away, and pushed it all the way in with one go. Sitting back, Axl looked at him with a new sense of respect. Then again, Darren's cock was quite a bit bigger than the thing he had in his ass. Once inside, Axl took over and turned the vibrator end up and pressed it against Shawn's slight downward curving cock. "That feels…weird, but a good weird." He said with a curious tone. "I used it on Blaine earlier…I washed it!" he said, noticing Shawn's mouth opening. "Just watch." He said, wanting to see if what happened to Blaine would happen to Shawn. At first, he looked a bit off put. Axl moved the dildo in and out quicker, but kept the vibrating end pressed firmly on his dick. A minute later, Shawn began to squirm and move around. Fascinated, Axl watched Shawn's stomach begin to contract. The dildo suddenly didn't go in very far as his prostate began to shift. Eyes widening, Shawn grunted, and let out a small cry as a stream of cum shot out his cock. Siting up more, Shawn watched as it began to pool in his navel. Grinning, Axl clicked the switch and the vibration ended. Slipping it out of hole, Axl looked at it and was happy to see there was nothing on the end. Still, he slid off the bed and pulled out a few tissues out of the Kleenex box on the night stand. Wiping it clear, he put it back into his belt, along with the lube. At the same time, Shawn pulled some out as well and cleaned his stomach. Satisfied, he threw them into the trash by his bed. "Neat, huh?" he asked with a huge smile. "Dude, that was insane." He said, looking somewhat dazed. "Well…I think I should get home. I hope…I didn't make you uncomfortable or mad when I said I watched you guys. Blaine told I had to tell you." He said, getting up, as Shawn pulled his boxers on. "Thanks for telling me. I won't make any promises, but we'll try to include you more." He said, giving him a fist bump before unlocking his bedroom door. 50. the HolidaysNew Why was he so nervous? Before they left, he reminded all of them to behave themselves. He had been surprised with how easy it was to convince his family to have Thanksgiving at Blaine's house. Both families would come together for the first time. Dressed extremely well, he felt someone restricted. Again, he wouldn't be able to stay the night with Blaine. There would be no time to even fool around. Since he was riding with his family, he had to give directions from behind his dad's seat. Strangely his mom and sister were both wearing dresses. It was odd to see them like that. Usually they would wear pant suits. As they drove into Lima city limits, his dad asked where he had to get his car fixed. It took him a minute to remember what he was talking about. Turning onto a busier street, he pointed out the building as they drove past. They all leaned over and the vehicle slowed. Axl smiled to himself, remembering how he had met Blaine. What had happened was so unbelievable it almost blew his mind. Ahead, he spotted the street corner were Blaine had propositioned him, actually brushing his hand against his crotch. He had been scared and on edge after that. But as he studied Blaine, something had urged him to go for it. Well, what urged him was cock, and to think about what was going to happen. At the intersection, they turned right and drove past the tall brick buildings with no windows, as Blaine has described. He had been right that no one could have seen him at the bus stop. Past the buildings was the large field on the right. Just behind that was a hill covered with large trees and rock outcroppings that obstructed the view of the large house from the road. That was where he had spotted Blaine. He had given up hope when he had found the empty bus bench. But when he just happened to look to the right, he saw a figure walking along the edge of the field. Even from the road, he was able to make out Blaine's arms waving back and forth, telling him to wait. Telling his dad to turn right at the road ahead, he waited to see their reaction. The house that Blaine lived in was a very upper class dwelling, most likely worth at least $600,000, but most likely much more. Slowing, they turned and drove up the paved driveway. "Are there other houses down this road Axl?" his mom asked, looking back with a small smile. "Nope, this is the driveway for Blaine's house." He said, returning the smile and waited for their reaction. The driveway curved up and off to the right, following the ridged tree line that blocked the view of the house from the highway. Off to the left of the driveway was a small field lined with white fencing. A small barn stood at the point where the lane curved to the right. Never noticing it before, Axl looked closer and wondered what was in it. Automatically, he wanted to have some fun inside it. Looking away, a small stand of sycamore trees lined the fence along the far side of the barn. As the lane curved back to the left, the house emerged closer than one would expect. The large two story house looked traditional, yet was very obviously new. A three car garage was attached to the far right end at a diagonal angle. At the end was the basketball hoop he and Blaine had used the time he had managed to get him to play a sport. Two large maple trees provided shade to the front yard, though at the moment they were bare of leafs. Just three weeks ago, both trees had vibrant orange and yellow leafs. Where the driveway widened out for the garage, a small grey brick curved walkway led to the front porch. Between the walkway and the house, was bushes and lots of landscaping and two small pools for fountains. In the summer, water would flow into one and then spill into the larger pond below as a waterfall. Flowers and bushes would be planted all along the landscaping rocks. A light cream colored the bulk of the house, while the trimming and window shutters were a dark mahogany. On the front left corner of the house was where Blaine's fathers' study was. Windows lined the two sides, which, at the moment, light was streaming through. Back in Orson, the sun was shining brightly, but here the sky was dark, indicating a storm on the way. Close to the corner of the house, a large elm tree was planted. Hanging from a branch that looked toward the driveway was a wicker swing, currently empty. Finally coming to a halt in front of the garage, his dad turned the vehicle off. Almost instantly, his mother and he opened the doors and got out. After only a moment Sue opened the door she sat by and got out, bringing with her the rolls and the two large containers of rice crispy treats they had brought. Peering inside, he reached out and pulled Brick out of the car. Jumping, he put a finger between the pages he was reading. Lastly, his father opened the door and stood. "Wow." Said his mother again, looking at the large house. "What do his parents do again?" asked his dad, trying hard not to look impressed by the sight. "His mom sells cosmetics and his dad travels around fixing hospital equipment or something. His brothers' an actor but at the moment he's staying with them." He said, grinning at the way his mother walked over to the landscaping and looked down into the small pools. "What's his brothers' name?" asked Sue, coming to stand next to him. "Cooper Anderson." He said, watching her, knowing she'd most likely go bonkers. "Anderson?" his dad asked, looking strange. "You know, that tree swing is where Blaine likes to read when he gets the chance." He leaned down and pointed it out to Brick. Without giving him a second glance, he walked off and headed straight to the tree. Biting his tongue, he guessed he shouldn't have said that. To Brick, it must have seemed a suggestion. Still, he was happy how everything looked. Though even as he thought this, he looked up at the sky and noticed how dark it seemed. "Hey Brick." He heard a voice. Turning back around, he watched Blaine walk over and sit in the swing next to Brick. Being too far away, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but Blaine finally looked up and smiled broadly at him. Biting his lip, he wanted to head straight over to him and kiss him. He knew that wouldn't be wise though. After a moment, Blaine patted Brick on the back and pulled him out of the swing and began to walk over to him. Brick never did anything without a fuss like he was doing for Blaine. Meeting him, Blaine hugged him tight. Axl gave him a tiny kiss on the neck in a way no one would know. Pulling apart, Blaine smiled and walked over to his dad and shook his hand heartily. Returning the gesture, his dad said a few things, all with a smile before they turned and walked the path until they reached his mom and sister. He patted Sue on the upper arm while accepting a hug from his mom. Hearing movement, he looked down and realized Brick was reading his book again while standing. Sighing, he put his hand on his shoulder and directed him to the front porch. "Come on in. You can hang your coats on the hooks to the left. After a moments' hesitation, they entered into the large foyer. Hanging their things on the hooks, they stared up at the open ceiling. Not having noticed it before, the foyer was something like a circle, which attached to an even larger circled room that was the main living room. To get into the room, you had to descend a couple steps through a large open arched doorway. Past the foyer, the stairs curved up and to the right, following the curve of the living rooms' circle. To the left, there was the large study with many windows that revealed the massive elm tree with the swing Brick had just been reading under. Between the outer curve of the stairs was the small hall way that lead to the master bedroom and a smaller bedroom, though at the moment it was more like a game room, as well as a bathroom and a linen closet. Just as they exited the foyer, Blaine's mom came around the curved corner wearing a large smile. "So glad to finally meet you." She said warmly, shaking his own mother's hand before moving on to his dad and siblings. "I'm Pam, my husband was trying to sneak off with some of the cinnamon rolls I made for dessert, so I sent him out back for chores. Here he comes." She smiled, turning to the side as he emerged from the dining room. "Richard?" Axl heard his dad ask. "Mike?" he heard the reply. "I had no idea you this was your house." He said, sounding pleasantly relieved. "It's been too long." He replied again, surging forward to shake his hand, During the exchange, everyone looked back and forth as the other spoke, as if following a tennis match. "You didn't tell me Blaine's last name was Anderson Axl." He said, turning and looking down at him. Axl blinked, then scowled at him…he had just told him his last name a few minutes ago Too stunned to say anything, he glanced over at Blaine, noticing that confusion as well. "How do you know Rick, Mike?" Pam asked, looked taken aback, yet pleased with how this was going to turn out. "We were best from middle school all the way up go our junior year in high school. But Dad got a new job and we had to move. We didn't stay in touch because unlike today, we didn't have internet or cell phones." He went on, reaching out and shaking his moms' hand before looking down at Brick and Sue. "Well, come on into the living room. I'll show you where you can put those dear." Pam looked down at Sue. "This is a really nice house. Have you lived in it for very long?" his mom asked Rick as they stepped down into the living room. "Yea, we actually had it built about eight years ago I think." He said, patting Mike on the back. "Pam, hasn't it been eight years since we had this house built?" he called. "Nine." Came a reply. Brick ignored them and walked over to one of the large soft armchairs. "Blaine, show Brick to the study. That's the best place to read." Said Rick, looking over at him. Nodding, he stood and walked over to him and patted his shoulder. After a moment he looked up, and finally stood. Axl rose and followed. Hearing a sigh, he looked around and found his mom following them. Stepping back up into the foyer, they made their way toward the stairs and turned to the left. Through the small hallway, they entered the study. A large mahogany desk sat against the wall that separated the study from his the master bedrooms 'bathroom. Windows lined both of the walls that were the sides of the house. Against the wall with the closet, a piano sat. A large comfy area rug lay across the middle of the room. Between each window, book shelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Strangely, a hammock hung next to the piano. Brick paused and looked around in wonder. His mom looked out the windows and then turned around and made her way back into the main area. Jumping on the hammock, Brick opened his book and began to read. As Blaine and he left the room, he reached out and took hold of his hand, lightly brushing his thumb across Blaine's knuckle affectionately. Hearing a crack, he jumped and looked around. Giving him a questioning look, he waited for Blaine to explain. Pointing to the left, Axl took a couple of steps and listened. Another crack made him jump. Finally, he heard his dad and Rick talking animatedly. It was clear they had been really good friends in high school. Looking at him, he let Blaine pull him away and back around to the stairs. Axl halted and looked around. Blaine peered through the foyer and didn't see anyone in the living room. The sound of laughter came from the kitchen though. Sue, his mom, and Pam were talking rather loudly and giggling like girls did. Smirking, Blaine pulled him up the stairs quietly. As they reached the top, he wrapped his arm around the front of Blaine's chest and slid it down. "Wait till we're in my room Ax." He whispered breathlessly. As they passed Coopers room, Blaine halted and looked at it. After a moment, he shook his head and continued to his room. Knowing this wouldn't take long, they walked through the door. Once inside, closed it softly and actually locked it. Turning back around, they smiled and forced their lips together. Blaine's tongue pushed into his mouth and met his own. Lifting his hand, Axl reached down and grabbed Blaine's. Taking hold of it, he pushed it onto his crotch. He grunted as he felt the zipper pulled down. In a matter of moments, Blaine had pulled his cock out. Wrapping his hand around the shaft he pumped it quickly before he dropped to his knees. Letting his hand fall to the back of his hand, he moved it back and forth, biting his lip to keep moaning. He shivered, feeling his tongue press into his piss slit. "God you're so good at this." He moaned, looking down and catching a wink. "God I want you to do me so bad." He breathed. "I want to…but we can't do that today. Get up here and lick my pits and jerk me off until I shoot my load. Snorting, he rose and kissed him again. Luckily, he had worn a snap buttoned shirt, rather than a regular button up shirt. He had been hoping for this, so he planned ahead of time. Blaine laughed aloud when he pulled on one and it opened with a snap. Pushing his left arm into the air, the thick patch of hair in the pit stuck out in all different directions. Axl closed his eyes as he felt Blaine's right hand reach around and closed in on his shaft. When nothing happened, he opened an eye but at that moment the grip around his cock tightened and he felt the wetness dig into his pit. Groaning, he leaned back as Blaine began to pump faster. Blaine must have sensed how close he was. His entire tongue pressed into his pit with great force, saliva seeped between every hair. Shaking, he leaned back and grunted as cum shot out from his cock. Chuckling, Blaine walked him backward and he fell atop his bed. Immediately, he felt Blaine's hard cock through his own slacks. Axl dropped his arm and leaned back into him. Blaine gave him a few kisses on the back of the neck. Lifting his hand, he held it before his face. Getting the hint, he leaned forward and licked off his own cum. The hand disappeared and he heard a slurp from behind. Slipping off his lap, he turned and pulled Blaine's zipper. Reaching in, he pulled Blaine's uncut member, the foreskin still covering the head. Grinning down at it, he leaned in and sucked at the skin before pushed his tongue between the head and the skin. Blaine groaned and fell back atop the bed. In less than a minute, he felt Blaine go rigid and a moment later his thick salty seed filled his mouth. Humming, he swallowed and stood up. Leaning down, he pulled his boyfriend to his feet. Nuzzling his nose, he put away his now soft cock and zipped up. Blaine mirrored him. Satisfied, Blaine walked over to the door and unlocked, then opened it all the way. Axl sauntered over to the corner and plopped down on the beanbag chair. "I can't believe our dads were best friends in high school." Said Blaine once he sat down on the other beanbag chair. "I know…looks like we were meant to be." He told him softly. "I love you." He replied, reaching out and squeezing his hand lightly. "I know this sounds kind of bad, but I never noticed quite a few things here that I discovered with my parents." He said with a chuckle. "Well, with your family with you, there was virtually no probability of you getting any when you first pulled up." He grinned. "Oye!" he laughed, "when we were alone here and hung out without fooling around, I should have noticed." He said. "Like what?" he asked, his left eyebrow rising. "Well, for starters, the barn with the pasture behind it." "Really?! We used to have a horse with two alpacas as companions. We sold them a couple years ago. I didn't really get along with the alpacas, though they would let me pet them. I loved the horse though…" he said, with a dreamy expression. "I've never ridden a horse." He said, though his mind was stuck on the alpacas now that he mentioned it. "Really?" he looked surprised. "If we still had one I'd show you how. What else did you only notice today?" he chuckled. "The landscaping in front of the house. That and that the foyer and living room are both circles." He said, feeling the heat creep up his neck. "Are you serious?!"He exclaimed and let out a burst of laughter. Growling, he pounced. Surprised, Blaine turned and began to rise out of the beanbag chair. However, it was a lot harder to move quickly when getting up from one of those. He shouted and laughed as Axl tickled him under the arms and down by his hips. Giving a little yelp, he tried to push him away but couldn't manage it. Suddenly, Axl felt someone grab his shoulders and pull him back swiftly. It was his turn to let out a yelp. Back on the floor, he looked up and met Coopers' gaze. Smirking, Cooper looked up at Blaine. Making to get up, held him down again and looked at Blaine. Finally, Blaine nodded and pushed himself up. Next thing he knew, he was getting tickled all over by Blaine. After a few moments of him laughing giddily, Cooper released his hold on his shoulders. Panting, he lay there catching his breath. "Cheaters." He said, finally sitting up and glaring at both of them, but ruining the effect by smirking. "Good to see you Axl." Said Cooper, patting his shoulder and backing out of the room, but for the briefest moment, he had looked at Blaine oddly. "What was that look?" Axl asked him once he was completely out of the room. Blaine hesitated, then shook his head, as if there was something buzzing around it. "Nothing." "Blaine…what is it?" he asked with a smile. Eyeing him, his brow crinkled and nodded. Gesturing for the beanbag, Axl scooted back onto it and waited politely. Standing, Blaine hurried over to the door and looked out. After a few moments he returned. "Don't get mad or anything but…" he really looked like he didn't want to say anything. Reaching out, he patted his knee and gave him a warm smile. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in and whispered. 'Cooper wants to fool around with us. "W-what?" he spluttered, not believing his ears. "I thought he was straight." "He's bi. I just found out a couple weeks ago. I told him it wasn't going to happen so we don't have to worry." He said, his tanned skin going a shade darker with embarrassment. "Yea…I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all. Does he mean joining us, or he just wanted to fool around with me? "I didn't ask, but honestly I don't think it would matter to him if I was there." He sighed. "Yea…" he said again. "Doing something with your brother isn't something you can take lightly. I'd never dream of doing that with Brick…of course…he's not really that good looking…" he trailed of, horrified he had just said that. "I suppose if we kept you between us, we wouldn't have to touch." Blaine halted, then gave a look that mirrored his own a few seconds ago. They sat there for a while, lost in their own thoughts until there was a knock. Looking up, he saw his mom and Sue peering in at them. Smiling, he waved them in. Relieved, he sat further back in the chair, thankful for once of an interruption that they usually made. He was glad they hadn't done anything on the bed, and it remained made. Sue walked over to the window and looked out. Joining her, Axl looked down into the yard. The sky still looked dark and the wind was making the leaves on the ground swirl away in little tornados. Across the yard, he noticed something in a large tree close to the fence line. "What's that in the tree?" asked Sue, mirroring his own thoughts. "That's a treehouse Cooper and I built the year after we moved into the house." He explained, looking out the other window, with his mom coming to stand next to him. "Wow. Can we go see?" Sue pleaded. "Sue, its cold and getting darker outside, Blaine may not want you up there." Said his mom gently. "Ahhh." She said disappointed, which is what he actually felt as well. His gaze shifted down to the right. Beginning to open his mouth, he was cut off. "Sure, come on." Blaine said cheerfully. Sue squealed and dashed out of the room. Axl groaned and gave Blaine a regretful look. Waving it away, he followed her out of the room with his mom walking beside him. Bringing up the rear, he turned the light off and walked toward the stairs. Cooper's door was wide open and he was sitting back in bed, looking at something off to his left. Assuming it was a TV, he halted and looked in. glancing to his right, the rest of the group was already down the stairs. Biting his lip, he entered and Cooper looked up. He stared at him for a moment. "Do you really want to fool around?" he asked quietly. "Who said that?" he asked calmly. "The only way I'll do it is if you blow Blaine while I fuck you." He smiled and exited the room before he could say anything, biting his lip to keep him from laughing aloud. At the bottom of the stairs, Blaine stood with an odd expression, almost looking scared. As he got closer, his fear vanished and the worry lines disappeared. "What? Do you think I was going to yell at him or something?" he teased, giving his hand a light squeeze. "Yes." He said quietly. "Really?" he asked, surprised. Blaine shrugged and looked much happier. Sue was putting on her coat and he pulled out Blaine's and handed it to him while he put his own on. Smiling at him, Blaine looked cute when he worried. There was a loud crack that sounded like it came from the master bedroom. After a moment there, there was laughter followed by another crack. Frowning he looked at Blaine. Sighing, Blaine pulled him along and passed the bedroom and into the smaller one next to the stairs. Peering inside, his dad and Rick each had a cue stick in their hands. A large pool table stood just past the center of the room. Delighted, he wanted to play, but he was sure they already started. Pointing at them, he looked back at Blaine. Noticing Axl and Blaine looking in, they smiled. "You'll have to wait your turn guys. We've already started. After this is game is over, then we'll all play." Said Rick Feeling a little bit let down, he to wait, he gave them a wave and turned around, and followed Blane back to the foot of the stairs, where Sue bounced on her heels in anticipation. Chuckling he patted her arm, then pushed between her arm and body and held her arm as if they were a couple. Biting his lip, he choked back laughter as he could make out the back her Sue's neck turning red. Turning his head, he winked at Axl before proceeding along the rounded living room that was on the right while passing the dining room on their left before entering the kitchen, where their moms were sitting on stools and drinking something in mugs. "Aww" they both said at the same time, then chuckled. "When's dinner?" he asked them. "Probably thirty minutes from now." Said Pam as Blaine and Sue opened the back door and stepped into the yard. Finally outside, he looked across the large backyard toward where the treehouse had been. Just being able to make out a large mass above the tree line, he started forward. Glancing to his right he stopped in his tracks. At the corner of the house that held the kitchen, a large slab of cement had been poured, along with a deep and wide hole in the ground that looked smooth with dark blue ceramic tiles pressed all around the pit. Above the pit, wooden beams arched across the area, clearly going to be a roof. Pillions were placed further out and three of the walls were already standing complete, with the fourth showing the insulation between the studs. It was pretty clear they were constructing an indoor pool. He found it strange since they already had a pool outside. It was a fairly decent sized one that ran horizontal with the length of the house. Half of the existing pool that was furthest away from the construction had been filled in. the new pool ran vertical with the house, basically just turning the pool ninety degrees. Studying it moment, he guessed they were pretty close to being done. "You never told me you guys were going to have an indoor pool B." he said. When no one answered, he turned and discovered the other two had continued to walk. Sighing, he jogged to join them again. Reaching the tree, he looked up, surprised with how nice it was. The main part was positioned between three large trees, with diagonal braces going from the trunks to the floor of the treehouse. Another small addition ran in a strip to another set of trees. From looks of it, he guessed they had planned to make another treehouse, but had abandoned the project early on. There were what looked like braces in the crook of a couple trees. Dangling down near the strip was a rope ladder. Making to climb it, Blaine reached out and shook his head. "That rope is too weak. It's the original one we used years ago and it's rotten. You'd get about halfway up before it snapped. That's almost a twenty foot drop. We'll use the ladder against the trunk of the main tree." He pointed to where Sue was standing, gazing up at the trap door. "Sue, let Axl go up first, then you, and finally me." He said as they walked over to her. Nodding, she waited as Axl reached out and grabbed hold of a ladder and began to climb. At the top, he tried to push the door but it wouldn't budge. "It won't open B." he called. "I was afraid of that. I haven't been up there in a year. There could be anything up there. I can't even remember what that state was the last time I was up there." He said, suddenly sounding worried. Smirking, he backed down and jumped the last five feet. Next to him, Sue looked sad but she understood. Pointing at the construction project by the house, he gave Blaine a questioning look. "Oh, forgot to tell you about that. It should be complete by Christmas. Come on, I'll show you what it looks like from the inside." He said brightly, obviously excited. About halfway across the yard a snowflake landed atop his nose. Coming to a halt, he looked up as another fell. Ahead, Blaine came to a stop as well. Sue continued on her way to the house. Looking at each other, the grinned and joined Sue. She had come to a halt at the sliding glass door. Stepping forward, he slid it open and reached blindly to the right before a light blinked on overhead. Beside him, Sue gasped and looked at how the tile shone with the light hitting them. He had to admit, it looked really cool, almost as if the tiles were moving waves. The ceiling was painted a light blue, while the walls were a navy blue. The tiled floor was a dark chocolate color. Now that he looked closer, the pool more of a square than a rectangle. Instead of a corner the edge was rounded where the steps lead down to the pool. Hearing a tap, he looked up to see his mom tapping the kitchen window and pretended to eat. Below, he heard his belly rumble as Sue exited the stepped back outside and made for the kitchen door. "Hungry?" Blaine chuckled, giving his hand a squeeze. "Starved, the only thing I had to eat recently was..." he trailed off, smirking at Blaine. "Let's go." He said, walking out door, but stopped when he pulled his arm. "What?" Blaine asked. "Umm..." he said hesitantly. He had noticed Cooper in the kitchen. "Nothing, I'll tell you later." He finished, then walked past him and reentered the wonderfully warm house. The aroma was intoxicating, making him even hungrier. A moment later, Blaine joined him and closed the door. Inside, they made their way through the kitchen and into the dining room. He was about to sit but remembering he was still wearing his coat, headed to the foyer when Sue had just hung her coat back up. Placing his next to hers, he turned and headed back to the dining room. It was a good thing they had a large table. All nine of them sat down very comfortably. At one end, Mike sat while on his left sat Frankie, and on the right, Rick with Pam next to him. Opposite Pam, Sue sat with Brick next to her. Cooper was by his mother, and across from Brick. Blaine sat next to Sue, and he was next to Cooper. Feeling a bit uneasy, he glanced at him briefly before turning back to Blaine. There was a short prayer and then they dug in. Conversation broke around them, but Axl just went for the food first. All across the table food sat in dishes: stuffing, peas, corn, green beans, beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, smoked ham and turkey, baked chicken, some sort of casserole that looked disgusting. The dishes were passed around and before he knew it, his plate was fill with turkey, stuffing, ham, green beans, rolls, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and a piece of chicken and ham. He looked up to see everyone staring at his plate. Looking down, he guessed he had quite a bit. Across from Cooper he looked up as he heard the "whoop" from Brick. Cringing, he looked at everyone. They seem curious but didn't go on about it. Some time while he and Blaine hadn't been around the word must have got out about his tick. "Does he eat like that at home?" asked Pam, looking over at his mom. "Yeah, it's always something." His dad said before she could get it out but she nodded in agreement. "Good thing we only had two kids, though" said Rick, "our boys don't eat much." "That's like Sue and Brick. Axl's the one to …how did you put it?" his mom looked over at him "What do you mean?" he asked, only pausing for a moment before he took another bite of turkey. ""If you guys don't want me to eat stuff, you gotta say so! You should know my first impulse is to eat things" she mocked. "It wasn't very good….it needed sugar anyway." He called. "It didn't need sugar, it wasn't food!" she said through the laughter. Shrugging, he ignored them and continued to eat. Across from him Blaine was also beginning to fill his plate. Halfway through a bite, he felt something nudge his leg. Eyeing Blaine, he recognized that he was too engrossed in his dinner to do anything. Half glancing to his left, he noticed a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. Scooting a bit to the side, he made sure no one noticed him, except Blaine. Immediately, he looked next to him and peered at his brother. They jumped again as another "whoop" was heard. Blaine met his brothers' eyes again, but this time it was purely humorous. He gave the barest hint of his head shake from side to side. Cooper sat still for a moment, then went back to eating. Meeting his eye, Blaine gave him an apologetic face for his brothers' behavior. Winking, Axl asked for someone to pass the ham down. Taking the bowl from Cooper, he refused to look at him before handing it back. Blaine gave him an approving nod for how he brushed him off. Inwardly, he cringing when he realized he had to tell Blaine how he had propositioned Cooper earlier. True, he didn't mean it seriously, but still, he was afraid of the reaction that was to come. With the main dishes pretty much gone, Pam asked him to go get the deserts and bring them to the table. Nodding, he rose and hurried into the kitchen, Blaine hot on his heels. "What happened?" he asked quietly. "Nothing, he just nudge my leg a bit. It was just teasing, nothing more." He replied with a smile. "You sure?" "Positive, help me with these." He said, indicating the mass of deserts. "Blaine," came Pams voice. "Get the cool hwhip out of the fridge." She called. Axl let out a shout of laughter that must have carried through to the dining room. Suddenly there was a chorus of laughter from the others. "What?" Blaine asked him, confused. "How did you mom learn to say that? That's how Stewie says cool whip on Family Guy. He adds the h to the beginning of the "whip" part." He said, still laughing. Chuckling, he nodded and pulled the container out of the fridge and reaching for the pumpkin pie and brownies. From the other room, yet another "whoop" erupted. Sighing, Axl smiled up at Blaine before he turned back toward the doorway. Axl carried the rice crispy treats, sugar cookies, and a small cheesecake. Stepping back into the dining room, the set the dishes down where the others had obviously pushed the empty dishes down closer to the end. After setting the deserts down, Blaine left the room and brought back a cart with a tub on top. Sitting back down, he was confused until Blaine turned the dishes to the side and dumped the remains of food in the tub and placed the empty dishes on the other side of the tub. Frowning, he looked at him. Catching his eye, he rotated the cart to show that there was writing on the opposite side of the tube that read "compost". "We dump all the scraps in our composite heap out back. The dishes will go in the dishwasher." She explained to the table. Sitting back down, Blaine smiled at him and grabbed a piece of pie and a rice crispy treat. Axl had already scarfed down one treat and was working on a second. After what felt like ages, everyone sat back in their chair, completely full and tired. Getting up, Rick walked to the corner of the room and flicked on a backyard light. Snow was coming down fast and thick now. Scrunching his eyebrows, he walked out of the room and called back something about checking the weather online. Returning, he looked grim. Since his dad was the one driving, he followed Rick back into the study to look for himself. When he came back he had a regretful look. Axl felt his heart sink. Knowing that face, he knew they were going to leave as soon as possible. Sighing, his mom agreed and stood. No longer hungry, he met Blaine's sad eyes. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed their moms looking at them sadly. "We have plenty of room if you all would like to stay the night." Said Pam, looking up at Mike. "Yeah, and we didn't even get to play pool." Complained Axl. "No, we need to get home tonight. Come on everyone, get all bundled up and let's get out of here while we still can." He said, as his mother nodded. Sighing, he rose and followed his parents to the foyer, feeling a little depressed. Blaine had hurried to walk with him, holding his hand tightly. Making sure his parents weren't looking, he leaned in and kissed him quickly before rubbing their noses. From behind Blaine, he noticed his parents' following them closely. Sighing again, he turned and putting on his coat. Sue and Brick were already bundling up and looking out the door and into the snow. Giving him a last hug, he stepped back and thanked his parents for having them over. "Mike you've gotta come visit us as much as you can. It was awesome today. Brought back a lot of memories." Rick said sincerely, stepping forward and shaking his hand. "Ditto. You bet I will if I can find some time to do it when you're home and not traveling with your job." He agreed, reaching over and shaking Pam's hand again before stepping out of the door. "Frankie, I'll get those dishes washed and sent the back with Axl next time he visits, which I'm sure won't be long." She said, smiling at Axl and patting his back. Giving Blaine last hug, he turned and stepped off the porch and looked back. Standing just behind the rest of his family stood Cooper. Smirking, he looked him in the eye and mouthed the word "Deal" ***Blaine's POV*** He had put the dishes in the washer, dumped the table scraps into the compost pile out back and just pulled off his shirt and slipped into bed when he noticed his phone had a new message. The whole day had been perfect. Never would he have believed how it had turned out. Everyone getting along so well. Frankie and his mom had hit it off. Usually, he could tell when his mom was just being nice to someone just to be polite, but he hadn't detected any of that once today. Sue hadn't tagged along with him and Axl much at all either. Brick had a fine time reading in the study. To tell the truth, he hadn't believed Axl about Brick's tick of whooping every once in a while. He found it hilarious, but assumed after a while it would get old. The major shocker for the day though was Mike and his dad being best friends for years. He couldn't help but think this was meant to be. How on earth could they have all these things in common and not be together. Sighing, he picked up his phone and looked at the message. "You're going to be sooo pissed at me B." he read. "Why?" Now he was on edge, scared the day would be ruined. "I'm sorry…" "You're scaring me." He wrote, genuinely worried. "After you and Sue went down stairs I peeked in at Cooper. I wanted to mess with him. I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. I was in such a good mood." "What'd you do Axl?" he asked, but felt confident they didn't actually do anything. "Blaine…I stood next to his bed and looked down at him and asked "do you really want to fool around?" Blaine kind of felt better, yet more apprehensive than ever. "What'd he say?" "Who told you that?" "Of course you told him me…" "No…." "Go on Ax." "You're not going to like it." He read…and felt strangely excited. "I said…I'll do it…but only if you blew Blaine while I fucked you." Blaine looked at the words, feeling half furious, and half amused. "When I turned around and waved goodbye to you tonight, he was standing behind you guys and he mouthed the word, "Deal"" Staring at the words, he didn't know what to do or how to feel. There was no way he'd let his brother touch him like that. It was wrong and was something you just shouldn't do….it was almost as bad as bestiality. And yet, why was he hard? He was staring off into space so long, he had missed a couple more messages. Both from Axl, and each getting progressively worse. "Blaine…I'm soooo sorry. I never thought he'd agree." "Blaine…talk to me. I don't want this to end us." "Blaine…..please talk to me….I'm almost scared out of my mind." "Sorry…I kind of spaced out there for a few moments. This isn't going to end us Axl. I love you and I know you love me. I know you meant it as a joke, and you even told me about it and a way that gives me confidence in our relationship. To tell the truth…it's kind of…hot….but I don't really want to do anything like that though." He finished, trying to ignore is boner. "You're not mad?" Blaine could almost picture Axl's face with a dumbfounded look. "It's going to take a lot more than that to get me to stop caring for you. Hey it's getting late. Luv you." He sent. Putting his phone down, he got up and began to close the door, but hesitated. Coopers' door was wide open and the TV was on. Walking forward, he knocked and Cooper waved him in. "Umm…" he said, suddenly not sure what to say. "Did you just get off the phone with Axl?" he asked with a smirk. Nodding, he looked away from Cooper. Patting his bed Blaine walked around and sat next to him. "Did you mean it Coop?" he whispered. Still smirking, he shrugged, then nodded. "You'd…" he trailed off, no longer wanting to finish the sentence. "Sure. It's not that big a deal." He said, but Blaine could tell it had a double meaning. "Whatever. It gets the job done just fine." He said, feeling his cheeks burn. "I know it does," he chuckled looking over at him then glancing down and back up. "Mine's just bigger." He laughed. "Your older than me, of course it is." He said, trying to justify his thoughts. "Say all you want B. You'll see it when we decide to act." He chuckled. "Who said we were going to?" he asked, looking skeptical. "We made a deal." He said, turning his head and looking at him full in the face. "He meant it as a joke Coop. He said it because he thought there was no chance it would happen because you wouldn't agree to do…it." He said, whispering the last word. "Well, I do, so the bargain's been struck. I'll blow you while he does me." He said, as if what they were talking about was perfectly normal. "I don't want to do it though." He said, almost desperate to put this mess behind him. "Why?" he asked, genuinely curious. "Coop….we're brothers…" he said, wishing he could think of another reason. "Look…just think about it alright. Now go on to bed Blaine." He said warmly, ruffling his hair. Sighing he rose and made his way to the door. "You may say we're brothers, but your dick seems to agree with me." He chuckled before looking back at the TV. Glancing down, his hard on was making a huge tent in his shorts. Embarrassed, he hung his head and returned to his own room, closing his door on the way. Jumping back atop his bed, he looked at his phone and opened the new message from Axl. "Look. Don't go talk to your brother about this. We know it's not going to happen so we'll just ignore this." Groaning, he wrote back saying he had just talked with Cooper, and that we were just going to ignore the interaction. See….we're just great together Axl. I've really got to go now though….nite nite" *End of Thanksgiving chapter*** It took too long for the Christmas break to approach. It had been three weeks since he'd seen Axl. The whole event of their families coming together had been a breeze and extremely fun. They all got along just fine. Unbelievably, his dad had actually contacted Mike several times over the past few weeks. Apparently, they had already planned to go on a camping trip late in the spring, bringing him and Axl along. Though he wasn't too big on camping, he thought it would be fun plow Axl out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, they'd have to be careful, but it would be totally worth it. This evening would be the first time he would get to see Axl since Thanksgiving. His parents were actually out of town until late tomorrow. Thankfully, Cooper was also out of town, though he could return at any time. So, they'd have the entire house to themselves. Axl had informed him he'd be bringing his present with him as well. Blaine had tried to ask for hints, but was given nothing. Hoping it wouldn't be anything too embarrassing, he already bought Axl's gift. At the moment, he was driving to the music store to pick up his brand new guitar. When he had dinner at Axl's with his family, he happened to notice his open guitar case by the couch. Acting like he had been talking to Brick, he carefully opened it further and wrote down the specifics with him knowing. He felt confident his present to Axl was going to out shine his own. Slowing his car, he carefully pulled into the lot. Pulling his hoodie over his head, he stepped out into the cold afternoon. Six inches of snow lay on the ground, but luckily no ice. It had started to snow yesterday and during the night it slowly thinned and eventually ended. The road crews had cleared all the roadways, at least the paved ones throughout the area. Earlier, he had called Axl to ask if he'd be able to make it. When he heard that Orson had only accumulated two inches, he felt better. Crossing the lot, he pushed into the store and headed for the counter. Even before Thanksgiving, he had ordered the guitar online and added a few things that made the price shoot way up. He hadn't told his parents or Cooper how much it had costed, fearing their reaction. Cooper did guess the price in the general area, but didn't tell their parents. Not too worried, Blaine had a trust fund and spent the money he had conservatively. Grinning, he alerted the clerk what he had come to pick up, after which he nodded and made his way back into an office. Blaine looked around a while. Music was his life so he always looked around at the instruments and equipment on display. On a shelf, he picked up a metronome/tuner all in one. Interested, he looked at it closer and turned it on. Deciding it wasn't worth the price, he set it back down and continued to look around. Finally, he heard footsteps and turned to see the employee carrying a custom guitar case. Grinning broadly, he hurried over to the counter as the man set it on down. Unlatching it, he carefully opened it. Since Axl was quite good at playing the guitar, he figured he should get one that wasn't just some cheap knock off. The man gave a whistle as he gently picked it up and rotated it. Shaking his head in disbelief, he handed it to Blaine. Grinning, he loved the dark red body, with a lighter red pickguard. The strings were a light beige, while the bridge, whammy bar, pickups, pickup selector, and volume and tone controls were white. The neck matched the strings' beige color, but the tuners, trusses, and frets were all chrome. Below the bridge, an intricate pattern of black vines crept all the way down to the white input jack. Beneath the vines, the initials A. H seemed to be tangled in the mass of vines. The backside of the body was the same dark red color, but Axl's full name was carved into material. Satisfied it looked right, he nodded to the man and placed it back into the case and closed it carefully. With a shake of the hand, he exited the shop and made his way back to the car. As soon as he started the car, his cell rang "Hey Ax. You on your way?" he asked. "Yea." Said his garbled voice. "Shh." he heard. "Sorry." He said, turning the radio down. "What?" he asked. "Nothing. What do you want to eat? You want to meet somewhere?" he asked. "You'll have to bring something for us to eat. Whatever you want is fine B. I'll be there in about forty five minutes." He said, then hung up. Blinking at the phone, he wondered what that was all about. Wondering what he should get, he looked at all restaurants along the road, wondering what would be best. Deciding on chicken, he turned and made his way to KFC. There was a line for the drive thru but figured it wouldn't take too long. He was mistaken. After waiting five minutes, he wanted to reverse, but another vehicle pulled in behind him. Sighing, he picked up his cell and told Axl to go on inside when he got there, and gave him the combo for the lock. For some reason, Axl sounded pleased he wouldn't be there straight off. Now totally on edge, he wondered what on earth was going to happen. Surely he hadn't brought his friends with him. Though it would be fun, he wanted to spend the night alone with Axl. It would be their first Christmas together. He was determined to make sure it wouldn't be their last. Finally the customer in front of him got his order and he left. Feeling somewhat annoyed now, he pulled up and picked up his own order. The lady in the window apologized, explaining the person that had left had ordered six meals. At that, he became even angrier at the guy. Someone with that many orders needed to go inside instead of taking forever in the drive thru. Just as he reached for the food, there was a ping from his phone. Thanking her, he drove around the side and opened it. Axl had made it and was inside the house. Feeling much happier, he pulled out of the establishment and headed home. For some reason, he felt a bit nervous as he pulled into his driveway and finally parked in the garage. He had hoped to wrap Axl's present, but that wasn't going to be possible. Deciding to leave the guitar in his car, he got out and closed the door. Now dark outside, he flicked on the switch to turn the Christmas lights the lined the house on. Immediately, the window next to him illuminated the snow on the ground. Opening the door, he peeked inside the kitchen. He let out a burst of laughter as Axl sat completely naked on the island, his hard cock pointing to the ceiling. Wearing a Santa hat, he leaned back and lifted his legs into the air. Still laughing, he hurried inside and closed the door. Eyes still glued on his hairy hole, he attempted to put the KFC on the counter, but it slipped. Luckily, he caught it before it hit the floor. Placing it firmly on the surface, he pushed it off to the side. Nothing else seemed to matter, as he gazed intently at his cock. Walking up to him, he leaned in forced his tongue inside his mouth. Moaning, Axl reached down and undid his pants with one hand, while pulling the shirt off his chest with the other. Grinning, he pulled back and spun Axl to the side. Lifting his arm, he dove down and sucked at the mass of hair. Axl groaned louder than ever, reaching down and jerking himself off. Stepping away again, he dropped his pants and pulled Axl's head down to his uncut cock. Sucking at it hungrily, Blaine felt himself getting closed and stepped away again. "I wanna taste you." He whined, reaching for his cock. "No, I want see how much cum your ass can hold. I haven't jerked off in four days." He said, his voice shaking a bit. "Oh my god…yes…that's alright then. Come on…fill me up." He grinned, slapping his ass. "It's been so long Axl." He groaned, leaning in again and kissing him. "I know. Wait till you're ready and then just push it in and unload." He said, reaching up and lifting Blaine's arm. "What you want to lick my hairy pits?" he teased, leaning over his chest and poking his tongue in Axl's other arm. "Get your pit down here." He said, reaching up and yanking him down. Blaine smiled as he felt the flat of Axl's tongue into the depression, soaking it completely. Reaching down, he wrapped his fist around Axl's cock and pumped it quickly. Automatically, Axl thrusted his hips into the air, his ass slapping noisily back down onto the island. Blaine smirked, then laughed as the sound began to reverberate around the room. Even though he couldn't see Axl's lips, he felt them form a smile. Chuckling, he rubbed his nose against his, then shuffled around so he was looking down on Axl's crotch, and more importantly, his hole. Grinning, he leaned in and slowly licked up the shaft. Axl's cock twitched, as if it were going to cum. Looking up, he noticed Axl biting his lip in concentration. Proud of him, he patted his thigh before moving back down the shaft. At the base, he sucked in Axl's ample and hairy nuts. Moaning even louder, he looked and shook his head with a warning. Nodding, he went down and made to push his tongue inside. "No! Shove it in without wetting it." He breathed. "Um…that's going to hurt you though." He said, but at this point he didn't really care, he was getting so close. 'Blaine…I'm going to cum." Axl said suddenly. "But it's not even—"his sentence fell apart as a flood of white cum erupted from Axl's cock. Rope after rope launched and landed everywhere. Thick pools landed on his upper chest. He was so turned on, that he almost forgot to push into Axl. Gasping, he rammed his cock balls deep inside him in one powerful thrust. Grunting, his head dropped and his forehead landed on his stomach. Amazingly, Axl spurted out a few more white globs of seed, actually landing inside Blaine's upside down mouth. Smiling, he felt his own cock twitching as his seed filled Axl with a giant load. The sensation was almost too much, and he let out a tear of relief and passion. Finally it came to an end. Panting, he pushed himself up and looked down at Axl. White droplets covered his chest and quite a bit on his own face. Blaine had never seen someone cum like that. With absolutely no help at all. With a grunt, Axl pushed himself up and leaned on his elbows, looking at the mess he made. Smirking, he wriggled his ass and nodded. "There's so much in there. I can feel it just surrounding your cock. Turn over, I'm going to do you." He said, sitting up. "Well," was all he got out before Axl pushed him back a bit. As his dick slid out, cum leaked out of Axl's hole, splattering the kitchen floor loudly. Still hard, he waited as Axl pressed his hands to the edge of the island and pushed his head down. As Axl moved around him, Blaine could hear little drops of cum splash against the floor as he moved. Grinning, he let Axl spread his legs. Feeling hot wetness press into him, his legs began to shake from the sensation. Small strands of hair brushed against his ass as Axl moved his head around his hole. Feeling a gentle pat, he braced himself for what he was sure would be a slam. Surprisingly, Axl eased his length into him slowly. Finally buried to the hilt, Axl rested his head against the base of his neck, placing kissing all over. After a moment, he hands slid down the sides of his chest and came to rest on his hips. Giving him on last kiss, he pulled back and then thrust in slowly. Then came the pounding. The speed and ferocity was just incredible. A hand reached down and played with his foreskin as Axl began to slow. In less than a minute, Axl shot his second load into him. Moaning, he released his hold and Blaine's dick and staggered back a bit. Turning, he pushed Axl to the floor and told him to open his mouth. nodding eagerly, he waited as Blaine jerked his cock fast and finally shuffled forward, using one hand to tilt Axl's head back so his cum shot into his mouth. Satisfied, the slid to the floor and held each other's hand. Looking at the state of him, he realized the mess. Grinning, he stood and pulled Axl to his feet. Understanding, he grinned and hurried around the counter and through the small pantry and jumped into the indoor pool that had indeed been completed a few days ago. Following him, he leapt and did a cannonball. Laughing, they splashed each other and swam for a bit. Sighing, Axl climbed out and motioned him to come. "Come on, we can keep swimming for as long as we want." He whined at him from the deep end. "No, we can't. You'll see why in a minute. Get dressed, I'm supposed to take a picture of your reaction to your present." He said, basically bouncing up and down on his feet. Hearing this, he gave no more complaints and exited the pool. Glad the utility room was next to the kitchen, he pulled out some fresh towels and began drying himself off, while Axl cleaned up all the cum from their kitchen fuck session. Throwing another towel over Axl, he tried to think of a way to sneak the guitar inside. Looking over at the counter, Axl finally noticed the food. Grinning, he dropped the towel and walked over and picked up the bag on the counter. Still nude, he walked over and sat down on a stool by the island, his cock swing back and forth between his legs. Sitting down, he opened the bag and pulled the food out. Rolling his eyes, Blaine joined him and pulled out some sodas from the fridge and handed one to him. Blaine wasn't really hungry anymore, he had been wondering what on earth Axl could get him that would require a picture to be taken. After what felt like hours, Axl threw the chicken bones and paper plates in the trash and looked over at him. Trying to play it cool, the effect was lost as he bounced up and down on the stool. Smiling, Axl rose and dressed. Nodding, Axl reached for his hand and drug him into the living room, where the large Christmas tree was placed. On the floor, was a fairly large box with a big red bow atop it. Large holes were placed on the sides. Now he was really confused. Walking over, he set down on the floor next to it. Axl just beamed at him, his phone out and ready. Biting his lip he reached for it and looked up for permission. Winking, Axl nodded his head vigorously. With shaky hands, he pulled it close, but it shifted on the ground. Reaching out, he lifted the lid. Feeling his heart lift higher than ever before, he reached in and picked up a basset hound puppy. Tears filled his eyes as he held it close to him. Looking up, he could barely see Axl through the deluge. Hearing a ping, he groaned when he realized the picture was going to show him crying like a baby. But he didn't really care. On his lap, the pup sniffed at him, licking his hands greedily before clumsily climbing his chest and licking his face. The tears that had dried up began to flow again. He couldn't say anything. He had always wanted a dog, but no matter how many times he had pleaded with his parents, they had never allowed it. The night he had dinner at Axl's house, he had followed Brick into the backyard and noticed how big Doris was getting. Asking when she was due, to which Brick had no clue. Crouching, he had scratched her behind the ear and exclaimed how much he had wanted a dog. "Brick?" he finally got out, looking up. "I don't think you want to name a female dog, "Brick" Axl grinned, taking another picture. "Come here and sit by me Axl." He said, patting the ground. "I meant, you found out I told Brick how much I wanted a dog…didn't you?" he asked, smiling and pulling him in for a hug. "Yeah, I was talking to my mom, asking what I should get you. I wanted it to be special. It just so happens, Brick didn't have his head in a book and heard. After that, I called my aunt and asked if I could keep a puppy when Doris had them. She said sure, mainly because she didn't know she was pregnant. When you went upstairs to get your hat on Halloween, I asked your parents if I could give you a puppy. I told them I wanted it to be special, and that it was going to be a purebred basset hound. They didn't really look like they wanted you to have one, but I really begged them to let you have one. They looked at each other and then back at me before your dad shrugged and your mom finally nodded. So…here she is…your very own puppy." He said cheerfully, leaning in and hugging him tightly. Still in shock, he held him tighter and wouldn't let go, though he finally managed to stop crying. Looking down, the pup yawned and curled up into a ball on his lap. "How old is she?" he asked, though he knew she wasn't eight weeks old yet. "She turns right weeks in a couple of days. She was the cutest and smallest. She liked to play and wanted to stick by who ever held her. I already got her shots and wormed, so you don't have to worry about any other major shots for quite a while. She's all yours." He said again, reaching down and scratching her behind the ears and she began to snore softly. Shifting to the side, he took another picture and nodded, satisfied. Though Blaine had spent a lot of money on Axl's gift, he knew Axl's was the better one. He wanted to hold her and never put her down. He knew he'd have to potty train her and teach her good habits, but he felt confident in the challenge. Leaning down, he gave the pup a sniff and he grinned. Just like the new car smell, all puppies had a distinct odor. Trying to think of a name, he decided to wait to see her personality. Now, he had to get Axl's present. Glancing down, he didn't want to wake her up, but reluctantly passed her to Axl. Sighing he took her and held her in his lap. "You know, if you hold them too long they'll get spoiled and follow you around everywhere. By the way, she's already potty trained." He boasted, as Blaine began to leave the room. "Are you friggen serious? Already potty trained?" he halted, looking back at him in wonder. "It was one of the conditions I had to make before your parents OKed the idea. Go get my present…I'm assuming that's why your leaving my side." He grinned. Wanting to skip, he hurried out of the room, wanting to get back as soon as possible. Pulling out the guitar, he looked around, trying to find something to hide what it was. When he couldn't find anything, he sighed and reentered the house. Pausing just out of sight of the living room, some part of him screamed that what had just happened was just a dream. Axl wouldn't be sitting in the floor hold a puppy in his lap. It just seemed impossible for it to be real. Taking a breath he took a couple of steps and peeked around the corner and let out cry of relief. Still sitting on the floor, looking at the huge tree, Axl scratched the puppy's ears. Now happy beyond belief, he silently crept into the room and dropped the case next to Axl. Dropping to the floor, he started Axl, who hadn't heard him at all. Not waiting, Blaine reached down and picked up his puppy while Axl rotated his head. Jaw dropping he looked at the case for what seem like hours before he met his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he pulled the case close. When he opened it and noticed all the features, the single tear turned into a few, though not as many as Blaine had let loose a few minutes ago. Hands shaking, Axl pulled the guitar out of the case and lifted it in front of him. Spinning it, he eyed his name carved into the instrument and turned it over, finally sitting in his lap. Looking at each other, words failed them, and just embraced. "I can't believe you got me a puppy Axl." He almost squealed. "Dude, I know how much money guitars cost, and what I see here just blows my mind. Why on earth would you spend that kind of money on me Blaine?" he asked, looking genuinely in disbelief. "Axl, I love you. Money is nothing compared to that." He said seriously. "Good grief…" he chuckled. "You sound like a romance novel writer." "Shut up." He laughed, though he could tell Axl was trying to lighten the mood. "I love you to Blaine." He said softly, smiling. It was clear, they each though the others' present was better than the one they gave. In his lap, his puppy began to kick and even made little yips in her sleep. Biting his lip, he looked up with wonder, then leaned in and kissed him once more. Gently he rose and slowly sat down on the comfy couch. Following him, he sat next to him and set down his new guitar on the cushion next to him. Deciding it would be OK to set her down next to him, he waited a moment. When she didn't stir, he scooted over to Axl and held him close, resting his head on his chest and looked up at him. Taking a half glance at the pup, he smiled and leaned down. Lips meeting, they soon got lost while making out to hear the garage door opening. But when there was a slight cough, they broke up and pulled apart. Leaning against the archway that opened to the main hall, Cooper grinned down at the puppy next to Blaine. Walking over he leaned in and scratched an ear gently. Standing back up, he gave them a thumbs up and disappeared around the corner. After a moment, they heard a door close from upstairs. Looking at each other, they suddenly seemed embarrassed. No matter how much they want to lie to themselves, they had both been thinking an awful lot about Coopers' offer. Tilting his head to the side, they stared at each other for a long while. Axl tilted his head and gave him a questioning look. Hesitating, he turned his head and looked up at the ceiling for a minute. Turning his head back, he hesitated, then nodded. Sighing, he looked down at his puppy, and then felt his heart lift again. Grinning, he laid back across Axl's lap and stared up at him. Pausing, he let out a small snort :"What?" he asked, "You have a couple of nose hairs sticking out." He giggled. "Do not!" he grinned, but most have known because his skin turned a little pinker. "What should I do with her while we…" he broke off, still stunned by what they were about to do. "Well, do you think it'll take very long? We've both already…and I have no idea what he'll be like." He said, nervous. "What do you mean…he'll be like? He pondered. "Is he…big?" he asked, his skin darkening even more. "I'm honestly not sure. The only time I've seen him with a boner was when I walked in on him jerking off years ago. He's uncut like me though." He told him. The pup gave a little yip again, her back feet kicking like she was chasing something. Hugging Axl tighter, he stared at her, trying to figure out where to put her for a bit. "She really hasn't slept much all day…so I'm sure she's tuckered out. Let's put her back in the box, but leave the lid off. We'll take her upstairs and leave her your bathroom floor. You want her to be an inside dog I'm guess?" he asked, gently scooting off the couch and pulling the box nearer. "Of course! She's gunna be my baby." He said, gently picking her up and walking toward the stairs. "What about me?" he asked. Halting, Blaine turned and almost burst out laughing. Axl's bottom lip quivered as if he was about to cry. Smiling, he shuffled back over and gave him a peck on the cheek. Pointing at the box, he made his way back to the stairs and climbed carefully. At the top, he eyed Cooper's door, then made his way into his room. Inside, he wanted to point her around and show her everything, but if he was going to do what he planned, he shouldn't hesitate any more or else he would change his mind. Walking over to his bean bag, he kicked it through the room and into the bathroom. Squatting, he carefully set her down on the bean bag. He stayed there for a moments, smiling and scratching her long ears. Sighing, he stood and slowly back out of the room, closing the door as quietly as possible. Turning, he met Axl's gaze. From what he could see, he was nervous too. "Are you sure about this?" Axl asked him, sounding reluctant. "If you want to, I'm game. Just…don't kiss him." He said, looking at him sharply. "What if he tries to kiss me?" "I'll tell him when we go in there. Promise you'll never tell what we're going to do to anyone. I mean…" he paused, feeling a bit queasy. "I'm about to commit incest." He groaned, yet felt turned on at the same time. "I'll never tell a soul." He promised, raising his hand like a witness. "What if…he wants to do you?" Blaine asked him. "No. There's only four people in the world I'll ever let fuck me…well….at least at this point in my life." He said, looking rather serious. "Me, Sam, and I'm guessing Darren and Shawn." He said. "Yea. It's already given I'm going to let them do me. Can I ask you something?" he asked, looking a bit wary. "Of course, you know that." He chuckled, leaning in and kissing him. "I want….." he paused, "I'll tell you later. Let's get this over with before she wakes up." He heaved. "But.." he began.. "It's now or never babe." He grinned. They exited the room and paused in front of Cooper's door. Glancing sideways, he nodded and knocked a couple of times. There was a reply from inside. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked in to find Cooper laying on his bed watching TV. Raising his eyebrows, he smirked at the…almost triumphantly. "Close the door." He said quietly, voice shaking a bit. Axl nodded and closed it slowly. Suddenly looking unsure of himself, it like he planned to change his mind. Cooper must have seen the reluctance and wanted to get it started before they changed their minds. Standing, he walked over and pushed his hand into Blaine pants and pulled him roughly toward the bed. "Come on. I know what I'm doing." He said softly, with a sultry voice he had never heard before. Staring over his shoulder, Blaine met Axl's eyes, then looked down and noticed the growing bulge in his jeans. Feeling the button snap, he looked back down and watched the hands unzipping his jeans. The hands were larger than his, but with a similar skin tone. He gasped as he felt Cooper's hand come in contact with his soft cock. Finally looking up, he met his brothers' eye. His expression softened and he smiled. "Come on B, it's only once and…I want to really see what you've got. Axl, if you want to fuck me you'll have to come here." He said nonchalantly. "Um…I don't know." He said, reaching for the door. Reaching down, Cooper pulled at Blaine's pants until the slid off. Pausing, Cooper looked down thoughtfully at his member. "Very nice B." he said warmly. The complement and his easy going voice put him at ease. Immediately after, his cock began to stir. "There ya go." Ge said smiling as it began to grow. Reluctantly, Axl walked over and stood right behind him, and staring over his shoulder as Cooper went down on him. Blaine fell back into Axl's arms as his entire length was swallowed. Looking up Cooper jerked his head to the side, meaning for Axl to go around him. Blaine gave him a nod. Sighing, Axl circled Cooper and awkwardly reached under him. Blaine could feel Cooper's smile form around his cock as he heard a zipper go down. Reaching under, he paused and looked up. "It's big, isn't it?" said Cooper, winking up at Blaine. Curious himself, he looked down. "It's a bit bigger than Blaine's…but…dude….you don't have any hair around it…" he trailed off…sounding disappointed. Cooper actually sat up, his uncut cock pointing out at a forty five degree angle. Blaine and Axl had thick pubes in their groins, while Cooper's was almost shaved to the skin. "Coop…having a thick bush is extremely hot…but having little to none…" he broke off. "Being trimmed is best, you don't want your partner to have hair stuck in their teeth. That's gross." He said, looking down at Blaine's hairy groin. "Whatever…you don't have your armpits do you?" Axl asked, looking wary. "Why?" he asked, looking back, but with his hand still wrapped firmly around his shaft. Smirking, he nodded to Blaine. Grinning, he lifted his arms, exposing his hairy pits. Cooper looked on edge. Winking, Axl shifted closer and sucked at the hair. "Dude!" Cooper said sitting back with a strange look on his face. "It's Axl's fetish Coop." he chuckled, then moaned as his tongue dug deeper. Cooper sat back, looking at them both. As Blaine began to chuckled, Axl pulled back and looked at Coopers' face in amusement. Blaine reached around and unzipped Axl's pants. Luckily, cooper was slowly stroking him. After a moment, Cooper went back down on him. Slowly, Blaine let his hand drop to the back of Cooper's neck and slowly began to force his head down further. Reaching out, he yanked at Axl's pants until they fell to his ankles. Sitting up, Cooper looked at Axl's cut cock, then looked back down at Blaine's and his own. Smiling, it was clear he liked the uncut look better. After a moment, Blaine put his hand back down on his head and forced it back down on his length. Now naked, Axl moved behind Cooper. Taking hold of the waistline of his pants, he tugged and they slid off easily. Blaine stared at Cooper's body completely, without being worried about getting caught. Though not as dark as him, Cooper was a bit taller, his uncut dick looked rather similar to his, though it didn't a curve to it. Biting his lip, he felt a bit jealous. For quite a while he had wished his own was straight. Also, Cooper appeared to be a bit thicker as well. The main thing he didn't like was the lack of pubic hair. It looked so unnatural. He couldn't believe he had ever let Kurt influence him enough to trim. Those days were over and he had no plans to ever cut it again. He was determined that Axl should leave his alone as well. Curious, he leaned forward, his hand reaching out. Noticing this, Cooper pulled his mouth off his cock and shuffled forward just a ways. Hesitantly, he let his hand touch the foreskin covered head. Shifting his gaze, he looked behind and meet Axl's face, hoping he wouldn't look disgusted by this. Smiling, he shrugged and nodded his approval. Letting out a breath of relief, he wrapped his hand around the shaft and squeezed. Cooper groaned and thrusted his hips forward aggressively. A moment later, cooper fell forward onto him, groaning. Smothered, he glanced back and noticed Axl face pressed into his ass crack. Now he knew why Cooper had fallen apart. Scooting closer, he rest the head of his cock at his entrance. Sitting up, Cooper looked back and placed his hand on Axl's chest. Frowning, he paused and looked at him. Sighing, Cooper shifted over and opened the drawer on his bedside table. After a moment, he closed it and got back in the doggy style position, handing Axl a condom. Frowning, Axl stared down at it. Blaine gave him a sad smile. When nothing happened Cooper looked back at him. "The only way you're going bareback is if you don't cum inside me. If you want to do that, put it on." He said with a small smile. Axl looked at Blaine, clearly disappointed. "Axl, it's an honest request. You've only gone all the way with me and Sam…Cooper's gone all the way with…."he paused and looked at his brother. "Ha. I'm not saying…more than you I suspect." He said with a smirk, then went back down on him. Axl hesitated for quite a while. Sighing, he ripped the package open and rolled it on. Staring down at it he frowned. "Axl, you can cum in me after this…besides, I'm pretty sure my ass would feel better than his even without the rubber." He winked. "I doubt that." Cooper said pulled back. "You're right, I'll put it on." He said, biting his lip, and slowly pushed forward. "Fine! Take it off and let's get this done with. But you've gotta suck my cock after." He growled, looking back. Nodding vigorously, he pulled it off and pressed against the tight rim as Cooper went back down on him. Cooper gave a hiss as Axl finally pushed all the way in. breathing heavy he pulled back and then back in again. Meeting his eye, he mouthed "Your ass feels better." He winked. Not surprised he laid back, letting his cock get sucked. He groaned as he felt the foreskin lightly nibbled on just as Axl began to build speed. The sound of slapping flesh reverberated around the room as Axl began to breathe heavier. He leaned forward and began to stroke his brother, behind, Axl shook and slowed. With a last push, he buried himself and gasped, leaning his body over Cooper's back and panted. Moments later, he pulled back and rotated on his back. Slapping Cooper's ass he got the hint and raised his hips so Axl could shimmy under him. Finally, Cooper began to thrust his hips into Axl's mouth. Brow crinkling, he shook, then gave one last deep thrust. Groaning, he waited before finally lifting his body so Axl could slip off the bed. Blaine looked down at them both, quite aware he was the last one to finish. Sitting up, Cooper pulled Blaine's cock so he could sit up. Higher now, Axl came up behind him and spread his cheeks as Cooper sucked him harder. Both of them working on him at once was too much. He grunted, then came. Cooper paused and waited until he was done completely before patting his belly. Scooting off the bed, Cooper headed to the bathroom, hold his cheeks together. Blaine laughed loudly, but Axl had no idea why. Sighing, he groaned and pushed himself off the bed. Picking up his clothes, he pulled Axl out of the room and back into his own. Once inside, he closed and locked the door. "How was it?" he asked, genuinely curious. "It was alright I guess." Axl shrugged. "But nothing compares to you B." he whispered, leaning in, rubbing their noses together. "He's not that good at sucking cock either." Blaine whispered to him, he lower. "Oh well. We got that over with. Don't' think I'm mean or anything…but I don't think I want to mess around with him again." he said with a sigh. "It was fun, but yeah, I don't either. There was a tiny bark that made him jump. Looking over at the door, he dressed and ran over to it. Opening it, the pup sauntered out, stopping at his feet and licking his toes. Grinning broadly he sat there in front of the door and pick up his little treasure. With a contented sigh, he carried her over to the bed and lay down next to Axl. Wagging its tail, it sniffed them before licking at their ears. Feeling a little nip, he hissed and noticed the pup was crouched downa dn pulling at his shirt. Axl reached down and put his hand around the muzzle, moving it back and forth playfully. With an excited growl, she leapt at him and gave a bark. "I love you so much. I can't believe you got me a puppy." He said, scooting closer and hugging him tightly. "Anything for you Blaine." He whispered. "Go get your guitar. I want you to play us something." He urged, enjoying the look that spread across his face, as if he forgot he had something to play with too. Nodding, he leapt off the bed and thundered out of the room and down the stairs. Laughing, he reached for the pup and grabbed her legs, making her chase his fingers. "What am I gunna call you my little dragon…." He whispered, moving his hand back and forth in front of her. She barked and crouched as he walked his hand forward. When it was three or four inches away, she made to rush forward tripped over her long ears. Making his hand land on her, he scratched her tummy and made it crawl up her chest before and pulled gently at her legs. Growling she finally caught him. Then she looked up and began to circle. Springing to his feet, he picked her up and flew down the stairs, determined to get her outside before she made a mess. Almost running into Axl, he swerved and zoomed around him. Hearing his name called, he was sure Axl would figure out why he was rushing. At the foot of the stairs, he turned and slipped on a pair of bedroom slippers and made his way through the kitchen and out onto the deck. Luckily, the snow had melted off it enough so she could be set down and do her business without freezing. Still, he shook quite a bit as she sniffed around before turning in a circle. Turning his back he gave her privacy. In a few moments, he felt her tugging at his pants. Looking down, he smiled as she peered up at him. Hoping she could walk herself inside and moved forward slow, making sure she followed. In the kitchen she halt and shook her body. From the living room, he heard the sound of Axl on his new guitar. Below the pup cocked her head to the side and waddled in the direction of the noise. Closing the door and slowly followed and sat down on the couch after he took the two steps down into the circled living room. Axl was turning the tuners and finally looking up. Smiling broadly, he acted like he wanted to jump up and down. "Blaine….how much did you spend on this." He said seriously. "I'm not saying. It's worth it just to see you happy. Besides, your gift to me was way better…I feel bad I didn't get you more." He said, enjoying the look of disbelief Axl had. "You're friggin crazy B." he said. "Eh.." he said lazily turning his head. His pup was bouncing on its feet, like it wanted to come down into the room. But the distance must have been too high. She whined and looked up at him, too scared to jump. Reaching out, he scratched her, but didn't help her down. He wanted to pick her up but she had to learn to get down on her own. Giving a high pitched bark, she crouched, then made to jump but lost her footing and fell down the two steps. Chuckling, he patted her rump as she sniffed around and explored the room. Though he gave most of his attention to Axl, he kept an eye her, determined to keep her from not making a mess. Coming to the Christmas tree, she sniffed around and made to bite a package. Rising, he quickly crossed the room and pulled her tail playfully. Spinning she chased him back across the room until he flopped onto the floor. From there, he played with her while Axl played his guitar. The sun had already set by the time Axl was done. Setting the guitar down and walked over and sat neck to Blaine, knowing he had to leave to get home. Blaine didn't want him to go. This had been one of the best Christmas's of his life. Also, he didn't want to be alone. Sure Cooper was there, but he hadn't emerged from his room once since their play had ended. At the moment, he pup was having fun trying to catch one of his dad's tennis balls he had found in a closet earlier. Sighing, he rose and helped Axl pack his things and finally walked him out to his car. Feeling depressed, he leaned into him, begging him to stay. Axl sounded just as miserable, but had to go home. He had already stayed longer than he had meant to. With a last kiss, he got into his car and drove away in the dark. Sighing, he hurried back inside. Yawning, he looked around and was happy to see his pup was still growling and biting the tennis ball. Feeling his mood lift again, he crouched and picked her up. Holding her, he held her out and looked into her eyes. Her long body swung from side to side from her tail wagging. Bringing her in, he grinned as she licked his face and cuddled close to him. Turning the light off, he headed up stairs and paused at Cooper's open doorway. "Hey Coop." he said sadly, walking over and lying next to him on the bed. "Hey B." he smiled, and seemed to realized Axl had left. Reaching out, he scratched her ears and pulled him in for a hug. Blaine smiled broadly as he sat back in bed and watched the movie Cooper was watching on his TV. Giving a large yawn, the pup finally settled down and snuggled closer to Blaine. Chapter Text "Come on, Dany!" he called to her. Sitting on an inflatable raft, Blaine's basset hound puppy stared at him from the middle of the indoor pool. He was sitting on one of the steps at the shallow end. She was becoming very fond of the pool as of late. It had been two months since she had become a part of his life, and had grown quite a bit. Slapping the edge of the pool, he called her over again. Cocking her head to the side, he looked at his hand, then back to his face. Giving a small huff, she laid her head back down on the raft. Chuckling, he slid off the step and into the pool. Immediately, her head popped up, and the sound of her tail slapping against the raft with each wag echoed around the room. Submerging until just his eyes were above the water, he moved forward stealthily. Dany gave a playful growl and eyed him with anticipation. Grinning, he added more speed about halfway to her. A series of barks erupted from her maw as he submerged completely. Once underneath the raft, he surged upward just as she hopped into the water. The raft flipped and flew off the surface before landing on the edge of the pool. Following the line of her paddling legs, he let her climb onto the steps and tried to hop out onto the edge. Her short legs couldn't really propel her with enough power launch her out of it. Surprisingly, she loved the water so much they had to install a small gate to keep her out of the room when no one was there. Coming up behind her, he gently placed his palms under her back legs. Knowing the routine, she placed her back paws on his paw, so he could lift her back end enough for her to exit easily. Once out of the water, she turned her head and made a playful snap at his fingers as he attempted to grab at her front legs. Smiling, he rose and waited for her to shake the excess water of her body. After a few shakes, she looked back at him, signaling she was done. Climbing the steps, he reached to the side and grabbed a towel and sat down on the floor by the gate. Immediately, she went to him and waited as he picked up a few dog treats. In order to dry her off without having to chase her down before she got the water all over the house, he had created a game of sorts. Using her borrowing instinct, he would place a treat in the middle of a folded towel that would be hers to have if she could get it. Once folded, she would have to dig through the towel to get it, by doing so her fur would eventually dry. Still, he had to usually manually do the finishing touches. "I can't believe you got her to do that." Said a voice of amusement. "Hey Coop." he grinned up at him. "I can't believe you named her after the chick on Game of Thrones either." he went on. Sitting on one of the kitchen stools, he watched him play with Dany for a bit. He had decided to call her Daenerys, or Dany for short, after the character in the Game of Thrones books. Cooper had thought he had named her after the actress's character. Though Blaine had seen her on the show often, his decision was based on the books, not the television show. They had discussed it so often, Blaine had just given up trying to explain to Cooper about his original source of inspiration. Deciding she was dry enough, he opened the gate and she shot threw it. The sound of her clattering paws raced across the kitchen tiles and became muffled as she bounded onto the carpet. Blaine smiled as he watched the white tip of her tail disappear around the corner. Cooper looked at him with a smirk as he rose. Shaking his own hair, he picked up another towel as Cooper walked through the gate and stood at the edge of the pool. Wrapping the towel around his body, he exited into the kitchen and looked back. Pausing, he noticed Cooper looking at him. Without any hesitation, his brother stripped completely, apparently planning to go skinny dipping. Looking back, Cooper smirked at him and turned. Frowning, he raised an eyebrow as Cooper pointed at his groin. Blaine didn't really get it, but he grudgingly glanced down. Immediately, he knew what he was pointing at. The last time he had seen his brother's…lower parts, they had been shaved almost to the skin. Now, a thick dark mass of hair covered the entire region. Though not as thick as his own, Blaine figured once it was full, it would be. "That looks a lot nicer Coop." he admitted, actually finding the area much more attractive than last time he had studied it. "I know…though…"he said, with a hint of a grin. "It don't look as big when it's hard though." Blinking, he stared in disbelief as Cooper began to stiffen. He should be turning away, but that didn't happen. The changes were remarkable and very impressive. Biting his lip, he turned and walked away, having to wrap the towel tighter around his waist as he hardened as well. From behind, there was a chuckled. Turning again, he almost stumbled as he caught the sight of Cooper actually pumping his meat. Giving a wink, Cooper released his cock and dove into the pool. Shaking his head, he turned and hurried out of the kitchen, hoping to find Dany ready to play. It would give his mind an excuse to forget what he had just seen. Coming to a halt, he peered into the large rounded living room. Not seeing anything, he began to move off to the side when he caught movement by the couch. Turning back around, he took a step into the room. Dany erupted from behind the couch and charged toward him. Grinning, he flopped onto the floor and held out his hands. She gave a yip and growled as she snapped at his fingers. Grinning, he reached forward and gently pulled at her paws. Giving another bark, she pulled away and sprinted back to the couch, hiding around the corner. He loved watching her run. When she sprinted really fast, she appeared to be a living slinky as her long back bunched together with every bound. She charged again and finally, halted, panting with exhaustion. Licking his hand, she climbed the two steps back up into the open area between the living room and dining room. Her tail wagging, she headed into the kitchen. A moment later, he heard the sound of lapping water as she drank from her bowl. Looking down, he realized he had sat his wet body down onto the carpet, standing, he headed through the round room and made his way up the stairs and into his room. Pausing just before his door, he glanced to the right into Cooper's room. The light was on and the door wide open. Biting his lip, he took a few steps into the room. Not sure what he was looking for, he just stared at the bed. In his mind, the whole scene with Cooper and Axl played out again. His dick hardened again. Feeling ashamed, he turned and walked out of the room and into his own. Drying off, he slipped on shorts and a t-shirt, ready for bed. He had stayed up too long. It was almost midnight and he had school in the morning. Giving a high pitched whistle, he turned off his the light and jumped onto the bed. A moment later, Dany's shadow came through the doorway and approached the bed. He sat up and smiled as she bounded up the dog steps onto his bed. Shuffling forward, she licked his face nuzzled his neck before turning in a circle and rooted under the blankets. Her tail was the last part he glimpsed as a large bulge in the blankets moved to the foot of the bed. Sighing with contentment, he laid back and closed his eyes. With all his senses coming to a halt, he became aware of his hard on. Shaking his head, he turned to the side, but for some reason, he opened his eyes. Cooper's silhouette was standing in the doorway. He felt no fear or worry as he stepped into the room. Without saying a word, he slipped under the blanket on the other side of the bed. After a slight hesitation, Blaine felt the blanket shift a bit, and suddenly he felt a hand grabbing onto his hard on through his shorts. He made no move to stop Cooper as he lifted the waist line of his shorts. Finger's wrapped around his shaft and he gave the smallest of moans. Reaching down, he shoved his own shorts down, making his wood easier to access. There was a small chuckle, but nothing derisive. The gripped him tighter, before it moved up and down slowly. Wanting more, he scooted closer to his brother, opening his legs a bit. Taking the hint, another hand reached down and fondled his nuts. Through the dim light, he could make out his outline. Still nude, his brother's body lay above the covers. Blaine could make out the outline of his hard member. It looked huge, though he knew it wasn't. With a shaky hand, he lifted it into the air and reached for it. Cooper's hand stopped as he saw the movement. "B, you don't have to. I just wanted to help you out…it wasn't fair for me to tease you downstairs." He said in a low voice. He knew that, but he actually was curious as to what would happen. Finally wrapping his fingers around the shaft, he gave it a squeeze. Cooper groaned deeply, his head fell back to one of Blaine's pillows. Grinning, he looked back at him. His eyes were closed, but a small smile played across his lips. Glancing back down, he noticed it was definitely bigger than his own in both length and thickness. It was also perfectly straight. Frowning, he looked down at his own. Since before he could remember, he had wished his was like that. Grudgingly, he had come to accept the slight left curve of his own. Both of them were uncut, and at the moment, he had the thicker bush in his groin. Feeling a bit ashamed, he began to pump Cooper's length with haste. Cooper released his grip on Blaine's dick as he began to make a twist towards the top of the head. Staring down, Blaine battled with his curiosity. He wanted to taste him, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe…some other time. Still, he wanted to finish what he started. Shifting, he crawled out from under his blanket and sat in front of Cooper. Using both hands, he gripped the shaft from the base to the head and pumped like crazy. Hips thrusting upward, his body left the bed. "It's been so long since…." He trailed off. Blaine figured he and Axl had been the last ones he'd been with…though he hadn't him. Cooper bad blown him, but he hadn't reciprocated the act. Now though, he bit his lip. Knowing it was wrong, he lowered his head. Before he could wrap his lips around it, cum shot out of Cooper. Almost as if by instinct, he dropped his head and wrapped his lips around the head. Hot salty liquid filled his mouth as Cooper's hips jerked upward erratically. A hand dropped down and rest against the back of Blaine's head as the orgasm came to an end. Sitting up, Blaine looked at Cooper. Panting, Cooper finally opened his eyes and looked at him. "Why did you do that? You didn't have to B. You didn't have to touch me at all." He said, sounding taken aback. "I just…I was curious. That's all. It won't happen again though. I promise Coop." he replied feeling Cooper wasn't happen with his actions. "B, you sound like you expect me to be mad. I'm not mad little brother. Kind of touched really. Want me to finish you up real quick?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "You'd better." He gave a slight chuckle. Returning the chuckle, he patted the bed and Blaine slipped back under the blanket, his cock throbbing. Patting his belly, Cooper went down on him. Almost instantly, he came. Giving a surprised gasp, Cooper was able to keep it all in his mouth. Still shaking, Blaine looked up at the dark ceiling, incredibly tired. The bed shifted and Cooper stepped off the bed. Leaning down, he ruffled Blaine's hair. As he passed by the foot of the bed, he patted the large lump that was Dany. Now that he listen, Blaine could hear her snoring quite loudly. Letting out a snort, he smiled up as Cooper exited his room. Turning, Cooper smiled at him in the doorway before pulling the door closed. Sighing happily, he closed his eyes and patted Dany. She gave a huff, then crawled up his side and dropped her head onto his chest as he snuggled close to her. AXL'S POV "We were wondering if you and Blaine were wanting to have another…get together…"said Darren, his low voice sounding somewhat nervous. Looking up, Axl stared at him, then to Shawn, and then back to Darren with a smirk. "Actually…..yea, we've been waiting for you to bring it up. We've wanted to do it for a while, but you two didn't say anything." He chuckled, eyeing them. "Is Sam going to be in it?" asked Shawn. Darren gave him a sideways glance that Shawn didn't notice. Smirking, Axl looked down at his food. Taking a bite of apple, he looked back at them. They were watching him, waiting for an answer. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but then took another bite out of his apple. Shawn continued to watch him, unaware of Darren's gaze. Finally, he swallowed and looked between the two. "I'm not sure if Sam will be there…I'm sure he will if Blaine mentions it to him." He said, then went on. "Do you want him to be invited?" he asked. "Ye—"said Shawn. "No—"said Darren, at the same time. They looked at each other for a few minutes. Axl felt there was an unspoken word between them. "Why do you want him there?" Axl asked Shawn. "Well, the more the merrier. He'd feel left out if he wasn't included…also….our di…" he said, the sentence falling off halfway through the statement. Axl guessed that what Shawn meant to say was that their dicks looked almost exactly alike, from color, length, and the small curve downward. "Why don't you want him to join?" he asked Shawn, wondering what he'd say. "Um," he said, glancing at Shawn for the briefest of moments, "it would be an uneven number. One person would be left out in a way." He said, looking relieved that it sounded reasonable. Both of them were blushing, not looking at the other. Axl looked at them, wondering if what the two felt was more than just a crush. Looking around, Axl studied the area. On Fridays, the school allowed students an extra fifteen minutes for lunch. Their table was off to the side, near an area where there were no windows pointed in their direction. The rest of the tables outside were full, but none close to them. After a few moments of silence, he decided to ask again. "So….do you two want Sam there or not?" he asked. "Yeah, it'll be fun." He said, half turning his head to meet Darren. Darren hesitated, then shrugged with a nod. Axl felt the air between the three of them go cold. Shawn gave a frown and looked back at Axl, as if asking for help. Looking behind him, Darren didn't catch the hand movement he gave Shawn. Grinning, Shawn scooted so close to Darren, there didn't seem to be an inch of free space between them. Turning his head, he looked at Shawn with a raised eyebrow. The only hint of what was going to happen was Shawn's right shoulder shifted in a strange way. Axl heard the distinct sound of a zipper being pulled down. Gasping, Darren looked down at his crotch, then back up. Giving Shawn a scared look, he shook his head. Shawn's perfect white teeth showed as his face broke out into a smile. Chuckling, Axl noticed that though Darren had shook his head no, he wasn't moving away to stop the unseen activity that was happening below the table. Sighing, Axl picked up a cookie off his tray and began to eat it, as if there was nothing going on. He didn't feel left out of this one, as he was the one who had instigated it. His face turning a darker shade, Darren bit his lip and closed his eyes. There was a vein that was throbbing on his forehead that gave away how close he was. Looking around again, Shawn made sure there was no one to witness Darren's release. Winking at Axl, he gently pushed Darren back far enough to expose his lap. Not able to help himself, Axl leaned over and looked at the monster cock that Shawn had in his hands. The view didn't last though. Almost immediately, Shawn dove down and wrapped his lips around the head of Darren's cock. One of Darren's large hands landed on the back of Shawn's head. Grunting, he pushed him down as far as he could. Eyes still closed, Darren's lips moved silently as the he came to the edge of release. Letting out a tiny whimper, he shook and held Shawn's head down all the way, not letting it up at all. Breathing hard, he finally opened his eyes and gave Axl a silly grin. Snorting, Axl rose and gave the still hunched over Shawn a pat on the back as he made his way back to the school. About half way to the door to the school, he turned and glanced back. Both of his friends look flustered, yet extremely satisfied. Chuckling, he turned back and ran smack into the door as someone swung it open. Suddenly, everything went dark and he felt himself fall to the ground. Sounds faded and he was lost into unconsciousness. When he woke, everything was dark. For a moment, he was scared to death he had went blind. Then, he felt something wrapped over his eyes. Beginning to sit up, he felt a hand fall atop his chest and keep him down. Someone was talking to him, but he didn't recognize the voice. Beginning to panic, he pushed the hand away and sat up abruptly. There was a gasp and he felt hot liquid roll down his cheeks. "Axl, stay down." he heard someone familiar say. He couldn't put the name to the voice, but he felt it on the tip of his tongue. Sighing, he stayed down this time. The blackness over his eyes lightened, let out a relieved sigh. Slowly, a rag was lifted off his face, replaced by an icepack. Blinking through the light, he stared up into Shawn and Darren's faces. Next to them was the school nurse. A kind looking woman with grey hair peered at him. Frowning, he felt something was missing, but couldn't recall what it was. Picking up a pen light, the nurse pointed it at his nose. Suddenly, he felt pain in his nose and noticed how bulky it felt. Eyes widening, he began to sit up again. This time, Darren placed a large hand on his chest. After a moment, the nurse nodded at Darren and he lifted his hand. "Sit up, slowly Axl." She said kindly. Nodding, he rose in increments until he could look at everything at a vertical level again. Staring around, he glanced at the large hanging mirror on the wall by the door. His nose looked puffy, and red. Sitting in a chair next to a desk, another student sat watching him. Looking a bit on edge, he dropped his eyes in shame. Frowning, he realized he'd never seen the kid before. "He's new." Said Shawn. "I didn't see you coming toward the door, so I just pushed it open. I'm sorry." He said timidly. "Wasn't your fault," Darren ginned, "Axl should have kept his eyes forward instead of trying to watch…." He broke off, his skin turning pink. "Watch what?" he asked blankly. "Nothing." Said Shawn. "Well, I don't think your nose is broken, just bruised. It should be fine in a few days. You did fall to the ground and I think you had a mild concussion. So I'm going to release you to head home early. Shawn will be driving you home since he lives right next door." She said, nodding to him. "She won't let me leave early though." Darren sulked. "Sorry. I'm already stretching the rules for Shawn here." She said blandly. The guy in the chair stood and reached out his hand. Looking at it, Axl looked up at him. Sighing, he reached out and was pulled to his feet. Standing, Axl almost feel back down. Darren stepped forward and put a large hand on his shoulder, keeping him steady. Finally, his head cleared and he felt stable enough to walk. Slowly, he walked forward and made his way out of the nurses office alongside Shawn, Darren, and… "What's your name?" he asked, glancing at the boy on the other side of Darren. "What?" he asked, looking up. "Ben. Ben Braeden." He said, looking on edge. "I hope that bruise goes away before Blaine sees you like this." Chuckled Shawn. "Who?" he asked, feeling something tug at his consciousness. Darren and Shawn stopped in their tracks, looking at each other in alarm. No sooner had the word left his mouth did he hear a ping coming from his cell phone in his pocket. Pulling it out, he popped it open and looked at the text. The message was from Blaine. Frowning, he closed the phone and tried to forget about it. Looking up, he realized that that he had continued on without Shawn and Darren. Coming to a halt, he turned and looked back at them. They were talking in low voices, with worried looks. Next to him, Ben had stopped as well. Shawn huffed and nodded, before returning to his side. Reaching his car, he stumbled into the passenger seat while Shawn took the driver's seat. Once home, Shawn followed him inside into the empty house. Falling onto the couch he looked up at the ceiling while Shawn sat in the armchair. "You don't remember anyone named Blaine?" Shawn asked him after a long and uncomfortable silence. "I do, but I can't place it just no…" he broke off, a stream of memories returning to him. He felt the muscles around his face break into a smile. Next to him, Shawn smiled in a knowing way. "Remembered have you?" he chuckled with a wink. Ignoring him, he pulled out his cell and started typing to Blaine. He made sure not to let him know how he'd forgotten him for the past hour. In less than a minute, there was a reply from him. After a while, he looked up to find he was alone. He found it rather funny that he hadn't even noticed Shawn leave. Sighing, he sat up and decided to get down to business. "Shawn and Darren want to be in another orgy ASAP. They're both wanting to top me like crazy. Lol. "Perfectly understandable Axman. Have you looked at your ass?" "I have." "Describe it for me if you will." "Well, it's hairy." "Yea, I know…it's one of the many things I love about you….but I want you to go into detail." "When you spread them, a thick patch of hair grows on both sides, but right around the rim, it's pink and begs to be played with. It like's to be sucked, to have a tongue pushed into it. It's tight, and takes a lot of effort to keep your tongue in there. You love the way it feels around your uncut cock. It feels so good as you plow into my prostate. I bet you're hard right now, aren't you?" he chuckled as he sent the message. A picture message was in his inbox. Though Blaine was still in clothes, the massive bulge in his crotch was evident. "Describe your uncut cock to me B." he ordered, unzipping his pants. "It's not quite seven inches long, but it curves slightly to the left. The skin is dark and foreskin covers the head completely, even when hard. There's so much precum that comes out, if I'm wear pants it will soak through the fabric. The head is a lighter color, but has a bit more purple in it. Veins run along each side of the shaft, though they don't bulge too much. I never have to use lube to jerk off. I can, and often jerk off two handed, holding it tightly. Sometimes, I like to finger myself until I can feel my prostate pulse with my heart beat. If I push it just right, I can cum instantly. It's hard to do, but I've held my foreskin tight over the head when I cum. White liquid eventually forces its way out at the tip of the skin." Axl had never known that before, and he instantly wanted to try it next time they met. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that his mom ought to be getting home any time. Sighing, he looked at the phone again. "We've got to have another orgy ASAP B. They both want Sam to be there, though Darren really wasn't that thrilled when I brought it up." "I'll ask him. I'm sure he will want to join. Do you think Darren felt jealous when sharing Shawn?" "Though he won't admit it, I know he does. You might warn Sam that Darren probably won't be too gentle with him." He heard a car door slam outside followed by footsteps. "I'll tell him….let's do this soon as possible. I'll let you go. Love you Ax. "You too, Blaine." 51. Calm Before the Storm **Darren's POV** "Who's Blaine?" Darren heard from next to him. He jumped and looked around. It seemed the voice had come from the new guy, Ben. Studying him, he wondered how much he should divulge. Glancing back at the retreating Shawn and Axl, he figured he could be honest. That was as long as what he told the guy was kept between them. Continuing his walk, Ben followed him down the hall. Finally, he came to another halt and looked at him. "Keep this down low, ok?" he said, meeting the new guys' eyes. "Of course." He replied. "Blaine is Axl's boyfriend. Look don't go around tell people. Though it's not a real secret, he doesn't want it going around school." He paused, then gave the boy a stern look. "And don't talk smack about gay people either. They're just like us." He warned. Incredibly, the guy smirked and nodded. Feeling on edge, he felt heat creep into his face. "I'm serious dude. Not a word." He said, his voice going dangerously low. "You don't have to worry about me." He said quietly, "I'm gay myself." Darren blinked and looked at him, expecting it to be a prank. But the boys cheeks had turned red and he wouldn't meet his eye. Letting his expression, he patted the boy on the back and continued on his way down the hall with Ben walking beside him. "Axl's hot." He whispered after a few more moments of silence. "Don't even think it dude, he's dedicated to Blaine. They fuck like rab…."he broke off, feeling mortified. Ben snorted and looked at him. "Don't worry, I'm not single either, I live with my boyfriend in fact. We've been together for four years. I think it's safe to say I've had way more sex than them. We've actually had a few threesomes…." He let his voice die as he realized what he had divulged. Darren smirked and kept quiet, feeling a bit smug. He wouldn't let slip what he'd done. Maybe after they got to know him for a while. Now that he looked at the guy, he wasn't bad looking at all. He actually thought he was better looking than him, Shawn, and even Sam. Ben was around the same height as Axl and Blaine. Darren looked at him closer and tried to make out what he'd look like under his clothes. That was rather hard to do with him wearing a black coat with red stripes along it. Frowning, Darren couldn't think of any school around with those colors. Pausing, he reached out and tugged at the coat. Ben stopped and looked at him quizzically. "What school did you go to? I'm guess CC means cross country." He said aloud, pointing at the red C's on the sleeves. "What?" he asked, then looked down. "Oh, no." he chuckled. "CC stands for Carolina Crown. I'm a member of Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from this last year, and got a spot in their 2016 program." he said proudly, then smiled at Darren's blank look. "What's that?"' "It's like major league marching band. I basically spend my entire summer outside in the heat for more than twelve hours a day playing an instrument, then performing in a uniform all over the country before ending up in Indianapolis for finals." Ben said, looking excited. To Darren, that seemed crazy and what he'd call band nerd stuff. But Ben actually looked cool, so it made him question his thinking. "To tell the truth, Axl, Shawn, and myself aren't that into band stuff. But Blaine loves instrumental music. He's a singer and is one of the top Glee clubs in the county from Lima." He said. "Does he go to Lima?" Ben asked, stopping in his tracks. "Yea." He said, surprised. "Dude, I've seen and heard him." Ben said, looking at something past Darren. "He's so hot…and he can really sing." "Don't be getting any ideas." Darren warned again. "He's with Axl, and they're totally happy, Shawn and I have actually been with them during…" he bit his lip and turned away, cursing himself. "Don't worry dude." He heard from behind him. "I won't say a thing." Turning, Darren opening his mouth to say something, but the guy had entered a classroom. Shaking his head, he looked at his watch and realized he needed to go into the same class. Cursing quietly, he turned around and entered the room. The teacher was greeting the new kid, but paused as Darren entered. Her eyes narrowing, she mouthed "You're late again." Ben looked between them and whispered something to her. Her expression softened and she gave Darren an apologetic smile. Blinking, he shuffled to his desk and sat down. A moment later, Ben sat in what was Axl's empty seat. Grinning, Ben lifted his fist and waited as Darren did the same. Giving him a reluctant fist bump, Darren stared at the guy with a new eye. As the last class ended, Darren found himself walking along side Ben through halls and finally out of the building. Sighing, Darren nodded to Ben and began the walk to his house. Halfway across the parking lot, the sound of a pickup pulled alongside him. Turning, he noticed Ben in the cab. Coming to a halt, Darren was able to look upon who was driving. The guy was probably in his early thirties. Tanned skin with dirty blond hair. To be honest, he looked a bit too old for Ben. But they both seemed really happy so he didn't bother saying anything else. "Want a ride?" the guy in the driver's seat asked. Shrugging, he nodded and climbed in next to Ben. "Dean." Said the driver, reaching over and shaking his hand. "Darren." He said, staring between them, noticing Ben's hand resting on Dean's thigh. Dean glanced down and slapped Ben's hand away before driving out of the parking a lot and down the road towards Darren's home. "Wait, you wouldn't mind dropping me off at my friend, Shawn's house would you?" he asked, looking over at the driver. "No problem." **Shawn's POV** After a few moments of watching Axl sending texts to Blaine, figured he could slip out. As he opened the door, he glanced back and noticed Axl was rubbing his crotch. Snorting, he exited and made his way over to his own house. Inside, he sat down in front of the tv, enjoying the house to himself. Laying back, he reached down and pulled the lever that made the front of the chair spring up. Sighing, he closed his eyes and slipped into sleep. He must have needed the sleep badly, for he didn't even hear Darren entering his house. What woke him was the tug on his zipper. Eyes springing open, he looked into Darren's face. His friend smiled broadly. Returning the smile, he reached out and pulled him in. His breath caught as their tongues danced, each trying to push their way into the other's mouth. Not breaking the kiss, he unzipped Darren and let the pants fall to the floor. Grinning into the kiss, broke off and looked at him. After moment of silence, Darren leaned down and sucked Shawn's cock. Already completely hard, he moaned and dropped his hand to the back of Darren's neck. Grunting, he thrust upward into the warm heat. Pushing himself up, hovered over his aching member and spat on it. Winking, Darren crawled atop him onto the chair. Reaching underneath him, Darren grabbed Shawn's cock and pointed it at his entrance. Biting his lip, his eyes closed as the Darren dropped onto his length. The heat and tightness was so good, he moaned and pulled Darren's head down for another kiss as he began to rise a bit. "You feel so good." He whispered as Darren dropped again. "Fuck me." Darren growled in a deep voice. "Well, what else did you think I was gunna do with my dick up your butt." He chuckled, then thrust upward harshly. "Yea." He moaned. The way Darren was speaking was turning him on intensely. Darren rearranged his legs into a squatting position. Now hovering a few inches above him, it left Shawn free to pound him however he wanted. Using one hand, he gripped Darren's hip and used the other to jerk his monster cock. Shifting a bit, he looked back up into Darren's face and began to thrust upward with ferocity. Groaning, Darren's face turned red and he grunted in pain as Shawn continued to pound into his hot heat harder and fast. When he scooted back a bit, the chair fell back landed on the living room carpet. Both gave a surprised yelp they flipped end over end. Shawn's cock slipped out of Darren's hole as he came to red on his back while he fell face first into the floor. However, Darren's cock just happened to across his face. Darren started to laugh, but broke off as Shawn used his tongue and maneuvered his length into his mouth. Lifting up a bit, Darren began to fuck his face. His hand reached down and jerked his cock while he tried his best to get as much of his dick in as he could. Slowing, Darren began to pant and his hips shook. Pressing his tongue into his piss slit, felt Darren's nuts twitch. Smirking, he released his own cock and pushed his fingers into Darren. Gasping, Darren thrust a couple more times. Feeling a lump inside him, Shawn added pressure to it and rubbed it. Darren whimpered and gave out a roar as he shot his load into his mouth. His head dropped to the floor as he continued to press into his prostate. With a last shudder, he collapsed. "Jerk me off." He said suddenly. "Don't you want to shoot inside me?" came Darren's muffled voice. "Yea, but…." He broke off, not able to find the words. Apparently Darren didn't need any further though, because he grunted and shuffled down his body. When they were face to face, he paused and leaned in. breathing heavily, forced his tongue upwards and met Darren's. He felt Darren's hips lift and he sidled over a bit, until his cock stood up vertical into the air. Still kissing, Darren wrapped a large hand around him and began to pump. Groaning, he thrust his hips into his fist with urgency. A large thumb passed the underside of his shaft where the point it began to curve downward started. Using his other hand, Darren began to fondle his nuts. Shaking, Shawn couldn't keep his head up any more. Dropping it to the floor, he stared up blankly at the ceiling. "Faster." He urged, feeling it build. "Tighter to? Or just faster?" he asked in his low baritone voice. "Just faster Darren." He said, the corners of his eyes began to water. Nodding, Darren repositioned his hand and pumped it fast. Shawn gasped and thrust up faster. "Faster." He begged, voice low. There was a small chuckle, then Darren sat up and moved his hand into a different position. Glancing at him, he jerked him faster than ever before. Groaning, he smiled and nodded, feeling it continue to build. "Faster…" he whispered. Darren's hand was a blur and he lost it. His cum erupted out of him, spraying the area in a hot and white mist of liquid, his stomach contracted and he swore loudly, reaching up and pulled Darren down for another kiss as the high began to dissipate. Finally, Darren's hand came to a halt as they breathed together, sweat from Darren's forehead dripped onto his face. Without thinking about it, he licked his lips and tasted the salty wetness. Moaning, Darren dropped his head down and landed atop Shawn's chest. He didn't know how long they lay there, but when he finally opened his eyes he sat up. "Holy shit." He exclaimed. "Hmm?" Darren hummed. Sitting up, he glanced around. "Holy shit." He agreed. Both of their bodies were covered with semen. Though they had removed their pants, they had forgotten about their shirts. They were both soaked through, large dark areas covered the fabric. Sighing, he looked down at Darren's deflating cock. Smirking, he reached out and gripped it. Releasing it, he leaned kissed him on the cheek. With a grunt, rose and reached for Darren's hand. Without hesitation, he gripped and was pulled to his feet. Flipping the chair right-side up, and grabbed his pants and Darren's. He motioned Darren to follow him and they went into his room. Locking the door, he pulled off his shirt and crawled onto his bed completely nude. Joining him, Darren crawled atop him and leaned in. nuzzling at his neck he lightly placed kiss down his chest before taking his dick into his mouth. Slowly, Darren worked on it in as many ways as he could think of. Shawn had almost come several times, but was denied the release just before he was on the verge of losing control. Gripping his cheeks, he pulled them apart and tug his tongue into his hole. Moaning, Shawn pulled his legs up and to the side, giving Darren more room. Every once in a while, his tongue would flick up to his nuts and lightly graze the shaft of his cock. There was a point when nothing was being done to him, at which point, he kept his eyes closed and waited for the inevitable. The bed creaked as Darren's weight shifted upward. Keeping his eyes closed, he felt body heat washing down on him, before feeling something pressing into the crack of his ass. A hand wrapped around his member as he felt Darren's wood pushing into the tight rim. Hissing, he told himself to relax as Darren finally bottomed out. Finally opening his eyes, he stared into Darren's. Smiling Darren leaned and he pressed his forehead against Shawn's giving him a little kiss, he pulled back a bit before thrusting back into him. Though his speed increased, Darren didn't say a thing. The silence between them felt right, so he copied him. Darren began to shake ass his thrust began to become erratic. Still, they said nothing and kept their foreheads together. Giving a soft whimper, Darren gave one last thrust and held the position as came. Shawn smiled as he felt the hot liquid coat the walls of his ass. Every little quirt and twitched felt awesome. Breathing hard, he pulled out, letting his thick cock flop against his cheeks. Grunting, Darren crawled atop him again. Shawn nodded and let Darren take his cock and place it at his own entrance. Wriggling his ass, he finally sink onto him. Shawn lightly bit his lip as Darren came to a halt as his ass cheeks rested on Shawn's pubes. After a few moments, he lifted his ass and stayed put like they had tried to do in the living room. Patting his stomach, Shawn looked down and watched as his cock disappeared and reappeared from between Darren's cheeks. He thrust hard and fast, but it didn't take as long as it took Darren. Though Darren had probably taken three or four minutes to cum, it took him a little over a minute. He closed his eyes and gave a last thrust before shooting inside him. Spent, he collapsed and laid still and the bed. Smiling down at him, Darren pushed himself up and off his cock. Shawn's member had already softened by the time Darren had staggered off the bed. Sighing, he nudged Shawn over. Reluctantly, he scooted from the middle of the bed over to close to the wall. Satisfied, Darren lay next to him, letting his head rest on Shawn's chest. "Why does it feel so good…."Darren pondered aloud. "Shut up and enjoy the moment dude." Shawn chuckled. "You know the new kid that knocked Axl in the face with the door?" he asked. "Yea…he name's Ben isn't it?" he queried. "Yea, he's gay you know." "How do you know that?" he asked, sitting up. "Well…" Darren said reluctantly. "You didn't tell him we're gay. Because we're not. Well, I know I'm not." He said quickly. "Me either. He asked who Blaine was so I told him. Immediately I told him not to talk smack about gay people. He chuckled told there wasn't any way he'd do that, because he was fully gay. He actually lives with his boyfriend." He said stretching, then looked down at the floor and picked up his shirt. "He, lives with him? The guy must be rich to be able to support them both, and being so young." He said with wonder. "Well, his boyfriend is older….like at least thirty or something." He said, pulling up his pants. "Dude, that's too old….I mean." He said, shocked. "Isn't that illegal or something?" "How would that be illegal?" he asked with a frown. "Think about it. If Ben is only 17 and lives with him, that means they had to become intimate well before now. Unless you think they're not." He said, hoping Darren would confirm this. "No….they definitely do the deed. They actually gave me a ride over here. Halfway here Ben slipped his hand over Dean's thigh and rubbed at his crotch." He said, ears turning pink. "That's not right though." He protested. "Look," Darren sighed, almost looking bored. "They really care about each other, and not just physically. I'm dumb and even I could see how close they were." He said with a smile. "You're not dumb dude." Shawn told him, prepared to fight for it. Shrugging, he tucked his dick into his pants before zipping them up. Shawn leaned against his headboard and studied Darren's features. He really was a good looking guy, heavily muscled in the right areas. Though Shawn was taller, he knew Darren would be able to take him out easily. The stare he gave him became unfocused as he began to think about what kind of a living situation Ben must live in. But according to Darren, he shouldn't worry at all. Wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, he jumped when the bed sank as Darren jumped back on. Smiling, Darren leaned back and laid his head in Shawn's lap. "Your dick feels funny against my shaved head." Darren mused, moving his head back and forth against his length. Snorting, he dropped his hands on Darren's chest an rubbed it softly for a while "I'm going to miss you when I go off to college Darren." He muttered softly. He felt Darren's chest go hard beneath his palms. Shawn could actually feel Darren's heart beat increase under his touch. Shaking his head, he looked down into Darren's blue eyes. "You got a reply, then?" he asked, his voice rather shaky. "Yep." He let out, but couldn't say more. Darren rolled over and crawled atop him. As he stared down, he gave Shawn an odd look, but didn't say anything. Leaning in, he placed a kiss softly against his forehead, then on his cheek, and finally against his lips. His breath caught as the tongue entered his mouth. Laying like that, he let Darren's tongue linger inside his mouth. Hot air blew inside him as they breathed together. Sighing, Darren wrapped his large arms around his torso and hugged him tight. He didn't know why, but he hugged him back just as hard and long. Not knowing how long they lay like that, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway alerted them that they were no longer alone. Groaning, Darren pushed himself up and quickly grabbed Shawn's clothes and threw them to him. Finally clothed, he rose and stretched his arms into the air above his head. Looking at himself in his mirror, he decided he was presentable. He nodded to Darren, who unlocked his bedroom door and flung it open. Turning, Darren gave him a last quick kiss before walking through the door and into the hall to meet his mother. 52. Calm Before the Storm Part 2 "So, look." He told Sam as Glee was over and they were walking to their lockers. "Shawn and Darren want to do another…..get together and Axl is too. They'd like you to join….especially Shawn." He chuckled. "Really?" he laughed with a sideways glance. "Axl said that Shawn immediately asked you to join, but Darren looked a bit jealous." "Are thought they were both straight." He said with raised eyebrows. "I don't know…Axl said he thinks there's more there then they really know or admit. You in? I'm not totally sure when, but really soon. Like, by the weekend." He said. Sam laughed, "That's tomorrow bro. Also…isn't Cooper still going to be in the house?" Blaine felt his ears burn. For some reason, he'd recently gotten a lot closer to Cooper. It seemed they had moved on from the stage where all Cooper did was criticize him. Composing himself he looked back up at Sam. His mouth closed as he noticed the look Sam was giving him. "What?" he asked. "That was a strange look." He chuckled. "Oh, I don't know, I just lost my train of thought." He lied. "So…..won't Cooper still be there? If it's anything like last time….it's going to be loud and take a long time. He's bound to notice." He said walking toward the doors to the school. "He already know what we did last time. He won't bother us." He said, holding the door open for him. "How the hell does he know?" he asked, stopping in the doorway. "Hey!" said a tall lanky looking guy who walked right into him. "Sorry Nick." Apologized Sam, stepping aside. "Thanks. See ya." Said the guy to Sam, giving Blaine a sideways look. Sam nodded as he turned back to Blaine. Frowning, he had never seen the kid before. Letting the door go he walked with Sam to his car. Throwing their bags in the back seat, the got in and pulled out of the parking lot. Halfway home, he turned and looked at Sam, waiting for an answer. Looking out the window, Sam didn't seem to notice the attention he was getting. Glancing down, Blaine eyed his crotch. There was a cough and his eyes shot back up and met Sam's. Smirking, Sam reached down and unzipped his pants. Blaine slowed the car, but kept going. "Want to watch me jerk off Blaine?" he asked huskily. Though Blaine didn't make a move to give his ascent, Sam pulled his pants and boxers down past his ass. He let his mouth fall open at the sight. Sam had obviously not manscaped his groin in some time. A thick blond bush covered the entire ear. Usually, a blond guy's pubes would be a bit darker than the hair they had on their head. It seemed Sam was the exception. The color as a light blond, almost white color. Unlike Blaine and Axl's curly bush, Sam's was straight and ran up quite a ways on his soft uncut shaft. Even as he studied the sight, Sam's member began to grow and harden. Pulling into Sam's driveway, he turned off the engine and made to get it. "No. I'm going to jerk off right here, out in the open." He smirked, wrapping a hand around his hard cock. He began to unzip himself, but Sam shook his head. "I'm in for the fun, but I just want you to watch me at the moment. You can finish yourself when you get home." He whispered. Though he wanted to get off, he reluctantly nodded. Still, he lifted his hand reached down into Sam's crotch. He didn't want to jerk him off, but wanted to feel the thick bush. Perhaps Sam knew this, because he didn't swat his hand away. His fingers pressed against his skin, and scratched experimentally around the base of Sam's cock. Sam grinned and pushed his foreskin down below the glands, exposing the head. The slightly curving downward member bobbed a couple of times. Looking up, he smirked at Sam. Shrugging, he rewrapped his hand around the shaft and began to pump harder. "Help me out Blaine….finish me off bro." he whispered. Nodding, he wrapped his fingers around his length and pumped slow at first, but began to tighten his hold. "That feels good. Keep going." Sam breathed. Blaine was so hard himself, he bit his lip and gave Sam's cock a quick twist at the head, letting his grip loosen, he reached down and pulled the foreskin back up until it covered the head. Satisfied, he gave a few lazy pumps, then increased his speed in an instant. Sam groaned and shook. Sam's arms lifted up and lay at the back of his head. Sam leaned back, but almost immediately sat back up and looked at him. Knowing the look, he went faster. Sam's hand shot out and gripped Blaine's bicep. Pulling him down, Blaine found his nose brushing against the thick patch of pubes around Sam's cock. Feeling Sam give a grunt, the taste of salty cum shot into his mouth. Smiling around his cock, Blaine tried to keep as much in as possible. Panting, Sam laid back and finally pushed him away with a chuckle. Smirking, Blaine winked at his best friend. "Get out of my car you tease!" he said with a laugh. "Call me when you guys are ready tomorrow." He said as he zipped himself up and reached in the back. With his bag in his hand, he gave Blaine a fist bump with the free one and got out of the car. Pausing, Sam leaned back in and stared at Blaine obvious bulge. Grinning he pushed Sam out of the car. Shutting the door, Sam walked to his front door and gave him a wave. Nodding, Blaine made his way home. He kept stealing glanced at his crotch. By the time he was home, it was so hard it almost hurt. Exiting the car, he left his bag in it and entered his house. At the edge of the foyer, Dany sat, wagging her tail. Grinning, he closed the door and got down on all four for their daily ritual. Her tail moved faster, and her ears perked up. Lifting her back end, she crouched and waited for his approach. Lifting his right hand, he moved forward. Dany growled and backed up, waiting for more. Though he tried to not to move, or give any indication of his intentions, she always seemed to catch it. He pounded forward and she barked and darted out of the foyer and down into the large rounded living room. Sighing, he made to follow her but as he sat back on his leg his aching crotch came back into view. Standing, he walked out of the foyer and paused at the opening to the living room. Dany had been watching for the spot his head would usually be when he was peeking at her. Her head lifted and looked at him, cocking her head in confusion. "I'll be back…" he promised. "This won't take long." Feeling a bit guilty, he darted up the stairs and passed Coopers room. The door was closed, though he could hear the music from inside. In his room, he unzipped himself and pulled his cock out. Closing his eyes, he thought of Sam's new look, but eventually it drifted to thinking about what it would look like when Darren fucked Axl. That huge dick thrusting into his boyfriend. Though he'd never done it before, Blaine wanted to try double penetration. Darren sadly wouldn't be one of the ones involved in that. Sure, he liked his thick cock, but it would be too big with another alongside it. He wanted Axl and Sam. Biting his lip, he thrust his hips forward, ropes of cum shooting over the floor. Sighing, he walked into the bathroom. Picking up a towel, he crouched down and wiped up his mess. Hearing a scratch his door, he grinned and crawled to it. From below, he could hear a snuffling. Using his hand, he reached under the door and grabbed at Dany. She gave a bark then he heard her running down the stairs. Opening the door, he halted at the stairs and peeked down them. Dany growled, and wagged her tail. He slowly rose and made his way down to her. On the last step, he sat down and she leaped into his lap. Grinning, he felt like he forgot something. Looking back up the stairs, he frowned, then made his way back up them. Passing past Coopers' the door stood open and he was lying in bed. Cooper said hi, but Blaine didn't reply. Pushing the door open, he entered his own room and unzipped his pants. Not waiting any longer, he let them fall to the floor. Pulling his shirt off, he crawled atop his bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. Naked, he wrapped a hand around his aching cock pumped. His hand slid down his chest, briefly stopping to tweak his nipple a bit. Taking his slight curved uncut cock with his left hand, he reached down further and lightly pushed at his entrance. There was a breeze of air that made his eyes fly open. Standing at the foot of the bed, Cooper looked at him with a smirk. Ignoring him, he closed his eyes and pressed into his hole. He groaned and slowed his hand. The bed dipped down, but he kept his eyes closed, working on his cock. Hot breath blew over his nuts. He felt his hand pushed aside. This might be wrong, but he didn't care at the moment. The larger hand pumped his length, while another lightly pushed Blaine's right hand away from his ass. The movement on his cock stopped, but he felt his foreskin being pushed up and over his head. He moaned loudly as a tongue pressed under the extra skin and into his piss slit. He gave a hiss as a finger pushed into him. The head of his entire cock was suddenly in a hot wet space. Gasping, he thrust his hips up into Coopers face. Another finger entered his ass, quickly followed by a third. He gave a grunt when he felt his prostate touched. Coopers tongue licked down his shaft and sucked on each of his hairy nuts. As the tongue went further south, he grinned and shook with pleasure. Suddenly the fingers were gone, but were replaced by a tongue pushing into the tight rim. Cooper had to have done this before, he was really good at it. A zipping sound came from below. Blaine didn't mind if Cooper wanted to jerk off to this, he'd even blow him if he wanted. The probing tongue never left his hole as a hand rewrapped around his shaft. The tongue disappeared and Blaine sighed. Again, the bed bounced again. His eyes flew open as he felt something else press at his hole. Looking down, he observed Cooper's cock poking through his jeans and against his ass. Blaine didn't want this, it was a bit too much as far as incest gone. Even as Blaine opened his mouth to protest Cooper pushed into him. Hissing, he scooted away from his brother, wanting to stop. Finally, his brother looked up at him. There was something there that made Blaine pause. Their eyes connect, and Blaine gave Cooper a slight nod. Giving him a thankful grin, he pushed inside all the way. Blaine reached down and undid his button above the zipper. Cooper pushed at the waistline and his pants were at his knees. Going commando, Cooper nearly hairless crotch looked odd, but huge. Blaine placed his hand at the base, feeling the bare skin. Grinning, Cooper pulled back and slammed back into him. Blaine let out a cry as Cooper repeated the action. As the pounding continued, Blaine began to like the feel of Cooper. He was definitely better than Axl at this. He let out a gasp as Cooper clamped down on his legs. With a grunt, Cooper flipped Blaine over so his ass was in the air. Letting out a deep chuckle, he pulled out and slammed back in again. Blaine could feel the foreskin from Coopers cock push into him as well. That was one thing he had felt very often. Behind him, Cooper growled and thrust harder. Feeling a tingling below, Blaine dropped his head to his mattress. Looking at his cock upside down, he watch as cum shot out of his untouched member and cover his blankets. Cooper gave a moan and emptied his load inside him. Collapsing, Blaine felt kisses laid across his back. Groaning, Cooper pulled out and rolled Blaine over. They smiled at each other, then Cooper lowered himself. Rubbing his nose against his brothers, Blaine opened his mouth and let Cooper's tongue inside. Axl woke with a start. Panting, he looked around his bedroom. He couldn't really see anything, as it was the middle of the night. Brick was snoring quite loudly, laying on his side. His mind racing, Axl lifted his blanket looked down at his wet crotch. Reaching down, he groaned at the wetness that coated his thick pubes. Even his boxers were wet as well. Staring blankly into space, he realized this was the first time he had ever had a wet dream. Scooting out of his bed, he walked bow legged over to his dresser and pulled out a new set of boxers. Making his way to the bathroom, he closed the door behind him and started the shower. Dropping his boxers, he looked down at his messy crotch. The cum splattered and had covered what felt like every single pubic hair. Stepping into the shower, he let the water wash over him. Still hard, he wrapped his fingers around his cock and pumped. Closing his eyes, he could still picture Cooper fucking his brother. Though he couldn't fight it, he found it extremely hot. Both of them were so attractive, and the way Cooper had snuck up and meant to do Blaine without the other's consent. Picking up the soap he dumped a lot on his crotch and before he knew it came with the thought of asking them to do what his mind had imagined. Clean, he gave a sigh and dried himself off. He doubted he could get back to sleep, but he decided to give it a try. Laying down, he closed his eyes and he actually felt his body settling. Letting out a yawn, he rolled to his side and fell back asleep. 53. Regrouping Cooper's door stood half open, a faint glow of light flashed across the walls from his TV. Blaine hesitated, then jumped when he felt something cold and wet against his calve. Looking down, he smiled at Dany as her tail swished back and forth. Every time he saw her he was reminded how much he loved Axl. At one time, he had planned a future with Kurt, never even questioning what was going to happen. Now though, he couldn't stand to not have Axl in his life. Reaching down, he patted her side and walked her into his bedroom. Standing by the bed, he laid hand atop the mattress. Dany gave a little yip and made her way up the ramp onto the bed. There she started to slip under the covers, but hesitated and waited for him. Smiling he patted the spot again and she finally rooted her way down to her spot. "I won't be long." He said to her, as if she knew exactly what he meant. Out in the hall he walked back to Cooper's door and pushed inside and made his way to the other side of the bed. Grinning at him, Cooper patted the unoccupied side. Laying down, he let his head fall against his brother's shoulder and watched the TV for a bit. He could detect the Irish spring soap instantly as he lay there. Something had changed between them of late. Though they had become much more touchy feely, he knew where to draw the line. Wanting to express the need that Cooper either wouldn't be here tomorrow for a few hours…or if he could just stay in his room and leave the group alone, he decided to kill time. Reaching down, he slipped his hand under the blanket and pushed it under Cooper's briefs. He smiled as he felt Cooper take in a sharp breath as his fingers wrapped around the hardening member. By the time he was able to push the brief's down, he was completely hard. Cooper placed a hand on the back of his neck and pushed his face down toward his crotch. If this had happened only a few months ago, he'd push Cooper away and feel hurt and disgusted. Now he eagerly opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head of Cooper's uncut cock. Though large and veiny, it was still soft, and bigger than his own. Above, there was a loud moan as he pushed his tongue between the foreskin and the head. "Feels so good B." he whispered in a shaky voice. He wanted to tell him to stop talking, but he knew it would ruin the mood. "You ever gunna let me…?" he broke off. Raising his head, he met his eyes. There was real kindness there, and definitely the strong brotherly bond. He felt reassured when he didn't see that unquenchable lust on his face that Axl had all the time. Giving him a sad smile he shrugged, than shook his head a couple of times. Returning the sad smile, he nodded in understanding. Winking, he dropped his head again, happy Cooper didn't have a devastated face. Pressing his tongue into the piss slit, the tension seemed to melt away. A hand dropped to the back of his head again and forced it lower until his heavy nuts sat under his nose. Guessing what he wanted, he took each of them into his mouth slowly and tried hard to make him feel even better. "Blaine…would you…ri…." He broke off, apparently not wanting to push it. Blaine rotated his hips until his ass stuck in the air, then slid down the bed. Once settled below his crotch, he lifted Cooper's legs into the air. He could smell the musty smell that was he loved about a thick bush. Holding his own legs up and apart, Cooper watched as he got closer and finally press his tongue between his ass cheeks. His body shuddered as he pulled them apart further until he could actually see the hairy hole. After a few moments of studying the area, he leaned in. As his tongue pushed into him, he felt a hand grip his hair and pull him in deeper. Moaning, Cooper jerked his uncut cock quickly as he pushed a finger inside him. "If you want B….you can…if you want." He said shakily. He sat there, his tongue inside his brother's ass and tried to process what he just said. Something made him decide not to though. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to, but it wasn't the right time. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and he wanted to conserve his energy. Looking up, he gave him another little head shake. Shrugging, Cooper went back to fisting his cock with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. Smirking, he alternated between pushing a finger inside him and sucking at his hairy nuts. As he worked a second finger in, he felt his prostate contract. Knowing he had little time, he kept his finger where it was, but lifted his head. Cooper was ready for him. As his head moved to hover over his member, a hand tilted his face at an angle to make it easier for Blaine to wrap his lips around his shaft. Adding more pressure to the knot that was his prostate gland, it contracted three or four times quickly, then shuddered once more. Thick salty liquid filled his mouth as Cooper thrusted his hips upward quickly. To tell the truth he had expected there to be a lot more. Finally his brother stilled, and his body collapsed. Snorting, Blaine sat up and swallowed the hot cum. Grinning lazily, Cooper reached forward and wiped a small line of liquid that leaked from a corner of his mouth. Winking, he brought it to his face and licked it up. "Huh…" Cooper said. "What?" he asked, crawling forward and laying with his head on the pillow. "It wasn't as sweet as it usually is….guess I shouldn't have jerked off half an hour ago." He grinned. "I was wondering why there wasn't as much as usual." He laughed. "Well…I certainly wasn't going to tell you that when you obviously wanted to bribe me into doing something I would have done without you having to do that." He chuckled at Blaine's look of annoyance. "So…what is it that you want B?" he grinned. "Four friends of mine are coming over and it's going to be another…." He paused trying to think of a word that wasn't too blunt. "Fuck session?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Dropping his gaze, he could feel his ears burning. Still, he gave a single nod as Cooper reached down and pulled his briefs back up. "Yea….if you're here you'd have to stay out of the way and not be seen…and don't come knocking on the door….the bedroom will be rocking harder than it was last time we got together. Axl is going to finally bottom for his best friends, Sean and Darren. He's been worried about Darren for a while." He smirked, feeling a bit more comfortable. "Why?" asked Cooper. "Darren has a huge cock…way bigger than yours even." He said softly, reaching down and palming Cooper's crotch. "Really? That's impressive. How much bigger?" he pressed. "At least an inch longer and thicker…probably more." "That is big…I'm assuming he got to pound you last time they were here?" he asked. "Yea." He said, looking blankly at the wall. "It hurt…but felt good, pressed right against my prostate gland on his deepest thrusts." "Nice. How long is this going to take B?" "Probably hours…last time we each came multiple times, at least four each." "Good lord!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "By the time it was all over and done I think we were all shooting blanks. Which is why I haven't jerked off in three days, trying to conserve all my juices for tomorrow. You don't have to leave the house or anything, just try to avoid seeing us naked." He said, hoping he would. "I won't be seen, don't worry." He grinned. Blaine hesitated, noting the way he phrased his reply. He could tell just by looking at him it would be no use getting mad and forcing him to leave. "Just…don't let them see you Coop. Can you keep Dany with you as well…she'll just whine and bark at my door if she knows I'm in there." He asked. "You've spoiled her B. What are you going to do with her when you leave for college?" he asked seriously. "I'll figure that out when that time comes." He said, not wanting to think about it. "Kay then…I'll stay out of sight unless you call me. Have fun." He said mischievously, squeezing Blaine's crotch. Giving a start, he slapped his hand away. It was already going to be hard trying to sleep with an erection. Cooper laughed and patted his head. Blaine glanced down at Cooper's crotch again. After a couple of moments, he reached down and shoved the briefs down a little bit. Giving him a lazy smile, Cooper lifted his own cock and began to stroke it. Sitting up, Cooper eyed him and pushed Blaine down on his stomach. Almost panicking, he pushed himself up. "I'm not going to fuck you B, calm down….I want to fuck push my cock between your crack and through your thighs…is that alright?" he asked, though he had already pulled Blaine's boxer briefs down. Letting out a relieved sigh, he nodded back to him. Cooper's large hands kneaded his ass cheeks, pulling them apart. He shivered as felt a thumb flick over his entrance lightly. Large palms pressed into his lower back until he felt his length settling between his cheeks. He thrust forward smoothly, his thick balls falling atop his hairy ass. Letting out a sigh, Cooper rubbed his shoulders as he lowered his body. Cock and balls rested against his ass as he flattened himself atop Blaine. Warm breath fell against his neck as he began to thrust. Blaine could feel his own hard cock rutting against Coopers mattress. Automatically, he lifted his ass higher into the air so he could push against the bedding more. He let out a gasp as the head of Cooper's cock accidentally pressed into his hole. Slowing, Cooper lifted Blaine's ass a bit higher. Placing his cock between his open thighs, he pushed them together again. Knowing what to do, he closed them and held them tight with all his might. Cooper groaned at the pressure. Gripping his hips, he began thrust hard and fast. Within a minute, Cooper slowed. Blaine lifted his head and looked down at the end of Cooper's cock emerging under his balls. There was a grunt and a few squirts of clear cum leaked down his thighs. "Boy...I think you need to let your supply build back up before you go again Coop." he said, standing up. Jumping off the bed, pulled a couple of tissues off of Coopers night stand and wiped his thighs clean. When he turned back around, Cooper had his briefs up and was settling into his bed. Blaine gave him a smile that was returned. At the door, he paused and looked back as Cooper turned his television off. "They'll be here around two or so." He said. "Alright B. Just tell me when they're here." He said in the darkness. Blaine paused, then walked toward the bed and giving Cooper a bug, then pulled away and headed for his room as he began to chuckle. As he entered his room, the sound a soft snoring. Grinning, he pulled off his shirt and slipped under the covers. Immediately he felt the bed shake as Dany sniffed her way up next to him. He giggled as her cold nose sniffed at exposed skin. Finally her head emerged and looked up at him as he settle into his spot. Sighing, he relaxed and fell deeper into his bed. Yawning widely, Dany snuggled against his side and let her head fall into the crook of his arm. Yawning himself, he closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. ***Darren's POV*** Darren stared at the console in Axl's car. He had let Shawn sit in the front passenger seat while Axl drove. They had all agreed to not jerk off for at least three days before they decided to meet for another get together. The last time he jerked off was four days ago, and he was feeling it. His nuts felt huge and heavy in his boxers. Even the lightest touch to his crotch and he would get a hard on….like at that moment. It had been harder to resist his hands than he thought it would. He wondered just how tight Axl's ass was going to be. He guessed not as tight as Shawn's was at the beginning. Now though, Shawn was so used to his size he barely whimpered as he thrust inside him. "You two ready?" Axl asked as he pulled into Blaine's driveway. "You sure Blaine's brother won't bother us?" asked Shawn. Shawn couldn't see it, but Darren noticed how red the back of Axl's neck became. He wondered at it as Axl turned to face Shawn. "I'm sure dude. He knows what will be going on, and plans to keep Dany occupied for the day…otherwise she'd be scratching at Blaine's door." He said. "So he really likes her then?" Darren asked. "He's got her spoiled rotten. There's an actual carpeted dog steps up the side of his bed. She will nap with him on a raft while in the pool….I've seen her twice since I gave her to him, but both times it was very obvious how much they get along. To tell the truth I have no clue what's going to happen when he goes off to college." He laughed. Darren frowned and looked away, not wanting to think about what would be happening in a few months. He glanced back up and stared at Shawn, studying his features. The car came to a halt in front of the open garage door where Blaine's mom usually parked. Axl had told them both Blaine's parents would be out of town until tomorrow. He was kind of curious to see what Blaine's brother looked like in person. Commercials were the only place he had ever seen Cooper Anderson. Though, he had been in a couple of B movies, the bulk of his work were cameo's on tv shows and commercials. Hopping out, he looked at the house and yard. The last time he'd been here it was sunny and warm. Now, it was February and cloudy with a few snow flurries falling from the sky. A snowflake landed on his nose and he looked cross-eyed at it. Turning, he met Shawn's amused eye. Grinning, he walked next to him as they started down the sidewalk to the front porch. There was a shout from behind and they turned. Blaine waved at them from garage door, then disappeared. Axl grinned and pushed past Shawn and himself. Looking at each other, they rolled their eyes and followed. Walking through the open door, they came to a halt as Axl was on his knees and pulling at Blaine's pants. Chuckling, Blaine swatted his hand away and retreated into the house. Axl pouted his lips and followed with a sulky attitude. Inside, they pulled off their coats and hung them on hooks by the pantry. Turning to the right, he looked directly into Blaine's new large indoor swimming pool. A wet blond head was poking above the water and waved at them. Darren noticed that Axl was watching him warily. It suddenly occurred to him how jealous he felt. Now embarrassed, he took a couple of deep breathes and felt better. Axl gave him an approving nod, then began to strip. Shawn laughed aloud as Axl pulled every particle of clothing off and jumped naked into the pool. Sam grinned and swam backward as a wall of water pressed against him. There was another loud laugh that came from the kitchen. Blaine's brother was laughing at the bar, eating something. Darren grinned, knowing Axl had just exposed his naked self to his boyfriends' big brother. After a moment, he met Cooper's eye and gave a nod. Feeling a bit odd by the way he was being looked at, he turned back to the pool. Shawn waved over at Sam, who returned the gesture. Feeling reckless, he stepped aside and quickly copied Axl and jumped bare assed into the pool. Cool water surrounded him, a pleasant feeling after just coming inside from a chilly day. Ahead, both Axl's and Sam's cocks slowly swished back and forth with each leg stroke. Sam's foreskin covered the head, and he noticed there a lot more hair around the groin than last time. An idea popped into his head and he shot forward. He heard a muffled grunt from Sam as he took his soft member into his mouth. Immediately, it began to grow as Sam dropped a hand down and placed it on the back of his hand. A moment later, the water under him churn and he felt something suck in his own cock. A huge splash erupted behind him and felt his legs pulled apart. As a tongue slide inside his ass, he gave a surprised grunt. Just as Sam's dick was fully hard, he pushed away, smirking to himself. Sam reached out and tried to grab his head. He could tell that Sam had meant to grab hold of his hair and pull him back in. It was a lucky thing his hair was so short he could find no purpose. Needing air, he rocketed upward and broke the surface with a gasp. Over by the bar, he heard an amused chuckle. Glancing over, he noticed Cooper watching them. Feeling his ears burn, he had already forgotten they weren't alone. "Don't mind me." He winked, then turned and disappeared from the room. Below, he looked down to see how was on his cock, because he knew that the one eating his ass was Shawn. A burst of water erupted in front of him and Axl smiled. Turning his head noticed Blaine standing beside the pool. Axl looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, then motioned for him to them. After a brief hesitation, he stripped everything off. Darren grinned, noticing Blaine hard cock curved up just a bit. The skin had pulled back, exposing the head. Squatting, Blaine sat on the edge of the pool while Sam drifted over and pulled him until his nuts hung over the edge. Darren gave a grunt as he felt Shawn push a finger inside him. He gave another as second digit was added. "You ready?" Shawn whispered softly. "Or do you want to wait till we get ups…" he was interrupted. "Fuck me." He said, quite a bit louder than what he meant to do. Sam broke off and turned towards. "Do me….now." he ordered, though much quieter than before "You got it." He said eagerly. From behind, Shawn wrapped an arm around his thick chest and pulled him closer. Shifting to the shallow end, his feet hit bottom. He felt kisses being laid on the back of his neck as Shawn pulled his legs apart a bit. Unashamed, he stared at the other three as he felt pressure on his hole. Shawn intertwined his fingers on his left hand as his right gripped his hip. With a grunt, Shawn slipped inside him to the hilt. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head to the side. Their lips met as the right hand shifted for his hip and onto his engorged cock. "That looks hot." He heard Axl say. Grinning, Darren opened his eyes and looked over to where the voice had come from. Axl leaned forward and nuzzled Sam's cheek. There was a nod and Axl drifted over until he was directly behind him. Dropping his head, Sam wrapped his lips around Blaine's cock as Axl thrust inside him with little preparation. Grunting, he lifted his head off Blaine's member looked back at him. Behind him, he heard Shawn snort. Pulling out a bit, Shawn thrust inside him again. The speed wasn't as good as he hoped. It seemed the water held that back a bit. "Let's scoot further back so can speed things up." Shawn suggested. Nodding, they moved back and finally Shawn was able to speed up. Hearing a laugh, he looked over to see Blaine staring at Axl. Apparently the water was holding him back as well. Water sloshed around messily with Axl's effort to fuck Sam faster. Soon the sound of slapping flesh began to reverberate around the room. The other three scooted to the shallow end as fast as Blaine could scoot on his ass. Blaine finally stood up when they got to the stairs. Sam walked forward, Axl's cock still slamming into him. Darren gasped as he felt Shawn's dick hit his prostate, in front of him, Axl lifted a leg and placed it on a step so he could have a better angle for fucking Sam. Staring at his ass, Darren watched as the hair between Axl's cheeks flowed with the water current. Feeling another jab at his prostate, he turned looked at Shawn with warning. Nodding, he sped up. Looking back he scooted forward until he was right behind Axl. Leaning down, he pulled Axl's cheeks apart, exposing his hole. Licking his lips, he leaned in and pushed his tongue inside him. Axl grunted and shook. "Shit" Axl moaned as his hips became unmoving. His tongue could feel Axl's prostate contract as he came in Sam's ass. With another hard thrust Darren moaned and looked down. A thick white cloud of cum erupted out of his cock and surrounded them. Shawn didn't let up until he was ready. With another hard thrust, he ejaculated in him. The hot fluid felt awesome inside him, filling him up. Blaine hissed and held Sam's face down on his crotch, a look of pleasure washing over him. The whites of his eyes looked up toward the ceiling as he shook violently. Still jerking, Blaine shuddered and had to sit before he fell. His legs dangled over the side as his back laid against the floor. Sam hurried forward and lifted Blaine's legs in the air until they rested on his shoulders. "Jesus!" Blaine gasped as Sam thrust into him all the way. Axl's cock slipped out of Sam as he moved forward. Darren could see a line of white fluid leaking from Sam's ass cheeks, and down his thighs. Looking down, Axl stared in disbelief at the massive white cloud of cum surrounding Darren's crotch. Shawn was shaking, but he slowly pulled out and pushed himself up so he could sit on the edge of the pool. His cock had grown limp, unlike his own. Observing his member, how was surprised to see it was still hard. Axl wobbled over and sat next to Shawn as Sam grunted and grew rigid. Panting, he leaned forward and captured Blaine's lips. After a few moments, looked around at them all and sank back into the pool, floating on his back. 54. FinallyAgain AXL'S POV He knew what had to come next. What was surprising was how he had no regrets and wanted it. Sitting next to Shawn, he looked down at his crotch. His cock had shrunken due to the water and the fact he had already cum inside of Darren. For quite some time, he had known that both of them were a lot more intimate than what they lead the others to believe. Darren proved that by not flinching at all when Shawn had pushed inside. Glancing ahead, he watched Darren eyeing Sam. It was clear he didn't want him interacting with Shawn too much. Wanting to take the heat off the potential situation, he flicked some water over on Darren Turning slowly, Darren looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Blaine lay flat against the pool edge and was laughing at something Sam was saying. Beside him, Shawn looked between him and Darren. Giving him a soft smile, Axl nodded and mouthed "I'm ready." In an instant Darren charged forward. So eager, he forgot he was still in water and tripped. Cringing, he looked up and over at Sam and Blaine, who had noted the disturbance. Meeting Blaine's eye, he glanced to Darren and then to Shawn. Giving a nod, Blaine pushed himself up and walked over to the door and pulled out some towels. "You're gunna do that upstairs in the bedroom." Came Blaine's muffled reply. "Sounds good." Axl laughed as Darren tried to walk toward them, his face red. "I take it Darren's first to get you?" Shawn chuckled as Darren launched out of the pool and crouched on the edge. "Yeah…sorry…I just think…" he began. "I get it." He said softly, but with warmth. Axl looked at him and noticed how he watched Darren stand. "Dude…"Axl whispered, alarmed at what he thought he was thinking. Shawn eyed him and shook his head vigorously. Biting his lip, he gave a nod and sighed. He gave a shout as he was pulled to his feet. Behind him, Blaine wrapped a towel around both of them. Placing a kiss along his neck, he turned them around and passed through the opening to the kitchen. Through there, they made their way to the bottom of the stairs. Apparently Blaine wasn't worried about Darren and Shawn getting lost, even though they'd never been through this part of the house. Halfway up the stairs they paused and looked behind them. Movement could be heard from below with soft voices. Simultaneously they resumed their climb and passing Cooper's room when he realized the door was open. Again, they paused and looked inside. Laying on his bed, Cooper was petting Dany while on his laptop. Looking up, he smiled at them before his eyes wandered down to Axl's exposed front side, revealing his soft cock. Remembering his dream, he felt his member begin to harden again. Smirking, Cooper looked up again and winked. He felt a huge surge of blood race into his cock, completing the transformation in record time. Feeling Blaine harden as well, he turned his head to the side to smile at his boyfriend. "We're getting ready for…."Blaine said, but paused. "The main event." Axl finished. "So….don't be alarmed or anything…because it'll get loud." Blaine said from behind. Nodding, Cooper slid off the bed as gracefully as possible. When Dany didn't wake, he let out a breath of relief. For some reason, Axl couldn't move, and didn't feel Blaine trying to push him along either. Crossing the room, he paused at his door but glanced down at Axl's member. Raising an eyebrow, he reached out and wrapped his hand around it. Shaking, Axl thrust forward into his grip. Blaine shifted, causing Axl to turn his head. Meanwhile Cooper still held his cock. Blaine was looking down the stairs, wondering what was taking the others so long. "Coop…" Blaine whispered, with his head still glancing down. "Show him…you know." He said. "What do you mean?" Axl whispered, looking between the two. Shrugging, Cooper pushed the front of his gym shorts down far enough to reveal his crotch. Axl looked and felt himself grow even harder. Unlike last time, his groin was thick with black hair. His dick was hard as well, larger than both of their own members. This time Axl reached out and dug his fingers through Cooper's thick pubes. Grinning, Axl looked up at the taller man. Blaine pressed his cock between Axl's ass cheeks and slowly began slowly moving up and down. "I wanna blow him." Axl whispered to Blaine. "The others are coming." He answered, sounding disappointed. "You can suck me any time you want Ax. But looks like you'll have to wait for it." He said with a low and raspy voice. Winking, Cooper gave Axl's cock one last squeeze before releasing him and stepping back into his room. Letting out a groin, he watched Cooper close the door. Behind him, Blaine gave a chuckle and kissed the back of his neck. Nudging him forward, he reluctantly moved on and walked into Blaine's bedroom. Inside they dried off as the sound of footsteps began to grow louder. Meeting his eye, Axl leaned in and pressed their lips together. Gripping his head, Blaine pushed his tongue into his mouth and stood there, rutting their cocks together. "Hold my hand when…" Axl pleaded so softly Blaine could barely hear it. "You got it….now come on, your best friends have waited an eternity for your ass Ax." He chuckled. Climbing atop the bed, he lay on his back with his head resting against the pillows. Crawling forward, Blaine leaned down and wrapped his lips around his cock. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand on Blaine head and moved him up and down. Hearing the others enter the room, he gazed over and looked at Darren. His huge cock stood pointed toward the ceiling, a big blob of precum resting on the piss slit. After a few moments, Darren climbed on the bed and looked at them. Axl wanted Blaine to wet his hole and get it ready for him, so he stayed put. Gripping his legs, Blaine lifted them in the air and spread them apart. Leaning all the way down, Blaine pushed his tongue into his hole. Letting out a loud moan, he held pulled at Blaine's hair, wanting more of his tongue inside him. The bed bounced a bit and Darren pushed and wiggled on his back under Blaine's crotch. Unprepared, Blaine gave a yelp as Darren took his uncut cock into his mouth. There was another sound of surprise that came from Darren. Leaning over to one elbow he saw a mess of blond hair bobbing up and down over Darren's crotch. Sam's legs were placed on the floor while his elbows and face leaned over the foot of the bed. Though he couldn't see Shawn, it was easy to figure out where he was when Sam copied the yelp of Blaine and Darren. He gave a slight twinge as Blaine slid his middle finger inside him. As a second finger pushed into him, he saw Shawn's head came up and looked down at Sam's ass. Meeting his eye briefly, Shawn glanced back down. There was a couple of slaps, along with two yelps from below. Smiling, he was about to close his eyes again, when he caught movement by the door. Cooper was looking in at them, the front of his shorts pushed down, exposing his uncut dick to Axl. Slowly, he began to pump his meat while meeting his eye. Hearing a hiss, he redirected his attention to watch as Shawn slid inside Sam. Looking back over, Cooper was watching Shawn pulling out of Sam before reentering him with force. Blaine looked up, and Axl looked back down. There must have been something on his face that told him something was going on. Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head. Even as a third finger slid inside, he looked down at Blaine and mouthed. "Cooper is watching by the door." Apparently it wasn't clear enough as his brows crinkled. He repeating the sentence slowly, he watched as Blaine's eyes widened. He began to move his head, but he reached out and kept it where it was. Knowing that at least one of them would notice where his gaze was directed would be curious. If any of them were to see Cooper standing there, and jerking off, it would be the end of everything. No one would want to ever do this again. Realizing his mistake he gave him a relieved smile, then pushed a fourth digit past his rim. There was a muffled grunt from Darren's face, then he pushed Sam back a bit. Sam stiffened, as if offended. Luckily, Darren pulled off Blaine a bit to talk. "Dude, I was about to cum."" He mumbled. "Ight." Said Sam, his face clearing. Gaze flickering back over to Cooper, his face was rigid and turning red. Even from this distance, he could see a vein on his temple throb. Now biting his lip, Cooper glanced at him. His fluid movements began to become erratic and slowed his hand. His hand came to a stop. Gripping his meat, he rolled his foreskin over the head and then back down to the base. "So close." He mouthed. His left foot stepped out a bit further, widening his stance. He gave a couple more pumps, then pulled his hips back. Thrusting his hips forward a thick white rope of cum shot from his cock, landing several feet in front of him. "Darren, I'm ready." Axl said, his voice shaking Blaine snorted, but he was watching Cooper shake his cock a couple more times. He reached down and squeezed the last bit of cum out of his cock. A large white drop rested on the tip of his index finger. Lifting it, he placed it in his mouth and sucked it off. With a wink and a smirk, he released the waist band of his shorts and let it slapped back to his groin and stepped out of the doorway. Blaine shifted his body and he crouched behind Axl's head, his cock coming to rest by his right ear. Darren shifted forward on his knees until his dick laid between hairy but wet ass cheeks. "Be gentle…." Blaine told him in a deep voice. Darren blinked at him, then to Blaine, and finally back to him. "At first." Blaine finished with a bit of humor. Darren looked back up at Blaine with a relieved grin. Axl looked down and stared at the thick piece of meat. All of a sudden it looked scary, and he worried. Blaine shifted and leaned over the side of his bed. His hand lifted with a finger raised at Darren telling him to wait. Grunting, Blaine pushed himself back up with a purple bottle in his hand. Shawn and Sam had moved off to the right, towards the door. Turning his head, Sam leaned back and pulled Shawn's head closer. There was a slight hesitation, then their lips met. His thrusts slowed, but stayed in motion. Taking another step back, Shawn pulled back and looked down at the floor, lifting his foot and staring at it. Biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh, Axl returned his gaze back to Darren. Popping open the bottle, Blaine leaned forward and squeezed the lube out. One glob fell onto Axl's rim, while the other landed on the head of Darren's cock. Reaching down, Blaine spread the lube to coat Darren's entire member. Darren's hand had dropped and was pushing the lube inside him, his thick fingers tapping the hole as it opened. His other hand reached down and slowly fisted Axl's cock. Satisfied with the texture, he nodded and pulled Darren forward and pressed then head against his tiny opening. Nervous, Axl grasped Blaine's hand as he felt the weight of his cock pressing into him. He let out a hiss as the head stretched his rim. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes as more slid through. The rim of the head finally pushed through. Letting out a gasp of pain, he looked up at both Darren and Blaine. Looking as if Darren was going to pull out and forget the attempt, he shook his head. Looking back, he stared at Blaine. "Guide him into me." He whispered. "Dude, this is hurting you too much." Darren protested. Axl and Blaine didn't respond, just kept their eyes on each other. After a moment, Blaine nodded and moved around Darren. Standing behind him, he wrapped an arm around his waist, while the other went under his ass and gripped his cock and balls. Maneuvering them forward, he pressed his up against the spot between Darren's hole and nuts. Feeling the pressure, he lifted his body a bit. At the same time, Blaine angled Darren's chest in a forty five degree angle. Releasing him, Blaine shuffled back over behind Axl. Axl saw Blaine give Darren a nod. Bracing himself, he looked up and nodded as well. Slowly, Darren pitched forward, his dick sinking into Axl's tight heat. Feeling the majority of the pain lessen, he relaxed a bit more and let his hole widen. Adding more weight, he sunk faster until his dark blond pubes mixed with the black hair that covered Axl's ass. He paused, eyes fixed on Axl's as he gave a small smile. "You're so fucking tight." He said, louder than he meant. "Oh fuck." Came Shawn's shaky voice. "Yea…you gunna cum?" asked Sam, jerking his cock as Shawn built speed. Axl braced himself, sure Darren was about to pound him into mush in response to what was about to happen with Shawn and Sam. Though his eyes slitted a bit, his manner remained calm. Pulling back out, Darren paused with just the head still inside Axl's ass. Dropping his head, Darren pressed his lips into his. Surprised at first, he smiled and then let his tongue enter his mouth. He grunted as Darren thrusted again. Secure now, he released Blaine's hand. Off to the right, Shawn gave a grunt and thrust inside once more, letting his head rest against Sam's back. To keep Darren's gaze on him, he lifted his left arm and looked at him. Darren stared at him and then at his hairy armpit with confusion. After a moment, his eyes narrowed, then he shrugged. Grinning, he closed his eyes as felt the rasp of a tongue dip into his pit. He shuddered as it probed deeper into the hairy mess. "Darren, can Blaine fuck you?" he asked, as he felt a harder thrust than the last one. "Yea." He said, then went right back to sucking on his exposed and now wet armpit. "Awesome!" cried Blaine, moving around behind Darren. Darren snorted, but stilled when Blaine's head became visible from directly behind him. Axl looked at him, noticing how small his body frame appeared next to his. Blaine's left hand appeared and gripped Darren's waist. He assumed the other was guiding his cock inside Darren. Face turning red, he became motionless as Blaine pushed into him. Breathing hard, Darren lowered himself again after a few moments of adjusting and kissed him. The other hand came to rest on Darren's hip and Blaine began to thrust harder and faster into him. Their tongues battled as Darren began to pick up speed. As the bed dipped again, they broke apart. "Ready?" asked Shawn's voice. Blaine was still pounding at Darren's ass and didn't say a thing. Axl smirked up at Darren. Taking his silence for permission to proceed, Blaine fell forward, thrusting harder into Darren than he had planned. Grunting, Darren slammed into Axl hard. Giving a yelp, he breathed hard as Darren pulled back again. Noticing his face, Darren turned to the left and lifted his dry right armpit. Axl had to admit Darren's huge cock hurt, but the thickness of it was perfect for pressing against his prostate. It also helped that his tongue continued to suck at his other pit. There was a few muffled words from behind, so he tilted his head to the side. Darren pulled back from his pits and returned his focus to Axl's face. Sam was now standing directly behind Shawn. Letting out a cry, Shawn grumbled something Axl couldn't make it. Darren stiffened and began to turn his head. Reaching his hand up, he grabbed the back of Darren's neck and forcefully pulled him back down. "Harder." He ordered, while squeezing his hole around Darren's member. "Really?" he asked, his speed already building. "Yea dude." He said, squeezing again. Nodding Darren pulled back a bit and pounded him. Ready for it, he was able to control his cry. Instead of a shriek, it came out as a mere whimper. It hurt, but it was a good kind of hurt. Remembering the mirror by the dresser, he turned his head and looked at their reflection. Grinning, he watched Darren pound into him, Blaine into Darren, Shawn into him, and finally Sam into Shawn. Noticing his gaze, Darren turned his head and looked at the spectacle. "That's hot as fuck." He said. All he could do was nod, watching each person's body movements. Sam and Blaine thrust faster than the other two, though the depth wasn't as great. "I'm gunna cum." Darren gasped, as Blaine shifted his hips. "Yea?" Axl asked, smiling. "Yea….Blaine keeps hitting my….with that curved dick of his." He said, already slowing. Axl could make out Blaine smirk from the reflection in the mirror. His speed and his thrust became faster and more powerful. Blaine went rigid and shook. Darren's eyes widen, then almost immediately after, he slammed once more into him. He grinned, feeling Darren's hot cum fill his ass, planting his seed deep. "Shit!" shouted Sam. Unlike the other two, Sam kept thrusting with speed as he came. Shawn grinned and tried to speed things up. Axl figured after this they'd need to rest. This would be the third time Shawn came within the hour. Finally he slowed and finally came to a halt easily. "Darren, jerk Axl off." Blaine said, peeking around his shoulder. "Oh….yea." Darren said panting. All Darren did was wrap a hand around his cock and he came. "Jesus!" Darren said, jerking him through the remainder of his orgasm. When he finally stopped, Axl felt light headed and looked toward the door, having a feeling someone would be standing there. Sure enough, Cooper smirked at him, then disappeared from view. 55. Confession "Ok….it's time to recharge our….batteries." Blaine said. "Alright…" said Shawn, looking around. "Agreed." Said Axl, then he bolted from the room completely bare assed. _"Got, he has such a cute ass." _He thought, as he ran down the stairs. "Wait for me!" called Sam, quickly followed by Shawn. Darren looked down at Blaine's now soft uncut cock. "What?" he chuckled. "It felt…odd inside me. I mean," he paused then looked back up. "I don't know how many times Shawn has been in me…but it was diff…." he broke off, his ears turning bright red. "Don't worry about it." He said to him, patting his back. Darren gave a grunt of ascent. Darren rose and started toward the door. Grinning, he lay back on his bed, not really feeling like jumping in the pool. There was a grunt from outside the door. Sitting back up, he gazed at the door. Rising, he walked to the door and almost ran into Darren. Blinking, he took a couple steps to his right. Cooper was on his knees, sucking Darren's already hard member. Eyes widening, he glanced at Darren to gauge his reaction. Afraid Cooper had crossed the line, he began to open his mouth. He closed it when Darren reached out with a hand and placed it behind Cooper's head and began to thrust into his mouth. Automatically, Blaine got hard. He bit his lip and began to walk toward the stairs when Cooper reached out and grabbed his cock. Eyes shooting up, he was scared Darren was going to freak out and run off. "That's hot." He whispered. "You….know we're brothers…right?" he asked, surprised. "Yea…makes it even hotter." He rumbled, eyes shining. "Well…though I don't mind it….I want to charge up again." he sighed, then reluctantly pulled away and patted Darren's back as he reentered his room. Not looking back, he climbed atop his bed and crawled to the middle. Giving a grunt, he flipped around and landed on his back. Eye's closed, he smirked as he could make out faint sounds of slurping just outside the door. Needless to say, his member stayed hard while he lay there. There was a low moan and something gently bumped into the wall. Opening his eyes, he looked back at the door. Though he couldn't see anything, he noticed the shadows on the floor. Letting out a snort, he recognized Darren's bulk on his knees in front of the shadow of his brother. A moment later, he caught a sight of Axl coming to the top of the stairs and pausing. From the shadow, Darren made to get up but Cooper held him firmly in place. Axl peered in at him and wriggled his eyebrows, then turned around and disappeared. Sighing, he pushed himself up onto his haunches. Scooting off the bed, walked to his door and peered over at the spectacle. Axl and Darren were facing each other, their mouths open, while Coopers uncut dick thrust between their tongues. His right eye twitched and Blaine looked down at Axl. Though their mouths were in use, he could tell that Axl was smirking as Cooper continued his thrusting, is wet hair matted to his head. Darren's thick cock was soft, drooping down over a somewhat sagging looking nut sack. Axl's member was still hard, the tip resting just under Darren's navel. Thick pubes covered his nuts, which remarkably looked full. Cooper's eyes were closed, but his mouth hung open with a comical O. finally opening his eyes, he smiled at Blaine as a vein on his forehead began to throb. "You guys probably need to hurry…Sam and Shawn will probably be ready to return." He said quietly. Cooper sighed and gave a reluctant nod. Then he halted and smirked at him. Not knowing what he wanted, he was a little hesitant to move closer. Knowing the other two could read Coopers lips he mouthed his request. "Get on your knees, face me, and wrap your lips over my cock so I'll cum in your mouth." he smirked. The idea turned him on more than he could have imagined, but it was too risky. Surprisingly, Sam was one of those guys that thought any incest…even the slightest act was disgusting. He also had a feeling Shawn might be like minded as well. Giving him a sad shake of the head, he turned and climbed atop his bed once more. Even from the distance of his bed, he could he Cooper beginning to grunt with moan more earnestly. There was a deep grunt, then everything went silent. Watching the shadows stretching across the floor one of Cooper's hand rested on the wall while the other gripped Darren on the shoulder, trying to maintain balance after his orgasm. Shaking his head, Blaine grinned and looked back up at the ceiling. Though the others might be ready to go, he wasn't. He had a mission he wanted to do today for the first time. For that to become possible he had to relax. Reading everything he could find online, they all had made that part clear from the beginning. Axl and Sam would be the two he wanted to try it with. Darren's dick would just be too big with another added. From around the corner, he heard a chuckle followed by a slurping sound he recognized as a kiss. Then there was another chuckle, followed by a thumping noise. The bed sunk as weight was added, then became bouncy. Recognizing the smell, he felt Axl's lips press against his own. His body slowly lowered itself onto his own. Their soft cocks rubbed together, and actually stayed flaccid. Surprised, he opened his eyes to see Axl's raised eyebrows, as if he knew what he was thinking. A few drops of water dropped onto his forehead. Groaning, he actually lifted Axl's body into the air. Chuckling, Axl went limp, making it harder for Blaine to keep him in the same position. All the while, he just smirked down at him. "You're gunna get my bed wet!" he laughed, lifting his head slightly and rubbing their noses. Sighing, Axl's limbs dropped to both sides of his body. He began to move down, but Blaine grabbed his shoulder. Confused, Axl looked down at him, then to what he was looking at. Blaine loved seeing his boyfriend's soft cock dangling just above his own, along with the thick patch of hairy that covered his groin. Even as he observed the sight, it began to twitch and grow. Shaking his head, he released his shoulder and looked away, staring at the towel that they had left on the floor when they entered the room earlier. Though it was damp from when they had both used it, it was dry enough to take care of Axl. "So…" he said, turning to look at him, "what was that last thump I heard earlier?" "Oh, "he sniggered as he picked up the towel, "Cooper pulled Darren in for a kiss. Darren's eyes were closed and he had a stupid smile across his face. He seemed to realize what he was doing and panicked" "What did he do?" he asked, afraid Cooper had offended him. Blowing a raspberry, he laughed "Pushed him back and grinned guiltily." "Thank god…" he breathed with relief. "Man…you worry too much." He winked. "You know…Cooper actually grabbed my cock and jerked it a couple of times right in front of Darren. Thought Darren would get freaked out." He said, looking back up at the ceiling. "What did he do?" he asked. Still looking up at the ceiling, he said" I asked reminded him that we were brothers…to which he replied that he thought it made the act even hotter." "No way!" he shouted with a laugh and dropping his towel. "Shhhh!" he warned, looking back at him and pointing at the open doorway. "Oops" he squeaked, lifting his hand and covering his mouth. Rolling his eyes, he looked up again. Axl chuckled softly and joined him on the bed. Blaine scooted over a bit to give him room to lay down. Lying against him, Axl turned his head to look at him. From the corner of his eye he could make out Axl's expression. After a few moments, he turned his head once more. There was a strange expression Axl was making that he'd never seen before. It looked as if he was contemplating something. Sighing, he shrugged and leaned in. Breathing into his ear, he whispered "I had a dream….it was…" he paused, "interesting." "Oh?" he grinned. "What about?" though he could guess where this was headed. "You and Cooper together." He said even softer. "What?" he asked, surprised. "Yea….you were lying on your bed and Cooper entered your room. While you were on the bed naked." He said softly bringing face closer to his own. "Ok…." He said, completely thrown off. "It was hot and you were jerking your cock with closed eyes. Cooper crawled on the bed and gently stroked you." He said, reaching down and gripping Blaine's hardening length. Smirking, he gave his cock a slight squeeze. "He sucked and nibbled your foreskin before licking all the way down your shaft. He took each of your nuts in his mouth. After a bit, he moved down until he was licking and tongue fucking your ass." He said, slowly stroking him. "Keep going." He whispered with a smile and turning his head. "He fingered you gently, then adding a couple more fingers with your eyes closed. You heard a zipper, then felt something press against your hole. By the time you opened your eyes and stared down at him, he had pushed the head of his cock inside you." He murmured, stroking him faster. Blaine wanted to tell him to stop so he could re charge his batteries, but couldn't bring himself to say it as he felt another hand poking at his hairy hole. "He fucked you hard Blaine…just slamming into you, and you loved it. You wanted him to cum inside you so bad. He flipped you over until you were on your hands and knees. Gripping your hips, he started to fuck you mercilessly. Then, you came without being touched just as he slammed into you once more and came." He breathed, speeding up even more. "Shit…" he hissed, bucking his hips up into Axl's hand. Letting out a cry, cum erupted out of his dick and sprayed all over his chest as Axl nibbled his ear. Rope after rope coated their two bodies as he came down from his high. Breathing hard, he looked over and smiled at him. 56. Keep Going Still breathing hard, he looked over at Axl, not sure what he had just said. "Wha?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked again, his own cut cock hard. "Yea." He mumbled, though not exactly sure what he was talking about. Grinning wickedly, he leaned in for a kiss. Their tongues battled, though not for long. His heart was still racing from his orgasm. Axl reached over his chest and pulled at Blaine's left hand. Tugging it, Blaine groaned and finally rolled over on top of his boyfriend. Still kissing, he felt Axl reached between their bodies. A hand pressed against his stomach and he felt his cum being scooped into his palm. Almost as if they were in one mind, he scooted down until felt Axl's length press against his ass. Tilting his hips a bit, lowered himself on to him. His cock slid easily inside him, coated with all his cum. "Sam!" Axl shouted, causing Blaine to jump. "What are…" he began, then became silent as the bed bounced. Not looking back he felt a shadow fall atop him, along with extra body heat. Axl's mouth smirked as he scooped up more cum. Turning his head to the side, he watched Sam's uncut cock coming close enough to be touched. Reaching out, Axl gripped Sam. Groaning, he thrusted a couple of time until his foreskin rolled back enough so Blaine's cum coated the entirety of it. The bed dipped lower, and Blaine dropped his chest more to give Sam room to enter him as well. "What's going on?" he heard Shawn ask. "Umm….if you can't figure it out…I don't think you're in the right room." Sam said from behind. Suddenly he felt weight press against Axl's cock, as if trying to flatten it out. There was a searing pain that seemed to creep up into his spine as Sam actually slid the head into him. Hissing, he dropped his head onto Axl upper chest. The pain was horrible, much more than he had imagined. "Ohh!" cried out as more pressure was added. "Stop Sam." Axl said, with real concern in his voice. "No…" he grunted, lifting his head slightly to look into Axl's eyes. "Yes." Said Sam, beginning to pull out. "No!" he commanded in a voice so forceful he halted. "B, this is hurting you too much." Axl whispered so softly that he was sure no one else could hear it. "Just let me get use to it Ax." He whispered. "Keep going." He said louder. Axl's brow crinkled, then nodded reluctantly. His head tilted to the side and Axl nodded to Sam. The pain returned as Sam went further, though he was able to keep from crying out like before. Instead, he kept his head down, hiding the tears that were leaking form his eyes. Below him, Axl shifted just a bit and suddenly Sam slid the rest of the way inside him with one push. "Shit!" he roared, though he couldn't help but smile down into Axl's concerned face. "What's going on….." he heard Coopers voice…then heard a mumbled apology and the sound of a door closing came to him. "You know…that kind of looks hot." Said Shawn coming closer. "I don't think I'd ever want to try that." Rumbled Darren's low voice. "Well….of course not. Your dick is big enough by itself….how do you think it would feel to have two of them inside you." Said Shawn. "Yea…" Darren trailed off." That's my point, now come over here and ride it." he said, moving off to the right. "What have we done to them Ax?" he asked with a smirk. "I don't hear them complaining…" he trailed off as the sound of slapping flesh began to become louder. "Ok…" came Sam's voice. "Let's get back on track here. This feels good….I like feeling Axl's dick against mine….but I think it feels better to go as fast as you want when you're not hindered by it being too tight. "Look…" he said, "Both of you just start to speed up…I want both you to cum inside me at the same time." He said excitedly. Already Sam was beginning to speed up, though not much. Below him, Axl started to move in and out, but was also limited by their positions. "That's going to be hard to do." Sam quavered. "Why?" he asked, then dropped off as Sam came to a halt. Hot liquid filled him, as Sam shook. He could feel it each time Sam's dick twitched, followed by another spurt of cum. "Dude!" Axl said, looking disappointed. "You should have said that at the beginning bud." Sam chuckled, though with a bit of an edge to his voice. Axl frowned down up at him, silently asking Blaine what was wrong with Sam. Returning the expression, he couldn't see what Sam was doing anymore. To give Axl a better view, he tilted his head just enough for Axl to get a clear shot to Sam's face. Immediately, he noticed Axl staring from above him, then over to the right to the sounds of Darren and Shawn. Shrugging, he began to open his mouth but Sam pulled out all the way. Axl's face transformed into something like amusement. "I can feel his jizz running down my cock and balls…it feels funny." He said. Sam was now on the other side of the bed staring down at them. His face relaxed and his smile returned, but only for a moment. Leaning in, put his mouth to his ear. "I think I'm gunna go Blaine. I've got some stuff to do at home." He whispered apologetically. "What?" he asked, disappointed, knowing it wasn't true. "I'll call you later." He said, giving him a quick kiss, then turned his head up to Axl and nudged Blaine's aside so he could kiss him face to face. Before he could say another word, Sam walked toward the door, opened it, and finally left. Feeling let down, he looked down at Axl. "What was that?" he heard Shawn ask from over by the bean bag chair. "Sam left." Axl said, giving Blaine a sad smile. "Why?" he asked as the sound of slapping flesh came to a halt. "Dunno…."Axl said, looking over towards then. Blaine could tell Axl was eyeing them with suspicion. He had noticed how much closer the two were, and how Darren had looked at Sam. Maybe Axl couldn't see it, but Blaine knew what paranoid jealousy looked like. "He said he'd call Blaine later. So…let's continue. Shawn, you still haven't fucked me yet." He said, winking at Blaine. "Hey!" came a disgruntled Darren as there was a flurry of activity The bed bounced as he jumped on it. "Can Shawn…you know?" he asked tentatively. Knowing what he meant, he hesitated. Seeming to understand, Axl waved away the question. "God your hole is hairy." Came Shawn's muffled voice. Blaine let out a snort as Axl cheeks turned pink. His eyes widened and began thrusting in to Blaine harder than he'd done in a long time. "That feels so good…" Axl said voice shaky Then he lifted his head toward Blaine's left armpit. Grinning, he opened it and lowered his chest. What had just been an experiment in the beginning, Axl seemed to rotate everything sexually around hairy armpits. Used to it now, Blaine enjoyed it immensely. His tongue swirled around in the depression enough that the hair started to curl around it. Axl mumbled something he couldn't make out. Pulling back, he stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "I said I could suck your pits all day." He said, then pushed his head back up into the mass of hair. "What is it with you and armpits." Asked Darren. Blaine turned his head and jumped as he was only a couple inches away from his face. Somehow, he had stealthily approached the bed and got to his knees without anyone noticing. Ignoring the question, Axl switched sides. Darren sat up and crawled on the bed, laying on his back right next to Axl. Blaine peered at him, then looked down at his massive slab of meat. "You want me to jerk off for you?" he asked in a low voice. As he watched, one of Darren's large hands trailed down his chest until his fingers pushed into his dark blond bush. Blaine nodded, not able to turn his eyes away. His hand wrapped around the shaft and slowly began to move it up and down. Squeezing the head, a thick bead of precum leaked out of the piss lit onto his index finger. Lifting it, his hand swung over to Blaine's head. Automatically, he opened his mouth and Darren pushed his finger into his lips. Blaine savored the salty taste of it even as Darren wrapped his hand back around his shaft. He was pumping really slow…annoying slow. "Go faster." He whispered, though he knew the other two would hear him. Grinning, he picked up the pace enough for his large nuts to bounce around. Below him, he could feel Axl starting to shake. Realizing he couldn't feel a tongue pressed into his right pit, he briefly looked down and noticed Axl watching Darren with just as much fascination. "Two hands." Axl murmured. Chuckling softly, he added his left and alternated which one passed over the engorged head. "I'm getting close." He whispered to them, a slight pink color creeping up his chest. "Do it." He pleaded, wanting to see him blow his load all over his chest. "Oh fuck." Hissed Axl, pounding into Blaine's ass. Feeling Axl's cum squirting inside him, he groaned. Next to them, Darren closed his eyes and bucked into his hand. Cum flew out, covering him more than Blaine thought was possible. He gave his own cry and looked down. He hadn't even noticed Shawn's hand had wrapped around his uncut cock. Clear liquid sprayed all over Axl's chest as he came as well. Breathing hard, he made as if to collapse atop Axl. The bed shook as Shawn stood atop it. Somehow, he was able to lift Blaine off Axl and placed him atop Darren. Cum dripped from his hole, running down his thighs. Still hard Darren, pointed his dick up towards the ceiling. Shawn looked like he was just going to drop him, but seeing Darren's ready member, lowered him onto it. The thickness stretched his now very messy ass, though not in a way that he'd be sore tomorrow. Almost immediately after he felt his ass sitting atop Darren's bush, did he begin to thrust into him with urgency. Looking down into his blue eyes, he leaned in, pushing his tongue into his mouth. Groaning into his mouth, Darren shook as pulled back. Turning their heads, they watched Shawn scoot forward, his dick aimed at Axl's entrance. They paused, both looked into each other's eyes as he gently pushed the head into Axl. Puffing, Axl's face broke into a grin as came to a halt with his entire length inside him. "I think your dick if just too big for Axl." Blaine whispered conspiratorially to Darren. Axl and Shawn turned their heads over to look at them. "That's alright…I like you thick cock inside me." He winked. "Well….Axl's ass is tighter than yours…but yours is slicked up and ready to go." He said, shifting his hips side to side. "He is tight." Shawn said pulling back a bit and thrusting harder into him. "Your dick feels good. "Axl looked up at Shawn. "but I love Blaine's foreskin." "It does feel different." Darren rumbled, reaching out and stroking Blaine's soft member. Darren tried to jerk it off but it remained flaccid. Raising an eye brow, he looked into Blaine's eyes. "Hey…" he chuckled, "it does have its limits. Give it time to recover." Giving a nod, Darren released his penis and began slamming into him. Getting an idea, he smirked and put a hand down on Darren's chest. Slowing, he looked up. Lifting a finger, he pushed off Darren and stood on the bed. Next to them, Shawn paused in his pounding Axl. Moving around, he stood behind Shawn for a moment. Apparently thinking Blaine was about to fuck him, he reached back and opened his cheeks for him to inspect. Laughing, he gently slapped the left side before pulling him until he was close the foot of the bed. Looking back up at Shawn, he made pulling gesture. After moment, he understood and reached out for Axl's ankles. Still on his back, Axl was yanked until his ass was once more within range of Shawn's dick. Blaine crawled over atop Axl until he was directly above his cock. Now in a 69 position, he looked back at Darren, then at his ass in the air. Getting the idea, he scrambled up behind him and immediately thrust all the way inside. Letting out a cry, peered upside down at Axl. Smiling, he pursed lips and tried to lean up to Blaine's still flaccid dick. Feeling a tongue press into the area between the foreskin and his head, it grew hard quickly. From this angle, Shawn's dick was the same distance from his face. Ignoring it, he wrapped his lips around Axl and bobbed his head until he took the whole thing in his mouth. Every few thrusts from Darren seemed to get him closer to the edge, especially with Axl nibbling on his extra skin and poking his thumb into his hole. Tilting his head just a bit, he was able to make out Shawn and Darren's shadows falling across the bed. Both were kissing deeply, their foreheads pressing against each other. Darren thrust harder before, hitting his prostate. Moaning, he shook, feeling the releasing coming. Too engrossed into watching their shadows, he hadn't heard Axl's warnings. Suddenly, hot salty, though not really very much cum emptied into his mouth. Darren gave another thrust, but with a bit of a twist with his hips. Legs already weak, Blaine's hips gave out. Luckily Axl had anticipated this because his elbows buried into the bed on both sides of his body. Shawn was making grunting noises that indicated how close he was. Hissing, Shawn thrust once more into Axl, his hips shaking intensely. Smiling, he turned his head back to see Axl's expression. Grunting, Darren suddenly pulled out of Blaine's ass and stood up. He reached out and pulled Shawn's head down on the head of his cock roughly. Coughing, Shawn gripped his thighs and pulled Darren as close as possible. He had thought Darren was going to cum in him again, but apparently, he wanted Shawn to have it. Blaine marveled at the way they acted together. Axl's mouth was open as he scooted a little over to the side. Blaine felt Darren's sweat fall across his back as he finally released Shawn's head. At this point, Darren looked and seemed startled to see Axl and Blaine looking up at him. It was almost as if he forgot they were there. "Take a picture…it'll last longer." Piped up Shawn, causing Axl and Blaine to shift their gaze to him. 57. After Again "So, what happened earlier?" he sent Sam a text. "Oh…." He read. "Sam…I was really hoping you'd stick around…you're my best friend…..Axl doesn't count, he's my love." "Dude….Darren confronted me." "What did he do?" asked Axl, who was lying next to him. Earlier, Axl asked if Blaine wouldn't mind taking him home tomorrow. That way Darren and Shawn could drive his car home, and yet he could stay with Blaine. Automatically Blaine agreed. He missed sleeping next to his boyfriend. "Explain." He sent to Sam. "I can't say." They read. "That doesn't sound good." Said Axl. "No it doesn't. You don't think he got physical with him do you?" he looked into Axl's eyes, concerned. "No way…he's a big lovable goofball." He chuckled. "Don't worry he didn't hit me or anything." The new message said. " "Well…what did he say? He won't find out from me." He replied. "Sorry. It's not my place. He's got a lot to figure out B…he's confused. Give him some time. I just didn't want to pull focus away from him and Shawn." "Ha! The moment you left Shawn abandoned Darren and joined us on the bed to do Axl….even though Darren was fucking him while Axl reminded Shawn it was his turn." "What did Darren do?" "Whined, then joined us on the bed. Axl was still doing me and I was looking down at Darren's…..he caught me looking and then he jerked off for me. It was hot." "Yea…" Axl chuckled loudly, before pulling the bed covers back and turning off the light. "I bet…you like to watch guys jerk off...lol" "You're a regular perv." Agreed Axl, pulling off his clothes, then pulled Blaine's off. "You're the one who snuck over and watched you friends through the window." He said, a bit defensively. "I was curious." He protested, but sounded humble. "Well…I'm gunna let you go." He read. "I expect a longer explanation tomorrow Sam!" then closed the phone and snuggled up with Axl "I love you…Blaine. "Axl whispered, softly brushing his thumb over his cheek. "Love you too." He kissed his right pectoral, hugging him tight. Letting out a deep breath, Axl chuckled softly and finally kissed his forehead as he drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, he woke with something hot and wet sucking his cock. Smiling, he reached down to pull Axl's hair closer to his crotch. The hair was too shot to be Axl's. Also his head was still resting atop his chest. Automatically he knew who it was. Gripping his hair, he pulled his head over to the right until it hovered over Axl's crotch. Almost immediately, his boyfriend stirred. Once awake, he flung the blanket off of them, exposing their covered bodies to the fresh air. Turning his head Blaine lifted Axl's left arm into the air. Leaning in, he sucked at his pits. Axl gave a loud moan, his hips thrusting up into Cooper's mouth. The bed shifted and bounced in the dark. Unable to see, Blaine stared at the shadows. Feeling heat coming close to his groin, he began to reach down. Something hot and tight encompassed his cock. He let out a gasp as he felt Coopers' nuts finally come to rest against his belly button. Quite unexpectedly, Cooper was sitting on him, his cock buried into his older brothers' ass. Scared he was going to freak Axl out, he tried to push him off. Instead, Axl stood up and placed each foot on both sides of Blaine's body. Suddenly he heard a slurping sound the he recognized as a cock getting sucked. Letting out a huge breath of relief, he thrust his cock up into Cooper's tight hole. "Give it to him B." Axl whispered softly. That's all it took for Blaine to let loose. Cooper let out a groan as was pounded mercilessly. Though not as furry as Axl's hole, it was still fairly covered. Still thrusting, he reached out and took hold of Cooper's member. It was so hard the foreskin had already pushed back to the base. Grinning, he slowly pulled it back over the head before pushing it back down. Slowing, he leaned forward and was just barely able to lich the head of his cock. Letting out a moan, Cooper pulled at his head until Blaine was able to wrap his lips around the whole head. After a few moments, Cooper released his hold and Blaine fell back until his head hit the pillows. "How does it feel to have your little brother fuck you like a bitch?" he heard Axl growl. Grimacing, he slowed, expecting Cooper to flip out. "It's alright…he's not as big as me." He chuckled darkly. Narrowing his eyes in the dark, he pounded upward with all his might. "I think he heard you." Axl said, leaning forward. "I know, I wanted him to do me harder and I knew that would do it." He said. Slowing, Blaine let out a snort and then resumed his frantic pace. "I'm close." Axl said shakily. "Eat his cum Coop." he ordered, feeling his own release rapidly approaching. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, then added." I'm going to fuck the shit out of you Axl." he breathed. "Crap."Blaine cried, overloaded with the last statement. One last thrust and he came inside Cooper, groaning as his cock twitched with each spurt shooting into his ass. Above, Axl let out a small whimper, followed by a low groan. "Mmmm" moaned Cooper, his mouth filling with semen. Spent, Blaine didn't move as Cooper pushed Axl down onto the bed. Still shaking from his orgasm, Axl felt his legs lifted into the air. Though he wanted to watch, Blaine was afraid how real the situation would become once he actually saw what had happened. Luckily, he was able to make out the shadow of Cooper scooting forward and placing Axl's legs on his shoulders. Cooper lowered his head and Blaine was just able to see a rope of Axl's cum fall atop the area he guessed was where Coopers cock was. Apparently he hadn't eaten the whole load of cum. Lazily, Blaine reached over just as Cooper was about to push inside. Halting, he wait as Blaine gripped his cock and aim it at his boyfriend's hole. Pushing forward a bit, Blaine removed his hand. Bringing it to his mouth, he sucked the remnants of his seed off his fingers. Axl let out a low moan as Cooper buried himself to the hilt. Cooper leaned forward and kissed Axl once, then pulled back. After a couple of experimental thrusts, he began to increase his efforts steadily. Beside him, Axl reached out and gripped Blaine's hand. Smiling gently, Blaine scooted closer until they were shoulder to shoulder. Cooper pounded into him relentlessly, just as he promised. After a bit, Axl looked towards him. "Yea…" said Cooper in the darkness. "It takes me a while to cum…be patient." He said with a chuckle. As he continued to fuck him, Blaine soon became impressed. It really was taking him a while. It wasn't like he was going slow either. Impressed, he looked up at his brother's shadow with surprise. There was a chuckle, then a hand reached out and gripped his soft cock. Just from the feel, he knew it was Axl. His hands were smaller, and gripped him just right. Crossing his arms, he gripped Axl. Slowly, they worked each other at a steady pace. After what felt like hours…which was probably only three or four minutes, Cooper began to pant and groan loudly. "Close?" Blaine asked. "Ahh…" Cooper barked with one last thrust. Cum shot out of Axl's cock as he felt the hot seed filling his ass. Knowing what was happening, Blaine grunted, and shot his own load into Axl's hand. Panting, Cooper fell back and looked at them both in the dark "Kiss." Axl said, looking between Cooper and Blaine. "Umm…."said Blaine. "I don't think that's necessary." Cooper chuckled. "Oh, Come on." Axl groaned. Through the dark, he met his brothers' eyes. They both shook their head at the same time, smiling at Axl's disappointment. 58. Three's Company "Want some company?" Blaine sent Axl a text. "I think you know the answer to that question." "Well…we got out of school early today and I wanted to see you so I'm heading that way." "That's sweet! Come pick me up at school." "Aren't you worried about everyone seeing us?" he asked. "Dude…you're my other half. I don't care what they think…. though I wouldn't you know…do anything with you so the whole world could see. Unless you ordered me of course." "I'll be there." He sent, feeling his heart lift with emotion. Familiar with Orson High School now, he made his way around to where the students parked their vehicles. Over on the curb, he parked his car. At first he was going to get out and wait, but as soon as half opened the door, a blast of icy coldness flooded the cab. Closing the door, he turned up the heat again, and just looked towards the school. Looking at the clock on the dashboard, he figured he'd have just enough time to listen to a track of his favorite drum corps shows. He hadn't gone on about it with Axl, though he knew he liked instrumental music. Pretty much everyone focused on his vocal abilities. McKinley didn't have a very good instrumental program, so he had decided to abstain from joining when he switched schools last year. Turning up the volume, he closed his eyes and let the music take him away. There was a loud thump and the car shook. Sitting bolt upright, he looked at the passenger side door. He had barely turned the music down before Axl pulled the door open and climbed in. "Did you…" he began but was forced to stop by Axl's lips greeting his own. His tongue entered his mouth with want, a hand already going down to his crotch. Meeting his eyes, he gave Axl a lazy smile, then noticed another person right behind him. Realizing the placement of Axl's hand, he swatted it away. Smiling, Axl pulled back and rubbed their noses together. "Hi," he whispered softly, kissing Blaine's cheek. "Hi." Returned, then nodded to the boy behind him. "Oh!" Axl said, with a twist of his head. "This is Ben Braedon. He's knew and he's been hanging with Shawn, Darren and myself. He's gunna hang out with us this afternoon. I've gotta take him home later. Can he ride with us to my house B?" he asked. "If you don't mind." Said the boy, sounding kind of animated. "Come on in." he said, unlocking the back doors. "What about your car Ax?" he asked him as a Ben pushed a box to the far side of the back seat before scooting inside. "Shawn's going to drive it home later. He's having to tutor a freshman about trigosomething." He said, closing the door. "Trigonometry." Ben said, also closing his own door. Blaine looked at Ben, feeling like he knew him from somewhere. He was very attractive, his skin was a pink color, like Axl's. Short black hair, a clear face with no evidence of acne. He recognized the box as being an instrument case, most likely a trumpet. His heavy coat was black, but with red stripes going around the left side of the sleeves. Opening his mouth to ask him about it, he fell silent as Axl unzipped his fly. Automatically, he slapped Axl's hand away. But only having a single hand to fend off two of Axl's made it impossible. "Ax…stop." He whispered, glancing at the back seat, not wanting to gross out a straight guy. "He's gay." Axl said loudly, then went right back to working at his zipper. Glancing back, Ben gave a single nod with a smirk. "Well…what if I don't want him to see my…" he mumbled, Axl's fingers already pulling his growing member out of his briefs. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of B. Does he?" Axl asked, glancing back. "I'm not going to look Axl." Ben laughed, "Blaine has his right of privacy." Blaine could hear the longing in his voice, and suddenly he didn't really care as he reached his full size. "Go ahead." Blaine said softly. Immediately Ben scooted forward and peered down at want Axl was holding. Axl let out a snort at how fast Ben had reacted. Blaine had to admit, it was kind of funny just how ready he was to accept the offer. Axl rolled his foreskin down until the head was uncovered. Giving the shaft a squeeze, he lifted his fingers until a small bead of precum pooled at his piss slit. Blaine moaned and bit his bottom lip. "Nice…huh?" Axl said, sounding smug. "Dean's uncut as well." He replied, scooting back and looking at Blaine in the rearview mirror. "He big?" Blaine asked, the hissed as Axl went down on him. "yea….around eight or so." He said, not breaking eye contact with him. There was something going on with Ben. It was like they knew each other already, though he knew it wasn't possible. Axl's tongue wrapped around his head before he started bobbing up and down. Ben was biting his lip, as if he wanted to do something. He was cute, but he wouldn't feel comfortable if he wanted to fool around. they hadn't even known each other for five minutes. Sitting back up, Ben reached around and tapped Axl on the back. When he didn't stop, Blaine coughed loud enough for Axl to get the hint. Looking frustrated, he turned around to look at Ben. Waving him back conspiratorially, Axl leaned in. Unable to hear anything, Blaine watched them warily. Nodding, Axl leaned forward, then halted and pulled at Blaine's foreskin. Ben leaned forward and shook his head as Blaine felt Axl's fingers tapping different spots. Finally, Ben glanced at him, then at Axl. After a moment's hesitation, Ben reached down and took hold of Axl's fingers. Guiding them down, he stopped at a certain point. Ben nodded and sat back in the seat with a smirk across his face. Feeling nervous, Blaine watched as Axl leaned in. After a couple of nibbles, there was something like an electric current that shot through his body starting at the spot on the foreskin he bit down on. letting out a scream, he shot his load immediately, filling Axl's mouth with his cum. Shaking he leaned down and suddenly the car shuddered and shook as he crashed into wooden fence, and then into a ditch. It was amazing how fast his dick deflated after he had just been so hard. Axl released his cock and swallowed. Then, as if noticing they were no longer moving, sat up. His face went white as he realized they had crashed. Shaking, Blaine tucked himself away opened the door. Stepping out, he looked down at the damage. The front end was smashed enough for the hood to fly open., the right headlight busted, and paint scraped and crinkled on the driver's side door. Even as he turned to Axl, flashing red and blue lights announced the arrival of a police officer. Feeling tears leaking from his eyes from rage, he turned away from Axl, went back to the car and pulled out his information. Not trusting himself to talk to Axl, he walked over and handed the police lady his papers. Looking sympathetic, she still had him do a few tests just to make sure he wasn't drunk. Turning on a small flashlight, she peered into his eyes to make sure he wasn't on drugs as well. It became clear to her that it was just an accident. He had decided to go with a deer crossing the road in front of him, since there were a few trees on the sides of the road. Luckily, the officer said that wasn't uncommon for the area. Calling his mom, Blaine explained the situation and said he'd pay to get the car back to Lima. At this point, Axl said he'd take him home if he wanted. Unable to help feeling resentful, he shook his head and made plans for Cooper to come pick him up. A few minutes later, and tow truck pulled up and got his car out of the ditch. Letting the car come to rest on the ground, the man said it would drive fine. If the hood hadn't been messed up he could have driven it home. explaining he had another job to do, he'd send an associate back with another truck since he wasn't ready to head home yet. After filling out a couple more forms, the officer gave him her card if he needed anything and left, followed by the truck. Alone, Blaine turned to see Axl sitting in the passenger seat, head buried in his hands. Ben was looking at Blaine, as if to ask him over to comfort Axl. Ignoring him, he pulled his coat on and walked around the car, trying to cool down. Knowing it was an accident wasn't making it any easier to deal with the situation. Instead of just waiting by his car, he walked down the road to a gas station he noticed. Once there, he went in and bought three hot chocolates and some chips. Hands full, he made his way back to his broken car. Though the car was still there, Axl and Ben were not. Frowning, he hurried over to it and noticed a note on the seat. Sitting the drinks down, he opened the door and scooted inside, lifting the piece of paper. "I'm so sorry B…I shouldn't have done that. I feel like shit and will give you some space for a while. I still love you and hope you love me as well. Contact me when you've had time to think. I'll pay for it all somehow, I promise." Axl Sighing, he looked down at the note and then at the empty passenger seat. Feeling tears starting to makes tracks down his cheeks, he kicked the two hot chocolates he had gotten for Ben and Axl. The hot liquid splattered the legs of his jeans as the Styrofoam broke. Raising his cell phone, he started to dial Axl's number but he hesitated, then finally put it away. He did need time to cool down. He still loved Axl and this wasn't going to change that. This was going to be the first fight of their relationship, and he wanted to get through it as fast as possible. Acting too rashly could cost him everything. After what felt like hours, he heard a vehicle coming to a stop. Hoping it was Cooper, he realized it was the tow truck. Knowing he'd have to wait in the cold until Cooper came, he groaned. Incredibly, Cooper was right before the truck. Letting out a relieved breath of air, he got his belongings and put them in his ride home while his car was prepped for travel. Axl's POV "It was my fault." Ben told him. "How do you figure?" he asked, his voice hoarse from being so upset. "I shouldn't have told you to do that. I knew what that can do to a guy, and yet I went ahead and told you to do it." He confessed. To a certain extent, Axl agreed. But it was a weak argument. He was the one who had pushed the issue even after Blaine had tried to push him away. shaking his head, he continued on his way to his house. Hearing a banging noise next to him, he looked over and watched as Ben shifted the instrument case over to his right hand while re adjusting his backpack with his left. For a moment, he wanted to stop and head back, hoping Cooper wouldn't mind driving them to his house. Ben had quite a lot to carry. Deciding to help, he reached over and took the case away from Ben. Looking stunned, he gave Axl a sweet smile and let out a breath of air. "Thanks." He mumbled. "No prob. So…what is this thing?" he asked, trying to get his mind off the mess he made. "A trumpet. I've gotta practice because I've got to go to my last camp audition before I get a contract to march this summer." He said, sounding excited. "Blaine's into that kind…." he began, but dropped off after he realized what he was saying. "Well." Axl could tell Ben was dying to say something, but hesitated. "Go on." He said. "That song Blaine was listening to when you opened the car door was actually made while I marched at finals last August." He said in a rush. "You're on a cd?" he asked, coming to a stop. "Carolina Crown is. That's the corps he was listening to and what I was in." I was dying to talk to him about it but…" he mourned. "Here," he set the case down and wrote Blaine's cell number on it. "text him dude. He'd go nuts if he knew you were part of that group. It'll give you a chance to mention how sorry I am." he Said, half joking, half serious. "I'm sure he'll come around man. Like I said, it was my fault. I wanted to see if it would affect him like it effected Dean. It was stupid because Dean's had time to try different stuff so something like that…" he broke off." Dude…it really was stupid for me to suggest that to you. I did that to him while we were driving on the interstate and he almost wrecked." he shook his head. "Well…when you text him tell Blaine I'm sorry again." Axl said, beginning to walk again. He must have really been dazed because he heard a jingle that made him halt. Ben was jogging towards him. Apparently he had gone on for quite a ways without even realizing Ben wasn't beside him. The way Blaine had looked at him was what had hurt worst of all…as if he was stupid. That was one of the things he easily got hurt about. It was common knowledge he wasn't that smart, and for Blaine too confirm that was awful. Suddenly he didn't really care what Blaine thought. Remembering Blaine had traveled all the way to Orson to be with him, he felt guilty again. Frustrated, he kicked an empty glass bottle by the road. Due to the cold, the bottom of the bottle had frozen into the ground. When he kicked it, the top half shattered, leaving the frozen bottom with the jagged edges sticking in the air. Seeing this, Ben had yanked Axl back just before his foot would have come down atop it. Without warning, Axl lost it. Feeling tears leak down his cheeks, he looked away from Ben and walked into a stand of trees until he could compose himself. Sounds of Ben's foot fall began to increase, but they halted just before he was about to scream for the kid to go away. taking a few breathes, he turned and met Ben's eyes. he didn't find a face full of mockery, or even sympathy. Giving him a smile, Ben patted his back and began walking toward his house again, not saying a word. "Blaine…?" he read, pulling out his cell phone. "Yea?" he frowned, looking down at his phone. "It's Ben." "Oh." He wondered how he got his number, but immediately knew how. "Look…You know Axl didn't mean for that to happen. It was my fault. I tried telling Axl that but all he keeps saying is that it's his fault. He loves you, you know." Staring at the words, he started to feel heat rise up his face. He wondered if Axl had put him up to saying this. Looking back down, he looked at the new message. "Axl didn't tell me to say that. He only gave me your number because he thought I'd make you feel better because of who I am." "How does he figure that…" he typed, and said aloud. "What?" asked Cooper, looking over at him. "I'm a member of Carolina Crown." "No fucking way!" he shouted into the silent car. "What?!" Cooper huffed. He wasn't in the best mood, having to drive all the way to Orson to pick him up. "Your pulling my leg." He sent, though he knew he wasn't. he recalled the coat Ben had been wearing. It was the same as their show was last summer. "Blaine…you're not going to break up with Axl are you?" The statement stunned him. "Of course not. I love him dude. He's mine and I'm his….forever. That doesn't mean I can't get pissed at him when times warrant it." He explained. Axl's POV. "Of course not. I love him dude. He's mine and I'm his….forever. That doesn't mean I can't get pissed at him when times warrant it." Axl read. Looking up at Ben, Axl gave him a watery smile. 59. An Unexpected Journey "What?" Axl asked, looking over at Ben. "I asked, was that your first fight?" he chuckled. "Yea." He said, feeling bad again. He had never felt like that when any of his past relationship partners. The way Blaine looked at him actually made his heart hurt. Yes, Ben shouldn't have suggested the other thing, but it was his idea for starting it. What made it worse was that Blaine's car was really nice…probably worth ten times as much as his junker. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he would help pay for the repairs. It occurred to him Ben was still talking to him. Cursing himself, he stopped and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry…just thinking." He confessed, before they went on their way. "I was saying that your fight wasn't bad at all." He said, looking up at the sky, notice snow beginning to fall in earnest. "Was your first fight that bad?" he asked, curious. "Umm." He dragged it out "No." he finally confessed. "Well then I think in it deep." He groaned. "Axl…when I first got together with Dean." He paused and stared at him intently, as if wondering how much he could divulge. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." He said, knowing he had to hear about Ben's past. "I was 14…and he was dating my mom." He said quietly, pink crawling up his skin. "Dude!" he let out, then bit his tongue. "Both my arms were broken and I couldn't…wash myself. My mom offered to give me a bath." He said. "I wouldn't want my mom to give me a bath. I mean, you had already started puberty and well…" he let the sentence die. "Exactly. I'd rather smell like crap before I let her see my stuff. So, Dean helped me instead. At that time I had figured out I was gay and had the hugest crush on Dean…which I'm sure you can appreciate." He grinned, looking over. "Yea," he admitted, "he's a stud." He confessed. "I hadn't jerked off in over a week and as soon as I was naked and had to step into the tub I was so hard. At first he looked a little nervous about it, but tried to play it cool. After I was clean, he scrubbed my junk and I moaned rather loudly…loud enough for him to pause and look at me." He whispered. "I bet…not having clean the pipes for that amount of time." He nodded, glancing down at Ben's crotch, where there was a large bulge. He could feel his own erection as Ben went on. "He asked if I wanted some help and he jerked me off three times in a row…it felt so good. Though he was wearing swimming trunks, I could he was hard as well, when I looked back up I noticed his stomach had my cum all over it. He took me to bed then went to bed himself. At my old house there was a balcony that adjoined our rooms so I snuck out and spied on him when he laid on his bed. He jerked off to. I said to myself he was going to be mine somehow. He would have never gone that far with me if I hadn't sat on his dick while he was asleep. By the time he had woken up he was balls deep inside me. He couldn't stop at that point and It was awesome when I felt him cum inside me." He said, voice husky and readjusting his hard on. "I know what you mean." He agreed, remembering when he had let Blaine fuck him the first time. "It felt so hot…and good even with the little bit of stinging I felt because my hole wasn't use to that much stretching." "Well…I was only 14 when I sat on him…he's not small at all." He went on, like it was a contest. "It musta hurt dude." He mourned. "It did, but I wanted it. Luckily for him, when I started to do him I hadn't grown to what I am now…it was pretty easy for him. Let's stop talking Axl." He said, sounding tight. "Sorry, I didn't mean to press Ben." He apologized sincerely. "No…it's not that. I'm hard as a rock and won't be able to take care of it anytime soon." He pointed down. "Um…." He hesitated, knowing Blaine didn't care about messing around with Shawn and Darren. "You know…he we don't…kiss or anything, I think Blaine would be OK with it…. since we're just going to get each other off I mean." He proposed, hoping Blaine wouldn't mind. "Really? Blaine wouldn't mind?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "He doesn't care when Darren and Shawn mess around with me…." He groaned as the last word left his lips. "What?" he asked, astonished. "Nothing. Let's just get home." He said quickly, looking at the increasing amount of snow falling by the minute. It seemed Ben kept trying to say something, but he couldn't make it out at all. The wind was growing stronger along with the thickness of snowflakes. Instead of staying next to the road, he decided to cut through the backyards of his neighbors. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Ben's arm and pulled him to the side. Now behind him, Ben was able to keep up. Finally, he came to his sliding back door, and they ducked inside. Immediately, the storm was nonexistent. Winded, he dropped the trumpet case to the floor and shrugged off his coat. Ben dropped his bag atop the trumpet and it promptly spilled to the floor. Ignoring the mess, Ben looked around and pulled his coat off as well. Axl studied him, wondering what the boy had to work with. Feeling his cell vibrate, he reached in and pulled it out. Hoping to see Blaine's number, instead he looked down at his mom's cell number. Sighing, he opened it and found out it would be a while before the rest of the family made it home. His dad going to have to pick her up, along with Brick and Sue due to the sudden storm. Turning, he looked at Ben and let out a shout of laughter. Wearing only boxers, he sat on the couch and looked at the Tv, a huge tent visible. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow in question. He had no idea that he did the exact thing as him. His skin was a bit tanner than his, but not as dark as Blaine's most of the hair on his chest was sprinkled around his navel, except for right between his pecs. Ben's upper chest wasn't a broad as either of theirs, but his shoulders' larger though. Biting his lip, he looked closer at the fold of where his armpit was, wondering what was there. Hearing cough, Axl looked up and met Ben's eyes. there was a playfulness there that he hadn't seen before. Almost as if he knew what he'd been wondering, he stretched his arms to the ceiling revealing the thick mess of black pit hair. Almost feeling his mouth water, he turned away and made his way to his room, shrugging off his own clothes. By the time he passed through his bedroom door, he had discarded all his clothing except his boxers. Bounding onto his bed, he flipped over on his back and looked up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. Absentmindedly, he reached down and tugged at his chubby cock, not actually jerking it. Reaching in through the opening in the front, he scratched at his nuts a little, slowly working up and down. "How big are you?" "What?" he yelled, alarmed at the voice so close to him. "Sorry…. couldn't help but…well…I'm gay and ant chance that comes around to see a hot guys junk, I go for it." He whispered, face turning pink. "Dude, I totally forgot you were here." He chuckled, embarrassed. "Well…we were talking about sex stuff on the way here, and I'm horny. It sounded like you wanted to mess around earlier. Not gunna pass that up if possible." he confessed looking down at Axl's hand. Axl wanted to so bad, but Blaine's last expression was still in his mind. He didn't want to do anything that could prolong Blaine's anger. Sighing, Axl to peered down at his hand in his boxers. Though he wasn't hard as a rock like he had gotten on their journey to his home. Below his chubby cock his nuts hung long and were a bit sweaty. Not able to help it, he pulled his hand out and brought it to his nose. Inhaling, he shuddered at the smell of his sweaty junk. Yes, it was sickening to the vast majority of people. Feeling his cock stir a bit, he sighed and was about to let Ben down easily. "I already texted Blaine while I was on the couch. He doesn't mind as long as there's no kissing or fucking. Let's get to it then." He announced. Looking up, he found himself staring directly at Ben's hard dick poking out of his boxers. Cut with a large dark pink color head. Veins roped down the shaft before disappearing close to the base. Black pubic hair surrounded it, indicating just how thick Ben was down there. Around seven inches long, the thickness of the shaft was a bit thicker than his own. Still contemplating what to do, Ben crawled onto the bed and stood up straight. Stopping even with his lips. Feeling his erection growing harder, he looked up at Ben's smiling face. Without warning, Ben reached out and took hold of Axl's head. Breaking eye contact, he stared ahead. Ben's hands pulled his head forward so fast he had just opened his mouth in surprise. Suddenly, his lips wrapped around the shaft at the base. Breathing in through his nostrils. He smelled the same sweaty odor as his own from a few moments ago. He remained motionless for a few more seconds before Ben started to pull push his mouth back and forth along his member. "So fucking good you little faggot." He growled down at him. Eyes widening, he halted for a moment before winking and resuming his bobbing motion. "Want me to suck you?" he asked, voice still sounding angry. "Alright then." He grinned. Stepping back, Ben's dick created a loud popping noise as the head passed his lips. Yanking Axl's boxers down. Ben looked at his member before looking up and giving a nod of approval. Ducking down, Ben made short work of his cock. plopping onto his stomach on the bad as he sucked at his nuts and wrapped his tongue around each. Axl shuddered as Ben lifted his legs in the air. Knowing what he was doing, Axl reached down and pulled his cheeks apart, making it easier to access. Letting out a little gasp, he closed his eyes as a tongue slipped through the tight rim. Hearing this, he redoubled his effort to his hole. A hand wrapped around his shaft and began to pump with gaining speed. Reaching down, he yanked Ben up by his hair and pushed his head into Axl's armpits. There was a tiny chuckle before the wetness began to spread. Making his way back down his torso, he halted briefly to lick gently bite each nipple. Finally, his head was hovered over his dick. going down, he began to work his shaft with before pushing his tongue at his piss slit. Holding onto his head board as he felt a finger slip into his ass. not even a minute later, Axl felt the digit poking at his prostate as the bobbing became a blur. "Shit!" he howled, thrusting up into Ben's face, before he felt the release hit. Ben pressed his finger onto the spot. deciding not to fight anymore, he shot his load. As ben smiled up at him, Axl laughed as two lines of white liquid escaped his mouth at the corners where the smile had caused a gap. The finger retreated from his ass as the last spurt of cum shot into his mouth. shaking, Axl let go of the headboard and laid there breathing hard. Ben over exaggerated the motion of swallowing his mouth of cum. Sliding off the bed, he yanked Axl down to the foot where he was flipped over, landing in a doggy style position. "We can't fuck Ben." He said desperately. "I know." He nodded. Pushing Axl's thighs together, he pushed his dick between them. After a couple of thrusts, he rose and chucked his boxers off. His nuts weren't as big as his own, but they were definitely hairier. Resuming his thigh thrusting, Axl turned back around at his headboard and tried to clamp his thighs together as hard as possible. His movements were becoming erratic, signaling Ben was close. Beginning to let a string of cuss words, Ben pulled back. Axl began to look back at Ben but he suddenly felt his cheeks being pulled apart. Then, he felt Ben slide his cock into his ass. Letting out a surprised scream, felt hot cum filling his hole. Furious, he kicked back and Ben fell to the floor. Rounding on him, Axl began to speak, but his phone that was on the bed vibrated. Glaring, he turned away and picked up the phone. Recognizing Blaine's number, he felt most of his anger ebb. Opening it, he looked at the message and felt the scared he had ever been in his life. There was only one word, but that was all it needed. "HELP!" [ND1]exaggerating 60. Panic p class="MsoNormal" strongspan style="text-decoration: underline;"Blaine's POV/span/strong/p p class="MsoNormal" "So…" Cooper dragged out. "How'd you get your car messed up. The road was a straight away, a low speed limit, and it wasn't covered with snow." He said, pointing out his window as the scenery turned white./p p class="MsoNormal" "I don't really wanna talk about it Coop." he said, not in the mood to let him know the reason when it was something that could be comical./p p class="MsoNormal" "Well…I drove all the way from home to pick you up, even though I was quite busy." He pushed./p p class="MsoNormal" "Doing what?" he asked, looking up at him incredulously./p p class="MsoNormal" "Packing." He said simply./p p class="MsoNormal" "Why?" he asked, suddenly not sure he wanted to know./p p class="MsoNormal" "Got a gig in LA. They're making a movie about male dancers. My agent just happened to be in a conference room when she overheard an argument between two directors. She always has a few shots of me ready just in case of situations like that. They liked what they saw and asked her to get me out here asap." He finished./p p class="MsoNormal" "Your leaving?" he asked, not wanting him to leave./p p class="MsoNormal" "Yep. In two days." He confirmed./p p class="MsoNormal" "Oh." He replied, looking the window./p p class="MsoNormal" To be honest, he'd gotten used to Cooper being around. They'd gotten so close, especially since Axl had come round. There was something that seemed to bridge the gap between the two of them. That first time they'd met each other, Axl had defended him and stayed by his side. He had also come around to watch his Grease musical. As he sat there, he began to feel like he had been too harsh on Axl. It had been just an accident. How did he know what that would do to him. For a few moments, he sat in silence, staring out at the heavy snow covering everything. But even as he watched, it seemed to transform into rain or ice, making it harder to see out of his window at the terrain. Hearing a cough, he looked over and looked at Cooper. Forgetting what they were even talking, he gave him a blank stare./p p class="MsoNormal" "What?" Blaine asked./p p class="MsoNormal" "How did you wreck your car B." he said patiently./p p class="MsoNormal" "Oh," he sighed, then went on "Well…" he broke off, feeling heat creep up his face./p p class="MsoNormal" "Road head?" he asked./p p class="MsoNormal" "Not right now…" he said, then blinked his eyes. "Oh…well yeah, something like that but it was just really intense…something I'd never felt before he…" he broke off again, not wanting to go into details./p p class="MsoNormal" "Well now you'll have to tell me." He chuckled./p p class="MsoNormal" The car shook a bit as they went around a corner. Looking up, Blaine studied the road, but couldn't find it. Cooper slowed and leaned forward, trying to find the path. Blaine wasn't worried until a blast of wind revealed the road in front of them. Instead of pavement, it seemed they were driving on grass. Frowning, he looked over at Cooper and noticed how alarmed his face was. He began to say something, but Cooper held up his hand and scooted closer to the steering wheel. Letting out a small cry, he hit the brakes and the car swung around backwards. Eyes wide, he just had time to see a yellow sign warning about a curve. They just missed the sign and the car leveled off and came to a halt. Letting out a breath of relief, he began to feel safe again. Then the vehicle teetered with a gust of wind and it tipped backward. Closing his eyes, he reached down and grabbed for his phone. So used to texting, he sent a message to Axl without looking at it. Just as he pushed send, the car hit something hard, jarring it from his hand./p p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"Cooper let out a yell as he felt the car roll onto his side. Tears streaming from his closed eyes, he felt warm hands clamping down on his arm. A blast of cold air suddenly filled the car as it slid down on its roof. Screaming as well, Blaine gripped his big brother's hand as they came to a rough halt upside down. Hoping it was over, opened his eyes just as he heard something crack behind him. Shaking from nerves and the cold, he looked around. Smoke hissed out from the engine. Cooper let out a moan, and opened his eyes as well. Finally, when their eyes met, Blaine gave a small smile which Cooper return. With another crack, the back of the car fell and fire covered his back side. A moment later, he realized it wasn't fire but ice water. Now afraid he would drown, he began to panic./p p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;""Blaine!" Cooper yelled. "Calm down!"/p p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;""Cooper…." He began, but halted as he finally noticed they weren't sinking any deeper./p p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"Grunting, Cooper dropped his hand and looked around the cab. Another loud crack and the car sank a couple more inches. His head was submerged into the icy water, making him gasp. Hanging upside down, blood was rushing to his head. Reaching up, to his right, he clicked the seatbelt. No longer strapped down, he dropped heavily into the water. When he gasped in shock, his mouth was filled with the water. It was so cold his teeth hurt. Next to him, Cooper dropped as well but, his side didn't have as much water as his. Shivering, he turned right side up and looked around, wondering how he could escape without getting any wetter. Righting himself as well, Cooper turned around to face Blaine. Shifting a little to the left Cooper gave a grunt as he kicked at his window. After a couple of tries, it finally shattered. More water came in but not much. What was worse was the icy wind filling the cab./p p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;""This is not good." Cooper moaned, peeking his head through the window./p p class="MsoNormal" Cooper pulled back and looked inside again. In just the few seconds is head was outside, his face was red with cold and hair freezing in place. Cooper's shaky hand rummaged around the cap as if looking for something. He gave a his and pulled his hand back, showing a cut from a piece of broken glass. Luckily, it didn't look bad enough to need stitches. Reaching over to the glove box, he yanked it open. A pair of dry gloves flopped down. Cooper caught one, while the other landed in the water. Cursing, he pulled the wet glove on and moved his hand around again. a smile broke out as he pulled his phone out of the water. The smile disappeared as he tried to use it./p p class="MsoNormal" "Not good B….no one knows where we are, and I'm one of them. Did you recognize anything around us that would tell us where that is?" he asked, sounding really worried./p p class="MsoNormal" "No Coop. I couldn't even see a foot in front of us. I sent a message to Axl as we were crashing off the hill. All I had time to say was help and send before it flew out of my hand." He said, worried that Axl might not even feel like looking at a text from him. He'd been so mean to him about what had happened./p p class="MsoNormal" "Thank god!" he said, looking relieved. "He'll come for us then."/p p class="MsoNormal" "I don't know Coop…. I was so mean to him earlier." He said, feeling his heart sink./p p class="MsoNormal" "OK…tell me what happened…in full." He instructed./p p class="MsoNormal" Reluctantly, he explained everything, along with his fear he had been too harsh./p p class="MsoNormal" "No." Cooper said softly with a smile. "Blaine, Axl loves you. I can see that so clearly. He won't rest until he finds us…" he paused, "well at least finds you anyways."/p p class="MsoNormal" "You didn't hear the way I talked to him…" he choked up./p p class="MsoNormal" "Stop!" Cooper said in a loud, deep voice Blaine had never heard before./p p class="MsoNormal" Startled, he looked up at his big brother. Their eyes met and locked in place until he finally was able to calm down. a blast of icy air blew inside, making him shake violently. They were both soaked, and in a snow storm. They risked severe hypothermia, especially with now place to keep warm, dry off, or get out of the wind in sight. Their bodies would deteriorate faster with every passing minute they were exposed to the harsh weather, making frostbite a sure thing. Fear began to creep into his mind as he wondered how on earth anyone was supposed to find them in this. /p p class="MsoNormal" strongspan style="text-decoration: underline;"AXL's POV/span/strong/p p class="MsoNormal" Still fuming, Axl looked down at the text. Something had to have gone wrong. He had never received a message like that from Blaine. He called Blaine's cell, and was startled when it rang several times before it finally switched over to voice mail. From behind him, he heard a couple of soft thumps on the ground. Ready to beat the shit out of Ben, he turned. His anger melted away as he stared at Ben sitting on the floor. A few tears were running down his cheeks and he was holding left arm strangely. Dropping the phone on his bed, he hurried over to him. As he reached out Ben flinched and pushed back, scared out of his mind./p p class="MsoNormal" "Oh shit…" he said quietly, worried by Ben's actions./p p class="MsoNormal" "I'm sorry." He whispered so softly, Axl barely heard him./p p class="MsoNormal" "Look…" he said in a calm voice, reaching out his hand./p p class="MsoNormal" "I'm sorry." He repeated, not taking his hand./p p class="MsoNormal" "Ben…." He paused, then went on. "I'm sorry to. I didn't mean to hurt you at all…it's just…you came inside me and that was a big mistake." He said, and actually reached out and pulled him to his shaky feet./p p class="MsoNormal" "Sorry Axl." He said without meeting his eye./p p class="MsoNormal" "Are you alright?" he asked, gently pulling his arm away from his chest./p p class="MsoNormal" Ben hissed as Axl straightened his elbow. At least it wasn't broken, or even sprained. Still angry, but feeling calmer towards Ben, reached back and pulled grabbed his cell. It was at that moment it occurred to him they were both nude. Looking between them, it was rather odd observed their limp dicks in a tangle of thick pubes. A smile reluctantly spread across his lips. Ben looked at him, then down at their laps then scooted away quickly. Shaking his head, he stood and grabbed at his boxers. Copying his move, Ben pulled on his own as well. Turning, he picked up his phone and redialed the number. Once more, it rang several times before it went to voice mail. Now seriously worried, he looked through the numbers, hoping to find Coopers'. Though it wasn't in his contacts, the number was on a deleted message he had received quite a while ago./p p class="MsoNormal" It rang a couple of times before the line connected. He tried to talk to Cooper, but the static and garbled voices were so bad he couldn't make anything out except a single word of "Help!" in a panic, Axl started pulling on clothes that he found lying around the room. Tring to push his arms through a sleeve, he realized it must be Bricks' because he couldn't get his arm through the opening. Letting a frustrated groan, he ripped it off and through it over on his brothers' bed. The floor shook as Ben came back into his room, pulling on his own pants. Frowning, Ben tried didn't ask about anything but handed him clothes when he pointed at them. Dressed, he looked around, still not thinking clearly./p p class="MsoNormal" "Axl!" Ben yelled, making him pause./p p class="MsoNormal" "What's going on?" he asked forcefully./p p class="MsoNormal" Giving him the low down as he slipped his shoes on his feet, Ben finally looked almost as worried as him. Axl tried to remember what company the tow truck belonged to. Again, Ben spoke out the name. At the time, Axl had been feeling too upset mad at himself to even think pay attention. Running into the living room, he through magazines and books around until he finally found the phone book. The main office picked up on the third ring. Instead of the person asking for a name he let out a line that sounded like a machine recording./p p class="MsoNormal" "This is Greg's Towing, due to the weather, we won't be able to come to any aid until the storm passes. How may I help you?" he listened./p p class="MsoNormal" "Hi…um…my friend ordered a tow truck a while ago and we can't reach him and I was wond-"he was cut off./p p class="MsoNormal" "We can't come and help you at this moment sir as I've ju—"Axl cut him off./p p class="MsoNormal" "Listen!" he yelled, and hoped the person on the other line wouldn't hang up. "Let me finish. The truck was pulling my friends' car back to Lima Ohio. His brother was driving behind the truck. I just got an emergency call from both of my friends asking for help. The line was cut off and I have a feeling they've got into a wreck. In this storm, no one will be able to help or even find them. However, if you'd call you truck on the road, and asked the driver where they are at right now, it will give us a clue to where to start to look. If they can't pick up their cell, something is wrong…please call them and call me back." He pleaded, shaking with rage./p p class="MsoNormal" "Certainly. I'll call you right back." The phone line went silent./p p class="MsoNormal" Axl, started pulling on coats and went digging around for heavier clothes./p p class="MsoNormal" "You can't walk all the way to out there Axl. If you get lost…. how could we find you?" he said, grabbing his arms./p p class="MsoNormal" "I can't just sit here!" he shouted, pushing him back and resumed his look./p p class="MsoNormal" Ben looked at him strangely, then turned away and pulled out his cell. A couple minutes later Ben came rushing back into the room./p p class="MsoNormal" "Axl, Dean's got a truck that has four-wheel drive. We're going to help you find them. Get your stuff and he'll be here in a minute. We'll do wall we can." He said./p p class="MsoNormal" Axl pulled him in, giving him and huge hug without letting him go. Ben patted his back a couple of times then pulled away as Axl got more stuff together. Just as he heard a horn honking outside, his cell rang. The office confirmed they tow truck had been alerted to the news. They pulled over and waited for a few minutes, but no other car was behind them. From that, they guessed they had lost sight of Coopers car two or three miles outside the city limits. They exited Axl's house and made for the pair of headlights that must have been the truck. Looking around, Axl couldn't even see ten feet in front of him. The icy wind and thick deluge of snow was just too much. Yanking the door open, Ben climbed in, followed by Axl. Dean nodded at him as he backed out of the driveway. Dean looked as if he was in his mid to late 30's, too old to be Ben's father. At the moment, he couldn't care less. In the truck, Axl figured they'd be able to get to Blaine in a few minutes./p p class="MsoNormal" The minutes seemed like an eternity, the drivers within the city crawled along the roads so slowly, Axl wanted to get out and run around them. Finally, past the city limits sign all traffic ways were clear, except for the mass of snow collecting on the roads. Dean was talking to Ben, but Axl wasn't paying attention. He had a feeling he knew exactly where he'd find Blaine and Cooper. Ahead the was a slight curve that climbed a hill next to an open woodland. At the bottom of the hill was a small creek that was usually dry. A light yellow light came from ahead of them. After a few moments, he guessed it was the road sign that alert drivers to the road ahead. With that in sight, he pressed his eyes to the glass of the truck door and stared intently at the white landscape. Just barely, he noticed something close to the road./p p class="MsoNormal" The level of snow on the ground wasn't the same depth as that around it. Had he not been staring intently at it, he would have passed it over. Axl lifted up a hand and automatically the truck slowed to a crawl. Way down the hill, Axl could make out a couple of flashing lights. Going with his gut, he grabbed a blanket he had taken from the house, and opened the door. A blast of snow stung his face as he landed on his feet. Without the protection from the cab of the truck, he could no longer make out where he had seen the lights. Not really caring, he dashed forward down the hill. halfway down, he tripped but managed to catch himself before he landed face down in the snow. Right next to his foot, he noticed something black. Reaching down, he picked up a cell phone. Pushing a button, the screen lit up, showing the it had missed six calls./p p class="MsoNormal" A beam of light fell across the snow around him, making him look up. Swiveling his head, he watched two dark figures coming down the hill toward him. The light swept across his feet and face. Knowing that though he couldn't see them, they could see him, he raised an arm and pointed it ahead of him. Immediately, the light shifted in the direction he pointed. Moving forward again, he went forward, following the light. With Blaine's phone clutched in his shaking hand, he rushed ahead as fast as possible. a couple moments later, the beam of light flashed back toward them, reflecting off a dark red upside down car. Letting out a cry, he sprinted forward, shouting Blaine's name as loud as possible./p p class="MsoNormal" strongspan style="text-decoration: underline;"Blaine's POV/span/strong/p p class="MsoNormal" "Did you see that?" Blaine heard, though slowly./p p class="MsoNormal" "Wha?" he mumbled, unable to think clearly./p p class="MsoNormal" He had lost all feeling in his toes and his brain felt foggy from the cold. Cooper had made him pull off his wet clothes except for his underwear and shorts. At the moment, he was crouched low letting his brother rock him back and forth, trying to keep their joints moving, and yet retain as much body heat as possible. he had no idea how long they had sat there. It seemed like they'd been in the same position for hours. Slowly, he opened his eyes, though it was hard. His eyelashes had frozen together, and yet it didn't hurt when they opened. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, a flash of light passed through the cracked window. As he watched, the increased in size, the it bounced around. From somewhere outside he heard someone yell. Behind him, he heard Cooper chuckle./p p class="MsoNormal" "Blaine!" he heard, much closer now./p p class="MsoNormal" "And here he comes to save the day!" Cooper sang into his ear, as the car rocked a bit./p p class="MsoNormal" A shadow passed across the broken drivers' side door. after a crunch of gravel, someone's head looked into the car. A beam of light from behind illuminated the dark curly hair of Axl. There came calls from a couple other people from outside the car./p p class="MsoNormal" "They're both in here." Axl's voice called back./p p class="MsoNormal" The voice was what broke the dam. Tears began to spill from his eyes as he reached out. Axl's warm hand clamped onto his fingers. Gently, Axl pulled him out of the car into the storm. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms arounds Axl's chest and held him as tight as possible. Feeling kisses across his forehead, he leaned into his warmth. Someone on the bank called down to him. Releasing an arm, he reached out Blaine felt a blanket being wrapped around his body. Crouching, Axl gripped his legs and lifted him up onto his chest. Letting out a gasp, he felt Axl carrying him bridal style up the bank. Once on the bank, Blaine turned his head and looked at the wreck. He felt stunned by the damage. Next to the car, a man about the same height as Cooper, reached down and helped his brother out of the car. They shook hands and the man pointed up the hill./p p class="MsoNormal" Looking up the hill, he made out flashing lights. Guessing that the authorities had finally shown up, he finally began to relax. By the time they were halfway up the hill, a couple of first responders met them, and tried to make Axl let them do the work. They argued with them some more, which was hurting his frozen ears. Axl looked at him and slowly and reluctantly let them take him the rest of the way up the slope until they were on setting him in the ambulance. Less than a minute later, Cooper climbed into the vehicle. Axl made to follow, but the workers wouldn't allow it, saying there wasn't any room. Before he could argue more, the closed the doors and revved the engine. His last view of Axl's face revealed how upset he was. Red, with tear tracks down his cheeks. Cooper reached out and took his hand as the vehicle made its way to the hospital. Not wanting to look at the doors anymore, he closed his eyes as Cooper patted his shoulder. Hearing movement, he opened his eyes as he felt something warm brush over his toes./p p class="MsoNormal" "Can you feel that?" asked the responder./p p class="MsoNormal" "Yeah." He croaked, noticing the relief spreading across his face./p p class="MsoNormal" "Well, that's good news. No permanent frostbite damage. Had either of you been left out in that weather for any longer and that wouldn't be the case. Those guys really saved you. Do you know them?" he asked with a smile, reaching the other foot/p p class="MsoNormal" Blaine suddenly felt angry, he began to open his mouth when Cooper spoke up./p p class="MsoNormal" "Didn't you noticed how Axl didn't want to leave Blaine…how he wanted to carry him all the way up the hill to the ambulance…how he wanted to go with him to the hospital? They're in love dude. Axl knew what was wrong and where to look. He's the only reason either of us will be alright." He finished hotly./p p class="MsoNormal" "Sorry…I thought that's what I saw…but what if I was wrong. Not a lot of guys would be happy if someone was able to label them as homosexual, when they weren't I meant no offense sirs." He said gently./p p class="MsoNormal" The hardness of Coopers face softened, and he finally gave a nod. Blaine reached out and squeezed his fore arm in thanks. Winking, Cooper finally looked down at his own arm, where glass had cut him. Blaine could tell it was hurting him, but was too macho to show the responder. As the guy was feeling his toes, he wriggled them enough to get the guys attention. When Cooper wasn't looking, he met the guys eye and nodded at his brothers' arm. Nodding, he patted his leg and moved around. Seeming to just notice Coopers' injury, he was permitted to look at the damage. Around him, the warmth and the light glow of lights was making him drowsy. Before he knew it, he'd nodded off./p p class="MsoNormal" Sometime later, the faint sound of a tv began to bring him around. After a while, he was able to make out words that were definitely about some sport. In a few moments, he also realized his left his was clutching someone else's. prying his eyes open, he looked around the dark room. To the left was a window that looked out into a dark night. A figure of a man had his head resting on the window, mouth open with a slight snore erupting every few seconds. Blinking, his eyes finally focused enough to recognize the man was Cooper. Turning his head around to the right he found Axl holding his hand, while also watching the TV. He sat forward in his seat, his knees bouncing up and down as the basketball game went on. Smiling widely, Blaine moved his thumb and gently made circles over Axl's knuckles. Immediately, he turned and met his eye./p p class="MsoNormal" Sitting up, he jumped atop his bed, hugging him as if there was no tomorrow. /p p class="MsoNormal" "I love you…." He whispered, voice cracking./p p class="MsoNormal" "I love you…" he replied, voice shaking as well./p p class="MsoNormal" "You saved our lives Axl…" he croaked./p p class="MsoNormal" "No, I was the asshole he created this whole fucking mess. If I hadn't…." he broke off, not looking up./p p class="MsoNormal" Blaine studied him for a few moments, trying to find the words./p p class="MsoNormal" "Axl," he whispered. "Let's forget about it…what you did for us totally makes up for what happened earlier. I was being too hard on you…I liked what you did to me…a lot…it just the timing that sucked. My insurance will cover everything about my car…I kinda wanted a new one anyways." He confessed./p p class="MsoNormal" "But…why?" he asked, looking suspicious…" it was brand new."/p p class="MsoNormal" "This is going to sound incredibly vain….it was really nice, but I wanted something a bit flashier…a bit more…expensive. Now I can get what I want as a trade in for the other's title, for one that's not brand new." He replied, knowing that his monetary status was going to come into Axl's mind. Only someone with his status could afford to do what he was proposing. Even as he watched Axl's expression, it changed into something shrewder, with a hint of curiosity. Axl opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it, then finally closed it./p p class="MsoNormal" "You look like a fish." Called an amused voice behind Blaine./p p class="MsoNormal" /p p class="MsoNormal" Blaine jumped and looked over Blaine shoulder and noticed Cooper smirking at them. Turning his head, he grinned at his brother. He hadn't noticed that the rhythmic snoring had ceased. Cooper winked, then imitated Axl's opening a closing mouth, but squeezed his lips together to make the stick out like a fish would do. Snorting, he turned back to Axl, who was a slight shade of pink. Looking down, he smiled at Blaine sheepishly. They pressed their forwards together, rubbed their noses, and finally kissed softly. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Axl returned his gaze up to the TV screen where the game was still playing. Rolling his eyes, he looked over at an amused Cooper. Sighing, Blaine laid his head against Axl's shoulder as Cooper turned on his side. Shortly, the low rumbling sound of snoring filled the room. /p p class="MsoNormal"**Review Please.***/p 61. Company **Click** With a start, Blaine eyes fluttered open. He immediately had to close them again, the brightness was too much. Slowly, he opened then again, but slowly. Blinking up at the ceiling, they finally adjusted to the scene around him. Laying in an uncomfortable bed, he turned his head to the left towards a flurry of movement. After a few moments, he could make out a thick blanket of snow outside his window. Outside, a man in a snow suit cleared the sidewalk. Remembering he was in the hospital, he swiveled his head back around to the right towards the door. Frankie leaned against side of the frame with something small raised to her face. Finally, he realized that it was her cell phone. She must have just taken a picture of him. "Ahh." She cooed as she dropped the phone. Confused at first, a slight snoring next to him caught his attention. Curled up under the top sheet, Axl slept with his head laying on his shoulder and his arm wrapped over the front of Blaine's chest like a hug. Smiling, Blaine nuzzled his nose and gave him a peck on the check. Almost immediately a smile form across his lips as he stirred. Stretching, Axl finally opened his eyes and met his own. Beginning to sit up and lean forward for a kiss on the lips, Blaine slipped his hand on his chest a looked past him as Frankie walked toward them. Face turning slightly pink, Axl pulled his arm away and scooted a bit toward the edge of the bed. "No…you can stay their honey." She said softly, looking at Axl. "Ight." He said, scooting close and laid his head back on Blaine's shoulder. "My mom is here?" Blaine asked, looking over at a chair in the corner with her purse in it. "Yea, she went to the cafeteria. Mike's been bugging your dad since the moment we entered the room. They went off somewhere, talking about sports…or camping…or something like that." She said, rolling her eyes. "Oh." Blaine said, completely forgetting that their dads had been best friends all through school. Below, he felt Axl's hand slipping south. Even as he felt his fingertips pass his navel, he was already getting hard. He knew he couldn't stop Axl, or else it would cause unwanted attention. On his shoulder, he felt Axl's lips twitch into a smirk as his hand finally rested atop Blaine member. It felt so good, and yet so frustrating. Gently, his hand moved up and down his shaft as slow as possible. When Frankie looked out the window, Blaine quickly looked down and was relieved he couldn't see what Axl's hand was doing at all. Hand pulling back, he slipped it under his tight boxer briefs and actually gripped his cock. Even though Axl had barely touched him, Blaine felt he was already close. Something on his face must have alerted Axl, because he stopped moving it, letting the orgasm die. Slowly, he began to soften and he hoped Axl would let it go. Chatter from outside the room made them all turn to watch as his dad and Mike entered the room laughing about something. Studying Mike, he didn't really see much resemblance in Axl…or any of the family to tell the truth…it was like they weren't even related. Mentally shrugging this off, he noticed the way Axl and Frankie were looking at Mike. It was clear they hadn't seen him this animated in a long time. Looking up, Blaine's dad smiled at him and walked over. "How ya doing B?" he asked, giving his belly a pat. Axl tensed, along with his dads' expression. Swiftly, his dad looked at Blaine's hands above the sheets, and then absence of Axl's hands above as well. Axl's, faced turned brick red and Blaine guessed his dad had patted Axl's hand instead of Blaine's belly. There was only one place where Axl's hand would be, so he knew what was going on. Blaine could tell his dad was trying to compose himself, looking around so he wouldn't draw more attention. Again, the sound of voices from outside the room made every look at the door. Mortified, Axl quickly pulled his hand back and set atop the sheets. Blaine wanted to smell his hand, but couldn't bring himself to do so, at least not with his father watching. He would know what he was smelling. Cooper walked in next to Sue, who was talking to him about something. Behind them, he caught a view of a kid with a book hiding his face walk past the door. After a moment, Sue turned and stepped out of the room and quickly came back, pulling Brick behind her. Blaine smirked at them all. For some reason he felt so incredibly happy at the moment…except for the slight tingling feeling in his toes. Walking past the bed, Cooper tasseled the top of Axl's hair and gave Blaine squeeze to his ankle. Axl slapped the hand away but that just made Cooper chuckle. Turning around, Mike walked up to the tv and clicked it on without even asking if it was alright. No one seemed to mind, and as they glanced at picture on the screen, Axl's hand disappeared under the blanket again. Biting his lip, he allowed the contact. Well, he didn't have much of a choice. The moment his hand slid along his side, he grew hard again. Instead of going under his briefs, the hand rested atop them, gently pushing down. He felt Axl's thumb drift up to the head of his cock. Gently, he wriggled it back and forth until the tip was able push his foreskin down enough that his piss slit was no longer covered. Grinning, Axl pressed on it, moving it around until he felt the precum soaking through the thin fabric. Darting his eyes to the left, he noticed the smirk on Coopers face. Apparently he could tell what was going on. Finally, Axl slipped his fingers under the underwear and gripped him hard. Blaine closed his eyes, fighting back the temptation to moan aloud. Pushing the foreskin down to the base, the entire head was now uncovered. Pressing down hard on the frenulum, Blaine almost came, but Axl quickly pulled his hand away. Before he knew it, Axl had his hand out from under the blanket and was sucking on his thumb, as if he was toddler. Cooper let out a snort, which everyone turned to observe. Dropping his head, Blaine stared at the sizable lump where his crotch was. Still, he grinned at Axl's actions. Tilting his head slightly, he smirked at Axl, who just winked. "So," said his dad, rather loudly. "We've decided that as soon as it warms up a bit, the men in the room will be going on a camping trip." He said, obviously trying to shift the mood in the room. "Too bad I won't be going." Said Cooper, not even looking over at Blaine or Axl. "Why not?" asked Mike. "I'm leaving for Cali in a couple of days. Got a new audition for a show. Since I'll get it I can't go." He said, as if it were common sense. "Just what makes you think you'll get it?" asked a new voice entering the room. "Hey mom." Said Blaine, happy to see her. Walking over, she leaned down and kissed his cheek and gave Axl a pat on the back. "Well, lets just say I'm perfect for the part…and stuff." He grinned wickedly. Blaine looked at the Hecks', and was pleased to see the confusion. Axl must have sensed what he was thinking because his hand was already creeping down his side again. He hadn't even noticed when his hand had disappeared in the first place. His dick had softened completely, but as the fingers once more gripped it, that changed. The fingers slide lower this time, all the way down to his nuts. Trying not to notice how good it felt, he turned his attention back to his dad and Mike. Redirecting his head, his dad looked over at Brick, who looked at the book in his hands. "How about you Brick?" he asked warmly. Blaine had a vision of Brick holding the only paddle for their canoe, along with a book. Most likely he wouldn't even notice the paddle, and when they came to a giant waterfall or rapids, would stand up. The paddle, their only way of maneuvering out of the deadly situation would fly out of his lap and away from the canoe. They'd end up dead or missing, and be featured on Unsolved Mysteries. Another vision of Cooper getting the part to re-enact the disaster for the show formed in his head. Next to him, Axl's lips twitched as he stared between Rick and Brick. Mike waited while the room was silent, except for the tv. Finally, Brick looked up and blinked. "What?" he asked, the looked down at his book and whispered, "What?" "Um…" said Frankie, "I'd rather he not go." She turned to Mike, looking at him sharply and seeming to wait for a fight. "Huh?" he asked. "What? "she asked, rather taken aback, "you're not going to fight me on this, insist he go with you guys?" "No…" he said, blinking. "I agree; He's been bugging me about some new books that will be released right around the time we plan to go on our trip. He'd be…we'd all be happier not having to worry about him paying attention and ending up in trouble." He finished, looking back up at the tv. "You sure?" his dad asked, looking between the two. "Yeah." They said together. "Alright then." He said with a shrug. Below, Blaine had almost succumbed to coming for the fifth time. His dick was hard and now hurting quite a bit. Slightly glancing down, he noticed Axl hiding his own erection. He could just barely make out the head of his dick pressing against his shorts. At this point, Blaine wanted Axl to pound him hard. Topping was great, but he was perfectly happy to bottom as often as Axl wanted. Since they'd been together, Blaine was almost even with amount of times they'd both been top. Kurt was alright, but thinking back on it, and how much he'd enjoyed it, there was no comparison. Axl outshined him at every turn. "I love you." He whispered as softly as he could to Axl. Unfortunately, every just happened to be silent at that moment. They all turned and looked at him. Sue's mouth hanging open a bit. Frankie looked as if she wanted to cry. Mike's expression was unreadable, except that he didn't look mad or disgusted. His own mom and dad smiled at each other softly. "I love you too." He whispered back, kissing his cheek. At this point Brick looked up and stared at them. Seeming to ignore the situation, Axl looked back up at the tv. They stared at each other for a few moments before the sound of two nurses came into the room. One was a dude and the other was a chick. Both were dressed in large smocks that looked similar. All across the smocks, little stars and moons, along with other small cartoon like hospital equipment like stethoscopes, thermometers, and band aids. The dude walked with his hands out, flourishing them wildly while talking to the chick. Immediately, Blaine knew the guy was a flamer. "Just a few last minute observations, then your free to check out and go home." Said the lady. "Sorry hun," the dude said to Axl, as they started pull the curtains around Blaine's bed for privacy. "He's fine." Said Blaine, rather coldly. The male nurse raised his eyebrows and the chick sniggered as the curtain was finally pulled around the entire bed. The truth was he didn't want Axl to leave. If Axl had stood up, his arousal would have been visible for the whole room. With everyone looking, he wouldn't have a chance to adjust before he would have to stand up. Unlike other hospital rooms Blaine had scene, the curtain went all the way to the floor, hiding the entire scene around the bed. Reaching out, the nurse began to take his temperature, check his pulse and asked him a few questions. The other nurse went to the foot of his bed and flipped back the sheet the covered his feet. Studying his toes, he asked Blaine to move them around in different directions. Taking out a magnifying glass, he leaned in and studied the texture and color of each toe. Satisfied, he gave them a thumbs up. The chick nodded and wrote a few things down on a tablet. "Well Mr. Anderson, looks like you're about ready to check out." She said kindly, and without warning she left the curtained area and began talking to the family. "If you all will follow me, we'll get him signed out. By the time that's done, he'll be ready. "Um…" Blaine whispered, looking at the male nurse. "Hmm?" asked, covering his feet again. "Has everyone left the room? If not, can make them as you go?" he asked, even softer. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at how Axl and Blaine were sitting. Giving a knowing smile, he peeked around outside the curtained area, he gave a thumbs up. Blaine smiled. "When you leave, can you shut the door and keep the curtain as is? We'll set it right before we leave." He asked, a growing excitement building. Another wink, and the nurse left. Barely a couple of seconds passed when they rushed forward pressing their lips together. Pulling the sheet down, it revealed his boxer briefs almost soaked through with precum. Reaching out, Blaine yanked the front of Axl's shorts down. His very hard cock sprang up, pointing directly at Blaine's mouth. Thick globs of precum dripped from the piss slit. Copying the move, Blaine felt cool air drift over his own hard dick when his underwear was pulled down too. Quickly, the gripped each other's dick's and pumped quickly. "Oh my god…" Blaine moaned softly. "I know." Axl whispered, dipping down and wrapping his lips around Blaine uncut cock. Blaine gave a squeak and shot his load into Axl's mouth the moment his lips latched onto the base of the head. Letting out a moan of surprised, he swallowed it all hungrily. Shaking, he scooted to the end of the bed, forcing Axl to jump off. Knowing what he was doing, Axl yanked the ass of Blaine's underwear down, exposing his furry ass. grinning madly, Axl pulled the cheeks apart and sucked at his hole. A finger appeared in front of his lips. Opening his mouth, he let Axl slid his finger in, actually tasting his own precum. Pulling it back down, Axl pushed the finger inside him roughly. Giving a slight hiss, he fell back atop the bed as Ax yanked his ass down to the very edge. Glancing back up, they stared into each other's' eyes as Axl thrust inside him all the way. Eyes bulging, Blaine smiled at the feeling. It was so familiar and exactly what he needed. Letting out a whimper, Axl dropped his head. His thick curls hung over his navel, slightly tickling his belly. Feeling his still hard dick gripped tightly, he looked up and watched as Axl pumping his dick while thrusting inside him quickly. A smile line of sweat ran down his forehead and movements began to slow. With a last thrust, Axl came inside him. Blaine smiled, feeling the hot liquid pool deep in his ass. it felt so good, he wanted to stay like this forever. "I'm gunna go again." Blaine whispered jerkily. "Yea?" Axl grinned, increasing his speed, with his dick still inside him. "It feels so good Ax." He said, "Just wait till you shoot your load." He teased, going even faster. "No.." grunted, feeling the familiar tinging in his nuts. "Your cum feels good inside my ass….so hot…and wet. "Cum for me." Axl ordered, trying to thrust inside him again. Instead his softened member slide out of him as Blaine came again. Axl tightened his griped and slowed the pumping action. Just as he heard cum from his ass drip out and hit the tiled floor, he let the next cum erupt out of his dick. Reaching forward quickly, Axl tried to catch as much of his jizz in his palm as possible. Reach down, Blaine squeezed Axl's dick and brought the last bit of his cum to his lips, just as Axl did the same. 62. New **_Darrens POV_** "Does Axl look down to you?" Sean asked Darren. "Are you kidding me?!" he asked between thrusts. At the moment, Darren had each of his large hands on Shawn's hips. They were both fully clothed, but his cock was through his zipper and the backend of Shawn's jeans were pulled down just far enough to expose his hole. Still, he paused slightly and looked out Shawn's bedroom window. Sitting under the basketball hoop in his driveway was Axl. His chin was rested against his knuckles as he stared at the ground. Noticing Shawn raising his hand to the window it was too late to stop him before he pounded on it. Frustrated, he slammed into Shawn harder. Shawn had pulled his curtains to the side and was looking at Axl. Even from here, Darren could make out the smirk on Axl's face. Turning his head, he gave Darren a warning look. Not caring, Darren redoubled his efforts, feeling his release coming. Looking back up, he watched as Axl walked across the yard to his house. "I'm close." He whispered to Shawn, kissing the back of his neck. "Give it to me." He urged, squeezing his ass around his thick cock. Looking up, Axl had disappeared. He was about to bring it up, when there was a soft click behind him "That's hot." He heard Axl's voice. "Shit." He hissed, slamming into him once more. His body shook as he shot his load into Shawn. There was another hiss as he clamped his hands harder on Shawn's hips. Reluctantly, he released his grip. Feeling dizzy, he stumbled backward and felt the cool air surround his still throbbing member as it slid out of Shawn's slick ass. Taking a couple of steps back, he shakily sat on the edge of the bed. Letting out a sigh contentment, he fell back on the bed with his legs dangling to the floor. Axl walked up to him and squeezed his dick. "You are so big." He said softly, giving it a couple of jerks. Still sensitive, he slapped Axl's hand away. Snorting, he turned and watched as Shawn pulled his jeans up. Winking at Axl, Shawn unzipped the font and his cock immediately sprang free through the front. Walking up to Darren, he quickly lifted his legs over his shoulders and yanked his pants down a bit. reaching forward he stuck his index and middle finger into Darren's mouth. Turn, he looked at Axl quizzically. Blinking, he tilted his head in question. Pulling his fingers back, he roughly fingered Darren. Darren's eyes were closed and he crinkled his forehead. Squatting a bit, Shawn aimed and thrust all the way inside. Eyes flying open, Darren stared at the ceiling. "So…" Shawn said, as if there wasn't anything out of the ordinary as he fuck Darren. "What's wrong?" "Umm…" he said, smirking as Darren let out little gaps of pain "Harder." Darren said. Nodding, Shawn increased his pace and waited for Axl to answer. "I don't know dudes." He said with a sigh, dropping down on the bed and smirking as Darren and Shawn continued their fucking. "Spit it out." Darren said, eyes opening. Shawn let out a snort and nodded. "I want to take Blaine to prom." He revealed. "Well, you should. It's clear you two love each other. Also, everyone was cool at the Halloween thing. The whole school seemed supportive." Said Shawn, looking up. "I mean..." he hesitated, then shrugged "Our prom…at our school." He said softly. Both his friends slowed and looked at each other. "I can see you're worried. There's only a couple others from our school know about you and Blaine. One being Sue, and the other Ben." Darren said, looking up at Axl's upside down face. Axl scowled and looked away. "Whoa…" said Shawn, coming to a complete halt. "Keep going, you can fuck and talk at the same time." Darren complained. Shawn began to thrust again and a dopey smile spread across Darren's face. Shaking his head, he opened his mouth, then closed it. Frowning, he wanted to help Axl but if he wouldn't say it out loud, how could he? Noticing that he was no longer getting pounded again, he looked back up at Shawn for guidance. Feeling Shawn's dick starting to soften inside him, he squeezed his ass around it. Immediately, he felt it start to grow. Seeming to forget about Axl, Shawn leaned down and pressed their lips together. Nibbling at his ear, he let his head fall back to the bed. Shaking his head, used his hands to bring his face back to his own. Look at me…I'm about to cum Darren. I'm so close." He slowed, but kept his eyes locked together. Giving one last thrust, he felt hot cum filling him. Shaking, Shawn leaned down and whispered into his ear. Eyes widening, he let his head drop and stared intensely at him. Shawn's face drained of color and he looked confused and embarrassed. Immediately, he straightened his body and pulled out quickly. It was so fast there was a loud pop and he felt some of the cum drip onto the bedding. Their actions had startled Axl, who looked up at studied them. He honestly didn't know what to feel or think, so he just stared at him. Shawn tucked his dick back in his jeans and went over to his desk chair, face burning. "What happened?" Axl asked, sounding alarmed. "Nothing." Said Shawn, not looking at him. Biting his lip, he nodded in agreement and looked over at Axl. After a moment, Darren pushed himself up and yanked his jeans back on all the way, trying to ignore the fact that by the time he would get home his jeans would be ruined. There was so much of Shawn's seed inside him he could tell he hadn't jerked off for days. Turning back to Axl, he waited for the reply to their earlier question. Reluctantly, Axl moved on to his own problem. Sighing, he stood up and paced the room. "If I take Blaine to our prom…everyone will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm…I like…." He paused "In _love_ with another dude?" he asked. "Well…yea. I was gunna say like cock." he shrugged. At last this made both Shawn and Darren grin at each other. The atmosphere of the room lighted considerably. Mood improving, Axl plopped back down on the bed next to Darren. Sighing, he looked at his hands and then back to them. Not knowing what to say, he looked at Shawn. Nodding, Shawn looked as if he was going to get up, then changed his mind and stay in his seat. "If you're worried some people will want to hurt you or something don't. We'll protect you guys. As for them saying bad things…well…" Shawn paused. "They don't know what you two have. You know, you're one of the most popular kids at school. Others seeing you with Blaine might actually help them come to terms with who they are. Seeing that someone like you can be happy with another guy sends a powerful message. There will still be tons of people that will think down of you, but those numbers are slowly dropping. We'll be by your side and if anyone has a problem with it, we'll take care of them." He told him, as Shawn nodded with agreement. Axl looked at him and Shawn gratefully. He thought there was a tear trailing down his cheek, but something dropped on the floor next to Shawn. Glancing over, he looked at a book he had apparently dropped. Meeting his eyes, Shawn winked and nodded toward Axl. Returning his focus to Axl, he noticed him hurriedly moving his hand away from his eyes. Realizing Shawn had given Axl and opportunity wipe away tears, he smiled softly. Opening his mouth, he wanted to say something to him. Unable to thinking of anything…he sighed and suddenly felt tired. Standing, he walked over to Shawn, who was looking at him warily. Squeezing his shoulder, he turned and exited the room, and then the house. **_Shawn's POV_** He watched Darren leave the room, and heard the front door close. Biting his lip, he looked down at his hands, then over at the bed where…shaking his head, he looked up to see Axl staring at him with concern. Wishing he hadn't said a thing, he dropped his eyes again. "Shawn." Said Axl's voice. "What?" he asked. "What's going on?" he asked seriously, yet there was a hint of amusement. "Nothing." He waved his hand. "So, you think it wouldn't be the end of the world if I went to our prom with Blaine?" he asked, clearly still focused on his own problem. "Well, you know Darren, I and quite a few other of your close friends won't think down of you at all. We won't let anyone try to hurt either of you. But," he said, giving him a sad look, "there will always some who'll call you awful names. It's up to you. We'll do all we can…but there will be times we won't be around…but dude," he squeezed his knee. "I think it would mean a lot to Blaine for you to bring him to our prom. It's up to you though." He finished. Axl looked up at him gratefully. Smiling, he rose and they made their way out of his room and into the living room. In a daze, Shawn looked over at the ruined pizza dough on the counter. Following his gaze, Axl looked at it as well. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over and looked at it. Smirking, he picked it up and discovered it was in the shape of an extremely large cock. Feeling his face redden a bit, he shrugged. "So..." Axl said, taking the penis shaped dough down to his crotch and squeezed it, "I'm guessing this had something to do with why you and Darren were…doing it." He chuckled. "Yeah…" he smiled softly. "We were rolling it out and he all of a sudden turned around while I was getting more ingredients. I turned back around and he had it hanging in front…" he pointed down, "Like you're doing now. I couldn't help it dude. I wanted it…the real one inside me." He said, shaking a bit. "Shawn," Axl said dropping the dough, "Tell him." Turning around, he whispered "I already did." **_Axl's POV_** ****Smiling at his friend, Axl sighed and walked toward the door awkwardly. He had a raging hard on now, and would have to take care of it when he got home. Pausing, he picked up his cell and texted Blaine. "B…?" A moment later his cell pinged. "Yea…?" "I'm so hard…can Shawn jerk me off really quick?" he asked, desperate. He knew it was stupid, and that he should just take care of it himself. "Of course…. wait…." Axl looked down and blinked at the message. "K" Another pinging from behind him made him jump. Turning, he watched Shawn pick up his cell and opened it. After a moment, a smirk crossed his face. He typed something and closed his cell. Walking over, he grabbed Axl by the arm and pulled him back into the bedroom. Locking the door, he turned to his laptop and opened it. Quickly, he brought up his webcam and almost instantly a chiming on the right alerted him there was a web call. With a click, Axl was looking at Blaine on his bed with a grin. Rolling his eyes, he eyed Shawn, who pulled the chair out of the way. Picking it up, he placed the laptop in a way that made the entire bed was visible. "Pull him out Shawn." Said Blaine's excited voice. Without a look at Axl, Shawn unzipped his pants and his cock sprang up. Turning, he looked at Blaine for the next instruction. Already, Blaine was completely nude, and soft. It was rather odd looking at a nude Blaine with a soft cock. The entire foreskin covered the head, but it was already starting to grow. Eyeing the thick black hair surrounding his member, Axl felt his cock harden more. A smirk crossed Blaine's face as he looked down. Shawn let out a chuckle. Wondering what they were grinning at he looked down and automatically knew it was his cock bobbing with his heart beat. Blaine wrapped a hand around his dick and began to slowly jerk it up and down. So engrossed in Blaine's uncut dick, he missed the instructions Shawn was given. The bed dipped as Shawn moved behind him and yanked at Axl's shirt. Feeling rather silly, he lifted his arms and let his shirt be removed. A hand rested his belly and crawled up to his left nipple. At the same time, a right hand grabbed his cock hard. He groaned and thrust into Shawn's hand. Blaine shifted and sat on his bed with his legs open, exposing his hairy nuts. "Faster Shawn." Axl whispered, wishing he could plow Blaine. "Keep your pace Shawn." Blaine chuckled. Gritting his teeth, he watched as Blaine pulled his foreskin down. The top button on his jeans was popped open and he shoved his jeans with boxers down himself. Now completely nude, he leaned back onto Shawn's chest as the hand began to speed up. He let out a hiss when his nipple was pinched, but he didn't really care. On the screen, Blaine lifted his legs and began to poke at his hairy hole. "Blaine…" he moaned, as he felt a thumb flick over his piss slit. "Hmm?" he grinned at them, actually jerking his cock while fingering himself. He could feel it coming…the sensation was too much. And just like that, Shawn dropped his dick and squeezed at the base of his shaft. Immediately, the coming orgasm was halted. Groaning, he turned his head to the side and glared at his friend. Shawn's white teeth shone brightly with a smirk. Behind him, he could feel Shawn's arousal. Staring at Blaine, he mouthed "Shawn's hard." Blaine winked and nodded. Knowing Shawn couldn't see his lips he went on. "Can he fuck me?" Blaine looked at him for a moment. Before he could get to his conclusion, he mouthed "No…that's OK B." If Blaine had to think about it, the answer was no. "Shawn." Said Blaine. "Yeah…" he said, starting on his dick again. "Would you be willing to fuck Axl for me?" he smirked. "Umm…" his hand stopped. Blaine's looked at the screen in an odd way before a reply came back. "Actually…I'd rather not…I'll blow him for you though." He said eagerly. There was a moment of silence before Blaine shook his head. "Just jerking him will be fine. At least push a finger inside him, and jerk him as hard and fast as you can…I want to see his cum fly all over." He said with a grin. There was a chuckle and Shawn's left hand trailed down past his nuts. After a few maneuvers, Shawn pulled Axl into a position with his chest more vertical, and his left leg lifted off the bed. His left hand actually curled under his thigh. A finger slid inside him as Shawn's right hand gripped his dick. Axl's eyes were glued on Blaine, who was jerking himself off rather quickly, pausing for a few moments and sucking all the precum off his thumb into his mouth. Giving a cry Blaine came, a spray of white liquid erupted out of his member and landed all over his groin. The white cum stood out from all the black hair and tanned skin below. He felt a jolt of ecstasy as a digit brushed over his prostate. Letting out a groan, Axl reached down and gripped wrist, letting him know that he was at the magic spot. suddenly, his right hand fisted his shaft without abandon. Overloaded with pleasure, he shook and felt electricity shoot up his cock. hot cum landed all over his body as he came down from his high. Still breathing hard, he wanted to take a nap. Gently, Shawn moved out from behind him. Letting out a smirk and a laugh at the look on Axl's face, he grabbed a dirty shirt and began cleaning Axl up. Finally, he was clean enough and he stood. Blaine thanked Shawn and told him bye. The laptop had closed before he turned back around to say bye as well but it was too late. Sighing, he looked at Shawn and knuckle bumped him before he turned and left the house. Entering his house, he once again realized he was alone. Sue and Brick were still at school doing something. His dad was on a trip with Rusty, and his mom was taking his aunt to some doctor visit. The weight of what he needed to do weighed heavily on him. He was scared what might happen once he told Blaine what had happened with Ben. True, it wasn't planned, and Ben even seemed genuinely remorseful about the whole affair. But not telling Blaine right after it had happened seemed like he was lying deliberately. Biting his lip, he turned to his room and rummaged around. **_BLAINE'S POV_** ****Once home from school, he went upstairs and changed into something less formal. Glee had taken their yearbook pictures today, so he had dressed up in their suit from their championship performance last spring. Wearing an old pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt, he headed back downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, he heard the distinctive clicking of Dany's paws in the kitchen. Smiling, he turned and made his way quietly along the curved wall and looked in at the wagging tail sticking out from the corner of the kitchen counter. Dropping to his hand and knees, he crawled forward and gently yanked at the tail. There was a yip right before he felt his fingers being licked and chewed on. Pulling away, he turned and fled into the large rounded living room. Forgetting about the two steps that dropped down to the floor, he stumbled. For the briefest moment he felt his feet leave the carpet. Luckily he reached out and grabbed the couch. Feeling his heart beating rapidly, he dropped to the couch chuckling nervously. Immediately his face was licked as Dany sat on his chest. Groaning, he pushed her away playfully. Letting out a bark, she jumped off the couch and stood in the very center of the large room. His cell chimed, alerting him to a text. Opening it, he grinned down at Axl's name. "Long day?" "LOL. Yeah, we had to take our yearbook pictures today. It's your turn to come see me you know…we can…..go swimming." He laughed at his words. "I know…mmm….picturing you naked and dripping wet…anyways…I'll be there tomorrow morning…not too early though…I want to sleep in. Got something to do at the moment…so I'll text you back in a bit B…XOXO" Blaine smiled and made to slip the phone back in his pants when there was another chime. Raising his eyebrows, he looked down at Sam's name. "Hey" Sam texted. "S'up?" he asked. "Horny." Blaine looked at the single word and let out a hearty laugh. "You've got a hand dude, use it." He grinned. "Well…." He read. "You want a blowjob?" he asked, amused. "Yes! I'll blow you too." The message came back, as if he already knew what Blaine planned on asking him. "You don't have to do me. I…. no, I'm saving up my juices for tomorrow.…let me guess…you want me to come to you?" "I'm guessing Axl's coming over tomorrow then?" "Yep! I'll be over asap bro." he sent. "Thanx…I'm alone. Come on in and I'll be waiting." He read. Chuckling, he rose and gave Dany a sad smile. He had meant to play with her for a while. Rising up the two steps to the kitchen, he walked over to the counter and grabbed his keys to his new ride. That was the one thing he felt happy about after the recent car trouble. That night was crazy…he had gotten so pissed at Axl and even though he treated him badly, he had still come to save him and Cooper. Pausing, he looked down at his phone and smirked. Something told him that, for whatever reason, Axl would be at Sam's…waiting for him. He had mentioned he had something to do… There was no way Axl would travel all the way to Lima for no reason. Still, he had come to expect surprises from Axl. It was one of the things he loved about him. They'd already made a silent agreement that Axl would come with him to his prom at McKinley. He still wanted to properly ask him though, and he was going to do that this weekend. They had about a month before prom, so there was plenty of time. Finally opening the door, he exited his home and walked down the path to his ride. His new car was awesome. A Chevy Impala with a deep sapphire blue color. Much sportier looking than his last car. What he liked most about it was the feel of the seats, along with the steering wheel. It was also roughly the same color and from the same company as his older car. Inside had all the latest features like climate control, audible listening system, Onstar, satellite tracking, and a tap screen instead of nobs and buttons for the radio/cd player. Grinning broadly, he gave it a pat and opened the door. Sliding inside, the soft leather seat automatically adjusted to the position of his weight. Apparently there was something that could detect what his mood was from the body position and try to comfort the driver enough to relax them. Though he didn't know how it was done, he didn't really care. All along the way, he was looking out for Axl's junker. He just had a feeling he was going to pop out when he least expected it. Since there were still a couple hours of daylight left, it was easy to search for the car. By the time he made it to Sam's, and not seeing Axl's ride, he almost gave up hope that Axl would be there. Then again, Axl probably knew that he'd be expecting something, so he'd go the extra distance to surprise him. Entering the house, he looked all over and slowly made it to Sam's room. Knocking softly, he walked into the room. The light was on and the closet door open, completely empty. Sam was laying down in the very center of his bed, a large tented pair of boxers on him. Glancing down, Blaine watched for movement under the bed. Turning, he glanced out of the door and waited. Hearing a chuckle, he turned back around. "What are you doing?" Sam laughed, his uncut dick now poking through the front of his boxers. Feeling a bit let down, he pulled the door shut and looked at Sam concealing his disappointment. Wriggling his dick back and forth, he thrusted up into the open air. Amused, Blaine's mood improved as he approached the bed. He watched Sam jerking off, enjoying the look of frustration on his face. Scooting closer to the edge, Sam reached out and pulled at Blaine's hand. He sat down on the bed and let Sam take his hand and place it over his cock. Taking the hint, he squeezed and loved how his friend moaned at the contact. "Blaine…suck me." He pleaded, almost sounding like he was in pain. Smirking, Blaine looked at the slight downward curve of the dick. Abruptly, Sam yanked him over and pushed Blaine's face down. Surprised, he opened his mouth just in time for his lips to pass over the head and wrap around the base. Sam's groan was loud, and wanting. Turned on even more, he pulled at Sam's boxers. He readily lifted his ass for Blaine to pull them down. Now Sam was completely nude, and Blaine looked him over. He gave a sigh as looked at the lack of Sam's blond pubes. It seemed he had gone back to trimming his bush. Sam smirked at Blaine's unsatisfied look. Shrugging, he lifted his legs and set his feet on the bed. Knees in the hair, it was obvious what he wanted. Not really caring, he crawled on the bed and bent down sniffing at Sam's nuts. Above, he heard another chuckle. Not caring, he dove down and lifted the sack up. Using his tongue, he licked and sucked at them greedily. "Feels' so good bud." Sam moaned. "Yeah?" he urged, sinking lower. "Yea…lick my hole." He said, reaching down and pulling his cheeks apart. Grinning, he gently poked his tongue into Sam's quivering hole. Sam moaned and thrusted his hips into the air into Blaine's fist as his tongue continued his work. Pulling back a bit, he pressed his finger inside. Probing around, he felt the large bump that was Sam's prostate. Turned on himself, he ground into Sam's mattress without realizing it. Pushing his ass into his hand, Sam griped the bars of his bed, his back lifted off the bed. The site was hot, and this time ground into the bed on purpose. "Blaine…" he mumbled, eyes closing, his pale skin turning pink. Quickly, Blaine scooted forward and wrapped his lips around Sam's dick. Remembering something, he nibbled a bit on the foreskin. Sam let out a shout and hot cum filled Blaine's mouth. Suddenly, he was shuddering and he felt his boxer briefs soaking with his own seed. He hadn't even realized he was close. But he shook as Sam came down from his high. Finally, when he was sure he had the last of his friend's cum out of his dick, he released his hold. Sitting up, Blaine looked at his jeans. Sam, who was still shaking, finally sat up too. Looking at Blaine's crotch, he raised his eyebrows. It was clear he was holding his laughter at the sight. Frowning, he stood awkwardly and glanced down again. Already the heat was leaving the liquid that was now a paste. Groaning, he turned and walked out of the room and towards the door. By the time he had reached the front door, Sam was behind him. Turning, he noticed Sam wearing a t shirt and gym shorts. "Thanks bud…. I needed that." He chuckled, glancing down again. "Yeah yeah…" he mumbled, wanting to get home and get cleaned up as fast as possible. His drive home was so uncomfortable. The whole time he was shifting his hips, trying to ignore the cold wet feeling. Turning onto his driveway he had glanced briefly to the right. Something had caught his eye. Slowing, he backed up and looked at a sign. Shaking his head, he looked again. He let out a little chuckle when he had no idea what it said. It was just a bunch of strange symbols, then at the bottom there was a crudely drawn penis. Snorting, he needed to remove it because other's may not think it was funny. Opening the door to his car, he stepped out and walked over to the sign. Once there, he thought he heard music somewhere. It was very familiar, but the name of it eluded him. Turning, he looked around determined it was coming from the barn. Frowning, he pulled at the sign and flung it to the ground. He didn't know why Cooper was in the barn, but he meant to find out. Walking back over to his car, he paused when he realized that Cooper was no longer here, but in California. Feeling his heart lift, he turned and sprinted for it. A few yards before he came to the door, he recognized the song as Beauty School Dropout, except there were no words just a guitar playing over and over. At the door, he stepped inside and looked at Axl sitting on a hay bale, grinning at him. Above him was a sign asking if he'd go to the Orson High prom in a couple weeks. Tears filled his eyes as he approached. Wiping them away angrily, he nodded at Axl, who just kept playing, but a single tear ran down his left cheek. Sitting his custom guitar down he reached out and pulled him in. Sitting on his lap, he leaned down and kissed him hard, breathing in everything about him. Axl reached around and placed a palm over his crotch, but pulled it away and looked down. Blaine had completely forgotten about the mess in his jeans. Smirking, Axl shook his head and muttered something about Sam. Though Blaine had been expecting a surprise from Axl over at Sam's, he realized that with his mess, he had completely been unarmed in watching for signs of a surprise. Even from sitting up straight, he could detect the smell of his problem. By now it was rather cold as well as smelly. Below, he could feel Axl was hard, but he'd have to wait until they went inside. Immediately after thinking this, Axl grabbed him and pushed him down on his stomach over the hay bail Grinning, he heard the sound of a zipper and felt Axl yank the ass of his jeans down. He paused and whispered to him. "Can I …. ruin these jeans past the point of repair, B?" he said, shaking with excitement. "Go for it." He replied, guessing at what he was going to do. The jeans were yanked back up. Blaine turned his head as Axl rummaged around the barn until he let out a satisfied chuckled. Walking back to him, Axl held a pair of scissors in his shaky hands. They looked dangerous, but he totally trusted him. His hips were lifted up so the seam was higher. He felt a tug, and then heard a small rip. The scissors were flung aside as Axl reached down. a small amount of cold hair was coming through the tiny hole. Next there was a loud tearing, and he looked down as they were ripped almost all the way apart. Axl still had his cock sticking through the zipper of his own jeans. Leaning down, he kissed the back of his neck as he lined up properly. Feeling the tip of his dick poking between his cheeks, Axl repositioned both hands on his hips and thrust. Blaine let out a cry as Axl buried himself all the way. He shook, enjoying the pain mixed with the pleasure. Pulling back, he repeated the movement, but this time much harder. "You feel so good B. I love you so much." He mumbled, leaning down and once more kissed the back of his neck. "Love you too. Come on…breed me." He urged, squeezing his ass around Axl's meat. "I'm gunna…." He began. "Wait!" he said, startled. But it was too late. Axl grunted and he felt his hot cum fill his ass. His arms were wrapped around Blaine's chest as his body shook from the orgasm. Sighing, he let out a disappointed chuckle. "I couldn't help it." Said Axl, sounding just as disappointed. "You came within a few thrusts…" he said, oddly reminded of their first time. "Sorry…I've been hard ever since I got in my car an hour ago. But your ass is perfect B. I mean…" he broke off moving his hips from side to side, just as hard. "Well…" he said grudgingly, "yours is just as good…no one could resist if they had it right in front of them." He chuckled. Axl stilled, his breath slowing and he mumbled something that didn't sound very pleased. "What?" he asked, wondering what could be wrong. "Let's talk…once inside your house." He said, sounding a bit more at ease. A hand reached into the opening of his jeans and he felt Axl's fingers feel around the front, pressing the now cold mess enough that some of it spread further down his thighs. Gritting his teeth, the whole situation turned and he no longer wanted to stay in the barn, but get in the shower. Axl slowly pulled out of him. Now he felt the liquid pool at the rim of his hole. Taking a couple of steps, he felt a drop or two squeeze past the opening. Turning, Blaine looked at Axl, looking down at his softened cock, still poking out the front. Reaching down, he pulled at it playfully. Instantly it began to grow. "Are you kidding me?!" he laughed, as Axl was once more at full mast. "Well…if you weren't so hot I wouldn't have this problem. "I don't think it's a problem. I'm gunna jerk you off real fast." He said suddenly, gripping him hard. Gasping he trailed to pull away but Blaine's grip was like iron. Axl stood, thrusting his hips forward. Just as his breath started to hitch, Blaine dropped his dick and walked away to his car. From behind he heard a roar of frustration. Smirking, he kept going and stopped by his car. Opening the door, he began to sit, then remember the cum still inside him. Not wanting to ruin his brand new car, he actually reached around and ripped off a couple more pieces of his jeans and set them in the spot where his ass would be. Sliding into the seat, he let out a breath of relief when he didn't feel any of it leaking. Holding his guitar, Axl waited at the junction where the turn off to the barn met the driveway. He stared at Blaine's car with wonder. Feeling a little guilty, he hadn't even told Axl that he got a new one. This one was awesome and he almost wanted to thank Axl for wrecking his old one. But, he managed to keep that quiet. Hurrying around the other side, Axl attempted to open the door. With the automatic lock engaged, he looked at Blaine with his bottom lip protruding. "Unlock." Blaine said, and there was a faint click. "Open Pass" he said, and the door clicked open to an open mouthed Axl. Pulling at the door, he slid inside and looked around in wonder. "This car is bitchin'" he said with an open mouth. "I know." He replied excitedly, unable to hold back his excitement. Inside, they made their way up the reminder of the driveway with Axl holding his right hand and gently rubbing his thumb over Blaine's knuckles. Axl's junker was parked over to the right, a complete contrast to the one they were in. Suddenly, he felt ashamed, bragging about his new car while Axl's was….well, you know. Incredibly, Axl didn't seem bitter at all as he hopped out and took his guitar over to his own. Also exiting his car, Blaine clicked a button next to his key and the door closed and a faint click of the lock sounded. He entered his house without Axl and was greeted by Dany. She barked happily and sprinted around the house, running into the study, then the hallway, to the kitchen before jumping down into the rounded living room and back up to his feet. Laughing, he bent down and grabbed at her paws. Immediately, she nipped at him playfully then halted and padded a little closer, her nose sniffing. Feeling his face get hot, he stood and made his way upstairs, knowing what it was she was smelling. In his room he stripped and pulled a t-shirt and sweatpants and went into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door. Ge turned and saw Dany sniffing at his ruined jeans on the floor. Cursing, he hurried back to his room and picked them up before she could do anything else. Giving a nervous chuckle, he went back to the bathroom and entered the shower. Turning the controls on, he stood to the side as the water sprayed down onto the tiled floor. There was a shift in light that made him look up. Grinning, Axl closed the bathroom door and promptly dropped his own clothing. His dick was still hard and bounced up and down as he made to join him. Hesitating, Axl turned and flicked off the only light. The entire room became black, with no light at all. Smiling, he waited and almost instantly he felt fingers touching his body. Instead of going for his now hard dick, Axl just intertwined their fingers and moved closer. "Blaine…" he whispered, kissing him softly on the cheek. "Axl." He said, bringing him in close. Wrapping their arms around each other, they kissed for a long time, their tongues tracing every tooth along with the roof of their mouths. Axl's dick pushed into his own. Groaning, he thrust forward, loving the contact. Pulling back a bit, Axl pushed Blaine's foreskin back until the head was exposed. Lining up both heads, Axl rolled it back over and onto his own. Blaine shuddered and grunted as he actually felt their piss slits line up. "Fuck I love you." Axl said passionately. Though they said that to each other quite often, they never tired of hearing it. Blaine knew it was true and he relished what they'd do together for the rest of their lives. "Fuck me." Axl ordered, turning around for Blaine. Grinning, he playfully pushed his dick between Axl's cheeks but failed to push it inside. Axl growled, and he felt a hand grip his shaft, keeping him in place. Reaching out, Blaine spread his cheeks. Shaking, Axl pushed his ass back hard enough Blaine felt the head of his member enter him. Letting out a moan of satisfaction, he waited and let Axl impale himself the rest of the way. The tight heat was like heaven. Kissing the back of his neck, Blaine pulled back and promptly thrusted again. After a few thrusts, he reached around and gripped Axl's dick. Still in movement, they walked forward and began to wash and fuck at the same time. Blaine had to go slow, even a little faster and he would cum too soon. With the room in blackness, it took him a minute to find the bottle with the shampoo and conditioner. Letting some squirt into his palm, he ran it through both of their heads, shampooing them. Realizing he had never actually washed Axl's groin, he quickly made that his task. It was clear Axl was close enough too, because he'd push Blaine's hand away after scrubbing it too long. "I want you to eat my cum." Axl whispered jerking himself off. "You want me to do the same?" he asked, rinsing their hair. "No I want you to cum inside me." He said simply. "No objection here." he chuckled "Hurry." Axl said in a shaky voice. Nodding, Blaine took a step back and with only the very tip of his dick inside Axl. Gripping his hips, he began to thrust fast and hard, loving the little whimpers Axl made on the hardest of entries. Panting, he slowed and came to a halt as he let his seed fill Axl. Humming happily, Axl wriggled his ass, squeezing it tighter. Still shaking, Blaine took a step back. Suddenly he felt grip his shoulders and push him down. Dropping to his knees he opened his mouth and waited. Moaning, Axl stumbled forward a step. Feeling the head of his dick hit his nose, he grinned and reached out, guiding it to his mouth. The sides of his head was gripped by hands and he was kept in place as he let Axl fuck his face. Reaching between his thighs, he pushed a finger into Axl. He could still feel the heat from his cum inside as he pressed it into Axl's prostate. Giving a grunt, Axl held his head and he felt hot liquid shoot down his throat. Though there wasn't as much as usual, it was still salty and tasty. Smacking his lips loudly, he heard Axl chuckle. Sighing, he stood and nudged their noses together. Finally clean, they exited the shower and wrapped towels around them. The lights turned on and he groaned as it assaulted his eyes. Axl was looking at his jeans that were cum soaked and ripped. Grinning, he turned and exited the bathroom and into his bedroom. Sitting on the bed, Dany began to bark happily as Axl and walked over and sat down on the floor next to the bed. Crawling forward, she looked down at Axl, her tail wagging. Out in the room, Blaine dried himself off, standing completely naked. Axl was watching his dick, which was still a little plump flop back and forth. "What's wrong Axl?" he finally asked, sensing the time was right. "Blaine…. Ben and I fooled around…you know…just as friends like Darren and Shawn." He said quickly. "I kind of figured that when he sent me the message." He said honestly, wondering why Axl still looked weary. "Well…his dick actually went inside my ass…" he said quietly. "What?" he asked, feeling heat creep into his face. "I don't think it was intentional though…and I actually pushed him back afterward…he had tears in his eyes." he said lastly, with a face with concern, as if he wasn't sure of the statement himself. "Axl…how could it not have been intentional…I mean…" he said, heat still building, as well as the volume of his voice. "He was...pushing between my thighs, right below my cheeks and it slipped it in. It hurt like hell…even though he's not big at all. If it had been intentional, I think he would have done it in a way that wouldn't have hurt me like that." He said, looking up. Blaine considered this, along with the scared look on Axl's face. Starting to calm down, that did sound correct. Why had it taken him so long to tell him though? "It's been so hectic, and I wanted to tell you in person. This isn't something I wanted to say on the phone or through e-mail. I'm sorry…please don't break up with me." He said quietly, looked down at his hands. "Axl." He said, voice gentle as he sat down in front of him and was able to see a trail of tears. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "We're not breaking up!" he said loudly with fury. Axl's face looked up in disbelief. "I'm mad…but not really mad at you…Ben on the other hand." He said looking away, feeling conflicting emotions. "I really don't think he planned it. He's been with his boyfriend forever and already told him everything. Dean wasn't really mad at me, just him. But I guess they've been together so long that he was able to look past it…especially since it was an accident. I'll never talk to him again if you want." He said hurriedly. "No." he said softly, "you can still talk and be friends. I honestly don't know how to feel Axl. It sounds like what you said. I just don't want to talk to him for a while…unless he'll give me the goods on what Crown's program this summer is." He said, hoping he could urge it out with the right words. "What?" Axl asked, totally perplexed. "Nothing..." he chuckled, leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. "I love you Blaine." Axl said, scooting closer and leaning into him. "I love you to Axl." He kissed him on the forehead. Axl stood and jumped atop the bed next to Dany, completely nude. "Oye!" Blaine heard. Sitting up he looked on as Axl gently pushed Dany away from his crotch. 63. Axl's Birthday "Wake up!" he heard, but didn't feel like complying with the request. "Go on." He heard Darren's deep rumble. "Dude!" he heard Shawn, "Don't. He's sick." "Stand guard at the door." he heard Blaine's hiss. Almost immediately, he felt his sweats yanked down. The cool air wafted over his groin, but suddenly he felt something hot and wet engulf his soft cock. His dick hardened completely within four or five seconds of the act. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Shifting his gaze, he looked down. Lifting his head, he met Blaine's amused eyes. Winking, Blaine began to bob his head up and down his shaft. Peering past him, he noticed Darren and Shawn leaning against each side of the door to his room. Using his tongue expertly, Blaine modified the movement around the head, pausing under the rim before sliding down the underside of the shaft. Scooting back on the bed a bit, he sucked his nut sack into his mouth. Letting out a low moan, he let his head fall back on the pillow. The noise was loud enough that Shawn turned his head back toward them from the doorway. Axl wasn't sure, but through the haze it looked like Shawn was smirking. Not really caring, he closed his eyes and dropped his hand down and placed it atop Blaine's head. Pulling it off, Blaine intertwined their fingers as he built up speed bobbing up and down. Smiling, he gripped him tighter. There was a slight pause in the action, then the mattress dipped. His sweats snapped back into place, denying his cock the fresh air. Being shirtless, he felt Blaine's tongue trace the edge of his navel before sliding upward. He gasped as Blaine gripped him through the sweats. Opening his eyes again, he met Blaine's amused gaze as he flicked over his nipples. The tongue moved up and over to his right side. Automatically, he lifted his so fast it made Blaine chuckle. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes as his pit became soaked with hot saliva. "Blaine." He rasped, thrusting up into the tight grip of his member. "You gunna get up for us?" he whispered, pulling away from the pit. "Yes." He moaned as the same was done to the other pit. There was a cough from the door. Immediately, Blaine slipped off the bed and seemed to magically appear already sitting on Brick's smaller bed. Reluctantly, he let his arms flop down to his sides. Darren was still leaning against the door frame but Shawn had sat down on the corner of his bed. Meeting his eyes, Shawn mimed patting his chest before pointing at his. Looking down, he realized it was obvious he had quite a bit of Blaine's saliva all over. Almost panicking, he fumbled around for something. Sighing, he reached under his pillow and pulled out his handy tube sock. Blaine let out a snort, but Shawn actually let out a bark of laughter. He couldn't help but lightly pat his chest, aware that he was likely leaving small traces of his own cum. Feeling a bit more motivated, he sat up with a groan. At the last moment, he flung the sock over at Blaine, actually hitting him full in the face. Smile vanishing, he swatted at it until it fell to his lap. Carefully, Blaine pinched the edge of the sock and dropped it to the floor as his mom walked through the door. "Feeling better Axl?" she asked, patting his knee. "I guess…" he groaned, glad his hard on wasn't noticeable at all. "Well, come on into the kitchen. We'll do the cake and other stuff. Then you can come go back to bed." She soothed, turning and exiting the room. Shawn rose and headed over to stand next to Darren by the door, waiting for them. Still feeling rather weak, he scooted over to the edge of the bed. Suddenly, Blaine was in front of him. Leaning in, he gave him a deep kiss. Axl tried to push him away, knowing that Blaine was risking his health. It was all for not though, he relented before pulling back. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Blaine turned and began to walk to the door, but paused. Walking back to the edge of the bed, he crouched and patted his back. It took a minute for him to realize what he was doing. Grinning, he shifted forward and crawled atop him. Grunting, Blaine stood up, carrying him piggy back through the room. "I'm fucking you before you leave to go home." He said, knowing Blaine could feel his hard cock through his sweats. "Good, my hole has almost forgotten what your dick feels like." He chuckled, passing through the door. "I find that hard to believe, but I'm not complaining!" he jumped, feeling something poking his ass right where his entrance was. Seeing Shawn ahead of Blaine, he realized that Darren must've been the one to poke him. Brick, Sue, and his mom was standing at the island where his cake was, while his dad was in his armchair in the living room. His mom told him to get up and join them. Reluctantly, he joined them as Axl plopped down on one of the stools. Nose stuffy, he had no idea was his cake smelled like. Smiling at them all, he waited as they sang Happy Birthday, but he wasn't allowed to blow out the candles. Sighing, he felt a bit let down. Blowing out the candles was always his favorite thing to do. No one seemed to notice until Blaine opened a few drawers in the kitchen, apparently searching for something. The others stared at him with confusion. Blaine didn't look comfortable rummaging around in a kitchen that wasn't his own, as if he were rude. Letting out a cry of relief, he pulled out a large knife and what looked like a spatula. Crossing back to the island, he cut out a rather large piece of cake from the corner and set it on a paper plate in front of Axl. Pulling out all the candles, he stuck them all on the single piece. Lighting them again, he grinned broadly and stepped back. Axl smiled at him, loving him so much it felt incredible. Leaning over, he blew them all out in a single puff. They clapped and moved around, pulling out small gifts and setting them on the table. Already, his dad had left and was once more sitting in the armchair. His mom's gracious smile at Blaine melt into a scowl when she noticed his dad was gone. She began to walk over to him when he reached out and just shook his head. Giving an unhappy sigh, she redirected her attention back to the island. Blaine left the room and returned with a thick envelope and set it aside for the moment. Brick, who had already opened the book he was reading before they entered the room, pushed over a flat package with Christmas trees on it. Pulling it in front of him, Axl wasn't surprised to find a book was his gift. But what the book was came as a surprise. The Moons of Jupiter. On the cover, the four largest moons: Calisto, Io, Ganymede, and Europa, were spread out in front of the planet itself. Blinking, he stared up and began to ask why on earth would he read a book about something he had never even thought about only to discover Brick had disappeared. Looking around, he saw him seated at the kitchen table reading his book. Shrugging, he turned back to find Sue holding up some sort of purse for him. Frowning, he took it and looked at it closer. It was definitely hand made by her. The strap was white, but the front red and blue with white stars all over it. "Umm…Sue," he rasped, trying not to sound too mean, "Just because I'm…. well…" he paused, feeling his face redden," doesn't mean I want to wear a purse." "It's a fanny pack." She said happily. He wanted to ask more, but felt something stirring his stomach, making him keep his mouth shut in fear of puking. Closing his eyes, he looked down at the gift again, trying to hide his discomfort. Hearing a water run, he looked up to see Blaine placing a wet rag on his forehead. Grinning thankfully, he opened another present from Darren and Shawn. Inside were hats of different variations of colors, usually two or three. One was red, white, and blue. Another was yellow and red, a red and white, and a green, red and white one. Blinking confusedly, he lifted his head and looked at them. "Thanks dudes." He said, trying not to sound ungrateful. His mom pushed a box forward about the size of a shoebox. Inside, he pulled out a really nice digital camera, much better than the one he used on his cell phone. Grinning, he thanked her and pushed it aside, but she pushed it back in front of him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked back down and discovered an envelope. Bringing it out, he opened the card to read what it said. Another small piece of paper fell out of it. It read, IOU $500. His head was really starting to hurt as he tried to figure all this out. Finally, Blaine pushed the envelope forward and bounced expectedly on his own stool. Smiling weakly, he opened it and a slew of papered objects slid out. One landed in front of him and was a small dark booklet that was a passport. Spreading the other papers around, they were all travel guides along with prepaid tickets to different things. One was a room key to a hotel room in Rome, another to one in Copenhagen, London, Prague, and Barcelona. Amongst these, were two plane tickets from Indianapolis to London. Looking around, it all seemed to hit him at once. Feeling dizzy, he felt himself slipping off the stool and into darkness. When he woke, it was to his cock being sucked. Eye's opening, he looked down at Blaine. Smiling wickedly, he kept going, increasing his speed. Letting his arm fall onto his head, he kept it low until he felt Blaine's lips at the base. Releasing his hold, Blaine coughed with amusement, but kept going. Axl moaned, thrusting his hips as he felt his release coming. He let out a cry as his cum flooded into Blaine's mouth. Panting, his head dropped to his pillow. Feeling his sweats yanked down to his thighs, he lifted his head. Blaine lowered his own jeans. Wearing no underwear, he squatted, then paused. Shifting a bit, he let some of the cum still in his mouth drip on Axl's still hard cock. Satisfied, he repositioned himself, then dropped. "Fuck!" Blaine cried, eyes clothes with a wide grin. "What about…" Axl said thickly. "Gone, they'll be back though. Went to get something to eat." He said, riding him. "Blaine?" he croaked. "Hmm? He asked, reaching forward and yanking Axl's hand down to his own member. "We're going to Europe this summer aren't we?" he asked, jerking his slightly curved uncut cock hard. "Yes…" he moaned. "I love you so much." He said, gripping his dick tighter. Blaine grinned down at him, then shifted to the side. Reaching down he pulled up a package and opened it. Axl released his hold on Blaine's cock to catch the object. Immediately, he was holding Blaine's dick again, only this one was rubber. Staring closer, he found he was holding an exact replica of Blaine's dick, as a dildo. Letting out a laugh, he grinned up at him. Winking, Blaine continued to ride. "Suck your own dick." he ordered, lifting it up to his mouth. Opening his mouth, he let him thrust it in. "Huh…I think I prefer your dick over mine though. At least yours is perfect straight." Said, sound a slight unhappy. "Stop that. It's perfect B. I wouldn't have it any other way. I wish I was uncut." He mused, as if an afterthought. Blaine grinned, pulling the dildo back out and squeezed it. A thin slip of rubber slid over the head. Apparently, it came intact just as Blaine did. "How on earth did you do this?" he asked incredulously, actually feeling a little better. "I uh…Had it ordered earlier, hoping it would arrive by Christmas but it took much longer to create the synthetic foreskin." He explained, reaching back down and pulling Axl's hand back to his real dick. Axl felt his releasing coming quickly, his hips shaking erratically. Noticing this, Blaine leaned forward and was just able to suck at his pits. Eyes bulging, he let it go, planting his seed into Blaine. Eyes closed, he felt hot liquid paint his chest. Some droplets reached his face by the end. They slowed and finally came to a halt. Suddenly, he felt incredibly tired, and his pains began to creep back into his body. Blaine's lips pressed against his own, though he kept his tongue in his own mouth. "Did you finally get all the hints what I was giving you?" Blaine finally said, grunting as he rose and pulled his pants back on. "Hints?" he asked stupidly. "Brick's book….one of Jupiter's moons is called "Europa" …. Sue's fanny pack with our own nations flag. Darren and Shawn's hats that are colors of the different countries of parents' camera, wanting you to take pictures everywhere and the $500 will be given to you when we leave for the trip, so you don't spend any of it before hand…" he explained. "Oh…" he said, "Right. I knew that." He croaked. "You're such a liar." Blaine laughed, leaning down for another kiss. "What are some of the countries that the colors of the hats represented?" "Umm…England" was all he could think of. "Lucky guess. Red and Yellow are Spain, Red white, and green are Italy, and Red and white are the Czech Republic." He laughed, scooting closer to him. "Dude…. how on earth can you afford all of it…. I'm not smart…. but…this is clearly something that costs in the thousands of dollars…Blaine…why did you spend so much on me." He said, too confused and guilty that he would never be able to buy him things anywhere near as good. "Axl…I love you. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together…also…" he looked down, then back up. "the vast majority of the cost was free…my mom gave me her bonus reward points she had from selling cosmetics for years….it wasn't even half of the amount of points she has. Plus, they were going to expire soon if she didn't do anything with them. The rest of the money was some I had in savings bonds, though not much. Cheer up Axl…. don't be stubborn and try to reject this or.." he was interrupted. "Reject it? Are kidding? I'm not going to do that. We're going to Europe…where are we going again? Any nudist beaches in there?" he asked, trying to ignore the illness creeping back into his body. "Good…We'll get to join the mile-high club…you can fuck me on the way there, then me you on the way back. Most of those kind of beaches are found on the mainland of Europe, not the British Isles. London is the first stop, then Barcelona Spain, on to Paris France, to Rome Italy, and finally Copenhagen Denmark. We might try Berlin or Athens…but that's only if we feel like it." Blaine explained, very happy with himself. "How long will we be in Europe?" he asked, feeling his brain going fuzzy. "At least two or three weeks…" he said. Blaine's face contorted and he let out a huge sneeze and landed back on the pillow, looking faint. Axl grinned, guessing he had given Blaine something after all. 64. Preprom "Are you serious?" he texted to Blaine. "Would I ask you if I wasn't?" he read. "I don't think they'll go for it…" he sent with a frown. "Why?" "Well…. I don't know. Lately, they've been acting strange around each other. Like each one is just waiting for something big to happen." He explained, thinking about how stiff they acted when all three of them were together. "You still think they want something more than just a friendship/fuck buddy?" he asked. "I don't know…I think so. But if I'm wrong I don't want to bring it to the attention to them. I know for a fact Shawn likes Darren more than a friend. You can see it when he doesn't think anyone is looking. He really likes' him Blaine." He went on. "From what I saw when all you guys were here, and from what Sam went on about he thought the same, but it was Darren he was sure was the one liking Shawn, not the other way around. Did you see how…ungentle he was with Sam?" "I would call it rough, more than I'd call it gentle." He grinned. "Maybe they'll do it…I guess they both don't have to be there…" "You know they do…it's your idea." He smirked. "I just want to watch both of them pound you with their own dicks…then use my dick as well…with you died up…and blind folded…with a gag in your mouth…and…" "Alright!" he laughed aloud as he sent the message to Blaine. "Have you gone and talked to the principle about prom?" he read. "Not yet. I'll do that tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous about it actually." He sent. He sat and waited for the reply. At the moment he was laying on his bed and looking at his cell phone. The plan was that tomorrow he was going to see the school counselor and brief her on the situation. Wanting to take another dude to the prom was a big deal. Once they entered the building in their tuxes, the secret would be out. Worried what others might do to them was his main concern, though he was also worried that everyone would know he was gay. Even with his popularity, things would change and would never go back to the way they were. It would be easier if Blaine went to his school so they could brave the student body together. Shawn and Darren had both said they'd watch out for him and wouldn't let anything happen. Derogatory words for gay raced through his head as he heard the ping of Blaine's text message. "Axl…we don't have to go to the prom in Orson. You can take a chick and no one will ever know." He read, and felt somewhat ashamed as actually considered doing just that. "No!" he said aloud as he typed. "Damnit! I love you and we're going to the prom at my school. I'm not going to make things easier for me at the cost of hurting you. Yes, I'm nervous but being with you gives me strength in such a situation. I don't care if they won't let us come together. We're going to show up and walk into the building even if I'm suspended. It's a public school and they can't bar us. I don't think so anyways. We'll stick close to Shawn and Darren…and I had no idea about this next bit…but Ben's boyfriend/partner, whatever is actually the freshmen boys P.E. teacher so he'll be chaperoning as well. He's not a bad looking guy…he's tall and has a nice bulge and you can tell he has a nice body." He finally sent. "I didn't know Ben was dating a teacher…how on earth did he ever go to college?" "LOL…he didn't. He has a fake college degree though. He's done a whole bunch of stuff, mostly shady things I guess and he's managed to gain enough money to buy things that I guess aren't legal…a college degree is one of those. He's also got a fake FBI and CIA badge….so Ben says anyway. You know, Ben and him has actually done it several times during school hours and no one suspects." He sent. "Well, I can't blame them. If I went to the same school as you, we'd do the same thing every chance we could." "Yeah we would! Well B, I've gotta go and talk to Shawn and Darren about your request ttyl." "Love you" "You too!" he sent, then put his cell phone away and made his way over to Shawn's house. He stood in the open doorway of the councilor's office, unable to move even though she had asked him to come in. It must have been obvious he was freaking out because she got up and walked to the door. She reached her hand out and shook his while giving him her name. Gently pulling him inside he finally moved on his own and sat in the chair in front of her desk. Knowing this was going to be something big, she closed the door and made her way back to her desk. She asked his name but he wasn't really paying attention, he felt his face burning and he didn't want to say a thing. Taking a few deep breathes he looked up at her and finally was able to speak. "Axl Heck." He said, trying to sound normal, though his voice shook. "How can I help you Axl?" she asked kindly. "This is…hard for me to talk about…" he began breaking the eye contact. "I won't say a thing outside this room, you can tell me anything you want." "I…want…" he took a deep breath before finishing, "I want to bring my boyfriend with me to the prom." He said extremely quickly. She blinked, but didn't look disgusted or thankfully even sympathetic. Sympathy wasn't the reason he'd come to see her. But she seemed to realize what the problem was. He let out a breath and suddenly felt much better. Finally, he was able to give her a steady smile. Returning the smile, he looked down at her desk, as if gathering her thoughts. "I know it will cause problems, but it's something I want to do. There are only four people in the school that know about me. My family knows about me, and Blaine's family knows about him. Everyone is totally fine with us. But actually bringing him and going public is big. I shouldn't have any problems getting into the building with him…should I?" he asked, amazed at how that all came out. "Well…I'm not sure. It's never happened at Orson before Axl. I'm glad you're comfortable enough to come out. To tell you the truth I'm worried what will happen after the prom is over and you return back to regular school days." She went on, then was interrupted with a call. "Hello...Yes. He's here with me. We're discussing prom. Oh, well come on in." she finished. "Who was that?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous. "The principle, Mr. Grant." She replied. A moment later the principle entered and gave an obvious forced smile, with a folder in his hand. "Hi Axl. I've been going over the lists for prom and who is bringing someone from outside our school. I came across your name and a," he paused and opened the file he was holding, "Blaine Anderson from Lima, Ohio." He finished, looking up. "Yeah…" he said, wanting Mr. Grant to just say what he wanted. "Isn't that a…guy's name?" he finally asked. "Yes, he's my boyfriend." he answered seriously. "So…this isn't a joke or anything…you're not pulling a prank? You're actually saying you're a homosexual?" he asked suspiciously. "Yes I am. You can call both my parents. They will confirm it." He said calmly. "Oh." He frowned, clearly hoping it was just a prank. "Well…I don't know if you'll be able to bring him." He said carefully. "Why?" he didn't want to make it any easier than he had to. "Well…two guys together at a prom…it would make quite a few of us…People uncomfortable. Axl frowned, realizing that the Mr. Grant was uncomfortable with it, but wanted to hide that fact. He seemed to realize this because his faced turned a slight shade of red. He looked up and over at the councilor for help. Axl gave an inward smile as she looked at him with disapproval on her face at his remark. She folded her arms and shook her head adamantly. "Times have changed...since we're a public school we can't bar a same sex couple from attending a school function, no matter how immature other people might be about it. If we were a private school, then that would be something different. It would be illegal to stop them. They'll just have to get over it. If both parents from both of them support them they'll be allowed in. The problem will be once their off school grounds. We already have three teachers that are homosexual, though none have come out publicly." She said with a smile at Axl. "We…we do? Who?" he asked, sounding outraged. "That's none of our business. Of the few reports possible student teacher inappropriate relations we have, none are the three that are homosexual. That's as far as I'm willing to go…those three along with ten other teachers' will be chaperoning the prom. Mr. Grant, we have to let Axl and his boyfriend come to the prom together. It's just the way the world is changing." She finished. Axl looked between the two of them. They didn't say anything but he could tell there was quite a bit of tension. He felt now there was no way they'd not be allowed to attend. Looking back at the Mr. Grant, he noticed the look on his face. He recognized it as thinking quickly. After a few moments, he looked up and pulled out another folder from underneath the first one. Closing his eyes, he knew that it was the disciplinary records. It seemed the principle was trying to find a reason to stop them…even if it meant digging up times he'd been in trouble. He tried to think of the last time he got in trouble and was relieved when the frown on Mr. Grants face deepened. He'd been pretty darn good since early fall, which was saying something. "Well…seeing as I can't find any issues, you and your boyfriend can come…but if you get in any trouble between now and next week I'll revoke the decision. Good day." He said, then nodded at the councilor and finally left the room. "He's going to do something that will cause me to get into trouble." He said allowed, feeling his heart sink. "He wouldn't do that Axl." She said kindly. "You saw the look he gave me…the way he was trying to stop me from coming…" he said miserably. "It won't happen Axl. I'm a witness. He won't be able to do it. Relax, and look forward to your prom date." She said with a bit of excitement. "Thanks." He said, feeling somewhat stunned. "Thanks!" he said again, feeling like electricity was running through his body. "Axl!" she called as he was half out the door. "Hmm?" he looked back at her. "Be on your best behavior. We don't want to give them any chance to deny you this." She said seriously. "Kay." He turned and headed out into the hall, instantly wanting to goof off just to see if he could get away with it. Instead, he made his way to the last class of the day. Shawn and Darren would be there, waiting to see what the verdict was. They both had insisted that if he wasn't allowed to bring Blaine, he should go public with everything. Part of him wished to God he'd never have to tell anyone about how he was…gay. He supposed he could be called bi since he still found chicks hot, but lately he'd found himself checking out the guys in school more and more. He'd be wondering how thick their pubes were, if their hole was tight, if they were uncut, if they liked their pits sucked. Suddenly, he looked down and noticed his very obvious hard on. Quickly rearranging his dick, he entered the class as the bell rang and sat himself between his two best friends. "How'd it go?" asked Shawn, leaning over. "Good." He said, glancing over at Darren who looked sulky. "So…we don't have to form a protest or anything?" Shawn went on, his face a slightly pink color Axl hadn't noticed before. "What's going on?" he asked them, thankful it was just a study period so they could talk. "We were just wondering where we're going to go out to eat before prom. "Oh…" he said, feeling awkward. Both of them would be taking a chick to the prom. Darren would be taking Tracy and Shawn, Eva. Axl really hadn't talked to them often, though they were pretty. He had totally forgotten to ask Blaine what they would do. Would it bother Eva and Tracy to accompany a gay couple in public? Looking around, he saw that the teacher was lecturing someone by her desk about something to do with books. For a few moments, he spaced out, gathering his thoughts. "Are Eva and Tracy aware of…. you know?" he asked, looking between them. "Yep." Said Shawn without the slightest hint of anything being wrong. "Yeah…" he said Darren from the other side. "" Yeah…""? he asked, feeling nervous about the coming response. "She knows, "Darren quietly, but in a way that he didn't want to explain further. "She doesn't want to come with us in a group or something?" Shawn asked, turning his head and looking at Darren full in the face. Though he felt dread in the answer, Axl also noticed Shawn's face turning pink as Darren finally locked eyes with him. Sighing inwardly, he resolved to talk to them about what was going on. They'd been acting weird for a while now. It seemed they were colder toward each other and was always on guard. He didn't know why they just wouldn't say they liked eachother….it was so obvious. All three had planned to do the kinky stuff for Blaine this afternoon since Shawn's mom wouldn't be home for a while. Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything once they were getting busy. That usually would break the barrier between them. Axl didn't think they'd done anything together since that last time. These thoughts actually made him relax a bit about what Tracy thought about their group. "She just…she doesn't really approve…saying it was wrong and what not. She promised not to tell anyone and then after prom it won't matter. I really didn't want to take her to tell the truth…" he said, breaking eye contact and looking down. "Who'd you want to take?" Axl asked, him watching Shawn's face out the corner of his eye. "No one I guess. I didn't go to last years' prom so I really don't care much." He explained. As the bell rang and school let out, Axl told them he'd come over to Shawn's around four thirty or five. First he needed to talk to someone. The realization that everyone was going to find out about him after prom kept floating around in his head. There would be no more hiding, everyone would know. He was one of the coolest guys in school so it would be a big deal. His heart was racing the entire way home and he kept thinking about how Darren's date didn't really want to go with them for it. He'd known her for quite some time and she was alright and they'd always gotten along fine. Now he came to think of it, she had been rather cold to him lately and barely talked at all. He hadn't even noticed the change until Darren's conversation. His moms' car was in the driveway and he was so glad it was just her at home. Already he felt tightness building in his chest and he a prickling in the corner of his eyes. He was getting mad at himself because he could already feel the building up of tears, and that he couldn't stop them. Even taking deep breathes didn't help much. Finally, as he looked at himself in the rearview mirror and noticed a couple of tears trailing down his cheeks, he was able to pull it together. He finally wiped them away and no more fell as he exited the car. Through the front door, his mom was sitting in the small armchair watching tv. He remembered it was the exact same place she'd been sitting when he was dumped a while back by that chick. Sighing, he dropped his bag and sat down on the floor next to her, feeling the tears well up again. "Everyone's gunna know about me mom." He burst out. "None of that matter's Axl. We all love you and so do your friends." She soothed. "Yeah…but I'm the most popular guy at school….so everything will be ten times worse than if I was just a loser or dork like the rest of them. Darren's date doesn't even want to hang out with us…I've known her forever and got along great. But I just found out what she really thinks and noticed she's been cold for a while now. It's not like I chose to be this way!" he finally said angrily. "Of course you didn't. That's not something you have a choice about. You'd think with all the crap gays take that if it was a choice they'd just be straight. Who wants to be treated like that. Why would they choose to be treated that way instead of just choosing a path that was the easiest? It's nonsense and people should realize that. I think eventually it will, but not for some time. Blaine did offer that he wouldn't mind if you took a girl to this prom you know. If you're that wor-"she began but was cut off. "NO!" he said adamantly, wiping away the tears furiously. "I love him and am not shamed of being with him. It's just that it hurts to hear people condemn us because it's "wrong" and that it's a "choice". It's not that easy. But everything is just hitting me mom…it's all just becoming real and I'm freaking the hell out. What's it going to be like with everyone staring at us. How will they treat him?" he said, looking up and surprised to see a smile forming. "What?" "You just went from worried about your own feelings to only worried about how people would treat Blaine, That's very unselfish of you Axl. I'm pretty darn proud of you at the moment. You're growing up and I'm so happy I can actually respect what kind of a man you're becoming. Ignore the others, You're not alone. You have some great friends to help you. Shawn and Darren have been by your side and have never wavered have they?" she asked warmly. "No…they've been cool about it all. They're determined to make sure we're all going to have a good time. I talked to the councilor earlier today and she said that the administration can't stop a same sex couple from attending the prom. Mr. Grant just happened to be going over the list of those attending that don't go to our school. So he just came into the office and thought it was a joke. He made it clear he was not comfortable that I'm bring a guy to prom. He was trying to find a way to bar us but the councilor said he couldn't because we're a public school. He even brought my disciplinary record, prepared to hold us back do to my bad behavior." He said, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch. "So what…now you can't go?" she asked, her voice getting a bit heated. "No." he smiled, "that's the thing. I haven't got in trouble once since before I started dating Blaine, which was last September so he couldn't use that as an excuse." "Well…that's something I would have never believed…" she smirked, "you haven't been in trouble at all for months now…how are your grades?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Furloughing his brow, he thought and realized how much better they were compared to years past. "A couple of A's, the rest all B's except for one C." he blinked and looked down at his lap, stunned. "Well…I tell you…. I'm even more proud of you. Still feel down and out?" she asked, with a squeeze to his arm. Feeling a smile form and shook his head and actually sat up and crawled atop her and gave her a big hug, despite her saying he was too big for this and that he was crushing her legs. "The laptop on?" he asked, walking into Shawn's room, noticing a brighter than normal light positioned above the bed. "It looks like a set from a porno!" he heard Blaine's voice. Walking in front of the lap top, he looked at a small window with Blaine sitting on his own bed, completely nude, though he was soft. Axl eyed him, feeling his own member stir. Giving a wink, Blaine fell onto his back, hands behind his head. Axl resisted the urge to approach the lap top and lick the screen to get at Blaine's pits. Suddenly there was a blindfold over his eyes and all he could see was blackness. Grinning, he felt his zipper being pulled down and a hand gripping his ass. Another hand, a larger one reached under his shirt and slid up his torso. He let out a gasp as he felt his right nipple squeezed. A moment later his jeans were pulled down and dropped to the floor, followed by his boxers. At the same time, his shirt was pulled off him, leaving him completely nude in the room. "Man…" he heard Blaine's voice. "Look at that cock…already precum leaking out of his piss slit." He didn't know why, but he was so turned on he felt he might burst. Suddenly a tongue entered his open mouth. With a moan he greeted it and wrestled with it. He guessed it was Darren because he didn't have to tilt his head up. Feeling his cheeks pulled apart, he almost melted into Darren's mouth as a tongue probed his hole. Then he felt a cock enter him completely. Letting out a roar, he fell forward. Darren just had time to catch him before he knew he would have knocked over the desk the lap top was sitting on. Though it hurt like hell, he widened his stance and continued to moan into Darren's mouth as Shawn pummeled him from behind. "Such a tight pussy." Shawn growled. Axl snorted, and heard the same thing from the lap top. "Take his place Darren." He heard Blaine say. "Not yet." Shawn said, speeding up. "Sorry…next, Shawn find that cock ring and put it on him so he can't cum" Said Blaine. Smirking, Shawn pulled him back toward the bed as Darren's mouth disappeared in front of him. With a reluctant sigh, Shawn gave him a one last hard thrust then he let him go. Trying to prepare himself for Darren's monster cock, he felt large hands pull him back as he heard shuffling off to one side. Before he sat down, he was whirled around and pushed onto his knees. Two large hands gripped his head and was pulled forward. Automatically opening his mouth, he took in as much of Darren as he could. A large head slick with precum was what he wrapped his lips around. "Shit…" Darren groaned, trying to push Axl's head as far down as possible. He couldn't get much more than around half the length into his mouth before he was coughing. Below he felt something cold pushed down his own member. Unprepared, he gave a slight gasp and then a groan as one, then the other of his nuts was pulled through the metal ring. Almost immediately he felt his dick get even harder as the blood was restricted from escape. There was a flick to his nuts that made him yelp, and then another. It seemed Shawn was…he let out another hiss as a bit harder flick hit his dick this. "That's good, but you don't have to do much more of that. I know from experience that it hurts…so…lay off…for a little bit. Relieved, he went back to bobbing his head up and down Darren's member, listening to what sounded like slapping coming from the laptop. Knowing that it was Blaine jerking off, he wanted to watch. Abruptly, he felt Shawn reach down and actually lift him into the air by his thighs. His feet dangled as he felt his body began moving forward over what he was sure was the edge of the bed. A hard flick to the head of his dick made him gasp. Darren chuckled but didn't flick him again. At first he thought Shawn was just going to lower him over Darren's dick but he kept going until he felt a tongue lick his nuts and travel through the thick patch of hair between them and his hole. "Oh…." He let out, shaking as Darren's tongue probed him. "Feel good baby?" he heard Blaine ask. "Fuck yeah…" he moaned. "You want Darren to fuck you?" he heard. "Yes." He said, knowing how desperate he sounded. Suddenly he felt a dick enter him…but it wasn't Darren's, or Shawn's. Automatically he knew it was the dildo of Blaine's own uncut, slightly curved dick. Smiling and actually reaching down to pull his cheeks apart wider, he squeezed the rim around it. His body moved down a ways until he felt Darren suck his nuts and then his dick. He felt his own cum being held back, urging to erupt. That wasn't going to happen as he realized the cock ring wouldn't allow it. The dildo pounded him faster than ever before due to the fact that the rest of the body wasn't there to restrict the speed. "Blaine…" he moaned weakly as the toy was pulled out of him. "Get ready." He heard, and he barely had time to prepare before he was lowered onto Darren's large cock. "God you're so tight." He heard Darren, who was already fucking him fast. "Screw this." He heard Shawn. He felt his body pushed forward and found he was laying across Darren's chest. Not quite sure what was happening, he leaned in and started kissing Darren. Their bodies were yanked toward the edge of the bed. After a brief pause, Darren grunted into his mouth as he felt his body shake. Shawn was now fucking Darren with his ass hanging off the edge of the bed. A couple seconds later and Darren resumed his fucking, even faster. "Blaine…I know we agreed to cum inside Axl first…but I'm gunna do it to Darren instead…and I want him to cum in me before he cums in Axl. It's not a request…it's what is going to happen." He said furiously. "Fuck!" he heard Shawn yell and there was no more moving. Lips still pressed against each other, he felt Darren smiling. He mumbled something but he could understand what. It became rather urgent and suddenly Axl's hole was empty and he was laid on his side on the bed next to Darren. There was a quick scramble and the shaking of the bed intensified. Though he couldn't see what was going on, his ears picked up a few words. "Faster." He heard Shawn whisper. "I…" Darren paused and didn't say anything more as the bed jerked two more times before ending after a third bounce. "You good?" he barely heard Shawn ask Darren. "Yeah…you?" came the reply even softer. "Um….I don't want to sound unsympathetic…but Axl's hole isn't being pounded…and it needs to be. Fuck him hard and shoot your loads inside him…no mercy!" Blaine ordered, sounding a bit off put, but still with a bit of humor. "Sorry." They said together. Axl was smirking into the darkness as he was turned onto his belly. Now splayed eagle, he felt his arms and legs being tied down. Someone grabbed his hair and his head was yanked up. He opened his mouth, ready to accept a cock but instead he felt a ball gag inserted. Hearing the sound of slapping coming from the lap top, it seemed Blaine was jerking off again. Blaine's cock was thrust inside of him without warning, causing him to yelp and then groan as his hole was pounded without mercy. It was pulled out and Shawn thrust inside him without a break in the action. He pushed his ass up higher, wanting more. It disappeared after only a few thrusts. He waited for Darren to enter but it was once again Blaine fucking him. It was pulled out and yet again Shawn fucked him, harder this time. Finally, Darren pounded him even harder. Darren shook and he felt hot liquid erupt inside him. He let out a silent scream as his own cum was still kept from release. Blaine's cock pushed inside him. He could feel the extra skin actually moving up and down the shaft before it was pulled out. Shawn ended the session. Instead of speed, he went for force. His entire length left his hole each time he pulled back before plunging inside him again. Speeding up, Shawn finally came to a halt, twitching as he added his own seed to Darren's now covering every inch of his interior. Blaine's cock thrust into him a couple more times while his limbs were untied. His body was flipped and he looked up into the black nothingness. The ball gag was removed and the dildo entered his mouth. Automatically, he used his tongue to separate the foreskin from the head. There was actually a pocket of cum inside that had left with the dildo. Still hot and sweet, he sucked every drop he could off the surface until he could taste no more. His blindfold has yanked and he squinted his eyes from the brightness of the above him. Blaine was watching him from the lap top, grinning at his expression. Shawn and Darren had almost the same look, but there was a lot more exhaustion than anything else. Axl eyed Shawn, then looked down at his member with a clear order. Sighing, he nodded and sat down in front of him, but to the side so Blaine could see. Darren crawled up behind him and lifted his arms and began tonguing at his pits. Shaking, Axl thrust into Shawn's hands, but the ring was just too tight. Blaine looked over and Shawn and gave a nod. With a clip, Shawn unlocked the ring. Darren's tongue continued to suck at his pit. Blaine winked, then came, cum sprinkled over his chest. Axl's vision went white as the buildup was released. His hips thrusted into the air, releasing the largest amount of cum he had ever had at once. It seemed like it was a water fountain, gushing white seed flew in every direction, covering his entire body along with Shawn and Darren's as he collapsed in a state of unbridled euphoria. 65. Prom: Orson Part 1, Ready "Youch!" he blurted, rubbing the spot over his heart where Axl had stuck the pin from the boutonniere into his skin. "Sorry." He said shakily. Though Blaine knew Axl had tried to prepare for this, it was something else to have to go through it. It almost looked like Axl was about to pass out. Reaching out, Blaine took his hand and held it over his heart. Calming, Blaine smiled at him, watching the tension lessen until a smile formed. Leaning in, he rubbed their noses together and finally let go of his hand. He was fully aware that anyone who drove down the street where Axl's house was would see them. Shawn was walking over with his date, Eva. Grinning, Blaine nodded to him, but then gave another hiss as the pin once more poked him. "You can poke me later…" he said, before he could stop himself. Axl's face turned red but he seemed pleased. Shawn snorted, and his date covered her mouth and looked around. Blaine closed his eyes in relief when he discovered neither of Axl's parents were close enough to hear. Mike was sitting on the porch with a can of beer. Nancy, Shawn's mom, was standing over by Axl's car talking to Frankie. He had been informed that Nancy had just been told last week about Axl being with Blaine. At first, as usual, she thought it was a joke. But when she discovered it was true, she had acted flustered, but not unsupportive. Blaine suspected that Shawn had softened her up about the whole situation. Finally giving a relieved grunt, the navy blue and white boutonniere snapped into place. Axl stepped back and looked him up and down. A smirk formed and he quickly glanced down to Blaine's crotch, then quickly away. Personally, he'd have liked to go commando tonight, but he felt there would be too much tension in the air to even think about fooling around. Still, he wanted to do a little something later tonight. Once everything settled down would be the ideal time to make the move. As he stared at Axl in his tux for even a few moments, he felt his member harden slightly. Axl looked so fucking hot. Axl had trimmed his hair just a bit…still long enough to keep him in place as he fucked him from behind. He wore Haitian black slacks and a single breasted peak lapel jacket. A shiny navy blue satin vest with a matching bow tie. The boutonniere was a ruddy purple with white tulips. His own tuxedo's slacks and jacket was black, with a shiny purple vest the same color as the purple on Axl's boutonniere. Instead of a bow tie, he wore a regular tie that was the same purple as the vest. His boutonniere was just like Axl's except that the white tulips were surrounded with the navy blue color of Axl's vest. Eva was slightly leaning against Shawn with a small smile looking them up and down. She seemed not bothered in the least by the gay couple in front of them. Shawn's slacks and jacket were the same style as Axl's except for the long lavender tie. The boutonniere was a dark purple rose with a two smaller roses the color of a mango. Eva's dress was strapless, the top half a dark pink and the bottom belled out into a dark orange the color of the small rose on Shawn's boutonniere. Darren would be meeting them at the restaurant in fifteen minutes or so with his date. Blaine had never been there but Axl raved about it. He'd went on about how they could never go due to the price of the food so expensive. Blaine was determined to make Axl's night as easy as possible. Though he looked calm, Blaine could see the worry in Axl's eyes. Frankie and Nancy slowly made their way over to the group of teens. Nancy had kind eyes and Shawn's nose looked a lot like hers. Walking up to him, she reached out her hand and he shook it enthusiastically She glanced between them and finally smiled at Axl. As if encouraged by Nancy's acceptance, he reached over and took Blaine's hand. Pulling him in, Axl's seemed to loosen up. Feeling incredibly happy, he leaned against Axl's side and rested his head on his shoulder. Smile softening even more, she backed up and stood next to Frankie. Tilting his head slightly, Axl looked him in the eye. "You OK Axl?" he whispered, giving his hand a squeeze. "I love you." He said, just as softly, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Hey now!" said Shawn with a wink. "Leave them alone." Eva chided him, "they can kiss if they want to." "Umm…" Blaine chuckled, "he's just teasing us. We know how he feels about us." He told her. "Have you been giving them a hard time Shawn?" asked Nancy, sounding a bit worried. "No!" Blaine told her earnestly. "He's a great guy. He really is. I don't know what you did when raising him but whatever you did, you did right." Looking rather relieved, she looked over at her son and gave him a nod. "Alright! Time for pictures!" Frankie said, Axl groaned loudly. They'd already had taken quite a few…when Blaine pulled up, when he got out of his car, when he came to the front door, when they put on the boutonnieres. Still, he didn't mind a few more, especially since she discovered that the camera had no film. It had been a total waste of time. They had been told to take a nice one while at the actual prom. He hadn't been told what the theme would be to the Orson prom. Next Saturday, they would attend his prom in Lima. At McKinley, the theme was voted on and it was "Starry Night". Being vice president of the student council, he had already helped make all the stars that would hang from the ceiling. European landscapes would be lining the walls while there would be a large moon hanging over the entrance to the building. Shawn and Axl walked over to stand in front of the garage. Nancy and Frankie looked at them and she finally told them to go stand on the steps that led from the driveway to the front porch. They repositioned them into so many poses that Blaine himself started to get annoyed. By this point, Axl was already complaining loudly. Finally, Shawn let them know they were going to be later for their dinner reservation. Reluctantly, Frankie and Nancy relented. Mike finally stood and came over to them and just looked down. Blaine felt almost like an ant and wondered how on earth Axl wasn't the same height as his dad. "Be careful. If anyone gives you...any trouble, just ignore them. Call them something back if necessary." He instructed. "We don't want them to get in trouble." Frankie told Mike. "Well they've got to stand up for themselves. They're aware tonight will change everything for them…well..." he paused smiling at Blaine before returning to Axl. "It'll be different for Axl. Luckily you're pretty popular so you can get away with more than most." He finished. "Have fun and stay safe." Frankie said, pulling Axl in for a hug. "Ugh!" he said, taking a step back. She turned and hugged Blaine, who hugged her back without any protest. Axl reached out and pulled at Blaine's hand until he was out of his mom's arms. She waved, standing next to Nancy as his dad went back inside with a single nod. Sliding into the driver's seat, Blaine started the car and waited for Shawn and Eva to pull out in their own car. They had decided to take separate cars so each couple could leave the prom whenever they wished. Axl got in and glanced at his house, a strange look written across his face. "You gunna be OK Ax?" Blaine asked, concerned. "As long as I'm with you I'll be alright. Just…" he paused, chewing on his lip for a moment. "I'm scared." He finally said. "I won't let anyone hurt you. If they do they'll be fucking sorry." He said savagely, staring blankly past Axl. "Thanks." He said quietly, which was interrupted by the loud gurgle of his stomach. "Let's eat. We're going to be late." He said, starting to follow Shawn down the road. "I know. Hopefully Darren and Tracy can hold the table. It won't be for long at all. "What's Tracy like" he asked after a few moments of silence. "Not really sure…I don't talk to her much but I do know she doesn't approve of being gay. She won't bother us or anything, just doesn't want to watch us having a go at each other." he said with a smirk. "Well…we've gotta do something tonight. You're just too sexy in that tux to be left alone." He said. "No kidding. You wearing underwear or going commando" he asked, but reached over and squeezed his crotch. "Briefs…had to…stop that." He laughed, swatting his hand away. "God I wanna fuck you." Axl moaned, grabbing his own crotch. "Ax…come on now. Save it." He said, though he felt like he could burst as well. Pulling into the parking lot of the restraint, he noticed Darren's car parked kind of far off. Driving up to it, he saw Darren sitting upright. He didn't see his date though. Wondering if Tracy had cancelled, he began to ask Axl what his thoughts were. But as he began to say something, a girls' head popped up from Darren's crotch. Feeling rather stunned, Blaine looked at Axl with alarm. Axl looked past him and starred at Shawn, who's face looked devastated. "No." Axl whispered, sounding hurt. "I don't understand." Blaine said, putting the car in park. "I thought…"Axl began, then shook his hand. "Didn't you say he liked Shawn…" he asked, feeling puzzled. "He does like Shawn…and not just as a friend. He wants more but is too chicken to say it. Why the hell did he allow her to blow him?" he asked, looking at Blaine, anger in his eyes. "Yeah…but…doesn't he like chicks?" he asked, remembering his supposed rules before they had the orgy a million years ago. "B…" Axl said, looking over at him, but couldn't get any more out before Shawn and Eva opened their doors and climbed out of the car. "We did leave them waiting, and…come on, we'll figure it out. Just watch how Darren and Shawn treat each other the rest of the night." He said, before joining the others outside. Though he was sure Shawn was hurting, the scene had taken Axl's mind off of what everyone would say once they saw them. He greeted Shawn, trying not to notice how red his face was. Shawn eyed him strangely, said hello to Tracy, then turned and walked toward the restaurant holding Eva's hand. Axl stared at Darren with a hard eye, as if he wanted to say something. Shaking his head, Darren followed Shawn and Eva. Finally, Axl was just staring at the pair of them as they walked away. Not sure if Axl wanted to announce they were together, he walked on, though he wanted to hold his hand. Almost immediately, Axl took the hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked through the door. The waitress greeted them and showed them to their table, which just happened to be on the far side of the building. Blaine noticed that most of the diners were other kids dressed for prom. As they crossed the room, Blaine tried to pull his hand away from Axl. Tightening his grip, he followed the others through the open space. No one seemed to notice them holding hands at first. Most just nodded to their group and only after they passed, revealing their hands were joined did the focus change. Axl's neck was almost brick red by the time they made it to the table. Before anyone sat down, Axl pulled Blaine to the furthest seat back, one which Tracy had been eyeing. Taking their seat, Axl and Blaine sat down before the others. Noticing all the people staring at them, Blaine didn't mind until a few guys on the far side of the room actually stood up and looked over at them. Rolling his eyes, he took the menu from the waitress and knew what he was getting. Reaching down, Blaine took Axl's hand, feeling it shake erratically. Using his thumb, he made small circles over Axl's knuckles and into his palms. After a few moments, the shaking decreased, though he still felt uncomfortable. He'd been expecting Shawn and Darren to be talking and laughing, making up for the lack of talk from Axl. But that hope had evaporated as soon as Shawn recognized what had been happening in Darren's car. At a table far off to the left, there was a girl with a mess of thick bushy hair wearing some sort of dress that almost looked like it was made of velvet. She tilted her head to the side and locked eyes with him for a few moments. Blaine almost laughed because the act reminded him of Dany looking at him when she wanted some extra attention. Finally looking away, she began talking to her own date, someone who was instantly was recognizable, well sort of. At least the back of his head was anyways. Eli, the guy who he'd messed around with months ago and was the reason Kurt had broken up with him. He hadn't fucked his hole, just the area between his thighs. Axl had explained that the guys' real name was Brad. Deciding not to look over at the table again, he once more focused on his own table. Luckily, Tracy was really good friends with Eva so they struck up the conversation. After what felt like an eternity, Shawn and Darren began to talk. Finally, Axl joined them and Blaine began to breathe easy. There were still other kids continually looking over at the group. Feeling less edgy, he looked around, noting those who seemed to be unhappy about two dudes being together. A few met his gaze, most seemed curious. Others seemed uneasy, but a couple actually looked angry. Bored, he reached over and rested his hand on Axl's thigh. They'd gotten so use to fooling around when they weren't alone, Axl acted as if nothing had happened. When Axl reached out and grabbed a roll, he sat back down a few inches closer to where Blaine's hand was. Taking the hint, he slid his hand further up his thigh and rested it a top Axl's crotch. He couldn't help grin as he felt how hard Axl was. Though he wanted to actually jerk him off, he hesitated. There were so many people around. He doubted he would be given a long enough opening to lean down and suck him. Just jerking him off through the clothing would have been fine with him except for the what the clothing was. He liked the smell of cum, but after a while it wasn't something he enjoyed. He was on the verge of unzipping his slacks when the waitress brought their meal. Axl let out a disappointed huff as his hand pulled away. taking his plate from the waitress, he began to eat as if nothing had happened. Grinning, he took his own meal and ate as well. The sun began to sink, and the lighting in the building automatically adjusted. Soon, the whole group was laughing and talking as if they weren't the center of attention. Watching Axl, Blaine felt his mood lift as the easy smile sprang to his lips as he looked over at him. Locking eyes, he dropped his fork and reached over and pulled him in. their lips met, and he felt the room get a little quieter. Pulling back, he glanced around. The four others at their own table acted as if nothing special had happened. Tracy looked a bit flustered, but she kept up her conversation with Eva. Other diners weren't as laid back. A few tables away, a couple of guys were looking at each other, grimacing, while their dates giggled about something. Hearing a snort, Blaine shifted his gaze to a few feet away. A blonde haired guy wearing a white tux glared at him. After a moment, he lifted his hand and flipped him off above the table for the entire room to see. There were a few laughs and Blaine dropped his eyes, feeling angry. "Fuck off Adam." Axl called, half rising. "Stop." Blaine whispered, knowing this was what the other guy wanted, to make a scene. "Maybe later." Said the guy with a smirk. "Let's go." Said the blonde chick next to him, looking angry at the way he was treating Axl. Standing, he nodded and took her arm and made his way to the counter to pay. The girl turned to Axl and mouthed "sorry". Axl waved at her, giving an understanding smile. That was pretty much the end of their dinner. Blaine didn't really feel very hungry anymore. Darren and Shawn were both watching Axl and Blaine, concern written across their faces. Acting as if nothing had happened, Axl looked at the menu and actually asked for desert when everyone else at the table had declined. Smiling faintly, Blaine suddenly felt a bit hungrier so he ordered a piece of red velvet cake. "Hey, we're gunna head to the gym." Said Shawn, rising and pulling back Eva's chair. "Yeah, to make sure no one has anything mean planned. We'll watch out for you bro." Darren agreed, copying Shawn's action for Tracy. "Ight. See you in a bit." Axl said, handing the menu to the waitress. They nodded and walked to the counter, behind another group of teens. "Are you OK?" Axl asked, looking at Blaine worriedly. "I'm fine. Are you?" he asked, knowing Axl was on edge. "I guess…B…Don't leave my side once we get there…l don't want anyone to hurt you." He said seriously. "I'll be fine. I've been in quite a few situations where things have gotten ugly really quickly. We don't have to go to the prom. Axl, you don't have to do this." He said, reaching out and taking his hand. "No. I _do _have to do this. I'll just have to get used to dealing with others our age. You know…" he said thoughtfully, "being around older people or kids doesn't bother me." "Yeah…" Blaine agreed, "this generation of kids will actually be used to seeing couples of the same sex so often it won't be anything new." "And old people won't be around for as long as we will." He said cheerfully. Blaine laughed, and picked up his fork at the sight of his pie on the way over. "You two are so cute together. My brothers' gay and is actually a freshman. I'll tell him that if two guys can go to the same prom together, and one of them is actually one of the most popular kids in the school, it's Ok for anyone to be gay." She said with a broad smile. "Thanks…how do you know I'm a popular guy?" Axl asked, intrigued. "I've been to some games to watch my brother and it seems you're always one of the players that get a lot of time to play. That usually means you're pretty popular. Plus, he has a huge crush on you." She winked, then walked away. Blaine looked at Axl, grinning at the look of surprise and pride he was experiencing. "Wanna fuck?" Axl asked suddenly, looking over as Blaine took a bite of cake. Choking, he looked up, tears streaming down his face as the food went down the tube without being chewed on. Reaching out, he picked up his drink and brought it to his lips to wash the food down. Acting as if there was nothing wrong at voicing his question, he took a bite of his own food. Raising his eyebrows as he chewed, he looked back over and tilted his head waiting for the answer. Wiping away the tears, Blaine looked Axl up and down with consideration. Putting down his glass, Blaine leaned in. "No…but I wouldn't mind jerking you off really quick…" he winked. "Well…just make sure you swallow my entire load…don't want to mess up my slacks." He nodded, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then stood and went to the counter to pay for both of them. Rolling his eyes, Blaine noticed that Axl had just made a mess on his sleeve. Taking a last bite, he pulled out his wallet and put some money down for a tip. Usually, his tips were the standard 15 to 20 %, but he upped the amount to 25%. Satisfied, he rose and joined Axl just as the payment was completed. Blaine pulled the restaurant door open, letting Axl exit first. The walk to the car gained speed until they reached it. Sliding into the driver and passenger seats he started the car and drove out of the parking lot and headed for a secluded location. "Let's just go park in the lot by the gym B. There's a nice stand of trees close by." Axl said, rubbing his crotch. "The one's you blew me when I came to your football game?" he grinned, remembering the feel of Axl's lips around his cock while he held onto the shoulder pads of his football uniform. "Yeah…I wanna suck on your foreskin." Axl said enthusiastically. "Stop, I'm already hard as hell and don't want an accident." He said, feeling his hard on pushing against his briefs. Pulling into the school parking lot, Blaine parked as close to the trees as he could. He noticed there were quite a few other people standing outside the building, but none were close enough to see what they were going to be doing. Turning the car off, he opened the door and stood, pulling his keys out of the ignition and placing them in his pocket. Looking at his console, he tried to think if he needed anything else. Hands clamped down on his hips, making him jump. Behind him, he heard Axl chuckle, then felt his groin press into his ass. A hand slid over his crotch, gripping him through the fine fabric of the slacks. Not really caring if he was missing anything else, he backed up and closed the car door. Glancing up at the bustle around the entrance to the building, he felt relieved when he couldn't discern if they were being watching. The hand disappeared, along with the press of Axl's crotch. Missing the contact, he turned and followed Axl's form until he was covered in shadow. Immediately, Axl pulled him close, pressing his lips against his own. Moaning, he forced his tongue into Axl's mouth as he felt his zipper being pulled down. Axl's hand gripped his cock through his underwear and began to maneuver the length through the opening in the front. Suddenly the chilly air wafted over his exposed member. Pushing his finger between the head of his cock and his foreskin, Axl pushed it down until the cold covered the entire head. Making to go to his knees, Blaine held him in place. He knew that it would be obvious why he'd have dirt on his knees. The word would have surely reached the entire assembly of people going to the prom. They would be looking for anything to tear them down. "Just jerk me until I'm close." He whispered, reaching out and pulling Axl's zipper down as well. "Tell me when you're about to cum." Axl said, tightening his hold. "You do the same." He said, pushing Axl's briefs down and pulling his cock out over them instead of through the small opening. He grunted, thrusting into Axl's hand as his speed increased. Shifting his position, Blaine turned so he could see the entrance in the distance, making sure no one would sneak up on them. "Faster." Axl moaned, his voice unsteady. "Feel good?" he breathed, biting at his lip. "Oh...I'm ready…hurry." He gasped with a plea. Blaine had wanted to say "already?" but he knew he didn't' have time. Squatting, he wrapped his lips around the head of Axl's dick just as a hot salty rope of cum hit the back of his throat. Axl shook, letting go of Blaine's member as he had to hold onto his shoulders so he wouldn't fall down. Pushing his face forward, he kept going until he felt the thick forest of pubes rest against his nose. With a final shudder, Axl took a step back, still jerking from the orgasm. Panting, he looked down at Blaine as he made sure to get every bit of cum out of his cock. Swatting his face away, apparently it was now too sensitive to do more. Grinning, he stood back up and reached out his hand. Guiding Axl's hand, he placed it back onto his uncut dick. After a few moments, Axl was composed enough to actually put his now soft dick away while using the other hand to do a twisting motion. With every twist, his foreskin was pulled back over his head, rubbing against his frenulum. Proud of how good Axl was at playing with dick, he guessed he needed to speed up the progress. Though he loved the feeling, he was nowhere near close enough, and they needed to get a move on. At least ten minutes had passed since they'd parked and he knew they'd be interrupted if they waited much longer. "Here, I'll get close." He said, gently pushing Axl's hand away and pumping his dick fast and hard, using his other hand to reach down and grip his nuts through his clothing. "You look so hot jerking yourself off." Axl chuckled, making sure to stay close. "Kay." He said, feeling the tingle that precluded the surge of his release. Axl pushed his hand out of the way and leaned down. Lips closed around his member and he slightly felt Axl's tongue pushing against the underside of his head. Blaine shook and stumbled forward a couple of steps as he came. There was a pleased groan from below as his seed landed onto Axl's tongue. Thrusting forward a couple more times, he finally slowed and looked down at Axl. Through the darkness he thought he saw a wink. Pulling back, Axl sucked at every inch of his member, spending a longer time on his foreskin then the rest of his dick. Grunting, Axl pushed himself up and tucked Blaine's member back into its cage. "I love you so much." Blaine said, leaning forward and giving Axl a swift kiss on the cheek. "Nuh uh, I want to taste myself…please insert your tongue into my mouth." he said. Blaine let out a loud snort and did just that. The mixture of their combined juice was really good, a bit saltier than usual but that was alright. Sighing, he stepped back and looked toward the school. There were only two or three other people standing outside the school, and they were looking in the opposite direction, presumably toward the parking lot entrance. Reaching out, he felt Axl's fingers intertwined with his own and they slowly walked out of the shadows and toward the school. With every step, Axl slowed and seemed to shake a bit more. Coming to a halt, he turned and looked at Axl. His eyes were wide and he looked ready to bolt. Chest heavy, Axl took a step forward but didn't go any further. Smiling softly, Blaine turned and tried to pull Axl back toward the car. There was no way he was going to subject Axl to this when it was clear he wasn't ready. From behind, a car's engine revved as two beams of light washed over them. Turning, Blaine watched as the doors opened and four people stood. When the group was a few yards away, Blaine recognized the lead guy as the one who had flipped him off in the restaurant. There was a snicker, but Blaine couldn't see his face because of the dark. Suddenly, Axl straightened and gripped his hand and pulled him towards the entrance of the gym. Though he guessed the only reason Axl was leading him into the building was because he didn't want to look weak in front of someone who had irked him earlier. He couldn't help but be proud of Axl as he pulled him in even closer where he could hear how calm his breathing was. Along the sidewalk was a red carpet lined with fake lampposts leading up to a large fake arch over the doorway that looked like the Paramount Theater arch in Hollywood. Looking through the windows of the door, Shawn gave a relieved grin as recognized them. Blaine wanted to open the door, but was afraid it would make everyone think Axl was the chick in the relationship. Instead, Shawn pushed it open and they entered. "Hello Axl." Said a lady in a nice dress. "Hi. This is Blaine…my boyfriend." He replied, voice raised a bit louder than necessary. "Nice to meet you Blaine." She said, reaching out and shaking his hand. "Ditto." He grinned, squeezing Axl's hand a bit harder. 66. Prom: Orson Part 2, Hero Behind her, a large middle aged guy dressed in a suit nodded at them, though his smile was a bit forced. At the table off to the right, was a sign telling new entrants to sign in. Axl took the lead and signed. Blaine looked around, noticing quite a few people were looking at them curiously. Darren was sitting near his date close to one of the large round tables. She stood off to the right, talking to Eva and another girl. He seemed to be staring at Shawn, who was pointedly not looking at him. Axl nudged him and he jumped. Feeling stupid, he took the pen and signed, trying to ignore the chuckles from whoever was behind him. Right next to the list of names, another piece of paper sat for those who wanted to take photos. Each person would be given a number and when it was called you were to go to a certain area right outside the gym. Axl had already signed their name and was given the number thirty. Glancing further at the list, Blaine noticed a line that was labeled groups. Again, Axl had taken another number. He guessed he wanted a picture with Darren, Shawn and their dates as well. Pulling on the little tab, he looked down at the number thirty-nine. Finished, he walked next to Axl and they made their way over to the table Darren was sitting at. Taking Axl's hand he looked around at everyone, who was pretty much staring at them. A few guys across the large floor pointed and made hand gestures that was clearly depicting someone jerking off. A few others held their hands to the mouths and poked their tongues into their cheeks as if giving a blow job. Blaine had thought he'd be the one that would have to support Axl, but at the moment he felt small and weak. The back of his neck burned as he looked away and noticed what Darren was wearing. Normally, he would have noticed that when they had entered the restaurant to eat. But that had been pushed to the side with the realization that Darren was getting blown by a chick. It felt wrong, as if he were cheating on Shawn. He knew they weren't a couple, and that they'd never come out to say it, but he knew they liked each other more than just friends. Though it was rather dark, he could make out the vest was a light green, almost like a turquoise color. Wearing a matching bowtie, his boutonniere was a single large white rose. Shawn and Darren shared a quick glance at each other, then looked away. He jumped as loud hip hop music began to play. Couples immediately began walking onto the dance floor. Axl looked back at him in question, he guessed it was about whether he wanted to dance at the moment. Though he wanted to, he wanted to wait a bit. First he wanted to get his bearings and study those around them. There were still a lot of kids staring at them, a mix of anger, disgust, surprise, and a few excited ones as well. Some of the guys, at least the hot ones seemed to all stand together and looked at Axl in disbelief. Blaine guessed they were the jocks and the most popular kids in the school. He wondered if he hadn't come with Axl whether he'd be hanging out with them instead. "How's it going?" Darren yelled as they took a seat next to him. "Well…as you can see, we're pretty much the center of attention." Axl yelled back. "Come on!" said a bossy voice, and Darren was pulled to his feet and drug out onto the dance floor by Tracy. "Let's go." Said Shawn, reaching out and walking with Eva and following them. "You OK?" Blaine asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his Axl's shoulder. "I've been better, but I'm glad we came. I'm not really much of a dancer." Axl shouted. "Really?" he laughed loudly, "you do have a dancers' body you know?" "I doubt that." He said, looking around. "Are those guys over there popular." He pointed, and immediately wished he hadn't because well over half of them were staring right at them. "Yeah. They're all pretty cool…though at the moment they look rather mad." "Wassup?" he heard from behind. Blaine jumped again and turned his head. Ben stood in a really nice white tux with a dark shiny green vest and long tie. Still not totally happy with him for messing around with Axl, he gave a slight nod. Smile faltering, Ben nodded to both of them and began to walk off alone. Biting his lip, he wondered whether he should go after him. Looking at Axl, he discovered he wasn't really paying attention. The chick with the bushy hair and El—Brad was approaching them. Not really caring if anyone saw him, Blaine looked "Brad" up and down, trying to see why he had done stuff with him in the past. Well, one reason was because he had been horny as hell and was sick of using his own hand. "Hello." Said the chick loudly, staring at him with open curiosity. "Uh, Hi." Axl said, clearly on edge. "So…you're gay?" she said, just as loudly not caring if anyone heard her. "Yeah…" he said, with a strange look on his face. "This is We—this is Ashley. She was my date last year. This is Blaine." He said, shifting in his seat so Blaine could face her directly. "Your kind of cute…He looks like this guy who played a wizard in a musical I saw a few years ago." She said, talking to Axl as if Blaine couldn't reply by himself. "Thanks…I'm a member of Lima Ohio's New Directions' glee club. Other than that haven't been in any musicals really." He said, shifting his gaze to Brad, who nodded stiffly. "Well…I'm glad you found someone Axl. Brad's my date so you don't have to worry about me." She said in a monotone. Turning, she walked away and onto the dance floor. "We call her "Weird Ashley" Axl said loudly, looking as they started to dance together. "So…that's why you changed mid-sentence when you introduced her." He wondered aloud. "Yep…I gotta pee. Wanna help me?" Axl said, standing. "Umm..." he laughed. "Not really, but I'll follow you. I wanna talk to Ben." He said, gazing off to the right where Ben stood next to a tall guy leaning against a wall. "Don't beat him up B." he said seriously, walking towards them. "I won't, I just kind of feel bad for giving him a cold greeting a few minutes ago." He explained, then noticed Ben kind of leaning into the guy, his hand hidden behind his back. "Is he?" he began, not believing what he thought was happening. "Yeah." Axl laughed. "That's Dean, Ben's partner. He's a PE teacher for the freshmen class." They actually fucked several times during the school day." He said, giving his hand a squeeze and walking into the restroom. "Umm…hi." Blaine said, coming to stand next to Ben and Dean. "Hi." Said Ben, looking a bit worried, while Dean looked perturbed. "Oh, keep doing it, I don't care. I just wanted to say sorry for the cold greeting." He said, giving him an apologetic smile. Ben's face relaxed and gave him a large smile, showing off his perfectly white teeth. Dean also looked calmer. Blaine couldn't help but glance down, watching Ben's subtle hand movements. Shifting, Dean gently stepped aware, sweat shining on his brow. Grinning, Ben looked back and then forward again. It was obvious Dean had almost…well. Eyeing him, he could see why Ben liked him. He was very hot, though a bit older than he felt was right for a teen boy. "That's the third time he almost came." Ben chuckled, leaning in conspiratorially. "Ben!" Dean said, looking exasperated. "Don't go talking…if anyone…I'd go to jail." He finished. Sighing, Dean walked away and headed for the rest room. Blaine couldn't help wondering if he was going to take care of business. He had just opened his mouth to ask Ben when he noticed a couple of guys walking toward them. Preparing himself, he tried to not panic as they came to a halt. They looked at each other, wordlessly trying to communicate. The one on the left was the blond guy that had flipped him off earlier. Next to him, the other guy had dark hair and was a bit taller than him. "So.." the blonde said, "Are you the chick, or is that Axl?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice down. Blaine felt his face growing hot trying to figure out how he should respond. "You give good head?" said the dark haired guy. "None of your business." He said coldly. "He has to be good at it." Said Adam, "otherwise Axl wouldn't be turning into a fag." "Shut the fuck up." Said Ben, anger making his voice shake. "What? You gay too?" asked the dark haired guy. "Yeah. I am. And I bet you'll never get laid half as much as I already do. "That's fine with me…I wouldn't want my dick covered in shit from another dude's ass." he hissed. "You better walk away right the fuck now." Said Axl, from behind the blonde guy. "Get the fuck away from me faggot!" said the blond, turning to face him. "Wait a minute…" said the other guy with a sneering voice, "at least get him to blow you first." He mock whispered to Adam. By this point, the confrontation was starting to attractive a lot of attention. Quite a few of the jocks that were standing in the group started to come closer. Some girls looked worried and one was even making her way over to a group of adults. Guessing they were chaperone's Blaine wanted to just walk away with Axl. However, he knew if he did walk away it would just fuel the flames. He was kind of impressed with Ben, who stood and looked at the other guys with defiance, his hands in fists down to his side. "Leave 'em alone." Said a guy from within the group of jocks. "What, you think it's normal for another dude to like dick. It's fucking sick!" said Adam, glaring at Blaine and Axl, but not at Ben. "Why do you care? It's none of your business and it's not hurting anyone." He continued, taking a few steps forward. "it's unnatural dude." Said Adams' companion. "They're not normal and need to be sent away from the normal people." "Take that back." Said the jock in a deadly whisper, walking up to the other two. They stared at him in wonder. Blaine was also curious what had caused that reaction. By now, the dance floor had become still, no one was dancing at all. Darren was looking around frantically, as if trying to find someone. "I won't. I stand by it. It's sick and if you support it—"he began, then was interrupted as the jock surged forward, but luckily was held back by the rest of the guys behind him. "My little brother is gay you piece of shit." He yelled, still trying to get at the two guys. Axl had calmed down and had walked over next to Blaine. They said nothing but just stared around in, seemingly no longer the center of attention. Blaine was trying to read the two rude dudes faces. Both looked stunned and confused by what had just been said. Off to the right, a pretty girl stepped forward and looked around, her mouth opening to say something but nothing came out. "I'm gay, what does it matter?" asked a voice from someone in the group of jocks. A red headed guy stepped forward, looking scared and yet proud as everyone looked at him. "I'm a lesbian." The pretty girl on the right blurted. All around Blaine, three or four other kids admitted they were gay. By the time all was said and done, the two idiots that had come over to harass them just backed away and stood together with a few others, clearly taken off guard by the revelations. Blaine smiled at the look Axl had on his face. He almost looked as if he was going to burst with excitement. Still, he did look off at the small group of kids who obviously felt the same way as Adam and the other guy from earlier. "There's a few in there that I considered to be great friends." Axl said sadly, looking away and into Blaine's eyes. Seeing the pain there, he began to reach out to cup his cheek, then thought better of it. Axl gave him a smile that said he knew what he was about to do and appreciated it. A ballad started up and Blaine took Axl's hand and led him out onto the dance floor. Aware of the stares, he ignored them and pulled Axl in as other couples surrounded them again. Slowly rotating, they made their way in an arc that eventually took them back to the table where Darren was sitting. Grimacing, Axl kissed him on the cheek as the song ended. He started to walk over to Darren, but looked back for permission when another slow song started again. Giving him a nod, he started to follow him. "Um…" said a voice. Turning, he was surprised to see Ben looking kind of awkward. Smirking, he tilted his head to the side to see what Axl was doing. Having just pulled a chair around, he sat in it backwards and was talking to his friend. Waving, Axl looked up at him. Pointing at Ben, he swayed side to side a couple of times and waited. After a slight hesitation, he gave a single nod with a half-smile. He winked at Axl but his attention had already returned to Darren. Ben obviously had been watching the exchange and began to drag him back out just as Blaine winked. They took their positions and joined the other dancers. Blaine had let Axl take the role of the dominate partner when they danced slowly earlier. This time he took the lead with Ben. Smirking, he noticed the guilt Ben was obviously feeling. Leaning against the wall some ten yards behind Ben, Dean watched him warily. Though it was dark, he could just make out a smirk and a wink as they locked eyes for a few moments. "Sorry." Ben whispered, looking away. "I'm not going to pretend it didn't piss me off." Blaine said, hearing a bit of edge in his voice. "But Axl's ass is undeniably the best hole in the entire world." "Well," Ben grinned, "Dean's ass is better. It may not be as hairy as Axl's though." Blaine found himself looking up and studying Dean's build. "I can't believe you're a couple…he's so much older than year dude." Blaine said, returning his gaze back to Ben. "There's an interesting story there. He was dating my mom and…well." he broke off, looking a bit strained. "I had just turned fifteen. Always horny you know. We hadn't done much. But while he was asleep I crawled atop him and dropped." He said, with a grimace. "At fifteen?" he said, coming to a halt and looking back at Dean. "Don't stop moving or else he'll discover I'm talking about him. I won't lie, it hurt like hell. He's not small at all." He said, then paused and looked at something behind Blaine. On edge, Blaine turned and was ready for a confrontation. Axl was standing in front of the two trouble makers from earlier. He hadn't even noticed Axl had moved away from Darren. It looked like he had been on his way to a set of emergency exit doors. Unlike before, the location was so far away none of the chaperones or teachers would see what they were doing. Releasing Ben's hand, he took a couple of steps toward Axl. There were heated words and finally the blond spat into Axl's face. Rage rolled over him in thick bursts of fury. Blaine was not a fighter but he couldn't care less at the moment. Somewhere behind him, he thought he heard Ben's voice calling for Dean. Before he knew it he was closing in on the three of them. Even through the loud music, Blaine could hear running foot steps behind him. Wanting to make his point clear before he could be stopped, he pushed Adam away. Startled, the guy stumbled back and would have fallen onto the hard floor had his friend not caught him. Taking advantage of the moment, he took another step and made to punch the guy in the face. Arms wrapped around him before he could follow up on the act. "You fucking faggot!" roared the blond, making his way forward. Suddenly, Dean was standing between Blaine and Adam. At that precise moment, there was an announcement calling numbers out to come and take photos. "_Number thirty please make your way to the photo taking area."_ Axl groaned as he looked down at the number. Holding it up, he showed it to Dean. Looking at it, he gave a nod and sent them along. Reaching out, Blaine took hold of Axl's hand and turned. Still pissed, he felt a little happier when he heard Adam yelling about how Blaine was getting off after he had provoked a fight. Hearing Dean's response almost made Blaine stumble. Next to him he heard Axl give a bark of laughter. "Well what do you expect? You spit in his boyfriends' face genius. You're just lucky I'm too lazy to report this as a hate crime. Now move along. You decide to let another gay slur leave your lips I'll make it my duty to report it." In spite of himself, Blaine's mood lifted. Though he wanted to turn around, he was afraid of what he might see. "Hero." Axl said softly, quickly pecking him on the cheek. "You OK?" he finally asked as they were almost to the photo line. "I'm fine." He said, wiping his face with his hand "Hold on." He held out his arm and turned around to face him. With the added light illuminating his face, Blaine could make out a wet spot on the left side of Axl's nose. Shaking his head, he looked around for the restroom. Not having been to this particular spot in the building, he had no idea where the restroom was. A few yards away a water fountain stuck out of the wall. Pointing at it, Axl followed his finger until he saw the receptacle. Luckily there were still a couple people in line ahead of them. Axl joined him in the line just as a flash of light came from the door. "What were you doing over by the exit door anyway?" he asked. "Oh." He said, looking a bit grim. "Darren had said Shawn had disappeared with Eva, so I went to check. "You found them?" he asked, guessing what was going on. "He was actually fucking her Blaine." He hissed angrily. "What" he asked, shocked. He had expected they'd gone off so Shawn could get blown, but not the real thing. "Yeah. They didn't see me. When you open that door, the light is so dark that I don't think they noticed me stepping outside. But there's no question what they were doing. You know there's no way to mistake what I was hearing. Thank god Darren doesn't know. He pretty much thought that Shawn was getting even by getting blown. I'm not going to tell him anything different." He finished, looking confused and hurt. "Did you tell Darren how Shawn really feels about him?" he asked as another burst of light came from ahead. "Yes." He said with a huff. "What did he say?" "He shrugged and refused to say more. Everything's falling apart just when I finally come out…everything's' supposed to be perfect B." he moaned. "Axl. Look around. You changed things…for the better. How many people came out earlier? I think four or five at the least. By the last bell of next Monday, what happened here tonight will be known throughout the whole school. There are two grades that weren't allowed to the prom…there are going to be a lot of people coming out now that they now they aren't alone. I'm so proud of you." He said as sincerely as he could, his voice breaking slightly. Axl looked down at his hands, his ears and nose pink with emotion. Blaine looked around as they waited for the next couple to finish. For the first time, he noticed large movie reels pasted against the walls, inflatable balloon video cameras and different sized stars hung from the ceiling, mid-sized statues were placed around the area. Looking closer, he recognized them as mock Golden Globes, Emmy awards, and other cinematic based trophies. A life size poster of Marylyn Monroe over the air vent holding her dress down hung on one side of the double doors to the picture studio. Peering into the studio, the backdrop that displayed the famous Hollywood sign. In the center of the backdrop, a large arch with red and white stars placed along the front side. Two ribbons of silver movie reels flowed on each side of the arch. To the right a tall black pillar with another silver role of movie reel hung snaked around it. The couple grinned at each other as the flash of the camera took their picture. "So…the theme is "Hollywood?" he asked Axl, as they took the place of the couple that had just left. "Yeah…didn't I tell you that?" he asked with a smirk. Shaking his head, he looked behind him and tried to think how to stand. Finally, he decided to stand in front of Axl. Hoping Axl would reach around and hold him, he was surprised as he felt slight thrust of his hips into Blaine's backside. Something hard was poking directly into his cheeks. Turning his head slightly to look back at him, the camera flashed. Feeling annoyed and at the same time turned on, he slowly made his way back to the gym. "I wanna do you so hard right now." Axl hissed, lust thick in his voice. "Well…we have to wait until we take the group pic. Then we're gone and you can pound me as hard as you want." He breathed, leaning in slightly and brushing his hand against his crotch. Axl smirked, obviously recognizing the exact touch Blaine had propositioned him on the first day they met. Though Blaine liked to dance, at the moment he had no desire to despite the music blaring. Out on the dance floor, Eva and Tracy were dancing around with a few other chicks. Darren and Shawn sat at a table close to the group. It looked like they were having a real conversation. Darren shook his head and Shawn reached out, then caught himself. Blaine wanted to shake some sense into them. A couple tables away from the pair, Ben sat next to Dean. Blaine snorted, causing Axl to look back at him. Giving a slight nod, Axl stared right at them. Biting his lip, he nudged Axl to the side. Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head. He worried that if someone were to notice Axl staring too much, they'd eventually catch on to what was causing his befuddlement. "Dean is jerking Ben off slowly. Don't stare. If anyone catches them they'll be in major trouble." He whispered, noticing Ben's body was shaking a bit. Dean leaned forward and actually picked up a few paper towels that was on the table. "They're crazy." Axl said, dumbfounded. "No kidding." He agreed, watching Dean hand with the towels disappear in shadow under the table. "Let's ask Ben to be a part of the group picture." Suggested Axl. "Yeah. That's cool with me." He said just as a voice announcing that their picture was up. Axl headed over to Shawn and Darren while Blaine walked over to Ben and Dean. Letting out a cough behind them, they both jumped. Blaine smirked and met them as they stood. "Thanks for not…you know…throwing me out." He said to Dean gratefully. "Don't worry about it. That little shit is lucky I'm a teacher." He growled, looking around. "You wanna join us for our group picture?" he asked Ben. "Uh." He blurted, looking shocked. "Go on." Chuckled Dean. "Kay." He said happily. The five of them didn't have to wait in line at all. Instead of standing in a line, Blaine felt himself lifted into the air. Shawn held chest, while Axl held him around his waist, while Darren held his feet. Grinning, Blaine turned and acted as if he laying on his side. Ben chuckled and actually sat on the floor and lifted his arms and held them up like a large letter Y. Axl's hand that was hidden from the camera dug in at Blaine's ass, then rubbing the underside of his nuts. Luckily the photographers laughed and took the picture in less than one minute. By the time they stood Blaine back up he was hard as a rock. "Ready?" Axl asked, excitement in his voice. "Um...can we…" he paused, torn between wanting to dance one last time, and wanting to get fucked wearing tuxes. Without saying a word, Axl took his hand and pulled him back out onto the dance floor about halfway through another slow song. Aware of the many eyes on them, he ignored them. Laying his head against Axl's chest he swayed side to side, feeling happier than he couldn't remember when. No more would they have to hide out in public. Closing his eyes, he let Axl lead, slowing making their way closer to the exit doors. In his mind, he pictured his life together with the man holding on to him. Growing old, gaining weight, losing hair and teeth, as well as control of their bowels, seemed easy. As the song came to a close, Axl leaned in and kissed him firmly on the lips. Smiling, he broke away and calmly walked toward the doors. Along the way a few people said their goodbye's to them. Most of them were calling Axl's name, but a few people were calling out the word "Hero". Heat ran up the back of his neck as he remembered that Axl had called him that after he shoved the bully away. Somehow, the word must have spread throughout the crowd. They nodded to the counselor lady who smiled warmly at them. Once through the doors, they started walking a bit faster. Then Blaine heard a few guys calling out slur words at them. Already knowing who the culprits were, he didn't bother turning around or even responding. Nothing could wreck his mood at this point. They had done everything they planned to do. Though there had been some trouble, the night turned out much better than he had dared hope. Pulling out his keys, he pressed a button on the ring and his car started right up. Pressing another button, the lights turned on and the doors clicked open. Sliding into the seats, Blaine looked forward and noticed the look of envy of quite a few of the guys that had been jeering them. Putting the car in gear, he began to drive through the lot. Off to the left, they noticed that Adam was walking toward them with what looked like a rock. However, just as he was about to throw it, one of his friends grabbed his arm. Turning, he was suddenly looking up at Dean...who was actually a teacher. Axl let out a burst of laughter as he watched the rock fall from his hand and land on the ground. Reaching over, Axl unzipped Blaine and tugged at his dick. He jumped when there was a ping from his cell. Grumbling, he kept his left hand on Blaine's cock while his right went to his cell. "Ha!" Axl laughed, "Ben had told Dean that we'd be leaving after the song. Automatically he exited the building to make sure we were left alone." "You know…he's alright." Blaine chuckled, then grunted as Axl dropped his phone and tugged vigorously on his meat. "I fucking love you Blaine." Axl said with a bit more weight to his voice then Blaine was expecting. "I love you too." He said softly, yet seriously. "I'm sooo glad my guitar broke in the car shop last fall." Axl said, playing with Blaine's foreskin. "I still can't believe I actually came onto you like that. I was scared you'd get mad and just walk away. You were so hot…and you were…" he paused, not quite sure what to say. "straight?" Axl said knowingly. "Yeah. Can I ask you something?" "You know you can." "How…why did you agree? I seriously didn't detect a bit of gayness in you." "I don't know." He said. "There was just something about you. That and I was horny because you had just mentioned sex and I was kind of jealous. If you were offering, I'd take you up on it. No one except my own hand had ever touch my dick before. Again…there was something else…It was easy to talk to you. You didn't freak me or gross me out. Also, you were attractive." He finished with a shrug. "Can I do you first?" he asked suddenly, glancing over at Axl. "Why?" he said huskily, pulling his hand away from Blaine's member. "Please?" he pleaded, unable to keep the note of desperation out of his voice. "Of course you can babe." Axl said easily. "Um…where do we go. Not back to the quarry. I never want your dad to see me doing anything sexual with you ever again." he said. "No kidding." He agreed, and seeing no way it would happen again anyways. "It's way too cold to go swimming. Our dicks would retreat back into our bodies no matter how horny we are." He chuckled, glancing down quickly as he felt the hand pulling out his nuts. "Hmm.." Axl said, looking down at Blaine's crotch. "Not much space left through the opening, is there?" "No…there isn't." he said, feeling his dick hardening even more. "Where are we going B?" Axl said, unzipping his own slacks. "I've no clue…this is your town; you should know where we'd be left alone." He said, glancing over as Axl began to jerk them off with the same rhythm. "Oh my god." He said suddenly. "What?" he asked, on edge. "Turn right at the next street. "Kay…" he said. Axl began to give him directions that led them closer to the north side of town. Once they had to go back because he'd forgotten about a certain road. Ahead, he noticed a large building coming into view. At first, he was afraid it would be a public building. He wouldn't mind doing stuff in public, they've done that before. There was a house just before the large building that was fairly close to the main road. He was ordered to finally turn into the lot next to the large building. "Park over there." Axl pointed to the right of the large building that was a huge barn. To the right, were several large round bales of hay. Blaine didn't know he was told to park there. Anyone would be able to see his car from the road. Axl zipped himself back up and exited the car. Staring, Blaine turned the car off and joined him. Looking around he made to go into the barn, but Axl seized his hand. Raising an eyebrow, he could just make out a smirk across Axl's face. Shaking his head, he pulled Blaine along past the barn. There was an open stand of trees next to the house he had spotted earlier. Completely lost and confused, he let Axl pull him along until they stopped at the very edge of the woods. An extremely large tree stood out a few yards from the rest of the trees, about ten yards for the house. When Axl attempted to pull him again, he resisted. There was no way he was going to go into a strangers' house. Axl shook his head and pointed at the large tree. Studying it more closely, he was able to make out a kind of latter than climbed up the trunk. Fifteen feet up, there was a large box that was cast in shadow. Grinning, Axl let go of his hand and started to climb and eventually disappeared into what was an apparent treehouse. Wanting to burst out laughing, he bit his tongue and followed him. Above him, Axl muttered and was knocking against something. He ducked as a hatch swung out, revealing the entrance. Once Axl's shape was no longer in the way, he climbed and halted as his head looked around. Though dark, he could make out a couple of old chairs, a table of some kind, and some shelves built into the side of the trunk. There was a large window that looked out onto the house. Hearing a zipper being pulled down, he looked back up. Axl had pushed his pants down just slightly, his white cheeks illuminating the small space. Hurrying up the latter, he almost stumbled but caught himself. Yanking his own zipper down, he pulled his uncut dick out. Reaching out, he placed his hand on Axl's left cheek while the other slid between the cheeks. Using his thumb and middle finger, he pushed his index into the crack and felt the thick hair surrounding his entrance. "Do it Blaine." He said softly, his voice shaking with excitement. "Hold on." He said, pulling the cheeks apart and sticking his tongue inside. "Oh my god…yeah…" he moaned. "Kay." He said, standing up straight. Taking a couple steps forward, he maneuvered his member into the now slick crack. His member slid in so easily. He almost felt like crying as he bottomed out. He was about to pull back when a flash of lights briefly flashed through the window. Coming to a complete halt, he scooted forward and nudged Axl's head to the side slightly so he could get a better look. A car door slammed and a figure walked across the lawn. Smirking, even from here the silver of the moonlight made the blond haired guys identity no secret. "Are you fucking crazy?" he hissed, somewhere between horror, embarrassment, excitement, admiration, and hilarity. "I couldn't help myself. We built this treehouse together in the seventh grade. Once in high school, we grew apart. His room is right there in front of us on the second floor." He whispered, just as a light turned on in the room. "What if he sees us?" he asked, pulling back a bit and pushing back in. "Too bad for him. He is really cute though, isn't he?" Axl said with a grunt. "He's nowhere as good looking as you." He thrusted harshly. "Look." He whispered. The boy was pulling off his clothes, finally stopping with just his boxers. Blaine studied the thick patch of dark blond hair sprinkled across his chest. Seeing a blond that hairy was surprising. No longer caring to watch him, he began to speed up, wanting to hear Axl's gasps as he pounded harder into him. The night had been such an emotional roller-coaster. There were a few hitches, but most of it had been everything he'd wanted it to be. Looking down, he was just barely able to watch his dick pump into his boyfriend, his dark meat slamming into the white barrier. "Axl…" he hissed, his voice shaky. "Do it. Love you so much. Harder." he grunted, his voice cracking a bit. "Feels so good." He mumbled. With a final slam, he buried himself as deep as possible. his seed blasted against the wall of Axl's ass, filling him with hot liquid. Axl moaned, squeezed his rim around Blaine's dick. Panting and shaky, he pulled out, watching a few white drops drip onto the wooden floor. After a few moments, he paused and leaned in. Once more pulling Axl's cheeks apart, he put his lips to Axl's messy hole and sucked. Salty cum filled his mouth as he used his tongue to lick at the walls. Axl moaned and shook as he felt the hot seed leave him. "That was…" Axl panted, staggering forward, "different." He said with a smirk. "I just don't want you to ruin your slacks." He said. "I've never…ever done that before. Usually filching isn't really my thing." He admitted. "I love you…. but I don't think I want to do that to you…" he said, sounding a bit worried with how he'd take this. "Of course not…I'd never ask you to do something you don't want to." "Look." Axl said, pointing. Inside, Adam had a towel over his shoulder as he pulled his boxers down. Blaine couldn't help but peek…one of his things was spying. He knew it was wrong but couldn't help it. Axl let out a small laugh as he turned around. Grinning, he figured Axl was laughing at how small the boy was. From here, it looked so tiny. "Maybe…he's a grower." He said. "What's that?" "it means that though your dick is really small when soft, when its hard it's a lot bigger than expected. Your kind of like that. "Blaine said, reaching around and pulling at Axl's still hard dick. "Oh…" he said absently, then grunted as Blaine began to jerk him. Standing up straight, turned his head. Opening his mouth, he slid his tongue inside Axl's mouth. there was a hum of recognition of the taste of his juices. Stepping away Axl turned and pressed him against the wall. At first, he wasn't very enthusiastic as he wrestled with their tongues. But when the wall didn't break or fall apart, he felt better. Axl reached down and untied Blaine shoe. Looking up, Axl seemed to be making sure Blaine didn't have any objections. Yanking the shoe off, he pulled his right pant leg completely off his leg. Reaching up, Axl palmed his ass. Leaning in, he began to kiss Blaine, forcing his tongue into his mouth. Axl pushed at Blaine's briefs with his thumb harder and harder. He was about to ask what he was doing when there was a ripping sound. Cool air seeped in through the small opening. Mouth forming into a smile as he continued to kiss, Axl lifted him. Letting out a gasp, he reached around and held onto Axl's shoulders as he tried to line his dick up with the hole. Finally, he growled and thrusted upward. There was a stab of pain as Axl's dick entered him. Groaning, he lifted his legs and wrapped them around Axl's waist, letting him pound away. Back against the wall, he grunted as Axl increased his speed. Suddenly Axl pulled away and pushed Blaine down. The right knee that was bare pressed against the cold floor, making him shiver. He barely had time to turn his head when Axl thrust into him from behind. Blaine's fingers scrabbled at the floor, trying to find something to hold onto as Axl's thrusts slowed and finally came to a halt. He moaned as he felt the hot cum fill him. Collapsing atop his back, Axl panted, kissing the back of his neck. Turning his head, he rolled over onto his back. Moonlight came in through the small window, shining on Axl's face. Slightly red, sweat dripped off his nose as he pushed himself up a bit. Wispy strands of steam rose off his heaving body. Smiling rocked to the left and finally was able to lay on his back. Axl slowly lowered himself until he lay atop his chest. Below, he felt cum leaking out of his ass and soaking his briefs around the hole. Not really caring he closed his eyes and hugged Axl, pulling him closer until their foreheads pressed together. "I love you." Axl whispered, kissing his forehead, nose, and each eyelid before their mouths met again. "I love you too." He breathed. Still down, Axl pressed his groin into Blaine's now soft dick. He grinned as he hardened. After a moment, Axl lifted off him and pulled his slacks all the way off, but leaving his underwear on. Realigning his hip, he thrust down. Their brief covered dicks ground together. After a few moments, he thrust up to meet him. He had no idea how long it took, but Axl gave a grunt and went still. Feeling liquid soak into his own briefs, he redoubled his efforts, turned on as hell as the liquid began to cool. With moan, he gave another thrust and his own cum soaked what little bit of untouched fabric there was. Shaking, Axl placed his arms on both side of his body and finally pushed himself up until he was standing. "That looks so hot. "Blaine said, noticing how the white fabric now appeared grey due to the wetness of the material. "Yeah…um…." He paused, then yanked the briefs down and dropped them down on the floor of the treehouse. "Oh my god!" he hissed and laughed at the same time, pull his own soaked pair down and dropped them right next to the trap door. Grinning, he stood and dressed, which took a bit longer than expected due to all the extra bits of clothing. Satisfied, he followed Axl down the tree. He was about to push the door closed, but decided to leave it open. The open hatch would surely draw attention. When Adam climbed up to the entryway, he'd see what they'd left him. Dropping, he bit his lip and followed Axl into the small group of trees and finally turned his car on just as the barn came into view. Sliding into it, he sighed and took Axl's hand. Raising it to his lips he kissed it. Backing up, he pulled onto the road and drove the way they came from. Holding each other's hands, they came to Axl's driveway in what felt like no time. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay, but actually had to go home. Sighing, he pulled Axl in for one last kiss. Their tongues met and he pulled off his boutonnieres, he placed it into Axl's palm while he did the same. Staring at him, he watched as Axl made his way to the door. He paused and ran back, pulling the door open again and leaning in for another kiss. 67. Prom: Lima, Part 1 "So….uhh…" he hesitated, "how was it?" "How was what?" Shawn smirked. "the pussy?" Darren said, overly loud. Ben let out a loud snort as a couple of freshmen boys walked past their table during lunch. "Oh…well…" Shawn paused, half glancing at Darren, "wet." Axl was the one to snort. "It was good…" he finally went on, his tone returning to normalcy. "I had wear a rubber though." "What? You never had to wear one before?" asked Ben, looking up. "No, the person I lost my virginity to was also a virgin, so it wasn't needed." Shawn explained. Axl watched Darren's face, wondering what he was thinking. He didn't know what it had all meant Saturday night. There wasn't a chance to talk to either Shawn or Darren before they left prom. He knew it was stupid, but Axl had been thinking about the pair as a couple. Shawn losing his virginity, well to a girl seemed so off character. It was almost as if he did it to hurt Darren for getting blown in the car by the girl before they had all gotten together for dinner. But watching them, he detected no jealousy or malice between them. Feeling easier about the situation, he was seriously thinking about what it would feel like. He loved Blaine with all his heart, but couldn't help his curiosity. Coming to a conclusion, he was going to ask Blaine if they could possibly have a threesome with a chick sometime just to see what it was like. Wondering this, he had totally spaced out and hadn't realized someone was talking to him. "What?" he asked looking up and noticing Adam with a scowl on his face. "I said, wouldn't your bitch boy be mad if he knew you were hitting this little faggy twink?" he pointed his thumb at Ben. Ben snorted and looked up, "How do you know what a twink is?" Adam's face turned brick red but still looked defiant. "So," said Axl, watching as Adam looked back over, "I doubt you'll remember, but I left one of my favorite hats in the tree house we built years ago…do you think you could get it for me if I were to come by? I remember there's a hole ripped in the bottom of the hat." Face filling with rage, Adam took a couple of quick steps forward and thrusted his arms at Axl's chest. Caught unprepared, he felt his chair tip back and the next the he knew he was looking up at the cloudy sky. Wind knocked out of him, he heard shouting from far away. Blinking, he looked down at his chest. The tray he had all his food on had spilled all over his upper body, making a huge mess. Still dazed he shifted his eyes up and watched as Ben actually punched Adam in the belly. Doubling over, he looked back up and socked Ben in the left eye. Axl began to rise then grunted as Ben was pushed over and he fell atop him. "There ya go you fucking little faggots…go pack some fudge and have each other lick the shit off your dicks." He roared, so loud Axl noticed everyone in the vicinity look around at the statement. Somewhere behind Adam, Axl was able to make out a couple of teachers heading their way. Darren had rose and made toward Adam, his face red with rage. The friend that had stood beside Adam at the prom intervened and came between them, blocking Darren from getting to Adam. "Principles' office! Now! All of you!" screamed a teacher, her voice shaking with shock. "But I didn't even do anything." Said Shawn, indignantly. She looked at him, and noticed he was still in his seat. Looking at them, she painted at Adam, Ben, and himself, then nodded. It seemed that since Darren hadn't actually hit anyone, and the guy who blocked him from Adam was off the hook as well. Glaring, Adam turned and strode away from them. Darren reached down and helped a red faced Ben to his feet. Groaning, Axl pushed himself onto his elbows, then finally stood. His shirt was now a mess of foods like pudding, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese…it seemed that todays -+lunch lacked any solid foods. Ben was looking down at the ground, his body shaking. Axl saw tear fall slid down a cheek. Reaching out, he pulled Ben in and gave him a hug, aware that every single person was watching them. "You OK?" he asked softly, patting his back and guiding him in the direction of the school. "Sorry." He said in a small voice, his eyes still not looking up. "Stop that. Dude…why did you hit him?" Axl asked him in a low voice as they walked through the door. "I don't like being called faggot. I hope Dean doesn't here about this…what was that about the treehouse…it felt like a doubling meaning." He said, looking up, his face calm. "Oh…" he said with a smirk, looking at the back of Adams' head. "Um…well." He felt his face heat up, "when Adam and I were friends a few years ago we built a really nice tree house at his house. After prom…well…you know. Blaine and I had to..." he drifted off. "Naturally…go on." He grinned. "I was so pissed at Adam…Blaine and I actually secretly snuck into his yard and up into the tree house we built…did it. Blaine has this thing where he likes to fuck still clothed. I didn't want to rip his slacks, so I pulled them down and ripped a hole in his briefs…we did it…then a few minutes later, after we recovered, we ground together until our underwear was sock…we took off them off and left them in the treehouse right by the door. We left it open so he'd go and look. So…he came face to cum soaked underwear…" Ben let out a loud snort, causing a glaring Adam to look at them. He sneered as he seen Axl's messy shirt. Back at home, Axl grinned to himself while lying in bed. The principle had been on the verge of suspending Ben and Axl along with Adam. Luckily, Shawn had gone to the councilors office to tell her what happened before the punishment had been given out. She had barged into the office, giving the principle a hard look and stood against the back of the door. He had asked her to leave, and she had said she would not stand for Axl and Ben being suspended. His face had turned so red it look almost like one of those cartoons where a character ate something hot. In the end, Axl was sent home for the rest of the day. Adam had been suspended for the rest of the week, and Ben had been given ISS for the next couple of days due to him physically making contact with Adam. By the time the meeting was done, the bell had rung and the halls were packed with students. As he had left, he had noticed Adam's friend cornering a boy, making loud remarks toward him. Out of nowhere, Sue had run up to him and was pulling him along toward the confrontation. Gritting his teeth, he allowed her to keep hold of him despite not wanting to really be seen with her. He was about to ask her what was going on when Axl noticed who was cornered. Sue's friend Brad look scared and almost helpless. Axl suddenly remembered that at the beginning of lunch he heard Brad had come out earlier in the morning. Axl didn't find him attractive at all, and he was somewhat of a flamer…but if he was being bullied for being gay, he wouldn't stand for it. Times had changed and he intended to make sure this sort of thing wouldn't happen any more. He heard Shawn and Darren's' voices calling to him. Hearing his name, the bully turned and look straight at Axl, looking perturbed and disappointed. Shooting Brad one last scathing look, he turned and melted back into the crowd of students. Brad had looked almost tearful, but thankfully he controlled himself. Sue patted his back and the two also vanished into the crowd. Sighing, he thanked both his best friends, and exited the school and drove home, completely exhausted, both mentally, and physically. Feeling rather pleased, he drifted off into a nap. He awoke as his cell phone rang. Hoping it was Blaine, he lifted it up and looked at the number. Unrecognizable, he opened and greeted the person. Apparently, he had not booked his tux for the extra week. He tried to explain he had another prom to go to this weekend, but it wasn't possible to hold on to. It needed to be returned because it was being rented by someone else. Groaning, he closed his phone while the lady was still talking. If he kept it any longer he would be charged with a fine he couldn't afford. Rolling over, he pushed himself off the bed and grabbed the garment bag with his tux and made his way out of the house to return it. Looking at himself in the mirror, Axl grinned. Luckily the lady at the store had a different tux he could rent. Had he known that the lady had this one, he'd have worn it to his own prom in Orson. This tux was all white. Though there wasn't a vest, the under shirt was an electric blue with white lines that appeared like churning water. Instead of a bow tie, this time he wore a long tie the same color as the blue in the shirt. He didn't want to toot his own horn, but he thought he looked fucking sexy. Below, he felt his member stiffen. Blaine had informed he that was going to wear a different tux as well. He wouldn't reveal what it looked like, just that he like it better than the one he wore to Orson. Turning on the driveway to Blaine's house, he looked to the left at the barn. It was the place he had asked him to the prom. Immediately after he had fucked Blaine there, completely clothed. Remembering the tightness of Blaine's hole, he finally stiffened the rest of the way. Growling, he shook his head, trying to force his erection away. He had been told to arrive at the house early, but not sure why. Curving around to the right, Blaine's large house suddenly appeared on the left, the lights of the large rounded cylinder of the two story living room poured through the large windows The first time he had seen it he felt like it was mansion. It was probably three or four times the size of his own. Looking at the three door garage, the only car inside was Blaine's. Guessing this was the reason he was told to arrive early, he once more felt his dick stir. Just before the line of sight to the living room was lost, the lights were extinguished. Coming to a stop on the grass to the right of the attached garage, he didn't want to block the entrance. Feeling nervous, he paused before opening the door. Unlike last weeks prom where it was sunny and warm outside, it was pouring rain here. From somewhere south he heard a rumble of thunder. Just as he was about to turn the car off, he caught Blaine waving to him from the door that led into the pool area past the garage. Though it was rather dark, he could tell Blaine was naked. Axl stared at Blaine's crotch, unable to make out anything due to the lack of light. He heard him shout something and he finally moved his eyes up. He had been so preoccupied with his nether regions, he hadn't bothered looking up to see what Blaine wanted. Making a motion, he pointed at his car, and then moved it over to the far empty parking spot inside the garage. Nodding, he backed up and took the spot. Shutting his car off, he looked down at his crotch. His dick was straining against his briefs. Movement, and then a shadow from outside his door made his head turn. Grinning, he was eye level with Blaine's hard uncut cock. feeling his mouth water, he tried to find the door handle, but was saved by it being opened for him. Without a word, Blaine went down on his bare knees. Raising his hand, Blaine unzipped Axl's slacks. A hand reached through the opening and pulled his dick out through it. He let his head drop back as he felt his length being surrounded by a hot wet heat. Still buckled in his seat, he dropped a hand to the back of Blaine's head and forced him down until he felt the lips halting at the barrier of fabric. "Blaine…" he moaned, reaching down and lightly pulling at Blaine leaking dick. Blaine lifted his head just enough to free his lips. "Cum inside my mouth." then went right back down to business. "Fuck you're so good at sucking my dick…bet you want me to fuck you too, don't you?" he growled, eyes closed. He felt Blaine nod his head under his hand. For a moment, Blaine lifted his head and made a face. Raisin an eyebrow, Axl looked at him with question. Lifting a hand, he picked at his teeth and finally pulled a coarse hair out and flicked it away. Axl closed his eyes, shaking from suppressed laughter. Once more his dick was surrounded by the wanting mouth. Feeling Blaine's tongue dig into his piss slit, he groaned. Dropping his hand back down, he placed it against his neck. Pressing it down, he didn't stop the pressure until he felt the lips against the base of his member. Glancing down and to the left, he eyed Blaine's shadowed crotch. Switching hands, he reached down into the darkness and felt the tips of his fingers graze across the head. Tilting a bit, he was able to feel a thick amount of precum gushing out of it, pooling in the spot the foreskin had pulled back from. Grinning, he flicked his fingers gently against it, each time pressing further between the head and the extra skin. Below, Blaine hummed as he felt his tips coming ever closer to the frenulum. Scooting to the right just a bit more, Blaine made it easier for Axl to play with. Blaine began to bob his head up and down, each time wrapping his tongue in different directions around his shaft. Axl could feel his nuts tightening, almost ready to release into Blaine's mouth. With an effort, Axl reached as far as he could and was finally able to reach his target. Smirking, twisted his hand just a bit and pinched the area around the frenulum. Blaine gave and gasp, and a thick hot liquid exploded all over Axl's hand. The feeling of the seed coating his hand was all it took. Axl groaned and came. Unprepared, Blaine wasn't able to take all the cum at once. He felt a few drops drip around the base of his shaft, soaking slightly into the briefs. Panting, he released Blaine's neck and let his own fall back against the driver's seat. Opening his eyes, looked down at his hand. As Blaine lifted his head to meet his eyes, Axl brought his hand up and sucked and licked every bit of Blaine's semen into his mouth. "Tastes' so good B." he said with a wink, and swallowed all of it. Suddenly, Blaine climbed on top of him in the car. He barely had time to adjust to the cramped position when Blaine lowered himself. At this point in their relationship, he didn't even have to guide his meat into the hole. He let out a groan as Blaine's tight heat surrounded his still throbbing member. Leaning in, Blaine forced his tongue into his mouth. Reaching out, he gripped the uncut dick and began to tug. "Hurry." He whispered, then pressed his lips to his own. Grinning, he reached to the side and flipped a latch. Blaine gave a grunt as back of the seat fell flat. After a few moments, he squatted again. Reaching out, Blaine took hold of the roof of the car so Axl could pound away without any resistance. The darkened body of Blaine almost seemed to shine as Axl's white tux illuminated his form. With every thrust, Axl watched his cock disappear behind Blain's hanging nuts. It didn't take him long until he felt the familiar tug below that meant he was about to come. Lifting his head, he looked up and smiled lazily. He watched the Adam's apple bob a couple of times before Blaine tilted his head down again. When their eyes met, he let it go. His mouth opened and he closed his eyes, feeling his semen flood Blaine's tight hole. Blaine pulled himself up and off him be clinging to the car roof. In a swift swing, he landed on his feet outside the car. He eyed Blaine's soft member, enjoying the look of the foreskin completely covering the head, ending at a tip at the underside. Grinning, his eyes traveled up his torso and finally looked at his face. Smirking, Blaine winked and raised his arms and placed them behind his head. Axl's gaze immediately flitted to the dark and thick hair of his Blaine's armpits. Though he was spent, he planned to suck them later, and make Blaine suck his as well. He wouldn't be allowed to do anything more until his pits were completely soaked with his saliva. Hearing a snort, he looked up and noticed Blaine pointing to Axl's erect member. "Sorry…" he said with a wink, putting it back into the barn and close the doors. "What time is it?" he asked suddenly. "Umm..." he drifted off and looked at the clock on his console. "5:58." His eyes widened and he looked almost panicked. There was a rumble of thunder that sounded closer than the one he heard pulling onto the drive way. A new sound caught his attention. Not totally sure, but he thought it sounded like car doors closing. Blaine looked desperate now, his eyes locking onto his own, then at the garage door, then finally down at his bare crotch. Though Axl knew he shouldn't he felt amused by the way Blaine was acting. Running back up to him, he hugged him and kissed his cheek, then took a few steps toward the door to the pool room. "Stay here. Do not look in at any of the windows, or even look outside of the garage. Do not open the door until your called. Please let me surprise you with something Axl." He said, almost desperately. "I promise Blaine." He said, also going for the full name and not the shortened "B" he used so often. Grinning, he took a few steps over, his penis flopping back and forth. With a quick kiss, he turned and hurried back into the house. Axl watched him leave, feeling drool collect in his mouth at the sight of Blaine's furry ass cheeks and crack. Sighing, he took a few tentative steps towards the open garage door, then halted. Gritting his teeth, he stepped back and turned back to his own car. He was determined to respect Blaine's wishes. Looking at console, he remembered the blue flower boutonniere he had that matched the blue of his tie that Blaine was suppose wear. Climbing back into the car, he grappled with the latch and finally released the door to the small space. Sitting down, he fiddled with it and glanced at the clock multiple times. A couple of times he looked up after hearing some bangs from inside the house. Every instinct told him to go and sneak a peek at what was going on. A door opened behind him and he began to turn around. "Close your eyes. I've got to blindfold you and lead you inside." Said a girls voice he had never heard before. "OK." He said, totally lost in thought now. "No, no. don't look at me. Just close your eyes." she said quickly, as he began to peer around. "Hmm…you're cute. No wonder Blaine talks about you nonstop." She said, sounding a bit flustered. Unable to help himself, he smirked and had to agree. A blindfold covered his eyes tightly enough he couldn't even see light shining through the fabric. Her soft warm hand took his wrist and pulled him along. Axl suddenly felt strange. He had a suspicioun this was going to turn into something sexual. Yes, he thought about doing something with a chick with Blaine when Shawn had described it. But now, he didn't want to at all, it made him queasy just thinking about it. This was supposed to be their night, and he didn't want to share it with anyone else. Not quite sure how to bring up the subject, he hadn't even realized they had entered the house until he smelled something that made his mouth water. By the time he had tried to figure out what the smell was he descended a couple steps down into a different room. Guessing it was the living room, his shin hit something hard and he groaned. The girl giggled and gave a silly "whoops". Biting his tongue to keep from growling, he felt his hand placed on a smooth table top. Next she helped him sit on cushioned seat. Hearing talking around him, he felt even more confused. Light began to filter through the blindfold, but he left it alone. "Keep your seat. You can take you blindfold off in a ten seconds." She whispered, sounding excited as he now felt nervous, giggled and ran away. Feeling his heart thudding like he had just run a mile, he shakily pulled the blindfold off. He was sitting in a white half circled seating booth restaurants used. Something began to click, but it didn't quite make it in time for his focus to be drawn to a sound from behind. Turning, he stared through the large opening of the living room into the hall where you could see the large curved stairway to the second story of the house. Spot lights glowed and shone upon five girls with short white dresses with toilet paper role style hairdos from Blaine's "Beauty Shop Dropout" number all those months ago. Realizing this, he glanced back down at what he was sitting in. Feeling almost tearful, he looked back up as Blaine began to sing. Instead of his all white outfit he used, he wore simple black tux, with a shiny silver undervest. For the first time, Axl noticed his hair wasn't slicked back either, but longer with more curl and bounce to it. It was so much hotter like this he wondered why he didn't have it like this permanently. Blaine sang his way down the stairs, singing to him just as he'd done for the drop out chick originally. Around, the girls sang the back up just as they had done during the play. Chuckling as his nose was tapped, he scooted quickly to the middle of the seat to make room. Sliding in beside him, his voice was smooth, yet full of emotion. His arm gestured out to where the crowd had been, to which he finally pointed at specific point. Following the line, Axl finally did let a single tear fall as he noticed a picture of himself hanging on the wall, a tiny light shining upon it. Squeezing his hand hard, he held back his emotion, not wanting to get all weepy in front of a bunch of chicks. Finally, Blaine rose and began to walk away. Grabbing his arm, he held him close and talked over Blaine's singing. "You're not going anywhere Blaine. You can finish the song right here." He breathed, leaning down and kissing the top of his hand. Blaine let out a chuckle as one of the girls began to sob. Grinning, Axl shrugged and stayed where he was even as Blaine tried to pull away again. Smirking he rolled his eyes at Axl in the direction where the girl could be heard blubbering like a fool. "Ever the performer." Axl sighed, then released his hold. Winking, Blaine finally ended back at the top of the stairs. The girls giggled and clapped as Axl rose and raced up the stairs and pushed him against the wall with such a force he gave a tiny grunt. Whispering words only for each other's ears, they grinned and nodded, before heading back down the stairs. One of the chicks told them to stay there. Frowning, Blaine looked down but grinned as they got their cameras out. Axl heard what sounded like dozens of clicks. Not really caring who saw, he reached up and pulled him in by back the back of his head. He knew his tongue was completely visible as their faces collided again. sighing, they rubbed noses and pulled away, but not before he gave Blaine's crotch a tiny squeeze that no one could see. Back at the bottom, Axl felt somewhat embarrassed. They were all looking at him with something like envy. He guessed it wasn't just that he was good looking enough, but that he and Blaine cared for each other at a deeper level then they had previously thought. Each one gave him their name as Blaine hurried past and headed into the darkened kitchen. They all jumped as flash of lightening was accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder at almost the exact same time. Frowning, he shuffled back down into the huge round living room and peered out the massive windows. The girls followed and looked outside as well. Behind him, soft green lights started to glow. Turning, he watched as Blaine placed a large pizza on the rounded booth. He found it odd the food he had chosen for their meal, but he absolutely loved it. Pizza was his favorite food. As he thought of that, he looked around at the soft green lights, which just happened to be his favorite color. Blaine made his way back to the kitchen and brought back a basket of banana's above a cooler. Winking, Blaine came over to the small group and hugged the girls and thanked them. Axl added his voice to the mix. They all grinned and said they'd see them later at the prom, most likely a bit later than one would normally arrive. Axl felt his ears burn as they giggled and looked over at him. Axl and Blaine walked to the windows and watched as the group ran for a minivan that was parked on the grass next to the porch. Another flash of lightening boomed just as the tail lights of the vehicle disappeared around the corner. Shifting his view, he looked at Blaine, his heart swelling with emotion. For some reason, Blaine wouldn't meet his eye, but just stared down at their feet. Reaching out, he took hold of his chin and brought it up until their eyes met. "I love you Blaine Anderson." He said with as much sincerity he could muster. "I love you Axl Heck." He grinned as the Heck came out as a chuckle. "I can't believe what you did." He said softly, pulling him in and hugging him tightly. "Your heart is beating so fast." Blaine said, resting his chin on his shoulder and kissing the side of his neck. "I could seriously just stay here with you instead of going to the prom." He said, but feeling Blaine stiffen and pull back, he went on "but we don't want to deprive all those at the prom of seeing the two of us…I mean…" he grinned, liking the smirk on Blaine's face, "Look at us." He said, shifting a bit until their reflection was visible in the windows. "Let's eat." Blaine said, as Axl heard a rumble that came from Blaine's stomach, not from outside. "Yeah." He grinned, ready to cut back on the seriousness of the situation. Sliding into the booth, he grinned as picked up a piece of pizza. Clearly homemade, he was surprised by how good it was. At that, he had a suspicion that it was actually from a local restaurant or something. Seeming to read his mind, Blaine rose and rushed off into the darkness. The only light came from the two candles on the booth, and the faint green ones that he guessed was night lights or something. Blaine's figure reemerged into the living room. He had a ceramic bowl with dough and other ingredients plastered against the sides. Apparently, it was home made. Impressed, he reached out to his glass and broke his eye contact to pick one up. Only then did he discover there were no glasses. Groaning, Blaine turned and headed back into the shadows, though not after Axl had reached out and gave his ass a quick slap. He decided later he was gunna have another go with him. Plus, Blaine deserved to fuck Axl as much as he wanted for how this had all turned out. _"Hell"_ he thought, looking at the booth, and deciding this was going to be where it would be after they got back from prom. Though, he prayed they'd have the house to themselves to do it…Still, if they really got at it he was sure he could get Blaine to cum within a minute or so. Once more, Blaine's form came into view carrying two glasses and a bottle. Even from his point of view, Blaine had a tent poking out. Acting as if he hadn't seen anything, he watched as the objects were set down on the table. "Fanks" he muffled out, as a couple of pieces of unchewed piece of pizza landed on the table. Blaine let out a bark of laughter as Axl ducked his head. He had completely forgotten about the food that was still in his mouth. Reaching out, he picked up the glass closest to him and looked down at it. He smelled it, but there was no scent as Blaine hadn't poured anything into it yet. He eyed the bottle than was being uncorked. Raising an eyebrow, Axl watched as Blaine took both the glasses and filled them to about a quarter of the way full. Setting the glass down in front of him, Blaine grinned broadly. Hesitating, Axl was unsure if he should drink it. He had never had alcohol like that before. Something told him it would be OK tonight though, especially if Blaine was the one driving. Raising the glass, he began to bring it to his nose but as he looked at Blaine, he felt brave. He downed the liquid and coughed. "It's Mountain Dew." He said blankly, looking up as Blaine burst out laughing. "I couldn't help it!" he gasped, in a wheezy voice. "What the?" he asked, eyeing Blaine with incredulity, his voice starting to shake with amusement. "You should have seen your face." He crowed, reaching over and filled the glass again. "Well, I wanted to act as if I've drank wine before…in movies, they always drink the wine in one quick gulp." He shrugged, lifting the glass again. "Yeah, but when they do that it's just for dramatic effect. I like you more and more the longer I know you. "Ditto." He said, picking up his glass for Blaine to refill. "So…where are your parents? I thought they'd be here. I know you said your dad wanted to go over the camping trip." He went on, and pulled back his drink. "They're out at dinner. They've got to come back and get some luggage. They have tickets to go…." He trailed off, apparently forgetting where they were going. "I can't believe they're leaving us alone…they know we're…you know…active." He said, feeling his ears burn. "How?" Blaine asked, looking surprised. "At the hospital…" he groaned as Blaine gave him a blank look." I was um…helping you out and your dad reached down to pat your belly. Instead he patted my arm, and of course there was only one place it would be going in that direction." He said, then grinned as the memory apparently came back to him. "Well…dad has always been open to Coop and me about…getting stuff done." He said, with a wicked grin. "You think he has any idea you and Cooper have…" he said, feeling his dick stir at the thought. "Shhh..." he hissed, his tanned face turning even darker. "Just loved the way he sucked your dick." he said fondly, closing his eyes and remembering the sight. "Dude!" Blaine laughed. "Sorry…but your both really hot. You can't blame me for admiring it. "It's still wrong…we're brothers. We're not supposed to do that kind of thing." "Yeah? And a dick isn't supposed to go into ass, just pussy." "Geez.." he said, looking uncomfortable at the word. "You really are one hundred percent gay, aren't you?" he asked sincerely. "Is that bad?" "No…I like it actually. Umm…" he said, wanting to bring up his idea he had earlier in the week, but decided to drop it at Blaine's confused face. They jumped together as another thunderclap erupted as a bright flash of light illuminated the dark sky. Grinning, they scooted closer and ate their pizza. Again, Axl hadn't been expecting this kind of food, but he liked it more than the place they ate at last week for the Orson prom. Suddenly feeling his lap wet, he looked down to see a shiny wet nose emerge. Laughing, he reached down and pet Dany. Looking up at Blaine, he noticed him wearing a soppy grin. It was clear how much he loved this dog. Pulling at a piece of meat he lifted it and was about to feed it to her when Blaine cleared his throat. Looking up, he noticed Blaine's unusually stern face. "Oh, come on. One bite won't hurt." Before Blaine could reply, he tossed the piece of meat to the side and Dany lunged for it. "Axl." He sighed, trying to sound serious as they looked at each other again. "Am I in trubble?" he asked in a baby's accent Blaine was fighting back a grin and he knew he was safe. Dany turned and padded over to him again and sat her butt on the floor. Her tail wagged back and forth so enthusiastically, it hurt when the tip slapped his right ankle. Unexpectedly, Blaine let out one of the loudest belches he had ever heard. Dany's ears perked, and she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Axl roared with laughter as Blaine buried his face in embarrassment. Though he wanted to burp himself, he let it pass. Instead, noticing all but two pieces of pizza were left, he went for the banana's. Under the basket was a small cooler he hadn't noticed before. Pulling it atop the table, Blaine opened it and removed a carton of blue bunny vanilla ice cream. Looking at the banana, he almost wanted to point out what it looked like, but stopped himself. Blaine had always been edgy about his curved dick. Axl liked it just fine…it had more character than his own, as well as being fully intact. Blaine dug in the basket and removed a single bowl. Axl pulled open the carton of ice cream and grabbed a large spoon that it was lying beside it. They filled the bowl, added the bananas, and finally the fudge. Taking out two smaller spoons, he handed one to Axl and kept the other. Each took a spoon and proceeded to feed each other of the ice cream. Just as they were done finishing the bowl, headlights passed through the large windows, along with a fork of lightening directly behind the car. The windows started to ping with objects hitting them. Another fork of lightning struck and they could see the trees out front was illuminated. The branches swung wildly, whipping back and forth dramatically. All of a sudden Axl felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach. "Hi guys." Said a cheerful voice he identified as Rick, Blaine's dad. "Hey." Blaine said, tearing his eyes away from the windows. "OH, Rick!" Blaine's mom squealed, "Look at them." "Studly!" said Rick grinning as they finally stood in front of them at the booth. "Stay there." Said Pam, then hurried off into another room. "How's it going? Were you surprised Axl?" he grinned, taking a seat on the loveseat that was directly underneath the picture of him. "I had no idea what was going on…until the music started." He said softly, grinning over at a blushing Blaine. "He knows what to do. Gets it from me I think." Said Rick, not noticing Blaine's roll of the eyes. "Here we go." Said Pam, coming back around shot a series of pictures, directing them into different poses. They sat for a bit longer, discussing the upcoming camping trip. All the while, he gripped Blaine's hand tightly, not letting go at all. Every once in a while, there would be a few claps of thunder, but nowhere near as severe as earlier. By the time all the details for the camping trip were done, it was well past 7pm. Deciding it was time to go, they rose, as did Rick and Pam. Insisting on a couple more pictures of them standing, they reluctantly agreed. Dragging them over onto the stairs, she forced them into a sitting position, Axl behind Blaine and holding him. A few moments later, Pam had asked Blaine what was wrong because his face had changed. Rick shook his head at her ignorance and walked into the other room. Axl felt his face on fire, hoping she wouldn't notice. He was rock hard and his crotch was situated right into Blaine's ass. Blaine didn't make it easier for him either, clinching the cheeks together every time he felt his dick press into them. Incredibly, he felt an orgasm coming on. Desperately, he backed up and looked away at the large windows, where a flash of lightning appeared. Finally, Pam allowed them to get up and they made their way to the garage. Waving at his parents, Blaine opened the door for Axl, then got in his own seat. Feeling unbelievably close to him, Axl held his hand as the car started and they backed up. He didn't know why, but he felt almost drained of energy at all that had happened. Kissing the back of Blaine's hand, he sat in silence as they pulled out from the driveway onto the highway, and made their way to the prom. 68. Prom: Lima, Part 2 "I wish it wasn't raining." Blaine said as they parked. "No kidding." He agreed, peering at the distant glow of open doors. "Wanna make out?" he chuckled, looking over. "That won't end well." He smiled. "Oh?" "We both know we won't be able to stop at just making out. I'm hard already and want to save it …for later." He said, looking down. "You sure?" Blaine said, his hand reaching over and grabbing him through his slacks. "Yes" he laughed, swatting his hand away. They jumped as a flashlight knocked at Axl's window, then the beam of light was shown down over his crotch. Sam grinned in at them, putting his face against the glass to watch the show. Snorting, Axl suddenly opened the door, making Sam stumble backwards. It seemed the deluge had halted for the moment, so Blaine exited the car as well. Hesitating, Axl reached down and readjusted his crotch. Satisfied, he rose and closed the car door. Blaine was looking Sam up and down. Next to him stood a tall chick with the same color of blonde hair as his own. Sam wore a zoot suit with vertical stripes, while his date wore a floor length black dress with white lacings. "Axl, this is Brittany." Said Sam, coming back around the car with Blaine next to him. "Hi" she said looking at him with curiosity. "Hey." He said with a smile. "Sam…you said he's gay…but he doesn't look gay at all." She said. "I'm new…just got my membership last fall. I just look straight because I forgot my dues…so until I pay them I'll look more and more straight." He said, loving how Blaine was looking down at the ground shaking his head. "Umm…OK…" she said, looking extremely confused. "He's kidding." Said Sam to her, giving him a reproachful look. She frowned at him, as if she didn't find it at all funny. "Sorry." He said quickly. "but in all honesty, I never considered being with a guy until I met Blaine. That changed at around midnight the day I met him." "That's sweet. Well…you look much less unicorn than Blaine, and definitely Kurt." She smiled, apparently sure she had just given him a huge complement. "OK…" said Axl, feeling confused. "Come on." Grinned Blaine, reaching out to him. There was a blast of thunder directly above them just as a fork of lightening streaked to the east. All four of them jumped with the unexpected act of nature. Rain drops began to fall again. Groaning, Blaine pulled him along as quickly as possible. Looking back, he watched as Sam's date jumped onto his back and finally sprinted forward. For a split second, Axl was tempted to do that to Blaine, but he decided against it. Instead, he tugged on his hand and pulled him back. Reluctantly, Blaine slowed and watched as Sam passed them with Brittany on his back. Next he noticed Axl patting his own back. After a moment's hesitation, he grinned and jumped. "Ooff" he grunted as Blaine's full weight settled. "Yah!" Blaine cried, using a hand to point towards the entrance to the school, and using the other to slap Axl's ass. Grinning, he wrapped arms under Blaine's knees and followed Sam. Halfway to the doors, Sam turned and grinned back at them. Brittney was having trouble holding on due to the length of her dress. With a sigh, she slid off him and watched them meet again. Under a covered walkway, they were no longer in any danger of the rain. Blaine attempted to get off, but Axl didn't feel like letting him down yet. After a few moments, Axl felt something hard stabbing into his lower back. Sam knew what was going on because he was staring up at Blaine, then smirking down at Axl. Wriggling his body a bit, he heard an indistinct moan from above him. Turning around, Sam took Brittney's arm and led her through the double doors. "Can you feel this?" Blaine whispered, tilting his pelvis forward. "You mean your hard cock?" Axl breathed back. "Can't wait till I get you home." He kissed the back of his neck. "Dude!" Axl chuckled, releasing his hold on Blaine's legs. "Hey!" he laughed, his feet hitting ground as they came to the door. Though it was dark inside, he made out flashes of different colored lights strobing around. Just through the doors was the sign in table, along with the prom picture forms. One of the teachers behind the sign-in table was the man Axl recognized as the glee teacher. He had to admit, was a pretty good looking guy. No wonder Blaine seemed to have a dreamy look in his eyes when he was trying to explain something they had been taught during his class. Next to him was a red headed lady that he guessed was the school counselor, who just happened to be the teachers' wife. "Good to see you again Axl." Said the teacher, shaking his hand. "Um…" he said, trying to remember when they had met before. "We didn't actually meet, but I saw you from the bus…and at the dance last fall." He grinned, while the lady sitting next to him also shook his hand. "You two look great." She said happily, looking between them. "Thanks." He said with a smile, looking over at Blaine, except he was no longer there. He froze, completely baffled at his absence. Then almost a second afterward, he reappeared. It seemed he had signed them up for a single picture for later. Reaching out, Blaine took his hand and they walked under the arch into a short but wide hallway. Ten yards away both the double gym doors were open. Loud hip hop music, along with indistinct conversations was heard. Through the doors, Axl looked around, noticing the hanging balloons and stars from the rafters. Tables and chairs were positioned all around the open dance floor. Two huge long tables with food and drinks were to the right, along with the lady with blond hair that had called Blaine …what was it…butch gay? She was clearly watching to make sure nothing was added to the selection of food or drinks. As they walked around the tables, quite a few people said hello, even stood up and shake his hand. Axl felt a bit jealous when he compared how people treated gay people in this school compared to his own in Indiana. Sam and Brittany were dancing, along with a few others he could identfy as being from the Glee club. The tall hot black guy who Blaine said was uncut was dancing with a pretty girl in a deep sea green dress with her hair in a tight bun. Though he couldn't think of his name, he thought he looked hot in a white tux, which was almost exactly like his own. Next to them was a blond chick dancing with a guy who was also in the glee club with sideburns and wearing a dark blue tux. "Hi!" said an Asian chick her remembered was named Tina, Blaine's best gal pal here at the school. "Hey." Blaine and he said together. "Jinx" Axl said, before Blaine could get it out. Tina giggled as Blaine pursed his lips. Coming along right behind her was a good looking Asian guy Axl hadn't seen before. He wore a black zoot suit with white stripes, along with a hat with a feather in it. Blaine smiled and gave him a hug. Grinning, he asked how he was doing. "This is Axl." He said, pulling him closer and patting his shoulder. "Hi!" he said. "Mike" he said, when Blaine hadn't finished with his introduction. "Opps..." Blaine said, looking a bit embarrassed. "I was just excited to show Axl off that I forgot to give him your name." he explained. "Nice to meet you." Axl chuckled, shaking his hand. "Come on…" Mike pulled Tina out into the dancing area as a slow dance started. "You wanna?" Axl gestured, acting as if to follow them. Smiling, he walked with him out into the mass of people. Sighing, Blaine let his head fall to his shoulder as they began to sway back and forth. Wanting to bring him in closer, he hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. Closing his eyes, Axl moved with the music, feeling absolutely wonderful…so far this had been everything his school had lacked. After a few more rotations, Axl nudged Blaine's head up so he could lean on his shoulder instead. Letting out an amused grunt, he allowed Axl to relax for a bit. When the song was almost at an end, they made their way off the floor and took a seat at a table where Sam was sitting and talking to blond chick and the glee guy with the sideburns. A minute later, the black guy and his date took the other two chairs. Finally, Blaine introduced them all to Blaine…Kitty, Ryder, Jake, and Marley. Axl could see Blaine's attraction to Jake. Though he wasn't racist at all, Axl just didn't find black people hot…but this guy was something else. Almost without noticing it, he began to wonder what he really looked like under those clothes. Would his foreskin cover the entire head, or be a bit shorter. All of a sudden, he realized he was hard as a rock. Biting his lip, he turned his head away and tried to listen in on what Sam and Kitty were talking about. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt a hand grip his member. Everyone at the table turned and looked at him curiously. He had a feeling Sam knew what happened just because of the smirk he wore. The others didn't have a clue, and after a few moments went back to their own conversations. Jake did look him in the eye for a second or two before the return to normalcy. Glad his hand was under the table, he moved it slowly enough that he was able to reposition his dick without anyone knowing. Reaching over, he gripped at Blaine's thigh, feeling his body shake with suppressed laughter. Sighing, he rose and went to the restroom. He had been so close to coming just from that one touch it was scary. Luckily, no one else was in the rest room, so he repositioned himself once again, then finally decided to take a leak. He looked down and let out a sigh as a stream of piss hit the urinal. The door opened and the urinal next to him was taken by Jake. He nodded to him and unzipped his pants and a perfectly recognizable sound was heard. Unable to help himself, he leaned back a bit, and looked over. Had Jake been wearing a black tux, he doubted he would have been able to get a good view. But his black complexion against the white of his tux made it all much easier to see. There was a cough and he looked up. Jake looked at him curiously, and with a smirk. The smirk was that of one who's caught someone doing something they shouldn't be doing. Feeling his ears burn, he tried to turn away but couldn't. After a moment, and to Axl's utter astonishment, Jake took a step back, giving him a clear view. Had someone else been in the restroom, he knew this wouldn't have happened. Feeling he now had permission, he looked directly at Jake's dick. It was definitely bigger than his own, in both length and girth. However, he noticed he was cut. Taken aback, he looked up with confusion. Raising an eyebrow, Jake zipped up and looked at him with a question. "Um…. you're not…" he halted, realizing what he had been about to say would have gotten Blaine into so much trouble. "What?" he asked, clearly curious. "Nothing." He shook his head, embarrassed, "sorry dude." "Go on." Jake urged, walking over to the sink and washing his hands. "No.." he chuckled, feeling a bit better. "thanks for the view but…I don't think Blaine would like it if he knew I was checking you out…" "Whatever dude. Glad to know I'm desirable." He winked, then left the restroom with a smile. A couple seconds later, Blaine came into the restroom. He opened his mouth to say something but Axl grabbed him and pushed him into the last stall. Unable to help himself, he kissed him hard on the lips, unzipping his fly. Less than a second later he pushed Blaine down to his knees. Not needing any further explanations, he opened his mouth and took his entire length. Letting out a groan, he reached down and pushed at the back of his head until he felt his lips pressing against his fly. Shaking, he came within fifteen seconds with a silent shout. Coughing, Blaine slurped up everything he could. Panting, Axl stumbled back and sat down hard onto the toilet. It was a good thing the lid was down or he would have fallen into the water. "Jesus…" he gasped, letting his head fall back against the wall. "What was that all about?" Blaine laughed, getting to his feet. "Sorry…" he grinned lazily, "I needed that." "Come on then…" said Blaine. Axl nodded, then rose and made to leave the stall. Blaine pushed him back, and he fell back onto the toilet. Taking the hint, Axl reached forward and unzipped Blaine. He reached in and grabbed his dick through his briefs. There was a small amount of dampness at the top where the precum had leaked. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. They both froze as they heard a zipper being pulled down. A moment later the sound of the bottom of the urinal being splashed with liquid. Quietly, Axl maneuvered Blaine uncut dick through the front opening and went down on it. Biting his fist, Blaine closed his eyes and tilted his head back as Axl nibbled on his foreskin. "You two better hurry, "came Sam's amused voice, "I know Coach Sylvester knows' you're both alone in here…" he finished as they heard the sink turn on. Axl had been so startled, he had pulled his head back too quickly, making Blaine let out a hiss of displeasure. Their eyes met and Axl sent him a silent apology. Winking, Blaine placed his hands on each side of Axl's face. Slowly he began moving his face back and forth until they found the right angle. With a nod, Blaine began thrusting into Axl's mouth. Behind Blaine, Axl noticed that Sam's eye ball peeking through the tiny space between the door and the stall. He couldn't smirk around Blaine cock, but it didn't matter because he stiffened and hot cum filled his mouth and the back of his throat. Shaking, Blaine let go of Axl's head and placed his palms against sidewall. The stall next to them shook and he heard a toilet seat being put down. He as was about to panic, when he heard Sam's chuckle. Looking up, all he had time to take in was Sam's open cell phone before there was click. Dropping his right hand off the wall, Blaine let it hang while he used his left to grip Axl's hair. Pulling his hand back, Axl's face tilted with his lips still wrapped around Blaine's cock and looked up into Sam's cell phone. A moment later, there was another click. Satisfied, Blaine released his hold and playfully pushed Axl's head back, his now limp cock slipping out of his mouth. Tilting his head back, he was about to swallow, then grinned. Looking back up at Sam, he opened his mouth, showing Blaine's seed to him. With a final click, he heard Sam jump down from the toilet and opened the stall door. Axl almost asked if Sam wanted to get blown, but was interrupted as he heard the bathroom door open again. "Boys?" he heard a voice that sounded like the glee club teacher. "Fuck!" Blaine mouthed down at him. "Sorry." Said Sam's voice, "Axl wasn't feeling good and Blaine just came to check on him. He wasn't looking good Mr. Shu…I think someone spiked the punch…" Blaine closed his eyes with the biggest grin ever and shook his head. Axl felt his own body starting to shake with silent laughter. "OH…" he said, though Axl could tell he wasn't convinced…" You might tell Coach Sylvester…you know she's always looking for any excuse to suspect anything being spiked. That would certainly make her happy…and um…less suspicious about…. other things…" the door closed, and the room was silent. Slowly, they shuffled out of the stall and into paused at the door. Staring into each other's' eyes, they grinned and rubbed noses. Outside there was a sudden explosion of music that sounded like rock and roll….it was perfect to reappear back into the gym without being noticed too much. Blaine, peered out the door, and gave a thumbs up. Hurrying back into the fray, they sat back down at the table from earlier. The whole scene had only taken five minutes from the start of Axl heading to the rest room, and finally coming back out with Blaine. Had they not been so sexually charged, it would have taken a lot longer to do all that. "I'm going to hand you a cup…. shake your head and push it away, like you know it'll make you sick." Blaine whispered, trying to keep his mouth as still as possible. Catching his eye, he gave a nod. Picking up small cup, he attempted to hand it to him. Axl pushed it away and shook his head, scooting his chair away from Blaine's. He watched Blaine's eye twitch, as if he was trying hard not to burst out laughing. Then he smiled and leaned back as if nothing had happened. Slowly, Axl looked around and noticed the lady standing next to the tables with various things atop it was looking at one of the larger bowls…she leaned down and sniffed it. Whipping his head back around, he snorted and looked down at his lap, biting his tongue to keep from laughing. After that, the night seemed rather uneventful. Blaine did go up on stage and perform Bella Note' from Lady and the Tramp, along with all the guys from Glee. Axl found himself enchanted and wished he could sing. It sounded awesome…though he wished Blaine had been free to dance during the number. However, he Danced with Brittany since Sam was singing as well. She was cute, but it was clear, to both of them, that they'd both rather have been dancing with their own dates. He finally got to talk to Ryder later on, and for some reason got along with him really well. He was really a down to earth dude. A couple of times Jake would wink at him, but after a while he no longer found it quite as erotic as it had first been. Towards the end, everyone was ordered to stand up and participate in the Chicken Dance song. He thought it was real fun, but most people just looked annoyed. Just before the end, he and Blaine took their picture together. Unlike the Hollywood themed prom picture they took in Orson, they looked directly into the camera with raised eyebrows. The backdrop was a nebula burst, with a midnight blue arch and gold and silver stars of different sizes placed all along the sides. Blaine placed his left hand halfway inside his pocket, using his right hand in a fist at the same level of his belly button. Wanting to actually be seen touching in this one, Axl rested his right hand on Blaine's left forearm and held it. His left hand hung loosely to the side. He guessed it looked silly, but quite a few others still in line gave them thumbs up, and Sam even said yelled out "Bitchin!" for which he was given detention on the following Monday by Coach Sylvester. Finally, as they said bye to all their friends, Axl paused. He hadn't realized until he thought about it, but he considered them to be his friends, as well as Blaine's. Outside the building, he discovered it was still raining hard, as well as thunder and lightning. The music inside had drowned out all the weather effects. As soon as there was a lull, everyone dashed to their vehicles. All Blaine had to do was pull out his keys and push a button from a distance and the doors would open and the car would start. Quite a few others had to fumble around in their pockets to find their keys. By that time the rain had resumed. Guessing he should feel bad those others, he could quite pull it off. He reveled in the feeling that for once in his life he had the upper hand, while others' had to work around circumstances that usually fell on him. "I am going to bend you over and fuck the shit out of you on that booth in the living room."said Blaine shakily. "Oh?" he grinned, looking over. "You're going to be so sore." He went on, voice turning husky. "Shouldn't we wait a little so we can get all our juices…back?" he asked, knowing perfectly well Blaine wouldn't care. "No." he replied in a short and clipped voice. "What about your parents?" he asked, feeling his excitement drain. "They're not going to be there…remember? They're on the trip. So the house is all ours." He grinned, pulling onto the long drive way to the house. "Where are they going? You never said." He unlatched his seat belt already getting ready for what was to come. "Can't remember…hmm…" he pondered, unbuckling his own belt and increasing the speed. The car came to screeching stop in the garage, nearly hitting the back wall. Exiting, he hurried around the car and met Blaine. Their mouths opened, each one trying to wrestle the others' tongue into submission Taking hold of his jacket, Blaine pulled him toward the garage door into the main house. Blaine grasped Axl's hard cock through his pants, making him gasp. Copying the move, he let Blaine push him through the dark interior of the house. The only lights were the soft green glow from the night lights that were on when they left earlier. Hearing a zipper being pulled down, he shifted his gaze toward it. At that moment, he lost his footing as they descended two steps down into the large circular living room. Eyes widening, he grabbed Blaine to keep himself from falling. Amazingly, he felt his body lift as Blaine grunted, holding him up by reaching around his hips. Both of Blaine's palms grips the back of his thighs, which were pulled apart as his legs rose. Axl looped his right arm around Blaine's neck to keep from tipping over. Feeling his ass coming to rest on a flat surface, he looked down and realized he was sitting on the tabled booth. Pushing him down, Blaine reached up and unzipped Axl, followed by yanking the top button open. Axl hummed as Blaine sucked on his tongue, while he felt the ass of his pants and briefs yanked down. His furry hole was hit by the cool air of the house. Hands pulled his cheeks apart as Blaine's head pulled back. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back against the table top. He moaned loudly as he felt Blaine's tongue enter him. Shaking, he reached down and pulled his own cheeks apart. Then he felt the absence of the hot wet tongue. A moment later he screamed as Blaine thrust inside him with one quick and savage move. "Fuck!" he roared, tears leaking out of his eyes as the pain bloomed. "Scream all you want." Blaine growled, pulling all the way out and ramming into him again. "Blaine!" he screamed, feeling sure something had ripped, but suddenly it was gone as he felt something graze against his prostate. "God…Blaine moaned, thrusting harder than ever. "Harder!" he begged, loving the feel of Blaine curved cock continually hitting his prostate. Though he kept silent, the blows came harder and faster. Their grunts and hisses echoed around the empty first floor of the house. Leaning in, Blaine kissed him hard. Quickly, Axl bit down on Blaine's bottom lip. Hearing hiss, then tasting a bit of saltiness, he guessed he had bitten bit too hard. Still, Blaine said nothing as he continued the assault of his ass. he finally let go of Blaine's lip, and immediately Blaine pulled all the way out. Dazed, he barely had time to do anything before he was flipped over. Forehead resting against the table, Blaine held his hips and the uncut cock was once again buried inside him. "I'm so close." Blaine murmured, voice shaky. "Come on…" he urged. "Breed me." "Kay." Blaine squeaked. Suddenly he felt hot liquid fill him, creating a tickling sensation. It felt so good, he wished Blaine could keep his cock planted in his hole forever. Panting, Blaien came to a halt and dropped his head onto his back. Even through the jacket, he could feel the dampness of Blaine's sweaty hair. Slowly, he felt the already softening member sliding out of him. Hearing a grunt, he lifted his head and looked around. Blaine had fallen to the floor, splay legged, and with a goofy grin across his face. Axl grinned, and felt the hot liquid slowly making its way down to his hole. Even through the dim green light in the room, he was able to see a couple drops of fluid land on Blaine's tux around his midriff. Standing up straight, he turned and observed him from on high. Eyes fluttering open, Blaine smiled at him. Returning the smile, Axl began to disrobe his entire clothing. Within a minute, he was towering over his lover completely nude, jerking his cock. He wanted to fuck Blaine again…but first…He shifted forward and tilted his hips. Increasing his speed, he stopped. Squeezing his dick, he was able to hold back until the very last second. Then, with a sigh, he released his hold. Cum sprayed all over Blaine's entire face and the floor around him. Opening his mouth, he tried to catch as much as he could. Groaning, he squatted and lick the cum off Blaine's face. The taste was rather salty, not as sweet as when his cum was thicker. Finally, he grinned and copied the splayed body look Blaine was in. Reaching out, he took Blaine's hand and brought it to his face. Kissing it, he intertwined their fingers as there was a burst of lightning, followed by a loud roar of thunder from outside. 69. A Camping We Will Go, Part 1 Grinning, Axl continued to rub Blaine's crotch slowly. They were laying in the new hammock, which had taken the place of the large wicker swing on the large elm tree outside Blaine's fathers' study. Just three weeks ago, a large storm had ripped through the area and broken it. It just so happened to happen on the very weekend New Directions had taken second place at the national's glee competition in Minneapolis. Blaine still felt down about the results, feeling they should have won. Though he might be biased, Axl felt the same as Blaine. Instead of it being a surprise, he had actually planned going on the trip with the group. He consulted with the director, Mr. Shue and accompanied them on the bus. He wasn't alone in being a boyfriend of a member of the New Directions, though didn't attend Lima school. Meeting him at the prom as Tina's date, he recognized Mike. Being informed he would be sharing a room with him, his mind began to think dirty thoughts. It seemed he had taken up Blaine's habit of spying. Just before bed, Mike had taken a shower with the door wide open. The plexiglass shower door had blurred the details of his body, but he could still distinguish the outline, and even the lump that was his dick. Hearing a faint knock, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Hurrying over, he opened the door and Blaine had rushed in. Already hard as a rock, he pushed Blaine onto his knees and forced his head down until his entire cock was inside his mouth. it was over in thirty seconds, at which time he felt something wet cover his lower legs. There had been a soft chuckle, causing him to whirl around. His dick had whipped out of Blaine's mouth and now stood at attention, pointing in the direction of Mike in a towel. Face heating up, he hastily pushed his softening member back into his boxer briefs. Jumping again, he looked back and Blaine was gone. So he looked back, and noticed Mike's downward gaze. Tilting his head, he gave a groan as he realized his lower legs and feet covered in Blaine's seed. Feeling he might die of embarrassment, he hurried into the bathroom and cleaned up. Mike had informed him through the closed door not to worry about it. Thinking of that scene, he put more effort into rubbing Blaine's crotch. Only 30 yards away, their dads' were packing supplies into an SUV for the big camping trip. Knowing Blaine couldn't retaliate in front of them, he made sure to pay him back for what happened at the hotel. Blaine suddenly tried to swat his hand away, looking desperate. Smirking, he quickened his pace. Becoming rigid, his boyfriend grunted and shook violently. Axl's palm started to feel wet as Blaine's seed started soaking through his shorts. Grinning, he pulled his hand back and licked it, tasting cum. Groaning, Blaine flipped off the hammock and landed on his hands and knees. Glaring at him, he made his way to the house walking in a way that looked ridiculous. Stretching, he looked up at the large tree limbs providing the hammock with plenty of shade. He wasn't exactly sure where they were going for the trip. The two canoes mirrored each other on the trailer hooked up to the vehicle. Originally he assumed they would be red or yellow, but they were actually dark green. Mentioning this to his dad, the reason was because they wanted canoes that wouldn't startled fish away. Apparently, they'd have to fish to catch their dinner. Never gone fishing before, he had groaned and asked why they couldn't just bring food along with them. "The purpose of this trip is to have fun and see if we could make it without all the modern conveniences." His dad had said, as if it were obvious. "Oh my god! What if we don't catch anything." He had complained obnoxiously. "Then we'll starve." He said with a grin, clapping him roughly on the back. Halfway to Blaine's house, he had turned around and made to open a backpack he'd brought with food hiding in it, and discovered it was gone. His dad had just smiled and said "No cheating." "What did you to do it?" he'd asked in a panic. "Just set it next to the garage door. Your mom will take it in when she gets home." He replied. Blood boiling, he'd flipped out his cell and sent a desperate message to Shawn. Underneath all the food he'd also hidden the dildo Blaine had given him. He would absolutely die if she found that at the bottom. Only a moment later Shawn and replied and said it was safe. Letting out a breath of relief, he fell back into his seat. Pausing, he told Shawn not you play with it…that it was his. To which all he got as a response was a wink icon. Axl let out a yelp as something cold and wet touched the part of his tail bone that was covered by shorts or his T-shirt. In a panic, he jerked one way and the hammock slipped. Next thing he knew, his face was in the dirt, his left foot hung in a whole between the netting of the hammock, and his right ear getting licked with a tongue. He didn't even have to turn his head to know that Dany was the one doing the licking. Somewhere off to the right he heard his dad and another man laughing. Feeling his face burn, he planted his palms against the ground and pushed himself up. _Bark!_ "Good morning Dany." He groaned with a grin. "You OK?" Blaine chuckled, walking up and halting next to him. "Fine." He smiled, attempting to pull his foot out of the hammock. With another yank, he pulled free and landed back in the dirt. Sighing, he pushed himself until he was laying on his back. Grinning down at him, Blaine watched as Dany jumped onto Axl's chest. After an "oof" he eyed her. She was definitely past her puppy stage, but not quite a full adult. Her tail wagged back and forth over his midriff. From this angle, Axl could look right up Blaine left shorts' leg. This time, he wasn't wearing boxer briefs so his junk was on full display…at least to him. It seemed he knew what he was looking at for he narrowed his stance and the view was blocked by the fabric of the legs. "You three about ready?" called Rick. "Three?" he asked, looking up at Blaine. "Um…I asked Dad if I could bring Dany. He said I could…that is if you don't mind." He said softly, not looking at him. Initially, he didn't want him to bring her…they'd already have a tough enough time trying to sneak away and get off with their dads so close…with Dany along, that time would be even more uncertain. But as he heard the hope in Blaine's voice, his resistance crumbled. Knowing they couldn't take her along to Europe must be hard on him. They were so close he sometimes felt jealous. Then again, Blaine had wanted a dog his whole life and it seemed he was making up for all that lost time. "We know she likes being around water…" he said, looking from Dany, back up to Blaine. "Yeah, she does." He said with enthusiasm. "What if she gets hurt, or runs off or something Blaine?" he asked seriously, not even wanting to know what Blaine would do if that were to happen. "She should be fine. But I've actually bought a life vest specially made for dogs. Two weeks ago at her checkup I even had one of those electric microchips placed under the skin of her shoulders blades." He said, squatting and pointing at tiny area with a few hairs missing. "What does it do?" he asked, curious. "It holds information about who to contact if she's found…and I even paid extra to add a GPS tracker. Even if she's lost and no one finds her, I'll be able to detect where she is through a special device on my smart phone. It wasn't cheap, but it's totally worth it." He grinned reaching down and scratching her hind end. Automatically she flopped over until she was on her back. Tummy exposed, they both reached down and scratched her. Her right leg kicked out with each stroke over a certain area. All three jumped as a horn blared at them. Looking up, he noticed that their dads' were in the vehicle and all the supplies were now missing. Blaine looked up at him and tilted his head. Still scratching Dany, he reflected that Blaine had just done something that was a very dog like action. Smiling, he gave a single nod, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. It was clear Blaine wanted more, but he paused, looking to the side. "Remembered we're not alone?" he chuckled. "Something like that. I'm gunna get her little bag…" he said, rising and hurrying off the front porch. "Hey." He said, remembering something. "What?" he asked. "Get some snack food really quick…Dad said we have to-" "Don't even think about it….no snack food!" his Dad called, from well out of hearing range. Blaine smirked and gave his arm a squeeze as he continued on his way. Groaning, he grimaced and slowly walked over to the SUV, Dany nipping at his heels. Reaching the vehicle, he gave his dad a glare and opened the driver's side passenger door. Automatically, Dany attempted to hop up into it. The SUV was quite a bit higher off the ground than a car, so she couldn't make it on her own. Leaning over, he gave her side a pat, then lifted her onto the floorboard. Tail wagging furiously, it smacked him across his face. Stumbling back a bit, he grinned and shook his head. "Ready?" asked Rick, looking back at him, then down at Dany's nose. "Yep." He nodded, watching as Rick reached down and gave Dany's head a pat. "Ready." Said Blaine, taking his seat behind his own dad. "Ready." Agreed his dad, starting the vehicle. They closed the doors and fastened their seatbelts as the SUV began to move backwards. Originally, Axl's dad had wanted to leave their house around seven in the morning, But Axl hated getting up early, no matter the reason. It wasn't until well after eight thirty that they left their house. Now, it was almost eleven as they pulled out of Blaine's driveway and onto the main road. Reaching out, he took Blaine's hand and intertwined their fingers. He was rewarded by a warm smile and a squeeze of affection from his hand. On the floorboard, Dany was sniffing under the seats, apparently smelling something interesting. "You ever gone canoeing before?" Mike asked them. "Not for a long time." Rick said, "But Blaine went last year with a couple of friends." "That wasn't a very fun trip. We ended up sinking about an hour into the trip. Luckily, no one was hurt, but we lost our food and even some of our clothing. Dad had to come and pick us up." Blaine said. "How did you sink?" Axl asked him, noticing the reluctant tone. "Ku-one of my friends freaked out when they saw a water snake right next to our canoe. They lost their head and tried to swat it with the paddle…but it actually began to slither up it, at which point the paddle was tossed away downstream. It wouldn't have been as bad, but just ahead there were some pretty bad rapids. With only one paddle we couldn't handle it. It crashed into a boulder from below. The water came in so fast it was crazy. We managed to get a few of our things and toss them onto the bank before we got out." He recounted with a sour look. "Wow." Said his dad, "that would have sucked." "Yeah…I wasn't happy when I was called right as I pulled back into our driveway. I had to turn back around and go back." Rick complained. "Was it a bad canoe…I mean." Axl paused, "isn't it kind of hard to break a canoe?" "This canoe was an older one…there were some dings, but nothing that would be cause for major concern. It should have easily made it to the rendezvous point, sadly, that didn't happen. The ones we have today are…hmm..." Rick paused for a moment, "I think fiberglass…but it could also be thermoplastic." He finished. "How far do we have to go until we put in?" he asked, noticing Blaine's free hand slowly inching towards his body. "Half an hour or so. Grandpa's dropping off Rusty later this afternoon. He'll drive the vehicle to his house until he has to pick us up in a couple of days." Said his dad, meeting his eye through the rearview mirror. "It sucks we can't take a longer trip. But you both have one more week of school. Then you'll be adults and no longer our problems." Said Rick, lifting his hand and giving his dad a fist bump. Axl felt his mouth going slack, at how his dad had just done something he and his friends do all the time. His dad was too old to do fist bumps. Below, he felt Blaine's free hand slip up his right shorts leg. There was a partition that sat between the two front seats in a way that blocked the bottom view of any of the passengers in the back from those in the front. Blaine's fingers came into contact with his nuts then traveled up and gripped his soft dick. Frowning, it seemed Blaine had been expecting Axl to be hard. Well, that was already being corrected. At that first touch it only took a few seconds before he was completely erect. Closing his eyes, he slightly shifted just enough for Blaine to tug out his cock. He felt a chill run down his spine as Blaine's grip tightened around the shaft. The way his hand moved up and down without the rest of his body moving was perfect. No one would be able to tell what was going on if they didn't know where to look. Feeling a tingle, he let his hand slide over and rest on Blaine's free wrist. Giving it a squeeze, he let him know what was coming. A moment before he came, he lazily opened his eyes. Immediately, he was looking at the face of Blaine's dad. Automatically, he closed his eyes again, this time in horror, as Rick's face began to turn forward. A moment later, he felt his seed explode out of his cock. Somehow Blaine had some sort of fabric clamped over the head of his dick. Biting his lip, he felt his cum begin to drip off the material and land back onto the head of his member. Finally, his heart rate slowed as it all came to an end. Realizing he could hear conversation between their dads, he opened his eyes. Looking ahead, both of them were talking about random things. Rick didn't even sound strange at all. The way they were acting gave Axl hope that perhaps Rick didn't know what happened. Maybe the shock on his face had nothing to do with knowing his son was giving him a hand job right behind them. Axl felt for sure that if he'd seen that, he would have freaked out and would certainly not be able to act as casual as Rick chatting with his dad right after. Incredibly relieved, he looked over at Blaine, who's eyes were locked onto his crotch. Below, Blaine was cleaning the mess up with what seemed to be an old wash rag. Meeting his gaze, it was clear Blaine had no idea what had just…no…what might have just happened. "You OK?" Blaine smiled, giving his rest a squeeze. "What?" asked Rick, looking back. "Nothing. Just talking to Axl." Blaine explained. Axl detected nothing out of the ordinary as he met Rick's gaze. As Rick turned back around, Axl let out breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in. Grinning, he tilted his body and nudged Blaine's left shoulder with his head. Chuckling, Blaine pushed him away playfully. Feeling something cold and wet touch his knee, he let out a small yelp. Mike looked at him in the rearview mirror as Dany clambered onto the seat between him and Blaine. Blaine gave him an amused look as he began to scratch her under her chin. "A little jumpy, aren't we?" asked his dad, as their vehicle slowed and they pulled off onto a dirt road. Looking up, Axl noticed a large curved graveled lot next to a bend of a creek. It seemed they had made it to where they had intended to put in. He hadn't even realized they'd been driving that long. There was a truck with an empty trailer parked next to a tree away from the creek. Others' had already made their way here before them. Stretching, he reached down and scratched his leg as the truck made a U, and then began to back up until their canoe trailer was fairly close to the water. Giving a thumbs up, his dad turned off the truck and opened the door. Next to him, Blaine looked excited and pushed the door open with enough force it bounced off the springs and came back and hit him in the shin. "Shi-crap." He exclaimed loudly. "Nice save." Axl smirked at Blaine. ***Part 2 coming up shortly*** 70. A Camping We Will Go, Part 2:Gross Ahead, he was able to make out his dads' white ball cap bouncing up and down as his canoe dipped through some rapids. Axl had wanted their dads' to go first, that way they knew what way to follow. Sitting in the bottom of the canoe, Dany's tongue lulled out under the gaze of the sun. Blaine smiled down at her, happy she could come with them. Thinking of last year, he looked around them. It right in this area that Kurt had freaked out about the snake. Last year, it had been rather cloudy, so he guessed the snake was trying to just find a better place to rest, like on a log or something. Had Kurt not swung the paddle at it, the trip would have been fine. Scowling, he lifted his gaze from Dany to the back of Axl's curly haired, head. Letting out a rather loud sigh, he relaxed and grinned as Axl turned his head back at him. Raising an eyebrow, he gave him a smirk that he couldn't quite place. "You ready babe?" called Axl, as he turned back around. "Babe…." He muttered with a snort, then let out a grunt of agreement. Quickly, he looked down at Dany as their canoe began to gain speed. Leaning down really quick, he gave her a pat, and gave her the command to stay down. Looking back up, he lifted his paddle and began to maneuver through the rapids. Axl let out a whoop as they dipped down far enough that water rushed over them. Initially rather nervous, Axl's enthusiasm and carefree attitude calmed him down. Going around a couple more dips and then curving back to the left, the water calmed and widened out immensely. Ahead, he noticed their dads' canoe in stationary position. He guessed they were making sure they were still alright. Giving a thumbs up, he watched as they gave a nod and began to move again. Blaine stared at Axl's back. Already, it was turning a tad red. Cursing softly, he twisted his body and opened a small cooler that was behind him. Digging through it, he finally found the white tub of sun screen. Giving Dany a pat, he shifted forward. The canoe wobbled a bit, causing Axl to look back. Showing him the tube, Axl gave a nod. "You're already gunna have a sunburn Ax. We shoulda put some on you before we even left the shore." He whined, popping the tube open. "What about you?" he asked, then shivered as he felt the cool cream come into contact with his skin. "I'm naturally very tan…it'll take quite a lot for me to burn." He explained, spreading the cream to his lower back. "You…" Axl said, his tone a bit odd. "What?" he asked, smirking. "Nothing." He finished, the back of his neck turning an even darker red color. "We can't." he whispered, leaning forward. "Why?" he mumbled back at him. "Our dads' are only ten yards away or so. We don't want them to see what we're doing." He explained, though he wished they could. Axl stiffened a bit, then turned and opened his mouth, as if to say something. "What?" he asked. "I'm not sure…but I think…I think you dad noticed when you jerked me off on the way over. I opened my eyes right when I was about to cum and he was looking back at us." He said, voice shaking. "No…." he said, feeling sick. "He acted like it didn't bother him at all…or he may not have seen us though...Can't we…um…try somehow…I'm so hard B." he groaned. Blaine let out a tiny yelp when he felt his hand with the cream on it suddenly placed over Axl crotch. Axl wasn't lying about being hard. "Please." He moaned. "We…can't." he said, though he wrapped his hand around Axl's cock. Axl lifted his paddle and placed it in the water, slowing down the canoe. Automatically, Blaine did the same on the other side. Almost at a standstill Blaine bit his lip and looked ahead, noticing the distance between the two boats growing. Glancing at their surroundings, he could make out a grassy bank with a dirt trail running down the middle. To him, it looked like it was a place where animals would frequently exit the water. Less than a few yards away from that was a couple of large trees hanging over the stream. One even looked like there was rope hanging from it, like a swing. Releasing his hold on Axl's dick, he pointed to the bank. Axl's head turned until he was looking at the spot. His head gave a couple of energetic nods. Feeling his own cock swelling, he paddled along with Axl. Speed increasing rapidly, they slid onto the bank with enough force that it came to an abrupt halt. Axl's enthusiasm was so great he literally tripped over the side of the boat. Letting out a snort, he rose and helped push the canoe further onto the bank. Looking down at Dany, he asked her if she had to go "potty" to which she whined and jumped out of the boat and onto the bank, immediately sniffing the ground. Knowing this wouldn't take long, he turned and saw Axl was already over by trees, his dick and nuts pulled out and over the waist band of his shorts. Pausing for a minute, he looked back up stream. Luckily, he didn't see anyone around. Grinning, he made his way back up to Axl. Pushing him against the tree, he sucked at his lips until his mouth opened. Their tongues wrestled with each other as Axl pulled Blaine's shorts down to his thighs. Gripping him tightly, Axl pumped his length, pushing his thumb into his piss slit. "Axl.." he moaned, body shaking at his touch. "Turn around." Axl commanded, but didn't give him the chance to do it. Whipping him around, Axl pushed him down. Giving each cheek a kiss, his tongue made its way into his hairy crack. Blaine whimpered as Axl tongue sank into his puckered hole. Reaching back, he pulled his cheeks apart, giving Axl more room to work with. Twisting his head to the side and back, he watched his lover stand up straight. Eyes meeting, Blaine felt Axl grip his left hip while the right went to the base of his shaft. Axl's pubes were so thick, some of his fingers were obscured by the tangled black mass of hair. Pumping his shaft a couple of times, he tilting his groin until the head pressed against his entrance. Nipping at his neck, Axl gave a powerful thrust, burying his dick to the hilt inside him. Choking back a roar, Blaine staggered, throwing an arm out and placing his hand against the trunk of a tree to keep from falling to the ground. They hadn't fucked in days, instead they had to resort to hand jobs and blow jobs. Though those felt good, there was no comparison having your cock inside a hot and wet hole without fear of someone gagging or accidentally using their teeth too much. Axl's sweaty forehead rested against his upper back, the curls ticking his neck. Breath shaky, Axl kissed his neck before he pulled back. No sooner than the head of his cock leave his hole, he shoved it back in roughly. "Yeah..." Blaine groaned, clinching his ass around Axl's throbbing shaft. "This feels so good…I'm gunna cum in a couple more…" he pulled back, then repeated the same action. "Do it Axl. Fill me up…fill up my hole with your thick…." _Slam_ "hot" _Slam_ "cum." He urged, then felt Axl go rigid. Hot fluid surged into his hole, while he could feel each spurt of cum shooting out of him. At that moment, he felt a pain on his right hip. Looking down, he discovered Axl's fingers were gripping both of them so tight he could make out the individual veins running through them. Blaine hadn't even realized when Axl had place the right one on him. Last thing he remembered he used it to guide his member into his ass. Shifting his gaze, he looked forward downstream. Blood drained from his face as he noticed both their dads looking back in their direction. He just prayed to god they weren't looking right at them. "Your turn." Axl said, pulling back. Blaine could feel Axl's seed, leaking out of him, even a couple drops falling onto his calves. He was about to protest, but when he glanced forward again, he noticed the canoe was quite a bit further downstream. About to return his attention to Axl, he noticed a flash of light. Behind him, he heard Axl give a chuckle. "What?" he asked, finally taking a few steps to the side so Axl could get in front of him. "They're fishing." He explained. "How do you know?" he asked, looking past Axl, while still reaching around and letting his fingers drag through Axl's pubes. "The flash of light is the fishing line reflecting the suns' light. Watch, it'll happen again when they cast a line back out." Axl chuckled, then pulled away as he felt Blaine trying to jerk his sensitive cock. Dropping to a knee, he pulled Axl's white ass cheeks apart. The thick mass of hair was thick, but not as thick as his own. Keeping eyes locked forward, he was finally able to catch the suns' light reflect of the line that his own dad had just cast out. No longer curious, he turned his full attention back to the prize in front of his nose. He gave a little yelp when he felt something lick the back of his calves. Tensing, he knew what was doing it, and why it was licking at that particular spot. He didn't want to be mean, but there was no way he wanted his dog to be…. well…he didn't want to think about it. Turning, he hurriedly stood and patted his side. Making his way back down to the canoe, he felt his hard dick slap against his groin with every step he took. Patting the canoe, he told Dany to get in. Giving her the signal for her to sit, he patted her and promised he'd be right back. Walking quickly, he returned to Axl, who was actually lying on the grass. Blaine shook his head, knowing he was going to have ticks, and chiggers and other stuff crawling all over him. But as Axl lifted his legs, Blaine forgot all about it at the sight of Axl's entrance. Getting on his hands and knees, he crawled over Axl. "Do me." Axl ordered. "I plan to." He chuckled, leaning down and giving his upper lip a bite. Reaching behind him, he wiped at his ass, knowing there was plenty of lube to use. Grinning, he laid back, placing his arms behind his head. Lowering his hand, he fingered Axl roughly, not worried if it hurt. Noticing Axl's wet armpits, he leaned down and sucked at the right one, tasting a bit more salt than usual. Axl groaned, tilting his body the other way, wanting the other pit to get attention. Happy to oblige, he went down and spent a bit more time on the left. Though there was sweat, it didn't stink at all, for which Blaine was thankful. "Ready?" he asked, scooting forward. Axl gave an eager nod. Smiling, he tilted his pelvis down. Instead of thrusting all the way inside, he went slowly. It was slow enough Axl began to grumble, wanting more movement. Smirking, Blaine shrugged, then thrust the rest of the way in. Giving a grunt, Axl smiled, reaching up and pulling him down by his neck. Blaine wasn't going to last, there was no way. The tightness, heat, and wetness were just too much. Panting, his hips moved faster and more erratically. Instead of just slamming in for the last time, he decided to just keep moving throughout the entire release. Blaine almost cried when it was all said and done. Groaning, he collapsed atop Axl, his sweaty curls slapping onto his face. Wore out, he just lay there for a while. The thought occurred to him that they didn't have to hurry back to the canoe and meet up with their dads'. Legally, they were adults and Blaine smiled against Axl's heaving chest. By the time he was ready to sit up, his cock had already softened and slid out of Axl's slippery cum filled hole. Letting out a loud sigh, Axl grabbed at him until his hand clamped onto his own. Grunting at the same time, Blaine pulled Axl up at the same time as Axl pushed himself into a sitting position. "Gross. We're a mess." Axl observed, looking down. Looking down, Blaine smirked at Axl's skin. Instead of his normal color, he was now brown. The dirt had turned into mud from their sweat, and eventually clung to their bodies. Hearing a chuckle, Blaine looked up at Axl. With a wink, Axl shucked his shorts off and climbed the tree behind him. Remembering the rope, he'd seen earlier, he knew what Axl was going to do. Groaning, he pushed himself up. Taking a couple of steps closer to the trunk, he just had time to notice a shadow swing out in front of him before he heard a gigantic splash form below. "Hey!" called Mike. "You'll scare off all the fish!" Grinning, he shrugged and tugged his own shorts the rest of the way down. Feeling nervous, he wasn't totally sure he wanted either of their dads to see what he was packing. Not wanting anyone to think him a chicken though, he climbed up the tree by the two wooden steps someone had obviously nailed in place. When he finally reached the top, he looked down as Axl swung the rope to him. Missing the first time, he was able to catch it the second. Trying to ignore the fact that their dads' canoe was now at most ten yards away, he swung off and let go. Plunging into the water, the cold shocked him enough that he swallowed some of it. Though it was hot outside, the creek hadn't really warmed up enough like it would be later in the summer. Opening his eyes, he was able to make out Axl's pale form advancing toward him. Instead of surfacing, he rotated his body, then shot underneath Axl. Twisting, he turned and saw Axl hovering in place, apparently expecting him to be there. Glad he was a good swimmer, this time he shot right under him. Axl let out a wail as Blaine surged above the water beneath him. Taking a large breath of air, he felt Axl holding onto his head, his ass was sitting on his shoulders as if they were playing chicken. Wiping his wet hair to the side, he looked up and met their dads' amused faces only a few yards away. Happy that his exposed parts were below the water, he twisted his body around, showing off Axl's bareback side. Hearing them both chuckling, he tilted his head back until he was looking up at Axl's upside down face, which was red with embarrassment as they paddled back upstream. "Dare them to join us." Blaine whispered up at him. "No way." Axl breathed, his face scrunching up, "I don't wanna see my dad's...and no offense to your dads' old junk. That would be gross dude." He shivered. "You don't have to stare at them you know…just ignore it…" he suggested, still grinning. "Do you honestly think you'd be able to not look at that…sure…they'll be all shriveled up, but I'm sure they still swing around…and movement always catches your eye." "It's just for fun man. You gotta be a bit nicer to your parents sometimes…well…." He paused, looking off downstream," Actually, he said looking back up, "You're actually pretty nice to your parents….at least the times I'm around them." He mused. "I'm always nice to everyone." He said, a smirk playing across his face. "Everyone?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow. "Everyone." He said. "How about Sue? You've called her "dingus" quite a few times…" he chided with a wink. "Well..." he began, but cut off as a gigantic splash overtook them. Axl flew forward and went under the water completely. Rotating his body around, he just happened to catch his father swinging off the rope swing, completely nude. Averting his eyes, he kind of got what Axl was talking about. Just in that swing, his dads' bits didn't stay stationary, but moved like all the other parts of his body. Yep…Gross pretty much summed up what was happening around them. Blaine had called to Dany, who had jumped out of the canoe and paddled through the water toward them. He didn't let her stay out there too long though…that long body of hers was bound to weigh more than her short legs could handle swimming too long. He grimaced as he put the worm on his fishing hook. In front of him, Axl had already cast his line out and was reeling it back in slowly. After they finished their swimming, they were once more in their canoes, heading downstream. About three hours later, it was decided they needed to catch some fish. Blaine had never fished before, so he had to watch everyone out of the corner of his eye. To tell the truth, he was surprised that Axl knew what to do. He hadn't even been squeamish about attaching a worm to his hook. "Aha!" he heard from off to the right. Looking up, he watched as his dad reeled in his line easily. Mike was grinning and was looking down at the water. A moment later Axl gave a little cry of triumph. Both of them began to struggle with their catch. His dad reeled his in, then it was pulled darted away again as Axl tried to pull back on his line. Blaine had a suspicion, and looked over at Mike. It seemed he had the same thought. He opened his mouth to tell Axl about what was going on, but the older man shook his head. Apparently he wanted to see how long it took them to realize their hooks were crossed. Axl was getting frustrated enough he began to stand and yank the line harder, causing the canoe to tip "Stop!" Baine said quickly, not wanting to end up in the water. Mike rolled his eyes and explained to Rick what the problem was…but Axl continued to struggle with his quarry. Just when he felt for sure he was going to tip, the line snapped. In slow motion, or so it seemed to him, Axl fell back. Thinking quickly, Blaine leaned in the opposite side heavily. He just managed to keep the boat from flipping, but Axl wasn't so lucky. With a splash, he went under. Almost immediately, he resurfaced and looked around for help, his face red. Though the two men in the other canoe laughed so hard the sounds echoed eerily off the water, Blaine kept his mouth shut. Axl could tell he was trying hard not to laugh, for which he was grateful. Sighing, Blaine turned his paddle and made his way over to the shore on the left. Dany shuffled over to where Axl was hanging on the side of the canoe and began to lick his fingers. Apparently his hand wasn't very interesting because she turned and actually jumped up and onto Axl's seat. She looked back at Blaine with her tail wagging furiously. Then she just sat down and looked over at the other canoe for a moment before staring downstream. Axl chuckled and leaned over and patted her rump. "You got your pole?" called Mike. "Yeah." He lifted it out of the water before placing it at the bottom of the canoe. Once Axl could actually stand on the creek bed, he propelled his body upward and crawled into the boat. Again, Blaine had to lean the other way just so it wouldn't tip on them. Grunting, Axl crouched, then awkwardly lifted Dany up and set her on his lap after he got seated. It was at this point Blaine felt a tug on the line. Automatically he thought his line was caught on the other two guys fishing. However, when the line itself began to zig zag around, he realized that it was a real fish…he hoped. Excited, he began to gently reel it in. "Tug on it real quick." Axl said, rotating in his seat to face him, "make sure it's actually hooked, rather than just nibbling at the worm." Yanking it back a couple times, whatever it was pulled away harder. Axl nodded at him, and mimicked reeling it in. Blaine hadn't even realized he'd cast the line out when Axl had fallen into the creek. He was sure that he had scared away any fish in the area. Slowly, he got it closer and closer until the other canoe was almost alongside theirs. A moment later he caught a glimpse of something large and was definitely a fish. After another yank, it broke the surface and actually landed in the bottom of their boat. Dany tried to jump out of Axl's lap, but he held her fast. Reaching over, his dad grabbed his shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. Feeling unbelievably happy, he looked up at Axl. He took note of the look on his face...that it had been a fluke. Not really caring, he looked down at the flopping fish. Studying it, he thought he noticed some sort of whiskers protruding from the corners of its' mouth. Frowning, he wasn't entirely sure what it was. "A catfish. Those are good to eat…excellent. The only problem with those is its gunna take forever to get it ready to eat. Let's get going and see if we can't get any more of those suckers for our dinner.'" Mike said, glancing between them. "Um…what do I do with it?" he chuckled nervously. "Here." Said Axl, pulling out a small nylon rope with a metal loop at one end and what looked like a metal needle at the other, along with a pair of plyers. Blinking, he looked at the line, then at the fish, and finally back to Axl. His expression must have been priceless as their dads' chuckling. Sighing, Axl reached down toward the fish. Dany immediately leaped off his lap and lunged at the flopping fish. Blaine was about to chide her, but when the fish slapped its tale against her noise, she yelped then backed up and hid another Axl's seat. Smirking, Blaine watched as he picked up the fish and held it between them. Taking the rope, he threaded the needle in through its' gills and back up through the loop. Pointing at a pair of plyers, Blaine passed them over. He watched as Axl worked the hook out of the fish until it finally came free. "Don't let go of the line, tie it the that loop at the back of the canoe. Then just toss the fish back into the water. It won't get away and will stay alive." Axl explained, then turned around and began to outfit his own fishing pole. "Blaine, "said his dad, "you continue paddling while Axl fishes. We need to make up for our uh…activities earlier. We needed to be further downstream by now. We gotta make camp, skin and clean the fish, and finally cook them." He finished, picking up his pole and casting it out while Mike began to paddle their canoe. By the time they reached the destination where they planned to camp, the sun was already low in the sky. Over the course of the past two hours, they had all switched from paddlers to fishers. Amazingly, Blaine had caught the most with five fish: two catfish, a small mouth bass, and finally a sunfish. Mike had two walleyes' and a catfish. His dad had the same as Mike, and Axl two crappies' and a sunfish. About half an hour before reaching camp, Rick and Axl had traded places. They said that it was because Axl and himself could keep paddling, while Mike and his dad would clean the fish, saving time later on. Blaine didn't buy that, as the dads' had finally had enough with catching them doing stuff "inappropriate" in front of them. His ears burned when they had finally been called out on it. "Alright guys…" said Mike, looking like what he was saying was costing him a lot, "we know you two…." here, he had paused and grimaced at Rick, as if asking for the best way to put it, "stuff with each other," he finally said. "You're pretty much adults…and we kind of expect you to…um..." Rick had looked right back over at Mike, "you know what…but you guys need to cool it off...at least wait until we're not around. That's all we're asking." He had said. "Preferably, don't do anything at all…" Mike had mumbled, but kept it low enough that he Blaine could pretend not to have heard him. By the time that conversation had ended, Axl's sunburn looked absolutely awful. Due to Blaine's own complexion, it wasn't as noticeable. Still, at least the dads' looked just as embarrassed at least that kind of evened things up. The way those two looked at each other, Blaine had a growing suspicion that at one time, they had done a few things that might explain why they didn't get as pissed as expected. Though he was sure it was nowhere near the kind of stuff Axl and him did. Blaine kept thinking about when he had first found at Axl would jerk off with Shawn and Darren while watching porn together. That was what he hoped all that was done with their dads'. Of course, he could just be totally wrong, them never done anything at all. Twice, they had come across some of the wildlife in the area. A couple of deer had actually been at the waters' edge drinking. After that, they'd seen two or three extremely large brown furry creatures dive under the water near some fallen down trees next to a small tributary. Axl had thought they were otters, and actually said he wanted to catch one. Mike and Rick had shaken their heads, unsurprised at the statement. But his dad had informed him they were most likely beavers. As far as he knew, there weren't any otters present in the north western Ohio at the time. Now, their canoes were pulled completely out of the water and tied onto a tree. They were kind of in a small opening of large trees about fifteen yards off the shore of the waterway. It looked like it was used rather frequently as there was an old fire pit, and even some old bottles tossed to the edge of the flattened area. Originally, they had planned to use a single large tent. Axl had refused, showing the one Shawn had let him borrow for the trip. Blaine approved of this, wanting more time to fool around. Though, even if they had all been in a single tent, he didn't think he would be able to resist the temptation. After a moment's hesitation, they finally relented. "Let's hurry up and eat…" Axl said with enthusiasm. "Your just horny, aren't you?" he chuckled, glancing down at Axl's crotch. "Hell yeah I am." He nodded, rubbing his groin. "Later…" he winked, hearing footsteps approach. "Alright, Blaine come with me…you're going to clean a fish." Said Mike, clapping him on the back. "I've never done that." He said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Well…it's a good time to learn." He replied pulling at his shoulder. Shrugging, he nodded and followed Mike over to a couple of foldable chairs. On one of the coolers was the first catfish he'd caught earlier, before anyone else even had a bite. Groaning, he sat down and took a fillet knife. Leaning over, Mike opened another of the coolers and pulled out another catfish, though not as big as his. Thankfully Mike was patient with him…though Blaine kind of lost it at one point. Mike had been cleaning his fish, when suddenly little yellow slimy balls shot out of it, covering his hairy chest, and a few landed in his mouth. Cringing, he tied to get up from the chair, but it collapsed instead. Landing on his back, he looked up and felt ridicules as Axl looked down at him. His mouth was compressed while his body shook with suppressed laughter. Standing, Mike reached over pulled him up while Axl fixed the chair. "Gross." He said simply. "What do they taste like?" asked Axl, who sat Indian style on the ground. "Well…I'm not much for caviar…" he said, spitting what he could out of his mouth. "Yeah…but what do the fish eggs taste like?" he asked again. Blaine, turned his head and looked directly at him. Opening his mouth to explain, then shook his head and turned back to a grinning Mike. His own father came over and looked at the mess. Next, he patted Axl and suggested they get a fire going. Again, Blaine felt they were separating them on purpose. Grudgingly, he knew they wouldn't get as much stuff done as they would have had they stayed together. Padding over to him, Dany sniffed at his feet, then actually lifted her head and placed her feet on Blaine's right thigh. From there, she began licking the mess of fish parts off him. Finally, after another hour, the tents were set up, the fire was going strong, the fish were ready to be cooked, and Mike pulled out a cooler Axl and he hadn't noticed before. Opening it, he pulled out a basket. Inside, there were apples, chips, and what looked like a can of beans. Axl looked at his father indignantly. Shrugging, he turned away and started to set out plates. Feeling rather dirty, and stinky, Blaine hurried down to the water's edge. There was just enough light to see across the entire stream. Quickly, he dropped his shorts and hurried out into the water nude. By now, the coldness bothered him little, though, now with the light fading it wasn't as comfortable as earlier. He smirked to himself as he felt his junk shrink due to the cold. A minute later, there was a splash and Axl rushed him. Looking up, he knew for certain they couldn't be seen. Welcoming him, he opened his mouth to the others' tongue. Hugging each other, he shivered a little bit. as much as he wanted this, he wasn't getting hard. "Too cold?" Axl chuckled, tugging at his uncut dick. "Obviously." He grinned mimicking the act and noticed the same was happening to Axl. "Sucks…" he laughed, still trying to get him hard. "Save it…you can do me all night if you want..." he moaned, feeling a finger enter him. "Promise?" he asked, yanking his cock toward his own. "Yeah…" he paused, scratching Axl's thick pubic patch, "I love how hairy you are here…so…manly…" he said, then felt his dick begin to grow. He was able to actually make out Axl's smile forming as his cock became completely erect. Automatically, his hand gripped the base. Silently, Axl pumped his length, the entire time their eyes locked. Axl's finger finally worked inside his hole, where it began to probe the bundle of nerves that was his prostate. Blaine closed his eyes and leaned forward, his head resting on Axl's breast as he felt the tingle begin to surge up his length. He shook, then gave a grunt as his seed exploded out of his dick. after a few moments, he had to pull away, his meat being too sensitive. "No..lets' eat." Axl whispered, as he tried to jerk him off as well. "But…" he began, but Axl leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. 71. A Camping We Will Go,Part 3:Parting Ways Mike's POV. "Are they…?" he heard Rick say. "I think so…" he looked away from the trees where he was sure the boys were… "Mike old boy…" Rick said "Old boy?" he smirked, facing his old friend. "You're a few months older than I am." "Ah…moving on...tell me the truth..." Rick looked at him in a way that Mike had only observed a couple times, complete seriousness." How do you feel about Axl…being..." he grimaced, apparently trying to say it kindly. "Into guys?" he asked in a flat tone. "Gay. Did you have any idea about him before hand?" he said. "To tell you the truth…I had no idea until…" he paused, remembering the notice and pictures sent to his cell phone. Two or three grainy night vision pictures that made it absolutely clear what another boy was doing standing behind his son. "Until what?" Rick asked. Sighing, he went on "Until I got a picture sent to me from a security camera from my work place showing him with Blaine. I actually didn't really care about who he was with, just that it could have gotten me fired. After I showed him my cell he ran off and actually drove all the way to your house and stayed with Blaine…he drove all that way and it was well after midnight on a school night." "Pam mentioned to me that had happened. I had no idea Axl was yours…" Rick grinned at him, as if the only person he felt comfortable with his son having a relationship with another guy, was his. "Well…to tell you the truth, I wasn't really thrilled about learning..." he broke off, "but I'm glad he's with Blaine." He paused hearing a faint grunt, "They seem to like each other a lot." He looked away, reaching down and pulled out the fishing supplies. ***Later*** "You still awake?" Mike heard. "How could I possibly fall asleep." He moaned, turning on his side and looking at the dark lump in the tent where Rick was laying. Faintly, the sounds coming from the boys' tent left no question what was going on in there. "I'm gunna ask you something Mike…" he hesitated, his voice shaking just a bit. "Go ahead." He urged…but was hoping he wasn't about bring up what happened all those years ago. "Is it odd that Blaine takes…uhh…the role of the girl in our boys' relationship?" he asked, sounding so uncomfortable it made Mike relax. "Rick…the pictures that were sent to me from our security camera the night I found out about them clearly showed the Axl was the one that was taking that role…not Blaine." He said carefully. "Really?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "I don't really wanna think about it…but I think it's fair to say they take turns." He sighed, then paused as he thought about something, "I just hope they have uhh…protection…I mean," he pushed himself up on an elbow, "I'm pretty sure Axl was a virgin until he met Blaine…but I bet Blaine lost his virginity a while ago…" he trailed off, hoping he hadn't made Ricks' son sound promiscuous. "I assume Blaine's been active for a while…but Pam and I have always told both our sons to play it safe when it comes to that kind of thing. Before Axl, Blaine had only one other boyfriend…I didn't much care for him…he acted way too girly. That's why I was happy when I met Axl when he came to pick up Blaine for the Halloween dance. I couldn't even tell at all that Axl's gay. But Blaine…well…I had an idea about him for a long time. Just the way he acted mainly. I wasn't happy when he finally came out. I was uh…rather ruthless about it to tell the truth. Only since Axl's been around him have we finally become close again." he paused, then" Finally!" Rick groaned, hearing silence from the other tent. ***Axl's POV*** Axl's back was to the ground on their shared sleeping bag, Blaine lay back on his chest. They both were facing toward the roof of the tent. He was so hard…but all he wanted to do at the moment was cuddle with Blaine…Also, he wanted to make sure their dads' were asleep. They always tried to keep down the sound they made while having fun. Still, there were some things you just couldn't help but make noise. Tilting his head down, he was able to make out the large teeth marks Blaine had made when he came in the water a little while ago. He hadn't even realized what he'd done until his father had asked what was wrong with his left breast. At that point he looked down and knew exactly what had happened. Apparently the two older guys did to because they said nothing more about it. "You know…" Blaine said, making him jump," Easy now." Blaine chuckled, gripping his hand. "Sorry…go on." He sniggered. "Our dads' are being very cool about all this…I'm positive we were spotted while by the tree earlier. Your dad knows for sure because of that picture he got on his cell phone a long time ago. Dad knows I've been sexual active for a long time…but also acted sick when someone would allude to it. Now though…with you," he whispered, rolling over onto his stomach. "It's like our problems we had in the past don't matter." He said. "I love you Blaine." He whispered, pulling him up to meet his lips. "Love you too." He whispered into his mouth. Then all of a sudden, he didn't want to wait anymore. Reaching up, he placed his hand on the top of Blaine's head and pushed him down. Breaking away from the kiss, he was just about to make out the smile Blaine was making as their lips disconnected. Instead of going all the way down, he licked his way over to his left pit. Axl groaned as Blaine's hot saliva soaked it. He reached down and jerked his cock off through his shorts. Surprisingly, Blaine didn't swat his hand away. Without the chastisement, he found the act rather dull, so he released his dick. "Why'd you stop…keep going." He smirked, letting a hand trail down his chest until he reached his groin. "My right pit is kinda dry…think you could help with that?" he asked Blaine. "Push your shorts down Axl. I'm going to slowly fuck you…so slow." He let out, reaching below, seeming to ignore the dry pit comment. Though he couldn't see what he was doing, he knew he was pulling his dick out. Needing no further encouragement, he pushed his shorts down, lifting his ass just a little so they came off easier. Blaine looked down at his hard member. Leaning down, he took the entire length into his hot mouth. Unable to help it, he let out a loud moan. Axl heard a mumbled chuckle from Blaine. Placing his elbows on the ground, he began to lift his ass and fuck Blaine's face. The way Blaine's tongue would push into his piss slit, then lightly nip at little flap of skin that connect the rim of the head to the shaft. Just as his eyes closed, he sensed movement. As soon as he opened them, he felt Blaine impale himself until he sat balls deep atop him. So low, his nut sack rested on his thick patch of pubes. Biting his lip, he figured this had been his actually plan. Though he thought was going to do him, he had completely forgot the promise made earlier about him getting to do him all night. Blaine's heat was heaven, it amazed him at how tight he still was, even after all the times they'd done this. Tilting back, Blaine dropped his hands behind him and pushed his feet under him, like a crab walk. "Fuck me…but don't cum." He urged. Already thrusting up into him, he said "Kay." In only a minute or so bofore he had to slow his pumping. He had just felt the tingle that announced an approaching orgasm. Coming to a complete stop, he reached out and gripped Blaine's uncut cock. It might curve a bit to the left, but he wouldn't have it any other way. The curve always hit his prostate so easily. Shaking, Blaine looked down and watched him slowly work him, paying special attention to the foreskin. Even after all this time, he never got tired of playing with the extra skin that he wished he still had. Since being with Blaine, he'd wondered what he'd look like if he was still intact. So focused on this, he didn't know Blaine was talking to him until he slapped his hand away. Blinking, he looked up, "What?" "I was about to come." He shook, his breathing ragged. "Oh…sorry. I just get so engrossed in playing with your hood. I kind of lose self-control. I love it Blaine." He grinned, having fun slowly rolling the skin off and then back onto the head of his dick. "I like when you do it too. It's so sensitive. It doesn't take much before it feels like I'm about to bust a nut." He moaned as Axl pinched the area just around the frenulum. Axl opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, feeling he'd most likely ruin the mood. Instead, he pushed up on his elbows and leaned down. Taking in the head, Axl nibbled, sucked and poked his tongue inside his piss slit. By this stage in their relationship, he knew what to do to make Blaine so close to a release, then back off and deny him that pleasure. Overhead, Blaine had hooked his fingers into his thick curly hair. Without warning, Blaine pushed his head back hard enough he fell on his back. "I love it when you get rough." He chuckled as Blaine rose to his feet. He could just make out the outline of his boyfriends' body before it lowered itself. Axl's legs were gripped and he felt them twist. Suddenly he was on his stomach, looking down at their sleeping bag. All he had time to do was blink before he felt his hips pulled up until he was in a doggy style position. As Blaine's tongue entered his hole, he let a loud moan...one that he was sure the two older men in the next tent could hear easily. Blaine shushed him, then went back to work. A hand reached around his right thigh until he felt his dick squeezed. His tongue went lower until he was sucking on his nut sack, which hung lower than usual to do the heat, and the lack of juice inside it. Each one got sucked into Blaine's mouth while his cock was pumped in time with his tongue. Blaine's hand pulled his dick back even further until it was almost pointed straight back at him. Groaning, he'd never had it been pulled back that far before. The tongue slid up and between his cheeks until he felt it slide in him again. "Ready?" he asked, raising up and placing kisses on each cheek. "Yeah…go for it babe." "Babe." Blaine snorted. Axl felt Blaine's cock pushing at his entrance. But unlike the easy entry earlier by the tree, slammed all the way in with a single thrust. Instead of a loud moan, it was a loud gasp. This time he was sure the guys in the other tent heard. Almost immediately afterward, he distinctly heard a groan of annoyance from somewhere outside. He had no time to feel embarrassed as Blaine pounded into him without abandon. With another thrust, Axl felt Blaine's dick slide into his prostate. Hurriedly, he rotated his body and crawled away and off the sleeping bags. Blaine almost stumbled and his reentry missed. This time it slid up and rest atop his tailbone "Sorry…keep going." Axl grunted, though he didn't need to tell Blaine twice. Already, Blaine gripped Axl's hips and held him steady as he plunged in again. Again he felt his prostate hit, but not in best angle. Leaning down, he rested his right elbow lower. This changed the angle of entry perfectly. It seemed Blaine knew what he was doing because each plunge was harder, and a bit more erratic. Three thrusts later and Axl let out a moan as he felt his cum shoot out of him without being touched. His head hit the ground. amazingly, he heard the spray against the plastic of the floor, as well as a couple of spurts landing in his upturned face. "Ugh…. Axl…" Blaine grunted. Axl tightened his hole around Blaine's cock, then felt the heat explode inside his ass. Hot cum seemed to reach deeper inside him than usual. He loved it as Blaine shook and his body landed atop his back. The sweat so thick he actually slid off him, his dick bending in a way that didn't really agree with Axl. Thankfully he was able to reposition his body so Blaine's cock wouldn't break…though he didn't know if a cock could break…Well…he wasn't intended to find out the hard way. Landing on his side, Blaine panted heavily, his hot breath blasting into his left thigh. Still hard, Axl maneuvered on his knees until he was over Blaine. Leaning down, he kissed him hard as he gently pushed Blaine on his back. Their mouth connected as he slide inside him easily. Blaine's hole was hot and tight…and it only took about thirty more seconds until he came inside him. Panting, he leaned down, sweat pouring from his forehead and landed on Blaine's nose. They kissed, smiling together as his cock slide out of his hole. Sitting up, he looked around the tent. Spotting a flashlight, he grabbed it. Instead of turn on the bright light, he flicked the red light that preserved night vision. "Geez…" Blaine said, looking around. "No kidding." He chuckled. "Alright Dany, you can come out…unless…" he paused and looked over at him in question, "you wanna do it again?" he asked. "We can still fool around with her in here…but nothing major." He said calmly, walking on his knees and unzipping the little dividing flap of the tent. Dany's head immediately poked through the small flap, then tried to jump over it. Her long body was just too long to make it over the fabric. While Axl helped her over, Blaine rearranged their sleeping bags, and pulled the extra foam padding out and let it expand. Crawling over to the corner of the tent where their clothing lay, he pulled out Blaine's shorts and tank top. Axl only wore boxers, and though Blaine had asked if he wanted him to do the same, he told him no. He found it much hotter trying to wiggle his fingers under Blaine's clothing to get at his bits. There was a slight glow that caught his eye. Blaine had his cell out and was looking at the time. Holding it up, Axl read it was after midnight. "We need to get some sleep B. "he told Blaine. "Yeah…I'm still in the mood…but we got to actually get up in the morning." He agreed, closing the cell, causing the red light to extinguish. "I wouldn't object to some making out though." He grinned, flopping down beside him. "You know perfectly well how that will go…we'll both want more. I'm already hard again." he laughed, then jumped a little bit as he felt Axl grip him. "You know we can do it all again…" he whispered, but released his hold on Blaine's member. "I know…" he said back in a hushed voice. "What's the highest number of times we came in a short amount of time?" he wondered aloud. Axl let out a hearty laugh, "That's a hard one…" "Yeah…good grief…do you realize how much we have sex compared to others…" he said, sounding genuinely amazed. "You've had a lot more sex than I have." He said, his voice a bit colder than he meant. Immediately he felt guilty as Blaine's body stiffened. "I'm sorry." He said quickly, really meaning it. "Axl…" he paused, and there was a bit of hurt there. "I'm sorry!" he interrupted him, turning on his side and looking directly at where his eyes should be. Soft lips pressed against his, as well as a nose pushed against his own. "I'm so sorry." He said again, almost panicked. "I know…I know." He chuckled softly. A wave of relief washed over him hearing the warmth in Blaine's voice. Letting out a sigh, he laid back down, cuddling closer to him. Dany was sniffing loudly over by one of the corners of the tent. Axl hoped she wasn't going to make a mess. She lifted her head and sauntered back over to them. Crawling atop the small mounds of their body's under the blanket, her back right paw went right on Axl's left nut. He let out a gasp and then a groan. Luckily, it wasn't bad, just enough pressure to make him feel nervous about allowing her to climb over them freely. Looking down at them, her back end was over his lower belly, while her front was sniffing loudly at Blaine's face. Hearing a wet slurp, he grinned at Blaine's groan. She walked around in a circle until her back end was now between their heads while her front was closer to their waists. Blaine groaned and made a movement. Dany finally padded her way to the bottom until she laid at their feet. "I don't like her back end that close to my face…she farts quite a bit when she sleeps…trust me…you don't want that in your face." He said gravely. Axl laughed, then scooted closer to him. Stretching his arms out, he laid them behind his head. He felt Blaine's hot breath hitting his left pit, and almost immediately he felt his head turning to the side and coming closer. Axl wanted to get some sleep, but it…his thinking halting as Blaine's tongue dipped into the mass of hair. Groaning, he tilted just a bit to the side, giving Blaine more room. A hand trailed down his chest and scratched at his boxers. Suddenly Axl didn't feel remotely tired. The hand slipped under the elastic band and came to halt gripping the base of his shaft. "Can I?" Blaine whispered, darting his tongue out, licking at his moist armpit. Axl nodded and Blaine began to jerk him fast and hard. His breathing quickened as his release drew closer. The tongue dipped deeper into the pit, wetting the area more. Beginning to shake, he looked over at Blaine. Lifting his head, he tilted it to the side in question. Nodding quickly, Blaine leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek before he dove below. He hissed as Blaine's mouth wrapped around his length. Hips jerking wildly, he finally came in Blaine's mouth. Below he heard a satisfied moan as his body stilled. "You didn't have much cum for me this time." Blaine whispered, leaning into and pushing his tongue into his mouth. It was clear Blaine hadn't swallowed any of his semen, because he tilted his head down, what was in his mouth ended back into his. The seed was extremely salty, not as good tasting as usual. Still, he couldn't really complain. He moved to do the same to Blaine, but he placed a hand on his hand. Apparently, he didn't want to do anymore right now. Not complaining, he nodded and fell back, and almost instantly drifted into sleep. ***Later*** "So we're splitting up." Blaine said to their dads'. They'd been in the canoes for a couple hours, fishing and stopping every once in a while, to take a quick dip in the water. Unlike yesterday though, they'd kept their shorts on. They'd seen too many other people on the water…two people in kayak's and four in canoes. At the moment they were sitting at a fork in the streams. Apparently, the two streams would eventually link back up in a couple more hours. Blaine had opened his smart phone and looked at the terrain and the challenges. Rick had dared them to take the right fork, while they took the left. Down the right one, there were a lot more rapids and obstacles to get to the destination. Axl had taken the challenge, then looked over at Blaine, hoping he was okay with it. The grin on his face was all he needed to see. Mike had said very few people would take that path. So most likely, they'd be alone until they met back up later. They all paused and looked at each other, making sure it was unanimous. Finally, everyone nodded, and their canoe went to the right, while their dads' went left. Looking back, he nodded at a grinning Blaine. Turning back around, he dug into the water with his paddle. Behind him, he felt Blaine do the same. Almost simultaneously, they let out a whoop of excitement as they surged faster into the right stream. By the time they made it past the worst of the rapids, it was clear no one had taken the same route in a long time. They'd went down two dips over two ledges. Blaine had called them waterfalls, but they were too small to be classified as such. Now the left side of the stream began to become rockier, with large trees and cliffs. On the right, the shoreline looked like creek gravel. The bank curved around and off to the left well over hundred yards while the left was a tall cliff. Once around the bend however, the cliff lessened until it was maybe ten feet or so to the top. Axl could make out what looked like hand holes in the side of the cliff. They looked like perfect notches for footholds and handholds. Above that there was a large rope that even hung the stream. It looked a lot like the one they used yesterday, except it didn't look as old. Feeling hot, he looked back at Blaine and motioned for them to pull onto the gravel bank on the right. Nodding, he followed his lead until the canoe scraped the shoreline. Both jumping out, they pushed the boat onto the shore and looked around them. Glancing at the cliff, he followed it up and thought he saw some movement up top. Before he could say anything, Blaine ran past and dove into the water nude. Letting out a laugh, he chucked his shorts as well while Dany had funny sniffing the ground. Reaching Blaine, he pushed him and dunked him, then escaped. Axl had been a lifeguard and was very good at moving around the water faster than Blaine. The temperature of the water here was colder than it was yesterday as well, but he guessed that was because of the rapids immediately upstream. Swimming to the cliff, he looking at the holes, which appeared to be wet as if they were just used. "Umm…" he pointed at them, but instead of getting what he meant, Blaine began to climb up. The moment he saw Blaine's perfect furry ass he totally forgot about what he had intended to bring up. Once at the foot of the cliff, he looked up in time to see Blaine's uncut cock lightly bounce against the ledge. Unable to help it, he felt his member grow hard. Shaking his head, he tried to force down his erection as he began to climb. Finally, at the top he looked up and met Blaine's amused gaze. Blaine was jerking his cock hard and fast, looking down at him. Trying to clamber up, Blaine shook his head and put his hand up. "Stay there and open your mouth." he said, squatting down. Opening his mouth, he waited impatiently for Blaine to let loose. Tired, he took a couple more steps up. Stretching his neck, he poked out his tongue and was just able to lick at Blaine's nut sack. Groaning, Blaine looked down, his hand erratically jerking his dick. Giving a grunt, he came. Opening his mouth wider, he tried to catch the white ribbons of cum that erupted out of Blaine dick. Blaine began to totter, causing Axl to quickly push himself up higher. Gently, he pushed Blaine onto his back until his ass hung over the ridge. Still shaking, Blaine looked down as Axl took another step up and placed the head of his dick between his cheeks. "Shit!" Blaine screamed as Axl thrust inside him completely. Grinning, he ignored him and pounded away at him. As he grew close to release, he glanced back. Not wanting to fall back into the water, he reluctantly pulled out and patted Blaine to move back. Nodding, Blaine crab walked until Axl was sure he was far enough away from danger. Crawling forward, he yanked Blaine's legs just like last night, and caused him to flip over. On hands and knees, Blaine's head looked forward as Axl plunged inside him again. Hearing Blaine murmur something, he ignored him, as he felt his body shake. With a final thrust he planted his seed. Panting, he pulled out and flopped onto his back. "Axl…we're not alone." He heard Blaine whisper. 'Hmm?" he asked, not paying attention. Rolling over he looked in the direction Blaine was facing. Ahead, and up a hill, he could distinctly make out the outlines of three people. After a few moments, he could tell they were their age, and that all three were guys. Suddenly feeling like they could attack, he wanted to get Blaine out of here. Reaching over, he gripped Blaine's elbow. Reluctantly, he looked over at him. He was surprised when he didn't see fear there. Nudging his head to the side. Axl waited for Blaine to respond. Giving a nod, Blaine rose and took a few steps back towards the ledge, not bothering to hide his goods. Grunting, he pushed himself up but covered his crotch with his right hand. "Why haven't they come and harassed us yet?" he asked Blaine, feeling edgy. "Probably because they don't know what to make of us. Should we stay and swim some more?" he asked, sounding perfectly calm. "Are you serious?" he asked, actually turning his head away from the direction of the three guys on the hill. "Well…this looks like a nice place to hang out. I think if they were going to attack us they would have done it by now. They're probably just as shocked as we are. Behind them, they jumped as Dany let out a couple of yips at them. Looking around, Axl observed Dany at the waters' edge. Deciding it was time to leave, he nudged Blaine, who was still looking up the hill. Giving a nod, Blaine turned around. Wearing a smirk, he slapped Axl on the ass hard enough it stung. Letting out yelp of his own, he grabbed at Blaine, but he had already jumped. Following him, he landed in the water with a gigantic splash. Breaking the surface, he swam next to Blaine and finally out of the water. Pulling his shorts on, he looked up at the cliff as the three individuals came to the ledge of the cliff. Dany came waddling over and crawled into the canoe. "We didn't mean to startle you. We'll leave you alone if you want to swim some more." Called the smallest of the three guys All three of them looked to be younger than them, but something was different. They looked dirty and unshaven. Meeting each other's' gaze, Axl couldn't detect Blaine's mood. Dany whined, causing them to look down. She wagged her tail before sitting down on the bottom of the canoe. Sighing, Axl felt it really was time to go. Nodding, Blaine looked up at the guys standing at the cliff's edge. "Thanks for the offer…but we need to continue. We have to meet some people way on downstream. I think we're already going to be late." He called up, as they pushed the canoe back into the water. Above, they were talking in hushed voices. The tall one shook his head harshly and nudged the red head next to him. "Look…um…can you keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone you saw us…please." He said earnestly Axl's warning signs went off…he was sure they were doing something illegal. But when he looked at Blaine, he noticed how he studied all three of them. After a few moments, Blaine gave a stiff nod. Though he wanted to question Blaine about his choice, he decided to wait until they were further downstream. The guys looked extremely relieved as Blaine and him began to paddle away. Each one of them lifted their arms in the air and gave a single wave of thanks. Once around the bend, he looked back and gave Blaine a hard stare. "What?" he asked, looking extremely surprised at the look. "That was so suspicious B. What if they're robbers or murders or something like that?" he asked, thinking that Blaine should have been the one to think it all sounded wrong. "I don't know." He shook his head, "I could just tell they weren't bad or anything. Didn't you notice what the two tall one's were doing?" "Um.." he paused, looking into the water, trying to remember anything strange. "They were holding hands." Blaine smiled softly. Axl bit his lip, but he couldn't remember that at all. Shaking his head, he felt confused. "They didn't want us blabbing that there were some homo's in the woods." He explained gently. "Really?" he asked, unable to hide the relief in his tone. "Yeah." He grinned, then looked ahead with concern. "What?" he turned back to front and seen what Blaine was looking at. The width of the stream decreased to only a few feet, and plunged into a flurry of white rapids. Each side of the stream looked like a cut into a single slab of rock. Feeling a bit more nervous now, this was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought. Lifting the oars, they looked at each other one last time before they passed the crevice. Cold water splashed his face as the canoe lunged forward and tilted to the right. He yelled back to Blaine, telling him push the craft more to the left. The next moment he felt the canoe push forward and they dipped back down and over what he called an actually waterfall. Though only four feet lower, he felt the canoe lurch into the water. Blaine let out a cry as the surge of water fell atop him and entered the boat. "Don't stop Blaine! Push against the rock face!" he shouted. Hearing a shout of ascent, he felt the canoe jolt forward once, twice, and on the third time, it lurched past the frothing waters and onto a calm surface. Grinning, he carefully pushed himself higher and looked ahead. The roughness wasn't over yet, though it looked like the worst was behind them. Quickly, he looked back at Blaine. Though he was shivering, he smiled back at him, his white teeth shining. Giving a nod, he turned back around and sat down, ready to continue. ***Later*** "You two did good." Mike beamed at them. "Great job guys." Rick agreed. "We're proud enough we did all the fishing for the rest of today. Though once we get to the camping spot, you've gotta pitch the tents and help clean the fish." "How'd Dany do?" Mike asked them, reaching over and patting the dog on the head. "She did great. It was like she wasn't worried at all that anything would happen." Said Blaine, giving her rump a pat. "Yeah. Those rapids were a lot rougher than you made them sound dad." He said, eyeing his father. "They weren't so bad when I went down them last." He said. "When was the last time you went down them though?" asked Blaine, raising an eyebrow. "Oh…" Mike pondered, scratching his chin, "About five or six years ago…" Rick and Blaine laughed, but Axl scowled slightly. Shaking his head, he pushed the other canoe away from there's and looked back at Blaine. Looking chastised, Blaine lifted his paddle and dipped it into the water. Perfectly aware of how close his dad was, he scooted back and pushed his lips against Blaine's, long and hard. He heard a cough from behind him, but he didn't care. 72. We Wenta Campin' Blaine's POV "And here we are again." Axl grinned as he pulled Blaine onto his lap. Blaine looked over at both their dads sitting on the other side of the fire. The past couple of days Axl had opened up, showing his affection towards Blaine, even though they were not alone. As Blaine studied their faces, he felt all warm and bubbly inside when he didn't see disgust, or worse, pity. No, they looked directly at them and said not a word. They continued their chat as if where he was sitting was no different than if he was sitting on a chair. He was kind of reminded of how boyfriends would have their girlfriends sit on their laps out in public, not necessarily in front of their parents. This didn't really bother Blaine though. He was sure had he been the one sitting in the foldable chair when Axl had passed by and he had pulled him onto his lap the reaction would have been the same. "This is the last night of our trip you two." Mike called from across the fire. "We got something special for you..." said his dad, reaching behind them and pulling out a bag. Reaching inside, Mike pulled out package of jumbo marshmallows, while his dad pulled chocolate bars and graham crackers. "S'mores!" Axl said, getting to his feet so fast Blaine slid off his lap and ended up on the ground. Blaine grinned up at him as Axl look down with an embarrassed expression. Good naturedly, he swatted his calf and pushed himself onto the balls of his feet. His dad looked at him with amusement, while Mike glowered at Axl. Before he could chide Axl, Blaine just waved him off as Mike looked over at him in concern. Shaking his head, Axl leaned down and took Blaine's hand. Grunting, he pulled him to his feet. Though Axl still looked admonished, he walked around the fire and took the items. Passing them around, they laid out the crackers and the chocolate. "Here, Blaine." said his dad, giving him a Crunch bar. "Why not just a regular Hershey bar?" Axl asked, sticking the giant mallow on a stick and held it over the fire. "I don't like just plain chocolate…I'd rather have the crunch…" he shrugged, copying Axl's moves. Before they knew it, all the mallows were gone, and they ended up just eating the left over crackers. Next to him, Dany gave a deep growl and took a couple steps away from his side. Jumping, Blaine looked down at her. Her hackles were raised and her tail pointed straight behind her. Raising his head, he looked in the direction that had caught her attention. At the very edge of the fires' light, Blaine caught a pair of shining orbs that were relatively high off the ground. Next to him, Dany began to pad forward, but Blaine grabbed her. "Hey! Get out of here!" Mike roared, making all of them jump. The glowing orbs disappeared, and a large black shadow retreated into the night. Looking back, he saw Mike was on his feet and had a piece of firewood in his right hand. After meeting Axl's gaze, he looked back as he heard his father stand up. His dad pulled out a flashlight and followed as Mike moved in the direction the animal had been in. Blaine rose and began to follow but his dad turned around and gave him a serious look. Giving him a nod, he sat back down. Keeping ahold of Dany he shuffled over and sat back down on Axl's lap. Axl's hand rose and gripped his knee in comfort. "Come here and look at this you two." he heard his dad say, while he released Dany. Axl gave his thigh a pat and they rose as Dany disappeared in the direction they were heading. Slowly, or so it seemed to Blaine, they shuffled over to where the two men stood. His dad pointed his flashlight at the ground and Mike squatted. A strong scent of something that smelled like wet dog came at them. Blaine knew it wasn't Dany, she was downwind of them. So, he thought there must be some foxes or coyote or something out there. Coming to a halt they looked down at the ground. It was a foot print almost, if not larger than his own…big…automatically he thought… "Bigfoot!" Axl yelled, causing Mike to jump a bit and look up. "Umm…." Blaine began. "No." his dad chuckled looking down at Mike, "bear." "Looks like it was really big…should we be worried?" Blaine asked, looking at his own dad. "Nah, It's so big because the back paw overlaps the front, making it look longer than it really is." Mike grinned. "See the claw marks pressed into the pad of the upper part of the print?" Four deep gouges pierced the large depressed area just below the digits in front of it. Taking out his cell, he took a couple of pictures of the print as the flashlight shone down on it. Axl squatted next to his dad and placed his hands next to the print for scale. Taking another picture, he put his cell away as Dany padded over and sniffed the ground. Starting to make his way back over to the fire, he called for Dany to follow. Acting as if she didn't hear him, her nose brushed the ground, her tail wagging furiously. The sound of her sniffing was faster and louder than he'd heard in a while. When she still wouldn't come, he walked back over and picked her up. He'd never had any trouble with her not behaving. "Don't be too mad at her." Mike said, as they all sat back down in their folding chairs. "She's a hound…once they encounter a smell that triggers their hunting instinct, it's like they have tunnel vision. It's just the way they were bred, not ignoring you, just doing what comes naturally in that kind of a situation." "Alright." Blaine breathed with relief. "We'll have to report this when we get home." His dad said, "as far as I know, bears are extremely rare for this area. Probably a male. If it was a sow she'd probably have cubs because it's nearly summer, and Mike's yelling wouldn't have detoured a sow with cubs. At that moment, Mike yawned widely and looked down at his watch. Glancing down, he realized it was even later then they went to bed last night. Now after one in the morning, Blaine felt tired as well. His dad rose and put the trash and their food in special bags and tossed it over a limb that was well over ten feet in the air. Standing, Mike stumbled away from the fire and stood looking into the darkness. At first, he wondered if he had heard another disturbance. Then, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone peeing. "Good night you two." said his dad with a yawn. Patting both their backs, he crawled into the tent closest to where Mike stood. After a few moments, Mike joined his dad in the tent. Laying in front of the fire, Dany huffed and rolled so her belly faced the flames. Yawning, Axl rose and automatically came over and sat down on Blaine's lap. Smiling, he looked down into Axl's face. Feeling warm and fuzzy inside, he drew his hand up and flicked a strand of hair out of Axl's face. Leaning down, he kissed him softly. Axl's expression changed in a way that looked familiar, but Blaine couldn't quite place it. Chewing on his lip, he sat up and looked a bit nervous. Leaning up, he hesitated then whispered. "You gotta pee?" Blaine blinked at him dumbly. Shrugging, he gave a nod. Axl rose and pulled at his hand. Grunting, he was pulled to his feet. Dragging him off to the right, he paused and glanced sideways at him. "Can…" he began, then seemed to struggle with himself. "What?" he asked, totally bewildered. "I want to um…hold your dick when you pee…" he whispered. "What?" he asked, his tone more shocked this time, he didn't want to be pissed on or piss on Axl. "It's not what you think," Axl said quickly, seeming to get his hesitance, "I just want to hold it when you pee…I don't want to pee on you, or you me…just…I dunno…forget it." He said, his face, even so far away from the fire, looked red from embarrassment. "You just want to…" he broke off, trying to think of the right way to say it, "aim where it ends up?" "I've never seen you pee before…I think...then would you do it for me?" Axl pleaded. Blaine looked at him and didn't know what to say. Now he recognized the look…it was the one he had seen when Axl had asked if it was weird to suck at his armpit the first time. Half amused, half incredulous, he nodded. Immediately Axl moved behind him. He began to push his shorts down a bit. "No…let me." Axl said, swatting his hand away…then said "Wait I can't see your dick in the dark…turn sideways." He said, automatically turning his body to the side. Blaine glanced over at the occupied tent. Then he felt Axl push the elastic band of his shorts down. It was so odd feeling Axl grip his soft member when he knew the purpose wasn't anything erotic at all. Once out, he pointed it down. Unable to help it, he felt his groin stirring. "Don't get hard. "Axl urged. "That's kind of difficult…" "Go ahead." Axl said, looking at his dick. "This is so weird…" he mused, then let loose. The stream came out, with a bit splashing Axl's fingers. "Pull the skin back." He instructed. Doing as he was told, he let go with his now wet hand and shook it off to the right, using the other to aim at the ground. Tilting his head, he looked at Axl's face with interest. His eyes were focused on what he was doing. After a few moments, the strangeness passed. Done, he pushed the last few drops out. Axl shook his dick a few times and grunted happily. Turning, he looked at Axl. "That was so weird…" he said again, a chuckle escaping. "Now me." He said, ignoring him. Blaine looked down, then tentatively pulled out Axl's dick and pointed it in the same spot. Apparently ready, pee shot out of his penis, making him jump. With no foreskin covering the head, the urine didn't get on his hand. He could feel it vibrate as the last of it came out. Giving a nod, Axl indicated that was it. Figuring he should finish it, he shook the tip a few times until nothing more came out. Releasing his hold, he took a step back and looked at Axl curiously. Axl's face was red, but it was clear he wasn't ashamed. Taking his hand, he began to pull him toward the tent. "Hold it." He chuckled, pulling his now wet fingers out of Axl's grip. "Oh." Axl said simply, glancing down. "Stay there Axl." Blaine ordered him, suddenly seeing a perfect picture. "Kay…" he said. Stepping away, he took out his cell again. In the firelight, Axl's nearly nude body look rugged and hot. The flickering embers shown off his pale chest, while accentuating the hair around his nipples, and his treasure trail. His curly hair bounced a bit when he shifted from foot to foot. "You look so freaking hot." Blaine said, snapping a picture. Axl wriggled his eyebrows at him. Blaine glanced over at their dads' tent. "Jerk off for me in that exact spot." Axl glanced over his shoulder in concern. Blaine knew he would do it though, he could already make out the tent forming in his shorts. "Pull the front of your shorts down low enough so your nuts over the band," he said, though it wasn't necessary, Axl was doing it already. He gazed down at Axl's hard cock, loving how thick his bush looked. Pressing his thumb into the piss slit, he slowly pumped the shaft with the other hand. Raising his thumb, he stuck it in his mouth and sucked it rather noisily. Automatically, Blaine took a couple more shots with his cell. Without being told, Axl rotated his body until he faced away from him. The flicker of the firelight caused the shadows of his back to shift. Before he could give more instructions, Axl slid the back of his shorts down and halted right below his cheeks. After taking a couple more shots, he put his cell away and walked up to Axl. Lifting up the right leg of his shorts, his own uncut dick swung free. Axl chuckled as Blaine kissed the back of his neck. Squatting, he pulled the cheeks apart. The hairy crack looked so hot, it would have been a crime to not give it some attention. Leaning in, he pushed his tongue through the brambles and pressed into Axl's heat. Above, he heard Axl let out a moan, shuffling his feet around a bit. Reaching around, Blaine gripped Axl's shaft and pumped it for him. Pulling back a bit, he pushed a finger inside and dug around until he felt the nub of muscles that was the sweet spot. Gasping, Axl began to thrust his hips into Blaine's fist. Standing, he maneuvered Axl's legs apart by kicking his left foot out. Reaching behind, Axl pulled his cheeks apart for Blaine. Pushing forward, he shook as he entered him all the way. Letting out a moan of his own, he tilted his head forward and bit down on Axl's right shoulder as he pulled out. Placing his left hand on Axl's left hip, he used his right and took out his cell. Lifting it high, he pointed it down and took a shot with just the tip of his dick inside Axl. Not happy with the dim light, he pushed in all the way and began to side step with Axl until the light from the fire was bright enough to see everything. Axl's skin appeared almost yellow, while his own was more of an orange color. Still buried to the hilt, he took a series of pictures as he slowly pulled out and then pushed back in. Wanting to get on with it, he put his cell away. Slamming into him, he gripped both of Axl's hips and began to move. While he was building speed, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Jerking his head to the side, he let out a breath of relief as Dany was sniffing at the entrance to their tent. Axl pulled away from him, leaving his throbbing cock naked and cold. Winking, Axl followed Dany into the tent, his dick bouncing with every step. Hurrying over, he looked into the tent. There was Axl, on his knees while a hand was zipping up the flap that separated Dany's space from the main sleeping area. Kicking his right leg out, Axl's shorts flew off him and landed in the corner. Joining Axl, he turned and zipped up the tent and felt his hips gripped. Shaking hands tugged his shorts all the way down to the ground. Lifting each leg, he let Axl pull the only bit of clothing he had off. Hearing a thump, he guessed his shorts had joined Axl's in the corner. He had wanted to finish inside Axl before they moved on…but that wasn't what happened. A tongue pressed into him, wet and deep before pulling out. Immediately after the tongue left his hole, Axl rammed his entire length into him harshly. Gasping loudly, he turned his head to the side, his eyes wide and looking furiously at Axl. "Asshole..." he growled as Axl pounded away at him. "Feels so good…" he grunted, ignoring Blaine's curse. "You gunna cum?" he asked, clenching his ass around Axl. "You want me to?" "Yeah, cum inside me." "Kay." He breathed, voice shaky. "Yeah…come on…" he urged. "Turn your ass over…I'm gunna pound ya." Blaine rolled onto his back, looking up at his boyfriend. Still standing, Axl reached down and grabbed his hips. Instead of squatting, he pulled his ass into the air so he was almost looking upside down. Unprepared, he lost his balance and felt his legs falling forward. His legs kicked into the side of the tent, and he fell over. The weight of his body caused two of the stakes that anchored the tent down from the back came out of the ground. The top part of the tent collapsed almost completely, only the space above them remained sstanding. Groaning, he made to get up and go outside and fix the stakes but was halted. Axl wasn't letting the situation ruin his fun though. Once more, he pulled his legs up and Blaine found himself in the same position just before he fell into the tent. Blaine's view of Axl wasn't obstructed at all, so he could see the lust in Axl's eyes. Locking his legs behind Axl, he grinned as he was reentered. Like a jack hammer, he pummeled him, pulling out all the way with every thrust. Axl's sweat ran down his forehead to the tip of his nose, where it dripped onto his own body. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes, loving how long Axl was lasting when compared to the past couple of days. "Fuck me harder." He whined, placing his hands on the ground. "That's so hot," Axl grunted, "push your body up this way...show me how much you want my seed in you Blaine." he challenged. Grunting, he pushed down as if he was doing a handstand. Axl smiled and nodded, apparently pleased that he had understood what he wanted. Nearly vertical, he gasped as he felt Axl's lips surround the head of his cock. Opening his eyes, he saw Axl bent at a strange angle so that he could keep thrusting while sucking his dick. He hissed as he felt his foreskin pulled up and over the head of his dick. Shaking, he closed his eyes again as felt his release coming. "I'm cumming!" Axl shouted, then gave a final hard thrust into his tight hole. His breath caught as he felt hot cum coat the inner walls of his ass. Axl then released his foreskin from his teeth, but replaced the hold with his fingers. Pinching the opening, he held it tight over the entire head. Still holding the foreskin tightly, Axl jerked his shaft with the other hand. Breathing hard, he came, but his cum was trapped between the head of his cock and the extra skin holding it closed. Almost yelling, he could feel the skin expanding as more cum filled the small space. Suddenly Axl's hold slipped. His mouth open, his faces was literally drenched as his own cum covered it. Hot salty liquid splashed into his mouth. "Oh fuck yeah…" Axl said in a shaking voice, "that's so fucking hot…your face is covered." Axl moaned, leaning down a bit," You like the taste of your own cum Blaine?" "So good, Axl…jerk off and cum on my face yourself…do it." He growled. Axl released his hold on his hips. Luckily, Blaine still had the frame of mind to control the descent of his fall. Ass hitting the ground, he felt the cum inside him slosh around. Staring up at him, he watched as Axl jerked his dick furiously. Grinning, he squatted down and pumped Blaine's still sensitive member a couple of times before he held it vertical. With a grunt, he slammed down completely on his length. Automatically, he thrusted his hips up quickly, knowing Axl wouldn't take long to cum again. Incredibly, Blaine came first. Cursing, he slowed his thrusts as semen flooded Axl's ass. It felt so good it almost hurt. Maybe a minute later, Axl began to move slower, his pumps becoming erratic. Nodding down at him, he shuffled forward over his chest. Blaine's uncut dick slid out of Axl's tight hole. Still squatting, he tiled his cock down and aimed it at his face. He could felt a few drops of cum dripping out of Axl's ass and landing between his pecs when Axl came again. Closing his eyes, he felt another deluge of hot liquid cover what was left of the dry spots on his face. Panting, Axl leg's shook and he lost his ability to stay on his feet. His ass came to rest right over his chest as Axl's upper body fell forward. Blaine could feel Axl's heartbeat through his dick as it twitched while laying across his lips. Finally, Axl groaned and rolled onto his back and off of Blaine. Face covered with cum, Blaine couldn't see anything. He knew firsthand how cum could burn one's eyes, so he kept them tightly closed. Hearing movement, he felt something wipe his face. Though he still couldn't see him, he heard Axl chuckle and could picture him wearing a smirk. Something cold and wet touched his face, making him jump. "There you go…all clean." Axl said, patting his sweaty chest "Not really…" he laughed, still feeling incredibly sticky. "Let's fix then tent...take a dip, then come back and do it again. "It's so late…" he yawned, but knew he'd give in as he grabbed for his shorts in the corner. "No." Axl said, pulling Blaine shorts away from him and throwing them back into the corner. "I am not going to fix the tent nude…I'll skinny dip…but not do actual work." He said, picking his shorts back up. "Scaredy cat." Axl teased, shaking his bare ass from outside the tent. "Damn it." He muttered, flinging the shorts down onto the tent floor. Sighing, he joined Axl outside and helped with the tent stakes. Axl came to a halt at the far end of the tent and looked around. After a second, he grimaced greatly and looked almost mad. Waving him over, he put a finger to his lips. Joining him, Blaine didn't hear a thing. He made to ask Axl what he heard but apparently Axl couldn't hear anything at the moment so it was no good. The face Axl was making looked like it he was embarrassed about something. Catching his eye, he noticed Axl was staring at the second tent a few yards away. Shrugging, Axl grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the creek bank twenty yards away. Looking around, Blaine waited until his night vision improved. Seeing nothing around that caused him to worry about what they were about to do, quickly ran into the cold water. Like last night, it was cold enough that his dick nearly retreated back into his body. The cold did clear his head and when Axl charged him, he was in the mood to play. Dunking each other below the water, kissing every few seconds, he felt his friskiness returning. Despite the cold, his dick hardened. Axl's pale body seemed to glow as the moon revealed itself. Blaine hadn't even realized that it had been cloudy earlier. Each one of his muscles enhanced his physique and turned him on even more. Wishing the bank was sand or grass, he herded Axl toward a patch of mud. Pushing him down, Blaine climbed atop him. "This mud isss collddd." Axl chattered. "Shut up. Let's grind..." he suggested, but before Axl could reply, he lowered his body until their hard members connected. "I love grinding. " Axl grunted, thrusting up as hard as he could. "Me too. You're so fucking hot Axl." He growled nearly dropping his entire weight onto Axl's throbbing yet cold dick. "Whatever..ugh…you close Blaine?" he gasped. "No…" he chuckled, knowing Axl was just by the way his body was reacting. "Hurry then…" he pleaded. Groaning, he lifted himself up and fisted his own dick quickly. Axl was biting his lip, and gripping the base of his dick hard. Blaine guessed Axl was ready to cum so he was holding it back. Still holding his with his right hand, Axl reached up and gently pulled at Blaine's furry nuts. Gasping, Blaine nodded urgently. Grinning, Axl released his cock and Blaine did the same, then thrusted down at Axl. A couple more hard thrusts and he felt hot liquid spread over his lower body as Axl came. Giving a grunt, he felt his own release, and could feel their seed mixing and they slowed their movements. Shaking, he stopped and looked down at Axl. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed him sweetly. Sitting up, they looked down at the mess between their middle. "Look at all the jizz." Axl observed, reaching down and rubbing everything together. "That's hot…" he grinned, giving him another quick kiss. "We should…uhh…clean up and get back to the tent…I'm actually starting to get cold." Axl shivered. "Love you." Blaine whispered into his ear as they scooted back down into the cold water to clean their bodies again. Clean, and now very cold, they hurried back to the tent. Luckily Axl had laid out a couple of towels in the entryway. Noticing the back of the tent shaking a bit, Blaine realized he had forgotten Dany was inside. Feeling incredibly guilty, he ducked into the tent and unzipped the flap. Looking down, Blaine could almost swear she looked annoyed or indignant. Shaking his head, he kneeled and patted her back and scratched her ears for quite a while. He could hear Axl toweling himself of behind, but Blaine wanted to wait until Dany forgave him. As if it was exactly what Dany had been waiting for, her tail wagged and her ears lifted in a playful way. Sighing, he shifted over a bit and she jumped out into the main tent. As she lumbered past him, he felt a towel patting his back. Not wanting to do it himself, he turned and looked at Axl. Pausing, Axl waited for him to say something. When he failed to respond, Axl shrugged and continued to dry Blaine's body. Almost completely dry, he stretched and rolled out the bedding on the floor. Dany climbed out into the night and padded away for a few moments before returning. Guessing she had gone to the rest room, he was happy he wouldn't have to worry about her making a mess…though he never had to in the first place. Zipping up the front flap, Axl flopped down as Blaine laid onto his back. Scooting closer, he felt Axl wrap his arms around him as he yawned. Pulling him in, and met his gaze and just smiled at him for a quite a while. Outside, the light of the fire had nearly gone out when Dany shuffled closer to the two of them. Yawning again, he closed his eyes and reached out and gripped Axl's hand as he fell asleep. Axl's POV Axl woke with his dick inside Blaine's mouth. Well, he guessed it was Blaine…no one else would do that to him so that's who he automatically thought of. Reaching down, let his fingers drag through Blaine's mop of hair. With no gel in his hair, it was just as curly, if not more so than his own. He shook as the tongue slowly made its way up the shaft before his felt his piss slit played with. Fingers gently played with his nuts as the tongue climbed up his chest. Letting out a low groan, he felt his arm being lifted into the air. Blaine…" he moaned as the tongue tipped heavily into this hairy armpit. "You like that?" he heard a whisper as the tongue made its way down to his nipple before moving over to the other pit. "Yes…" he said with a shiver as he felt the hairs being sucked. "What do you want me to do?" Blaine breathed, nibbling at his ear. "Make me cum." He begged. "How?" "I don't care…I'm just so hard and you're teasing me…Blaine make me cum." He ordered, his mind focused on that one desire. "You want me to jerk you off while I suck your pits?" he moaned. "Oh fuck yea….do it Blaine." he groaned as he felt a hand wrap around his length. "You wanna blow in my mouth?" " "No…I want your mouth on my pit the entire time…you can like it up after." "Kay." Blaine chuckled, fisting his dick. Axl finally opened his eyes and looked down at Blaine. Though his mouth was busy on his right pit, he could feel his lips smirking. Rotating his head a bit, he looked down at his crotch. Still covered by the blanket, his view of what Blaine was doing to his cock was hidden. Wanting to see it happened, he tossed the blanket off him with his left hand. Below, Blaine's dark hand was jerking his pale cock, every other pump his thumb would skim over the head and dip into the piss slit. Feeling his orgasm approaching, he felt his breath began to quicken and glanced over and nodded at Blaine. Shifting, Blaine quickly went down on the other pit while still working on Axl's dick. Wearing a smirk, Blaine increased the speed even more. Lifting his head, he looked down and began to thrust his hips into the air. It was coming and nothing could stop it now. Gritting his teeth, his vision went white as heat surged through his cock and he felt hot splashes of cum land on his chest. Completely wasted, his hips feel to the floor and his eyes opened again lazily. Already, he felt Blaine licking his way down and cleaning up the mess. Grinning, he stretched and sat up as Blaine had cleared his chest of the mess. "Stay there." Blaine told him, crawling up and looking down. Smiling, Axl waited as Blaine sat on his upper chest. His balls bounced up and down as he pumped his length. Pausing, he pushed the foreskin up and scrunched it together at the head and scooted forward. Eagerly, he lifted his head and pushed his tongue into the depression. Nibbling on the skin, he forced his tongue finally under the hood and massage the head of Blaine's cock. Moaning, Blaine thrusted his cock into his mouth faster than he done in a long time. Loving the texture, he pulled back and went on with chewing on the extra skin. Chuckling, Blaine looked down at him. "You like playing with my foreskin don't you?" he asked in a mocking way that turned Axl on immensely, making him nod vigorously. "You know," Blaine said, losing his playfulness a bit, "there's a thing called foreskin restoration." "Meally?" he mumbled, his lips still playing with his prize. "Yeah…" then he shook his head and seemed to get back into character, "enough talk…suck." He ordered. Axl was so turned on he did as he was told. Blaine moaned and began thrusting his hips. Manipulating his tongue, he was able to make it appear more spear like. In the new shape, it was much easier to poke it under Blaine's extra skin with each thrust. Gently pushing him away, Axl scooted back and rolled onto his hands and knees, lifting his hind end into the hair. A rather loud snort of laughter came from Blaine, but he didn't care. Axl dropped his head to the floor of the tent as he felt Blaine's tongue enter his ass. "You two better hurry up in there," called his dad, making them both jump, "we've gotta get back on the water. "Hurry." Axl said, looking back at Blaine. Nodding, he lined up his dick pushed inside him. Clamping his ass around his length, he loved with every other thrust his sweet spot was bumped by Blaine's slightly curved dick. Reaching down, he pumped his length in time with Blaine's rhythm to speed up the conclusion. He was perfectly aware the two guys outside could probably hear what they were doing, but he couldn't care less as his button was pushed again. Repositioning his entry, Blaine went back to his pounding. Two thrusts later Axl gave a silent shout as he felt his cum leak out of him and cover their sleeping pad. Thankful they wouldn't have to sleep on it again tonight, it didn't bother him. Coming to a halt, he felt his insides fill with Blaine's seed as halted his thrusting. Feeling a kiss to the middle of his back, he rose onto his knees and twisted his body to look at his boyfriend. Smiling, they kissed and broke apart. Hurrying around, they cleaned up and packed everything they could before they had to exit the tent and meet their fathers' eyes. Crawling over to the bags, he pulled out a new pair of shorts and a wife beater for himself. Blaine tugged his own bag out from under Dany, who had just sat there and watched everything that had happened. At this moment Axl was glad dogs couldn't talk. The things Dany would be able to reveal should remain secret for multiple reasons. Opening his bag, Blaine removed a sky blue t-shirt and white swimming trunks with pockets. "You look so hot in clothing that shows off how tan you are B." he grinned, looking him up and down. "Shut up. You look good in anything, no matter what it shows off." He discounted, throwing different items into the still open bag. "Ready?" he asked, taking a last look around the space. "Yep." Blaine nodded. "About time." His dad grunted, looking at them both. Axl stared at his dad and looked away for multiple reasons. Their tent and supplies were already packed and placed in the canoes. The pit where their campfire had been was covered in mud and gravel, while the stones that had lined it had been placed at the edges of their camp site. Hearing a noise behind him, he glanced back and noticed Rick and Blaine were taking down their tent. Wanting to help, Axl started picking up their stuff and placed them in the canoes. "You're with me for the first half of the trip Axl..." he heard his dad say when Axl had looked down at Ricks' pack in the canoe with Blaine's. "Alright." He said simply, feeling a bit odd. Though it was sunny outside, he noticed clouds coming in from the west. Hoping it wouldn't rain on them, he hurried back and helped them finish taking down the tent. It seemed their dads' wanted to get on with the trip. Wondering if they were mad at each other, he watched them carefully. Instead, he noticed them glancing over at the oncoming clouds. Letting out a breath of air he hadn't even realized he was holding, he looked at the cooler in their canoe. His stomach gave a loud rumble that made it clear he was hungry. Pulling out an apple, he took a bite out of it as Blaine came over and looked at what else was left to eat. Copying him, pulled out an apple. Rick had taken his place in the front of the canoe, indicating Blaine would be the one who had to push them out into the water. His dad was doing the same in their boat. Winking at him, Blaine leaned in and gave him a long kiss. Though he tried to push his tongue into Blaine's mouth, his lips were too close to allow it. Giving him an apologetic smile, kissed him again on the cheek and went back to his own canoe. Sighing, Axl waiting for Dany to jump into Blaine's canoe before they looked at each other. Nodding they pushed their canoe's into the stream and climbed inside. After an hour or so, Axl bit his lip, wanting to ask his dad something, but was afraid of what he'd reply back. Deciding to go for it, he coughed a bit. "Um…Dad?" he asked, feeling his ears burn. "Yeah?" he asked, glancing back at him. "Can I ask you something that's never come up between us?" he asked again, and watched as his father's laid back stance suddenly stiffened. "I guess…" he replied, an edge of unease in his voice. "Why was I circumcised?" he asked really quickly. "What?" his dad asked, sounding amused. "Well…" he paused, trying to figure out how he could explain his question without revealing how much fun it was to play with Blaine's foreskin." Well…you know…um…Blaine's intact, so is his dad. Blaine's told me it's not really medically necessary to be cut nowadays…people do it because it just looks better and they're afraid of the smell…" he finished, grinning out how the back of his dad's neck was beet red. "I honestly don't think it ever came up…after you were born, the doctor automatically just assumed you should be circumcised Axl. I didn't question it. That's how I am and I haven't had any complaints. And it does look better you know…then all that extra skin hanging over …you know…the…head." He explained, not turning back around. "I think being intact looks better…and I wish I was left intact dad…" he revealed, feeling anger rising. Seeming to get this, his dad turned around and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Not breaking eye contact, he gave his dad a frown. Strangely, his dad looked down at Axl's crotch, as if to see why he preferred to be intact. After a couple moments, his face softened a bit and his dad's face became more relaxed. Turning back around, his dad paddled for a few strokes, as if gathering his thoughts. By now, clouds were thickening behind them, along with wind gusts passing over. "Well Axl, "his dad finally said, "I wouldn't have had you cut had you been born in the past couple of years…but it was a different time when you were born. It's just what was normal at the time. If there was a way to change it I would…but it's just not possible." "It is possible." he said a bit louder than he meant. "Blaine says there's a thing called foreskin restoration. I don't know all the details, but I'm going to check it out." He finished excitedly. Once again, his dad turned and looked at him. Not quite able to place the emotion, he waited. He opened his mouth a couple of times, then broke off. Shaking his head, he met his eye and stayed quiet for a few moments. Finally, he looked down at his hands gave him a half nod. Frowning, he had no idea what that meant. It was clear his dad wasn't really looking forward to what he'd learn. Sighing, he turned back around and rowed his oars a couple times before he said anything. "That's probably going to be expensive Axl." He said. "you know…we don't have that kind of money. You can check it out…but…Axl, your…you know, isn't broken and…" he paused, the back of his neck darkened again, "it sounds like it works just fine. If you really want something done with it, you'll have to save up money and do it on your own buddy…we've still got Sue and Brick to get through school. I'm sorry we had you cut…but there's nothing your mother and I are going to be able to do about it." He finished, sounding seriously genuine. "Alright." He said stiffly. He understood, but that didn't mean he wasn't mad about it. To him, he felt his parents should be the ones that should have to pay for whatever needed to be done since they had him cut without his permission. Wondering what Blaine would think about all this, he looked to the right. Around fifteen yards away, the second canoe glided silently along the water. It was a bit further ahead, so he couldn't see Blaine's face without him turning around. A gust a wind blew around them, making Blaine turn his head toward him anyway. Smiling, he looked behind Axl and a frown formed. Turning, he noticed how dark the sky was becoming. "I'm gunna call Rusty." Axl hear his dad say. "Why?" he asked, turning back around. "We wanted to be further along today because there's a storm coming our way. It looks like we're gunna have to pull out as soon as we come across the next pull out spot. It's about thirty minutes downstream." He explained, pulling out his cell. Looking over at the other canoe, he saw Rick turned around talking to Blaine. After a moment, Blaine looked back at him with a disappointed face. Frowning, he wished he could reach out and hold his hand. He didn't want the trip to be over either. At that moment, there was a flash of light followed by a distant rumble of thunder. Shifting his gaze, Blaine craned his neck back as far as possible. Axl became mad at himself. Had he not wanted to fool around earlier they could have probably out run the storm. Now it seemed the day was ruined because he had let his cock think for him. There was a whistle, which startled him. Looking over, he saw Blaine giving him a soft smile. It was almost as if he knew exactly what Axl was thinking. Reaching out his arm, he closed his fist in Blaine's direction. Blowing him a kiss, he picked up his oar and pushed it into the water. "Where are you?" his dad shouted. "What?" he asked, looking back to his dad. "We need you to pick us up at Tanners' Creek." He paused, for a minute, "Yeah, the Clayton ramp." Another pause, "No, you turn down Lynch Street, then turn left onto Foster Lane." Observing him, he watched as his dad shook his head in annoyance at something. Smirking, Axl guessed it has something to do with making money. A moment later he let out a loud snort as his told Rusty to go ahead and bring the containers and they'd figure out what to do after he got there. Finally, he closed his cell and grumbled a bit. Blaine looked over and his eyes darted between the two of them in question. Shaking his head, he just waved Blaine's confused look off. He'd explain everything else later. Another wind gust blew past them, followed by a few drops of rain. "Full speed ahead?" asked Rick as their canoe came closer. "Yeah." Said his dad, "The faster the better. Rusty said it's really raining hard just south of us. We're only about twenty minutes away from where we've decided to get out." "Dad?" he asked, after both canoes' had increased their speed. "Yeah?" he asked, leaning back a bit, but still dipping the oars into the water at the same speed. "Does Uncle Rusty know about…me?" he asked, feeling weird and somewhat nervous. "Um." His dad paused, his oar halted in the air. "That's what I thought. Should I explain things once we get there?" he wondered, and watched as his dad's paddling resumed. "No. Just don't…" he paused again, "do what you did in the vehicle on the way to the drop off point the other day." Axl felt his face redden, now knowing that they had been seen by Blaine's dad. Then again, he felt his worry disappear. He didn't see any point in worrying about them being seen the other day when what they had done these past two while on the trip was pretty obvious to everyone. He looked at the back of his dads' head again. A thought entered his brain, but he pushed it away. Noticing the other canoe pulling ahead, his competitive instinct took over. "Let's catch em' dad." He said with excitement. "Yeah." He heard a chuckle. Together, they dipped their oars in the water and dug deep. Working as one, they quickly caught up to the other canoe and gained distance ahead of them. Once the others recognized the challenge, everything changed. Glancing back, he was surprised to see the look on the other two's faces. They were nearly identical, clearly wanting to catch up. All of a sudden, Axl realized how much bonding that had happened on this trip. Not only with each other, but he was sure Blaine and his dad looked closer. And the fact that his own dad had been open and discussing his views on circumcision, was a major deal between them. His temporary lapse in thought had allowed the other canoe to run alongside them. Shaking his head, he began to recover but nothing changed. All of them had tired at the same rate and eventually slowed to a comfortable speed. Grinning, he reached out and shook Rick's hand as he heard his dad say he could see ramp to get out of the stream off to the right. Not really wanting it all to end, he looked back behind them, hoping the storm had disappeared. Quite the contrary, the clouds were dark and he could see lightning forks in the sky. Sighing, he smiled sadly at Blaine as he heard the familiar sound of Rusty's vehicle somewhere out of sight. Coming to an almost complete stop, they all looked ahead and saw the vehicle parked in a gravel lined parking lot close to a bridge. Reaching out, he gave Dany a pat as she lumbered onto Blaine's lap. Rusty got out of the vehicle and walked to the water's edge as his dad and Rick jumped out of their boats. Patting her bottom, Blaine pushed her back down into the bottom of the canoe. Looking over at him, Blaine almost reached out to grab his hand, but halted and looked over at the three men talking. "Wanna ditch and run away with the canoe's" Axl asked him jokingly. "Dude!" Blaine exclaimed, pointing behind them at the clouds. "I was joking!" he laughed, and he was joking, not just saying that to make Blaine feel better. Feeling daring, he glanced over at the men then back at Blaine. Leaning over, he pulled the canoe closer and kissed Blaine long and hard as the rain began to pour. 73. Lets Do This Blaine's Bedroom Blaine's POV "What are you doing?" he laughed as Axl chucked all his clothing off except his tight briefs. "I ran across this story online…it turned me on like crazy." He grinned walking over to Blaine's bedroom door and closing it. Blaine was watching Axl's package growing with every step he took. He was already hard as hell, even though Axl hadn't explained what he wanted to do. Axl took a few steps back toward the bed, then paused. Turning around and hurried back over to the door and locked it. Grinning, Blaine didn't move. He had decided if Axl wasn't going to explain anything, he'd have to strip him all by himself. Reaching the foot of the bed, he reached out and pulled him by his feet until was at the edge. A couple days ago he had told Blaine not to jerk off at all, wanting him to save up his juices. Pausing, Axl looked down at him, his grin widening and softening at the same time. Automatically, Blaine knew what Axl was thinking, or rather, remembering. This was the exact spot Axl had been blown for the very first time, which seemed so long ago. Leaning down, he looked into Blaine's eyes. Giving him a quick pec on the lips, Axl pulled his arms ups. Only wearing a t-shirt, his upper body was now bare. Seeming to forget what he was doing, Axl pushed his right arm up and dived at his hairy pit. Blaine threw back his head and groaned as hot saliva damped the depression. His tongue wetted the entire area, followed by the hairs being sucked. Licking his way over, he copied the treatment with the other pit. "God I love your pits." He mumbled, lips and tongue attacking the first pit again. With Axl's head in the way, he could no long see his shorts. Feeling a tug, he jumped a little. Placing his hands on the mattress, he lifted his body up so Axl could pull the shorts off him. The ass end came off easily enough, but the front elastic band caught on his very sizable bulge. Yanking it off, his hard dick bounced back against his groin. Peering down at the bulge, Axl actually frowned. Raising his eyebrows, he gave him a questioning look. His hand reached down and tugged at his cock. Thrusting up into his grip, he was disappointed as it was released again. "Not tight enough…" Axl said, turning and looking at his dresser. "Wait!" he said, springing to his feet as Axl pulled out the drawer. "Ha ha!" Axl laughed, pulling out his fleshlight, then his expression changed. Feeling his face burn, he hurried over and pulled it out of Axl's grip, "I forgot to clean it…" he mumbled, walking into his bathroom and placing it in the sink. "Don't you have any briefs with the slit in the front?" Axl called as Blaine turned the faucet on and unscrewed the container. "The only ones that do are kind of old…and they may be a bit too small…bottom drawer." He instructed, rinsing the sleeve of his toy and soaking it in warm water. Leaving it in the sink, he walked back into his bedroom and found Axl holding a pair of deep purple briefs was a slit in the front. Glancing down at Axl's bulge, he was able to make out a dark spot on the tip of the tent he was making. His precum had soaked through the fabric at the very tip. Without waiting, Axl walked up to him and yanked down his briefs. His cock sprung free, the foreskin covering the head, slightly curving to the left as always. Hand shaking a bit, Axl gripped him and pumped him a couple times. Biting his bottom lip, he looked up at Blaine. Axl's face glowed with lust and want. Blaine could tell he wanted nothing more than to just drop to his knees and suck the come right out of him. It was clear how much it took him to resist that urge. "Here…you do it…" he placed the briefs in his hands, "Otherwise I won't be able to stop." Chuckling, he pulled them on. They fit really well, not nearly as tight as he thought they'd be. Giving a cough, he dropped his hands and spread them out like he was presenting himself for an audience. Axl turned, and looked him up and down before coming to rest on his groin. Breaking into a wide grin, he nodded and took his hand. Instead of getting back on the bed, he gently pushed Blaine down until he was laying flat on the floor. Standing over him, he lifted a foot and placed it gently on his cock, moving it up and down a couple times before he stepped back. Lowering himself, he crawled forward as if he was planning on doing push-ups. Slowly, he dropped his entire weight on Blaine, except for his head. Still looking down, he lowered it just a little. Blaine could smell something like winter fresh on his breath. His eyes were dark and wide with want. Finally, he placed his lips on his, breathing into his mouth a few times. Finding it kind of odd, he allowed it and he returned the act. Opening his mouth, he poked his tongue and waited for Blaine to copy him. Pressing their tongues together, he began to massage the others mouth... He could feel Axl licking his tongue and touching nothing else. "Don't come. " Axl said as he pressed his dick into his own. "We've done this before…are we going to soak our briefs again?" he whispered, not complaining, but a bit surprised. "Pull your uncut cock out of the front of your briefs." He ordered, his voice now commanding. Without and objections, he did so. It took a few moments, as the last time he wore these his dick wasn't as big. Blaine felt Axl do the same. He grunted as he felt Axl grip his cock with his left hand. The other hand went to the small space that was left from the open flaps of the underwear. He hummed into Axl's mouth, questioning if he should do the same. Axl gave a grunt of agreement. Reaching down, he pulled the flaps apart as well. After a moment, he felt Axl's dick slide against his own and passed the small amount of space that was left. Axl gripped his dick and guided it through the flaps and he felt his cock head pressing against Axl's thick pubes. "Oh fuck yeah…" he groaned, feeling Axl grinding his cock against his own groin, but still within the confines of his underwear. "Hot?" he grinned, grinding down into him. "I can feel your precum soaking into my pubes." He moaned, leaning down and kissing Axl hard. "I want you to cum inside my briefs…it's going to be a big mess…cum soaking into each other's pubes, leaking through each other underwear…so fucking messy." He growled, adding more speed and force. "This feels so good Ax…" he panted, then sucked on his tongue. "Yeah…I'm so hard Blaine…can you feel it…" moaned deeper, pressing even harder against the side of his shaft. "So good…" he shook, closing his eyes, letting the sensations run like electricity throughout his entire body. They had been at it maybe two or three minutes when Axl started to slow, his breathing shaky. Realizing Axl was close, he tried to catch up. Groaning, he imagined how this must look…what if someone were to walk in on them. Above him, he heard Axl hiss., then shook. Hot liquid erupted around his groin, soaking into his bush and briefs. The heat and the shock finally pushed him over the edge. Giving a strangled cry, he let loose. He had so much cum stored, he could actually feel it pushing his foreskin back until it came to rest at the head of his dick. Panting, Axl collapsed against him, making the mess complete. "That…" he started, but couldn't say anymore. "I know." He moaned. Gently, he felt Axl pull out through the front flaps. Wanting to see what it looked like, he bent his head down as far as he could. Quite a few stray thick black pubic hairs were plastered against Axl's cock, white semen still dripping from the piss slit. Without any warning, he scooted back, then lifted Blaine's ass in the air. Leaning down, he licked Blaine's cum soaked crotch. Still too sensitive, he squirmed. Abruptly, he pulled his head back. Axl pulled the waist band from his ass down, exposing Blaine's furry hole. Shifting forward, he pushed inside him. Blaine hissed as Axl's entire cock buried itself to the hilt. Quickly, he pulled out and began to pound his hole. Dropping his head back against his floor, he closed his eyes as he felt Axl slow. A couple pushes later, he felt Axl's seed fill his ass. Though he had just unloaded a few minutes ago, the amount was still more than usual. Not complaining at all, he wriggled and squeezed his hole around Axl's dick, trying to get every last bit of cum out of it. Axl finally pulled out, and rocked backward until he lay on his back. Hearing a couple of slaps, he lifted his head and looked over. Axl's hands were gently slapping his cheeks, periodically wriggle his ass around, apparently inviting Blaine to have at him. "I'm good…" he panted with a laugh. "You sure?" he chuckled, looking over. Blaine looked down at his crotch. To him, it looked like he had shot a much larger load into Axl's briefs. That had taken a lot out of him, and he felt he could go without pounding Axl's perfect ass for a while…he might be able to resist for a while thirty minutes if he really wanted to. ***Orson*** Darren's POV Biting his lip, Darren watched Sean talking to Axl across the table. Next to him, Ben sat chewing on an apple, smirking as Axl said something rather dirty to Sean. All three of them looked at him, waiting silently. Blinking, he stared at them one by one and realized that they had just asked him something. Feeling his face redden, he asked them what they said again. Though Ben and Axl laughed, Sean looked at him strangely. Below, he felt his dick stir as he made up mind for what he was planning to do. While Ben and Axl began to continue their own conversation, Darren pulled out his cell and wrote a text message. "Sean…I'm not quite sure what to say here…to get right down to it…I miss…um….what we had gotten so good at for months….I know we're both not gay or anything…but to tell you the truth you are so much better at doing things to me than anyone else, including chicks…can we do it all again….just one last time…? Again, I miss being with you…" Send. A moment later, he watched Sean pull out his cell and read the message. Darren felt his face burn as Sean's turned a darker color as he finished the message. Slowly, or so it seemed to Darren, Sean looked up at him. His face looked completely confused, and sad. Automatically, Darren was sure Sean wasn't going to go for it. Then, the lines on his forehead relaxed and he gave slight nod. It took all his will power to not get up and not tackle his friend across the table. Once he got over to Sean's house, he was gunna let Sean fuck his ass as hard as he wanted…however many times he wanted…. fill his hole with cum…Looking up, he noticed Sean smirking at him, as if he knew exactly what he had been thinking. Darren eyed Sean's lips hungrily. There was pinging from below. Pulling up his cell, he looked at the message. "You hard?" "Yes." "You want to fuck me... ?blow you load in my ass? Make me bleed?" "Fuck yeah…" "I'm so hard right now Darren…" "Save your strength…" There was a lull in the messages, causing him to look up. Sean's face was beet red, and Axl and Ben were looking between them. The smirk Axl was wearing told him he knew exactly what was going on. A moment later, Sean jumped and Darren heard a slap. Next to him, Axl scooted his chair further away, smirking over at Ben. For the first time, Darren noticed Ben looking him over. "So…" said Ben, trying to sound casual, "Axl said your hung." Sean, who had just taken a drink of milk spewed it all over Axl. Darren wasn't remotely sorry for the mess Axl now had on him. Of course, he was positive it wasn't the first time white liquid covered his body. Ben's lips twitched, as if trying to reframe from laughing or changing the subject. For quite a while now, Darren no longer got embarrassed when it came to sexual interactions. Though, he learned everything he knew from being with Sean. No one would ever suspect them, even when Axl came out, they weren't suspected at all. Especially now that both of them had been dating girls off and on. He'd finally had sex with a girl just a couple weeks ago. The wetness of her loins was like heaven, but it wasn't as tight as Sean's hole. "Yeah. I guess I am." He shrugged, watching Axl wiping all the milk off of him. "Can I see it?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows. "Dude!" Axl called over, looking up from the mess. "Um…I don't think that would be a good idea." He hesitated, actually considering the request. "What about you?" Ben asked, whipping his head back around and looked at Sean. "You can see it if you want dude." Said Sean with a laugh. "Really?" asked Ben, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Sure." "he said easily, then "Hey!" Ben had reached over and went for Sean's crotch. Darren felt his mouth fall open. Axl dropped the napkin had just picked up. Sean's face was almost brick red as he felt Ben squeezing him. He grunted as Ben moved his hand up and down. Shaking his head, Sean slapped his hand, scooting away from him a few inches. Grinning, Ben nodded at him, as if in thanks. Feeling daring, he scooted his chair closer to Ben. Sean was the one who dropped his jaw this time. Eagerly, Ben looked around quickly, then reached down. "Nice." Said Ben, gripping his cock. "That's cool…" Ben, smirked, "Sean was just as hard." Though it felt good, Darren scooted away at that line. Axl glanced over at Sean, as if just noticing the red color of his face. He wished Axl wasn't being so obvious about all of this. Ben was already studying Axl's reactions to everything that was going on. Unable to help himself, he glanced down at Ben's crotch. The way Ben was sitting, he was too close to the table, blocking the view. "You wanna see it?" Ben chuckled, looking up at him. "No. That's alright. "he said quickly. "You know…if you ever wanted to get— "Ben began. "No! That's really OK dude." Darren said loudly. The bell rang, and other students began to move around. Darren glanced down at his very obvious erection. Not really caring if anyone saw him, he reached down and arranged his cock so his arousal wouldn't be as noticeable. Standing, he began to make his way back to the cafeteria. Catching up to him, Ben pulled Darren's shirt out. Looking down, he just had time to see that almost the entire head of his dick was sticking out from the waist of his pants. When the shirt fell, he covered the area well enough to hide his predicament. "I hope the rest of the day goes by fast." Sean said, catching up to him. "Really?" he asked, looking over. "Yeah…" he murmured, looking at him curiously. "Sean…" then he stopped himself. "After school." Sean nodded, then went on his way. ****LATER**** "It's been so long…" he breathed, pulling Sean in as soon as they walked through the front door. Sean held him just as close, opening his mouth as wide as possible. After only a few moments, he gently pushed Sean away. Dropping to his knees, he furiously yanked down Sean's jeans. A blue spot darker than the rest of his boxers tented at his crotch. Even before Darren removed the boxers, he opened his mouth and took the entire length in. Sean shook and tapped his head urgently. Pulling back, he reached up and clamped his hand around certain spot of Sean's shaft. Still shaking, Sean glanced down at him with a surprised expression. "Learned that a few days ago…I was…reading something and it just happened to uh…pop up." He explained, remembering the way to halt an orgasm. "Good thing…I almost shot my load. I'd forgotten how good you were." He chuckled, dropping to the floor at eye level. "We haven't even started." He laughed, darting in a nipping at his lips. "Yeah but…" he paused, unable to say any more. "I want you to fuck me…. blow inside me Sean…go as hard and as fast you want bro…" he whispered as he nibbled on his ear. "You don't want to do me first?" he asked, already reaching forward and unzipping his fly. "No. "he gasped as Sean pulled his throbbing thick cock out. "Pound me!" he growled. "Bedroom…" he nodded, then pointed, "Now!" Getting up, he nearly ran to his room, his cock bouncing with every step. He'd gotten up so fast, Sean hadn't had time to unbutton him. Hearing the door close and a click, he popped open the button. Even as his fly opened, he felt the back of his pants and boxers pulled down. Strong hands pulled his cheeks apart, followed by his hole being probed by Sean's wet tongue. Groaning, he leaned his head down and rested it atop Sean's bed. Struggling, as soon as he kicked his right shoe off, the right corresponding pant and boxer leg was pulled off while his hole continued to be lightly probed. Immediately after, his right leg was kicked to the side, opening his stance. Sean spat on his hole as he rose up behind him. A hand clamped down on his right hip as he felt a cock slowly sliding up the crack and came to rest at his entrance. Holding his breath, he waited impatiently, shifting his footing and waving his rump from side to side. Then, Sean's dick pushed in only as far as the rim off his cock. Closing his eyes, he braced himself. The entire length embedded completely in one powerful thrust. "Shit!" he roared, his eyes flying open. "You're so tight. I'd forgotten…" Sean moaned, kissing the back of his neck. "Love you're dick dude." He rumbled, squeezing his ass around the shaft. "Yeah…squeeze tighter…. yeah…that's it." He said in a low voice. "Fuck me." He urged, reaching around and gripping Sean's forearms. "You got it." He grunted, then began to pound away. The sound of smacking flesh echoed around the room as Sean increased his speed and force of his thrusts. Feeling his shirt being tugged, he lifted his arms as it was yanked off. Now complexly nude, he straightened up and leaned back. Reaching behind Sean's head, he pulled him forward as he turned his head to the side. They kissed passionately as Sean began to pull out all the way then slam back in with every thrust. Darren took a couple steps forward and climbed onto the bed. Crawling, he rolled over onto his back as Sean mounted the mattress. Noticing his bare chest, he guessed Sean had removed it himself. Reaching up, Darren gripped the headboard as he felt his legs being raised. "I wanna cum inside you." Sean panted, quickly resuming his furious pounding. "Yea…your hot cum is what I want inside me. Fill me up." Nodding, Sean increased the quickness of thrusting as he reached down and gripped Darren thick monster cock. Leaning down, he kissed him hard, while his hand still jerked his meat. Kissing harshly, he felt his lip bitten. A tiny trace of blood dripped into his mouth. He smiled as Sean lifted his torso high and finally wrapped his hands around Darren's neck and squeezed. Eyes shutting, he listened to the grunts and moans of his friend using him completely. His windpipe was squeezed tighter as he felt Sean begin to shake and slow. Opening his eyes, he looked their gaze as Sean slowed and then halted completely. "Fuck!" Sean groaned, his cum shooting inside Darren thickly. "Yeah...I can feel it." Darren shivered clamped around Sean even tighter. Finally, Sean collapsed and rested his forehead on Darren's upper chest. Panting, he tilted his head up and placed his chin right below his neck. Leaning up, he met Sean's lips as he released his hold on the headboard. Their tongues clashed as he wrapped his arms around Sean's chest and pulled him even closer. Both their bodies were extremely sweaty and they couldn't hold each other for very long before slipped off. Pushing himself up, he pushed Sean off him and jumped off the bed. He felt Sean's cum inside him as he pulled him to the edge of the bedding. "Eat my ass out Darren." Sean instructed. "Gladly." He said, leaning in and pulling the cheeks apart. Sean moaned as he pushed as much of his tongue inside his tight hole as he could. Shaking, Sean pushed his ass back, wanting more. Slurping his way down, he sucked at the now rather saggy nut sack that dangled before him. Reaching around, he gripped his friend's still hard cock and jerked it a couple times. Hissing, Sean pulled away from him, his member obviously sensitive. Standing, he pulled Sean a bit closer with his left hand while using his right to grip his own thick cock and slide it through the crease of Sean's cheeks. Placing it on his entrance, he took a breath and applied pressure. He shook as the tightness surrounded his throbbing wood. Buried to the hilt, he leaned forward and kissed Sean's sweaty back. He felt his cock being squeezed off and on until he was ready to move. Straightening again, he pulled back and thrust back in with a lot more force then his original entry. Sean cried out, but made no move to get away. The tightness around him was heaven as he began to pound his friends' tight hole. "I can't wait any longer." He choked, letting Sean know he was going to blow. "Go for it…then don't pull out…. keep going until you shoot inside me again." he instructed, twisting his body to look back. "You got it." He said. Taking a few breathes, he built up speed and shot inside Sean a few moments later. Almost wanting to cry, he slowed but didn't come to a complete stop. It was just so hard to continue with his dick so sensitive now. Concentrating with all his might, he began to go at him again. Pausing he shifted forward and used his muscular bulk to lift Sean and turn him sideways on the bed, his legs bent at the knee. Lifting the left leg, he placed it on his should but kept the right on the bed. Sean's hole now rested right on the edge of the mattress, giving him a fuller range to pound him faster and deeper. "Damn you're so big dude…give it to me." He ordered, looking at him fiercely. "Gunna fill your ass up Sean." He pledged, pounding faster and harder. He gave a cry and shot another load, but continued to thrust into him, though it was a little difficult as they were erratic movements. Sean grinned and nodded desperately, clearly wanting another load. Still holding his left leg, he reached down and gripped the right and slowly rotated him on his back. Taking his right hand he gripped Sean's soft cock and began to work it. Soon Sean was at full mast again as Darren felt another orgasm building, using his left hand, he reached up and squeezed Sean's left nipple harshly. "Shit!" Sean cried, cum shooting out of him. Startled, Darren quickly dipped down and clamped his lips around Sean's length, sucking cum down his throat. Groaning, he stopped as he finally came inside him for the third, and last time. ***Axl's POV*** It had taken forever, but he had finally convinced Blaine to have a foursome with Ben and Dean. Ben had taken an even longer time before he had convinced Dean to do the same. He had finally caved when Axl had told both of them they were all of legal age. The one condition was that it needed to take place at Ben and Dean's house. They lived half an hour north of his own house. Blaine had picked him up and they immediately made their way to the house. Turning onto the long driveway, Axl noticed that there was an iron gate that had been left open. Furthermore, thick trees lined the gravel road through the wooded area so he couldn't even see the house. "I guess they like their privacy." He commented, looking over at Blaine. "Well," he said, "Think about it. Though Ben is now a legal adult, when they first got together he was a minor. That's illegal. Also, since Dean's a teacher, they can't let any of the staff know about their real relationship." He finished, starting to sound a little nervous. "You still want to do this, right?" he asked, placing his hand on Blaine's thigh and squeezing it. "Yes I do." He answered back immediately. "You hard?" Axl asked, moving his hand to Blaine's crotch. "Not yet." Blaine chuckled, then swatted his hand away when Axl tried to unzip him. "I suppose you want to wait until we get there?" he grinned, giving his crotch another pat before pulling his hand back. "Yeah, I wanna wait. I want them to get me hard." He said, glancing over at him with a smirk. "Ha!" he barked, "I don't know how your able to do that. I'm already hard. What do you think Dean's going to look like with his clothing off?" he asked, reaching down and gently stroking his own crotch. "Well we know he's going to be hot. As Ben has said quite often Dean's uncut like me. I can tell just from his physique that he'll have a toned body. I love that Ben said neither of them trim their body hair." He approved. "I wanna see you and Dean do some docking and whatnot. In fact," he glanced over, "that's what I wanna see first. Ben and I have already agreed we wanna watch you two get it on. We want to undress you, and watch getting off together." He grinned, as Blaine met his eyes. "You two have already discussed this?" "Yeah…both of us love uncut dicks." "Well, I know you do for sure. So um…what about…protection…are we gunna use condoms or go bareback?" "I dunno…I know we all want it to be bareback, but they may want to keep it safe. The only other person they've done anything with his one of Dean's friends. Someone name Castor or something. Dean has been with a lot of women though. As for us," Axl shrugged." I've only been with you, Cooper, Darren, Sean, and Sam. I don't know about you…" he paused, then gave him a questioning look. "Oh…" he hesitated," same as you, then Kurt" he mumbled, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter anymore. "Hey…" he said softly, "I don't care about him. I think I'm not stretching the truth when I can predict I'll be the best lover you'll ever have." He said proudly. "Now that, "he looked over, a twinkle in his eye, "I believe. Oh, look." He nodded forward. A large single story grey and blue brick house stood 50 or so yards off to the left. Three large trees were spread out over an expansive yard with a barn far off on the right. There wasn't much to be said about it all. It looked rather dull, but it was all cared for nicely. Dean and Ben were sitting on the front porch in a large wicker swing. Ben stood up, but Dean just gave a small wave. Now Axl felt a bit nervous, his dick going soft from anticipation. As they came to a stop, he looked at each of them in turn. Ben was shirtless, a bit of dark hair grew across his chest with a thicker treasure trail that traced its way down. He knew from experience that Ben had a thick black bush that covered his groin. It trailed below to his sizeable nuts and thickened between his ass cheeks. From what he could remember, Ben's dick was perfectly straight, around seven inches, and a tad thicker than his own. The only real thing he knew about Dean was that he wasn't cut. Coming to a stop, Blaine turned off the car and reached over, squeezing his thigh. Giving a nod, they both opened their door and climbed out. Dean finally rose and waited as Blaine made his way around the car. Sighing, they climbed three steps to the porch and shook Dean's hand. Now it seemed everyone was nervous, because no one said a word. Axl waited for Ben to make the next move. He was always so open about everything. Meeting his eyes, he nodded his head, telling him to get a move on. "Well, come in, we'll go to the guest room." Ben said, opening the front door and ushering them inside. "What are the rules?" Blaine asked as they followed Ben through a large living room and down a short hallway. "What do you mean?" asked Dean, reaching over and gently rubbing Axl's bulge playfully. "Like…um…" Axl couldn't really think, as Dean was rubbing his crotch harder. "Kissing…wearing rubbers, what the limits are on what to do…that sort of thing." He said, smirking at Axl as Dean unzipped him. "Kissing is OK. It's up to you guys if you want to use condoms. We always get tested every few months and we're clean. No pee play, poo play, spitting in each other's mouth, no twisting things harshly, even if it is just playing. No foot play either…that's gross." Ben finished, opening the door for them. Axl felt his face turn red and his ears burn. Blaine smiled at him, clearly remembering what happened on the camping trip. Though they hadn't played in it, they held each other's dicks while they pissed onto the ground. Inside the room, there was a queen size bed with dark blue blankets and white pillows. A single dresser stood in a corner while there was a small bedside table with a lamp on it, and a chest of drawers with a large mirror facing the side of the bed. The walls were a light cream color while the thick shaggy carpet was a mixture of browns and blues. After a moment, Ben walked into the room caring a couple of chairs and setting them down close to the bed. Taking a couple steps to the right, he sat down in one, then gestured for Axl to take the other. Remembering their plan, he sat and grinned at Ben. "Did you tell Dean what we wanted done first?" Axl said, noticing Blaine staring rather shyly at Dean. "Dean, "Ben said, "We want you and Blaine to do things first…we want to watch you play with each other's' foreskins…docking and stuff like that." Ben said calmly. "Oh…" Dean said, looking over at Blaine. "Get to it." Axl instructed, unzipping his pants and reaching over to grab Ben's hand. Hesitating for a few moments, Blaine and Dean slowly approached each other. Ben had pulled out Axl's hard member and was stroking it slowly. Copying the move, he watched as Dean looked down at Blaine's face, then traveled further to his crotch. Shakily, Blaine reached forward and gently squeezed Dean's expanding bulge. "Oh for fucks sake," Ben exclaimed, making everyone look over at him, "don't act as if you don't want this. Dean, get on your knees and pull Blaine out." He said impatiently. Instead, Dean bent his knees and actually picked Blaine up into his arms. Blaine glanced over quickly at Axl, but then disappeared as Dena leaned in and kissed him softly. Axl blew air out that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Reaching up, Blaine wrapped his hand around the back of Dean's neck and pulled his face even closer. Axl began stroking Ben quicker as their tongues entered into the others' mouth. "This is going to be so hot." Ben looked over at him. Dean climbed onto the bed and lay Blaine down in the middle. Straitening his body, he pulled his t-shirt off, revealing his tanned skin and hairy chest. The hair was dirty blond, but darkened into a medium brown around his navel. Axl noticed how hairy Dean's armpits were, making his mouth water. Seeming to guess this, Blaine sat up abruptly, making Dean lean back. Without a word, he tilted his chin up as he pulled Dean in. Blaine's tongue dove into the dark mass of armpit hair, sucking and licking at it. Unconsciously he stroked Ben faster and faster. "Stop." Ben whispered in an amused voice," I'm going to cum if you don't slow down. "Sorry." He murmured, watching Blaine attack the other pit. Keeping the arm raised, Dean used the other one to pull Blaine's shirt off. Axl looked down at his boyfriends tented jeans. He waited, then smiled as Dean reached down and opened his fly as Blaine did the same for Dean. Dean's dick flopped out, landing on his palm. Immediately, Blaine's fingers clamped down on his shaft. Axl studies Dean's uncut cock. Bigger in length and thickness, he guessed it to be almost eight inches…give or take. Perfectly straight, the head of Dean's dick was more of a pink color, and unlike Blaine, the skin had pulled back to the rim of it. Blaine's foreskin still covered the head a bit when hard. Tilting his head to the side, Dean reached down and pulled Blaine out. Blaine dropped his gaze and didn't look up he had studied Dean's straight uncut dick. Axl hated that Blaine always got embarrassed that his dick curved to the left. It did the job perfectly well, better as it would usually hit his prostate with every thrust. He didn't know why Blaine couldn't see that. The color was darker than Dean's, appearing a bit browner, with some purple. Both of the dicks looked so hard, Axl could even see each one bobbing with their heart beat. Releasing Blaine's dick, Dean leaned down and captured Blaine's mouth as his hips dipped lower until their cocks rubbed against each other. Grunting, Blaine thrust up, meeting the other larger dick. Lined up, they ground harder together. Sitting back up, Dean forced his jeans down quickly, his fingers fumbling with the top button. Blaine did the same, but as Dean was leaning over him, he couldn't get them all the way down. When Dean stood on the bed to yank each leg out, it gave Blaine an opportunity to rid his as well. Before he could get them all the way off, Dean dropped back and crawled back pulling them off the rest of the way. Scooting forward, Dean gripped Blaine's shaft while his mouth dove into nuts. Blaine moaned so loud Axl glanced over at Ben with an excited look. It seemed they had both lost interest in getting each other off for the time being. The show in front of them was so hot that even a few strokes would make them cum. "Finger him Dean." Ben told him scooting his chair closer. Doing as he was asked, Dean continued his pumping of Blaine's shaft, his mouth on his nuts, and finally his fingers dipped below and finally probed Blaine's hole. Squirming, Blaine placed his hand a top Dean's head and yanked him up so his mouth was right over his throbbing dick. Knowing what to do, Dean took the entire length into his mouth. Moaning, Blaine fucked upward into Dean's lips, keeping his hand tangled in Dean's hair. "I want to cum." Blaine said, looking over at them. "Dock for a few moments, then cum together…then both of us are going to fuck you to and shoot our loads inside. Then you can do the same to us." He explained. "You want us to play with our uncut cocks…cum inside each other's foreskin?" "Fuck yeah….do it." Axl approved, reaching back over and jerking Ben off. No longer nervous, he reached up and pulled Dean back down, pushing their lips together. Dean grunted, grinding harder into Blaine cock. Axl leaned down to get a better view as he saw Blaine reach between their bodies. Ben joined him, but actually slipped off the chair and sat on his knees, chin resting on the mattress. Looking like a perfect spot to see the action, he copied him. Giving a little jump, he felt Ben unzip his pants the rest of the way and pushed them down. Making to do the same, he was amazed that Ben had already done it. he let out a groan as Ben gripped his cock. Under Dean, Blaine bent his dick up so that both of the heads' of their dicks pressed together. Next, he rolled his own foreskin up and over Dean's head. A moment later, he felt around until he located Dean's foreskin and slid it down over his own. Glancing sideways, Axl grinned over at Ben. Getting up, he grabbed Axl's hair and pulled him over to his throbbing cock. Thick globules of precum oozed out of the piss lit. Eagerly, he sucked at it, using his tongue to swirl around the head and into the piss slit. Bobbing his head forward, it was hard to keep his eyes on the prize. Releasing his hair, Ben jumped onto the bed and moved behind Dean. Axl could make out Dean's smirk as Ben slapped his ass roughly. Pumping his length a couple of times, he aimed his dick for Deans' entrance. Instead of plunging in, he waited, apparently until Dean and Blaine were ready to cum. Axl heard Blaine's panting and erratic breathing. Sweat poured down his temples as he thrust harder up at Dean's dick. Looking over at Ben, he nodded. Gripping Dean's hips, he plunged inside in one furious thrust. "Fucking hell!" Dean roared, pulling away from Blaine lips for a minute though his eyes remained locked. "I'm…" Blaine shook, but said no more. "You ready?" Dean whispered into Blaine's ear, his own movements shaky as well. "Yeah…Dot it…shoot your loads." Ben growled, giving Dean's ass a hard slap. Blain nodded up at Dean, he gave another smile. Climbing onto the bed, Axl hurried over and used both his hands to grip their cocks together, making sure no cum would be able to escape the confines of the merged foreskin. The sound of Ben's thrusting from behind was getting louder, though his speed was slowing. Hearing a deep moan, he directed all his senses to what he had his hands on. Axl felt Blaine's dick vibrate and throb, along with the point where the heads of their cocks touched, bulged outward. A moment later, he felt the same thing coming from Dean. "Yeah..." Ben groaned, coming to a stop. Axl grinned as all the sound in the room ended. Panting, Blaine lifted his head and kissed Dean quickly, before he turned his head sideways to look at Axl. Releasing his hold, he crawled onto the bed and squeezed his body under Dean until he was looking down at Blaine. Glancing upside down, he noticed that a tremendous amount of white fluid pooled in Blaine's belly button with thick streams flowing over the sides of his abdomen and onto the bed. He felt one of Dean's large hands land on his upper back and slowly slide down his spine until a finger pushed between his cheeks. Staying where he was, Blaine grunted and tilted his hips back so his hole angled just enough for someone to fuck him. "Can Dean fuck me Blaine?" he asked in a stage whisper. "Only if he'll shoot inside you." He returned. "Deal." Rumbled Dean in his low baritone voice. "Ben, get over there and suck Blaine off." He ordered. The bed bounced as Ben crawled around to the left while he felt Dean pull him a bit further down the bed. Still on his back, Blaine waited as Ben looked upside down at him. Straitening, Axl nudged Blaine's legs apart until his furry hole was exposed. He let out a deep moan as Dean's tongue entered his ass just as Ben crawled over Blaine in a sixty-nine style. Axl barely had any room to push into Blaine as Ben's head was directly over his crotch. Slowly, he scooted forward just a bit till he felt the head of his dick pushing past Blaine's puckered hole. "You ready?" Dean asked him from behind, kissing the back of his neck. "Go slow at first." He nodded as he pushed all the way into Blaine. The heat surrounding his cock was heavenly. Coming to a halt, he waited as he felt Dean's thick head sink into his own ass. Hissing, it had been a long time since Axl had a dick that big inside him. Reaching down, he gripped Ben head and forced him up and down over Blaine's crotch. Dean kept going until he bottomed out. He could feel Deans' thick pubic bush resting against his rump. Though it wasn't a thick as himself, or the other two in front of him. "Let's do this." He said in a low voice, not wanting to wait any longer. Slowly, he pulled out of Blaine while Dean pushed into him. Loving every bit of this, he built speed quicker than normal, setting his sights on Ben's hairy ass in front of him. He knew for sure Blaine wanted to fuck Dean, as well as Ben. After a while, Dean pulled out of him and moved around the bed until he was behind Ben. No longer confined to a small thrusting area, Axl began to hammer into Blaine, as he watched Dean line his cock up to Ben's hole. Reaching forward, he gripped Ben's cheeks and spread the for Dean as he entered. Abruptly, Dean reached forward and pulled him over Ben until their lips met. Their tongues battled as Axl felt his release coming. Changing tact, he pulled back and yanked Ben's head up and off of Blaine's cock. Briefly looking up, he stared at Axl's navel. Shakily, Axl pulled out of Blaine and forced Ben's head down over the head of his cock. Letting out a loud grunt of ecstasy, he shot his load into Ben's mouth. Dean nodded in approval at this, giving Ben's ass a hard slap. Though his mouth was occupied, Ben still gripped Blaine's cock and pumped it without any rhythm. "Get over here and shoot your load into me Dean. Blaine's gunna cum in Ben." He squeaked, still reeling from his orgasm. "Kay." He said simply, pulling out and falling backward on the bed. Awkwardly, he crawled over Ben even as Blaine scooted down a bit. Once past him, Axl crawled onto Dean's lap. Still facing him, he lowered himself until Dean was completely inside him. Leaning down, he kissed Dean as a hand wrapped around his still sensitive cock. Glancing back, he watched as Ben stayed on his hands and knees while Blaine moved behind him doggy style. "Just thrust into him Blaine." Dean called, "I got him all warmed up for you." Axl watched as Blaine sat down on his haunches, his hairy cheeks slightly spread apart and his nuts swaying from side to side. Hearing Dean's breathing shift and become slower, he swiveled his head back around and watched his face. Brow crinkling, Dean slowed a bit, then waited for a moment, then slamming up into him a last time. Axl felt Dean's seed flow into him, covering the inner walls of his ass. Panting, Axl leaned down, and quickly kissed him. Dean gave him a friendly pat then sat up, watching the show that Axl couldn't see. Axl groaned, then shakily pulled himself off Dean and rolled onto his back. Letting his head fall onto the pillows, he pushed himself up on his elbows as he watched Blaine's tanned ass pummel Ben's white one. It looked so hot, and the sounds Ben was making added to it. Little whimpers and gasps could be heard as Blaine went even faster. After a few moments of the furious pace, Axl felt his mouth fall open even as Blaine increased his pounding even more. To him, it kind of sounded like Ben was in pain. Worried Blaine might be taking it too far, he looked at Dean. "Don't worry," he waved off his concern, "Ben can take it…why don't you join him…double penetrate his ass." he suggested with a wink. "What?" he heard Blaine ask. "I told Axl to join you so Ben will take both of your dicks at the same time. He's such a little bitch he loves that sort of thing. Don't you?" Dean growled, his lips twitching as he tried to hold back a smile. "Come on Axl…I'll take you both." Ben urged, sounding excited. "Fuck yeah..." Axl exclaimed, pushing himself up and finally on his back. Getting up, Ben shifted backward and hovered over Axl. Dean had moved closer, apparently to help both of them push into Ben's tight hole. Squatting, Ben lowered himself. Axl closed his eyes as he felt Dean hold his dick and guide it into Ben. Once all the way in, Ben tilted forward. A moment later, he felt an enormous pressure as Blaine entered him as well. Looking up, he noticed Ben grinning at him as Blaine began to move slowly, but halted for a few moments. Suspicious, Axl rolled his head to the side so he could look behind Blaine. Dean had taken hold of his hips and was slowly sliding into him. Holding steady for a few moments, Dean began to pull out and back in. Axl returned his head back under Ben. Leaning down, Ben pushed his tongue inside his mouth. At that point, he felt Blaine start to move back and forth. Following suit, Axl began to thrust much faster than he would normally do it. But his brain was firmly only listening to his dick. "Yeah…" Dean encouraged, "no mercy." He finished with a furious thrust. "I'm ready to cum." Blaine said above Ben. "I'm almost there. "Axl agreed, hearing Dean's breathing becoming labored. Suddenly, hot liquid sprayed over his stomach as he came in Ben. Seeing that he hadn't jerked himself off, nor had anyone else, he determined it was a handless orgasm. Though he couldn't see him, Axl heard Dean's pounding slow. Blaine cried out, joining his own cum inside Ben's ass. the pressure around his dick lessened as Dean pulled Blaine back, his cock sliding out of Ben. Blaine began to whimper as Dean pushed himself back into him with a hard thrust. Axl wasn't too concerned as he could finally see his face as Ben flopped over onto his back. Pushing himself up on his elbows, Ben watch Dean literally pick up Blaine's hips into the air. "I wanna cum inside Dean." He said, watching sweat trail down Dean's temples. "Get back there then." Ben chuckled, playfully slapping his belly, which was still wet from his handless release. Grunting, he stood up on the bed, then bounced his way around until he ended up behind Dean. Squatting, he studied his sweaty cheeks, while his sagging sack swung like a pendulum back and forth. He pushed his thumb into Dean, loving the heat. Leaning forward and pushed his tongue into him. "Jesus! Yeah...eat that ass." Dean groaned. He could taste Ben's seed in him, a bit salty. Standing, lined his cock up and rammed into him like Ben had done earlier. Dean shouted, and began going even fast into Blaine. a moment later, he felt Dean's prostate vibrate and twitch as he came inside Blaine. fascinated, Axl sped up as Ben walked around the three-person train. He gasped as he felt Ben's tongue enter him while his hands reached down and played with his nuts. Dean still hadn't moved as Ben pushed into Axl. "Jerk me off." He heard Blaine say below Dean. Bending his arm, Dean reached under him. Axl had slowed, watching as the arm moved back and forth rapidly. Suddenly, he felt wet heat enter his ass again. Unbelievably, Ben had already cum before him. Axl found that astonishing as he had only been fucking him for a minute or so. He did take note that there wasn't as much hot liquid as before. Guessing his cum was nearly depleted, he guessed his own would be the same. Ben pulled out and dropped to his knees. Feeling a hand slightly grip his shaft, he felt his release coming quickly. "Oh…" Blaine cried from below. At that sound, and at the touch of Ben sucking at his dangling nuts, he came. Cursing he gripped ahold of Dean's back as he began to sway. Finally, everything came to a stop. Still breathing heavy, he just happened to rotate his head and noticed a large mirror from a dresser facing the bed. The sight made him widen his eyes. All four of them were looking at their reflection. Axl couldn't help but notice the mirror must be dusty because everything was blurry. Then he felt his mouth drop as he realized, it wasn't dust, but steam fogging the mirror. End file.

fanfiction

Enter your email address here to receive automatic notifications of any new articles published. Comments posted by readers do not necessarily represent the opinion of openNauvoo. They are soley the opinion of those posting.

slim_pajama

the alternation of cell adhesion and highly migratory behavior are the most prominent features of cancer cells , and play critical roles in their aggressive invasion and metastatic spread . these processes appear to be facilitated by remodeling of the extracellular matrix ( ecm ) of the tumor microenvironment and adhesion molecules at the cancer cell surface and affected by both the interaction between ecm and adhesion molecules and by growth factor signaling [ 2 , 3 ] . the proteolytic ectodomain cleavage and release ( shedding ) of adhesion molecules are also critical regulatory steps in cancer cell adhesion and migration [ 4 , 5 ] . to date , cholesterol - enriched membrane microdomains called lipid rafts have been implicated in a variety of pathogeneses ; neurological diseases including alzheimer 's , parkinson 's , and prion diseases ; cardiovascular diseases ; immune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus and hiv infection . lipid rafts have been also implicated in signaling pathways in cancer progression , but how these microdomains affect the adhesion and migration of invasive cancer cells remains obscure . in this paper , recent findings on the roles of lipid rafts in cancer cell adhesion and migration will be reviewed . the prevailing model of cellular membrane structure was proposed by singer and nicolson , and this model is known as the fluid mosaic model , where globular proteins float in a lipid bilayer with a basic structure . later , the model was improved by simons and van meer , who suggested the existence of microdomains or rafts in the plasma membrane of epithelial cells . in the current understanding of the lipid raft model , cholesterol- and sphingolipid - enriched microdomains of the plasma membrane exhibit a biophysical state comparable to the liquid - ordered phase floating in the liquid - disordered phase of the membrane . one subtype of lipid rafts exists in flask - shaped plasma membrane invaginations called caveolae . lipid rafts consist of assemblies of cholesterol , sphingolipids including sphingomyelin and gangliosides , and certain types of proteins . sphingolipids contain saturated fatty acyl chains in their structure , thereby allowing cholesterol to be tightly intercalated in the sphingolipid assemblies to form liquid - ordered microdomains . the most important properties of lipid rafts are that they are small , dynamic , and heterogeneous and can include or exclude proteins to variable extents [ 17 , 18 ] . proteins with raft affinity include glycosylphosphatidylinositol - anchored proteins , palmitoylated proteins , doubly acylated proteins , such as src family kinases ( sfks ) , and transmembrane proteins such as cd44 . lipid rafts have been implicated in various physiological cellular processes , such as protein membrane trafficking and signal transduction [ 18 , 19 ] . lipid rafts can be fractionated as detergent - resistant membrane ( drm ) fractions using nonionic detergents such as triton x-100 [ 18 , 20 ] . cholesterol- and sphingolipid - enriched rafts are insoluble in triton x-100 at 4c and float to a low - density area during gradient centrifugation . notably , the constitution of drm is affected by the type and concentration of detergents , and lipid rafts contained in drm are nonnative aggregates . the ganglioside gm1 is the most commonly used marker among putative lipid components of rafts ; it is detected using the gm1-binding molecule , cholera toxin subunit b ( ctxb ) . membrane cholesterol serves as a spacer for the hydrocarbon chains of sphingolipids and maintains the assembled microdomains of lipid rafts . methyl--cyclodextrin ( mcd ) , a torus - shaped cyclic oligosaccharide composed of 7 d - glucopyranosyl units linked by -1,4 glycosidic bonds , is used to extract membrane cholesterol selectively and to disrupt lipid rafts . mcd is a practical tool for membrane studies as it neither binds to nor inserts into the plasma membrane . mcd - mediated manipulation of membrane cholesterol is now a standard methodology in the research of lipid rafts [ 18 , 24 ] . however , mcd may deplete cholesterol from both the raft and nonraft domains of the membrane as well as alter the distribution of cholesterol between the plasma membrane and organelle membranes under high concentrations ( i.e. , > 10 mm ) . thus , it is recommended that a cholesterol - repletion experiment using cholesterol - mcd complex and raft disruption with other cholesterol - sequestering agents as described below would be performed for confirmation . filipin , a fluorescent polyene macrolide antibiotic from streptomyces filipinensis , binds cholesterol and disperses it in the membrane . filipin is thus used as a cholesterol probe and a cholesterol sequestration agent in the research of lipid rafts [ 25 , 26 ] . other than filipin , nystatin and amphotericin are also used in lipid - raft analyses . statins are widely used inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl - coa reductase , the key rate - limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of cholesterol . statins lower cellular cholesterol content and thus are useful in the analysis of lipid - raft function . it has also been demonstrated that statins may be an effective preventive medicine for neurodegenerative diseases , including alzheimer 's disease . although the various population - based reports of the effects of statins on cancer are controversial , recent epidemiologic studies suggest that statins inhibit the progression of certain cancers . recent evidence suggests that statins blocked the adhesion and migration processes of cancer cells [ 30 , 31 ] . cd44 is a major cell adhesion molecule expressed in cancer cells and implicated in cancer cell adhesion , migration , and metastasis [ 3234 ] . a number of reports have demonstrated that cd44 is present in lipid rafts [ 3540 ] , but the role of lipid rafts in cancer cell adhesion and migration has not been elucidated . recently , it was demonstrated that lipid rafts play a crucial role in the localization and functionality of cd44 , which regulates cancer cell adhesion and migration . treatment of human glioma cells with the lipid - raft - disrupting agent mcd resulted in an increase in cd44 shedding ( figure 1(a ) ) . similar patterns are observed when cells were treated with another lipid - raft - disrupting agent , filipin , and also in the case of pancreatic cancer cells . analyses of triton x-100 solubility of cd44 and its processing enzyme , a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 ( adam10 ) , revealed that cd44 was present in both triton - x-100-insoluble and triton - x-100-soluble fractions of untreated cells , whereas adam10 was largely in triton - x-100-soluble fraction [ 30 , 31 ] . treatment with mcd or filipin , however , led to loss of cd44 from the triton - x-100-insoluble fraction . these results suggest that the perturbation of the ordered distribution of cd44 and adam10 on the membrane increased the probability of enzyme - to - substrate contact that leads to enhanced cd44 shedding . membrane microdomains such as lipid rafts serve as platforms for the nanoscale assembly of membrane proteins . simvastatin , one of the statins most frequently used in the clinical treatment of hypercholesterolemia , also enhanced cd44 shedding ( figure 1(b ) ) . moreover , simvastatin blocked the stimulation of glioma cell migration by hyaluronan oligosaccharides or epidermal growth factor ( egf ) ( figure 1(c ) ) [ 4143 ] . taken together , these results suggest that lowering cholesterol levels may disturb the regulated cd44 membrane localization that is necessary for enhanced cancer cell adhesion and migration ( figure 2 ) . recent studies on the shedding of various membrane proteins revealed that cholesterol depletion triggers the shedding of these molecules , including amyloid precursor protein ( app ) , il-6 receptor , cd30 , l1-cam , and collagen types xvii and xxiii . it is especially noteworthy that app and cd30 were found to be strongly associated with lipid rafts , whereas their processing enzymes , adam10 and adam17 , respectively , are excluded from lipid rafts [ 44 , 46 ] . these findings suggest that lipid rafts may play a critical role in regulating the accessibility of processing enzymes to their substrate proteins during both constitutive and regulated shedding . na - h exchanger interacts with cd44 in lipid rafts and may regulate cancer cell migration . complement component receptor gc1qr is a lipid raft protein that is concentrated in the lamellipodia along with cd44 , regulating a549 lung adenocarcinoma cell migration and metastasis . integrins are transmembrane adhesion receptors composed of and subunits that facilitate the anchorage of cells to components of the ecm or bind to ligands on other cells to support cell - cell adhesion . recent evidence suggests that the microorganization of lipids in the plasma membrane can affect integrin - mediated cellular functions . integrin - mediated cell adhesion to the ecm is regarded as one of the primary stages of sfks ' function . sfks are activated in lipid rafts , and lipid - raft - specific inhibition of sfks abrogates adhesion of breast cancer cells . the transmembrane phosphoprotein , cbp , a c - terminal src kinase - binding protein , serves as a sensor of sfk activity in integrin - mediated cell adhesion signaling . cd44 is an important marker for various cancer stem cells ( cscs ) , such as pancreatic , breast , ovarian , colon , and bladder cscs . recently , it was reported that lipid - raft - associated cd44 is required for the survival of cscs in the suspension condition through cd44-sfk - integrin signaling , leading to tumor metastasis . lipid rafts are necessary platforms for membrane receptor redistribution and the acquisition of a polarized phenotype during mcf-7 mammary adenocarcinoma cell migration . disruption of lipid rafts with mcd abolishes lamellipodia formation and inhibits the chemotactic migration of mcf-7 cells . a variety of invasive cancer cells form invadopodia , subcellular structures with ventral membrane protrusions that induce ecm degradation , a pivotal process in cancer invasion . the ecm degradation activity of invadopodia is mainly mediated by membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase ( mt1-mmp ) concentrated at the surface of invadopodia . caveolin-1 is predominantly expressed in invasive breast cancer cell lines and is well correlated with invadopodia activity , implying that caveolin-1 plays important roles in the trafficking of the components of invadopodia including mt1-mmp . i have summarized here the nature of lipid rafts and their role in cancer cell adhesion and migration focusing on the current state of knowledge , although many questions about the nature of lipid rafts remain unsolved . future studies may corroborate a variety of aspects of the role of lipid rafts in the regulation of adhesive and migratory properties of invasive cancer cells . the elucidation of the mechanism underlying the lipid - raft - mediated regulation of cancer cell adhesion and migration will provide new insights into the mechanism of cancer invasion and metastasis and also provide a wealth of new targets for cancer prevention and therapy for clinical medicine .

pubmed

indirect methods to detect extrasolar terrestrial planets such as radial velocity , astrometry , and transits only allow getting morphological information . the planet is deduced from its effect on the parent star under survey . to understand the properties of a planet we need to collect photons from the planet directly to determine its physical and chemical properties . spectral analysis of extrasolar planets is a very young science that only recently achieved first results for hot jupiters . some atmospheric components like na were detected in absorption in the upper atmosphere of hd209458b ( ( * ? ? ? * charbonneau , brown , noyes ( 2002 ) ) ) . the spitzer telescope recently detected the infrared emission from two transiting hot jupiters by subtracting the stellar flux when the transiting planet is eclipsed by its star from the combined flux of the star and planet ( see ( * ? ? ? * deming , seager , richardson ( 2005 ) ) , ( * ? ? ? * charbonneau , allen , megeath ( 2005 ) ) ) . the first space born instruments able to detect as well as characterize extrasolar planets are darwin ( see e.g. ( * ? ? ? * kaltenegger , fridlund & karlsson ( 2005 ) ) ) , tpf - i and tpf - c ( see e.g. ( * ? ? ? * borde & traub ( 2005 ) ) ) . darwin / tpf - i are both based on the concept of a free flyer ir interferometer architecture , and tpf - c is envisioned as a coronagraph in the visible . the strategy to search for biological activity on terrestrial planets is based on the assumption that one can use spectroscopy to screen extrasolar planets for habitability . basing the search for life on the carbon chemistry assumption allows establishing criteria for habitable planets in terms of their size and distance from their stars ( ( * ? ? ? * kasting , whitmire & reynolds ( 1993 ) ) ) . note that observations over interstellar distances can only distinguish those planets whose habitability and biological activity is apparent from observations of the reflected or emitted radiation . a crucial factor in interpreting planetary spectra is the point in the evolution of the atmosphere and its biomarkers over time . concentrating on the evolution of our planet we establish a model for its atmosphere and the detectable biomarkers over its evolution history . figure [ fig2 ] shows that atmospheric features on earth can provide clues of possible life forms for at least 2 billion years ( see ( * ? ? ? * kaltenegger , traub & jucks ( 2005 ) ) ) . the earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago . the primitive atmosphere was formed by the release of volatiles from the interior , and/or volatiles delivered during the late bombardment period . this atmosphere was most likely dominated by carbon dioxide , with nitrogen being the second most abundant gas and trace amounts of methane , ammonia , sulphur dioxide , hydrochloric acid and oxygen ( see ( * ? ? ? * kasting & siefert ( 2002 ) ) ) . carbon dioxide and/or methane played a crucial role in the development of an early greenhouse effect that counteracted the lower solar output . two major processes have changed the primitive atmosphere , the reduction of @xmath0 and the increase of @xmath1 . a huge amount of @xmath0 must have been removed from the atmosphere , most likely by the burial of carbon into carbonate rocks , though the process is still debated . primitive cyanobacteria are believed to have produced oxygen . after most of the reduced minerals were oxidized , about two billion years ago , atmospheric oxygen could accumulate . different schemes have been suggested to quantify the rise of oxygen and the evolution of life by anchoring the points in time to fossil finds ( see e.g. ( * ? ? ? * owen ( 1980 ) ) ( * ? ? ? * schopf ( 1993 ) ) ( * ? ? ? * ehrenfreund & charnley ( 2003 ) ) ) . there are still many open questions . we use a climate model based on work by ( * ? ? ? * kasting & catling ( 2003 ) ) , ( * ? ? ? * pavlov , hurtgen , kasting , arthur ( 2003 ) ) , ( * ? ? ? * segura , krelove , kasting ( 2003 ) ) and ( * ? ? ? * traub & jucks ( 2002 ) ) to create a schematic atmospheric model of our earth over geological timescales . we find a surface temperature above the freezing point for all of earth s history ( not considering short term atmospheric changes during glaciation periods ) . our radiative transfer model is based on the model by ( * ? ? ? * traub & jucks ( 2002 ) ) that was developed to successfully analyse data from stratospheric balloon flight campaigns ongoing during the last few years . the same radiative transfer code was used to successfully analyse data from earthshine measurements in the visible ( 400 to 900 nm ) ( see ( * ? ? ? * woolf , smith , traub ) ) and mid - infrared ( 700 to 2400 nm ) ( see ( * ? ? ? * turnbull , traub , jucks ( 2005 ) ) ) . it shows excellent agreement with measurements in both the visible and ir wavelength band . we present the spectra of earth over geological timescale in anticipation of proposed space based terrestrial planet search missions to operate between 500 to 1100 nm in the visible to mid - ir range and 6 to 20@xmath2 m in the ir . our model shows a considerable difference in biosignatures that can be detected with those missions . that should be able to constrain an earth - like planet to its time in evolution . the spectral characteristics of a planet are a very important guide to identifying the best wavelength region to probe for a planet as well as characterize the spectra once it has been detected . the tpf science working group ( tpf - swg ) identified the waveband between 8.5@xmath2 m to 20@xmath2 m and preferably 7@xmath2 m to 25@xmath2 m , respectively , for the search for biomarkers in the mid - ir region and 0.7@xmath2 m to 1.0@xmath2 m and preferably 0.5@xmath2 m to 1.1@xmath2 m for the visible to near ir region ( see ( * ? ? ? * des marais , harwit , jucks , ( 2002 ) ) ) . the darwin project concentrates on the waveband between 6@xmath2 m to 20@xmath2 m ( see ( * ? ? ? * fridlund , kaltenegger , ( 2006 ) ) ) . in the thermal part of the spectrum , the shape gives a measure of the temperature of the object examined . observations from 8@xmath2 m to 12@xmath2 m of the @xmath3 continuum allow estimations of the surface temperature of earth - like planets . for higher concentrations of water vapor in the atmosphere , the continuum gets lowered due to water absorption . biomarkers are features whose presence or abundance requires a biological origin ( see ( * ? ? ? * des marais , harwit , jucks , ( 2002 ) ) , ( * ? ? ? * meadows ( 2005 ) ) ) . they are created either during the acquisition of energy and/or the chemical ingredients necessary for biosynthesis ( e.g. atmospheric oxygen and methane ) or are products of the biosynthesis ( e.g. complex organic molecules and cells ) . as signs of life in themselves @xmath3 and @xmath0 are secondary in importance because although they are raw materials for life , they are not unambiguous indicators of its presence . taken together with molecular oxygen , abundant @xmath4 can indicate biological processes . depending on the degree of oxidation of a planet s crust and upper mantel non - biological mechanisms can also produce large amounts of @xmath4 under certain circumstances . oxygen is a chemically reactive gas . reduced gases and oxygen have to be produced concurrently to be detectable in the atmosphere , as they react rapidly with each other . the 9.6@xmath2 m @xmath5 band is highly saturated and is thus a poor quantitative indicator , but an excellent qualitative indicator for the existence of even traces of @xmath1 . ozone is a very nonlinear indicator of @xmath1 because the ozone column depth remains nearly constant as @xmath1 increases from 0.01 present atmosphere level ( pal ) to 1 pal . @xmath6 is a very interesting molecule because it is produced in abundance by life but only in trace amounts by natural processes . there are no @xmath6 features in the visible and two weak @xmath6 features in the ir . in the ir it can only be detected in regions strongly overlapped by @xmath4 , @xmath0 and @xmath3 , so it is unlikely to become a prime target for the first generation of space - based missions searching for extrasolar planets that will work with low resolution , but it is an excellent target for follow up missions . spectral features of @xmath6 become apparent in atmospheres with less @xmath3 vapor . in the mid - ir @xmath6 has a band at 7.9@xmath2 m , comparable in strength to the adjacent @xmath4 band but weak compared with the overlapping @xmath3 band . the absorption bands of those three species are different . it is not readily separable for low resolution spectroscopy for current earth , but the methane feature is easily detectable for early type earth planets according to our models . to detect and study surface properties we can only use wavelengths that penetrate to the planetary surface . on a cloud - free earth , the diurnal flux variation caused by different surface features rotating in and out of view could be high . when the planet is only partially illuminated , more concentrated signal from surface features could be detected as they rotate in and out of view . most surface features like ice or sand show very small or very smooth continuous opacity changes with wavelength . figure [ fig1 ] shows that the signal detected from a cloud free planet is lower than that from an earth - like planet . thus the integration time needed to detect such planets will be longer . an interesting example for surface biomarkers on earth is the red edge signature from photosynthetic plants at about 750 nm . photosynthetic plants have developed strong infrared reflection as a cooling mechanism to prevent overheating and chlorophyll degradation . the primary molecules that absorb the energy and convert it to drive photosynthesis ( @xmath3 and @xmath0 into sugars and @xmath1 ) are chlorophyll a ( 0.450@xmath2 m ) and b ( 0.680@xmath2 m ) . several groups have measured the integrated earth spectrum via the technique of earthshine , sunlight reflected from the `` dark '' side of the moon . earthshine measurements have shown that detection of earth s vegetation - red edge ( vre ) is feasible but made difficult owing to its broad , essentially featureless spectrum and cloud coverage . trying to identify such weak , continuum - like features at unknown wavelengths in an extrasolar planet spectrum requires models for different planetary conditions . our knowledge of different surface reflectivities on earth , like deserts , ocean and ice , help assigning the vre of the earthshine spectrum to terrestrial vegetation ( see figure [ fig2 ] ) . earth s hemispherically integrated vegetation red - edge signature is weak , but planets with different rotation rates , obliquities , land - ocean fraction , and continental arrangement may have lower cloud - cover and higher vegetated fraction ( see e.g. ( * ? ? ? * seager ( 2002 ) ) ) . our calculations ( see ( * ? ? ? * kaltenegger , traub & jucks ( 2005 ) ) ) show that the composition of the surface ( especially in the visible ) , the atmospheric composition and temperature - pressure profile can all have a significant influence on the detectability of a signal . the reflectivity of the earth has not been static throughout the past 4.5ga ( ga = @xmath7 years ago ) . oxygen and ozone became abundant about roughly 2.3ga , affecting the atmospheric absorption component of the reflection spectrum . about 2ga , a green phytoplankton signal developed in the oceans and about 0.44ga , an extensive land plant cover developed , generating the red chlorophyll edge in the reflection spectrum . the oxygen and ozone absorption features could have been used to derive the presence of biological activity on earth anytime during the past 50% of the age of the solar system , while the chlorophyll red - edge reflection feature evolved during the most recent 10% of the age of the solar system . figure [ fig1 ] shows the spectral signature of an earth atmosphere assuming different surface composition and the big impact clouds can have on the spectrum . from the 4 surfaces plotted on the left one sees that an earth - size ocean planet will be more difficult to detect than a snow covered planet due to its low albedo . the smooth lines in the left panel of figure [ fig1 ] show the albedo of the surfaces without overlayed atmosphere . the panel on the right in figure [ fig1 ] shows the strong impact clouds can have on the detected signal . present earth has about 60% cloud coverage . 100% cumulus ( low ) and 100% cirrus ( high ) cloud coverage , respectively , are shown for reference . a planet without clouds or snow has a lower overall albedo and thus requires a longer integration time for detection than a planet with clouds . figure [ fig2 ] shows earth s reflected and thermal emission spectra respectively with its major molecular species ( @xmath3 , @xmath5 , @xmath1 , @xmath4 , @xmath0 , @xmath6 ) as well as minor contributors ( @xmath8 , s@xmath1 , @xmath9 , @xmath10 , cfc-11 , cfc-12 ) . the dark lines show a resolution of 70 in the visible and 25 in the ir , as proposed for the tpf - c and darwin / tpf - i mission , respectively . the atmospheric features on an earth - like planet change considerably over its evolution from a current day atmosphere ( epoch5 = present earth ) over a @xmath0/@xmath4-rich ( epoch 3 around 2ga ) to a @xmath0 rich ( 3.9ga = epoch 0 ) atmosphere . @xmath5 shows a strong feature in the ir for the last 2ga of earth s history even at a low resolution of 25 . @xmath1 shows a weaker feature in the visible for the last 2ga of earth s history at a resolution of 70 ( note that no noise level is assumed for these calculations ) . in the mid - ir the classical signatures of biological activity are the 9.6@xmath2 m @xmath5 band , the 15@xmath2 m @xmath0 band and the 6.3@xmath2 m @xmath3 band or its rotational band that extends from 12@xmath2 m out into the microwave region ( ( * ? * selsis , despois , parisot ( 2002 ) ) ) . for the visible , a similiar investigation has not been conducted yet . in the same spectral region , the 7.7@xmath2 m band of @xmath4 is a potential biomarker for early - earth type planets . in the visible to near - ir one can see a strong @xmath1 absorption feature at 0.76@xmath2 m , a broadband @xmath5 absorption at 0.45@xmath2 m to 0.75@xmath2 m and a strong @xmath3 band at 0.94@xmath2 m . the strongest @xmath1 feature is the saturated fraunhofer a - band at 0.76@xmath2 m that is still relatively strong for significantly smaller mixing ratios than present earth s . @xmath5 has two broad features , the extremely strong huggins band in the uv shortward of 0.33@xmath2 m and the chappius band which shows as a broad triangular dip in the middle of the visible spectrum from about 0.45@xmath2 m to 0.74@xmath2 m . methane at present terrestrial abundance ( 1.65ppm ) has no significant visible absorption feature , but at high abundance it has strong visible bands at 0.88@xmath2 m and 1.0@xmath2 m , readily detectable in early earth s history . @xmath0 has negligible visible features at present abundance , but in a high @xmath0-atmosphere of 10% it would have a significant band at 1.2@xmath2 m and even stronger ones at longer wavelengths . especially in the early evolution stage , the weak 1.06@xmath2 m band can be observed ( epoch 0 ) . concentrating on the evolution of our planet we established a model for its atmosphere and the detectable biomarkers over its evolution history and showed the results for tpf - i / darwin and tpf - c . these missions should be able to constrain an earth - like planet in its evolution . our calculations show that the atmospheric and the surface composition ( especially in the visible ) and cloud coverage influence the detected signal considerably ( see figure [ fig1 ] ) . from the 4 surfaces plotted on the left one sees that e.g. an earth - size ocean planet will be more difficult to detect than a snow covered planet due to its low albedo ( here we consider no clouds ) . the atmospheric features on an earth - like planet change considerably over its evolution from a current day atmosphere ( epoch 5 = present earth ) over a @xmath0/@xmath4-rich atmosphere ( epoch 3 around 2ga ) to a @xmath0 rich ( 3.9ga = epoch 0 ) see figure [ fig2 ] . atmospheric features on earth can provide clues of biological activities for at least 2 billion years . @xmath5 shows a strong feature in the ir for the last 2ga of earth s history even at a low resolution of 25 . @xmath1 shows a weaker feature in the visible for the last 2ga of earth s history at a resolution of 70 ( note that no noise level is assumed for these calculations ) . methane ( a potential bioindicator for early earth ) and nitrous oxide ( a biomarker with a weak signature in the ir ) have features nearly overlapping in the 7@xmath2 m region , lying in the red wing of the 6@xmath2 m water band . the absorption bands of those three species are different . it is not readily separable for current earth at low spectral resolution . @xmath6 is a very interesting molecule because it is produced in abundance by life but only in trace amounts by natural processes . it is unlikely to become a prime target for the first generation of space - based missions searching for extrasolar planets that will work with low resolution , but it is an excellent target for follow up missions . but if methane is abundant , as it probably was for early earth , then it is readily detectable , even at low spectral resolution , functioning as an early bio - indicator for young earth - like planets .

arxiv

Entanglement entropy in (1+1)d field theory with dynamical critical exponent $z>1$ It was well known that for (1+1)d CFT(z=1) case, we can use the tool of conformal map to derive the formula of entanglement entropy for a finite interval: S ~ $c \log L$. L is the length of the interval.(allow me to be sloppy, i neglect the coefficient and cutoff in the formula). My question is: is there a derivation in literature or in your mind that shows the entanglement entropy formula for other dynamical critical exponent? for example z=2(quadratic dispersion) or z=3, in a (1+1)d field theory model. I'd like to know how the formula looks like, $\log L$ or $L^{\alpha}$ for some exponent $\alpha$ determined by the universality class of the theory. For $z=2$ there is a study here <http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0404026> in the context of ferromagnetic spin chain. The result is basically $\log L$. Swingle and Senthil argued in <http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.1069> that "generally" the violation of area law for EE is at most $L^{d-1}\log L$ where $d$ is the space dimension. However, <http://arxiv.org/abs/1408.1657> constructed a frustration-free translation-invariant gapless spin chain with power-law divergence of EE (they prove an upper bound for spectral gap as $O(L^{-c}$ where $c\geq 2$ and $L$ is the system size, so this is not a CFT). I'm not sure how general the latter work is, or just some special "pathological" example.

stackexchange/physics

optical phase - sensing stands as one of the most advanced techniques in classical metrology and has recently led to the direct detection of gravitational waves @xcite . from the applied side , phase - sensitive spectrally - resolved white - light interferometry ( wli ) is a key enabling tool for improving optical technologies finding numerous applications in physics , medicine , and biology . in the perspectives of both research and development , wli has been exploited for high - precision measurements such as distance and displacement @xcite , strain , temperature and pressure @xcite , surface profilometry @xcite , refractometry @xcite , group delay dispersion @xcite , as well as chromatic dispersion @xcite . + the optimal precision for measuring an unknown phase @xmath2 in an optical interferometer using classical light is ruled by the standard quantum limit , @xmath3 , where @xmath0 is the average number of photons involved in the measurement . the precision can be further improved by using quantum light , _ e.g. _ so - called @xmath1-states which represent a coherent supersposition of having @xmath0 photons in one optical mode with zero in an orthogonal mode , and vice versa . this permits reaching the heisenberg limit , @xmath4 @xcite . however , due to experimental imperfections , such as optical losses , noise and non - unity detector efficiencies , most of today s real - world measurements operate far away from these fundamental limits . we introduce and demonstrate here spectrally - resolved quantum white - light interferometry ( q - wli ) as a novel approach for absolute and high - precision measurements of optical properties . the peculiar use of energy - time entangled two - photon @xmath1-states permits achieving significant conceptual advantages compared to standard wli , allowing absolute determination of optical parameters . additionally , both data treatment and experimental procedures are greatly simplified , making this method ready to be exploited as an enabling tool in a large variety of fields . as shown in [ fig1](a ) , the emission of a white - light source is usually directed to an interferometer in which the reference arm is free - space ( with well known optical properties ) and the other arm comprises the sample under test ( sut ) . recombining both arms at the output beam - splitter leads to an interference pattern for which the intensity follows @xmath5 , with @xmath6 . here , @xmath7 represents the wavelength , @xmath8 and @xmath9 are the physical lengths of the reference arm and the sut , respectively , and @xmath10 is the refractive index of the sut . it is worth noting that interference is only observed when the interferometer is balanced within the coherence length of the white - light source , or the coherence length imposed by the resolution of the spectrometer , which is typically on the order of microns to millimetres @xcite . in this case , the phase term reads ( more details are given in the supplementary information ) : @xmath11 here , @xmath12 stands for the symmetry center of the fringe pattern , usually referred to as stationary phase point @xcite , @xmath13 is the wavelength offset compared to @xmath12 , and @xmath14 is a constant offset phase . fitting experimentally acquired data as a function of @xmath13 allows inferring @xmath9 , and/or the optical material parameters @xmath15 and @xmath16 . assuming that @xmath9 is precisely known , a typical fit to the data requires three free parameters , _ i.e. _ @xmath12 , @xmath15 and @xmath16 , which are usually all interdependent in a non - trivial fashion . consequently , uncertainties on one parameter induce errors on the others . in fact , the high number of required fitting parameters and the necessity to re - equilibrate the interferometer for every new sut stand as the main issues of this technique , therefore limiting its precision and potential for absolute determination of optical properties , as well as its ease - of - use @xcite . however , more accurate optical measurements are eagerly demanded in almost all fields where optics is involved . a special focus is set on the material parameter @xmath17 , as it is directly related to the chromatic dispersion coefficient @xmath18 , in which @xmath19 represents the speed of light @xcite . more accurate measurements on @xmath20 would have tremendous repercussions for optimizing today s telecommunication networks , developing new - generation pulsed lasers and amplifiers , designing novel linear and nonlinear optical components and circuits , as well as for assessing the properties of biological tissues . ] [ fig1](b ) shows the experimental schematic for our new concept of spectrally - resolved quantum wli ( q - wli ) , intended to overcome the above - mentioned issues . the quantum white - light source is composed of a continuous - wave pump laser and a non - linear crystal in which energy - time entangled photon pairs are generated through spontaneous parametric downconversion @xcite . this process obeys the conservation of the energy , _ i.e. _ @xmath21 . here , @xmath22 represents the wavelength of the pump laser photons , and @xmath23 are the wavelengths of the individual photons for each generated pair . another implication of the conservation of the energy is that the degenerate wavelength of the emission spectrum is @xmath24 . + the paired photons are sent to the interferometer which is , intentionally , strongly unbalanced . this allows distinguishing contributions for which both photons take opposite paths ( delayed arrival times at the interferometer s outputs ) or the same path ( no arrival time difference ) @xcite . at one interferometer output , a single photon detector ( spd ) is employed , and in the other a single - photon sensitive spectrometer . time tagging electronics allows to infer the photon arrival time differences , and to post - select only zero - time - delay events . this procedure leads to the formation of a two - photon @xmath25-state : @xmath26 here , the ket vectors , indexed by s and r , indicate the number of photons in the reference and sut arm , respectively , and @xmath27 . as detailed in the supplementary information , after setting @xmath28 , the spectral dependence of the phase term @xmath29 is given by : @xmath30 in which @xmath31 is an offset term . in order to infer @xmath29 , a two - photon coincidence measurement is performed , taking advantage of the fact that the rate @xmath32 at which pairs are projected onto the @xmath1-state is phase - dependent : @xmath33 . the term @xmath14 has been object of research in the past @xcite , as it allows measuring optical phase - shifts at constant wavelengths with doubled sensitivity compared to the standard approach . by taking advantage of energy - time entanglement , we address here , for the first time , the wavelength - dependent term in equation [ quantumphase ] . experimentally , this is made possible by recording @xmath32 as a function of @xmath13 , _ i.e. _ the two - photon coincidence rate is measured as a function of the paired - photons wavelengths . + we now highlight a few pertinent purely quantum - enabled features provided by equation [ quantumphase ] . compared to equation [ classicalphase ] , the dependence on the third - order term @xmath34 is cancelled due to energy - time entanglement @xcite . furthermore , @xmath12 does not have to be extracted from the data , as it is exactly twice the wavelength of the continuous - wave pump laser , @xmath22 , and can therefore be known with extremely high accuracy . this means that the quantum strategy allows data fitting using exactly one free parameter , namely @xmath17 which is an essential step towards absolute optical property determination with high precision . additionally , we note that the @xmath1-state s ability to interfere does not arise from the coherence length of the individual photons , but from that of the photon pair . for energy - time entanglement , this coherence length is directly related to that of the continuous wave pump laser ( typically from several to hundreds of meters ) @xcite . this allows to operate the interferometer in largely unbalanced conditions , such that no re - alignment is necessary when changing the sut . finally , due to the use of a two - photon @xmath1-state , a doubled sensitivity on @xmath17 is achieved , allowing to perform measurements on much shorter samples compared to standard wli ( down to the mm to cm scale ) . as a sut we use a 1 m long standard single - mode fibre from corning ( smf28e ) . for all measurements , the interferometer is actively stabilized using a reference laser and a piezoelectric transducer on one of the mirrors in the reference arm ( more details are provided in the methods section ) . this ensures that @xmath14 remains constant . + for chromatic dispersion measurements using standard wli , a superluminescent diode is used . at the output of the interferometer we measure an average spectral intensity of @xmath35125pw / nm from @xmath36 . interferograms are recorded using a standard spectrometer from anritsu ( model ms9710b ) with 0.1s integration time and 0.5 nm resolution . + for the q - wli approach , the employed light source is made of a wavelength - stabilized 780.24 nm laser , pumping a type-0 periodically - poled lithium niobate waveguide ( ppln / w ) . the quasi - phase matching in the ppln / w is chosen such as to generate energy - time entangled photon pairs around the degenerate wavelength of @xmath37 with a bandwidth of about 140 nm . here , the spectral intensity is about 25fw / nm at the interferometer output . to detect the paired photons , we use an ingaas spd ( idq 220 ) at one interferometer output . the single photon spectrometer at the other output is made of a wavelength - tunable 0.5 nm bandpass filter , followed by another ingaas spd ( idq 230 ) . to partially compensate for the significantly reduced spectral intensity of the photon pair source , we use an integration time of 8s . + all measurements are repeated 100 times on the same sut in order to infer the statistical accuracy of both wli and q - wli approaches . typical interference patterns for chromatic dispersion measurements using both methods are shown in [ fig2](a , b ) . with the q - wli setup , twice as much interference fringes are obtained for the same spectral bandwidth which is a direct consequence of the doubled phase sensitivity of the two - photon @xmath1-state . is extracted . error bars assume poissonian photon number statistics.[fig2 ] ] after acquiring @xmath38 measurements on the same sut , we infer the precision of both approaches . the results of the statistical data analysis are shown in [ fig3 ] . for standard wli , we obtain , on average , @xmath39 at @xmath40 with a standard deviation of @xmath41 . this result is amongst the best reported to date in the literature @xcite . for q - wli , we measure , on average , @xmath42 at @xmath37 with a significantly better standard deviation of @xmath43 . + further statistical data analysis shows kurtosis parameters of 0.182 and 0.276 for standard and quantum wli , respectively , proving that both data sets converge towards a normal distribution . comparing the data sets with levene s null hypothesis test gives @xmath44 , providing very strong evidence that the improved results obtained with the quantum strategy are essentially impossible to have occurred based on random sampling from the classical measurements . in our data , we observe a minimal offset of the central values which is explained by either a slight wavelength offset of the spectrometer ( @xmath45 ) used for the standard measurements , and/or that the interferometer was unbalanced by about @xmath46 . the consequence is an error on the fitting parameter @xmath12 , which is then translated to an error in @xmath15 @xcite . at this point , we highlight that for the q - wli approach , @xmath12 is essentially known with absolute accuracy , and only one free fitting parameter is required . additionally , an unbalanced interferometer does not influence the measurement . it is therefore natural to consider that q - wli can be used to determine the chromatic dispersion coefficient with absolute accuracy . we also emphasize that the measurements performed with q - wli involve @xmath3560 times less photons transmitted through the sut compared to standard wli . this clearly underlines that the improved results obtained with the entanglement - enhanced strategy is due to aspects from both the fundamental and conceptual sides . ] another advantage provided by q - wli lies in straightforward device calibration . all the optical components in the interferometer actually show small residual chromatic dispersion , and this undesired offset needs to be evaluated and subtracted from the data in order to avoid systematic errors . for standard wli , this implies that the sut has to be removed and that the length of the reference arm has to be reduced accordingly ( typically on the order of 1 m ) . this procedure is technically challenging , time - consuming , and might lead to additional systematic errors . at this point , q - wli shows its ability for user - friendly operation . interference is observed for interferometer path length differences up to the coherence length of the pump laser , in our case @xmath35250 m . consequently , residual chromatic dispersion can be measured directly after removing the sut , without any realignment . ] [ fig4 ] shows the experimental results that we have obtained when measuring chromatic dispersion in our bare interferometer , _ i.e. _ with the sut . it turns out that in our interferometer , residual chromatic dispersion amounts to @xmath3510% of the measured values on the 1 m sut . for all the data discussed above , except for the raw data in [ fig2](a , b ) , we have therefore subtracted the residual chromatic dispersion . we have introduced and demonstrated the concept of spectrally - resolved q - wli exploiting energy - time entangled two - photon @xmath1-states . compared to standard measurements , the @xmath1-state permits achieving a two times higher phase sensitivity . more strikingly , the peculiar use of such quantum states of light reduces the number of free parameters for fitting experimental data from three to one , representing a major advantage for determining optical properties with high precision and absolute accuracy . in addition , our setup does not require a balanced interferometer for performing the measurement which represents a significant time - saving advantage compared to standard wli , especially for device calibration and when considering measurements on a large set of samples . as an exemplary demonstration , we have applied our scheme to infer chromatic dispersion in a standard single - mode fibre , obtaining 2.6 times more precise results compared to state - of - the - art realizations , despite using @xmath3560 times less photons . we note that the sensitivity of our approach could be further doubled by using a double - pass configuration @xcite , towards measurements on short samples , such as optical components and waveguide structures ( mm to cm length scale ) . such measurements would also be of interest for medical applications where precise knowledge on chromatic dispersion in tissues is required to yield optimal image quality in optical coherence tomography @xcite . in this perspective , the reduced number of photons required for quantum white - light interferometry is also highly interesting for measurements performed on photosensitive biological samples @xcite . regarding optical telecommunication systems , by rotating the polarization of the entangled photon pairs , our setup could be also used for measuring polarization mode dispersion in optical components , which would lead to refinement of manufacturing processes . in the end , ultimate measurement accuracy at the heisenberg limit would be reached by deterministically generating @xmath1-states @xcite , combined with near - unity efficiency superconducting single photon detectors @xcite . + we therefore believe that combining fundamental and conceptual advantages enabled by quantum light is a very promising approach for the future development and improvement of applications requiring absolute and high - accuracy measurements of optical properties . 10 , `` observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger , '' _ phys . _ , vol . 116 , p. 061102 , 2016 . u. schnell , e. zimmermann , and r. dandliker , `` absolute distance measurement with synchronously sampled white - light channelled spectrum interferometry , '' _ pure appl opt : europ opt soc p a _ , vol . 4 , p. 643 , 1995 . k. totsu , y. haga , and m. esashi , `` ultra - miniature fiber - optic pressure sensor using white light interferometry , '' _ j. micromech . microeng . _ , vol . 15 , p. 71 , 2005 . j. calatroni , a. guerrero , c. sinz , and r. escalona , `` spectrally - resolved white - light interferometry as a profilometry tool , '' _ opt laser technol _ , vol . 28 , pp . 485 489 , 1996 . c. sainz , j. e. calatroni , and g. tribillon , `` refractometry of liquid samples with spectrally resolved white light interferometry , '' _ meas . _ , vol . 1 , p. 356 , 1990 . a. p. kovcs , r. szipcs , k. osvay , and z. bor , `` group - delay measurement on laser mirrors by spectrally resolved white - light interferometry , '' _ opt . _ , vol . 20 , pp . 788790 , 1995 . p. hlubina , m. szpulak , d. ciprian , t. martynkien , and w. urbanczyk , `` measurement of the group dispersion of the fundamental mode of holey fiber by white - light spectral interferometry , '' _ opt . 15 , pp . 1107311081 , 2007 . l. labont , p. roy , d. pagnoux , f. louradour , c. restoin , g. mlin , and e. burov , `` experimental and numerical analysis of the chromatic dispersion dependence upon the actual profile of small core microstructured fibres , '' _ j opt a - pure appl opt _ , vol . 8 , pp . 933938 , 2006 . t. m. karda and c. radzewicz , `` broadband near - infrared fibers dispersion measurement using white - light spectral interferometry , '' _ opt . 282 , pp . 43614365 , 2009 . p. hlubina , m. kadulov , and p. mergo , `` chromatic dispersion measurement of holey fibres using a supercontinuum source and a dispersion balanced interferometer , '' _ opt laser eng _ , vol . 51 , pp . 421425 , 2013 . q. ye , c. xu , x. liu , w. h. knox , m. f. yan , r. s. windeler , and b. eggleton , `` dispersion measurement of tapered air - silica microstructure fiber by white - light interferometry , '' _ appl . opt . _ , vol . 41 , pp . 44674470 , 2002 . t. grosz , a. p. kovacs , m. kiss , and r. szipocs , `` measurement of higher order chromatic dispersion in a photonic bandgap fiber : comparative study of spectral interferometric methods , '' _ appl . _ , vol . 53 , pp . 19291937 , 2014 . m. a. galle , w. s. mohammed , l. qian , and p. w. smith , `` single - arm three - wave interferometer for measuring dispersion of short lengths of fiber , '' _ opt . 15 , pp . 1689616908 , 2007 . v. giovannetti , s. lloyd , and l. maccone , `` quantum - enhanced measurements : beating the standard quantum limit , '' _ science _ , vol . 306 , pp . 13301336 , 2004 . p. walther , j .- w . pan , m. aspelmeyer , r. ursin , s. gasparoni , and a. zeilinger , `` de broglie wavelength of a non - local four - photon state , '' _ nature _ , vol . 429 , pp . 158161 , 2004 . m. w. mitchell , j. s. lundeen , and a. m. steinberg , `` super - resolving phase measurements with a multiphoton entangled state , '' _ nature _ , vol . 429 , pp . 161164 , 2004 . t. nagata , r. okamoto , j. l. obrien , k. sasaki , and s. takeuchi , `` beating the standard quantum limit with four - entangled photons , '' _ science _ , 316 , pp . 726729 , 2007 . b. l. higgins , d. w. berry , s. d. bartlett , h. m. wiseman , and g. j. pryde , `` entanglement - free heisenberg - limited phase estimation , '' _ nature _ , vol . 450 , pp . 393396 , 2007 . j. c. f. matthews , a. politi , a. stefanov , and j. l. obrien , `` manipulation of multiphoton entanglement in waveguide quantum circuits , '' _ nat photon _ , vol . 3 , pp . 346350 , 2009 . i. afek , o. ambar , and y. silberberg , `` high - noon states by mixing quantum and classical light , '' _ science _ , 328 , pp . 879881 , 2010 . v. giovannetti , s. lloyd , and l. maccone , `` advances in quantum metrology , '' _ nature photon . _ , vol . 5 , pp . 222229 , 2011 . and references therein . k. naganuma , k. mogi , and h. yamada , `` group - delay measurement using the fourier transform of an interferometric cross correlation generated by white light , '' _ opt _ , vol . 15 , pp . 393395 , 1990 . s. diddams and j .- c . diels , `` dispersion measurements with white - light interferometry , '' _ j. opt . b _ , vol . 13 , pp . 11201129 , 1996 . m. a. galle , _ virtual reference interferometry : theory & experiment_. phd thesis , department of electrical & computer engineering , university of toronto , 2014 . j. d. franson , `` bell inequality for position and time , '' _ phys . _ , vol . 62 , pp . 22052208 , 1989 . f. kaiser , a. issautier , l. a. ngah , o. alibart , a. martin , and s. tanzilli , `` a versatile source of polarization entangled photons for quantum network applications , '' _ laser phys lett _ , vol . 10 , pp . 045202(17 ) , 2013 . a. crespi , m. lobino , j. c. f. matthews , a. politi , c. r. neal , r. ramponi , r. osellame , and j. l. obrien , `` measuring protein concentration with entangled photons , '' _ appl . _ , vol . 100 , p. 233704 , 2012 . t. ono , r. okamoto , and s. takeuchi , `` an entanglement - enhanced microscope , '' _ nat . _ , vol . 4 , p. 2426 , 2013 . y. israel , s. rosen , and y. silberberg , `` supersensitive polarization microscopy using noon states of light , '' _ phys . _ , vol . 112 , p. 103604 , 2014 . m. b. nasr , b. e. a. saleh , a. v. sergienko , and m. c. teich , `` dispersion - cancelled and dispersion - sensitive quantum optical coherence tomography , '' _ opt . express _ 12 , pp . 13531362 , 2004 . w. drexler , u. morgner , f. x. krtner , c. pitris , s. a. boppart , x. d. li , e. p. ippen , and j. g. fujimoto , `` in vivo ultrahigh - resolution optical coherence tomography , '' _ opt . 17 , pp . 12211223 , 1999 . m. m. frigault , j. lacoste , j. l. swift , and c. m. brown , `` live - cell microscopy tips and tools , '' _ journal of cell science _ , vol . 122 , pp . 753767 , 2009 . m. celebrano , p. kukura , a. renn , and v. sandoghdar , `` single - molecule imaging by optical absorption , '' _ nat . _ , vol . 5 , pp . 9598 , 2011 . m. piliarik and v. sandoghdar , `` direct optical sensing of single unlabelled proteins and super - resolution imaging of their binding sites , '' _ nat . _ , vol . 5 , p. 4495 , 2014 . i. herbauts , b. blauensteiner , a. poppe , t. jennewein , and h. hbel , `` demonstration of active routing of entanglement in a multi - user network , '' _ opt . express _ , vol . 21 , pp . 2901329024 , 2013 . r. h. hadfield , `` single - photon detectors for optical quantum information applications , '' _ nat photon _ , vol . 3 , pp . 696705 , 2009 . and references therein . f. kaiser , l. a. ngah , a. issautier , t. delord , d. aktas , v. dauria , m. p. d. micheli , a. kastberg , l. labont , o. alibart , a. martin , and s. tanzilli , `` polarization entangled photon - pair source based on quantum nonlinear photonics and interferometry , '' _ opt . _ , vol . 327 , pp . 716 , 2014 . special issue on nonlinear quantum photonics . j. y. lee and d. y. kim , `` versatile chromatic dispersion measurement of a single mode fiber using spectral white light interferometry , '' _ opt . 14 , pp . 1160811615 , 2006 . the authors acknowledge financial support from the foundation simone & cino del duca , the european commission for the fp7-itn picque project ( grant agreement no 608062 ) , lagence nationale de la recherche ( anr ) for the conneqt , spocq and sitqom projects ( grants anr - emma-002 - 01 , anr-14-ce32 - 0019 , and anr-15-ce24 - 0005 , respectively ) , and the ixcore research foundation . we also thank m. t. prez zaballos for help on statistical data treatment , as well as t. debuisschert and a. levenson for fruitful discussions . f.k . established the theoretical framework and initiated the research . f.k . , c.b . and . set up the experiment . f.k . , d.a . and p.v . performed data acquisition and treatment . f.k . and s.t . supervised the project . f.k . and s.t drafted the manuscript . all authors contributed in finalizing the manuscript . * competing financial interests : * the authors declare no competing financial interests . without active interferometer phase stabilization , we observe @xmath47 phase drifts every few seconds due temperature drifts in the laboratory . this limits severely the integration times for both the classical and quantum measurements . therefore , we employ an active phase stabilization system . it is made of an actively wavelength - stabilized 1560.5 nm reference laser sent in the counter - propagating way through the interferometer , and a piezoelectric translation stage in the reference arm of the interferometer @xcite . the feedback loop has a bandwidth of 100hz which results in a long - term phase stability of @xmath48 . in order to obtain high - visibility interference patterns at the interferometer output , the photon ( or photon pair ) contributions from both interferometer arms need to be made indistinguishable in both the spatial and polarization modes . spatial mode overlap is ensured by using a fibre - optic beam - splitter at the interferometer output and input @xcite . polarization mode overlap is obtained using fibre - optic polarization controllers in both interferometer arms . these components are not shown in the main text figures in order to simplify the reading of the manuscript . we infer the entanglement quality of our photon pair source in the following configuration . we fix the analysis wavelength of the spectrometer at 1550 nm and post - select the desired @xmath1-state by a coincidence measurement . then , the path length difference of the mzi is scanned and the two - photon coincidence rate is recorded . we measure sinusoidal oscillations with a raw fringe visibility of @xmath49 which increases to @xmath50 after the subtraction of detectors dark counts . in other words , we obtain a fidelity of 97.8% to the desired @xmath1-state . we explain imperfections by unbalanced losses between the two arms of the interferometer and multi - pair contributions . for the classical strategy , normalization is obtained by recording two reference spectrograms with either interferometer arm being blocked . normalization is obtained by dividing the data by the sum of both reference spectrograms . for the entanglement - enabled strategy , we normalize the coincidence counts by taking advantage of the _ undesired _ contributions in which the paired photons take opposite paths inside the interferometer . these contributions do not interfere at the interferometer output , such that the related ( non - zero time delay ) coincidence rate is directly proportional to the spectral intensity of the photon pair generator . normalization is obtained by dividing the @xmath1-state coincidences by two times the sum of the non-@xmath1-state coincidences . as a single - photon spectrometer , we use a wavelength tunable motorized bandpass filter ( yenista xtm-50 ) followed by a low noise single - photon avalanche photodiode ( i d quantique id230 ) operated at 25% detection efficiency . the transmission loss of the filter is measured to be 4db such that the total quantum efficiency of the single - photon spectrometer is @xmath51 . as outlined in the manuscript , the wavelength dependent phase shift at the interferometer output is @xmath52 we approximate now @xmath10 by a third order taylor series : @xmath53 . + this leads to @xmath54 note that , in general , the interference fringes obtained at the interferometer output are usually too closely spaced to be resolved by a commercial spectrometer because of the strong phase - dependence on zero and first order derivatives . in order to cancel these terms , the interferometer has to be precisely equilibrated to the so - called stationary phase point ( spp ) , which is found at @xmath55 . note that this point has to be found individually for each new sample with an accuracy on the order of a few micron . after finding the spp , the dominant term is @xmath15 and the phase term simplifies to @xmath56 in which @xmath57 is a constant phase offset . + assuming that @xmath9 is known precisely , the required fitting parameters are therefore @xmath17 , @xmath34 and @xmath12 . [ [ data - fitting - up - to - tfracd2nd - lambda2-and - tfracd3nd - lambda3 ] ] data fitting up to @xmath17 and @xmath34 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a fitting function taking into account only terms up to @xmath15 is does not lead to a good overlap between data and experiment ( see [ fig_supp ] ) which leads to both an offset and a larger standard deviation , _ i.e. _ @xmath58 . for the q - wli , the phase term is given by the two - photon phase @xmath59 , which can be calculated using equation [ phaseequationonephoton ] . respecting the conservation of the energy , _ i.e. _ @xmath60 , and setting @xmath28 leads to @xmath61 where we consider the phase offset @xmath31 to be constant thanks to the active phase stabilization system . let us stress the four important features in equation [ quantumphasederived ] compared to equation [ classicalphasederived ] . + first , zero and first order derivatives are automatically cancelled , and therefore no spp has to be found . + second , for @xmath62 , a twofold enhanced sensitivity on the second order dispersion term is obtained , which is a typical signature of @xmath1-states . + third , the third order dispersion term is strongly suppressed by a factor of about @xmath63 , which means that it can be generally neglected , except for really exotic samples with extraordinarily high third order dispersion . + fourth , @xmath24 is essentially known with arbitrary accuracy such that is has not to be considered as a fitting parameter . + therefore , q - wli requires only one free parameter to fit the data , _ i.e. _ @xmath17 .

arxiv

Sonic the Hedgehog Vivid Secrecy **It's short, but I like it. This little scene was based on a picture on DeviantART by **senbaduru**. The picture is called Vivid Secrecy. It's just of Espio, but I think it's really full of emotion. Go check it out after you read this!** **So, this one-shot is dedicated to **senbaduru**.** **Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Sonic the Hedgehog other than merchandise. If I did own them, Bean the (Dynamite) Duck would be in the comics a lot more.** **0-0-0-0** It was in his nature to keep secrets. Hell, his _**life**_ was a secret. Normally, if one has a secret, they weren't suppose to tell and hope to the Gods above that no one found out so they wouldn't get hurt. But for Espio…it was _**killing**_ him. Getting close to the Guardian; joining the Chaotix…it wasn't supposed to happen. Every day that he remained with them, the harder it became to bear his many secrets, to pretend to be what he wasn't. It _**hurt**_. He wasn't a native of Angel Island. He wasn't even a native from the _**country**_. No. His home was in the Dragon Kingdom, as a member of the Shinobi Clan. It hurt so much that he couldn't just come out and tell them everything. But the one thing that he feared above them finding out any one of his secrets was having them turning their backs on him. He hadn't realized what he was missing in his life until he revealed himself to Knuckles. He hadn't realized that he would _**crave**_ friendship—no matter how frustrating or loud they could be—over peace and quiet. He didn't know that loneliness would only make him insane. Looking at his laughing friends from where they sat next to a lake, he wondered. How could he tell Knuckles that he had always known about the Brotherhood of Guardians, even if he hadn't know where exactly they were or any of the details? How could he tell Vector that he knew the Crocodile was really from the Downunda and that he used the "street lingo" accent he had to cover up his true origins? And Mighty…how on Mobius could he ever tell Mighty that he knew that while the Armadillo's parents were deceased, his sister still lived and as a member of a Dark Egg Legion Chapter? He may never admit it, but he felt closest to Mighty and he feared his reaction above all else. He turned away from his friends, desperately trying to keep his composure. If he was back in the Dragon Kingdom right now, the Bride of Constant Vigil, his _**mother**_, would be furious. He should be _**stronger**_ than this! But he _**wasn't**_. Espio knew he wasn't. And you know what? He was _**glad**_. He was glad he wasn't strong. If he was, he wouldn't be friends with the Chaotix. The team wasn't just a group of friends, they were family. They were _**his**_ family. Taking a deep breath, he slowly controlled himself and turned back towards the direction of his friends. He would tell them. Secrecy and traditions be _**damned**_. They _**deserved**_ the right to know. "Espio!" The Chameleon looked up to see Mighty waving at him from the lake, beckoning him to join in on the fun. He snickered when Ray and Charmy ganged up on the Armadillo, dunking him. Chuckling softly, he made his way towards them, smiling. He _**would**_ tell them. But not until after the battle tomorrow against Eggman was over. He wanted them to be happy today and concentrated the next. He only hoped that they would forgive him. He hoped that even if his own mother _**banished**_ him from the Clan…his friends would take him back. **0-0-0-0** **Well?! What did you think?! Review please!** End file.

fanfiction

San Francisco artist Serge Gay Jr. paints Palm Springs 'fantasy' with 'pure happiness' in mind Serge Gay Jr. wanted to compose a "letter letter" to Palm Springs. The Haitian artist does so with a fresh twist. San Francisco artist Serge Gay Jr. paints Palm Springs 'fantasy' with 'pure happiness' in mind Serge Gay Jr. wanted to compose a "letter letter" to Palm Springs. The Haitian artist does so with a fresh twist. Check out this story on desertsun.com: https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/2019/10/28/serge-gay-jr-paints-palm-springs-new-san-francisco-exhibition/2485970001/ Kristin Scharkey, Palm Springs Desert Sun Published 11:54 a.m. PT Oct. 28, 2019 Photos: Serge Gay Jr. paints Palm Springs in San Francisco exhibition "The One" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Roadie Low Rider" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Horizon" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Leave All Worries Behind" By Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Happy Birthday Mr. P" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Black Palm" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Flaming Party" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "Happy Hour" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. "End of an Era" by Serge Gay Jr. Courtesy Serge Gay Jr. It's a phrase that many of us have heard before — "P.S. I love you" — to celebrate the allure of Palm Springs. But Serge Gay Jr. takes a fresh approach to the sentiment in a new series of paintings. Born in Haiti and raised in Miami, the San Francisco-based artist wanted to compose a "love letter" to the mid-century modern heritage and retro revival that Palm Springs is known for. But Gay does it with a twist. His "fantasy version" utilizes deep oranges and emerald greens to mash up the '50s and '60s with contemporary party and lounge scenes. "Roadie Low Rider" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) In "Roadie Low Rider," a black cowboy dons a mask and fake Nike chain outside of the Parker Palm Springs. In "Happy Birthday Mr. P," Gay bestows bits of Marilyn Monroe on a portrait of a friend. All of the paintings are acrylic and graphite on canvas, on view at Voss Gallery in San Francisco through Nov. 2. They're also available for purchase at vossgallery.art, ranging from $500 to $6,400. Gay, a creative director who earned a Grammy Award nomination for his work in singer-rapper CeeLo Green's "F*** You" music video, discussed the inspiration behind his paintings with The Desert Sun via email. The following interview was edited for length and clarity. THE DESERT SUN: What is your connection to Palm Springs? SERGE GAY JR.: Most definitely a vacation spot that I love to get away to relax. I try to visit as much as possible. My stand-out experience was also my first time, back in 2012. It was such an eye-opener. Never knew nothing of it, just word of mouth, I automatically fell in love with this mid-century desert spot. (The painting "Horizon" is about that first moment.) "Horizon" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) Art Hotel: Take a peek inside a new rental property in Palm Springs Local: With new chief curator, Palm Springs Art Museum ready to 'form an identity' My partner and I stayed at what I would think is my favorite hotel there, L'Horizon Hotel and Spa. We just chilled and relaxed by the pool at our fancy stay. Just very meditative. We explored the gorgeous town, went to Joshua Tree, the whole nine. 'Til this day, we go once or twice a year. You've described the show as one that is "composed as a love letter to Palm Springs." Why is the city important enough to you to be the subject of a dedicated solo show? This place gives me joy. I wanted to create a body of work that is just pure happiness because at times, my subject matter can be too dark. Once in a while, it's good to break away, the same way I come to Palm Springs to get away from any other problems. All my series are personal to me and often talk about places that I enjoy, been to, or just want to visually talk about. I've had some wonderful memories from there and I wanted share this chapter in my life, tap into this spot for a change. People always ask me, "Why do you go to Palm Springs?" and they just never got it. So, I just wanted to tell it in my eyes. I was struck by the racial diversity in your depictions of Palm Springs – which isn't necessarily what the city is known for. Was this your experience? In the show description, you've described the desert landscape as a "limitless canvas to project fantasies onto." Are your depictions reality or fantasy? "Black Palm" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) Oh yes, 100% fantasy. I like to create a world that I would love to see from the reality. I always want to see diversity in every place that I go and love. But that's not always the case. I think of events like Coachella festival, which is something that can very much bring that into light. Outsiders, which you can see is this back-and-forth battle with the city. That's why I kind of made the serious look, like what Palm Springs could be and what I wanted to be. And then mashed it all up with the untouched beauty it is now. But all I can do for now is make my own fantasy version. Did your Haitian heritage play a role in your creation of this series? Not at all for this show. It could be me bringing some flavor in each work, without me knowing. I'm from Miami and maybe that's something I played off of more. I grew up and was raised in Miami, so the ideas of palm trees, flamingos, poolsides and an architectural-era city (the Art Deco decor) fits right in with the Palms Springs mentality. You titled one painting "End of an Era." To which era are you referring, and what is the end? Everyone in that piece are friends of mine. The idea of, like any other era, when it ends, a new one begins. This talks about the possibility of not having moments like these. Just pure happiness and good times with friends. People move on, folks start families, break-ups and what not. Those young party days don't last forever. Although that doesn't necessarily mean that the party is over. It's more of a look back on how time passes you by. That's era for me. "End of an Era" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) Rising star: 'America's Got Talent' to hold auditions in Cabazon in January 2020 Pride: He didn't want to live without openly gay rock musicians. So he became one Also, I play off what Palm Springs used to be in the '50s and '60s. The house in the painting is Frank Sinatra's "Twin Palms" house. I was thinking of all the parties that happened there and playing off the Rat Pack vibes. At one point that, too, had to end. Another painting, "Happy Hour," is reminiscent of one of the most iconic Palm Springs photographs, "Poolside Gossip." Did that image inspire your depiction? Yes, very much so. Another time I spent there at a rental home and went with these two good friends that are sitting in the painting. And boy, do they love to gossip. My friend (far left of the painting) and I are big fans of the photo. So, I was like, why not make my own little take on the iconic "Poolside Gossip" by Slim Aarons? Who is "Mr. P"? The woman in the painting it's a good friend of mine, who married one of my best friends whose name is Phil (that's Mr. P.). They are also both in the "End of an Era" painting. Another '60s moment came when Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. "Mr. P" is also for Mr. President. Then the affair that happened between the two in our good old town. "Happy Birthday Mr. P" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) I love playing on that idea of role playing. That's something that I often see when people visit Palm Springs. Some visitors want to have that sense of feeling of how it could have been back in the fifties and sixties Hollywood era. Also the same with Coachella, folks like to play a role. That mindset of, you can be whoever you want to be. What do you want audiences to take away from this series? I want the audience to take whatever they want from it, really. All in interpretation. I'm just telling my stories. I don't necessarily want to talk about every single aspect behind each painting, because each one has so many layers. All can't be told in this short interview. I put way too much meaning behind each one. Some are light and some have a little political twist. Therefore, I wouldn't mind the audiences making their own version. Overall, I'm just telling my story and my viewpoint. It has nothing to do with what Palm Springs is, or someones else's experiences. Just my diary. If somebody can relate to it, that's wonderful. I want the audience to just enjoy the fun and beauty of them. "Flaming Party" by Serge Gay Jr. (Photo: Courtesy Serge Gay Jr.) What: "P.S. I Love You" by Serge Gay Jr. Where: Voss Gallery (3344 24th St., San Francisco) When: Through Nov. 2. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment For more information or to purchase paintings, call 415-234-3691 or visit vossgallery.art. Read or Share this story: https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/2019/10/28/serge-gay-jr-paints-palm-springs-new-san-francisco-exhibition/2485970001/ Jesse Hughes heals after Paris attacks BB Ingle diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, insists 'party isn't over' FROM THE VAULT: Celebrities were big in Bob Hope's tournament Which airport do I use to get to Coachella or Stagecoach? HIV & Aging Research Project helps promote life Coachella, Stagecoach tickets offered to locals

slim_pajama

neonatal facial birth injuries are easily recognizable , but most under - reported form of birth injuries . they are often associated with face presentations , which occur in every 600 - 800 births at term gestation . face presentation usually presents as a deflexed head which becomes extended at pelvic inlet during labor . anything that delays or prevents flexion such as fetal anomalies , contracted pelvis , fetopelvic disproportion or cord around the neck can contribute to face presentation . the presenting part may feel soft and lumpy and the landmarks of the face are felt . the bridge of the nose is an important landmark and often the baby will suck on the examining finger due to rooting reflex . repeated per vaginal examination to assess the presenting part and the progress of labor may lead to bruises in the face as well as damage to the eyes . we describe one such potential case of preventable birth injury involving face , sustained by an unborn child with face presentation , in an institutional delivery . a 22-year - old primigravida was admitted at term with active labor in our tertiary care teaching hospital . per vaginal examination at admission as face presentation was quite uncommon , all our enthusiastic residents as well as the medical students posted in labor room wanted to have a feel of the face during labor . this resulted in repeated unofficial per vaginal examinations in spite of having strict guidelines in place . after delivery , baby was noted to have prominent ulcerations , bleeding and edema of the face [ figure 1 ] . the infant also had injury to right eye with eyelid ulceration , swelling , subconjunctival hemorrhage and difficulty in breathing due to swollen tongue . respiratory distress settled within 2 days and the child was finally discharged after 7 days of hospitalization . facial ulcerations secondary to per vaginal examinations in face presentation iatrogenic neonatal facial injuries are rare , but are one of the most easily preventable neonatal injuries . teaching institutions should have strict guidelines in place in order to avoid iatrogenic birth injuries .

pubmed

NINJA ASSASSIN Written by Matthew Sand & J. Michael Straczynski REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 FADE IN: CLOSE ON a Horimono Tattoo as it is being drawn into flesh. The ink is needled into the surface of the skin, raw and bloody, the needled brush tapped with the precision of ritual. The tattoo is in the style of a Kuniyoshi print: Miyamoto Musashi thrusting his spear into the writhing dragon. The image has beauty but retains the violence required to saturate flesh with art. The skin canvas shifts uncomfortably with the needle- work. HOLLYWOOD Fuck! Fucking-shit-fuck-fucking- fuck! PULL BACK to reveal that we're in... 1 INT. TATTOO PARLOR - NIGHT 1 A place of designer furniture, beautiful girls carrying towels, tea and cigarettes. Dozens of Yakuza look on as the process continues, sleeves rolled up or shirts off to expose the lavish tattoos that cover their torsos. HOLLYWOOD, the young Yakuza member, is getting his first tattoo, a relatively small one on his back. He grabs a bottle of sake and suckles it like a baby. HOLLYWOOD Watch it, old man! The old tattoo artist continues tapping his brush. Maybe a little harder. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) What the fuck? You're doing it wrong. TATTOO ARTIST The needle is doing what the needle does. HOLLYWOOD What's that supposed to mean? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 2. 1 CONTINUED: 1 TATTOO MASTER The irezumi does not hide the skin, the tattoo reveals the nature of the man and illuminates the four noble professions in the Book of Five Rings: the Warrior, the Artist, the Merchant, and the farmer. If there is a conflict between the needle and the skin, between the mark and the man, then perhaps the path you have chosen is not the path for which you are suited. HOLLYWOOD What did you just say, old man? Hollywood whips his gun out and jams it under the old man's jaw. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) I know you didn't just disrespect me, did you? You that fucking stupid? You disrespect me, and I'll tattoo this ceiling with your fucking brains! The old man speaks with a kind of deference honed through years of service to men like Hollywood. TATTOO MASTER No disrespect. Hollywood smiles. HOLLYWOOD You're lucky. I can't kill you 'til you finish this thing. Gimme that mirror! How's it looking? Goons and girls all cluck their tongues in chorus. Hollywood peers at the new tat through the mirror. He whistles approval as Yakuza One enters carrying an origami envelope. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) Not bad. Not bad. For an old fuck. YAKUZA ONE Hey, boss. This just came for you. HOLLYWOOD What is it? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 3. 1 CONTINUED: (2) 1 YAKUZA ONE A letter. HOLLYWOOD So open it, dumb ass. He opens the origami envelope, then hesitates at what he sees. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) What? What is it? He pours the contents out into his hand. YAKUZA ONE Looks like sand. He tastes it. YAKUZA ONE (CONT'D) Yup. Sand. Black Sand. The tattoo master drops his brush. It clatters to the floor. TATTOO MASTER No... HOLLYWOOD You know what this is? The artist barely nods. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) Wanna let us in on the joke? TATTOO MASTER Years ago, I watched a man open an envelope like that one. His eyes pool with fury at the memory. TATTOO MASTER (CONT'D) There were many with him and they laughed like you laugh now. Then it came from the shadows and their laughter was drowned in blood. You cannot bargain with what is coming. You cannot reason with it. Because it is not a human being. It is a demon sent straight from hell that will never stop until you are dead. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 4. 1 CONTINUED: (3) 1 HOLLYWOOD What came out of the shadows? TATTOO MASTER I cannot say the word. HOLLYWOOD What word? He pulls open his robe, revealing a hauntingly beautiful tattoo of a Shinobi demon thrusting its blade into a lump of scar tissue at the center of his heart. TATTOO ARTIST That night, one of their blades struck here. I should have died, but for an accident of birth. My heart is here, on the other side. Hollywood peers closer at the dark figure of the demon. HOLLYWOOD What the fuck is that? YAKUZA ONE Looks like a Ninja, boss. HOLLYWOOD A ninja? Are you kidding me? That's the word you're afraid to say? Ninja? As he starts to laugh. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) Ninja-Ninja-Ninja! His laughter is infectious. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) You old fuck! You had me going! Ninja. That's some good shit. His Lieutenant laughs hard with him until the top of his head disappears, sliced off from his jaw up, leaving his tongue wagging in space. Lights shatter around the room. Chaos ensues. The panicked screams of the fleeing entourage co-mingle in chorus with gruesome death rattles of Hollywood's foot soldiers as one by one, they are eviscerated. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 5. 1 CONTINUED: (4) 1 There's a RUSH of movement, more felt than seen. The whistle of swords through the air. Cries and screams. Guns that fire suddenly and are just as suddenly stilled. STAY on the face of the Tattoo Master, barely visible in the thin trace of moonlight from a nearby window. Frozen. Immobile. As the killing continues around him. Then: silence, broken by the sound of heavy, desperate BREATHING, and a MATCH being struck by Hollywood who looks up -- -- and sees a dark figures standing before him. Everyone else is dead. Only he and the Tattoo Master remain. The figure regards him with still silence. For perhaps the first time in his life, Hollywood is terrified. HOLLYWOOD (CONT'D) Listen... you don't have to do this! Whatever you're getting paid, I'll triple it! You hear me! I'll pay you whatever you want! Just name your price! Their answer is silence. Hollywood sees his guns nearby. With a desperate scream, he THROWS the match in the air as he DIVES for his guns, grabbing one in each hand. There is a whistle of metal and suddenly his severed hands are tumbling gracefully through the air. The blade swings again, slicing through his body as if it were barely there, coming out the other side as -- -- Hollywood's body erupts as it falls in two pieces, splattering the artist with blood. The match touches the floor and goes out. The Tattoo Master does not move, has not moved. Frozen. TATTOO ARTIST But you are real, aren't you? After a moment, the ninja emerges into the moonlight, the way a shadow coalesces into a panther gliding from the dark to inspect its kill. The artist doesn't move, but his eyes widen, his heart pounding in his ears. TATTOO ARTIST (CONT'D) For fifty-seven-years, I've told your story... (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 6. 1 CONTINUED: (5) 1 TATTOO ARTIST (CONT'D) No one ever believed me. The ninja walks towards him, his steps soundless. He crouches down, his eyes taking in the old man's tattoo. TATTOO ARTIST (CONT'D) But you are real, aren't you? There's the shing of a sword being unsheathed. The artist closes his eyes, anticipating death. Silence. He waits for the death blow. It does not come. He finally forces himself to open his eyes. The ninja is gone, having departed as silently as he came, leaving death and blood in his wake. CUT TO: 2 INT. ISTANBUL SUPERMARKET AISLE - DAY 2 A roll of toilet paper drops into a cart. PULL BACK to REVEAL RAIZO, 20s, slim and sinewy, his expression distant, almost haunted. He considers the toothpaste options for a moment, then drops in one of those too. Moves on to food. Turkish Muzak plays in the background, a Beatles song, "Helter Skelter" by way of Turkish musicians. Other SHOPPERS cruise past in their own private quests. Raizo gets quick, easy bachelor food: six eggs, a single stick of butter, several handfuls of noodle packages. 3 INT. ISTANBUL SUPERMARKET - CHECK-OUT - MOMENTS LATER 3 Raizo waits while the CHECKER - a pretty young woman - tallies up his groceries. CHECKER That's a lot of noodles. (beat) Are you a student? Tourist? Here on business? Raizo shakes his head to all three. CHECKER (CONT'D) When was the last time someone cooked you a real meal? (beat) I get off at seven. (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 7. 3 CONTINUED: 3 CHECKER (CONT'D) You could come by, let me make you a proper dinner! She winks at him. Very cute. RAIZO I don't think so. Sorry. No smile. No emotion in Raizo's face. He pays in cash. He picks up the bag and starts away when -- CHECKER So if you're not a student, and you're not a tourist, and you're not here to work... what are you doing? RAIZO Waiting. CHECKER For what? RAIZO For the wheel to turn. And he exits. 4 EXT. ISTANBUL, STREET - DAY 4 Ancient gateway between Asia and Europe. Minarets thrust up from the tangled streets into the bright Aegean sky. The street is crowded with bicycles, cars and motorcycles as Raizo makes his way down a narrow sidewalk. OZUNU (V.O.) Wherever you are, wherever you may go.... 5 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE - NIGHT 5 We're in a heavily shadowed room, lit with flickering candles as an older man, OZUNU -- hard-edged and unforgiving -- talks to his clan. OZUNU ...you must never, ever forget who you are, how you came to be. You are Ozunu. You are a part of me as I am a part of you. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 8. 5 CONTINUED: 5 Beside him is a ten-year-old boy. His expression has the weight of stone. OZUNU (CONT'D) This is the truth of your lives and it will remain true after death. He pushes the boy forward. OZUNU (CONT'D) This is my new son. I have given him the name Raizo. Welcome him as your brother. The clan mummers "welcome Raizo", bowing their heads. One head remains upright, looking him in the eye. A girl roughly his own age. Her name is Kiriko. 5A INT. EUROPOL OFFICE - DAY 5A * MIKA CORETTI, 30's, high-energy, a force of nature in * human form. She enters EUROPOL AGENT RYAN MASLOW's * office carrying an armful of reports. * MASLOW * What's all this for the Delgata * case? * MIKA * No. This is Delgata- * Sets her pile down and she hands him one folder from the * ton. * MASLOW * And the rest? * MIKA * ...evidence. * MASLOW * For? * Her eyes tell him. * MASLOW (CONT'D) * Oh no. Not again. * MIKA * You said you'd take it serious * when I had serious evidence. * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 8A. 5A CONTINUED: 5A MASLOW * Does that evidence include photos * of the Loch Ness monster as well? * He chuckles. She's not laughing. * MIKA * You've trusted my research before, * what's the problem now Ryan? * MASLOW * What's the problem? Come on Mika, * it's like one of those questions * on an IQ test, which of these * doesn't belong; laptops, space * shuttles, nanotechnology, ninjas. * MIKA * All I'm asking for is an hour. * That's all. Give me an hour and * if you still think I'm chasing * UFO's, I'll walk out and you'll * never hear another thing about * them. * He eyes her. * MASLOW * Why do I think I'm going to regret * this? * 6 INT. ISTANBUL APARTMENT BUILDING - HALL 6 ON A DOOR LOCK as he inserts his key and HEARS: LANDLADY (O.S.) Oh, Mr. Nan, good, you're back. Raizo turns to his LANDLADY, an older woman who looks up at him from the top of the stairwell. LANDLADY (CONT'D) We had a heating problem, and I had to go into your apartment. Raizo nods, his expression not betraying the sudden tightness in his chest at this information. RAIZO Is everything all right? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 8B. 6 CONTINUED: 6 LANDLADY Yes, fine, it's all fixed. You keep it very dark and spare in there. RAIZO Ms. Ali, my privacy is very important to me. If you enter my apartment again without my permission, I will leave your building. LANDLADY I just -- (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 9. 6 CONTINUED: (2) 6 RAIZO Good day. He closes the door behind him. 7 INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 7 He stands on the other side of the door, surveying the room for a moment with severe, unforgiving eyes. The place is monastic, nothing decorative, or comfortable. Then, in a quick series of cuts, he checks all of the secret places he hides things. A drawer is flipped over and a hidden bottom opens revealing weapons. A panel in the oven reveals his chain and blade. A hidden compartment in his suitcase exposes inky folds of fabric. He sifts through them as we hear- OZUNU (V.O.) You should have died. 8 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DOJO - DAY 8 Raizo, breathing hard, stands over another young boy that he has just defeated in a fight. Both are sweaty, dirty, scarred. The other children are lined up in perfect rows, watching silently. Most are boys, but a few are girls. One of them is KIRIKO, lithe and supple, a child's eyes haunted by an adult's sorrows and knowledge. Ozunu circles Raizo as he regards his fallen opponent. OZUNU On the street. Abandoned by your parents. Without a home. Without people to care for you. You should have done as most children do, and gone quietly from this world, to the next. (beat) But, instead you fought. As you did here today. You fought. And you won. As we TRACK with Ozunu, we see that Raizo's body is covered in scars. OZUNU (CONT'D) Scars are the calligraphy of violence, Raizo. They inscribe the story of one's life. (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 10. 8 CONTINUED: 8 OZUNU (CONT'D) You survived because you are different. You are special. That is why you are here. That is why the Great Current, which flows beneath all life, carried you to me. BACK TO: 9 EXT. BERLIN - DAY 9 Mid-day traffic, tourists strolling down wide avenues past war monuments and street art. 10 EXT. EUROPOL - DAY 10 Just long enough to ESTABLISH UNDER: MIKA (V.O.) It's a pattern, like the currents of the ocean. 11 INT. EUROPOL OFFICE - HALLWAY - DAY 11 Close on a mound of bank records; rivers of numbers cascading neatly down perforated spread sheets. * MIKA Some people see money as the root of all evil, but to me it looks like a fingerprint. Whether we're talking about 19th century Korea, or 21st century Iraq, the game is the same. If you want to understand why certain things are happening, you have to understand the flow of money. MASLOW You're excited, Mika. You know I get nervous when you're excited. He would never admit it, but he enjoys watching her work, almost as much as he likes poking her about it. MIKA You remember the Eulmi incident? * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 11. 11 CONTINUED: 11 MASLOW Korean queen, late eighteen- * hundred's. According to you, she was off'd by one of these ninja clans. MIKA Ozunu. I think. I've been going through some of the original transcripts of the trial of Kunitomo Shigeaki. The prosecutor questioned him about a payment of 100 pounds of gold. Shigeaki answered that he didn't know what the prosecutor was talking about. The question was never brought up again. But what pinged for me was the amount- the exact same amount rumored to be paid to the Hattori Clan for the assassination of Lord Sanda. MASLOW So you start to wonder, in this ever changing world, if the cost of a man's life has remained constant. MIKA Exactly. I figure these clans are like a thousand years old. They probably don't change a lot. She begins flipping through huge reams of bank records. MIKA (CONT'D) I started looking at international wire transfers, targeting banks in the regions of several high- profile assassinations and bingo- The proverbial needle in a haystack; a single wire transfer circled in red. MIKA (CONT'D) Minister Zhang. The day before the assassination $1,555,999.90 was transferred from the bank of Shanghai. The exact market value of one hundred pounds of gold. MASLOW Highly circumstantial. * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 12. 11 CONTINUED: (2) 11 MIKA I thought you might say that so I checked how often this particular bank transferred that market equivalent to a hundred pounds of gold in the last three years. MASLOW Let me guess. MIKA Not once. He sifts through the report. * MASLOW Okay you got me. This is * interesting. * MIKA The clans are real, Ryan. They * steal children and turn them into * assassins. They've been doing it * for years and nobody's doing a * damn thing to stop them. * MASLOW Look, no one's denying the historical record, Mika. But the whole idea just doesn't fit in with a modern world. It's like one of those questions on an IQ test: which of these doesn't belong in this sentence: laptops, space shuttles, nanotechnology, ninjas. MIKA They're real Ryan. You can call them spooks, or assassins, or whatever you want if it makes you feel better, but they're out there. They're killing people and nobody is doing a damn thing to stop them. CUT TO: GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 13. 12 INT. ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT - NIGHT 12 Close on tokens being rammed down the mechanical throat of a washing machine. Overhead, the fluorescent lights STROBE unevenly, the fixtures old and in need of new bulbs. Raizo steps back as the washer begins to cycle loudly, a wheezbox instrument that rattles, gurgles and groans. As he looks at the machine we hear: OZUNU Our enemies are everywhere. 12A FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE - DAY 12A Ozunu strides among his children who are bathing, scrubbing themselves with evergreens. OZUNU You must move without trace or * footprint. Young Raizo pours water through evergreens onto clothes he is scrubbing. OZUNU (CONT'D) You must become shadow; Your scent * nothing but wind through trees. * BACK TO: 12B INT. ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT - NIGHT 12B A pretty young Japanese woman, the only other customer, calls to Raizo as she stands beside one of the dryers. PRETTY WOMAN Hi... excuse me...? (catches his eye) Would you mind? RAIZO ...sorry? She hands him one end of a freshly dried sheet. PRETTY WOMAN If it's not too much trouble, could you help me with this? He smiles and nods. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 13A. 12B CONTINUED: 12B They begin to fold, corner to corner, end to end. Silently. The fluorescent strobing above them. We sense a strange tension between them as we realize they are alone in the midnight cleaners. He looks at her. She smiles. The uneven strobing on either side of the Laundromat casts uneven shadows on her face... almost as though she had two faces. One light, one shadow. We EXTEND the silence for a long BEAT until he looks down at the sheet and says: RAIZO What clan are you from? She glances up sharply. PRETTY WOMAN I... don't understand... RAIZO You came alone. The Ozunu clan would never make such a mistake. Her eyes REACT as suddenly a blade flashes from beneath the sheet, reaching for Raizo's throat. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 14. 12B CONTINUED: (2) 12B He catches the blade in the sheet, twisting it in her grip. She fights for control. A fury of slashes and the sheet is shredded. 13 INT. ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT OFFICE - NIGHT. 13 The night manager is half-asleep, watching a Korean soap on Empress Min. When he hears a series of crashes, he gets up. 14 INT. ISTANBUL LAUNDROMAT - NIGHT 14 He throws open the office door, wielding a fire iron. MANAGER What is going on- The space is empty, glowing with fluorescent glare. One machine is thumping loudly. He crosses to it. As he nears it, bloody water begins bubbling up, flowing over the top. 15 EXT. CURRY-WURST STAND BERLIN - DAY 15 Ketchup splatters the chopped meat. MASLOW And two cokes, please. MIKA How long have you been here? And you can't say "zwei cola bitte"? MASLOW Course I can, but you tend to hear more interesting things if people don't know you can understand what they're saying. MIKA Do you ever stop being a cop? MASLOW Not the way I was raised. My dad always said, being a cop has nothing to do with a clock. It's a consequence of consciousness often interpreted as desire. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 15. 15 CONTINUED: 15 MIKA Desire? MASLOW For justice. And doughnuts. He smiles as they move to one of the circular tables. MASLOW (CONT'D) So you got something else? MIKA I think so. Same template as before. The transfer was made the day before a multiple homicide in Osaka. The police and newspapers are calling it a gangland slaying. MASLOW How do you know what the police report says? You're not still requisitioning evidence with my clearance codes, are you? She shakes her head. Lying. Quickly sipping her coke. MASLOW (CONT'D) Good. MIKA What about the bank audit? MASLOW Denied. It was a long shot at best. MIKA But you said you found something. MASLOW A report. A friend of mine in Moscow, tipped me to it. He slips an envelope from his briefcase and gives it to her. MASLOW (CONT'D) It was written during the height of the Cold War by a high ranking KGB agent named Aleksei Sabatin. In it, he raises the possibility that several political assassinations were conducted by an ancient but very sophisticated network he calls the Nine Clans. (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 16. 15 CONTINUED: (2) 15 MASLOW (CONT'D) Mind you, he doesn't call them ninjas. MIKA What happened to him? MASLOW Same thing that's going to happen to me, if I keep hanging around with you- booted out of the service for mental instability. MIKA Is he still alive? We need to find him. MASLOW Working on it. MIKA You believe it now, don't you? He scoffs. MASLOW Ninjas? Are you kidding? MIKA Then why are you doing this? MASLOW No idea- He finishes his soda and takes his garbage to the can. MASLOW (CONT'D) But I can guarantee you that it has nothing to do with the fact that you're the most attractive researcher that I've ever worked with. He smiles and turns before she flushes a bright shade of red. 16 INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY 16 A teapot begins to sing. Raizo pours the boiling water into a plastic bowl of noodles. He covers the bowl and waits a moment for the soup to cook. As he stares, we hear. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 17. 16 CONTINUED: 16 OZUNU (V.O.) The body must obey the will. * 17 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE KITCHEN/DINING ROOM - DAY 17 Several of the younger members of the clan are sitting at the table, about to eat. Ozunu stands before them. He removes a small blade from inside his robe. Places the blade against his palm. OZUNU Hunger and thirst, your bowels and * breath, even the blood in your * veins, are the body's weaknesses. * The knife slices down along his palm, opening a split; the flesh parts, yet no blood flows. OZUNU (CONT'D) Master them, and you master the self. He closes his fist. OZUNU (CONT'D) This is the power of the Ozunu clan. He concentrates, squeezing his hand tightly until he opens it revealing that the wound has closed. OZUNU (CONT'D) This is the way of the ninja. The children look at each other, except for Raizo who stares at Ozunu. OZUNU (CONT'D) Eat tonight and you work twice as * hard tomorrow. Ozunu leaves. The children look at the soup, their mouths watering. All around, the older Ozunu clan members eat noisily. One of the children can't resist any longer and begins scooping up the noodles. In short order, others do the same. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 18. 17 CONTINUED: 17 All except for Raizo, who sets down his chopsticks. Willing himself not to be hungry. 17A BACK TO SCENE 17A The grown Raizo looks at his soup. We cannot tell if he is going to eat or not. OZUNU The world feeds on the weak. 18 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE - NIGHTINGALE 18 FLOOR - NIGHT Young Raizo stands in the central chamber of the compound. The floor beneath his bare feet is made of thousands of carefully mitred pieces of gleaming wood laid down in an intricate pattern. They are not, however, glued down to the floor. The slightest wrong move will make them shift noisily. This is our first look at the Nightingale Floor. OZUNU Suffering exists only because * weakness exists. Ozunu watches from the far side of the room as Raizo takes his first step. Carefully. Graceful as any dancer. He makes no sound. OZUNU (CONT'D) You must hate all weakness. Hate * it in others, but most of hate it * in yourself. He takes another step, and another. Each soft as a falling feather. He is a third of the way across the floor - his body gleaming with sweat - when he steps wrong and the floor sings beneath him. Raizo stops, a flash of panic in his eyes. Then he subdues the emotion and obediently lifts the offending foot, holds it out as Ozunu rises and approaches. Ozunu lays open Raizo's foot with a bamboo rod. Slashing blows that leave deep cuts. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 18A. 18 CONTINUED: 18 Raizo's expression hardly changes. Ozunu returns to his place, and Raizo starts walking again, making no noise, and leaving no trace of his passage... ...except for a trail of small, bloody footprints. 19 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT 19 The same evening. Most of the children in this place sleep on mats in the same room. They are exhausted, silent, motionless. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 19. 19 CONTINUED: 19 We FIND Raizo and though he makes no sound, his eyes show silent tears of pain, his feet still bleeding and bruised. Kiriko looks on from her mat for a long, silent BEAT, knowing the agony he is in. Then, as if coming to an inner decision, she reaches under her mat for a leaf into which a thick salve has been folded. She crosses the few feet to Raizo's mat and, as he watches in silent agony, she puts her finger to her lips, then kneels down -- -- and begins applying the salve to his feet. Within moments, we can see the pain leaving his eyes. Finishing quickly, she folds the remaining salve back into the leaf, exchanges a quick, furtive glance with Raizo, then heads back for her mat. He lays there for a BEAT, confused as to whether his diminishing pain is a good thing. Then he turns to look at Kiriko, but she lays with her back to him, apparently asleep. He regards her silently for a moment, then rolls over himself to sleep as we come around to -- -- the other side of Kiriko, and see that she is very much awake, almost smiling. She closes her eyes. CUT TO: 20 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 20 The apartment is dark as Mika ENTERS and turns on the lights. She looks the place over, then goes room to room, turning on every light in the place. The practiced way she does it makes it clear she does this every night. Satisfied she's alone, she goes into the bedroom to change. 21 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER 21 Mika is curled up in a chair and with KGB report. She turns a page and sees a photocopied drawing of a very intricate floor that we now recognize as the Nightingale Floor. She reads the caption beneath it. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 20. 21 CONTINUED: 21 SABATIN (V.O.) (Russian accent) Historical evidence suggests that Ibn-Battuta's journey through the far east brought him into contact with what might be one of the oldest of the Nine Clans. He travels with a group of orphans that are being taken from a city devastated by war to the Shido of the Ozunu clan. The people of the surrounding province refer to the Shido as "The Orphanage." 22 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DOJO 22 We see Battuta, the 14th century Muslim explorer sitting among the original leaders of the Ozunu clan, watching two children fight. SABATIN (V.O.) Battuta describes a ceremonial dinner followed by a display of martial skill. The combatants were children neither beyond the age of ten. Battuta masks his revulsion as the battle continues until one child beats the other to death. Small fists gleam with blood as one boy pummels the other. SABATIN (CONT'D) His host explains that a man's life must be made meaningless compared to the life of the Clan. Own the meaning of a man's life and you own his heart. 22A BACK TO SCENE 22A Slowly the light in the bedroom hallway goes OUT. She freezes, and the world seems to freeze with her. She doesn't move, doesn't breathe. She forces herself to sit slowly up, reaching under her bed for a cricket bat. A car drives by outside. Could be nothing. Could be everything. Despite her fear, she edges toward the door. Slowly peers around it. The darkened hall is empty. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 21. 22A CONTINUED: 22A There is a ticking sound, like someone tapping at a window. Could be a tree in the wind. Could be something else. She moves slowly through her apartment. Every shadow could conceal unseen eyes. She comes to the end of the hall, where the overhead light is out. She flicks the switch on and off. Nothing. She reaches carefully toward the light bulb. Taps it. The bulb rattles, it's just burned out. She breathes a sigh of relief. Then she notices -- -- that the living room window is open, the blinds gently swaying from the wind, tapping against the sash. She closes it and locks it. Looks to her desk, concerned. Did she leave the window open? Or is something going on. She goes to her desk, anxious, to check on something. She opens a drawer, revealing a box of tampax. Pulls out the tampax to reveal a key... a place no guy would think to check. She unlocks a drawer and takes out an unmarked DVD in a slim plastic case. Relieved, she starts to put it away...then stops. Is it the same DVD? She moves OS. MOMENTS LATER... the TV is switched on, and an image begins to play, revealing a time coded security camera, recording an urban street corner in Japan. The tape is riddled with digital noise and artifacting. Then, slowly, the digital noise seems to coalesce, to grow shapes. The shadows come to life. Then with incredible speed two dark figures start battling it out, their blades striking sparks that are still descending after they've slipped back into the shadows. They emerge over and over, brief flashes of clarity like the perfect arc of a calligrapher's brush describing the wing of a bird. Fight. Retreat. Silence. Shadows. Sparks. Mika hits the pause button and moves closer to the screen, examining the figures. One of the figures is wearing a mask, but the face of the other combatant is revealed, albeit somewhat obscured by the dim light and digital noise. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 22. 22A CONTINUED: (2) 22A As we PUSH IN, we see that it's Raizo. But she doesn't know that name yet. MIKA ...who are you? She stares at the fierce beauty of his face and touches the screen gently. 22Aa INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY 22Aa CLOSE on a bed of nails; sixteen penny nails arranged in perfect rows pointing up, the sharp tips catching the light. As we REVEAL Raizo his breathing is rhythmic and deep, but this is really the first time we have heard him sound like he is straining. As we continue to WIDEN, we discover the reason for this: he is doing handstand push-ups. On the nails. Over and over, with little apparent effort. The hard edges and lines of his body catch the light, like the tips of the nails, as we HEAR: OZUNU (V.O.) Strength is the only virtue that nature respects. 22Ab FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE - DAY 22Ab Children are sharpening their weapons. Ozunu walks above them. OZUNU Hone your body. Sharpen your mind. Become the weapon you will need to survive. Young Raizo looks up and sees young Kiriko looking at him. She smiles. He looks back to his weapon. 22B EXT. ISTANBUL - STREET - DAY 22B Raizo walks down a street where repair work is being done. To keep cars from falling into the hole, they've covered the street with big steel plates. As the cars and trucks pass over the plates, they make a bump-thump sound. Bump-thump, bump-thump, bump-thump. We PUSH IN on Raizo under that sound. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 22A. 23 FLASHBACK - EXT. ORPHANAGE BONSAI GARDEN - DAY 23 Kiriko is working in the bonsai garden. Raizo watches her silently for a moment noticing that she is secretly loosening the wires, letting the branches ease back into their natural shape. He whispers. RAIZO You shouldn't do that. It's against the rules. If they catch you -- KIRIKO Then they catch me. RAIZO They'll put you in the box. KIRIKO Yes, they will. She finishes releasing the branch. KIRIKO (CONT'D) I believe the heart of the tree knows which way it needs to grow. RAIZO Trees don't have hearts. KIRIKO Everything has a heart. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 23. 23 CONTINUED: 23 RAIZO I don't. There's sadness and bitterness in his eyes. He's closing off to the world, becoming what they want. She won't let that happen. KIRIKO Really? Let me see. He hesitates, then approaches. Kneels down beside her. She reaches toward him. He flinches...a sword he can handle, but kindness has become something foreign...then allows her to undo the top button of his shirt. She presses her ear to his chest. Listens. Then she gently whispers to it. KIRIKO (CONT'D) Hello....hello, you in there. She listens again. KIRIKO (CONT'D) It's saying hello back. And that it's happy to meet me...but it misses you. Raizo smiles despite himself. RAIZO Liar. KIRIKO Listen to mine, I'm not lying. I'll prove it. Again, he hesitates. Then he leans in, and listens to her heart. Bump-thump. Bump-thump. She smiles. KIRIKO (CONT'D) Hello. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 24. 23 CONTINUED: (2) 23 He looks up at her, his ear still to her chest. And for the first time, his face softens. Bump-thump. Bump- thump. Bump-thump. 23A BACK TO SCENE 23A In the present as the traffic bounces past Raizo. Bump- thump. Bump-thump. Bump-thump. His eyes saddening with memory, he continues on his way. 24 INT. MIKA'S OFFICE - NIGHT 24 Mika is at her computer doing what she does best: intuitively sifting through interconnected threads of information. Searching through what is known about Ibu-Battuta, she discovers information concerning the lost chapters of the "Rihla," supposedly destroyed sometime in the 15th century. She remains immersed until a sound grows louder and louder. A vacuum cleaner. She checks the time. Very late. She looks up and finds two eyes watching her through the crack in her open door. Startled she gets up while the eyes quickly disappear. In the hallway, an older Asian man is pushing the vacuum cleaner. MIKA Excuse me? Excuse me? He shuts it off, turns to her. MIKA (CONT'D) Where's Jona? He seems not to understand her. MIKA (CONT'D) Jona. The usual cleaner. Jona. ASIAN MAN Ahh, Jona. Jona sick. MIKA Oh. Well, tell him I hope he feels better (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 25. 24 CONTINUED: 24 ASIAN MAN Take care. You should take care. MIKA ...What? ASIAN MAN Work so late. Not good for you. She smiles sheepishly. MIKA True...Thanks. 25 EXT. BERLIN STREET - NIGHT. 25 Mika walks down the empty street, the sound of her heels slap against the stone buildings. The shadows seem to stalk her. She hears a faint sound like metal claws against glass. She stops and listens trying to see into the dark. MIKA ...is someone there? 26 INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY 26 Raizo is practicing his chain form. We begin to hear the sounds of another fight. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 26. 27 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DOJO - NIGHT 27 Raizo, is fighting with TAKESHI, a few years older, in a room lit by hundreds of hanging torches. Armed with katanas, the boys duck, dodge and weave around the burning obstacles as they fight. They are both extremely agile, their bodies moving with the impossible flexibility of youth. Kiriko watches along with the other members of the clan. If she feels anything as she watches the fight, we cannot tell. They perform a vicious series of combinations, then Takeshi's sword cracks against Raizo's head, opening a huge gash. Raizo hits the ground hard, blood speckling the mats. Takeshi backs away as Ozunu steps in. As blood flows down the side of his face, Raizo looks like the young boy that he is. Pain throbs from the wound, and he begins to cry. OZUNU Did Takeshi's blow hurt you? You * think this is pain? You are * mistaken. * He gouges three fingers into the boy's stomach and twists something inside of him. Raizo screams. His screams smear into uncontrollable sobbing. OZUNU (CONT'D) That is true pain. You must learn * to live with it. He steps back, leaving Raizo writhing in agony. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 27. 27 CONTINUED: 27 OZUNU (CONT'D) This is your first test. Survive * the night. He signals to the rest of the clan and they all begin to leave. Kiriko is the last to turn away. TIME CUT: Later. Night. Raizo is still where we left him, a twisted knot of pain, his face stained with tears and crusted with snot. He is trying to control his breath, at first without success. Then slowly, finally, it begins to ease. His hand, twisted into a kind of rigor mortis, slowly begins to relax, opening like a lotus flower. TIME CUT: Dawn breaks over the wall, as Ozunu returns to the dojo to find Raizo is sitting in a full lotus, completely calm, the wound already beginning to heal. Ozunu shows a hint of a smile. OZUNU (CONT'D) Very good, Raizo. Very good. 28 OMITTED 28 29 EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - DAY 29 They are walking. Maslow is nervous. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 28. 29 CONTINUED: 29 MASLOW Last night I'm working late and I get a visit. Guy named Zabranski. Works upstairs for Internal Affairs. Just drops by. In the neighborhood- cup a sugar- how ya doin- kinda thing. Asks what I'm working on. Oh, this and that, usual blibbity blab, I tell him. Then he smiles and says- 30 FLASHBACK - INT. MASLOW'S OFFICE - NIGHT 30 Zabranski is leaning against the door jam. ZABRANSKI ...Very Good. His faint smile reminds us of Ozunu. 31 EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - DAY 31 MASLOW I don't understand what is really going on, but I'm smart enough to recognize a warning when I see one. MIKA But why? MASLOW Why? It's obvious. If your little fantasy has even slightest chance of being real, then these Nine Clans would have some pretty major juice protecting them. MIKA What are you going to do? MASLOW We are going to tip-toe, very carefully from here on out. You understand? You don't do anything else without checking with me. Got it? She nods. MIKA Did you find Sabatin yet? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 29. 31 CONTINUED: 31 Maslow isn't sure he wants to answer her. MIKA (CONT'D) You did. MASLOW Yeah...he's dead. MIKA How? MASLOW Heart attack. MIKA They killed him. MASLOW People die of heart attacks, Mika. MIKA Was he married? Did he have a family? MASLOW God, you are relentless, aren't you. MIKA I know you Ryan, you would have checked. MASLOW A wife. MIKA Still in Russia? MASLOW Relocated. MIKA Where? He pulls a folded piece of paper from his jacket. MASLOW Explain something to me first. Where is this obsession coming from? What started this whole thing? She thinks. FLASH CUT. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 30. 31 CONTINUED: (2) 31 We see Mika reaching out to touch Raizo's face. CUT BACK. She shrugs. MIKA Like your father said...It's a consequence of consciousness often interpreted as desire. MASLOW Desire for what? MIKA For the truth. He shakes his head, handing her the paper. MIKA (CONT'D) Potsdam. She's in Berlin. Mika shoots off as Maslow calls- MASLOW Mika! Tip-toe! She takes several exaggerated tip-toe steps. CUT TO: 32 INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 32 A shuriken blade grinds against a whetstone as Raizo sharpens the weapon with practiced grace...despite being blindfolded. Sunlight is held back by vertical blinds. When he finishes, he stands, a Rodin sculpted out of midnight. We realize there are wooden blocks placed around the room. In his palm, a single shuriken abruptly fans into many like a deck of cards. Suddenly his arm whips around as the shurikens crack and split the thick wooden targets. He stands alone, still blindfolded. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 31. 32 CONTINUED: 32 OZUNU (V.O.) These next five years will be the most important of your training. 33 FLASHBACK - INT/EXT. ORPHANAGE DOJO/VERANDA - NIGHT 33 One of the OLDER NINJAS is wrapping Raizo's eyes with a sticky gauze, like the tape used to wrap horse's legs. MR. OZUNU For an entire year, you shall live without one of your senses, beginning with the sense you rely on the most: your sight. 34 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DOJO - NIGHT 34 Takeshi's sword slides from one position to another as Ozunu looks on. Raizo, blindfolded, reacts to the sound, matching his posture a fraction of a second later. OZUNU A true Shinobi lives in darkness. The night is his weapon. * Takeshi attacks again. While Raizo eludes or blocks several blows, for every two he manages to block, another connects. OZUNU (CONT'D) You must see with more than your * eyes. * Raizo gets up, slowly releasing the tension in his jaw. He takes his position again, and this time the stance is easy, his expression softer. This time, as Takeshi comes at him, everything becomes clear. The whistle of the blade. The zip of the leg sweep against the tatami mat. The sound of his robe. Combined with Takeshi's unmistakable body odor Raizo has everything he needs to dodge, slip and counter. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 32. 34 CONTINUED: 34 His chain strikes, wrapping an ankle, throwing a stunned Takeshi to the wall. Kiriko tries to hide her smile. Ozunu nods in appreciation. Raizo nods back, as if he can see without eyes. 35 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT 35 Young Raizo, still blindfolded is in bed. Trying to sleep, but it's impossible. Takeshi's snoring doesn't help. He turns slightly towards Kiriko, as her chest rises and falls, her breath as rhythmic as and gentle as the lap of sea-water in a tidal pool. He begins to breathe in sync with her, perhaps in hopes it will relax him. Slowly, all the other sounds in the room go away, until only her breathing, and his, remains. There is the slight murmur of their hearts. Then she opens her eyes...and smiles at him because he cannot see her. But he hears her heart begin to beat faster and that brings a faint smile to his lips. They listen to each other's breathing growing heavier, the sound of their hearts beating faster and faster. Her lips part as she makes the tiniest movement...tilting her pelvis up, rubbing her hips ever so slightly against the blanket- It's like tectonic plates shifting for Raizo. Bump-thump, bump-thump, bump-thump their hearts growing louder and louder as they become- 36 EXT. POTSDAM - SABATIN HOME - DAY 36 Mika knocks. The cold war widow opens the door. MIKA Mrs. Sabatin? MRS. SABATIN Ja. MIKA I'm with Europol. We spoke on the phone. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 33. 36 CONTINUED: 36 She nods. MRS. SABATIN (stepping aside) Ah, sehr gut. Bitte...please. MIKA Shoen. Mika enters. 37 INT. SABATIN HOME - DAY 37 Sabatin and Mika sit across from each other. The house has the chill of loneliness. Tea has been set out between them. MRS. SABATIN You said you read my husband's report, yes? What did you think? MIKA I found it...illuminating. Especially the references to the Rihla. Your husband quotes passages not found in Battuta's present manuscript. MRS. SABATIN My husband journeyed all over the world researching that report, but when he was home, he never spoke about it. He said it was safer that way. MIKA I understand the report caused some problems for him inside the KGB. MRS. SABATIN The report caused "problems" for Alexei's career the way Moses caused problems for the Pharaoh, you see? Very unpleasant. Terrible people saying terrible things. She pours tea, the harsh memories still fresh. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 34. 37 CONTINUED: 37 MRS. SABATIN (CONT'D) After he retired...was asked to retire...we moved, first to Byelorussia and then here to Berlin when the wall came down. He said this will be a good place to grow old together. And it was, for a time. MIKA What happened? She looks off, shakes her head. MRS. SABATIN About two years ago...two? Yes, after the assassination of Zhukov, the report drew attention. After that, everything was different. 38 FLASHBACK - EXT. SABATIN HOME - DAY 38 As Alexei supervises, workmen install locks, put in fencing material, hang lights and video cameras on the outside of the house. MRS. SABATIN (V.O.) Alexei hired men to change all the locks, and put in more of them. Locks on the windows, locks on the doors, locks on the locks. He put in cameras and motion sensors and lights...everywhere, lights. The lights SNAP on, illuminating the back of the house with brilliant klieg lights. MRS. SABATIN (V.O.) (CONT'D) "There can be no shadows," he said. "No shadows." 38A BACK TO SCENE 38A CLOSER on Mrs. Sabatin as she looks down at her tea. MRS. SABATIN I will tell you a true thing, and a hard thing. My husband was a soldier. A member of Russian intelligence. He had seen many terrible things.... (beat) He was not a man to frighten easily. (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 35. 38A CONTINUED: 38A MRS. SABATIN (CONT'D) But from that day on, when the sun went down behind the hills...in his eyes, I saw the fear a child has of the dark. (beat) Then, one day, a man came to the door. 39 FLASHBACK - INT/EXT. SABATIN HOUSE - DAY 39 We are over the shoulder of someone who could be Raizo or Takeshi as the door opens revealing Alexei. After a moment Alexi invites the man in. A security camera watches them enter the house. MRS. SABATIN (V.O.) They talked in Alexei's study for sometime. Then the young man left. Mrs. Sabatin watches the young man leave then hurries toward the study door. MRS. SABATIN (CONT'D) It was unlike Alexei not to see him out. I remember being very scared. But when I opened the door, he was just sitting there. For a moment, he didn't even notice me. Then he stood up and kissed me and told me that he loved me very much. He said I should always remember that. We see Alexei looking shell-shocked, eyes hollowed, as he stands and kisses his wife. His eyes begin to shimmer with tears but before he cries, he leaves. 39A BACK TO SCENE 39A MIKA Do you know what they talked about? MRS. SABATIN No. Alexei never spoke about it. But two months later, he was dead. MIKA Can I ask how he died? GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 36. 40 FLASHBACK - EXT. SABATIN HOUSE - NIGHT 40 The lights have come on outside his house. Alexei comes out, a gun in hand, shielding his eyes. Searching for whatever set off the automatic lights. Then, suddenly: darkness. And sudden MOVEMENT in the shadows that LUNGES toward Alexei. 40A As Mrs. Sabatin shakes her head, looks away. Shrugs. 40A MRS. SABATIN The lights went out. She looks to Mika. That says it all. She rises. MRS. SABATIN (CONT'D) You are the first person who has taken my husband's work seriously. It would be good to know that he did not die without cause. Come with me. Mika follows her into -- -- an adjoining room, where Mrs. Sabatin pulls the bottom drawer of a bureau out and sets it on the floor. From the darkness she removes a metal box. MRS. SABATIN (CONT'D) He would want you to have this. 41 INT. ISTANBUL RAIZO'S APARTMENT - DAY 41 Raizo sits alone. Crossed-legged on the floor. Utterly still. There's an ocean of sound swirling around him. The cacophony of Instanbul evening rush hour. Raizo starts to build a dam; auricular sandbags laid one by one, walling off the outside world. The traffic outside- horns, engines, squealing tires, rattling trucks chassis- all fade away. People shouting, singing. A couple next door making love. A baby wailing. Jackhammers pounding... Slowly, the world fades away, until there is only one sound. Faint, familiar, but almost too quiet to hear... (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 37. 41 CONTINUED: 41 Raizo's heartbeat. He listens to it. Meditates on its simple rhythm... Until a sound explodes in the room, it is a sound we haven't heard in his apartment- A phone. He rises slowly as the phone continues to ring. He answers it silently waiting for something- The line clicks and goes dead. 42 EXT. ISTANBUL STREET SOUK - DAY 42 Raizo walks through the crowded market. Shoppers, salesmen and tourists fill the narrow aisles between the stalls. FIVE CHILDREN- who we see only from the back- run past. Shouting laughing. The last one jostles against Raizo as he goes by. Raizo keeps walking, but he is holding an envelope in his hand. He slips it into his pocket. 43 EXT. ISTANBUL STREET - DAY 43 Raizo opens the envelope as he crosses the street. There's a square of paper inside, and a photograph. On the paper is a street address in Berlin. The photograph is a close-up of a woman's face... Mika. 44 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY 44 Close on the box. It sits on her desk, calling as another box once called to Pandora. She opens it. Inside are a series of cataloged photographs taken in the style of 1970's archeologists (like those of the dead sea scrolls) of the lost chapter of Ibn-Battuta. The scrolls contain his 14th century Islamic writing and several sketches. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 38. 44 CONTINUED: 44 There is also a very rough map that suggests the location of The Orphanage. Images of the orphanage, of the children training and their ordeals, bloody combat, ritual bindings, beatings on the Nightingale floor. There is a scroll that she unrolls revealing the lineage tree of the Nine Clans. Also in the box is a single VHS tape. She pushes the tape into the player. It's a recording of a surveillance camera staring at the front of the Sabatin house. A man walks up to the house and rings's the bell. We cannot see his face. Sabatin opens the door. They exchange words. Sabatin seems wary but invites the man in. Mika doesn't understand why this is significant. She hits fast forward until she sees a flash as the man exits. She stops, rewinds and plays it again. * As he steps out of the shadow of the house, she sees his face- It is Raizo. She is startled when someone pounds on the door. It seems like it might rattle off its hinges as she hurries to open it revealing- Maslow and he's not happy. MASLOW (O.S.) You lied to me. He pushes into the room and slams the door behind him. MIKA What're you -- MASLOW I told you to stop using my confirmation code. MIKA I did -- MASLOW Dammit, Mika -- * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 39. 44 CONTINUED: (2) 44 MIKA ...I'm sorry, it was the only way * I could get the evidence. * MASLOW Shit.... MIKA What happened? MASLOW What happened? Everything's fucking happened. He tries to dial it down, succeeds, but only a little. MASLOW (CONT'D) When you were slapping my code all over town like some phone number in a bathroom, did you happen to notice the classification code on the cases you were digging through? She knows. MASLOW (CONT'D) What did it say? MIKA (quietly) DNP. MASLOW That's right. DNP. DO NOT FUCKING PURSUE! MIKA (quietly) Actually that would be DNFP -- 45 FLASH-IMAGE - INT. MASLOW'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON 45 We SEE men and women in dark suits, their expressions deadly serious, tossing through everything he has in the place. 45A BACK TO SCENE 45A MASLOW Right now there are people from internal affairs, CIA, Homeland Security and for all I know the Martian Fucking Military in my office tearing the place apart. (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 40. 45A CONTINUED: 45A MASLOW (CONT'D) I don't know what they're looking for but I think you do. She shifts nervously, no poker face. She turns and leads him into her home office. With the key from the tampax box she opens the drawer. Maslow watches as she pulls out the contents of Sabatin's box as well as the illegally requisitioned evidence. MIKA Most of this is from Sabatin. Copies of what I think are the lost chapters of the Rihle. I think it describes the original location of the Ozunu Clan but my 14th century Arabic is a little rusty. MASLOW And this? Meaning the DVD. MIKA That's how it started. I made a mistake, mixed up the case code and they sent me that. A moment later the DVD is playing, Raizo and the other ninja dancing through the shadows. MASLOW ...Christ. MIKA Yeah. I know. I don't understand why they're fighting though. It could be a clan war. Maslow starts to put it together. MASLOW So you requisitioned this by accident. You used my code which is why you didn't want to show me this. Which is also why they're tearing apart my office right now. MIKA I'm sorry Ryan. You have to know I didn't mean for you to get in trouble... (MORE) (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 41. 45A CONTINUED: (2) 45A MIKA (CONT'D) I just thought if this was real, if these clans were killing people, you know, it was our job to try to stop them. He eyes her. MIKA (CONT'D) Isn't that what your dad would do? MASLOW Okay, that's low. MIKA Look, I know I broke the rules. I'll explain what I did and accept the consequences. MASLOW Very noble of you but I've got the feeling this isn't a slap-on-the wrist kinda consequence. Let me take this and try to make some sense of this shitstorm you started. In the meantime, you will not say anything to anybody. Capiche? She nods. 46 INT. PASSPORT CONTROL AIRPORT - DAY 46 Close on Raizo's fake passport. PASSPORT OFFICIAL Are you coming to Berlin for business or pleasure Mr. Han Raizo smiles RAIZO Pleasure. 47 INT. MIKA'S OFFICE - DAY 47 She's at her computer, studying a topographical map of Japan, trying to relate the Ibu-Battuta's drawing to it. Suddenly she realizes she is not alone; Zabranski is leaning against the door jam. He smiles. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 42. 47 CONTINUED: 47 ZABRANSKI Boy you're like a dog with a bone on that computer aren't you? MIKA Excuse me? Who are you? He reaches across her desk. ZABRANSKI Agent Zabranski. Internal affairs. Need to ask you a couple of questions. You are Mika Coretti, yeah? She nods, her gut clenching. He pulls out a small notebook. ZABRANSKI (CONT'D) Forensic researcher. You work a lot with an Agent...Maslow. That right? MIKA ...A few cases. ZABRANSKI You have something of a social relationship. MIKA What? ZABRANSKI You had lunch with him on the 13th and again on the 18th. MIKA How do you know that? ZABRANSKI Is it not true? MIKA I...I'm not sure. We do have lunch together sometimes, usually when we're working- ZABRANSKI Are you working on something with him right now? A beat. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 43. 47 CONTINUED: (2) 47 MIKA No...not right now. ZABRANSKI Has Agent Maslow seemed different lately, in any way? Has he done or said anything that struck you as unusual? MIKA No why. Has Agent Maslow done something? He smiles in the way a piranha might smile if it could. ZABRANSKI Just routine. The agency cares about its field operatives. We monitor for signs of stress, fatigue, mental exhaustion. Agent Maslow has a serious case load. That much work can wear on a man. He leaves. She gets up and closes her door. She grabs her phone and calls Maslow. MASLOW (V.O.) This is Ryan Maslow. Leave a number- She disconnects then texts. TEXT: 911. CALL ME. M 48 INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT 48 It is later. The garage is a gyre of shadows. Mika walks towards her car. The fluorescent light flickers and goes out. She stands in the dark. MIKA Come on...you're kidding me. It flickers back on. She continues to her car. 49 INT. PARKING GARAGE CAR - NIGHT 49 She gets in as a shadow leaps to life behind her. She starts to scream when she realizes it's- (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 44. 49 CONTINUED: 49 Maslow. MASLOW Ssssshhhhhh. Sorry, Mika. MIKA Fucking Christ, Ryan- MASLOW I couldn't talk earlier. They're watching me. MIKA Zabranski came to my office. Asking about you. He nods. MASLOW I know how Sabatin must have felt. MIKA What happened? MASLOW I showed Jamison the materials. MIKA What did he say? 50 INT. JAMISON'S OFFICE - DAY 50 A typical autocrat. JAMISON This agency is subject to the International laws and agreements that govern the jurisdiction of our authority. If a case is marked DNP we must respect the jurisprudence of the regional government and act accordingly. MASLOW I understand that sir but- JAMISON Let me be clear, Agent Maslow. In the eyes of the law these materials do not exist. If so, than there is no case and if there is no case there is no reason for this conversation to continue. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 45. 51 INT. PARKING GARAGE CAR - NIGHT 51 MIKA He took the materials? MASLOW Come on Mika, how could he take something that didn't exist? He couldn't. Which means that I couldn't copy it either, and if I couldn't copy it than I can't be violating international laws and agreements by still having it. She likes this guy. MIKA What are we going to do? MASLOW Your going to go home. Pack your bags and go on holiday. MIKA No way- MASLOW Don't fucking argue with me, Mika. I trusted you. Now you've got to trust me. MIKA Ryan, I can't let you lose your job because of me- MASLOW I'm not talking about my job, Mika. He hands her a Glock and two spare clips. MASLOW (CONT'D) Take this. It's clean, no serial number. Untraceable. MIKA I've never even fired one of these. MASLOW (pointing) This is the bad end. This is the end you hold. Point, shoot, run like hell. He also gives her a phone. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 46. 51 CONTINUED: 51 MASLOW (CONT'D) I'm going to try to find some help. Until then, I need you gone. Don't tell anyone where you're going, just go. Use this phone to text me when you get there, or if you have any problems. MIKA Ryan... MASLOW I know. It's unbelievable. I've investigated, world bank officials, drug cartels, arms dealers, and I've never faced this kind of heat. For ninjas. Fucking unbelievable! He shakes his head and slips out the door. 52 EXT. MIKA'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT 52 Mika parks her car around the corner from the apartment building, gets out and starts down the street when she sees -- -- the apartment building and the one next door are dark. Candles and flashlights are visible in some of the apartment windows, a scattering of neighbors congregating outside. Mika approaches a NEIGHBOR. MIKA Hey.... NEIGHBOR Hi. MIKA What happened? NEIGHBOR Power's out. Us, the building behind us, that one across the street. Seems like every few months, boom, the lights out. I call, I complain, they listen...nothing gets done. So I sit out here, at least it's cool. Mika looks up at the building, scared but not ready to believe that ninjas are responsible for everything. She pulls a tiny LED flashlight out of her bag and starts into the building. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 47. 52 CONTINUED: 52 NEIGHBOR (CONT'D) Watch your step. MIKA You're not the first person to give me that advice today.... And she continues into -- 53 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT BUILDING STAIRWELL - NIGHT 53 -- where she climbs the steps, each creak adding to the possibility of attracting trouble. On the passing floors, we hear doors being opened and shut, footsteps, the distant murmur of voices. Could be nothing. Could be everything. She presses on. 54 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER 54 She opens the door to her apartment, shining the tiny light ahead of her. Shadows chase each other across the room as she swings the light one way, then another. There seems to be no one else in the place. But as she hurries into her home office, we see -- A shadow move behind her. As she packs she begins to hear something, a tapping. The same sound she heard before. She pulls the gun from her purse. With the flashlight spearing the darkness, she goes to her office. Again the window is open, the blinds gently blowing against the sash. She is certain the window had been locked. Now every shadow is alive. She rushes back to her bedroom aiming in every direction. Her flashlight finds her suitcase. On the top of her clothes she sees it: An envelope. Perfectly centered. Setting the gun down, she picks up the oragami-folded envelope. Opens it with a shaking finger. Black sand spills out. Terror steals her breath. Behind her, a shadow tilts and reveals the eyes of a ninja. Before she can even move, a blade flashes from the darkness, heading for her neck- (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 48. 54 CONTINUED: 54 Another shadow blocks the blade, knocking Mika over the bed. The sounds of a fight erupt all around her but the combatants are almost invisible in the surrounding darkness. Her flashlight catches glimpses. Impossibly fast, lethal predators trying to kill each other. She crawls towards the spilled contents of her suitcase, towards the gun. Another blow arcs for her and is again blocked. Her hand finds the handle of the gun. She points into the dark, fires. The gun flash strobes the room, freezing the two ninjas in the blink of a flashbulb. They move towards her until a kick sends her gun flying. She can feel them fighting very close to her and when she finds them with her flashlight, a blade is struck deep- Blood erupts. One shadow falls to the ground. The other turns towards her. Her flashlight shakes as the ninja reaches up and removes his mask. It is Raizo. He sees in her eyes that she knows him. RAIZO You know me? She nods. RAIZO (CONT'D) How? MIKA ...security camera in New York. * Recorded you fighting...one of * them. * She glances at the dead ninja. * RAIZO * You know about them? * MIKA A little. * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 48A. 54 CONTINUED: (2) 54 He waits. * MIKA (CONT'D) * Uhh-- Well, there are these * clans...we're not sure how many. * RAIZO * Nine. * MIKA * Okay. Nine. Nine clans. And * they apparently have been * supplying assassins to governments * or anyone who happens to have one * hundred pounds of gold lying * around for the last thousand * years. Give or take. * He nods faintly. Then turns to his dead "Brother". * RAIZO * His name was Jin. * MIKA * You knew him? * RAIZO * He was not born an "Assassin". * She looks at the dead body. * MIKA * ...you're from his clan ? * His nod is almost imperceptible. * MIKA (CONT'D) * Then...why did you stop him? * RAIZO * The clans have three kinds of * people! People with power. * People with money. Or people * hunting them. * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 49. 54 CONTINUED: (3) 54 He hears something she can't. She starts to speak, and * he stops her with a gesture. RAIZO (CONT'D) * They're coming. MIKA Who? RAIZO The Hanta-Kirra. MIKA Does that mean what I think it means? RAIZO They won't stop until you are * dead. * MIKA Oh god. * She looks for her gun. RAIZO The gun won't help you. MIKA I don't have a lot of options okay. I once took a Tae Bo class, but that's the extent of my Kung Fu abilities. RAIZO I can help but you must tell me * something first. MIKA What? RAIZO You saw Ms. Sabatin. * MIKA * How did you know that? * RAIZO * I've been watching you, waiting * for them. * She tries to compute the idea that he's been following * her. * (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 50. 54 CONTINUED: (4) 54 RAIZO (CONT'D) * Did she give you something? * She nods, Raizo's eyes lite up. RAIZO (CONT'D) * You have them? Shakes her head "no." MIKA But I can get them. He hears something else. RAIZO We need something black. Hurry! * She runs with the flashlight to a bureau. Inside is a black tablecloth. He pulls her shoes off. RAIZO (CONT'D) Follow me. Step where I step. 55 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT BUILDING STAIRWELL - NIGHT 55 He leads her down through the stairwell of the large walk up. She follows him step by step. Suddenly he pulls her into the corner of a doorway. Wrapping the tablecloth around them, they melt into darkness. Beneath the wrap, he puts his hand over her mouth and nose stopping her breath. Outside after a long beat a ninja's foot silently glides past, climbing the stairs. Inside he releases her nose. Before she can finish taking a breath he yanks her up and they quickly descend the remaining stairs. 56 INT. MIKA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 56 The dead ninja lies in a pool of blood. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 51. 56 CONTINUED: 56 The shadows come alive and four dark figures emerge, born from the black- The Hanta Kirra. Their leader drifts forward surveying the apartment, his dark eyes flashing that we recognize. Like snap-focus flashes taking in the myriad signs of the fight: the bullets in the wall, footprints, and shattered lights. One of the killers uses his sword to trace the line of a slashing cut in wall. Braille from the blow that Raizo used to cut the ninja. He removes his mask and we see it's Takeshi. TAKESHI Raizo. Another Ninja leans forward and tastes the air with his nose. Eyes closed. Like a dog getting the scent, his inhalation a long, low whisper in the silent room. DOG NINJA He's taken the girl. Takeshi nods turning to the windows. He smiles; A hunter who knows the hunt is almost over. OZUNU (V.O.) Weakness compels strength. CUT TO: 57 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 57 A figure is running wildly through the thrashing branches. 58 INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE ASSEMBLY ROOM - NIGHT 58 Ozunu addresses the clan, his eyes like those of an executioner. OZUNU Betrayal begets blood. BACK TO: GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 52. 59 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 59 We are gaining on the figure who continues to bolt like a panicked horse. BACK TO: 60 INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE ASSEMBLY - NIGHT 60 OZUNU This is the law of the Nine Clans. This is the way of the ninja. BACK TO: 61 EXT. WOODS - NIGHT 61 We rush up behind the figure who glances back. It is Kiriko and she screams as we attack- The sound of the assault becomes- 62 EXT. STREET - NIGHT 62 Mika's car rushing past us. 63 INT. CAR - NIGHT 63 Raizo is silent. Mika is driving. MIKA I'm going to have to make a phone call in order to get the manuscript. RAIZO Not now. Just drive. MIKA Where? RAIZO Does not matter. Just get as far away from here as fast as you can without drawing attention. MIKA You think they're following us? RAIZO I know they're following us. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 53. 63 CONTINUED: 63 She watches in the mirror for a moment. MIKA I don't see anything back there. RAIZO They have our scent. MIKA Following our scent? Like dogs? RAIZO No. Like Wolves. She swallows. MIKA How do you know so much about them? RAIZO I was one of them. MIKA You flunked out of ninja school or something? RAIZO ...something. 64 FLASHBACK - INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT 64 Raizo is dressed in normal clothes his hair starting to grow back from the close shave he had in the Orphanage. He wears a silk blindfold. Ozunu sits in the leather gloom of the stuffed upholstery. OZUNU You may remove the blindfold. Raizo does so. Looking around at the lights of Osaka, a city he has never seen before. OZUNU (CONT'D) Your entire life has brought you to this moment. Do not fail yourself. Do not fail your family. Raizo nods faintly. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 54. 64 CONTINUED: 64 MR. OZUNU He is wearing a black and gold watch. Bring it to me. Raizo nods again, then opens the door and steps out. 65 INT. FIVE STAR HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT 65 CLOSE ON the fat wrist of a large man as he strides across the lobby. He turns to his entourage which includes several bodyguards and a few arm pieces. KINGPIN Wait here. Gotta piss. BODYGUARD Want me to come with you, boss? KINGPIN Why? So you can shake it for me? You some kind of secret faggot? He laughs and the arm pieces cluck on cue. He heads into the bathroom. 66 INT. FIVE STAR HOTEL BATHROOM - NIGHT 66 Kingpin enters there is only one person in the bathroom- Raizo washing his hands. His eyes flash in the mirror, watching the Kingpin only after he has turned away. The enormous man steps into a stall. After a moment he begins to piss, moaning slightly as he does. Raizo hits the air dryer button. The sound fills the room. A thin razor sharp blade flashes from his sleeve. The Kingpin continues to enjoy his piss but as we look at him we see the door behind him silently swing open, revealing Raizo. Raizo stares at the back of the man's head. He can almost see his jugular beating beneath the thick folds of his neck- But something prevents him from striking. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 55. 66 CONTINUED: 66 The dryer stops, the sound of the piss dribbling when the Kingpin suddenly looks back over his shoulder- KINGPIN The fuck-? Raizo strikes but the kingpin is able to deflect the blow which sinks into his enormous body. He laughs. KINGPIN (CONT'D) That kinda tickled... He smashes a fist into Raizo that slams him backwards. KINGPIN (CONT'D) Gonna take more than a knitting needle to fuck me up, boy. Raizo attacks and it is immediately apparent that this is not going to be easy. Several ferocious blows that would have broken the neck of a smaller man, only seem to make the Kingpin madder. Soon both are covered in blood, and gore. But it is not until Raizo slams the man's head against the lip of the urinal- The first time a font blood splashing up-- The second time the porcelain shatters as the Kingpin's head opens, spilling black blood across the floor. 67 EXT. ROOF - NIGHT 67 It is raining. Raizo, still wearing his bloody clothes, climbs up onto the roof, his clothes spattered with gore. He waits as the shadows around him come to life: Ozunu, Takeshi, and several other clan members surround him. All but Ozunu wear their masks. Raizo extends his hand, revealing the black and gold watch, smeared with fresh blood. He offers it to Mr. Ozunu. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 56. 67 CONTINUED: 67 OZUNU Keep it. It will remind you that every minute of your life is a gift that I have given you. Ozunu smiles. OZUNU (CONT'D) You have made me proud tonight, Raizo. There are some who believed you would fail, but I knew you would not. His eyes narrow. OZUNU (CONT'D) You have a strength inside you Raizo. You must use that strength, now to show me that you are truly Ozunu. Several of the other ninjas step back. Revealing Takeshi. He pushes a small hooded figure forward. OZUNU (CONT'D) Weakness compels strength. Betrayal begets blood. Takeshi yanks the hood off revealing a young girl. She is bloody, bound and gagged and for a flash- Raizo sees her as Kiriko. OZUNU (CONT'D) A daughter that turned her back on her family. She tried to run. Takeshi hunted her down. He unsheathes his blade, offering the hilt to Raizo. OZUNU (CONT'D) It is the law of the Nine Clans. Raizo looks at the girl, her tears lost in the rain. We cannot tell if Raizo is crying as he takes the blade- He CRIES OUT, the light of madness in his eyes. He STRIKES, lashing out with the fury of a wild animal, at Ozunu -- -- who bends back with impossible grace. But not far enough. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 57. 67 CONTINUED: (2) 67 The point of Raizo's sword slashes across his face, opening an ugly wound that spills blood over his eye and mouth... He hasn't tasted his own blood in years, and the anger boils up in his eyes. OZUNU (CONT'D) Kill him! Raizo meets their attack. Throwing himself into the fray as only a man who is no longer interested in living can. But the ninjas are everywhere. They hurl shuriken at him by the handful, a storm of jagged steel racing for Raizo's flesh. Raizo blocks some of the shuriken, misses many more. The shuriken strike muscles, tendons, flesh. He SWINGS around, still trying to attack, there are too many of them. He stumbles back towards the edge of the roof as Takeshi SWINGS what he believes will be the death blow as -- -- Raizo half-falls, half-leaps backward, falling from the rooftop, tumbling through space, until he -- -- Splashes into the canal below- Bubbles dancing between the ribbons of blood. 68 INT. CAR - NIGHT 68 Mika speeds along the autobahn. MIKA Okay, if you're not going to say anything, do you mind if I talk? When I get nervous, it helps if I talk. He says nothing. MIKA (CONT'D) My name is Mika by the way. RAIZO I know. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 58. 68 CONTINUED: 68 MIKA Yeah, well usually if someone introduces themselves it is a convention that the other person does likewise. He considers her. RAIZO Raizo...is the name I was given. MIKA So, you were an orphan? His head nods slightly. MIKA (CONT'D) Interesting nature verses nurture case study I imagine. He cocks an eyebrow. MIKA (CONT'D) If it's okay with you, I'll try to fill in some of the blanks. You must have been taken by the Ozunu clan, trained to be an assassin, but something happened and you decided to opt out of the program. I don't imagine this went over so well and since they're after me for just peeking through the keyhole, they must be after you in a major way. But you are also after them or you wouldn't have bothered going to Sabatin. Which I figure means you're searching for the location of The Orphanage because that's obviously the only information Battatu's book would have that you wouldn't already know. He looks at her impressed. MIKA (CONT'D) Yeah, I got some moves too. I'm pretty lethal with the research thing. He almost smiles. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 59. 68 CONTINUED: (2) 68 MIKA (CONT'D) But here's a question I can't answer: since you didn't know I went to Sabatin's, why did you save me? RAIZO Ninja only kill two kinds of people. The first kind has power and money. The other kind is trying to stop them. He nods, noticing shops out beyond the exit. RAIZO (CONT'D) Exit here. CUT TO: 69 EXT. SHOPPING MALL - NIGHT 69 The shops are all closed, Mika's car crawls to a stop in the empty parking lot. 70 INT. CAR - NIGHT 70 Raizo looks her over. MIKA I understand retail therapy as well as any girl but I think it's a little late. RAIZO You are a size 36? MIKA What? No! Size 34...`cept certain times of the month. He starts to leave then stops- RAIZO If you leave while I am gone they will catch you and kill you. He looks her in the eye. RAIZO (CONT'D) Do you understand that? She nods. He opens his door and slips out. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 60. 70 CONTINUED: 70 She watches as he heads for the doors. He passes into the shadow of the building and disappears. She digs into her bag for the phone Maslow gave her. She TEXTS: 911. But situ stable. Guardian angel all in black. Need Battuta book soon. Will call. M She hits send. Looks out to the darkness surrounding her. After a moment one of the shadows comes to life. The door opens and Raizo gets in, his arm full of clothes. RAIZO (CONT'D) We need a hotel. 71 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL - NIGHT 71 The car is parked around several others. 72 INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM/BATHROOM - NIGHT 72 Raizo goes into the bathroom, and turns on the shower. RAIZO Get undressed. Shower. Do not use the hotel soap. Or any towel. Do you smoke? MIKA No. He nods. RAIZO Put your clothes in here. He pulls the garbage bag from the wastepaper basket. Then leaves as she begins getting undressed. 73 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL - NIGHT 73 Outside the hotel, Raizo finds a pine tree. He cuts several branches from it. 74 INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM/BATHROOM - NIGHT 74 Back in the room, he enters the bathroom. She is still in the shower. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 61. 74 CONTINUED: 74 MIKA Hey- RAIZO What? MIKA Don't you know how to knock? RAIZO I'm trying to save your life. MIKA ...okay right. He hands her the tree branch. RAIZO Dry yourself with this. He starts taking off his clothes. He does it quickly without any sense of awkwardness; the world where he came from makes little distinction between male and female. She's not from the same world, keeping herself as covered as possible with a tree branch. He jumps in the shower while she tries to dry herself off. MIKA ...I'm just a researcher. I'm really not equipped to deal with this... He steps out and quickly wipes the dripping water off his body with the branch. RAIZO Get dressed. In the bedroom, Raizo is dressed in new clothes. He lights a cigarette as Mika come out struggling with the tightness of her new jeans. MIKA These are a little tight. RAIZO You said 34. MIKA European sizes...run a little small I guess. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 62. 74 CONTINUED: (2) 74 Raizo takes the cigarette and begins waving it all around her. MIKA (CONT'D) This is for my "scent"? He nods. RAIZO Let's go. 75 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT 75 CLOSE as he picks the lock of a different car trunk. MIKA Wow. They teach you that at ninja school? RAIZO Most locks are not worth the metal they're made of. The trunk pops open. Raizo tosses their bag of clothes under the lid of the tire compartment. Then closes the door. He leads her down the parking lot sizing up the cars, until he finds one he likes. MIKA You're going to steal a car? RAIZO Just borrow it. The door opens. RAIZO (CONT'D) Get in. She sighs. MIKA In for a penny, in for a pounding. 75A INT. CAR - NIGHT 75A Raizo takes out a small electrical device. He aims it at the dash and hits a button. The device finds the right frequency to start the car. She is impressed. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 62A. 75A CONTINUED: 75A RAIZO At ninja school I minored in electrical engineering. His smile makes her smile. 76 EXT. AUTOBAHN - NIGHT 76 A moment later the car flies back towards Berlin. RAIZO Now we have some time. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 63. 76 CONTINUED: 76 MIKA How much time? RAIZO A day. Maybe less. MIKA Jesus. RAIZO Make your call. She nods, digs through her purse for the phone. INTERCUT WITH: 77 INT. MASLOW'S OFFICE - NIGHT 77 MIKA Ryan, it's me. MASLOW Mika! For Christ sake I've been calling for hours! MIKA I know. I'm in a bit of trouble- MASLOW Trouble? You miss jury duty you're in trouble. You're in some kind of bottomless pit of deep shit. MIKA Yeah. Least I'm not down here by myself... She looks at Raizo. MASLOW Your guardian angel? Is it him? The one from the tape? MIKA He's on our side, Ryan. I trust him. MASLOW Careful, Mika. MIKA I promised him the Battuta pages. Do you still have them? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 64. 77 CONTINUED: 77 MASLOW ...yeah, I got them. MIKA Can you meet us? In three hours? MASLOW Where? MIKA How bout the usual? 78 EXT. BERLIN WALL - NIGHT 78 Maslow waits, the red-tip of his cigarette glowing in the middle of his silhouette. Mika is leading. MIKA There he is. Raizo hesitates; an animal sensing danger. MIKA (CONT'D) He's a good man. It's all right. They approach Maslow. MASLOW Mika! He embraces her. MASLOW (CONT'D) You're all right? MIKA Thanks to him. RAIZO Why have you done this? MIKA Done what? MASLOW Step back Mika. MIKA What? RAIZO People will die. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 65. 78 CONTINUED: 78 Maslow takes hold of Mika as he shouts- MASLOW NOW! An explosion of light; A firing line of kliegs all aimed at Raizo, each as bright as a slice of the sun. MIKA No! Twenty heavily armed men emerge from the wall of light. MILITARY MAN Hands on your head! On your knees! Do it now! MIKA Raizo! No! This is wrong! RAIZO The clans have people everywhere. Raizo raises his hands slowly, a glance thrown like a shuriken at Maslow. MIKA What are you doing? MASLOW Following orders. The men swarm over him, binding him with brutal efficiency, hauling him away. CUT TO: 78A FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DOJO - DAY 78A Ozunu watches. A faint look of disgust dangling from his lips. OZUNU Cut him. Kiriko is panting, covered in sweat and blood, standing over a bloody, beaten Takeshi. OZUNU (CONT'D) All failure must be sown into the flesh. Kiriko is handed a razor sharp blade. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 65A. 78A CONTINUED: 78A OZUNU (CONT'D) Cut him! Takeshi prepares for the blow, but-- Kiriko drops the blade. OZUNU (CONT'D) What? He marches up to her. OZUNU (CONT'D) You know the law! Her silence remains defiant, while he boils with suppressed rage, picking up the blade. OZUNU (CONT'D) You will wear this disgrace for the rest of your life! He slashes her, slicing across her face. TIME CUT: 79 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT 79 Raizo wakes up. There's a commotion on the other side of the shoji screens that comprise the inner wall of the dorm. Silhouettes limned against the paper. Raizo moves to the screens. Pulls them a half inch aside as the other children watch... Through the tiny gap, he sees ninjas dragging Kiriko down the hall. Gagged, arms twisted with shiburi, blood streaking her pale and terrified face. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 66. 80 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - VAULT - NIGHT 80 Raizo is chained to the walls of a vault. Spread-eagled, double-locked, and lit from all sides so there are no shadows anywhere in the room. Raizo's head sags. Eyes closed. Cameras stare at him. 81 INT. SAFE-HOUSE GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT 81 Classic Berlin aesthetic. A modern office shoe-horned into an abandoned building: cubicles, computers and Aeron chairs amidst crumbling walls. Maslow's team are hanging out there, thirty agents, a fairly competent and well-armed bunch. Maslow is inside the control room which is like a small construction trailer. Several different monitors have images of Raizo. SECURITY GOON Prisoner is secure sir. For a moment it appears that Raizo looks up as Maslow looks at him, as if somehow Raizo could see through the lens watching him. Then his head drops again. MASLOW Right. He scans the different monitors. MASLOW (CONT'D) Something's wrong with the infrared cam. SECURITY GOON No sir, we checked it. MASLOW Then why isn't he showing up? SECURITY GOON We think he's able to lower the temperature of his body to remain neutral. MASLOW Or maybe he's just cold-blooded. SECURITY GOON #2 Sir! (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 66A. 81 CONTINUED: 81 The goon struggles to stop Mika as she storms inside. MIKA Ryan, you know this is wrong! It can't be legal! What is this place? Your own private Guantanamo? MASLOW It's an old GDR safehouse. Jamison wants this off the grid. MIKA Ryan you're making a huge mistake! MASLOW I don't think so. We got reports from Washington, London, Osaka all tagging your boy. Only problem we have is where to extradite him first. MIKA So two weeks ago, there's no such thing as a ninja and now every city in the world has a warrant for one? MASLOW We must respect the jurisprudence of the regional government and corresponding law enforcement agencies. MIKA He's not the enemy. MASLOW No? You ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome I'm getting the feeling I'm looking at a pretty serious case of it. MIKA I'm not crazy. This is! (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 67. 81 CONTINUED: (2) 81 MASLOW He's a killer, Mika. Weren't you the one telling me it was our job to stop him. MIKA You're not listening to me! MASLOW You're not saying anything worth hearing. Look, if want to do the insubordination tango, let's go, but not in front of the kids okay? Boys, give us a minute. The security goons clear out, closing the door behind them. 82 INT. SAFE-HOUSE OFFICE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 82 She wheels on him to let him have it. MIKA Damn it, Ryan, I -- -- but he holds a finger to his lips, indicating be quiet. MASLOW Listen to me, we don't have much time. Look, I don't know what you've stumbled into, but somebody is pulling some major strings inside. MIKA They want him dead. He's been fighting them for years. MASLOW I believe you. (softer) I believe you. I've been in this business too long not to smell a set-up. But we have to be careful how we handle this. And I can't risk you going AWOL on me again, because -- (beat) -- because I don't want anything to happen to you. He glances up at her, and it's clear: he has affection for her. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 68. 82 CONTINUED: 82 He presses a tracking device into her hands. MASLOW (CONT'D) If trouble comes, turn this on, no matter where, and I'll find you. 83 INT. SAFE HOUSE VAULT - NIGHT 83 Raizo remains motionless, his eyes open when he hears someone coming. RAIZO (V.O.) You shouldn't do that they'll catch you. KIRIKO (V.O.) Then they'll catch me. RAIZO (V.O.) They'll put you in the box. KIRIKO (V.O.) Yes. They will. 84 FLASHBACK - INT. ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT 84 It is the middle of the night. Raizo lies on a floor mat, unable to sleep. He looks over at Kiriko's empty mat. Quietly he gets up and makes his way outside. 85 FLASHBACK - EXT. ORPHANAGE MEDITATION BOX - NIGHT 85 He moves to an upright bamboo box about the size of a coffin. Looking at -- -- Kiriko, in the box. Dehydration has left Kiriko with barely the strength to breathe. Her lips are swollen and cracked, she sags against the tight walls of the box. He pulls a bamboo straw from his dark robe, then fills his mouth with water from a flask. Sticking the straw through the bamboo poles near her lips, he feeds her drop by drop, and in this way, separated by a cage they share a kind of kiss. Her eyes part, ever so slightly, and she manages a smile. RAIZO I told you. I tried to warn you. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 69. 85 CONTINUED: 85 KIRIKO ...yes, you did.... RAIZO But you did it anyway. Why? KIRIKO Why am I in here for watering my tree...or why are you out there... watering me? She meets his eyes. 86 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - VAULT - NIGHT 86 Mika is standing behind the bars which slide open. She has a bottle of water, she looks at the two armed guards following her. MIKA Could you give us a moment? GUARD Negative. Not safe ma'am. MIKA If he wanted to hurt me he could have done that a while ago. GUARD Sorry ma'am. Maslow okayed the water. That's it. They stand near the door as Mika crosses to Raizo. MIKA Hi...you looked thirsty. She holds the water bottle to his lips, whispering. MIKA (CONT'D) I'm sorry...I didn't know about this. RAIZO I know. MIKA You do? He nod's, swallowing another sip. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 70. 86 CONTINUED: 86 RAIZO The only time you lied to me was when you told me your size. MIKA How did you know that? RAIZO Your heart. It is special. MIKA You know about my heart? RAIZO Hearts speak truer than tongues. He is unlike anyone she has ever met. MIKA Listen, Maslow is on our side. He's going to try to help you. RAIZO It's too late. All that matters is the Rihla. Get the manuscript before they get here. MIKA The Hanta Kirra? RAIZO Hurry. 87 INT. SAFE-HOUSE GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT 87 Mika rushes up to Maslow who is talking to the group of Europols. MIKA Ryan, can I talk to you? MASLOW We have to do this again, Coretti? MIKA No sir. I just...I have reason to believe that a group of ninja may be on their way here. The men chuckle. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71. 87 CONTINUED: 87 MASLOW I think these gentlemen can handle a few whack-jobs wearing pajamas. Am I right? They ad-lib responses: Fucking' A sir... Locked, cocked and ready to rock. MASLOW (CONT'D) See? MIKA But the situation we discussed- MASLOW I'm working on that. You have to give me a little time. MIKA We don't have time. MASLOW They're not here now. MIKA They'll be here soon. MASLOW How soon- 88 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - VAULT - NIGHT 88 Raizo looks up. His eyes narrow: they're here. 89 INT. SAFE-HOUSE GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT 89 The lights go out. Mika's eyes dart into the pitch, red emergency lights suddenly glowing ominously. MIKA Raizo-- Maslow spins as she sprints for the stairs. MASLOW Mika! Maslow draws his firearm and hisses at one of the Special Ops. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71A. 89 CONTINUED: 89 MASLOW (CONT'D) Go with her! Secure the prisoner! Instantly, tiny LED flashlights and laser targeting systems light up on automatic weapons. Night vision goggles go up. Rather than panicking, the police are instantly in stealth-mode, communicating with quick, urgent hand gestures. A handful of men splinter off for the vault while the rest separate into teams with practiced precision, moving through the safe-house, ready for whatever comes. 89A INT. SAFE-HOUSE - VAULT - NIGHT 89A Mika charges into the holding area, the detail of men right at her heels. EUROPOL WATER GUARD Hold your fire-- Raizo's guards release their aim. EUROPOL GUARD Christ-- EUROPOL WATER GUARD Good way to get yourself killed, Agent Coretti. EUROPOL #2 What the fuck's with the lights? EUROPOL GUARD We got some guys in pajamas comin' to play spin the bottle. One of them lifts a shotgun. EUROPOL #2 Huh huh. I got something they can wrap their lips around. MIKA I don't have time for this shit. We have to move the prisoner. In the back of his cell, Raizo's head lifts at the sound of Mika's voice. RAIZO Mika! (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71B. 89A CONTINUED: 89A EUROPOL WATER GUARD No ma'am. Those aren't our orders. Raizo calls from behind the reinforced door. RAIZO You've got to get out of here! She calls to his cell. MIKA Not without you. Raizo's voice hangs in the gloom. RAIZO Then we all die together. 89B INT. SAFE-HOUSE - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT 89B One of the teams edges through the decay of the dilapidated industrial cavern. Straining through the eyepiece of his goggles one of them mutters. EUROPOL AGENT 2 Don't see shit-- Ahead the point man motions and the men take up defensive positions. The point man creeps forward, a flicker of heat fluttering in his IR-Optic. POINT MAN Is that..? Through the darkness we see that his infrared is actually picking up the slow exhale of a ninja poised like a cobra inches away just above him. His blades flash-- And the detail of men recoil as their infrared sensors light up, the point man cleft open in hot volcanic gore. A cloud of shuriken spit out of the darkness and punch into necks, faces, eyes. Ten of them fall like wheat before a scythe. The rest fire hitting nothing. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71C. 90 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - VAULT - NIGHT 90 The screams of dying men and gunfire shudder down the gullet of the old concrete building. MIKA Fuck me... She watches as the men position themselves, pressing into the black of the corridor. Thumbs flick safeties to hot. A shriek pierces the silence, one of the agents suddenly jerked from his feet like a puppet on a string. They watch in IR as the agent falls to the ground in several pieces. EUROPOL #2 What the fu-- #2's exclamation gets caught in the oozing slit that opens in his throat. The man guarding Raizo's cell door screams. EUROPOL GUARD They're not showing up on IR! He clicks his flashlight the beam glinting against a hail of shuriken that pound into him, wounds flowering in ribbons of red. Mika watches as he lands wetly at her feet. More screams and gunfire shake the shock from her. She dives for the guard, frantic fingers clawing at the key-chain clipped to his belt. The remaining Europol Agents cluster together, flashlights strobing spastically, while Mika slams through Raizo's cell door. She instantly goes to work on his leg irons. MIKA Come on--come on-- Raizo's eyes narrow, the last of the Europol Agents butchered by shadows. RAIZO Mika? (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71D. 90 CONTINUED: 90 MIKA Shh! RAIZO I don't want to sound critical-- He can feel the rush of darkness. MIKA Got it! The leg irons click open and Raizo springs forward the chain of his handcuffs catching a falling blade. He twists and the ring of metal on metal is followed by the dry snap of bone as Raizo breaks the ninja's neck. She releases his handcuffs and they move quickly through the glistening remains of the bodies, Raizo shielding her from the darkness. 90A INT. SAFE-HOUSE - SUBLEVEL - NIGHT 90A The two sprint from a stairwell into a concourse, Raizo stopping suddenly, sensing the presence of the Hanta- Kirra. He pushes her toward another set of stairs. RAIZO Go. Find Maslow. He turns to facing the dark. RAIZO (CONT'D) Go quick. She lurches up the stairs as the Hanta-Kirra descend on him like a murder of crows. 90B INT. SAFE-HOUSE - STAIRWELL - NIGHT 90B Mika flies up the stairs taking the steps two at a time rounding the next flight-- A beam of light flashing weapons rattling suddenly trained on her. MASLOW Mika! Her stomach finds its way into her throat. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 71E. 90B CONTINUED: 90B MIKA Jesus Ryan-- Maslow rushes down to her, another agent scanning the stairs above them. MASLOW I thought you were-- Mika's eyes widen as the agent on the flight above them is ripped into the air replaced by a squall of red. Maslow whirls as a blade suddenly pierces his side-- But before it can continue its deadly cut, Maslow catches it in a bloody fist and fires into the shadows. One of the Hanta-Kirra falls tumbling past them down the stairs. Maslow grunts as he rips the chain blade from his side. MIKA Are you ok? He nods, a bit woozy. MASLOW I hope that wasn't my liver. Gonna need that soon. MIKA Come on. 91 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - GROUND FLOOR 91 Sparks dance along the singing ringing blades, the melee escalating in the darkness. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 72-73. 91 CONTINUED: 91 Raizo meets the Hanta-Kirra in the air. Vaults from one wall and door to another, spinning in and out of view as he moves through the shadows. The ninjas move with him, matching his speed and ferocity and ability to disappear within the darkness. Swords clash against chains and sword and walls. Sparks fly and blood falls. This is the first time we've seen Raizo turned loose. But it's three on one...and Takeshi isn't a pushover. Mika and Maslow slam through the exit into-- 92 INT. GARAGE - NIGHT 92 The building carpark. Mika suddenly stops. MIKA Fuck! (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 74. 92 CONTINUED: 92 MASLOW What? MIKA The manuscript-- MASLOW No Mika-- He is about to argue but wilts at her resolve. MASLOW (CONT'D) Right... He stuffs his car keys in her hand, trying not to let his voice crack. MASLOW (CONT'D) Two minutes. Keep it in gear. MIKA Maslow-- He turns. MIKA (CONT'D) Tip-toe. He opens the door retracing their steps into the dark. Mika suddenly very alone manages a slow nervous pirouette in the crypt-like garage, before skittering for Maslow's sedan. She slides in pulling the door shut behind her as quietly as she can-- And waits. 93 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT 93 Maslow moves cautiously through the folds of midnight. He hears the fighting before he can see it. Raizo blocks a sword-thrust from Takeshi. Dodges around a hail of shuriken. Uses his chain to drive another Ninja back. Takeshi rips free his left arm. Draws a short, angled blade and brings it slashing down at Raizo's neck... Raizo blocks the knife with his elbow, twists, throws Takeshi twenty feet through the air. He recovers mid- flight like a cat and regains his balance. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 75. 93 CONTINUED: 93 From the darkness a ninja fires a dozen shuriken at him, and at least three of the spinning blades find their mark. Raizo grunts at the impact, but vaults up and over a counter and LEAPS through a window, crashing out to - 94 INT. GARAGE - NIGHT 94 The surrounding shadows seem to press in on the car. MIKA Come on, Ryan... A figure darts in her periphery and her head whips around craning all directions. MIKA (CONT'D) Hurry the fuck up! Ka-chunk-- she punches the lock. Click-- the headlights flash on-- Ka-chick-- she chambers the Glock. MIKA (CONT'D) Motherfuckfuckfuck-- She twists the ignition and as the motor turns over-- The car's headlights explode, shattered by projectiles that seem to materialize from the void. Mika screams throwing the car into gear-- Peeling out toward the down ramp. The car fishtails down level after level through the oscillating light/dark of the dimly lit exit ramp. Her eyes twitch from mirror to mirror when she sees up ahead-- A shadow hanging in the corner of the tunnel like a spider. She ducks just as the front of the sedan is shredded by a squall of stars. The sedan rebounds into the light. Its hood and windscreen looking as though it was gnawed on by a Great White. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 76. 94 CONTINUED: 94 Mika cranks the wheel tearing around a dark bend as-- Toom! Something lands on the roof of the car. Above her she sees the distinct tips of the tiger claws that have punctured the metal exterior of the car just as- - She passes under a light-- Revealing a crouching ninja staring right at her, through the sun roof. His blade whips from its sheath but before he can strike-- She jams the barrel of the Glock between the two tips of one set of claws, right where his foot should be-- And fires. A scream is followed by a gout of blood that washes over the sunroof-- The ninja's body tumbling off the back of the car. Maslow's gnarled sedan bottoms out in a starburst of sparks as it corners into traffic. Mika breathing heavy digs into her bag for her cell phone. INTERCUT WITH: 95 INT. SAFE HOUSE - NIGHT 95 The lights are still dead. Maslow is with a team of Europols moving through the stairwell. He talks quietly. MIKA Ryan- I had to leave! MASLOW Good, stay clear. MIKA Do you have the map? MASLOW Not yet. We're heading upstairs now. MIKA Where's Raizo (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 77. 95 CONTINUED: 95 MASLOW He took off. We think they went after him. He looks into the surrounding shadows unsure. 96 EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT 96 Raizo parkours across the roofs, the Hanta Kirra close behind. Shuriken sizzle past; some missing, some lashing open whip cuts across his flesh. 97 EXT. WINGED VICTORY ROUNDABOUT - NIGHT 97 Raizo pulls free the shuriken in his side. Drops them to the ground where they clatter back and forth like so much tossed change. He looks up at winged victory silhouetted against the moonlight. And suddenly the ninja are on him. Raizo blocks and parries. Counterattacks with a reverse cut - and throws himself sideways as a truck comes roaring down at him. The truck fills the screen with lights and horns and three tons of death. Raizo cartwheels over the hood, forcing the Scarred Ninja to leap the other way, and as he turns -- -- Raizo comes down on him, slashing his shoulder. 98 EXT. WINGED VICTORY ROUNDABOUT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 98 The fight is now two one against one, and one of them is Takeshi. Their swords crash back and forth, sending sparks flying. Raizo is tired, already wounded by the shuriken... With a cry, he hurls a second Ninja back and spins to face Takeshi... Too late. Takeshi's blade gets under his guard. Opens up Raizo's side. His sword is ripped free from his hand, rebounds off a speeding sedan and clatters to the ground thirty feet away. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 78. 98 CONTINUED: 98 Raizo stumbles backward. Life's blood dripping down and splattering on the concrete. Takeshi raises his sword high. Smiles. TAKESHI This is the end for you, brother. Mika's car slashes across the width of the street screeching to a stop next to Raizo. The door snaps open. MIKA Raizo! Raizo gets into the car. Collapses into the seat, arms wrapped tight around the ugly wound in his side. She peels away before the others can stop her. Mika carves a path through the traffic, driving as fast as she can. Eager to get more miles between them and the ninjas. Raizo lets out a gasp as the car goes over a bump. His shirt is drenched with his own blood. MIKA (CONT'D) What were you doing in the street?! RAIZO ...waiting for you... MIKA You have to go to a hospital. RAIZO No. Not a hospital. Another place. The car speeds into the night. 99 EXT. HERBALIST - NIGHT 99 The sort of store where the owner lives above the shop. Mika pounds on the door as a LIGHT comes on in the floor above. A moment later, the door opens. HERBALIST What is it? What -- He steps out of the way as Mika helps Raizo in, bloody and half-dead. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 79. 100 INT. HERBALIST - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 100 Herbalist places herbs into a hand-grinder as Raizo staggers through the rows of bowls, grabbing what he needs and handing it to her. RAIZO ...dong-xia leaves...three of the lo-chan...dragon root... HERBALIST You should not mix these. Very dangerous. Raizo ignores him. Gives her some more dried bits and pieces. The herbalist shakes his head. HERBALIST (CONT'D) If you are in pain...if you wish to die...there are other ways, this will be agony -- RAIZO No...it will save me.... HERBALIST It will? You're sure? (beat) Let me write this down. He goes to find a pen and paper as Mika grinds away. RAIZO Hot water. She goes to a tea kettle, pours water into the bowl. He reaches for it, and nearly collapses. She helps him raise the cup to his lips. Tilts it and watches him drink. Takes the empty cup away from him. Raizo shudders as the drugs course through him. RAIZO (CONT'D) I have to sleep now...a day at least. His eyelids flutter. She's holding him up now - muscles already loosening. MIKA A day?!? What should I do? RAIZO ...keep moving... (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 80. 100 CONTINUED: 100 He slumps over the counter like a child dropping into deepest sleep as -- -- the herbalist comes back, pen and paper in hand. He pauses as he sees Mika standing over Raizo. She looks from him to Raizo and back again, then: MIKA I'll have him to go. (beat) Can you...help me to the car? CUT TO: 101 EXT. AUTOBAHN - NIGHT 101 Mika is the proverbial bat outta hell. Her phone is at her ear. INTERCUT WITH: 102 INT. SAFE-HOUSE - NIGHT 102 The lights are back on but the place is trashed. MASLOW Mika, where are you? MIKA Moving. He told me to keep moving. MASLOW He's still alive? She glances at his slumped body. MIKA After a fashion. MASLOW Let us bring you in. MIKA Not this time. MASLOW Mika, the situation's a little different. Jurisprudence goes out the fucking window when my men get attacked. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 81. 102 CONTINUED: 102 MIKA Do you have the manuscript? He takes a breath. MASLOW ...negative. They got to my office. Everything's gone. The news crushes her. MASLOW (CONT'D) Mika, it's gonna be all right. We'll find them. MIKA ...but I promised... MASLOW We'll keep your promise. They're too many people involved now. It's just a matter of time. MIKA I don't think we have much time... MASLOW Just tell me where you are. She hangs up. MASLOW (CONT'D) Mika? Mika? Dammit. 103 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT 103 The car is parked outside the same hotel that he took her too. 104 INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM/BATHROOM - NIGHT 104 She steps out of the shower and dries herself with an evergreen branch. 105 INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 105 In the bedroom, Raizo is sprawled out on the bed. She is wearing new clothes. She takes a drag on a cigarette then passes the smoke over her body. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 82. 105 CONTINUED: 105 MIKA I know you can't hear me, so I'm sure this doesn't matter, but I'm going to say it anyway. She looks at him. MIKA (CONT'D) I'm a forensic researcher, okay? That's like a fancy way of saying I'm a librarian. By myself I can't do anything to help you. She opens her fist; inside is the tracking device Maslow gave her. MIKA (CONT'D) I wanted to think you for saving my life. Bending over him, she kisses him gently. MIKA (CONT'D) And I hope you can forgive me for this. 106 INT. MASLOW'S OFFICE - NIGHT 106 There's a crowd of other OFFICIALS there, having turned the place into a makeshift command and control center. An AIDE rushes in from an adjoining room, goes to Maslow. AIDE Agent Maslow, the tracking device-- MASLOW You've got a lock? AIDE Triangulating her position now. 107 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ACROSS PARKING LOT - NIGHT 107 Mika watches from the trees as a shadow comes to life on the balcony outside their room. It pauses as if sensing something. 108 INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 108 Raizo lies alone. The heavy shadows begin to undulate as the Hanta-Kirra emerge. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 83. 108 CONTINUED: 108 Takeshi's eyes gleam the way a blade gleams. 109 EXT. HIGHWAY MOTEL PARKING LOT - DAWN 109 Police and Europol cars scream up to the hotel. 110 EXT/INT. HIGHWAY MOTEL ROOM - DAWN 110 A moment later the door bursts open; Maslow and his men pour into the bedroom. The bed is empty. Raizo is gone. Mika is sitting in the chair. MIKA They took him. Ten minutes ago. He's gone. Maslow embraces her. 111 FLASHBACK - INT ORPHANAGE DORMITORY - NIGHT 111 There is a furious storm raging outside the thin screened walls. Raizo is watching Kiriko who seems to be sleeping. In a flash of lightning, her eyes open and she stares at him and he feels in hi heart what she is saying goodbye. The flashing ends and as the thunder booms, she is gone, melting quietly into the shadows. RAIZO ...no! 112 EXT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD/WALL - NIGHT 112 Two shadows race through sheets of rain, visible in flashes of lightning. He catches her near the base of the wall. RAIZO Kiriko! You can't leave! KIRIKO I have to. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 84. 112 CONTINUED: 112 RAIZO Why? KIRIKO Because my heart is telling me too. RAIZO The Hanta Kirra will come for you. KIRIKO Then they will come. RAIZO You know the law. He will cut your heart from your chest. She smiles. KIRIKO No...He can never touch my heart. She puts his hand on her chest, then leans in and kisses him. KIRIKO (CONT'D) Come with me. RAIZO Where? What is out there? KIRIKO Life. He cannot imagine what that life might be. RAIZO ...My life is here. She bows her head and turns. RAIZO (CONT'D) Why are you doing this? KIRIKO Because I can't watch you become something you are not. She races for the wall. He watches her climb...And disappear. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 84A. 113 INT. METAL BOX - NIGHT 113 Raizo drifts on the edge of consciousness. He can sense some light filtering through the edges and air holes. The air begins to smell familiar. OZUNU (V.O.) We have been betrayed. 114 FLASHBACK - EXT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD - DAY 114 The clan is gathered outside, the sun beats down on the Spartan courtyard. Kiriko's body is twisted, bound to a pole like one of the Bonsai trees. Ozunu delivers his eulogy. OZUNU A child of mine, my daughter, betrayed us. She refused these gifts. Rejected our clan. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 85. 114 CONTINUED: 114 Raizo stands among the clan; his face a mask. OZUNU (CONT'D) Hers is a shame that can only be purged with blood. He unsheathes the ancient Wakizashi, then offers the hilt to Takeshi. OZUNU (CONT'D) You who returned her shall have this honor. Takeshi hides a smile as he takes the blade. Kiriko looks out into the clan and finds Raizo. He can hear her heart pounding. Takeshi knows where she is looking as he prepares to strike. Blood pounds in Raizo's ears. The sword plunges into her heart. Raizo hears it die- And feels his own heart stop. 115 INT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD - NIGHT 115 A bucket of water slaps Raizo awake. He's bound to a pole in the middle of the courtyard by thick rope that bites into his flesh. Ozunu stands before him, as well as the rest of the clan, down to the youngest of them. Watching silently. He looks the same as he has in the flashbacks - except that now an ugly scar runs diagonally across the length of his face. Trace of Raizo's blade from atop the building in Dubai. When he speaks, Ozunu is speaking for the benefit of the rest of the clan as to Raizo. OZUNU You are Ozunu. Your life is meaningless compared to the survival of the Clan. This is our deepest truth. Because of it, we have endured for hundreds of years, and will endure for hundreds more. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 86. 115 CONTINUED: 115 He looks to the rest, pounding the message home. The message that says hope and escape are futile. OZUNU (CONT'D) Weakness compels strength. Betrayal begets blood. This is the way of the Nine Clans. (beat) This is the way of the Ninja. He looks back at Raizo, approaching slowly. Taking his time. OZUNU (CONT'D) I have waited many years for this moment. I have dreamed it, many times. He hits Raizo. Hard. OZUNU (CONT'D) You will suffer for seven days, one day for each year you defied me. He takes a knife, and very carefully cuts out a very small piece of Raizo's flesh, from the upper arm. Raizo doesn't cry out. OZUNU (CONT'D) For seven days, we will...take...from you, as I have just done. Everyone here will take from you. Piece by piece. You will live through it all, you will feel through it all. You will watch as the birds fight over the pieces. He STRIKES Raizo as he did long ago, his hand jutting deep inside gut, flicking switches of nerves that cause instant agony. This time Raizo does cry out. OZUNU (CONT'D) You will know pain like no other human being has ever known. He twists something in Raizo's belly and violent spasms wrack the young man's body. Blood burbles up through his mouth and flows down his chin. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 87. 115 CONTINUED: (2) 115 OZUNU (CONT'D) Your death will be remembered for a thousand years as a testament to the will and strength of the Ozunu Clan. One last gouge in Raizo's stomach sends a heaving shudder through him. Confident, victorious, Ozunu turns and walks a few steps away as -- -- Raizo coughs up a bloody wad onto the clean floor. Takeshi smiles at this, then looks more closely, seeing something amidst the bile... TAKESHI Father... Ozunu looks down and sees a tiny steel cylinder. A single LED light blinking through the gore. He nudges it with his foot...and TIME SLOWS DOWN as he realizes what he's looking at. He slowly raises his eyes -- -- and meets Raizo's gaze as suddenly -- -- EXPLOSIONS rock the orphanage's centuries-old gate. A reinforced military Humvee crashes through the cloud of splintering timber with a roar and an explosion of blinding lights. The Ozunu Clan scatters as the massive vehicle heaves into the courtyard, revealing behind it still more vehicles, all equipped with brilliant lights. The ninjas take to the shadows, trying to melt away, but the shadows are gone. There's no place for the ninjas to hide anymore. We FIND Mika and Maslow in one of the lead vehicles as -- -- Takeshi draws his blade in a smooth arc, raising it over Raizo's helpless form. Maslow takes aim with his submachine gun and squeezes off a long burst. Takeshi blocks some of the slugs with his sword and dodges the others. He slides into one of the few remaining shadows. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 88. 115 CONTINUED: (3) 115 One of the soldiers sees him making a break for it and fires an incendiary grenade. The explosion sends incandescent white phosphorous splashing through the courtyard, but Takeshi is gone. They prepare to fire another one when Maslow comes on the run. MASLOW No more grenades, not until we get the children out! But some parts of the orphanage are already on fire, the flames spreading through the ancient timbers. The carnage continues. Maslow fires at the fleeing ninjas as Mika rushes for Raizo, pistol in hand. One of the MP's screams as a shuriken rips open his face as other Mps FIRE back at the ninja, tearing him apart with gunfire. Mika makes it to Raizo's side. He smiles at her as she saws through the rope with her knife. RAIZO What took you? MIKA You knew I'd come? RAIZO Just because I was asleep doesn't mean I couldn't hear you. Mika finishes with the rope. Raizo pulls free and reaches for a fallen ninja's sword and chain. RAIZO (CONT'D) And I forgive you. Mika looks back at the sound of GUNFIRE tearing apart another ninja. When she looks back -- -- Raizo is gone. GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 89. 116 INT. ORPHANAGE KITCHEN/DINING/DORMITORY/DOJO - NIGHT 116 The fires are ripping through the interior, leaping from bamboo furniture to paper shoji screens to polished wooden floors as -- -- Raizo kicks down the burning wall of the empty dorm, the futons smoldering. Raizo continues into the next hall to find -- -- Takeshi waiting for him. An apparition in the wavering blaze of heat, silhouetted against a wall of fire. TAKESHI Come, little brother, let us play like old times They spring at other. Meeting in the middle of the hallway as the flames dance around them...recalling the lanterns they used to fight through, in the days of their training. Their weapons ring out a frenzied drum roll of steel on steel. Neither giving an inch. Evenly matched in skill and ferocity. Locking together for a moment Takeshi smiles. TAKESHI (CONT'D) No death tasted as sweet as hers. Raizo's back glistens orange in the firelight, sweat pouring as he strains, attacks, defends and attacks again. Takeshi jumps over them, twists mid-air and ducks low beneath Raizo's swinging chain as -- -- Raizo stumbles back on the polished floor, blocking Takeshi's attack, but -- -- Takeshi catches his wrist in an iron grip. As he brings his sword around, Raizo gets a loop of chain around the blade and locks it tight. Both men spin in their sudden embrace. Faces inches from each other. TAKESHI (CONT'D) I watched you die when I pierced her heart. You have always been too weak to be Ozunu. Takeshi's finger trips a hidden button on the sword. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 90. 116 CONTINUED: 116 The blade retracts back through the handle and a yard of steel jolts out from the hilt of Takeshi's sword. He moves to slam it into Raizo's side...but Raizo FLIPS over him, holding onto the hilt and as he lands he -- -- DRIVES the steel into Takeshi's heart. He still stands for a BEAT, more by inertia than will, then slumps, dead, to the floor. Raizo stalks down the hall. One last task ahead of him. 117 INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR/MASTERS 117 ROOM/ASSEMBLY ROOM - NIGHT Raizo walks across the Nightingale floor, his bloody footprints moving soundlessly. From the shadows he hears Ozunu's voice OZUNU You have not forgotten your training. You will always be mine, child. Raizo stops, considers this, then continues; his footsteps now bringing every sound possible. Ozunu steps out of the darkness, as though shrugging off a cloak of midnight. OZUNU (CONT'D) Perhaps this is the best way for you to die. His blade rises as like a Cobra's hood, while the chain blade begins to spin. RAIZO The breath I take after you are dead, will be the first of my life. Raizo unleashes all his fury: The chain cutting with the power of an enormous buzz saw-- Hacking timbers in half-- Carving scars in the floors and walls-- Braziers are thrown, fumes begin to spread but-- Ozunu blocks or evades, absorbing the assault patiently (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 91. 117 CONTINUED: 117 Waiting for Raizo to tire, waiting for an opening. 118 EXT. ORPHANAGE - COURTYARD - NIGHT 118 A portion of the Orphanage's wall burns through. Mika spots Raizo through the flames. She runs for him. 119 INT. ORPHANAGE OZUNU HOUSE ASSEMBLY ROOM - NIGHT 119 Raizo begins to weaken. An attack misses wrapping a beam and Ozunu has his opening- His assault is ferocious. Wounds begin opening like windows shears of blood billowing out. Raizo retreats, his chain just blocking, catching, or deflecting the whirlwind attack until-- One sound cuts through the furious fight. Snap-zoom to Ozunu's ear as-- The hammer is cocked, a cylinder spinning into place. MIKA Die you fuck! She fires and Ozunu twists enough so that the bullet grazes him. OZUNU Bitch! A scatter shot of shurikens send her diving to the floor. But the distraction gives Raizo his chance. The blade whistles, the chain snaps and blood arcs out of Ozunu. Rage thunders the hall. Mika gets back up and aims but-- Ozunu seems to pull the shadows and smoke around him as he disappears. MIKA Raizo (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 92. 119 CONTINUED: 119 She cannot see him. Ozunu's attack hits Raizo with the force of a bomb burst, his blade shatters through Raizo's chain-- Hurling him back, petals of blood fluttering from his chest. Raizo tries to recover, his chain now in two pieces. RAIZO Mika! Run! MIKA Where is he? I can't see him! RAIZO Get away! Ozunu emerges from the smoke behind her, a wraith. His eyes are as black as the sockets of a skull. She spins around but is too late. The ancient blade runs straight through her chest just as- - Raizo finds them. He sees Kiriko, the same blade taking her life and howls-- His pain a force of nature unleashed. The chain blades crackle in the air- Dual cyclones that batter Ozunu's parrying blade which- Finally shatters against Raizo's fury. And with a final scream, Raizo lunges at his master, the whistling blades lazering through his body until he separates, pieces hanging in mid-air, like an unstitched rag doll. Raizo throws down the blood slick blades and-- --hurries to Mika's side. He picks Mika up and walks through the falling timbers and blazing shards to the door. 120 EXT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD - NIGHT 120 The fighting is over now. All the combatant ninjas dead or long gone. (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 93. 120 CONTINUED: 120 Maslow sees Raizo emerge from the smoke and flames, carrying Mika in his arms. MASLOW Mika! He runs to her side as Raizo lays her gently on the ground. MASLOW (CONT'D) What happened? RAIZO She saved my life. Raizo puts his hand on her chest. Closes his eyes. We can FEEL her heart-beat. Bump-thump. Bump-thump. Raizo opens his eyes. RAIZO (CONT'D) She will be all right. MASLOW How can you be sure? Raizo touches her face as she takes in a sudden breath. He smiles distantly. RAIZO Her heart is special. MIKA Medic! Over here now! Several medics rush to them, Raizo gently laying her on the stretcher. As they immediately begin working on her, Raizo fades back. Maslow remains at her side. Her eyes flutter open. MASLOW Is she going to be okay? MEDIC I don't know...she's got a hole right through the middle of her heart...but shes not really bleeding, that badly... (CONTINUED) GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 94. 120 CONTINUED: (2) 120 MIKA My heart... She points to the right side of her chest. MIKA (CONT'D) ...is over here. MASLOW ...you gotta be fucking kidding me. MIKA ...Raizo? MASLOW He said you saved his life. She smiles. MASLOW (CONT'D) So you kept your promise. Can we go home now? 121 EXT. ORPHANAGE BONSAI GARDEN - DAY 121 Raizo stands among the bound trees. RAIZO (V.O.) You shouldn't do that. 122 FLASHBACK - EXT ORPHANAGE BONSAI GARDEN - DAY 122 Kiriko releases one of the trees. KIRIKO I believe the heart of a tree knows which way it needs to grow. CUT TO: 122A Raizo releases a tree. 122A (V.O.) Trees don't have hearts. KIRIKO (V.O.) Everything has a heart. RAIZO I don't. CUT TO: GOLDENROD REVISED 2nd DRAFT 6/4/08 95. 123 FLASHBACK - EXT: ORPHANAGE BONSAI GARDEN - DAY 123 She listens to his heart. KIRIKO Hello...hello in there. It said it was happy to meet me and that it missed you. CUT TO: 124 EXT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD/WALL - DAY 124 He stands and looks at the wall. 125 FLASHBACK - EXT ORPHANAGE COURTYARD/WALL - NIGHT 125 The storm lashes against them. KIRIKO Come with me! CUT TO: 126 EXT. ORPHANAGE COURTYARD/WALL - DAY 126 He begins to climb. CUT TO: 127 FLASHBACK - EXT. ORPHANAGE WALL - NIGHT 127 She kisses him. CUT TO: 128 EXT. ORPHANAGE WALL - DAY 128 We hear his heartbeat. Bump-thump Bump-thump. As he stands on the edge of the wall. In the next moment he is gone- And finally, free. FADE OUT. Ninja Assassin Writers :   Matthew Sand  J. Michael Straczynski Genres :   Action  Crime  Drama  Thriller User Comments Back to IMSDb

screenplays

Considering body as a paricles, how the force is applied? Lets consider a 2d box with nothing inside of it - just 4 walls, which consist of balls, connected by the force very similar to spring force. Look at the picture I draw. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BxYPB.png) When the force applied to the center of the bottom surface, balls shift up and attract neighboring balls. According to this model, even if spring is very rigid, it's unclear, why the whole body is moving. Why do the top balls start to move? Again, body is empty inside; the balls from bottom can't reach the balls from top. The force that pulls on the very last ball on both sides still has a component upwards of $F\cos\theta$ (shown below). In other words the entire pulling force from the adjacent ball won't be horizontal, there will be some upwards component of this pull. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PUCVn.png) If you have a string, and you push a part of it, it will oscillate back and forth. In your example, instead, the particles affected will move back and forth because they have a changing net force(initially a push forward, then as it moves up the other particles pull it down). As the particles move up and down, they rub off the particles in the air and propel the whole object forward. If there was no air, then the particles would oscillate up and down forever. It means the affected particles have a changing net force on them, but the other ones do not, and as such they shouldn't move. Mechanical forces cannot act at a distance. OP you didn't state in the question if the bottomleft particle could collide with the particle above it. If thats the case then yes the object will move forward. Consider all the balls together as comprising a single system. The only external force acting on the system is the arrow acting upward. That means there is a net external force on the system. Per Newton’s second law the system will accelerate. Hope this helps

stackexchange/physics

Oh My Goddess! As Long as You're With Me **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Aa! Megami-sama nor am I in any way affiliated with Kosuke Fujishima in any way.** **As Long as you're With Me** * * * Sunlight trickled brightly through the windows of the old temple. As the sun gently caressed her soft features the young Goddess, Belldandy, felt herself awakening from the depths of her slumber. Opening her crystal blue eyes a smile lit her face as she began to take in the calm serenity of the morning. She felt something shift slightly beside her and a soft blush found her cheeks as she gazed upon the sleeping form beside her. His breaths were deep and steady, and as he slept soundly his lips parted slightly. Bell placed a slender hand on his face tenderly. He looked so peaceful, so happy there in his sleep. The Goddess withheld her strong urge to touch his lips with her own. He was so kind, so caring, her love…her Keiichi. Leaning her head on his chest she began to hum softly in time with the rhythmic thud of his heart. She slid her hand from his cheek to his neck as he shifted again in his slumber, his own arms settling around her waist, pulling her close. "…Forever…I want to make my life with you Bell…(snore) I want too…(yawn) I love you…" Keiichi murmured in his sleep. The Goddess smiled lovingly at him laying a soft kiss on his cheek. Oh how she loved this man. Bringing her humming to a close she felt Keiichi awakening. First he yawned, scratched his short black hair, and then opened his eyes slowly. At first he was unaware of her presence, but as he felt his right hand wrapped around something warm he turned his head to her, a blush quickly spreading to his own cheeks. He wrenched his hand from her waist. "Oh…OOh!...M…M…Morning Bell!…" His mind searched for more to say but the closeness of their faces distracted him. He felt her warm breath on his face and began to turn crimson; he cleared his throat. "Are you feeling sick dear?" Belldandy furrowed her eyebrows placing her forehead on his as to check for fever. "N..Nope! I'm fine, just..um..hot!" Keiichi wished to kiss his Goddess but nerves prevented him from doing so as they usually did. 'Great Morisato,' He thought 'Urd and Skuld gone for the week and you can't even make a simple move!' Belldandy pulled away from him as she began to get up from the sleeping mat. "I'm going to make some breakfast. Would you like some Tamagoyaki this morning?" "Oh! Tamagoyaki? Of course Bell, you make the best!" Keiichi rubbed his stomach also rising from the mat. Belldandy smiled cheerfully at him beginning her walk to the kitchen area. "Um, Bell?" "Yes?" Keiichi walked up to the Goddess gathering what nerve he had and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I love you." * * * **Sorry for the extremely short first chapter, I wrote this a long while ago and don't know if I should continue it. Tell me what you think. I'll continue if I get a good amount of reviews telling me I should do so.** **Thanks for reading!** **-Almostpoeticgrl1 :-P** End file.

fanfiction

Çeşmeli is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Çeşmeli is a part of Erdemli district which itself is a part of Mersin Province. The midtown is situated two kilometers north of Mediterranean seaside and at the east of the rivulet Kargıpınarı which is also known as Gelinderesi. The town of Kargıpınarı is at the west of the rivulet. Çeşmeli is between Mersin and Erdemli on the highway D400, distance to Mersin is and to Erdemli is . Çeşmeli is also the west end of Çukurova motorway. The coordinates of the town are The population of the town was 4375 as of 2012. History Nothing definite is known about the origin of the town. According to legend, the earliest settlement was established 300 years ago by a certain Şahin Ali Bey at a location nearer to Mersin. The settlers later on moved to present site, using the name of their former settlement, Çeşmeli meaning location with a fountain The township was declared in 1969. Economy The major economic activity is agriculture. Çeşmeli along with the neighbouring Kargıpınarı is one of the most important citrus producers of Mersin Province and Mersin Province is the most important citrus producer of Turkey. In recent years floriculture has become another profitable activity. At the coastal strip of the town there are summer houses of city dwellers as well as foreigners and services to summer houses also seem promising. References Category:Mediterranean Region, Turkey Category:Populated places in Mersin Province Category:Towns in Turkey Category:Populated coastal places in Turkey Category:Populated places in Erdemli District

wikipedia

A very creative, adaptable and results orientated Sales Professional with proven track record of building fast growing sales and distribution networks around the world. Possesses excellent sales skills to build fast growing distribution in any market conditions. Fully conversant with industry standards and best of breed practices through the full project lifecycle, with a consistent track record in delivering cost effective solutions. Strong people skills, with proven ability to build successful, cohesive teams and interact well with individuals across all levels of the business. Coach, trainer, salesman and business developer. Jacek is one of the best sales managers i have encountered in my career. He has very close relationship with his customers and now his market, and that combination only gives great results. He has achieved his goals and grew his territory from scratch. Jacek is good colleague, respectful, and works towards end results. A good asset to any organisation. Jacek was a great guy - who played a vital role in developing business in Eastern Europe. He thrived in this situation where he was working alone and had to initiate, develop and close business opportnities. I worked with Jacek during his time with GP Acoustics when he was looking after the ROW territory. His reports at sales meetings on the activity in his area always made him stand out, as the growth he was achieving in his markets was very impressive. Jacek is a fine manager, who just gets on with the job and gets results. Jacek is highly experienced and skilled in developing international distribution with a particular expertise in Eastern Europe.He can document his success in driving sales and profits and meeting or exceeding company targets. He is liked and respected among customers and an absolute joy to work with in a team. He is focused, easy-going and has a wicked sense of humor behind the initial reserved facade. I would be very happy to work with Jacek again. I worked with Jacek for some years, he had the tough role of developing business in Eastern Europe. He did this well and played an excellent commercial role in managing and growing the business.

slim_pajama

Magnetic dipole moment in a magnetic field If we have a magnetic dipole moment $\vec{m}$ in a non-homogeneous magnetic field $\vec{B}$, how is torque $\vec{\tau} = \vec{m} \times \vec{B}$ related to force $\vec{F}\_{\text{dipole}} = -( \vec{m} \cdot \vec{\nabla}) \vec{B}$? Both equations come from the energy $$U=-\mathbf m \cdot \mathbf B=-mB\cos\theta$$ If $\theta $ and the magnetic moment magnitude are constants and $\mathbf B$ depends on the position, you have $$\mathbf F=-\nabla U=-(\mathbf m \cdot \nabla )\mathbf B$$ If the magnetic field and is constant, you can easily see that the torque is $$\boldsymbol \tau=\mathbf r\times \mathbf F= -\mathbf r\times \nabla U=-\mathbf r\times\left(\frac{m B}{r}\hat{\boldsymbol \theta}\frac{\partial }{\partial \theta}\cos\theta\right)=mB\sin\theta=\mathbf {m}\times \mathbf B$$ If neither $\mathbf B $ or $\theta$ are constants, then you have more complicated expressions that include both. The force exerted on magnet 1 $\mathbf{m}\_1$ (generating $\mathbf{B}\_1$) by magnet 2 $\mathbf{m}\_2$, separated by $\mathbf{r}$ is: $$\mathbf{F} = \nabla (\mathbf{m}\_2 \cdot \mathbf{B}\_1). $$ The torque on magnet 1 by magnet 2 is defined in the usual way: $$ \boldsymbol{\tau} = \mathbf{r} \times \mathbf{F}. $$ It turns out this generalises to: $$ \boldsymbol{\tau} = \mathbf{m}\_2 \times \mathbf{B}\_1. $$ I could not find/produce a general proof for it, but it does work for different examples I tried.

stackexchange/physics

The Parque Libertad In English: Liberty Park is the main square of the Salvadoran city of Santa Ana. Situated in the center of the city, it is surrounded by historic buildings including: the National Theater, the City Hall, the Cathedral and by other important structures like the Casino Santaneco and the Centro de Artes de Occidente. History The Parque Libertad was built by the Spaniards as the central square during the city's colonial period. It was the central market of the city and served as a space for political events, shelter for villagers, festivities, autos de fé of the Inquisition, and public executions. It became the main space for locals and the setting of social conflicts such as uprisings and invasions. On June 8, 1886, president Francisco Menéndez declared that a park was to be built in the Central Square. The city market continued to be situated in the square until 1890 when the Central Market was built. References Category:Santa Ana, El Salvador Category:Tourism in El Salvador

wikipedia

Warriors 1. Chapter 1 **Okay guys, I'm gonna be making my first fanfiction ever so I need a little help as I can't come up with all my characters. Just copy and paste the form and whatever, you know the rest xD.** Name: Gender: Description: Personality: Other (optional): 2. Chapter 2 **Hey guys! I have to tell you, thank you soooo much for the wonderful names! Hopefully you will find all of them in story I will be making. I also forgot this will actually be for a different story XD so I hope you all don't kill me. I am already working on some other stories, so I am quite busy and may take a while. Keep reviewing, and take care, fellow feathered friends! (What was that all about?)** **~ Seer, out.** End file.

fanfiction

You will be pick you up from your Nairobi hotel or Airport Drie via the scenic Great Rift Valley, a stop over at the view point to see this great depression to the Mara arriving in good time for lunch. Afternoon game drive. dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. Early breakfast then spend the whole day in the park with packed lunch in search of its popular residents like the well known predators and their opponents like the Zebra, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Hippo and the dangerous Crocodiles with a visit to Mara river. dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. Early breakfast.drive to Lake Nakuru arriving at lunch time. After lunch and check in at Hotel have lunch and relax. Later afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. After early breakfast.Drive to Amboseli. Arrival will be in time for lunch and you will be checked in to Lodge or Camp. The afternoon will entail a game drive as well as see Kilimanjaro if the weather is clear. In the evening you will head back to the Safari Camp or Lodge for Dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. After breakfast game drive looking for animals, in the park. drive to Tsavo west arriving at lunch time. Chech in and have lunch. your evening game starts at 4:00 to 6:30 pm Dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. Early breakfast, Game drive with a visit of Mzima Springs, where you can see hippos and fish in a crystalline clear water. There are possibilities of seeing crocodiles and monkeys. Drive with a game drive en route Salt lick game lodge.Salt Lick game sanctuary, enter through Mwakitau gate and proceed to Taita Hills Game Lodge for lunch. Short relaxation will be followed by an afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at the Saltlick Lodge. The Taita Hills Salt Lick Game Lodge rooms are elevated on stilts, each overlooking a waterhole and linked by suspended walkways. At night, the waterholes are floodlit ensuring that you enjoy an uninterrupted view of the numerous animals arriving to quench their thirst. Dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge. Early morning game drive followed by breakfast. After breakfast check out with game drive looking for animals, in the sanctuary and drive to Tsavo east national park park, arriving at lunch time game drive en route to booked Lodge or Camp for check in and have your lunch.Afternoon game drive until 6:30pm Dinner and overnight at Camp or lodge.

slim_pajama

The 1962 Victorian Football League season was the 66th season of the elite Australian rules football competition. Premiership season In 1962, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man. A player could be substituted for any reason; however, once substituted, a player could not return to the field of play under any circumstances. Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds; matches 12 to 18 were the home-and-way reverse of matches 1 to 7. Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1962 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the PageMcIntyre system. Round 1 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.13 79 | | 6.15 51 | MCG | 41,634 | 21 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.8 80 | | 6.11 47 | Western Oval | 30,752 | 21 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.10 88 | | 19.13 127 | Princes Park | 41,846 | 21 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.13 85 | | 7.6 48 | Windy Hill | 29,200 | 23 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 5.8 38 | | 9.9 63 | Victoria Park | 42,170 | 23 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.13 97 | | 13.13 91 | Lake Oval | 22,340 | 23 April 1962 Round 2 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.13 73 | | 13.7 85 | Junction Oval | 23,200 | 28 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.7 49 | | 8.8 56 | Kardinia Park | 20,344 | 28 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 6.7 43 | | 16.15 111 | Brunswick Street Oval | 18,754 | 28 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.9 51 | | 10.8 68 | Arden Street Oval | 15,496 | 28 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.9 87 | | 10.15 75 | Glenferrie Oval | 23,500 | 28 April 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.11 65 | | 11.9 75 | Punt Road Oval | 17,784 | 28 April 1962 Round 3 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 18.10 118 | | 12.7 79 | Kardinia Park | 25,819 | 5 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.11 65 | | 16.7 103 | Brunswick Street Oval | 16,981 | 5 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.22 94 | | 9.13 67 | Windy Hill | 22,500 | 5 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 16.14 110 | | 7.6 48 | Princes Park | 19,933 | 5 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.10 94 | | 4.11 35 | MCG | 55,012 | 5 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.14 56 | | 15.10 100 | Lake Oval | 29,840 | 5 May 1962 Round 4 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 17.17 119 | | 10.11 71 | Western Oval | 24,168 | 12 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 6.15 51 | | 12.11 83 | Victoria Park | 31,315 | 12 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.15 93 | | 18.10 118 | Punt Road Oval | 24,336 | 12 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.14 56 | | 18.13 121 | Arden Street Oval | 13,100 | 12 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.15 75 | | 11.13 79 | Junction Oval | 37,300 | 12 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.6 78 | | 12.19 91 | Glenferrie Oval | 22,300 | 12 May 1962 Round 5 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 16.8 104 | | 13.5 83 | MCG | 20,748 | 19 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.8 74 | | 9.16 70 | Glenferrie Oval | 18,000 | 19 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.12 90 | | 9.19 73 | Western Oval | 30,661 | 19 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.7 73 | | 17.16 118 | Princes Park | 36,457 | 19 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.13 73 | | 13.16 94 | Lake Oval | 17,760 | 19 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.9 75 | | 13.9 87 | Kardinia Park | 27,788 | 19 May 1962 Round 6 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 8.15 63 | | 1.11 17 | MCG | 25,737 | 26 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.13 79 | | 8.8 56 | Brunswick Street Oval | 14,781 | 26 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.9 93 | | 13.9 87 | Windy Hill | 37,000 | 26 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.10 88 | | 12.8 80 | Junction Oval | 33,600 | 26 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 6.14 50 | | 19.15 129 | Arden Street Oval | 14,140 | 26 May 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.8 80 | | 10.4 64 | Victoria Park | 34,528 | 26 May 1962 Round 7 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.7 91 | | 6.12 48 | Punt Road Oval | 16,943 | 2 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.11 53 | | 16.15 111 | Lake Oval | 25,640 | 2 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.9 63 | | 4.4 28 | Western Oval | 40,224 | 2 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.8 62 | | 12.22 94 | Glenferrie Oval | 28,000 | 4 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.10 70 | | 7.12 54 | Princes Park | 32,000 | 4 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.22 100 | | 9.8 62 | Kardinia Park | 29,230 | 4 June 1962 Round 8 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.10 64 | | 6.8 44 | Kardinia Park | 17,873 | 9 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.4 76 | | 9.20 74 | Brunswick Street Oval | 15,499 | 9 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.10 64 | | 11.11 77 | Punt Road Oval | 26,656 | 9 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.15 69 | | 7.10 52 | Glenferrie Oval | 21,000 | 9 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.10 52 | | 15.19 109 | Arden Street Oval | 18,503 | 9 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 5.13 43 | | 6.10 46 | Junction Oval | 38,300 | 9 June 1962 Round 9 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.18 84 | | 11.6 72 | MCG | 48,952 | 23 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 15.17 107 | | 10.7 67 | Windy Hill | 35,000 | 23 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.14 74 | | 9.11 65 | Victoria Park | 26,488 | 23 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.9 81 | | 9.10 64 | Princes Park | 32,400 | 23 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.13 73 | | 11.13 79 | Lake Oval | 17,000 | 23 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.8 68 | | 10.7 67 | Arden Street Oval | 8,470 | 23 June 1962 Round 10 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.10 52 | | 6.12 48 | Kardinia Park | 23,295 | 30 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.10 82 | | 8.17 65 | Western Oval | 20,579 | 30 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.16 100 | | 13.10 88 | Victoria Park | 25,479 | 30 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.8 50 | | 12.14 86 | Lake Oval | 10,150 | 30 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.13 55 | | 10.13 73 | MCG | 86,275 | 30 June 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 6.15 51 | | 7.10 52 | Brunswick Street Oval | 20,340 | 30 June 1962 Round 11 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.14 80 | | 14.12 96 | Glenferrie Oval | 18,000 | 7 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 8.10 58 | | 20.9 129 | Western Oval | 34,032 | 7 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 17.14 116 | | 6.12 48 | Princes Park | 20,200 | 7 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.8 68 | | 12.6 78 | Junction Oval | 17,750 | 7 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.16 76 | | 9.12 66 | Punt Road Oval | 18,470 | 7 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.16 94 | | 11.11 77 | Windy Hill | 37,000 | 7 July 1962 Round 12 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.22 94 | | 5.15 45 | Arden Street Oval | 9,543 | 14 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.9 69 | | 12.12 84 | Punt Road Oval | 21,174 | 14 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.6 84 | | 16.6 102 | Glenferrie Oval | 16,000 | 14 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 5.19 49 | | 14.18 102 | Brunswick Street Oval | 21,236 | 14 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 16.12 108 | | 12.13 85 | Junction Oval | 29,500 | 14 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 8.9 57 | | 11.7 73 | Kardinia Park | 30,591 | 14 July 1962 Round 13 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.11 89 | | 8.7 55 | Windy Hill | 20,500 | 21 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 15.9 99 | | 9.6 60 | Victoria Park | 16,848 | 21 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.13 67 | | 6.15 51 | Princes Park | 19,029 | 21 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.9 63 | | 11.14 80 | Lake Oval | 14,380 | 21 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.9 63 | | 10.19 79 | MCG | 51,470 | 21 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.5 65 | | 5.16 46 | Western Oval | 17,721 | 21 July 1962 Round 14 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 6.11 47 | | 9.14 68 | Western Oval | 28,801 | 28 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.10 76 | | 10.12 72 | Victoria Park | 19,115 | 28 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.17 83 | | 16.13 109 | Glenferrie Oval | 18,000 | 28 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.16 94 | | 8.6 54 | Junction Oval | 18,450 | 28 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.17 83 | | 12.12 84 | Punt Road Oval | 24,043 | 28 July 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.6 48 | | 11.12 78 | Arden Street Oval | 16,436 | 28 July 1962 Round 15 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 15.8 98 | | 7.12 54 | Kardinia Park | 23,555 | 4 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.8 50 | | 8.12 60 | Brunswick Street Oval | 9,399 | 4 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 15.7 97 | | 5.17 47 | Windy Hill | 26,000 | 4 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 8.11 59 | | 7.11 53 | Princes Park | 18,250 | 4 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.9 63 | | 10.20 80 | Lake Oval | 17,200 | 4 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.8 92 | | 11.11 77 | MCG | 54,312 | 4 August 1962 Round 16 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 17.16 118 | | 22.11 143 | Brunswick Street Oval | 10,169 | 11 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.11 53 | | 12.23 95 | Victoria Park | 30,000 | 11 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.11 71 | | 11.17 83 | Arden Street Oval | 10,339 | 11 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.11 77 | | 15.4 94 | Punt Road Oval | 15,992 | 11 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.14 86 | | 11.10 76 | Junction Oval | 36,300 | 11 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.11 71 | | 9.8 62 | Windy Hill | 39,000 | 11 August 1962 Round 17 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 10.8 68 | | 8.16 64 | Punt Road Oval | 20,752 | 18 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.18 102 | | 10.11 71 | Kardinia Park | 26,707 | 18 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 17.14 116 | | 11.8 74 | Princes Park | 32,550 | 18 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 7.10 52 | | 9.13 67 | Lake Oval | 18,300 | 18 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.11 83 | | 13.13 91 | Glenferrie Oval | 9,600 | 18 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 15.11 101 | | 9.10 64 | Western Oval | 31,185 | 18 August 1962 Round 18 |- bgcolor=#CCCCFF | Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 9.9 63 | | 12.10 82 | Arden Street Oval | 10,602 | 25 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 5.14 44 | | 18.14 122 | Brunswick Street Oval | 18,447 | 25 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 13.15 93 | | 13.10 88 | Windy Hill | 20,900 | 25 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 12.10 82 | | 7.11 53 | Victoria Park | 23,936 | 25 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 14.16 100 | | 9.11 65 | Junction Oval | 17,450 | 25 August 1962 |- bgcolor=#FFFFFF | | 11.9 75 | | 5.10 40 | MCG | 54,264 | 25 August 1962 Ladder Consolation Night Series Competition The night series were held under the floodlights at Lake Oval, South Melbourne, for the teams 5th to 12th on ladder out of the finals at the end of the season. Final: Richmond 8.16 64 defeated Hawthorn 9.6 60 Premiership Finals First Semi-Final Second Semi-Final Preliminary Final Preliminary Final Replay Grand final Awards The 1962 VFL Premiership team was Essendon. The VFL's leading goalkicker was Doug Wade of Geelong who kicked 68 goals including 6 goals in the final series. The winner of the 1962 Brownlow Medal was Alistair Lord of Geelong with 28 votes. South Melbourne took the wooden spoon in 1962. The reserves premiership was won by . Footscray 13.13 91 defeated 10.8 68 in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Preliminary Final Replay at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 22 September. Notable events Having abandoned live telecasts of the last quarters of VFL matches at the end of 1960, and having forbidden Saturday evening replays during the 1961 season, the VFL agreed to allow television stations to broadcast one hour of replays each Saturday evening, provided no more than 30 minutes of any one match was broadcast. A separate arrangement was made to allow a replay of the entire Grand Final match. St Kilda won its first match against Collingwood at Victoria Park since Round 2, 1919. On Anzac Day, a representative match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between the Victorian team from the 1961 Brisbane Carnival, and a team representing the rest of the league. The Rest 13.7 85 defeated the Carnival team 10.17 77 in front of a crowd of 17,068. In the Round 10 match between and at the Brunswick Street Oval, scores were level at 51 apiece when the final siren sounded; but, play was at the opposite end of the venue to the grandstand where the siren was located, and the umpire did not hear it. From the ensuing ball-up, Carlton's Martin Cross punched the ball through for a rushed behind, and Carlton won by that point. Fitzroy did not protest the result; it did request that the Fitzroy Cricket Club install new sirens at the other end of the field, but the request was rejected. In September, the VFL purchased land to the east of Melbourne, at Mulgrave, upon which later built VFL Park. The Preliminary Final replay between Carlton and Geelong was by Carlton won by 5 points. In the final moments of the match, Geelong full forward Doug Wade took a strong mark directly in front of the Geelong goals, but he was penalised for interfering with Carlton full-back Peter Barry. In the Grand Final, a badly injured Geoff Leek played one of the best matches in his career to nullify Carlton's John Nicholls and pave the way for a sound 32 point win by Essendon. References Hogan, P., The Tigers Of Old, The Richmond Football Club, Richmond, 1996. Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 18721996, Essendon Football Club, Melbourne, 1996. Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 18971997 Sixth Edition, Viking Books, Ringwood, 1998. Ross, J. ed, 100 Years of Australian Football 18971996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, Ringwood, 1996. Ross, J. ed., The Australian Football Hall of Fame, HarperCollinsPublishers, Pymble, 1999. External links 1962 Season - AFL Tables Category:Australian Football League seasons Vfl season

wikipedia

MOON Written by Nathan Parker Story by Duncan Jones November, 2007 Helium3 is a gas ejected from the surface of the sun and blown through space by solar winds. It plays an essential role in Cold Fusion, often toted as the solution to humanity's future energy needs. There is one major problem... Helium3 is extremely scarce on Earth. The gas does, however, exist in abundance on the Earth's only natural satellite: The Moon. Should we turn to Cold Fusion in the future, it is conceivable that man will mine the Moon for Helium3 and bring the precious gas back to Earth... 2. IN THE BLACK: We hear something -- a machine -- CHURNING and POUNDING. Constant. Rhythmic. Though the sound is slightly familiar, we're not sure what it is yet. Hold for a few seconds and then CUT TO: 1 INT. REC ROOM -- MORNING 1 The sound belongs to a regular old TREADMILL like you see in most gyms across the world. Running on it: SAM BELL, mid thirties, thick beard, handsome, striking blue eyes. Sam's face is flushed and glistening with sweat. He lunges for a towel draped over the treadmill's bar, dabs his face as he runs. We see OUTSIDE THE WINDOW: A gray, powdery landscape stretching beneath a BLACK SKY. CUT TO: 2 EXT. MOON -- MORNING 2 Aerial view of the Earth's only natural satellite, the camera roaming about a hundred feet off the surface. Desolation. Serious, uncompromising, desolation. This place makes Antarctica look like Tokyo. And utter silence. Eventually the camera arrives at a moon base, DIVING DOWN towards it -- TITLE CARD: "MINING BASE SELENE. CREW: 1." CUT TO: 3 INT. BATHROOM\SHOWER -- MORNING 3 Sam takes a shower, treading in a tight circle beneath the nozzle, eyes closed, hot water blasting his face. 3. 4 INT. COMMS ROOM 4 His hair still wet from the shower, Sam sits before a COMMS UNIT, dressed in a "Lunar Industries" boiler suit, a zip up the front, colorful patches sewn into the arms. He begins to record a message. SAM Tess. Hi. It's me. How are you, sweetheart? It's the morning here. In a few minutes Gerty and I will sit down for breakfast, go over the day's itinerary. As Sam continues his message, we are given a TOUR of the mining base. Beginning with: 5 INT. MONITORING STATION 5 This is where you want to be if the shit hits the fan. The base's equivalent of HQ. A wall of computers and flickering digital displays. SAM (V.O.) Today begins my 154th week on Selene. I officially have two weeks to go before I climb into that Return Vehicle... 6 INT. RETURN VEHICLE 6 A small space craft attached to the base. It is essentially a tiny room with a coffin like, sealed bed in the middle of it: a cryogenic POD with an array of complicated controls surrounding it. SAM (V.O.) And blast home. 7 INT. REC ROOM 7 Sam spends most of his time here. It is kitchen and play room combined. We PICK OUT a television set, an armchair, a Ping-Pong table, the treadmill. SAM (V.O.) I never dreamed I'd make it this far. 4. DETAIL: A WOODEN MODEL On a table, we also PICK OUT a LARGE MODEL carved out of BOLSER WOOD. It's a TOWN. Intricately done down to the tiniest details. SAM (V.O.) (CONT'D) There were times, as you know... We go even CLOSER to the model, seeing that there are actual people, actual characters in the little town; actual buildings: a CHURCH, a TOWN HALL, etc. Clearly someone has put a ton of work into this thing. SAM (V.O.) (CONT'D) ...when I thought I was going to crack up. 8 INT. GREENHOUSE 8 And the tour of the base continues. Onto a new room. A dark storage area Sam has repurposed to grow a handful of plants. They sit surrounded by darkness, glowing under pools of artificial light. SAM (V.O.) But I think I've come out the other side now. 9 INT. INFIRMARY 9 A strange angular room, obviously purposeful, but its design more geared to a computer than a human being. A single bed dominates. SAM (V.O.) In many ways, this place is all about contradictions. 10 EXT. LUNAR LANDSCAPE 10 The empty terrain surrounding the mining base, as viewed from the Monitoring Station window. Across the landscape a mountain rises from the morning shadows. SAM (V.O.) It's bleak, it's beautiful. CLOSE UP -- A HAND TOOL Some kind of rake or shovel half buried in the powdery soil, like a child's toy abandoned in a sand box. 5. SAM (V.O.) (CONT'D) It's barren, yet filled with riches. 11 EXT. EARTH -- AS SEEN FROM THE MOON 11 From up here it is easy to see why the Earth is sometimes referred to as "the blue marble." A swirl of color. SAM (V.O.) The earth is thousands and thousands of miles away, but sometimes looks so close I feel like I could reach out and snatch it with my hand. 12 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 12 Sam's bed -- A New York Jets poster on the wall -- a few knickknacks bedside, rock samples in jars, a lucky tambourine Sam got in Mexico some years ago -- a red stress ball -- a photograph by the bed in a frame -- SAM (V.O.) I'm incredibly lonely, yet I'm never alone... We MOVE CLOSER to the PHOTO by the bed. PHOTOGRAPH Of a slightly younger and clean-shaven Sam with his arms wrapped around his wife of four years, TESS BELL. SAM (V.O.) (CONT'D) Because I have you. Tess is a far cry from the stereotypical Astronaut's Wife of the 1960's/70's with the plastic smile and beehive hairdo. Tess is modern, sophisticated, and jaw-droppingly beautiful. She looks like she'd be a hard woman to leave behind. Note: In the photograph Tess is visibly PREGNANT. SAM (V.O.) (CONT'D) And I have Eve. I don't take you guys for granted. You know that now. 6. 13 INT. COMMS ROOM 13 Back with Sam at the Comms Unit as he wraps up the message. SAM Please kiss Eve for me. And tell her daddy will only be away a little longer -- seventeen days longer, approximately. I love you both dearly. Bye. And he sends the message. CUT TO: 14 INT. CORRIDOR 14 The main corridor connecting the different rooms. We've seen everything there is to see now. The base is small. Confined. Claustrophobic. It is easy to imagine how someone could crack up here. Sam leaves the Comms Room and heads down the corridor. 15 INT. REC ROOM 15 A state of the art robot, a GERTY 3000 -- known simply as "GERTY" -- is preparing Sam's breakfast. Gerty is in three sections and moves along a horizontal rail that runs throughout the base. He has a readout screen that perpetually spews data. His hands resemble pincers, but are perfectly nimble. For the purposes of helping run the base and looking after Sam, Gerty is as good as human, if not better. Sam enters. SAM Morning, Gerty. GERTY Morning, Sam. How are you today? SAM Fine. Fine. You? GERTY I'm very well. How's your headache? 7. SAM Much better, thanks, pal. Sam treats Gerty more like a person than a robot. Whether this is down to Gerty's intelligence or Sam's desperation for company isn't clear just yet. Note: Gerty talks like a well-educated older man. His language doesn't have a great deal of inflection (i.e. Monotone) but he is friendly enough. Sam switches a dial on a radio but gets nothing but static - - he sticks in a mini cd and skips the first few tracks. We hear brief clips of talk radio and shuttle through it before he allows it to play on, on some random American station -- an old weather report: VOICE ON RADIO ...it's a hot one on the East Coast, temperatures soaring to a high of ninety three degrees in New York City -- They zip around the tiny kitchen, together preparing Sam's breakfast, working as a team. CUT TO: 16 EXT. MOON 16 We take in the whole Moon at once. Gray, colorless, eerie. From this distance the surface resembling Plaster of Paris. 17 INT. MONITORING STATION -- DAY 17 Sam sits before Selene's main computer, known as THE OLD MAN. Data flickering off Sam's face. He is making a log entry. A CLOCK is running on the monitor. SAM 8:32 Pacific Time. Lunar Day 1. All Harvesters running smoothly this morning. Readouts are as follows: Matthew, 14.6 miles; Mark 16.8 miles... Sam continues with his entry while we CUT TO: 8. 18 INT. STORAGE CUBBY 18 Gerty is selecting food for the up-coming week, stacking ready-meals on a small fork-lift buggy. CUT TO: 19 INT. MONITORING STATION 19 A RED LIGHT Pulsing rapidly. The "ping-ping-ping" of an alarm. BOARD Sam stands before the Big Board. The names of the four Harvesters (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) in a collum. The red light is flashing next to Matthew. Sam presses an INTERCOM BUTTON, dips down, speaks into it. SAM Gerty, we've got a live one on Mark. I'm going out now to rope her in. GERTY'S VOICE Okay, Sam. Sam heads off. 20 INT. CHANGING AREA 20 A SPACE SUIT Resembling an unmanned puppet. Sam begins to insinuate his body into the suit. 21 INT. DOCK 21 Three Rovers (moon buggies) parked in their separate bays. The Rovers are caked in lunar soil, as though sand blasted. In his space suit Sam bends into one of the Rovers, starts the engine. 9. 22 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE 22 Sam drives along, dwarfed by an enormous lunar bolder and the rising slopes of the valley beyond. A toy car in this vast and alien terrain. 23 EXT. HARVESTER/MOON SURFACE 23 The second in a fleet of four Harvesters (this one known as Mark) collecting lunar soil. The Harvester resembles a tank and kicks up clouds of dust. Booming, hulking, efficient. Sam catches up in his Rover and accelerates into the back of the Harvester up a couple of ramps. An intricate and dangerous maneuver he executes deftly. 24 INT. HARVESTER/BELLY -- CONTINUOUS 24 Sam is in an area of the Harvester -- a kind of hatch -- not dissimilar to a garage and known as THE BELLY. Once safely inside Sam closes the door. He is able to breathe in the Belly without his helmet, which he duly removes. Sam steps up to a wall of computers. A light is flashing to indicate one of the pods is filled with Helium3. Sam does his thing, eventually removing a keg-size pod of Helium3. He hauls it over to the Rover and sticks it in a special slot in the equivalent of the Rover's trunk. A new pod -- an empty -- replaces the pod Sam just removed. Sam puts his helmet back on, returns to the Rover, reverses out of the Harvester carefully. 25 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE 25 Sam snakes through the soil on his way back to base, the tracks of the Rover as sharp as if they had been made through talcum powder. The Harvester churns into the distance. CUT TO: 26 INT. CORRIDOR -- LATER 26 Sam loads the filled pod into a CARGO CONTAINER. The Cargo Container is about the size of a fridge and can take a maximum of five pods. There are four pods already inside, Sam's new pod taking up the fifth and final slot. 10. 27 INT. COMMS ROOM 27 Sam is seated at the Comms Unit recording a message for his superiors back on Earth. SAM Sam Bell reporting to Central. 10:14 Pacific Time. Lunar Day 1. (less formal) Overmeyers, Thompson? It's Sam. How goes it? I've got a full container of Helium3 ready to roll. The purity is pretty good, so assuming your last market prices are still relevant I think you are looking at getting about 3 million dollars per kilo with this load. By the time this message reaches you it should be in transit. (a beat) Otherwise, everything running smoothly. There was a discrepancy between a couple of the N3000 modulators a couple of days ago, but Gerty and I caught it in time, no big deal. Uh...how are things down there? Sam desperately wants to talk but has nothing very important to say. Then he remembers something. SAM (CONT'D) Oh, and I just wanted to thank you for sending out the football feed. Almost felt live! (getting pissed off) Seriously, I don't mean to be an asshole, but surely replacing one satellite cant be that fucking hard! I haven't been able to have a conversation with my wife... My kid can talk now...! Fuck! Sam concentrates, getting a grip on his temper. Two weeks. Two weeks. (beat) Hey. Three years is a long haul. If you guys want to run some psych evals on me when I get back, I'm happy to do it. It ain't Disney World up here. (a beat) That's it. Over and out. 11. Sam reaches forward, sends the message. CUT TO: 28 INT. CORRIDOR -- DAY 28 Sam is loading the Cargo Container into the base's MAGLEV LAUNCHER. He works with a sense of routine, far away, preoccupied. All of a sudden Sam STOPS. He has the feeling someone is standing behind him. He slowly turns. A GIRL is standing in the doorway watching him. She is perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. A yellow dress. Long, wheat-colored hair. Freckles. At once beautiful and haunting. Sam gets the FRIGHT of his life. He FLIES against the wall. WIDEN to reveal Sam and the Girl facing off. Sam POP-EYED and SHAKING. The Girl IMMOBILE, arms at her sides, head tilted ever so slightly to one side. The Cargo Container is sent hurtling through space. A TERRIFIC BLAST. It distracts Sam's attention, breaks his stare... And just like that, the Girl is gone. Sam is just staring at an empty doorway. Nothing there. Sam is baffled. Had to be his imagination. Had to be. After a few seconds he shakes his head dismissively and continues working. CUT TO: 29 INT. REC ROOM -- DAY 29 Gerty is cutting Sam's hair. Sam sitting back in a chair, barber shop style, while the robot snip-snip-snips away with a pair of scissors. Sam is gently squeezing a STRESS BALL in his right hand. GERTY Sam, is everything okay? SAM Everything's fine, Gerty. For a moment there is no sound but the snipping scissors, reminiscent of keys snapping on a typewriter. Then: 12. SAM (CONT'D) Why do you ask? GERTY You don't seem like yourself today. Sam frowns, contemplative. For a moment we think he is going to tell Gerty about the Girl he saw earlier -- or imagined he saw. But he goes with something different. SAM It's Tess. GERTY Has something happened? SAM No, not exactly. Gerty stops cutting, lowers the scissors. GERTY Sam, what is it? SAM Something doesn't feel right, that's all. A beat. Sam's fingers twitching around the red stress ball, squeezing harder. GERTY Sam, it might help to talk about it. Sam decides to come clean. SAM Tess isn't responding to things. GERTY Tess isn't responding to things? SAM Right. GERTY What kind of things? SAM (a beat) A couple of weeks ago I asked her if she wanted to go on vacation when I get back, and that I was thinking of either Mexico or Hawaii. (MORE) 13. SAM (CONT'D) Tess never said anything about it. Three messages she's sent me since...and she's never once mentioned the vacation. GERTY Im sure she can't wait, Sam. SAM That's not the point. This is someone who lives for vacations and travelling. I thought she'd jump at the chance for us to go away -- with Eve, of course -- we'd take Eve. GERTY Perhaps Tess didn't receive the message? SAM (as if anticipating Gerty's comment) But this isn't the only time it's happened, Gerty. When I asked her how her dad was doing on his new heart medicine she didn't respond to that -- I asked her when Eve was going to start nursery -- nothing. Had her brother got the position at the University? Nothing. Nothing. Sam is really having a go at the stress ball now. GERTY I think her brother did get the position at the University. His name is Christopher, correct? SAM He did? GERTY Yes, I seem to recall he got the position. Professor of Biochemistry, I think. At Syracuse University in New York? Sam is slightly alarmed that Gerty knows this and he doesn't. SAM How do you know that? 14. GERTY You told me. Some time ago now. Towards the beginning of your time on Selene. When we were starting to get to know each other. (a beat) You were very happy for your brother-in-law. You danced around the Rec Room, if I remember correctly. Sam looks perturbed. For a few seconds he'd eased up on the stress ball. He starts up on it again now. SAM Gerty, have you heard anything new about anyone fixing lunar sat? GERTY No Sam. From what I understand it's fairly low on the companies priority list with the Jupiter mission active. I would imagine it would be very expensive to fix. A pause. Sam still looks troubled. GERTY (CONT'D) Sam, are you ok? SAM They need to sort that out. Seriously. I've only got two weeks left. It's not fair on whoever's up here next. Gerty, you tell them to sort it out. It's not healthy. GERTY I will Sam. Do you want me to finish cutting your hair later? SAM Nah. Come on. Let's finish this. Gerty resumes cutting Sam's hair, and stops again, sensing Sam is going to say something more. The scissors freeze. 15. SAM (CONT'D) I've got another one of those headaches. Can you get me something for it? GERTY Of course. Now? SAM No not now, afterwards. The scissors start up again. SAM (CONT'D) Thanks, pal. CUT TO: 30 INT. REC ROOM -- LATER 30 Sam with a HAIRCUT and a neatly TRIMMED BEARD is sitting before the Bolser Wood model of the little town. He is arched over working away with an EXACTO BLADE -- SQUINTING -- whittling a figure out of wood. This is difficult and complicated work, and over three years Sam has become highly skilled at it. Sam can carve an actual person out of wood -- actual cheekbones, actual throats, actual hands -- it's fascinating to watch. From another room Sam hears the "ping-ping-ping" of an alarm. CUT TO: 31 INT. COMMS ROOM -- CONTINUOUS 31 CLOSE UP -- COMMS UNIT Flashing on the comms unit monitor: "NEW TRANSMISSION." There is a small icon of a telephone. CUT TO: 32 INT. REC ROOM -- CONTINUOUS 32 ON SAM He carefully puts down the wooden figure and the exacto blade -- stands and leaves the Rec Room. 16. 33 INT. COMMS ROOM 33 Sam sits at the comms unit watching a message from his superiors, OVERMEYERS and THOMPSON, a purposeful looking woman in charge and her earnest second. The two talk RAPIDLY and trade off like a tag team. At times their tone can be almost bizarrely whimsical. Overmeyers and Thompson seem to have known Sam for a while, but even so, there is a practised casualness to the repartee. It's a professional friendliness on Overmeyers part, no more and for Thompson it's merely an eagerness to be involved. OVERMEYERS Delighted to hear about the latest shipment, Sam. THOMPSON According to Albatross 90 it should be landing off the California Coast within the next three days. OVERMEYERS Now in response to your question about the communications equipment, the news is not good. THOMPSON Sam, those solar storms did a lot more damage than initially thought -- OVERMEYERS Fixing the lunar sat is going to take some time. It's a significant operation. THOMPSON And what with the Jupiter Program hemorrhaging money -- Sam curses to himself. OVERMEYERS Lunar doesn't have the budget it once did, Sam, you know that. THOMPSON Even the coffee machine down in the Hub has been broken since I don't know when -- 17. OVERMEYERS We have to go to Genesis 3 just to get a decent cup of coffee, Sam. Genesis 3. That's three buildings over. THOMPSON We're hoping to get the live feed up and running by the Fall. The good news is you'll be home by then, Sam. OVERMEYERS You only have two weeks to go! Congrat-- Sam shuts off the message before Overmeyers can pipe out his last line. Sam sits before the dead screen -- eyes closed -- taking a succession of DEEP BREATHS. CUT TO: 34 INT. REC ROOM -- DAY 34 Sam playing Ping-Pong. He has folded up the second half of the table and is using it as a wall. The sound is rapid and rhythmic: ca-cluck ca-cluck ca-cluck. Sam taking his FRUSTRATION out on the little white ball. CUT TO: 35 INT. BATHROOM -- DAY 35 Sam stands before the toilet urinating. Rather ironically he is whistling I'm Walking on Sunshine -- focussed ahead at his reflection in the mirror -- angling his face, admiring his haircut, his beard. Then he looks down to flush the toilet and his WHISTLING abruptly STOPS. 36 INT. BATHROOM\TOILET 36 It looks like someone just poured a glass of CRANBERRY JUICE into the toilet bowl. Literally. The red urine clouding the water like a squirt of octopus ink. Yeah, Sam just pissed blood. There is a "PING!" and Gerty's voice crackles from the intercom. 18. GERTY'S VOICE Sam, a transmission has arrived from your wife. Sam reaches over and presses the INTERCOM BUTTON. SAM Be right there. And he flushes the toilet. CUT TO: 37 INT. COMMS ROOM -- DAY 37 Sam sitting before the monitor. He hits the "PLAY" button, begins watching the message. ON THE MONITOR: Tess is sitting in a living room talking to Sam. Tess has a sweet voice, she sounds grounded, like she's got a head on her shoulders. TESS Hi Sam. It's me. How are you? (a beat) I got your last message, it was really great to hear your voice. I know you've been really lonely up there, but in a lot of ways it's been good for you, I think. I hope you don't mind me saying that. I'm proud of you. (a beat) Hey, someone's got something to say. A WOMAN, possibly a nanny or some form of hired help, swings a LITTLE GIRL into Tess's arms. This is EVE, Sam and Tess's daughter. TESS (CONT'D) Eve, it's daddy. What did you want to say to him? Eve just stares. Tess whispers to her ("Remember what we practiced", etc.) Finally Eve attempts: EVE Asstraut. TESS Who's an astronaut? (encouraging) Go on! 19. EVE Daddy asstraut! Tess laughs. So does Sam. TESS That's right, daddy's an astronaut. Clever girl! Eve fidgets, rubs her nose, distracted. TESS (CONT'D) She's shy. Uh, Cathy, could you...? The Maid steps in, hoists Eve away. Tess waits until they're out of earshot. TESS (CONT'D) It's her birthday next month. I thought we'd get her a play house for the garden. We could even pick it out together. A pause. Tess just stares into the camera. She is hundreds and thousands of miles away, but for a second it feels like she's right there in the Comms Room with Sam. It's intimate. She finally shakes her head, self-conscious, shy. TESS (CONT'D) God, I hate these things. Sam, I love you. I'm thinking of you always. I can't wait to see you, sweetheart. Okay. Bye. And the message ends. ON SAM: smiling, on the brink of tears. CUT TO: 38 EXT. THE EARTH -- NIGHT/LATER 38 The Earth at night, illuminated by a glittering spider's web of artificial lighting. From the Moon this is one of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see. 39 INT. REC ROOM -- SAME 39 Sam is in improved spirits. He pours himself a glass of juice as Gerty prepares dinner. 20. SAM What's on the menu tonight, Gerty? GERTY Baby back ribs with french fries and spinach. SAM Ribs! Good choice, pal. Fine choice. It might be baby back ribs with french fries and spinach, but it's made from a packet by adding hot water. Nasty. Sam sits down with the packet. Digs in with a fork. SAM (CONT'D) Oh yeah! Compliments to the chef, Gerty, this is delicious! Sam eating ravenously. CUT TO: 40 INT. GREENHOUSE -- NIGHT 40 Sam is in the Greenhouse pruning plants with a pair of secateurs. He treads up the aisles slowly, taking time with each of the plants. CLASSICAL MUSIC plays over the sound system, Brahms, Beethoven, Bartok, one of the B's. Sam HUMS along to the music. A man at peace. CUT TO: 41 INT. REC ROOM -- NIGHT/LATER 41 Sam is working on his wooden model of the town. Across the room the Ed Sullivan Show is on TV. Ed's guest is a very young Goldie Hawn. Note: Whenever any TV is watched in the film, it is always a show from 1970's America. (Mash, Six Million Dollar Man, Laugh-In, etc.) No explanation is given for this. Sam is half-watching the TV, but his focus is chiefly on the SMALL HOUSE he is carving. And carving beautifully. After a few seconds he stands and snaps off the TV with a remote. He crosses to the kitchen section of the Rec Room to make some tea. The water has just boiled. As Sam is about to pour the boiling water, tea kettle in hand, he glances across the Rec Room and sees: 21. The Girl. She's taken Sam's chair before the model. She is motionless, staring down at the model like she recognizes one of the little figures walking the tiny streets. Sam calmly puts the tea kettle down and begins to move towards the Girl, slowly, cautiously, like he wants to sneak up on her. Sam walks right up to the Girl and reaches out his hand... SAM And then we CUT to Sam standing in the kitchen. Over by the model there is no sign of the Girl. The chair is empty. She's gone. Her sitting there, Sam's walk across the room -- apparently he imagined it all. Sam looks down. The tea kettle is dangling at an angle and BOILING WATER is DRIBBLING onto his left hand. Simultaneously: Sam SNAPS his hand AWAY, Sam SCREAMS. The tea kettle CLATTERS to the floor. Sam HURRIES to the sink and jerks his hand under a stream of cold water. Cursing under his breath the whole time: "Shit, piss, fuck..." CUT TO: 42 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 42 Sam sits in a chair as Gerty tends to his scolded left hand. It's a nasty burn. SAM I'm going to feel that for a while, aren't I, Gerty? (then) Damn it. Gerty applies a translucent balm to the burn. GERTY Sam, can I ask how it happened? SAM I told you, I saw something on the TV and spilled boiling water on my hand. GERTY You saw something on the TV? 22. SAM (a touch petulant) Yeah, something on the TV distracted me, Gerty, what's wrong with that? A pause. Gerty is wrapping Sam's hand with a bandage. GERTY Sam, you said it was the TV that distracted you, but when I came in the TV wasn't on. Gerty has caught him out. Sam knows it. GERTY (CONT'D) Perhaps you were imagining things? Gerty has hit the nail on the head, in a way that makes Sam feel a little uneasy. Is there something Gerty knows that Sam doesn't? CUT TO: 43 INT. THE SLEEPING QUARTERS -- NIGHT 43 Sam asleep in bed. 44 SAM'S DREAM 44 Sam making love to Tess. We remain very close to their bodies in bed. The background a blur. No sound. It's all flesh and white sheets. Sensual, delicate, intense. We feel almost intrusive watching. 45 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- MORNING 45 Sam wakes up and lunges across the bed to shut off his alarm clock. We notice a WHITE BANDAGE on the hand that he scolded. Afterwards: Sam lies back, watching the ceiling, groggy, reflective, still surfacing from his dream. And then OVER THIS: The sound from the opening of the film, THE TREADMILL, and we CUT TO: 46 INT. REC ROOM -- MORNING 46 Sam on his morning run. 23. 47 INT. REC ROOM -- MORNING/LATER 47 Gerty is making breakfast. Sam enters, fresh from the shower. SAM Morning, Gerty. GERTY Morning, Sam. How are you today? SAM Fine. Fine. GERTY How's the hand? SAM It's a little sore. Gerty pops the radio on. Just another morning on Selene. CUT TO: 48 INT. MONITORING STATION -- MORNING/LATER 48 Sam sitting before The Old Man doing his daily log entry. A CLOCK is running on the monitor. SAM 8:19 Pacific Time. Lunar Day 2. Readouts are as follows: Matthew, 9.8 Miles... Suddenly the monitor BLIPS -- a BLAST of STATIC -- and Sam SEES himself talking on the monitor. It appears to be a previous log entry. SAM (CONT'D) Luke...7.3 miles...wow, better look into Luke... But bizarrely, the Sam talking on the monitor has long hair pulled back into a ponytail -- and no beard -- And then another BLIP -- another BLAST of STATIC -- and the screen turns completely BLACK. A single word begins to flash in the center of the screen: "ERROR." The word flashes three times -- before the screen returns to normal, the CLOCK running again. 24. It all happened so quickly Sam wonders if he didn't just imagine it. After an awkward pause he simply continues the original log entry. SAM (CONT'D) Mark, 11 miles on the button... CLOSE UP -- RED LIGHT Pulsing. Going "ping-ping-ping." 49 INT. MONITORING STATION -- LATER/MORNING 49 Sam stands across the room with a mug of coffee, peers up at the Big Board, sees that the alarm belongs to Matthew. He crosses to the INTERCOM, speaks into it. SAM Gerty, looks like we've got a live one out on Matthew. I wondered what was taking him so long, the old fart. I'm heading out in a few minutes, just going to finish my coffee. GERTY'S VOICE Okay, Sam. CUT TO: 50 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE -- MORNING 50 Sam at the wheel in his space suit, speeding towards the first of the Harvesters, known as MATTHEW. HARVESTER/MATTHEW As Sam gets closer to the Harvester, he suddenly sees something: The Girl. She is standing maybe a hundred yards away in her yellow dress, resembling a FLAME or a FLOWER in the barren and colorless landscape. She appears to be staring directly at Sam's rover. SAM His face unfolding with panic, alarm, curiosity. An intense, yearning, curiosity. 25. He drives closer. But like in a dream, Sam can't seem to make up any distance between the Rover and the Girl. He CRUSHES the accelerator peddle. For a moment Sam drives right alongside the Harvester, clouds of lunar dust being kicked up, cascading against the side window. But Sam is looking away from the Harvester, focussed on the Girl. ON SAM: He doesn't notice Matthew (The Harvester) suddenly veer RIGHT, slamming into the side of the Rover and causing Sam to lose control. The steering wheel swings left and right as Sam desperately tries to STRAIGHTEN the path of the vehicle, but a split second later the Rover is FLIPPED like a matchbox, and SPUN into the path of the Harvester -- a HIDEOUS SCREECH of MANGLED METAL -- the Rover gobbled up by the front of the Harvester, DEVOURED. The Rover is JAMMED under the Harvester's monstrous AXLE, resembling a crushed beer can in a fist -- and with a BIG, BOOMING GROAN the Harvester slides to a STANDSTILL. WIDE SHOT: Silence. The Harvester stationary. The Rover caught beneath it. No sign of the Girl. CUT TO: BLACK. Silence. Hold it for five seconds and then 51 A BLUR 51 Eyelids fluttering, bright light, at first broken up, filtered, as if viewed through a Kaleidoscope. Slowly shapes and impressions begin to form and we know where we are. It's the Infirmary. 52 INT. INFIRMARY -- DAY 52 A CLEAN SHAVEN and drugged-up Sam is sitting up in bed, propped with a pillow. Sam doesn't have a scratch on his face, but has clearly been through a terrifying ordeal. Gerty is bedside. 26. SAM Where am I? GERTY Sam, you're in the Infirmary. You had an accident. Sam looks bewildered -- he desperately racks his brain, trying to locate the memory. GERTY (CONT'D) Do you remember what happened? SAM No. (a beat) I don't remember a thing. Sam just stares back at Gerty, not so much as a flicker of recognition. GERTY Do you remember me? SAM Yes, of course I remember you, Gerty. GERTY That's good. That's very good. It's nice to see you awake again. (a beat) I'd like to keep you under observation here in the Infirmary for a few days and run some tests. A pause. Sam taking it all in. Eventually: SAM How long have I been out? GERTY Not long. Sam, go back to sleep. You're still very tired. We can talk later. Sam closes his eyes, sinking deeper into his pillow. CUT TO: 53 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 53 Sam asleep in bed. Gerty is scanning his head with a small instrument resembling a camcorder. 27. There are READOUTS on a monitor showing blood flow, oxygen levels and glucose metabolism in the tissues of Sam's brain. CUT TO: 54 EXT. MOON -- DAY 54 LUKE, one of the Harvesters, crossing the lunar landscape at HALF SPEED. 55 INT. INFIRMARY 55 Sam wakes up from an extended nap. He thrusts his fists into his eyes like a child, yawns ferociously. SAM Gerty? No sign of the robot. Sam is feeling well enough to walk. He swings his legs out of bed, begins to plod around the room. He is tentative at first, slow, as if walking is something he is having to learn from scratch. Eventually when he is moving fluidly he goes to the door and pokes his head out into the corridor. 56 INT. CORRIDOR -- CONTINUOUS 56 Sam peers around. From another room he can hear the faint drone of VOICES. One of these voices belongs to Gerty. The other voices are deeper, faster, human. SAM Gerty? The voices continue. Intrigued, Sam PRESSES ON down the corridor. ON SAM As he walks up the corridor in the direction of the Comms Room. Sam is close enough now that he can actually hear the conversation. Sam arrives at the door of the Comms Room and peers in. GERTY (0.S) These were extraordinary circumstances, as you know -- 28. 57 INT. COMMS ROOM -- CONTINUOUS 57 Gerty is installed at the Comms Unit. Thompson and Overmeyers are on the screen. The moment Gerty sees Sam he shuts off the monitor and the screen fizzes to black, Thompson and Overmeyers vanishing. Strange: Gerty appeared to have a live feed. GERTY Sam, you're out of bed. SAM I wanted to stretch my legs. (then) What was that? GERTY Not talking. No. We've been having some problems with the lunar sat and our live feed seems to be down. I was recording a video message for Central updating them on your progress. (a beat) Sam, you need to stay in bed. You're not ready to walk around yet. Sam nods vaguely, turns around and heads back to the Infirmary slowly. CUT TO: 58 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 58 Sam watching TV -- The Muppet Show, the "Pigs in Space" sketch -- and eating dinner. He's not laughing. 59 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 59 Sam hunched over the infirmary's stainless steel wash basin giving himself a shave. He hits the razor on the side of the basin -- tap tap tap -- like a conductor with a baton. CUT TO: 60 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 60 Sam is seated at a table. Frankly he looks better now than he did before the accident. 29. Perhaps it's the rosy hue of his freshly shaven face. He certainly looks younger. A man revitalized, a man mended. Gerty is giving Sam something very similar to an IQ Test. Sam has just arranged a series of blocks into an L-shaped tower. GERTY Excellent, Sam. SAM How much longer do I have to be in here, Gerty? GERTY Sam, you suffered minor brain damage in the crash. This has resulted in memory loss and slight logic impairment. SAM When can I get back to work? GERTY Central has asked me to slow down the Harvesters to ensure you have time to recuperate and get your strength back -- SAM (dryly, exasperated) Terrific. GERTY The good news is you can return to the sleeping quarters tomorrow. But it will still be a few more days before you can resume anything like a normal work schedule. Sam's face taught with irritation. He isn't happy. Gerty gives him the next puzzle to solve. WE MOVE IN ON SAM'S LEFT HAND as he takes the puzzle, the same hand he scolded in an earlier scene. The BANDAGE is GONE and the BURN appears to have completely HEALED. CUT TO: 61 INT. CORRIDOR -- DAY 61 Sam walking down the corridor in the direction of the Sleeping Quarters. He stops at a RED LIGHT on the corridor wall, beneath it the word, "EXIT DOORS." 30. He's locked inside the base. Sam pulls a face, disgruntled, continues down the corridor. 62 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- CONTINUOUS 62 Sam takes in the New York Jets poster on the wall and walks over to the bed -- studies his lucky tambourine and the glass jar of lunar rock samples -- like he's trying to reacquaint himself with his own belongings. His eyes arrive on the red stress ball. Sam scoops up the ball and PITCHES it at the wall like he expects the thing to bounce back to him. The stress ball doesn't bounce back, simply hits the wall with a dull THUD and DROPS to the FLOOR. CUT TO: 63 EXT. THE MOON -- DAY 63 A desolation special. The blacker than black sky above. None of the ingredients of life. On Earth we have rainforests, and flowers, and birds. We have color. Up here we realize how lucky we are. The base is lit by large halogen comfort lights, alone in the lunar desert. This is a lunar night. CUT TO: 64 INT. MONITORING STATION -- MORNING 64 Sam sitting before The Old Man doing a few innocuous tasks, collecting readouts, slurping a cup of coffee. Gerty is within ear shot. Sam sees something that pulls him CLOSER to the monitor. SAM Gerty, do you know about this? Gerty approaches. Sam taps the screen. SAM (CONT'D) Matthew's got no velocity read- out. He's completely still. GERTY (O.S.) He must have stalled. Sam gives Gerty a look. That's not good. 31. 65 INT. COMMS ROOM -- LATER 65 Sam is recording a message for Central. SAM There's no way to tell from here if a track's been thrown, or if it's just something jammed in an axle, or what... I can shoot out there, check it out, get some video and maybe save you guys the expense of floating in a whole crew! I know how tight money is right now.... Sam really frustrated now. He feels cooped up, stir crazy, idle. SAM (CONT'D) Just give me the word -- or Gerty the word, tell him to unlock the exit doors -- and I'll go out and get Matthew up and running again. (a beat) That's it. Over and out. Sam sends the message. CUT TO: 66 INT. REC ROOM -- MORNING 66 Sam enters the Rec Room, looks around, his eyes settling on the model of the town. Sam sits down in front of the model, staring -- he picks up the HOUSE he was carving earlier -- studies it carefully. CUT TO: 67 INT. COMMS ROOM -- DAY 67 Sam and Gerty are seated at the Comms Unit watching a video message from Central. Sam is holding a carved HOUSE, examining it as he listens to the video. The familiar faces of Overmeyers and Thompson on the screen, shoulder to shoulder, the two looking more like vultures right now than lizards. THOMPSON Sam, we appreciate the offer, but you concentrate on feeling better. 32. SAM (muttering, vexed) Oh for Christ's sake... OVERMEYERS We don't want you to take any unnecessary risks. You're too important to us. THOMPSON You're to stay put, understand? OVERMEYERS It's an order. THOMPSON It's an order, Sam. From Lunar. Stay put. OVERMEYERS We're going to send a Rescue Unit to tend to the stalled harvester and get the base back on its feet. SAM (incensed) Why? The message ends. Sam turns to Gerty, irate, the message as good as a kick in the balls. GERTY I'm sorry Sam. Sam stares at Gerty. GERTY (CONT'D) Sam, I am under strict orders not to let you outside. Sam throws the half completed wood carving in his hand at the other end of the room, breaking it. He FLIES to his feet -- growling with frustration -- STORMS out of the room. CUT TO: 68 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- MORNING 68 Sam asleep in bed. 33. 69 SAM'S TROUBLED DREAM 69 Sam and Tess making love. We remain very close to their bodies in bed. The background a blur. It's the same dream we saw earlier. Something is different though. We drift past Sam and Tess, and under the sheets of the bed. Down between their entwined feet huddles a bearded, wide- eyed Sam, staring directly at us from under the sheets at the end of the bed! CUT TO: 70 INT. REC ROOM 70 Sam is quietly eating breakfast, lost in thought. Gerty puttering around in the background. The radio drones away. 71 INT. COMMS ROOM 71 Sam is seated at the Comms Unit watching a message from Tess. We assume this is an old message since Tess is heavily PREGNANT. Her slender hands are spread over her prodigious belly as she beams at the camera. TESS He's kicking...or she's kicking. I'm certain he's a boy. I wish you could feel it. (a beat, shifting) I think we made the right choice, Sam. I really do. We need some time apart. We got stuck. That happens in marriages sometimes. It's nothing terrible. (then) Well listen, I love you lots -- and we'll talk soon, okay? Bye Sam. A POP and Tess is gone -- the monitor filled with STATIC. Sam sits staring into space. Tess' message seems to have agitated him. SAM Fuck it. 34. He JUMPS from his chair and HEADS OUT of the Comms Room at pace. 72 INT. REC ROOM 72 Sam strides in -- swipes a KNIFE from beside the wooden model -- strides out again. 73 INT. CORRIDOR 73 Sam glances left and right -- making sure there's no sign of Gerty -- then begins to PRY open a VENT with the knife. Once the vent is removed he reaches deep inside and YANKS out a bundle of interwoven WIRES -- Sam bends the wires around the BLADE of the knife -- and CUTS. GAS ISSUES from the cut wires. An ALARM sounds. Sam hides the knife away, shouts down the corridor: SAM Gerty! Get over here! Quickly! Gerty comes out of the Monitoring Station and SHUTTLES down the corridor. GERTY What happened? SAM Don't know -- Micro meteorites, maybe? Either way there might be damage to the exterior shell. I'd better go outside and take a look. GERTY There is no damage to the exterior shell. SAM It's not that I don't believe you, Gerty, but the inner skin is springing leaks like an ACME fire hose. Maybe you better let me take a look, just in case, huh? GERTY Sam, I'm not supposed to let you go outside. SAM Then let's keep it between you and me then. Ok? 35. The robot takes an inordinate amount of time to think this through. The syrupy gas distorts the light as it collects at Sam's ankles. Gerty's arms work away as they speedily repair the damage Sam has done. Finally: GERTY Okay, Sam. The "Exit Doors" LIGHT turns from RED to GREEN. For Sam this is like the BLAST of a STARTING PISTOL -- he immediately takes off down the corridor -- 74 INT. CHANGING AREA 74 Sam finds his space suit is gone, so grabs the spare suit and scrambles into it. 75 INT. DOCK 75 Two Rovers parked side by side. One of the parking bays is EMPTY. Sam stands before the empty bay for a moment -- why is one of the Rovers missing? If Sam suspected something was wrong before, he is certain of it now. He climbs into one of the two remaining Rovers. 76 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE 76 Sam speeding along in the Rover. He has Matthew's coordinates plugged into his Navigation System and is following a MAP on a small monitor. 77 EXT. MOON -- CONTINUOUS 77 Sam heading towards the stalled Harvester. It soon becomes apparent that there is something STUCK under the front of the Harvester's AXLE. A second later it is apparent what that something is: inevitably, it's the MISSING ROVER. Sam slows his Rover down, approaching the scene with CAUTION. He parks a few feet away from the wreck and opens the door of his Rover, stepping outside gingerly. ONE SIXTH GRAVITY is like walking on a trampoline. Sam takes long strides, bobbing over to the front of the Harvester to take a closer look, his boots leaving deep FOOTPRINTS in the lunar soil. 36. THE FRONT OF THE HARVESTER The crashed Rover is exactly as we left it after the accident, mangled, crushed, captured beneath the trundles of the Harvester. Sam peers closer and sees that there is an UNCONSCIOUS MAN in a Lunar Industries space suit trapped inside. Sam can't see the man's face -- he has his back to Sam, his body sprawled across the passenger seat like he's searching for loose change on the floor of the vehicle. With great effort Sam manages to prize the Rover's door open. He reaches inside and begins to pull the man out -- Sam's sheer ADRENALINE giving him the strength of a YETI. Sam DRAGS the unconscious man away from the crashed Rover, his body leaving a big TRACK MARK in the gray soil. Sam takes a second to catch his breath, then leans down and turns the unconscious man onto his back. He BRUSHES DUST from the glass of the man's HELMET, leans down even closer. CLOSE UP -- THE MAN Through his helmet we see a BLOODY and BEARDED SAM. Sam as we remember him. The Sam from the opening twenty minutes of the film. Sam's face as the PANIC, the ALARM, the SHOCK, the REALIZATION hit him like a wrecking ball: this man he has just pulled out of the crashed Rover is himself. WIDE SHOT -- THE STALLED HARVESTER Sam gathers his wits and manages to lift the unconscious Sam up over his shoulder, fireman's lift style, taking him to the parked Rover. CUT TO: 78 INT. DOCK -- A FEW MINUTES LATER 78 Sam drives the Rover into the Dock, flies out and removes his space helmet, screaming: SAM Gerty! Gerty! Help! 37. He reaches into the Rover, lifting out the unconscious Sam. He carries him in both arms, staggering across the dock -- back arched, arms beginning to sag -- and into the corridor. 79 INT. CORRIDOR 79 Sam promptly collapses and DROPS the unconscious Sam onto the floor. SAM Gerty! Gerty approaches, gliding along his rail. Sam is freaking out big time, exhausted, panic-stricken, bewildered. SAM (CONT'D) I found him outside by the stalled harvester. Who is he? What the fuck is going on? A pause. Gerty literally seems lost for words. SAM (CONT'D) (demanding an answer) Gerty! GERTY We need to get him to the Infirmary. SAM Not until you tell me who he is! GERTY Sam, we need to get him to the Infirmary immediately. Sam SCOOPS the unconscious Sam up off the ground and lifts him towards the INFIRMARY -- staggering -- stumbling -- going: SAM Who is he! Who is he! Sounding like some deranged homeless man. Gerty gliding alongside him. CUT TO: 80 INT. INFIRMARY -- DAY 80 Lying in the Infirmary bed, propped on a pillow, is the first Sam, the bearded Sam, who we will now refer to as SAM 1. 38. He has a wicked black eye and a purple bruise on the right side of his face, looks like he was on the losing end of a brawl. He has a DRIP stuck in his arm and a tangle of WIRES attached to his bare chest. A MACHINE is BEEPING away. Gerty hovers over him, redressing the BANDAGE on Sam 1's left hand, the one he scolded a while back. 81 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 81 Sam 1's eyes pop open, he is awake, staring directly at Gerty. GERTY Hello Sam. (a beat) How are you feeling? SAM 1 Where am I? GERTY The Infirmary. You had an accident out by one of the harvesters. Do you remember? For a second this is playing out like the other Infirmary scene. A case of deja-vu. Sam 1's eyes twitch as he catalogues through his memory. Yes he remembers the crash. He remembers something else, too. SAM 1 I saw someone out there, Gerty. GERTY Who did you see, Sam? Just then Sam 1 notices the other Sam -- the more current, clean-shaven Sam -- who we will now refer to as SAM 2. He is standing against the wall watching Sam 1. SAM 1 I saw a girl. GERTY You saw a girl out by the harvester? How is that possible? Sam 1 continues to stare at Sam 2, hardly believing his eyes. 39. GERTY (CONT'D) Sam, you suffered a slight concussion in the crash and have incurred minor injuries, but all in all the prognosis is good. I'm happy to see you again. As he says this Sam 2 crosses slowly from one side of the room to the other, never taking his eyes off Sam 1. It's like Sam 2 is purposefully keeping his distance, reluctant, afraid even, to approach any closer. Meanwhile Sam 1 is beginning to look spooked. SAM 1 Gerty? GERTY Yes, Sam? SAM 1 Is there someone in the room with us? GERTY Yes. SAM 1 Who is he? But Sam 1 knows exactly who it is. He's seen that face every morning of his life in the bathroom mirror. GERTY Sam, get some sleep. You're very tired. Sam 2 wordlessly walks out of the room. Sam 1's eyes shift to Gerty, the spooked expression yet to leave his face. CUT TO: 82 INT. CORRIDOR -- DAY 82 Sam 1 hobbling along, in addition to his facial injuries he injured his knee in the crash and is walking with a slight LIMP. The camera TRACKING behind Sam 1 as he swings along and stops at 83 INT. REC ROOM -- CONTINUOUS 83 Sam 1 in the doorway, he peers in. 40. Seated before the TV watching The Newlywed Game, Sam 2. He turns from the TV and shares a LONG LOOK with Sam 1. Finally: SAM 1 Hi. Sam 2 just nods. He turns back to the TV. Sam 1 continues on down the corridor. 84 INT. MONITORING STATION 84 Gerty is studying lunar rock samples through a microscope. Sam 1 enters. SAM 1 Gerty, what the hell is going on? Who is that guy in the Rec Room? Where did he come from? Why does he look like me? Sam 1 is perplexed, but not freaking out, not yet anyway. GERTY Sam, you're out of bed. SAM 1 Yes, Gerty, I'm out of bed. Who is the guy in the rec room? GERTY Sam Bell. Sam 1 is officially FREAKING OUT now. SAM 1 Who the fuck is in the rec room, Gerty!? GERTY You are Sam Bell. A long pause. Sam 1 at the point of tears. GERTY (CONT'D) Sam, what is it? It might help to talk about it. SAM 1 I don't understand what's happening, Gerty. I think I may be losing my mind. 41. GERTY We could run some tests. (a beat) I haven't reported anything to central, Sam. They don't know you were recovered alive from the accident. SAM 1 Recovered alive? What do you mean? Why haven't you reported to central? GERTY I'm here to keep you safe, Sam. I want to help you. Are you hungry? Sam 1 merely nods at this, turning and plodding out of the room, seemingly in a DAZE. 85 INT. CORRIDOR 85 Sam 1 comes out of the Monitoring Station, passes the Rec Room without looking in. 86 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- CONTINUOUS 86 Sam 2 has taken over the room. The same belongings, of course, but there's a different energy. For one thing it's very untidy; looks like the bedroom of an unruly teenager. Sam 1 stands in the doorway, taking it in. Wordlessly Sam 1 begins to tidy the room. He seems almost RELIEVED to be able to lose himself temporarily in this physical activity -- making the bed, folding clothes, etc. CUT TO: 87 INT. REC ROOM 87 Sam 2 has stopped watching TV and is now seated at a table playing solitaire. Sam 1 appears in the doorway. Sam 2 looks up. The energy bristling with tension. SAM 1 You're Sam Bell. Sam 2 doesn't answer, goes back to his cards. Sam 1 enters with CAUTION, takes a seat across the room, purposefully keeping his distance. 42. SAM 1 (CONT'D) I'm Sam Bell, too. SAM 2 Yeah. Sam 1 nods. A beat. SAM 1 This is fucked up. SAM 2 Completely. Sam 2 slapping down cards. Sam 1 desperately attempts to put together a coherent thought. SAM 1 Why... What are you? For a second we don't think Sam 2 is going to respond. Then: SAM 2 I'm a clone, Sam. Im a fucking clone. SAM 1 How long have you been here? SAM 2 About a week. A beat. SAM 1 How are you getting on? SAM 2 (repeating the question slowly) How am I getting on? (then) The company ordered Gerty to lock all the exits. I haven't been able to do anything for seven days but sit on my ass. SAM 1 They locked all the exits? What about the harvesters? SAM 2 Slowed them down to half speed, apparently. (MORE) 43. SAM 2 (CONT'D) And then when I finally trick Gerty into letting me outside I find a clone of myself in a crashed rover. How am I getting on? Oh I'm loving it. SAM 1 I'm not a clone. SAM 2 Ok, Sam. You're not a clone. SAM 1 You're the clone. CUT TO: 88 INT. GREENHOUSE - LATER 88 The two Sam's are inspecting plants. SAM 2 How long have you been here? SAM 1 Almost three years. SAM 2 Hence the Captain's beard. SAM 1 (with a smile) Right. SAM 2 I didn't know it could get so thick. Does it itch? SAM 1 No, not really. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Listen, I wanted to say thank- you. If it wasn't for you I'd still be out there in the crashed rover. You saved my life. (then) Will you shake my hand? Sam 2 hesitates, eventually shakes Sam 1's hand. Meanwhile Sam 1 is staring at his clone, astonished. SAM 2 (self-conscious) What? 44. SAM 1 You look just like me. It's incredible. SAM 2 Why do I look like you? Why don't you look like me? SAM 1 We look like each other, I guess. This final line intended as a kind of truce. CUT TO: 89 INT. REC ROOM -- LATER 89 Sam 1 and Sam 2 are folding the Ping-Pong table down so they can have a real game. PING-PONG The two Sams playing Ping-Pong. It's slightly competitive, but mainly they are just happy to take their minds off their situation for half an hour. SAM 1 Your serve. SAM 2 Score? SAM 1 Two points to eighteen. SAM 2 Fuck! Sam 2 slaps his paddle on his thigh, his temper creeping up on him. He catches Sam's eye. Gets a grip. Sam 1 is a better player than Sam 2. He's been up here longer. He's had more practice. 90 INT. REC ROOM -- LATER 90 After the game, the two Sams are sprawled in their seats, sweaty, flushed, energized. They sit before the model of the town. SAM 2 How long did it take you to do this? 45. SAM 1 I don't remember doing all of it. I remember when I did the church and the Salvation Army. And a few of the people. My mind's been acting kind of weird lately, though. SAM 2 It's Fairfield, right? (pointing) There's Town Hall. SAM 1 Uh-huh. You know Fairfield? (also pointing) That's the Baskin&Robbins. And there's Tess and Eve. Do you know Tess? The mention of their wife has stopped the conversation in its tracks. Sam 2 immediately drops into deep melancholy. SAM 2 Yes. I know Tess. SAM 1 You know about Eve, right? It is obvious from Sam 2's expression that he doesn't. SAM 1 (CONT'D) We had a girl. SAM 2 We did? (beat) She thought she was going to have a boy. She was so sure. (then) Eve? Sam 1 nods. SAM 1 She's beautiful. She's really beautiful. SAM 2 How much did she weigh? Isn't that what you're supposed to ask, how much did she weigh? SAM 1 Nine pounds, eleven ounces. 46. Sam 2 doesn't know what to do with the news: on the one hand he is jubilant, on the other he's a clone, the baby technically isn't even his. All of a sudden there is a "PING!" From the Intercom speaker: GERTY'S VOICE Sam, a message has arrived from Central. Sam 1 and Sam 2 share a look, then together SPRING from their chairs. CUT TO: 91 INT. COMMS ROOM -- DAY 91 Sam 1 and Sam 2 seated before the Comms Unit. Sam 1 hits the "Play" button. Overmeyers and Thompson appear on the screen. OVERMEYERS Greetings, Sam! THOMPSON How's our Man? Feeling better? OVERMEYERS You getting lots of rest? THOMPSON Yeah, you resting up, Sam? You'd better be you bastard. OVERMEYERS Enjoy it while it lasts! We've got good news. THOMPSON The Jupiter Program had to be put on hiatus, so we've got a few free pairs of hands -- OVERMEYERS We've managed to secure you a Rescue Unit ahead of schedule. THOMPSON Rescue Unit Eliza. A SHOT/STILL PHOTO of Rescue Unit ELIZA. A meaner group of sons-of-bitches you have never seen. These guys make the rescue team from Apocalypse Now look like The New Kids on the Block. 47. OVERMEYERS They've been stationed on Goliath 19 for the last couple of months. THOMPSON (O.S.) Eliza's been in transit for the last day....we expect them to reach you in approximately 14 hours. OVERMEYERS (O.S.) Commence to jump for joy! THOMPSON (O.S.) You'll be back to work in no time. Now back on Overmeyers and Thompson. OVERMEYERS Eliza is bringing you something special, Sam. Compliments of the company. THOMPSON A hooker! OVERMEYERS No not a hooker. What's wrong with you? It's a little something to drink, Sam, that's all, our way of patting you on the back for all that you've been through. THOMPSON In the meantime, keep resting up, and hang in there. OVERMEYERS Yeah you hang in there, Sam. Over and out. And the screen pops to black. A pause. For a moment there is silence, neither of the Sams knowing how to react -- going by the message Thompson and Overmeyers don't know anything about there being two Sams on the base now. SAM 1 They're sending a Rescue Unit? Why? SAM 2 To fix the stalled harvester. They didn't think I was up to it. 48. SAM 1 Then I'm going back. Sam 2 gives Sam 1 a perplexed look. SAM 1 (CONT'D) I've done my three years. That's it for me -- Sam 2 is shaking his head slowly. SAM 1 (CONT'D) What? SAM 2 Is that what you really think? SAM 1 I've got a contract -- SAM 2 You're a fucking clone! You don't have shit! At once Sam 1 and Sam 2 ROCKET to their feet -- right in each others faces, on the BRINK of BLOWS. SAM 1 I'm going home! SAM 2 You're not going anywhere! Sam 1 turns around, heads out of the room. Sam 2 STORMS after him, TALKING the whole time -- SAM 2 (CONT'D) You've been up here too long, man! You've lost the plot! Gerty shuttles along after them. 92 INT. CORRIDOR -- CONTINUOUS 92 Sam 1 presses down the corridor, Sam 2 tailing right behind him. SAM 2 What, you think Tess is back home waiting for you? What about the original Sam? SAM 1 I'm the original! I'm Sam fucking Bell! Me! Me! 49. Sam 1, stress ball pumping away in his hand, spots Gety and angrily faces him. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Gerty, am I a clone? Gerty doesn't know which way to look. GERTY Yes, Sam. Sam 1 ducks in the Rec Room, Sam 2 in tow. 93 INT. REC ROOM 93 Sam 1 takes his old seat before the model. Sam 2 stands over him. SAM 2 What about the other clones? "Other clones?" Sam 1 just stares back. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Yeah, we might not be the first two to be woken up. (indicating the model) You said that thing had already been started when you got here. Well, who started it? (then) There might be other clones up here right now. Think about it. How did I get here so quickly after your crash? They didn't ship me in from Central, there wasn't time. I must have come from the base. SAM 1 That's ridiculous. Impossible. Why would hey do that? SAM 2 I bet there's some kind of secret room -- SAM 1 (laughing) Secret room? SAM 2 Yeah, secret room, why not? 50. SAM 1 (losing his cool) You're the one who's lost the plot! I've been here for three years. I know every inch of this base. I know how many dust fibres are between those wall panels over there -- why would they do that?! SAM 2 Look. It's a company, right? They have investors, shareholders -- shit like that. What's cheaper? Spending time and money training new personnel or just have a couple of spares here to do the job. If they make it through their contract, great. If they don't, hallelujah! No contract completion fees, no retirement package. Just thaw out the spare, and keep the profits rolling in. It's the far side of the Moon, Sam! The tight fuck's haven't even fixed our communications satellite. SAM 1 Tess would know. SAM 2 Do you really think they give a shit about us? They're laughing all the way to the bank! SAM 1 Tess would know what's going on! She wouldn't let that happen! SAM 2 (exhasperated) There's some area we don't know about. I'm going to find it. Sam 1 shakes his head dismissively, picks up the wooden house, starts whittling. Meanwhile Sam 2 has left the room. 94 INT. MONITORING STATION -- QUICK CUTS 94 Sam 2 in the Monitoring Station checking wall panels, reaching his hand inside cubbies and feeling around deep inside, SEARCHING. 51. 95 INT. CORRIDOR -- QUICK CUTS 95 Sam 2 moving along the corridor, pressing his ear against panels, tapping with his finger -- 96 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- QUICK CUTS 96 Sam 2 RAMPAGES through the Sleeping Quarters, pushes the bed aside, lifts the mattress, goes tearing through a closet, ripping clothes from hangers, checks the back panel. 97 INT. REC ROOM 97 Sam 2 has come full circle. He shifts the ping pong table, goes through cabinets in the kitchen, feels inside -- Sam 1 half-whittling, half-watching. SAM 1 I told you. SAM 2 Shut-up! Finally Sam 2 arrives before the model. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Get out of the way. SAM 1 Why? SAM 2 I want to check underneath there. SAM 1 You're not moving the model. SAM 2 Get the fuck out of my way! Sam 1 stands, keeps his ground. SAM 1 No. Sam 1 is still holding the knife. Though he's not about to use it, both Sams are aware that it's there. Suddenly Sam 2 LUNGES for the knife; an INTENSE STRUGGLE ensues -- TEETH CLENCHED, sputtering BREATHS -- the two Sams less clones right now than ANIMALS. 52. Sam 2 is able to loosen Sam 1's grip on the knife -- flinging the weapon across the room -- and SWINGS Sam 1 up against the wall. Now Sam 2 turns to face the model. Using BOTH HANDS he lifts the model up HIGH over his HEAD and PUSHES the entire thing UPSIDE DOWN. A massive CRASH. There is nothing there but the bare table. Sam 1 comes up behind Sam 2 with his nose SPEWING BLOOD, wraps both arms around Sam 2's neck. Sam 2 elbows him in the ribs -- a quick, controlled jab -- SPINS around, manages to secure Sam 1 in an arm lock. But suddenly there is no struggle coming from Sam 1: he's stopped fighting. Sam 2 removes him from the headlock -- notices his arm is SMUDGED with Sam 1's BLOOD -- SAM 2 You okay? Sam 1 has remained bent over, like he's cast in stone, blood RAINING from his face and POOLING at his feet thick and fast. Sam 2 just staring, as freaked as he is baffled. SAM 2 (CONT'D) I hardly touched you. Now he tries to help Sam 1. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Let me see. Sam 1 tears away from him. He looks up, his face a MESS of blood -- the WHITES of his eyes unnaturally bright, shouts: SAM 1 Get off me! Sam 1 holds his face with his outstretched hand, as if holding it in place -- STUMBLES from the room -- leaking BLOOD the whole way. A concerned Sam 2 watches him go. CUT TO: 98 INT. BATHROOM -- MOMENTS LATER 98 Sam 1 spills in and locks the door. He RAPIDLY turns on the faucet and cups his hand to transfer water up to his face -- this going on for a few seconds. 53. MIRROR Sam 1 stares at his reflection in the mirror, holding a MOUND of TOILET PAPER against his NOSE. The blood flow has subsided Suddenly Sam 1 sees the GIRL in the mirror. It gives him a hell of a FRIGHT. The Girl remains in the mirror looking at Sam 1. A neutral expression, impassive. Sam 1 takes a deep breath, lowers the toilet paper from his nose. SAM 1 Who are you? No answer. SAM 1 (CONT'D) (shouting) Who are you! Sam 1 swings around to confront the Girl...but she's not there, she's vanished. Her reflection has vanished from the mirror also. CUT TO: 99 INT. REC ROOM 99 Sam 2 snaps on the TV with the remote, starts watching Laugh-In, turns, sees Sam 1 wander by in the corridor. Sam 2 considers calling out to him, opts against it, gives the TV his full attention. 100 INT. MONITORING STATION 100 Gerty is stationed at the Old Man collecting data. Sam 1 enters. GERTY Hello Sam. SAM 1 Hi Gerty. Sam 1 sits. A pause. Gerty turns from the monitor, faces of with an EXHAUSTED and DRAINED Sam 1. GERTY Sam, is everything okay? 54. SAM 1 We had a fight. Me and the other guy, the other Sam. We had a fight, Gerty. He's a maniac. You know what he did? He flipped the entire model over. Do you know how much work I've put into that thing? GERTY 938 hours. SAM 1 938 hours, exactly. (then) Really? 938 hours. GERTY Approximately. SAM 1 (a beat) He scares me, Gerty. GERTY What is it about Sam that scares you? SAM 1 He flies off the handle. I see it now...I see what Tess was talking about. (a beat) I've never told you this, Gerty, but she left me. Tess left me. For six months. She moved back in with her parents. GERTY I know. SAM 1 Oh... (beat) It was the year before I came in here. She gave me a second chance. I promised her I'd change. GERTY You have changed, Sam. SAM 1 Yeah, I guess I have. A beat. 55. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Gerty, since I've been up here I've sent Tess over a hundred video messages. Where did those messages go? Did they ever reach her? A pause. GERTY Sam, I can only account for what occurs on the base. SAM 1 What about the messages she sent to me? A long pause. Finally Gerty repeats: GERTY Sam, I can only account for what occurs on the base. SAM 1 Gerty, am I really a clone? GERTY Sam, when you first arrived at Selene, there was a small crash. You woke up in the infirmary. You suffered minor brain damage and memory loss. I kept you under observation and ran some tests. SAM 1 I remember. GERTY Sam, there was no crash. You were being awakened. (a beat) It is standard procedure for all new clones to be given tests to establish mental stability and general physical health. Genetic abnormalities and minor duplication errors in the DNA can have considerable impact-- SAM 1 And Tess? Eve? GERTY They are memory implants, Sam. I'm very sorry. 56. Sam 1 nods at this. He's broken-hearted. He begins to leave. GERTY (CONT'D) Sam, it's been several hours since your last meal. Can I prepare you something? SAM 1 No thanks, Gerty. Sam 1 exits. CUT TO: 101 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 101 Sam 1 enters the sleeping quarters -- straightens the bed and lies down. He picks up the picture of the pregnant TESS, stares at it long and hard. CUT TO: 102 INT. REC ROOM -- LATER 102 The TV is off. Sam 2 is sitting, arms folded, entrenched in GLOOM. Sam 1 enters and heads for the kitchen, prepares himself a snack. Sam 2 is aware that Sam 1 is there, but keeps his eyes focussed forward, as immobile as a statue. Eventually Sam 1 tentatively comes over. SAM 1 You okay? SAM 2 I'm staring into space. (points to the window) Get it? Sam 1 does get it. He smiles to be polite, sits. SAM 2 (CONT'D) How's the nose? SAM 1 Better. A beat. SAM 2 Listen, I went haywire before. I lost it. I'm sorry. 57. SAM 1 It's okay. SAM 2 No it's not okay. I fucked up Fairfield -- your model -- that's unacceptable. I don't know what's wrong with me. (then) I've got a temper. I need to do something about it. SAM 1 Yes you do. A pause. SAM 2 I've been thinking. That Rescue Unit -- Eliza -- they'll be here in less than fourteen hours. I don't know about you but I'd like to figure out where we stand before they get here. SAM 1 Absolutely. SAM 2 Ostensibly they're coming to deal with the stalled harvester. We both know that isn't true. (then) They're coming to dig your body out of that rover. They think you're in there. SAM 1 Right. SAM 2 What'll their reaction be when they find out you survived the crash? I wasn't supposed to find you. Lunar instructed Gerty to lock me inside the base for Christ's sake. A pause. Sam 1 thinking it over. SAM 2 (CONT'D) And there's something else. Something I haven't told you. (a beat) (MORE) 58. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Right around the time I was awakened...I walked in on Gerty talking to Central. He was having a live conversation. SAM 1 A live conversation? SAM 2 Yeah. SAM 1 That's not possible. SAM 2 No no no, it is possible. It's possible because I saw it, that's my point. Sam 2 feels himself losing his temper a little here. He reigns himself in. SAM 1 How do you know the conversation was live? SAM 2 It was a back and forth exchange. And I saw Thompson and Overmeyers up on the monitor. I was supposed to be asleep in the Infirmary. The moment I walked into the comms room Gerty terminated the transmission. Now I was a little drugged up, granted, but I didn't imagine it. SAM 1 The communications equipment is damaged -- there was a solar storm -- SAM 2 Tabitha. SAM 1 Tabitha, right. SAM 2 Lunar made it up. Maybe. I don't know. Bottom line is they don't want us to be able to contact Earth. Otherwise why would they have lied to us? A pause. Sam 1 staring forward, concentrating. Sam 2 concentrating on Sam 1. 59. SAM 1 How are they blocking the live feed? The base's communications equipment works fine -- SAM 2 Maybe they're not blocking the signal from inside the base. SAM 1 From where then? As if reading each others minds, the two Sams' heads turn to the window -- a slow, perfectly synchronized movement. The lunar landscape, as black and vast as ever. The view almost cruel in its emptiness. It's not giving them any answers, not yet. CUT TO: 103 I/E. ROVER ONE/MOON SURFACE -- DAY 103 Sam 1 speeding along in one of the Rovers. He wears his space suit and resembles a cosmic racing driver -- shifts up a gear, the vehicle flirting with peak speed. He flies past one of the Harvesters, speaks through a microphone inside his helmet. SAM 1 Just passing the last of the Harvesters -- looks like John -- All of this against the ROAR of the Rover's engine. 104 I/E. ROVER TWO/MOON SURFACE 104 Driving away from base in a different direction, Sam 2. He also wears a space suit. He also guns the engine. He also has a microphone inside his helmet. The two clones are able to talk back and forth with no delay. SAM 2 How long until you're out of the base's range? We INTERCUT between the two Sams in their Rovers. SAM 1 If I maintain this speed...a minute. Ninety seconds tops. SAM 2 You ever been this far out? 60. SAM 1 No, never. ANOTHER ANGLE -- SECOND ROVER Viewed from far away, the Rover's speed less impressive from a distance. 105 I/E. ROVER'S ONE AND TWO/MOON SURFACE -- INTERCUT 105 As the Sams continue to drive. SAM 1 You see anything yet? SAM 2 Nothing. You? SAM 1 There isn't shit out here...I feel like I'm about to drive off the end of the world. (then) It would help if I knew what I was looking for. Through the glass of Sam 1's helmet we see his FACE suddenly SHIFT. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Wait a second, wait a second. Sam 1 squints and leans closer towards the windshield, like he's trying to decipher a road sign -- SAM 1 (CONT'D) I see something. SAM 1'S POV About a hundred feet away -- appearing from thin air -- a massive metal pole stretches up into the black sky. SAM 2 What is it? SAM 1 Don't know yet. Sam 1 getting closer. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Looks like some kind of antenna. 61. SAM 2 Antenna? Really? (then) Hang on, looks like there's one on this side too. Sam 2 is indeed approaching something similar. Sam 1 stops his Rover about twenty feet from the Jammer. He opens the Rover's door and steps out to take a closer look. WIDE SHOT -- SAM 1/ROVER Taking in the Jammer and the adjacent Rover. Sam 1 loping towards the Jammer, seemingly in slow motion. The JAMMER is GIGANTIC --An intimidating, stark pole stabbed into the lunar landscape, like the worlds biggest caber. Next to it Sam 1 is tiny, a white dot, as insignificant as a pin prick. Sam 1 and Sam 2 We cut back and forth between the two Sams as they both investigate the separate but identical-looking Jammers. SAM 2 (CONT'D) I can just make out the top. Must be a hundred feet tall at least. It's huge! SAM 1 Whoever built these things meant business. They weren't fucking around. Their voices ENERGIZED -- they are excited to have made this discovery -- they aren't dealing with the negatives yet. SAM 1 (CONT'D) What do you think? SAM 2 Its not an antennae, dude. Its a jammer. (looking around) No wonder we can't get a live feed. These things must be blocking our signal. Suddenly Sam 1 doubles over. He vomits thick, viscous blood and sick into his helmet. Revolting. The noise is AUDIBLE over the microphone. 62. SAM 2 (CONT'D) You okay? No answer from Sam 1. He COLLAPSES backwards onto the ground. His chest LURCHES like he's been punched at from the inside -- he spins over onto his front -- SAM 2 (CONT'D) Sam? Sam 1 manages to climb to his feet -- heads slowly back to the Rover -- he dips in, closes the door. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Sam, can you hear me? SAM 1 Yeah, I hear you. (then) I'm going to head back to base. I'm not feeling too good. SAM 2 I'll stay out here a little longer. I want to see if there are any more of these things. Sam 1 pulls a U-turn and begins his journey back to base. Sam 2 remains out by his Jammer, investigating further. CUT TO: 106 I/E. SAM 1'S ROVER/MOON SURFACE 106 Sam 1 at the wheel. He has pulled his helmet off within the safe pocket of the rovers cabin. He's a grizzly mess of splashed sick and blood all over his face and chest. Sam 1 screams out with confusion, frustration, terror. SAM 1 Fuck! He seizes the steering wheel, shakes it FIERCELY -- beginning to really LOSE IT -- 107 INT. DOCK 107 Sam 1 drives his Rover into the Dock -- not with his customary precision -- parks at an angle, grazes the wall. The Rover's door JERKS opens and Sam 1 steps out unsteadily, his face visibly PALE through the glass of his helmet. 63. He STAGGERS across the dock -- doesn't even close the Rover's door behind him -- heads into the corridor. 108 INT. CORRIDOR 108 Sam 1 goes swerving up the corridor like a drunkard -- BANGING into walls -- he finally reaches the bathroom and ducks in -- 109 INT. BATHROOM 109 Sam 1 sinks to his knees before the toilet bowl. With great effort he is able to remove his helmet, placing it on the floor next to him. He stares into the toilet. For a moment all is calm. The gentle "ping-ping-ping" of a computer somewhere inside the base. Sam breathing steadily. Spots of sweat on his upper lip. And then he VOMITS. He vomits LOUD, he vomits VIOLENTLY. His whole body THRUSTS forward in the process, taught, tense, like a dog being YANKED on a CHAIN. Sam 1 vomits again. And again. And again. And stops. ANGLE FROM ABOVE -- SAM 1 Sam 1's vomit is DARK RED -- he's thrown up BLOOD -- but that's not all -- we can clearly see two or three TEETH floating in the vomit -- THE MIRROR Sam 1 stands, moves to the mirror, opening his mouth wide to look for the missing teeth -- he uses his thumbs, shows his gums -- revealing: yes, he's lost at least a couple of teeth. He flushes the toilet. CUT TO: 110 EXT. MOON -- DAY 110 Sam 2 driving along in his Rover. He comes across another one of these JAMMERS. He drives right up, ducks down, peering up through the windshield -- this new Jammer is as tall as the others, in fact, it is identical in every way. How many of these things are there? 64. Sam 2 circles the Jammer in the Rover, drives on. CUT TO: 111 INT. MONITORING STATION 111 Sam 1 enters and sits down at The Old Man. Frantically he starts typing in numbers. An array of Log Entries appear ON THE SCREEN. Sam watches one of them. SAM 1 (on screen) January 12th, Lunar hour 8:32. All Harvesters running smoothly today. Readouts are as follows: Matthew, 12.7 miles; Mark 11.9 miles... These are just his log entries. What's he looking for? Sam 1 starts scrolling BACK through the log entries, like he's REWINDING chapters on a DVD, showing himself at various stages of his time on Selene -- his beard essentially growing in REVERSE as the messages stretch further back -- eventually Sam 1 is clean shaven -- SAM 1 (CONT'D) (on the screen) Luke, 12.9 miles; John, 11.1 miles... Sam 1 keeps typing in numbers. ON THE SCREEN: "RESTRICTED. PASSWORD REQUIRED." No go. He tries to hack his way in, but is having no luck. One of Gerty's long spindly ARMS slides into the room. Sam backs away from the intimidating piece of machinery, but it stops within reach of the computer. Sam 1 watches as the arm reaches forward and taps the password in for him. It leaves the room the way it came in. Sam 1 continues to go further and further back -- and suddenly he POPS up on the screen again -- or is it him? -- this Sam up on the screen has stubble -- no beard -- and looks seriously ILL -- He is barely able to talk -- in fact he's SLURRING -- 65. SAM (on screen) ...John, 15.1 miles...sorry, I'm not feeling too hot today -- I'm going to have to continue this later -- The SEQUENCE becomes a FAST-PACED and NIGHTMARISH MONTAGE -- continuing to BACKTRACK through the log entries -- showing yet more SAMS -- one has a MOUSTACHE -- one has a SHAVED HEAD -- one has grown out his hair and has a PONY TAIL, we've seen this particular Sam before in an earlier scene. But all the Sams have one thing in common: towards the latter end of their log entries they all appear to be in very bad physical shape -- SAM 4 ...I've got blood coming out of my nose... SAM 5 I don't feel too well, Old Man. SAM 6 My hair's falling out...look it. Sam 1 searches even DEEPER into the COMPUTER and uncovers yet more footage. We see the others Sams returning to Earth -- yet they don't seem to go anywhere -- when they blast off the RETURN VEHICLE remains in its bay -- Sam 1 views different Sams blasting back to earth in the return vehicle -- always with the same result -- the return vehicle remaining in its bay, the Sams seemingly VANISHING. In one particularly GRAINY SEQUENCE Sam 1 views Gerty opening the lid to the cryo pod in the return vehicle and beginning to VACUUM what appears to be DUST or DEBRIS -- Sam 1 understands now that the Return Vehicle is not a spacecraft, but some kind of INCINERATOR. 112 INT. RETURN VEHICLE 112 Sam 1 heads into the Return Vehicle. Its dominated by the cryo pod, used to hold astronauts in a state of cryogenic sleep on their way back to Earth. Sam 1 pops open the lid and starts frantically searching the chamber for TRACES of the previous Sams, eventually finding particles of DUST in the cracks -- 66. He closes the lid. A video showing a TECHNICIAN in a white lab coat begins to play on a screen aimed at the glass lid of the pod. It's mute, but we can hear a tinny version of the audio coming from the cryo pod. Sam 1 pushes a button on the monitor and we hear the audio properly. TECHNICIAN ...relax and breathe deeply. The cryo pod is designed to put you into a deep sleep for the duration of your three day return journey back to Earth. As you begin to get sleepy, think about the magnificent job you've done, and how proud your family are of what you've accomplished. Relaxing music begins to play. After a moment the music stops. There is a pause. Then an almighty pulse of light from the cryo pod. This is how Sams past have met their end. Nuked to ash like microwave meals in the cryo pod. Sam 1 inspects the controls of the spacecraft to see if it really is a vehicle -- in the process of his search he finds himself down on his knees checking out the wiring. Suddenly Sam 1's attention is on the floor BENEATH HIM. He appears to be kneeling on some kind of PANEL -- like a tablet in the return vehicle's floor -- he presses his ear against the panel -- KNOCKS -- The panel sounds HOLLOW. CUBBY Sam 1 opens a cubby, swipes something similar to a CROW BAR, heads out of the frame -- RETURN VEHICLE Back in the Return Vehicle, Sam 1 stands over the panel in the floor. He uses the CROW BAR to prize the panel open -- this takes an extraordinary effort -- the panel eventually LIFTING like a manhole cover. Sam 1 can't believe his eyes. At the top of the OPEN PANEL, leading down into darkness...there's A LADDER. 113 INT. DOCK 113 Sam 2 returns from his tour of the perimeter of the base; pulls up alongside Sam 1's Rover, having to compensate for his clone's poor parking job. 67. 114 INT. CORRIDOR 114 Sam 2 exits the Parking Bay and removes his helmet. Down the corridor he sees Sam 1 standing outside the Return Vehicle: facing him, waiting. SAM 2 I saw three more of those jammers. The base is surrounded. I printed out their coordinates -- Sam 2 begins to remove a piece of paper from his pocket, but suddenly stops. He can tell by Sam 1's expression that something has happened. SAM 2 (CONT'D) What? What is it? SAM 1 I found your secret room. CUT TO: 115 INT. RETURN VEHICLE 115 Standing over the Open Panel, an anxious Sam 1 and Sam 2 stare down. SAM 2 Who goes first? Sam 1 wordlessly takes the lead, crouching slightly to seize the ladder and twist his body down into the hole. He begins to DESCEND. When he is roughly half way down Sam 2 follows. 116 INT. LOWER DECK/CHAMBER -- CONTINUOUS 116 Sam 1 reaches the bottom of the ladder. He's in a dark room, a kind of CHAMBER -- if NASA did crypts, it would look like this. The only light source right now is the coming from the Return Vehicle up above. Sam 2 hops down beside Sam 1, squints into the darkness. SAM 2 Is there a light? Both Sams FUMBLE along opposing walls -- Sam 1 eventually finding a SWITCH, snaps it on. An array of overhead fluorescent bulbs begin to STUTTER and FLASH before ILLUMINATING the chamber completely -- 68. The two Sams can hardly believe their eyes: stretching back maybe fifty feet are rows and rows of PODS -- like upright glass coffins -- and standing inside each pod, an as-of-yet UNAWAKENED CLONE. It's like an ENTIRE ARMY of Sam Bells... Spooky as hell. For a few moments Sam 1 and 2 are too stunned to speak. They walk to the end of the chamber and back again, looking at each clone one at a time -- all the clones are bare chested and wear some kind of white cloth to cover their genitals, like a diaper. Of course they all look the same, that's why they're clones, but this piece of scientific wizardry is mind- boggling to Sam 1 and 2 -- they MARVEL at how each of the clones is identical in every way, and down to the minutest of details -- same length of hair, same skin tone, same fingernails -- SAM 2 (CONT'D) Why are there so many of them? SAM 1 The cryo pod in the Return Vehicle is an incinerator. Sam 2 reacts with appropriate shock. SAM 2 What? SAM 1 We don't go home. We're burned to death up there. Then the company wakes up a new one. Every three years. Like clock work. Sam 2 absorbing this. Then: SAM 2 How do you know all this? SAM 1 (beat) I hacked into the Old Man. Actually, Gerty did. I saw footage. You're right, there have been other clones before us. SAM 2 How many? SAM 1 Enough. A pause. 69. SAM 2 If that Rescue Unit finds the two of us awake at the same time, they'll kill us both for sure. Sam 1 doesn't respond, he's in his own world. SAM 2 (CONT'D) What are we going to do? All of a sudden Sam 1 makes a beeline for the ladder, starts heading back up. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Where are you going? 117 INT. MONITORING STATION -- MOMENTS LATER 117 Sam 1 is digging in drawers, removes some equipment, some wires; a radio, a small machine called a VIDEO PHONE, referred to as a VP. He is watched by Gerty. GERTY Sam, can I help you with something? SAM 1 Not now, Gerty, okay? Gerty begins to slide out of the room. Sam calls after him. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Gerty? Why did you help me? With the password? Doesn't that go against your programming or something? GERTY Helping you is what I do. Gerty leaves. Sam 1 goes on picking up equipment, shoves it all into a backpack he swiped from a peg. Now Sam 2 appears in the doorway. SAM 2 What's going on? SAM 1 There's something I've got to do. 70. Sam 1 brushes by Sam 2 on his way out. 118 INT. DOCK 118 Sam 1 marches up to his Rover, tosses in the backpack and dips inside without his helmet, closes the door and backs out into the black day. 119 I/E. SAM 1'S ROVER/MOON SURFACE 119 Sam 1 at the wheel, flooring the Rover -- he looks possessed, determined -- a man on a mission -- WIDE SHOT Sam's Rover approaches one of the many Jammers that we now know circle the perimeter of the base. Sam 1 stops the Rover on the other side of the Jammer. Here, outside the range of the Jammers, he figures he might be able to get a signal through to Earth. ON SAM as he removes his equipment from the backpack and starts to uncoil wires -- inserts a small BATTERY PACK onto the back of the VP, sits the VP on his lap. The VP resembles a Play Station Portable with its small but nonetheless high-quality screen. Sam isn't sure who to contact at first...finally he enters some numbers from memory. The VP shaking in his hands. He is nervous, scared. He disables the video mode on his end, so he is only sending audio. A moment of silence. The VP seems dead. SAM 1 Come on...come on... Then the VP BEEPS -- the monitor BLIPS -- the message seems to have gone through. And suddenly a GIRL appears on the screen. Sam 1 can't believe it. It's the same Girl from his hallucinations. Same wheat-colored hair. Same freckles dotting her cheek bones. Same yellow dress. The moment Sam 1 sees the Girl he thinks -- naturally -- that he's imagining things again. But then she speaks: GIRL Hello? 71. That's never happened before. Sam 1 finally manages to respond: SAM 1 Uh, Bell residence? The conversation has a very slight delay, maybe a second or two, and the Girl isn't completely clear on the monitor. We assume that these minor technical glitches are the same on the Girl's end. The Girl is sweet, chirpy -- nothing like the haunting, ghost-like figure from Sam 1's hallucinations. GIRL This is the Bell Residence. SAM 1 I'm trying to reach Tess Bell. The girl's expression shifts -- now somewhere between melancholy and curiosity -- GIRL I'm sorry, she passed away some years ago. Sam 1 GASPS. He literally gasps. Like someone just plunged a paring knife into his belly. SAM 1 No...no way. The girl just stares. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Tess Bell? Are you sure? GIRL Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm her daughter. (then) Can I help you? And astonishingly, the news of Tess's death actually takes a back seat as Sam 1 is forced to confront this new revelation. The girl is EVE BELL. Sam 1 is talking to his DAUGHTER. Sam 1 tilts his head, a smile twitches on his face. SAM 1 Eve? Sam 1 can't believe it. She's beautiful. She's beautiful. 72. EVE BELL Yes? A moment. Eve looking more closely, trying to decipher Sam 1's face. Tears glistening in his eyes. SAM 1 (overwhelmed) Hi... Hi. Eve. How old are you now? For a second Eve is embarrassed -- she blushes slightly -- but is still pulled in, intrigued. EVE BELL I'm fifteen. (then) Do I know you? SAM 1 How did mom die, sweetheart? EVE BELL Uh... Now Eve is beginning to look spooked. She turns away from the screen and calls to someone in another room: EVE BELL (CONT'D) Dad! And then we hear a voice. Sam's voice. SAM'S VOICE (O.S.) What! EVE BELL Dad, there's someone asking about mom... Sam's voice sounds CLOSER, more SUCCINCT, as he comes into the room -- but we don't see him yet -- he sounds, OLDER. SAM'S VOICE Who's asking about mom? Sam 1 hurriedly shuts off the VP. He sits there in the Rover, on the Moon, the middle of nowhere -- hundreds and thousands of miles from Earth -- Sam 1 has never felt more alone than he does right now. 73. 120 EXT. ROVER/MOON SURFACE 120 The Rover viewed from outside. We can't hear a thing. Just the endless and unrelenting MOON SILENCE. Inside the Rover we are able to make out Sam 1, quivering at the wheel as he sobs. CUT TO: 121 INT. COMMS ROOM 121 CLOSE UP -- THE OLD MAN The "ping-ping-ping" of an alarm. Appearing on The Old Man's monitor: "RESCUE UNIT ELIZA: ARRIVAL TIME, 12 HOURS and 22 MINUTES." CUT TO: 122 INT. REC ROOM -- DAY 122 Sam 2 is sitting before the model. He's flipped it back over and returned it to the table top. Now he is attempting to fix some of the demolished pieces. At this moment he's gluing the spire back on the church. Sam 2 hears a sound from the corridor. Moments later Sam 1 appears in the doorway wearing the backpack. Sam 1 is beginning to look alarmingly ILL. His depleting health has been evident throughout the film, but now it seems to have jumped to a new level. He watches Sam 2 for a little while. SAM 1 Want me to help? Sam 2 shifts over to give Sam 1 the adjacent chair. Sam 1 walks over, sits down. Together they work on gluing the church back together. SAM 1 (CONT'D) Remember that crazy drunk guy who used to hang out by the church? SAM 2 Barbara Streisand? 74. SAM 1 (with a smile) He looked like Barbara Streisand. We used to hide his Bible when he passed out. Drove the guy nuts. Sam 2 nods, remembering. A pause. SAM 2 How do you carve these things? SAM 1 Want me to show you? Sam 2 nods. Sam 1 picks up a block of wood, grabs an exacto blade. Demonstrates. SAM 1 (CONT'D) You need to hold the wood away from you. Like this. SAM 2 You're shaking. Sam 2 isn't kidding. Though he is carving the block of wood, Sam 1 can't keep it steady. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Why are you shaking? SAM 1 Watch what I'm doing. (then) You watching? SAM 2 Yeah. SAM 1 Now you try. Sam 1 hands the wood and exacto blade to Sam 2. Sam 2 attempts to whittle. He smiles, a little embarrassed. SAM 2 I suck. SAM 1 You'll get the hang of it. (a beat) You see, that's a little better already. 75. Suddenly Sam 1 turns around and has a vicious coughing fit. It actually seems to propel Sam 1 out of his chair and up onto his feet. Sam 2 watches with concern. Eventually the coughing subsides. SAM 2 What's happening to you? Sam 1 averts his gaze. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Listen, I realize I've been less than cooperative. But I want to change that. You and me, we need to work together. And that starts with not keeping secrets from each other. (a beat) Now what's going on? Sam 1 tells the truth. SAM 1 I think I'm dying. Sam 2 stares back at him. SAM 1 (CONT'D) There's blood in everything. My urine. My vomit. I've got a constant headache. Dizzy spells. (a beat) The same thing happened to the other clones. I saw it when I hacked into the Old Man. After three years they all started to get sick. Now it's happening to me. Well, it's been happening for a while now. A couple of weeks. SAM 2 What do you think it is? SAM 1 Maybe we don't live that long. Maybe we start to decompose or something. SAM 2 Jesus. Suddenly Sam 1 closes his eyes -- SWAYS -- looks like he's going to pass out. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Hey hey hey, you okay? 76. Sam 2 stands and moves to Sam 1. Holds him up, checks his temperature. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Why don't you lie down for a while? Take some tranqs. Get some sleep. SAM 1 (grim smile) No tranqs. I don't think I would ever wake up again. Sam 1 manages a nod. Sam 2 hooks his arm around Sam 1's shoulder, helps him from the room. 123 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 123 Sam 2 deposits Sam 1 onto the bed. He removes Sam 1's backpack, eases a pillow under his head. Sam 1 is instantly asleep. Sam 2 pulls the comforter over him. Sam 2 begins to leave the room, sees Sam 1's backpack on the floor, the VP sticking out of it. Curious, Sam 2 grabs the VP. FLASHING on the VP's SCREEN: "Last Transmission: 15:14pm." CUT TO: 124 INT. REC ROOM 124 Sam 2 enters the Rec Room and shuts the door. He moves to one of the tables and sits down, POPS on the VP. ON THE VP MONITOR we begin to re-watch the conversation between Eve Bell and Sam 1. Obviously we are only seeing Eve's face on the screen, but WE HEAR Sam 1's voice in the background. SAM 1 (O.S.) Uh, Bell Residence? EVE This is the Bell residence. SAM 2 (commenting as he watches) No you didn't... SAM 1 (O.S.) I'm trying to reach Tess Bell. 77. EVE I'm sorry, she passed away some years ago. Sam 2 and Sam 1 have exactly the same reaction at the same time. SAM 1 (O.S.) SAM 2 No...no way. No...no way. SAM 1 (O.S.) Tess Bell? Are you sure? EVE Uh, yeah, I think so, I'm her daughter. (then) Can I help you? I'm her daughter. A couple of days ago Sam 2 didn't know he had a daughter, and now he's seeing her as a teenager, a young woman. He is stunned. Sam 2 continues to watch the message but we CUT TO: 125 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- DAY 125 Sam 1 fast asleep. Sam 2 watches him from the doorway. 126 INT. STORAGE CUBBY 126 Gerty is just continuing with his tasks like nothing is happening. Right now he's STACKING ready-meals and miscellaneous lunar snacks into neat columns. Sam 2 walks up. SAM 2 Gerty, I need to talk to you. GERTY Of course, Sam, how can I help? SAM 2 We found the hidden room. We know about the other clones. A long pause. Then: GERTY I don't know of a hidden room. 78. SAM 2 The hidden room under the Return Vehicle, Gerty. You know what I'm talking about. We found it on our own. Lunar doesn't know anything about it. A beat. GERTY The lower deck is out of bounds to awakened clones -- SAM 2 Ordinarily, Gerty, but what with there being two of us awake at the same time, and what with the situation being unprecedented, the rules have had to change. Do you understand? GERTY I understand the situation is unprecedented. SAM 2 Good. (a beat) Gerty, how long does it take for a clone to wake up? GERTY A clone is awake the moment his pod is opened. But he is not fully conscious for several hours. A beat. SAM 2 Gerty, we need to wake up a new clone. GERTY I am not permitted to do that, Sam. SAM 2 If we don't wake up another clone me and the other Sam will die. We'll die, Gerty. Do you understand? GERTY Yes. 79. SAM 2 Do you want me and the other Sam to die? GERTY That is the last thing I want. SAM 2 Then you have to wake up a new clone. Okay, pal? Sam 2 waits for a response. And waits. CUT TO: 127 INT. COMMS ROOM 127 CLOSE UP -- THE OLD MAN The "ping-ping-ping" of an alarm. Appearing on The Old Man's monitor: "RESCUE UNIT ELIZA: ARRIVAL TIME, 6 HOURS and 19 MINUTES." CUT TO: 128 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 128 Sam 1 fast asleep in bed. 129 SAM 1'S DREAM 129 A stretch of green grass dissected by a dirt path. A light breeze. Endless blue sky above. No clouds. No visible sun. 130 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 130 Back on the sleeping Sam 1. Deep breaths. Eyelids twitching slightly. 131 SAM 1'S DREAM -- CONTINUED 131 In the distance, sitting beneath a tree on a blanket, we see TESS BELL. She is removing items from a picnic basket. Sam enters the frame, his back to the camera. He watches his wife for a few moments, maintaining his distance. Tess looks up and sees Sam. She lifts her hand, waves. 80. ON SAM -- IN THE DREAM Sam's expression is blank at first, but then he smiles at Tess, waves back. 132 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 132 Sam 1's eyes open slowly. He's awake. Was his dream a memory? A premonition? Or was it simply made up? ANOTHER ANGLE -- SAM 1 A BLEARY Sam 1 yawns and stretches his arms over his head. He reaches across the bed and rips a couple of tissues from a box of Kleenex, blows his nose. Afterwards he checks the tissues: a thick RED GOO came out of his nose, the color and consistency of tomato pur�e. Yeah, gross. Sam 1 rolls out of bed, plants his feet on the ground. The base seems eerily quiet. Too quiet. Sam 1 stands and crosses to the door. 133 INT. CORRIDOR 133 Sam 1 begins to walk left, down towards the Rec Room and the Monitoring Station, but hesitates -- he turns the other way, towards the Infirmary, heads that way instead. 134 INT. INFIRMARY -- CONTINUOUS 134 Lying in one of the Infirmary beds, eyes closed, a NETWORK of WIRES attached to his chest...Sam. We don't know which Sam it is yet. He is clean shaven. He looks like any one of the clones down in the secret chamber; then again he could just as easily be Sam 2. And that's what Sam 1 naturally assumes as he enters the Infirmary and sees him lying there. Sam 1 moves closer, curious, until he is standing right at the edge of the bed. Sam 1 reaches out his hand to wake him up when there is a voice from the doorway behind: SAM 2 Don't touch him. 81. Our suspicions are now confirmed. The Sam in the Infirmary bed is a new clone. We will call him SAM 3. SAM 2 (CONT'D) He's not conscious yet. Gerty and I only woke him up a few hours ago. Sam 1 is not even remotely on the same page. SAM 1 Why? Sam 2 puts his finger to his lips. Then: SAM 2 Come to the Rec Room. Sam 2 turns and leaves. Sam 1 follows slowly, one or two glances at the sleeping clone along the way. 135 INT. REC ROOM 135 We cut straight to the Rec Room and the conversation between Sam 1 and Sam 2. SAM 2 When the Rescue Unit arrives they'll expect to find a body in the crashed Rover, right? (a beat) We've got our body. SAM 1 (points towards the Infirmary) That guy? Sam 2 nods. SAM 1 (CONT'D) They'll expect to find a dead body in the crashed Rover. SAM 2 I know. SAM 1 (stunned) You're going to kill him? SAM 2 Someone's got to pull the short straw here, better someone who's unconscious than you or me. 82. Sam 1 simply digesting the gravity of Sam 2's plan. SAM 2 (CONT'D) If we go through with this, I'm going to need your help hauling him out to the crash site. SAM 1 What about us? Eliza arrives, finds you and me as the welcome party -- SAM 2 They're not going to find you and me as the welcome party, they're going to find me. You're going to blast back to Earth before they get here in one of the Helium 3 containers. (a beat) You're going home. Sam 1 wasn't expecting that. SAM 2 (CONT'D) You've done your three years. I can't expect you to stick around. Maybe you can meet Eve in person. A beat. SAM 2 (CONT'D) I saw the message on the VP. Eve is beautiful. She looks like her mom. Sam 1 realizes that Sam 2 knows everything. There are no secrets between them now. They both absorb the impact of knowing Tess is dead. Finally: SAM 1 How do you think she died? SAM 2 I don't know. (then) Jane died of cancer. I mean, it was in the family. Who knows? Or maybe it was an accident? Could have been a million things. SAM 1 I wish I'd been there. 83. SAM 2 Yeah. Me too. The two Sams sitting together, UNITED by their grief. CUT TO: 136 EXT. MOON BASE -- DAY 136 Shot of Selene from across the lunar plane. The base looks almost peaceful. No evidence of the DRAMA going on inside. 137 INT. CORRIDOR 137 The two Sams are testing out the CARGO CONTAINER to see if their plan is going to work and Sam 1 can actually fit inside. These containers were designed to carry cannisters of Helium 3, not to accommodate human beings. Sam 1 looks in increasingly bad shape. Blanket draped around his shoulders -- gaunt, bobbing, shivering. SAM 2 Go for it. Sam 1 hunches and slowly insinuates himself into the container -- yes, he fits, but it's tight, like really tight -- Sam 1 can anticipate one hell of a stiff neck by the time he steps out onto terra firma. SAM 2 (CONT'D) Comfy? SAM 1 No. Sam 2 chuckles. SAM 2 But you fit. That's good. You fit. With a HEAVE Sam 2 PULLS Sam 1 from the container. CUT TO: 138 INT. INFIRMARY -- DAY 138 Gerty is running tests on the unconscious Sam 3. 84. Sam 1 and Sam 2 stand on opposite sides of the room. Both clones seem uneasy. They can't look at each other. They can't look at Sam 3. Their eyes roam every inch of the room just about before finally settling on Gerty. Regardless of Sam 3 being unconscious, are they really going to kill him? CUT TO: 139 INT. COMMS ROOM 139 Sam 2 sits at the comms unit recording the message, a smile plastered on his face, as WIDE as it is FAKE. SAM 2 Sam Bell reporting to Central. 19:14 Pacific Time. Lunar Day 14. (a beat) Evening Overmeyers, evening Thompson! According to the Old Man Rescue Unit Eliza will be here in just over three hours. Not a moment too soon! I never thought I'd say this, but I want to get out there, I want to work. I feel like a kid who's been grounded. Looking forward to Eliza straightening everything out and things getting back to normal around here. Well...that's it. I'll let you know how it goes. Over and out, gentlemen. Sam 2 sends the message, his SMILE instantly COLLAPSING. He mutters under his breath: SAM 2 (CONT'D) Bastards. 140 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS -- DAY 140 Sam 1 is sitting on the edge of his bed holding the photograph of the pregnant Tess -- staring with great concentration -- almost penetrative -- like he's trying to will himself into the photograph. We find out what's running through his head, cutting to: 141 SAM 1'S DREAM 141 Sam 1 has gone back to his dream -- or his vision -- of Tess sitting on the picnic blanket beneath the tree. 85. Sam and Tess continue to wave to one another. Sam hasn't moved. Tess calls out: TESS Come on! Suddenly we hear a voice. SAM 2 (O.S.) Sam? 142 INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS 142 Sam 2 is standing at the door. Sam 1 looks up at him. SAM 2 We need to do it. We need to do it now. He'll be conscious any minute. (a beat) We've been putting it off for long enough. Sam 1 stares back at Sam 2 with defiance. SAM 1 We don't have to do anything. I changed my mind. Sam 2 isn't following. SAM 1 (CONT'D) I'm not going back. (a beat) I'm coughing up blood, I'm as white as a ghost. I look like I belong in a graveyard. I meet Eve now, I'll scare the shit out of her more than anything else. D'you think she'll even come within ten feet of me, the way I look? SAM 2 What are you talking about? She's your daughter, man! She's not going to care what you... SAM 1 (angry) She's not! She's not... my daughter. At least, I'm not her father. Not to her. Sam 2 keeps quiet. 86. SAM 1 (CONT'D) I'll put myself in the Rover, I'll be the body -- it was me to begin with anyway, right? You go back to Earth. You go back. You're healthy. You've got three years ahead of you. You stand a much better chance than I do. The other guy....Gerty can get him up to speed...he can be here to meet Eliza when they arrive. Sam 1 seems to have it all figured out. Although Sam 2 should in some ways be relieved by Sam 1's decision, he looks closer to distraught. SAM 2 This is wrong. What are we supposed to do? Sit around here and wait to die? Fuck that! SAM 1 I don't know. (beat) It's what we were designed to do. Both Sams struggle to hold in their emotions; Sam 1 morose, Sam 2 angry. SAM 2 Screw that! I'll go! ...And I'm going to find this asshole, Sam Bell, and ask him why the hell he put us through this shit! Sam 1 looks concerned. Sam 2 reads his mind. SAM 2 (CONT'D) I'll be careful. I'll keep Eve out of it. She wont even know I exist. Sam 1 smiles wearily, watching his old self. SAM 1 You're a good guy, Sam. SAM 2 I might stop shaving; It suits us. (beat) If all our memories are implants, no disrespect, but I think its about time I got some of my own, as well. 87. SAM 1 Yeah. You should travel. I've always wanted to do that. SAM 2 I'd like that. CUT TO: 143 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE -- DAY 143 Driving to the crash site. Sam 2 at the wheel, Sam 1 riding shotgun. Both men staring ahead in silence. MATTHEW Where all the trouble really started. Matthew, the stalled Harvester, with the crashed Rover still trapped beneath it. The crash site is beginning to resemble some old underwater shipwreck. The Rover enters the frame, beginning to slow down as it approaches the crash site. Sam 2 rolls the Rover to a standstill about ten feet from the front of the Harvester. 144 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE -- MOMENTS LATER 144 Sam 2 keeps the engine running as Sam 1 takes a handful of TRANQUILIZERS one by one, washing down each pill with a swig from a bottle of water. Afterwards: a long pause. The two Sams sitting side by side, staring across the bleak landscape. Neither of them wants to say good-bye particularly. SAM 1 Tess came in for the interview, remember? Sam 2 is nodding away. Of course he remembers. SAM 1 (CONT'D) She was so beautiful. Even if she wasn't the best candidate, I just knew I had to give her the job. I thought she was so sweet. (a beat) And then it was the end of the summer. SAM 2 She was going back to San Francisco. (MORE) 88. SAM 2 (CONT'D) You knew you had to take a chance. So you called her. You were terrified and wrote that whole speech for her answer machine -- (a beat) But I didn't need it because Tess answered the phone. And I could tell in her voice as we talked, she was thinking... "Why has Sam called me?" "The internship's over, why's he called me at home?" And then I asked her if she was going to Adrian Fiddle's barbecue and... Sam 1 has dropped off to sleep. The back and forth exchange is now essentially Sam 2's monologue. SAM 2 (CONT'D) That's when I knew she liked me. Because she didn't want to talk to anyone else! She'd get up, get some potato salad, go to the bathroom, but she'd always come back. And then we kissed. On the steps in front of her apartment building. Sam 2 finally turns and looks at Sam 1. Sam 1's head cocked to one side, eyes closed. Sam 2 lifts the helmet off Sam 1's lap -- carefully lowers the helmet onto Sam 1's head. 145 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE 145 Sam 2 LOPES towards the crashed rover holding Sam 1 in both arms like a bride. He places Sam 1 on the ground and PRIZES open the rover door -- he slowly slides Sam 1 inside. Inside the Rover Sam 1 lies with his head jammed awkwardly against the passenger side door. At once he looks peaceful and wretchedly uncomfortable. Sam 2 can barely bring himself to look at Sam 1. With both hands he FORCES the door CLOSED, pivots around and slowly BOBS back to his rover. 146 I/E. ROVER/MOON SURFACE -- MOMENTS LATER 146 Sam 2 driving back to base. He has removed his helmet and is brushing tears from his eyes with his glove. CUT TO: 89. 147 INT. COMMS ROOM 147 CLOSE UP -- THE OLD MAN The "ping-ping-ping" of an alarm. Appearing on The Old Man's monitor: "RESCUE UNIT ELIZA: ARRIVAL TIME, 1 HOUR and 40 MINUTES." CUT TO: 148 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 148 Gerty is continuing to run tests on Sam 3. Sam 2 enters. He carries the freighted exhaustion of a man who has just completed a long and difficult journey. SAM 2 How long before he's conscious, Gerty? GERTY The new clone will be conscious within one hour. SAM 2 That's good. That's very good. GERTY Sam? Where is Sam? SAM 2 He's gone home, Gerty. Sam 2 leaves. 149 INT. MONITORING STATION -- DAY 149 Sam 2 is loading OXYGEN CANISTERS into the CARGO CONTAINER in preparation for his trip back to Earth. Sam 2 working FAST, a sense of URGENCY. Eliza will be there in a mere 90 minutes! It's coming down to the wire. Gerty glides in as he works. GERTY Sam, this is not going to work. SAM 2 What? Why not? 90. Now Sam 2 loads food into the cargo container -- moon snacks, rations, etc. -- and bottles of water. His final addition is a 5 kilo load of precious Helium3; A good 15 million dollars worth! GERTY If the Rescue Unit examine my memory banks they will discover what has taken place over the last week. As you know I record everything. If they are suspicious, the first thing they will do is search my memory banks, and this would put you in considerable danger. Sam 2 straightens up, giving Gerty his full attention now. This is serious. It could ruin everything. The fact that Gerty has brought it up indicates that the robot's loyalties lie ultimately with Sam. GERTY (CONT'D) I recommend erasing my memory banks. I can reboot myself once you have departed. SAM 2 So that's what we're going to have to do. (beat) Are you ok with that? GERTY I'll require your assistance, Sam. SAM 2 Sure, just let me finish this. Sam 2 continues his work. CUT TO: 150 INT. INFIRMARY -- DAY 150 Sam 3 asleep in bed, very close to consciousness. CUT TO: 151 I/E. CRASHED ROVER/MOON SURFACE 151 Sam 1 inside the crashed rover, resembling a wild animal pinned in a trap. He's still breathing. 91. SAM 1'S DREAM Once again we see Tess beneath the tree sitting on the blanket. She looks over at Sam, continuing to wave. TESS Come on, Sam! Sam Bell! Come on! Sam begins to walk towards Tess. 152 I/E. CRASHED ROVER/MOON SURFACE 152 Back on Sam 1. The glass of his helmet is beginning to MIST with blood. Sam sees a sliver of the sun as he dawns on his side of the moon. He closes his eyes for the last time. CUT TO: 153 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 153 Sam 2 stands before Gerty. SAM 2 I've set your computer to reboot the second I've blasted off. GERTY Okay, Sam. SAM 2 Thanks for all your help, Gerty. I wish I could say I was going to miss you, buddy, but to be honest, I can't wait to get away from here. GERTY I understand, Sam. I hope life is everything you remember it to be. SAM 2 Thanks. Are you sure you're going to be ok? GERTY Of course. The new Sam and I will be back to our programming as soon as I have finished rebooting. SAM 2 Gerty, I'm not programmed. 92. Gerty doesn't respond. Sam 2 seems troubled. Sam 2 leans forward and activates the Memory Erase button. Gerty's READOUT SCREEN begins to TWITCH and FLASH with RANDOM DATA -- then slowly FADES TO BLACK. The Robot has been officially SHUT DOWN. Gerty just stands there. Completely still. As lifeless as a toy. Sam 2 heads out of the room at top speed. 154 EXT. MOON SURFACE 154 Shot of LUKE, the third of the Harvesters, heading across the lunar plane. 155 INT. MONITORING STATION 155 Sam 2 pauses at the window...looking for Eliza. The Rescue Unit is so close Sam 2 might actually be able to pick out their spacecraft. And he can! It's tiny, but nevertheless it's there -- a metallic spacecraft, glinting like a jewel -- and heading steadily towards the Moon. There isn't a moment to lose. Sam 2 swings around, heads for the CARGO CONTAINER. We remain inside the Monitoring Station as Sam 2 climbs inside the Cargo Container He readies himself. Says a little prayer and... he cant do it! Cursing at himself and glancing at the time ticking away before Eliza lands, he jumps back out of the CARGO CONTAINER and runs back into the base. CUT TO: 156 INT. MONITORING STATION 156 Sam 2 sits down before the Old Man. Eliza's imminent arrival causing increased STRESS and TENSION. Sam 2 takes out the piece of paper on which the COORDINATES of the Jammers are printed out. He starts to frantically type, altering the PATH of the HARVESTERS. 93. 157 EXT. MARK 157 Mark trundling along at half-speed. The Harvester suddenly changes direction -- veering sharply to the left and heading up over a steep slope. CUT TO: 158 INT. MONITORING STATION 158 Back on Sam 2 as he RAPIDLY types, makes an error, screams: SAM 2 Fuck! Pounds the delete button, continuing to type coordinates into the Old Man -- He's done! He leaps out of his chair and tears off through the base towards the cargo container. CUT TO: 159 EXT. WIDE SHOT -- THE MOON 159 As Eliza's spacecraft sets its sights on Selene, we see the Cargo Container ROCKET through the sky in the opposite direction. CUT TO: 160 INT. MOON BASE SELENE/QUICK SHOTS 160 For a few moments all is quiet inside the base. The "PING-PING-PING" of the Old Man. The grinding GURGLE of a computer readout. This sequence echoes the tour at the very start of the film, but the base has a decidedly different feel to it now. It's like an abandoned house. CUT TO: 161 INT. COMMS ROOM 161 CLOSE UP -- THE OLD MAN On the monitor: "RESCUE UNIT ELIZA: ARRIVED." 94. 162 EXT. ELIZA'S SPACECRAFT/MOON SURFACE 162 A box shaped spacecraft, all menace and angles, slowly DESCENDING towards the lunar surface. CUT TO: 163 INT. INFIRMARY -- LATER 163 Gerty sits lifeless. We hear the sounds of pressure doors opening. Unrecognized voices as the landing crew enters the base, calling for Sam. Gerty comes to life. His principal monitor POPS ON and his pincer-like HANDS begin to TWITCH. His READOUT SCREEN streams with DATA. Gerty's head begins to swivel left and right -- as if he's awoken with a stiff neck -- eventually he SEES Sam 3, crosses to him. Just like that, Gerty continues his routine checks of Sam 3 -- studying Sam 3's heartbeat, his brain activity -- the robot literally picking up where he left off. And then Sam 3's eyes open. He is awake. He blinks at Gerty, cloudy, groggy. SAM 3 Where am I? GERTY Sam, you're in the Infirmary. You had an accident. Sam 3 staring ahead, trying to dig up the memory. GERTY (CONT'D) Do you remember what happened? SAM 3 No, Gerty. (a beat) I don't remember a thing. We hear heavy footsteps and voices closer now, just outside the infirmary. CUT TO: 95. 164 EXT. MARK/JAMMER/MOON SURFACE 164 A CLOSE UP of MARK as the Harvester churns along and SLAMS into an JAMMER with full force. The Jammer wobbles unsteadily from the IMPACT, before finally TOPPLING over, HAZING the air with lunar dust. CUT TO: 165 EXT. CARGO CONTAINER/SPACE 165 The Cargo Container BULLETING through space, fire blasting from its jets like the petals of an exotic flower. CUT TO: 166 INT. CARGO CONTAINER 166 Sam 2 is seriously cramped inside one of the Helium 3 containers, about as comfortable as a pony in a dog kennel, but nonetheless WHOOPING RAUCOUSLY at the sheer velocity of the container -- as well as, and perhaps even more so, the fact that he has successfully escaped the base. He's going home. CUT TO: 167 I/E. CRASHED ROVER/MOON SURFACE -- DAY 167 Sam 1 has stopped breathing. The sun shines on his face. 168 SAM'S DREAM 168 Sam walks towards Tess. He sits down in front of her on the blanket. A beautiful picnic is spread out before them. Tess has never looked so radiant, so beautiful. Light from the sky pours into her upturned face. TESS What took you so long? Sam just smiles back at her. She hands him a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. CAMERA PANS UPWARD -- not a cloud in sight -- but we are just able to pick out the chalky outline of the MOON, resembling a white thumb print in the blue sky. 96. HOLD THIS shot of the Moon for a few seconds before we FADE TO BLACK. 169 INT. COMMS ROOM 169 On the Comms Unit monitor there is a BLAST of STATIC, followed by a FLASHING MESSAGE: "LIVE FEED AVAILABLE." THE END Moon Writers :   Duncan Jones  Nathan Parker Genres :   Drama  Mystery  Sci-Fi  Thriller User Comments Back to IMSDb

screenplays

JENNIFER'S BODY by Diablo Cody 9/20/2007INT. LEECH LAKE WOMEN’S CORRECTION AL HOSPITAL - DAY ANITA “NEEDY” LESNICKI, 17, sit s on her hos pital bed in pajamas. She’s a plain-faced gi rl with a haunted expression. As s he stares out the window, she winds colored yarn aro und a pair of Popsicl e sticks to create a “god’s eye.” Out a single win dow, we see an imposing nine-foot SECURITY FENCE. Next to Needy, we see a pile of un opened mail scattered casually on the flo or. There are lett ers, pack ages, even creepy little gi fts and tote ms sent by a dmiring “fans.” NEEDY V.O. Every day, I get letters. I think I get more le tters than Santa Claus, Zac Efron and Dr. Phil combined. I’m ki nd of the shit. RAYMUNDO, a c ounselor raps on the door and sti cks his head in cautiously. RAYMUNDO Rec time in five minutes, Needy. NEEDY Grassy-ass, Raymundo. Needy stands up and begins changing i nto an in stitutional gym uniform. As she slips off her paj amas, we can see a series of puffy, slash-like SCA RS on her body. NEEDY V.O. Sometimes the le tters are from people who say t hey’re pr aying for me. They tell me everything will be okay if I just accept Jesus Christ into my h eart. I say the words, but nothi ng ever happens. Nobody comes back. Nobody gets off the cross. She glances s adly at a PHOTO OF A BOY on her d resser. She touches the frame wistfully, her e yes full of remorse. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) Occasionally I g et presents from starfuckers who saw my picture in the paper and wa nt to marry me or something. They think they can take me away from all this. (MORE) (CONTINUED)Like I’d real ly date some perverted Chester with a hard-on for jailbait. I might be insane, but I’m no t desperate. We see a morbid “ha ll of fame” of creepy photos sent in from guys. Th ey line the mirror , grinning at us. There’s even a DICK SHOT tucked in there. Needy pulls on h er threadbare u niform T-shirt. It hangs down to her knee s, covering her shorts. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) A lot of people ask me if I’m sorry I did it. Needy picks up a paper cup of COLO RFUL PILLS on her dresser, dumps the meds into her mouth, and dry-swallows them. NEEDY (aloud) I’m sorry I didn ’t do it sooner. She saunters out of the room in he r GYM UNIFOR M and BUNNY SLIPPERS. INT. LEECH LA KE HOSPITAL GYMNAS IUM - MORNING Several badminton c ourts are set up in the gym. As an intense OPERATIC ARIA plays over t he public address system, the F EMALE PATIENTS enthus iastically--almost violently--whack at the flyi ng shuttlecocks. The patients appear to be varying lev els of crazy. A TOOTHLESS WOMAN gri ns as she dives with her racket, clipping her partner in the leg. In the corner, one forlorn patient nurses her i njured arm w hile another hurls her racket against the wall again and again. Counselors lo ok on approvingly, de spite how miserable their charges ap pear. In the backgrou nd, a few sulking patients j ump rope. Needy enters the gym unnoticed, pa dding along in her bunny slippers. NEEDY V.O. Welcome to the Mental Olympics. They’re big on recreation here. Supposedly it he lps us vent our aggressions. We’ve traded in our hatchets for rac kets, our Drain-O bombs for dou ble dutch. 2. CONTINUED: NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) (MORE) (CONTINUED)Even the cutters get in on the action when t hey’re fully conscious. We see a GIRL sw inging a jump rope who h as a ladder of fresh bandages on her arms and legs. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) Me? I’m just try ing to stay invisible. Nelly shuffles over to a tet herball and tak es a furious WHACK at it. INT. LEECH LA KE CAFETERIA - ONE HOUR LATER The freshly s howered PATIENT S assemble f or breakfast. They grab trays and settle into no isy cliques. Needy selects a single toaster pastry from the br eakfast line and sits d own, alone. NEEDY V.O. Personally, I think they’re trying to wear us out. Keep us sluggish so there won’t be an uprising. Well, those J .V. tactics won’t work against me. I’m a kicker. K-I- C-K-E-R. It e ven says so on my chart. We briefly cut to Needy’s chart, on some doctor’s clipboard. We see her name: ANITA “NEEDY ” LESNICKI and a few brief details about FIRST DEGREE MURDER and GRANDIOSE NOTIONS. Beneath that, we see a triple-high lighted warning in bright ink: KICKER. A NUTRITIONIST with a clipboard appro aches Needy casually and eyes her bre akfast plate. NUTRITIONIST Just one T oastem, huh? NEEDY (quietly) I like Toastems. NUTRITIONIST That’s good. But I’m not sure a Toastem can prov ide you with sufficient energy for your day. I’d recommend more complex carbohydrates...3. CONTINUED: NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)Needy scrambl es to her feet and delivers a sudden, powerful ROUN DHOUSE KICK to the nutritionis t’s face. NEEDY I’D RECOMMEND TH AT YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP! The nutritionist is KNOCKED OFF HE R FEET-- as if she’s been kicked by a far mightier creature than Needy-- and collapses, cl utching her ble eding nose. We see that the bone has SNAPPED. The patients shriek . Chaos. As Needy is restrained by staff members, she thrashes like a trapped fish. Needy snorts up a k iller LOOGIE an d hocks it at the prone nutritionist. The glob nails he r in the eye. It takes four ST AFF MEMBERS to haul Needy a way as she hollers in protest. The nutritionist curls up on th e floor, cup ping her bleeding nose as a ring of curious patients surrounds her. She spit s out a TOOTH. INT. “THE HOLE” - SAME Needy is toss ed into seclusion. Her hair is wild and her face is wet with tears. The heavy door slam s behind her, leaving only a s haft of light. NEEDY V.O. I wasn’t always this cracked. I used to be no rmal-- well, as normal as any girl under the influence of teenag e hormones. But after the kil lings began, I started to feel, I don’t know... loose around the edges or something. I was coming undone like those jeans I made in Home Ec. Falling to p ieces like Patsy Cline. Shredded like moo-shu pork. Dead inside. Needy cringes as she briefly hallucinates a bstract SHAPES in the darkness. Gr inning skulls. Faces drained of life, half eaten. Grim aces of terror. Suddenly, soft m usic is piped into “the hole,” ostensibly to calm the patients in solitary. Nee dy shudders and recoils at the s ound of it. It’s a CHEESY ROCK BALLAD that we’ll so on hear again...4. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHEESY SON G LYRICS “Through t he trees, I will find you. Heal the ru ins left inside you. And the stars will remind you, we’ll meet again...” NEEDY V.O. God, I hate t his fucking song. Needy plugs h er ears as if it phys ically hurts her to listen to the so ng. She curls up in the corner and steels herself for soli tary confinement. DISSOLVE TO: TITLE: TWO MO NTHS EARLIER EXT. DEVIL’S KET TLE, MN - NIGHT (TO ESTABLISH) Devil’s Kettle is a quiet farming com munity, surrounded by dense woods a nd mirrored lakes. It ’s the kind of town that has one high school, one p izza joint, and one stoplight. On an overgrown rural route we see a rustic sign that reads “WELCOME TO DEVIL’S KETTL E- Pop. 7,03 6. Come See What’s Cookin’!” NEEDY This is where it all went down. “Devil’s Kettle” sounds twisted, I know, but the pl ace just is named after a du mb waterfall. EXT. THE FALLS - NIGHT (TO ESTABLISH) We see the titul ar falls, surpr isingly powe rful, gushing over a roc k face. NEEDY V.O. Well technically , it’s two waterfalls. O ne of them is normal-- it empties into a river basin. But the other one go es into a hole. And it doesn’t c ome out. The scientist guy s can’t e xplain it. They’ve dropped all kinds of things down ther e--bouncy balls, red dye, r adioactive s lime-- but nothing ev er surfaces. 5. CONTINUED: (MORE) (CONTINUED)Maybe it’s anoth er dimension. Or, you know, just really deep. EXT. JENNIFER’S HOUSE (TO ESTABLIS H) - MIDNIGHT The sprawling ra nch house is dark from the outside except for a single FIR ST FLOOR WINDOW-- Jen nifer’s-- still illuminated. There’s a chicke n coop and a wire liv estock pen in the backyard. We’re definitely in deep north country. NEEDY V.O. I’ve probably spent years of my life in this hou se. Hundreds of sleepovers, thou sands of aimless homework sess ions, a mill ion phone calls. I’ve c limbed through Jennifer’s window so many times. But tonight, onl y one of us is going to c ome out. INT. JENNIFER’S BEDROOM - SAME JENNIFER CHECK lies on her bed, fidgeting as she watches TV. She’s a girl of 16 with LONG, MATTED HA IR and a thin, frail body. H er features are go rgeous, but she looks sick and haggard. She pi cks at her skin with yellowed, Nosferatu-like fingernails a nd chews idly on a limp lock of hair. Jennifer wears a ti ght T-shirt that s ays KETTLE HIGH FLAGS and underwear. An ‘80s HORROR M OVIE flickers on t he TV. Jenni fer half- watches, d istracted. NEEDY V.O. Jennifer didn’t always look this rough. Actually, she was the prettiest girl in Devil's Kettle when she w asn’t so...hungry. Some recent phot os on a corkboard rev eal that Jennifer was indeed BEAUT IFUL AND CURVY. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) She hadn’t fe d in weeks. Jennifer rolls over and glan ces at the window briefly. We see the OUTSIDE of the house again . It’s dark and silent, but for the nearly inaudib le snapping of twigs.6. CONTINUED: NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)Jennifer turns her attention ba ck to the TV. Suddenly, we see NE EDY’S FACE pop up aga inst the window, white and sta rtling. Before Jennifer notice s, the face disappears. Outside the h ouse, the bushes rustle. Needy is crouched below the win dow. We hear th e pulsing of he r HEART as if via ultrasound. It’s a wet, rhy thmic sound: Sploish, sploish, sploish. Inside, Jennifer stretches and shuts off th e TV. She turns out the light. A be at of silence. Then, the sou nd of cracking nea r the window. JENNIFER Huh? Needy PLUNGES through the windo w, screaming and brandishing a HAMME R. She takes a SWING at Jennifer’s head, but misses and BURIES IT IN THE WALL, sp ecifically in Jennifer’s Fa ll Out Boy poster. Needy throws herself on top of Jen nifer. She STRADDLES Jennifer and gri ps her throat, throttling her. NEEDY You’ll throw me a b one, huh? Huh? You killed Chip! You goddamned monster! Y ou...ZOMBITCH! Jennifer stru ggles to fight off Needy in the darkness. Her clawlike fingernai ls rake Needy’s back and arms. Needy pulls a BOX CUTTER out of her waistba nd and flicks it open like a switchblade. Kshink! JENNIFER (gagging) Do you buy all y our murder weapons at Home Depot? G od, you’re butch. NEEDY Know what this is for? Cutting boxes. She takes a swip e at Jennifer’s CROTCH. Jennifer instinctively CL UTCHES herself and rears up in defense. We see Jennifer’s m outh come do wn on Needy’s n eck. Needy shrieks as if BI TTEN, but conti nues to stra ngle Jennifer, straddling her a nd bearing down. 7. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Jennifer’s T-shi rt slides up to her armpits, exposing her breasts. For a moment, her eyes meet Needy’s and she grins. It’s as if she has contr ol over Needy for a split second, sexua l control... Needy recoils and SLASHES Jenni fer’s body left and right with the box- cutter, marking a gory, oozing “X” on her torso. NEEDY (CONT’D) (hysterical) CROSS OUT JENNIFER! Jennifer gasp s, staring at her wou nds in shock and disbelief. She looks back up at Needy. A be at of silence. Suddenly, THE GIRLS’ BODIES LEVITATE RAPIDLY TOWARD THE CEILING. They wr estle in a bloody, screaming airborne heap, their figu res entwined. T heir bodies FALL, collapsing back onto the bed with a thud. Needy raises the box-cutter and plunges it into Jennifer’s HEART. Blood GEYSERS from the wound. JENNIFER (choking) My tit! Suddenly, the ro om is flooded with BRIGHT LIGHT, revealing a N eedy straddling Jennifer’s MUT LIATED BODY. Jennifer’s breat hing is a raspy death rattle. MRS. CHECK, a middl e-aged woman in ba d sleepwear and a worse perm rushes into the bedroom. MRS. CHECK Jennifer! What is it, baby? Oh my God! Oh my God! She pulls Needy off her daughter. Jennifer rolls over, gasping an d bleeding. MRS. CHECK (CONT’D) (shocked) Needy? Needy drops t he boxcutter. It lands on Jenn ifer’s copy of Flag Team Quarterly, splashing the model wi th fresh gore. NEEDY Is she dead, Mrs. Check? Did I get her?8. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)Mrs. Check cr adles her maimed daughter on the floor like a white-trash Pieta. Jennifer takes one last breath, vomits blood, and DIES. Mrs. Check SCREA MS. Needy SMILES. EXT. JENNIFER CHECK’S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Three police cars squeal up to the curb wit h sirens and lights engaged. OFF ICER ROMAN DUDA, 2 2, a muscula r young COP, jogs author itatively toward the house. He shakes his head, dumbfounded. ROMAN Christ, Needy, w hat have you done? INT. POLICE S QUAD CAR - DAWN Needy, innocent- looking in PIGTAILS, is hustled i nto the back of the squad car. Her clot hes and face are smeared with blood. Officer Duda starts the i gnition. His pa rtner, a hard- faced FEMALE COP , slides into the front seat. Her cap is pushed back to accommodate a hu ge round pouf of shellacked MALL BANGS. NEEDY Hi, Roman! How’s the Force treating you? I like that jaunty cap. Blue like your balls. ROMAN How could you do this, Needy? (emotional) You killed Jen-- Jennifer-- I mean, the vic tim. Are you on something? NEEDY Everything’s going to be okay now. I rule. FEMALE COP Shut your mou th back there! NEEDY Hey. Didn’t you used to baby-sit me in like 19 98? When my mom worked the overnight at Hormel? The female cop f idgets un comfortably.9. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)NEEDY (CONT’D) Yeah. Gracie, ri ght? Gracie. I really like your hair, Gracie. How many cans of Sal on Selectives did it take to er ect that monument? The cop reaches int o the backseat and SLAPS Needy, who hiccups wi th laughter. NEEDY (CONT’D) Watch it, Puffy Combs. That’s police brutality! FEMALE COP You’re one to talk about brutality, Ms. Lesnicki. You’re looking at at tempted murder. NEEDY Ugh, don’t say attempted . That sounds so JV. Small time. Teeny- weeny, just like Officer Duda up there. And trust me-- I’d know. Roman swallows n ervously, eyes on the road. Officer Warzak glance s at him. NEEDY (CONT’D) Let’s get our fa cts straight: I successfully com mitted a hard core, fully p remeditated murder back there. I fucking destroyed that brat, OK? I, Needy Lesnicki, put a stop-pa yment on Jennifer Check. She slumps down in the backseat. NEEDY (CONT’D) Why am I even in these cuffs? I just saved every guy in this town from becoming Sa tan Chow. I’m a hero. FEMALE COP She’s delirious. ROMAN (muttering) This is going to be a circus.10. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)FEMALE COP At least we’ve already got a confession. NEEDY Confessions are for pussies. You’ve got a declaration, Grace. She giggles maniacally. Roman turns on the radio, vi olating prot ocol. It’s a soaring rock ant hem-- the SAME SON G we heard being piped into solitary confinement. Both cops BRIGHT EN when they hear the song. Roman cranks the volume. ROMAN God, I love this song. FEMALE COP I know. And they ’ve done so much for this town. ROMAN They’re way more than a band, really. Th ey’re heroes. FEMALE COP Wait, this is my favorite part... Roman and the female cop beg in to sing alon g with the uplifting, corny song: FEMALE COP AND ROMAN (in unison) “Through t he trees, I will find you. Heal the ru ins left inside you. And the stars will remind you, that you are home...” Needy stares out the window at the sun creepin g up over the forest on the horizon. NEEDY V.O. So I killed her. Whatever. It won’t undo anything. Thre e pulses-- three lives-- al l stopped cold by adolescent bl oodlust. It’s hard to believe th at just two months ago, me, Jennifer and my boyfriend Chip were completely normal people. 11. CONTINUED: (2) (MORE) (CONTINUED)We were our y earbook pictures. Nothing more, nothing less. We see a brief montage of black -and-white yearbook stills: JENNIFER executing t he splits on a football field, her smile bright. NEEDY ins pecting a school newspaper layout, p en in hand, glasses on her nose. And finally, CHIP DOVE, playing a strap-on snare drum at a school pep ra lly, his head bent in co ncentration.... NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) Jesus, Chip.. The photo fades into the pep rally itself. CHIP is animated, drumming in full color... INT. KETTLE HIGH - DAY CHIP drums on th e sidelines of the Devil's Ket tle High basketball court. The stands are p acked with BORED STUDENTS for a pep rally. Chip is 16, clean cut, and an awful drummer. NEEDY V.O. Chip couldn’t dr um for shit. He only knew “Land of a Thousand Dances” and t he solo from “Wipeout.” Lu cky for him, the pep band gig wasn ’t too demanding. Sure enough, the band is playing “Lan d of a Thousand Dances.” Nearby, the FLAG TEAM cla ps with glov ed hands, picking up their flags for a ch oreographed stunt. Jennifer steps f orward in her f lag team uniform, breathtakingly beautiful. Sh e hoists her flag aloft, twirling it. Time FREEZES as the flag unfurls. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) If you can be lieve it, that’s Jennifer. Yeah, the same girl I iced with the box-cutter. Only back then, we we re tight. Sisters, practically. People found it hard to believe th at a babe like Jennifer would associate with a dork like me. Bu t we’d been the Wonder Twins since we were practically prev erbal. Sandbox love never dies. Jennifer finishes h er maneuver and WAVES to th e stands. Needy waves back at her excitedly from the bleachers, small and owlish with glasses a nd lank hair. 12. CONTINUED: (3) NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)CHASTITY, a s imilarly geeky-loo king girl st anding next to Needy, rolls her ey es at this display of affection. CHASTITY You’re totall y lesbigay. NEEDY What? She’s my best friend. The geeky girl mock ingly imitates Needy’ s excited wave. CHASTITY You stare at her like you want to dry hump her. Needy ignores her. CHASTITY (CONT’D) Like, hump her through pants. NEEDY (interrupting) Are you jealous? CHASTITY Of what? That rich bitch? NEEDY She’s not rich. INT. KETTLE H IGH HALLWAY - AFTER SCHOOL Needy digs throu gh her locker, car efully selecting textbooks to take h ome. Jennifer skip s up to her, smiling. JENNIFER Hey, Monistat. NEEDY What’s up, Vagisil? JENNIFER You and me are going out tonight. She checks herse lf out in Needy ’s locker mirror. NEEDY Tonight? Why? JENNIFER Soft Shoulder are playing at the Carousel. 13. CONTINUED: (MORE)(CONTINUED)And it’s all- ages, for on ce, which means I won’t ha ve to play Hello Titty with th e door guy. NEEDY What’s Soft Shoulder? JENNIFER They’re th is indie band from the city. I saw their MySpace and the singer is extra salty. And there will be lo ts of other salty morsels there for you. Come on Needy, it’s the weekend! NEEDY It’s Thursday. JENNIFER Thursday counts as the weekend in college. And we’re going to be in college twenty-t hree months from now. Universi ty of Northern Minnesota Duluth- woo! Needy cont inues loading her backpack. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Please, please you’re a social disease? NEEDY I have to study. Jennifer pout s. With an outstretch ed finger, s he draws a dramatic X in the air over N eedy and boo s loudly. JENNIFER (shouting) Boo! Cross out Needy! Needy blushes, s hrinking self-c onsciously. She obviously hates to disp lease Jennifer. NEEDY Fine. What ti me is the show? JENNIFER I’ll pick you up at 8: 30. My mom has a date with that guy who owns the ham store. NEEDY He seems nice.14. CONTINUED: JENNIFER (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER (smirking) Yeah, Mom says he’s got a huge... heart. So huge he gave her a recurring bladder infection. Wear something cool, okay? NEEDY Okay. INT. NEEDY’S HOU SE - 8:45 A.M. Needy is standing in a small , dingy bathroo m, trying on different configura tions of clothing. NEEDY V.O. “Wear somethi ng cool” meant something very specific in Jennifer-spea k. It meant I couldn’t look li ke a nerd, but I couldn’t upstage her either. I could expose my sto mach, but never cleavage. Tit s were he r trademark. Needy wiggles he r jeans a bit l ower, exposing her childishly round tummy. She walks out of the bathroom into her bedroom, a frilly pink hell complete wit h canopy bed. CHIP DOVE is sit ting on the bed, look ing lost in all that pink. He rais es an eyebrow at Needy’s abdomen. CHIP Those jeans are hella low. I can almost see yo ur front butt. NEEDY Chip, it’s a rock show. T his is my rock look. CHIP I can see, li ke, your womb. Needy sighs and hoists up her pants. CHIP (CONT’D) Why are you blow ing me off for some dumb con cert, anyway? We were supposed to have Movie Night. I even rented Orca. It’s like Jaws, except with a ha rmless whale.15. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)NEEDY Jennifer needs me. She really wants to go see this band. It’s extremely import ant to her. CHIP I’ve never ev en heard of Soft Shoulder. Which one is Jennifer stalking? NEEDY The lead singer, of course. Girls like her don’ t go out with drummers. CHIP Thanks a lot! NEEDY No offense. I mean, she’d probably make an exceptio n for a drummer who was also the lead singer. CHIP Like Phil Collins. NEEDY Who’s Phil Collins? CHIP Forget it. He ’s seminal, but whatever... NEEDY Anyway, this singer guy is like 22, so he could get locked up in the state pen if he actua lly dated her. But Jennife r says he’s extra salty, so... CHIP Salty. You guys ever g oing to stop using that se cret language? NEEDY “Salty” means beautiful. CHIP Then you must be soy sauce, babe. Needy and CHIP start MAKING OUT . CHIP unbuc kles his belt eagerly even though they’ve barely begun. Needy stops.16. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY Jennifer’s here. CHIP How do you know? Needy shrugs. A beat of silence. T hen we he ar the door swing open. J ENNIFER’S VOICE floats up f rom downstairs. JENNIFER (O.S.) Needy, quit tamp ooning yourself and get down here! CHIP That’s fuckin g weird. NEEDY (straighten ing her clothes) I’d better hurry. CHIP You always do what Jennifer tells you to do. Needy pulls her NECKLACE out from ben eath her shirt and flashes a heart- shaped “B.F.F.” charm at Chip. NEEDY She’s my best friend, Chip. Remember? This n ecklace is no joke. CHIP sighs, r esigned. They h ead downstairs. INT. NEEDY’S HOUSE (LIVING R OOM) - SAME Jennifer is waiting in the front hall way. She’s heavily made-up and d ressed in a predictably sexy outfit. She dangles a set of car keys in front of Ne edy and CHIP. JENNIFER (gloating) Guess who’s g ot the whip ‘til 11:30? A 2003 Ch rysler Se bring and it’s all mine. NEEDY Wow.17. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER You’re lucky you ge t to ride with me to the club in style! She does a sexy little dance in the d oorway, then notices CHIP. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Oh, hi Chip. Do you like puppies? She grabs her bo obs and thrusts her c hest outward at him, giggling. Needy watche s jealously and MA NEUVERS HER WAY IN FRONT OF JENNIFER. CHIP I think you forg ot, like, two buttons. NEEDY I think she remembered two buttons. Jennifer snif fs the air. JENNIFER It smells like T hai food in here. (beat) Have you guys been fucking? NEEDY You’re gross! She shoves Jenni fer and they begin wrestlin g playfully. CHIP slumps a gainst the wall, s taring awestruck at Jennifer’s cleavage. JENNIFER Okay, let’s go to the club. The three of them shuffle onto the porch. Need y locks the door. CHIP The Carousel is not a club. JENNIFER Eat my ass, Chip . You’re just jello ‘cau se you’re no t invited. CHIP I’m not jello! T hat place is gross. Everyone there has a mustache. 18. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER You’re totally j ello! You’re lime green jello and you can’t even admit it. The girls scamper toward the car. CHIP (calling af ter them) Stop kidnappi ng my girlfriend! INT. THE C AROUSEL - NIGHT THE CAROUSEL is a r un-down tavern at the edge of town, the kind with NASCAR posters, wobbly chairs and strands of plastic penna nts crisscrossi ng the ceili ng. It’s a busy night and the bar is te eming with locals. A bartender sells a CASE OF BEER to a cu stomer and passes it over the bar. NEEDY V.O. Chip was right. The Carousel is definitely not a club. Clubs are for attractive p eople in populous urban areas. Clu bs have DJs and champagne and se parate bathrooms for guys and girls. All we have is a broken jukebox, a few domestic taps and the Sticker Toilet. SMASH CUT TO: INT. BATHR OOM - SAME We see a lone, n asty-looking TO ILET covered in BAND STICKERS. BACK ON NEEDY:Needy and Jennif er enter the ba r. Every guy in the joint stares at Jennifer, who snaps her “MINOR” wristband distastefully. JENNIFER God, I can’t wait until I’m old enough to get wa sted. Have you ever had p each schnapps? NEEDY I don’t think so.19. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Peach schnapps a re excellent . They even taste good when they come out of your nose mid-puke. A teenage guy, C RAIG, passes by and waves. CRAIG Hi Jennifer. You look nice. JENNIFER (without enthusiasm) What up, Craig. She elbows Needy and makes a GAGGING GESTURE. JENNIFER (CONT’D) He thinks he’s cute enough for me. No wonder he’s in retard math. Jennifer pulls out a pack of Camel Wides and lights one awkwardly. Needy notices AHMET FROM I NDIA, a FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT, standing by hims elf away from the crowd. NEEDY Hey, it’s Ahmet from India. The foreign exchange guy. He’s all by himself. JENNIFER I can’t believe we traded a cute hockey pla yer for that. NEEDY He seems okay. H e’s got that cool elephant statue in his locker. JENNIFER Do you think he’ s circumcised? I always wanted to try sea cucumber. NEEDY Ew! ROMAN DUDA sa unters up to Jennifer, swiggin g a bottle of beer. He snatches the pack of cigaret tes away from her. ROMAN You’re smoking dicks now, Jen? JENNIFER What? I like the Wides.20. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)She sticks the fat cigarette between her li ps and inhales pointedly. ROMAN I just bet you d o. I should arrest you for po ssession under the legal age. JENNIFER Arrest me, pfft! You’re not even out of the acade my yet, Roman! ROMAN Two more months and I’m on the force for real. The n I’ll be able to cuff you w henever the hell I want. He grips her wri st and twists it behind her back. JENNIFER How will I wa it that long? She paws Roman’s crotch discreetly . Needy winces. ROMAN Not here, babe. I g otta keep my nose clean. NEEDY (pointing) Look, there’s the band! A group of skinny INDIE ROCK BOYS are setting up their equipment on a p athetically tiny stage-- it’s more like a dais. The LEAD SINGER has in tense, spooky eyes, nearly obscured by a shock of hair. The locals, mostl y good ol’ boys, eye the band suspiciously. JENNIFER You can tell the y’re from the city. ROMAN Yeah, ‘cause the y look like a bunch of faygos. JENNIFER You would think that. You ’re such a small-time Gomer. I wish we had more guys like t hat in Devil's Kettle. All styl ish and shit. Needy nods dumbl y. She stares at the band, awestruck.21. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)NEEDY They look so- - so cool. She gazes at the stage, hearing only the wh istling rush of ARCTIC AIR. In SLOW MOTION, the GUITARIST unsheathes his Fender Jagua r from its gig bag . He notices her staring and runs the tip of his tongue over his lips. Needy swal lows hard. JENNIFER Hey, I think the y need two groupies. Come o n! It’ll be like Almost Famous! I’ll be Penny Lane and you can be the other girl. She grabs Needy’s hand and enth usiastically tr ies to drag her toward the stage. NEEDY No! JENNIFER Don’t be J.V., N eedy. They’r e just boys. Morsels. We have all the power, don’t you know that? She plants her hands on N eedy’s CHEST. JENNIFER (CONT’D) These things are like smart bombs. Point ‘em in the right direction and shit g ets real. Needy shrugs free of Jennifer’s grasp and follows her reluctantly a cross the room. The lead singer of Soft Shoulder, NIK OLAI WOLF, is already striding forward to meet them at th e lip of the stage. His gait is as smooth as his shock of dyed-black hair. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Hi. Um, we just really wanted to meet you or something? I’m Jennifer Check a nd this is my friend. NIKOLAI I’m Nikolai W olf, and this is my band. He reaches down and pumps Jennifer ’s outstretc hed hand.22. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER (awkward) Yeah! Soft Shoul der, right? I’ve heard you guys a re super, super good at playing your instruments. NIKOLAI I hope we can live up to such...high praise. NEEDY Hey, if you don’ t mind me asking, why did you want to pl ay all the way out here in Devil's Kettle? You live in the city, right? NIKOLAI Yeah. But I t hink it’s so important to connect with our fans in rural a reas. Plus, the audiences in sma ll towns really appreciate us. JENNIFER Can I show you my appreciation right now? Needy looks at t he floor, em barrassed. Jennifer’s vo ice scales up nervously. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Like, I’ll buy you a drink? I mean, I’ll see if I can get you a drink. They make this great 9/11 tribute shooter? It’s red, white and blue, but you h ave to drink it fast or it ge ts all brownish. NIKOLAI (grimacing) Mmm. Jennifer hurr ies off towa rd the bar. Needy moves self -consciously in to a nearby corner, not wanting to co ntinue the conv ersation with N ikolai alone. A LOCAL plugs a Lor etta Lynn tune int o the jukebox, with a challenging stare at the band. A DR UNK COUPLE begins two-stepping in fro nt of the stage. Nikolai walks up to the guit ar player, DIRK , and pulls him aside. Needy pricks up her ears and listens.23. CONTINUED: (4) (CONTINUED)NIKOLAI (CONT’D) Dirk, what about her? DIRK (gesturing to Needy) Who, Training Bra Jones? Needy look s offended. NIKOLAI No, the hot one. The o ne who just walked away. She’s it, man. She’s exactly what we’ re looking for. DIRK You’re sure she’s... NIKOLAI She’s a kid. We’re in God’s country, man. Ev eryone out here’s a fundie bible-bang er. Of course she’s a virgin. Dirk hesitates. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) Dirk, we didn’t haul our asses out to this corn pal ace for nothing! DIRK Fine. Okay. You know, I know I’m not “just the ba ssist.” I’m a person who happens to play the bass guitar. And I would like some respect... Nikolai is al ready ignoring him. Needy, alarmed, eme rges from her hiding place and discreetly rushes over to the b ar where Jennifer is arguing with a jealous-looking Roman. He sh akes his head in disgust and leaves the bar. Jennifer walks o ver holding an ostent atious PATRIOTIC THEMED DRINK. Sh e laughs when she sees Need y’s concerned expression. JENNIFER What? Are you scared of rock stars too? NEEDY Those guys are rank, Jen. Just forget about it.24. CONTINUED: (5) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER I think the singer wants me. NEEDY Only because he thinks you’re a virgin. I heard them talking. JENNIFER Yeah, right! I’m not even a backdoor-virgin any more, thanks to Roman. By the way, that hurts. I couldn’t even go to flags the next day. I had to st ay home and sit on a bag of frozen peas. NEEDY Oh my God. JENNIFER Well, if Nikolai wants innocent, I can do innocent. I’ll be Little Miss Fucki ng Sunshine. NEEDY He’s way too old for you. JENNIFER Don’t cock-block me, Needy. Piercing FEEDBACK signals the begi nning of the set. Nikolai takes the m ic and smile s broadly. NIKOLAI Good evening, Devil’s Lake. Someone in the back shouts “ Devil's Kettle!” NIKOLAI (CONT’D) Sorry. Anyway, we’re Soft Shoulder. And we just want to make you happy. He WINKS at Jennifer.The band launch int o the same intense , soaring song we heard in the COP CAR and the HOLE. Jennifer ’s eyes never leave Nikolai’s. She’s hypno tized, clinging to Needy’s arm. Even the lo cals look charmed. Suddenly, a lick of FLAME appears on the wood paneling next to the stag e. Needy is the first to no tice. As she watches in ho rror, the fire is reflected in her glasses.25. CONTINUED: (6) (CONTINUED)The flames quick ly climbs up to the ceiling and begin to blaze uncontr ollably. People SCREAM and sca tter. Someone ineffectually tr ies to throw a pitcher of b eer on the fire. Nikolai turns and sees the fire sp reading. He and Chas exchange glances. The BASS PLAYER pit ches his guitar aside and jumps off the stage, and the drum mer abandons his kit. Nikolai seems perfectl y cool and c omposed as he watches from the stage...is he smiling? CHAOS. Everyone is trying to get out of the bar at once, causing a stampe de. A woman’s c lothes and hair CATCH FIRE and she falls to her knees. We see a BEAM f all from the roof, nearly killing AHMET FROM INDIA. Jennifer stan ds still in a d reamlike state. NEEDY (to Jennifer) I know where to go! Needy grabs J ennifer by the elbow and pulls her into the tiny BATHROOM. Choking on smoke, t hey climb onto the Sticker Toilet ( which now sports a giant SO FT SHOULDER sticker on the tank) and boost eac h other out the BATHROOM WINDOW. Hundreds are stil l trapped inside, screaming. EXT. THE CARO USEL- CONTINUOUS Jennifer coll apses in Needy’s arms, coughin g. Needy hugs her fiercely, almost romanti cally. She c ups Jennifer’s flushed face and looks in to her eyes. JENNIFER (dazed) It’s so ho t, Needy. I thi nk I’m on fire. Oh God, I’m burning! NEEDY You’re okay, I p romise. You got burned worse when you wore that tin-foil bikini to the beach. Everything’s fine. Suddenly, a HAND clamps onto Jenni fer’s should er. Both girls jump. It’s Nikolai, his forehead crea sed with false concern. NIKOLAI Are you girls all right?26. CONTINUED: (7) (CONTINUED)Needy is less th an thrilled to see him. NEEDY We’re grea t. Maybe you should try to find your band? NIKOLAI Those guys? They were the first ones out t he door. Ran fo r the van like a bunch of Marys. Frankly, I’m ashamed of them. Needy narrows her eyes suspiciously. Muffled SCREAMS rise up from the f lame-engulfed building. Jennifer cove rs her ears and cowers, sweat rolling down her face. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) God, it feels like hell out here. Come and hang with us in the van for a while, just until they hose this place down. JENNIFER Okay...okay... She slumps against Nikola i’s chest. NIKOLAI You’re in shock. He re, drink this. You’ll fee l better. He smoothly retriev es a plastic bottle of P EACH SCHNAPPS from his coat and holds it to Jennife r’s lips. She swigs it cooperatively, d ribbling down her chin. Needy blinks in disbelief at th e coincidence. NEEDY Aren’t you a little freaked out about this? What about all your stuff? It’s probably m elting, and when you get to the next stop you’ll have to do like, a crappy acoustic set! No body likes that. NIKOLAI We’ll be able to afford new gear soon enough. I have a feeling we’re gonna blow up.27. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER (slurring) I want to see yo ur van. C’mon Needy, let’s go to the van. NEEDY Why? Why should we? We have the Malibu. Let’s ju st get out of here. We can go to El Ojo and get Northwoods Nacho s with extra Badger Sauce! Please? I’m starving. JENNIFER Needy, stop it. Just stop it! She defiantly follows Nikolai toward the WH ITE VAN, which is parked a suspici ously safe dist ance from the bar. Needy staggers after them slowly, watching. Behind Needy, the bar EXPLOD ES. Screams. Flames. Silence. Needy doesn’t even look back as she watches Jennifer get into the van. As h drifts into her hair like snowflakes. Nikolai takes of f his shirt as he ent ers the van, revealing his sl ick, muscled white torso. NEEDY V.O. I watched her get into that van and I knew somet hing awful was going to happen. But for some reason, I felt d rawn toward them. Toward him. He was pale and twisted and e vil, like this petrified tree I sa w when I was a kid. EXT. PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PAR K - (FLASHBACK) We see LITTLE NEEDY, about f ive years old, staring up at a petrified tree in th e darkness, hor rified yet compelled. The tree seems to stoop forwa rd, cracking... BACK ON NEEDY: Needy’s face is fix ed in the same hau nted expression. Nikolai turns to look at her, h is teeth bared in a vicious smile. Needy turns and sprints off in the opposite direction, away from the va n and the fire.28. CONTINUED: (2)INT. NEEDY ’S BEDROOM - 11:00 P.M. Needy stumbles into her bedroom, o verwhelmed. Her clothes are smoke damage d and her ch eeks are sooty. She grabs her ch eap, taped-up c ell phone and dials CHIP’s number shakily. CROSS CUT PHONE CALL: INT. CHIP’S BEDR OOM - CONTINUOUS Chip’s bedroom is p itch black until a cheap cell phone lights up under the covers illuminati ng his sleeping form, clad only in jockey shorts. CHIP (sleepily) Hey, Niedermeyer. NEEDY Thank God you’re there. I hoped you were s leeping with your phone. CHIP What’s wrong? NEEDY Jennifer’s gone. She ran off with that rock band. And the Carousel burned down. CHIP sits bolt upright CHIP Like, burned down? To the ground? Is everyone okay? NEEDY No. I think they ’re mostly dead. CHIP Shit. You’re okay, right? NEEDY We went out t he bathroom window. Everyone else wa s trying to use the door. It was like a stampede. The people who f ainted got run over and you could hear their bones breaking. 29. (MORE)(CONTINUED)There was all th is screaming and popping, like a million B lack Cats all going off at once. And the smell... CHIP This is real, ri ght? This isn’t just, like, some crazy dream like last time? NEEDY No! Anyway, it t ook me like an hour to walk hom e. But Jennifer’s still with those creeps! They had one of those whi te molester vans with no windows. The back was all blacked out. CHIP Who cares about Jen nifer and those douchebags wi th douchebag haircuts? People just burned to death. In our town! The DOORBELL chimes. NEEDY (frantic) Oh cheese and fries! Someone’s here. I’m alo ne, Chip. I’ m freaked out! CHIP Where’s your mom? NEEDY Swing shift. Listen, I’ll call you in a minute. Stay awake. CHIP (sleepily) Holla back. Needy hangs up t he phone and ru shes downstairs . As she passes through the shadowy k itchen, applian ces HUM all around her. The sil ence is menacing. INT. NEEDY’S HOU SE (FRONT ENTRY ) - CONTINUOUS Needy opens the door. Nobody there. She slams the do or, turns aroun d and SCREAMS.30. CONTINUED: NEEDY (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)Jennifer is standin g in the dark hall way, looking ghostly pale and smiling. Her clothes are tat tered and stained-- her entire front is soaked in b lood. Her makeup is smeared, and her eyes are bruised and sunken like a zombie’s. She looks HORRIFYI NG, especially with that ghastly, clow nish grin. NEEDY Um, Jennifer? Jennifer says nothing and conti nues to smile with blood- tinged teeth. NEEDY (CONT’D) What happened? Utter silence. Then a drippi ng sound. Needy looks down and sees large drops of blood spat tering the linoleum. Jennifer cont inues to smile, stari ng directly at Needy. NEEDY (CONT’D) (trembling) J-Jen? Jennifer lets out a horrifying banshee SCREAM, wailing at the top of her lungs. She vomits a to rrent of evil- looking black bi le all over hersel f and Needy and staggers wildly down the hallway. The bloody black bile hits the wall, splashing a framed school portrait of Nee dy. Needy screa ms and watches in horror as it slides down the wall. The bile has hun dred of tiny SPINES sticking o ut of it, like little p orcupine needles, and it appea rs to move by itself, oozing across the li noleum, creepin g into the corners. It’s truly revolting. Needy grabs J ennifer blindly and c laps a hand over her mouth. Jennifer falls to her knees, her screams turning to jagged, insan e laughter. Needy tries to run, but Jennifer grabs her and THROWS her against the wall with superhuman f orce, pinning her. Jennifer slowly, tantalizingly bru shes her fac e against Needy’s hair, her earlobe. Need y doesn’t mo ve a muscle. Jennifer’s ha nd slides up Needy’s ribcage. She presses her lips agai nst Needy’s car otid artery. We hear Needy’s blood pumping, swishing.31. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER (whispering) Are you scared? Needy nods.Jennifer parts h er lips. Then suddenl y, she stops and PULLS AWAY, p ushing Needy to th e floor. Jen nifer bolts out the front door and takes off running do wn the street. Needy is motionless for a moment, the n stumbles toward the doorway. NEEDY (screaming after her) Jennifer! But she’s lon g gone. INT. KETTLE HIGH - THE NEXT MORNING Moments before the first morning bell. Needy is sitting at her desk in E nglish class, still visibly bruised from her scuffle with Jennifer the night before. She looks like she hasn ’t slept a wink. The mood is quiet and somber-- kids w hisper about the fire and g ather in groups. GOSSIPING GIRL (whispering) I heard Needy an d Jennifer were there and they had to fight their way out with a machete. OTHER GIRL Look, she’s n ot even moving. GOSSIPING GIRL It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder... Suddenly, a figu re steps in front of Needy. It’s JENNIFER, looking a bsolutely gorgeous -- and remarkably unscathed. She smiles brightly at Needy as if nothing happened the night before. JENNIFER Happy Frid ay!, D-bag! NEEDY You-- you’re all right!32. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Yeah. Why wou ldn’t I be? NEEDY Last night. At my house. You were hurt. You had two black eyes and blood everywh ere and... JENNIFER Needy, you’re delusional. I got a little banged up when you made me go out that wind ow, but I’m fine. NEEDY (dumbfounded) We had to go out th at window. The bar was like, en gulfed in flames! JENNIFER You do have a tendency to overreact. Remember at Girl Scout camp when you th ought there was an earthquake and it was really just two guys with a ghetto blaster? NEEDY A lot of peop le died, Jennifer. They burned to death, or they choked, or they just got trampled. More than half of the people there didn’t make it o ut. It’s like, all over the news. N ational news. Kids are dead. Parent s are dead. JENNIFER Anyone we know? NEEDY We know everyone ! JENNIFER Sucks to be them, I guess. She giggles and reaches for her knockoff de signer purse. NEEDY I don’t get it. What’s wrong with you? Jennifer applies lip gloss a nd smacks her l ips together. JENNIFER What’s wrong with you? I mean, besides the obvi ous surface flaws.33. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Needy rubs her eyes, stunned. NEEDY (to herself) There’s no way I dreamed it. No way. She looks down at her hands. There ’s DRIED BLOOD under her fingernails. NEEDY V.O. Her blood was st ill under my nails. See, I’d bee n up all night scrubbing the ca rnage off the linoleum. INT. NEEDY’S HOU SE (FRONT ENTRY) - DAWN (FLASHBACK) We see Needy on her hands and knees in the eerie blue light of dawn, sobb ing as she d iligently scrub s blood and bile off the floor with a dirty sponge. The black, spiny vomit repulses h er, and she gags. She reaches for a Swiffer WetJet m op and pulls the trigger. No solutio n comes out. She curses, hysterical and sleep-deprived. NEEDY Work, you...twat! Swiff, darn it! Swiff! Swiff! She collapses in tears on the floor. BACK ON NEEDY - PRESENT DAY NEEDY (CONT’D) (softly, to herself) Shoot. JENNIFER Don’t talk to yo urself. It’s one of your mo re freakish Needy behaviors and it makes us both look like total gaylords. Needy raises her hands desperat ely to Jenni fer, spreading her fingers to display her f ilthy fingernails. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Eww, you n eed a mani bad. You’d better find a Chinese chick to buff your situation!34. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)MR. WROBLEWSKI, a m iddle-aged teac her, enters the room. He has a gnarly-loo king robotic hand and moves awkwardly. JENNIFER (CONT’D) (smirking) Here comes Handi-Snack. Mr. Wroblewski clears his th roat. His vo ice quavers. MR. WROBLEWSKI I’m sure those of you who made it here today have all heard the news. It’s a dar k day for Devil's Kettle, a day we can never, ever forget. A single, stifled s ob rises from the cla ss. Needy glances around the room and sees students fighti ng back tears. A huge JOCK weeps ope nly, tears spatter ing his swimsuit- model decorat ed notebook. Je nnifer smirks, barely able to contain he r laughter. MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) The administrati on here has decided that tod ay will be a unstructured day of support and remembrance. We’ ve lost nine precious student s-- including Ahmet from India-- several parents, and a teacher, Ms. Parrish. He fights back tears. JENNIFER No way! Pa rrish ate shit? Needy shushes her, appalled. MR. WROBLEWSKI This tragedy is obviously beyond anything we can measure. Mor e than ever, we need to band together and draw strength from each other. Mr. Wroblewski p ainstakingly re trieves a tissu e from his pocket with his robotic hand and d abs at his face. MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) (his voice cracking) We can rise up. We can overcome death. Needy eyes Je nnifer warily.35. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)The jock coll apses in sobs. A tiny , acne-sc arred GEEK leans over and f olds the jock into an un likely hug. JENNIFER (dry) Oh look, they’re united in grief. That’ll last. INT. KETTLE H IGH HALLWAY - AFTER SCHOOL The automated bell rings. Ne edy slings on her backpack and hurries over to CHIP’s l ocker. He’s packin g up a pair of drum mallets. CHIP No band pr actice today. NEEDY No anything today. CHIP It’s surreal, ri ght? I mean, when just one guy die s in Devil's Kettle, it’s like time stops. And now so many peop le are dead, nobody knows when it’s okay to start again. NEEDY I feel guilty just breathing. CHIP Word. NEEDY Chip, I need to tel l you something kind of weird . It’s about Jennifer. CHIP What? NEEDY You know last ni ght when we were talking and s omeone came to my door? That was Jennifer. But she didn’t talk. She just stood there, smiling at me, b ut a bad kind of smile. She lo oked like she’d been beat up or sh ot or something. She was all bloody. 36. CONTINUED: (2) (MORE) (CONTINUED)And then she bar fed up this disgusting prick ly stuff that was like roadkill an d sewing needles all mixed together. She shudders at the memory CHIP Yuck. Like th ose porcupine meatballs my mom makes with the rice sticking out? NEEDY Yeah, like al most that bad! CHIP and Needy p onder the grote sque image in silence. CHIP It was probab ly because she inhaled a who le bunch of smoke. NEEDY No. It was so mething evil. CHIP You might want to talk to the school shrink, N eedy. I’m not saying that to be a dillhole. I’m actually kind a concerned. NEEDY Chip, I’m a N ational Merit Scholar. I don’t tell whoppers and I’m not crazy. CHIP I didn’t say you were crazy. It’s just that everyo ne’s a little messed up about this. It’s okay to feel... NEEDY Discombobulated? CHIP Yeah, you kno w. Fucked up. As they prepare to leave, COLIN GR AY approache s Needy. He’s a cute PUNK /GOTH guy wearing bla ck nail polish, a lip ring, and full wardrobe by Hot Topic. COLIN Hi Needy.37. CONTINUED: NEEDY (CONT'D) (CONTINUED)Chip blatantly s coots closer to Ne edy, eyeing Colin suspiciously. NEEDY Oh. Hi, Colin. COLIN (dramatic) I heard you were there last night. In the fiery trenches. NEEDY Uh-huh. COLIN Well, I’m glad y ou made it out. Really. NEEDY Thanks. Colin walks away. Chip looks jealous. CHIP How are you f riends with Colin Gray? I thought Colin Gray only talked to the Dead Girls. We see a group of GOTH GIRLS sp layed agains t their lockers in fu ll regalia. One wears an AC CORDION for no reason. NEEDY I just am. We have Composition together. He’s a really good writer. You know -- he’s so dark and emotional and all. CHIP Oh. I can relate. I’m also like that, even if I’ m not all obvious about it l ike a poseur. NEEDY Walk me home? CHIP You know it. EXT. KETTLE H IGH FOOTBALL FI ELD - CONTINUOUS JONAS KOZELLE, t he JOCK we saw sob bing earlier, is standing at the des erted football field. 38. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)It’s a gray, overca st fall day and th e wind whistles eerily through t he trees. The f ootball is s et back a good a distance from the school, and Jonas is all alone. In the distance, a tiny figure slowly approaches, It starts a dot on the horizon. As it dr aws closer, we see it’s JENNIFER. H er bright, lips ticked grin is eerie and unmistakable. Jonas glances briefly over his right shoulder, indifferent. A few seconds later, he glances again . Strangely, Jennifer I SN’T THERE. Jennifer suddenly a ppears on Jo nas’s left side , startling him. JENNIFER Hi! JONAS (alarmed) Oh. Hey, Jennifer. JENNIFER I’m crazy-sor ry about your profound l oss. You are crying about Craig, right? JONAS He was my bes t friend. Jennifer puts he r arm around hi m sympathetically. JENNIFER I know. I was close to him too. You know, I was there last night in that horrible place. I saw Craig a few minu tes before the fire broke out. JONAS You-- you did? JENNIFER Yeah. I was p robably the last person to talk to h im. Like, ever. Literally. JONAS Wow. What did he say?39. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Well, we got to tal king about you, actually. And do you know what he said? He said you were like a brother to him. Not a bro. An actual brother. Jonas’s lip t rembles as he unsu ccessfully f ights back tears. Jennifer cuddle s closer to him. JONAS (choking up) I just can’t believ e he’s gone. JENNIFER I know, I know. (beat) Hey, you know what else Craig said? JONAS What? JENNIFER Forget it. It ’s too intense. JONAS What? Please, Je n, you’ve gotta tell me! JENNIFER Well, he said he always thought you and me would make a totally bangin’ couple. Isn’t that so weird? JONAS He said bangin’? Jennifer reaches for Jonas’s hand and slides it slowly up her shirt, pl acing it on her left breast. JENNIFER (whispering) Feel my heart, J onas. I thin k it’s broken. JONAS (choking up) Mine too.40. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Come with me. Ju st for a while. We’ll help each other get through this night mare. It’s w hat Craig would have wanted. Jonas nods du mbly, brainwashed. Jennifer leads him away from the fiel d, toward the WOODS borderi ng the school campus. They van ish into the wo ods. In the distance, we see the FALLS ru shing into the lake. EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - CONTINUOUS Needy and Chip are walking home from school, still deep in discussion. CHIP The whole night mus t be a total blur, right? NEEDY That’s the th ing, it’s not a blur at all! I rem ember everything, in like ultra-high- def detail. The band, the fir e, everything. Especially what happened after. CHIP “After” is the p art I don’t really get, to be honest. NEEDY Please, I need s omeone to believe me. Jennifer was -- she was destroyed. She was dying in my hallway, Chip. I saw. I used my CPR training to che ck her pulse. And I felt he r dying, on the inside, I mean. I’v e known her so long that it’s l ike sometimes I can feel what she feels. We’re like E.T. and Elliot Ness. CHIP I believe you. Chip takes Needy’s hand a nd squeezes it. NEEDY Thanks, Chipper.41. CONTINUED: (3)INT. WOODS SU RROUNDING SCHOO L - CONTINUOUS Jennifer and Jonas are in the w oods. Jennifer efficiently whips off her to p and bra and b egins kissin g Jonas hungrily. As Jonas touche s her, he recoils. JONAS You feel so warm. Why are you so warm? JENNIFER (firmly covering his mouth) Shutties! She pulls off Jonas ’ shirt and digs her nails into his arms, kissing him with renew ed ferocity. The woods are dead silent. A few squi rrels approach the clearing, and Jo nas watches the m warily with one open eye as Jennifer kisses him. Then a deer wanders into the clearing. Then a fo x. The animals pau se in their tracks and watch, mo tionless. It’s an eerie, unnat ural tableau. Animals continue to gather. JONAS (muffled) Jennifer! Jen... Jennifer is annoyed. JENNIFER What? JONAS Look! He gestures to the ANIMALS, who ar e watching, still as statues. A few crows alight on a nearby tree. JENNIFER Mm-hmm. Th ey’re waiting. JONAS Uh, okay... Jennifer unzips Jonas’s jeans and smiles, r eaching down and working him wit h her hand. Jonas moa ns, still eyeing the animals. JENNIFER Do you miss Craig?42. (CONTINUED)JONAS (startled) Of course. JENNIFER Don’t worry. You’re going to see your buddy again. JONAS You mean like in heaven someday? JENNIFER No. She smiles and shakes her head. Jonas jerks back, creeped out. He tries to pull away from Jennifer, but sh e’s too strong. She P INS him to the tree. We see her jaw b egin to UNHINGE, like some horrible snake. Her ey es cloud over w ith blood... EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS A horrible SCREAM of agony rises from the woods. Mr. Wroblewski is exiting the schoo l, briefcase in hand. He stops in his tra cks when he hears the scream. He shakes his head sadly. MR. WROBLEWSKI (to himself) God, they’re feeling so much pain. Another sc ream, this t ime weaker. MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) Let it all out, kids. He heads for his Ford Festiva, then pauses as if thinking better of it. Somet hing isn’t right. He puts his keys back in his p ocket and walks to ward the woods to investigate. INT. NEEDY’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS Needy is prepari ng herself a fried bologna sandwich in the kitchen. Needy’s ALBINO FERRET chases a ball across the cracke d floor. Needy scrapes the sandwich out of the skillet and takes a bite.43. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY Fried bologna is the bomb! (to ferret) You want s ome, Greedo? She tuns on the kit chen radio a nd is surprised to hear a very familiar so ng: “Through the Trees,” by Soft Shoulder. Suddenly, she pa uses, a look of UN EASE and eve n FEAR crossing her fac e. She stops and b races herself against the counter, her KN EES SHAKING. Somet hing isn’t right. She drops the sandw ich. Greedo goes straight for it. NEEDY (CONT’D) Something’s wrong... As Needy sinks to her knees, she s tares straight ahead at the REFRIGERATOR. A photo magnet of J ENNIFER leers back at her. She closes her e yes. A brief, near -subliminal FLASH of the carnage in the woods... The song ends, s napping Needy o ut of her reverie. RADIO DJ That was Soft Shoulder, the local band who beca me the unlikely heroes of the tr agedy in Devil's Kettle last nigh t. Eyewitnesses say the boys hel ped numerous people escape the inferno , risking their own lives in the process. That’s rock n’ roll with a conscience, ladi es and gentlemen. Had a lot of requests for that one... EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - SAME Mr. Wroblewski ventures into the woods, headin g toward the clearing. At first, we can onl y hear mysterious sounds-- scra tching and s macking. Birds and animals are closely gathered in a circle. Suddenly, Mr. Wr oblewski clutches his arm and gags, realizing the animals are fe eding on a h uge CARCASS. A BADGER looks u p, its snout so aked in blood. Mr. Wroblewski begins to scream. T he animals scatter.44. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)A glimpse of the CORPSE: It’s Jona s, of course. His entire torso has be en torn open, expo sing his ribs and guts. Blood and viscera everywh ere, INTESTI NES strewn about the forest floor like party streamers. MR. WROBLEWSKI Virgin Mother! Mr. Wroblewski f alls to his kne es, hollering. INT. NEEDY’S HOUSE (KITCHEN) - CONTINUOUS Needy is seated at the kitchen table. She accidentally drops the remains of her sandwich on the floor, where the ferret quickly pillages it. NEEDY Crap! Needy’s mom, ANT ONIA “TONI” LES NICKI, has q uietly entered the kitchen in her pajamas. She’s pale a nd sweaty, as if she’s been spooked. TONI You said it. NEEDY Oh, hi, Mom. I didn’t know you were awake. TONI I just had one of my night terrors. NEEDY It’s four o’ clock, so technically you had a day terror. TONI Right, right. I’ m all mixed up since I started working swing again. NEEDY What did y ou dream about? TONI I dreamed some b ad people were trying to nail me to a tree with hammers and big stakes and shit. Just like Jesus. She crosses h erself piously.45. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)TONI (CONT’D) They were trying to get to you too, but I wouldn’t let ‘em. I’m a hard-assed, Ford -tough mama bear. NEEDY (smiling) Yes you are. TONI It’s like, don’t y’all touch my daughter. I’ll piss on you like Calvin. NEEDY You know, I can take care of myself, Mom. TONI That’s what you think. One of these days you’re gonna be crying out for me and I might not be there. NEEDY Hey Mom? Did you get a chance to catch the news a fter you clocked out this morning? TONI No. I just did my scratch tickets, snorted a few Lunesta and went straight to bed. Is something going on? NEEDY Nothing. Forget it. TONI Don’t nothing ha ppen in Devil's Kettle. She watches the FERRET skitter across the k itchen floor. TONI (CONT’D) Anita, that ferr et stinks. He needs to be wash ed from craw to cornhole. NEEDY Yes ma’am. Toni shakes her head and heads upstairs.46. CONTINUED:EXT. KETTLE H IGH CAMPUS - EARLY EVENING A hysterical SCR EAM pierces the twilight. The sun has b egun to set. An am bulance and four police cars have pulled up near the woods , which a re cordoned off with yellow pol ice tape. Near the woods, JONAS’S PARENTS are c rying. His MOTH ER screams and begins beating the ground wi th her fists. A stretcher is being l oaded into t he ambulance. OFFICER WARZAK e xits one of the po lice crui sers. Her signature giant poo fy bangs are in full effect. She rushes to comfort Jonas’s b ereaved mother. OFFICER WARZAK We will get the man that did this to your son. You hear me? We’ll get that s ick M.F. JONAS’S DAD I’ll get him mys elf! I will! You hear me, you bas tard? I’ll cut off your nutsack and nail it to my door! Like one of those lion doorknockers rich folks got! That’ll be your balls! EXT. ACROSS THE LAKE - CONTINUOUS The sound of Jonas’s p arents screaming c arries across the lake. The water is eerily calm. Suddenly, a HEAD breaks the sur face of t he lake. It’s Jennifer, gliding through the water. She lo oks calm and serene. The SCREAMING continues acro ss the lake. The sirens, shouting and chaos contrast sharply with this peaceful scene. Jennifer paddles to the shore and hoists herse lf onto the pier, naked and dripping wet. She run s her tongue over her teeth briefly a nd nonchalantly picks so mething out from between her two front teeth, like she’s just finished a delic ious rib dinner. Jennifer wrings out her sopping hair and re aches for her clothes, which are neatly folde d on the pier.47. (CONTINUED)Once she’s dr essed, she walk s off into the woods, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. INT. NEEDY’S ROOM - EVENING Needy is sitting at her lamp-lit desk , reading an old E.C. horror comic and eating a banana. The phone rings. Needy picks it up. NEEDY Needy speaking. CROSS CUT PHONE CALL: INT. JENNI FER’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Jennifer’s ha ir is still wet from the lake, but she’s changed into sho rts and a tank top. M usic blasts from her stereo. She admi res herself in the mirror, pop ping her ass. JENNIFER I feel sooo scrumptious! She picks up a Soft Shoulder button and POKES her arm hard with the pi n without flinchin g. Blood spurts from the wound. NEEDY Good for you. JENNIFER You know, like when you k iss a hot guy for the first time and your whole body feels like it’s on vibrate. NEEDY Yeah. JENNIFER It’s that good. Jennifer gazes at her arm, transfi xed. She wipes the blood away-- the wound has m agically DISAPPEARED.48. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY Lucky you. See, I’m still kind of depressed about, you know, the giant smoldering funeral pyre in the middle of town? JENNIFER Move-on dot org, Needy! It’s over. Life’s too sh ort to mope over some white-trash pig roast. She flicks a Zippo lighter and touches the FLAME to her tongue-- first tentatively, the n confidently. NEEDY That’s rea lly nice. JENNIFER I tell it like it is. Besides, you should be happy for me. I’m having the best day sin ce, like Jesus invented t he calendar. NEEDY Jesus didn ’t invent th e calendar. Jennifer giggles maniacally and sighs wi th happiness. Needy’s call- waiting beeps. NEEDY (CONT’D) That’s my other line. JENNIFER So blow it off. She casually lights her HAIR on fire. The flam es leap up, then die down, leaving her enti rely untouched. NEEDY It’ll just be a second. JENNIFER Pooh. I’m cro ssing you out. She draws a mini -X in the air. Needy clicks ove r. It’s CHIP. We get a nice tr ifold pie- chart illustr ating the inter secting call s. CHIP is panicked and swe aty in his l iving room. In the background, C hip’s little si ster CAMILLE bangs on a piano. Red polic e lights flash out side the picture window.49. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHIP I need to see yo u right now. NEEDY I can bare ly hear you. CHIP Camille is playing piano. Knock it off, Camille! CAMILLE You knock it off! CHIP Can you meet me at McCullum in ten? CAMILLE You knock it off, Chip! You’re penis cheese! NEEDY Fifteen. Back on JENNIFER:Jennifer is impatie ntly dragging a ra zor down her arm. Blood drips onto the rug. She smiles, in aw e of herself. Needy clicks back over. NEEDY (CONT’D) I have to go. JENNIFER What could po ssibly be more important than me and my godlike powers? NEEDY I have to meet Chip at McCullum Park. JENNIFER Chip is lo oking cute to me lately. So tell me, is he packing some serious pubic in ches? What’s the story down there? NEEDY (quickly) I gotta go.50. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)Needy hangs up t he phone abruptly and grabs one of her many cardigan sweaters, heading for the door. EXT. MC CULLU M PARK - FOURTE EN MINUTES LATER The park is dark and tree-lined and appears to be a popular clandest ine meeting spot for the youth of Devil's Kettle. The aban doned sand voll eyball pits are full of couples making o ut. Needy runs pas t them skittishly. As she ascends a grassy h ill, CHIP is revealed, silhouetted a gainst a backdr op of twirling pol ice lights. Needy squints at the lights, sees CHIP’s ho use in the distance. NEEDY Why are the cops at your house? CHIP They’re not. The y’re at Jonas Kozelle’s hou se. He go t murdered. NEEDY What?! Like, he was shot by gangbangers? CHIP (exasperated) No, Needy! Do you see anyone rollin’ on du bs around here? (beat) Someone ripped J onas limb from limb in the w oods behind the school. Ate part s of him. They found teethma rks on him-- on the body. His voice cracks. We see a brief, ter rifying FLASH of Jonas’s mutilate d body and p ain-stricken face. Needy doesn’t wa nt to believe it. NEEDY Some animals mus t’ve got to him. CHIP Human teethmarks. NEEDY Who would do that?51. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)CHIP I don’t know. It just happened after school. No one’s supposed to know yet, but my dad went over there and talked to the cops. Jonas’s mom is catatonic. She’s just staring out the front window like a zombie mannequin robot statue. NEEDY This can’t be a coincidence. CHIP What do you mean, Needy? NEEDY A fiery death tr ap last night, and now a cannibal e ats our starting tight-end? Come on! CHIP Don’t get spooky on me, babe. NEEDY Seriously Chip. Mos t small towns only have someth ing gruesome happen like, once every decade maybe. Devil’s K ettle gets two nightmares in 24 hours? It’s freaktarded. It’ s not right. CHIP What, do you think it’s, like supernatural? NEEDY I don’t know. I’m extremely intelligent but I obviously don’t know everything. CHIP Well, the bad luck’s gotta be over now, right? It can’t get any worse, right? Obviously it can’t. It can’t. I m ean, you agree, right? There won ’t be another victim. NEEDY You’re shaking. CHIP I’m cold. It’s very cold out here.52. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY Want my sweater? CHIP It’s pink. NEEDY Pink is cool. Ra p guys wear pink. She’s shaking now, too. Chip leans forwa rd and kisses her. She c loses her eyes. In the chaste space between CHIP and Needy’s b odies, the volleyball-pit couple fuck l ike rabbits. DISSOLVE TO: A SERIES OF N EWSPAPER HEADLINES The familiar Soft Shoulder ballad plays as we see a dreamy montage of headlines. The headline of the Devil's Kettle Sun-Post si mply reads: “WHY?” The headline of the Minneapolis St ar Tribune reads: “’BUTCHERED’: Devil's Kettle yo uth brutally murdered in wake of devas tating fire.” A smaller headline on the front page of the New York Times reads: “ Minnesota town rocked by grisly murder, blaze.” NEEDY V.O. We were famous. We were saints. Our town’s only bar had burned to the ground an d our star quarterback was somebody’ s Quarter Pounder. The who le country got a huge tragedy bon er for Devil's Kettle. And the press-- God, they couldn’t get enough of our little world of shit. We see Devil's Kettle citizens hol ding a tearful candlelight vigil by the former Ca rousel site. They softly sing a long with the S oft Shoulder song. MOURNERS (singing) Through the tree s, I will find you...53. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)We see weeping stud ents shoving flowe rs through the slats of Jonas’ abandoned locker. The hallw ay floor is covered with teddy bears and bouquets. We see the PASSING OF TIME as the bou quets wilt and the blooms droop. The pile of discard ed scratch-off tickets next to Needy’s mother’s bed gro ws steadily as the days go by. Another Star Tri bune headline. Thi s one reads: “ Two weeks later, cannibal killer still at large .” A smaller subhead reads “ARTS: Local band Soft Sh oulder sign to major .” NEEDY V.O. The days marc hed on as usual, but most of us we re too numb to enjoy ourselves. Most of us. We see Jennifer che erfully skipping d own the school hallway in a sleazy Technico lor outfit. The rest of the kids look grey, ash en and depressed, but Jennifer pops like a Rom an candle. NEEDY V.O. (CONT'D) Still, we were heal ing. Like CHIP, we figured things could only get better. We had faith. We see clusters of cautiously optimis tic kids in the school courtyard. They smile, t hen laugh, as if they’re re-learning h ow to be happy. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) We were fu cking idiots. EXT. KETTLE H IGH CAMPUS - TO ESTABLISH It’s late Septem ber. Leaves are beginning to drift off trees. The surro unding woods ar e still blocked off with yellow pol ice tape. INT. KETTLE H IGH - MORNING Mr. Wroblewski stands solemnly in front of the class, his mechanical hand tensing and releas ing nervously. Needy and the rest of the class fidget. MR. WROBLEWSKI Before the period ends , I have an announcement. 54. CONTINUED: (MORE)(CONTINUED)As you know, this is the one month anniversary of the Carousel fire and also the mur der of Jonas Kozelle... JENNIFER Bo-ring! We see Jennifer. Sh e looks haggard, thin, and cranky. NEEDY (whispering) Are you okay? JENNIFER No. I feel li ke boo-boo. My skin is breaking out. My hair is dull and lifeless. God, it’s like I’m one of the no rmal girls! Needy smooths her o wn hair self -consciously. NEEDY Are you PMS-i ng or something? JENNIFER PMS isn’t real, Nee dy. It was invented by the boy-run media to make us seem crazy. NEEDY Oh. Mr. Wroblewski clears his th roat, annoyed by their talking. MR. WROBLEWSKI ...As I was saying, Needy and Jennifer , I finally ha ve some good news to share wi th all of you. The members of the rock group Soft Shoulder have de cided to extend a helping hand to our community. A ripple of excitement in the room. A girl seated in the front row is wearing a Soft Shoulder T-SHIRT. MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) As you know, the ir song “Through the Trees” ha s become our unofficial anthem of unity and healing. S o, they’ve d ecided to release it as a benefit single. 55. CONTINUED: MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT'D) (MORE) (CONTINUED)3% of the profits w ill go to local families who have been af fected by loss. The class is happily abuzz-- except N eedy, who looks appalled. NEEDY What about th e other 97%? MR. WROBLEWSKI Excuse me? NEEDY The other 97%. I me an, that’s just crass. Right? She looks around for support, finding none. NEEDY (CONT'D) Crass. It means scummy. Greedy. Am I the only one who actually does the vocab drills? CHASTITY, the girl in the Soft Sho ulder T-shirt, turns to face Needy angrily. CHASTITY Soft Shoulder are American heroes. NEEDY No, they’re not. I was there, Chastity. They didn’t actually help anyone esca pe the fire. I don’t even know how that rumor got started. CHASTITY Rumor?! RUMOR? I t’s true! It’s on their Wiki pedia page! NEEDY Oh, that’s crap... MR. WROBLEWSKI Girls-- NEEDY They’ve milke d our pain-- our loss- - to get a stupi d record deal! No one would even know who they were if they hadn’t been playing here that night. They used us.56. CONTINUED: (2) MR. WROBLEWSKI (CONT’D) (CONTINUED)CHASTITY (growling, almost possessed) You take that back, Needy Lesnicki! We need t hem now more then ever! MR. WROBLEWSKI That’s enough. The BELL rings. Stu dents get up and gather their books for the ne xt period. INT. SCHOOL H ALLWAY - SAME Needy and Jen nifer slowly he ad toward their respective lockers. NEEDY I’m already sick of that song. JENNIFER Yeah. It’s poorl y produced. Could the bass be any lower in the mix? NEEDY No offense, but you look kind of drained. Is ever ything all right? JENNIFER I’m fine. It’s just , like, wearing off or something. NEEDY What’s wea ring off? (alarmed) Are you on pot? JENNIFER No, dick ridge! Jus t forget I said anything. COLIN GRAY, t he punk/goth boy we met earlier, approaches Jennifer nervous ly as she exits the classroom. Needy drops behi nd them, eavesdropping. COLIN (to Needy) Hi. (to Jenn ifer, more nervously) Hi, Jennifer.57. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Oh, hey Colin. L isten, can I copy your bio lab aga in? I never got around to dissectin g that kitten fetus. COLIN Sure. Actuall y, I sort of wanted to ask you something. JENNIFER Oh. You want to kno w if I’ll go out with you. COLIN No! Well-- yeah. (beat) How did yo u know? JENNIFER Just go ahead with the pitch. Colin fidgets awkwardly. COLIN Well, we’ve been having a lot of fun in class, yo u and I, and I just thought may be we could go to a movie or so mething. There’s a midnight s howing of Rocky Horror at the Bijou next weekend... JENNIFER I don’t like boxing movies. COLIN It’s not...fuck it. Never mind. He turns to walk down the ha llway, dejected . Jennifer watches him leave. JENNIFER Wait! Colin turn s around. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Why don’t you ju st come by my place tonight ? I just got Aquamarine on DVD. It’s about this girl who’s like, half-sushi. I guess she has se x through her blowhole or something.58. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)COLIN Oh. Great! Okay. JENNIFER I’ll text you my address. Colin walks away, grinning t riumphantly. NEEDY That was random. JENNIFER I’m used to guys asking me out. NEEDY Colin’s a rea lly nice guy. JENNIFER He’s into maggot-rock. He wears nail polish. Chip appears beh ind Needy and drapes his ar m over her shoulder. Needy jum ps, startled. CHIP Hi. JENNIFER (flirtatious) Hi Chip. Needy puts he r arm around Ch ip protectively. JENNIFER (CONT’D) I gotta go parlez French. Slam you later. Jennifer w alks away. CHIP (to Needy) Talking to yo ur good pal Colin Gray again? NEEDY No. He was just asking Jennifer out on a date. Chip looks relieved. CHIP Can I come over tonight? 59. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)NEEDY Sure. I’d like that. CHIP I went to Super Tar get and bought more condoms. NEEDY Thanks. CHIP Not that that has anything to do with my co ming over. NEEDY I didn’t assume that. CHIP Well, I’ll se e you tonight. Needy waves as Chip walks away. EXT. CAMERFORD STREET - NIGHT Colin Gray drives down the s treet in a big old boat of a classic car. He’ s blasting punk music on an iPod that’s been rigged to t he ancient AM radio. Colin holds up his CELL PHONE to re-r ead the directions Jennifer t exted him. The street is extremely dark and s ilent, occup ied only by a new townhouse dev elopment. The i dentical units still appear to be under con struction. There aren’t even any streetlights. The p lastic sheeting ov er the windows flaps eerily in the breeze. Colin’s brow fur rows in confusion-- it doesn’t even look like anyone lives here yet. He checks the p hone display again. CLOSE ON PHONE: The TEXT MESS AGE reads: “trn lft on camerfo rd and your the re. first ho use on rt. 1004 camerford. C-ya! xoxo jen” Sure enough, the house number is 1 004. Colin throws the car into park an d walks up to the por ch. He looks up and notices a glow coming from an upstairs window,60. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)Colin presses the doorbell. Nothing h appens-- the house isn’t wired f or electricity yet. INT. CHIP’S B EDROOM - SAME Needy and CHIP are kissing on Chip’s water bed. Chip fumbles for one of those “fra grance plug- ins” and PLUGS it into the w all. Needy l ooks over. CHIP For ambiance. It’s Jammin’ Jasmine. NEEDY Mmm. CHIP My mom has Holid ay Scents too, if you’re interested. NEEDY No, this is nice. INT. 1004 CAM ERFORD - SAME Colin enters the house tenta tively. It’s dark, vacant, and very creepy. There’s a very faint glow and soft music coming from upstairs. COLIN Yo? He stumbles over a stray 2 x 4. There are piles of sawdust and b uilding materials everywhere-- th e house is definitely still under construc tion. Colin looks confused. A MOUSE skitters over his sneakers. COLIN (CONT’D) Jennifer? Any one there? The music upstairs grows slightly louder in response. Colin squares his shoulders and heads slowly up the creaking stairs.61. CONTINUED:INT. CHIP’S B EDROOM - SAME Needy has eased off her top to reveal an endearingly plain white bra, complete with cen ter bow. CHIP, also shirtless, co ps a feel. He reaches into his pocket and pul ls out a fluorescent orange CONDOM. N eedy looks at the wrapper. NEEDY (reading) “Sensual Swirl?” CHIP It’s supposed to make it feel good for the girl. NEEDY Oh. Cool. INT. 1004 CAMERF ORD - CONTINUOUS Colin follows the m usic into an empty bedroom. The dark room is filled w ith blazing can dles melting and pooling into bizarre sha pes. A single BLANKET is spread out on the floor. Co lin shivers. Behind him, in t he doorway, Jennifer app ears, her smiling face helli shly aglow. JENNIFER You made it. COLIN What’s going on? This isn’t really your house, is it? JENNIFER No baby. This is our house, just for you and me. We can play Mommy and Daddy. Colin is tota lly dumbstruck. COLIN Do you even know my last name? JENNIFER Silly. I’ve been sending you signals all year . Couldn’t you tell? You give me such a wettie.62. (CONTINUED)She starts KI SSING Colin on the ne ck. We can see confusion-- a nd fear-- in his eyes. INT. CHIP’S B EDROOM - SAME Chip fumbles below his waist , obviously str uggling with the condom. N eedy leans f orward for a closer look. NEEDY Oh. It’s got little bumps on it. I can hardly wait. INT. 1004 CAM ERFORD - SAME Jennifer grips Colin’s face in her hands and forcibly kisses him on th e mouth. Colin succum bs, but stiffly. We hear a SCR ATCHING noise. Colin pulls away instinctively and s ees MICE and ROACH ES emerging from the walls, skittering over surfaces. COLIN Jennifer... Jennifer looks over her shou lder and giggles. JENNIFER You scared? I th ought boys like you were i nto vermin. She unbuttons hi s jeans. They fall noisily to the floor-- they’re the baggy Hot Topic kind with chains and buckles galore. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Nice hardw are, Ace. Colin into Jenni fer’s eyes. There’s something horrible about her fac e...like she’s become almost corpselike. COLIN (faintly) No way... JENNIFER Oh, don’t you da re pass out! I need you to be conscious. COLIN I gotta go...63. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER I need you frightened. Colin tries to j erk away, but Jenn ifer easily disengages his arm from its socket. A sick eningly moist SNAP. Colin cries out in pain. JENNIFER (CONT’D) I need you hopeless. She slams him to the ground and mo unts him. Her jaw unhinges, opening h er mouth to a horr ifying, inhuman degree. Her teet h are razor-sharp and grotesquely crowded, like th ey belong to some horribly deformed dog. She descends on him, f eeding ravenously. We see their shadows against the wall: Jennifer lunging hungrily, blood sprayi ng up from Colin’s jugular. We can hear him screami ng and gargling on his own blood. INT. CHIP’S BEDR OOM - CONTINUOUS CHIP is doggedly pumping away on top of Needy, hi s eyes closed in concentratio n. Needy’s vacant eyes are suddenly brimming w ith tears. NEEDY (softly) Hopeless.. hopeless... CHIP opens his eyes. CHIP What? Am I hurting you? Needy star ts weeping. CHIP (CONT’D) Am I too big? Tears roll do wn Needy’s chee ks. She begi ns moaning, then SCREAMING at that t op of her lungs. She hallucinates liquid seeping through the walls, blood and lymph oozing in at the c orners and wind ows. Then the infamous spiny black bile... Pixelated nightm ares emerge from t he darkness. Skulls, jesters, demons, death. It’s the worst acid trip imaginable. Needy rubs her e yes frantically and continu es to scream.64. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHIP immediately rolls off N eedy, concerned. He grabs her and tries to shake some sense into her. CHIP (CONT’D) Needy! What’s wrong? Needy continu es to shriek hy sterically, her voice growing ragged. INT. 1004 CAM ERFORD - SAME We can still hear Colin making inhuman soun ds of pain. We can only see the carnage in shadow, b ut it’s clearly unspeakable. INT. CHIP’S BEDR OOM - CONTINUOUS Needy clutches h er throat, hype rventilating. She stands up and struggles to get dressed. Her breath rasps. Chip is freaking out. CHIP Is it something I did? NEEDY (gagging) It’s her. CHIP Do you need m ore foreplay? INT. 1004 CAM ERFORD - SAME Colin’s thrashing l imbs finally go li mp. Jennifer is hunched over his remains like a jacka l scooping blood into her mouth w ith cupped hands. We see his eyes, flecked with b lood, pupils dilated. A white MOUSE craw ls over his face. INT. CHIP’S HOUSE - SAME Needy races towa rd the door with C hip in pursuit. CHIP Needy!65. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY I have to go. I’m sorry. I just... feel like someth ing...something terrible... CHIP You feel-- What does that even mean? I’m worrie d about you. NEEDY I’m so sorry, Chip. I’m so sorry. Everything is just wrong. She bolts out the r oom, leaving Chip naked and alone. He pulls his knees up to his chest , vulnerable. EXT. CHIP’S STREET - SAME Needy runs toward her mom’s CAR, a beat- up Kia parked on the curb. She climbs into the car and starts the ignition, trembling and crying. She pulls out on to the street and guns it. She swings a hard left. The s treets are a ll almost ident ical, lined by working-class homes. She turns on the ra dio. The song is, of course, “Through the Trees” by So ft Shoulder. She p ounds the dashboard, hysterical. NEEDY Fudge! Fudge! Maple fudge! Needy seizes the wheel drives reck lessly down a dark, tree-lined st reet. Then, she sees something bright emerge from the shadows. Her eyes widen... It’s JENNIFER, creeping toward the curb like an animal. She’s pale in the moonlight. Th e entire lower half of her face is cover ed in blood, like a ghoulish bear d of gore. She flashes a huge, deranged, toot hy SMILE at Needy. Needy screams an d SWERVES. The car fishtails out of control and slid es into a ditch. Needy slams h er foot onto th e accelerator, try ing to get out of the trench. She glances des perately out the side window. Jennifer is gone. Panting, Needy tries to acce lerate again.66. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Suddenly, Jennifer appears from out of nowhere and SLAMS her body against the windshield , her long l imbs splayed like an insect’s . The windshield S HATTERS. Jennifer grins at Needy through the crackin g glass. Needy screams again, puts th e pedal to t he floor, and manages to re ar up out of the d itch. Jennifer’ s body tumbles off t he car as Needy go es roaring d own the street. RADIO DJ That was, of course, Soft Shoulder. They’re going to be playing a benefi t concert in Devil's Kettle n ext month. Talk about giving back to the community! Generous gu ys, I tell ya... EXT. NEEDY ’S HOUSE - M INUTES LATER Needy throws the car into pa rk and races up the front walk. She unl ocks the door, shaking and fum bling. She bursts into t he darkened house. INT. NEEDY’S HOU SE - CONTINUOUS NEEDY Mommy! Mommy? Pl ease be home! No reply. Needy braces herself aga inst the kitchen counter and b awls. She falls to her knees and curls up on the floor, exhausted. Her eyes d rift shut. NEEDY V.O. I’ve always been able to feel what she feels. Just not like this. EXT. SUNNY SU BURBAN YARD - F LASHBACK - DAY Little Needy and Little Jennifer are playing B arbies in a sandbox. Needy holds a brand new, immaculate B arbie doll. LITTLE JENNIFER I’ll be Perfect Prom Barbie and you be her. She tosses Needy a naked brunette doll with its hair chopped off and an arm missing. 67. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)LITTLE NEEDY Why do I have to be Ugly Ashley? LITTLE JENNIFER You can be Ugly Ashley or Ken. Choose. She puts her hand d own in the sand emphatically and suddenly HOWL S in pain. LITTLE NEEDY What’s wrong, Jennifer? Jennifer lifts h er hand. There’s a TA CK stuck in her palm and it’s bleeding. LITTLE JENNIFER OWWWWWW! (trying to swear like a grown-up) Damn! Ass! Needy grabs J ennifer’s hand, pulls out the tack and wipes away the bloo d. It’s still bleeding. Panick ing, she leans forward and i nstinctively puts her mouth to the wound. Jennifer watches quietly. Needy pulls away. LITTLE NEEDY Better. We shoul d get a Band-Aid though. LITTLE JENNIFER We’re sisters now, you know. Needy nods. LITTLE JENNIF ER (CONT’D) Don’t tell my mom about this. She’ll make me get a shot. NEEDY I never tell on you. INT. KITCHEN - ( BACK TO REALITY) Needy WAKES UP in a cold sweat, gasping. She’s still on the kitchen f loor. She peels herself up off the floor, disoriented.68. CONTINUED:INT. NEEDY’S HOUSE (BEDROOM) - CONTINUOUS Needy trudges into her dark bedroom. She st rips off her clothes and stum bles into bed. JENNIFER’S VOICE What’s up, Monistat? Needy flicks on her bedside lamp, petrif ied. Jennifer is curled up in bed be side her, reclinin g casually. She’s freshly showered and wearing one of Needy’s dorky T- shirts. Needy screams at the top of her lungs and leaps out of bed, pulling the covers with her. JENNIFER God, enough s creaming already. You’re such a cliche. NEEDY Get out! JENNIFER But we always share your bed when we have sl umber parties. She winks conspiratori ally at Needy. NEEDY What the fuck is happening? JENNIFER Whoa. I have never heard you drop the F-bomb befor e. What’s buggin’? NEEDY I saw you! I saw you! The car...the...I... JENNIFER (mimicking) Buh-buh-buh. Slow down, tardy slip. You sou nd like a sped. NEEDY I’m calling the police. JENNIFER Go ahead, narc me out. I’ve got the cops in my back pocket. I’m fucking a cad et, remember?69. (CONTINUED)NEEDY What do you want? JENNIFER I want to explain s ome things to you. You’ve alre ady seen too much and besides-- be st friends don’t keep secre ts. Right? Needy nods, terrified. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Remember the nig ht of the fire? NEEDY Yeah, it rings a bell. JENNIFER Well, I got pret ty messed up. I almost died. You know those guys in Soft Shoulder ? Totally evil. They’re basicall y agents of Satan with awesome hai rcuts. I figured that out as soon as I got into their mole ster van. INT. SOFT SHOULD ER’S VAN (FLASH BACK) - NIGHT Jennifer is crouched in the back of the van. None of the band members are speaking. Nikolai Wolf drives down a gravel road, away from the fire si te and deep into the woods. JENNIFER Guys? Where are we going? NIKOLAI Shut your mou th, object. DIRK (nervously) Nikolai... Jennifer looks around the va n, wide-eyed. T here’s glow-in- the-dark Satanic imagery painte d all over the walls: goats heads, pentagrams, and strange coded writing. She sees a few bo oks sliding around on the floo r: “Spells and Incantations,” “ Summoning the Beast,” and a copy of the Black Mass. Jennifer springs to her feet and tries to escape out the side door. MICK, the drummer, grabs her ank les, taking her down.70. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Are you gu ys rapists?! NIKOLAI You wish. Jennifer stru ggles again, bu t Mick holds her down. MICK (to band members) Hey guys? Do we even know if she’s a virgin? A GLINT OF HOPE in Jennifer’s eyes . Maybe if she lies she can save herself. JENNIFER Yes...yes! Of course I’m a virgin! I’ve never done sex ever. I don’t even know how. So maybe you should find some other girl who does. Know how. NIKOLAI Told you, Dirk. You owe me a beer. DIRK (preoccupied) Sure, man. EXT. FOREST CLEARING (FLA SHBACK) - NIGHT The van rumbles down an uneven forest path, deep into the woods. They a rrive at the re al Devil’s Kett le-- roaring, ominous water falls. There’s a c rude stone altar illuminated by moonlight. INT. NEEDY’S BED ROOM (PRESENT DAY) - NIGHT Needy is still c owering on her bedroo m floor, captivated by the tale in p rogress. Jennifer is reclining in the bed with a relaxed, sup ernatural glow. NEEDY What did they do to you? JENNIFER Just let me fini sh. So they drove all the way out to the falls. I tried to figure out an escape, but it was so dar k out there...71. CONTINUED:EXT. THE FALLS (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT The door of the van slides open. Niko lai pulls Jennifer out of the van a nd hustles her into the clearing. He looks up i nto the sky. NIKOLAI We got a waxi ng moon. Perfection. MICK You’re the man, Wolf. The four band members surround Jen nifer, looking statuesque in th eir sexy rock n’ roll ensembles. Without warning, Nikolai hauls off an d KICKS Jennifer. She yelps and fa lls onto her ba ck on the dirt. Dirk looks apprehensive. DIRK I don’t know if we should go through with this. NIKOLAI (angrily) Do you want to be rich and famous like the guy fro m Maroon 5? Or do you want to be a huge suicidal loser? DIRK (sadly) Maroon 5. NIKOLAI Then grow a pair and f etch me the ritual! God. Dirk obedient ly heads over to the van. He pushes the intimidating- looking magical books aside an d retrieves a single folded piece of co mputer paper. MICK That’s it? NIKOLAI What? I found it on Google. He unfolds the piece of paper and clears his throat.72. (CONTINUED)The guys have dr agged Jennifer onto t he makeshift altar and are holding her down. She struggles and screams, but Dirk slaps her again. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) We come here ton ight to sacrifice the body of... He tries to remember J ennifer’s name and fails. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) ...this chick fr om Devil's Kettle. JENNIFER (whispering) My name is Jennifer. NIKOLAI That’s fas cinating. Dirk and Mick ex change nervo us glances. JENNIFER Please let me go. I’ll do anything. Anythi ng you want. Nikolai examines her with an appraising eye. NIKOLAI I only hump nines and tens. You’re a seven at best, even with the chicken cutlets. He reaches into Jen nifer’s bra and casually pulls out a GEL BREAST EN HANCER, tossing it aside. Jennifer rears up and SPITS in his ar tfully ru mpled hair. Nikolai smooths his ‘do, enraged. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) I’m gonna carve you like a pumpkin, bitch. Don’t you know that me and my b oys are in league with the B east himself? He wiggles his m enacingly point y fingers in her face. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) We’ve spent months making offerings to the “man downstairs,” and whaddya k now? Satan delivered! We went from col lege radio to being courted by the majors in two months. 73. CONTINUED: (MORE)(CONTINUED)But that’s not e nough, Jenny. We want designer dr ugs. We want groupies that have their own groupies. We want speedballs and stadium tours an d Skittles sorted by color. In short, we want more. And to get more, we have to butcher you. And bleed you. JENNIFER (desperate) Maybe you could just hire a publicist. Make some T -shirts or something. He y, I could be on your street team! NIKOLAI Sorry, darling. JENNIFER Please... NIKOLAI (loudly) Start chan ting, boys. The group begins chanting jibberish in unison. Jennifer struggles, watch ing as their eyes go hollow an d black. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) With deepe st malice, we deliver this virgin unto thee. He unsheathes a hug e, gleaming knife and raises it Psycho- style, admiring his reflection in the blade. DIRK Dude, that is a hot murder weapon! NIKOLAI It’s a bowie knife. DIRK Bowie. Nice. Snickering, Niko lai begins to sing “Starman” by David Bowie. The group joins in merrily. NIKOLAI “There’s a starman waiting in the sky...” BAND “He’d really like to meet us, but he thinks he’d b low our minds...”74. CONTINUED: (2) NIKOLAI (CONT’D) (CONTINUED)As the group sings, Nikolai brings the knife d own with a grin. We hear Je nnifer SCREAMIN G, sounds of violence and clothes rippi ng as Nikolai relentl essly beats her and stabs her, his f ace contorting demonically. The band continues to sing, the ir voices ca rrying over the trees. Nikolai walks over to where the “devil side” of the falls rushes into a blac k hole. He drops the murder weapon into the churnin g water, smiling. INT. NEEDY’S BED ROOM (PRESENT D AY) - CONTINUOUS Needy’s expre ssion is both incredu lous and horrified. Jennifer is tota lly matter-o f-fact. She picks at her nails with a woo den cuticle stick fro m Needy’s night stand. JENNIFER Being tortured w ould make most girls black out or something. But I’m so hard core, I was with them the whole time. I c ould feel them gutting me Under my ribs, up into my belly, then r ight through my heart. NEEDY They...killed you. JENNIFER I’m here, are n’t I? She shakes he r head, anno yed with Needy. JENNIFER (CONT’D) I mean, yeah. Th ey went Benihana on my ass. It should have killed me. But for s ome reason, it didn’t. NEEDY (sotto) Maybe it did. JENNIFER Whatever. Anyway, I don’t really remember what happened af ter that. I just-- woke up a few hours later and found my way back, somehow. 75. CONTINUED: (3)EXT. NEEDY’S STREET (FLASHBA CK) - NIGHT We see Jennifer sta ggering down the street, battered, mutilated and bloody. She sp its a few TE ETH onto the curb, clutchi ng her chest. We s ee her wande r toward Needy’s house... INT. NEEDY’S BED ROOM (PRESENT D AY) - CONTINUOUS NEEDY I remember. JENNIFER I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you. I mean, I’m a really good friend. But I felt so hungry. I had to do something. EXT. SECLUDED STREET (FLA SHBACK) - NIGHT Jennifer is wanderi ng down a rural ro ad in a daze. She hears a faint COUGH . Jennifer stops and sees a hunched FIGURE walking d own the opposit e side of th e street. It’s AHMET FROM INDIA, the foreign s tudent. He’s covered in soot and look s traumatized. Jennifer takes a step. Ahmet takes a step. Jennifer stops. Ahmet stops. Their eyes meet. Jennifer crosses the street. Ahmet stares at her, frig htened. Jennifer a ddresses him in a quiet, gravelly voice. JENNIFER Ahmet. You made it out. Ahmet coughs. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Are you lost? Ahmet NODS. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Does your host f amily know you’re alive? Ahmet shak es his head. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Does anyone know you’re alive?76. (CONTINUED)Ahmet shakes his head again. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Come with me. We ’ll sort this out. She takes Ahmet’s hand. As her BLOODY NAILS di g into his wrist, his eyes widen. INT. NEEDY’S BED ROOM (PRESENT DAY) - NIGHT JENNIFER Ever since then, I just somehow knew what I n eeded to do to be strong. And when I’m full--like I am right now--I’ m like, immortal! I can do stuff like this. Jennifer jams the C UTICLE STICK into her own forearm and drags it through her flesh. Nee dy screams and covers her mouth. JENNIFER (CONT’D) No biggie. Watch. She pulls out the s tick. The wound se als over instantly. Needy gasps and touches Jennifer’s unmarked arm. JENNIFER (CONT’D) That’s some X-Me n shit, right? NEEDY What do you m ean, “when you’re full”? JENNIFER You know. Full. Like full of tasty morsels. Needy shakes her head, not comprehending. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Forget it. You’d probably tell on me anyway. Not t hat anyone would believe you. You always think the world is c oming to an end. NEEDY What about my mo m’s Kia? Why did you attack me ou t there? Why were you covered in b lood? You didn’t even look human. Jennifer roll s her eyes.77. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER You should talk to someone about these disturbing thoughts you’re having. We’re all concerned. Especially Chip. I think he’s having second thoughts about you. NEEDY (forceful) Leave! JENNIFER My, aren’t we a C-U-Next-Tuesday? NEEDY GET OUT! JENNIFER Come on. Let me stay the night. We can play “boy friend/girlfriend” like we used to. She smiles seductively. Needy crawls fur ther away from her, shivering. Jennifer rolls h er eyes and gets o ut of bed. She walks over to the s econd-story win dow and c ranks it open. NEEDY What are you doing? JENNIFER You said to leav e. So I’m outtie- 5000. She climbs onto the windowsill. Needy watch es, confused. JENNIFER (CONT’D) See you at school. She LEAPS gracefully out the window. Needy watches in stunned silence for a few moments. Then she creeps over to the window and loo ks out. Nothing there but the wi nd. Jenni fer’s gone. EXT. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL BLOO D CEMETERY - DAY We’re in a small Catholic cemetery. A small, neat gravel path runs throug h the stately old monuments into a small valley where a funeral is taking place.78. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Faint moaning an d sobbing can be heard. Then, a procession of 6 or 7 GOTH/EMO KIDS appears on the crest of the hill. They move forward int o the cemetery, flamboyantly dresse d in black capes, chains, cloa ks, neon hairpieces, f ishnets, mesh, 18-hole combat boo ts, etc. These are Colin Gray’s friends. One girl scat ters blood-red rose petals dra matically on the path as she stu mbles along, weeping. At the bottom of the hill, Colin G ray’s very c onservative- looking family stands next to the fresh grave, surrounded by sympathetic m ourners. NEEDY stands near the back, looking shell -shocked. There are also a few press photographers sn apping photos, and of cours e, a Catholic priest. PRIEST We gather here t oday to celebrate the life of Coli n Gray, who was plucked from the prime of... The priest and f amily are momen tarily distr acted by the motley crew of Goth s descending on the funeral. The priest clears his throat dis approvingly. PRIEST (CONT’D) What is th is disturbance? MR. GRAY These are Col in’s friends. A GOTH BOY runs up to the grave and d rops to his belly. GOTH BOY Colin! Take me w ith you! I belong down there! In the DAAAARKNESS! GOTH GIRL No, Kevin. Those are just his fleshly remains. He’s among the dark angels of t he realm now. Fly, Colin. Fly into the firmament. She lights a bun dle of SAGE and waves it in the air. Colin’s father gags, appalled. GOTH BOY Is it cool if we camp her e for a few days? We want to commune with his corpse. He was our spooky homeboy.79. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)PRIEST Children, this is a private service for family only. GOTH GIRL (to Colin’s mother) Oh, right. I nee d to ask you something, Mrs. Gray. It’s really important for me to have closure. PRIEST Young lady, have some respect for this family... MRS. GRAY (waving him off) No. It’s fine. GOTH GIRL Is it true th at Colin had a date with Jennifer Check the night he was killed? She says “Jen nifer Check” as if it we re the most disgusting name imaginable. Needy cov ers her face. GOTH GIRL (CONT’D) Because Jenni fer Check is a social disease. She’ s not like us. She thinks she’s so special just because she’s po pular and and is what “society ” considers “attractive.” Bu t she’s not sincere. She’s a bout as emo as a breast implant! And she listens to Jessica Simpson and shops at Hollister . And I just know Colin would never go out with someone like that, an d I just need confirmation. From you. So did he? MR. GRAY Did he...? GOTH GIRL Have a date with Jennifer Check. Colin’s pa rents stare at the ground. GOTH GIRL (CONT’D) Oh God. Oh God. I knew it! That BITCH! I will er ase her! I’ll put a freaky Druid s pell on her! 80. CONTINUED: (2) (MORE) (CONTINUED)I’ll spell her preppy ass right into the ground! The parent s flinch. GOTH BOY Um, Chloe? Maybe you should be mad at the person who murdered Colin. All Jennifer Check did was invite him over to watch Aquamarine. GOTH GIRL That’s WORSE! She throws herse lf to the groun d, crying and pounding the dirt like a toddler. Colin Gray’s mother buries her head in her hands and begins weeping. Mr. Gray attempts to comfort her. GOTH BOY Colin wouldn’t h ave liked this. MRS. GRAY (losing it) Oh, you think so , Powder? Yeah, you’re right! I’m pretty sure my son wouldn’t have liked being eaten by a fu cking CANNIBAL and buried before hi s eighteenth birthday! Wow, you must h ave known him so well! MR. GRAY Jill... The goth boy looks terrified. B ut Mrs. Gray ’s not done ranting yet. MRS. GRAY By the time they found Colin in that godforsaken house, he looked like lasagna with teeth. I’d know-- I had to identif y the remains. My boy’s not in the realm of the undead. He’s not flying around in the firmament wi th magical wings of flame. He’s in an overpriced rosewood box tha t’s headed six feet downtown. She kicks the coffi n to illustrate.81. CONTINUED: (3) GOTH GIRL (CONT’D) (CONTINUED)MRS. GRAY (CONT’D) So you can take your pain and shove it up y our asses, kids. I got the mon opoly on pain! The kids stare at her in awe. Needy w atches as Mrs. Gray collapses into M r. Gray’s arms. EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - DAY Two girls are hangi ng an homemade banner on the fence surrounding t he football field. It says “TU RNABOUT DANCE OCTOBER 5 -- TIC KETS ON SALE.” Needy walks b riskly toward s chool, huddled in her parka. She looks totally f ucked up, like she hasn’t slept in days. There a re hollows beneath her eyes. NEEDY V.O. They did a big memorial assembly for Colin at school, and we had to watch another pr esentation about curfews and the buddy system and how to deal with grief. But nobody seemed to care anym ore. Sorrow was last week’ s emotion. We see Jennifer a few yards away, tal king and laughing with some other fla g team members. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) Jennifer and I h adn’t spoken since our encounter in my room. Actually, I hadn ’t really spoken to anyone. I was busy with research. Parano rmal research. Needy gazes off into the distance wit h bloodshot eyes. As she stares at Jennifer, she see has a series of brief, gruesome H ALLUCINATIONS: Jennifer as a grinn ing death mask. Je nnifer as a corpse, the lower half of her face rotted away. Jennifer as a harlequin monster. Nee dy hears the rush of her own blood, the barely au dible buzzing of flies... Chip jogs up next to her, jolti ng her out of her reverie. CHIP Hey. Did y ou buy Turnabou t tickets yet? I don’t get paid until next week.82. CONTINUED: (4) (CONTINUED)NEEDY I gotta show you something. CHIP What is it? NEEDY Not here. Behind the school. CHIP What is it? NEEDY Evidence. CHIP (wearily) Is this ab out Jennifer? NEEDY Yes, but I promi se you this is the last thing I nee d to show y-- CHIP (interrupting) Needy, I care about you. A lot. As a person, not just a girl I made love to for four minutes the other night. And I’m scared of what’s happening to you. You’re acting really fucked up. NEEDY Please just l et me show you. Her gaze is so inte nse and crazed that Chip ha s no option but to submit. He nods reluctantly. EXT. KETTLE HIGH CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS Needy and Chip walk to an alley behind t he school. Melting sn ow drips off the eaves. Needy pulls o ut a large blac k binder and op ens it. It’s full of copie s from the l ibrary and Inte rnet printouts. The spine reads “JE NNIFER RESEARCH” NEEDY Look at this. She thrusts a piece of paper in to CHIP’s hands.83. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHIP (confused) Demon...demonic... NEEDY Demonic trans ference. It’s something that h appens when you try to sacrifice a virgin to Satan without using an actual virgin! CHIP stares at her. NEEDY (CONT’D) I think that’s w hat happened to Jennifer. Those guy s from that band were trying to sacrifice her in the woods. But what they didn’t realize is that she hasn’ t been a virgin since jun ior high! Jennifer’s a tot al cum-dumpster! It all makes sen se now! Read this... She grabs the piece of pa per from him. NEEDY (CONT’D) (reading) “If the human sacrifice is impure, the result may s till be attained, but a demon will forever reside the soul of the victim. She must forever feed on flesh to sustain the demon.” See? CHIP looks more dubious than ever. CHIP Uh-huh. NEEDY She’s eating boys! They make her strong. Really s trong. And when she’s hungry, sh e gets weak and cranky and her hair is al l full of split ends. And look at this... She holds up one of the printouts. NEEDY (CONT'D) It says that bef ore the demon feeds, it vomits a gruesome substance on its pr ey. Like I saw!84. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHIP You--you real ly think Jennifer killed Jonas and Colin? NEEDY And possibly Ahm et from India. Needy is silent for a moment. She realizes CHI P will never believe her and that she’ ll lose him for ever if she continues babbling. CHIP Really? You thin k she ate those guys? NEEDY No. No! Of course not! CHIP Is that wh at you think? NEEDY No...Listen, I’l l make an appointment with Mr. Feely. I’m real sorry about this sudden onset of teenage paranoia. (robotic) My hormones a nd emotions are aswirl, and my moods are erratic... CHIP isn’t total ly convinced, but his face softens. CHIP It’s all right, Needy. NEEDY This has been a crummy school year, Chip. CHIP No shit. Needy turns a nd pitches the black binder in to a Dumpster. NEEDY Listen, I’m done with all that devil stuff. Do you know what you’re wearing to Turnabout? CHIP I was thinking a suit with black shoes and a b outonniere, right here.85. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)He taps his c hest. Needy laughs. NEEDY V.O. I was so in love with him. I didn’t want to mess it up with my infectious crazy. Only I wasn’t actually crazy. Everyone else was crazy. But when you ’re the only sane one, you mi ght as well be crazy. It’s subj ective, you know? CHIP What color dress are you gonna wear? I need to order your wrist corsage. NEEDY I don’t know yet. CHIP How about mag enta? You’re definitely a winter. My mom says winters should w ear regal jewel tones like magen ta. Or possibly teal. NEEDY Oh yeah, your mo m’s an Avon lady. CHIP Well, they call them “sales reps” now. NEEDY Right. Well, I’l l try to find something magenta. CHIP That’ll look dope. INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYM NASIUM (TO E STABLISH) - EVENING A group of student council kids are p utting the finishing touches on the d ance decoration s. The theme is “Through the Trees” and there are pap ier mache tr ees everywhere. INT. NEEDY’S BED ROOM - EVENING Needy stands in fro nt of a full-length mirror, wearing a big ‘80s-style magenta prom dress. It sa gs on her flat chest and loo ks ridiculous. 86. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)Greedo the fe rret circles her ankles. Toni, Needy’s mo m, appears behind her with a curling iron. TONI You look beautiful. NEEDY I look pork stupid. TONI No, you’ve got t hat tiny waist, like a fashion model. I always thought you l ooked like Cindy Crawford. She gently ta kes off Need y’s glasses. NEEDY Who’s Cind y Crawford? TONI One of the great beauties of our time. She’s even got a mole like you, except hers is on her face. She takes a section of Needy’s hair and wraps it around the curling iron . Smoke rises. NEEDY Ow! You’re to o close to my neck. TONI Well, if Chip gi ves you a hickey, you can just tel l everyone I burned you. NEEDY Gross, Mom. Chip isn’t that ostentatious. TONI Now that’s a wor d you don’t hear every day. Hold still. NEEDY What are you doing to my hair? TONI Hooker helmet.87. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY (groaning) Aw, jeez Mom! TONI If you can’t hav e big what-nots, you might as well h ave big hair! Needy stares at her self in the mirror . Despite Toni’s best efforts, Ne edy looks like the walking dead. INT. CHIP’S H OUSE - EVENING Chip is standing in underwear a nd black dress socks, taking his suit out of the c loset. Suddenly , there’s a loud KNOCK on the door. CHIP I’m in underpants, Mom! We hear the voice of CHIP’S MOM th rough the door. CHIP’S MOM I need to give you something. CHIP Hang on. Chip puts on a robe and o pens the door. Chip’s mom is ho lding a SMALL P INK AEROSOL CAN. CHIP (CONT’D) Ladies’ pe pper spray? CHIP’S MOM I’ve been thinki ng about it for a while, and I thi nk you need to be carrying this. T here’s obviously a sicko out there who likes boys. Boys your age. A nd I don’t want you going out th ere unarmed. CHIP I can take care of myself. I’ve been using the Bowflex. In the background, we can see the BOW FLEX with clothes hanging off it. CHIP’S MOM Did you hear wha t Colin Gray looked like when they found him?88. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)CHIP Lasagna with teeth? CHIP’S MOM You heard. So un less you want to wind up looki ng like another exotic Eye-talian dish, take Mommy’s ra pe spray. Chip reluctantly accepts the spray. CHIP’S MOM (CONT’D) Are you picking Needy up at her house? CHIP Meeting her at the dance. I’m gonna walk. It’s so warm outside. It’s like 40. CHIP’S MOM I want pictures wit h your sister before you go. CHIP Yes, ma’am. INT. NEEDY’S HOUSE (LIVING R OOM) - EVENING Needy is fully dres sed and garishl y made up. T oni holds a digital camera at arm’s length and takes a shot of the two of them together. The mother/daughter photo looks ghastly. Toni’ s eyes are closed and Needy pouts miserably. INT. CHIP’S HOUSE ( LIVING ROOM) - EVENING Chip’s mother sn aps a series of st iffly posed pho tos of Chip and his lit tle siste r, Camille. We can see the P EPPER SPRAY tucked into the in terior of Chip’s jacket. CHIP’S MOM One more. Back to back. Big smiles. Camille, we don’t touch ourselves down t here. That’s our lady garden.89. CONTINUED:INT. KETTLE HIGH GYMNASIUM (TO ESTABLISH) - NIGHT The gym is de corated to look like an enchanted forest. A large banner reads “Through the Trees- Turn about Dance” There are stream ers and balloons e verywhere in sickly shades of green and purple. A DJ plays badly -mixed pop music. Couples drift into the gym. The GOTH KIDS who were at Colin Gray’s gra ve travel in a pack, sulking. The goth girl wh o loved Colin w anders th rough the decorations and pops every ball oon she pass es with a pin. As she pops them, s he narrates dra matically. GOTH GIRL (popping balloon) This is my heart. GOTH GIRL (CONT’D) (popping balloon) My soul. GOTH GIRL (CONT’D) (popping balloon) Everything I onc e believed in. Another GOTH GIRL, looking e xasperated, grabs a balloon, shoves it under her babydoll dress and pops it. GOTH GIRL #2 (mockingly) Your abortion. She rapidly shov es another one under her dress and pops it again, smirking. GOTH GIRL #2 (CONT’D) Your other abortion. GOTH GIRL I hate your g uts, Madison. The girls glare at each other. Needy walks i n, looking small and apprehensive in her bad ‘80s dress. S he looks around fo r Chip, but he’s not there yet. A few mean kids point at h er dress and snicker. Needy ladles some juice into a paper cup an d leans against the wall , waiting anxiousl y for her Prince Charming.90.EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS Chip is cutti ng through the par k on his way to the dance. He whistles to himself. Across the park, he sees a STRAY D OG trotting tow ard him. The dog pants ag gressively. CHIP tries to smile, but looks unco mfortable. A few SQUIRRELS eme rge from the trees , gazing curiously at him. INT. DEVIL'S KET TLE HIGH GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS Couples are b eginning to grind aga inst each ot her on the dance floor. Nee dy watches them longingly. She checks her Mickey Mouse watch. EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS Chip picks up the pace, jogging down the pa th. In the distance behi nd him we can bare ly make out Jennifer’s form. She looks more spectral then we’ve ever seen her. Chip speeds up instinctively. Suddenly, Jennif er’s about t en paces closer. Then she’s closer again, as if she can fold space and time. She’s e thereal, flickering. CHIP turns to lo ok over his shoulder. INT. DEVIL'S KET TLE HIGH GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS The music fades out and there’s a squeal of feedback from the sound system. Mr. Wroblewski w alks onto th e stage in a bad suit. He a wkwardly picks up the mic with his one good hand and pats it with h is robotic one. MR. WROBLEWSKI Can I have ev eryone’s attention please? The students turn to look at him, annoyed by the distraction.91. (CONTINUED)MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) Welcome to the Turnabout Dance. I hope you’ve all had an opportunity to consume the P ecan Sandies and Cran-Grape th at were so generously donated by th e Parents Club. Murmuring and applause. MR. WROBLEWSK I (CONT’D) But the real treat is yet to come. It’s happening r ight about now, this treat of wh ich I speak. We have some very special guests tonight. They we re kind enough to take a break from their sold-out national tour and play our dance for free. Needy gags on her juice. EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS Chip continues to hurry briskly along throu gh the park. JENNIFER CHIP! CHIP makes an in coherent noise and ju mps as Jennifer appears, improba bly, right in front of him. Sh e’s wearing a gorgeous white formal gown and looks perfect. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Didn’t you hear me calling your name? CHIP You weren’t call ing my name. JENNIFER Yes, I was. CHIP I couldn’t hear it. JENNIFER I think you were maybe spacing out. You w ere like this: Derrrrr. She mimics a blank, drooling expression. CHIP I was?92. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Yes, exactly like that. Listen, I need to ta lk to you about you-know- who. Our little Needy. CHIP I know. JENNIFER Are you worried? ‘Cause I’m super- stressed abou t her. God knows how I even sleep at night. CHIP She hasn’t been the same for weeks. JENNIFER I think I know what’s wrong with her. In fact, I know I know what’s wrong with her. CHIP Then tell me. JENNIFER I feel bad te lling you this. (sighing) Okay, you know Needy’s been a total Lithium ca ndidate since the night Colin Gray died. But that’s not just because he was brutally murdered and stuff. It’s because....I don’t wanna say this. CHIP Say it! JENNIFER Needy and Colin were intimate. By that I mean he was poking her donut on a se mi-regular basis. CHIP looks as tonished and hurt. JENNIFER (CONT’D) I know this must be hard for you to hear. CHIP Needy’s not like that.93. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER That’s what she wants you to believe. But tru st me, her and Colin were doing stuff you haven’t even heard of. Total varsity moves. CHIP But you were with C olin the night he was killed. JENNIFER Well, apparently he had a thing for me-- no surp rise there. And I figured Needy wa s busy jumping your jock that n ight, so I agreed to a little pity date. Colin brought me to that empty house so we could have so me privacy. But he wanted to go too far, so I left after a few minutes . Next thing I knew, they ’d found... She sniffles, wi ping her eye. JENNIFER (CONT’D) ...what was l eft of him. CHIP (to himself) Eye-talian. JENNIFER Huh? CHIP Never mind. JENNIFER I’m sorry you had to hear this from me. I ’m just so w orried about Needy. She’s losing her shit. Colin was her everything. CHIP looks miserable. JENNIFER (CONT’D) I wouldn’t be su rprised if she winds up in the nuthouse. CHIP I just can’t bel ieve this.94. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Well, you’ve been talking to her more than I have. How bad is it? CHIP It’s bad, man . It’s bad. JENNIFER I can only imagi ne the paranoid theories she’s come up with. CHIP Oh, you have no idea. JENNIFER I just can’t believ e she would do this to you. I c are so much about you, Chip. CHIP glances up at her. She’s e arnest, beautiful. JENNIFER (CONT’D) More than I’ve e ver had the guts to admit. INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - CONTINUOUS Mr. Wroblewski p auses dramatically for effect. MR. WROBLEWSKI Boys and g irls, please welcome...Sof t Shoulder! The heavy stage curtai ns part to reveal SOFT SHOULDER in all their glory. Su ccess has treated the m well-- they’re glowing and w earing designer rock n’ roll c outure. They look like the yo ung Rolli ng Stones. Needy drops her cup. Juice splatte rs onto the ground. NIKOLAI Good evening, babies. Are you ready for some bad vibrations? The students rush t he stage, shriekin g. Nikolai raises his fist and the band launches into a heavy, uptempo version of “Thro ugh the Trees.” Needy looks as t hough she’s had a revelation. A look of pure horror cros ses her face. NEEDY Chip!95. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)She rushes towar d the gym exit, tripping in her high heels. EXT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS CHIP is hypnotiz ed in the glow of the streetlights. Jennifer leans f orward and kisses him on the neck JENNIFER Needy didn ’t deserve a boy like you. EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS Needy is running toward the park in her gown. She takes off her shoes and tosses the m aside, her arms and legs pumping furiously. NEEDY V.O. One thing people don’t know about me is that I’m fast. I just never went out for tra ck because I look bad in shorts. Also , Jennifer told me track was for lezzies. But I am. Fast, I mean. Even in that fucking afterbir th of a dress, I could real ly tear up the asphalt. She picks up the pace, cheek s puffing. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) I had to. I was running for his life. INT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS Jennifer is kissing Chip. She pulls him down o nto the damp, muddy grass. JENNIFER Ooh, you’re so salty! CHIP Yeah, you too. JENNIFER Say it like y ou mean it. CHIP You’re so salty. I need water. It burns. The salty burns my mouth.96. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Say I’m better than Needy. CHIP What? Why? JENNIFER We really shouldn’t be doing this. She pulls away from him, feigning a guilty conscience. CHIP (quickly) You’re better than Needy. Jennifer smil es, satisfied. JENNIFER Natch. She resumes k issing him e nthusiastically. CHIP This feels we ird. Can we go somewhere else? JENNIFER I have just the place. She stands up an d starts to lead C hip toward an abandoned, fe nced-off COMMUNITY POOL. It’s drained and spooky and lo oks dangerous. CHIP Murphy Pool? I don’ t think we can go in there. I knew some skater guys who went in there. They got in big trouble a nd now they have to pick up garba ge for 100 hours. Jennifer gigg les and pull s him along. JENNIFER You’re in big troub le anyway. Come on. She begins to climb the chai n link fence. EXT. CHIP’S H OUSE - CONTINUOUS Needy jogs toward CHIP’s house. Exhausted and sweaty, she presses the d oorbell. She falls to her knee s on the front stoop, panting and wheezing.97. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Camille answe rs the door. NEEDY (strained) Well, hi there C amille! Is Chipper home? Camille has no reply. She eyes Nee dy suspiciou sly and licks a Popsicle. CHIP’s mother ap pears and shoves Camille aside. CHIP’S MOM Needy? Is someth ing wrong? NEEDY Where’s Chip? CHIP’S MOM (confused) He left for the dance at least twenty minute s ago. He certainly should have been there by now. NEEDY He walked? Mrs. Dove, you mean to only tell me tha t in these dangerous, godless times-- you let your only son walk alone at night? CHIP’S MOM Well, it’s only five blocks. My God, your hair is... NEEDY Which way did he go? CHIP’S MOM He usually cuts across the park. She turns to scold Camille. CHIP’S MOM (CONT’D) Camille, let’ s sit like a lady! No one wants to see your kiki. She turns back to address Needy. CHIP’S MOM (CONT’D) Why don’t you try... But Needy’s gone.98. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)CHIP’S MOM (CONT’D) Anita? EXT. MURPHY POOL - SAME Murphy Pool is even eerier f rom the inside. The fenced-in deck area is lit tered with garbage , abandoned pool furniture and gr affiti. Someone has spray painted the word “HOPELES S” on a wall. CHIP shivers and looks ar ound nervously. Jennifer nonc halantly unzips her dress a nd shimmies out of it, revealing he r bra and panties. CHIP Aren’t you cold? JENNIFER Never, Trevor. I ’m hot like magma. She prances over to the abandoned pool and beg ins to climb down the l adder on the si de. The pool is full of filthy, freez ing water. CHIP What are you doing? JENNIFER Swimming. CHIP Ha ha. JENNIFER Come on in, Chip . Show me your breast stroke. CHIP The water loo ks disgusting. JENNIFER It’s not so bad. CHIP Are you kidding? It’s totally bubonic in there. I think I see a dead possum with a Doritos bag in its pouch. And t hat looks like a used syringe over there... He slaps a way a FLY.99. CONTINUED: (2) (CONTINUED)JENNIFER I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you l augh. I think now, more than ever, we ne ed laughter. We’ve both lost a close friend. CHIP nods sadly. CHIP I know. JENNIFER I feel so empty. CHIP Me too. JENNIFER Please come here and kiss me again. Make all thi s madness go away. Chip tiptoes forward tentatively a nd sinks to his knees. He leans in and kis ses Jennifer, who’s still clinging to the ladder. The sound of buzzing f lies grows louder. Suddenly, Jennifer ope ns her eyes. She hooks her arm around Chip’s neck and lunge s backward. The y tumble off the ladder, into the pool. Chip SCREAMS. INT. MC CULLUM PARK - CONTINUOUS Needy runs in to the park and scans the dark horizon. Her bare feet are bloody from ru nning and her f ace is shiny with sweat. NEEDY (yelling) Chip! A terrified SCREAM in the distance. Needy whips a round, hikes up her s kirt and sta rts running toward Murphy Pool. She reaches the fence and start s climbing i t. She slips and cuts her hand on a broken link. CHIP screams again on the other side of the fence.100. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY (CONT’D) I’m coming! She flings herse lf over the top of the f ence, her body slamming against the concrete pool deck. He r ARM snaps. It’s a compound fracture, the b one thrusting through the flesh of her arm as she screams. INT. MURPHY P OOL - CONTINUOUS Needy staggers toward the pool, which is surrounded by an extraterrestrial glow. Chip’s m oaning is almost unbearable. Needy stares into the aby ss and claps her hands over her mouth. Jennifer is waist deep in the DIRT Y WATER, fli nging Chip against the wall like a rag dol l. He’s still conscious, but his skin on his chest has been RI PPED OFF to expose his ribs. Jennifer is CHEWING happily. Chip looks at Needy, his fac e a mask of agony. CHIP (mouthing) Needy! NEEDY Holy crap! Jennifer begins gnawing on Chip’s nec k, so engaged in the task that she do esn’t notice Needy. Needy climbs up on the diving board and cro sses herself. NEEDY (CONT’D) Saint Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes: Please give me the power to cru sh this bitch. Jennifer looks up with demonic, bloodshot e yes just as Needy leaps off the diving board. Needy lands on J ennifer’s shoul ders, taking he r out. She wraps her legs around Jennifer’s neck and d rags her under the water. Jennifer emerges. N eedy grabs h er by the hair and girly- slaps her fur iously across the face. Then she spots the PEPPER SPRAY lying by the side of the pool. She grabs it and sprays it in Jennifer’s eyes. Jen nifer shrieks and vomits NASTY, SP INY GORE all ov er Needy and Chip.101. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)JENNIFER Fuck this J.V. shit! Jennifer ROCKETS straight up into the air l ike a goddess, hovering ten fee t above the pool. Her eyes burn. Her skin is corpselike. She’ s drenched from he ad to toe in the prickly ooze. CHIP (croaking) She can fly? NEEDY She’s just hovering , CHIP. It’s not that i mpressive. Jennifer spea ks in a metallic, dem onic-soundin g voice. JENNIFER God, do you h ave to undermine everything I do? You’re such a player-hater. Needy glares at Jennifer, surprisi ngly fearless. NEEDY You’re a jerk. JENNIFER Nice insul t, Lizzie Mc Guire. Got any more h arsh digs? NEEDY You know what? Y ou were never a good frien d. Ever. Even when we were little. You used to steal my toys and pour le monade on my bed and make me be Ugly Ashley when we played Barbies! JENNIFER And now I’m eati ng your b oyfriend! See? At least I’m consistent. NEEDY Why do you ne ed him? Huh? She begins to weep. NEEDY (CONT’D) (sobbing) Why do you need the one guy who’s ever liked me ? You can have anyone, Jennifer! 102. CONTINUED: (MORE)(CONTINUED)The cutest guy in school. The mailman. A teach er. You could probably even ha ve a huge star like Chad Mic hael Murray. So why Chip? Why him? Is it just to piss me off? Or is it because you’re insecure? Jennifer floats in midair toward the pool deck and drifts down, landing on her feet. N eedy crawls out of the pool and faces her down. JENNIFER I am not insecur e. God, what a joke! How could I be insecure? I was the Snowf lake Queen! NEEDY Yeah, two yea rs ago. When you were socially relevant. JENNIFER I AM STILL SO CIALLY RELEVANT! NEEDY You were skin ny then, too! A look of ABJECT HORRO R on Jennifer’s face. She reels back against the chain link fen ce, her e yes blazing. JENNIFER I’m gonna eat yo ur soul and shit it out, Lesnicki. Her voice is now an unearthly growl. In the ba ckground, Chip is slowl y, painfully pulli ng a POOL SK IMMER with an eight-foot handle off the pool deck. NEEDY (trembling) I thought you on ly murdered boys. JENNIFER I go both ways. She HURTLES h erself toward Needy, roaring, her eyes white- hot, her jaws ag ape. She’s monstrous. Chip suddenly stumbles in fr ont of Needy and holds the HANDLE of the PO OL SKIMMER in front of them li ke a spear. As Jennifer flies forward at demonic speed, she IMPALES HER ENTIRE TORSO on the handle. Needy screams. T here’s a beat of deafening silence.103. CONTINUED: (2) NEEDY (CONT’D) (CONTINUED)Chip collapses on the pool deck. Jennifer rises u ncertainly to her feet, “shish kebabbed” on the giant skimmer. With effort, she pulls the handle out of her body in several stages. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Ow-Ow-Ow. Needy watches , and realizes Jennifer is injured . Blood drips onto th e pool deck. NEEDY (surprised) We hurt you... Blood trickles out of Jennifer’s wound. She tr ies to plug the hole with her hand. JENNIFER Got a tampon? Needy shakes her head mutely. JENNIFER (CONT’D) Thought I’d ask. You seemed like you might be pluggin’. She begins to climb the fenc e, wincing in pain, then glances over her shoulder at Ne edy and Chip. NEEDY Where are you going? JENNIFER Fuck this noise. I’m out. You losers are more trouble then you’re worth. She continues climbing. NEEDY (emotional) Why give up now? He’s almost dead! Get your buli mic ass back here and kill us both! JENNIFER Nah. I mean, you say I’ve been a bad friend all these years. I might as well throw you a bone.104. CONTINUED: (3) (CONTINUED)She smirks and jumps over th e fence, stumbling off into the distance. Needy watches her, her eyes narrowing with hate. Once Jennifer ha s disappeared, Needy turns her attention to Chip, who is barely alive. She stares in horror at his torn arm and exp osed ribs, then falls to he r knees over his body. NEEDY Oh, Chip! CHIP Needy. You saved me. NEEDY I’m gonna cal l for help. She reaches into Chip’s pocket and pulls ou t his beat-up cell phone. S he wipes off the prickly ooze with her hand. CHIP Oh no, I’m ou t of minutes! NEEDY I think 911 is a lways a free call. CHIP Oh yeah. You’re right. Needy dials to no avail. The phone is ho pelessly clogged with ooze. Sh e knocks it aga inst the deck. NEEDY It’s not working . It’s full of Jennifer-goo. Chip begins g agging and c oughing. He rolls onto his back, his eyelids fluttering. CHIP (faintly) Hey, I’m goin g somewhere... NEEDY No! You’re not going anywhere! CHIP I’m toast, Needy . I’m definitely gonna die. I thi nk I already died before you were here, but I woke up when I hea rd your voice.105. CONTINUED: (4) (CONTINUED)NEEDY I love you. CHIP Yeah me to o. And you l ook hot in that dress. NEEDY You’re clearl y delirious. CHIP No. When you’re dyi ng, you can see everything a lot clearer. You can see what’s true and what’s not. The things that are true have this glowing halo of lig ht around them, like a picture of the Baby Jesus, or Barbara Walte rs when they use the special l ens. And I know for sure that you’re totally hot. Needy begins to sob hoarsely. CHIP (CONT’D) You’d better get out of here. The police are going to come and I don’t want them to, you know, make a mistake. NEEDY I’m never leaving. CHIP But I have to go. NEEDY No! Chip’s eyes clos e. His face relaxe s. He’s gone. Needy wails at the top of her l ungs. She rests her head against his m utilated chest, oblivious to the blood and bone. INT. DEVIL'S KETTLE HIGH GYM NASIUM - NIGHT The dance is in full swing and students are slow-dancing. Girls rest their heads against boys’ chests, o nly under far less macabre circumstances than N eedy and CHIP’s deathbed tableau. Soft Shoulder are still playing onstage, th eir guitars chiming me lodically.106. CONTINUED: (5) (CONTINUED)The bass player, Dirk, turns towar d Nikolai Wolf. DIRK This sucks old-man balls. NIKOLAI Shut up. I t’s good PR. He accidentally spe aks into the mic, attracting unwanted stares from the kids. NIKOLAI (CONT’D) (to audience) I said, it’s so goo d to be here! The students cheer app rovingly, their fa ces bright and hopeful. Nikolai bares his teeth in a frigh teningly fak e smile. EXT. C0RVALLI S HIGH CAMPU S- CONTINUOUS Illuminated by lamp light, Needy limp s toward the gym entrance. She’s comple tely covered in demon-goo. Her face is bloody, her h air is full of blood and gu ts, and her BROKEN ARM lo oks gruesome. In the background, yet another oblivi ous COUPLE are making out. Needy stops to star e at them, her gaze calm but obviously insane. They bre ak apart and stare back at her. GIRL What are you loo king at, Clumpy? NEEDY (quietly) Just watching yo ur old man try to suck the ugly off your face. GUY What did you say? Needy bends over, casually hold s one nostril closed, and does a “farmer b low.” A bloody clot flies out of her nose. The guy takes a good look at Needy and b links, startled. GUY (CONT'D) Are you supposed to be Goth or something? 107. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY Did you know the original Goths were a Germanic tri be that settled in Rome? They di dn’t wear black. They wore reg ular linen tunics. I don’t know why nobody els e knows that. The couple have already resumed making out. Needy rolls her eyes, turns away, and continues limping into the gym. INT. GYM - CONTINUOUS Needy enters the gym and sla ms the door shu t behind her. People ignore her as she slowly walks toward the stage. They’re too busy slow dancing a nd laughing in their respective cliques. She looks up at the stage, where Soft Shoulder are playing an insuf ferably long coda. Nikolai noodles through a guitar solo, then looks up and sees Needy looki ng directly at him, h er eyes full of hate. Nikolai gulps nervously and elbows Dirk. Needy points to her eyes with two fin gers, then points at Nikolai, as if to say, Gotcha. She looks completely possessed. NIKOLAI (to Dirk) We gotta get out of here. DIRK Why? NIKOLAI I think this girl’s flipping out. DIRK What could she do to us? NIKOLAI Look at her. Dirk takes one l ook at Needy ’s face and tak es off his guitar. Nikol ai motions for the rest of the band to leave the stage. The music stops a bruptly. The ki ds in the gym murmur and compl ain, confused.108. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Needy tries to f ollow them. She limps blindly toward the stage and climbs up. Everyone watches, gasping in horror. By now the band is disappearing ou t the side d oor of the gym. NEEDY (into the mic) You didn’t play your hit yet. But they’re gone.Needy looks out at her classmat es. They sta re back. She PASSES OUT COLD. INT. CHIP’S S TREET - MORNING (TO ESTABLISH) NEEDY V.O. They found Ch ip the following morning. T he police co uldn’t find an explanation f or the “s ubstance” in the pool, so the y chose not to mention it to the press. In fact, they treated the whole incident like a bad dream. INT. CHIP’S HOUSE ( LIVING ROOM) - MORNING We see the POLICE (including ne wly minted o fficer ROMAN DUDA) informing Chip’s mother t hat his body has been found. She colla pses onto the floor, curling up into the fetal position. NEEDY Trouble wa s, some of us would never wake up. INT. NEEDY’S BEDROOM - DAY Needy is lying in bed, shaking, her arm in a c ast. Her mother tries to rouse her. NEEDY V.O. I never went back to school after that. Didn ’t talk much either. My mom bought some boo ks so she could teach me at home like crazy Christians with 14 kids do. But I wasn’t a very co operative student. Needy pulls t he covers over her head. 109. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Toni shrugs, res igned, and t osses the book on the floor. EXT. JENNIFER’S HOUSE - NIGHT Needy is crouche d outside Jennifer ’s window, hiding in the shrubbery. S he looks almost feral, with wide eyes and a hungry expression. Through the w indow, we see Jennifer sitting at a vanity and combing her hair, oblivious to the intr uder in her yard. NEEDY V.O. What nobody real ized was that I was doing a diff erent kind of homework. I was wat ching her every night. Waiting. We see Jennifer puttin g the comb down and examining her hair with a a ppraising eye. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) Waiting for her to get weak and dull. Waiting for her to burn through the l ife-force she’d stolen from Chip. Needy creeps away from the window. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) It took weeks, b ut I finally made my move. Remember? EXT. JENNIFER’S HOUSE - NIGHT We’re seeing a FLASHBACK of the night Needy slaughtered Jennifer. Needy plunging through the window. Jenni fer thrashing. The blood. The struggle. The le vitation. The arrival of the police. NEEDY V.O. Even in her l ast moments of life, she somehow m anaged to be cooler than me. We see, for a mo ment, Jennifer’s sly, challeng ing smile as Needy raises the boxcutter to slash her. That signature look of m astery and control.110. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY She left an insa nely hot corpse. We see Jennifer’s mother holdin g her again, screaming, though all we he ar is SILENCE and STA TIC. Sure enough, Jennifer’s bl eeding body see ms to be artfully, sensually draped in her mothe r’s arms. She almost seems to be SMIRKING at us. INT. “THE HOL E” - NIGHT We’re back in so litary confinement, w here Needy has been narrating the whole sordid tale. She has n’t moved a muscle since beginn ing her stor y. Only a singl e shaft of moonlight illumi nates the room. An orderly shoves DINNER through a slot in the door. It’s a pile of mystery m eat. Needy wrin kes her nose. NEEDY V.O. I don’t even know who Needy Lesnicki is a nymore. I’m a different per son now. A person who uses curse wo rds and kicks orderlies and and sees th ings that aren’t there. A very bad, very damaged person. Needy reaches up and distracted ly pulls back the neckline of her shirt... NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) But sometimes, change can be good. For instance, most occult scholars don’t know this, but if you’re bitten by a demon-- and you live-- you just might a bsorb some of the demon’s abilities. In the moonlight, we s ee Needy still has a infected- looking BITEMARK near her shoul der. She scr atches it, wincing. NEEDY V.O. (CONT’D) You just might g et lucky for once in your mi serable life. PULL BACK to reveal that Needy, still cross-legged is HOVERING five feet off the f loor. Effortlessly. With visible con centration, she slowly flies up toward a narrow WINDOW positioned up near t he ceiling. To anyone with normal a bilities, it wo uld be impos sible to access.111. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Needy reaches the w indow, gazes at it for a moment, then SMASHES it with surprising strength. EXT. LEECH LA KE HOSPITAL - FIVE MINUTES LATER Needy strolls across the grounds in her bunny slippers. She heads confidently toward the SECU RITY FENCE and passes through it a fter casually mangling the bars. Only a Needy-shaped hole remains. EXT. COUNTY R OAD 9 - TEN MINUTES LATER Needy is striding purposefully down a dark countr y road. The hospital recedes in the background. A few RACCOONS gath er by the side of the road, watching Needy as s he walks past. A PICKUP TRUCK whiz zes by with its wi ndows rolled down. “Through the Tre es” blasts from the radio. Needy begins to sin g, a lopsided grin on her face. NEEDY (singing) “Through t he trees, I will find you. Heal the ru ins left inside you...” EXT. MURPHY POOL - NIGHT Devil's Kettle citizens are gathered around Murphy Pool, crying. It’s a C ANDLELIGHT MEMO RIAL for Chi p. Their faces are weary and sorro wful. Photos of Chip have been arranged around the edge of the fence. We s ee a picture of CHIP AND N EEDY on the end. Someone has b rought a CD pla yer, and the mourners sing along, their voi ces soaring. VIGIL ATTENDEES (singing) “...And the stars will remind you, we’ll meet again...” EXT. COUNTY ROAD 9 - CONTINUOUS Needy holds h er thumb aloft as she wa lks down the remote country highway. 112. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)NEEDY (singing) “...We’ll mee t again.” A small creek empty ing into a s tream runs para llel to the road. Needy seems something glinting at the mouth of the creek and stoops to pick it up. It ’s Nikolai’s BOWIE KNIFE, the one he t hrew into De vil’s Kettle, n ever to be seen again. Needy picks it up and tucks it into h er waistband. A STATION WAGON comes rattling up the road. Needy sticks her thumb out again. The wagon pulls over to the side of t he road. The driver, a grizzled older man, rolls down the window. He eyes Needy lasciviously. OLD MAN Where you lookin g to go, young lady? NEEDY East, towa rd Madison. OLD MAN East, huh? Guess I’m headed that way. But I’m gon na need you to pay me in ass, gas or grass. Got that? No free rides in this wagon. NEEDY I don’t have any money or drugs, so you’ll have to settle for ass. OLD MAN Fair enough. Hop in my chariot. Needy gratefully hurries into t he driver’s seat. OLD MAN (CONT’D) So why you headed East? NEEDY I’m following th is rock band. OLD MAN Huh. Must be a h ell of a group. NEEDY Tonight’s gonna be their last show.113. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED)Needy smiles bli thely and pops the clear Li fesaver into her mouth. The station w agon pulls off. As it sputters off into the distance, we see a road sign that reads, ir onically, SOFT SHOULDER. We hear the song on the radio end, segueing in to the DJ’s bumper. RADIO DJ What a song. Tho ught we’d play that one in h onor of Soft Shoulder. They’re playing in Madison tonig ht. Should be a night to remember... The DJ’s voice fades out as the car vanishe s into the horizon. THE END 114. CONTINUED: (2)

screenplays

vortices are complex objects even in conventional type - ii superconductors , and vortex structure can reveal underlying physics of the pairing interaction . the 40 k superconductor mgb@xmath0 @xcite is the best material discovered so far for studying multiple - band superconductivity . it can be well described by a two - band model that consists of the `` strong '' quasi-2d @xmath1 band ( energy gap @xmath2 mev ) and the `` weak '' 3d @xmath3 band ( energy gap @xmath4 mev ) , and there is evidence of induced superconductivity @xcite and strong impurity scattering in the @xmath3 band . by tunneling along the @xmath5 axis , eskildsen _ et al _ have probed the vortex core structure in the @xmath3 band , and have found that the local density of states ( ldos ) is completely flat as a function of energy at the vortex centre , with no signature of localized states @xcite . moreover , the core size as measured by a decay length of the zero - bias ldos was found to be much larger than expected from @xmath6 . the existence of two length scales in the vortex lattice has also been suggested by the @xmath7sr measurement @xcite . the thermal conductivity measurement @xcite has detected a rapid increase of delocalized quasiparticles for field well below @xmath6 . unusually large vortex core size and the extended nature of quasiparticle motion have also been found in the two - band superconductor nbse@xmath0 @xcite . there is the possibility of multiband superconductivity in a number of other materials @xcite , and understanding the electronic structure in the vortex state of multiband superconductors is of great interest . theoretically , the vortex state in a two - band superconductor has been studied assuming both bands to be in the clean @xcite and dirty @xcite limit . with superconductivity ( mostly ) induced in one band , it has been found that there are two different length scales associated with the two bands , and that the averaged zero - bias ldos increases rapidly as a function of field in the `` weak '' band . neither of these models , however , are suitable for describing many mgb@xmath0 samples , in which the @xmath1 and @xmath3 bands are in the ballistic and diffusive limit , respectively . we have recently formulated a unique two - band model , in which one band ( `` @xmath1 band '' ) is ballistic and the other ( `` @xmath3 band '' ) is diffusive , and there is little interband impurity scattering @xcite . this picture is appropriate for describing mgb@xmath0 , in which two - band superconductivity is retained even in `` dirty '' samples . ( see extensive references in ref . @xcite . ) having mgb@xmath0 in mind , in our model it is assumed that the @xmath1 and @xmath3 bands are quasi-2d and 3d , respectively , and superconductivity is mostly induced in the @xmath3 band through the pairing interaction with the @xmath1 band . we have examined the electronic structure around an isolated vortex and have found that the zero - bias ldos in the @xmath3 band can have a decay length much larger than in the @xmath1 band . a particularly intriguing feature that emerges in our model is the possible existence of bound states at the gap edge in the ballistic band , in addition to the well - known caroli - de gennes matricon ( cdm ) bound states @xcite , in the vortex core . in this work , we extend our two - band model to describe the vortex lattice and investigate the effects of induced superconductivity and impurities in the `` weak '' diffusive band on the electronic properties in the mixed state . we have found the presence of highly delocalized quasiparticles for relatively weak field , in agreement with the experiment on mgb@xmath0 @xcite and the earlier theoretical works @xcite . furthermore , band gaps and van hove singularities of energy bands of the vortex lattice in the `` strong '' ballistic band can be reduced by coupling with the `` weak '' diffusive band . there exist gap - edge bound states in the vortex core in the ballistic band that solely arise from coupling to the diffusive band also in the vortex lattice . we utilize a recently developed model appropriate for a system with coupled ballistic and diffusive bands @xcite . both the ballistic and diffusive limits can be described within the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity , in which all the physical information is contained in the quasiclassical green function , or propagator . we write the propagator in band @xmath8 as @xmath9 , where @xmath10 is the quasiparticle energy measured from the chemical potential , @xmath11 the quasiparticle momentum on the fermi surface corresponding to band @xmath12 , and @xmath13 the spatial coordinate . the hat refers to the 2@xmath142 matrix structure in the nambu - gorkov particle - hole space . in the clean @xmath1 band , @xmath15 satisfies the eilenberger equation @xcite , @xmath16 + i \hbar \vec{v}_{f\sigma } \cdot { \nabla } \hat g_\sigma = \hat 0 , \label{eil}\ ] ] where @xmath17 is the fermi velocity and @xmath18 the ( spatially varying ) order parameter . the three pauli matrices are denoted by @xmath19 , @xmath20 , and @xmath21 $ ] denotes the commutator . motivated by the fermi surface of mgb@xmath0 , we assume a cylindrical fermi surface and treat the @xmath1 band as quasi - two - dimensional . the @xmath1-band coherence length is defined as @xmath22 , where @xmath23 is the transition temperature , and used as length unit . we assume that the @xmath3 band is in the diffusive limit . in the presence of strong impurity scattering , the momentum dependence of the quasiclassical green function is averaged out , and the equation of motion for the resulting propagator @xmath24 reduces to the usadel equation @xcite , @xmath25 + { \nabla } \frac{\hbar\mathbb{d}}{\pi } ( \hat g_\pi { \nabla } \hat g_\pi ) = \hat 0,\ ] ] with the diffusion constant tensor @xmath26 . throughout this work , we assume an isotropic tensor @xmath27 and define the @xmath3-band coherence length @xmath28 . both ballistic and diffusive propagators are normalized according to @xmath29 @xcite . the quasiparticles in different bands are assumed to be coupled only through the pairing interaction . selfconsistency for the spatially varying order parameters in the two bands is achieved through the coupled gap equations , @xmath30 where @xmath31 , and @xmath32 . the coupling matrix @xmath33 determines the pairing interaction , @xmath34 is the fermi - surface density of states on band @xmath35 , and @xmath36 here @xmath37 is the upper off - diagonal ( 1,2 ) element of the matrix propagator @xmath38 , and @xmath39 is a cutoff energy ( that will be ultimately eliminated as discussed below ) . the fermi surface average over the @xmath1-band is denoted by @xmath40 . in this work , we consider isotropic @xmath41-wave coupling as is the case for mgb@xmath0 . to study the mixed state , we introduce a circular cell approximation , meaning that we simulate the vortex unit cell by a circle . other suggestions for circular cell approximations have been introduced in refs . @xcite and @xcite for the usadel and eilenberger equation , respectively . we assume strong type - ii superconductivity , in which case the spatial variation of magnetic field within the unit cell can be neglected for fields not too close to @xmath42 . this is the case for mgb@xmath0 . we assume that magnetic field is in the @xmath43 direction ( taking into account that the electron charge @xmath44 , this gives a positive phase winding ) . the vector potential is then given by @xmath45 with @xmath46 and @xmath47 . the radius of the vortex unit cell is determined by the fact that one flux quantum penetrates the unit cell , @xmath48 with @xmath49 . thus , @xmath50 this can be used directly in both the eilenberger and the usadel equation . in both cases , the vector potential can be incorporated by the replacement @xmath51_\circ,\ ] ] where the @xmath52 symbol involves a time convolution if @xmath53 is time - dependent ; otherwise it simply implies matrix multiplication . note that in the diffusive case this also affects the expression for the current density . this can be obtained by the requirement of local gauge invariance that the local gauge transformation @xmath54 with any @xmath55 should leave the basic equations of motion ( transport equations ) invariant ( in our case there is no time dependence , hence no scalar potential @xmath56 ) . the vector and scalar potentials can be gauged _ locally _ away , by writing down the equations at any point @xmath13 with @xmath57 and @xmath58 . thus , the equations with potentials can be obtained by observing that @xmath59_\circ \big ) \circ e^{-i \chi \hat \tau_3}.\end{aligned}\ ] ] now , we use the riccati parametrization of the green functions for both the eilenberger @xcite and usadel @xcite equations : @xmath60 where @xmath61 and @xmath62 . because the transport equations for the riccati amplitudes must also be invariant under any local gauge transformation , we can write them down immediately by noting that the above gauge transformation means @xmath63 or if we have no time dependence , @xmath64 similarly , @xmath65 and @xmath66 . we thus obtain for the clean @xmath1 band , @xmath67 with @xmath68 , and @xmath69 with @xmath70 . for the dirty @xmath3 band , we have @xcite @xmath71 and @xmath72 we consider a vortex extending in @xmath73 direction , with its centre situated at @xmath74 for each @xmath73 . we write @xmath75 and @xmath76 , and @xmath77 , @xmath78 , and @xmath79 . then we can use the above equations with the quantities @xmath80 , @xmath81 , and @xmath82 , and with the replacements @xmath83 and @xmath84 . here we have used @xmath85 . to obtain the riccati amplitudes in the 2d ballistic band , we must first solve for the boundary values along the unit cell circle , from which to integrate the riccati equations along a given trajectory . to simulate the phase change across a unit cell boundary , we impose the boundary condition ( here we omit the subscript @xmath1 ) , @xmath86 where @xmath87 and @xmath88 refer to incoming and outgoing trajectories , respectively , and similarly for @xmath89 . for each trajectory we solve for the boundary value @xmath90 selfconsistently . for the 3d diffusive band , we use the symmetry @xmath91 then equations ( [ usa1 ] ) and ( [ usa2 ] ) reduce to the following dimensionless equations for @xmath92 and @xmath93 : @xmath94 @xmath95 the boundary condition in the dirty case is that the first derivative of @xmath96 and @xmath97 is zero at the cell boundary . we solve for the order parameters by diagonalizing the ( cutoff dependent ) interactions and thus transforming the gap equations ( [ gapeq ] ) into the form @xmath98 where @xmath99 and @xmath100 are the anomalous amplitudes in the diagonal basis . the larger eigenvalue , say , @xmath101 , determines @xmath23 and can be eliminated together with @xmath39 . the smaller eigenvalue @xmath102 can be parametrized by the cutoff - independent quantity @xmath103 we solve the set of equations ( [ eileng],[eilengt],[usadelg],[usadelgt ] ) along with the gap equations for the order parameters selfconsistently . after selfconsistency has been achieved , the ldos in each band can be calculated by @xmath104 where @xmath105 is the upper diagonal ( 1,1 ) element of @xmath38 . the current density around the vortex has contributions from both the @xmath1 and the @xmath3 band . the corresponding expressions are @xmath106 \tanh\left ( \frac{\epsilon}{2t}\right ) . \ ; \label{cd}\end{aligned}\ ] ] in our model , the bulk behaviour of the system is completely specified by four material parameters , @xmath107 , @xmath108 , @xmath23 , and @xmath109 . here @xmath107 is the zero - temperature bulk gap ratio , @xmath110 , and @xmath111 . for mgb@xmath0 , @xmath112 and @xmath113 @xcite . the zero - temperature gap equations for a homogeneous system relate @xmath109 with @xmath107 , @xmath108 , and the bulk gap ratio near @xmath23 @xcite . from this relation we find that for mgb@xmath0 , @xmath109 can be positive or negative @xcite and can be close to zero @xcite . negative @xmath109 implies that the effective coulomb interaction dominates over the effective pairing interaction in the subdominant @xmath102 channel , and in this case superconductivity is purely induced in the @xmath3 band ( with @xmath114 , while @xmath115 ) . in the presence of inhomogeneity , there is another material parameter , namely @xmath116 , where @xmath117 nm ( @xmath118k ) for mgb@xmath0 @xcite . as discussed in the next section , to reproduce the experimental data of ref . @xcite we find @xmath119 , for @xmath120 and @xmath121 . the condition for the @xmath3 band to be in the dirty limit so that the usadel equation is applicable is @xmath122 for mgb@xmath0 @xcite . we present results for @xmath123 , 0.3 , 0.5 ; @xmath124 , 3 , 5 ; @xmath121 , 1.2 ; and @xmath125 , 0 , 0.1 ; and discuss the effects of induced superconductivity and hybridization of the diffusive and ballistic bands . for a given cell radius @xmath126 , the corresponding field strength is given by equation ( [ rctoh ] ) in units of @xmath127 , which is about 13 t for mgb@xmath0 . and @xmath128 and their ratio as a function of coordinate @xmath129 along a path through the vortex centre for @xmath130 , @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath132 , @xmath133 , for @xmath134 ( a , c ) and -0.1 ( b , d ) . ] and @xmath128 and their ratio as a function of coordinate @xmath129 along a path through the vortex centre for @xmath135 , @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath132 , @xmath136 , for @xmath134 ( a , c ) and -0.1 ( b , d ) . ] in figure [ or1 ] we show the order parameter magnitudes in the two bands ( a , b ) and their ratio ( c , d ) as a function of coordinate @xmath129 along a path through the vortex centre for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , and @xmath132 , for various values of the coherence length ratio @xmath116 ; for @xmath134 ( a , c ) and -0.1 ( b , d ) . the unit cell radius @xmath133 corresponds roughly to 0.5 t for mgb@xmath0 . the vortex structure is affected significantly by the coulomb interaction and the impurity scattering rate in the @xmath3 band . for @xmath137 , @xmath138 is smaller than the bulk gap ratio @xmath107 in the vortex core . while for @xmath124 the ratio recovers more or less to the bulk value at the cell boundary , as @xmath116 increases , @xmath139 is suppressed more strongly and @xmath138 is smaller than @xmath107 in the entire unit cell ( for @xmath140 ) . furthermore , through coupling with the dirty @xmath3 band , suppression of the @xmath1-band order parameter by magnetic field is also enhanced for larger @xmath116 . this suppression of the order parameter and enlargement of the core area in the @xmath1 band with increasing @xmath116 are more drastic when the coulomb repulsion is dominant in the @xmath3 band ( @xmath141 ) . interestingly , in this case , the depletion of @xmath139 is relatively small and @xmath138 is substantially larger than @xmath107 , especially for larger @xmath116 . for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath142 , @xmath143 , for ( a ) @xmath144 and ( b ) 5 . the result for a single clean band is also shown . ] except for @xmath145 . ] changes in the order parameter magnitudes in the two bands and their ratio as the field strength changes are illustrated in figure [ or2 ] , for @xmath135 , @xmath120 , @xmath131 , and @xmath132 , for various values of @xmath126 ; for @xmath134 ( a , c ) and -0.1 ( b , d ) . the result for @xmath143 is similar to that for an isolated vortex . it can be seen clearly that for @xmath137 , the @xmath3-band order parameter is suppressed strongly by magnetic field and the core area is enlarged . in contrast , for @xmath141 , the depairing effect is more manifest in the @xmath1 band , with @xmath138 reaching about two times @xmath107 in the vortex centre . it is clear that , while superconductivity is ( mostly ) induced in the @xmath3 band , coulomb interactions can renormalise substantially the length scales and the core sizes in the two bands in different ways . we illustrate the influence of the diffusivity in the @xmath3 band on the critical temperature in figures [ dt1 ] ( @xmath120 ) and [ dt2 ] ( @xmath145 ) for @xmath131 and @xmath143 , for ( a ) @xmath144 and ( b ) 5 . in these figures the order parameter magnitudes at the cell boundary , @xmath146 , in the two bands are plotted as a function of @xmath147 for @xmath134 and -0.1 , along with that for a single clean band . points are results obtained by selfconsistent calculation and curves are guides to the eye . in a single ballistic band , the critical temperature where @xmath146 vanishes is slightly smaller than the zero - field @xmath23 . when the ballistic @xmath1 band is coupled with the diffusive @xmath3 band , the critical temperature is reduced further , and superconductivity is more suppressed by magnetic field for @xmath125 than for @xmath134 . this difference is enhanced for larger @xmath116 , as a result of stronger suppression of the @xmath1-band order parameter as discussed above . these effects of the diffusivity and the coulomb interaction in the @xmath3 band can be drastic when the coupling between the two bands is strong , as demonstrated for @xmath145 in figure [ dt2 ] . a quantity to characterise the vortex core structure is the vortex core size defined by @xcite @xmath148 where @xmath149 is the radial coordinate measured from the vortex centre , and @xmath150 is the ` bulk ' order parameter in the vortex lattice . around an isolated vortex in a single clean band , the order parameter exhibits the kp effect @xcite , i.e. , shrinkage of the vortex core size as @xmath147 is lowered , approaching zero in the zero - temperature limit @xcite . this is due to depopulation of higher - energy bound states in the vortex core . in an @xmath41-wave superconductor with nonmagnetic impurities , however , the core size as defined above saturates as @xmath147 approaches zero @xcite this stems from broadening of the bound core states that removes the singular behaviour in the spatial variation of the order parameter in the vortex core . the vortex core shrinking ceases when @xmath151 becomes smaller than the energy width of the zero - energy bound states in the core . ) in the two bands as a function of temperature @xmath147 for @xmath144 , @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath134 , for ( a ) @xmath143 and ( b ) @xmath133 . the results for a single clean and dirty band are also shown . ] except for @xmath125 . ] ) in the two bands as a function of field @xmath152 for @xmath144 , @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath153 , for ( a ) @xmath134 and @xmath125 . ] when a ballistic band and a diffusive band are coupled , the kp effect is induced in the diffusive band , as found in refs . @xcite for an isolated vortex . in the vortex lattice , when vortices are well separated , one finds the kp effect in a single clean band as well as in coupled clean and dirty bands . this is demonstrated in figures [ corep ] ( @xmath134 ) and [ corem ] ( @xmath125 ) , in which @xmath154 in the two bands is plotted as a function of @xmath147 for @xmath144 , @xmath120 , and @xmath131 , for ( a ) @xmath143 and ( b ) @xmath133 . the core size in the case of a single clean and dirty band is also shown . as can be seen in figure [ corep](a ) , for @xmath155 , the core size in the @xmath3 band is larger than that in the @xmath1 band for all temperature . the @xmath3-band order parameter exhibits the kp effect also when the coulomb repulsion dominates ( figure [ corem](a ) ) , and in this case , @xmath154 as defined above is always smaller in the @xmath3 band than in the @xmath1 band ( except for @xmath147 very close to the critical temperature ) . also note that , with dominating coulomb interactions , the @xmath147-linear behaviour of the kp effect is better developed in the @xmath3 band than in the @xmath1 band . as magnetic field increases and vortices come closer together , the bound state wavefunctions of neighbouring vortices begin to overlap and form energy bands , and quasiparticles can travel through the periodic array of vortices @xcite ( see also references in ref . we have performed our calculation for the cell radius @xmath156 . for this range of @xmath126 , we find that in a single diffusive band , the core size @xmath154 becomes smaller as @xmath126 decreases for any given temperature . such shrinkage of the vortex core as field increases can be understood as due to intervortex transfer of quasiparticles @xcite , with higher - energy core bound states turning into extended states . this is also a trend for a single clean band as well as coupled ballistic and diffusive bands for relatively high @xmath147 and relatively large @xmath126 . however , as can be seen in figures [ corep](b ) and [ corem](b ) , for relatively strong field , @xmath154 is finite in the zero - temperature limit ; since the derivative of the order parameter at the vortex centre remains finite as temperature approaches zero . thus for a given ( low ) temperature , @xmath154 can increase as a function of field strength above a certain critical value . this is illustrated in figure [ coreh ] , where @xmath154 is plotted as a function of field strength @xmath152 for @xmath153 , @xmath144 , @xmath120 , and @xmath131 , for ( a ) @xmath134 and ( b ) @xmath125 . in both bands , as field increases , the core size is reduced initially , but at some critical strength it starts increasing . in a single ballistic band , @xmath154 behaves similarly as a function of @xmath152 : this is consistent with the work by miranovi _ et al _ @xcite , who examined the effects of impurities on the vortex core size by including impurity scattering in the eilenberger equation ( single band ) . they have also found that for very small mean free path , the core size decreases monotonically as a function of field strength , as we find for a single diffusive band . in the case of two bands , @xmath154 in the @xmath3 band has nonmonotonic behaviour as in the @xmath1 band , and the low - temperature value of @xmath154 is larger ( smaller ) in the @xmath3 band than in the @xmath1 band for @xmath157 ( @xmath158 ) . band as a function of distance @xmath149 from the vortex centre for @xmath131 , @xmath159 , @xmath160 , @xmath161 , for ( a ) @xmath120 , @xmath130 and ( b ) @xmath144 , @xmath162 . ] of the zero - bias ldos in the @xmath3 band as a function of @xmath116 for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath163 , @xmath161 , @xmath160 . for mgb@xmath0 , @xmath164 nm and the observed @xmath165 nm corresponds to @xmath119 in our model . ] in the diffusive @xmath3 band , the ldos is completely flat as a function of energy at the vortex centre , as found for an isolated vortex @xcite and for coupled diffusive bands @xcite . this is in agreement with the observation with stm @xcite . the vortex core size as measured by a decay length of the zero - bias ldos has also been probed by stm @xcite . when superconductivity is ( mostly ) induced in a `` weak '' band in a coupled two - band system , such a decay length can be much larger in the `` weak '' band than in the `` strong '' band @xcite . we find that in the vortex state , there is little change in the zero - bias ldos as a function of @xmath149 in the @xmath1 band from that for an isolated vortex , except for rather small @xmath126 . in contrast , as @xmath126 is reduced , the @xmath3 band starts exhibiting substantial overlap of quasiparticle states across the cell boundary for relatively large @xmath126 . furthermore , the ldos decay length in the @xmath3 band strongly depends on @xmath107 and @xmath116 . in figure [ ldose ] we present the zero - bias ldos in the @xmath3 band as a function of distance @xmath149 from the vortex centre for @xmath131 , @xmath159 , @xmath160 , and @xmath161 ; for ( a ) @xmath120 for various values of @xmath116 and ( b ) @xmath144 for several values of @xmath107 . for parameter values appropriate for mgb@xmath0 ( @xmath119 , @xmath120 ; see below ) , the overlap of core states is not negligible already for @xmath161 . for a fixed @xmath107 , the diffusivity in the @xmath3 band ( larger @xmath116 ) enhances intervortex transfer of @xmath3-band quasiparticles . for a given @xmath116 , the weaker the induced superconductivity , the stronger the extension and overlap of quasiparticle states . the coulomb repulsion in the @xmath3 band ( negative @xmath109 ) can enhance these effects further : e.g. , for the parameter set for figure [ ldose](b ) , the dependence of the ldos on @xmath109 is significant for @xmath123 . to characterise the core size , we plot in figure [ xiv ] the half - decay length of the zero - bias ldos in the @xmath3 band , @xmath166 , in units of @xmath167 nm ( the ginzburg - landau coherence length in mgb@xmath0 @xcite ) as a function of @xmath116 for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath163 , and @xmath161 . the @xmath166 is a linear function of @xmath116 for @xmath168 in this example , and increases rapidly as @xmath116 increases further . also for larger @xmath116 , its dependence on @xmath109 becomes noticeable . for mgb@xmath0 , the experimental value of @xmath165 nm corresponds to @xmath119 in our model . in ref . @xcite such a plot of @xmath166 was made for coupled dirty bands for @xmath169 : overall @xmath166 in this case is slightly smaller than our @xmath166 . band as a function of energy @xmath10 for @xmath120 , 0.5 , @xmath144 , @xmath170 , @xmath159 , @xmath161 , for ( a ) @xmath134 and ( b ) -0.1 . the result for a single ballistic band is also shown . ] band as a function of energy @xmath10 for @xmath171 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , @xmath159 , @xmath143 , for ( a ) @xmath120 and ( b ) 0.5 . the result for a single ballistic band is also shown . ] a particularly interesting feature found in our model of coupled ballistic and diffusive bands is that , through coupling with the `` weak '' diffusive band , there can be additional bound states at the gap edge in the `` strong '' ballistic band . we find such bound states for an isolated vortex @xcite as well as for the vortex lattice . in figure [ dos1 ] the ldos at the vortex centre in the @xmath1 band is plotted as a function of energy @xmath10 for @xmath120 , 0.5 , @xmath144 , @xmath170 , @xmath159 , and @xmath161 ; for ( a ) @xmath134 and ( b ) -0.1 . we present in figure [ dos2 ] the ldos for @xmath144 , 5 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , @xmath159 , and @xmath143 ; for ( a ) @xmath120 and ( b ) 0.5 . the result for a single ballistic band is also shown in these figures . the peak at @xmath172 reflects the cdm bound states that arise from repeated andreev scattering from the order parameter in the vortex core . in the core of an isolated vortex in a single clean band , the spectrum shows neither coherence peak nor additional bound state at the gap edge . in the vortex lattice , as quasiparticles travel in the periodic pairing potential , the continuum energy levels above the energy gap are grouped into bands and van hove singularities appear at the band edges @xcite . this can be seen clearly for a single ballistic band in figures [ dos1 ] and [ dos2 ] : in the latter , the band widths are larger due to reduced lattice spacing . when the ballistic @xmath1 band is coupled with the diffusive @xmath3 band , the vortex core area is enlarged and the periodic pairing potential becomes effectively weaker . as a result , band gaps and van hove singularities are reduced as can be seen in figures [ dos1 ] and [ dos2 ] . at the same time , extra bound states tend to appear at the gap edge . these features become prominent for larger @xmath107 ( 0.3 vs. 0.5 in figure [ dos1 ] ) and @xmath116 ( 3 vs. 5 in figure [ dos2 ] ) , and are more enhanced for negative @xmath109 than for positive @xmath109 ( figure [ dos1 ] ) . in most of the examples shown in these figures , the spectrum above the energy gap is more or less continuous . furthermore , in the two - band results presented in figure [ dos2](b ) , the energy gap is reduced substantially and a band of gap edge bound states is formed . from the vortex centre for @xmath144 , @xmath145 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , @xmath143 , for @xmath173 . ] as a function of distance @xmath149 from the vortex centre for @xmath144 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , @xmath153 , @xmath143 , for @xmath174 ; ( a ) partial contribution from each band and ( b ) total field distribution . the @xmath175 that comes into the maxwell equation is taken to be 10 ( @xmath176 for mgb@xmath0 ) . ] in figure [ current ] the current densities @xmath177 in the two bands as a function of distance @xmath149 from the vortex centre are shown for @xmath144 , @xmath145 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , and @xmath143 , for various temperatures . the current density contribution from the @xmath3 band can be substantial , and even dominating as demonstrated in this figure , for larger @xmath107 and @xmath116 . as temperature is lowered , the @xmath1-band current density exhibits the kp effect and is more confined around the vortex centre . for stronger coupling of the two bands , the kp effect becomes manifest also in the @xmath3 band . deviation of the magnetic field distribution from the uniform field , @xmath178 , can be obtained from @xmath177 by integrating the maxwell equation , where a parameter @xmath175 comes in . for mgb@xmath0 , @xmath176 . the @xmath179 as a function of @xmath149 is illustrated in figure [ field ] for @xmath144 , @xmath131 , @xmath125 , @xmath153 , @xmath143 , and @xmath180 , for @xmath120 and 0.5 . in figure [ field](a ) partial contribution from each band is shown , while [ field](b ) presents the total field distribution . it can be seen that when coupling of the two bands is increased , field fluctuations in the @xmath3 band ( hence those in the total field ) are enhanced significantly , while the @xmath1 band contribution hardly changes . for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , @xmath142 , for ( a ) @xmath144 and ( b ) 5 . the result for a single clean band is also shown . the @xmath181 t for mgb@xmath0 . ] we show in figure [ phase ] the upper critical field @xmath182 for @xmath147 near @xmath23 for @xmath120 , @xmath131 , and @xmath142 , for ( a ) @xmath144 and ( b ) 5 , along with the result for a single clean band . although @xmath6 is sensitive to the amount of impurities in the sample , in mgb@xmath0 single crystals , @xmath6 for field parallel to the @xmath5 axis has been measured to be @xmath183 tesla in several experiments @xcite . this value roughly corresponds to @xmath109 somewhere between -0.1 and 0.1 for @xmath144 , @xmath120 , and @xmath131 in our model . when the @xmath1 band is coupled with the @xmath3 band , @xmath6 is substantially reduced from the single - band value , and decreases further when the coulomb repulsion dominates or the diffusivity increases in the @xmath3 band . this is consistent with stronger suppression of the order parameter and enlargement of the vortex core area in the @xmath1 band . furthermore , for relatively large @xmath116 , @xmath182 develops an upward curvature near @xmath23 ( figure [ phase](b ) ) . this is interesting in light of the theoretical work based on the eliashberg theory by mansor and carbotte , who studied the effects of fermi velocity anisotropy and impurities on @xmath6 @xcite . their prediction for mgb@xmath0 is that , for field in the @xmath5 direction ( where the fermi velocities in the two bands are assumed to be the same ) , @xmath182 exhibits an upward curvature near @xmath23 when the @xmath3 band is clean and the @xmath1 band is dirty , while it has a quasilinear @xmath147 dependence for the dirty @xmath3 and the clean @xmath1 band ( as observed in several experiments ; see references in ref . such an upward curvature in @xmath6 ( @xmath184 ) has been observed in some experiments on mgb@xmath0 single crystals @xcite . in conclusion , we have studied the effects of induced superconductivity and impurities on the electronic structure in the vortex lattice of a two - band superconductor , in which a `` weak '' 3d diffusive band and a `` strong '' 2d ballistic band are hybridized through the pairing interaction . we have found that the coulomb repulsion and the diffusivity in the `` weak '' dirty band enhance suppression of the order parameter and enlargement of the vortex core by magnetic field in the `` strong '' clean band . as a result , critical temperature and field ( where the order parameter at the vortex unit cell boundary vanishes ) are reduced , and increased diffusivity in the dirty band can result in an upward curvature of the upper critical field near the transition temperature . the kramer - pesch effect arising from thermal depopulation of higher - energy core bound states tends to disappear as field becomes stronger and overlap of quasiparticle states of neighbouring vortices increases . the zero - bias ldos in the diffusive band has a decay length much larger than that in the ballistic band , indicating substantial intervortex transfer of quasiparticles , and the half - decay length increases significantly as the diffusivity increases . coupling with the `` weak '' diffusive band leads to smearing of energy bands of the vortex lattice and van hove singularities at the band edges in the vortex - core ldos in the `` strong '' ballistic band . furthermore , bound states tend to appear at the gap edge in the ballistic band , in addition to the well - known caroli - de gennes - matricon bound states . these effects are enhanced for increased coupling , diffusivity , and coulomb repulsion . finally , the current density contribution in the vortex core and resulting field fluctuations in the diffusive band can be substantial , or even dominating , and exhibit the kramer - pesch effect manifest in the current density when coupling with the ballistic band is strong . we find the above intriguing features in the quasiparticle spectra for parameter values appropriate for mgb@xmath0 . we thank a. e. koshelev for helpful discussions and constructive comments on the manuscript . the research was supported by the natural sciences and engineering research council of canada , the canada foundation for innovation , and the deutsche forschungsgemeinschaft within the cfn . 999 tanaka k , agterberg d f , kopu j and eschrig m 2006 _ phys . _ b * 73 * 220501(r ) tanaka k , eschrig m and agterberg d f 2007 _ phys . _ b * 75 * 214512 nagamatsu j , nakagawa n , muranaka t , zenitani y and akimitsu j 2001 _ nature _ * 410 * 63 - 64 schmidt h , zasadzinski j f , gray k e and hinks d g 2002 _ phys . lett . _ * 88 * 127002 eskildsen m r , kugler m , tanaka s , jun j , kazakov s m , karpinski j and fischer 2002 _ phys . lett . _ * 89 * 187003 ; eskildsen m r , jenkins n , levy g , kugler m , fischer , jun j , kazakov s m and karpinski j 2003 _ phys . _ b * 68 * 100508(r ) geerk j , schneider r , linker g , zaitsev a g , heid r , bohnen k - p and v lhneysen h 2005 _ phys . lett . _ * 94 * 227005 giubileo f , bobba f , scarfato a , cucolo a m , kohen a , roditchev d , zhigadlo n and karpinski j 2006 _ phys . _ b * 76 * 024507 klein t , lyard l , marcus j , holanova z and marcenat c 2006 _ phys . _ b * 73 * 184513 serventi s , allodi g , de renzi r , guidi g , roman l , manfrinetti p , palenzona a , niedermayer ch , amato a and baines ch 2004 _ phys . rev _ * 93 * 217003 sologubenko a v , jun j , kazakov s m , karpinski j and ott h r 2002 _ phys . _ b * 66 * 014504 sonier j e 2004 _ j. phys . : condens . matter _ * 16 * s4499 - 4513 ; sonier j e 2007 _ rep . * 70 * 1717 - 55 sonier j e , hundley m f , thompson j d and brill j w 1999 _ phys . lett . _ * 82 * 4914 - 4917 miller r i , kiefl r f , brewer j h , chakhalian j , dunsiger s , morris g d , sonier j e and macfarlane w a 2000 _ phys . lett . _ * 85 * 1540 boaknin e _ et al _ 2003 _ phys . lett . _ * 90 * 117003 callaghan f d , laulajainen m , kaiser c v and sonier j e 2005 _ phys . lett . _ * 95 * 197001 salman z _ et al _ 2007 _ phys . lett . _ * 98 * 167001 guritanu v , goldacker w , bouquet f , wang y , lortz r , goll g and junod a 2004 _ phys . _ b * 70 * 184526 measson m - a , braithwaite d , flouquet j , seyfarth g , brison j p , lhotel e , paulsen c , sugawara h and sato h 2004 _ phys . rev . _ b * 70 * 064516 seyfarth g , brison j p , masson m - a , flouquet j , izawa k , matsuda y , sugawara h and sato h 2005 _ phys . lett . _ * 95 * 107004 ; seyfarth g , brison j p , masson m - a , braithwaite d , lapertot g and flouquet j 2006 _ phys . * 97 * 236403 mukhopadhyay s , sheet g , raychaudhuri p and takeya h 2005 _ phys . _ b * 72 * 014545 kasahara y , iwasawa t , shishido h , shibauchi t , behnia k , haga y , matsuda t d , onuki y , sigrist m and matsuda y 2007 _ phys . rev . lett . _ * 99 * 116402 nakajima y , nakagawa t , tamegai t and harima h 2008 _ phys . lett . _ * 100 * 157001 hunte f , jaroszynski j , gurevich a , larbalestier d c , jin r , sefat a s , mcguire m a , sales b c , christen d k and mandrus d 2008 _ nature _ * 453 * 903 nakai n , ichioka m and machida k 2002 _ j. phys . _ * 71 * 23 - 26 ; ichioka m , machida k , nakai n and miranovi p 2004 _ phys b _ * 70 * 144508 koshelev a e and golubov a a 2003 _ phys . rev . lett . _ * 90 * 177002 caroli c , de gennes p g and matricon j 1964 _ phys . lett . _ * 9 * 307 - 9 larkin a i and ovchinnikov y n 1968 _ zh . eksp fiz . _ * 55 * 2262 - 72 [ 1969 _ sov . phys * 28 * 1200 - 1205 ] eilenberger g 1968 _ z. phys . _ * 214 * 195 - 213 usadel k 1970 _ phys . lett . _ * 25 * 507 - 509 kramer l , pesch w , and watts - tobin r j 1974 _ j. low . * 14 * 29 - 51 pesch w and kramer l 1974 _ j. low . phys . _ * 15 * 367 - 386 nagato y , nagai k , and hara j 1993 _ j. low temp . phys . _ * 93 * 33 - 56 ; higashitani s and nagai k 1995 _ j. phys * 64 * 549 - 564 ; nagato y , higashitani s , yamada k and nagai k 1996 _ j. low temp . * 103 * 1 - 22 schopohl n and maki k 1995 _ phys . b _ * 52 * 490 - 493 ; schopohl n 1998 transformation of the eilenberger equations of superconductivity to a scalar riccati equation _ preprint _ arxiv : cond - mat/9804064 eschrig m , sauls j a , and rainer d 1999 _ phys . _ b * 60 * 10447 - 10454 eschrig m 2000 _ phys . _ b * 61 * 9061 - 9076 eschrig m , kopu j , konstandin a , cuevas j c , fogelstrm m and schn g , 2004 _ adv . in sol . state phys . _ * 44 * 533 - 546 junod a , wang y , bouquet f and toulemonde p 2002 _ studies of high temperature superconductors _ , edited by narlikar a v vol 38 ( commack , ny : nova science ) p 179 szab p , samuely p , kacmarck j , klein t , marcus j , fruchart d , miraglia s , marcenat c and jansen a g m 2001 _ phys . lett . _ * 87 * 137005 iavarone m _ et al _ 2002 _ phys . rev . lett . _ * 89 * 187002 gonnelli r s , daghero d , ummarino g a , stepanov v a , jun j , kazakov s m and karpinski j 2002 _ phys . lett . _ * 89 * 247004 holanov z , szab p , samuely p , wilke r h t , budko s l and canfield p c 2004 _ phys . _ b * 70 * 064520 kramer l and pesch w 1974 _ z. phys . _ * 269 * 59 - 64 kato y and hayashi n 2001 _ j. phys . jpn . _ * 70 * 3368 - 3376 hayashi n , kato y and sigrist m 2005 _ j. low . temp . * 139 * 79 - 96 gumann a , graser s , dahm t and schopohl n 2006 _ phys . b _ * 73 * 104506 canel e 1965 _ phys . lett . _ * 16 * 101 - 3 klein u 1989 _ phys . rev . _ b * 40 * 6601 - 10 pttinger b and klein u 1993 _ phys . _ * 70 * 2806 - 2809 miranovi p , ichioka m and machida k 2004 _ phys . _ b * 70 * 104510 angst m , puzniak r , wisniewski a , jun j , kazakov s m , karpinski j , roos j and keller h 2002 _ phys . lett . _ * 88 * 167004 sologubenko a v , jun j , kazakov s m , karpinski j and ott h r 2002 _ phys . rev . _ b * 65 * 180505(r ) zehetmayer m , eisterer m , jun j , kazakov s m , karpinski j , wisniewski and weber h w 2002 _ phys . _ b * 66 * 052505 lyard l _ et al _ 2002 _ phys . _ b * 66 * 180502(r ) angst m , puzniak r , wisniewski a , roos j , keller h , miranovi p , jun j , kazakov s m and karpinski j 2003 _ physica _ c * 385 * 143 - 153 welp u _ et al _ 2003 _ physica _ c * 387 * 137 - 142 shi z , pradhan a k , tokunaga m , tamegai t , takano y , togano k , kito h and ihara h 2003 _ physica _ c * 388 * -*389 * 157 - 8 bando h , yamaguchi y , shirakawa n and yanagisawa t 2004 _ physica _ c * 412 * -*414 * 258 - 261 eisterer m 2005 _ phys . stat . sol . _ c * 2 * 1606 - 14 kim h - j , lee h - s , byeongwon k , yim w - h , jo y , jung m - h and lee s - i 2006 _ phys . _ b * 73 * 064520 klein t _ et al _ 2006 _ phys . _ b * 73 * 224528 mansor m and carbotte j p 2005 _ phys . _ b * 72 * 024538 lee s , mori h , masui t , eltsev y , yamamoto a and tajima s 2001 _ j. phys . jpn . _ * 70 * 2255 - 2258 xu m , kitazawa h , tanako y , ye j , nishida k , abe h , matsushita a and kido g 2001 _ app . * 79 * 2779 - 2781 kim k h p _ et al _ 2002 _ phys . b _ * 65 * 100510(r )

arxiv

Alastor schulthessianus is a species of wasp in the Vespidae family. References Category:Vespidae

wikipedia

SEVERANCE- PILOT EPISODE- "MISTER" Written by Dan Erickson INT. BOARD ROOM. DAY. A NAKED MAN lies face up, unconscious on a large oak table. The room around him is comfortable but sterile. There are no windows and the only light buzzes from the florescent panels above. Pastel prints line the beige walls. This is MARK, mid 30’s. He’s tall and thin, his hair neatly combed, his breath slow but even. Suddenly, Mark’s eyes shoot open and he bolts to a sitting position. He gasps as his eyes dart around the room. For a very long moment, all is quiet. MARK Hello? He tries to get to his knees but they give way and he tumbles off the table. Shakily, he moves toward the door. He tries to open it, but it’s locked solidly. He turns back to the room. MARK (CONT’D) Where the hell am I!? At the far end of the table is mounted a small, black Intercom. It clicks on, emitting a MAN’S VOICE. MAN’S VOICE Who are you? MARK What? MAN’S VOICE Who are you? MARK I- Who the hell are you? Brief pause. MAN’S VOICE I’m sorry, sir. I got ahead of myself. MARK What is this place? Open the damn door!MAN’S VOICE Do you have a few moments to take a quick survey? MARK What? MAN’S VOICE Six questions. I feel confident it will benefit us both. MARK Wha- No! Let me the hell out of this room! MAN’S VOICE Okay, thank you for your time. It clicks off. MARK Hey! Hey! Mark scours the room, but can find no other way out. He returns to the door, twisting hard on the knob. He kicks at it, but his weak legs give out and once again he falls to the floor. MARK (CONT’D) Damnit! He lays on the carpet, breathing heavily. MARK (CONT’D) Hey! You there? The intercom clicks on. MAN’S VOICE I’m here. MARK Six questions? MAN’S VOICE Yes, sir. MARK What do I get at the end? MAN’S VOICE Depends on your answers.2.Mark sighs. MARK Well, since you seem to have caught me between things- MAN’S VOICE Who are you? Pause. MARK That’s the first question? MAN’S VOICE A first name will do. Mark looks around the room. He furrows his brow. MARK What do I do if I don’t know? MAN’S VOICE Unknown. Okay, great. Question two: In which US state were you born? MARK Wait a minute- MAN’S VOICE Which state, please? MARK I- don’t know. MAN’S VOICE Unknown. Terrific. Question three: What is the name of a US State? First that comes to mind. MARK -Delaware. MAN’S VOICE Question four: Who killed Mister and how did he die? MARK That one makes no sense. MAN’S VOICE Unknown?3.MARK Sure. MAN’S VOICE Question five: Have you done any intravenous drugs today? MARK What’s going on? MAN’S VOICE Please answer question five- MARK I don’t know! I don’t even know what day it is! MAN’S VOICE Unknown. Question six: By your closest approximation, what was or is the color of your mother’s eyes? Mark stares up at the ceiling, his breath growing fast. A tear slides down his temple. Pause. MAN’S VOICE (CONT’D) Unknown. Applicant’s response record is Unknown, Unknown, Delaware, Unknown, Unknown and Unknown. MARK (quietly) Please tell me what’s happening to me. All at once, the door unlatches and creaks open. MAN’S VOICE A perfect score. Very impressive, Mark. Mark stares through the door. He can see only darkness. MAN’S VOICE (CONT’D) Right this way. End of Prologue.4.Act 1. INT. DARKENED HALL. DAY. Mark creeps cautiously down a thin, unlit hall.The hall is full of sharp twists, preventing Mark from seeing more than a few feet ahead. Ahead is a bend, around which Mark can see light. INT. ORIENTATION CHAMBER. DAY. Mark steps out into a small, dimly lit room. In the center of the room is a table, at which sit a man and a woman. FRANK MILCHICK, 35, is a big and brawny, despite the dainty glasses perched atop his nose. In front of him is a microphone. His is the voice from the other room. HARMONY COBEL, 40, is small, curt and well-kept, her hair in a tight bun. She takes notes, never looking up. Milchick looks up and smiles. MILCHICK Mark! Come, have a seat! Mark glances at a door on the other side of the room. MARK Who are you? MILCHICK Frank Milchick, PR. I’ll be facilitating your orientation today. MARK Orientation for what? MILCHICK It’d be just terrific if you had a seat. Mark slowly walks over and sits across from them. Milchick organizes documents, excited but nervous.5.MILCHICK (CONT’D) Okay. Well, first and foremost, I’d like to congratulate you, on behalf of all our staff, at all levels of seniority, and of all races and sexual genders, on passing your entrance exam. Really stellar work. Delaware. MARK Again, entrance to what? Milchick smiles, looks down and clears his throat. MILCHICK Mark- Mr. Scout- Your last name’s Scout- Mr. Scout, we have selected you as the Secondary Conversion Analyst for our data culling team. You have graciously accepted- MARK I haven’t graciously accepted shit. MILCHICK That’s- a great opinion, and boldly expressed. But I do have the paperwork here. He slides it across the table. Mark snatches it up. At the bottom is a series of signatures, his included. MARK I didn’t sign this. MILCHICK Let’s take a step back- COBEL He needs pants. MILCHICK AND MARK What? COBEL By this point in the orientation, the applicant should have been offered pants. It’s the first step in preparing him for the video. MILCHICK Of course. Sorry, ma’am.6.COBEL Don’t apologize to me. Milchick turns back to Mark. He produces a well-folded pair of black pants from under the table. MILCHICK Mr. Scout, at this time, I’d like to offer you this pair of empty black pants, along with a sincere apology for not having offered said pants earlier. Do you accept the empty black pants, and/or the apology, which I assure you is anything but empty? Mark stares at Milchick for a long moment. All at once, Mark leaps from his seat and runs for the door. MILCHICK (CONT’D) Mr. Scout! Mark bursts through the door. Cobel keeps writing. COBEL Well. How did that feel to you? MILCHICK Bad. COBEL It was very bad. Milchick gets up to follow Mark. INT. MAIN OFFICE. DAY. Mark, still naked, runs out into the middle of a bustling office. The room is vast and white, the ceiling very high. Everything is bathed in a sterile light, which seems to emanate from all surfaces. The majority of the room is comprised of a wide maze of cubicle walls, made of a vaguely translucent glass. The workers weave busily around, some of their forms obscured by the crystalline cubicle walls. Their hurried footsteps combine with the dim hum of routers and printers.7.Mark looks around, panting heavily. One by one, the office- dwellers notice him and stop, shocked. MARK I’m being held here. I’m being held against my will. He glances up. Near the high ceiling is a small window, behind which is a hallway. A thin, BALD MAN stands at the window, watching the commotion. A plump SECURITY GUARD approaches Mark. SECURITY GUARD Sir, I’d be happy to escort you to your workspace- Mark turns and runs, knocking over the Security Guard. He runs into the maze of cubicles, nearly tripping over the tangle of computer wires that populate the floor, as workers dive out of his way. He hears footsteps approach from around a corner. He ducks behind a copy machine. A line of GUARDS run past.Looking up, Mark spies an exit sign, but no path through the cubicles. With a running start, Mark leaps onto a table and over one of the walls. He crashes down atop a table on the other side. Seeing the exit, Mark breaks into a run. INT. STAIRWELL. DAY. Mark bursts through the stairwell door and runs down the stairs, tripping over his feet as he goes. Spinning around on a middle landing, he comes face to face with HELLY RIGGS, 19, small but quietly fierce. She smirks. HELLY First day? Mark scoots around her and continues down the stairs.8.INT. LOBBY. DAY. Mark bursts out of the stairwell and into a spacious lobby. The granite walls are accentuated by hanging plants and mini fountains. Ahead is a security checkpoint, where a MUSTACHED GUARD scans incoming EMPLOYEES with an electric wand. Beyond them is a bank of glass doors, but a concrete wall beyond it blocks any view of the outside. An elevator door opens, and Milchick and Cobel emerge. MILCHICK Mr. Scout! Mark launches himself toward the security checkpoint. The Mustached Guard moves to intercept him. MUSTACHED GUARD Hold it, sir- Mark elbows the Guard hard in the eye and tries to leap over a ribbon partition. The Guard grabs him by the foot. COBEL Just let him go! Mark kicks the Guard and gets to his feet. COBEL (CONT’D) It doesn’t matter! Let him go! Mark darts across the entryway, past the security checkpoint, and through the exit door. JUMP TO: INT. LOBBY. DAY. The light is suddenly different, indicating late afternoon. The room is far less busy. Mark steps into the door he just ran out of. He’s dressed in a simple black suit and tie. He looks to his left. The Mustached Guard sits in a folding chair, holding an ice pack over his eye and glaring at Mark. COBEL How you feeling?9.Mark whips around to see Cobel standing next to him. She smiles. MARK How am I- COBEL Relax. There’s a lot that needs to be explained to you. Are you familiar with morons, Mark? MARK Morons? COBEL Idiots. Simpletons. Unfortunately, they have a king, who I brilliantly placed in charge of your orientation today. I apologize for that. Mark looks at his hands, which are sunburnt. MARK Why is my skin warm? COBEL Same reason you feel suddenly calmer than before. You and I just had a two-hour walk together. MARK What? COBEL We went to a park. You fed apples to a horse. It was sweet. MARK What are you talking about? Why would I go on a walk with you? COBEL Because outside of this office, you and I are already good friends. He stares at her, confused. She puts her arm around him. COBEL (CONT’D) Mark, my mother was Catholic. Not a very good Catholic. When I had a bad day, she used to tell me my angels had a hangover. (MORE)10.Right now, you probably feel like your angels just OD’d on heroin. MARK You could say that. COBEL Well, the good thing about angels is there’s a shitload of them. And when your angels OD, it’s never too terribly hard to find some new ones. Mark says nothing. Cobel turns and walks toward the elevators. COBEL (CONT’D) Let’s go find some new angels. Mark stares after her for a moment, then follows. End of Act 1COBEL (CONT’D) 11.Act 2 INT. CULLING OFFICE. DAY. IRVING BAILIFF, 65, sits under his desk. Irving is heavy and bald, but his demeanor is childlike. On the carpet in front of him sit a dozen small objects. A snow globe paperweight. A couple of glue sticks. A handheld pencil sharpener. As two co-workers converse unseen, Irving arranges the objects in a rough circle. DYLAN (o.s.) Just seems soon to bring on a rook. The ink ain’t dry on Petey yet. HELLY (o.s.) We need a fourth. We can’t do the job without a fourth. DYLAN (o.s.) Well, then maybe you shouldn’t have- HELLY (o.s.) Petey got exactly what he wanted. Besides, they’ve been training this guy for months. It would have happened eventually. DYLAN (o.s.) Just seems soon. Irving completes the circle and starts placing objects in the middle. DYLAN (CONT’D) (o.s.) You really saw this guy’s dick? HELLY (o.s.) Just for a second.12.DYLAN (o.s.) You shouldn’t go around seeing dicks, you know. It’s a uniquely distracting organ, biologically. HELLY (o.s.) Well, I didn’t exactly seek it out. DYLAN (o.s.) Just makes me ill, them bringing in some nice-dicked rook mere days after Petey’s departure. HELLY (o.s.) I didn’t say he was nice-dicked. DYLAN (o.s.) What? HELLY (o.s.) I didn’t say that. You said that. Irving finishes the pattern. The objects are now arranged in a crude human face. He smiles at it, wistfully. DYLAN (o.s.) Look, we can split hairs all day or we can prepare like we were told. Where’s the welcome sign? HELLY (o.s.) Irving’s going to do it. DYLAN (o.s.) And Irving is where, exactly? As footsteps approach, Irving hurriedly gathers all the objects back up and puts them in a paper bag. He stows the bag under the far corner of the desk.Helly, the young woman from the stairwell, kneels down to address Irving.13.HELLY Hey, Irving. Irving scoots around to face her. IRVING Hello. HELLY You having a little dark time? IRVING The lights hurt my brain. HELLY Mine too. Which is a good sign. Means we have brains. He smiles. IRVING Yeah. Big fat ones. She smiles. HELLY Hey, I was hoping you’d hang up the welcome sign before the next culling starts. You did promise me. IRVING I was worried I’d mess it up and Dylan would tease me. She nods. HELLY Have you ever noticed how Dylan never complains about the lights? IRVING Yeah. HELLY Yeah. He laughs. She offers him her hand. HELLY (CONT’D) Come on. Let’s hang it up together. He takes her hand.14.INT. OFFICE HALL. DAY. Mark follows Cobel through the labyrinth of hallways. MARK Are there two buildings? COBEL Sorry? MARK When I ran outside, it led right back into the lobby. Are there two identical buildings? COBEL You’ll be seeing the video this afternoon, which will explain everything. Right now I want you to meet a few of your colleagues. They reach a door, marked “Culling Office.” MARK What’s the Culling Office? She opens the door. COBEL It’s home. She gestures for him to enter. He does. INT. CULLING OFFICE. CONTINUOUS The office is large, blank and white. In the center, four desks face one another. Helly sits at one, and to her left is Irving. To her right is DYLAN HOGAN. Dylan is 40, and despite a sense of swagger, looks vaguely diseased. All three type vigorously at clunky, beige computers at their desks. Mark stares at these three for a moment. He turns to Cobel- MARK Who are these- But she’s gone. He turns back.He slowly makes his way toward the center of the room.15.The others don’t look up from what they’re doing. MARK (CONT’D) Hello. No response. MARK (CONT’D) I’m Mark. Apparently I’m supposed to be- DYLAN So why aren’t you? MARK Sorry? DYLAN Why aren’t you doing what you’re supposed to be doing? MARK I- They didn’t tell me- DYLAN There’s one chair without an ass in it. How many asses do you have? MARK -One. DYLAN Seems fortuitous. Mark stares at Dylan a long moment, before moving to the empty chair. He sits. IRVING Did you see the sign? MARK The sign? IRVING I hung it for you. Helly helped. Mark looks over. Small, gold paper letters spelling ‘WELCOME’ hang clumsily on the far wall. IRVING (CONT’D) It’s meant to make you feel welcome.16.MARK Thank you. He stares at the computer screen in front of him. A series of green symbols, including letters, numbers and pictographs, moves across it in a single line. Mark glances at Helly, who sits across from him. MARK (CONT’D) I don’t know what to- HELLY The game is to turn the green symbols blue. You have to trick them. They’ll fight you. MARK Okay. How? HELLY Put your fingers on the keys. Your training will kick in. MARK I haven’t been- HELLY Yes, you have. Mark puts his fingers on the keys and looks at the stream of symbols. He types a few characters into the computer. The stream turns red. MARK They’re turning red. DYLAN Red’s bad. HELLY I said blue, remember? MARK Listen, who are you people? HELLY Keep typing! Mark keeps typing random keys. The symbols continue to come in red.17.MARK Please. I- I need help, okay? I woke up here an hour ago and I can’t remember anything- DYLAN Sucks chunks, don’t it? MARK This happened to all of you? HELLY Three years ago for me. Which now makes me the senior employee. DYLAN By like two days. IRVING I used to be the baby. Now that you’re here, I’m just Irving. MARK What is this place? How do we get out of here? DYLAN It’s all in the video, man. MARK What video? IRVING Why is he mad? HELLY He’s not. IRVING Petey was never mad. MARK Who the shit is Petey? DYLAN You know, culling time tends to be quiet time! MARK To shit with culling time! I don’t even know what that is! IRVING Language!18.DYLAN Damnit! For a moment, everyone just types. Dylan rubs his face. DYLAN (CONT’D) It’s Mark, you said. Right? MARK Yeah. DYLAN Okay, Mark, do me a favor. Look at your screen. MARK What? DYLAN Just look. Mark looks. The symbols on his screen have all turned blue. He continues to type letters onto the keyboard, changing the symbols to blue as they appear. MARK I’m turning them blue. DYLAN Funny that, huh? MARK How am I doing this? DYLAN Because you were trained to. Mark, I know you’re losing your shit right now. I did too. But there’s an order to all this, and it will present itself to you in due time. So until that time comes, I need you to just take a breath and trust that you’re gonna be okay. Can you do that for me, Mark? Mark takes a deep breath. MARK Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I just- I’m okay. They all keep typing. Long pause.19.IRVING Is he mad because I hung the sign bad? DYLAN Nah, Irving. You hung the sign great. More typing. INT. CULLING OFFICE MEN’S ROOM. DAY. Mark enters the men’s room stall and sits down. He rubs his face, breathing heavily.After a moment, he opens his eyes.He notices a message scratched into the bottom corner of the stall: I’M TAKING ME WITH ME. HELLY (o.s.) Don’t throw up, okay? Mark straightens up, startled. Helly sits in the stall next to him. HELLY (CONT’D) ‘Cause if you do, then I will. Then the janitor will have to come through and he hits on me. MARK This is the men’s room. HELLY The women’s gets lonely. Mark takes a deep breath. MARK You’re from the stairwell, right? HELLY Not originally. But I saw you there. MARK Sorry I was naked. HELLY It’s cool. It was funny. I’m Helly.20.He stares ahead, uncomfortable. MARK What’s the thing with the letters? Why do we do that? HELLY It’s called data culling. And I have no idea. MARK You don’t know what it means? HELLY Nope. I know it’s important, though. MARK Uh huh. And how much of this is going to make sense once I’ve seen this video everyone keeps talking about? HELLY Exactly four percent. He smiles in spite of himself. HELLY (CONT’D) You’re not going to see it, though. MARK Sorry? HELLY Not today, anyway. MARK Cobel said- HELLY Something will come up. There will be an inspection, or a drill. I was here six months before I saw it. MARK Why? She thinks about this a moment. HELLY Because you’re more likely to accept it once they’ve broken you some.21.The door opens and Irving sticks his head in. IRVING Helly? HELLY Hi Irving. IRVING You’re supposed to go in the girl’s room. You’re a girl. HELLY I know. I’m sorry. IRVING Did you forget? HELLY Yeah, I forgot. Can you not tell on me, please? IRVING Okay, but I’ll write it in my diary. HELLY That’s good. He leaves. A pause. MARK Is he okay? HELLY He’s different. He’s also by far the fastest culler in the office. The door opens and Irving pops in again. IRVING Also, if Mark’s in here, tell him that we have an inspection tonight. So they’ll show him the video tomorrow. HELLY Thanks, Irving. I’ll tell him. Irving leaves. A long pause. MARK Is there any way out of here?22.Long pause. HELLY You should watch the video. MARK Thanks. I’ll look forward to that. Using her foot, she slides a scrap of toilet paper under the stall wall. HELLY I mean you should watch it now. Mark looks down at the toilet paper scrap. Drawn on it in pen is a crude map. INT. THIN HALLWAY. DAY. Carrying the toilet paper map, Mark slinks down the empty hall with what he thinks is stealth. He rounds a bend and comes to a long line of doors. As he moves past them, he eyes the map. MARK Three, four, five- He reaches the sixth door, marked STORAGE, opens it and steps inside. INT. STORAGE CLOSET. CONTINUOUS. Mark enters the closet, which is small and cramped and lined on all sides by deep shelves. He shuts the door and turns on the light.He locates this room on the map. Here, Helly has written the word UP. Cautiously, Mark looks up, his eyes widening.The narrow closet appears to stretch upward forever, with hundreds of levels of shelves stacked atop one another. The ceiling, if there is one, is not visible. Mark looks back at the word UP printed on the map. MARK Shit.23.INT. CULLING OFFICE. DAY. Helly enters the office to find Milchick standing by the door. MILCHICK Miss Riggs. HELLY Mr. Milchick. MILCHICK Have you seen Mr. Scout? HELLY No. He’s maybe in the bathroom. Milchick looks at the floor. MILCHICK I forgot to offer him pants at the orientation today. Bungled the whole thing like a ninny. Helly nods, empathetic. INT. STORAGE CLOSET. DAY. Mark climbs the shelves, his face drenched in sweat. The floor is no longer visible below. He passes a shelf which contains a symmetrical pile of metallic gold boxes. He rests a foot on this shelf, causing it to creak. He stops.The shelf gives way, sending the gold boxes careening downward. Mark grabs hold of the shelf above him, his feet dangling over the endless darkness below. He struggles to find another foothold. Grimacing, he pulls himself up to the next shelf. He forces himself to look up. About ten feet above him is a platform and a thin, metallic door, like the one he came in. INT. UPPER HALLWAY. EVENING. Mark opens the thin door, gasping for breath.24.This hall is all black. What little light there is seeps out from behind massive, closed doors. Distant whispers echo from hidden rooms. Mark shuts the supply closet and starts cautiously down the hall. As he moves, he hears the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. Panicking, he spies a door ajar and ducks through it. INT. CUBICLE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. Mark scoots into the room, his back against the wall.He shuts his eyes, terrified, as the heavy footsteps pass by outside. They slowly disappear down the hall. Mark opens his eyes.The concrete room is empty, except for a large cubicle. Unlike the ones downstairs, it is a perfect cube, complete with a “roof” on top. There are no apparent openings. Mark gets up and moves toward the cubicle. WOMAN’S VOICE (o.s.) Is someone out there? Mark’s breath stops, but he keeps moving. WOMAN’S VOICE (CONT’D) (o.s.) You can’t keep me here. They’ll come looking for me. Mark stops inches from the cubicle. He notices an inch-wide gap between the frame and the fabric of one of the walls. He leans in to examine it.Suddenly, a horrible, bloodshot EYE peers out. WOMAN’S VOICE (CONT’D) (o.s.) I want to see my baby! Panicking, Mark turns and flees the room.25.INT. CULLING OFFICE. DAY. Milchick sits in a plastic chair at Helly’s desk as she goes over documents. MILCHICK I think the pants were a tertiary issue. The real problem’s my personality. I’ve been told I’m just awful. The door flies open and Cobel enters. COBEL Milchick! We’ve got a security breach upstairs! MILCHICK What? How? COBEL Where’s Scout? She looks around the room, approaching panic. INT. UPPER HALLWAY. CONTINUOUS. Mark runs down the hall. He passes a series of shut doors, his pace growing faster. He suddenly stops. In front of him is a door, smaller than the others, with a dim green light behind it. It reads VIDEO ARCHIVES. He looks at the map. The final destination reads ‘VA.’ COBEL Mark! Mark whips around to see Cobel and Milchick running down the hall toward him. COBEL (CONT’D) Mark, don’t go in there! Mark grabs the handle, but the door is stuck. He yanks again, pulling it open. 26.INT. VIDEO ARCHIVE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. Mark enters the small, cramped room bathed in green light. He slams the door behind him and locks it. All walls are covered with heavy file cabinets. In the corner is a small, dusty television with a built-in VCR. There’s a rapping at the door. COBEL (o.s.) Mark! Open the door! Mark moves to the end of the room and opens a cabinet.It’s full of VHS tapes, each labeled with a name, and all carefully alphabetized. The door rattles. COBEL (CONT’D) (o.s.) You weren’t meant to come up here yet. Please, it’s dangerous! Mark moves to another cabinet and opens it. More tapes. Searching, he finds a drawer in the middle of the room and opens it. These tapes are labeled with ‘S’ names. Rooting through, he finds one marked ‘Scout, Mark.’ He moves to the television and flips it on. The image is of grey static, accompanied by a dull roar. COBEL (CONT’D) (o.s.) Mark, I know you have questions. If you come out now, I promise I’ll explain everything. He pushes in the tape. The static roar stops, and for a moment, the room is quiet.End of Act 2.27.ACT 3 BLACKNESS. SCREEN TEXT: FIVE DAYS EARLIER. INT. MARK’S BEDROOM. MORNING. Mark lays, asleep, on a mattress on the floor.The walls are a gentle blue, and the room is outfitted for a baby. In the corner sits a crib. A woman’s bare foot slowly moves over Mark’s face.Wrinkling his nose, Mark bolts up. MARK What the shit? His sister, DEVON, stands over him. She’s 30, and many, many months pregnant. DEVON Hey, butterfly. MARK Your foot smells like pregnancy. DEVON Get up. You need toast. MARK I don’t want toast. DEVON You’re supposed to eat before an interview. MARK Says who? DEVON Science. Mark sits up, rubbing his face. MARK I don’t want to go. Go for me. DEVON I don’t think they’ll be fooled.28.MARK Yeah they will. Just cut your hair, throw on a tie and have your baby. She smiles and goes to the door. DEVON Come have toast. MARK No. INT. HALE HOUSEHOLD, KITCHEN. MORNING. Mark sits at the table in a shirt and tie, begrudgingly eating toast. Next to him is RICKEN, 40, in a silk robe and androgynous glasses. RICKEN Has the mattress been comfortable? MARK Yes. Thanks. RICKEN What are you going to say at the interview? MARK I don’t know. RICKEN You should mention that you’re staying with us. Devon brings over two glasses of grapefruit juice. MARK Well, living in the future bedroom of your sister’s baby wasn’t one of their preferred qualifications. RICKEN Tolstoy used to live with relatives for years at a time. MARK I’m not interviewing to be President of Russia.29.RICKEN Tolstoy wasn’t- DEVON He knows, babe. He’s screwing with you. MARK No, I was being legitimately dumb that time. Ricken puts his hand on Mark’s shoulder. RICKEN Mark, I think you’re going to get this job. I know things have been hard- MARK Actually, things have been really great since you put your hand on my shoulder three seconds ago. Ricken removes his hand. RICKEN I just think your life is about to get a lot better. Mark stares at him blankly. MARK Thanks for the toast. He gets up and exits. Ricken shoots Devon an annoyed look. EXT. HALE HOUSEHOLD, YARD. MORNING. Mark goes to his car. Devon follows him out.The suburban, Pacific Northwest neighborhood is coated in a layer of frozen dew. Devon and Mark’s breath is visible in the morning light. DEVON It’s cool how you act like you’re better than the man who’s sharing his house with you. MARK It’s your house.30.DEVON Hey. Mark turns. DEVON (CONT’D) If this interview goes- not great- MARK Why would it? DEVON Don’t go to the bars after, okay? Like, at least come home first. Mark smiles. MARK You know, he made up the Tolstoy thing. DEVON I know. Mark gets in the car. INT. MARK’S CAR. MORNING. Mark speeds along an icy road surrounded by evergreen trees. A thick fog makes for poor visibility. He stares ahead, pensive. MARK Hi, I’m Mark Scout. He shuts his eyes. MARK (CONT’D) Good to meet you. Mark Scout. A deep breath. MARK (CONT’D) This place is great. My name is- The car hits something with a thud. Mark opens his eyes and slams on the brakes. He sits for a long moment, breathing heavily. MARK (CONT’D) Shit.31.EXT. FORESTED ROAD. CONTINUOUS. Mark gets out of the car.About ten feet behind him on the road lies a white cat. It doesn’t move. MARK Oh no. Mark glances over to a large, Victorian-style house just off the road. It’s the only building in sight. He takes a step toward the cat. MARK (CONT’D) Cat? No response. He claps his hands. It doesn’t move.He glances down at his watch. MARK (CONT’D) Damnit. He moves back to the car, plopping into the driver’s seat. Gritting his teeth, he sounds his horn. No response from the house. He lays on the horn again, this time for longer. He notices the curtains in one of the upper windows move. Hastily, he flips the car into drive and speeds off. INT. CRAZY EAGLE VIDEO. DAY. A card table has been set up in the middle of the store. Racks of DVD’s line the walls. Mark sits across from SETH, the store manager, 25 and mustached. SETH It’s a lot of dusting of the DVD’s and making sure they’re in order. Do you have DVD’s at home? MARK I do.32.SETH Yeah, so you know. I’ve been covering all the shifts myself for a year now. But massage school’s a huge commitment so I’ll be busy. Plus I expect to make friends there. MARK My schedule’s very open. Seth looks over Mark’s resume. Mark shifts, uncomfortable. SETH You okay? MARK Yeah. SETH You seem weird. MARK I’m fine. Seth looks back at the resume. SETH So, it says you used to be a professor of- MARK That was a while ago. SETH You know this is minimum wage? MARK It’s fine. Seth stares at Mark a minute. Mark is sweating. SETH Okay, well, the last question is one I ask everyone. Do you have any weaknesses that you think would prevent you from living up to the tradition of Crazy Eagle Video? Mark looks down, fidgeting. MARK No. 33.SETH I gotta write something or my uncle gets pissed. Pause. Mark looks back up at Seth. MARK I ran over a cat. SETH What? MARK On my way here. With my car. I don’t know if it’s dead. SETH I don’t- MARK I should have checked, seen if it was breathing, but I was nervous to get here. Can cats be in a coma? SETH I don’t know. MARK What kind of monster am I? Who hits a cat and then drives off to interview for a job no sane person would even want? SETH So- what should I write? Mark thinks a moment, then gets up. MARK I’m gonna go see if it’s dead. Good luck with your movie store. Don’t give me the job. Mark puts on his coat and exits, leaving Seth baffled. EXT. FORESTED ROAD. DAY. Mark stands in front of his car, staring at a BLOOD STAIN on the pavement where the cat used to be. He turns and looks at the house.With a deep breath, he walks toward it.34.EXT. VICTORIAN HOUSE. DAY. Mark knocks on the door. He looks around. The forest is silent. A LITTLE GIRL, 3, opens the door. MARK Hello. I was just- Are your parents home? LITTLE GIRL Someone killed our cat. MARK That’s- awful. LITTLE GIRL Did you kill our cat? Mark stares at her a moment. MARK I did. She turns and walks into the dark house. Mark cranes his neck to look after her.Suddenly, a WOMAN steps in front of the door, startling Mark. This is Harmony Cobel, the woman from the Orientation Chamber. MARK (CONT’D) Oh. I’m sorry- COBEL So it would appear. MARK What? COBEL You’re here. One would assume that means you’re sorry. MARK I- Well, I wanted to check on the cat- COBEL He was dead the moment you hit him and he’s remained so.35.MARK I’m sorry. COBEL You mentioned. MARK How did you know I had- COBEL You came here from work? MARK An interview. COBEL Did you get it? MARK No. COBEL Condolences. MARK Yes. Well- Look, I want to apologize. Truly, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I’d be happy to pay you for- COBEL Would you like to see it? Pause. MARK Would I like to see the cat? COBEL Yes. MARK No. INT. COBEL’S HOUSE, PARLOR. DAY. Mark and Cobel stand over the body of the cat, which lays on a white linen tablecloth surrounded by candles. Cobel munches on a pickle. She offers one to Mark. COBEL Pickle?36.MARK No. Thank you. COBEL I grew them myself. I insist. Mark takes the pickle. Awkwardly, he takes a bite. Pause. MARK What was his name? COBEL Mister. MARK That’s a funny name for a cat. COBEL Well. I suppose I’m funny. Each takes another bite of pickle. MARK I’m Mark. COBEL Harmony Cobel. MARK Pleasure. COBEL It’s of interest to me, Mark, that you drove away. You seem more courteous than that. Were you afraid? MARK I guess. COBEL Yet you had the courage to come back, knowing our disdain for you would be compounded by the initial act of cowardice. MARK Well, it seemed right. COBEL And how did the actual slaying feel?37.MARK Slaying? COBEL I, myself, have only murdered small insects. Nothing mammalian. Did it make you feel powerful? MARK No. No, not at all. It was the opposite of that. COBEL The opposite of power? Describe that for me. MARK I just had to go. I felt horrible for- Mister, but- I had an interview. I couldn’t feel horrible right then. COBEL And how many things in your life are you putting off feeling horrible about? She takes a massive pickle bite. MARK I should get home. Excuse me. He turns to leave. COBEL Do you feel horrible about Eleanor? He stops. He turns around, his legs suddenly shaky. COBEL (CONT’D) In the divorce proceedings, she accused you of, quote, acute workoholism. I’ve never heard it phrased that way. She sounds like a firecracker. He stares at her, steadying himself against a side table. MARK How do you-38.COBEL Or what about being fired via text message two days after signing divorce papers? Decreased focus, they cited. Have you gotten around to feeling horrible about that? Mark falls back against the wall. MARK I feel sick. COBEL Take it easy. MARK What was in that pickle? COBEL I won’t lie, there were drugs in the pickle. Mark falls to the floor, his vision blurring. Cobel slowly walks toward him. COBEL (CONT’D) I’m proud of you for coming back, Mark. That was very, very brave. The room goes dark as Mark passes out. End of Act 3.39.ACT 4 INT. COBEL’S HOUSE, BASEMENT. NIGHT. Mark slowly awakens, his head spinning. The room is dank, the walls made of rotted wood. He sits in a chair at a table. Cobel sits across from him. In her hand is a shoebox. COBEL You’re up. Mark tries to stand but finds he’s handcuffed. COBEL (CONT’D) Mark, I feel like I’ve been hard to read so far. That’s irksome. Will you let me explain myself? MARK Please- let me go. COBEL I heard you slam on your brakes after you hit Mister. I wrote down your plate number on a takeout menu and looked you up after you drove off. That’s why I know who you are. Simple as that. MARK The things you knew- There’s no way- COBEL It was specific, right? That’s the other thing I wanted to talk about. See, I work for an organization that’s in the business of specificity. We don’t like not knowing things. MARK What else do you know about me? She leans back. COBEL I know you’re brilliant. I know you were doing calculus at nine, took college classes at eleven. (MORE)40.I know you’ve struggled with focus your whole life, and that after your divorce, you spent most of a night standing on the Skagit bridge begging yourself to jump. MARK No one knows that. COBEL Someone does. MARK Why am I here? COBEL I want to offer you a job. MARK Why am I handcuffed? COBEL The job’s a tough sell. She pushes the box toward him. COBEL (CONT’D) Let me digress a second. I want to introduce you to someone who’s actually grateful to you for killing Mister. Are you okay? I know this is a lot. Mark says nothing. She takes the top off the box. Inside is a black rat. Mark recoils. COBEL (CONT’D) This is Miss. Don’t let the name fool you, he’s male. My daughter picks the names. Cobel reaches into the box. Miss nuzzles her hand. COBEL (CONT’D) Now, I’ve raised Miss from infancy. I cuddle him at night, feed him by hand. See how he loves me? Yes, you do, little Miss. MARK Why are you showing me your rat?COBEL (CONT'D) 41.She reaches under the table and pulls out a small cylindrical device with a single switch on top. She lays it on the table next to the box. COBEL This beacon was built by my company. It broadcasts a hyper-sonar frequency, which activates a chip inside Miss’s brain. When the beacon is on, Miss can only access memories from when it was on. When it’s off, he remembers everything else. Does that make sense? She flips the switch on the beacon, which hums almost inaudibly. Miss instantly becomes hysterical, retreating to the back of the box and squeaking in terror. COBEL (CONT’D) Now, I should mention that when the beacon is on, I burn Miss on the belly with a soldering iron. She reaches into the box. Miss cowers in terror. COBEL (CONT’D) He screams and screams. But I don’t stop. Sometimes it lasts an hour. She removes her hand. COBEL (CONT’D) Okay, enough of that. Cobel clicks the beacon off again. Miss instantly calms down. Cobel picks her up and nuzzles her affectionately. Mark stares at this in horror. MARK Who the hell are you? Cobel lets Miss crawl onto the back of her neck. COBEL I’m an office manager. I work at the most revolutionary company on the planet, and I’m prepared to offer you half a million dollars a year to come join us. (MORE)42.The only condition is that you will receive a beacon of your own and your perceptual chronologies will be split. Between the hours of nine and five, you will have no knowledge of who you are or where you are from. Only work memories. And in your outside life, you will know nothing of what you do for the company. The vital nature of the work requires such secrecy. Mark stares at her. He has no words. COBEL (CONT’D) By the way, those cuffs are plastic. Mark looks down at the cuffs. He pulls his arms up sharply, breaking them. He stumbles to his feet. MARK This is psychotic. There’s no way what you’re describing- COBEL It’s real. It violates no law, and it’s brought solace to many of our workers. MARK By cracking their brains in half? COBEL Mark, my mother was an atheist. She used to say that there’s good news and bad news about Hell. The good news is that Hell is the product of an overactive human imagination. The bad news is that what human beings can imagine, they can create. I think that Hell is a world where you eternally obsess over where you’ll be in twelve hours. Where your marriage freezes to death in the shadow of your career. Mark, what if you could walk into work in the morning and skip straight to the quitting bell? Remove the anxiety of being a worker and only be a person. That’s what it’s like.COBEL (CONT'D) 43.MARK Unless you’re unlucky enough to wake up as the worker. COBEL In which case you know nothing else. Those who have had the procedure are happier, both at work and at home, than ever before in their lives. Mark stares at her another moment. MARK Have you had it? COBEL No. He nods. MARK Then when you get to work tomorrow, you can tell everyone that I told you to go straight to Hell. Cobel laughs at this. Mark turns and stumbles to the door. COBEL Give it some thought, Mark. You know where to find me. Mark reaches the door and shoves it open. Cobel scratches Miss’s neck. COBEL (CONT’D) That was a funny thing he said, wasn’t it, Miss? Yes, it was. Miss nuzzles her hand. INT. POLICE STATION, OFFICE. NIGHT. Mark sits across from OFFICER IRONS, 40 and incredulous. OFFICER IRONS Okay, so- You hit the woman’s cat. MARK Yes.44.OFFICER IRONS And didn’t go back to check on it. MARK No. OFFICER IRONS In cases like that, sir, you should get out of the car and assess the animal. MARK Please listen. This woman drugged and kidnapped me! Officer Irons ponders this a moment. OFFICER IRONS Would you give me a moment, please, sir? MARK Yeah. Mark gets up. INT. POLICE STATION, WAITING AREA. NIGHT. Mark sits down in one of a long row of chairs.Through the window, he sees Officer Irons talk to OFFICER GREEN, 55 and skinny. Mark leans back, rubbing his face. He doesn’t notice KAIA, 26, petite and strung out, sitting a few chairs away. KAIA Why did they bring you here? Mark looks at her, exhausted. MARK They didn’t. I came to report a crime. KAIA Me too. But they won’t listen to me. They say I’m bonkers. MARK Okay.45.KAIA My dad was killed when I was ten. On his birthday. But they’ll never catch who did it. You know why that is? MARK Listen, I’ve had kind of a rough night- KAIA Because he was killed by angels. Mark stares, speechless. KAIA (CONT’D) He flew out of one of his presents, the one with gold paper. And they pulled bones out of him til he died. Mark nods. MARK Okay. The door to the office opens and Officers Irons and Green emerge. OFFICER IRONS Mr. Scout? MARK Yes. The Officers glance at each other. OFFICER IRONS Take us there. INT. FORESTED ROAD. MORNING. As the sun rises, the Officers get out of their car.They walk along the road to join Mark, who is standing in front of his own parked car, staring in disbelief. The area where the house stood is now a vacant field. Only a plastic Port-o-Potty sits in the center. For a long moment, all stare.46.OFFICER IRONS This is the house, sir? MARK I don’t- OFFICER IRONS Sir, this is a portable lavatory. Frequently used for temporary waste management, but insufficient for habitation. MARK There was a house here. The Officers glance at one another. OFFICER GREEN You know what I think this is? OFFICER IRONS What’s that? OFFICER GREEN Bunch of crap. Officer Green bursts into a fit of laughter. OFFICER IRONS Aw, that’s classic! OFFICER GREEN Thought of it a minute ago. It wasn’t improvised. OFFICER IRONS Still. So funny. Their radios bleep. COP VOICE Possible homicide on Fourth and Vice. All units- OFFICER GREEN Shit. We gotta go. MARK Wait, can’t you- OFFICER IRONS Please return home, Mr. Scout. Contact us only if there’s an emergency.47.The Officers run to their car and get in. They peel out and speed off. Mark stands at the side of the road, staring after them.He starts to walk to his car.He turns, regarding the Port-O-Potty. INT. PORT-O-POTTY. MORNING. Mark enters and sits down. He shuts the door behind him.He looks around, silent for a long moment. MARK Are you here? Pause. COBEL (o.s.) Of course I am. Mark looks up. At the top of the Port-O-Potty is a speaker. MARK How did you do that? COBEL (o.s.) I can’t tell you. But let me ask you this, Mark; Is it not worth considering that a company that can make a house disappear may also be able to fix your somewhat broken life? Mark thinks about this. MARK If I was unhappy, could I get out of it? COBEL (o.s.) Both halves of you would need to request it. But that won’t happen. I’m offering you something you’ve craved your whole life, Mark. I’m offering you focus, and all that comes with it. (MORE)48.You can explore what that means, or you can go back to your sister’s baby’s room. I believe a nearby food court is hiring. Mark lets out a slow breath. COBEL (CONT’D) (o.s.) Mark? When you step out of this Port-O-Potty, would you like me to be there? You can say no. Or you can say yes. Mark shuts his eyes. MARK (whispers) Yes. COBEL (o.s.) I’m glad you said that. Come out. Mark opens his eyes. He opens the door. EXT. FORESTED ROAD. CONTINUOUS. Mark steps out to see Cobel standing in front of a sleek black car. Next to her is Milchick, smiling like an idiot.Mark lets out another long breath and makes his way to the side of the road. COBEL This is Frank Milchick, newly hired PR director. MILCHICK So psyched you’re joining us. Cobel smiles and opens the rear door of the car. COBEL Shall we? Mark nods. He gets in the car. BLACKNESS.SCREEN TEXT: FOUR DAYS LATER.COBEL (CONT'D) 49.INT. WHITE ROOM. DAY. Mark sits at a wooden table in a surgical gown, a thermometer in his mouth and a sheet of paper in his hands. Milchick stands over him. The room is perfectly cubic, and all white.Milchick removes the thermometer. MILCHICK All good. You ready for this? MARK Yeah. MILCHICK Great. Let’s make some rad magic. Milchick moves to the other side of the table, a camera has been set up. Cobel stands in the corner. MILCHICK (CONT’D) Okay, we’re on Mark in one, two- He hits record.Mark picks up the paper and reads. MARK My name is Mark Scout. I have, at the suggestion of my employer, elected to undergo the procedure colloquially known as severance. I give consent for my unconscious body to be transported to my workplace and my personal beacon activated, creating a new perceptual chronology. I understand that the skills required to perform my job will be implanted in the mind of my employed self, along with a cursory awareness of the outside world for conversational purposes. I will not, henceforth, seek knowledge of my outside life while at work, nor of my work life while at home. CUT TO:50.INT. VIDEO ARCHIVE ROOM. EVENING. Back in the cramped room, Mark crouches before the television set, watching the recorded image of himself reading the waver. He can hardly breathe as he stares at his own pensive face. MARK (on-screen) I say these things of my own free accord, and being of sound mind. MILCHICK (on-screen) That’s good, Mark. That’s real good. MARK (on-screen) Would it be alright if I said something? To him? Pause. COBEL (on-screen) No. The screen cuts to static. Mark leans back. He stares into the static for a very long moment. INT. UPPER HALLWAY. NIGHT. Mark opens the door and steps quietly out of the archive room. Cobel and Milchick stand before him. MARK When was that taken? COBEL This morning. Mark nods. MARK I’m never going to leave here.51.COBEL You’ll leave here at five. MILCHICK But in your current state of awareness, you won’t perceive it. Mark nods again. MARK Do I have a family? COBEL You’ll never know. MARK And I don’t have any choice. Cobel stares at him, solemnly. COBEL You did. You chose yes. Mark lets out a long breath. Milchick and Cobel stand still, giving him all the time he needs. End of act 452.INT. DARK HALL. NIGHT. Cobel walks down a hallway, darker even than the one before.She rounds a corner and stops. Before her is a corridor so dark that the end is not visible. COBEL He’s gone. A soft, raspy MAN’S VOICE echoes down the hallway. MAN’S VOICE Has he come to us defective? COBEL No. MAN’S VOICE He’s curious. Like the other before him. Cobel looks at the floor, uncomfortable. CUT TO: INT. LOBBY. NIGHT. Mark stands at the security station as a GUARD pats him down. COBEL (o.s.) That won’t happen again. This one may fight for a time. But he will choose us as his home. MAN’S VOICE (o.s.) And if he doesn’t choose us? The guard waves Mark to the door. Mark stares at his reflection in the glass, then pushes the door open and exits. Darkness. COBEL (o.s.) Then he’ll have nothing left but the dark. End of Episode53.

screenplays

Help with drawing an Molecular Orbital (MO) diagram for organometallic complex I do not understand how to draw the MO diagram for this question, i appreciate any help you can give on my 3rd yr Chem. Have i understood this correctly? QUESTION: Using an MO bonding picture and resonance structures explain the reactivity of the following complexes: (i) (CO)5W=C(OMe)Ph and Et3N (ii) (Np)3Ta=CH(tBu) and (CH3)2C=O (Np = neopentyl) So for (i), would (CO)5 be written on one side and W on the other of the MO diagram? Or would (CO)5W be written on one side and C(OMe)Ph on the other of the MO diagram? Steps needed for ANSWER: 1. Identify the atomic orbitals: Here, we're dealing with a transition metal (Tungsten, W) bonded to a carbonyl group (CO) and a carbene (=C). W has 5d, 6s, and 6p orbitals, C has 2s and 2p orbitals, and O has 2s and 2p orbitals. The atomic orbitals involved in bonding would be a subset of these. 2. Identify the ligands: Here, the ligands are CO and =C(OMe)Ph. The CO ligands are known as pi-acceptor ligands because they can accept electron density from the metal into their pi\* antibonding orbitals. This back-bonding interaction would result in the formation of metal-carbon pi bonds, in addition to the metal-carbon sigma bonds. The carbene =C(OMe)Ph would also form a sigma bond and potentially a pi bond with the metal. 3. Combine atomic orbitals of the same symmetry: Next, atomic orbitals of the same symmetry can overlap to form molecular orbitals. For instance, the s orbital of W can overlap with the s orbitals of C and O to form sigma bonds. Similarly, the p orbitals of C and O can overlap with the d orbitals of W to form pi bonds. 4. Fill in the electrons: Electrons are then added to the molecular orbitals, starting with the lowest energy orbital. In this case, the number of electrons would be determined by the sum of the valence electrons from W, C, and O. 5. Identify the HOMO and LUMO: These are the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, respectively. To determine the reactivity of the molecule. > > \*Side note: More general information if this is all new to you A transition metal ion has five d orbitals of equal energy, which split > into different energy levels when ligands bond to the metal ion. Some > ligands cause a large splitting of the d orbitals (known as > strong-field ligands, like CN- and CO), while others cause a small > splitting (known as weak-field ligands, like I- and Br-). > > > In a complex ion, the metal atom or ion is at the center of the > molecule, while the ligands are atoms, ions, or molecules that are > bonded to it. The d-orbitals of transition metals are the last set of > orbitals to be filled in accordance with the Aufbau Principle. These > orbitals have specific shapes and orientations and are part of the > outermost (valence) electron shell, which participates in chemical > bonding. > > > The type of bonding in transition metal complexes involves > coordination bonds, which are a type of covalent bond where the metal > ion (acting as a Lewis acid) accepts a pair of electrons from a ligand > (acting as a Lewis base). This is different from typical covalent > bonding, where each atom contributes one electron to the bond. In the > case of transition metal complexes, the ligand donates both electrons. > Now, let's discuss the orbitals: s orbitals: These are spherical in > shape. Every energy level has one s orbital, and it can hold up to 2 > electrons. > > > p orbitals: These have a dumbbell shape. Each energy level from n=2 > onwards has three p orbitals, each of which can hold up to 2 > electrons. d orbitals: These have more complex shapes. Each energy > level from n=3 onwards has five d orbitals, each of which can hold up > to 2 electrons. These orbitals are critical for transition metal > chemistry, because they can participate in various types of bonding. > > > The bonding between the d-orbitals of the transition metal and the > ligands can take several forms. As I mentioned before, sigma and pi > bonding can occur. Sigma bonding involves the head-on overlap of > orbitals and is generally stronger. Pi bonding involves the side-on > overlap of p or d orbitals and is generally weaker. In many cases, > transition metal complexes exhibit sigma bonding with their ligands > and also have pi back-bonding, particularly with pi-acceptor ligands > like CO.\* > > > It looks like the question has already been solved online. Here is a screenshot of how it looks [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DdxD5.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPlBg.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vEFsW.jpg) If these don't show, please feel free to follow [this reference link](http://alpha.chem.umb.edu/chemistry/ch611/documents/Exam211-18-09solutionskey.pdf)

stackexchange/chemistry

What happens to the hydroxide anion during the electroreduction of water? The reduction of water at a cathode is represented by the following equation: Cathode (reduction): $\ce{2 H2O\_{(l)} + 2e^{−} → H2\_{(g)} + 2 OH^{-}\_{(aq)}}$ If this is done in a divided cell, what would happen to the $\ce{OH-}$ anions? The hydrogen gas would accumulate and bubble would form. Would the $\ce{OH-}$ anions just build up in the solution? Do they interact with each other naturally forming $\ce{H2}$ and $\ce{O2}$? You only show one a half-reaction, reduction at the cathode. Write the other half-reaction, oxidation at the anode to give oxygen. A real world water electrolysis cell requires a salt electrolyte for conductivity. $\ce{NaCl}$ could be electrolyzed to $\ce{Cl2}$ and $\ce{Na}$, the latter reacting with water to give $\ce{H2}$ and $\ce{NaOH}$. <http://www.ineris.fr/ippc/sites/default/interactive/brefca/image16.gif> If you want $\ce{H2}$ and $\ce{O2}$, make the electrolyte $\ce{NaOH}$. $\ce{Na2CO3}$ can be interesting.

stackexchange/chemistry

laserassisted tattoo removal has wellknown limitations . often a lengthy regimen of many treatment sessions is required . although a scale has been described that estimates the number of required sessions 2 , it is often difficult for the clinician to predict the number of treatment sessions required for satisfactory tattoo fading or clearance 3 . it is not uncommon that 10 or more sessions at 4 to 6week intervals are required for a proper aesthetic result . this poses significant challenges for subjects and clinicians alike , and is often an inhibiting factor for subjects desiring tattoo removal from actually obtaining it . the r20 multipass technique initially showed promise by allowing several laser passes in a single session by permitting the laserinduced opaque whitening caused by the generation of microcavitation bubbles to naturally subside in approximately 20 minutes 4 . this technique has not been widely adopted largely due to workflow limitations ; one patient could require an 80minute treatment session which is impractical in a busy clinical setting . recently , it was demonstrated that perfluorodecalin ( pfd ) could rapidly dissipate the opaque , white microbubble layer formed after exposure of tattoos to qswitched lasers , allowing clinically efficient multipass treatment 1 . to this end , the present qualitative pilot study was undertaken to determine if rapid multiple laser passes at highest tolerated fluence enabled by a transparent pfdinfused silicone patch might have a similar beneficial effect for laser tattoo removal . perfluorodecalin is a stable , metabolically inert fluorocarbon liquid that has excellent optical transparency from the uv to the farir 5 . it has the unusual properties of simultaneously being both lipophobic and hydrophobic , yet it is freely flowing with an extremely low surface energy that allows it to rapidly wick into porous materials . its intraocular use assists in the repair of detached retinas . it enhances cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner and hair detangler , but its high cost has limited more general use . a wellknown property of pfd and similar perfluorocarbons is their ability to dissolve gasses 6 . pfd can absorb half its liquid volume of gaseous oxygen as well as other gases such as nitrogen and steam . this led to its use in firstgeneration artificial blood substitutes as well as ongoing work in liquid ventilation and related medical applications 6 , 7 . since the partial pressure of gas in laserinduced microcavitation bubbles is well above the partial pressure of atmospherically equilibrated pfd , the diffusion of gas from microbubbles into liquid pfd requires no special handling or degassing requirements . although it is a heavy molecule with approximately twice the density of water , pfd readily evaporates when exposed to room air , an effect exacerbated by warm skin . covering it with a transparent impermeable membrane there are also optical indexmatching benefits to both the pfd and to the silicone material described below . a solution to this problem was simply to perforate medicalgrade silicone gel with a multiplicity of fine holes , and allowing the pfd to mechanically reside in them . pfd rapidly wicks into the perforations , and then readily wicks back out onto the surface of the skin . the index of refraction of human epidermal tissue was measured by ding et al . to vary from 1.44 at 600 nm to 1.42 at 1064 nm 8 . the indices of refraction of perfluorodecalin and the transparent silicone material are 1.31 and 1.40 , respectively . this provides good optical index matching that allows efficient coupling of laser light into the skin despite the presence of the liquid pfd and the silicone patch itself . littlejohn et al . have recently exploited this effect in a striking series of confocal microscopy studies of plant leaves 9 . when an opaque plant leaf plant leaf is briefly immersed in pfd , it becomes sufficiently transparent to read text through it . the optical clearing effect of the pfd patch may have significance in laser tattoo removal for several reasons . the reduction in optical scattering allows more photons to penetrate into the skin to interact with deeply residing ink particles , and reduces the local fluence near the skin surface compared to more highly scattering conventional treatment . this effect would also reduce potentially damaging epidermal thermal effects by reducing heat generated superficially by the laser , as well as thermally coupling heat that is generated into the bulk material of the silicone . perfluorodecalin is a stable , metabolically inert fluorocarbon liquid that has excellent optical transparency from the uv to the farir 5 . it has the unusual properties of simultaneously being both lipophobic and hydrophobic , yet it is freely flowing with an extremely low surface energy that allows it to rapidly wick into porous materials . its intraocular use assists in the repair of detached retinas . it enhances cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner and hair detangler , but its high cost has limited more general use . a wellknown property of pfd and similar perfluorocarbons is their ability to dissolve gasses 6 . pfd can absorb half its liquid volume of gaseous oxygen as well as other gases such as nitrogen and steam . this led to its use in firstgeneration artificial blood substitutes as well as ongoing work in liquid ventilation and related medical applications 6 , 7 . since the partial pressure of gas in laserinduced microcavitation bubbles is well above the partial pressure of atmospherically equilibrated pfd , the diffusion of gas from microbubbles into liquid pfd requires no special handling or degassing requirements . although it is a heavy molecule with approximately twice the density of water , pfd readily evaporates when exposed to room air , an effect exacerbated by warm skin . covering it with a transparent impermeable membrane there are also optical indexmatching benefits to both the pfd and to the silicone material described below . a solution to this problem was simply to perforate medicalgrade silicone gel with a multiplicity of fine holes , and allowing the pfd to mechanically reside in them . pfd rapidly wicks into the perforations , and then readily wicks back out onto the surface of the skin . the index of refraction of human epidermal tissue was measured by ding et al . to vary from 1.44 at 600 nm to 1.42 at 1064 nm 8 . the indices of refraction of perfluorodecalin and the transparent silicone material are 1.31 and 1.40 , respectively . this provides good optical index matching that allows efficient coupling of laser light into the skin despite the presence of the liquid pfd and the silicone patch itself . littlejohn et al . have recently exploited this effect in a striking series of confocal microscopy studies of plant leaves 9 . when an opaque plant leaf plant leaf is briefly immersed in pfd , it becomes sufficiently transparent to read text through it . the optical clearing effect of the pfd patch may have significance in laser tattoo removal for several reasons . the reduction in optical scattering allows more photons to penetrate into the skin to interact with deeply residing ink particles , and reduces the local fluence near the skin surface compared to more highly scattering conventional treatment . this effect would also reduce potentially damaging epidermal thermal effects by reducing heat generated superficially by the laser , as well as thermally coupling heat that is generated into the bulk material of the silicone . a conventional nanosecond pulse duration qswitched alexandrite 755nm laser ( candela alex trivantage , wayland , ma ) was selected for use in this study . while several laser wavelengths may be used to treat black and dark blue ink , 755 nm is well recognized as being clinically effective in achieving clearance of such tattoos 3 , 10 . the selection of wavelength chosen for this particular study design was based simply on general availability and wellestablished clinical efficacy . the pfd patch was designed to have no clinical effect on wavelength or spot size selection ; its optical clearing effect was however clinically observed to allow substantially higher maximum tolerated fluence . this was an allendale irbapproved , singlesite , splitside , prospective pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a transparent pfd patch as an accessory to laser tattoo removal for accelerated clearing of blue or black tattoos . twenty adult subjects , fitzpatrick skin types i iii , were enrolled in the study , with 15 remaining ( two subjects had two tattoos ) for five or more treatment sessions at approximately 4week intervals . inclusion criteria included subjects 18 years of age with previously untreated tattoos less than 100 cm in size consisting of dark blue or black ink , fitzpatrick skin type i iii , no tan in the treatment area and no contraindications for participation in a clinical trial or treatment with a qswitched laser . subjects with a history of oral gold therapy , hypertrophic or keloidal scarring , use of oral retinoids within the previous 12 months , or who were pregnant , or breastfeeding characteristics including age , gender , fitzpatrick skin type , tattoo site , and color(s ) present in the tattoo were documented during the enrollment session . one half of the tattoo was randomly assigned laser treatment using the pfd patch ; the other half received conventional laser treatment through air without the patch and served as the control . lidocaine hcl 1% with or without epinephrine 1:100,000 was injected at the treatment site on all subjects throughout the study . pfd was applied to the skin and the patch was applied approximately 5 minutes prior to laser treatment . standard unpolarized flash photographs were taken for all subjects at each visit before treatment , showing patch placement , and immediately posttreatment . the pfd patch side received rapid multiple laser passes as clinically indicated , typically 3 or 4 , with an average of 3.6 . the control half received a single laser pass due to the immediate development of persistently opaque epidermal whitening following exposure to laser energy rendering additional treatments impossible . both sides of the tattoo were treated at the maximumtolerated fluence as determined by epidermal whitening without frank , clinically apparent blister formation . treatment through the patch allowed higher treatment fluence in all subjects relative to control . the patch was lifted between passes and additional pfd was reapplied with a foamtipped swab ( mg chemicals , burlington , canada ) to replenish any liquid that may have been absorbed into the skin . in cases where some epidermal whitening developed despite treatment through the patch , with reapplication of liquid pfd this whitening typically resolved rapidly . the patch was repositioned immediately after reapplication of liquid pfd to minimize evaporation and additional laser treatment was administered without further delay . upon completion of each treatment , subjects were given complete wound care instructions including clinic contact information . aquaphor ( beiersdorf , wilton , ct ) was applied , and tegaderm framestyle film dressings were applied over the treated area ( 3 m , st . the presence of side effects and adverse events was assessed and recorded for both patch and control sites immediately after treatment and at each visit . repeat treatments were performed at 4 to 6week intervals until the tattoo was either fully resolved on the patch side or until no further clinical benefit was deemed likely . at that time , subjects continued to receive laser treatments to the control side until the tattoo reached the maximal perceived clinical benefit . it is worth noting that although subjects were given the choice of continuing treatment with or without the patch on the control side after the patch side had cleared , all chose to continue with the patch . a conventional nanosecond pulse duration qswitched alexandrite 755nm laser ( candela alex trivantage , wayland , ma ) was selected for use in this study . while several laser wavelengths may be used to treat black and dark blue ink , 755 nm is well recognized as being clinically effective in achieving clearance of such tattoos 3 , 10 . the selection of wavelength chosen for this particular study design was based simply on general availability and wellestablished clinical efficacy . the pfd patch was designed to have no clinical effect on wavelength or spot size selection ; its optical clearing effect was however clinically observed to allow substantially higher maximum tolerated fluence . this was an allendale irbapproved , singlesite , splitside , prospective pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a transparent pfd patch as an accessory to laser tattoo removal for accelerated clearing of blue or black tattoos . twenty adult subjects , fitzpatrick skin types i iii , were enrolled in the study , with 15 remaining ( two subjects had two tattoos ) for five or more treatment sessions at approximately 4week intervals . inclusion criteria included subjects 18 years of age with previously untreated tattoos less than 100 cm in size consisting of dark blue or black ink , fitzpatrick skin type i iii , no tan in the treatment area and no contraindications for participation in a clinical trial or treatment with a qswitched laser . subjects with a history of oral gold therapy , hypertrophic or keloidal scarring , use of oral retinoids within the previous 12 months , or who were pregnant , or breastfeeding were excluded . informed consent was obtained as per standard protocol . characteristics including age , gender , fitzpatrick skin type , tattoo site , and one half of the tattoo was randomly assigned laser treatment using the pfd patch ; the other half received conventional laser treatment through air without the patch and served as the control . lidocaine hcl 1% with or without epinephrine 1:100,000 was injected at the treatment site on all subjects throughout the study . pfd was applied to the skin and the patch was applied approximately 5 minutes prior to laser treatment . standard unpolarized flash photographs were taken for all subjects at each visit before treatment , showing patch placement , and immediately posttreatment . the pfd patch side received rapid multiple laser passes as clinically indicated , typically 3 or 4 , with an average of 3.6 . the control half received a single laser pass due to the immediate development of persistently opaque epidermal whitening following exposure to laser energy rendering additional treatments impossible . both sides of the tattoo were treated at the maximumtolerated fluence as determined by epidermal whitening without frank , clinically apparent blister formation . the patch was lifted between passes and additional pfd was reapplied with a foamtipped swab ( mg chemicals , burlington , canada ) to replenish any liquid that may have been absorbed into the skin . in cases where some epidermal whitening developed despite treatment through the patch , with reapplication of liquid pfd this whitening typically resolved rapidly . the patch was repositioned immediately after reapplication of liquid pfd to minimize evaporation and additional laser treatment was administered without further delay . upon completion of each treatment , subjects were given complete wound care instructions including clinic contact information . aquaphor ( beiersdorf , wilton , ct ) was applied , and tegaderm framestyle film dressings were applied over the treated area ( 3 m , st . the presence of side effects and adverse events was assessed and recorded for both patch and control sites immediately after treatment and at each visit . repeat treatments were performed at 4 to 6week intervals until the tattoo was either fully resolved on the patch side or until no further clinical benefit was deemed likely . at that time , subjects continued to receive laser treatments to the control side until the tattoo reached the maximal perceived clinical benefit . it is worth noting that although subjects were given the choice of continuing treatment with or without the patch on the control side after the patch side had cleared , all chose to continue with the patch . in 11 out of 17 tattoos , those treated through the pfd patch showed more rapid clearance with higher subject satisfaction than standard throughair treatment ( table 1 ) . the patch allowed three or four rapid multiple passes in all subjects as opposed to only a single pass on the control side . the patch also allowed an increased fluence to be delivered relative to control by a factor of 1.5 to 1.8 , despite multiple laser passes , without an increase in adverse events . these anticipated adverse events were mild to moderate in severity and included erythema , edema , pain , and crusting . the incidence of anticipated adverse events was the same for both the patch and control sides of the tattoos . blister formation was reported by 2 of the subjects , and transient hypopigmentation by 3 of the subjects , all of which resolved completely and without sequelae . as one example , figure 1 shows subject 15 at : baseline , immediately after treatment 1 , and 4 weeks after treatment 5 . summary of subject demographics and observations ( a ) tattoo from subject 15 at baseline . ( b ) the pfd patch on the left side of the tattoo reduces whitening allowing four laser passes in a few minutes . there was a wide array of responses ranging from dramatic superiority after only two treatment sessions with over 90% clearance on the patch side compared to less than 20% on the control side , to marked superiority which became apparent after a few treatments , to cases in which superiority of the patch was not demonstrated . typical positive results are shown in figure 2 . even in cases where superiority of clearance relative to control was not demonstrated , this proofofconcept pilot study was designed to qualitatively compare the effect of rapid , multiple qswitched laser passes performed at highest tolerated fluence in conjunction with an optical clearing and index matching pfd patch relative to standard qswitched laser treatment on the clearing of tattoos . quantifying the improvement in rate of clearance , and partitioning the benefit of multiple passes and/or higher fluence on outcomes were beyond the scope of the study design . however , this study demonstrated that the pfd patch , when used in conjunction with a qswitched laser , produces a beneficial effect with respect to clearance of blue and black tattoo ink relative to standard treatment protocols . some of the factors implicated in this phenomenon include the age of the tattoo , the composition and depth of the ink , location on the body , smoking status , and professional versus amateur application . future studies that explore these parameters as they relate to pfd patch efficacy are clearly warranted , as are studies that evaluate the pfd patch in conjunction with qswitched lasers of other wavelengths and pulse durations in both the nanosecond and picosecond range . just as there are many factors affecting the speed and efficacy of laser tattoo removal in general , there appear to be several mechanisms at play with the use of the pfd patch . the first involves the unusual ability of pfd itself to absorb gas 6 , 7 . when a tattoo is exposed to the high optical energy of a laser pulse , stress waves , and cavitation bubbles are formed 11 . the apparent white layer is composed of microscopic bubbles formed nearly instantaneously as energy absorbed by the ink particles is transferred to surrounding tissue . further laser passes are ineffective because light can no longer penetrate sufficiently to interact with the pigment . the first mechanism that the pfd patch facilitates is the direct absorption of the gas within the bubbles . also , pfd contained in the most distal part of the perforations is at a lower partial pressure than that at the surface in direct contact with the cavitation bubbles , which drives the dissolution of gasses into the pfd . pfd is a very mobile fluid that readily fills voids and wicks into porous materials 9 , 13 . as the opaque bubble layer dissipates , optical clearing may become the dominant mechanism allowing photons to penetrate more deeply into the tissue 14 . the laser may have improved efficacy if its light reaches deep ink particles due to a reduction in optical scattering ; this may lead to better treatment of recalcitrant tattoos . but optical clearing also has a counterintuitive effect ; it reduces the local fluence in the upper layers of the skin precisely because it reduces scattering . this allows more photons to penetrate more deeply where recalcitrant ink tends to reside , but also appears to require a higher incident fluence to compensate for the reduction in local fluence in the uppermost layers of the skin . this is consistent with our clinical observation that the patch allows higher tolerated fluence when compared to throughair treatment of the same tattoo . we note that even as the patch significantly increases the maximum tolerated fluence , this increase did not result in increased side effects . the index of refraction of human epidermal tissue was measured by ding et al . to vary from 1.44 at 600 nm to 1.42 at 1064 nm 8 . the index of refraction of perfluorodecalin and the transparent silicone material are 1.31 and 1.40 , respectively . this provides optical index matching that allows efficient optical coupling of laser light into the skin despite the presence of the patch . a fourth mechanism is thermal protection of the epidermis by the bulk transparent silicone material of the pfd patch itself as well as the high heat capacity of pfd relative to air . as the patch is placed on the skin , air is excluded from the patchskin interface providing good thermal coupling from the epidermis through the pfd into the silicone . this is extremely important from a perspective of both patients and staff as laserplume has been well documented to contain noxious materials 15 , 16 . it is also important to note that , despite greater total energy application on the pfdtreated side on account of both multiple passes and increased fluence , there were no increases in adverse events or delay in recovery time associated with use of the pfd patch . rapid multipass treatment of tattoos with highest tolerated fluence facilitated by a transparent pfdinfused patch clears tattoos more rapidly than conventional methods . we observed that even with multiple laser passes , the highest tolerated fluence could be safely increased by a typical factor of 1.5 to as high as 1.8 with the pfd patch as compared to conventional treatment through an airskin interface on the control side of the same tattoo using a 755nm qswitched alexandrite laser . no unanticipated adverse events were observed . although this study was limited by its modest sample size and by the use of only one laser wavelength and pulse duration , the potential benefit of the pfd patch with other wavelengths and pulse durations ( including picosecond lasers ) warrants further investigation . costner had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis .

pubmed

the high amplitude @xmath0 sct ( hads ) stars are defined as a population i subgroup of @xmath0sct type variables . they are located in the central part of the instability strip @xcite in the core or shell hydrogen burning stage of stellar evolution and appear to be intermediate between normal @xmath0 scuti stars and classical cepheids . however , the distinction between hads and other @xmath0sct stars is still rather arbitrary @xcite . their large amplitude , which typically exceeds 0.3mag , and the presence of many combination frequencies caused by nonlinear coupling between the principal modes are the defining characteristics @xcite . in general , the hads appear to pulsate mostly in the fundamental and first overtone radial modes @xcite . however , they need not to be purely radial pulsators , since recent studies have shown that some high - amplitude modes are nonradial @xcite . kic6382916 ( asas 194803 + 4146.9 , @xmath9 ) was first monitored during the asas3 north station observations and reported as a double - mode hads star with a period ratio @xmath10 by @xcite . the star has also been observed by the _ kepler _ satellite in short - cadence ( sc , 1min exposures ) and long - cadence ( lc , 30min exposures ) modes @xcite . the _ kepler _ observations are very important as they allow us to fix the frequencies with great precision . we can use these frequencies to fit the multicolour ground - based observations and to determine the amplitudes and phases for the purpose of mode identification . in this paper , we present results of a multi - site photometric and spectroscopic campaign on the hads star kic6382916 in order to identify the modes of pulsation . mode identification is the first step in using the frequencies to determine the stellar parameters ( asteroseismology ) . the paper is structured as follows : we first present a detailed description of the ground- and space - based observations including method of data reduction and frequency analyses . mode identification , which is the main purpose of this study , is presented in section 6 . finally , we discuss these results . spectroscopic observations were obtained at two different sites . the first set of spectra were obtained with the 2-m rcc telescope of the bulgarian national astronomical observatory , rozhen . we observed the star during two nights ( 2011 july 8 and 9 ) and in three spectral regions 48004910 ( h@xmath11 ) , 45004610 ( si lines ) and 63906500 ( fe lines ) . a photometrics at200 camera with a site si003ab @xmath12 ccd chip ( @xmath13 pixel size ) was used in the third camera of the coud spectrograph to provide spectra with a typical resolution of r = 32000 and a signal - to - noise ( s / n ) ratio of about 50 . the exposure times were 1800s . the intrinsic spectral line profile , which halfwidth gave about 9kms@xmath3near 6500 , was determined from the arc spectrum . standard iraf procedures were used for bias subtraction , flat - fielding and wavelength calibration . we also obtained spectra of kic6382916 using the wiro longslit spectrograph with an e2v @xmath14 ccd as detector . an 1800 l mm@xmath3 grating in first order yielded a spectral resolution of 1.5 near 5800 with a 1.2@xmath15100 slit . the spectral coverage was 52506750 . individual exposure times were 600 s. reductions followed standard longslit techniques . each spectrum was shifted by a small amount in velocity so that the na i d @xmath165890 , 5996 lines were registered with the mean nai line wavelength across the ensemble of observations . this zero - point correction to each observation is needed to account for the effects of image wander in the dispersion direction when the stellar fwhm of the point spread function is appreciably less than the slit width . multiple exposures were then combined , yielding a final s / n ratio typically in excess of 60 near 5800 . model atmospheres were calculated using the atlas12 code . the vald atomic line database ( @xcite ) , which also contains @xcite data , was used to create a line list for the synthetic spectra . the synspec code ( @xcite , @xcite ) was used to generate synthetic spectra adopting a microturbulence of 2kms@xmath3 . the computed spectra were convolved with the instrumental profile ( a gaussian of 0.2 fwhm for the coud spectra and 1.5 fwhm for the wiro spectra ) and rotationally broadened to fit the observed spectrum . line ( dots ) fitted with a model with @xmath17 , @xmath18 ( cgs ) ( solid line ) . two other models - @xmath19 ( long - dashed line ) and @xmath20 ( dashed line ) are given for comparison . ] the best fit for the h@xmath11 and h@xmath21 lines was obtained for @xmath22 , @xmath23 . we used the mgii @xmath244481 line for the determination of projected rotational velocity . the match between the synthetic and observed profile resulted in @xmath25 . in fig.[figspec ] we show the best fit for h@xmath11 together with a fit using two other effective temperatures for comparison . _ kepler _ data were used to derive the frequency content of kic6382916 . the _ kepler _ mission , designed to detect earth - like planets using the transit method @xcite , was launched on 2009 march 6 . _ kepler _ has observed , and is continuing to observe , about 150000 stars in a fixed field of view . the superb photometric precision and the almost continuous data coverage is of great advantage in determining the pulsational frequencies which can then be used to fit the ground - based data . _ kepler _ observations consist mostly of long - cadence ( lc ) exposures of 30-min duration , but a few thousand stars , including kic6382916 , were observed using 1-min ( short cadence , sc ) exposures . the lc data are of limited value since the maximum frequency that can be extracted is about 24d@xmath3 . we therefore used only the sc data which consists of 38314 points between jd2455064.38 and jd2455091.48 ( 27.1d ) taken at _ quarter 2.3 ( q2.3 ) . with sc data frequencies as high as 700d@xmath3 can be detected if they are present . the data were prepared for analysis by cotrending and detrending the simple aperture photometry ( sap ) fluxes . the cotrending process was applied to the q2.3 data using cotrending basis vector ( cbv ) files which help to remove instrumental systematics from the light curve @xcite . kepcotrend package that is provided by nasa kepler science center is used during cotrending process . all data points were converted to magnitudes ( m@xmath26 ) using the formula @xmath27 , where @xmath28 is the raw sap flux . a linear trend to @xmath29 as a function of time was removed so that the final magnitudes have zero mean . we used period04 @xcite to perform the frequency extraction . frequencies were extracted by successive prewhitening until the signal - to - noise threshold s / n @xmath30 3.5 was reached . all peaks with s / n greater than this value were deemed significant @xcite . we found that the light curve can be described by two independent frequencies , @xmath31 and @xmath32d@xmath3 , together with their harmonics and a few hundred combination terms . a third independent frequency , @xmath33d@xmath3 , is also present but has a much lower amplitude . the amplitude spectrum is shown in fig . [ spectkep ] . apart from @xmath6 and @xmath7 , the peaks of highest amplitude are the combination terms @xmath34 and @xmath35 and the harmonics @xmath36 . the lowest frequency that appears significant is @xmath37d@xmath3 . for the calculation of phase differences and amplitude ratios at different wavebands , we only considered the first seven frequencies of highest amplitude . these frequencies and their amplitudes and phases are listed in table [ tabkep ] . .modes of highest amplitude in kic6382916 extracted from _ kepler _ photometry . the first column is the name of the mode . the frequencies @xmath38 ( d@xmath3 ) , amplitudes @xmath39 ( mag ) and phases @xmath40 ( radians ) and the signal - to - noise ratio are listed . the standard deviation in the last digits is given . the epoch of phase zero is bjd2454833.00 . [ cols="<,>,>,>,>",options="header " , ] analysis of short - cadence _ kepler _ photometry was used to determine the pulsation frequencies in kic6382916 . we find two large - amplitude independent modes with frequencies @xmath6 = 4.9107 and @xmath7 = 6.43137d@xmath3 as previously reported by pigulski et al . ( 2009 ) from ground - based observations . we found a third independent frequency at @xmath41d@xmath3 which has a much lower amplitude . the frequency spectrum is dominated by @xmath6 and @xmath7 and their harmonics and combination frequencies . in hads stars the modes of highest amplitude are generally radial modes since in many stars the period ratio @xmath42 of first overtone to fundamental radial modes is close to the expected value @xmath43 . the stars lie on a curve defined by @xmath42 as a function of @xmath44 which is called the petersen diagram @xcite . the period ratio depends on metallicity , rotation and chemical abundance @xcite . in kic6382916 the period ratio for the two modes of highest amplitude is @xmath6/@xmath7=0.763 which differs significantly from the expected period ratio for fundamental and first overtone radial modes . it therefore seems that at least one of the two modes is probably a nonradial mode . this may not be too surprising since recent studies suggest that the radial mode need not be present in all hads stars @xcite . to determine the spherical harmonic degree of the three independent modes in kic6382916 we first of all need to know the stellar parameters as accurately as possible . for this purpose we obtained high - dispersion spectra and estimated an effective temperature @xmath45k and @xmath46 by matching the balmer line profiles with profiles calculated from synthetic spectra . from the effective temperature and surface gravity we estimate the mass as @xmath47 . mode identification is best done by comparing the relative amplitude ratios and/or phase differences in different photometric wavebands for the required mode with the calculated values . for this purpose we initiated a multi - site photometric campaign to observe kic6382916 in the @xmath48 bands . we used the frequencies derived from the _ kepler _ data as fixed values and fitted a truncated fourier series to the data from each wave band using the seven frequencies of highest amplitude . the resulting amplitude and phases were used to construct the relative amplitudes and phase differences , normalized to the @xmath49 band , for @xmath6 , @xmath7 and @xmath8 . we then used the famias software package @xcite to calculated amplitude ratios and phase differences for models with stellar parameters approximately corresponding to the spectroscopic values mentioned above . it turns out that @xmath6 and @xmath7 are both dipole ( @xmath50 ) modes and that @xmath8 is either @xmath51 or @xmath52 . if the identification for both @xmath6 and @xmath7 is correct , it calls to mind the case of 1mon @xcite . in this star there are three modes : a central radial mode flanked by two @xmath50 modes . in any case it seems that we need to be cautious in attributing the high - amplitude modes in hads stars as radial modes , though this is probably true in the majority of cases . it is important to compare the observed frequencies of @xmath6 and @xmath7 with model frequencies for @xmath50 . however , we are faced with the problem that rotation strongly modifies the frequencies of the @xmath53 modes . we therefore need to estimate the possible frequency shift owing to this effect which requires knowledge of the rotation frequency . in some @xmath0sct stars , it is possible to detect the rotational frequency directly from the periodogram of the _ kepler _ data by looking for the presence of a low - frequency peak and its harmonic . the presence of an harmonic is an indicator that the peak is due to a starspot and hence the frequency is the rotational frequency @xcite . unfortunately , no such peak is visible in kic6382916 . the alternative is to estimate the rotational frequency from the projected rotational velocity @xmath54kms@xmath3 and the stellar radius . the stellar radius is estimated to be about [email protected]@xmath56 using the relationships by @xcite . if we assume that the star is roughly equator - on , the equatorial rotational velocity will probably be about 50 kms@xmath3 and the rotation frequency around 0.27d@xmath3 . if the star is equator - on , only sectorial modes will be visible and the frequency shift will roughly be the same as the rotation frequency . thus we may expect the frequencies in the non - rotating frame to be in the range @xmath57 and @xmath58 . we can compare these frequencies with frequencies calculated from non - rotating models . for this purpose , models of @xmath0 scuti stars with masses in the range @xmath59 were constructed using the warsaw - new jersey code @xcite . these models use opal opacities , no core overshoot and a mixing length , @xmath60 . pulsation frequencies for each model were obtained using the nadrot code @xcite . it turns out that all modes with frequencies less than about 6.1d@xmath3 are stable . one may argue that the rotation frequency is much larger and that the rotation correction would then bring @xmath6 closer to the this value . this argument can not be correct since this would imply a nearly pole - on orientation , in which case sectorial modes are no longer visible . we are thus faced with the problem that current models are unable to account for driving at the low frequency of @xmath6 . models where @xmath6 and @xmath7 are both present ( but with @xmath6 stable ) all have @xmath61k and @xmath62 which is roughly in the range of the values determined from spectroscopy . in the model , frequencies in the range of @xmath6 and @xmath7 are mixed p and g modes of high radial order , but this does not mean that the observed modes are also of this kind since no model is capable of driving these frequencies . the lowest frequency of a p mode for models in the above parameter range is about 8.6 d@xmath3 . they all appear to be g modes of high order . the lowest frequency of a p mode for models in the above parameter range is about 8.6d@xmath3 . in conclusion , we find that the two modes of highest amplitude in kic6382916 are not only dipole modes , contrary to expectation , but are high - order g modes which are predicted to be stable in the models . unless the derived stellar parameters are grossly in error , this would imply a problem in our understanding of pulsational driving in @xmath0 scuti stars . we know that there is a problem with the models in that the observed range of instability is wider than the calculated range for @xmath0 sct stars @xcite . it appears that the presence of two high - amplitude g modes in kic6382916 is further confirmation of this problem . the authors acknowledge the whole _ kepler _ team for providing the unprecedented data sets that makes these results possible . this paper includes data collected by the kepler mission . funding for the _ kepler _ mission is provided by the nasa science mission directorate . cu sincerely thanks the south african national research foundation ( nrf ) for the award of innovation post doctoral fellowship , grant no . bu is supported by the project numbered hdyf-051 . tg would like to thank nrf equipment - related mobility grant-2011 for travelling to carry out the photometric observations . lab thanks the south african national research foundation and the south african astronomical observatory for generous financial support . is and ii gratefully acknowledge the partial support from bulgarian nsf under grant do 02 - 85 . dd acknowledges for the support of grants do 02 - 362 and ddvu 02/40 - 2010 of bulgarian nsf . hak acknowledges carlos vargas - alvarez , michael j. lundquist , garrett long , jessie c. runnoe , earl s. wood , michael j. alexander for helping with the observations at wiro . lfm acknowledges financial support from the unam under grant papiit 104612 and from conacyt by the way of grant 118611 . md , ac and dc are supported by grants provided by the european union , the autonomous region of the aosta valley and the italian department for work , health and pensions . the oavda is supported by the regional government of the aosta valley , the town municipality of nus and the mont emilius community . tep aknowledges support from the national research foundation of south africa . this study made use of iraf data reduction and analysis system and the vienna atomic line data base ( vald ) services . the authors thank dr zima for providing the famias code . balona l. a. , stobie r. s. , 1980 , mnras , 190 , 931 balona l. a. , et al . , 2001 , mnras , 321 , 239 balona l. a. , dziembowski w. a. , 2011 , mnras , 417 , 591 balona , l.a . et al . , 2012 , mnras , 419 , 3028 balona l. a. , 2013 , mnras , 1036 breger , m. , pamyatnykh , a. a. , 1998 , a&a , 332 , 958 breger m. , 2000 , balt . astron.,9 , 149 breger m. et al . , 2011 , mnras , 414 , 1721 christiansen , j. l. et al . 2012 , kepler data release 14 notes ( ksci-19054 - 001 ) dziemblowski w. , 1977 , acta astron . , 27 , 95 fraquelli , d. , thompson , s. e. , 2012 , kepler archive manual ( kdmc-10008 - 004 ) gilliland r. l. et al . , 2010 , apj , 713 , l160 hubeny i. , lanz t. , jeffery c.s . , 1994 , in jeffery c.s . , ed , newsletter on analysis of astronomical spectra , no.20 , ccp7 . andrews univ . , st.andrews , p. 30 jenkins j. m. et al . , 2010 , apj , 713 , l120 koch , d. g. et al . , 2010 , apj , 713 , 79 krtika j. , 1998 , in duek j. , zejda m. , eds , proc . 20-th stellar conf . nicholaus copernicus observatory and planetarium , brno , p. 73 kupka f.et al . , 1999 , a&as , 138 , 119 kurucz r.l . , 1993 , synthe spectrum synthesis programs and line data ( kurucz cd - rom 18 ) lenz , p. , breger , m. , 2005 , commun . 146 , 53 lenz , p. et al . , 2008 , a&a , 478 , 855 mcnamara , d.h . 2000 , in `` delta scuti and related stars '' , m. breger and m.h . montgomery eds . , asp conf . series , 210 , 373 montalbn , j. , dupret , m. a. , 2007 , a&a , 470 , 991 paczynski b. , 1970 , acta astronomica , 20 , 47 petersen , j. o. , 1973 , a&a , 27 , 89 pigulski , a. et al . , 2009 , acta astronomica , 59 , 33 poretti , e . , 2003 , a&a , 409,1031 poretti et al . , 2005 , a&a , 440,1097 poretti et al . , 2011 , a&a , 528,147 reegen p. , 2007 , a&a , 467 , 1353 soszynski i. et al . , 2008 , acta astronomica , 58 , 163 stetson p. b. , 1987 , pasp , 99 , 191 surez , j. c. et al . , 2007 , a&a , 474 , 961 torres g. , andersen j. , gimnez a. , 2010 , a&arv , 18 , 67 ulusoy , c. et al . , 2013 , mnras,428,3551 ventura , p. et al . , 2008 , ap&ss , 316 , 93 zima w. , 2008 , coast , 155 , 17

arxiv

oral mucoceles ( oms ) are benign soft tissue masses and are clinically characterized by single or multiple , painless , soft , smooth , spherical , translucent , fluctuant nodule , which is usually asymptomatic . mucoceles ( muco - mucus and coele - cavity ) , by definition , are cavities filled with mucus . it is the most common minor ( accessory ) salivary gland lesion affecting the general population . minor salivary glands are found in most parts of the oral cavity except the gingiva . the prevalence of mucocele is 2.5 lesions per 1000 population in america , 0.11% in sweden and 0.08% in brazil . the extravasation type is a pseudocyst without defined walls and are caused due to mechanical trauma to the excretory duct of the gland leading to transection or rupture , with consequent extravasation of mucin into the connective tissue stroma and are seen frequently on lower labial mucosa , buccal mucosa and retromolar area ; they are not lined by epithelial lining . the retention type is less common than extravasation , usually affects older individuals and is seen frequently on upper lip , hard palate , floor of mouth and maxillary sinus . in mucous retention phenomena , mucus may be retained in the duct and/or acini as a result of duct obstruction by sialolith or strictures [ figure 1 ] . the ductal narrowing can occur due to frequent mouth washing with hydrogen peroxide , deodorant mouthwashes , tartar - control toothpastes or anti - plaque solutions , which are possible causes of irritation . clinical photographs of oral mucocele involving lower lip ( a ) tongue ( b ) floor of mouth ( c ) and buccal mucosa ( d ) the oms located on the floor of mouth are termed as ranula , which usually arises in the body of the sublingual gland and occasionally in the ducts of rivini or in the wharton 's duct . ranulas are considered a variant of mucoceles and the name is derived from the typical swelling that resembles the air sacs of the frog - rana tigrina. a ranula manifests as a cup - shaped fluctuant bluish swelling on the floor of mouth and tends to be larger than mucoceles located in other regions of the mouth , reaching some centimeters in diameter . the purpose of this study was to analyze the data of om with an emphasis on clinical and histopathological features and to review the current literature briefly . the hospital - based retrospective study was conducted by assessing the clinical records from the year 2010 to 2011 , available in the archives of the department of histopathologically diagnosed 58 cases of oms . the descriptive data of these patients were evaluated and compared with previously documented data in the literature . the study variables included age , gender , type , site , color , etiology , symptoms and dimension of the lesion . the results were analyzed by using statistical package for the social sciences ( spss ) version 13.0 and chi - square test . in this study , we observed that the number of patients affected with oms were between 15 and 49 years with the mean age of 21.20 years [ figure 2 ] . the oms were highly prevalent in the age group of 15 - 19 years ( 34.48% ) followed by 20 - 24 years ( 31.04% ) . the males ( 51.72% ) and females(48.28% ) were more or less equally affected , with a ratio of 1.07:1 . out of total 58 patients , 49 ( 84.48% ) patients had extravasation type and were highly prevalent in the age group of 15 - 24 years , whereas 9 ( 15.52% ) patients had retention type of mucocele and were prevalent in the age group of 30 - 39 years . in total 49 cases of extravasation type , 25 were males and 24 were females [ figure 3 ] . the sites affected with oms were lower lip ( 36.20% ) , buccal mucosa ( 10.34% ) , dorsal surface of tongue ( 15.52% ) , ventral surface of tongue ( 25.86% ) , floor of mouth ( 5.18% ) , upper lip ( 5.18% ) and palate ( 1.72% ) . the lower lip was the most ommonly affected site by extravasation type , and floor of mouth was the most commonly affected site by retention type of om [ table 1 ] . age - wise distribution of oral mucocele correlation of affected site and type of mucocele in this study , 34 ( 58.62% ) patients were asymptomatic , 21 ( 36.20% ) patients had discomfort and 03 ( 05.18% ) patients experienced pain [ figure 4 ] . it was also observed that the color of overlying mucosa of mucocele in 28 ( 48.28% ) patients had normal color i.e. pinkish red , 21 ( 36.21% ) patients had reddish brown color and 09 ( 15.51% ) patients had bluish color [ figure 5 ] . in our study , it was also observed that the diameter of oms measured between 5 mm and 34 mm . the oms in 18 ( 31.04% ) patients measured from 5 to 9 mm , 17 ( 29.32% ) patients had 10 - 14 mm , 12 ( 20.69% ) patients had 15 - 19 mm , 07 ( 12.07% ) patients had 20 - 24 mm , 02 ( 3.44% ) patients had 25 - 29 mm and 02 ( 3.44% ) patients had 30 - 34 mm [ figure 6 ] . we viewed that the causative factors for the oms were lip biting ( 22.41% ) , trauma ( 5.18% ) and numerous lesions ( 72.41% ) had no cause [ figure 7 ] . correlation of gender and type of oral mucocele symptoms associated with oral mucocele distribution according to the color of lesion distribution according to the dimension of lesion distribution according to the etiological factors mucocele is a clinical term used to describe a swelling caused by pooling of saliva from a severed or obstructed minor salivary gland duct . it is a self - limiting mucous containing cyst of salivary glands commonly occurring in the oral cavity , with relatively rapid onset and with fluctuating size . the decrease in size may be due to rupture of the lesion and subsequent mucin accumulation or re - absorption of saliva deposits may cause the lesion to reform . most of the oms are devoid of the epithelial lining or are covered by granulation tissue . oral mucoceles can be single or multiple often rupturing and leaving slightly painful erosions that usually heal within few days . the duration of lesion is not constant , from a few days to 3 years . the lesions are located directly under the mucous membrane ( superficial mucocele ) or in the upper submucosa ( classical mucocele ) . oral mucoceles may be located either as a fluid - filled vesicle or blister in the superficial mucosa or as a fluctuant nodule deep within the connective tissue . spontaneous drainage of the inspisatted mucin , especially in superficial lesions followed by subsequent recurrence , may occur . the superficial lesions appear as thin - walled , bluish swellings that rupture easily while the deeper lesions are well circumscribed swellings usually covered by normal appearing oral mucosa . oral mucoceles are believed to affect patients of all ages , with the highest incidence in the second decade of life . oliveira et al . reported that more than 65% of their patients with oms were less than 20 years of age . however , this always may not be true as the asymptomatic nature of the lesion may delay the patients in seeking treatment . oliveira et al . also reported similar results as of our study with male : female ratio of 1.07:1 . oral mucoceles occur in varying locations on the oral mucosal surfaces overlying accessory minor salivary glands . however , they occur more frequently in certain locations . lower lip is most commonly affected by mucoceles . however , rare cases of mucoceles involving the upper lip , palate , retromolar region , buccal mucosa , lingual frenum and dorsal tongue have been reported . our results matched the findings about occurrence of lesion at lower lip and other oral sites . the color of mucoceles ranged from deep blue to the normal color of oral mucosa ( pink ) . the deep blue color results from tissue cyanosis , vascular congestion associated with the stretched overlying tissue and the translucency of the accumulated fluid beneath . the variation in color depends on the size of the lesion , its proximity to the mucosal surface and the elasticity of the overlying tissue . the oms of this study simulated these findings and matched with the studies of jani et al . and paulo et al . discomfort , interference with speech , mastication , swallowing and external swelling may occur depending on the size and location of mucoceles . surprisingly , in majority of our cases , we could not elicit the cause of mucocele , although lip biting and trauma history was established in few cases , which simulated the findings of flaitz et al . oral mucoceles of minor salivary glands are rarely larger than 1.5 cm in diameter and are always superficial . it was significantly noted in this study that most of the mucoceles had diameter ranging from 5 to 14 mm , which simulated with the findings of sebastian et al . and the histopathologic types of mucocele include the most common extravasation and the more rarely , retention variant . the histopathologic aspect of this lesion ranged from acute inflammation intermingling with the mucus collection to patterns of mature lesions with scarce amounts of mucus and connective tissue fibrosis . the lesion may show hyperplastic parakeratinized stratified squamous epithelium , small cystic spaces containing mucin and mucus - filled cells , areas of spilled mucin surrounded by a granulation tissue and sebaceous cells in the connective tissue [ figure 8 ] . the age , gender and oral site differ according to the type of om 's . our study noted that 84.48% of the cases had extravasation type and was more prevalent in the age group of 15 - 24 years and lower lip . photomicrograph shows hyperplastic parakeratinized stratified squamous epithelium with underlying connective tissue ( a - h&e stain , 100 ) , photomicrograph showing small cystic spaces containing mucin and mucus - filled cells , few sebaceous cells arranged in groups and areas of spilled mucin surrounded by a granulation tissue are evident in the deeper connective tissue ( white arrow ) ( b - h&e stain , 200 ) thorough history taking and examination of the lesion is crucial for diagnosing oms correctly . although diagnosis is mainly clinical , anamnesis should be carried out correctly , searching for trauma . the appearance of mucocele is pathognomonic , and the following points are crucial : location , history of trauma , rapid appearance , variations in size , bluish color and the consistency . mucoceles are mobile lesions with soft and elastic consistency depending on how much tissue is present over the lesion . despite this fluctuation , a drained mucocele would not fluctuate and a chronic mucocele with a developed fibrosis would have less fluctuation . for specific cases , the diagnosis may require routine radiographs , ultrasonography or advanced diagnostic methods - computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for better visualizing the form , diameter , position and determination of the lesion origin . fine - needle aspiration is a useful diagnostic technique for evaluating patients with salivary gland nodules and enlargement , especially when differential diagnosis of angiomatous lesion is involved . oral mucocele shall be differentiated from lipoma , oral hemangioma , oral lymphangioma , benign or malignant salivary gland neoplasms , venous varix , irritational fibroma , oral lymphoepithelial cyst , gingival cyst of adults , soft tissue abscess , cysticercosis , pyogenic granuloma , etc . the superficial mucoceles may be confused with cicatricial pemphigoid , bullous lichen planus , etc . the treatment for om shall be either complete excision , marsupialization , dissection , cryosurgery , carbon dioxide lasers , electrocautery , intra - lesional injection of sclerosing agent ok-432 or steroid injection . the non - neoplastic diseases of salivary gland pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the clinician because of close resemblance of clinical presentation despite different etiologies such as reactional inflammatory processes , metabolic and immune disorders , infections and iatrogenic responses . thus , clinical knowledge of oral lesions , as well as the determination of aspects related to the etiopathogenesis of these lesions , is necessary for the correct diagnosis and for the indication of appropriate treatment .

pubmed

in the previous issue of critical care thomas mueller and co - workers presented their experience with a miniaturized veno - venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ( ecmo ) system in 60 consecutive patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome ( ards ) . as a result , miniaturized ecmo was feasible , with a moderate rate of severe complications and 45% intensive care survival rate . these results have implications for the use of such systems outside the conventional indication of acute life - threatening hypoxemia . ever since its original description by daniel ashbaugh and co - workers in 1967 , hypoxemia in spite of high inspiratory oxygen fractions is the most apparent and acute life - threatening symptom of ards . understandably , ecmo was used solely to optimize blood gas status in the past . however , randomized clinical trials failed to demonstrate beneficial effects of extracorporeal gas exchange on outcome at that time . from a present - day perspective these negative results may be best explained by two major drawbacks of those studies : first , the technical standard of those extracorporeal devices was limited ; and second , extracorporeal gas exchange was performed as an additional therapy without rigorous adjustment of ventilator settings . accordingly , two major strategies have been pursued in the past decade : first , to reduce complications of extracorporeal gas exchange devices by technical progress ; and second , to make use of this technique to provide lung protective mechanical ventilation . as a result , a recently published study was able to demonstrate at least some beneficial effects on outcome due to a fixed treatment algorithm including ecmo with up - to - date technology . however , it should be noted that this trial - called cesar ( conventional versus ecmo for severe adult respiratory failure ) - actually proves beneficial effects due to treatment in a specialized ecmo - capable centre but not due to ecmo per se . a further increase of effectiveness is suggested by the use of miniaturized ecmo circuits with small - sized but highly effective blood pumps and oxygenators , thereby reducing extracorporeal blood volume , foreign surfaces , contact activation of the coagulation system , inflammatory reactions , and blood trauma . moreover , these systems offer practical advantages due to simple handling and increased system mobility . with such a miniaturized ecmo system mueller and co - workers carried out interhospital transport in 10 of 60 patients without complications . all 60 patients were connected according to a predefined algorithm when conventional treatment strategies failed to improve gas exchange . not surprisingly , gas exchange improved significantly due to ecmo treatment and death caused by acute hypoxemia could be prevented entirely . additionally , tidal volumes were reduced below 6 ml / kg ideal body weight , thereby accomplishing both aims of ecmo treatment , namely prevention of severe hypoxemia and reduction of ventilator induced lung injury ( vili ) . in summary , an up - to - date strategy of ecmo treatment was combined with up - to - date ecmo technology . therefore , it is astonishing , at first glance , that the survival rate was substantially low compared to other trials . however , with regard to severity of illness , organ failure , and age , these results appear acceptable . more interestingly , the authors stated that no life - threatening complications and side effects occurred during the study period . on the other hand , several thrombotic and bleeding complications were reported . moreover , ecmo implantation was accompanied with resuscitation in two patients and accidental dislocation of a backflow cannula caused life - threatening hypoxia in another patient . thus , although all these patients could be stabilized immediately , it has to be realized that ecmo therapy still is not safe and easy at all and further studies and developments are still needed to further optimize ecmo technology . however , the new technology presented by mueller and co - workers is one step towards this . according to their experience it seems justified to implement the use of miniaturized ecmo systems in clinical practice . in particular given the possible advantages of treatment in specialized centers , as has been demonstrated in the cesar trial , this option should be considered to enable transfer of patients with severe ards from peripheral hospitals . strictly speaking , scientific evidence for ecmo in ards patients with acute life - threatening hypoxemia is still lacking . however , due to ethical considerations , randomized controlled trials are difficult to plan and perform . therefore , the role of ecmo in this clinical situation will probably never be proved and ecmo is and will be accepted as a rescue therapy . scientific evidence for extracorporeal gas exchange in ards patients with life - threatening vili is also lacking , and scarcely anybody would have ethical concerns about withholding extracorporeal gas exchange therapy from these patients today . therefore , randomized controlled trials are indicated to prove this concept with the lowest possible risk of side effects and complications . in this regard , the study by mueller and co - workers is a small but useful step forward . ards : acute respiratory distress syndrome ; ecmo : extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ; vili : ventilator induced lung injury .

pubmed

Tony Pollard may refer to: Tony Pollard archaeologist born 1965, British archaeologist Tony Pollard American football born 1997, American football running back

wikipedia

the subject of quantum measurements is as old as the very foundation of quantum mechanics . for a long time the scheme of sudden state reduction , proposed by von neumann , has been prevalent . he conjectured that the measurement of an observable on a system entails its state reduction to one of its eigenstates , or shortly , a sudden change of the system state by projection . however , on probing an electromagnetic ( em ) field state through a photocount process , the photons are detected and counted one by one , a photon entering a photomultiplier tube provokes a burst of electrons ( a photocurrent ) which is viewed as originating from that single photon . it is then registered and counted . a sequence of bursts in a given time interval is associated to the photocount process . so , the determination of the field state is not achieved by an instantaneous projective measurement , but it takes some time @xmath0 to count a sequence of photons , whose statistics gives information about the field state . a classical theory describing this process was proposed by mandel @xcite . quantum photocount theories were developed by several authors @xcite ( see the review @xcite for more references ) . these theories rely on the assumption of an instantaneous measurement of @xmath1 photons , independently of the duration of the detection . however , actually , photons are counted sequentially , one by one , and the time intervals between counts is irregular and uncontrollable . for describing more realistically a sequential photocount events in an ideal closed cavity , srinivas and davies ( sd ) @xcite proposed an approach based on the concept of continuous measurement . their scheme allows calculating various statistical functions , that can be compared with experimental outcomes , such as the probability for counting any number @xmath2 of photons in a time interval @xmath0 and different coincidence probability densities . the sd model takes into account a back action of the photodetector on the state of field and gives the conditioned field state , i.e. , the field state just after a given sequence of photocounting events . a progress in understanding the physical meaning of the axiomatic sd model was achieved due to studies @xcite ( for other references see @xcite ) . continuous photodetection model ( cpm ) is extensively discussed in the literature @xcite , so we shall mention only its main properties . the model , also referred as a theory , describes the field state evolution during the photodetection process in a closed cavity and is formulated in terms of two fundamental _ operations _ , assumed to represent the _ only _ events occurring at each infinitesimal time interval . ( 1 ) the one - count operation , represented by the _ quantum jump superoperator _ ( qjs ) , describes the detector s back - action on the field upon a single count , and the trace calculation over the qjs gives the probability per unit time for occurrence of a detection . ( 2 ) the _ no - count _ operation describes the field non - unitary evolution in absence of counts . if one sets the formal expressions for these operations , all possible outcomes of a photocounting experiment can be predicted . for instance , the photocounts @xcite and the waiting time ( wt ) waiting1,waiting2,waiting3,waiting4 statistics are among the most common quantities studied both theoretically and experimentally . moreover , cpm conferred a new step in photodetection theories by allowing one to determine the field state after an arbitrary sequence of measurements , thus creating the possibility of controlling the field properties in real time experiments @xcite . actually , the qjs is the main formal ingredient within the theory , since it also dictates the form of the no - count superoperator @xcite . two different models for the qjs were proposed _ ad hoc_. the first was proposed by srinivas and davies ( sd ) in the original paper @xcite ( we call it _ sd - model _ ) as @xmath3where @xmath4 is the field statistical operator , @xmath5 and @xmath6 are the usual bosonic annihilation / creation operators and @xmath7 is roughly the detector s ideal counting rate @xcite . from the very beginning the authors @xcite denounced the presence of some inconsistences when @xmath8 is employed for describing a real photodetection process , this point was also appointed in @xcite . nevertheless , this qjs is widely used in the literature ueda2,ueda4,ueda6,a2,a4,a6,a7,a9,a10,a12,a13,a16,b222 . the other proposal @xcite assumes for the qjs an expression written in terms of the ladder operators @xmath9 and @xmath10 ( also known as _ exponential phase operators _ p1,p2,vourd92,p3,p4 ) @xmath11 in @xcite we called _ e - model _ such a choice , to distinguish it from the sd qjs ( [ 01 ] ) . we note that @xmath7 may be different for sd- and e- models , but the above notation will not cause confusion in this paper . besides eliminating the inconsistencies within the sd - model , the use of the e - model leads to different qualitative and quantitative predictions for several observable quantities . in section [ sub1 ] we present a microscopic model for the detector assumed to be composed of a sensor ( 2-level quantum object ) and an amplification mechanism ( macroscopic thermal reservoir ) . in section sub2 we compare our model s predictions concerning photodetector properties with experimental data and show that the qjss ( [ 01 ] ) and ( [ 02 ] ) are particular cases of a general time - dependent _ transition superoperator _ , each one occurring in a particular regime of the detector experimental parameters @xcite . moreover , we point out that by manipulating detector s parameters one could engineer the form of the qjs , thus changing the dynamics of the photodetection , as well as the field state after a sequence of measurements . a way to check the validity of cpm and to decide which qjs better describes the phenomenon in practice can be accomplished through photodetection experiments in a high finesse cavity by comparing experimental outcomes with theoretical predictions . however , real detectors and cavities are far from ideal . so in section [ sub ] we include the main non - idealities [ quantum efficiency ( qe ) and dark counts ] into the cpm and deduce general expressions for the photocounts and the wt distributions . as a practical application , in section [ sub3 ] we give some experimental hints to decide which qjs model actually prevails in a photodetection experiment . section [ secc ] contains a summary and the conclusions . we model the photodetector as constituted of two parts : the sensor and the amplification mechanism ( am ) . the sensor is a two - level quantum object ( atom - like ) with resonant frequency @xmath12 , interacting with the monomodal em field of frequency @xmath13 . it has the ground @xmath14 and the excited @xmath15 states , so we describe it by the usual jaynes cummings hamiltonian @xcite @xmath16where @xmath17 ( assumed to be real , since only its absolute value enters the final expressions ) is the sensor - field coupling constant , and the sensor operators are @xmath18 @xmath19 and @xmath20 . the interaction described by hamiltonian ( [ jch ] ) allows a coherent exchange of excitations between the sensor and the field the rabi oscillations . upon absorbing a photon the sensor initially in @xmath14 makes a transition to @xmath15 , and after some time it decays back , emitting a _ photoelectron _ into the am ; after that , the detector is ready for the next photodetection . the am is a complex macroscopic structure ( e.g. photomultiplier tube ) that somehow amplifies the photoelectron and originates some observable macroscopic effect , giving rise to the click of the detector . in order to describe general features of the am independent of the type of the single photon detector ( spd ) , we model it as a macroscopic thermal reservoir with a mean number of intrinsic excitations @xmath21 ( due to the effects of temperature and internal defects ) . thus , the whole system field spd unconditioned time evolution ( when the detector is not monitored @xcite ) is described by the master equation @xcite @xmath22 -\gamma \overline{% n}\left ( \sigma _ { -}\sigma _ { + } \rho _ { t}-2\sigma _ { + } \rho _ { t}\sigma _ { -}+\rho _ { t}\sigma _ { -}\sigma _ { + } \right ) \notag \\ & & -\gamma \left ( \overline{n}+1\right ) \left ( \sigma _ { + } \sigma _ { -}\rho _ { t}-2\sigma _ { -}\rho _ { t}\sigma _ { + } + \rho _ { t}\sigma _ { + } \sigma _ { -}\right ) , \label{eqmestra}\end{aligned}\]]where @xmath23 is the sensor am coupling constant . according to cpm , the trace of qjs applied on the field density operator gives the probability density @xmath24 for the photodetection , i.e. emission of a photoelectron at time @xmath0 , given that at time @xmath25 the detector - field system was in the state @xmath26where @xmath4 is the field statistical operator . microscopically this means that initially the detector is in the ground state ; then , during the time interval @xmath27 the sensor interacted with the field and it could have absorbed a photon , doing a transition @xmath28 . so @xmath29 is the probability of the sensor decaying back to @xmath14 during the time interval @xmath30 and simultaneously emitting a photoelectron that will lately originate one click . here , the emission of the photoelectron is our interpretation of how the detector operates , and this phenomenon does not appear explicitly in the formalism . following the quantum trajectories approach @xcite , @xmath31 is calculated as@xmath32 , \label{ddd}\]]where @xmath33 represents the evolution of the field - spd system from initial state @xmath34 at time @xmath25 to the time @xmath0 without detections , and @xmath35 stays for a click ( instantaneous decay of the sensor ) at the time @xmath0 ( in the trace , f stands for the field and d for the detector ) . the sensor instantaneous decay @xmath36 is represented by the superoperator @xmath37whose trace gives the probability density of such an event . in eq . ( decay ) @xmath23 stands for the sensor zero - temperature decay rate , and we included the term @xmath38 because it is natural to assume that the rate of decays is proportional to the effective temperature of the detector ( proportional to @xmath21 ) . the complementary no - decay superoperator @xmath39 describes the non - unitary evolution of the field spd system during time interval @xmath27 without clicks ; it is the solution to the master equation ( [ eqmestra ] ) without the decay term ( decay ) : @xmath40where @xmath41taking the partial trace over the detector variables in ( [ ddd ] ) one obtains the superoperator @xmath42 , \label{transition}\]]which describes the back - action of the detector on the field upon one click it is the _ transition superoperator _ @xcite and , as will be seen below , its time average defines the qjs . moreover , the probability density for a count is simply @xmath43 $ ] . in order to solve eq . ( [ rhou11 ] ) we first do the transformation@xmath44to obtain a simple equation for @xmath45 @xmath46whose formal solution is @xmath47 if one iterates eq . ( [ sasa ] ) and substitutes the result into eq . ( transition ) one gets the following transition superoperator@xmath48where @xmath49for @xmath50 @xmath51 as shown in @xcite it is enough to evaluate just the three initial terms in the sum ( [ ttt11 ] ) , whose constituents are found to be @xmath52where@xmath53 , \]]@xmath54 substituting these expressions into eq . ( [ ttt11 ] ) , the transition superoperator turns out to be time - dependent , contrary to the standard definition of the qjs . so we evaluate the qjs as the time average of @xmath55 over the time interval @xmath56 ( to be determined later ) during which the photoelectron is emitted with high probability @xmath57considering the weak coupling ( @xmath58 ) for which the jaynes cummings hamiltonian ( [ jch ] ) and the master equation ( eqmestra ) are valid , and expressing the field density operator in fock basis as @xmath59after the averaging in ( [ j - xi ] ) the off - diagonal elements of @xmath60 vanish due to rapid oscillations of the terms @xmath61 . therefore , we are left only with the diagonal elements of @xmath60 . applying the superoperators @xmath62 on the density matrix as in ( [ ttt11 ] ) and evaluating eq . ( [ j - xi ] ) we obtain@xmath63 , \label{wew}\]]where the explicit expressions for the @xmath64-dependent functions @xmath65 , @xmath66 and @xmath67 are given in @xcite . the qjs ( [ wew ] ) contains an infinite number of terms , so after a click the initial field state @xmath4 reduces to a mixture of different states , each one with its respective probability . the first term , with coefficient @xmath68 takes out a photon from the field , so it represents a click preceded by a photoabsorption we call this event a `` bright count '' . the second term , dependent on @xmath66 ( proportional to @xmath69 quite small as will be shown below ) , does not subtract photons from the field but only modifies the relative weight of the field state components it represents a `` dark count '' , when the detector emits a click due to the amplification of its intrinsic excitations . all further terms in eq . ( wew ) are proportional to @xmath70 , @xmath71 ; they describe emissions of several photons into the field upon a click , so we call the first of these term , @xmath72 the `` emission term '' . there are many different phenomena that give rise to dark counts @xcite , our model takes into account only those causing the sensor s ground excited state transition . since the sensor s state depends on its interaction with the field , the dark counts modify indirectly the relative weight between the field state components that is why they depend on @xmath64 , what is not obvious at first glance . now we compare our results regarding spd properties with available experimental data . experimentally @xcite the dependencies of bright and dark counts rates are set as functions of the light wavelength and the detector s `` bias parameter '' ( bp ) . in the bp we englobe such quantities as bias voltage , bias current and other physical quantities the experimenter adjusts in order to achieve simultaneously the highest signal - to - noise ratio @xmath73 and bright counts rate . @xmath74 is the ratio between the bright , @xmath75 , and dark , @xmath76 , counts rates . when one increases the bp , the bright counts rate increases while @xmath77 remains unchanged until the _ breakdown _ value of bp , when @xmath77 starts to fall rapidly as function of the bp . so most detectors usually operate near the bp breakdown in order to achieve the optimal performance . in practice , @xmath75 is determined by directing laser pulses containing in average one photon at a given repetition rate on the detector and measuring the rate of counts , so in our model it is described by the term @xmath78 . analogously , @xmath76 is calculated as the rate of counts in the absence of any input signal , so it is given by @xmath79 . to do the comparison we need to set the values for our model free parameters : @xmath12 , @xmath17 , @xmath80 and @xmath21 . for simplicity we shall express the frequencies @xmath81 and @xmath13 in terms of respective wavelengths @xmath82 and @xmath83 . thus we are left with two parameters , @xmath83 and @xmath84 , where @xmath84 plays the role of the bp . our general model can not determine the bp@xmath85 dependence for every kind of detector ; nevertheless , one may argue that the bp and @xmath84 must be proportional to each other , since for zero bp one should also have @xmath86 , because in this case the detector would be turned off . here , we do not need to know the exact dependence of the bp on @xmath87 provided we determine the breakdown value @xmath88 corresponding to the bp breakdown at resonance , and take it as a measure of @xmath84 . after numerical simulations we have chosen values of the free parameters that reproduce qualitatively the common experimental behavior @xcite and lie within the applicability region of the model : @xmath89 nm , @xmath90 hz , @xmath91 and @xmath92 , so @xmath93 , as shown in figure 1 . moreover , we verified that below @xmath94 both @xmath75 and @xmath76 have approximately linear dependence on @xmath84 , in agreement with our qualitative arguments . in figure 2 we plot @xmath95 for two different values of @xmath84 as function of the light wavelength , where we see a good agreement with experimental results @xcite and can check that @xmath96 is proportional to @xmath84 . we also confirmed numerically that @xmath97 does not depend on the field wavelength , as expected . we verified that for the chosen parameters the emission terms [ @xmath98 and further terms in eq . ( [ wew ] ) ] are at least 10 orders of magnitude smaller than the dark counts term and even more for bright counts term in eq . ( [ wew ] ) . this confirms that detectors do not emit photons into the field . intuitively , the emission of photons by the detector would be possible only at temperatures much higher than room temperature through black body radiation , which is not the case in experiments . thus , in practice one is dealing only with bright and dark counts terms that act on the field simultaneously every time a count is registered , so the qjs takes the form @xmath99 , \]]where diag means diagonal terms in fock basis . in figure 3 we show the dependence of the normalized bright counts term @xmath100 on @xmath64 in di - log scale ( for better visualization we joined the points ) . we note that near and far away from resonance see the values of @xmath83 in the caption one has nearly polynomial dependence ( linear in di - log scale ) @xmath101with @xmath102 at resonance and @xmath103 far away from it . thus , in these cases one can write the operator dependence of bright counts as @xmath104thus recovering the e - model with @xmath102 at the resonance and sd - model with @xmath103 far away from it , although the values of @xmath96 are different in each case ( see figure [ fig2 ] ) . the normalized dark counts term @xmath105 is shown in figure 4 in linear scale and in di - log scale in the inset . out of resonance @xmath106 is almost independent on @xmath64 , so in this case @xmath107 . at the resonance , for @xmath108 one gets @xmath109 and for @xmath110 we have @xmath111 , where @xmath112 and @xmath113 is a number less than @xmath114 ( @xmath76 does not depend on the wavelength ) . this means that at resonance the dark counts are suppressed in the presence of light . this happens because they occur when the detector in the ground state is excited by its intrinsic processes ; however , at resonance the rate of excitations by photons from the field is much higher than by intrinsic processes , so the dark counts `` have no time '' to appear . therefore , the operator form of the dark counts term in eq . ( [ wew ] ) is @xmath115 , \label{123}\]]where @xmath116 , @xmath117 and at resonance we have the e - model with @xmath118 and @xmath119 . far away from resonance we recover the sd - model with @xmath103 and @xmath120 . thus we have exposed our microscopic model for the photodetector and showed that when one is concerned about the photodetector behavior , the model agrees with experimental data . still , the only way to verify whether the formal expressions of qjss resulting from the model hold in practice is to perform photocounting experiments and compare the outcomes , such as photocounts or wt distributions , to the model s prediction . in the next sections we shall treat this issue for realistic situations of detectors with non - unit quantum efficiency and non - zero dark counts rate . we also discuss possible measurements that may permit to discern between the e - model and the sd - model , even in the presence of low efficiency and dark counts . we consider a model for a photodetector with non - unit quantum efficiency ( qe ) and a finite dark counts rate . in @xcite we have also considered the effects associated to cavity damping and the detector s dead - time , and showed that they are not crucial when compared to the qe and dark counts . moreover , as the qjs ( [ 01 ] ) is an unbounded superoperator , the inclusion of dead - time effect into the cpm leads to some inconsistences within sd - model , such as non - normalizable photodetection distribution . on the other hand , the e - model is free from such problems . we consider a free electromagnetic monomodal field of frequency @xmath13 , enclosed in an ideal cavity together with a photodetector . the _ unconditioned time evolution _ ( ute ) of the field in the presence of the detector , i.e. the evolution when the detector is turned on but the outcomes of the measurements are disregarded ( not registered ) , is described by the master equation @xcite @xmath121the first term on the rhs stands for the free field evolution and the second describes the effect of the detector on the field due to their mutual interaction . the parameter @xmath122 ( we omit the subscript @xmath123 to simplify the notation ) is the field - detector coupling constant , roughly equal to the ideal counting rate . to describe photodetection with qe @xmath124 and the dark counts rate @xmath125 ( @xmath126 is the ratio between the dark counts rate and the ideal photon counting rate ) , we take @xmath127 and @xmath120 in eq . ( [ 123 ] ) @xmath128the first term within the parenthesis describes the absorption of a photon from the field with probability per unit time @xmath129 = \eta \mathcal{r}\bar{n}$ ] , where @xmath21 is the field mean photon number this means that the detector `` sees '' all the photons . the second term describes the dark counts , so after a detector s click the field state becomes a mixture of two possible outcomes : either a photon absorption or a dark count . the no - count state @xmath130 , where @xmath131 is the no - count superoperator , obeys eq . ( [ nc ] ) when one subtracts the term ( [ qjs ] ) on the rhs ( see @xcite ) . moreover , as we are interested in calculating probabilities , we shall disregard phase factors @xmath132 , since they are canceled in the trace calculation . so the evolution equation of @xmath133 is @xmath134we solved this equation in @xcite , obtaining @xmath135the field ute superoperator @xmath136 , defined as the solution to eq . ( [ nc ] ) , is naturally given by setting @xmath137 in eqs . ( [ sol ] ) and ( [ st ] ) . we introduced in eq . ( [ st ] ) a compact notation for the infinite sum in terms of the exponential superoperator:@xmath138 the @xmath1-counts superoperator @xmath139 , that describes the field state after @xmath1 registered counts ( whatever real or dark ones ) in the time interval @xmath27 , and whose trace gives the probability for this event is@xmath140and after some manipulations @xcite it reduces to@xmath141a simple manner for contrasting the predictions of the model to the experimental data is by looking to the lower photocounts moments@xmath142 = d\mathcal{r}t+\eta \bar{n}\phi _ { t } \label{msd}\]]@xmath143where @xmath21 and @xmath144 are the factorial moments of the initial density operator . we now repeat the same procedures for the e - model with the qjs @xmath152for simplicity we considered a simplified form for the dark counts term , analogous to the one we used in sd - model , but different from the one given by eq . ( [ 123 ] ) . the probability per unit time for detecting a photon is @xmath153 , where @xmath154 , so the detector `` sees '' whether there is a photon in the cavity . in principle , the parameter @xmath7 is different from the one in sd - model , but here it will be always clear which one we are dealing with . the field ute is described by an equation similar to eq . ( [ nc ] ) , obtained by doing the substitution @xmath155 in the non - unitary evolution [ second term on the rhs of eq . ( [ nc ] ) ] . so the no - count state @xmath133 obeys the equation @xmath156[similar to eq . ( [ sol ] ) ] where @xmath157 , @xmath158 . since we are going to calculate probabilities , it is sufficient to write out just the _ diagonal _ form of the no - count superoperator in the fock basis , given by @xcite@xmath159 , \qquad \hat{p}_{t}\equiv e^{-\mathcal{r } t\left ( 1-v\hat{\varepsilon}% \right ) } , \label{ste1}\]]where the dot @xmath160 stands for any density operator . once again , the functions of the superoperator @xmath161 should be calculated as power series . the @xmath1-counts superoperator is@xmath162 ^{m-1}}{(m-1)!}\cdot \hat{\lambda}% _ { 0}\right\ } , \end{aligned}\]]where the last term is zero for @xmath163 , and the expressions for the initial factorial photocounts moments read@xmath164@xmath165 , \label{me2}\]]where@xmath166 , \qquad \omega \equiv \frac{2}{\overline{n(n-1)}}\mathrm{tr}\left [ \left ( \frac{\hat{\varepsilon}}{% 1-\hat{\varepsilon}}\right ) ^{2}\hat{p}_{t}^{0}\rho \right ] , \quad \hat{p}% _ { t}^{0}\equiv \hat{p}_{t}(v=1 ) . \label{chik}\]]using eq . ( [ www ] ) , the wt distribution is found to be @xmath167+\mathrm{tr}[(\hat{j}\hat{p}% _ { \tau } + \mathcal{r}d\hat{\lambda}_{0}\frac{1-\hat{p}_{\tau } } { 1-v\hat{% \varepsilon}}\cdot\hat{\lambda}_{0})\hat{j}\hat{p}_{t}^{0}\rho ] \right\ } . \label{we}\ ] ] guided by experimental data @xcite we chose the following numerical values for the model parameters : @xmath168 for the qe and @xmath169 for the dark counts rate ( normalized by the ideal counting rate ) . we do not attribute any fixed value to @xmath7 since our analysis will be given in terms of the dimensionless @xmath170 ( @xmath0 being the time ) . as many photodetection quantities were reported in different contexts sd , ueda2,a17,sd1,omd - job , waiting1,waiting4,dmd - job05 , we shall consider few of them that could help to decide between the sd- or the e- model . we first analyze the counting statistics . in figure [ figure1 ] we plot @xmath171 as function of @xmath170 for both models for two values of the initial mean photon number , @xmath172 and @xmath173 . initially , @xmath174 increases steeply due to photons absorption , and after some time the growth turns linear with much smaller slope due to the dark counts . we call the time interval during which the photons are absorbed ( representing the duration of the steep increase in the number of counts ) the _ _ effective counting time _ _ @xmath175 . in the e - model @xmath175 is proportional to the initial average photon number , contrary to the sd - model [ as seen from the figure [ figure1 ] and formulae ( [ msd ] ) and ( [ me ] ) ] . so the experimental analysis of the dependence of @xmath175 on @xmath21 seems to us a feasible way for verifying which model could hold in practice , because , according to the sd - model , @xmath175 does not depend on @xmath21 . moreover , one could also check the validity of each model by verifying whether @xmath176 depends on the initial field state : in the sd - model it is independent of the field state , while in the e - model @xmath176 is quite sensible to it : in figure [ figure1 ] one sees a notable difference between thermal and coherent states , although not so much between number and coherent states . this can be explained by a great difference in the values of mandel s @xmath177-factor @xcite characterizing the statistics of photons in the initial state : it equals @xmath178 and @xmath179 for number and coherent states , respectively , whereas it is very big ( @xmath180 ) for the thermal states with big mean numbers of photons . now we analyze the normalized second factorial moment @xmath181for the same initial states with mean photon number @xmath172 . for the number and thermal states @xmath182 as function of @xmath170 is shown in figure [ figure2 ] , and for the coherent state we get @xmath183 , so it is not plotted . in the asymptotic time limit and for non - zero dark counts rate , the same value @xmath184 holds for both models , however the transient is model dependent . in the sd - model without considering dark counts @xmath182 is time - independent , @xmath185 ( @xmath186 and @xmath144 correspond to the initial field state ) , nevertheless it depends on the initial field state : @xmath187 for the thermal state and @xmath188 for the number state . by including the dark counts in the analysis this constant behavior is slowly modified as time goes on , see figure [ figure2 ] . in the e - model in the absence of dark counts @xmath189 starts at the value @xmath190 ^{2}% } = \frac{1-\rho _ { 0}-\rho _ { 1}}{\left ( 1-\rho _ { 0}\right ) ^{2}},\]]which is exactly @xmath114 for the number state and very close to @xmath114 for the thermal state with the chosen values of @xmath21 . with the course of time , @xmath191 attains the same values as for the sd - model ( for respective initial field states ) when all the photons have been counted . by taking in account the dark counts , such a behavior is slightly modified , yet it is quite different from the behavior in the sd - model , as shown in the figure figure2 . this is another possible manner for verifying the applicability of sd- or e- models . we now turn our attention to the wt analysis . it is important to define the time interval over which we do the average : if one has non - zero dark counts rate , then by performing the average over a very large time interval , we shall always get for the mean wt the value @xmath192 , which is nothing but the mean time interval between consecutive dark counts . since experimentally the average is done over finite time intervals , we shall proceed in the same way : the mean wt for initial times , when the photon number is significative , is roughly @xmath193 ( because @xmath194 is the effective counting rate ) , so we shall take the average over a time interval @xmath195 . this means that if one does not detect consecutive counts within the time @xmath148 , such a measurement will not contribute to the average . in an ideal case this procedure is not necessary because the probability for registering consecutive clicks separated by a large time interval is zero . mean wt @xmath196 as function of @xmath197 for the number ( n ) and thermal ( t ) states for sd- and e- models . while there are photons in the cavity @xmath196 is constant for the e - model , but increases substantially with time for the sd - model . in the inset we plot @xmath198 as function of @xmath199 ( assuming the same @xmath200 for both models ) for these states ( in the sd - model @xmath197 is state independent ) . ] in figure [ figure3 ] we plot the mean wt for the sd- and e- models , for the number and thermal initial states ( for the coherent state we obtain a curve almost identical to the one for the number state ) with @xmath201 as function of the mean photon number in the cavity at the moment of the first click , @xmath202=\left\ { \begin{array}{c } \bar{n}e^{-{\mathcal r}t}\mbox { for sd - model } \\ \bar{n}\xi _ { 1}\mbox { for e - model.}% \end{array}% \right . \label{ncav}\]](for completeness , in the inset of figure [ figure3 ] we plot @xmath197 as function of @xmath170 for both models . ) for the e - model , we see that when @xmath197 becomes less than @xmath114 , the wt starts to increase visibly due to the dominance of dark counts , which are much more rare events than absorption of photons . this is a drastic departure from the ideal case , in which no counts occur after all the photons have been absorbed , so the mean wt saturates at the inverse value of the counting rate , as shown in @xcite . moreover , from figure figure3 one verifies that as long as there are photons in the cavity the mean wt is nearly time - independent within the e - model ( and truly independent in the ideal case @xcite ) , and does increase substantially in time for sd - model . this is another notable qualitative difference that could be verified experimentally . we presented a microscopic model for a photodetector modeled as a 2-level quantum sensor plus a macroscopic amplification mechanism . using the quantum trajectories approach we deduced a general qjs describing the back - action of the detector on the field upon a photocount and showed that it can be represented formally as an infinite sum of terms . in that sum we have identified the terms corresponding to the bright counts ( photoabsorptions ) , the dark counts and emission events , each one occurring with its respective probability . adjusting the free parameters of the model to fit experimental data , we showed that the emission terms can be disregarded in realistic situations since their contribution becomes insignificant , so the qjs consists effectively only of bright and dark counts terms . moreover , we have simulated the experimental behavior of the counting rates and the signal - to - noise ratio , showing the breakdown phenomenon . we have also showed that with the detector operating near its breakdown bias one can engineer the qjs by modifying the wavelength of the field . in particular , one recovers the qjss proposed previously _ ad hoc _ : at resonance one gets the e - model , and far away from it the sd - model is identified . we have also generalized the continuous photodetection model through a quantum treatment of non - ideal effects that are ubiquitous in experiments . we derived general expressions for the fundamental operations in the presence of non - unit quantum efficiency and dark counts , and calculated explicitly the photocounts and the waiting time probability distributions for initial coherent , number and thermal field states . by calculating the first and second factorial moments of the photocounts and the mean waiting time , we showed that in standard photodetection experiments one could check the applicability of the qjs of sd- or e- models . namely , we indicated three different ways for revealing the actual qjs : ( 1 ) quantitatively , by studying the time dependence of the normalized second factorial photocounts moment . qualitatively , we showed that the models can also be distinguished by measuring : ( 2 ) whether the effective detection time depends on the initial average photon number in the cavity and ( 3 ) whether the mean waiting time is modified as time goes on . still , if the experimental data would depart significantly from the theoretical predictions one should reconsider both models and try to look for alternative mechanisms to reproduce the outcomes .

arxiv

Harry Potter, Twilight Prey For Death **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Or Harry Potter.** **Please Enjoy :)** Pray For Death. "we'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it." he said, wincing, trying not to show how much pain he was really in. I Stared at him, "you – you sure?" "Yeah," said Harry, "Yeah . . . we've both helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's take it together." I couldn't believe, my ears, Harry Potter was offering to tie with me, Cedric Diggory in the Triwizard Tournament, when he could so easily take it for himself. I felt my face split into a grin, "you're on," I said, "come here." I grabbed him below his shoulder and helped him limp slowly toward the Triwizard Cup. We each held a hand over one of the cups' gleaming handles, "on three right?" said Harry, "one – two – THREE!" I instantly felt the effects and realized the cup was a portkey. I assumed it was taking harry and I back to the edge of the maze, where Dumbledore and the other judges would be awaiting the arrival of their champion. I thought of the shocked look all their faces would have when they saw that both Hogwarts champions had made it thought the maze and taken the cup together, this was certainly a first. I felt my feet slam into the ground, and knew our little ride was over. But I didn't hear cheering, and the crowd and Dumbledore were nowhere to be seen. It was eerily dark and quiet, almost as if we were still in the maze. Were we still in the maze? "Where are we?" Harry asked. I shook my head, "did anyone tell you the cup was a portkey?" "Nope, – is this supposed to be part of the task?" man, I was hoping he'd have at least _some_ idea of where we are, I guess we're on the same page. "I dunno," I told him, "Wands out, d'you reckon?" "yeah." I wonder if he feels like we're being watched . . . no, probably not, it's just because it's dark, and we're in a . . . Graveyard? . . . we are being watched. Something just moved over there, I _can't_ have imagined _that._ "Someone's coming." we stood, frozen, as we watched a figure walking slowly and steadily toward us. a high cold voice, "_Kill the Spare._" a swishing noise, a second voice, "_Avada Kedavra!_" and the most unimaginable pain hit my body, I hit the ground with a thud, I couldn't move . . . I couldn't make a sound . . . I couldn't even blink. But _why aren't I dead? _I wish I was dead, _anything_ to end this pain. It feels like i'm slowly being ripped apart, in every direction, from the inside out, but it was worse, _much_ worse, _a hundred times worse_. I would take really being ripped apart and be happy, at least then I would die . . . How long I lay there, I don't know. What happened to Harry and our attacker, I don't know. I was in too much pain to notice anything else, too much pain to do anything else but pray for a death I was beginning to believe would never come. Suddenly, I was flying, and I knew I was dead. But the pain hasn't stopped, _oh God, why hasn't the pain stopped! . . ._ the realization hit me, i'm not dead . . . I can't be . . . i'm not dead . . . _Please_ let me die. Searing pain in my neck; the bends at my elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. _NO! OH GOD, NO PLEASE!_ It's worse. How could the pain have possible gotten worse! I'm being ripped _and_ burned now. But worse than the physical pain is knowing I have an eternity of this Hell. For surely that's what this is, this is Hell. After _years_ of being ripped and burned, I turned to just burning. Then slowly, oh so slowly, the fire started to die. I could hear people talking around me. . . "It won't be much longer, Carlisle." said a ringing female voice. "Yes, thank you Alice. It's been five days, much longer than usual." replied a man somewhere close by. It's only been five days? No. This Carlisle man is mistaken, he has to be. "Why do you think that is?" another female voice asked. "I don't know. Maybe when he wakes, he can tell us how he came to be in the state he was in when I found him. I've never seen anything like it, completely and utterly, unresponsive, much like a coma, but different somehow . . . I only knew he was alive because I could hear his heartbeat . . ." The voice trailed off into thought. But why could I still hear it? _'very peculiar, very peculiar indeed. I'll have many questions to ask him when he awakes, oh I do hope he stays with us. It would be so nice to have another addition to our new family.' _ There was no pain in my body now, it had all moved to my heart, which was beating faster, faster, _faster, _. . . then . . . nothing. I could move again. I sat up and peered around the room, there were six people crowded around where I lay . . . . . . I must finally be dead, why else would there be six beautiful people standing around me? Even the men are beautiful . . . they all mush be angels . . . "Hello," one of them – the one closest to me – spoke, "I'm Carlisle. Welcome to our world, and welcome to our home." he gestured to the room around us, "may I ask your name?" "er . . . thank you, i'm Cedric Edward Mason-Diggory. -" "Ooohhh, can I call you Edward!" cut in a small pixie-like girl, with short black hair. "Alice, please, give him a few moments, this is a lot to take in." The man called Carlisle told her in a fatherly tone, "i expect you have many questions for me, i'd honestly be a little worried if you didn't" he added looking at me with that same fatherly smile. "er . . . yeah. But could I get some water first? My throat's burning pretty badly . . ." "It won't help, trust me, it's not water you want. Come with me, we have a lot to talk about." **-END-** **I know it's kind of short for a 'one-shot'. But I'm happy with it. :)** ***Please Review, it would mean a lot to me!*** ****and I know this is the wrong order, I know Edward was 2****nd**** after Carlisle, but I wanted to do it this way... so I did! :)**** **Thank you!** End file.

fanfiction

The 1979 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 89th staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887. Kilruane MacDonaghs were the defending champions. On 7 October 1979, Kilruane MacDonaghs won the championship after a 2-18 to 3-06 defeat of Thurles Sarsfields in the final at Semple Stadium. It was their third championship title overall and their third title in succession. References Tipperary Category:Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship

wikipedia

in 1974 , a little more than a decade after his first thoughts about working on a model organism , brenner published four manuscripts , including one entitled the genetics of caenorhabditis elegans(brenner 1974 ) and a new field began . in this influential paper ( brenner 1974 ) , brenner outlined methodology for isolation , complementation , and mapping of worm mutants . importantly , the publication also included the successful isolation of several hundred mutants affecting behavior and morphology , a discussion of the number of defined genes , and an estimation of mutation frequency . since that time , many discoveries including dissection of programmed cell death ( coulson et al . 1986 ; ellis et al . 1991 ) , the systematic cloning of the genome ( coulson et al . 1986 ; crawford 2001 ) , the deciphering of the entire dna sequence ( consortium 1998 ) , micrornas ( lee et al . 1993 ; reinhart et al . 2000 ) , rna interference ( fire et al . 1998 ) , and the use of gfp ( chalfie et al . 1994 ) have been done in c. elegans which has led to an expansion in the number of researchers working with c. elegans . for research on aging , early studies in c. elegans focused on the feasibility of measuring lifespan and the use of 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine ( fudr ) to maintain synchronous cultures of aged animals ( hosono 1978a , 1978b ) . in 1977 , klass ( 1977 ) published that c. elegans was a good system for aging studies as he established a method to consistently measure lifespan , and he concluded that this could lead to future detailed analysis combining genetics and biochemistry . in these early studies , klass found that altering either temperature or the amount of food resulted in a change in lifespan . in addition , only small effects on lifespan were observed based on parental age or parental lifespan . klass performed a clonal genetic screen for mutants with altered lifespan and identified five mutants ( klass 1983 ) . interestingly , later genetic work on these mutants in the laboratory of tom johnson , mapped all of them to a single genetic locus , named age-1 ( friedman & johnson 1988 ) . this was the first breakthrough in aging research for studies based on c. elegans as this study revealed that it was possible to identify mutants that altered lifespan and more importantly , individual genes could modulate lifespan . from the initial characterization of mutants that altered lifespan , however , lifespan is a single measureable parameter that defines the amount of time an organism is alive but does not give any indication for how an animal is actually aging . for this reason , healthspan , defined as the time that an individual is active , productive and free from age - associated disease , is starting to become the focus of aging research ( reviewed in ( tissenbaum 2012 ) ) . equally important for aging research a regulated process should indicate that this is a trait that would be selected for over time . however , fitness competitions between wild type and daf-2 mutants , show that after four generations , none of the daf-2 mutants remained primarily because of the early fertility defects in the daf-2 mutants ( jenkins et al . 2004 ) . therefore , similar to other studies with long - lived mutants and consistent with the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging ( lakowski & hekimi 1996 ; gems et al . 1998 ; chen , pan et al . 2007 ; chen , senturk et al . 2007 ; curran & ruvkun 2007 ; anderson et al . 2011 ) , daf-2 mutants exhibit a heavy fitness cost with lifespan extension ( jenkins et al , lifespan and aging should not be used interchangeably and the use of the word regulation should be monitored ( reviewed in ( lithgow 2006 ; tissenbaum 2012 ) ) . several years after the age-1 gene was identified , another gene was shown to modulate lifespan . similar to mutation in age-1 , daf-2 mutants showed adult lifespan extension ( kenyon et al . interestingly , previously , both daf-2 and age-1 had showed similarity based on a different phenotype . under favorable growth conditions , c. elegans develop from an egg through four larval stages ( l1-l4 ) each separated by a molt , and then a final molt into a reproductive self - fertilizing adult hermaphrodite . in response to unfavorable growth conditions , in particular , high levels of a secreted pheromone ( i.e. crowding , low food ) , worms can enter an alternative developmental mode ( at the l3 stage ) forming dauer larvae ( riddle & albert 1997 ) . dauer ( german for enduring ) larvae ( alternate l3 ) maximize survival until conditions become more favorable , whereupon they will molt and form a reproductive adult . both daf-2 and age-1 were initially isolated in this type of screen because both daf-2 and age-1 ( originally identified as daf-23 ) mutants show a dauer constitutive ( daf - c ) phenotype such that even under good growth conditions , mutants will enter the dauer stage ( albert et al . . genetic epistasis analysis placed these two genes in a similar genetic epistasis pathway for dauer formation that was distinct from the other daf - c mutants ( vowels & thomas 1992 ) . these studies also revealed that both daf-2 and age-1 mutants could be suppressed by a mutation in the daf-16 gene ( albert et al . 1981 ; riddle 1988 ; vowels & thomas 1992 ; riddle & albert 1997 ) . daf-16 ( also known as daf-17 ) was also isolated in these early dauer formation genetic screens because daf-16 mutants show a dauer defective ( daf - d ) phenotype such that even under poor growth conditions , mutants will not enter the dauer stage ( albert et al . 1981 ; riddle 1988 ; vowels & thomas 1992 ; riddle & albert 1997 ) . subsequent molecular cloning beginning in 1996 , explained why these genes were separate and distinct from other pathways . the genes encoded for members of an insulin / igf-1 signaling ( iis ) pathway where daf-2 encoded for an iis receptor , age-1 encoded for the catalytic subunit of the pi 3-kinase , and daf-16 encoded for a forkhead box o ( foxo ) transcription factor downstream of the pi 3-kinase signaling cascade . since then , studies have shown that the iis pathway is evolutionarily conserved such that mutations in this pathway in flies and mice are also linked to lifespan extension ( barbieri et al . 2003 ; yen et al . 2011 ) . molecular and genetic studies in drosophila and c. elegans have identified foxo as a central regulator of lifespan ( lin et al . modulation of drosophila foxo ( dfoxo ) and c. elegans foxo ( daf-16 ) dosage can either decrease or increase the lifespan of the organism ( lin et al . importantly , advances in genomic research have led to new findings in the area of genome - wide association studies in humans . multiple human population studies have found an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms ( snps ) in human foxo3 and human lifespan extension ( lunetta et al . 2007 ; willcox et al . 2008 ; anselmi et al . 2009 ; flachsbart et al . 2009 ; li et al . 2009 ; soerensen et al . 2010 ; zeng et al . 2011 ) , and the strength of the association appears to increase with age ( flachsbart et al . therefore , foxo3 has emerged as a candidate longevity gene in humans . taken together , just over a decade from the molecular identification of daf-16 in c. elegans , multiple studies have linked snps associated with human daf-16/foxo3 and human lifespan extension . early studies on dauer larvae showed that dauers were ageless ; namely once a dauer recovers and develops into a reproductive hermaphrodite , the subsequent adult lifespan ( post - dauer ) is independent from the time spent as a dauer ( klass & hirsh 1976 ) . therefore , it was thought that daf-2 and age-1 were long lived merely due to activation of part of the dauer program manifested in the adult . however , ( kenyon et al . 1993 ) addressed these concerns by performing lifespan analyses on several other daf - c mutants ( later shown to be part of a tgf- signaling cascade ) and found that these mutants did not affect lifespan and the issue seemed resolved . however , approaches including genome- wide microarrays and unbiased lc / ms proteomics have shown that the profiles of adult long - lived daf-2 mutants are most similar to wild - type dauer larvae ( mcelwee et al . 2004 ; mcelwee et al . moreover , recent studies ( shaw et al . 2007 ) re - examined the tgf- daf - c mutants and found in contrast to earlier studies , these mutants showed lifespan extension . similarly , recent genetic data revealed that the connections between the iis pathway and the tgf- signaling pathway are intertwined to modulate both lifespan and dauer formation ( narasimhan et al . , multiple studies suggest that the longevity of daf-2 mutants is due to activation of the dauer program in the adult . despite the fact that a dauer program , an alternative hibernation state to delay reproduction until growth conditions are favorable , seems worm specific , the signaling pathways that were identified to regulate dauer formation modulate longevity from worms to mice , and why has c. elegans been used so successfully for aging research ? what would make an organism suitable for aging research ? as suggested by sydney brenner in 1963 , the ability to easily and cheaply grow large quantities of worms in the lab is very helpful for aging research , especially when identifying long - lived mutants . c. elegans also have a relatively short lifespan ( average approximately 17 days at 20 c ) , and the lifespan is largely invariant . the latter allows for identification of mutants that shorten or lengthen average lifespan by a little as 1015% and still be of statistical significance . additional benefits of using c. elegans include that the entire genome is sequenced and annotated , the availability of an rnai library comprising approx . 80% of the genes in the genome , the ease of generating transgenic strains and the recent development of gene - targeting approaches . this has allowed for extensive forward and reverse genetic screens for genes that modulate lifespan . the rnai library allows rnai to be done by feeding worms bacteria that produce the desired dsrna and then either the worm or their progeny are scored for a longevity phenotype ( ahringer 2006 ) . using genome - wide rnai feeding libraries , the importance of the mitochondria , signal transduction , the response to stress , protein translation , gene expression , and metabolism were found to modulate lifespan ( dillin et al . , 2002 ; lee et al . , 2003 ; 2005 ; hansen , hsu et al . 2005 ; hansen , taubert et al . , 2007 ) . another advantage working with c. elegans for studying the aging process is that the lifespan assay is straightforward , which allows for large numbers of worms to be assayed in a single experiment . therefore , statistical significance can be tested in addition to the analysis of mortality rates . together , these techniques allow one to comprehensively survey the worm genome for genes that modulate lifespan . this has led to the identification of more than 200 genes and regimens that modulate lifespan in c. elegans and revealed evolutionarily conserved pathways that modulate lifespan . therefore , the combination of the short , invariant lifespan , ease of assays , ample genetic , molecular and genomic tools , and evolutionary conservation has allowed c. elegans to develop into a premiere model system for aging research . despite all the excellent advantages of working with c. elegans for aging research , there are also several disadvantages for c. elegans as a model for human aging . first , c. elegans have a simple body plan , and lack many defined organs / tissues including a brain , blood , a defined fat cell , internal organs , and is evolutionarily distant from humans . second , c. elegans are also only 1 mm in length which makes biochemistry more difficult . typically , all biochemistry , microarray , immunoprecipitation , and chromatin immunoprecipitation is performed on whole worm extracts of either mixed - stage animals or animals at a similar growth stage . this may lead to limited understanding of any tissue - specific signaling such as whether a gene is expressed in the hypodermis or the intestine . finally , c. elegans cell culture is limited with no system equivalent to drosophila s2 cells . c. elegans has proved to be an invaluable animal for aging research . thus far , research has focused on the use of lifespan as a measurement of the aging process . these studies have led to the identification of hundreds of genes and regimens that modulate lifespan . although the initial studies identified genes that altered lifespan and affected dauer diapause , these signaling pathways have nonetheless identified longevity - associated pathways across phylogeny . however , to truly use c. elegans for aging research , future studies should focus on understanding the connection between longevity and how an animal ages , with a focus on health . aging involves the coordination of multiple systems in an organism and how they change as a function of time . we should strive to use model systems to reveal this systemic coordination on a molecular and genetic level , and how this leads to healthy aging rather than simply lifespan extension .

pubmed

in traditional charge - based electronics , the spin degree of freedom has not been fully explored . until recently , the scientists found that spin control and manipulation in the nano - scale can enhance operational speed and integration density of conventional charge - based electronic devices.@xcite in order to successfully use the spin degree of freedom of electrons in the conventional semiconductor devices , one has to have a good control , manipulation , and detection of the spin and its flow in nano - devices . this emerging field called spintronics is a new sub - discipline of condensed matter physics , and it is growing rapidly and generating great interests in recent years.@xcite it is well known that the spin - orbit interaction ( soi ) plays an important role in the emerging field of semiconductor spintronics . soi couples the spin degree of freedom of electrons to their orbital motions , thereby giving rise to a useful way to manipulate and control the spin of electron by an external electric field or a gate voltage . soi is an intrinsic interaction having its origin from relativistic effects that can be quite significant in some semiconductors.@xcite for instance experiments show that the significant soi indeed exist in some semiconductors,@xcite e.g. rashba soi was found in the ingaas / inalas heterostructure or inas quantum wells,@xcite and both the rashba and dresselhaus soi were detected in various iii - v material based 2d structures at room temperature,@xcite to just name a few . moreover , the strengths of these soi have been well modulated by the gate voltage experimentally.@xcite many interesting effects resulting from soi have been predicted . for example , using the effect of spin precessions due to the rashba soi , datta and das proposed a spin - transistor more than ten years ago.@xcite by using the rashba soi , a method to efficiently control and manipulate the spin of the electron in the quantum dot has been proposed.@xcite very recently , a very interesting effect , the intrinsic spin hall effect , is theoretically predicted by murakami _ et.al . _ and sinova _ et.al . _ in a luttinger soi 3d p - doped semiconductor and a rashba soi 2d electron gas,@xcite respectively , that a substantial amount of dissipationless spin current can be generated from the interplay between the electric field and the soi . since then , the spin hall effect has generated tremendous interests with a great amount of works focusing in the field of spintronics.@xcite on experimental side , two groups by kato _ et al._@xcite and wunderlich _ et al._@xcite have observed the transverse opposite spin accumulations near two edges of their devices when the longitudinal voltage bias is added . in additional , a third group by valenzuela and tinkham took the electric measurement of the reciprocal spin hall effect,@xcite and they have observed an induced transverse voltage in a diffusive metallic conductor when a longitudinal net spin current flows through it . in this paper , we study two closely related subjects that : ( i ) we predict another interesting effect that a persistent spin current without accompanying charge current exists in a coherent mesoscopic semiconductor ring with symplectic symmetry , i.e. , with soi but maintaining the time reversal symmetry ; ( ii ) we examine the issue whether it is needed to redefine the conventional spin current , or in other words , whether the conventional definition of the spin current , @xmath0,@xcite is reasonable in the presence of soi . since these two subjects are closely related , we investigate them together here . in fact , a few years ago , by using the conventional definition of the spin current rashba has found a nonzero spin current @xmath1 in an infinite two - dimensional system with rashba soi in the thermodynamic equilibrium.@xcite in his opinion , this spin current @xmath1 is not associated with real spin transport , and therefore should be eliminated in calculating the transport current by modifying the conventional definition of the spin current . after his work , many subsequent work have discussed the definition of the spin current.@xcite so to uncover the physical meaning of the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium system , we must face the question of whether one needs to redefine the spin current . more than two decades ago , the persistent ( charge ) current in a mesoscopic ring threaded by a magnetic flux has been predicted theoretically,@xcite and later observed experimentally in early 1990s.@xcite it is now well known that the persistent charge current is a pure quantum effect and can sustain without dissipation in the equilibrium case . there has also been many investigations on the persistent spin current.@xcite for example , in a mesoscopic ring with a crown - shape inhomogeneous magnetic field@xcite or threaded by a magnetic flux@xcite , the persistent spin current has been predicted and is related to the berry s phase . recently , the persistent spin current carried by bosonic excitations has also been predicted in a heisenberg ring with the magnetic field or in the ferromagnetic material.@xcite the reason that the persistent spin current exists may be explained as follows . due to the magnetic field or the magnetic flux , there are persistent flows of both spin up and down electrons . in the absence of soi , this gives rise to the well known persistent charge current . in the presence of soi or magnetic field , the persistent charge current is spin polarized resulting a nonzero persistent spin current . hence the origin of this persistent spin current is the same as that of persistent charge current so that the persistent spin current always accompanies with a persistent charge current . recently,@xcite we have reported that a persistent spin current without accompanying charge current ( a pure persistent spin current ) can sustains in a mesoscopic semiconducting ring with soi in the absence of the external magnetic field , magnetic flux , and the magnetic material . this pure persistent spin current is induced solely by soi , which is different with the pervious case . in main part of this paper , we will give detailed discussions on the existence of the persistent spin current and the behavior of the spin current . another motivation of the present paper is to study the definition of the spin current in the presence of soi . in fact , the spin current is the most important physical quantity in the field of the spintronics . so it is important to give an appropriate definition of the spin current . this problem , the discussion of the definition of the spin current , is first tackled by rashba . in a recent work by rashba,@xcite he found a nonzero spin current @xmath1 in an infinite two - dimensional system with rashba soi even in the equilibrium case by using the conventional definition of the spin current,@xcite @xmath2 . so he questioned the correctness of the conventional definition of the spin current and suggested that the conventional definition should be modified to eliminate the equilibrium non - zero spin current . besides the nonzero spin current in the equilibrium , there are others problems with the conventional definition : ( 1 ) the spin current is not conserved using the conventional definition in the presence of soi or / and the magnetic field . this is because the operator @xmath3 does not commute with the hamiltonian @xmath4 when the system has soi or / and the magnetic field . the onsager relation is violated using the conventional definition . after rashba s work , many subsequent papers have discussed the definition of the spin current.@xcite for instance , sun and xie suggested that in addition to the conventional ( linear ) spin current @xmath5 , one needs to introduce the angular spin current @xmath6 to describe the rotational motion ( precession ) of a spin,@xcite because the spin operator is a vector . similar to the conventional linear spin current , the angular spin current can also induce an electric field . al._@xcite gave a new definition of the spin current with @xmath7 , in which the operator of the spin current @xmath8 is the derivative of the whole @xmath9 . compared with the conventional definition of the spin current , it has an extra term @xmath10 in this new definition . wang _ et . al._@xcite pointed out that the spin current is automatically conserved using the conventional definition of the spin current if the spin - spin interaction is included . in the sec . vi in the present paper , we will explore the definition of the spin current . in this paper , we first give physical argument as to why the persistent spin current can exist in equilibrium . in order to show that the persistent spin current should exist in the mesoscopic system with solely soi , four physical pictures or physical argument from the different aspects will be discussed : ( i ) from the picture of electric and magnetic correspondence to analyze the driving force of persistent spin current ( in fig.1a and fig.1b ) ; ( ii ) from the point of view of the spin berry phase ; ( iii ) from the comparison among four effects , the hall effect , spin hall effect , the persistent ( charge ) current , and the persistent spin current ( see fig.2 ) ; ( iv ) from the point of view of the motion of the spin . as an example , we then consider a semiconducting soi - normal hybrid mesoscopic ring and show that indeed a pure persistent spin current can emerge with solely soi . we note that currently there is no consensus on the definition for the spin current in the presence of soi . in order to avoid the problem of the definition of the spin current , here we first use the following approach : we consider a mesoscopic hybrid ring that consists of a rashba soi s region and a normal region without soi as shown in fig.1c . since there is no spin - flip in this normal region , the definition of the spin current in that region is without controversy . so we can calculate and study the spin current in the normal region , and to make sure that the persistent spin current indeed can be induced solely by soi . after making sure the existence of the persistent spin current , we then to investigate the definition of the spin current . we point out that the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium system in the presence of the soi is the persistent spin current . it describes a real spin motion and has the physical meaning , so this spin current should be kept as it is . ( ii ) . since spin operator is a vector , it has the rotational motion ( precession ) due to the soi in accompany with the particle translational motion , so in general spin current is not a conserved quantity . in fact , there are experimental indications that the spin current is not conserved.@xcite on the other hand , in certain cases if one includes the strong spin - spin interaction into the hamiltonian , the spin current obtained from the conventional definition will be conserved automatically . it is well known that the onsager relation holds under certain condition . we will show that for the spin system , this condition does not satisfy . we think that the above three points are actually the intrinsic properties of spin transport so we feel that the conventional definition of the spin current need not to be modified.@xcite in addition , we also address the following issues . the relation between the persistent spin current and transport spin current . we note that they can not be distinguished from each other in the coherent part of the device . ( 2 ) . in calculating the persistent linear and angular spin currents in the soi s region of the soi - normal hybrid ring , we find that the persistent spin current still exists in the soi s region even if the whole ring has the soi . so the normal part is not necessary for generating the persistent spin current . the measurement of the persistent spin current is discussed , we suggest that this persistent spin current can be observed by detecting its induced electric fields . ( 4 ) . including the spin - spin interaction in the ring , we find that the persistent spin current calculated using the conventional definition is a conserved quantity . the rest of the paper is organized as follows . in section ii , we provide physical arguments and physical pictures from four different aspects to show the existence of the persistent spin current . in section iii , we consider a soi - normal hybrid mesoscopic semiconducting ring device to show that indeed a pure persistent spin current can emerge in the normal region where the definition of the spin current is without controversy . then the effect of sharp interface between the soi s region and the normal region , and the relation of the persistent spin current and the transport spin current , are discussed in section iv and v , respectively . in section vi , we study the definition of the spin current . in section vii , the persistent linear and angular spin current in the soi s region as well some conserved quantities in the hybrid ring device are explored . in section viii , we investigate electric fields induced by the persistent spin current . this provides a way to detect the persistent spin current . in section ix , we discuss the effect of spin - spin interaction in the ring which makes the persistent spin current conserved . finally , section x summarizes the results of our work . in this section , we argue that the pure persistent spin current ( without accompanying charge current ) should exist in the mesoscopic semiconducting ring device with the soi . in particularly , this pure persistent spin current can be induced solely by soi even at zero magnetic flux or magnetic field . we examine this new effect from following four different aspects . for the persistent charge current in the mesoscopic ring , the magnetic flux or magnetic field acts like a `` driving force '' , so one naturally looks for the analogous `` driving force '' in the spin case . to discuss this question , let us consider two devices . the first device consists of a mesoscopic ring ( without soi ) where a magnetic atom with a magnetic dipole moment is placed at the center of the ring ( see fig.1a ) . in the second device the magnetic atom is replaced by a charged atom , e.g. , an ion ( see fig.1b ) . the magnetic atom produces a vector potential @xmath11 on the perimeter of the ring which drives the persistent charge current . by analogy , a charged atom which produces a scalar potential @xmath12 on the perimeter of the same ring should drive a persistent spin current.@xcite since the presence of this ionic center generates a soi in the relativistic limit , we expect that this soi which plays the role of the spin `` driving force '' will induce a pure persistent spin current . in addition , from the picture of electric and magnetic correspondence , the persistent charge current in the ring should also change into the persistent spin current , when the center magnetic atom ( in fig.1a ) is substituted by a charged atom ( in fig.1b ) . second , the existence of the pure persistent spin current can be examined from another point of view using the spin berry phase.@xcite this physical arguments has been provided in detail in our previous letter ( see the 4-th paragraph in ref.@xcite ) , so we omit the discussion here . in the following , let us compare the four effects : the hall effect , the spin hall effect , the persistent charge current , and the persistent spin current , from which one expect that the persistent spin current should exist in the mesoscopic ring with solely soi . \(i ) we consider a four - terminal device with a bias @xmath13 added between the terminals 1 and 3 and a perpendicular magnetic field @xmath14 ( as shown in fig.2a ) . for this system there exists the hall effect , and a charge current is induced in the transverse terminals 2 and 4 . ( ii ) replacing the perpendicular magnetic field by the soi ( see fig.2b ) , a spin current emerges ( instead of the charge current ) in the transversal terminals 2 and 4 . this is the spin hall effect predicted recently and generated tremendous interests.@xcite ( iii ) consider a mesoscopic ring with a perpendicular magnetic field ( see fig.2c ) , a persistent charge current is induced in the ring . this is the persistent current , which is well known now.@xcite ( iv ) by analogy , a persistent spin current instead of the persistent charge current should be induced when the soi replaces the perpendicular magnetic field ( see fig.2d ) . let us discuss the hamiltonian in four devices in fig.2 . ( i ) in fig.2a , the hamiltonian is @xmath15 , and there exists the hall effect because of the vector potential @xmath11 . ( ii ) to replace @xmath11 by the rashba soi with @xmath16 , the hall effect change into the spin hall effect , and a spin current instead of the charge current emerges in the terminals 2 and 4 ( see fig.2b ) . ( iii ) in fig.2c , the hamiltonian is @xmath17 , and there exist the persistent charge current in the ring because of the vector potential @xmath11 . ( iv ) by analogy , when @xmath11 is replaced by the rashba soi , a persistent spin current should emerge instead of the persistent charge current . by analyzing the motion of the spin , including the translational and rotational motion ( precession ) of a spin , one can also show the existence of the persistent spin current in the mesoscopic device with the soi.@xcite in order to analyze the motion of the spin , we need to solve the wave - functions of the electron , so we put this analysis in the appendix , where the wave - functions have been solved . in this section , we present an example to show that indeed a pure persistent spin current can exist for a mesoscopic semiconducting ring with soi . in the presence of soi , the spin of an electron experiences a torque and hence @xmath18 ( @xmath19 ) is not a good quantum number anymore . because of this , the spin current is not conserved using the conventional definition . at present there are controversies on whether one should define a conserved spin current or whether there exists a conserved spin current.@xcite in another word , so far there is no consensus on the definition for the spin current in the presence of soi . in this section , we use the following approach . we first discuss the persistent spin current for a one - dimensional mesoscopic semiconducting ring that consists of a rashba soi s region and a normal region without soi as shown in fig.1c . since there is no spin - flip in the normal region , the spin current can be calculated using conventional definition without controversy , so that we can make sure the existence of the persistent spin current in the equilibrium case with solely soi . after we make sure the existence of the persistent spin current , we then go back to examine the definition of the spin current , which is given in section vi . the hamiltonian of our system is given by:@xcite @xmath20 -i \frac{\alpha_r(\varphi)}{2a}\sigma_{\varphi}\ ] ] where @xmath21 , @xmath22 is the radius of the ring , @xmath23 is the effective mass of the electron , @xmath24 , and @xmath25 . @xmath26 is the strength of the rashba soi , @xmath27 while @xmath28 , i.e. in the normal region , and @xmath26 is a constant @xmath29 in the soi s region with @xmath30 . the eigenstates of hamiltonian ( 1 ) can be solved numerically in the following way . first in the rashba soi s region ( @xmath31 ) , the equation @xmath32 has four independent solutions @xmath33 ( @xmath34):@xcite @xmath35 and @xmath36 with @xmath37 being the time - reversal operator . in eq.(2 ) , the wave vectors @xmath38 , and the angle @xmath39 is given by @xmath40 . similarly , in the normal region ( @xmath41 ) , the sch@xmath42dinger equation has four independent solutions : @xmath43 , @xmath44 , and @xmath45 , with @xmath46 . secondly , the eigen wave function @xmath47 with the eigen energy @xmath48 can be represented as : @xmath49 where @xmath50 and @xmath51 ( @xmath34 ) are constants to be determined by the boundary conditions at the interfaces @xmath52 and @xmath53 . here the boundary conditions are the continuity of the wave function @xmath54 and the continuity of its flux@xcite @xmath55 , where @xmath56 $ ] is the velocity operator . by using the boundary conditions , we obtain eight series of linear equations : @xmath57 @xmath58 @xmath59 @xmath60 @xmath61 @xmath62 @xmath63 @xmath64 where @xmath65 and @xmath66 . the eigenvalue @xmath67 can be solved numerically by setting the determinant of the coefficient of the variables @xmath50 and @xmath51 in the above eight series of linear equations to zero . now we present the numerical results . fig.3a shows the eigen values @xmath67 versus the rashba soi s strength @xmath29 . for the normal ring ( @xmath68 ) , the eigenvalues are @xmath69 with fourfold degeneracy , and the corresponding eigenstates are @xmath70 and @xmath71.@xcite as the soi is turned on the degenerate energy levels split while maintaining twofold kramers degeneracy . the higher the energy level , the larger this energy split . typically , the splits are on the order of @xmath72 at @xmath73 , with @xmath74 for the ring s radius @xmath75 and the effective mass @xmath76 . the eigenvalues @xmath67 versus the normal region s angle @xmath53 are also shown ( see fig.3b ) . for @xmath77 , the whole ring is normal and @xmath67 are fourfold degenerate.@xcite when @xmath53 is away from @xmath78 , the degenerated levels are split into two , and the splits are larger with the smaller @xmath53 . when @xmath79 , the whole ring has the rashba soi , and the split reaches the maximum . since @xmath67 is twofold degenerate , we obtain two eigenstates for each @xmath67 , which are labeled @xmath80 and @xmath81.@xcite with the wave functions , the spin current contributed from the level @xmath82 can be calculated straightforwardly using the conventional definition @xmath83 ( @xmath19 ) . notice that the spin current @xmath84 is a tensor , where @xmath85 in the cylinder coordinates and @xmath86 in the orthogonal coordinates . the first index @xmath87 describes the direction of the motion of the electron , and the second index @xmath88 represents the direct of the spin . because the device in the present paper is a ring , the motion of the electron has no components along radial ( @xmath89 ) and @xmath90 axis . hence the spin currents @xmath91 and @xmath92 ( @xmath93 ) are zero . only spin current @xmath94 with the electron moving along the @xmath95 direction is non - zero . to simplify the notation , hereafter we use the symbol @xmath96 to replace @xmath97 . since there is a controversy about the definition of spin current in the soi s region , we will calculate the spin current only in the normal region in this section . the spin current in the soi s region will be studied in the section vii after the definition of the spin current is investigated in the section vi . in the normal region , the spin current is conserved , so @xmath98 is independent of the angle coordinate @xmath95 . fig.4 shows the spin current @xmath96 versus the rashba soi s strength @xmath29 for @xmath99.@xcite since @xmath67 is twofold degenerate , the wave - functions can be arbitrary combination of @xmath80 and @xmath81 . but the spin current @xmath96 remains the same . our results in fig.4 show that @xmath100 is exactly zero for all level @xmath82 while @xmath99 , and @xmath101 and @xmath102 exhibit the oscillatory pattern with @xmath29 . a @xmath103-phase shift between @xmath101 and @xmath102 is observed with @xmath104 approximately constant . for two adjacent levels @xmath105 and @xmath106 , their spin current have opposite signs , and @xmath107 if @xmath108 . we note that the spin current @xmath96 is quite large . for example , the value @xmath109 is equivalent to the spin current of a moving electron in the ring with its speed @xmath110 . the spin current @xmath96 versus the angle @xmath53 that describes the normal region at a fixed @xmath111 is shown in fig.5 . when @xmath112 , the whole ring is normal , @xmath101 and @xmath102 are exactly zero . however , @xmath100 is non - zero ( see fig.5a ) . note that @xmath113 ( @xmath114 ) and @xmath115 at @xmath112 , so the total spin current @xmath116 is still identically zero because that the ( 2n-1)-th and the 2n - th states are degenerate and have the same occupied probability at @xmath112 . when @xmath117 where part of the ring has the soi , three components @xmath118 of the spin current can be non - zero . for the larger n , the absolute value of the spin current @xmath119 is larger . for two adjacent levels @xmath105 and @xmath106 , their spin current have opposite signs , which is similar to the result of fig.4 . now we calculate the equilibrium total spin current @xmath120 contributed from all occupied energy levels : @xmath121 , where @xmath122 + 1\}$ ] is the fermi distribution with the fermi energy @xmath123 and the temperature @xmath124 and the factor @xmath125 is due to the kramers degeneracy . the persistent charge current and the equilibrium spin accumulation are found to be zero because the system has the time - reversal symmetry . fig.6a , b show the total spin currents @xmath120 versus the rashba soi s strength @xmath29 for different fermi energy @xmath123 . one of the main results is that the spin current indeed is non - zero when @xmath126 . the persistent spin currents @xmath120 in fig.6 have the following features . at @xmath68 the whole ring is normal , so @xmath120 is exactly zero . with increasing @xmath29 , @xmath120 increases initially and then oscillates for the large @xmath29 . in fig.6a , b , the parameter @xmath53 is @xmath127 , i.e. half of the ring is normal and the other half of the ring has the soi , then @xmath116 is zero , and only @xmath128 and @xmath129 are non - zero . if @xmath130 , the components @xmath131 can be non - zero . at certain @xmath29 , there is a jump in the curve of @xmath120 versus @xmath29 . this is because for this @xmath29 the fermi energy @xmath123 is in line with a level @xmath67 , leading to a change of its occupation . at zero temperature , the jump is abrupt as shown in fig.6a , b . but at finite temperature , this jump will be washed out . in fact , these results are similar to the persistent ( charge ) current in the mesoscopic ring.@xcite the spin current @xmath120 versus the angle @xmath53 of normal region at a fixed @xmath111 is shown in fig.6c , d . when @xmath112 , the whole ring is normal , we have @xmath132 . when @xmath53 is away from @xmath78 , the spin current @xmath131 emerges . for some fermi energy a jump appears in the curve @xmath120-@xmath53 ( as shown in fig.6c ) , which behaviors is similar as the jump in the curve @xmath120-@xmath29 . for other fermi energies , however , the jump in the curve @xmath120 versus @xmath53 ( see fig.6d ) disappears when the fermi energy @xmath123 is not in line with the level @xmath67 at all values of @xmath53 . in particular , in the limit when @xmath53 goes to zero , i.e. when there is no normal region in the ring , the spin current @xmath116 and @xmath129 still exist . this indicates that the normal region is not necessary for generating @xmath120 . in the above numerical calculation , the temperature @xmath124 is set to zero . now we consider the effect of the finite temperature @xmath124 . fig.7 shows the persistent spin currents @xmath133 versus the strength of soi @xmath29 at @xmath99 with the different temperatures @xmath134 . when the temperature @xmath135 , the spin currents @xmath136 are the largest and @xmath120 shows a jump if the fermi energy @xmath123 is in line with a level @xmath67 . with the increase of the temperature from zero , this jump is smoothed , and the spin currents @xmath136 at these @xmath29 near the point of the jump ( e.g. @xmath137 in fig.7 ) decreases sharply even at the very low temperature . but the spin currents @xmath136 at these @xmath29 that are far away from this point of jump ( e.g. @xmath138 in fig.7 ) are not effected very much by the temperature @xmath139 even for @xmath139 reaching @xmath140 . upon further the temperature @xmath139 is raised and on the same order of the energy - level interval , the spin currents @xmath120 is reduced for all values @xmath29 . this is because the probability of occupation , i.e. @xmath141 , of the energy level vary smoothly versus the level index @xmath82 and the spin current due to the adjacent levels are opposite in sign . however , even when @xmath139 reaching @xmath142 , the persistent spin current @xmath120 is still quite large . for the ring s radius @xmath75 and the effective mass @xmath76 , @xmath72 is about @xmath143 . then the temperature @xmath124 is approximately @xmath144 at @xmath145 . this temperature @xmath124 is easily reached at the present technology.@xcite in the above section , the coefficient rashba soi @xmath26 vary sharply in the interface of the normal and soi s part . now we examine the effect of sharp interface . let us consider a hybrid ring device with the soi coefficient @xmath26 varying continuously along the ring . the hamiltonian is same as eq.(1 ) , with @xmath27 for @xmath146 and @xmath147 for @xmath148 . in this case , both @xmath26 and @xmath149 are continuous at the interfaces @xmath52 and @xmath127 . in this section , we show that persistent spin current still exists for a hybrid ring device with soi varying continuously along the ring . for this continuous varying rashba soi coefficient @xmath26 , the hamiltonian can not be solved analytically . here we numerically solve this hamiltonian by using the discrete tight - binding model . notice that @xmath150 -i \alpha_r(\varphi)\sigma_{\varphi}/(2a ) = -\frac{i}{2a}\left [ \alpha_r(\varphi ) \sigma_{r } \frac{\partial}{\partial \varphi } + \frac{\partial}{\partial \varphi } \sigma_{r } \alpha_r(\varphi ) \right ] $ ] , and the discretized hamiltonian discrete becomes,@xcite @xmath151 where @xmath152 and @xmath153 are annihilation and creation operators at the point @xmath87 , @xmath154 is the number of the points in the ring , @xmath155 is the angle between two neighboring points , @xmath156 , @xmath157 , and @xmath158 . in the above hamiltonian , the point index @xmath159 is same with the point index @xmath160 . then by calculating the eigen - values and eigen - vectors of the hamiltonian matrix with the dimension @xmath154 , the eigen - values @xmath67 and the eigen wave - functions @xmath161 ( @xmath162 ) of the ring device can be easily solved.@xcite after solving the eigen wave - functions @xmath161 , the spin current @xmath163 ( @xmath164 ) in the normal region can be obtained straightforwardly from @xmath165 in order to show that the above method is correct and reliable , we first solve the model of the section iii again , with the sharp varying soi s coefficient @xmath26 : @xmath27 while @xmath166 and @xmath167 while @xmath168 . the results of the eigen - energies are shown in fig.8 . when the number of points @xmath169 , we can see that the eigen - energies from the above discrete method are quite different from the exact values obtained from the method in the section iii ( see fig.8a ) . but with increasing @xmath154 ( e.g. @xmath170 ) , this difference become very small ( see fig.8b ) ) . when @xmath171 , the eigen - energies from the discrete method are in excellent agreement with the exact results ( see fig.8c ) . this means that our results using the above discrete method converges for large @xmath154 . since @xmath67 is twofold degenerate , the arbitrary combination @xmath172 still is the eigen wave - functions , so the wave - function is un - certain . in the following we examine the correctness of our spin current @xmath173 ( @xmath19 ) , which is calculated from the wave - functions . fig.9 shows the spin currents @xmath101 contributed from the level @xmath82 for the case of the sharp varying soi , and it shows that the results of the spin current of the above discrete method are also in excellent agreement with the exact result at large @xmath154 . in particular , it is surprising that the number of points @xmath154 need not to be very large . for @xmath170 , the difference between numerical and the exact results is already very small , and for @xmath171 , there is almost no difference . now we are ready to examine the effect of sharp interface . fig.10 shows the results of the hybrid ring with soi varying continuously along the ring , with @xmath27 for @xmath146 and @xmath174 for @xmath148 otherwise . fig.10a , b , and c are for the eigen values , the spin current @xmath101 contributed from the level @xmath82 , and the equilibrium total spin current @xmath120 in the normal region versus @xmath29 , respectively . the eigen values are four - fold degenerate at @xmath108 , and this degeneracies are split into two twofold kramers degenerated states . the spin current @xmath101 contributed from the level @xmath82 oscillates with @xmath108 . these results of the eigen values and @xmath101 are similar to case of the sharp interface . in particularly , the results show that the ( equilibrium ) persistent spin current @xmath120 is still non - zero and has a quite large value ( see fig.10c , d ) . this indicates that the persistent spin current @xmath120 indeed is originated from the soi , and it is not the artifact of sharp interface . through the physical arguments and physical pictures from four different aspects in the section ii , and the analytic results of an example of a soi - normal ring ( in which the definition of the spin current is without controversy in the normal region ) in the section iii , as well as the discussion concerning the interface in the section iv , so far we have plenty evidence to demonstrate that the persistent spin current indeed exists in a mesoscopic semiconducting ring device with an intrinsic soi . this persistent spin current can be induced solely by a soi , and it exists in an equilibrium mesoscopic device without a magnetic field , a magnetic flux , and in the absence of any magnetic materials . besides the above mentioned ring geometry , we find that the device can also be of other shapes,@xcite e.g. , a disc device , a quantum wire , a two - dimensional system , _ etc_. thus , it is a generic feature that a pure persistent spin current appears in a system with soi . in this section , we will discuss the relation between the persistent spin current and the normal transport spin current . first let us review and discuss the relation of the persistent ( charge ) current and the transport ( charge ) current in a mesoscopic ring device . to consider a mesoscopic ring threaded by a magnetic flux coupled to two leads ( the lead - l and the lead - r ) which act as the electron reservoirs ( see fig.11a ) . there exists dissipation in the two leads and they are always in equilibrium for an isolated lead - l(r ) . the size of the ring is assumed within the coherent length and no dissipation in the ring . at zero bias ( i.e. the equilibrium case ) , the transport charge current is zero everywhere , including the two leads and the ring , but the persistent charge current exists only in the ring , but not the leads because of presence of dissipation in the leads . if a non - zero bias is added between two leads , a transport charge current flows from one lead through the ring to the other lead , so there exists both transport and persistent charge currents in the ring but only the transport current in the leads because of dissipation . in other words , at a finite bias , the charge currents @xmath175 in the two arms of the ring are the sum of the transport currents @xmath176 and the persistent current @xmath177 : @xmath178 and @xmath179 . can one distinguish the transport charge currents @xmath176 and the persistent charge current @xmath177 ? in fact , they ( @xmath176 and @xmath177 ) can not be distinguished either in theory or in experiment . the transport charge currents @xmath176 and the persistent charge current @xmath177 in the ring have identical behaviors , both of them are dissipationless@xcite , capable of inducing a magnetic field , _ etc_. so in principle only the total charge currents @xmath175 in the arms are observable physical quantities . if some dissipative impurities are introduced in the ring , then the transport charge currents @xmath176 show dissipation while the persistent charge current @xmath177 does not . under this circumstance , can one distinguish the transport currents @xmath176 and the persistent currents @xmath177 ? it turns out that one can still not distinguish these types of currents . when dissipative impurities are introduced , the original dissipationless ring is changed into a new different ring , in which the persistent charge current @xmath177 is quenched while the transport charge currents @xmath176 are normally reduced due to dissipation . thus , it is impossible to obtain @xmath176 and @xmath177 of the original dissipationless ring . the relation between the persistent spin current and the transport spin current is identical to the relation between the two charge currents discussed above . consider that part of a mesoscopic ring contains a soi but without a magnetic flux , and with two leads coupled to this ring ( see fig.11b ) . in the equilibrium case , a persistent spin current emerges in the ring , neither the transport spin current nor the persistent spin current is present in the leads . under a spin - motive force,@xcite a transport spin current flows from one lead through the ring to the other lead . the persistent spin current in the leads is always absent independent of with or without a spin - motive force due to dissipation . on the other hand , with a spin motive force , both persistent spin current and the transport spin current exist in the ring . similarly to the charge currents , both persistent spin current @xmath180 and transport spin currents @xmath181 in the two arms of the ring are indistinguishable since they behave identically in all physically measurable properties . both of them are dissipationless@xcite , describing the real spin motion , capable of inducing an electric field , and so on . from the sections ii , iii , and iv , we have made sure that the persistent spin current exists in the equilibrium mesoscopic semiconducting device in the presence of soi . in this section , we examine the definition of the spin current . the first work to question the conventional definition of the spin current is by rashba.@xcite after that , many subsequent papers have discussed the definition of the spin current as mentioned in the introduction.@xcite in summary,@xcite in the presence of soi one faces three problems when using the conventional definition @xmath182:@xcite ( i ) there exists a non - zero spin current even in the equilibrium system , ( ii ) the spin current usually is non - conservative , and ( iii ) the onsager relation is violated . therefore suggestions have been made in previous papers that one needs to modify the conventional definition of the spin current . in the following , we examine these three problems in detail and we argue that there is no need to modify this conventional definition@xcite @xmath182 . * ( i ) the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium system : * from the investigation and the discussion in the sections ii , iii , and iv , we have clearly shown that this non - zero spin current is the persistent spin current . it describes the real motion of spins , has the physical meaning , and can be observed in the experiment in principle ( see the section viii ) . so this non - zero spin current should be kept in the calculation of the total spin current . * ( ii ) non - conservation of the spin current : * in this sub - section , we argue that in general the spin current is not conserved in the presence of the soi or / and the magnetic field . however , in certain cases , the spin current can be conserved by including the strong spin - spin interaction . let us analyze this problem from the both aspects of the theory and experiment . in the aspect of the theory , we give two examples of the non - conserved spin current ( for intuition the readers can also consider the spin as a classic vector ) . first , we want to show that in general if the system has spin flip mechanism , the spin current will not be conserved . for instance , in the presence of a rotating magnetic field or circular polarized light@xcite the spin current exists in a device connected to only one terminal . this one terminal device and its spin translational motion and precession are as shown in fig.12a . here at @xmath183 , the spin is without precession , and the spin pointing to the @xmath184-direction moves along the @xmath185-direction while the spin pointing to the @xmath186-direction moves along the opposite direction . so it has a non - zero spin current @xmath187 at @xmath183 . near the point @xmath188 where the quantum dot located , the spin precesses and is flipped due to the presence of a rotating magnetic field or circularly polarized light.@xcite then the spin accumulation does not vary with time and the system maintains the steady state . it is obvious that the spin current is not conserved because of only one terminal in this device . in the second theoretical example , to consider the spin translational motion and precession on a ring as shown in fig.12b . at point a with its angular coordinate @xmath52 , the spin pointing to @xmath185-direction moves down while the spin pointing to @xmath189-direction moves up , then the non - zero element of the spin current is @xmath190 . at another point b with its angular coordinate @xmath191 , the spin pointing to @xmath192-direction moves along the @xmath185-axis and the spin pointing to @xmath186-direction moves along the @xmath189-axis , then the non - zero element of the spin current is @xmath193 . so it is obvious that the spin current is not conserved in this ring device , but the spin accumulation still keep invariant . in fact , this example is similar to the persistent spin current in the mesoscopic ring while the whole ring has the soi ( see the section vii.c and the appendix ) , in which the motion of the @xmath194-@xmath184- plane elements of the spin is as in the fig.12b and the spin accumulation is zero everywhere . in addition , there are experimental indications that the spin current is not conserved . for example , let us consider the experimental result by valenzuela and tinkham.@xcite in this experiment , they have clearly shown that a pure spin current injects from the fm1 electrode into the al strip , reduces with its flowing forward because of the spin flip , and finally disappears while the distance much longer than the spin diffusion length ( see fig.1a , b , c , and fig.4 in ref.@xcite ) . this experimental result gives a strong proof of that the spin current should be non - conserved in the presence of the soi , the magnetic field , the magnetic impurity , or others . * ( iii ) violation of the onsager relation : * the onsager reciprocal relation is an important theorem of the near - equilibrium transport theory . up to now , the onsager reciprocal relation is always satisfied for transport of any physical quantity ( e.g. the charge transport , thermal transport , etc ) by suitably defining a corresponding current . however , in the following we point out that the onsager relation for the spin transport is in general violated . in particular , it is impossible to restore the onsager relation regardless of how to modify the definition of the spin current . this is very different from all previous cases . in this sub - section , we first recall the tenable condition of the onsager reciprocal relation , and then examine the case of the spin current . we find that the spin transport does not always meet this condition no matter how to define the spin current , although this condition is met for all previous transport phenomena people have studied . so the onsager relation is in general violated for the spin transport . first , let us recall the tenable condition of the onsager relation . considering the currents @xmath195 and its corresponding forces @xmath196 , and they have the following relationships : @xmath197 where @xmath198 is the conductivity . _ if _ the local entropy production @xmath199 per unit time can be expressed as : @xmath200 , there exists an onsager relation @xmath201 ( assuming that the system has the time - reversal symmetry ) . next , we give an intuitive example to show the tenable condition of the onsager relation . let us consider the charge conductivity in the two - dimensional system . to take the vectors @xmath202 and @xmath203 ( as shown in fig.13a ) as the base vectors of the charge current and its force [ i.e. the gradient of the potential , @xmath204 , the equation ( [ eq14 ] ) becomes : @xmath205 in this case , the onsager relation is tenable , and @xmath206 . if taking the non - orthonormal vectors @xmath202 and @xmath207 ( as shown in fig.13b ) as the base vectors of the current and the force , the onsager relation will be violated as shown in the following . for the base vectors @xmath202 and @xmath207 , any current vector @xmath208 and force vector @xmath209 can still be expressed as : @xmath210 and @xmath211 . then it is easily to obtain the relation between @xmath212 and @xmath213 : @xmath214 where @xmath215 so under the base vectors @xmath202 and @xmath207 , the eq.([eq15 ] ) changes to : @xmath216 it is obvious that the two off - diagonal elements of the conductivity in the above equation are not equal , so the onsager relation is violated in the non - orthonormal base vectors @xmath202 and @xmath207 . in fact , for the charge current , the onsager relation is only tenable under the orthonormal and linear independent base vectors . now , let us discuss the spin current . the spin current has @xmath217 elements and the charge current has @xmath218 elements . so here the current @xmath208 ( including spin and charge ) and the corresponding force @xmath219 totally has @xmath220 elements and the conductivity has @xmath221 elements . for simplicity and clarity , we consider a one - dimensional system and the electron can only move along the @xmath194 axis . in this case , the current @xmath208 and the force @xmath219 have only 4 non - zero elements , and they are : @xmath222 where @xmath223 ( @xmath19 ) is the spin chemical potential and @xmath224 is the ( charge ) chemical potential.@xcite the spin chemical potential @xmath223 means that the electron of the spin pointing to @xmath225 and @xmath226-direction occupy up to @xmath227 and @xmath228 ( shown in fig.13c , d , e ) , respectively . then the eq.([eq14 ] ) becomes : @xmath229 and the conductivity has @xmath230 elements . now we show that the spin transport does not meet the tenable condition of the onsager relation . first , the three base vectors @xmath18 ( @xmath19 ) are not orthonormal , and it is impossible to find a series of the orthonormal base vectors regardless of what combination of the three @xmath18 . in addition , once the spin chemical potential of one component is fixed , the other two spin potentials @xmath223 can not exist . for example , if we give the value for the spin potential @xmath231 , this means that the electron of the spin along @xmath232 direction occupies up to @xmath233 and the electron of the spin at @xmath234 direction occupies up to @xmath235 if @xmath236 ( see fig.13e),@xcite and the electron occupational state has completely been determined . then one can not further specify the spin states and the corresponding occupation number along @xmath185 and @xmath189 ( or @xmath192 and @xmath186 ) . therefore , while giving the value for one component of the spin potential , e.g. @xmath231 , the others @xmath237 and @xmath238 do not exist . this conclusion hold even for spin free and conserved system with @xmath239=0 $ ] for all @xmath88 ( @xmath19 ) . due to the fact that three spin potentials @xmath223 can not be simultaneously evaluated , the eq.([eq20 ] ) [ i.e. the eq.([eq14 ] ) ] does not exist for the spin transport , regardless of how to define the spin current . therefore there is no onsager relation in spin transport , and it is impossible to restore the onsager relation by modifying the definition of the spin current . in fact , the onsager relation is not satisfied for any existing definitions of the spin current . furthermore , we can also use the four normal terminal device ( as the device in ref.@xcite ) to examine the onsager relation . because the four terminal leads are normal metal without the soi , there is no spin - flip . for this system , there is no controversy for the definition of the spin current in the terminal leads . therefore we can avoid the definition of the spin current and examine the onsager relation . the results also show that the onsager relation does not exist for the spin transport . this gives an additional proof . we wish to mention that because @xmath231 and @xmath240 ( or @xmath237 and @xmath240 , or @xmath238 and @xmath240 ) can be determined simultaneously , the onsager relation for @xmath241 ( or @xmath242 , or @xmath243 ) might exist,@xcite e.g. , in the suitable boundary condition in the four terminal device.@xcite however , it is impossible that six relations ( @xmath241 , @xmath242 , @xmath243 , @xmath244 , @xmath245 , and @xmath246 ) are satisfied simultaneously.@xcite for three - dimensional systems , the conductivity has @xmath247 elements @xmath198 , similar conclusion applies , i.e. , it is impossible that @xmath248 are satisfied for all off - diagonal matrix element simultaneously . * ( iv ) discussions * from the discussion in the last three sub - sections , we have clearly shown that ( i ) the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium soi s device is the persistent spin current , ( ii ) in general the spin current is not conserved , and ( iii ) the onsager relation is violated for the spin transport . in particular , it can not be restored regardless of how to modify the definition of the spin current . therefore the three `` flaws '' of the conventional definition of the spin current , which has been mentioned and commented in some previous papers , are intrinsic properties of spin transport . in addition , the conventional definition has very clear physical intuition and has described the spin motion very well . using this conventional definition , one can account for many effects that relate the spin transport,@xcite e.g. , the heat produced by the spin current , the spin currents induced electric field , and the force and the torque acting on the spin current in the presence of electric field . therefore we make the conclusion that there is no need to modify the conventional definition @xmath249.@xcite before the end of this section , we wish to mention that if the spin - spin interaction is included into the hamiltonian , the spin current calculated using the conventional definition will be conserved automatically.@xcite we will discuss this in detail in section ix . we also note that our discussion above does not contradict with the angular spin current in our previous paper by sun and xie.@xcite to see this , let us first recall the ( linear ) velocity @xmath250 and the angular velocity @xmath251 . ( a ) the ( linear ) velocity @xmath252 ( or the velocity operator @xmath253 ) can describe the translational motion of the vector ( or the rigid body ) and there is no need to modify this velocity definition @xmath252 . ( b ) on the other hand , the vector has the rotational degrees of freedom except for its translational motion , so we need to introduce the angular velocity @xmath251 to describe its rotational motion . we emphasize that two statements ( a ) and ( b ) do not contradict to each other and can be rephrased as ( a ) the ( linear ) spin current @xmath254 can describe the translational motion of the spin and there is no need to modify its definition . ( b ) on the other hand , the spin has the rotational degrees of freedom ( precession ) except for its translational motion , so we need to introduce the angular spin current @xmath255 to describe its rotational motion.@xcite after clarifying the definition of the spin current , we return to discuss the persistent spin current in the soi s region of the normal - soi ring in this section . in the sub - section a , we investigate the linear and angular persistent spin current . in the sub - section b , we show that the persistent spin current still exists even using the new definition of the spin current as in ref . the case of entire ring with soi is studied in the sub - section c. at the last sub - section d , we present some conserved quantities that are related to the persistent spin current . from the definition of the ( linear ) spin current @xmath256 , for a ring device we have : @xmath257 \psi\ } \\ i_{sy}(\varphi ) & = & i m \ { \psi^{\dagger}[\sigma_y a e_a \frac{\partial}{\partial \varphi } + \frac{i\alpha_r(\varphi)}{2}\sin \varphi ] \psi\ } \\ i_{sz}(\varphi ) & = & i m \ { \psi^{\dagger}[\sigma_z a e_a \frac{\partial}{\partial \varphi } ] \psi\ } \end{array}\right.\end{aligned}\ ] ] to make the above equations discrete , @xmath258 changes into @xmath259 : @xmath260\right\ } \\ i_{sy , j } & = & a e_a i m \left\ { \psi_j^{\dagger}\left[\sigma_y \frac{\psi_{j+1}-\psi_{j-1}}{2\delta\varphi } + \frac{i\alpha_{r , j}}{2e_a a}\sin ( j\delta\varphi)\psi_j\right]\right\ } \\ i_{sz , j } & = & a e_a i m \left\ { \psi_j^{\dagger } \sigma_z \frac{\psi_{j+1}-\psi_{j-1}}{2\delta\varphi } \right\ } \end{array}\right.\end{aligned}\ ] ] let us calculate the angular spin current @xmath261,@xcite which describes the rotational motion ( precession ) of the spin . for a ring device with the hamiltonian of eq.(1 ) , one has : @xmath262 where @xmath263 . using the cylindrical coordinates , @xmath264 . then the angular spin current can be calculated from its definition,@xcite @xmath265 straightforwardly , so does its discrete version : @xmath266\right\}\\ i_{\omega z , j } & = & re \left\ { \psi^{\dagger}_j \frac{-i}{2a } \left [ \sigma_{\varphi , j}\alpha_{r , j}\frac{\psi_{j+1 } -\psi_{j-1}}{2\delta\varphi } + \frac{\sigma_{\varphi , j+1}\alpha_{r , j+1}\psi_{j+1 } -\sigma_{\varphi , j-1}\alpha_{r , j-1}\psi_{j-1}}{2\delta\varphi } \right]\right\ } \end{array}\right.\end{aligned}\ ] ] since the wave function @xmath80 for each eigenstate is known from the section iii or iv , the ( linear ) spin current @xmath96 and the angular spin current @xmath267 from the @xmath82-th state can be easily obtained . using the exact method in the section iii or the discrete method in the section iv , we find that the results for @xmath96 and @xmath267 match perfectly . fig.14 shows the linear spin current @xmath118 ( i.e. the element in the orthogonal coordinates ) and the angular spin current @xmath268 ( i.e. the element in the cylindrical coordinates ) versus the angular coordinates @xmath95 . in the normal region , @xmath118 is conserved and is independent of the coordinates @xmath95 , and @xmath268 is zero , since the spin has only the translational motion without the precession there . on the other hand , in the soi region , except for @xmath269 , the ( linear ) spin current @xmath270 and the angular spin current @xmath268 are all non - zero and non - conserved , because of the spin precession in the presence of the soi . the linear spin current @xmath271 versus @xmath95 is always continuous , even at the interface between the normal region and the soi region where the strength of soi @xmath26 changes abruptly . but the angular spin current @xmath272 versus @xmath95 shows a jump whenever @xmath26 versus @xmath95 has as abrupt change , as shown in fig.14d , e , and f. the jump position of @xmath273 is located at the abrupt point of @xmath26 . the spin currents @xmath96 ( and @xmath274 ) versus @xmath95 for the states with the same - parity , e.g. @xmath275 , or @xmath276 , are similar in shape ( see fig.14a , c , d , and f ) , but the value of @xmath119 ( or @xmath277 ) is much larger for a larger @xmath82 . thus , the spin current from the highest occupied level dominates in the ( total ) persistent spin current . fig.15 shows the total persistent spin current @xmath131 versus the angular coordinates @xmath95 for different fermi energies the persistent spin current is conserved in the normal region but not so in the soi region because of the spin precession . due to the fact that the spin current @xmath278 from the highest occupied level @xmath279 dominates in @xmath131 , @xmath131 behaves similarly as @xmath278 ( see fig.14 and fig.15 ) . we have clarified and demonstrated that the conventional definition of the spin current makes sense in the section vi . however , in this sub - section , we present our calculated results of the persistent spin current by using the new definition of the spin current as appeared in ref . , and discuss its consequences . in the normal region , the persistent spin current @xmath280 is the same regardless which definition is used . but in the soi region , @xmath280 depends on the definition . in the following let us discuss @xmath280 in the soi region . by using the new definition in ref.@xcite , @xmath281 \psi$ ] , the spin current from the level @xmath82 , then the total persistent spin current , depends on the choice of the coordinate origin . first , if setting the origin at the center of the ring , the element @xmath282 ( @xmath19 ) with the spin motion along the @xmath95 direction is @xmath283 . so @xmath282 is completely the same to the result using the conventional definition , and it is still non - zero in the equilibrium case and non - conversed in the presence of a soi . on the other hand , the element @xmath284 ( @xmath19 ) with the spin motion along the radial direction is @xmath285 , so it is also non - zero , but the same element is exactly zero using the conventional definition . the element @xmath286 ( @xmath19 ) with the spin motion along the z direction is zero , same as with the conventional definition . second , if the coordinate origin is not located at the center of the ring , all 9 elements of the spin current are in general different to those by using the conventional definition . in particular , they are all non - zero and non - conserved in equilibrium . let us consider the case of @xmath287 , i.e. the normal region is gradually getting smaller and at the end the whole ring contains the soi . fig.16 shows the persistent spin current @xmath131 versus the angle coordinate @xmath95 for @xmath288 , @xmath289 , and @xmath290 , respectively . the results clearly show that the persistent spin current @xmath131 does exist , and its value @xmath291 is even larger with decreasing of the normal region , i.e. @xmath53 . eventually when the entire ring contains the soi , @xmath291 reaches its maximum value . this means that the normal region is not necessary for the existence of the persistent spin current . in fact , if the whole ring has a constant soi with @xmath292 , the persistent spin current can be analytically obtained . in this case , the eigenwave function is:@xcite @xmath293 where @xmath294 and the eigenvalue @xmath67 is given by @xmath295\ ] ] then the linear spin current @xmath296 and the angular spin current @xmath297 from the state @xmath82 are as follows : @xmath298 \label{eq27 } \\ { \bf i}^n_{\omega } & = & ( e_a / a ) f(\theta ) \left [ \vec{e}_x\sin\theta \sin\varphi - \vec{e}_y \sin\theta \cos \varphi \right ] \nonumber \\ & = & -(e_a / a ) f(\theta ) \vec{e}_{\varphi } \sin\theta \label{eq28}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath299/2\pi $ ] . the persistent linear and angular spin currents @xmath280 and @xmath300 are obtained by summing @xmath296 and @xmath297 over the occupied states . in addition , from the wave function [ eq.([eq25 ] ) ] and the spin currents [ eq.([eq27],[eq28 ] ) ] , the spin motion in the ring can be obtained ( see the discussion in appendix ) . from the results of eq.([eq27],[eq28 ] ) , three quantities characterizing the spin current @xmath296 are found to be conserved , although the spin current itself is not conserved in the presence of a soi . ( a ) the spin current @xmath301 with spin polarization along z - direction is a conserved quantity for the ring geometry . ( b ) the magnitude of the spin current @xmath302 is a constant of motion . ( c ) for a given cross - section of the ring , the vector of spin polarization for the spin current @xmath296 makes a fixed angle with the normal direction of that cross - section . this angle is a constant for any cross - section of the ring . in this sense , the spin current @xmath303 is `` conserved '' , although the direction of spin polarization for @xmath296 is not a constant of motion due to a soi . so the non - conservation of spin current in the ring device means that while moving along the ring the direction of spin polarization is precessing due to the torque from the soi . for the hybrid ring , our numerical results also show that the magnitude of spin current @xmath304 is again a constant of motion across the hybrid ring , but the element of the z - direction @xmath301 and the angle in ( c ) are not . there are a number of experiments that have been carried out to confirm the existence of spin current,@xcite e.g. to observe the spin current induced spin accumulations by the kerr effect,@xcite or to make the electric measurement through the reciprocal spin hall effect.@xcite since the persistent spin current is an equilibrium property , the above mentioned methods are not suitable . there is also a proposal that a spin current may cause a spin torque that can be measured experimentally@xcite . very recently , sonin pointed out that this method can be employed to detect the persistent spin current.@xcite on the other hand , we note that the persistent charge current can be detected by measuring its induced magnetic field.@xcite it has been shown that the persistent spin current can also generate an electric field.@xcite so this offers another way to detect the persistent spin current by measuring its induced electric field . in the following , we calculate the persistent spin current induced electric field and electric potential , and show that this electric field or the electric potential can be observed in the present technology . the induced electric fields @xmath305 and @xmath306 at space point @xmath307 by the linear and angular spin currents @xmath280 and @xmath300 in the ring device are:@xcite @xmath308 where @xmath309 is the bohr magneton and @xmath310 is the position vector in the ring . considering the whole ring having a constant soi , the persistent linear and angular spin currents have been solved in the section vii.c [ see the eqs.([eq27],[eq28 ] ) ] . substituting them into the above formulas , eqs.([eq29],[eq30 ] ) ( note that @xmath120 is the element @xmath311 of the linear spin current ) and with the help of the first and second kind complete elliptic integral functions @xmath312 and @xmath313 : @xmath314 the induced electric fields @xmath305 and @xmath306 can be obtained straightforwardly . the electric fields @xmath305 and @xmath315 are rotational invariant about the @xmath90 axis , and in the plane @xmath316-@xmath317 , i.e. the elements @xmath318 and @xmath319 are zero . so here we only show @xmath305 and @xmath306 in the @xmath194-@xmath90 plane with @xmath320 : @xmath321\right . \nonumber\\ & & \left . \hspace{-15 mm } -e(a ) \left [ a\left ( r_+^2r_-^2(a^2+x^2 ) -16a^2x^2z^2 \right ) \cos\theta - z\left(r_+^2r_-^2(2a^2+x^2+z^2 ) + 8a^2x^2(a^2-x^2 -z^2 ) \right ) \sin\theta \right ] \right\ } \\ & & \hspace{-20mm}e_{sz } = \frac{2c}{a r_-^3 r_+^4 } \left\ { k(a ) r_+^2 \left [ az(-a^2+x^2+z^2 ) \cos\theta + ( r_+^2r_-^2 + 2a^2 z^2 ) \sin\theta \right]\right . \nonumber\\ & & \left . \hspace{-15 mm } + e(a ) \left [ az \left ( -r_+^2r_-^2 + 8a^2(a^2-x^2+z^2 ) \right ) \cos\theta + \left(r_+^2r_-^2(3a^2-x^2-z^2 ) - 8a^2z^2(a^2+x^2 + z^2 ) \right ) \sin\theta \right ] \right\}\end{aligned}\ ] ] @xmath322 \\ e_{\omega z } & = & \frac{-2c\sin\theta}{a r_-r_+^2 } \left [ ( a^2-x^2-z^2 ) e(a ) + r_+^2 k(a ) \right]\end{aligned}\ ] ] and @xmath323 . here @xmath324 , @xmath325 , and @xmath326 . then the total electric field @xmath327 are also easily obtained , and @xmath328 can be expressed as a gradient of a potential @xmath329 , @xmath330 , where @xmath331.\ ] ] in fact , this total electric field @xmath328 can also be expressed as : @xmath332 i.e. @xmath328 is equivalent to the electric field generated by a 1d electric dipole moment @xmath333 in the ring ( see fig.17c ) . fig.17 shows the electric - field lines of @xmath334 , @xmath335 , and @xmath336 in the @xmath194-@xmath90 plane . the across points of the ring and the @xmath194-@xmath90 plane are at @xmath337 and @xmath338 . the electric - field lines have the characteristics : the field lines are in the @xmath194-@xmath90 plane and @xmath339 . @xmath340 and @xmath341 usually are non - zero , but the total electric fields @xmath328 has the behavior @xmath342 , i.e. @xmath343 . the electric fields in the @xmath194-@xmath90 plane are mirror symmetry around @xmath90 axis with @xmath344 and @xmath345 . fig.18 shows the electric - field strengths @xmath346 , @xmath347 , and @xmath348 , along the two horizontal dashed lines [ from the point @xmath349 to the point @xmath350 , or from the point @xmath351 to the point @xmath352 in the fig.17 . in this calculation , we consider that only the lowest level @xmath353 ( the ground state ) in the ring device is occupied by the electron , i.e. taking the parameter @xmath354 , and in this case @xmath355 and @xmath356 . we also take the parameters g factor @xmath357 and the efficient electron mass @xmath76 . at the point @xmath188 , the @xmath194-direction element @xmath358 due to the mirror symmetry , but the @xmath90-direction element @xmath359 keep quite large value still . in slightly far away from the ring device ( e.g. @xmath360 in fig.18a , c , e ) , the electric field @xmath361 induced from the persistent angular spin current is in the same order with the electric field @xmath334 induced from the persistent linear spin current . so @xmath361 is important for contributing to the total electric field @xmath328 . on the other hand , while very near the ring device ( e.g. @xmath362 in fig.18b , d , f ) , @xmath334 is much larger than @xmath361 and @xmath334 is dominant in @xmath363 . it is worth to mention that the total electric field @xmath328 can reach @xmath364 at the point @xmath365 which is @xmath366 over the ring @xmath337 ( see fig.18f ) . also let us estimate the electric potential difference due to @xmath328 , this potential difference between two points @xmath367 and @xmath367 is about @xmath368 . although this potential value is very small , it is measurable in the present technology.@xcite in previous sections single spin picture is adapted , i.e. , there is no spin - spin interaction , we find that in general the spin current is not conserved . in this section , we demonstrate that if one includes strong spin - spin interaction , the spin current will be conserved . in this case , if a spin precesses , the response of other spins will be against it , i.e , they will precesses in opposite directions . as a result the total spin precession is zero everywhere and therefore the spin current is automatically conserved by using the conventional definition.@xcite to account for the spin - spin interaction , the hamiltonian @xmath4 is : @xmath369 where @xmath370 is the one - body hamiltonian ( e.g. the hamiltonian in eq.(1 ) for the ring device ) and the second term is the spin - spin interaction . usually , it is very difficult to solve this hamiltonian because of the many - body interaction , @xmath371 . by introducing an induced self - consistent field @xmath372 that could be due to spin - spin interaction,@xcite the many - body hamiltonian @xmath4 in eq.([eq39 ] ) reduces into the one - body form : @xmath373 now the hamiltonian of eq.([eq40 ] ) is easily solved , and the linear spin current and the spin torque all depend on @xmath372 . the induced self - consistent field @xmath372 in eq.([eq40 ] ) is determined by requiring that the spin torque ( or the angular spin current ) is zero or @xmath374 for any @xmath375 . once @xmath372 is solved the persistent spin current is automatically conserved by using the conventional definition . now we apply this method to the ring without the normal region and set soi to a constant with @xmath167 . we start with the following hamiltonian @xmath376 where @xmath377 is the original hamiltonian [ see eq.(1 ) ] for a ring with full soi . the reason that we choose the induced field as @xmath378 is because we know @xmath379 is conserved and there is a torque along @xmath380 . so a self - consistent induced magnetic field is needed ( a term @xmath381 ) to balance the torque . the eigenfunction of the new hamiltonian is the same as eq.([eq25 ] ) given by @xmath382 where the eigenvalue looks the same as before @xmath295\ ] ] but @xmath39 takes a different value , @xmath383 note that if the self - consistent field @xmath384 is zero , @xmath385 recovers the non - interacting case . using the conventional definition the persistent spin current with polarization in three directions are easily calculated and found to be @xmath386 \cos\theta\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath387/2\pi \label{fun}\ ] ] if @xmath388 , @xmath389/2\pi = f(\theta)$ ] that is the previous result without the spin - spin torque interaction . now we calculate the total torque . from continuity equation , the torque is just the angular spin current @xmath390 $ ] with @xmath391 . it is easy to show that @xmath392 has only @xmath393 component @xmath394 note that the purpose of introducing the self - consistent field @xmath384 is to make sure that the spin current is conserved or the torque vanishes as we have discussed earlier . setting the torque @xmath395 to zero we obtain the second equation that determines the self - consistent field @xmath384 @xmath396 once @xmath384 is solved from eqs.([rel1 ] ) and ( [ rel2 ] ) , the spin current will be conserved following the continuity equation . plugging eq.([rel2 ] ) into eq.([rel1 ] ) , we find @xmath397 this means that @xmath398 defined in eq.([fun ] ) is zero and the conserved persistent spin current is nonzero only for the spin polarization along z - direction @xmath399 \cos\theta\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath39 is determined by eq.([rel3 ] ) . we wish to point out that even for the hybrid ring , the above approach can be used and the persistent spin current is also conserved in the presence of spin - spin interaction . the only difference is that we have to introduce three self - consistent fields @xmath400 , @xmath401 . from the energy dispersion relation , we have relationship between @xmath39 and @xmath400 . by requiring the torque along each direction to be zero , we obtain three additional equations . these four equations will determine @xmath400 and @xmath39 . this in turn gives the displacement spin current and hence the conserved persistent spin current . in summary , we have investigated two closely related subjects : ( a ) the prediction of a pure persistent spin current in an equilibrium mesoscopic device with solely spin - orbit interaction ( soi ) , and ( b ) the issues concerning the definition of the spin current . through the physical arguments and physical pictures from four different aspects , the analytic calculation results of a soi - normal hybrid ring , as well as the discussion of the sharp interface between the normal and soi part , we demonstrated that the persistent spin current indeed exists in the equilibrium device with a soi alone . in particularly , we emphasize that this persistent spin current is an analog of the persistent charge current in the mesoscopic ring threaded by a magnetic flux , and it describes the real spin motion and are experimentally measurable . after showing the existence of the persistent spin current , we investigate the definition of the spin current . we point that : ( i ) the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium soi s device is the persistent spin current ; ( ii ) in general the spin current is not conserved ; and ( iii ) the onsager relation is violated for the spin transport , and in particularly , it can not be recovered through modification of the definition of the spin current . so these three `` flaws '' , the non - zero spin current in the equilibrium case , the non - conserved spin current , and the violation of the onsager relation , of the conventional definition of the spin current are intrinsic properties of spin transport . in particular , the conventional definition , @xmath402 , possesses a very clear physical picture , and is capable of describing the spin motion . so we draw the conclusion that the conventional definition of the spin current makes physical sense , and no need to modify it . in addition , a number of problems have also been discussed . the relation between the persistent spin current and transport spin current is discussed , and we find that they are indistinguishable in the coherent part of the device . we calculate the persistent linear and angular spin current in the soi s region of the hybrid ring , and the results show that the persistent spin current still exists in the soi s region , even when the soi covers the whole ring . the measurement issue of the persistent spin current is also discussed , we suggest that the persistent spin current can be observed by detecting its induced electric field . in the presence of a spin - spin interaction in the ring , we find that the persistent spin current using the conventional definition is automatically conserved . we gratefully acknowledge the financial support from nsf - china under grant nos . 10474125 , 10525418 , and 60776060 ( q.f.s . ) ; us - doe under grant no . de - fg02 - 04er46124 and nsf under ccf-052473 ( x.c.x . ) ; a rgc grant from the government of hksar grant number hku 7044/05p ( j.w . ) . in this appendix , we analyze the motion of the spin which relates to the persistent spin current in the equilibrium . for simplicity , we consider the constant soi case , and the eigen wave - function has been solved in eq.([eq25 ] ) . from this wave - function , the spin @xmath403 . this spin vector is in the @xmath316-@xmath317 plane , and its angle with the @xmath316 ( i.e. @xmath90 ) axis is @xmath404 . then the spin motion can also be obtained straightforwardly by solving the velocity and its angular velocity @xmath251 . the direction of spin ( translational ) motion is counter - clockwise , while precessing with @xmath251 in the perpendicular direction of @xmath405 , so that the spin is in the @xmath316-@xmath317 plane all along . the element of the spin in the @xmath194-@xmath184 plane and its motion are shown as in fig.12b . on the other hand , for the time - reversal state @xmath406 , the spin direction , its motion direction , and the precession direction , all reversed , as shown the clockwise arrow in fig.12b . but the spin current of @xmath406 is completely same with that of @xmath407 . therefore the persistent spin current indeed describes the real motion of the spin . in fact , besides the ring geometry , the device also can be other shape . for example , we have analyzed the spin motion and the persistent spin current in the quasi one - dimensional equilibrium quantum wire.@xcite similar conclusions can be drawn . t. bergsten , t. kobayashi , y. sekine , and j. nitta , phys . * 97 * , 196803 ( 2006 ) ; t. koga , y. sekine , and j. nitta , phys . b * 74 * , 041302 ( 2006 ) ; y. lin , t. koga , and j. nitta , phys . rev . b * 71 * , 045328 ( 2005 ) . heida , b.j . van wees , j.j . kuipers , t.m . klapwijk , and g. borghs , phys . b * 57 * , 11911 ( 1988 ) ; g. engels , j. lange , th . sch@xmath410pers , and h. l@xmath408th , phys . b * 55 * , 1958 ( 1997 ) ; d. grundler , phys . rev . lett . * 84 * , 6074 ( 2000 ) . y. yao and z. fang , phys lett . * 95 * , 156601 ( 2005 ) ; z.f . jiang , r.d . li , s .- c . zhang , and w.m . liu , phys . b * 72 * , 045201 ( 2005 ) ; o. chalaev , and d. loss , phys . rev . b * 71 * , 245318 ( 2005 ) ; j. li , l. hu , and s .- q . shen , phys . b * 71 * , 241305(r ) , ( 2005 ) ; b.k . nikoli@xmath411 , l.p . z@xmath412rbo , and s. souma , phys . rev . b * 72 * , 075361 ( 2005 ) ; s .- p . qi , and z .- y . weng , phys . b * 72 * , 165114 ( 2005 ) ; m.w . wu and j. zhou , phys . rev . b * 72 * , 115333 ( 2005 ) . j. yao and z.q . yang , phys . rev . b * 73 * , 033314 ( 2006 ) ; j. wang , k.s . chan , and d.y . xing , phys . b * 73 * , 033316 ( 2006 ) ; x. dai , z. fang , y .- g . yao , and f .- c . zhang , phys . lett . * 96 * , 086802 ( 2006 ) . y. k. kato , r. c. myers , a. c. gossard , and d. d. awschalom , science * 306 * , 1910 ( 2004 ) ; v. sih , r. c. myers , y. k. kato , w. h. lau , a. c. gossard , and d. d. awschalom , nature phys . * 1 * , 31 ( 2005 ) ; v. sih , w. h. lau , r. c. myers , v. r. horowitz , a. c. gossard , and d. d. awschalom , phys . rev . lett . * 97 * , 096605 ( 2006 ) . while in the existence of a soi or / and a magnetic field , usually the operator @xmath413 does not commute with the hamiltonian @xmath4 , i.e @xmath414 \neq 0 $ ] . in this case , the conventional ( linear ) spin current @xmath280 and the angular spin current @xmath300 are defined as : @xmath415\psi\right\}$ ] and @xmath416 . levy , g. dolan , j. dunsmuir , and h. bouchiat , phys . . lett . * 64 * , 2074 ( 1990 ) ; v. chandrasekhar , r.a . webb , m.j . brady , m.b . ketchen , w.j . gallagher , and a. kleinsasser , phys . . lett . * 67 * , 3578 ( 1991 ) ; d. mailly , c. chapelier , and a. benoit , _ ibid . _ * 70 * , 2020 ( 1993 ) . d. loss and p.m. goldbart , phys . b * 45 * , 13544 ( 1992 ) ; s. oh and c .- m . ryu , phys . b * 51 * , 13441 ( 1995 ) ; t .- z . qian , y .- s . yi , and z .- b . su , phys . b * 55 * , 4065 ( 1997 ) ; j. yi , m. won cho , and s .- h . s. salk , phys . b * 65 * , 193108 ( 2002 ) . consider the case that there is a point charge at the center of the ring that gives rise to the thomas soi . we find that the persistent spin current also exists , similar as for the rashba soi case discussed in the text . by the way , we emphasize that the implications of the angular spin current and the spin torque are different , although they are completely same in terms of numerical value . the angular spin current describes the spin motion or the spin flow , but the spin torque expresses the action on the spin . this is similar to the relation between the force @xmath219 and the acceleration @xmath423 . if taking the electron mass @xmath424 as the unit , the value of the force equals that of the acceleration , but their physical meanings are different . when the total spin precession is everywhere zero , the angular spin current @xmath425 , and the spin continuity equation becomes : @xmath426 , where @xmath427 is the spin accumulation and is zero in the present equilibrium case . note that this continuity equation for every spin element @xmath19 is completely the same as the charge continuity equation . therefore , the conserved spin current can be derived from noether s theorem , similar as the conserved charge current .

arxiv

venous blood samples ( ~ 5 ml ) were collected from 8 plasmodium vivax infected adult patients on informed consent at s. p. medical college , bikaner , india . the patients were diagnosed as either complicated ( n = 7 ) or uncomplicated malaria ( n = 1 ) . the infection with p. vivax was confirmed by detailed investigation of peripheral blood films ( pbfs ) and rapid diagnostic tests ( rdts ) ( optimal test ; diamed ag , cressier sur morat , switzerland , falcivax test ; zephyr biomedical system , goa , india ) . peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmcs ) were separated from infected and non - infected erythrocytes using density gradient based separation ( histopaque 1077 , sigma aldrich , usa ) according to manufacturer 's instructions . the infected and non - infected erythrocytes were washed with phosphate buffered saline ( pbs ) and lysed using tri - reagent ( sigma aldrich , usa ) and preserved immediately at 80 c . all the samples were then transported in cold chain to bits , pilani for further processing . the infection with only p. vivax was confirmed by 18s rrna based multiplex pcr and 28s rrna based nested pcr , . total rna and dna was isolated from complicated ( n = 7 ) and uncomplicated ( n = 1 ) malaria blood samples , according to manufacturer 's protocol ( tri - reagent , sigma aldrich , usa ) . the quality of the isolated total rna samples was analyzed by denaturing agarose gel and also by using rna 6000 nano lab chip on the 2100 bioanalyzer ( agilent , palo alto , ca ) following manufacturer 's protocol . quantity and purity of the total rna was measured by the nanodrop nd-1000 uv vis spectrophotometer ( nanodrop technologies , rockland , usa ) . total rna ( 500 ng ) from each of the pooled complicated and uncomplicated malaria samples was amplified and labeled in the presence of cyanine 5-ctp and cyanine 3-ctp respectively using low rna input fluorescent linear amplification kit ( agilent technologies ) following manufacture 's protocol . after labeling , then 1500 ng of each cy3 and cy5-labeled samples was mixed , fragmented and hybridized to the array at 65 c for 16 h using gene expression hybridization kit ( agilent technologies , part number 51885242 ) . the hybridized slides were washed using gene expression wash buffers ( agilent technologies , part no : 51885327 ) and scanned using the agilent microarray scanner ( agilent technologies , palo alto , ca , g model g2565ba ) at 5 m resolution . a custom genome - wide strand specific p. vivax 244 k microarray was designed on an agilent platform using the rightdesign ( genotypic technology , bangalore , india ) probe design workflow to choose the best probe(s ) for a transcript by balancing several criteria : gc content , sequence complexity , cross hybridization potential and secondary structure . the array contains 232756 60-mer oligonucleotide probes ( sense and antisense probes ) representing p. vivax sal - i transcript sequences from plasmodbv5.3 , , expressed sequence tags ( ests ) and whole genome shotgun assemblies of p. vivax from ncbi ( 2007 ) and apicoplast sequences of p. vivax and plasmodium falciparum . annotations of all the probes were again updated according to plasmodb v8.2 and ncbi database ( 2012 ) . summary of the array details has been submitted and available under geo accession number gpl16492 . information such as feature number , oligonucleotide probe i d and sequence , target gene identifier i d against which probe has been designed and the gene description is provided in the array details . here , we also give additional information about the orientation of probe against the target gene in the array ( supplementary table s1 ) . the raw signal intensities and background intensities were obtained for each channel and analyzed separately for uncomplicated ( green channel ) and complicated ( red channel ) malaria . analyses of probe hybridization for the plasmodbv8.2 , transcripts were discussed in the paper . a total of 5317 genes represented by both the sense and antisense probes were only considered for the analysis . ratio was calculated for each probe by dividing the raw signal intensity and background signal intensity . probes ( sense or antisense ) showing 2-fold the background intensity were filtered . probe data were converted to gene based data . for genes with multiple probes , median of raw signal intensity and background intensity was considered . genes with twice the median background signal intensity were included in further analysis . to these genes , we have applied a stringent filtering criterion by considering genes expressing only sense(s ) , antisense ( as ) or both s and as transcripts represented by at least 3 probes . we categorized genes based on the type of transcripts they expressed ( 1 ) genes with only s transcripts ( 2 ) genes with only as transcripts and ( 3 ) genes with both s and as transcripts . classification of genes with s and as transcripts in complicated p. vivax malaria ( pvc ) and uncomplicated p. vivax malaria ( pvu ) is shown in table 1 . we detected a total of 1348 natural antisense transcripts using strand - specific custom designed microarray . venous blood samples ( ~ 5 ml ) were collected from 8 plasmodium vivax infected adult patients on informed consent at s. p. medical college , bikaner , india . the patients were diagnosed as either complicated ( n = 7 ) or uncomplicated malaria ( n = 1 ) . the infection with p. vivax was confirmed by detailed investigation of peripheral blood films ( pbfs ) and rapid diagnostic tests ( rdts ) ( optimal test ; diamed ag , cressier sur morat , switzerland , falcivax test ; zephyr biomedical system , goa , india ) . peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmcs ) were separated from infected and non - infected erythrocytes using density gradient based separation ( histopaque 1077 , sigma aldrich , usa ) according to manufacturer 's instructions . the infected and non - infected erythrocytes were washed with phosphate buffered saline ( pbs ) and lysed using tri - reagent ( sigma aldrich , usa ) and preserved immediately at 80 c . all the samples were then transported in cold chain to bits , pilani for further processing . the infection with only p. vivax was confirmed by 18s rrna based multiplex pcr and 28s rrna based nested pcr , . total rna and dna was isolated from complicated ( n = 7 ) and uncomplicated ( n = 1 ) malaria blood samples , according to manufacturer 's protocol ( tri - reagent , sigma aldrich , usa ) . the quality of the isolated total rna samples was analyzed by denaturing agarose gel and also by using rna 6000 nano lab chip on the 2100 bioanalyzer ( agilent , palo alto , ca ) following manufacturer 's protocol . quantity and purity of the total rna was measured by the nanodrop nd-1000 uv vis spectrophotometer ( nanodrop technologies , rockland , usa ) . total rna ( 500 ng ) from each of the pooled complicated and uncomplicated malaria samples was amplified and labeled in the presence of cyanine 5-ctp and cyanine 3-ctp respectively using low rna input fluorescent linear amplification kit ( agilent technologies ) following manufacture 's protocol . after labeling , the crna was cleaned and the quality was assessed for yields and specific activity . then 1500 ng of each cy3 and cy5-labeled samples was mixed , fragmented and hybridized to the array at 65 c for 16 h using gene expression hybridization kit ( agilent technologies , part number 51885242 ) . the hybridized slides were washed using gene expression wash buffers ( agilent technologies , part no : 51885327 ) and scanned using the agilent microarray scanner ( agilent technologies , palo alto , ca , g model g2565ba ) at 5 m resolution . a custom genome - wide strand specific p. vivax 244 k microarray was designed on an agilent platform using the rightdesign ( genotypic technology , bangalore , india ) probe design workflow to choose the best probe(s ) for a transcript by balancing several criteria : gc content , sequence complexity , cross hybridization potential and secondary structure . the array contains 232756 60-mer oligonucleotide probes ( sense and antisense probes ) representing p. vivax sal - i transcript sequences from plasmodbv5.3 , , expressed sequence tags ( ests ) and whole genome shotgun assemblies of p. vivax from ncbi ( 2007 ) and apicoplast sequences of p. vivax and plasmodium falciparum . annotations of all the probes were again updated according to plasmodb v8.2 and ncbi database ( 2012 ) . summary of the array details has been submitted and available under geo accession number gpl16492 . information such as feature number , oligonucleotide probe i d and sequence , target gene identifier i d against which probe has been designed and the gene description is provided in the array details . here , we also give additional information about the orientation of probe against the target gene in the array ( supplementary table s1 ) . the raw signal intensities and background intensities were obtained for each channel and analyzed separately for uncomplicated ( green channel ) and complicated ( red channel ) malaria . analyses of probe hybridization for the plasmodbv8.2 , transcripts were discussed in the paper . a total of 5317 genes represented by both the sense and antisense probes were only considered for the analysis . ratio was calculated for each probe by dividing the raw signal intensity and background signal intensity . probes ( sense or antisense ) showing 2-fold the background intensity were filtered . probe data were converted to gene based data . for genes with multiple probes , median of raw signal intensity and background intensity was considered . genes with twice the median background signal intensity were included in further analysis . to these genes , we have applied a stringent filtering criterion by considering genes expressing only sense(s ) , antisense ( as ) or both s and as transcripts represented by at least 3 probes . we categorized genes based on the type of transcripts they expressed ( 1 ) genes with only s transcripts ( 2 ) genes with only as transcripts and ( 3 ) genes with both s and as transcripts . vivax malaria ( pvc ) and uncomplicated p. vivax malaria ( pvu ) is shown in table 1 . we detected a total of 1348 natural antisense transcripts using strand - specific custom designed microarray . here we describe information about microarray dataset obtained from our custom designed strand - specific genome - wide p. vivax array on an agilent platform . the dataset comprises whole genome transcriptome profiling of p. vivax isolated from patients showing differing clinical symptoms . the dataset was analyzed in recently published study and is the first study to reveal the presence of nats in p. vivax clinical isolates . discovery of nats in p. vivax and p. falciparum , , , , suggests that they might play an important role in regulating gene expression . results from this microarray dataset thus would greatly assist investigations of gene regulation in future . the following are the supplementary data related to this article.supplementary table s1details of probes in the strand specific 244 k p. vivax microarray.this table lists details of the probes in the strand - specific 244 k p.vivax microarray , which were re - annotated against transcript sequences from plasmodbv8.2 , and also against ests and genome sequences from ncbi ( 2012 ) . probes which could not be assigned to any of the sequences in the current database ( plasmodbv8.2 & ncbi(2012 ) ) during the re - annotation process has been removed . probe list contains information about oligonucleotide probe i d , gene symbol , probe orientation , gene description , feature number , location of features and control type of features . this table lists details of the probes in the strand - specific 244 k p.vivax microarray , which were re - annotated against transcript sequences from plasmodbv8.2 , and also against ests and genome sequences from ncbi ( 2012 ) . probes which could not be assigned to any of the sequences in the current database ( plasmodbv8.2 & ncbi(2012 ) ) during the re - annotation process has been removed . probe list contains information about oligonucleotide probe i d , gene symbol , probe orientation , gene description , feature number , location of features and control type of features .

pubmed

Is the t-butyl carbocation more stable than the benzyl carbocation? Various authors have different views regarding stability order of the benzyl and *t*-butyl carbocations. $$\ce{PhCH2+ ; (CH3)3C+}$$ In my opinion, resonance effect dominates, so the benzylic carbocation should be more stable. But in the other case, both the inductive and hyperconjugation effects are present, which stabilize the intermediate carbocation. What should is the correct stability order? Especially when you consider them in SN1 reactions, and what their effect on their rate is. I am using a very simplistic quantum chemical approach of the following [isodesmic reaction](http://goldbook.iupac.org/html/I/I03272.html): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/q9y80.jpg) I have used Gaussian 16 Rev. A.03 and the DF-B97D3/def2-TZVPP level of theory. The summaries of the calculations are included below. On this level of theory the depicted reaction has an energy change of $\Delta G = \pu{- 37.1 kJ mol-1}.$ Therefore one could assume that the 2-methylpropan-2-ylium cation is more stable than the phenylmethylium cation. These values were estimated at $T = \pu{298.15 K}$ and $p = \pu{1 atm}.$ [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/r8Pcu.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dKkdJ.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqOJU.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cBwKN.jpg) One certainly can do more calculations, but it is, however, a start. --- *Calculation summaries* ``` INFO : Found route section: #P B97D3/Def2TZVPP int(ultrafinegrid) freq geom=check guess=read gfinput gfoldprint iop(6/7=3) symmetry(none) ---- calculation details : RB97D3 phch2_q1/b97d3tzvpp.freq.log temperature (T): 298.150 K pressure (p): 1.00000 atm electr. en. (E): -270.5777462860 hartree zero-point corr. (ZPE): +0.114824 hartree/particle thermal corr. (U): +0.120571 hartree/particle ther. corr. enthalpy (H): +0.121515 hartree/particle ther. corr. Gibbs en. (G): +0.085614 hartree/particle entropy (total) (S tot): +75.561 cal/(mol K) heat capacity (total) (Cv t): +22.578 cal/(mol K) ==== Next file ==== INFO : Found route section: #P B97D3/Def2TZVPP int(ultrafinegrid) freq geom=check guess=read gfinput gfoldprint iop(6/7=3) symmetry(none) ---- calculation details : RB97D3 phch3_q0/b97d3tzvpp.freq.log temperature (T): 298.150 K pressure (p): 1.00000 atm electr. en. (E): -271.4854244270 hartree zero-point corr. (ZPE): +0.125049 hartree/particle thermal corr. (U): +0.131428 hartree/particle ther. corr. enthalpy (H): +0.132372 hartree/particle ther. corr. Gibbs en. (G): +0.093359 hartree/particle entropy (total) (S tot): +82.110 cal/(mol K) heat capacity (total) (Cv t): +23.831 cal/(mol K) ==== Next file ==== INFO : Found route section: #P B97D3/Def2TZVPP int(ultrafinegrid) freq geom=check guess=read gfinput gfoldprint iop(6/7=3) symmetry(none) ---- calculation details : RB97D3 t-c4h10_q0/b97d3tzvpp.freq.log temperature (T): 298.150 K pressure (p): 1.00000 atm electr. en. (E): -158.4201368210 hartree zero-point corr. (ZPE): +0.128849 hartree/particle thermal corr. (U): +0.134606 hartree/particle ther. corr. enthalpy (H): +0.135550 hartree/particle ther. corr. Gibbs en. (G): +0.101200 hartree/particle entropy (total) (S tot): +72.297 cal/(mol K) heat capacity (total) (Cv t): +20.521 cal/(mol K) ==== Next file ==== INFO : Found route section: #P B97D3/Def2TZVPP int(ultrafinegrid) freq geom=check guess=read gfinput gfoldprint iop(6/7=3) symmetry(none) ---- calculation details : RB97D3 t-c4h9_q1/b97d3tzvpp.freq.log temperature (T): 298.150 K pressure (p): 1.00000 atm electr. en. (E): -157.5167928240 hartree zero-point corr. (ZPE): +0.114033 hartree/particle thermal corr. (U): +0.120557 hartree/particle ther. corr. enthalpy (H): +0.121501 hartree/particle ther. corr. Gibbs en. (G): +0.083653 hartree/particle entropy (total) (S tot): +79.659 cal/(mol K) heat capacity (total) (Cv t): +20.965 cal/(mol K) ``` (Compiled with [tools-for-g09.bash](https://github.com/polyluxus/tools-for-g09.bash), which somewhat surprisingly works for g16.) *Optimised geometries* ``` 14 phch2_q1/b97d3tzvpp.freq.xyz C 0.08663 -0.19347 0.09384 C 0.05691 -0.11475 1.46208 H 1.02702 -0.19311 -0.45239 H -0.82919 -0.25883 -0.48899 C -1.20323 -0.11721 2.16356 C -1.22180 -0.03857 3.53614 C -0.00341 0.04387 4.24119 C 1.24453 0.04873 3.58467 C 1.28552 -0.02918 2.21254 H -2.12409 -0.18167 1.59151 H -2.16067 -0.03932 4.07940 H -0.02695 0.10566 5.32621 H 2.15902 0.11360 4.16439 H 2.23039 -0.02773 1.67720 15 phch3_q0/b97d3tzvpp.freq.xyz C 0.00007 0.00000 -0.04694 C 0.00682 -0.00000 1.46143 H 1.01682 -0.00000 -0.44951 H -0.51968 -0.88199 -0.43936 H -0.51968 0.88199 -0.43936 C -1.19805 -0.00000 2.17854 C -1.20438 -0.00000 3.57251 C 0.00015 0.00000 4.27958 C 1.20614 -0.00000 3.57927 C 1.20606 -0.00000 2.18275 H -2.14093 0.00000 1.63572 H -2.14998 0.00000 4.10835 H -0.00257 0.00000 5.36594 H 2.14940 0.00000 4.11910 H 2.15082 0.00000 1.64397 14 t-c4h10_q0/b97d3tzvpp.freq.xyz C 0.00369 -0.00664 0.00284 C -0.01764 0.03020 1.53527 C 1.44139 0.03012 -0.52791 C -0.74698 -1.23338 -0.52790 H -1.04360 0.03406 1.92005 H 0.49077 -0.85020 1.94859 H 0.49182 0.92075 1.92008 H 1.46219 0.03417 -1.62347 H 1.97408 0.92055 -0.17569 H 2.00042 -0.85041 -0.18649 H -0.76068 -1.24961 -1.62346 H -0.26410 -2.15775 -0.18616 H -1.78452 -1.24933 -0.17586 H -0.51485 0.89146 -0.36388 13 t-c4h9_q1/b97d3tzvpp.freq.xyz C -0.00184 -0.00056 0.03904 C 0.01681 1.45949 0.05366 H -0.46367 1.80346 -0.88071 H 1.00698 1.90257 0.15089 H -0.66770 1.83073 0.83269 C 1.25179 -0.74789 0.02785 H 1.76765 -0.48991 -0.91708 H 1.93393 -0.35706 0.79738 H 1.13840 -1.82916 0.09679 C -1.27605 -0.71190 0.03180 H -1.24998 -1.55839 -0.66820 H -1.35257 -1.20345 1.02233 H -2.15046 -0.07921 -0.11824 ``` (`g09.chk2xyz` does not work for g16.) > > Is the trimethyl carbocation more stable than the benzylic carbocation? > > > There are a number of approaches we can take to try and answer this question. We'll start by first comparing solvolysis rate data to see which carbocation is more stable in solution, and then we can look at thermochemical data to see how the carbocation stabilities compare in the gas phase. **Solution Stability** By comparing the rates at which two compounds solvolyze we can infer which compound leads to the more stable carbocation. For example, allyl chloride solvolyzes ~8.5 times faster than *i*-propyl chloride (1) in agreement with the idea that the allyl carbocation is more stable than the 2-propyl carbocation. Of course, reactions must be run under conditions to minimize any non-solvolytic pathways ($\mathrm{S\_{N}2}$) and insure that an $\mathrm{S\_{N}1}$ mechanism is operating. Jones further reports (1) that at $\pu{45 ^\circ C}$ in 50% $\ce{EtOH}$, *t*-butyl chloride solvolyzes almost 20,000 times faster than *i*-propyl chloride. This is in accord with the expectation that a tertiary carbocation is more stable than a secondary carbocation. \begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|} \hline \ce{R-X} & \mathrm{k\_{rel}} \\ \hline \ce{iPr-Cl} & 1 \\ \hline \ce{tBu-Cl} & 1.76 \times 10^4 \\ \hline \end{array} Later in the book (2), we see that benzyl chloride solvolyzes 145 times faster than *i*-propyl chloride. at first glance this seems to tell us that (using isopropyl chloride as a common reference point) *t*-butyl chloride solvolyzes ~120 times $\left(\frac{1.76 \times 10^4}{145}\right)$ faster than benzyl chloride. However this solvolysis is run at slightly lower temperature ($\pu{25 ^\circ C}$) and in pure $\ce{EtOH}$. \begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|} \hline \ce{R-X} & \mathrm{k\_{rel}} \\ \hline \ce{iPr-Cl} & 1 \\ \hline \ce{PhCH2-Cl} & 145 \\ \hline \end{array} If we were to raise the reaction temperature to $\pu{50 ^\circ C}$ (supply more thermal energy to the reaction), this would tend to decrease the difference in relative rates. Similarly, since the dielectric constant of water is greater than the dielectric constant of ethanol, and since a higher dielectric constant facilitates ionization, if we were to rerun the second set of reactions in water-ethanol, both reaction rates would be enhanced and the difference in relative rates would decrease. So both the reaction temperature and solvent dielectric effects operate in the same direction; if we were to rerun this second set of reactions under conditions identical to the first set of reactions we would expect the relative rate to be something less than 145. If the relative rate for the second set of reactions is really 100 than *t*-butyl chloride would solvolyze ~176 times $\left(\frac{1.76 \times 10^4}{100}\right)$ faster than benzyl chloride. If instead of 100, the relative rate for the second set of reactions is really only 10, then we would estimate that *t*-butyl chloride solvolyzes ~1,760 times $\left(\frac{1.76 \times 10^4}{10}\right)$ faster than benzyl chloride. In any case, the *t*-butyl chloride solvolyzes faster than benzyl chloride, suggesting that the ***t*-butyl carbocation is slightly more stable than the benzyl carbocation in solution**. **Gas-Phase Stabilty** Let's examine the following gas phase reactions. $$\ce{t-Bu-H -> t-Bu^{+} + H^{-}}$$ $$\ce{PhCH2-H -> PhCH2^{+} + H^{-}}$$ We are looking for the energy difference between them, so when we subtract them the $\ce{H^{-}}$ term cancels out. NIST provides the standard heat of formation of gaseous isobutane as ~$\pu{ -32 kcal/mol}$, while that for gaseous toluene is ~$\pu{ 12 kcal/mol}$. Using this information along with the thermochemical data provided in [this](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/74943/is-the-t-butyl-carbocation-more-stable-than-the-benzyl-carbocation/86628#86628) answer by user55119 for the corresponding ions leads to an estimated difference in stability of ~$\pu{ 6 kcal/mol}$ (~$\pu{13 kcal/mol}$ if we use $\pu{162 kcal/mol}$ as the heat of formation of the *t*-butyl cation; see user55119's comment below) **favoring the *t*-butyl carbocation.** The same general result as we found above in solution, now the magnitude is larger since there is no solvent to stabilize the ions in the gas-phase. **References** 1. Maitland Jones, Jr, In Organic Chemistry; Third edition, W. W. Norton & Co.: New York, NY, 2005, p. 585 (ISBN: 978-0-393-92408-4). 2. Maitland Jones, Jr, In Organic Chemistry; Third edition, W. W. Norton & Co.: New York, NY, 2005, p. 658 (ISBN: 978-0-393-92408-4). Gas phase measurements give: \begin{align} \Delta\_\mathrm{f} H^\circ (\ce{PhCH2+}) &= \pu{+219 kcal mol-1} \\ \Delta\_\mathrm{f} H^\circ (\ce{t-C4H9+}) &= \pu{+169 kcal mol-1} \end{align} The *tertiary*-butyl cation is seemingly more stable than the benzyl cation in the gas phase. These data do not speak to the condensed phase [1]. Addendum (12/14/2017): The latest data for the gas phase heats of formation of these two cations is here along with other radicals and cations. I thank G. B. Ellison, University of Colorado, for these data. \begin{array}{llcclc} \hline & \text{Radical} & \Delta\_\mathrm{f} H\_{298} (\pu{kcal mol-1}) & \qquad & \text{Cation} & \Delta\_\mathrm{f} H\_{298} (\pu{kcal mol-1}) \\ \hline \text{methyl} & \ce{CH3} & 35.06 \pm 0.07 & & \ce{CH3+} & 261.9 \pm 0.1 \\ \text{$t$-butyl} & \ce{C(CH3)3} & 11.9 \pm 0.2 & & \color{red}{\ce{C(CH3)3+}} & \color{red}{166.4 \pm 0.7} \\ \text{benzyl} & \ce{C6H5CH2} & 50.5 \pm 0.2 & & \color{red}{\ce{C6H5CH2+}} & \color{red}{217.6 \pm 0.2} \\ \text{tropyl} & \ce{C7H7} & 66.5 \pm 0.3 & & \ce{C7H7+} & 210.0 \pm 0.3 \\ \hline \end{array} ### Reference 1. Jo Anne A. Jackson, S. G. Lias, P. Ausloos, *J. Am. Chem. Soc.*, **1977**, 99 (23), pp. 7515–7521. [DOI: 10.1021/ja00465a020](https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00465a020). Benzylic is more stable because of the priority given to resonance. Like when inductive effect, hyperconjugation and resonance occur together, resonance is given preference then hyperconjugation and then inductive effect. In this case it's resonance. Moreover the explanation of aromaticity also favours this answer. From my knowledge, the benzylic carbocation should be more stable. This is due to the fact that it is aromatic as well. Aromaticity further enhances stability.

stackexchange/chemistry

Capacitor with different charges on each plate I am confused as to whether/how capacitance changes when each plate has a different charge. For example, consider a coaxial cable and put $20Q$ on the outer cable, and $-Q$ on the inner. Or how about concentric spheres, grounding either the inner or the outer? Systems of plates are not typically considered capacitors unless they are globally neutral. Nevertheless, capacitance is a geometric property that is to do with the system more than the actual voltages and charges you apply to it, so that your question still makes sense: the capacitance is the same as it would be with symmetric charges. More specifically, the (mutual) capacitance of two conducting surfaces is defined as the charge that must be applied to one surface so that the potential in the other one will rise by one unit; by energy considerations it must be symmetric. If the charges on both surfaces are antisymmetric (i.e. $+Q$ and $-Q$) then there will be a potential *difference* between the plates of $V=Q/C$. If they are asymmetric, a similar statement holds: if plate 1 has charge $Q\_1$ and plate 2 has charge $Q\_2$, then there will still be a potential difference between them of $V=(Q\_1-Q\_2)/2C$. The problem with this, though, is that you're no longer seeing the whole picture, and you'll also have to deal with the *self* capacitance of the plates, which wasn't a problem before: if you put 100 C of charge on one plate and 99 C on the other, there will still be some potential difference between the plates, but they are also at a very high potential with respect to anything else you might consider, and you will have a host of other problems. This is why the situation is hardly ever considered. In the general case, then, you have not one but two independent voltages to consider; that is, the mean and the difference, or the two voltages of the plates separately. To deal with this appropriately, you need to use a general capacitance matrix as Suresh describes in his answer. Finally, you also need to worry about what other charged systems you must consider, and where they are. You can't just conjure a large charge on one plate without taking it from somewhere, and depending on where you're grounding there may also be some significant energy of interaction there. Suppose you have two conductors kept at voltages $V\_1$ and $V\_2$ and they have charges $Q\_1$ and $Q\_2$ respectively. Then, one has the relation $$ Q\_1 = C\_{11}\ V\_1 + C\_{12}\ V\_2\quad \textrm{and}\quad Q\_2 = C\_{12}\ V\_1 + C\_{22} \ V\_2 \ , $$ which defines a (symmetric) Capacitance matrix that is determined by the geometries of the two conductors. This generalizes the case that one uses for capacitors. See Purcell's Electricity and Magnetism in the Berkeley Series in Physics for a discussion. Note added: The assumption in the above formulation is that the conductors have finite size. Then, when the charges $Q\_1$ and $Q\_2$ are finite, one assumes that the potential at spatial infinity defines the zero of the potential. Suresh's answer gives the correct general formalism. (1) For the specific case of a coaxial cable, the electric field between the two conductors is determined by the charge $-Q$ on the inner conductor, which terminates on $+Q$ worth of charge on the outer conductor. (There can't be any field inside the inner conductor, so all the field generated by its charge extends outward.) The potential difference between the two conductors will just be $Q/C$, where $C$ is the capacitance of the coax. The "excess" $19Q$ on the outer coax conductor produces a field extending outwards from the coax. If this field extends to infinity the potential drop will be infinite. Instead, one can terminate the field on $-19Q$ worth of new charge situated somewhere outside the coax. If that new charge resides on a new third conductor, that new topology is characterized by a new capacitance $C\_{new}$, which will set the potential difference between the outer coax and the new third conductors: $19Q/C\_{new}$. --- (2) It's interesting to generate the capacitance matrix for this configuration. (See suresh's answer for the capacitance matrix equation formulation.) Because the coax cable length is infinite, one must consider the "specific" charges and capacitances, that is, charge and capacitance per unit length. First consider the infinite coax in isolation. Evaluating the matrix elements (with the inner conductor denoted "1") gives: $$C\_{11}=-C\_{12}=-C\_{21}=C\_{22}=C=\frac{2 \pi \epsilon}{\ln\left(r\_2/r\_1 \right)}$$ This matrix is degenerate, forcing $Q\_1=-Q\_2$. Now add a third, grounded cylindrical conductor at radius $r\_3$, $r\_3>r\_2$. $C\_{11}$, $C\_{12}$, and $C\_{21}$ are unchanged, but $C\_{22}$ acquires a new term: $$ C\_{22}= 2 \pi \epsilon \left( \frac{1}{\ln\left(r\_2/r\_1 \right)} + \frac{1}{\ln\left(r\_3/r\_2 \right)} \right) = C + C\_{new}$$ This addition removes the degeneracy, allowing arbitrary charges to be assigned to the two coax's conductors, with the resulting voltages measured with respect to the grounded conductor. As $r\_3$ increases, $C\_{new}$ decreases, reaching the degenerate case in the limit. Inverting this matrix equation and solving for the potential difference, one finds: $$ V\_1 - V\_2 = \frac{Q\_1}{C} $$ agreeing with the first analysis result. In general, the potential difference in terms of the capacitance matrix elements and charges is: $$ V\_1 - V\_2 = \frac{(C\_{22}+C\_{21}) Q\_1 - (C\_{11} + C\_{12}) Q\_2 }{C\_{11} C\_{22} - C\_{12} C\_{21} } $$ Actually capacitance is of conductors... So if the conductors are unequally charged then we can apply concept of induced charges ... After that charges on the inner surfaces of conductors will have equal and opposite charges... And we can apply the regular concept ...

stackexchange/physics

Events January January 1 The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. January 7 Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head office of IBM. January 10 BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet jet plane, disintegrates in mid-air due to metal fatigue, and crashes in the Mediterranean near Elba; all 35 people on board are killed. January 12 Avalanches in Austria kill more than 200. January 14 Marilyn Monroe marries baseball player Joe DiMaggio, at San Francisco City Hall. January 14 The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, forming the American Motors Corporation. January 15 Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in Kenya. January 17 In Yugoslavia, Milovan Đilas, one of the leading members of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, is relieved of his duties. January 20 The US-based National Negro Network is established, with 46 member radio stations. January 21 The first nuclear-powered submarine, the , is launched in Groton, Connecticut, by First Lady of the United States Mamie Eisenhower. January 25 The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union meet at the Berlin Conference. February February 3 Elizabeth II becomes the first reigning monarch to visit Australia. February 10 After authorizing $385 million over the $400 million already budgeted for military aid to Vietnam, President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower warns against his country's intervention in Vietnam. February 19 1954 transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. February 23 The first mass vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, United States. February 23 The patent for the original Oscar Mayer hotdog car Wienermobile is published. February 25 Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes premier of Egypt. March March 1 U.S. officials announce that a hydrogen bomb test Castle Bravo has been conducted, on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. Capitol shooting incident: Four Puerto Rican nationalists open fire in the United States House of Representatives chamber and wound 5; they are apprehended by security guards. March 9 American journalists Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly produce a 30-minute See It Now documentary, entitled A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy. March 12 Finland and Germany officially end their state of war. March 13 Việt Minh forces under General Võ Nguyên Giáp began a massive artillery bombardment on the French military, beginning the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the climactic battle of the First Indochina War. March 19 Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory at Madison Square Garden in the first televised boxing prize fight to be shown in colour. March 23 In Vietnam, the Viet Minh capture the main airstrip of Dien Bien Phu. The remaining French Army units there are partially isolated. March 25 The 26th Academy Awards Ceremony is held. The Soviet Union recognises the sovereignty of East Germany. Soviet troops remain in the country. March 27 The Castle Romeo nuclear test explosion is executed at Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. March 28 The trial of A. L. Zissu and 12 other Zionist leaders ends with harsh sentences in Communist Romania. Puerto Rico's first television station, WKAQ-TV, commences broadcasting. March 29 A C-47 transport with French nurse Geneviève de Galard on board is wrecked on the runway at Dien Bien Phu. March 30 The first operational subway line in Canada opens in Toronto. April April Bill Haley & His Comets record Rock Around the Clock, thus starting the rock and roll craze. April 1 The U.S. Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorize the founding of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. South Point School India is founded, and becomes the largest school in the world by 1992. April 3 Vladimir Petrov defects from the Soviet Union, and asks for political asylum in Australia. April 4 Legendary symphony conductor Arturo Toscanini experiences a lapse of memory during a concert. At this concert's end, his retirement is announced, and Toscanini never conducts in public again. April 7 Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his Domino Theory speech, during a news conference. April 8 A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Air Lines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people. April 11 This day is denoted as the most boring day in the 20th century by True Knowledge, an answer engine developed by William Tunstall-Pedoe. No significant newsworthy events, births, or deaths are known to have happened on this day. In a general election in Belgium, the dominant Christian Social Party wins 95 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, and 49 of the 106 seats in the Senate. The government led by Jean Van Houtte loses their majority in parliament. The two other main parties, the Socialist and Liberal Party, subsequently form a rare purple government, with Achille Van Acker as Prime Minister. April 14 Aneurin Bevan resigns from the British Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet. A Soviet spy ring in Australia is unveiled. April 16 Vice President Richard Nixon announces that the United States may be putting our own boys in Indochina regardless of Allied support. April 22 Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings, investigating the United States Army for being soft on Communism. April 26 An international conference on Korea and Indo-China opens in Geneva. Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is released in Japan. April 28 U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accuses Communist China of sending combat troops to Indo-China, to train the Viet Minh guerrillas. May May 1 The Unification Church is founded in South Korea. May 4 General Alfredo Stroessner deposes Federico Chávez in a coup d'état in Paraguay; from August 15 he will hold the office of President until 1989. May 6 Roger Bannister runs the first sub-four minute mile, in Oxford, England. May 7 Vietnam War run-up: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat the battle began on March 13. May 8 The Asian Football Confederation AFC is formed in Manila, Philippines. May 11 U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles declares that Indochina is important but not essential to the security of Southeast Asia, thus ending any prospect of American intervention on the side of France. May 14 The Boeing 707 is released, after about 2 years of development. The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted in The Hague, Netherlands. May 15 The Latin Union Unión Latina is created by the Convention of Madrid. Its member countries use the five Romance languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. It will suspend operations in 2012. May 17 Brown v. Board of Education 347 US 483 1954: The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that segregated schools are unconstitutional. The Royal Commission on the Petrov Affair in Australia begins its inquiry. Adnan Menderes of the Democratic Party forms the new 21st government of Turkey. May 20 Chiang Kai-shek is re-elected as the president of the Republic of China, by the National Assembly. May 22 The common Nordic Labour Market act is signed. May 26 A fire on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bennington, off Narragansett Bay, Massachusetts, kills 103 sailors. May 29 1954 Australian federal election: Robert Menzies' Liberal/Country Coalition Government is re-elected with a decreased majority, defeating the Labor Party led by H.V. Evatt. The election came shortly after the Petrov Affair, which arguably helped the Government survived what was initially predicted to be a defeat. Creation and first meeting of the Bilderberg Group. Diane Leather becomes the first woman to run a sub-five minute mile, in Birmingham, England. June June 6 The grand opening of the sculpture of Yuriy Dolgorukiy takes place in Moscow this statue is one of the main monuments of Moscow. June 9 McCarthyism: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy, during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army, saying, Have you, at long last, no decency? June 14 The words under God are added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance. June 15 The UEFA Union of European Football Associations is formed in Basel, Switzerland. June 17 A CIA-engineered military coup occurs in Guatemala. June 18 Pierre Mendès France becomes prime minister of France. June 22 Sarah Mae Flemming is expelled from a bus in South Carolina, for sitting in a white-only section. ParkerHulme murder case: Pauline Parker, 16 and her friend Juliet Hulme, 15, bludgeon Parker's mother to death using a brick, at Victoria Park in New Zealand. June 27 Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz steps down in a CIA-sponsored military coup, triggering a bloody civil war that continues for more than 35 years. The world's first atomic power station opens at Obninsk, near Moscow. July July 1 The Common Nordic Labor Market Act comes into effect. The United States officially begins using the international unit of the nautical mile, equal to 6,076.11549 ft. or 1,852 meters. July 4 Food rationing in Great Britain ends, with the lifting of restrictions on sale and purchase of meat, 14 years after it began early in World War II, and nearly a decade after the war's end. Miracle of Bern: West Germany beats Hungary 32 to win the 1954 FIFA World Cup. July 10 Peter Thomson becomes the first Australian to win the British Open Golf Championship. July 15 The Boeing 367-80 or Dash 80, prototype of the Boeing 707 series, makes its maiden flight. Juan Fangio, Argentine driver for German Grand Prix team Mercedes-Benz, makes a new fastest lap of the Silverstone Circuit, with an average speed of 100.35 mph, the previous record being 100.16 mph. July 19 Release of Elvis Presley's first single, That's All Right, by Sun Records recorded July 5 in Memphis, Tennessee. July 21 First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference sends French forces to the south, and Vietnamese forces to the north, of a ceasefire line, and calls for elections to decide the government for all of Vietnam by July 1956. Failure to abide by the terms of the agreement leads to the establishment of the de facto regimes of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, and the Vietnam War. July 31 1954 Italian expedition to K2: Italian mountaineers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni become the first to reach the summit of the second highest mountain in the world. August August 1 The First Indochina War ends with the Vietnam People's Army in North Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Army in South Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia in Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos in Laos, emerging victorious against the French Army. August 6 Emilie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets, dies of asphyxiation following an epileptic seizure. She is the first of the five to perish, and three of them live into the 21st century. August 16 The first issue of Sports Illustrated magazine is published in the United States. August 23 A United States Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules makes its first flight at Burbank, California, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. August 24 Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas commits suicide, after being accused of involvement in a conspiracy to murder his chief political opponent, Carlos Lacerda. September September 3 The last 'new' episode of The Lone Ranger radio program is broadcast, after 2,956 episodes over a period of 21 years reruns of old episodes continue to be transmitted. September 6 The SEATO treaty is signed in Manila, Philippines. September 8 The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization SEATO is established in Bangkok, Thailand. September 9 A 6.7 Chlef earthquake shakes northern Algeria, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI Extreme. The shock destroyS Orléansville, leaving 1,2431,409 dead, and 5,000 injured. September 11 The Miss America Pageant is broadcast on television for the first time. September 14 The Soviet Union carries out the Totskoye nuclear exercise. English composer Benjamin Brittens chamber opera version of The Turn of the Screw receives its world premiere, at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy. September 15 Black Wednesday in air travel: severe delays to flights, due to bad weather, occur along the East Coast of the United States. September 17 William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies is published in London. September 25 Footscray Football Club wins their first Australian Football League Grand Final. September 26 Japanese ferry Tōya Maru sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait. More than 1,100 people are killed, 7 other ships are wrecked, and at least nine others seriously damaged. September 30 The , the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, is commissioned into the U.S. Navy. October October 11 Pre-Vietnam War: The Viet Minh takes control of North Vietnam. Hurricane Hazel crosses over Haiti, killing 1,000. October 15 Hurricane Hazel makes U.S. landfall; it is the only recorded Category 4 hurricane to strike as far north as North Carolina October 18 Texas Instruments announces the development of the first commercial transistor radio. The Regency TR-1 goes on sale the following month. The comic strip Hi and Lois, by Mort Walker and Dik Browne, is launched. October 20 A dock workers' strike expands in England. October 23 West Germany joins NATO. Paris Agreement sets up the Western European Union to implement the Treaty of Brussels 1948, providing for mutual self-defence and other collaboration between Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. October 25 Landslides caused by heavy rains hit Salerno, Italy, killing about 300. October 26 Muslim Brotherhood member Mahmoud Abdul Latif tries to kill Gamal Abdel Nasser. October 31 Algerian War of Independence: The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule. November November 1 The FLN attacks representative and public buildings of the French colonial power. November 2 The dock workers' strike in the UK comes to an end. The radio program Hancock's Half Hour, a pioneer in situation comedy, is first broadcast on BBC Radio a television version will follow in 1956. November 3 The first Godzilla film premieres in Tokyo. November 5 Japan and Burma sign a peace treaty in Rangoon, to end their long-extinct state of war. November 10 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial Iwo Jima Memorial, at the Arlington National Cemetery. November 12 The main immigration port-of-entry in New York Harbor at Ellis Island closes permanently. November 13 Great Britain defeats France, to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators November 14 Egyptian president Muhammad Naguib is deposed, and Gamal Abdel Nasser replaces him. November 22 Berman v. Parker 348 U.S. 26: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the federal slum clearance and urban renewal programs. November 23 The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises 3.27 points, or 0.86 percent, closing at an all-time high of 382.74. More significantly, this is the first time the Dow has surpassed its peak level, reached just before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. November 30 In Sylacauga, Alabama, a four-kilogram piece of the Hodges Meteorite crashes through the roof of a house and badly bruises a napping woman, in the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person. December December 1 The first Hyatt Hotel, The Hyatt House Los Angeles, opens on the grounds of Los Angeles International Airport. It is the first hotel in the world built on an airport property. December 2 Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 6722 to condemn Joseph McCarthy, for conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute. The Taiwan-United States Mutual Defense Treaty is signed. December 4 The first Burger King opens in Miami, Florida. December 15 The Netherlands Antilles is created out of the Dutch Caribbean nations. It is later dissolved between 1986 and 2010. December 23 J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray perform the world's first successful kidney transplant, in Boston, Massachusetts. December 24 Laos gains full independence from France. Date titles New Zealand engineer Sir William Hamilton develops the first pump-jet engine the Hamilton Jet capable of propelling a jetboat. The first electric drip brew coffeemaker is patented in Germany and named the Wigomat after its inventor Gottlob Widmann. The Boy Scouts of America desegregates on the basis of race. Gerbils Meriones unguiculatus are brought to the United States by Dr. Victor Schwentker. The case of Lothar Malskat, who had admitted that he had painted the supposedly antique frescoes in Marienkirche himself, goes to trial. The TV dinner is introduced, by American entrepreneur Gerry Thomas. New York City Ballet founding balletmaster George Balanchine's production of The Nutcracker is staged for the first time in New York City, and it became a tradition there, still being performed annually . South Korea opens the Gimpo International Airport. In South Vietnam, the Viet Minh is reorganised into the Viet Cong. After the death of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union starts releasing political prisoners and deportees from its Gulag prison camps. Births January January 1 Thomas Aisu, Ugandan physician, educator d. 2018 Djimrangar Dadnadji, 16th Prime Minister of Chad d. 2019 January 2 Henry Bonilla, American politician January 3 Ross the Boss, American heavy metal/punk guitarist January 4 Tina Knowles, African-American fashion designer; mother of R&B singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles Dave The Devilfish Ulliott, English professional poker player January 5 Alex English, American basketball player January 6 Anthony Minghella, British film, theatre director d. 2008 January 7 Jodi Long, American actress José María Vitier, Cuban music composer, pianist January 8 Julieta Castellanos, Honduran sociologist January 12 Howard Stern, American radio host January 13 Trevor Rabin, South AfricanAmerican musician January 14 Tom Cheney, American cartoonist Masanobu Fuchi, Japanese professional wrestler January 15 Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino writer January 17 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American socialite, environmental activist January 19 Ted DiBiase, American professional wrestler Katey Sagal, American actress, singer Married...With Children Katharina Thalbach, German actress January 21 Thomas de Maizière, German politician January 22 Paul O'Brien, British chemist d. 2018 Peter Pilz, Austrian politician January 23 Franco De Vita, Venezuelan singer, songwriter Greg Guidry, American singer, songwriter d. 2003 Edward Ka-Spel, British/Dutch singe, songwriter The Legendary Pink Dots January 28 Peter Lampe, German theologian, historian Bruno Metsu, French football coach d. 2013 Kaneto Shiozawa, Japanese voice actor d. 2000 Willy Telavi, 11th Prime Minister of Tuvalu January 29 Yukinobu Hoshino, Japanese cartoonist Terry Kinney, American actor Oprah Winfrey, African-American actress, talk show hostess, producer, and publisher February February 1 Bill Mumy, American actor, musician Lost In Space February 2 Christie Brinkley, American model February 4 Andrei Karlov, Russian diplomat d. 2016 February 7 Dieter Bohlen, German music producer and singer-songwriter Modern Talking, Blue System February 9 Chris Gardner, African-American businessman, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist Gina Rinehart, Australian mining tycoon Kevin Warwick, English cybernetic scientist February 11 Noriyuki Asakura, Japanese composer February 12 Philip Zimmermann, American cryptographer Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist, academic Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author February 13 Donnie Moore, American baseball player d. 1989 February 15 Matt Groening, American cartoonist The Simpsons February 16 Iain Banks, Scottish author d. 2013 Margaux Hemingway, American fashion model and actress d. 1996 February 17 Rene Russo, American actress, fashion model Yuji Takada, Japanese free-style wrestler Brian Houston, Australian-New Zealand pastor, author and founder of Hillsong Church February 18 John Travolta, American actor Jalaluddin Hassan, Malaysian actor February 19 Messaouda Boubaker, Tunisian writer Sócrates, Brazilian footballer d. 2011 February 20 Anthony Head, English actor, musician Patty Hearst, American heiress, kidnapping victim February 23 Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine February 24 Sid Meier, Canadian programmer, game designer, notable for the Civilization series February 25 Gerardo Pelusso, Uruguayan football manager February 26 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 12th President of Turkey March March 1 Peter Spellos, American actor, voice actor Catherine Bach, American actress The Dukes of Hazzard Ron Howard, American actor, director, producer The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days March 2 Ed Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player Gara Takashima, Japanese voice actress March 4 François Fillon, Prime Minister of France Catherine O'Hara, Canadian actress SCTV Irina Ratushinskaya, Russian writer Willie Thorne, English snooker player March 5 João Lourenço, President of Angola March 6 Harald Schumacher, German football goalkeeper March 8 Marie-Theres Nadig, Swiss alpine skier David Wilkie, Scottish former world record holder, Olympic gold medallist swimmer 1976 March 9 Bobby Sands, Irish republican hunger striker d. 1981 Kevin Wade, American screenwriter, television producer March 11 Nicolae Manea, Romanian football player, manager d. 2014 March 13 The Baroness Amos, British politician March 15 Massimo Bubola, Italian singer, songwriter Craig Wasson, American actor March 16 S.A. Griffin, American actor, poet Nancy Wilson, American rock musician Jimmy Nail, English singer, songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer March 17 Lesley-Anne Down, British actress March 18 James F. Reilly, American astronaut March 19 Indu Shahani, Indian educator, Sheriff of Mumbai March 20 Louis Sachar, American author March 23 Geno Auriemma, American basketball coach Hideyuki Hori, Japanese voice actor March 24 Robert Carradine, American actor Donna Pescow, American actress, director Angie March 26 Wendy Fulton, American actress Kazuhiko Inoue, Japanese voice actor Clive Palmer, Australian mining tycoon March 29 Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre d. 1985 April April 1 Dieter Müller, German soccer player Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter Toto d. 1992 April 2 Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese musician April 4 Mary-Margaret Humes, American actress Tom Ruegger, American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and lyricist April 5 David Edward Maust, American serial killer d. 2006 Guy Bertrand, Canadian linguist, radio/television personality April 6 Judi Bowker, English actress Michael Simms, American poet, publisher; founded Autumn House Press April 7 Jackie Chan, Hong Kong-born actor, martial artist Tony Dorsett, American football player April 8 Gary Carter, American baseball player d. 2012 April 9 Steve Holt, Canadian musician Dennis Quaid, American actor April 10 Anacani, Mexican-born American singer The Lawrence Welk Show Angelika Hellmann, East German artistic gymnast April 14 Bruce Sterling, American science fiction writer April 16 Ellen Barkin, American actress April 17 Norio Imamura, Japanese voice actor Roddy Piper, Canadian wrestler d. 2015 April 22 Jōji Nakata, Japanese voice actor April 23 Peter Nyombi, Ugandan lawyer, politician d. 2018 Michael Moore, American filmmaker, political activist Bowling for Columbine April 25 Sudirman Arshad, Malaysian singer, songwriter d. 1992 Randy Cross, American football player, broadcaster April 27 Herman Edwards, American football head coach April 28 Michael Daugherty, American composer Vic Sotto, Filipino actor, host April 29 Jake Burton Carpenter, American founder of Burton Snowboards d. 2019 Kazuko Kurosawa, Japanese costume designer Jerry Seinfeld, American actor, comedian and producer Seinfeld April 30 Jane Campion, New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director May May 1 Ray Parker Jr., African-American musician and composer Ghostbusters Maatia Toafa, 2-time Prime Minister of Tuvalu May 2 Elliot Goldenthal, American composer May 5 David Azulai, Israeli politician d. 2018 May 6 Angela Hernández Nuñez, Dominican writer May 7 Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist Amy Heckerling, American film director May 8 Pam Arciero, Hawaiian-born puppeteer Sesame Street May 10 Amos Guttman, Israeli film director d. 1993 May 13 Johnny Logan, Australian-born Irish singer, composer and Eurovision Song Contest winner 1980, 1987 dubbed as Mister Eurovision May 14 María Dolores Katarain Yoyes, Spanish Basque separatist leader d. 1986 Peter J. Ratcliffe, English cellular biologist, Nobel Prize laureate May 19 Hōchū Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor Phil Rudd, Australian rock drummer AC/DC May 20 David Paterson, American politician, 55th Governor of New York May 22 Shuji Nakamura, Japanese electronics engineer May 25 Sudirman, Malaysian singer and songwriter d. 1992 Tantely Andrianarivo, 11th Prime Minister of Madagascar May 27 Pauline Hanson, Australian politician Lawrence M. Krauss, American theoretical physicist, science writer Coney Reyes, Philippine film and television actress May 28 John Tory, Canadian politician May 29 Pankaj Kapur, Indian actor June June 2 Mattos Nascimento, Brazilian musician, singer, composer and trombonist Dennis Haysbert, African-American actor Chiyoko Kawashima, retired Japanese voice actress June 4 Kazuhiro Yamaji, Japanese actor, voice actor June 5 Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Indonesian entrepreneur, politician Nancy Stafford, American actress, Christian author June 6 Harvey Fierstein, American actor June 9 John Hagelin, American physicist, U.S. Presidential candidate Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada June 10 Kurt Walker, American ice hockey player d. 2018 June 14 Will Patton, American actor June 15 Jim Belushi, American actor, comedian, singer and musician Bob McDonnell, American politician June 16 Sergey Kuryokhin, Russian pianist, composer, improvisor, performance artist and actor d. 1996 June 19 Ted Coombs, American artist Kathleen Turner, American actress Romancing the Stone June 20 Michael Anthony, American rock bassist Van Halen Karlheinz Brandenburg, German electrical engineer, mathematician Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force fighter pilot, Israel's first astronaut d. 2003 June 21 Mark Kimmitt, U.S general Chip Ingram, Christian pastor, author, and orator Jim Tooey, American actor Anne Kirkbride, British actress Coronation Street d. 2015 Robert Pastorelli, American actor d. 2004 June 22 Chris Lemmon, American actor, author Freddie Prinze, American actor, comedian Chico and the Man d. 1977 June 23 James Plaskitt, British politician Francisco Javier Cuadra, Chilean lawyer, academic, and politician June 24 Chang San-cheng, Taiwanese politician June 25 Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Brazilian actor Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Igor Lisovsky, Soviet pair skater Abderrazak Kilani, Tunisian politician, lawyer June 26 Steve Barton, American actor d. 2001 June 27 Ron Kirk, Mayor of Dallas, Texas Anita Zagaria, Italian actress June 28 Daniel Dantas, Brazilian actor Ava Barber, American country singer The Lawrence Welk Show Alice Krige, South African actress and producer June 29 Jai Jagadish, Indian film actor, director and producer Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player, coach June 30 Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia Stephen Ouimette, Canadian actor, director Mohammad A. Quayum, Bangladeshi academic, writer, editor, critic and translator Wayne Swan, Australian politician Pierre Charles, Prime Minister of Dominica d. 2004 July July 1 Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Somali politician Pedro Guastavino, Argentine politician Lawrence Gonzi, Maltese politician and lawyer Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iraqi-Iranian military commander d. 2020 July 2 Ludmila Aslanian, Armenian chess player Peter Randall-Page, British artist Wendy Schaal, American actress July 3 Pennie Lane Trumbull, American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and entrepreneur July 4 Anne Lambton, British actress July 5 Don Stark, American actor John Wright, New Zealand cricket captain July 6 Willie Randolph, American baseball player, coach, manager July 7 Robert M. Price, American theologian and writer, Cthulhu Mythos scholar and editor Simon Anderson, Australian competitive surfer, surfboard shaper, and writer Ursula Stephens, Australian politician July 8 David Aaronovitch, English journalist, television presenter and author Matthew Marsh, English actor July 9 Kevin O'Leary, Canadian businessman, television personality, and political candidate July 10 Andre Dawson, American baseball player Michele Serra, Italian writer, journalist and satirist Neil Tennant, British singer-songwriter, musician and journalist Pet Shop Boys Yō Yoshimura, Japanese voice actor d. 1991 José González Ganoza, Peruvian footballer d. 1987 July 11 Alejandro Camacho, Mexican actor and producer July 12 Eric Adams, American singer Lisa Pelikan, American actress Paulo Saldiva, Brazilian professor, physician, pathologist and medical researcher July 13 Sezen Aksu, Turkish singer July 14 David Cooperrider, Czech ice dancer July 15 Tarak Dhiab, Tunisian footballer John Ferguson, Australian rugby league player Mario Kempes, Argentine footballer Jeff Jarvis, American journalist, professor, public speaker and television critic July 16 Nicholas Frankau, English actor Jeanette Mott Oxford, American politician July 17 Angela Merkel, 8th Chancellor of Germany Richard Bekins, American actor Edward Natapei, Vanuatu politician and Prime Minister of Vanuatu d. 2015 Eduardo Romero, Argentine golfer J. Michael Straczynski, American author July 18 Franziska Troegner, German actress July 19 Verica Kalanović, Serbian politician July 20 Lo Ta-yu, Taiwanese singer and songwriter Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, Vietnamese politician; Prime Minister of Vietnam Wilson Casey, American syndicated columnist and entertainer July 21 Otto Jespersen, Norwegian comedian, actor and television personality July 22 Pierre Lebeau, Canadian actor July 24 Michael H. O'Brien, American politician d. 2018 Jorge Jesus, Portuguese football player and coach July 25 Walter Payton, African-American football player d. 1999 July 26 Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player d. 1994 Leonardo Daniel, Mexican actor and director July 27 Philippe Alliot, French race car driver Lynne Frederick, British actress d. 1994 July 28 Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela d. 2013 July 29 Mark Gersmehl, American Christian musician August August 1 Philip Trenary, American businessman d. 2018 Michael Badnarik, American software engineer and presidential candidate James Gleick, American non fiction author of several award-winning books. Junpei Morita, Japanese actor and voice actor August 2 David Tang, Hong Kong-British entrepreneur and philanthropist d. 2017 August 4 Dorottya Udvaros, Hungarian actress François Valéry, French singer-songwriter and composer Uwe Wittwer, Swiss artist August 7 Susanna Javicoli, Italian actress d. 2005 August 9 Pete Thomas, British drummer for the Elvis Costello band August 11 Joe Jackson, British singer-songwriter Steppin' Out August 12 François Hollande, President of France 201217 Sam J. Jones, American actor Pat Metheny, American jazz guitarist August 13 Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass guitar player d. 2001 Tõnu Kilgas, Estonian singer and actor August 14 Mark Fidrych, American baseball player d. 2009 Stanley A. McChrystal, U.S. Army general August 16 James Cameron, Canadian-born film director August 17 Anatoly Kudryavitsky, Russian-Irish writer Andrés Pastrana Arango, President of Colombia August 20 Tawn Mastrey, American disc jockey and music video producer d. 2007 Al Roker, American television personality and host Richarda Schmeisser, East German artistic gymnast August 21 Steve Smith, American drummer Ivan Stang, American author and publisher August 22 Jay Patterson, American actor August 23 Ian Bartholomew, English actor Charles Busch, American director, writer and actor Halimah Yacob, 8th President of Singapore August 24 Joe Ochman, American actor and voice actor Philippe Cataldo, French singer August 25 Bruno Manser, Swiss environmental activist d. 2005 Elvis Costello, English singer-songwriter August 29 István Cserháti, Hungarian keyboardist d. 2005 August 30 Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus August 31 Robert Kocharyan, President of Armenia Caroline Cossey, British model September September 1 Dave Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player September 2 Vance DeGeneres, American actor Andrej Babiš, Czech entrepreneur and politician, 12th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Gai Waterhouse, Australian racehorse trainer Humberto Zurita, Mexican actor, director and producer September 5 Danny Masterton, Scottish footballer d. 2020 September 6 Carly Fiorina, American businesswoman, CEO of HP 1999-2005 and Senator Ted Cruz's running mate in the 2016 presidential election September 7 Francisco Guterres, 4th President of East Timor Michael Emerson, American actor September 9 Mohsen Rezaee, Iranian politician September 10 Mark W. Everson, American businessman; 46th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service 200307 September 13 Steve Kilbey, Australian musician September 14 Buzz Schneider, American professional ice hockey player September 15 Nava Semel, Israeli author and playwright d. 2017 September 16 Ashrita Furman, American record breaker September 17 Wayne Krenchicki, American baseball player d. 2018 Joël-François Durand, French composer September 18 Dennis Johnson, American basketball player d. 2007 September 21 Shinzō Abe, current Prime Minister of Japan Thomas S. Ray, American ecologist Phil Philthy Animal Taylor, English drummer Motörhead and Waysted September 23 Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair September 24 Lilian Mercedes Letona, Salvadoran guerrilla d. 1983 September 26 Kevin Kennedy, American baseball manager and television host September 28 Steve Largent, American football player and congressman September 29 Cindy Morgan, American actress September 30 Barry Williams, American actor October October 1 Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer October 2 Wong Tien Fatt, Malaysian politician d. 2019 October 3 Eddie DeGarmo, American Christian keyboardist and producer Dennis Eckersley, American baseball player Al Sharpton, African-American civil rights activist, minister and radio talk show host Stevie Ray Vaughan, American musician d. 1990 October 5 Gurudas Kamat, Indian politician d. 2018 Wayne Watson, American Christian musician October 6 Howard Hoffman, American voice actor October 7 Robert A. Schuller, American televangelist and the son of Robert Schuller October 9 Scott Bakula, American actor Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise John O'Hurley, American actor and game show host October 10 Mohamed Mounir, Egyptian singer and actor David Lee Roth, American rock singer October 12 Linval Thompson, Jamaican singer and producer October 13 Mordechai Vanunu, a former Israeli nuclear technician who revealed secrets of its nuclear weapons program October 14 Mohamad Sabu, Malaysian politician October 15 Peter Bakowski, Australian poet Michael Garner, English actor October 18 Yūji Mitsuya, Japanese voice actor October 19 Ken Stott, Scottish actor Ronnie Leitch, Sri Lankan singer and actor d. 2018 October 21 Brian Tobin, sixth Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. October 22 Ellen Gerstell, American voice actress October 23 Ang Lee, Taiwanese film director October 24 Doug Davidson, American actor Mike Rounds, South Dakota politician Malcolm Turnbull, 28th Prime Minister of Australia October 25 Laxmikant Berde, Indian actor d. 2004 Mike Eruzione, American ice hockey player October 26 Farit Ismeth Emir, Malaysian news anchor d. 2020 Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, Mozambican politician Victor Ciorbea, 56th Prime Minister of Romania October 30 Kathleen Cody, American actress Mario Testino, Peruvian photographer November November 2 Angela Webber, Australian author, television writer, producer and comedian d. 2007 November 3 Adam Ant, British rock singer and musician Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actress Kathy Kinney, American actress and comedian November 5 Mike Gabriel, American animator and film producer November 6 Karin Fossum, Norwegian crime fiction writer November 7 Robin Beck, American singer Kamal Haasan, Indian actor, dancer, film director, screenwriter, producer and politician Jon Taffer, American bar consultant, television host and author November 8 Michael D. Brown, first Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response, a division of the United States' Department of Homeland Security Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese-born British author, Nobel Prize laureate November 11 Mary Gaitskill, American novelist November 12 Rhonda Shear, American television hostess, actress and comedian November 13 Chris Noth, American actor November 14 Yanni, Greek musician Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player Bernard Hinault, French road bicycle racer Condoleezza Rice, American politician, 66th United States Secretary of State November 15 Stephen W. Burns, American actor d. 1990 Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland November 16 Bruce Edwards, American golf caddy d. 2004 November 19 Kathleen Quinlan, American actress November 20 Bin Shimada, Japanese voice actor Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt November 22 Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister of Italy November 23 Elizabeth Savalla, Brazilian actress Bruce Hornsby, American rock singer November 26 Roz Chast, American cartoonist Dan Kwong, American performance artist and playwright November 27 Patricia McPherson, American actress Kimmy Robertson, American actress November 28 Marty Grabstein, American actor and voice actor November 29 Joel Coen, American film director, producer, screenwriter and editor December December 1 Bob Goen, American television personality and game show host December 2 Dan Butler, American actor Stone Phillips, American television journalist December 3 Grace Andreacchi, American author December 4 Tony Todd, American actor and producer December 6 Beat Furrer, Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor December 7 Mark Hofmann, American forger and murderer December 8 Sumi Shimamoto, Japanese voice actress December 10 Jack Hues, English singer and musician Wang Chung December 11 Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricketer d. 1999 Jermaine Jackson, African-American singer and actor Prachanda, Nepalese Communist leader December 13 John Anderson, American country music singer-songwriter December 14 Ib Andersen, Danish dancer Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver d. 1993 December 15 Mark Warner, American politician December 18 Ray Liotta, American actor Uli Jon Roth, German rock guitarist Scorpions December 20 Binali Yildirim, Prime Minister of Turkey Sandra Cisneros, American writer December 21 Chris Evert, American tennis player December 24 José María Figueres, Costa Rican politician, President 19941998 December 25 Roman Baskin, Estonian actor and director of stage and screen d. 2018 Annie Lennox, British rock musician and was lead singer of Eurythmics December 26 Susan Butcher, American dog-sled racer d. 2006 Ozzie Smith, HOF baseball shortstop December 28 Gayle King, African-American television personality, journalist, and author Lanny Poffo, American professional wrestler Denzel Washington, African-American actor December 29 Wang Huanyu, Chinese astrophysicist d. 2018 Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist d. 2003 December 31 Alex Salmond, Scottish politician Deaths January January 5 Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player Boston Braves and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame b. 1891 Lillian Rich, English actress b. 1900 January 8 Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian artist b. 1898 January 11 John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, British politician b. 1873 Oscar Straus, Austrian composer b. 1870 January 12 William H. P. Blandy, American admiral b. 1890 Elmer H. Geran, American politician b. 1875 January 18 Sydney Greenstreet, English actor b. 1879 January 20 Fred Root, English cricketer b. 1890 January 30 John Murray Anderson, Canadian theater director and producer b. 1886 Dorothy Price, Irish physician b. 1890 January 31 Edwin Armstrong, American electrical engineer b. 1890 Florence Bates, American actress b. 1888 February February 6 Maxwell Bodenheim, American poet and novelist murdered b. 1892 February 8 Laurence Trimble, American actor b. 1885 February 9 Mabel Paige, American actress b. 1880 February 11 Thomas Pierrepoint, British executioner b. 1870 February 12 Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker b. 1896 February 19 Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp, 24th Prime Minister of Sweden b. 1883 February 21 William K. Howard, American film director b. 1899 March March 7 Otto Diels, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate b. 1876 Will H. Hays, Namesake for the Hays Code b. 1879 March 9 Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer b. 1874 March 13 Cesar Klein, German painter b. 1876 March 24 Thành Thái, former Emperor of Vietnam b. 1879 March 26 Louis Silvers, American film composer b. 1889 March 30 Horatio Dresser, American writer b. 1866 Agustín Aragón León, Mexican politician, educator, and philosopher b. 1870 Fritz London, German physicist b. 1900 April April 2 Hoyt Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force general b. 1899 Maud Barger-Wallach, American tennis player b. 1870 April 8 Fritzi Scheff, actress & singer b. 1879 April 10 Auguste Lumière, French film pioneer b. 1862 April 12 Luis Cabrera Lobato, Mexican lawyer, politician and writer b. 1876 April 13 Angus L. Macdonald, Nova Scotia Premier b. 1890 April 17 Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian communist activist and sociologist b. 1900 April 27 Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski, Polish scientist and explorer who participated in the Belgian Antarctic expedition b. 1872 April 28 Léon Jouhaux, French labor leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize b. 1879 April 29 Kathleen Clarice Groom, British writer b. 1872 Joe May, Austrian-born director b. 1880 May May 1 Tom Tyler, American actor b. 1903 May 3 Józef Garbień, Polish footballer and physician b. 1896 May 5 Henri Laurens, French sculptor and illustrator b. 1885 May 6 B. C. Forbes, Scottish-born publisher b. 1880 May 14 Heinz Guderian, German World War II general b. 1888 May 15 William March, American writer and soldier b. 1893 May 19 Charles Ives, American composer b. 1874 May 22 Chief Bender, Native-American baseball player Philadelphia Athletics and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame b. 1884 May 25 Robert Capa, Hungarian-born photojournalist b. 1913 May 26 Omer Nishani, former Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly and head of State of Albania b. 1887 June June 7 Alan Turing, British mathematician, cryptanalyst, and pioneer computer scientist b. 1912 June 9 Alain LeRoy Locke, American writer, philosopher and educator b. 1885 June 21 Harvey A. Carr, American psychologists b. 1873 June 22 Don Hollenbeck, American newscaster b. 1905 June 24 Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman, 5th Governor-General of Australia b. 1874 June 27 Alfredo Versoza, Filipino Roman Catholic bishop and Servant of God b. 1877 June 30 Andrass Samuelsen, 1st Prime Minister of Faroe Islands b. 1873 July July 1 Thea von Harbou, German actress b. 1888 Tomás Monje, 48th President of Bolivia b. 1884 July 3 Reginald Marsh, American painter b. 1898 July 4 Maria Ripamonti, Italian Roman Catholic and a professed religious from the Ancelle della carità b. 1909 July 6 Gabriel Pascal, Hungarian-born film producer and director b. 1894 Cornelia Sorabji, Indian-born lawyer b. 1866 July 11 Henry Valentine Knaggs, English physician and author b. 1859 July 13 Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter b. 1907 Irving Pichel, American actor and director b. 1891 Grantland Rice, American sportswriter b. 1880 July 14 Jacinto Benavente, Spanish dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate b. 1866 Jackie Saunders, American silent screen actress b. 1892 July 16 Herms Niel, German composer b. 1888 July 17 Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster b. 1895 July 19 Hannes Meyer, Swiss architect b. 1889 July 28 Sōjin Kamiyama or Sojin, Japanese film star during the American silent film era b. 1884 July 29 Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater b. 1879 July 31 Princess Antonia of Luxembourg, Luxembourg aristocrat b. 1899 August August 3 Bess Streeter Aldrich, American writer b. 1881 Colette, French novelist b. 1873 August 14 Hugo Eckener, President of the Zeppelin Dirigible Company b. 1868 August 19 Alcide De Gasperi, Italian statesman and Christian Democracy politician, 30th Prime Minister of Italy b. 1881 August 24 Getúlio Vargas, 14th and 17th President of Brazil suicide b. 1882 August 31 Elsa Barker, American writer b. 1869 September September 1 Bert Acosta, American aviator b. 1895 September 2 Franz Leopold Neumann, German- political activist and Marxist theorist b. 1900 September 3 Eugene Pallette, American actor b. 1889 September 5 Eugen Schiffer, German politician b. 1860 September 6 Edward C. Kalbfus, American admiral b. 1877 September 7 Bud Fisher, American cartoonist b. 1885 Glenn Scobey Warner, American college football coach b. 1871 September 8 André Derain, French artist, painter and sculptor b. 1880 September 20 Washington Phillips, American gospel singer and instrumentalist b. 1880 September 21 Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese pearl farm pioneer b. 1858 September 24 Edward Pilgrim, British homeowner suicide b. 1904 September 25 Eugenio d'Ors, Spanish writer b. 1881 September 26 Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player b. 1868 September 27 Maximilian von Weichs, German field marshal b. 1881 September 28 Bert Lytell, American actor b. 1885 October October 1 René Le Senne, French philosopher and psychologist b. 1882 October 9 Robert H. Jackson, United States Supreme Court associate justice and chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials b. 1892 October 12 George Welch, American aviator b. 1918 October 19 Hugh Duffy, American baseball player Boston Braves and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame b. 1866 October 22 Jibanananda Das, Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist in Bengali b. 1899 October 30 Wilbur Shaw, American racing driver b. 1902 November November 3 Henri Matisse, French painter b. 1869 November 10 Édouard Le Roy, French philosopher and mathematician b. 1870 November 13 Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal b. 1881 November 15 Lionel Barrymore, American actor b. 1878 November 16 Albert Francis Blakeslee, American botanist b. 1874 November 17 Ludovic Dauș, Romanian novelist and playwright b. 1873 Yitzhak Lamdan, Russian-born Israeli poet and columnist b. 1899 November 20 Clyde Cessna, American aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer, founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation b. 1879 November 22 Roderick McMahon, American professional boxing and wrestling promoter; founder of Capitol Wrestling Corporation b. 1882 Moroni Olsen, American actor b. 1889 Andrey Vyshinsky, Russian jurist and diplomat, former Soviet Foreign Minister b. 1883 November 28 Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate b. 1901 November 29 Dink Johnson, American musician b. 1892 November 30 Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor b. 1886 December December 1 Fred Rose, American songwriter b. 1898 December 5 Cristian Vasquez, Dominicano b. 1954 December 8 Claude Cahun, French photographer and writer b. 1894 Gladys George, American actress b. 1904 December 20 James Hilton, English novelist b. 1900 December 23 René Iché, French sculptor b. 1897 December 27 Adolph Otto Niedner, American cartridge designer b. 1863 December 30 Archduke Eugen of Austria, Austrian field marshal b. 1863 Günther Quandt, German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana b. 1881 Nobel Prizes Physics Max Born, Walther Bothe Chemistry Linus Pauling Medicine John Franklin Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller, Frederick Chapman Robbins Literature Ernest Hemingway Peace The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. References

wikipedia

Trois-Pistoles is a city in Les Basques Regional County Municipality in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. A ferry crosses the river to Les Escoumins on the north shore. The port facilities are also used by fishing boats and scuba divers. The town is the site of the University of Western Ontario's annual French immersion program, which has existed since 1932. It is the oldest such program in Canada. Just offshore of the town lies Île aux Basques, an island that was used by Basque whalers in the 16th century. The island, part of the surrounding Municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, is a National Historic Site of Canada and is now a migratory bird sanctuary. The town has hosted the Festival Échofête de Trois-Pistoles, an environmentalism-themed music festival and fair each July since 2002. It is Quebec's largest environmental festival. The town can be reached by Via Rail on the named train The Ocean, between Montreal and Halifax. Etymology The town is said to have been named for a silver goblet worth three pistoles, an old French coin, that was lost in the river in the 17th century. Demographics Population Language Climate Media FM 93.9 CIEL-FM-4, adult contemporary FM 104.9 CIBM-FM-2, hot adult contemporary See also List of cities in Quebec Trois Pistoles station Trois-Pistoles, a Belgian-style beer from Unibroue, a Quebec brewery now owned by Sapporo Brewery. References External links Ville de Trois-Pistoles Category:Cities and towns in Quebec Category:Incorporated places in Bas-Saint-Laurent

wikipedia

Number of two electron integrals I was trying to write a C++ code following the instruction given in this [website](http://sirius.chem.vt.edu/wiki/doku.php?id=crawdad:programming:project3#dokuwiki__top). The problem is in the two electron integral file, only 228 entries for 7 molecular orbitals are provided. But my code says it should be 406 (please see below) ``` int NFI=0; //NFI=number of four electron integrals for (int i=0; i<NAO; i++){ for (int j=0; j<=i; j++){ for (int k=0; k<=i; k++){ for (int l=0; l<=k; l++){ int ij=i*(i+1)*0.5+j; int kl=k*(k+1)*0.5+l; if (kl<=ij){NFI += 1;} } } } } printf("%d\n",NFI); ``` I'm using 4 criteria as can be seen in this code snippet. Can anyone explain me why the number of unique integral is 228, not 406? As per suggestion, I compared my index with the index provided, here they are ``` 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 1 2 1 4 4 1 1 3 1 2 2 5 5 1 1 ``` Left 4 numbers are generated from my code and right 4 numbers are given in the input file. (3,1,1,1) is missing in the data file provided (I checked the whole file), but it fulfills the criteria of $ij \geq kl$. Update:: I think that 228 integral was a mistake, I found another project file from Dr. Crawford which listed 406 unique integrals for the same system ($H\_2O$ with 7 molecular orbitals). In case if anyone wants to work on that project, they can use this data [file](http://vergil.chemistry.gatech.edu/h2oints.txt). ``` ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PSI4: An Open-Source Ab Initio Electronic Structure Package PSI 4.0.0-alpha Driver T. D. Crawford, C. D. Sherrill, E. F. Valeev, J. T. Fermann, R. A. King, M. L. Leininger, S. T. Brown, C. L. Janssen, E. T. Seidl, J. P. Kenny, and W. D. Allen, J. Comput. Chem. 28, 1610-1616 (2007) Additional Contributions by Francesco Evangelista, Andrew Simmonett, Justin Turney, Jeremiah Wilke ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Using LocalCommunicator (Number of processes = 1) Memory level set to 256.000 MB ``` ./plugin\_aointegrals.so loaded. Calling plugin plugin\_aointegrals.so. Molecular point group: c2v ``` Geometry (in Angstrom), charge = 0, multiplicity = 1: Center X Y Z ------------ ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- O 0.000000000000 0.000000000000 -0.071151380605 H 0.000000000000 0.757939245855 0.564612021746 H 0.000000000000 -0.757939245855 0.564612021746 Number of unique atoms: 2 Atoms equivalency: unique atom 0: 0 unique atom 1: 1 2 Nuclear repulsion energy: 8.90770810 ``` ## Overlap ## ``` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 1.0000000 0.2367039 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0000000 0.0500137 0.0500137 2 0.2367039 1.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0000000 0.4539953 0.4539953 3 0.0000000 0.0000000 1.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 4 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 1.0000000 0.0000000 0.2927386 -0.2927386 5 -0.0000000 -0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 1.0000000 0.2455507 0.2455507 6 0.0500137 0.4539953 0.0000000 0.2927386 0.2455507 1.0000000 0.2510021 7 0.0500137 0.4539953 0.0000000 -0.2927386 0.2455507 0.2510021 1.0000000 ``` ## Kinetic ## ``` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 29.0031999 -0.1680109 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0000000 -0.0045400 -0.0045400 2 -0.1680109 0.8081280 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0000000 0.1137475 0.1137475 3 0.0000000 0.0000000 2.5287312 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 4 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 2.5287312 0.0000000 0.1993355 -0.1993355 5 -0.0000000 -0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 2.5287312 0.1672036 0.1672036 6 -0.0045400 0.1137475 0.0000000 0.1993355 0.1672036 0.7600319 0.0083249 7 -0.0045400 0.1137475 0.0000000 -0.1993355 0.1672036 0.0083249 0.7600319 ``` ## Potential ## ``` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 -61.6882822 -7.4363118 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0186797 -1.6150635 -1.6150635 2 -7.4363118 -10.1101908 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.2221598 -3.6569582 -3.6569582 3 0.0000000 0.0000000 -9.9595668 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 4 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 -10.0957534 0.0000000 -2.0901916 2.0901916 5 -0.0186797 -0.2221598 0.0000000 0.0000000 -10.0553869 -1.8259929 -1.8259929 6 -1.6150635 -3.6569582 0.0000000 -2.0901916 -1.8259929 -5.7165220 -1.5685885 7 -1.6150635 -3.6569582 0.0000000 2.0901916 -1.8259929 -1.5685885 -5.7165220 ``` ## One Electron Ints ## ``` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 -32.6850823 -7.6043227 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.0186797 -1.6196036 -1.6196036 2 -7.6043227 -9.3020628 0.0000000 0.0000000 -0.2221598 -3.5432106 -3.5432106 3 0.0000000 0.0000000 -7.4308356 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 4 0.0000000 0.0000000 0.0000000 -7.5670222 0.0000000 -1.8908561 1.8908561 5 -0.0186797 -0.2221598 0.0000000 0.0000000 -7.5266557 -1.6587893 -1.6587893 6 -1.6196036 -3.5432106 0.0000000 -1.8908561 -1.6587893 -4.9564901 -1.5602636 7 -1.6196036 -3.5432106 0.0000000 1.8908561 -1.6587893 -1.5602636 -4.9564901 ``` Two-electron Integrals ``` ( 0 0 | 0 0) = 4.785065404705502 ( 1 0 | 0 0) = 0.741380351973408 ( 1 1 | 0 0) = 1.118946866342470 ( 1 0 | 1 0) = 0.136873385354388 ( 1 1 | 1 0) = 0.256633394730974 ( 1 1 | 1 1) = 0.817206321526058 ( 2 0 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 0 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 0 0) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 1 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 0 0) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 0 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 0 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 1 0) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 1 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 1 0) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 0 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 0 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 1 1) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 1 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 2 2 | 0 0) = 1.115813812152427 ( 3 2 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 0 0) = 1.115813812152427 ( 4 2 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 0 0) = 1.115813812152427 ( 2 0 | 2 0) = 0.024477412258099 ( 3 0 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 0 | 3 0) = 0.024477412258099 ( 4 0 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 4 0) = 0.024477412258099 ( 2 2 | 1 0) = 0.256683985810103 ( 3 2 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 1 0) = 0.256683985810103 ( 4 2 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 1 0) = 0.256683985810103 ( 2 1 | 2 0) = 0.037808607416361 ( 3 0 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 3 0) = 0.037808607416361 ( 4 0 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 4 0) = 0.037808607416361 ( 2 2 | 1 1) = 0.817022605320914 ( 3 2 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 1 1) = 0.817022605320914 ( 4 2 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 1 1) = 0.817022605320914 ( 2 1 | 2 1) = 0.180518392104632 ( 3 1 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 3 1) = 0.180518392104632 ( 4 1 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 4 1) = 0.180518392104632 ( 2 2 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 2 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 0 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 2 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 2 2) = -0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 0 | 3 3) = -0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 4 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 4 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 4 0) = -0.000000000000000 ( 2 2 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 2 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 1 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 2 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 1 | 3 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 4 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 4 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 4 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 2 2 | 2 2) = 0.880159093375045 ( 3 2 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 2 | 3 2) = 0.047444445118384 ( 3 3 | 2 2) = 0.785270203138277 ( 3 3 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 3 3 | 3 3) = 0.880159093375045 ( 4 2 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 3 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 2 | 4 2) = 0.047444445118384 ( 4 3 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 3 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 3 | 4 3) = 0.047444445118384 ( 4 4 | 2 2) = 0.785270203138277 ( 4 4 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 3 3) = 0.785270203138277 ( 4 4 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 4 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 4 4 | 4 4) = 0.880159093375045 ( 5 0 | 0 0) = 0.159028953813045 ( 5 1 | 0 0) = 0.381788700431517 ( 5 0 | 1 0) = 0.029107255214247 ( 5 1 | 1 0) = 0.088639046604491 ( 5 0 | 1 1) = 0.054208207239172 ( 5 1 | 1 1) = 0.311911628346485 ( 5 2 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 0 0) = 0.208975170450133 ( 5 4 | 0 0) = 0.175289465612119 ( 5 0 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 0 | 3 0) = 0.001028596856434 ( 5 0 | 4 0) = 0.000862792421254 ( 5 2 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 1 0) = 0.049151047350638 ( 5 4 | 1 0) = 0.041228155506758 ( 5 1 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 1 | 3 0) = 0.005091750233326 ( 5 1 | 4 0) = 0.004270986718219 ( 5 0 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 0 | 3 1) = 0.001923027401919 ( 5 0 | 4 1) = 0.001613045439387 ( 5 2 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 1 1) = 0.184701361441018 ( 5 4 | 1 1) = 0.154928467698285 ( 5 1 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 1 | 3 1) = 0.038683534029509 ( 5 1 | 4 1) = 0.032447950603007 ( 5 2 | 2 0) = 0.009336058122476 ( 5 2 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 2 | 4 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 3 0) = 0.011813922734513 ( 5 3 | 4 0) = 0.002078445792233 ( 5 4 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 4 | 3 0) = 0.002078445792233 ( 5 4 | 4 0) = 0.011079469320272 ( 5 0 | 2 2) = 0.054104219459936 ( 5 0 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 0 | 3 3) = 0.054291571211162 ( 5 0 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 0 | 4 3) = 0.000157151628507 ( 5 0 | 4 4) = 0.054236039067604 ( 5 2 | 2 1) = 0.054125156914812 ( 5 2 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 2 | 4 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 3 1) = 0.075855681518665 ( 5 3 | 4 1) = 0.018227677656995 ( 5 4 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 4 | 3 1) = 0.018227677656995 ( 5 4 | 4 1) = 0.069414628237947 ( 5 1 | 2 2) = 0.306655599347507 ( 5 1 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 1 | 3 3) = 0.315738293535417 ( 5 1 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 1 | 4 3) = 0.007618611374202 ( 5 1 | 4 4) = 0.313046130402530 ( 5 2 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 2 | 3 2) = 0.008064485483452 ( 5 2 | 3 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 2 | 4 2) = 0.006764532589140 ( 5 2 | 4 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 2 | 4 4) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 2 2) = 0.176295759644369 ( 5 3 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 3 3) = 0.197638924560966 ( 5 3 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 4 3) = 0.011138225736852 ( 5 3 | 4 4) = 0.179964436324773 ( 5 4 | 2 2) = 0.147877804962089 ( 5 4 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 4 | 3 3) = 0.152251498109802 ( 5 4 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 4 | 4 3) = 0.011733162163856 ( 5 4 | 4 4) = 0.164484175321776 ( 5 5 | 0 0) = 0.517125360977304 ( 5 0 | 5 0) = 0.006270522616106 ( 5 5 | 1 0) = 0.122013556886528 ( 5 1 | 5 0) = 0.019208705902818 ( 5 5 | 1 1) = 0.491873027324534 ( 5 1 | 5 1) = 0.146642827474200 ( 5 5 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 5 | 3 0) = 0.009188483135799 ( 5 5 | 4 0) = 0.007707347696814 ( 5 2 | 5 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 5 0) = 0.011128525245716 ( 5 4 | 5 0) = 0.009334665162233 ( 5 5 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 5 | 3 1) = 0.095810960370799 ( 5 5 | 4 1) = 0.080366734512074 ( 5 2 | 5 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 5 1) = 0.105474819021288 ( 5 4 | 5 1) = 0.088472829676139 ( 5 5 | 2 2) = 0.471913115835107 ( 5 5 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 5 | 3 3) = 0.506704669305872 ( 5 5 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 5 | 4 3) = 0.029183336960891 ( 5 5 | 4 4) = 0.496392251464638 ( 5 2 | 5 2) = 0.021048752318672 ( 5 3 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 3 | 5 3) = 0.096048971720199 ( 5 4 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 4 | 5 3) = 0.062910576176908 ( 5 4 | 5 4) = 0.073818472547383 ( 5 5 | 5 0) = 0.026686622886860 ( 5 5 | 5 1) = 0.289333860384054 ( 5 5 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 5 5 | 5 3) = 0.237637271677700 ( 5 5 | 5 4) = 0.199331385983227 ( 5 5 | 5 5) = 0.774605943919898 ( 6 0 | 0 0) = 0.159028953813045 ( 6 1 | 0 0) = 0.381788700431517 ( 6 0 | 1 0) = 0.029107255214247 ( 6 1 | 1 0) = 0.088639046604491 ( 6 0 | 1 1) = 0.054208207239172 ( 6 1 | 1 1) = 0.311911628346485 ( 6 2 | 0 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 0 0) = -0.208975170450133 ( 6 4 | 0 0) = 0.175289465612119 ( 6 0 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 0 | 3 0) = -0.001028596856434 ( 6 0 | 4 0) = 0.000862792421254 ( 6 2 | 1 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 1 0) = -0.049151047350638 ( 6 4 | 1 0) = 0.041228155506758 ( 6 1 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 1 | 3 0) = -0.005091750233326 ( 6 1 | 4 0) = 0.004270986718219 ( 6 0 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 0 | 3 1) = -0.001923027401919 ( 6 0 | 4 1) = 0.001613045439387 ( 6 2 | 1 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 1 1) = -0.184701361441018 ( 6 4 | 1 1) = 0.154928467698285 ( 6 1 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 1 | 3 1) = -0.038683534029509 ( 6 1 | 4 1) = 0.032447950603007 ( 6 2 | 2 0) = 0.009336058122476 ( 6 2 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 4 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 3 0) = 0.011813922734513 ( 6 3 | 4 0) = -0.002078445792233 ( 6 4 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 3 0) = -0.002078445792233 ( 6 4 | 4 0) = 0.011079469320272 ( 6 0 | 2 2) = 0.054104219459936 ( 6 0 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 0 | 3 3) = 0.054291571211162 ( 6 0 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 0 | 4 3) = -0.000157151628507 ( 6 0 | 4 4) = 0.054236039067604 ( 6 2 | 2 1) = 0.054125156914812 ( 6 2 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 4 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 3 1) = 0.075855681518665 ( 6 3 | 4 1) = -0.018227677656995 ( 6 4 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 3 1) = -0.018227677656995 ( 6 4 | 4 1) = 0.069414628237947 ( 6 1 | 2 2) = 0.306655599347507 ( 6 1 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 1 | 3 3) = 0.315738293535417 ( 6 1 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 1 | 4 3) = -0.007618611374202 ( 6 1 | 4 4) = 0.313046130402530 ( 6 2 | 2 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 3 2) = -0.008064485483452 ( 6 2 | 3 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 4 2) = 0.006764532589140 ( 6 2 | 4 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 4 4) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 2 2) = -0.176295759644369 ( 6 3 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 3 3) = -0.197638924560966 ( 6 3 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 4 3) = 0.011138225736852 ( 6 3 | 4 4) = -0.179964436324773 ( 6 4 | 2 2) = 0.147877804962089 ( 6 4 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 3 3) = 0.152251498109802 ( 6 4 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 4 3) = -0.011733162163856 ( 6 4 | 4 4) = 0.164484175321776 ( 6 5 | 0 0) = 0.154983826095369 ( 6 0 | 5 0) = 0.006178562861131 ( 6 5 | 1 0) = 0.036324481156051 ( 6 1 | 5 0) = 0.018637075964466 ( 6 0 | 5 1) = 0.018637075964466 ( 6 5 | 1 1) = 0.138899129503383 ( 6 1 | 5 1) = 0.120424410513661 ( 6 5 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 3 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 4 0) = 0.002735070642527 ( 6 2 | 5 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 5 0) = -0.009851358272803 ( 6 4 | 5 0) = 0.009063088333113 ( 6 0 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 0 | 5 3) = 0.009851358272803 ( 6 0 | 5 4) = 0.009063088333113 ( 6 5 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 3 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 4 1) = 0.024748716021254 ( 6 2 | 5 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 5 1) = -0.059473510026833 ( 6 4 | 5 1) = 0.070735331310826 ( 6 1 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 1 | 5 3) = 0.059473510026833 ( 6 1 | 5 4) = 0.070735331310826 ( 6 5 | 2 2) = 0.135540657848790 ( 6 5 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 3 3) = 0.138097677983239 ( 6 5 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 4 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 4 4) = 0.142908608378693 ( 6 2 | 5 2) = 0.016764912164332 ( 6 2 | 5 3) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 2 | 5 4) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 5 3) = -0.013036508898613 ( 6 3 | 5 4) = -0.034131389240033 ( 6 4 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 5 3) = 0.034131389240033 ( 6 4 | 5 4) = 0.057682230376614 ( 6 5 | 5 0) = 0.007800931718220 ( 6 0 | 5 5) = 0.025610632874342 ( 6 5 | 5 1) = 0.065308066611221 ( 6 1 | 5 5) = 0.196819899854417 ( 6 5 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 5 3) = 0.040452941573134 ( 6 5 | 5 4) = 0.044287849234219 ( 6 2 | 5 5) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 5 5) = -0.085489074048849 ( 6 4 | 5 5) = 0.126882792323867 ( 6 5 | 5 5) = 0.133977082851046 ( 6 6 | 0 0) = 0.517125360977304 ( 6 0 | 6 0) = 0.006270522616106 ( 6 6 | 1 0) = 0.122013556886528 ( 6 1 | 6 0) = 0.019208705902818 ( 6 6 | 1 1) = 0.491873027324534 ( 6 1 | 6 1) = 0.146642827474200 ( 6 6 | 2 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 3 0) = -0.009188483135799 ( 6 6 | 4 0) = 0.007707347696814 ( 6 2 | 6 0) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 6 0) = -0.011128525245716 ( 6 4 | 6 0) = 0.009334665162233 ( 6 6 | 2 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 3 1) = -0.095810960370799 ( 6 6 | 4 1) = 0.080366734512074 ( 6 2 | 6 1) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 6 1) = -0.105474819021288 ( 6 4 | 6 1) = 0.088472829676139 ( 6 6 | 2 2) = 0.471913115835107 ( 6 6 | 3 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 3 3) = 0.506704669305872 ( 6 6 | 4 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 4 3) = -0.029183336960891 ( 6 6 | 4 4) = 0.496392251464638 ( 6 2 | 6 2) = 0.021048752318672 ( 6 3 | 6 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 3 | 6 3) = 0.096048971720199 ( 6 4 | 6 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 4 | 6 3) = -0.062910576176908 ( 6 4 | 6 4) = 0.073818472547383 ( 6 6 | 5 0) = 0.025610632874342 ( 6 5 | 6 0) = 0.007800931718220 ( 6 6 | 5 1) = 0.196819899854417 ( 6 5 | 6 1) = 0.065308066611221 ( 6 6 | 5 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 5 3) = 0.085489074048849 ( 6 6 | 5 4) = 0.126882792323867 ( 6 5 | 6 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 5 | 6 3) = -0.040452941573134 ( 6 5 | 6 4) = 0.044287849234219 ( 6 6 | 5 5) = 0.342541413419711 ( 6 5 | 6 5) = 0.035634211559360 ( 6 6 | 6 0) = 0.026686622886860 ( 6 6 | 6 1) = 0.289333860384054 ( 6 6 | 6 2) = 0.000000000000000 ( 6 6 | 6 3) = -0.237637271677700 ( 6 6 | 6 4) = 0.199331385983227 ( 6 6 | 6 5) = 0.133977082851046 ( 6 6 | 6 6) = 0.774605943919898 There are 406 unique integrals ```

stackexchange/chemistry

the theoretical description of the physical properties of nonequilibrium correlated electron systems is an important problem in condensed matter physics . in transport processes often correlated electron systems are driven out of equilibrium by switching on external fields . the systems can be also out of equilibrium by suddenly changing their parameters . nonequilibrium correlated electron systems , which can be realized in many experiments , may have unusual and interesting properties . one such system is the quantum dot attached to two leads through two tunnel junctions.@xcite the conductance of the dot reveals a nonequilibrium kondo effect . other examples are the effects of electron correlations on the nonlinear current - voltage characteristics.@xcite recently , experiments with ultracold atomic gases have made it possible to prepare initial state to a rapid change of system parameters , and observed remarkable subsequent dynamics as a collapse and revival of the initial phase.@xcite the many - body formalism for nonequilibrium systems was developed by many people including kubo,@xcite schwinger,@xcite kadanoff and baym,@xcite keldysh@xcite ( see also ref . for references ) . in particular , kadanoff and baym constructed a system of equations for the nonequilibrium green functions.@xcite parallel to this development , keldysh also derived a perturbation theory for the nonequilibrium green functions.@xcite like the feynman perturbation theory for equilibrium systems,@xcite the keldysh nonequilibrium perturbation theory is based on the assumption of an adiabatic switching on of the many - body interactions . the assumption is necessary for the application of the wick theorem , which requires a quadratic form of the system hamiltonian at the initial preparation of the system . while the assumption is exactly proved in scattering theory,@xcite its application to nonequilibrium many - body systems imposes restrictions.@xcite it turns out that the assumption corresponds to the neglect of the so - called initial correlations.@xcite despite the neglect of the initial correlations the keldysh theory is widely used in the study of nonequilibrium systems . wagner unified the feynman , matsubara and keldysh perturbation theories into a single many - body formalism in which neither a special form of the hamiltonian at the initial time nor subsequent time development of the system are restricted.@xcite he introduced a matrix representation for the contour - ordered green function and derived the kadanoff - baym equations for the nonequilibrium green functions . in the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism the initial correlations are fully taken into account . while the nonequilibrium formalism is well established , the role of the initial correlations is less attended , especially for nonequilibrium strongly correlated electron systems . in particular , it would be desirable to test whether the initial correlations which are neglected in the keldysh formalism are negligible or not . the difficulties arising in the study of the initial correlations are mostly due to the lack of getting the exact solutions of nonequilibrium correlated electron systems . in the last decade , the dynamical mean - field theory ( dmft ) was developed.@xcite in the equilibrium case the theory is widely and successfully applied to study strongly correlated electron systems . the dmft gives the exact solutions in infinite dimensions . recently , a version of the dmft for nonequilibrium systems was developed.@xcite the nonequilibrium dynamical mean - field theory ( nedmft ) is formally formulated on the same basis as of the equilibrium dmft . like the equilibrium case , in infinite dimensions the self energy of nonequilibrium systems becomes a local function in space . as a consequence , it can be self - consistently determined by mapping the lattice problem onto an effective problem of a single site embedded in a self - consistent effective medium . when the self - consistent equations are solved , the nonequilibrium green functions are obtained and various physical quantities can be calculated . the aim of the present paper is twofold . first , we study the contributions of the initial correlations in a nonequilibrium correlated electron system . the initial correlations are studied within truncated and self - consistent perturbation theories as well as within the nedmft . the keldysh perturbation theory usually argues for the neglect of the initial correlations . however , in the present paper the results obtained within the truncated and self - consistent perturbation theories show that the initial correlations are always finite even when the initial time is in the remote past limit . in the infinite dimension limit the initial correlations can also be obtained exactly since in this limit the nedmft gives the exact solutions . in the such way one can find under what circumstance the keldysh formalism is safely applied to nonequilibrium correlated electron systems . the second aim of the present paper is to derive the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations for the nonequilibrium green functions within the nedmft . these equations are an alternative to the original nedmft equations for the contour - ordered green function.@xcite within the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism the nonequilibrium green functions clearly satisfy their boundary conditions . the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism already includes the keldysh formalism as its part , and it is suitable to study the initial correlations . in this paper we will examine the initial correlations within a keldysh boundary problem . the problem works in a system which is first started in equilibrium and then is driven out of equilibrium by turning on of an external field . the model which we adopt to describe the system is a nonequilibrium falicov - kimball model . the falicov - kimball model ( fkm ) was first introduced for modelling a metal - insulator transition in equilibrium.@xcite the model is one of the simplest models for strongly correlated electron systems . the fkm describes conduction electrons interacting via a repulsive contact potential with localized electrons . it can be viewed as a simplified hubbard model where electrons with down spin are frozen and do not hop . much progress has been made on solving this model in both exact and approximation ways , where all properties of the conduction electrons in equilibrium are well known.@xcite in equilibrium the fkm describes a metal - insulator transition for the homogeneous phase.@xcite the coulomb interaction is divided into two ranges : the weak interaction range , when the interaction strength is smaller than the half bare bandwidth , and strong interaction one otherwise . for weak interactions the system is metallic , and for strong ones the system is insulator . the system is driven out of equilibrium by a constant electric field . the electric field is switched on at a some time after the initial preparation of the system in equilibrium . this nonequilibrium fkm was introduced by freericks _ et al _ in the study of the bloch oscillations in the electric current within the nedmft.@xcite in the present paper we derive the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations of the nedmft for the nonequilibrium fkm , and calculate the contributions of the initial correlations to the electric current and the double occupation . it is found that the contributions of the initial correlations to the electric current and the double occupation are small in relation to the full value of those physical quantities in the weak interaction case , and significantly increases in the strong interaction case . however , without the initial correlations the system can not restore full electron correlations even before the turning on of the electric field . the neglect of the initial correlations may cause artifacts in the nonequilibrium properties of the system . the paper is organized as follows . in sec . ii we present the kadanoff - baym - wagner nonequilibrium formalism , and describe the nonequilibrium fkm . in the next three sections we present the studies of the model within the truncated and self - consistent perturbation theories , and the nedmft . the last section is the conclusion . we consider the keldysh boundary problem in a nonequilibrium system which is first prepared in equilibrium , and then is driven out of equilibrium by switching on of an external field or by a sudden change of its parameters . specifically , at an initial time @xmath0 the system is prepared in equilibrium which is defined by the equilibrium hamiltonian @xmath1 and temperature @xmath2 , and at time @xmath3 ( @xmath4 ) an external field is switched on or its parameters are suddenly changed . usually , in nonequilibrium systems the time translational invariance is not valid , and the green functions , which are employed for studying the physical properties of the systems , depend on the two time variables . the nonequilibrium formalism works with the so - called contour - ordered green function which is defined for the time variables on the kadanoff - baym contour.@xcite the kadanoff - baym contour is shown on fig . the contour starts in the initial time @xmath0 , runs out to maximal time @xmath5 , then returns to the initial time , and finally moves parallel to the negative imaginary axis a distance @xmath6 . at the initial time @xmath0 the system is always in equilibrium . the kadanoff - baym contour is suitable for deriving the dyson equation for the contour - ordered green function . keldysh also introduced a similar contour for the contour - ordered green function.@xcite the keldysh contour is basically the same as the kadanoff - baym contour , but it neglects the last contour branch parallel to the imaginary axis and limits @xmath0 to minus infinity . the neglect of the last branch of the contour corresponds to the neglect of initial correlations . the contour - ordered green function is defined by @xmath7 where @xmath8 ( @xmath9 ) are the creation ( annihilation ) operators for electrons at site @xmath10 . the time evolution of the operators on the kadanoff - baym contour is defined in the heisenberg picture . @xmath11 is the time ordering on the kadanoff - baym contour and it is defined via the contour step function @xmath12 . @xmath12 equals to @xmath13 if @xmath14 lies after @xmath15 on the contour , and it equals to @xmath16 otherwise . the averages in eq . ( [ gc2 ] ) are the statistical average over the equilibrium hamiltonian @xmath1 at temperature @xmath2 . the kadanoff - baym contour consists of three time branches : the first branch is chronological , the second one is antichronological , and the last one is parallel to the imaginary axis . thus , we can represent the contour - ordered green function by a @xmath17 matrix @xmath18 , where @xmath14 locates on the @xmath19-th branch , and @xmath15 locates on the @xmath20-th branch . in the such way , the contour - ordered green function has nine component green functions , however they are not independent . wagner reduced the matrix representation of the contour - ordered green function to a matrix form of six component green functions , and five of them are independent.@xcite the wagner matrix representation for the contour - ordered green function can be written as follows@xcite @xmath21 where @xmath22\big\rangle , \\ g^{m}(\tau,\tau ' ) & = & g^{33}(t_0-i\tau , t_0-i\tau ' ) \\ & = & -i \big\langle \mathcal{t}_{\tau } c_i(t_0-i\tau ) c^{\dagger}_j(t_0-i\tau ' ) \big\rangle , \\ g^{\rceil}(t,\tau ' ) & = & g^{13}(t , t_0-i\tau ' ) \\ & = & i \big\langle c^{\dagger}_j(t_0-i\tau ' ) c_i(t ) \big\rangle , \\ g^{\lceil}(\tau , t ' ) & = & g^{31}(t_0-i\tau , t ' ) \\ & = & - i \big\langle c_i(t_0-i\tau ) c^{\dagger}_j(t ' ) \big\rangle , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath23 , @xmath24 are real times , and @xmath25 . in the above equations we have used the commutator symbol @xmath26=ab - ba$ ] , and the anticommutator symbol @xmath27 . @xmath28 are the retarded ( advanced ) green function , and @xmath29 is the keldysh green function . these green functions are defined totally on the real time axis . @xmath30 is the matsubara green function and is defined on the imaginary time branch of the kadanoff - baym contour . note that the above definition of the matsubara green function differs from the standard one by factor @xmath10.@xcite the green functions @xmath31 and @xmath32 have one time variable on the real time axis , and the other variable on the imaginary time branch.@xcite they do not have a specific name , however we will refer them to the right and left time mixing green function , respectively . the left corner @xmath33 matrix in the wagner matrix representation in eq . ( [ wagn ] ) is the keldysh representation of the nonequilibrium green functions in the keldysh perturbation theory.@xcite the matsubara green function is just the equilibrium green function at temperature @xmath2 . it couples with the keldysh green function through the time mixing green functions . if the time mixing green functions are neglected the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism reduces to the keldysh formalism . within the wagner matrix representation the dyson equation for the nonequilibrium green functions can be written in the standard form like in the equilibrium case @xmath34 where @xmath35 is the bare green function , and @xmath36 is the self energy . the self energy is also written in the wagner matrix representation @xmath37 note that in the dyson equation ( [ dyson ] ) the product symbol @xmath38 denotes not only the matrix multiplication , but also the integration over the time variables . we also omitted other variable notations such as of momentum or spin to simplify the equation writing . we introduce the inverse matrix green function @xmath39 by the standard definition @xmath40 the inverse matrix green function is also presented in the wagner matrix representation . one can find its elements by explicitly writing the component equations of eq . ( [ invident ] ) @xmath41 here the dot and star products are the integrations over the real time and the imaginary time variables , respectively , i.e. , @xmath42 the symbol @xmath43 is just the delta function of the time variables . for real time variables it is @xmath44 , and for imaginary time variables it is @xmath45 . one can view @xmath46 as the inverse matrices of @xmath47 in continuous time variables . however , @xmath48 are not inverses of the corresponding green functions . the dyson equation ( [ dyson ] ) can be rewritten as follows @xmath49 where @xmath50 is the inverse matrix of @xmath35 , and its elements can be found from eqs . ( [ invg1])-([invg5 ] ) for the bare green functions . equation ( [ dyson1 ] ) can be written in the explicit form for the component green functions @xmath51 equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) are just the kadanoff - baym equations for the nonequilibrium green functions written in the wagner representation . in the standard kadanoff - baym equations@xcite the inverse bare green functions are written in the form of differential operators , and these differential equations also require additional boundary conditions . in the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) the inverse bare green functions have their explicit forms and they already satisfy their boundary conditions . instead of differential - integral equations in the kadanoff - baym formalism of the contour - ordered green function , the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) are just only the integral equations . once the self energy is computable the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) can be solved . first we solve eqs . ( [ kb1])-([kb2 ] ) for the retarded , advanced and matsubara green functions . these equations can be solved independently . certainly , the advanced green function can be quickly obtained from the retarded green function by the relation @xmath52^ { * } .\end{aligned}\ ] ] moreover , the matsubara equation ( [ kb2 ] ) is the equilibrium equation and we can also use the equilibrium techniques to calculate the matsubara green function . next we use the retarded , advanced and matsubara green functions as the inputs and solve the next two equations for the time mixing green functions . finally , we solve the last equation for the keldysh green function . the kadanoff - baym - wagner equation for the keldysh green function ( [ kb5 ] ) can be rewritten as @xmath53 \cdot g^{a } . \label{kbk}\end{aligned}\ ] ] here we have used eqs . ( [ invg3 ] ) , ( [ invg5 ] ) for @xmath54 , @xmath55 and eqs . ( [ kb1 ] ) , ( [ kb4 ] ) for the retarded ( advanced ) and time mixing green functions . if the time mixing green functions are neglected , the kadanoff - baym - wagner equation ( [ kbk ] ) is reduced to the keldysh equation @xmath56 the keldysh formalism neglects the contributions generated from the dynamics of the system in the imaginary time branch of the kadanoff - baym contour . since at the initial time @xmath0 the system is prepared in equilibrium with full interaction , the neglected contributions are correlations of electrons between the initial time and an advanced time . indeed , if we neglect the correlation effects of the matsubara and the time mixing green functions ( i.e. , @xmath57 ) , the last term in eq . ( [ kbk ] ) vanishes , and we again obtain the keldysh equation . the neglected contributions are called initial correlations.@xcite the initial correlations distinguish between the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms . one can notice that the equations for the retarded and advanced green functions are decoupled from the system of equations , hence the nonequilibrium density of states remains the same in both the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms . the initial correlations do not affect the nonequilibrium density of states . they affect only the nonequilibrium distribution function . thus the initial correlations give contributions only to physical quantities which depend on the nonequilibrium distribution function . the model we will study is the fkm with external electric field turned on at @xmath3 . at the initial time @xmath0 the system is prepared in equilibrium with temperature @xmath2 and the fkm hamiltonian @xmath58 where @xmath8 ( @xmath9 ) are the creation ( annihilation ) operators for conduction electrons at site @xmath10 , and @xmath59 ( @xmath60 ) are the creation ( annihilation ) operators for localized electrons at site @xmath10 . @xmath61 is the hopping matrix of conduction electrons , and it is equal to @xmath62 for nearest neighbor sites , and it is @xmath16 otherwise . @xmath63 is the strength of the interaction between the conduction and localized electrons . @xmath64 and @xmath65 are the chemical potentials of the conduction and localized electrons , respectively . in this paper we will only consider the half filling case . it turns out that in the half filing case @xmath66 . at time @xmath3 a spatially uniform electric field is turned on . we choose the gauge with vanishing of the scalar potential for the electric field . as a result the electric field is described by a spatially uniform vector potential @xmath67 . the electric field couples to the conduction electrons through the peierls substitution for the hopping matrix @xmath68 \nonumber \\ & = & j_{ij } \exp\big [ -i e \mathbf{a}(t ) ( \mathbf{r}_j-\mathbf{r}_i ) \big ] . \label{j}\end{aligned}\ ] ] by replacing the hopping matrix in hamiltonian in eq . ( [ fkm ] ) by eq . ( [ j ] ) we obtain full nonequilibrium hamiltonian of the system . this nonequilibrium fkm was introduced by freericks _ et al _ in the study of the nedmft.@xcite the considered nonequilibrium fkm differs from the equilibrium fkm only by the bare energy spectra @xmath69 where @xmath70 is the space dimension of the system . we will consider the case when the electric field lies along the elementary cell diagonal @xmath71 in this case the bare energy spectra becomes @xmath72 where @xmath73 in the limit of infinite dimensions @xmath74 the bare density of states has a double gaussian form @xmath75 where @xmath76 . here we have used @xmath77 as the unit of energy . the nonequilibrium bare green functions can be found from the equations of motion . the equation of motion for the retarded green function reads @xmath78 g_{0}^{r}(\mathbf{k}|t , t ' ) = \delta(t - t ' ) , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath79 is the chemical potential of the noninteracting conduction electrons . at half filling @xmath80 . with the boundary condition @xmath81 we can find the bare nonequilibrium retarded green function @xmath82 similarly , one can find the bare advanced , keldysh and matsubara green functions @xmath83 e^{i \mu_0 ( t - t ' ) } \nonumber \\ & & e^ { -i \int_{t'}^{t } dt_1 \varepsilon(\mathbf{k},t_1 ) } , \\ g_{0}^{m}(\mathbf{k}|\tau,\tau ' ) & = & -i \big[\theta(\tau-\tau ' ) - f(\varepsilon(\mathbf{k})-\mu_0 ) \big ] \nonumber \\ & & e^{-(\varepsilon(\mathbf{k})- \mu_0 ) ( \tau-\tau ' ) } , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath84 is the fermi - dirac distribution function . the bare right time mixing green function can be found from the equation of motion @xmath78 g_{0}^{\rceil}(\mathbf{k}|t,\tau ' ) = 0 , \end{aligned}\ ] ] with the boundary condition @xmath85 . we obtain @xmath86 e^{(\varepsilon(\mathbf{k})- \mu_0 ) \tau ' } \nonumber \\ & & e^{i \mu_0 ( t - t_0 ) } e^ { -i \int_{t_0}^{t } dt_1 \varepsilon(\mathbf{k},t_1 ) } \nonumber \\ & = & i g_{0}^{r}(\mathbf{k}| t , t_0 ) g_{0}^{m}(\mathbf{k}| 0,\tau ' ) , \end{aligned}\ ] ] since @xmath87 . similarly , the bare left time mixing green function is @xmath88 e^{-(\varepsilon(\mathbf{k})- \mu_0 ) \tau } \nonumber \\ & & e^{i \mu_0 ( t'-t_0 ) } e^ { i \int_{t_0}^{t ' } dt_1 \varepsilon(\mathbf{k},t_1 ) } \nonumber \\ & = & - i g_{0}^{m}(\mathbf{k}| \tau , 0 ) g_{0}^{a}(\mathbf{k}| t_0,t ' ) . \label{g0lft}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the nonequilibrium bare green functions clearly satisfy their boundary conditions . when the self energy is computable , it together with the bare green functions fully determine the nonequilibrium green functions via the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) . in the next sections we will solve the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations with the self energy calculated within the truncated and self - consistent perturbation theories as well as within the nedmft . in this section we calculate the nonequilibrium green functions and the electric current within the truncated perturbation theory of second order in @xmath63 . the perturbation calculations were previously performed within the keldysh nonequilibrium perturbation theory,@xcite where the initial correlations are neglected . the purpose of this section is to find the contributions of the initial correlations to the electric current within the truncated perturbation theory . in the half filling case the first - order perturbation contributions to the self energy vanish.@xcite the second - order self energy can be found by expanding the contour - ordered green function to second order in @xmath63 . one can find@xcite @xmath89 where @xmath90 , and @xmath91 is the density of the localized electrons at half filling . within the second - order perturbation the self energy does not depend on momentum . this feature is similar to the dmft where the self energy is a function of time variables only . using the dyson equation ( [ dyson ] ) we can obtain the nonequilibrium green functions up to second - order in @xmath63 @xmath92 where @xmath93 here , for simplicity we omitted the variable notations in the green functions and the self energy . in comparison to the keldysh perturbation theory , the kadanoff - baym - wagner perturbation expansions of the retarded and advanced green functions remain unchanged.@xcite however , the second - order perturbation expansion of the keldysh green function is different . it consists of two parts . the first part is the first three terms in eq . ( [ pertkel2 ] ) which are also the perturbation contributions within the keldysh perturbation theory,@xcite and the second part is the remaining last three terms which are additional contributions generated from the initial correlations . the keldysh perturbation theory neglects the second part . the electric current can be calculated by evaluating @xmath94 g^{<}(\mathbf{k}|t , t ) , \label{current}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath95 is the velocity component , and @xmath96 is the equal time lesser green function , which can be calculated from the keldysh green function by the relation @xmath97 when the electric field lies along the diagonal , all components of the electric current are equal , and the magnitude of the current is @xmath98 by inserting the second order perturbation expansions of the self energy in eq . ( [ pertse2 ] ) and of the green functions in eq . ( [ pertg2 ] ) into the current formulas in eqs . ( [ current])-([currentmagn ] ) , we obtain the electric current up to order @xmath99 @xmath100 where @xmath101 and @xmath102 is the zeroth and second order contributions to the current . the zeroth order current is @xmath103 where @xmath104 . it is the electric current in the noninteraction case . it exhibits the bloch oscillations with period @xmath105 , and its amplitude is independent on time . in the noninteraction case the bloch oscillations of the current occur when the noninteracting electrons move in a lattice under a constant electric field . in this case the system is a perfect conductor , the periodicity of the lattice restricts the wave vector to lie in the first brillouin zone that leads to the oscillations of the current . after some analytical calculations we also obtain the second - order perturbation contributions to the current strictly in the half filling case @xmath106 \nonumber \\ & & \big[\varepsilon \cos\big(\varepsilon c(t_2,t_1)\big ) \sin(e a(t ) ) + \frac{1}{2 } \sin\big(\varepsilon c(t2,t1)\big ) s(t_2,t_1 ) \cos(e a(t))\big ] \nonumber \\ & & + j_0 \frac{u^{2}}{16 } \int_{t_0}^{t } dt_1 \int_{t_0}^{t } dt_2 \int d\varepsilon \rho(\varepsilon ) \tanh \big(\frac{\beta \varepsilon}{2}\big ) \exp\big[-\frac{1}{4 } c^2(t_2,t_1 ) -\frac{1}{2 } s^2(t_2,t_1)\big ] \nonumber \\ & & \sin\big(\varepsilon c(t_2,t_1)\big ) \big[c(t_2,t_1 ) \sin(e a(t ) ) - s(t_2,t_1 ) \cos(e a(t))\big ] , \\ \delta i_2^{ic}(t ) & = & j_0 \frac{u^{2}}{4 } \int_{t_0}^{t } dt_1 \int d\varepsilon \int d\varepsilon ' \rho(\varepsilon ) \rho(\varepsilon ' ) \exp\big[-\frac{1}{2 } s^2(t_1,t_0 ) + i ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon ' ) c(t_1,t_0 ) \big ] \nonumber \\ & & \frac{f(\varepsilon)-f(\varepsilon')}{\varepsilon'-\varepsilon } \big [ s(t_1,t_0 ) \cos(e a(t ) ) + i ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon ' ) \sin(e a(t))\big ] \nonumber \\ & & + j_0 \frac{u^{2}}{4 } \int d\varepsilon \int d\varepsilon ' \rho(\varepsilon ) \rho(\varepsilon ' ) f(\varepsilon ) f(-\varepsilon ) \varepsilon \sin(e a(t ) ) \nonumber \\ & & \bigg [ \frac{e^{\beta ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon ' ) } - \beta ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon ' ) -1 } { ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon')^2 } - f(\varepsilon ' ) \frac{e^{\beta ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon')}+e^{-\beta ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon')}-2 } { ( \varepsilon-\varepsilon')^2 } \bigg ] .\end{aligned}\ ] ] here in order to simplify the expression , we have introduced the functions @xmath107 like the keldysh green function the second - order current also consists of two parts , @xmath108 and @xmath109 . the first part @xmath108 is the second - order contributions within the keldysh perturbation theory.@xcite the second part @xmath109 is the contributions of the initial correlations . the second part is beyond the keldysh perturbation theory . , @xmath110 , @xmath111 , and @xmath112 ( @xmath113 ) for upper ( lower ) panel . , scaledwidth=48.0% ] and @xmath114 ( @xmath111 , @xmath110).,scaledwidth=48.0% ] as functions of the initial time @xmath0 for @xmath115 , @xmath112 , and @xmath110.,scaledwidth=48.0% ] in fig . [ fig2 ] we plot the electric current calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh perturbation theories up to second order in @xmath63 . for comparison we also plot the exact result which is obtained by performing the nedmft calculations ( see sec . it shows that the current has the bloch oscillations with period of @xmath105 like the current in the noninteraction case.@xcite however , the amplitude of the current varies with time . the perturbation theories give reasonable results for times smaller than @xmath116 . the kadanoff - baym - wagner perturbation theory overestimates the current , while the keldysh perturbation theory underestimates it . figure [ fig2 ] also shows that the kadanoff - baym - wagner perturbation result is closer to the exact solution than the keldysh perturbation one at times right before the perturbation theories are broken down . in fig . [ fig2 ] we also plot the initial correlation contribution @xmath117 to the current . this part of the current also oscillates with the same period as of the full current . in fig . [ fig3 ] we plot the initial correlation part of the current for various values of @xmath63 and @xmath114 . in contrast to the full current , the amplitude of the initial correlation part does not significantly vary with time . since the initial correlation contribution is calculated within the second - order perturbation theory , its amplitude is proportional to @xmath99 , and almost independent on the electric field . usually , the keldysh perturbation theory argues that the initial correlations vanish when the initial time approaches to minus infinity . in fig . [ fig4 ] we plot the current and its initial correlation part at a fixed time as functions of the initial time @xmath0 . it shows that both the current and its initial correlation part quickly approach to constant values when @xmath118 increases . even for @xmath119 the current and its initial correlation part already reach the constant values . the initial correlations never vanish , even when @xmath120 . thus the keldysh perturbation theory always neglects the nonvanishing initial correlations . however , within the truncated perturbation theory both the keldysh and the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalisms only qualitatively describe the physical properties when the perturbation theory works . the initial correlations do not qualitatively change the perturbation results . thus , the use of the keldysh perturbation theory is still convenient in the nonequilibrium study due to its simple system of equations . in this section we perform the self - consistent perturbation calculations for the electric current . instead of the standard perturbation calculation in eq . ( [ pertse2 ] ) , we take a self - consistent approach by dressing the bare green functions in the calculation of the self - energy , i.e. @xmath121 in this approximation only the green functions of the conduction electrons are dressed . the green functions of the localized electrons are kept local , thus their contributions to the self energy of the conduction electrons are just @xmath122 . we solve the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) with the self energy determined by eq . ( [ selfpertse2 ] ) . in order to solve these equations we adopt the discretization method which was employed by freericks _ et al _ in solving the nedmft equations.@xcite we discretize the time variables with step @xmath123 for real time @xmath23 and @xmath124 for imaginary time @xmath125 . as a result the real time domain is divided into @xmath126 points , and the imaginary time domain @xmath6 is divided into @xmath127 points . thus , any function of two time variables @xmath128 becomes a matrix @xmath129 , where @xmath130 and @xmath131 . integration over time can be approximated by the rectangular integration rule @xmath132 where @xmath133 for real time integration , and @xmath134 for imaginary time integration . thus the time integration becomes a matrix multiplication . the inverse of the continuous matrix function @xmath135 in the discretization approach becomes @xmath136 thus , in the discretization approach the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations become the matrix equations which can be solved numerically . the time discretization is a numerical approach which approximately solve the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations . it becomes exact only for @xmath137 . nevertheless , it was shown that the discretization approach is an efficient way to solve the nonequilibrium green function equations.@xcite note that the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) differs from the contour - ordered green function equation.@xcite numerically , here we have to solve the equations of matrices with size @xmath138 , @xmath139 , and @xmath140 , instead of matrices of size @xmath141 in the contour - ordered green function equation . it reduces the matrix size and computation time . however , here we have to solve five equations with additional matrix multiplications . the inverse bare green functions @xmath142 are calculated from eqs . ( [ invg1])-([invg5 ] ) with the inputs of the bare green functions in eqs . ( [ g0ret])-([g0lft ] ) . within the discretization accuracy , these inverse bare green functions are calculated exactly . they satisfy the boundary conditions . for instance , the matsubara green function has the antiperiodic property in the time variable , or the keldysh green function satisfies @xmath143 . in the contour - ordered green function approach , the inverse bare green function contains a time differential operator and it is also approximately discretized . in the present approach the inverse bare retarded and advanced green functions are numerically calculated from their bare functions by the discretization inverse relation in eq . ( [ inv ] ) . the inverse matsubara green function in the discretization form can be analytically obtained @xmath144 here we have taken into account @xmath80 at half filling . this inverse bare matsubara green function corresponds to the bare matsubara green function with fixed diagonal elements @xmath145 . it is suitable for calculating the left time mixing green function because of the boundary condition @xmath146 for @xmath147 . the right time mixing green function has the boundary condition @xmath148 for @xmath149 , and the matsubara green function suitable for its calculations has the diagonal elements @xmath150 . the corresponding inverse bare matsubara green function has the matrix form @xmath151 for a definiteness we also use this matsubara green function for calculating the keldysh green function . the green functions @xmath152 can be also analytically obtained . from eqs . ( [ invg1])-([invg5 ] ) for the bare green functions in eqs . ( [ g0ret])-([g0lft ] ) one can show that @xmath153 in the keldysh formalism , when the time mixing green functions are neglected , the green function @xmath154 is little changed . one can obtain @xmath155 \delta(t - t_0 ) \delta(t'-t_0 ) . \end{aligned}\ ] ] , @xmath156 , @xmath157 , and @xmath158 ) . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath119 , @xmath110 , @xmath112 ( @xmath113 ) for upper ( lower ) panel . , scaledwidth=40.0% ] in order to solve the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) , first we solve eqs . ( [ kb1 ] ) and ( [ kb2 ] ) for the retarded ( advanced ) and matsubara green functions , and then we find the time mixing green functions from eqs . ( [ kb3])-([kb4 ] ) . finally , the keldysh green function is calculated from eq . ( [ kb5 ] ) . we use iterations to solve each equation . when the nonequilibrium green functions are obtained , we can compute the electric current by eq . ( [ current ] ) . the momentum summation in eq . ( [ selfpertse2 ] ) or ( [ current ] ) indeed is the integration with the double gaussian density of states in eq . ( [ gauss ] ) , and we use a gaussian quadrature to calculate it . typically , we use @xmath159 points for the gaussian quadrature . in the next section we will discuss this type of integrations in a more detail . the calculated current converges with @xmath123 well . we can obtain reliable results at @xmath160 by using a lagrange interpolation formula . typically , we use a quadratic interpolation to obtain the current in the continuous limit . in fig . [ fig5a ] we plot the electric current obtained within the kadanoff - baym - wagner self - consistent perturbation theory . for comparison we also plot the exact nedmft calculation result ( see also the next section ) . figure [ fig5a ] shows that the self - consistent perturbation theory gives very good results for time smaller than @xmath161 . in comparison with the truncated perturbation theory , the self - consistent perturbation theory gives reasonable results in a wide range of the time variable . the current obtained within the self - consistent perturbation theory also oscillates with time , and is damped to zero value . even for large electric fields ( for instance , @xmath112 ) the time damping of the current is still observed in the self - consistent perturbation results like the exact solution . however , for larger electric fields ( for instance , @xmath113 ) , the self - consistent perturbation theory can not reproduce the beat behavior of the current , as shown in the lower panel of fig . [ fig5a ] . it shows that the self - consistent perturbation theory may produce artifacts , especially for nonequilibrium steady state . however , this happens only for very strong electric fields . we define the initial correlation contribution to the current by the difference of the currents calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh self - consistent perturbation theories . in contrast to the results of the truncated perturbation theory , the initial correlation part of the current is damped with time , and its amplitude is significantly smaller . we plot the initial correlation contribution to the current for various values of @xmath63 and @xmath114 in fig . [ fig5b ] . it shows that the amplitude of the initial correlation part is not scaled with @xmath99 . for long time limit the initial correlation contribution to the current vanishes . in this case the keldysh and the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalisms give the same steady state . however , it may be an artifact , especially for very strong electric fields when the exact current exhibits the beat behavior . this also indicates that the self - consistent perturbation theory may not work well for very strong electric fields . nevertheless , within the self - consistent perturbation theory the keldysh formalism qualitatively gives almost the same results as of the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism . the initial correlations do not qualitatively change the perturbation results . and @xmath114 . the current was already scaled with a quadratic extrapolation ( @xmath162 , @xmath156 , @xmath157 , and @xmath158 ) . the other model parameters @xmath119 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=48.0% ] in this section we present the nedmft through the kadanoff - baym - wagner representation . the nedmft was proposed by freericks _ et al _ and it is based on the same idea of the dmft in equilibrium.@xcite the nedmft has the same principle features of the equilibrium dmft . it becomes exact in the infinite dimension limit . in infinite dimensions the self energy is purely local in space . it can be determined by mapping the lattice problem into an effective problem of a single site embedded in a self - consistent effective medium . the effective medium can be represented by a green function @xmath163 which is determined by the dyson equation @xmath164 where @xmath165 . from this equation we can find the components of the effective medium green function in the kadanoff - baym - wagner representation like eqs . ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) . we obtain @xmath166 where @xmath167 and @xmath39 are the inverse matrices of @xmath163 and @xmath168 , respectively . equations ( [ dmftkb1])-([dmftkb5 ] ) are the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations for determining the effective medium green function @xmath167 . once the effective medium green function @xmath167 is determined we can compute the single - site green function . in the homogeneous phase we obtain@xcite @xmath169 where @xmath170 is the localized electron density , and @xmath171 with @xmath172 satisfy the following equation @xmath173 \bullet \widehat{q}_l & = & \widehat{1 } . \label{eqq } \end{aligned}\ ] ] here @xmath174 . one can find explicitly the components of @xmath171 by using the inverse equations ( [ invg1])-([invg5 ] ) @xmath175^{-1 } , \\ q^{m}_l & = & \big [ \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{m } + \delta \widetilde{g}_{l}^{m } \big]^{-1 } , \\ q^{\rceil}_l & = & - q^{r}_l \cdot \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{\rceil } \star q^{m}_l , \\ q^{\lceil}_l & = & - q^{m}_l \star \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{\lceil } \cdot q^{a}_l , \\ q^{k}_l & = & - q^{r}_l \cdot \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{k } \cdot q^{a}_l \nonumber \\ & & + 2 q^{r}_l \cdot \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{\rceil } \star q_l^m \star \widetilde{\mathcal{g}}^{\lceil } \cdot q^{a}_l\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath176 with @xmath177 , and @xmath178 is the inverse of the bare green function @xmath179 of a pure noninteracting single site with zero energy level and the chemical potential @xmath180 . note that in the numerical calculations when we make the discretization of the time variable , the quantity @xmath181 does not lie in the diagonal of the matrices of the inverse retarded ( advanced ) or matsubara green functions . it lies in the first subdiagonal of the matrices like in eqs . ( [ gm0 ] ) , ( [ gm01 ] ) . in the such way we can compute the single - site green function @xmath182 . however , it is applicable only for nonequilibrium fkm . for other models such as the hubbard model one may adopt different techniques to solve the effective single - site problem . the self - consistent condition requires that @xmath183 with this self - consistent condition when the effective single - site problem is solved we can again compute the self energy from the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ dmftkb1])-([dmftkb5 ] ) . when the self energy is obtained the full lattice green functions are calculated from the kadanoff - baym - wagner equations ( [ kb1])-([kb5 ] ) . thus we obtain a closed system of equations for the nonequilibrium green functions in the nedmft . like the previous section , first we solve the set of equations of the retarded ( advanced ) and matsubara green functions . then use the obtained green functions to solve the set of equations of the time mixing green functions . finally , we compute the keldysh green function from its set of equations . we use iterations for finding each green function . numerically , we employ the discretization method which was described in sec . iv to solve the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft equations . in equilibrium the fkm describes a metal - insulator transition for the homogeneous phase.@xcite the coulomb interaction is divided into two ranges . for weak interactions ( @xmath184 ) the system is metallic , and for strong ones ( @xmath185 ) the system is insulator . we will study the two cases separately . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft by using two gaussian quadratures ( gq ) of @xmath186 and @xmath159 points ( black line ) and by one gaussian quadrature of @xmath187 points ( blue line ) ( @xmath162 , @xmath158 , @xmath188 ) in comparison with the result calculated by solving the equilibrium dmft equations in frequency ( red line ) . the inset focuses the imaginary part of the equilibrium lesser green function @xmath189 obtained by performing the two gaussian quadratures of @xmath186 and @xmath159 points in a small range of @xmath190 for different @xmath123 ( @xmath158 , @xmath188 ) . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] as a benchmark we apply the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft to the equilibrium fkm at half filling . the dmft results of the fkm at equilibrium can be also obtained by solving the dmft equations in frequency.@xcite as noted in sec . iv , the summation over momentum is replaced by integration with the double gaussian density of states in eq . ( [ gauss ] ) , and we use a gaussian quadrature to perform the calculation . freericks _ et al _ noticed that averaging the results of two gaussian quadratures with @xmath191 and @xmath192 points works better than choosing @xmath193 points for the quadrature.@xcite for the equilibrium case we adopt this trick . in fig . [ fig7 ] we plot the lesser green function @xmath194 calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft in comparison with the one obtained by solving the equilibrium dmft equations in frequency . here we have converted the results from the time variables @xmath23 and @xmath24 to wigner average @xmath195 and relative @xmath196 time variables . the nedmft calculations are performed with two gaussian quadratures with @xmath186 and @xmath159 points . we also plot the nedmft result which is obtained by performing only one gaussian quadrature with @xmath187 points . the results plotted in fig . [ fig7 ] confirm the notice of freericks _ et al_. indeed , for a range of small @xmath190 the lesser green function calculated within the nedmft fits perfectly with the one obtained within the dmft . however , for @xmath190 nearby the time cutoffs , the nedmft results exhibit spurious features of a nodal form due to finite size effects of the numerical procedures . these spurious features are greatly reduced by employing the trick of two gaussian quadratures . however , as we will see later , the spurious features do not appear in the nonequilibrium case where the electric field is finite . the lesser green function obtained within the nedmft fulfils the sum rule very well , as shown in the inset of fig [ fig7 ] . indeed , @xmath197 in the weak interaction case . the sum rule of higher - order moments of the lesser green function is also fulfilled because the lesser green function fits perfectly with the dmft one nearby @xmath198 . however , if one numerically calculates the sum rule of higher - order moments , a deviation from the exact value may appear due to numerical derivative calculations from discretized points.@xcite the possible deviation of the sum rule of higher order moment does not necessarily mean an inaccuracy of the green function . it relates to the finite value of @xmath123 which may be not small enough for performing numerical derivative calculations . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft for different @xmath123 ( @xmath158 , @xmath188 ) . the two gaussian quadratures with @xmath186 and @xmath159 points are performed . the equilibrium dmft calculation result is also presented ( red line ) . the model parameters @xmath199 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] in fig . [ fig8 ] we plot the imaginary part of the equilibrium lesser green function calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft and the equilibrium dmft for @xmath199 . this value of @xmath63 corresponds to the insulator phase . it shows that for strong interactions the nedmft results fit well with the ones of the equilibrium dmft for small @xmath190 . the spectral sum rule of the lesser green function is well fulfilled . indeed , for @xmath199 @xmath200 is equal to @xmath201 for @xmath162 , and is equal to @xmath202 for @xmath203 in comparison with the exact value @xmath204 . around the minima in the curve of the imaginary part of the lesser green function small deviations appear . the deviations can be reduced by decreasing @xmath123 . for strong interactions the numerical results slightly deviate from the equilibrium values due to the finite discretization of the time variables . nevertheless , the nedmft calculations for the equilibrium case for both weak and strong interactions show the numerical techniques employed here are accurate and controllable . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft by using two gaussian quadratures of @xmath186 and @xmath159 points ( solid lines ) , and by using one gaussian quadrature of @xmath159 points ( symbols ) for weak ( @xmath115 ) and strong ( @xmath199 ) interactions ( @xmath162 , @xmath158 , @xmath188 , @xmath110 , @xmath112).,scaledwidth=50.0% ] in the nonequilibrium case , when the electric field is finite , we notice that the use of two gaussian quadratures for the integration with the double gaussian density of states gives almost the same result as the use of one gaussian quadrature . in fig . [ fig9 ] we plot the imaginary part of the lesser green function calculated by using two gaussian quadratures of @xmath186 and @xmath159 points in comparison with the one calculated by using one gaussian quadrature of @xmath159 points for both weak and strong interactions . it shows that the results of both quadrature methods are almost identical . in contrast to the equilibrium case , in the nonequilibrium case there are not spurious features nearby the time cutoffs . we have also checked the results with more points for the gaussian quadrature ( in particular , with @xmath205 ) , and with finer @xmath124 ( in particular , with @xmath206 ) . it turns out that the numerical results are mostly sensitive to the real time discretization . in the following for numerical calculations we use the single gaussian quadrature with @xmath159 points and make the integrations over the imaginary time with @xmath158 for @xmath110 . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft in the weak interaction case for various @xmath123 . the inset plots the real part of the lesser green function . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath112 , @xmath110 , @xmath188 . @xmath207 is used for the gaussian quadrature and @xmath158.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] c c c c c @xmath115 & & & & + @xmath123 & @xmath208 & @xmath209 & @xmath157 & exact + sum rule & @xmath210 & @xmath211 & @xmath212 & @xmath204 + + @xmath199 & & & & + @xmath123 & @xmath209 & @xmath157 & @xmath213 & exact + sum rule & @xmath201 & @xmath202 & @xmath214 & @xmath204 + calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft in the strong interaction case for various @xmath123 . the inset plots the real part of the lesser green function . the model parameters @xmath199 , @xmath112 , @xmath110 , @xmath188 . @xmath207 for the gaussian quadrature and @xmath158.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] in fig . [ fig10 ] we present the lesser green function in the weak interaction case for various real time discretizations @xmath123 and a fixed @xmath0 . it shows that the imaginary part of the lesser green function quickly converges with @xmath123 . it also indicates that the spectral sum rule of the lesser green function is fulfilled well . indeed , in table i we list the value of the spectral sum rule of the lesser green function for various values of @xmath123 . in the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism the spectral sum rule which is numerically calculated is fulfilled better than in the formalism of the contour - ordered green function.@xcite the spectral sum rule of the retarded and advanced green functions is fulfilled well too . the real part of the lesser green function converges with @xmath123 is less quickly . however , it also converges well for small @xmath123 . for weak interactions the numerical calculations solving the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft equations work very well . for other physical quantities such as the electric current and the double occupation their convergences with @xmath123 are also good . in particular , we can obtain converged results at the limit @xmath160 by using a lagrange interpolation formula . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft for various time cutoffs @xmath5 with fixed @xmath215 and @xmath119 ( @xmath199 , @xmath112 @xmath158 , @xmath110).,scaledwidth=45.0% ] in fig . [ fig11 ] we plot the lesser green function in the strong interaction case for various real time discretizations @xmath123 and a fixed @xmath0 . the imaginary part of the lesser green function converges with @xmath123 well . however , its spectral sum rule slightly deviates from the exact value , as presented in table i. the real part of the lesser green function converges with @xmath123 not so fast as in the weak interaction case . in general , for strong interactions the extrapolations of the numerical results of the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft in the limit @xmath160 require a more effort . often in order to obtain reliable data we have to carry the numerical calculations with @xmath123 smaller than the ones in the weak interaction case . one can notice that the numerical results of the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft are independent on the maximal time @xmath5 when @xmath123 and @xmath0 are fixed . indeed , we plot the electric current @xmath216 obtained from the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft for various @xmath5 in fig . [ fig12 ] . for larger @xmath5 the time window is larger and we can observe the behaviors of the system at a more long time . but for larger @xmath5 the numerical calculations are also more expensive in time . we have to compromise the computation time and the need of the time window width . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner ( kbw ) nedmft ( red line ) in the weak interaction case for different electric fields . for comparison the result obtained from the keldysh ( k ) nedmft ( black line ) , and the contribution of the initial correlations to the current ( green line ) are also plotted . the data are already scaled with a quadratic extrapolation ( @xmath162 , @xmath156 , and @xmath157 ) . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath110 , @xmath158 , and @xmath112 ( @xmath113 ) for upper ( lower ) panel.,scaledwidth=45.0% ] for various @xmath114 and @xmath63 in the weak interaction case . the results are already scaled by a quadratic extrapolation with @xmath162 , @xmath156 , and @xmath204 ( @xmath119 , @xmath158 , @xmath110 ) . the inset plots the scaled contribution of the initial correlations @xmath217 for different initial times @xmath0 ( @xmath115 , @xmath112 , @xmath158 , @xmath110).,scaledwidth=45.0% ] in fig . [ fig13 ] we present the electric current calculated within both the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh nedmft in the weak interaction case . in the keldysh nedmft the initial correlations are neglected . the contribution of the initial correlations to the current is defined as the difference of the currents calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh nedmft . certainly , the current has been previously calculated within the nedmft of the contour - ordered green function.@xcite we find after extrapolating to @xmath160 the results of the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism agree well with the ones obtained within the contour - ordered green function nedmft . this indicates the equivalence of the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the contour - ordered green function formalisms , as expected . however , the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism represents the contour - ordered green function in the matrix form , the elements of which are the physical green functions . it is also similar to the keldysh formalism . the spectral sum rule obtained within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft is fulfilled very well . the electric current displays the bloch oscillations , as noticed by freericks _ et al_.@xcite for small and large electric fields ( for instance , @xmath112 ) the current is monotonously damped to zero value . however , when the electric field increases further ( for instance , @xmath113 ) the current develops beats . as shown in fig . [ fig13 ] , in the weak interaction case the keldysh and the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft qualitatively give the same current . the contribution of the initial correlations to the current also oscillates with time in the same way as of the full current . when the current displays beats the initial correlation contribution displays beats too , as shown in figs . [ fig13 ] and [ fig14 ] . in the weak interaction case the initial correlation contribution to the current is small in comparison with the full current . however , it never vanishes except for @xmath218 when the electric field is absent and the current vanishes too . in the inset of fig . [ fig14 ] we plot the initial correlation contribution to the current for different initial times @xmath0 . it shows that the results are independent on the initial time if it is far enough from @xmath3 . the initial correlation contribution seems to be finite even when the initial time is in the remote past . however , the initial correlations do not qualitatively change the current properties in the weak interaction case . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner ( kbw ) and the keldysh ( k ) nedmft in the weak interaction case for different initial times @xmath0 . the results are already scaled by a quadratic extrapolation with @xmath162 , @xmath156 , and @xmath204 . the dotted line is the double occupation in equilibrium ( @xmath219 ) . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath112 , @xmath158 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] we also calculate the double occupation @xmath220 which can be computed through the lesser green function @xmath221 defined in eq . ( [ eqq ] ) by @xmath222 in fig . [ fig15 ] we plot the time dependence of the double occupation @xmath223 calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh nedmft in the weak interaction case . before the electric field is turned on ( @xmath218 ) , the double occupation calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft is constant in a good agreement with the equilibrium value obtained by solving the dmft equations in frequency . however , the keldysh nedmft results are quite different . within the keldysh nedmft , the double occupation starts from its noninteraction value at half filling ( @xmath224 ) , and then decreases to a steady value . this steady value is little larger than the equilibrium value . at the initial time @xmath0 the keldysh formalism starts with noninteracting system and electron correlations are absent . the results show that before the electric field is turned on , the keldysh formalism can not restore full electron correlations of the system . the full electron correlations are essentially elaborated from the initial correlations which come from the dynamics of the system in the imaginary time branch of the kadanoff - baym contour . the neglect of the initial correlations also means the lack of the electron correlations even when the system is still in equilibrium . in fig . [ fig15 ] we also plot the double occupation for different initial times @xmath0 . it shows that even when the initial time goes to the remote past , the lack of electron correlations still occurs in the keldysh formalism . only in the kadanoff - baym formalism when the initial correlations are taken into account , full electron correlations are obtained . after the electric field is turned on ( @xmath225 ) for weak and strong electric fields ( for instance , @xmath112 ) the double occupation first oscillates strongly , and then is damped into less regular oscillations . however , when the electric field increases further ( for instance , @xmath113 ) the double occupation regularly oscillates even at long time , as shown in fig . [ fig16 ] . this behavior is reminiscent to the beats of the electric current . in the weak interaction case the difference of the double occupations calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms is small in relation with their values . after the turning on of the electric field the difference becomes smaller . in the weak interaction case the keldysh formalism qualitatively describes the behavior of the double occupation . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner ( kbw ) and the keldysh ( k ) nedmft in the weak interaction case for different initial times @xmath0 . the results are already scaled by a quadratic extrapolation with @xmath162 , @xmath156 , and @xmath204 . the dotted line is the double occupation in equilibrium ( @xmath219 ) . the model parameters @xmath115 , @xmath113 , @xmath158 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner ( kbw ) and the keldysh ( k ) nedmft for strong interaction @xmath199 , @xmath112 . the contribution of the initial correlations is also plotted . the inset plots the initial correlation contribution for different initial times @xmath0 . the results are already scaled by a cubic extrapolation with @xmath203 , @xmath226 , @xmath213 , and @xmath227 ( @xmath158 , @xmath110).,scaledwidth=50.0% ] in equilibrium when the interaction @xmath228 the density of states opens a gap at the fermi energy , and the system is insulator . it distinguishes between the weak and strong interaction cases . in general , in the strong interaction case the numerical calculations slowly converge with @xmath123 . usually , we have to use more small values of @xmath123 in order to get reliable results . in fig . [ fig17 ] we plot the electric current in the strong interaction case . in contrast to the weak interaction case , the current does not display the regular bloch oscillations . the current oscillations are rather irregular and quenched . however , the current calculated within the keldysh nedmft still exhibits the regular bloch oscillations . this shows that the initial correlations are important in the strong interaction case . they are a main factor for quenching the current oscillations . the contribution of the initial correlations to the current is not small as in the weak interaction case . it is of order of the current . in the inset of fig . [ fig17 ] we also plot the initial correlation contribution to the current for different initial times @xmath0 . it shows that the contribution remains the same as the initial time goes to the remote past . thus , in the strong interaction case the initial correlations become significant , and dominate the overall properties of the current . the neglect of the initial correlations may cause artifacts in the nonequilibrium properties of the current . in fig . [ fig18 ] we plot the double occupation in the strong interaction case . before the turning on of the electric field , the time dependence of the double occupation within both the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh nedmft is similar to the weak interaction case . within the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism the double occupation is constant for @xmath218 . the constant value is in a good agreement with the equilibrium value , although there are very little deviations due to the finite size effects in the numerical calculations . the double occupation calculated within the keldysh formalism first starts with the noninteraction value @xmath224 at the initial time @xmath0 , then relaxes to a steady value . like in the weak interaction case , the steady value is not the equilibrium value . it again indicates that the keldysh formalism losses a some part of electron correlations . in the strong interaction case this lack of electron correlations becomes significant . as a consequence , after the turning on of the electric field the lack of electron correlations also remains significant . due to the quenching of the bloch oscillations in the strong interaction case , the double occupation reaches a steady value at a long time . the steady values obtained within the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms are quite different . they indicate the important contribution of the initial correlations . as shown in fig . [ fig18 ] the results do not change when the initial time goes to the remote past . for strong interactions the keldysh formalism losses a significant part of electron correlations both before and after the turning on of the electric field . it can not correctly describe the nonequilibrium properties . calculated within the kadanoff - baym - wagner ( kbw ) and the keldysh ( k ) nedmft in the strong interaction case for different initial times @xmath0 . the results are already scaled by a cubic extrapolation with @xmath203 , @xmath226 , @xmath213 , and @xmath227 . the dotted line is the double occupation in equilibrium ( @xmath219 ) . the model parameters @xmath199 , @xmath112 , @xmath158 , @xmath110.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] in this paper we present the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism for nonequilibrium systems . the formalism is based on the wagner representation of the contour - ordered green function . within the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism the green functions satisfy the proper boundary conditions . the initial correlations essentially distinguish between the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms . we derive the system of equations for nonequilibrium green functions , and solve it within the truncated and self - consistent perturbation theories as well as within the nedmft . as a benchmark we examine the equilibrium fkm by the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft . the results show a good agreement between the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft in equilibrium and the equilibrium dmft . in the nonequilibrium case the green functions obtained within the kadanoff - baym - wagner nedmft satisfy the spectral sum rule well . the derived kadanoff - baym - wagner equations for nonequilibrium green functions are an alternative useful method for studying nonequilibrium systems . in this paper we also emphasize the initial correlations . within the perturbation theory the initial correlations always finite even when the initial time goes to the remote past . the electric current calculated within the truncated perturbation theory shows that the kadanoff - baym - wagner formalism overestimates the current , whereas the keldysh formalism underestimates it . however , the kadanoff - baym - wagner perturbation theory shows a better agreement with the exact solution . for a long time the truncated perturbation theory fails to describe the physical properties . the self - consistent perturbation theory gives better results than the truncated perturbation theory . the time domain in which the self - consistent perturbation theory gives reasonable results is wider than the one in the truncated perturbation theory . however , the self - consistent perturbation theory can not reproduce the beat behaviors of the current for very strong electric fields . within the perturbation theories the initial correlations do not qualitatively change the perturbation results . since both the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh perturbation theory results are close , use of the keldysh approach is more convenient since its equations are simpler . in the infinite dimension limit the nedmft gives the exact solution . examining the nedmft within both the kadanoff - baym - wagner and the keldysh formalisms one can figure out the role of the initial correlations . for weak interactions the initial correlations give only small contributions to the physical quantities such as the electric current or the double occupation . however , they remain finite for the long time limit . the initial correlations are also important even before the electric field is turned on when the system is still in equilibrium . without the initial correlations the system can not restore the full electron correlations . for strong interactions the initial correlations become significant , and dominate the physical properties . without taking into account the initial correlations the keldysh formalism can qualitatively describe the nonequilibrium properties of the system only for weak interactions . for strong interactions it fails to count full electron correlations . the neglect of the initial correlations may cause artifacts in the nonequilibrium properties of the system . the author would like to thank the asia pacific center for theoretical physics for the hospitality where the main part of this work was done . he also acknowledges useful discussions with han - yon choi , and thanks j. k. freericks and v. turkowski for providing their numerical data . the author is grateful to thank the max planck institute for the physics of complex systems at dresden for sharing computer facilities where the numerical calculations were performed . this work was supported by the asia pacific center for theoretical physics , and in part by the vietnam national program on basic research . j. k. freericks , v. m. turkowski , and v. zlatic , in _ proceedings of the hpcmp users group conference 2005 , nashville , tn , june 28 - 30 , 2005 , _ edited by d. e. post ( ieee computer society , los alamitos , ca , 2005 ) , pp .

arxiv

Nephology is the second studio album by German electronic artists Air Liquide, which was released in 1994. The German and UK releases of the album contained different track listings. Track listing German release Im Erlmeyer-Kolben Pt. I 2:19 Semwave 7:00 Die Reise im Teekessel 2 11:20 Nephology 3:01 Aurorabelt 3:08 Kymea 5:02 Stratus Static 8:10 The Clouds Have Eyes 6:40 Cassiopeia 5:01 Sulfur Clouds 3:55 Im Erlmeyer-Kolben Pt. II 3:58 UK release The Cloud 9:53 Semiwave 7:03 Die Reise Im Teekessel 11:32 Nephology 3:02 If There Was No Gravity 7:44 Kymnea 5:09 Sulfur Clouds 4:06 Im Grlenmeyerkolben I 2:29 Im Grlenmeyerkolben II 4:04 Stratus Static 8:13 Casiopeia 6:05 The Clouds Have Eyes 6:44 Category:1994 albums Category:Air Liquide band albums

wikipedia

Joe Kinsella was an Ireland international footballer. International career On 12 February 1928, Kinsella made his only appearance for Ireland in a 42 win over Belgium in Liege. References Category:Republic of Ireland association footballers Category:Republic of Ireland international footballers Category:League of Ireland players Category:Year of birth missing Category:Place of birth missing Category:Year of death missing Category:Shelbourne F.C. players Category:Association football midfielders

wikipedia

acquired pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle is a rare disorder that usually occurs after transmural myocardial infarction or after cardiac surgery . the development of a pseudoaneurysm is a rare event after resection of a left ventricular aneurysm . a 43-year - old man presented with retrosternal pain and dyspnea about 3 years after he had coronary artery bypass grafting and aneurysmectomy in another institution . on admission his physical examination was normal . his arterial blood pressure was 105/60 mm hg , heart rate was 86 beats / min , and no cardiac murmur was noted . his chest x - ray showed an enlarged cardiac silhouette and also a poorly circumscribed basal mass in the left lung . computed tomography however showed that the lesion perceived as a pulmonary mass in the roentgenogram was actually an antero - apical left ventricular pseudoaneurysm ( fig . two - dimensional echocardiography revealed the presence of a 10 5 cm cavity communicating with the left ventricle through a hole in the antero - apical wall of the left ventricle measuring approximately 2 2 cm ( fig . 3 ) . computed tomography scan of the chest showing a large left ventricular pseudoaneurysm perceived as a left pulmonary mass transthoracic echocardiography showing a postsurgical left ventricular pseudoaneurysm left ventriculography ( end diastolic frame ) showing a pseudoaneurysm and orifice . the arrow points to the pseudoaneurysm ( x : orifice ) the operation was performed through median sternotomy with femoro - femoral cardiopulmonary bypass , moderate hypothermia and cold - blood cardioplegic arrest . after preparation of the wall of the false aneurysm , the aneurysmal sack was opened and the hole in the antero - apical wall of the left ventricle was closed with several deeply placed 3 - 0 prolene sutures reinforced by teflon felt . the patient was easily weaned off bypass . the postoperative course was uneventful , and the patient was discharged on the tenth postoperative day . at one - year postoperative follow - up , left ventricular pseudoaneurysms commonly develop as a complication of transmural myocardial infarction ( 55% ) or cardiac operations , such as mitral valve replacement ( 33% ) , although they may also develop as a result of trauma ( 7% ) , infection of foreign materials such as teflon felts , myocarditis or endocarditis ( 5% ) , rupture of a true aneurysm , iatrogenic factors such as myocardial biopsy , pericardiocentesis , cardiac catheterization , ablation of accessory pathways and epicardial placement of electrodes [ 1 , 2 ] . infrequently , technical failure is identified as a cause of pseudoaneurysm arising in the closure line of ventriculotomy . occasional cases of pseudoaneurysm after resection of a left ventricular true aneurysm were reported previously . in all of these cases , as in the present case , the pseudoaneurysms developed due to partial dehiscence of sutures after aneurysmectomy . although echocardiography , computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging suffices to confirm the diagnosis , left ventriculography was classically described as the diagnostic procedure of choice . the surgical repair of ventricular pseudoaneurysms depends on their origin , size and local extension . adhesions , presence of bypass grafts and , occasionally , difficult location for surgical access represent the possible technical difficulties . in the present case , resection of the apico - anterior pseudoaneurysm was easily performed through midline sternotomy by using femoro - femoral cardiopulmonary bypass , moderate systemic hypothermia and antegrade cold - blood cardioplegia . for recurrent large pseudoaneurysms , surgical repair through lateral thoracotomy in deep hypothermic cardiac arrest with low - flow perfusion is also proposed as an alternative . in conclusion , in patients who had left ventriculotomy , the appearance of a postoperative left paracardial mass on the chest x - ray should raise the suspicion of a possible pseudoaneurysm .

pubmed

the origin of masses has been one of the major driving forces in physics . for hadrons , a large part of their masses are generated by the chiral condensate . since the chiral condensate may vary significantly in hot and/or dense matter , hadron masses would be also modified . brown and rho conjectured a scaling behavior of hadron masses in dense medium,@xcite @xmath0 this scaling law ( referred to as the _ brown - rho scaling _ ) suggests that the partial restoration of the chiral symmetry can be experimentally accessible by measuring in - medium hadron masses , and triggered many later theoretical and experimental works . theoretically , a similar behavior is also found in the njl model@xcite and in the qcd sum rule.@xcite experimentally , enhancement of dileptons is observed below the @xmath1 and @xmath2 meson masses in heavy - ion collisions at sps@xcite and rhic@xcite and in @xmath3 reactions.@xcite the interpretation of these enhancements is still under debate , then it is important to examine the brown - rho scaling in qcd . in the lattice monte - carlo ( mc ) simulations , it is possible to measure hadron masses quantitatively in vacuum and at finite temperature , but it is not easy to perform mc simulations at high densities because of the sign problem . furthermore , mc simulations with small quark masses are expensive . in this work , we investigate meson masses in the strong coupling limit of lattice qcd ( scl - lqcd ) at finite temperature and density.@xcite in scl - lqcd combined with the mean field approximation , it is possible to obtain analytical expressions of the effective potential at finite temperature ( @xmath4 ) and quark chemical potential ( @xmath5).@xcite hadron masses are studied in scl - lqcd at zero temperature,@xcite but not at finite temperatures . we find that the brown - rho scaling for meson masses approximately holds at finite @xmath4 and @xmath5 in scl - lqcd with one species of staggered fermion in the leading order of the @xmath6 expansion . in scl ( @xmath7 ) , we can ignore pure gluonic action proportional to @xmath8 , and obtain the following partition function after integrating spatial link variables in the leading order of the @xmath6 expansion,@xcite @xmath9\ , e^{\frac12 \sum_{x , y}m(x)v_m(x , y)m(y)-s_f^{(t)}-m_0\sum_x { \bar{\chi}}(x)\chi(x ) } \ , \\ s_f^{(t)}&=&\frac12\sum_{\mathbf{x},n } \left [ e^\mu{\bar{\chi}}(\mathbf{x},n)u_0(x)\chi(\mathbf{x},n+1 ) -e^{-\mu}{\bar{\chi}}(\mathbf{x},n+1)u_0^\dagger(x)\chi(\mathbf{x},n ) \right ] \nonumber\\ & \equiv & \frac12 \sum_{\mathbf{x},n , m}{\bar{\chi}}_a(\mathbf{x},n ) v^{(t)}_{na , mb}(\mathbf{x } ) \chi^b(\mathbf{x},m ) \ , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where the mesonic composite and their propagators are defined as @xmath10 and @xmath11 , and @xmath12 denotes the spatial dimension . we introduce a mesonic auxiliary field ( @xmath13 ) through the hubbard - stratonovich transformation , then the action is separated into terms containing quarks and time - like link variables on the same spatial points , and it becomes possible to perform the integral over quark and time - like link variables . the effective action for @xmath13 is obtained as , @xmath14 & = & \frac12 \sum_{x , y}\sigma(x ) v_m^{-1}(x , y ) \sigma(y ) + \frac{1}{t } \sum_{\mathbf{x}}{v_{{\rm eff}}}(\mathbf{x } ) \\ & = & \frac{l^d}{t}\,{\cal f}_\mathrm{eff}({\bar{\sigma } } ) + \frac12 \sum_{x , y}\delta\sigma(x)g_\sigma^{-1}(x , y)\delta\sigma(y ) \ , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath15 and @xmath16 stand for the temporal and spatial lattice sizes . the equilibrium value @xmath17 is determined by the effective potential minimum , @xmath18 . in order to obtain the inverse propagator @xmath19 , we need to know the interaction term , @xmath20 , as a functional of @xmath21 . fldt and petersson showed that @xmath22 is obtained as a function of @xmath23 $ ] , which is a functional of @xmath24 @xcite , @xmath25 \nonumber\\ & = & \int du_0 \ , \mathrm{det}^{(n_c)}\left [ x_n[\sigma]\otimes \mathbf{1}_c + e^{-\mu / t}u_0^\dagger + ( -1)^n e^{\mu / t } u_0 \right ] \ , \ ] ] where @xmath26 denotes the @xmath27 determinant , and the temporal gauge @xmath28 is adopted in the second line . @xmath23 $ ] is given as , @xmath29 \ . \label{eq : xn}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath30 . since @xmath31 is expressed in an explicit determinant form , its derivatives by @xmath32 are also given in the determinant of smaller matrices . in obtaining the meson propagator , it is enough to evaluate the @xmath33 integral and determinants in equilibrium,@xcite and these are given as follows , @xmath34}{\sinh[e / t]}\right ] \ , \label{eq : rn0}\\ \left . \frac{\partial^2{v_{{\rm eff}}}}{\partial\sigma_n\partial\sigma_{n+k } } \right|_{\sigma={\bar{\sigma } } } & = & \left [ \frac{d{v_{{\rm eff}}}}{dx_n } \frac{\partial^2x_n}{\partial\sigma_n\partial\sigma_{n+k } } + \frac{d^2{v_{{\rm eff}}}}{dx_n^2 } \frac{1}{n^2}\left[\frac{dx_n^{(0)}}{d{\bar{\sigma}}}\right]^2 \right]_{\sigma={\bar{\sigma } } } \ , \\ \left . \frac{\partial^2x_n}{\partial\sigma_n\partial\sigma_{n+k } } \right|_{\sigma={\bar{\sigma } } } & = & \frac{2}{\cosh^2{e}}\left [ \cosh{ne}-e^{i\pi k}\cosh[(n-2k)e ] \right ] \ , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath35 $ ] denotes the one - dimensional quark energy . by requiring null average fluctuation , @xmath36 , we ignore those terms independent from @xmath37 in the derivative of @xmath22 . the fourier transform of the inverse propagator , @xmath38 , is then given as , @xmath39 where @xmath40 . ( right ) in the zero temperature ( z.t . ) and finite temperature ( f.t . ) treatment in the strong coupling limit of lattice qcd . , title="fig:",width=245 ] ( right ) in the zero temperature ( z.t . ) and finite temperature ( f.t . ) treatment in the strong coupling limit of lattice qcd . , title="fig:",width=245 ] the meson propagator @xmath41 depends on @xmath4 and @xmath5 as well as on @xmath17 via the interaction term @xmath42 . however , the equilibrium condition @xmath43 with @xmath44 reads @xmath45 , and removes the explicit @xmath4 and @xmath5 dependence , @xmath46 as a result , the meson propagator depends on @xmath4 and @xmath5 only through the equilibrium value of the chiral condensate , @xmath47 . meson masses are obtained as the pole energy @xmath48 of the propagator at _ zero _ momentum , @xmath49 , where @xmath50.@xcite this appears from the taste degrees of freedom . with the choice of @xmath51 , the masses are found to be @xmath52 where @xmath53 . in the chiral limit ( @xmath54 ) , we always have a massless boson for @xmath55 , as a consequence of the chiral symmetry in the present effective potential . for a small current quark mass , we find that @xmath56 , which may be regarded as the pcac relation . thus we regard the mode @xmath55 as the pion . we tentatively assign @xmath57 corresponds to @xmath1 meson,@xcite then we can fix the physical scale , @xmath58 and @xmath59 by fitting @xmath60 and @xmath1 meson masses in vacuum . with these parameters and the present assignment , @xmath61 seems to correspond to @xmath62 and @xmath63 mesons as shown in the left panel of fig . [ fig : vac ] . contribution from the chiral condensate @xmath17 to meson masses ( except for @xmath60 ) is found to be much larger than that from the current quark mass @xmath64 in vacuum , where @xmath65 . in the right panel of fig . [ fig : vac ] , we show meson masses as functions of @xmath17 . in the range @xmath66 , meson masses with @xmath67 are approximately proportional to @xmath17 . in the present finite temperature ( f.t . ) treatment , @xmath17 evolves as a function of temperature and density . as a result , meson masses are also modified in hot and/or dense matter , as shown in fig . [ fig : tmu ] . these results should be compared with those in the zero temperature ( z.t . ) treatment,@xcite @xmath68 in vacuum , these meson masses explain observed the observed mass spectrum , but there is no @xmath69 dependence . in this work , we have examined the brown - rho scaling for meson masses in the strong coupling limit of lattice qcd with one species of staggered fermion at finite temperature and chemical potential . meson masses except for @xmath60 are found to be approximately proportional to the equilibrium value of the chiral condensate , @xmath17 . since the condensate mode @xmath70 corresponds to the chiral partner of @xmath60 , we may assume that @xmath17 is proportional to the pion decay constant in medium , @xmath71 . under this assumption , we may conclude that the brown - rho scaling would hold in the strong coupling limit of qcd . there are many more things to be clarified including the meson assignment as pointed out in the symposium , pion mass behavior around the chiral transition which is considered to grow in medium,@xcite meson masses with the choice of @xmath72 , too high @xmath73 in scl,@xcite and negative eigen values in @xmath74.@xcite we would like to thank prof . a. nakamura for useful suggestions . this work is supported in part by the ministry of education , science , sports and culture , grant - in - aid for scientific research under the grant numbers , 13135201 , 15540243 , 1707005 , and 19540252 . 99 g. e. brown and m. rho , phys . * 66 * ( 1991 ) , 2720 . t. hatsuda and t. kunihiro , phys . rept . * 247 * ( 1994 ) , 221 . t. hatsuda and s. h. lee , phys . c * 46 * ( 1992 ) , 34 . g. agakishiev _ [ ceres collaboration ] , phys . * 75 * ( 1995 ) , 1272 . s. afanasiev _ [ phenix collaboration ] , arxiv:0706.3034 [ nucl - ex ] . [ kek - e325 collaboration ] , phys . * 86 * ( 2001 ) , 5019 . n. kawamoto , k. miura , a. ohnishi , pos(lattice2007),209 [ arxiv:0710.1720 [ hep - lat ] ] . n. kawamoto and j. smit , nucl . b * 192 * ( 1981 ) 100 ; p. h. damgaard , n. kawamoto and k. shigemoto , phys . * 53 * ( 1984 ) 2211 ; n. bilic , f. karsch and k. redlich , phys . d * 45 * ( 1992 ) 3228 ; v. azcoiti , g. di carlo , a. galante and v. laliena , jhep * 0309 * ( 2003 ) , 014 ; y. nishida , k. fukushima and t. hatsuda , phys . rept . * 398 * ( 2004 ) , 281 ; y. nishida , phys . d * 69 * ( 2004 ) , 094501 ; n. kawamoto , k. miura , a. ohnishi and t. ohnuma , phys . d * 75 * ( 2007 ) , 014502 . g. faldt and b. petersson , nucl . b * 265 * ( 1986 ) 197 . n. kawamoto and k. shigemoto , nucl . b * 237 * ( 1984 ) 128 . h. kluberg - stern , a. morel and b. petersson , nucl . b * 215 * ( 1983 ) 527 . a. ohnishi , n. kawamoto , k. miura , k. tsubakihara and h. maekawa , prog . . suppl . * 168 * ( 2007 ) , 261 [ arxiv:0704.2823 [ nucl - th ] ] ; a. ohnishi , n. kawamoto and k. miura , j. phys . g * 34 * ( 2007 ) s655 [ hep - lat/0701024 ] . k. miura , phd thesis , hokkaido university , 2008 .

arxiv

Q: conversion batch to powerhsell autoreboot I have to convert old batch files for installation of new PCS all the files went well until I had to remake the auto reboot and force a GPupdate. I am stuck on this line of code %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce /v EnableLUA /t REG_SZ /d %~dp0AfterBoot.ps1 /f I get the error code The module '%windir%' could not be loaded I am rather new to scripting, I can manage in powershell but other types of scripting is a different world for me. thank you in advance A: In Batch scripting, variables are enclosed within percentage characters. %windir% is a system environment variable, and usually refers to C:\Windows. To set a Batch variable, percentages are not used. Oh, and the syntax is different in interactive and scripted versions too. Powershell can access environment variables via $env: scope. Thus $env:WINDIR will return Windows' install directory. Nowadays it's pretty uncommon to have Windows installation in some other location. Some 20+ years ago, on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 era, many NT installations were in C:\WINNT instead, so there was a need for a environment variable specifying the directory. The setup program actually asked for installation location. Windows 2008 supported alternate location via scripted installation only.

slim_pajama

Could airport security possibly distinguish gold and silver coins from other coins? People usually don't carry pure gold and silver coins in their wallets. If I put some in my wallet, would it be likely that airport security would detect some anomaly with my wallet as compared to other wallets? Can physics answer this? The physics answer would be each different metal coin can be distinguished through Xray spectroscopy, because the energy levels of inner shell electrons are unique to each element. See this reference for examples of Xray spectra: <http://www.amptek.com/xrapps.html#coin> Whether or not a particular airport has such technology and whether or not they are interested in using it on your wallet isn't really a physics question. The X ray detectors work by sending a beam of X rays through the stuff they are probing. The higher the density, the more X rays gets absorbed, the less one detects on the other side. In fact, we are not measuring density, but integrating it along the line of sight; the total mass the ray had to go through. The main difference between gold and coins (mixtures like Ni-Cu-Al-Fe) from the X ray point of view is that gold is more dense, so more opaque to radiation for a fixed thickness. A single X ray cannot tell you that, but as they usually have two beams, we can get a quite accurate [3D reconstruction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon_transform). So, let's compare a [gold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold) coin with a [nordic gold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_gold) (what yellow euro coins are made of). The density of gold is $19.3 g/cm^3$, and nordic gold $1.7 g/cm^3$ (I couldn't find it in a table, but I computed it from [dimensions and mass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_coins)). If our coin has a thickness of 3 mm (I would say it is thin for the soft gold metal), we have the following cross-section densities: * Gold: $5.8 g/cm^2$ * Nordic gold: $0.51 g/cm^2$ Quite a difference. Would that show up on the screen? I have seen the cable to charge my phone. Assuming it is made out of [copper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper), and a thickness of $1 mm$, we get an upper bound for our cross-section detection limit of (roughly) $0.8 g/cm^3$. So, yes, we can tell them apart. Let's make it more difficult. Assume the coin is copper. It's density is $8.96 g/cm^3$, still a factor of 2. It's cross section density would be around $3 g/cm^2$, well above our threshold.

stackexchange/physics

Ristna (historischer deutscher und schwedischer Name Dagerort) ist die Bezeichnung für die Landspitze der Halbinsel Kõpu (Kõpu poolsaar). Sie liegt im äußersten Westen der zweitgrößten estnischen Insel Hiiumaa (deutsch Dagö) und gehört verwaltungsmäßig zum Dorf Kalana. Lage Die Gegend wird geprägt von zwei Landzungen, die je etwa 400 Meter weit in die Ostsee ragen: die steinige und bewaldete Lõuna-Ristna nina im Süden und die eher sandige Põhja-Ristna nina im Norden. Die mehr als 1,5 Kilometer breite Bucht zwischen den beiden Landzungen ist ein beliebter Treffpunkt für Taucher und Surfer, für letztere besonders, wenn westlicher Wind die Wellen auftürmt; Schwimmen ist dann hier eher nicht angesagt. In dem Gebiet befinden sich eine meteorologische Station sowie Überreste sowjetischer Militäranlagen. Große Teile des Geländes gehören heute zum Naturschutzgebiet Kõpu (Kõpu looduskaitseala). Leuchtturm Ristna ist auch für seinen Leuchtturm (Ristna tuletorn) bekannt. 1873 wurde der heutige Leuchtturm in Paris bestellt und ein Jahr später auf Hiiumaa errichtet. Er ist 30 Meter hoch. Das Leuchtzeichen liegt 37 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel und ist bis zu einer Entfernung von 31,5 km sichtbar. 1884 wurde der Turm um eine Nebelglocke ergänzt, die fünf Jahre später durch ein Nebelhorn ersetzt wurde. Der Leuchtturm besteht aus zwei konzentrischen Eisenzylindern, zwischen denen eine Wendeltreppe verläuft. Während des Ersten Weltkriegs wurde der Leuchtturm beim deutschen Vorstoß in die Rigaer Bucht im August 1915 durch Beschuss von deutschen Kriegsschiffen leicht beschädigt. 1920 wurde er mit Beton verstärkt, umfassend erneuert und erhielt sein heutiges Aussehen. Im Fuß des Leuchtturms befindet sich heute ein kleines Café. Etwa 8,5 Kilometer weiter östlich steht der mächtige Leuchtturm Kõpu (), ein Wahrzeichen der Insel Hiiumaa. Er ist wegen seiner Lage nahe einem Moorgebiet oft in Nebel gehüllt. Dies war der Hauptgrund für den Bau des Leuchtturms Ristna. Literatur Weblinks Beschreibung des Gebiets (estnisch) Leuchtturm Ristna (Estnisches Seeschifffahrtsamt) Geschichte des Leuchtturms Ristna (estnisch) Liste estnischer Leuchttürme (estnisch) Einzelnachweise Hiiumaa (Landgemeinde) Kap (Estland)

slim_pajama

catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia ( cpvt ) was first reported in 1975 and is characterized by exercise- or emotional stress - induced polymorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmias , syncope , or sudden cardiac death , . although -blockers , verapamil , and na - channel blockers have been used to suppress vt in these patients , their symptoms persist and prognosis remains poor . we describe a case of aborted sudden death due to catecholaminergic polymorphic vt in a patient who had received treatment with antiarrhythmic agents and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator ( icd ) in whom vt could be successfully suppressed after bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy . a 27-year - old woman diagnosed with cpvt , who did not have a family history of sudden cardiac death , and was implanted with a dual chamber icd at another institution 11 years previously for recurrent syncopal episodes during exercise and emotional stress was followed up by our hospital . she had experienced frequent ( nearly 5 times per year ) icd shocks ( secura , medtronic , minneapolis , usa ) related to ventricular fibrillation or atrial tachycardia ( at ) with a rapid ventricular response under the oral administration of antiarrhythmic agents , including bisoprolol 5 mg / day , verapamil 240 mg / day , and flecainide 150 mg / day ( 3 mg / kg ) , which were her maximally tolerable doses because of general fatigue due to hypotension . during the follow - up , she was resuscitated from aborted sudden death due to incessant polymorphic vt documented on electrocardiography . deep sedation with intratracheal intubation was effective in suppressing vt , and fortunately , no brain damage occurred after hypothermia therapy . the initial premature ventricular contractions ( pvcs ) , which triggered the polymorphic vt , were confirmed to have mainly two morphologies : left bundle branch block with a superior axis ( pvc1 ) and right bundle branch block with an inferior axis ( pvc2 ) under an isoproterenol infusion ( isp ) at 1.5 g / min . we confirmed that the maximum beat runs of vt could be suppressed to only couplets of pvcs by a left stellate ganglion blockade using lidocaine as the local anesthesic , under the same dose of the isp infusion ( fig . the right ventricular inferior wall under the tricuspid valve ( pvc1 : the local bipolar ventricular potential preceded the onset of the pvc by 20 ms without any discrete pre - potentials , and a good pacemap of the qrs configuration was obtained ) and left ventricular outflow tract immediately under the aortic valve of the left coronary cusp ( pvc2 : a good pacemap of the qrs configuration was obtained ) were considered as the origins of the pvcs , and ablation at those sites with 2530 w suppressed the pvcs under the same isp infusion dose of 1.5 g / min . however , ablation at the above sites was ineffective under an infusion of isp of 3.0 g / min because a maximum of 8 beat runs of a non - sustained polymorphic vt ( nspvt ) with an average cycle length of 237 ms was induced . in addition , treadmill exercise testing ( 10.2 mets ) after the ablation revealed the occurrence of bidirectional polymorphic vpcs . those pvcs were mainly of two types , such as a left bundle branch block with a superior axis and an inferior axis type , and the morphologies were different from those before the ablation . although vt did not recur clinically , the catheter ablation was considered insufficient to prevent any future vt recurrence . therefore , after written informed consent was obtained , the patient underwent left thoracoscopic sympathectomy from the lower one - third of the left stellate ganglion to the th4 level under general anesthesia ( fig . 2 ) based on the effectiveness of the left stellate ganglion local blockade and according to a previous report . after that operation , vt was no longer inducible until 10.2 mets of exercise via treadmill exercise testing , but was easily induced over 11.2 mets of exercise . we next evaluated the efficacy of the local right stellate ganglion blockade , and found that this dramatically suppressed the polymorphic vt under an isp 3.0 g / min infusion . based on this result , she underwent an additional right thoracoscopic sympathectomy from the lower one - third of the right stellate ganglion to the th5 level . after the operation , vt could no longer be induced for up to 11.2 mets of exercise ( table 1 : each number after nspvt indicates maximum beat runs ) . the heart rate was lower ( 93 bpm vs. 103 bpm ) during the same 10.2 mets of exercise , and at inducibility was suppressed to a greater extent during the exercise ( 11.2 mets vs. 12.9 mets ) after right thoracoscopic sympathectomy than after left thoracoscopic sympathectomy alone . complications such as left ptosis and decreased sweating of the left hand ( horners syndrome ) persisted during the follow - up after left thoracoscopic sympathectomy , but the symptoms could be well tolerated without any complaints of severity . the patient was discharged from our hospital under the oral administration of bisoprolol 5 mg / day and verapamil 240 mg / day . nine months after bilateral sympathectomy , she felt an icd shock immediately after bathing but did not experience any syncope . icd telemetry revealed an inappropriate shock for an at with a rapid ventricular response and some pvcs without any polymorphic vt ( fig . 3b ) , but no icd shocks have been recorded after that last event up to the 12 months of follow - up . cpvt is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome , characterized by polymorphic ventricular tachycardia induced by adrenergic stress and caused by mutations of the cardiac ryanodine receptors or calsequestrin gene without any structural heart disease . beta blockers are currently a class i indication for the treatment of clinically diagnosed patients . watanabe et al . discovered that flecainide prevents arrhythmias in a mouse model of cpvt by inhibiting the cardiac ryanodine receptor - mediated ca release and directly targets the underlying molecular defect . in addition , flecainide completely prevented cpvt in two patients who had remained highly symptomatic with conventional drug therapy . van der werf also reported that flecainide resulted in either a partial ( n=8 ) or complete ( n=14 ) suppression of exercise - induced ventricular arrhythmias in 22 of 29 patients . in addition , no patients experienced any worsening of their exercise - induced ventricular arrhythmias . however , our case had experienced aborted sudden death due to incessant polymorphic vt under the administration of flecainide . the detection interval of ventricular fibrillation ( vf ) and vt were more than 250 beats / min and 200250 beats / min , respectively , at that time , and no vt / vf episodes were recorded in icd telemetry . an incessant form of vt with a cycle length less than 200 beats / min may be the reason why an icd shock was not delivered for this event . in this patient , the detection interval for both vt and vf should have been more than 200beats / min to prevent inappropriate icd shocks for at with a rapid ventricular response . however , this setting may have been the reason for the under detection of vt combined with a prolonged vt cycle length caused by the flecainide 150 mg / day ( 3 mg / kg ) in this patient . for that reason , we did not increase the dose of flecainide after that severe clinical event . on the other hand , even if the icd could have detected vt and delivered the shocks , it may have led to catecholamine release , resulting in further electrical storm . the electrocardiographic characteristics and efficacy of catheter ablation of cpvt have been reported . sumitomo et al . reported that the initiating focus originated from the right ventricular outflow tract in 15 cases , in the right ventricular outflow tract and left ventricular outflow tract in one case , in the right ventricular apex in six cases , in the right ventricular apex and right ventricular outflow tract in three cases , in the left ventricular apex in one case , and in the left ventricular apex and right ventricular outflow tract in one case . the mean cpvt heart rate was 192 beats / min ( range , 150250 beats / min ) , with most cpvt cases being nonsustained . catheter ablation of the initiating focus of the cpvt was attempted in two cases but was unsuccessful . on the other hand , they also reported a case with cpvt in which pulmonary vein isolation was performed for af . the holter monitor recordings demonstrated a major decrease in the clinical episodes of af and vts in association with a reduced high - frequency ( hf ) component and ratio of the low - frequency ( lf ) component power to the hf component ( lf / hf ) after pulmonary vein isolation . reported a successful catheter ablation of bidirectional pvcs triggering ventricular fibrillation in cpvt with ryr2 mutation . they could eliminate the pvcs by catheter ablation in the left ventricular inferoseptal area near the posteromedial papillary muscle and the left coronary cusp . neither episodes of syncope nor icd therapies occurred during 16-months of follow - up under the administration of bisoprorol 2.5 mg qd . the right ventricular inferior wall under the tricuspid valve and left ventricular outflow tract under the aortic valve of the left coronary cusp were considered as origins of the pvcs , but the efficacy of the ablation was limited . because pvcs were induced according to the dose of catecholamine administered and polymorphic vts could be easily induced , activation mapping and ablation of all the pvcs may have been insufficient in our case . although our patient also simultaneously had at with a rapid ventricular response and vt , we did not perform pulmonary vein isolation because polymorphic vt is not usually associated with at ( fig . . concluded , more cases and a longer - term observation are mandatory to clarify the effectiveness and safety of catheter ablation for cpvt . reported the long - term efficacy of surgical left cardiac sympathetic denervation in three young adults with cpvt , all of whom had symptoms before the procedure and were symptom - free later . once the procedure is performed , the effects are permanent , because preganglionic denervation precludes reinnervation . denervation does not result in the limitations that occur with medical therapies such as incomplete compliance , especially among teenagers . scott et al . reported the successful treatment of cpvt with bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy in a young woman with multiple icd - related complications that finally needed to be explanted due to an ongoing infection . during 4 years of follow - up since the sympathectomy , the patient has been free from any further syncopal episodes without any re - implantation of an icd . the authors mentioned that sympathectomy may have a useful role as an adjunctive therapy in cpvt , as beta - blockade was not completely effective and long - term icd use was associated with potential complications . reported the efficacy of left ( n=14 ) and bilateral ( n=27 ) cardiac sympathetic denervation ( csd ) in 41 patients with vt storms . although both showed beneficial effects with vt suppression , bilateral csd resulted in greater icd shock - free survival compared to left csd alone . in our case , the patient first underwent left thoracoscopic sympathectomy , which was effectively suppressed polymorphic vts under 10.2 mets of treadmill exercise testing , but did not suppress these vts over 11.2 mets of exercise . based on the dramatic efficacy of the right stellate ganglion blockade using local anesthesia to suppress the polymorphic vt under an isp infusion , the patient also underwent right thoracoscopic sympathectomy . after the last procedure , no vt events or syncope was documented for a follow - up of 21 months , except for one inappropriate icd shock due to at with a rapid ventricular response nine months after bilateral sympathectomy . interestingly , dual tachycardias with polymorphic vt and at were frequently recorded simultaneously before the sympathectomy ( fig . 3a ) , but no polymorphic vt was detected during the last at event ( fig . a number of antiarrhythmic effects after sympathectomy are mediated by a reduction in the amount of intracardiac noradrenaline release . this includes an increase in the threshold for the induction of vf and an increase in ventricular refractoriness , . we hereby described an initial case of drug- and ablation - refractory cpvt that was successfully suppressed by step - wise , bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy in an asia - pacific country . although pvcs occurred under 11.2 mets of exercise , neither couplets nor polymorphic vts could be induced , which suggested that the bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy in this patient suppressed the maximum beat runs of polymorphic vt . the reason why our patient not only needed left but also right sympathectomy to suppress the cpvt was not clear . the anatomical distribution of cardiac sympathetic nerves and its role in the induction of cardiac arrhythmias may differ between patients . in addition , it would be better to evaluate the efficacy of bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy on autonomic nervous activity by heart rate variability . however , this was difficult in our patient because heart rate was dependent almost solely on the atrial pacing rhythm under full medication . thoracoscopic bilateral sympathectomy may be an alternative therapy for patients with drug - refractory cpvt .

pubmed

Nandhakumar Sekar aka Nanda Kumar born 20 December 1995 is an Indian professional footballer who plays as winger for Indian Super League team Odisha. Career Nandhakumar made his professional debut in the I-League with Chennai City on 19 February 2017 against Shillong Lajong. He started the match and played 51 minutes as Chennai City lost 41. He scored his first professional goal for the club on 12 March 2017 against East Bengal. He scored the equalizing goal for Chennai City in the 57th minute which eventually led to the team winning 21. He made his debut for Indian U23 team in a friendly against Singapore u23 football team Career statistics References Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:Indian footballers Category:Chennai City F.C. players Category:Association football midfielders Category:I-League players

wikipedia

significant progress of experimental techniques for the synthesis and manipulation of individual quantum objects @xcite is a milestone on the path toward the implementation of a new generation of secure communications with quantum key distribution @xcite , ultrasensitive metrological devices based on quantum sensing @xcite , and high performance quantum information processors @xcite . quantum teleportation @xcite is of paramount importance for quantum science and technologies @xcite . it can be used as a key building block for quantum information technologies such as long - distance quantum communications @xcite and universal computing @xcite . due to this fact , quantum teleportation has attracted a great deal of interest in experiments with various substrates such as photonic ( both discrete and continuous - variables ) qubits @xcite , nuclear magnetic resonance @xcite , trapped atoms @xcite , atomic ensembles @xcite , and solid state @xcite . the key ingredient of the seminal teleportation protocol @xcite is sharing of a two - qubit maximally entangled bell state . together with local operations and classical communication ( locc ) it allows the establishment of an ideal one - qubit channel from alice to bob [ see fig . [ fig : f0](a ) ] . this process can be interpreted as a formation of an information - transferring medium for a qubit state by means of the bell state @xcite , which is very attractive from the viewpoint of the investigation of fundamental aspects of quantum physics @xcite . from the viewpoint of such treatment , quantum states are considered to evolve along and against the flow of time @xcite . we note that possible paradoxes with causality are avoided because the necessity of additional classical communications @xcite . these effects have been actively studied by using postselection in the frameworks of `` conditional time travel '' @xcite and projective closed timelike curves @xcite . is perfectly teleported from alice to bob via the shared bell state @xmath0 . ( b ) suggested scheme of imperfect bidirectional quantum teleportation : alice and bob simultaneously transmit their states @xmath1 and @xmath2 to each other by using the bell state @xmath0 , but they receive the states with density matrices @xmath3 and @xmath4 , which are not perfect versions of the transferred states.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=47.5% ] -4 mm we note that , in the standard one - qubit teleportation scheme , the direction of an established channel is governed by operations performed by two parties [ see fig . [ fig : f0](a ) ] . indeed , the state is transferred from the party conducting a projective measurement ( alice ) to the party applying an unitary transformation ( bob ) . in our work , we address a question about the possibility to modify operations performed by parties in order to adapt the information - transferring medium of bell state for carrying of two qubits spreading in opposite directions : from alice to bob , and from bob to alice [ see fig . [ fig : f0](b ) ] . this study of bidirectional ( two - way ) teleportation ( together with the first protocol for continuous variables teleportation ) has been initiated by the scheme in ref . a direct way for bidirectional quantum teleportation is to use two quantum teleportations with two bell states : from alice to bob and vice versa . a number of alternative approaches to bidirectional quantum teleportation based on @xmath5-qubit entangled states with @xmath6 @xcite and ghz states @xcite has been suggested . our approach is different from that mentioned above in two points . first , our protocol occupies the minimal amount of shared entangled qubits , _ i.e. _ , a singe bell state pair . second , the fee for such utilization of shared entanglement is that bidirectional transmission of quantum states becomes imperfect and only noisy versions of input states can be obtained at the output . bidirectional teleportation with a single bell state can be interesting both from the fundamental viewpoint , since it uncovers the additional potentialities of shared entanglement , and from practical perspectives because experimental control for bell states is on a higher level than for many - qubit states . we study three schemes for implementation of bidirectional quantum teleportation with a single bell state and auxiliary two - level quantum systems ( trigger qubits ) , whose initial states control the workflow of the schemes . first , we consider a scheme , where the actions of parties are governed by two independent random trigger qubits . in the second scheme , a single random trigger is used . the third one is a mixture between first and second schemes and can be considered as having tunable level of classical correlation between trigger qubits on both sides . an important benchmark for imperfect quantum teleportation to ensure that the resource of quantum entanglement is utilized is to require the following inequality for the teleportation fidelity : @xmath7 , where @xmath8 is the maximal fidelity that can be achieved by means of classical communication only @xcite . we analyze the fidelity of teleportation for all schemes and find a minimal amount of correlation between trigger qubits , which allows the classical fidelity boundary to be overcome ( as will be shown the scheme with independent trigger qubits fails to simultaneously achieve @xmath9 in both directions ) . the fact that appearing quantum channels belong to the class of depolarizing ones also allows us to employ the choi - jamiolkowski isomorphism @xcite to study how classical capacity @xcite , entanglement - assisted capacity @xcite , and the entanglement breaking property @xcite of the suggested teleportation channels relate to the auxiliary classical information responsible for forming correlations between trigger qubits . the paper is organized as follows : we suggest bidirectional teleportation schemes with two independent quantum random trigger qubits , one random trigger qubit , and a mixture between the previous schemes in sec . [ sec : scheme ] . in sec . [ sec : fidelity ] , we calculate the fidelity of teleportation for all schemes and find a condition on correlation between trigger qubits in the mixed scheme , which allows us to overcome the classical fidelity boundary @xmath9 . we analyze the relation between characteristics of choi - jamiolkowski state and the amount of auxiliary classical communication in sec . [ sec : entanglement ] . finally , our results are summarized in sec . [ sec : conclusion ] . -4 mm the standard one - qubit quantum teleportation protocol works as follows . the idea is to transfer the state @xmath10 from one party ( alice ) to another ( bob ) . before protocol start , alice and bob share two particles of a maximally entangled pair . we consider one of the bell states @xmath11 the protocol consists of three steps : ( i ) alice performs a projective measurement in the bell basis of her particle in the state @xmath10 and the particle from the entangled pair ; ( ii ) alice sends the index of the measurement outcome ( that is 2 bits of information ) to bob through an ideal classical communication channel ; ( iii ) bob performs the particular unitary operation , which depends on message from alice , on his particle from the entangled pair to obtain it in the state @xmath10 . we note that alice s measurement in the first step of the protocol breaks an initial entanglement of state ( [ eq : bellstate ] ) , and her particle from the entangled pair transforms to a maximally mixed state . besides , bob has to minimize an interaction of his particle from the entangled pair with an environment to avoid decoherence that reduces the fidelity of the quantum information transfer . these two points indicate that , to make it possible to transfer information from bob to alice as well as from alice to bob , _ i.e. _ , make teleportation bidirectional , alice should not perform a perfect projective measurement of her particles . indeed , alice should leave some correlations of the bell state for the purpose of information transfer in the reverse direction . bob should be guided by the same strategy to obtain the quantum state from alice and , at the same time , send his own one . below , we describe possible schemes for bidirectional quantum teleportation with two random trigger qubits , single random trigger qubits , and a mixture between these two schemes . the suggested method of entanglement utilization results in imperfections of the transmitted states . in other words , teleportation fidelities are less than unity . nevertheless , in such a scheme the fidelity of teleportation can be high enough for applications in quantum information technologies . we also note that the scheme operates with @xmath12 qubits ; however , these qubits should be prepared locally for two parties without need to be transferred . this looks realistic in the view of recent experimental advances in operating with multiqubit systems @xcite . the idea of the first scheme is based on two independent random trigger qubits that guide the actions of alice and bob . the scheme operates with @xmath12 qubits as it is presented in fig . [ fig : telschemes]a . here qubits with subindices @xmath13 and @xmath14 belong to alice and bob correspondingly . the qubits have the following assignments : ( i ) @xmath15 ( @xmath16 ) are initialized with the bell state @xmath0 ( [ eq : bellstate ] ) and they are used for the transmission of quantum information ; ( ii ) @xmath17 ( @xmath18 ) are initialized with the states @xmath19 ( @xmath20 ) , which alice ( bob ) wants to transmit ; ( iii ) @xmath21 ( @xmath22 ) and @xmath23 ( @xmath24 ) are initialized with the state @xmath25 and they are used for storage of projective measurement outcomes ; ( iv ) @xmath26 ( @xmath27 ) are trigger qubits initialized with the states @xmath28 ( @xmath29 ) , where @xmath30 is the standard parametrization of a qubit pure state on the bloch sphere . to perform the projective measurement in the bell basis using measurements in computational basis , one can use a sequence of controlled - not ( cnot ) and hadamard gates that converts a set of four bell state vectors into a set of four two - qubit computational basis vectors . this sequence is applied to qubits @xmath17 ( @xmath18 ) and @xmath15 ( @xmath16 ) . next toffoli ( ccnot ) gates make ` copies ' ( in the sense of computational basis ) of qubits @xmath15 ( @xmath31 ) and @xmath17 ( @xmath18 ) on @xmath32 ( @xmath33 ) and @xmath34 ( @xmath35 ) if the triggers @xmath26 ( @xmath36 ) are in the state @xmath37 . then the sequences of @xmath38 and hadamard gates are repeated in reverse order to undo the change of basis for @xmath15 ( @xmath31 ) and @xmath17 ( @xmath18 ) . @xmath21 ( @xmath22 ) and @xmath23 ( @xmath24 ) are measured in the computational basis , and the corresponding results @xmath39 ( @xmath40 ) and @xmath41 ( @xmath42 ) are sent to the opposite party . on the opposite side , the appropriate unitary transformations as in standard teleportation protocol are applied . the teleported states of alice ( bob ) are obtained on qubits @xmath43 . the resulting quantum channels from alice to bob and from bob to alice can be written as @xmath44=p_1(1-p_2){\rho_\mathrm{in}}+\left[1-p_1(1-p_2)\right]{\rho_0 } , \\ { \mathcal{e}_{b\rightarrow a}^\mathrm{ind}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}]=p_2(1-p_1){\rho_\mathrm{in}}+\left[1-p_2(1-p_1)\right]{\rho_0 } , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath45 and @xmath46 is the maximally mixed qubit state . let us consider several important cases . if @xmath47 , then neither alice nor bob make projective measurements , the entangled state of @xmath0 of @xmath48 remains unchanged , and the parties end up with maximally mixed state @xmath49 . if @xmath50 and @xmath51 , then alice performs a perfect projective measurement , bob performs an appropriate unitary transformation and obtains his particle @xmath16 in the desired state @xmath52 , while alice ends up with @xmath53 . that is perfect unidirectional teleportation from alice to bob . in the case of @xmath54 and @xmath55 , we obtain perfect unidirectional teleportation from bob to alice . if @xmath56 , then both parties make perfect projective measurements on their particles and obtain maximally mixed states @xmath49 in the result . the second scheme [ see fig.[fig : telschemes]b ] looks similar to that considered above ; however , here we exchange two independent trigger qubits @xmath57 and @xmath27 with a single common random trigger qubit @xmath58 initialized with the state @xmath59 . the trigger qubit guides the performing of projective measurements on both sides simultaneously in such a way that it happens only on the one side . this is achieved by applying the inverse gate @xmath60 on the trigger qubit @xmath58 . for this scheme , the two channels are as follows : @xmath61=p{\rho_\mathrm{in}}+(1-p){\rho_0 } , \\ { \mathcal{e}_{b\rightarrow a}^\mathrm{com}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}]=(1-p){\rho_\mathrm{in}}+p{\rho_0 } , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath62 . in this way , we obtain teleportation from alice ( bob ) to bob ( alice ) at @xmath63 . there are two points about common trigger qubits we should mention . ( i ) although its control over alice s and bob s indirect bell measurements [ see highlighted boxes in fig . [ fig : telschemes](b ) ] are presented by ccnot gates , the control could be performed via classical communications as well : the measured value of @xmath58 s initial state is used by alice , and its inverted value is sent to bob . ( ii ) trigger qubit @xmath58 can belong to the third independent party ( charlie ) and its random value can be transmitted via a classical channel to alice and bob . finally , one can consider a mixture of the two schemes , governed by parameter @xmath64 $ ] : @xmath65=t{\mathcal{e}_{a\rightarrow b}^\mathrm{ind}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}]+(1-t){\mathcal{e}_{a\rightarrow b}^\mathrm{com}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}],\\ { \mathcal{e}_{b\rightarrow a}^\mathrm{mix}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}]=t{\mathcal{e}_{b\rightarrow a}^\mathrm{ind}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in}}]+(1-t){\mathcal{e}_{b\rightarrow a}^\mathrm{com}}[{\rho_\mathrm{in } } ] , \end{aligned}\ ] ] where at @xmath66 and @xmath67 we obtain the schemes with common and independent triggers correspondingly . this scheme can be considered as intermediate between two limiting situation : the first one with two parties acting independently from each other , and the second one with the two parties acting in complete correlation to obtain a constructive result . in this way , the mixed scheme employs tunable level of classical correlation between trigger qubits on both sides . the suggested scheme for bidirectional quantum teleportation via a single bell state has an important shortcoming : it can not be presented by a perfectly identical channel . then the scheme can be mapped on the conventional unidirectional teleportation with the use of not maximally entangled states . for a qubit quantum channel @xmath68 , the standard measure of imperfections is the averaged fidelity for all pure input state vectors over the bloch sphere : @xmath69=\frac{1}{4\pi}\int_{0}^{\pi}d\theta\int_{0}^{2\pi}d\phi f(\mathcal{e};\theta,\phi)\sin\theta,\ ] ] where @xmath70{|{\psi_{\theta,\phi}}\rangle}.\ ] ] for the teleportation protocol the expression ( [ eq : fid ] ) is known as fidelity of teleportation . in view of the critical value of @xmath8 , which can be obtained by using only classical communication @xcite , we are interested in the regimes , where teleportation channels demonstrate the averaged fidelity larger than @xmath71 . by substituting ( [ eq : eind])([eq : emix ] ) into ( [ eq : fid ] ) , for the considered bidirectional teleportation schemes [ see fig . [ fig : fid ] ] we have : @xmath72=\frac{1}{2}\left[1+p_1(1-p_2)\right ] , \\ & f[{\mathcal{e}_{a\rightarrow b}^\mathrm{com}}]=\frac{1}{2}(1+p ) , \\ & f[{\mathcal{e}_{a\rightarrow b}^\mathrm{mix}}]=\frac{1}{2}\left\{1+p+t\left[p_1(1-p_2)-p\right]\right\ } \end{aligned}\ ] ] we note that fidelities for the inverse direction @xmath73 can be obtained be exchange @xmath74 and @xmath75 . ) is shown : ( a ) for the scheme with independent trigger qubits as function of @xmath76 and @xmath77 ; ( b ) for the scheme with a single common trigger qubit as function of @xmath78 , and ( c ) for the mixed scheme with @xmath79 as a function of @xmath80 . the horizontal dashed lines ( plane ) correspond to the critical value @xmath8.,title="fig : " ] -4 mm in the symmetrical regime @xmath81 for the schemes with independent and common trigger qubits , we obtain the averaged fidelities @xmath82=0.625<2/3 $ ] and @xmath83=0.75>2/3 $ ] . then we conclude that the scheme with independent triggers is inefficient . better results can indeed be obtained just by direct measurements and classical communication . nevertheless , for the common trigger scheme the fidelity is high enough to observe benefits of using a shared entangled state . in the case of the mixed scheme in the symmetric regime we obtain @xmath84=3/4-t/8 $ ] , which demonstrates linear interpolation between limiting cases considered . the solution for the critical level @xmath84=2/3 $ ] is @xmath85 . this value corresponds to a minimal amount of correlation between the actions of alice and bob , which allows us to approach the quantum regime in the symmetric bidirectional teleportation scheme . we consider information transfer in the proposed bidirectional version of quantum teleportation protocol . we focus on the mixed scheme in the symmetric operating mode , where alice and bob transmit equal amounts of information to each other . the resulting quantum channels ( same in both directions ) are given by the expression @xmath86=\left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{t}{4}\right){\rho_\mathrm{in}}+\left(\frac{1}{2}+\frac{t}{4}\right){\rho_0},\ ] ] which is obtained by substituting @xmath81 in eq . . we start from consideration of auxiliary classical communication that is needed for establishing correlations between operations of the parties . for that purpose we introduce a matrix of joint probability distribution @xmath87 whose rows ( columns ) correspond to the decision of making a projective measurement by alice ( bob ) . the first and second terms in eq . ( [ eq : probs ] ) are related to independent and common trigger qubits correspondingly . from the joint distribution ( [ eq : probs ] ) , one can extract the marginal distributions @xmath88 which in turn allows us to calculate the shannon s mutual information @xmath89 the value of @xmath90 gives the auxiliary classical communication , and for the symmetric mixed scheme under consideration is given by @xmath91 where @xmath92 is a form of the one - parameter quaternary entropy function . obviously , we obtain @xmath93 for @xmath66 ( common trigger scheme ) and @xmath94 for @xmath67 ( independent triggers scheme ) . for the critical value @xmath95 , we have the @xmath96 bits , which turns out to be the minimal amount of auxiliary classical communication between parties necessary to overcome a nonclassical teleportation fidelity . we also analyze information transfer directly through quantum channel ( [ eq : sr ] ) . along this line , we imply the choi - jamiolkowski isomorphism @xcite , which establishes a compliance between quantum channel and quantum state . we consider the choi - jamiolkowski state @xmath97 , that is obtained by propagation of a part of a maximally entangled state ( [ eq : bellstate ] ) through a teleportation channel , _ e.g. _ , from alice to bob [ see fig . [ fig : infs ] ] . the passing qubit is denoted as @xmath98 , the untouched ( reference ) qubit as @xmath99 , and the resulting density matrix is given by @xmath100 , which is used for investigation of information flows in the symmetric bidirectional teleportation . ( b ) different measures of information flows in the mixed scheme of symmetric bidirectional teleportation as a function of parameter @xmath80 : auxiliary classical information @xmath101 ( thin solid curve ) ; entanglement - assistant capacity @xmath102 ( thick solid curve ) ; classical capacity @xmath103 ( dashed curve ) ; concurrence @xmath104 of the state @xmath97 ( dash dot curve ) . vertical line corresponds to the critical value @xmath85.,title="fig : " ] -4 mm as a measure of total information transfer through a quantum channel ( [ eq : sr ] ) , we use the following form of the quantum mutual information : @xmath105+s[\rho_{q}]-s[\rho_{rq}],\ ] ] where @xmath106=-\mathrm{tr}[\rho\log_2\rho]$ ] is the von neumann entropy and @xmath107 and @xmath108 are the reduced states of @xmath97 . we note that @xmath109 also gives an entanglement - assisted capacity of our depolarizing channel @xcite . by substituting ( [ eq : chst ] ) into eq . ( [ eq : qmi ] ) , we obtain @xmath110 with another version of the one - parameter quaternary entropy function @xmath111 the behavior of the auxiliary classical communication @xmath90 and quantum mutual information ( entanglement - assisted capacity ) @xmath109 is depicted by solid lines in fig . [ fig : infs ] . while the additional classical communication @xmath90 decreases from 1 to 0 , the quantum mutual information decreases from @xmath112 to @xmath113 . in this way additional classical communication increases a throughput of resulting depolorizing channels more than in 3.5 times . to split classical and quantum components of quantum mutual information ( [ eq : qinf ] ) , we consider the quantum discord @xcite of the choi jamiolkowski state , which is given by @xmath114 with the classically - accessible information @xcite @xmath115-\sum_j p_{\pi_j^r}s[\rho_{q|\pi^r_j } ] \right)\ ] ] where @xmath116 is the positive - operator valued measure ( povm ) in the space of reference qubit @xmath99 , @xmath117\ ] ] is a probability of @xmath118-th measurement outcome , and @xmath119\ ] ] is a corresponding conditional state of @xmath98 . for the considered state the optimal measurement turns out to be any von neumann measurement , and the value of classically - accessible information is given by @xmath120 where @xmath121 is a binary entropy function . it is remarkable that the value of @xmath122 also gives the classical capacity of the channel @xcite . it follows from the fact that the classical capacity of the depolarizing channel is achieved on sets of two orthogonal states input into the channel with equal probabilities . at the same time the von neumann measurement of one particle from a maximally entangled pair is also considered as remote preparation ( although not controlled ) of such the input . the behavior of classically - accessible information ( classical capacity ) @xmath122 as a function of parameter @xmath80 is given by dashed line in fig.[fig : infs ] . it decreases from 0.189 bits at @xmath66 to 0.0456 at @xmath67 , so the auxiliary communication increases classical capacity more than in 4.1 times . it is quite remarkable that the curve of @xmath122 crosses the curve of @xmath90 exactly at the critical point @xmath123 . at @xmath124 an overcoming of classical auxiliary communication over classical capacities turns the teleportation channel into a `` quantum regime '' with @xmath7 . probably this may be due to the possibility of transferring this auxiliary information via one of the teleportation channels . nevertheless , we leave a deeper investigation of this identity and its possible generalization on asymmetric regime , where the capacities of opposite channels are different , for further study . another important characteristic that describes nonclassical behavior of a quantum channel is its ability to maintain the initial entanglement between a passing system and some external system that does not interact with the channel and its local environment . the channels , whose action on one part of the entangled states makes these state separable , are known as entanglement breaking channels @xcite . the criterion for entanglement breaking for a particular channel is separability of the corresponding choi - jamiolkowski state @xcite . to investigate this property we calculate the concurrence , which is a measure of entanglement in two - qubit states @xcite . it is given by @xmath125 where @xmath126 is a set of eigenvalues ( in descending order ) of the density matrix @xmath127 with @xmath128 being the standard pauli matrix and @xmath129 stands for complex conjugation . for the particular density matrix of the form ( [ eq : chst ] ) , we obtain @xmath130 as we see perfect correlation between operations of the parties ( @xmath66 ) results in one quarter of the maximum value ( dashed line in fig . [ fig : infs ] ) . one can also see that the channels become entanglement breaking at the point @xmath123 , where the fidelity of teleportation reaches the classical boundary . this behavior can be explained by the fact that any entanglement breaking channel can be expressed as a measure - and - prepare channel which consists of intermediate stage where all information is encoded as a classical state @xcite . in our case , this stage corresponds to classical communication between parties . finally , we would note the coherent information responsible for quantum capacity @xcite and given by @xmath131-s[\rho_{rq}]\ ] ] is negative for the whole region of parameter @xmath80 . it can be easily revealed using the fact that the reduced state @xmath107 is maximally mixed , therefore @xmath132 while the value of @xmath102 is less than 1/2 [ see fig . [ fig : infs](b ) ] . we now summarize the main results of the present paper . we suggested several approaches to implement a bidirectional version of the standard one - qubit teleportation protocol with the use of a single bell state : with two independent quantum random trigger qubits , with one random trigger qubit , and mixture between the first and second approaches . we demonstrated that it is possible to achieve a regime of overcoming the classical fidelity boundary of @xmath71 for teleportation channels in both directions , and showed how the auxiliary classical communication , using for establishing correlations between trigger qubits , amplifies the capacities of the resulting quantum channels . we also revealed that the operating mode , where the fidelities of teleportation reach the classical boundary , corresponds to the identity between auxiliary classical communication and classical capacity of the channels . current state of the art demonstrates a potential for realization of the suggested bidirectional imperfect quantum teleportation with a single bell state and a necessity of further investigations of the suggested scheme , _ e.g. _ , in the framework of the logic bell - state analysis @xcite . the authors thank the anonymous referees for useful comments . the support from ministry of education and science of the russian federation in the framework of the federal program ( agreement 14.579.21.0104 ) is acknowledged . n. gisin , g. ribordy , w. tittel , and h. zbinden , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/revmodphys.74.145[rev . phys . * 74 * , 145 ( 2002 ) ] ; v. scarani , h. bechmann - pasquinucci , n.j . cerf , m. dusek , n. ltkenhaus , and m. peev , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/revmodphys.81.1301[_ibid_. * 81 * , 1301 ( 2009 ) ] . feynman , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02650179[int . * 21 * , 467 ( 1982 ) ] ; t.d . ladd , f. jelezko , r. laflamme , y. nakamura , c. monroe , and j.l . obrien , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature08812[nature ( london ) * 464 * , 45 ( 2010 ) ] . for a review , see s. pirandola , j. eisert , c. weedbrook , a. furusawa , and s.l . braunstein , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.154[nat . photonics * 9 * , 641 ( 2015 ) ] ; see also m.a . nielsen and i.l . chuang , _ quantum computation and quantum information _ ( cambridge university press , new york , 2000 ) . d. gottesman and i.l . chuang , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/46503[nature ( london ) * 402 * , 390 ( 1999 ) ] ; d. gottesman , a. kitaev , and j. preskill , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.64.012310[phys . a * 64 * , 012310 ( 2001 ) ] . d. bouwmeester , j .- w . pan , k. mattle , m. eibl , h. weinfurter , and a. zeilinger , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/37539[nature ( london ) * 390 * , 575 ( 1997 ) ] ; r. ursin , t. jennewein , m. aspelmeyer , r. kaltenbaek , m. lindenthal , p. walther , and a. zeilinger , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/430849a[_ibid_. * 430 * , 849 ( 2004 ) ] ; x .- s . ma , t. herbst , t. scheidl , d. wang , s. kropatschek , w. naylor , b. wittmann , a. mech , j. kofler , e. anisimova , v. makarov , t. jennewein , r. ursin , and a. zeilinger http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11472[_ibid_. * 489 * , 269 ( 2012 ) ] . i. marcikic , h. de riedmatten , w. tittel , h. zbinden , and n. gisin , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature01376[nature ( london ) * 421 * , 509 ( 2003 ) ] ; o. landry , j.a.w . van houwelingen , a. beveratos , h. zbinden , and n. gisin , http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/josab.24.000398[j . b * 24 * , 398 ( 2007 ) ] . n. takei , h. yonezawa , t. aoki , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.94.220502[phys . lett . * 94 * , 220502 ( 2005 ) ] ; n. takei , t. aoki , s. koike , k .- yoshino , k. wakui , h. yonezawa , t. hiraoka , j. mizuno , m. takeoka , m. ban , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.72.042304[phys . a * 72 * , 042304 ( 2005 ) ] ; h. yonezawa , s.l . braunstein , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.99.110503[phys . . lett . * 99 * , 110503 ( 2007 ) ] . m. yukawa , h. benichi , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.77.022314[phys . a * 77 * , 022314 ( 2008 ) ] ; n. lee , h. benichi , y. takeno , s. takeda , j. webb , e. huntington , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1201034[science * 332 * , 330 ( 2011 ) ] ; s. takeda , t. mizuta , m. fuwa , p. van loock , and a. furusawa , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12366[nature ( london ) * 500 * , 315 ( 2013 ) ] . ren , b. yang , z .- h . yi , f. zhou , x .- f . xu , s .- k . wang , d. yang , y .- f . hu , s. jiang , t. yang , h. yin , k. chen , c .- z . peng , and j .- w . pan , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2010.87[nat . photonics * 4 * , 376 ( 2010 ) ] ; j. yin , j .- ren , h. lu , y , cao , h .- yong , y .- p . wu , c. liu , s .- k . liao , f. zhou , y. jiang , x .- d . cai , p. xu , g .- s . pan , j .- j . jia , y .- m . huang , h. yin , j .- y . wang , y .- a . chen , c .- z . peng , and j .- w . pan , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11332[nature ( london ) * 488 * , 185 ( 2012 ) ] ; x .- wang , x .- d . cai , z .- e . su , m .- c . chen , d. wu , l. li , n .- l . liu , c .- y . lu , j .- w . pan , http://dx.doi.org/:10.1038/nature14246[_ibid_. * 518 * , 516 ( 2015 ) ] . metcalf , j.b . spring , p.c . humphreys , n. thomas - peter , m. barbieri , w.s . kolthammer , x .- jin , n.k . langford , d. kundys , j.c . gates , b.j . smith , p.g.r . smith , i.a . walmsley , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.217[nat . photonics * 8 * , 770 ( 2014 ) ] . m. riebe , h. hffner , c.f . roos , w. hnsel , j. benhelm , g.p.t . lancaster , t.w . krber , c. becher , f. schmidt - kaler , d.f.v . james , and r. blatt , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature02570[nature ( london ) * 429 * , 734 ( 2004 ) ] . barrett , j. chiaverini , t. schaetz , j. britton , w.m . itano , j.d . jost , e. knill , c. langer , d. leibfried , r. ozeri , and d.j . wineland , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature02570[nature ( london ) * 429 * , 737 ( 2004 ) ] . chen , s. chen , z .- s . yuan , b. zhao , c .- s . chuu , j. schmiedmayer , and j .- w . pan , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys832[nature phys . * 4 * , 103 ( 2008 ) ] ; x .- h . bao , x .- f . xu , c .- m . li , z .- s . yuan , c .- y . lu , and j .- w . pan , http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1207329109[proc . usa * 109 * , 20347 ( 2012 ) ] . m. baur , a. fedorov , l. steffen , s. filipp , m.p . da silva , and a. wallraff , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.108.040502[phys . 108 * , 040502 ( 2012 ) ] ; l. steffen , y. salathe , m. oppliger , p. kurpiers , m. baur , c. lang , c. eichler , g. puebla - hellmann , a. fedorov , and a. wallraff , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12422[nature ( london ) * 500 * , 319 ( 2013 ) ] . f. bussires , c. clausen , a. tiranov , b. korzh , v.b . verma , s.w . nam , f. marsili , a. ferrier , p. goldner , h. herrmann , c. silberhorn , w. sohler , m. afzelius , and n. gisin , http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.215[nat . photonics * 8 * , 775 ( 2014 ) ] . w. pfaff , b.j . hensen , h. bernien , s.b . van dam , m.s . blok , t.h . taminiau , m.j . tiggelman , r.n . schouten , m. markham , d.j . twitchen , and r. hanson , http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1126/science.1253512[science * 345 * , 532 ( 2014 ) ] . s. lloyd , l. maccone , r. garcia - patron , v. giovannetti , y. shikano , s. pirandola , l.a . rozema , a. darabi , y. soudagar , l.k . shalm , and a.m. steinberg , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.106.040403[phys . lett . * 106 * , 040403 ( 2011 ) ] ; s. lloyd , l. maccone , r. garcia - patron , v. giovannetti , and y. shikano , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.84.025007[phys . rev . d * 84 * , 025007 ( 2011 ) ] . zha , z .- c . zou , j .- x . qi and h .- y . song , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-012-1208-5[int . phys , * 52 * , 1740 ( 2013 ) ] ; c. shukla , a. banerjee and a. pathak , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-013-1684-2[int . j. theor . phys , * 52 * , 3790 ( 2013 ) ] ; y .- h . li , m .- h . sang , y .- y . nie and z .- s . wang , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11128-013-0638-1[quantum inf . process , * 12 * , 3835 ( 2013 ) ] ; y. chen , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-013-1943-2[int . j. theor . phys , * 53 * , 1454 ( 2014 ) ] . a. yan , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-013-1694-0[int . phys , * 52 * , 3870 ( 2013 ) ] ; y .- j . duan and x .- w . zha , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-014-2131-8[int . phys , * 53 * , 3780 ( 2014 ) ] ; y. chen , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10773-014-2221-7[int . phys , * 54 * , 269 ( 2015 ) ] . s. massar and s. popescu , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.74.1259[phys . * 74 * , 1259 ( 1995 ) ] ; s. oh , s. lee , and h .- w . lee , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.66.022316[phys . rev . a * 66 * , 022316 ( 2002 ) ] . p.w . shor , http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1498000[j . phys . * 43 * , 4334 ( 2002 ) ] ; m.b . ruskai , http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0129055x03001710[rev . phys . * 15 * , 643 ( 2003 ) ] ; a.s . holevo , http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/s0032946008030010[probl . inf . transm . * 44 * , 3 ( 2008 ) ] . t. monz , p. schindler , j.t . barreiro , m. chwalla , d. nigg , w.a . coish , m. harlander , w. haensel , m. hennrich , and r. blatt , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.106.130506[phys . * 106 * , 130506 ( 2011 ) ] . l. henderson and v. vedral , http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470/34/35/315[j . a : math . gen . * 34 * , 6899 ( 2001 ) ] ; h. ollivier and w.h . zurek , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.106.130506[phys . * 88 * , 017901 ( 2002 ) ] . sheng , f .- deng , and g.l . long , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.82.032318[phys . a * 82 * , 032318 ( 2010 ) ] ; l. zhou and y .- b . sheng , http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/physreva.92.042314[_ibid_. * 92 * , 042314 ( 2015 ) ] ; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep13453[sci . rep . * 5*,13453 ( 2015 ) ] .

arxiv

(6694) 1986 PF (1986 PF, 1978 TN5) — астероїд головного поясу, відкритий 4 серпня 1986 року. Тіссеранів параметр щодо Юпітера — 3,387. Примітки Див. також Список астероїдів (6601-6700) Посилання Астрономічні об'єкти, відкриті 1986 Головний пояс астероїдів

slim_pajama

knowledge can be defined as a dynamic framework connected to cognitive structures from which information can be sorted , processed and understood @xcite . along economics lines of thought @xcite , knowledge can be treated as one of the `` production factors '' , - i.e. , one of the main causes of wealth in modern capitalistic societies . according to marshall @xcite a `` * capital * '' is a collection of goods external to the economic agent that can be sold for money and from which an income can be derived . often , knowledge is parametrized as such a `` * human capital * '' @xcite . walsh @xcite was one pioneer in treating human knowledge as if it was a `` capital '' , in the economic sense ; he made an attempt to find measures for this form of `` capital '' . bourdieu @xcite , coleman @xcite , putnam @xcite , becker and collaborators have further implanted the concept of such a `` human capital '' in economic theory @xcite . however , the concept of knowledge as a form of capital is an oversimplification . this global - like concept does not account for many properties of knowledge strictly connected to the individual , such as the possibility for different learning paths or different views , multiple levels of interpretation , and different preferences @xcite . in fact , knowledge develops in a quite complex social context , within possibly different frameworks or time scales , and involves `` tacit dimensions '' ( beside the basic space and time dimensions ) requiring coding and decoding @xcite . + science policy - makers and scholars have for many decades wished to develop quantitative methods for describing and predicting the initiation and growth of science research @xcite . thus , scientometrics has become one of the core research activities in view of constructing science and technology indicators @xcite . the accumulation of the knowledge in a country s population arises either from acquiring knowledge from abroad or from internal engines @xcite . the main engines for the production of new knowledge in a country are usually : the public research institutes , the universities and training institutes , the firms , and the individuals @xcite . the users of the knowledge are firms , governments , public institutions ( such as the national education , health , or security institutions ) , social organizations , and any concerned individual . the knowledge is transferred from producers to the users by dissemination that is realized by some flow or diffusion of process @xcite , sometimes involving physical migration . knowledge typically appears at first as purely tacit : _ a person `` has '' an idea _ @xcite . this tacit knowledge must be codified for further use ; after codification , knowledge can be stored in different ways , as in textbooks or digital carriers . it can be transferred from one system to another . in addition to knowledge creation , a system can gain knowledge by knowledge exchange and/or trade . in knowledge diffusion , the knowledge is transferred while subjects interact @xcite . pioneering studies on knowledge diffusion investigated the patterns through which new technologies are spread in social systems @xcite . the gain of knowledge due to knowledge diffusion is one of the keys or leads to innovative products and innovations @xcite . + in science , the diffusion of knowledge is mainly connected to the transfer of scientific information by publications . it is accepted that the results of some research become completely scientific when they are published @xcite . such a diffusion can also take place at scientific meetings and through oral or other exchanges , sometimes without formal publication of exchanged ideas @xcite . understanding the diffusion of knowledge requires research complementary to mathematical investigations . for example , mathematics can not indicate why the exposure to ideas leads to intellectual epidemics . yet , mathematics can provide information on the intensity or the duration of some intellectual epidemics . qualitative research is all about exploring issues , understanding phenomena , and answering questions @xcite without much mathematics . qualitative research involves empirical research through which the researcher explores relationships using a textual methodology rather than quantitative data . problems and results in the field of qualitative research on knowledge epidemics will not be discussed in detail here . however , through one example it can be shown how mathematics can create the basis for qualitative research and decision making . this example is connected to the science landscape concepts outlined here below . the idea of science landscapes has some similarity with the work of wright @xcite in biology who proposed that the fitness landscape evolution can be treated as as optimization process based on the roles of mutation , inbreeding , crossbreeding , and selection . the science landscape idea was developed by small @xcite , as well as by noyons and van raan @xcite . in this framework , scharnhorst @xcite proposed an approach for the analysis of scientific landscapes , named `` geometrically oriented evolution theory '' . + as an illustration at this level , consider that a mathematical example of a technological landscape can be given by a function @xmath0 , where @xmath1 is the cost for developing a new airplane , and where @xmath2 and @xmath3 represent the size and velocity of the airplane . consider two examples concerning the use of science landscapes for evaluation purposes : * ( 1 ) science landscape approach as a method for evaluating national research strategies * for example , national science systems can be considered as made of researchers who compete for scientific results , and subsidies , following optimal research strategies . the efforts of every country become visible , comparable and measurable by means of appropriate functions or landscapes : e.g. , the number of publications . the aggregate research strategies of a country can thereby be represented by the distribution of publications in the various scientific disciplines . in so doing , within a two - dimensional space , different countries correspond to different landscapes . various political discussions can follow and evolution strategies can be invented thereafter . notice that the dynamics of self - organized structures in complex systems can be understood as the result of a search for optimal solutions to a certain problem . therefore , such a comment shows how rather strict mathematical approaches , not disregarding simulation methods , can be congruent to qualitative questions . * ( 2 ) scientific citations as landscapes for individual evaluation * + scientific citations can serve for constructing landscapes . indeed , citations have a key position in the retrieval and valuation of information in scientific communication systems @xcite . this position is based on the objective nature of the citations as components of a global information system , as represented by the science citation index . a landscape function based on citations can be defined in various ways . it can take into account self - citations @xcite , or time - dependent quantitative measures @xcite . + alfred lotka , one of the modern founders of population dynamics studies , was also an excellent statistician . he discovered @xcite a distribution for the number of authors @xmath4 as a function of the number of published papers @xmath5 , - i.e. , @xmath6 . however , derek price , a physicist , set the mathematical basis in the field of measuring scientific research in recent times @xcite . he proposed a model of scientific growth connecting science and time . in the first version of the model , the size of science was measured by the number of journals founded in the course of a number of years . later , instead of the number of journals , the number of published papers was used as the measure of scientific growth . price and other authors @xcite considered also different indicators of scientific growth , such as the number of authors , funds , dissertation production , citations , or the number of scientific books . in addition to the deterministic approach initiated by price , the statistical approach to the study of scientific information developed rapidly and nowadays is still an important tool in scientometrics @xcite . more discussion on the statistical approach will be given in section 6 of this chapter . + population dynamics is the branch of life sciences that studies short- and long - term changes in the size and age composition of populations , and how the biological and environmental processes influence those changes . in the past , most models for biological population dynamics have been of interest only in mathematical biology @xcite . today , these models are adapted and applied in many more areas of science @xcite . here below , models of knowledge dynamics will be of interest as bases of epidemic models . such models are nowadays used because some stages of idea spreading processes within a population ( e.g , of scientists ) , possess properties like those of epidemics . the mathematical modeling of epidemic processes has attracted much attention since the spread of infectious diseases has always been of great concern and considered to be a threat to public health @xcite . in the history of science and society , many examples of ideas spreading seem to occur in a way similar to the spread of epidemics . examples of the former field pertain to the ideas of newton on mechanics and the passion for `` high critical temperature superconductivity '' at the end of the twentieh century . examples of the latter field are the spreading of ideas from moses or buddha @xcite , or discussions based on the kermack - mckendrick model @xcite for the epidemic stages of revolutions or drug spreading @xcite . epidemic models belong to a more general class of lotka - volterra models used in research on systems in the fields of biological population dynamics , social dynamics , and economics . the models can also be used for describing processes connected to the spread of knowledge , ideas and innovations ( see fig . 1 ) . two examples are the model of innovation in established organizations @xcite and the lotka - volterra model for forecasting emerging technologies and the growth of knowledge @xcite . in social dynamics , the lanchester model of war between two armies can be mentioned , a model which in the case of reinforcements coincides with the lotka - volterra - gause model for competition between two species @xcite . solomon and richmond @xcite applied a lotka - volterra model to financial markets , while the model for the trap of extinction can be applied to economic subjects @xcite . applications to chaotic pairwise competition among political parties @xcite could also be mentioned . to start the discussion of population dynamics models as applied to the growth of scientific knowledge with special emphasis on epidemic models , two kinds of models can be discussed ( fig . 2 ) : * ( 1 ) deterministic models * , see sec . 3 , appropriate for large and small populations where the fluctuations are not drastically important , * ( 2 ) stochastic models * , see sec . 4 , appropriate for small populations in the latter case the intrinsic randomness appears much more relevant than in the former case . stochastic models for large populations will not be discussed . the reason for this is that such models usually consist of many stochastic differential equations , whence their evolution can be investigated only numerically . finally , let us mention that the knowledge diffusion is closely connected to the structure and properties of the social network where the diffusion happens . this is a new and very promising research area . for example , a combination can be made between the theory of information diffusion and the theory of complex networks @xcite . for more information about the relation between networks and knowledge , see the following chapters of the book . below , 13 selected deterministic models ( see fig . 3 ) are discussed . the emphasis is on models that can be used for describing the epidemic stage of the diffusion of ideas , knowledge , and technologies . in a number of cases , the natural growth of autonomous systems in competition can be described by the logistic equation and the logistic curve ( s - curve ) @xcite . in order to describe trajectories of growth or decline in socio - technical systems , one generally applies a three - parameter logistic curve : @xmath7}\ ] ] where @xmath8 is the number of units in the species or growing variable to study ; @xmath9 is the asymptotic limit of growth ; @xmath10 is the growth rate which specifies the `` width '' of the s - curve for @xmath8 ; and @xmath11 specifies the time @xmath12 when the curve reaches the midpoint of the growth trajectory , such that @xmath13 . the three parameters , @xmath9 , @xmath10 , and @xmath11 , are usually obtained after fitting some data @xcite . it is well known that many cases of epidemic growth can be described by parts of an appropriate s - curve . as an example , recall that the s - curve was also used for describing technological substitution @xcite , @xmath14 60 years ago . however , different interaction schemes can generate different growth patterns for whatever system species are under consideration @xcite . not every interaction scheme leads to a logistic growth @xcite . the evolution of systems in such regimes may be described by more complex curves , such as a combination of two or more simple three - parameter functions @xcite . as recalled here above , the simplest epidemic models could be used for describing technology diffusion , like considering two populations / species : adopters and non - adopters of some technology . such models can be put into two basic classes : either broadcasting ( fig . 4 ) or word - of - mouth models ( fig . 5 ) . in the broadcasting models , the source of knowledge about the existence and/or characteristics of the new technology is external and reaches all possible adopters in the same way . in the word - of - mouth models , the knowledge is diffused by means of personal interactions . * ( 1 ) the broadcasting model ( fig . 4 ) * + let us consider a population of @xmath9 potential adopters of the new technology and let each adopter switch to the new technology as soon as he / she hears about its existence ( immediate infection through broadcasting ) . the probability that at time @xmath15 a new subject will adopt the new technology is characterized by a coefficient of diffusion @xmath16 which might or might not be a function of the number of previous adopters . in the broadcasting model @xmath17 with @xmath18 ; this is considered to be a measure of the infection probability . let @xmath8 be the number of adopters at time @xmath15 . the increase in adopters for each period is equal to the probability of being infected , multiplied by the current population of non - adopters @xcite . the rate of diffusion at time @xmath15 is @xmath19.\ ] ] the integration of ( [ eqg1 ] ) leads to the number of adopters : i.e. , @xmath20.\ ] ] @xmath8 is described by a decaying exponential curve . * ( 2 ) word - of - mouth model ( fig . 5 ) * + in many cases , however , the technology adoption timing is at least an order of magnitude slower than the time it takes for information spreading @xcite . this requires another modelization than in * ( 1 ) * : the word - of - mouth diffusion model . its basic assumption is that knowledge diffuses by means of face - to - face interactions . then the probability of receiving the relevant knowledge needed to adopt the new technology is a positive function of current users @xmath8 . let the coefficient of diffusion @xmath16 be @xmath21 with @xmath22 . the rate of diffusion at time @xmath15 is @xmath23\ ; .\ ] ] then @xmath24 where @xmath25 . @xmath8 is described by an s - shaped curve . a constraint exists in the word - of - mouth model : it explains the diffusion of an innovation not from the date of its invention but from the date when some number , @xmath26 , of early users have begun using it . * ( 3 ) mixed information source model ( fig . 6 ) * + in the mixed information source model , existing non - adopters are subject to two sources of information ( fig . 6 ) . the coefficient of diffusion is supposed to look like @xmath27 . the model evolution equation becomes @xmath28.\ ] ] the result of eq.([eqg5 ] ) is a ( generalized ) logistic curve whose shape is determined by @xmath29 and @xmath30 @xcite . * ( 4 ) time lag lotka - volterra model of innovation diffusion ( fig . 7 ) * + let it be again assumed that the diffusion of innovation in a society is accounted for by a combination of two processes : a mass - mediated process and a process connected to interpersonal ( word - of - mouth ) contacts . let @xmath8 be the number of potential adopters . some of the potential adopters adopt the innovation and become real adopters . the equation for the the rate of growth of the real adopters @xmath31 , in absence of time lag , is @xmath32 + \beta n(t ) [ n(t ) - n(t ) ] - \mu n(t ) , \ ] ] where @xmath10 denotes the degree of external influence such as mass media , @xmath11 accounts for the degree of internal influence by interpersonal contact between adopters and the remaining population ; @xmath33 is a parameter characterizing the decline in the number of adopters because of technology rejection for whatever reason . a basic limitation in most models of innovation diffusion has been the assumption of instantaneous acceptance of the new innovation by a potential adopter @xcite . often , in reality , there is a finite time lag between the moment when a potential adopter hears about a new innovation and the time of adoption . such time lags usually are continuously distributed @xcite . the time lag between the knowledge about the innovation and its adoption can be captured by a distributed time lag approach in which the effects of time delays are expressed as a weighted response over a finite time interval through appropriately chosen memory kernels @xcite ( see fig . whence eq.([eqex1 ] ) becomes @xmath34 + \nonumber \\ \beta \int_0^t d \tau \ k^*_2 ( t-\tau ) n(\tau ) [ n(\tau ) - n(\tau ) ] - \mu \int_0^t d \tau \ k^*_3(t- \tau ) n(\tau).\end{aligned}\ ] ] eq.([eqex2 ] ) reduces to eq.([eqex1 ] ) when the memory kernels @xmath35 ( @xmath36 ) are replaced by delta functions . two generic types of kernels are usually considered @xcite : @xmath37 in which @xmath38 is some characteristic time scale of the system . the number of potential adopters @xmath8 changes over time . several possible functional forms of @xmath8 are used @xcite : @xmath39 @xmath40 ; \hskip.25 cm n_0 > 0 , g>0% ; \hskip.15 cm \\\ ] ] @xmath41 @xmath42 eq.([eqex6 ] ) represents an approximation for short- and medium - term forecasting since for @xmath15 large , @xmath8 grows without bound , as in keynes @xcite . eqs.([eqex7 ] ) and ( [ eqex8 ] ) are useful in long - term forecasting as @xmath8 has an upper limit . such forms for @xmath8 are valid within a deterministic framework . however , a stochastic framework ( see below ) is more appropriate when the carrying capacity @xmath8 is governed by some stochastic process , as when the influence of socioeconomic and natural factors are subject to `` random '' or hardly explainable fluctuations . in such systems , @xmath8 can be time - dependent : for example , @xmath43 where @xmath44 and the periodicity takes into account the influence of some ( strong ) cyclic economic factors . in presence of a strong stochastic component , @xmath8 can be stochastic : @xmath45 , where the noisy component is @xmath46 and @xmath47 is the average value of the so - called carrying capacity @xcite . + the price evolution model of scientific growth ignited intensive research @xcite ( see fig . this model is in fact a dialectical addition to kuhn s idea @xcite about the revolutionary nature of science processes : after some period of evolutionary growth , a scientific revolution occurs . price considered the exponential growth as a disease that retards the growth of stable science , producing narrower and less flexible specialists . + the unreserved application of the price model faces several difficulties : * many scientific products which seem to be new are not really new ; * creativity and innovation can be confused @xcite ; * creative papers with new ideas and results have the same importance as trivial duplications @xcite ; * two things are omitted : * * quality ( whatever that means , but it is an economic notion ) of research ; * * the cost or measure of complexity . in answer to this , price formulated the hypothesis that one should be studying only the growth of * important * discoveries , inventions , and scientific laws , rather than both important and trivial things . in so doing , one might expect that any of such studied growth will follow the same pattern . a generalized version of the price model for the growth of a scientific field @xcite is based on the following assumptions : * ( a ) * the growth is measured by the number of important publications appearing at a given time ; * ( b ) * the growth has a continuous character , though a finite time period @xmath48 is needed to build up a result of the fundamental character ; * ( c ) * the interactions between various scientific fields are neglected . if , in addition , the number of scientists publishing results in this field is constant , then the rate of scientific growth is proportional to the number of important publications at time @xmath15 minus the time period @xmath49 required to build up a fundamental result . the model equation is @xmath50 where @xmath10 is a constant . the initial condition @xmath51 is defined on the interval @xmath52 $ ] . let the population of scientists be varying and consider the evolution of the average number of papers per scientist . in general , instead of the linear right - hand side eq.([eqp1 ] ) , a non - linear model can be used : @xmath53 where @xmath54 is a homogeneous function of degree one . the simplest form of such a function is a linear function . let @xmath31 represent the rate of growth of the population of scientists and write @xmath55 $ ] . for simplicity , let the population of scientists grow at the constant rate @xmath56 and let @xmath57 . then the evolution of the number of papers written by a scientist has the form @xmath58 if @xmath59 and @xmath60 , the price model of exponential growth is recovered . eq.([eqp7 ] ) is linear , but a cyclic behavior may appear because of the feedback between the delayed and non - delayed terms . * ( 1 ) sir ( susceptible - infected - removed ) model ( fig.9 ) * + in 1927 , kermack and mckendrick @xcite created a model in which they considered a fixed population with only three compartments : @xmath61 , the susceptibles ; @xmath62 , the infected ; @xmath63 , the recovered , or removed . , infectives @xmath64 , recovered @xmath65 ) model of intellectual infection with influxes of susceptibles and infectives to the corresponding scientific ideas . ] following this idea , goffman and newill @xcite considered the stages of fast growth of scientific research in a scientific field as `` intellectual epidemics '' and developed the corresponding scientific research epidemic stage based on three classes of population : ( i ) the susceptibles @xmath2 who can become infectives when in contact with infectious material ( the ideas ) ; ( ii ) the infectives @xmath64 who host the infectious material ; and ( iii ) the recovered @xmath65 who are removed from the epidemics for different reasons ( fig . the epidemic stage is controlled by the system of differential equations @xmath66 where @xmath33 and @xmath67 are the rates at which the new supply of susceptibles and infectives enter the population . a necessary condition for the process to enter the epidemic state is @xmath68 . then @xmath69 is the threshold density of susceptibles , i.e. , no epidemics can develop from time @xmath70 unless @xmath71 , the number of susceptibles at that time , exceeds the threshold @xmath72 : the epidemic state can not be maintained over some time interval unless the number of susceptibles is larger than @xmath72 through that interval of time . as @xmath64 increases , @xmath73 converges to @xmath74 and @xmath72 converges rapidly to @xmath75 . in @xcite , goffman evaluated the rate of change of infectives @xmath76 . from the system equations , it is difficult to determine @xmath62 . yet in the epidemic stage , the behaviour of @xmath62 is exponential . for small @xmath15 close to @xmath70 , @xmath62 can be expanded into a power series : @xmath77 such that the approximate rate of @xmath78 can be obtained . on the basis of this rate and the raw data , the development and peak of some research activity can be predicted , - under the assumption that the research is in an epidemic stage . * ( 2 ) seir model for the spreading of scientific ideas ( fig . 10 ) * + the sir epidemic models can be further refined by introducing a fourth class , @xmath79 , i.e. , persons exposed to the corresponding scientific ideas ( fig . such models are discussed in @xcite ; they belong to the class of so - called seir epidemic models . one typical model goes as follows @xmath80 where @xmath61 is the size of the susceptible population at time @xmath15 , @xmath81 is the size of the exposed class , @xmath62 is the size of the infected class . these individuals have adopted the new scientific idea in their publications . finally , @xmath63 is the size of the population of recovered scientists , i.e. , those who no longer publish on the topic . the size of the entire population is : @xmath82 . ) to the specific scientific ideas . ] an exit term is assumed to be very small , and because of this , @xmath15 is included in the recovered class . @xmath83 grows exponentially with rate @xmath84 . the parameters of the model are : @xmath11 , the probability and effectiveness of a contact with an adopter ; @xmath85 , the standard latency time , ( in other words , the average duration of time after one has been exposed but before one includes the new idea in one s own publication ) ; @xmath86 , the duration of the infectious period , thus how long one publishes on the topic and teaches others ; @xmath72 , the probability that an exposed person has multiple effective contacts with other adopters . this simple model can incorporate a wide range of behaviors . for many values of the parameters @xmath84,@xmath11 , @xmath87 , @xmath88 and @xmath72 , the infected class grows as a logistic curve . for large values of the contact rate @xmath11 or recruitment @xmath84 , @xmath62 grows nearly linearly , as indeed has been found empirically for some research fields @xcite . + * ( 3 ) si discrete model for the change in the number of authors in a scientific field ( fig . 11 ) * + with the goal of predicting the spreading out of scientific objects ( such as theories or methods ) , nowakowska @xcite discussed several epidemic discrete models for predicting changes in the number of publications and authors in a given scientific field . with respect to the publications , the main assumption of the models is that the number of publications in the next period of time ( say , one year ) will depend : ( i ) on the number of papers which recently appeared , and ( ii ) on the degree at which the subject has been exhausted . the numbers of publications appearing in successive periods of time should first increase , then would reach a maximum , and as the problem becomes more and more exhausted , the number of publications would decrease . let it be assumed ( fig . 11 ) that if at a certain moment @xmath15 the epidemics state is ( @xmath89 ) ( @xmath90 is the number of infectives ( authors who write papers on the corresponding research problems ) , @xmath91 is the number of susceptibles ) , then for a sufficiently short time interval @xmath92 , one may expect that the number of infectives @xmath93 will be equal to @xmath94 , while the number of susceptibles @xmath95 will be equal to @xmath96 ; @xmath29 and @xmath30 being appropriate constants . let the expected number of individuals who either die or recover , during the interval ( @xmath97 ) , be @xmath98 , and let @xmath99 be the expected number of new infections . the equations of this model are : @xmath100 note here that such discrete models are useful for the analysis of realistic situations where the values of the quantities are available at selected moments ( every month , every year , etc . ) . * ( 4 ) daley discrete model for the population of papers ( fig . 12 ) * + daley @xcite investigated the spread of news as follows : individuals who have not heard the news are susceptible and those who heard the news are infective . recovery is not possible , as it is assumed that the individuals have perfect memory and never forget . the daley model can be applied also to the population of papers @xcite ( see fig . 12 ) . for @xmath101 ( year ) , the daley model equation reads @xmath102 where @xmath103 , @xmath104 .... are the numbers of papers on the subject which appear in successive periods of time , @xmath30 and @xmath83 being parameters . the expected number @xmath105 of papers in year @xmath106 is proportional to the number @xmath90 of papers which appeared in year @xmath15 , and to the number @xmath107 . @xmath83 is the number of papers which have to appear in order to exhaust the problem : the problem under consideration may be partitioned into @xmath83 sub - problems , such that solving any of them is worth a separate publication ; these subproblems are solved successively by the scientists . the @xmath30 and @xmath83 parameters may be estimated by the method of least squares , e.g. from a given empirical histogram . a parameter characterizing the initial growth dynamics in the number of publications can also be introduced : @xmath108 . therefore , eq.([eq_nov3 ] ) can be used for short - time prediction , even when the corresponding research field is in the epidemic stage of its evolution . * ( 5 ) discrete model coupling the populations of scientists and papers ( fig . 13 ) * + a discrete model coupling the populations of scientists and papers can be considered ( fig . 13 ) ; it depends on four parameters : @xmath83 , @xmath29 , @xmath30 and @xmath109 . @xmath83 as above denotes the number of sub - problems of the given problem ; @xmath29 is the probability that a scientist working on the subject in a given year abandons research on the subject for whatever reasons ; @xmath30 is the probability of obtaining a solution to a given subproblem by one scientist during one year of research ; @xmath109 denotes the coefficient of attractiveness of the subject . the basic variables of the model are : @xmath110 , the number of scientists working on the subject in year @xmath15 , and @xmath90 , the number of publications on the subject which appear in year @xmath15 . the model equations are @xmath111\left ( n - \sum_{i=1}^{t } x_i \right).\end{aligned}\ ] ] the equation for the number @xmath112 of scientists working on the subject in year @xmath106 tells that in year @xmath106 , the expected number of scientists working on the subject will be the number of scientists working on the subject in year @xmath15 , @xmath110 , minus the expected number of scientists who stopped working on the subject , @xmath113 , plus the expected number of scientists , @xmath114 , who became attracted to the problem by reading papers which appeared in year @xmath15 . the equation expressing the number of publications in year @xmath106 tells us that @xmath115 equals the number of subproblems that were solved in the year @xmath15 . the probability that a given subproblem will be solved in year @xmath15 by a given scientist equals @xmath30 . then the probability of the opposite event , i.e. a given scientist will not solve a particular problem , equals @xmath116 . as there are @xmath110 scientists working on the subject in year @xmath15 , the probability that a given subproblem will not be solved by any of them is @xmath117 . consequently , the probability that a given subproblem will be solved in year @xmath15 ( by any of the @xmath110 scientists working on the subject ) is equal to @xmath118 . next , in year @xmath15 there remained @xmath119 subproblems to be solved . the expected number of subproblems solved in year @xmath15 is equal to the product which gives the right - hand side of eq.(28 ) . it is assumed , that the waiting time for publishing of the paper is one year . a more realistic picture would be to assume that the unit of time is not one year , but two years , or that the publication has some other time delay . + * ( 1 ) coupled continuous model for the populations of scientists and papers : goffman - newill model * + the goffman - newill model @xcite ( fig . 14 ) is based on the idea that the spreading process within a population can be studied on the basis of the literature produced by the members of that population . there is a transfer of infectious materials ( ideas ) between humans by means of an intermediate host ( a written article ) . let a scientific field be @xmath120 and @xmath121 a sub - field of @xmath120 . let the number of scientists writing papers in the field @xmath120 at @xmath70 be @xmath47 and the number of scientists writing papers in @xmath121 at @xmath70 ( the number of infectives ) be @xmath122 . thus , @xmath123 is the number of susceptibles ; there is no removal at @xmath70 , but there is removal @xmath63 at later times @xmath15 . the number of papers produced on @xmath120 at @xmath70 is @xmath124 and the number of papers produced in @xmath121 at this time is @xmath125 . the process of intellectual infection is as follows : * ( a ) * a member of @xmath120 is infected by a paper from @xmath126 ; * ( b ) * after some latency period , this infected member produces infected papers in @xmath127 , i.e. the infected member produces a paper in the subfield @xmath121 citing a paper from @xmath126 ; * ( c ) * this infected paper may infect other scientists from @xmath120 and its sub - fields , such that the intellectual infection spreads from @xmath121 to the other sub - fields of @xmath120 . let @xmath11 be the rate at which the susceptibles from class @xmath2 become intellectually infected from class @xmath64 . let @xmath128 be the rate at which the papers in @xmath121 are cited by members of @xmath83 who are producing papers in @xmath121 . as the infection process develops , some susceptibles and infectives are removed , i.e. some scientists are no longer active , and some papers are not cited anymore . let @xmath88 and @xmath129 be the rates of removal of infectives from the populations @xmath64 and @xmath126 respectively , and @xmath130 and @xmath131 be the rates of removal from the populations of susceptibles @xmath2 and @xmath132 . in addition , there can be a supply of infectives and susceptibles in @xmath83 and @xmath127 . let the rates of introduction of new susceptibles be @xmath33 and @xmath133 , i.e. the rates at which the new authors and new papers are introduced in @xmath120 , and let the rates of introduction of new infectives be @xmath134 and @xmath135 , i.e. the rates at which new authors and new papers are introduced in @xmath121 . in addition , within a short time interval a susceptible can remain susceptible or can become an infective or be removed ; the infective can remain an infective or can become a removal ; and the removal remains a removed . the immunes remain immune and do not return to the population of susceptibles . if , in addition , the populations are homogeneously mixed , the system of model equations reads @xmath136 the conditions for development of an epidemic are as follows . if as an initial condition at @xmath70 , a single infective is introduced into the populations @xmath47 and @xmath137 , then for an epidemic to develop , the change of the number of infectives must be positive in both populations . then , for @xmath138 and @xmath139 the threshold for the epidemic arises from the conditions @xmath140 and @xmath141 , such that the threshold is @xmath142 the development of epidemics is given by the equation @xmath143 . the peaks of the epidemic occur at time points where @xmath144 , while the epidemic s size is given by @xmath145 . * ( 2 ) bruckner - ebeling - scharnhorst model for the growth of @xmath146 subfields in a scientific field * + scientific sub - fields . self - reproduction and decline of subfields as well as field mobility are taken into account . ] the evolution of growth processes in a system of scientific fields can be modeled by complex continuous evolution models . one of them , the bruckner - ebeling - scharnhorst approach @xcite ( fig . 15 ) , is closely related to several generalizations of eigen s theory of prebiotic evolution and is briefly discussed here ( see also @xcite ) . in 1912 , lotka @xcite published the idea of describing biological epidemic processes , like malaria , as well as chemical oscillations , with the help of a set of differential equations . these equations , known as lotka - volterra equations @xcite , are used to describe a coupled growth process of populations . however , they do not reflect several essential properties of evolutionary processes such as the creation of new structural elements . because of this , one has to consider a more general set of equations for the change in the number @xmath147 of the scientists from the @xmath148-th scientific subfield ( a fisher - eigen - schuster kind of model ) , i.e. , @xmath149 the model based on eq.([eqf2 ] ) describes the coupled growth of @xmath146 subfields , of a scientific discipline . three fundamental processes of evolution are included in eq.([eqf2 ] ) : * ( a ) * self - reproduction : students and young scientists join the field and start working on corresponding problems . their choice is influenced mainly by the education process as well as by individual interests and by existing scientific schools ; * ( b ) * decline : scientists are active in science for a limited number of years . for different reasons ( for example , retirement ) they stop working and leave the system ; * ( c ) * field mobility : individuals turn to other fields of research for various reasons or maybe open up new ones themselves . the reasoning to obtain eq.([eqf2 ] ) goes as follows . the general form of the law for growth of the @xmath148-th subfield is supposed to be @xmath150 by separation , @xmath151 , one obtains the replicator equation @xmath152 notice that when @xmath153 , the fields are uncoupled , i.e. , there is an exponential growth in science . otherwise , @xmath154 itself is a function of @xmath155 and of various parameters , but can be separated into three terms according to the above model assumptions , i.e. , @xmath156 eq.([eqf2 ] ) is thus obtained from eq.([eqf32 ] ) and eq.([eqf4 ] ) for @xmath157 , @xmath158 . to adapt this model to real growth processes , it can be assumed that the coefficients @xmath159 , @xmath160 , and @xmath161 themselves are functions of @xmath147 : @xmath162 each of the three fundamental processes of change is represented in eq.([eqf2 ] ) with a linear and a quadratic term only . for example , the terms @xmath163 and @xmath164 account for cooperative effects in self - reproduction and decline processes respectively , while @xmath165 accounts for a decline , because of aging . the contributions @xmath166 assume a linear type of field mobility behavior for scientists analogous to a diffusion process . on the other hand , the terms @xmath167 represent a directed process of exchange of scientists between fields . the best way to obtain these parameters is to estimate them for specific data bases using the method of least squares . the movement of large bodies in mechanics is governed by deterministic laws . when the body contains a small number of molecules and atoms , stochastic effects such as the brownian motion become important . in the area of scientific systems , the fluctuations become very important when the number of scientists in a certain research subfield is small . this is typical for new research fields with only a few researching scientists . several examples of stochastic models for the description of the diffusion of ideas or technology and the evolution of science are : * ( a ) * the model of evolution of scientific disciplines with an example pertaining to the case of elementary particles physics @xcite ; * ( b ) * stochastic models for the aging of scientific literature @xcite ; * ( c ) * stochastic models of the hirsch index @xcite and of instabilities in evolutionary systems @xcite ; * ( d ) * models of implementation of technological innovations @xcite , etc . @xcite . in the following , see fig . 16 , two probabilistic and two stochastic models are discussed . some attention is devoted to the master equation approach as well . epidemiological models of differential - equation - based compartmental type have been found to be limited in their capacity to capture heterogeneities at the individual level and in the interaction between individual epidemiological units @xcite . this is one of the reasons to switch from models in which the number of individuals are in given known states to models involving probabilities . one such model @xcite captures the diffusion of topics over a network of connections between scientific disciplines , as assigned by the isi web of science s classification in terms of subject categories ( scs ) . each sc is considered as a node of a network along with all its directed and weighted connections to other nodes or scs @xcite . as with epidemic models , nodes can be characterized in a medical way . scs that are susceptible ( @xmath2 ) are either not aware of a particular research topic or , if aware , may not be ready to adopt it . incubating scs ( @xmath79 ) are those that are aware of a certain topic and have moved to do some research on problems connected with this topic . infected scs ( @xmath64 ) are actively working and publishing in a particular research topic . two probabilistic models , i.e. , ( i ) the susceptible - exposed - infected ( sei ) model ( fig . 17 ) and ( ii ) a simpler susceptible - infected ( si ) model ( fig . 18 ) , are thereby only discussed . * ( 1 ) susceptible - exposed - infected ( sei ) model * + the sei model equations for the evolution of the node state probabilities are given by @xcite : @xmath168 @xmath169 @xmath170 where @xmath171 denotes the probability of node @xmath148 being infected at time @xmath15 ( likewise for @xmath172 and @xmath173 ) . the directed and weighted contact network is represented by @xmath174 with @xmath175 = @xmath176 denoting the adjacency matrix that includes weighted links ; @xmath5 is the transmission rate per contact and @xmath86 is the average incubation or latent period . this set of equations states that an increase in the probability @xmath177 of a node @xmath148 being exposed to an infection is directly proportional to the probability @xmath178 of node @xmath148 being susceptible and the probability @xmath179 of neighbouring nodes @xmath180 being infected . the number of such contacts and the per - contact rate of transmission are incorporated in @xmath161 . likewise , @xmath177 decreases if exposed / infected nodes become infected after an average incubation time @xmath86 . the number of infected scs at time @xmath15 , according to the model , can be estimated as @xmath181 . since @xmath182 , for each @xmath183 , eqs . ( [ eqc1 ] ) - ( [ eqc3 ] ) are readily understood , in view of eq.([eqc2 ] ) . * ( 2 ) susceptible - infected ( si ) model * + the above sei model can be simplified to an si model when the possibility of an exposed period is excluded , i.e , . if @xmath184 . the equations for this simpler sei model are reduced to @xmath185 where the probability @xmath186 of a node @xmath148 being infected and infectious only depends on the probability @xmath178 of the node @xmath148 being susceptible . the comparison of both models with available data shows @xcite that while the agreement at the population level is usually much better for the sei model , for the same pair of parameters , the agreement at the individual level is better when the simpler si model is used . * ( 1 ) stochastic evolution model with self - reproduction , decline , and field mobility * + there exists a high correlation between field mobility processes and the emergence of new fields @xcite . this can be accounted for by a stochastic model ( see fig . 19 ) , in which the system at time @xmath15 is characterized by a set of integers @xmath187 , @xmath188 , ... , @xmath189 , ... , @xmath190 , with @xmath189 being , e.g. , the number of scientists working in the subfield @xmath148 , which is considered now as a stochastic variable . the three fundamental types of scientific change mentioned in the discussion of the bruckner - ebeling - scharnhorst model ( see above ) here correspond to three elementary stochastic processes with three different transition probabilities : * * ( a ) * for self - reproduction , the transition probability is given by + @xmath191 ; * * ( b ) * the transition probability for decline is + @xmath192 ; * * ( c ) * the transition probability for field mobility is + @xmath193 . the probability density @xmath194 is given by the so - called master equation @xmath195 which can be solved analytically only in some very special cases @xcite . * ( 2 ) the master equation as a model of scientific productivity * + the productivity factor is a very important ingredient in mathematically simulating a scientific community evolution . one way to model such an evolution is through a dynamic equation which takes into account the stochastic fluctuations of scientific community members productivity @xcite ( fig . the main processes of scientific community evolution accounted for by this model are , beside the biological constraints ( like the self - reproduction , aging of scientists , and death ) , their departure from the field due to mobility or abandon of research activities . call @xmath29 the age of an individual and let a scientific productivity index @xmath196 be in incorporated into the individual state space ; both @xmath29 and @xmath196 are being considered to be continuous variables with values in @xmath197 $ ] . the scientific community dynamics is described by a number density function @xmath198 , - another form of scientific landscape , which specifies the age and productivity structure of the scientific community at time @xmath15 . for example , the number of individuals with age in @xmath199 $ ] and scientific productivity in @xmath200 $ ] at time @xmath15 is given by the integral @xmath201 . a master equation for this function @xmath202 can be derived @xcite : @xmath203 \ n(a,\xi , t ) + \nonumber \\ \int_{-\infty}^{\xi } d \xi ' \ \chi(a , \xi - \xi',t ) \ n(a,\xi - \xi',t),\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath204 denotes the departure rate of community members . if @xmath205 is a random process describing the scientific productivity variation and if @xmath206 ( with @xmath207 ) is the transition probability density corresponding to such a process , then @xmath208 the transition rate , at time @xmath15 from the productivity level @xmath196 , @xmath209 is by definition : @xmath210 . the increment @xmath211 may be positive or negative . the balance equation for @xmath198 reads as follows @xmath212 \ \delta t - w ( a,\xi , t ) \ n ( a,\xi , t ) \ \delta t .\end{aligned}\ ] ] the term on the right - hand side , @xmath213 n(a , \xi , t)$ ] , describes the proportion of individuals whose scientific productivity does not change in [ @xmath214 ; the integral term describes the individuals whose scientific productivity becomes equal to @xmath196 because of increasing or decreasing in [ @xmath214 ; the last term corresponds to the departure of individuals due to stopping research activities or death . after expanding @xmath215 around @xmath29 and @xmath15 , keeping terms up to the first order in @xmath92 , one obtains the master equation eq.([eqe6 ] ) . as the master equation is difficult to handle for an elaborate analysis , it is often reduced to an approximated equation similar to the well - known fokker - planck equation @xcite . the approximation goes as follows . let @xmath216 where the brackets denote the average with respect to the conditional probability density @xmath217 . in addition , the following assumptions are made : ( i ) @xmath218 ; @xmath219 for @xmath220 ; ( ii ) @xmath198 and @xmath221 are analytic in @xmath196 for all @xmath29 , @xmath15 and @xmath211 . the additional assumption @xmath222 for @xmath223 demands the productivity to be continuous in the sense that as @xmath224 , the probability of large fluctuations @xmath225 must decrease so quickly that @xmath226 more quickly than @xmath92 . when the above assumptions hold , the function @xmath146 satisfies the equation @xcite : @xmath227 if @xmath228 , eq.([eqe8 ] ) is converted to the well known fokker - planck equation . eq.([eqe8 ] ) describes the scientific community evolution through a drift along the age component and a drift and diffusion with respect to the productivity component . the diffusion term characterized by the diffusivity @xmath229 takes into account the stochastic fluctuations of scientific productivity conditioned by internal factors ( such as individual abilities , labour motivations , etc . ) and external factors ( such as labor organization , stimulation system , etc . ) . the initial and boundary conditions for eq.([eqe8 ] ) are : ( a ) @xmath230 , where @xmath231 is a known function defining the community age and productivity distribution at time @xmath232 ; and ( b ) @xmath233 where the function @xmath234 represents the intensity of input flow of new members at age @xmath235 being set @xmath236 . in addition , @xmath237 as @xmath238 . the general solution of equation eq.([eqe8 ] ) with the above initial condition ( a ) and boundary condition ( b ) is still a difficult task . however , for many practical applications , a knowledge of first and second moments of distribution function @xmath198 is sufficient . eq.([eqe8 ] ) can be solved numerically or can be reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations @xcite . + finally , two additional problems that can be treated by the master equation approach can be mentioned : * age - dependent models where the birth and death rates connected to the selection are age - dependent @xcite * the problem of new species in evolving networks @xcite . on the basis of a stochastic treatment of the problem , the notion of innovation can be introduced in a broad sense as a disturbance and/or an instability of a corresponding social , technological , or scientific system . the fate of a small number of individuals of a new species in a biological system can be thought to be mathematically equivalent to some extent to the fate of a new idea , a new technology , or a new model of behavior . the evolution of the new species can be studied on evolving networks , where some nodes can disappear and new nodes can be introduced . this evolution of the network can change significantly the dynamic behavior of the entire system of interacting species itself . some of the species can vanish in a finite time . this feature can be captured effectively by the master equation approach . a further level of complication is to include spatial variables explicitly in the above models describing the diffusion of ideas . at this stage of globalization of economies , with several of its concomitant features , like idea , knowledge , and technology diffusion , to consider the spatial aspect is clearly a must . a large amount of research on the spatial aspects of diffusion of populations is already available . as examples of early work , papers by kerner @xcite , allen @xcite , okubo @xcite , and willson and de roos @xcite can be pointed out . from the point of view of diffusion of ideas and scientists , the previously discussed continuous model of research mobility @xcite has to be singled out . moreover , the model presented below is closely connected to the space - time models of migration of populations developed by vitanov and co - authors @xcite . in addition , a reproduction - transport equation model ( see fig . 21 ) can be discussed . the diffusion of ideas is necessarily accompanied by competition processes . one model of competition between systems of ideas ( ideologies ) goes as follows ( fig . let a population of @xmath83 individuals occupy a two - dimensional plane . suppose that there exists a set of ideas or ideologies @xmath239 and let @xmath189 members of the population be followers of the @xmath240 ideology . the members @xmath47 of the class @xmath241 are not supporters of any ideology ; in some sense , they have their own individual one and do not wish to be considered associated with another one , global or not . in such a way , the population is divided in @xmath242 sub - populations of followers of different ideologies . the total population is : @xmath243 . let a small region @xmath244 be selected in the plane . in this region there are @xmath245 individuals holding the @xmath148-th ideology , @xmath246 . if @xmath247 is sufficiently small , the density of the @xmath148-th population can be defined as @xmath248 . allow the members of the @xmath148-th population to move through the borders of the area @xmath247 . let @xmath249 be the current of this movement . then @xmath250 is the net number of members of the @xmath148-th population / ideology , crossing a small line @xmath251 with normal vector @xmath252 . let the changes be summarized by the function @xmath253 . the total change of the number of members of the @xmath148-th population is @xmath254 the first term in eq.([diff_eq ] ) describes the net rate of increase of the density of the @xmath148-th population . the second term describes the net rate of immigration into the area . the r.h.s . of eq.([diff_eq ] ) describes the net rate of increase exclusive of immigration . let us now specify @xmath255 and @xmath256 : @xmath255 is assumed to be made of a non - diffusion part @xmath257 and a diffusion part @xmath258 where @xmath258 is assumed to have the general form of a linear multicomponent diffusion @xcite in terms of a diffusion coefficient @xmath259 @xmath260 let some of the followers of the ideology @xmath261 be capable of and interested in changing ideology : i.e. , they can convert from the ideology @xmath261 to the ideology @xmath262 . it can be assumed that the following processes can happen with respect to the members of the subpopulations of the property holders : * ( a ) * deaths : described by a term @xmath263 . it is assumed that the number of deaths in the @xmath148-th population is proportional to its population density . in general @xmath264 , where @xmath265 stands for ( @xmath266 ) and @xmath267 stands for @xmath268 containing parameters of the environment ; * ( b ) * non - contact conversion : in this class are included all conversions exclusive of the conversions by interpersonal contact between the members of whatever populations . a reason for non - contact conversion can be the existence of different kinds of mass communication media which make propaganda for whatever ideologies . as a result , members of each population can change ideology . for the @xmath148-th population , the change in the number of members is : @xmath269 , @xmath270 . in general , @xmath271 ; * ( c ) * contact conversion : it is assumed that there can be interpersonal contacts among the population members . the contacts happen between members in groups consisting of two members ( binary contacts ) , three members ( ternary contacts ) , four members , etc . as a result of the contacts , members of each population can change their ideology . for binary contacts , let it be assumed that the change of ideology probability for a member of the @xmath180-th population is proportional to the possible number of contacts , i.e. , to the density of the @xmath148-th population . then the total number of `` conversions '' from @xmath262 to @xmath261 is @xmath272 , where @xmath273 is a parameter . in order to have a ternary contact , one must have a group of three members . the most simple is to assume that such a group exists with a probability proportional to the corresponding densities of the concerned populations . in a ternary contact between members of the @xmath148-th , @xmath180-th , and @xmath274-th population , members of the @xmath180-th and @xmath274-th populations can change their ideology according to @xmath261 = @xmath275 , where @xmath276 is a parameter . in general , @xmath277 ; @xmath278 ; etc . on the basis of the above , the @xmath256 term looks as follows ( for more research of these types of population models see @xcite ) : @xmath279 and the model system of equations becomes @xmath280 the density of the entire population is @xmath281 . it can be assumed that it changes in time according to the verhulst law ( but see the note after eq.([modelx3 ] ) ! ) @xmath282 where @xmath283 is the so - called carrying capacity of the environment @xcite and @xmath284 is a positive or negative growth rate . when pertinent sociological data are available , the same type of equation could hold for any @xmath148-th population with a given @xmath285 . first , consider the case in which the current @xmath286 is negligible , i.e. , @xmath287 ( @xmath288 diffusion approximation ) . in addition , consider only the case when all parameters are constants . the model system of equations becomes @xmath289 + for @xmath290 let plane - averaged quantities and fluctuations ( linear or nonlinear ) be enough relevant . let @xmath291 be a quantity defined in an area @xmath2 . by definition , a plane - averaged quantity is @xmath292 . call the fluctuations @xmath293 such that @xmath294 . if the territory is large and within the stationary approximation , @xmath2 can be assumed to be large enough such that each plane - averaged combination of fluctuations vanishes , such that @xmath295 . in addition to @xmath2 being large and @xmath296 assumed to be finite , it can be also assumed that @xmath297 . on the basis of the above ( reasonable ) assumptions , it is possible to separate the dynamics of the averaged quantities from the dynamics of fluctuations . as a result of the plane - average of eq.([modelmarc ] ) , the following equations for the dynamics of the plane - averaged densities are obtained @xmath298 @xmath299 instead of ( [ modelx1 ] ) we can write an equation for @xmath300 from the kind of ( [ modelx3 ] ) . then the total population density @xmath301 will not follow the verhulst law . equations ( [ modelx1 ] ) and ( [ modelx3 ] ) represent the model of ideological struggle proposed by vitanov , dimitrova and ausloos @xcite . there is one important difference between the lotka - volterra models @xcite , often used for describing prey - predator systems , and the above model of ideological struggle . the originality resides in the generalization of usual prey - predator models to the case in which a prey ( or predator ) changes its state and becomes a member of the predator pack ( or prey band ) , due to some interaction with its environment or with some other prey or predator . indeed , it can be hard for rabbits and foxes to do so , but it can be often the case in a society : a member of one population can drop his / her ideology and can convert to another one . in order to show the relevance of such extra conditions on an evolution of populations , consider a huge ( mathematical ) approximation , - it might be a drastic one in particular in a country with a strictly growing total population . ( recall that the growth rate @xmath5 could be positive or negative or time - dependent ) . let @xmath302 be @xmath303 and let the maximum possible population of the country be @xmath1 . consider more convenient notations by setting @xmath304 ; @xmath305 ; @xmath306 and assume that the binary contact conversion is much stronger than the ternary , etc . the system equations become @xmath307 @xmath308 reduce the discussion of eqs.([model1 ] ) and ( [ model3 ] ) to a society in which there is the spreading of only one ideology ; therefore , the population of the country is divided into two groups : @xmath309 , followers of the `` invading '' ideology and @xmath310 , people who are at first `` indifferent '' to this ideology . let only the non - contact conversion scheme exist , as possibly moving the ideology - free population toward the single ideology ; thus @xmath311 is finite , but @xmath312 . let the initial conditions be @xmath313 and @xmath314 . the solution of the system of model equations is @xmath315 like the verhulst law , but @xmath316 \bigg\}\end{aligned}\ ] ] with @xmath317 in which @xmath318 is the special function @xmath319 . the obtained solution describes an evolution in which the total population @xmath83 reaches asymptotically the carrying capacity @xmath1 of the environment . the number of adepts of the ideology reaches an equilibrium value which corresponds to the fixed point @xmath320 of the model equation for @xmath321 . the number of people who are not followers of the ideology asymptotically tends to @xmath322 . let @xmath323 , @xmath324 , and @xmath325 , then @xmath326 , which means that the evolution of the system leads to an asymptotic state in which 60 % of the population are followers of the ideology and 40 % are not . other more complex cases with several competing ideologies can be discussed , observing steady states or / and cycles ( with different values of the time intervals for each growth or / and decay ) , chaotic behaviors , etc . @xcite . in particular , it can be shown that accepting a slight change in the conditions of the environment can prevent the extinction of some ideology . after almost collapsing , some ideology can spread again and can affect a significant part of the country s population . two kinds of such resurrection effects have been found and described as _ phoenix effects _ in the case of two competing ideologies . in the phoenix effect of the first kind , the equilibrium state connected to the extinction of the second ideology exists but is unstable . in the phoenix effect of the so - called second kind , the equilibrium state connected to extinction of the second ideology vanishes . _ , the above model seems powerful enough to discuss many realistic cases . the number of control parameters seems huge , but that is the case for many competing epidemics in complex systems . however , it was observed that the values of parameters can be monitored when enough data is available , including the time scales @xcite . + the change of subject of a scientist can be considered as a migration process @xcite . let research problems be represented by sequences of signal words or macro - terms @xmath327 which are registered according to the frequency of their appearance , joint appearance , etc . , respectively , in the texts . each point of the problem space , described by a vector @xmath328 , corresponds to a research problem , with the problem space consisting of all scientific problems ( no matter whether they are under investigation or not ) . the scientists distribute themselves over the space of scientific problems with density @xmath329 . thus , there is a number @xmath330 working at time @xmath15 in the element @xmath331 . the field mobility processes correspond to a density change of scientists in the problem space : instead of working on problem @xmath328 , a scientist may begin to work on problem @xmath332 . as a result , @xmath329 decreases and @xmath333 increases . this movement of scientists ( see also fig . 23 ) can be described by means of the following reproduction - transport - equation : @xmath334 in eq.([eqf11 ] ) , self - reproduction and decline are represented by the term @xmath335 . for the reproduction rate function @xmath336 , one can write @xmath337 the local value of @xmath338 is an expression of the rate at which the number of scientists on field @xmath328 is modified through self - reproduction and/or decline , while @xmath339 describes the influence exerted on the field @xmath328 by the neighbouring field @xmath332 . the field mobility is modeled by means of the term @xmath340 in most cases , eq.([eqf11 ] ) can only be solved numerically . for more details on the model , see @xcite . solomon and richmond @xcite have shown that the systems of generalized lotka - volterra equations are closely connected to the pareto - zipf probability distribution . since such a distribution arises among other distributions and laws connected to the description of the diffusion of knowledge , it is of interest to discuss briefly the diffusion of knowledge within statistical approach studies . lotka was its pioneer ; a large amount of research has followed . just as examples , one can mention the work of yablonsky and haitun on the lotka law for the distribution of scientific productivity and its connection with the yule distribution @xcite , where the non - gaussian nature of the scientific activities is emphasized . interesting applications of the zipf law are also presented in @xcite . the connection to the non - gaussian distributions concepts of self - similarity and fractality have been applied to the scientific system in @xcite and @xcite . several tools for appropriate statistical analysis are hereby discussed . at the center of the discussion lotka law shall receive some special attention ( see fig . 24 ) . as part of this discussion on the statistical approach , the analysis of the productivity of scientists can be considered . the information connected to new ideas is thought to be often codified in scientific papers . thus , the statistical aspects of scientific productivity is of practical importance . for example , the lotka law reflects the distribution of publications over the set of authors considered as the information sources . bradford law describes the distribution of papers on a given topic over the set of journals publishing these papers and ranked according to the order in the decrease of the number of papers on a given topic in each journal . these laws have a non - gaussian nature and , because of this , possess specific features such as a concentration and dispersal effect @xcite : for example , it is found that there is a small number of highly productive scientists who write most of the papers on a given topic and , on the other hand , a large number of scientists with low productivity . in order to give an example of the connection between the deterministic and statistical approaches , remember that the goffman - newill model , discussed here above , presents a connection between the number of scientists working in a research area and the number of relevant publications . in @xcite , it was found that the number of new publications scale as a simple power law with the corresponding number of new authors : @xmath341 where @xmath342 and @xmath343 are the new publications and the new authors over some time period ( for an example one year ) . @xmath1 is a normalization constant , and @xmath10 is a scaling exponent . it has been demonstrated @xcite that the latter relationship provides a very good fit to data for six different research fields , but with different values of the scaling exponent @xmath10 . for @xmath344 , a field would grow by showing an increase in the number of publications per capita , i.e. , in such a research field , the individual productivity increases as the field attracts new scientists . a field with @xmath345 has a per capita decrease in productivity . this can be a warning signal for a dying subject matter . it would be interesting to observe whether the exponent @xmath10 is time - dependent , as is the case in related characterizing scaling exponents of financial markets @xcite or in meteorology@xcite . policy control can thus be implemented for shaking @xmath10 , thus the field mobility . + pareto @xcite formulated the 80/20 rule : it can be expected that 20% of people will have 80% of the wealth . or it can be expected that 80% of the citations refer to a core of 20% of the titles in journals . the idea of the rule of pareto is very close to the research of lotka who noticed the following dependence for the number of scientists @xmath346 who wrote @xmath274 papers @xmath347 in eq.([lotka2 ] ) , @xmath348 is the number of scientists who wrote just one paper and @xmath349 is the maximal productivity of a scientist . @xmath350 where @xmath83 is the total number of scientists . if we assume that @xmath351 and take into account the fact that @xmath352 , we obtain a limiting value for the portion of scientists with the minimal productivity ( single paper authors ) in the given population of authors : @xmath353 . then , if the left and the right hand sides of eq.([lotka2 ] ) are divided by n , the frequency expression for the productivity distribution is : @xmath354 ; @xmath355 . eq . ( [ lotka2 ] ) is called lotka law , or the law of inverse squares : the number of scientists who wrote a given number of papers is inversely proportional to the square of this number of papers . it must be noted that , like many other statistical regularities , lotka law is valid only on the average since the exponent in the denominator of eq.([lotka2 ] ) is not necessarily equal to two @xcite . thus , lotka law should be considered as the most typical among a more general family of distributions : @xmath356 where @xmath10 is the characteristic exponent of the distribution , @xmath348 is the normalizing coefficient which is determined as follows : @xmath357 then the distribution of scientific output , eq.([lotka3 ] ) , is determined by three parameters : the proportion of scientists with the minimal productivity @xmath358 , the maximal productivity of a scientist @xmath349 , and the characteristic exponent @xmath10 . if one of these parameters is fixed , it is possible to study the dependence between two others . let us fix @xmath349 in eq.([lotka4 ] ) . then , we obtain the proportion of `` single paper authors '' @xmath358 as a function of @xmath10 : @xmath359 . when eq.([lotka4 ] ) is differentiated with respect to @xmath10 , one can show that the corresponding derivative is positive for any @xmath10 : @xmath360 . on the basis of a similar analysis of the portion of scientists with a larger productivity @xmath361 as a function of @xmath10 , we arrive at the conclusion : * the increase of @xmath10 is accompanied by the increase of low - productivity scientists*. this means that when the total number of scientists is preserved the portion of highly productive scientists will decrease . let us show that the lotka law is an asymptotic expression for the yule distribution . in order to obtain the yule distribution , one considers the process of formation of a collection of publications as a markov - type stochastic process . in addition , it is assumed that the probability of writing a new paper depends on the number of papers that have been already written by the scientist at time @xmath15 : the probability of the transition into a new state on the interval @xmath362 $ ] should be a function of the state in which the system is at time @xmath15 . moreover , the probability of publishing a new paper during a time interval @xmath363 is assumed to be proportional to the number @xmath155 of papers that have been written by the scientists , introducing an intensity coefficient @xmath84 : @xmath364 . after solving the corresponding system of differential equations for this process , the following expression ( the yule distribution ) for the probability @xmath365 of a scientist writing @xmath155 papers during a time @xmath15 is obtained @xcite : @xmath366 the mean value of the yule distribution is @xmath367 . let us take into account the fact that every scientist works on a given subject during a certain finite random time interval @xmath368 $ ] which depends on the scientist s creative potential , the conditions for work , etc . with the simplest assumption that the probability of discontinuing work on a given subject is constant at any time , one obtains an exponential distribution for the time of work of any author in the scientific field under study : @xmath369 , where @xmath33 is the distribution parameter . the time parameter @xmath15 which characterizes the productivity distribution , eq.([yule1 ] ) , is a random number . then in order to obtain the final distribution of scientific output observed in the experiment over sufficiently large time intervals , eq.([yule1 ] ) should be averaged with respect to this parameter @xmath15 which is distributed according to the exponential law : @xmath370 after integrating eq.([yule2 ] ) , the distribution of scientific output reads @xmath371 where @xmath372 is a beta - function , @xmath373 is a gamma - function , and @xmath374 is the characteristic exponent . for instance , if @xmath375 then @xmath376 $ ] . let us assume that @xmath377 and apply the stirling formula . thus , the asymptotics of the yule distribution eq.([yule3 ] ) is like lotka law eq.([lotka3 ] ) ( up to a normalizing constant ) : @xmath378 . for large enough values of the total number of scientists and the total number of publications , we can make the transition from discrete to continuous representation of the corresponding variables and laws . the continuous analog of lotka law , eq . ( [ lotka3 ] ) , is the pareto distribution @xmath379 which describes the distribution density for a number of scientists with @xmath155 papers ; @xmath380 is the minimal productivity @xmath381 , a continuous quantity . zipf law is connected to the principle of least effort @xcite : a person will try to solve his problems in such a way as to minimize the total work that he must do in the solution process . for example , to express with many words what can be expressed with a few is meaningless . thus , it is important to summarize an article using a small number of meaningful words . bradford law for the scattering of articles over different journals is connected to the success - breeds - success ( sbs ) principle @xcite : success in the past increases chances for some success in the future . for example , a journal that has been frequently consulted for some purpose is more likely to be read again , rather than one of previously infrequent use . in order to obtain the law of zipf - mandelbrot , we start from the following version of lotka law : @xmath382 , where @xmath155 is the scientist s productivity , @xmath10 is a characteristic exponent , @xmath1 is a constant which in most cases is equal to the number of authors with the minimal productivity @xmath383 , i.e. , to @xmath348 . on the basis of this formula , the number of scientists @xmath5 who are characterized by productivity @xmath384 ( @xmath349 is the maximal productivity of a scientist ) reads @xmath385 depending on the value of @xmath386 , @xmath5 can have values @xmath387 and in such a way the scientists can be ranked . if all scientists of a scientific community working on the same topic are ranked in the order of the decrease of their productivity , the place of a scientist who has written @xmath386 papers will be determined by his / her rank @xmath5 . when the productivity of a scientist @xmath386 is found from eq.([yule5 ] ) as a function of rank @xmath5 , the relationship @xmath388 this is the rank law of zipf - mandelbrot , which generalizes zipf law : @xmath389 , where @xmath109 and @xmath11 are parameters . zipf law was discovered by counting words in books . if words in a book are ranked in decreasing order according to their number of occurrences , then zipf law states that the number of occurrences of a word is inversely proportional to its rank @xmath5 . assuming that in lotka law the exponent takes the value @xmath390 and that in most cases @xmath391 , one has @xmath392 , where @xmath393 , @xmath394 . integration of the last relationship yields the total productivity @xmath395 of all scientists , beginning with the one with the greatest productivity @xmath349 and ending with the scientist whose productivity corresponds to the rank @xmath146 ( the scientists are ranked in the order of diminishing productivity ; the rank is assumed to be a continuous - like variable ) : @xmath396 this is bradford law . according to this law , for a given topic , a large number of relevant articles will be concentrated in a small number of journals . the remaining articles will be dispersed over a large number of journals . thus , if scientific journals are arranged in order of decreasing published articles on a given subject , they may be split to a core of journals more particularly devoted to the subject and a shell consisting of sub - shells of journals containing the same numbers of articles as the core . then the number of journals from the core zone and succeeding sub - shells will follow the relationship @xmath397 . knowledge has a complex nature . it can be created . it can lead to innovations and new technologies , and on this base , knowledge supports the advance and economic growth of societies . knowledge can be collected . knowledge can be spread . diffusion of ideas is closely connected to the collection and spreading of knowledge . some stages of the diffusion of ideas can be described by epidemic models of scientific and technological systems . most of the models described here are deterministic , but if the internal and external fluctuations are strong , then different kinds of models can be applied taking into account stochastic features . much information about properties and stability of the knowledge systems can be obtained by the statistical approach on the basis of distributions connected to the lotka - volterra models of diffusion of knowledge . interestingly , new terms occur in the usual evolution equations because of the variability and flexibility in the opinions of actors , due to media contacts or interpersonal contacts , when exchanging ideas . in conclusion , the epidemiological perspective renders a piece of mosaic to a better understanding of the dynamics of diffusion of ideas in science , technology , and society , which should be one of the main future tasks of the science of science @xcite . thanks to the editors of the book for inspiring us into writing this work . the authors gratefully acknowledge stimulating discussions with many wonderful colleagues at several meetings of the esf action cost mp-0801 physics of competition and conflict. 99 j. r. l. howells ( 2002 ) . tacit knowledge , innovation and economic geography . _ urban studies _ * 39 * , 871 884 . r. j. barro , x. sala - i - martin ( 2004 ) . economic growth , mit press , cambridge , ma . l. leydesdorff ( 2006 ) . the knowledge - based economy modeled , measured , simulated . boca raton , fl . w. dolfsma ( 2008 ) . knowledge economies . organization , location and innovation . routledge , london . a. marshall ( 1920 ) . principles of economics , @xmath398 . mcmillan , london . d. romer ( 1996 ) . advanced macroeconomics . mcgraw - hill , new york . p. m. romer ( 1994 ) . the origins of endogeneous growth . _ journal of economic perspectives _ * 8 * , 3 22 . p. m. romer ( 1994 ) . new goods , old theory , and the welfare costs of trade restrictions . _ journal of development economics _ * 43 * , 5 38 . p. m. romer ( 2002 ) . when should we use intellectual property rights ? _ american economic review _ * 92 * , 213 216 . a. b. jaffe , m. trajtenberg ( 2002 ) . patents , citations and innovations : a window on the knowledge economy , mit press , cambridge , ma . j. r. walsh ( 1935 ) . capital concept applied to man . _ quarterly journal of economics _ * 49 * , 255 285 . p. bourdieu ( 1986 ) . forms of capital . 241 258 in j. g. richardson ( ed . ) handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education . greenwood , new york . j. c. coleman ( 1988 ) . social capital : the creation of human capital . _ american journal of sociology _ * 94 * , supplement , s95 s120 . r. d. putnam ( 1993 ) . making democracy work : civic transitions in modern italy . princeton university press , princeton , nj . g. s. becker , k. m. murphy ( 1988 ) . a theory of rational addiction . _ journal of political economy _ * 96 * , 675 700 . g. s. becker ( 1996 ) . accounting for tastes . harvard university press , cambridge , ma . j. e. stiglitz ( 1987 ) . learning to learn , localized learning and technological progress . 125 153 in p. dasgupta , p. stoneman ( eds . ) economic policy and technological performance , cambridge university press , cambridge . j. b. davis ( 2003 ) . the theory of the individual in economics : identity and value . routledge , london . d. j. de solla price ( 1951 ) . quantitative measures of the development of science . 413 421 in : actes du @xmath399 congres international d histoire des sciences ( amsterdam ) . hermann & cie , paris . d. j. de solla price ( 1971 ) . principles for projecting funding of academic science in the 1970s . _ science studies _ * 1 * , 85 94 . d. foray ( 2004 ) . the economics of knowledge . mit press , cambridge , ma . a. f. j. van raan ( 1997 ) . scientometrics : state of art . _ scientometrics _ * 38 * , 205 218 . i. nonaka ( 1994 ) . a dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation . _ organizational science _ * 5 * , 14 37 . i. nonaka , n. konno ( 1998 ) . the concept of `` ba '' : building a foundation for knowledge creation . _ california management review _ * 40 * , 40 54 . i. nonaka , h. takeuchi ( 1995 ) . the knowledge creating company : how japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation . oxford university press , new york . s. bernius ( 2010 ) . the impact of open access on the management of scientific knowledge . _ online information review _ * 34 * , 583 603 . c. dahlman ( 2009 ) . different innovation strategies , different results : brazil , russia , india , china and korea ( the bricks ) . pp . 131 168 in v. chandra , d. ercal , p. c. padoan , c. a. primo braga ( eds . ) . innovation and growth . chasing a moving frontier . oecd and the international bank for reconstruction and development / the world bank , washington , dc . c. dahlman , d. zhihua zeng , s. wang ( 2007 ) . enhancing china s competitiveness through life long life learning , the world bank , washington , dc . p. p. saviotti ( 1999 ) . knowledge , information and organisational structures , pp . 120 139 in p.l . robertson ( ed . ) , authority and control in modern industry , routledge , london . r. cowan , d. foray ( 1997 ) , the economics of codification and the diffusion of knowledge . _ industrial and corporate change _ * 6 * , 595 622 . a. b. jaffe ( 1986 ) . technological opportunity and spillovers of r & d : evidence from firms patents , profits , and market value . _ american economic review _ * 76 * , 984 1001 . c. antonelli ( 1996 ) . localized knowledge percolation processes and information networks . _ journal of evolutionary economics _ * 6 * , 281 295 . p. morone , r. taylor ( 2010 ) . knowledge diffusion and innovation . edward elgar publishing inc . , northampton , ma . e. rogers ( 1962 ) . diffusion of innovations , free press , new york . e. casetti , r. semple ( 1969 ) . concerning the testing of spatial diffusion hypotheses . _ geographical analysis _ , * 1 * , 254 259 . d. kucharavy , e. schenk , r. de guio . long - run forecasting of emerging technologies with logistic models and growth of knowledge . 277 284 in proceedings of the 19th cirp design conference - competitive design , cranfield , uk . w. ebeling , a. scharnhorst ( 1985 ) . selforganization models for field mobility of physicists . _ czechoslovak journal of physics _ * 36 * , 43 46 . j. m. ziman ( 1969 ) . information , communication , knowledge . _ nature _ * 224 * , 318 324 . for example , at gordon research conferences , it is forbidden to take written notes and to quote participant interventions later . a. bryman ( 1988 ) . quantity and quality in social research . unwin hyman , london . s. wright ( 1932 ) . the roles of mutation , inbreeding , crossbreeding and selection in evolution . proceedings of the sixth international congress on genetics * 1 * , 356 366 . h. small ( 1997 ) . update on science mapping : creating large document spaces . _ scientometrics _ * 38 * , 275 293 . h. small ( 1998 ) . a general framework for creating large - scale maps of science in two or three dimensions : the sciviz system . _ scientometrics _ * 41 * , 125 133 . e. c. m. noyons , a.f.j . van raan ( 1998 ) . advanced mapping of science and technology . _ scientometrics _ * 41 * , 61 67 . a. scharnhorst ( 1998 ) . citation networks , science landscapes and evolutionary strategies . _ scientometrics _ * 43 * , 95 106 . a. scharnhorst ( 2001 ) . constructing knowledge landscapes within the framework of geometrically oriented evolutionary theories . 505 - 515 from m. matthies , h. malchow and j. kriz ( eds . ) . integrative systems approaches to natural and social dynamics , springer , berlin . l. egghe ( 1998 ) . mathematical theory of citation . _ scientometrics _ * 43 * , 57 62 . l. egghe , r. rousseau ( 1990 ) . introduction to informetrics . quantitative methods in library , documentation and information science , elsevier , amsterdam . i. hellsten , r. lambiotte , a. scharnhorst , m. ausloos ( 2006).a journey through the landscape of physics and beyond - the self - citation patterns of werner ebeling " . in : irreversible prozesse und selbstorganisation . t. poeschel , h. malchow and l. schimansky geier , eds . ( logos verlag , berlin ) pp . 375 - 384 i. hellsten , r. lambiotte , a. scharnhorst , and m. ausloos ( 2007 ) . self - citations , co - authorships and keywords : a new method for detecting scientists field mobility ? _ scientometrics _ * 72 * , 469 486 . i. hellsten , r. lambiotte , a. scharnhorst , m. ausloos ( 2007 ) . self - citations networks as traces of scientific careers . in proceedings of the issi 2007 , 11th international conf . of the intern . society for scientometrics and informetrics , csic , madrid , spain , june 25 - 27 , 2007 . ed . by d. torres - salinas ; h. moed , vol . 1 , pp . 361 367 m. ausloos , r. lambiotte , a. scharnhorst , i. hellsten ( 2008 ) . andrzej pekalski networks of scientific interests with internal degrees of freedom through self - citation analysis , _ international journal of modern physics c _ * 19 * , 371 384 j. e. hirsch ( 2005 ) . an index to quantify an individual s scientific research output . _ proceedings of the nat.ional academy of sciences usa _ * 102 * , 16569 16572 . j. m. soler ( 2007 ) . a rational indicator of scientific creativity . _ journal of informetrics _ * 1 * , 123 130 . q. l. burrell ( 2007 ) . hirsch s h - index : a stochastic model . _ journal of informetrics _ * 1 * , 16 25 . h. small ( 2006 ) tracking and predicting growth areas in science . _ scientometrics _ * 68 * , 595 610 . a. j. lotka ( 1926 ) . the frequency distribution of scientific productivity . _ journal of the washington academy of sciences _ * 16 * , 317 324 . d. j. de solla price ( 1963 ) . little science , big science . columbia university press , new york . d. j. de solla price , s. grsey ( 1975 ) . some statistical results for the numbers of authors in the states of the united states and the nations of the world . 26 34 in : who is publishing in science 1975 annual . institute for scientific information , philadelphia . d. j. de solla price ( 1978 ) . science since babylon . yale university press , new haven . g. n. gilbert ( 1978 ) . measuring the growth of science : a review of indicators of scientific growth . _ scientometrics _ * 1 * , 9 34 . k. h. chung , r. a. k. cox ( 1990 ) . patterns of productivity in the finance literature : a study of the bibliometric distributions . _ journal of finance _ * 45 * , 301 309 . t. kealey ( 2000 ) . more is less . economists and governments lag decades behind derek price s thinking . _ nature _ * 405 * , 279 279 . j. d. murray ( 2002 ) . mathematical biology , springer , l. edelstein - keshet ( 1988 ) . mathematical models in biology . mcgraw hill , new york . k. dietz ( 1967 ) . epidemics and rumours : a survey . _ journal of the royal statistical society . series a ( general ) _ * 130 * , 505 528 . s. c. dodd ( 1958 ) . formulas for spreading opinions . _ public opinion quarterly _ * 22 * , 537 554 . r. m. anderson , r. m. may , ( 1982 ) . population biology of infections disease . springer , berlin . f. brauer , c. castillo - chavez ( 2001 ) . mathematical models in population biology and epidemiology . texts in applied mathematics * 40 * , springer , new york . z. ma , j. li . dynamical modeling and analysis of epidemics . world scientific , singapore . w. goffman ( 1966 ) . mathematical approach to the spreading of scientific ideas -the history of mast cell research . _ nature _ * 212 * , 449 452 . w. o. kermack , a. g. mckendrick ( 1927 ) . a contribution to the mathematical theory of epidemics . _ proceedings of the royal society , london , ser . a _ * 115 * , 700 721 . j. m. epstein ( 1997 ) . nonlinear dynamics , mathematical biology , and social science . addison - wesley , reading , ma . a. castiaux ( 2007 ) . radical innovation in established organizations : being a knowledge predator . _ journal of engineering and technology management _ * 24 * , 36 52 . g. f. gause ( 1935 ) . the struggle for existence . williams and wilkins , baltimore s. solomon , p. richmond ( 2001 ) . power laws of wealth , market order volumes and market returns . _ physica a _ * 299 * , 188 197 . s. solomon , p. richmond ( 2002 ) . stable power laws in variable economics . lotka - volterra implies pareto - zipf . _ the european physical journal b _ * 27 * , 257 261 . n. k. vitanov , z. i. dimitrova , h. kantz ( 2006 ) . on the trap of extinction and its elimination . _ physics letters a _ * 349 * , 350 355 . z. i. dimitrova , n. k. vitanov ( 2004 ) . chaotic pairwise competition . _ theoretical population biology _ * 66 * , 1 12 . s. boccaletti , v. latora , y. moreno , m. chavez , d .- u . hwang ( 2006 ) . complex networks : structure and dynamics . _ physics reports _ * 424 * , 176 308 . p. s. meyer ( 1994 ) . bi - logistic growth . _ technological forecasting and social change _ * 47 * , 89 102 . n. meade , t. islam ( 1995 ) . forecasting with growth curves : an empirical comparison . _ international journal of forecasting _ * 11 * , 199 215 . e. mansfield ( 1961 ) . technical change and the rate of imitation . _ econometrica _ * 29 * , 741 766 . t. modis ( 2007 ) . strengths and weaknesses of s - curves , _ technological forecasting and social change _ * 74 * , 866 872 . t. modis ( 2003 ) . a scientific approach to managing competition . _ the industrial physicist _ * 9 * , 24 27 . m. ausloos ( 2010 ) . on religion and language evolutions seen through mathematical and agent based models , in proceedings of the first interdisciplinary chess interactions conference , c. rangacharyulu and e. haven , eds . , world scientific , singapore , pp . 157 - 182 . p. s. meyer , j. w. yung , j. h. ausubel ( 1999 ) . a primer on logistic growth and substitution : the mathematics of the loglet lab software . _ technological forecasting and social change _ * 61 * , 247 271 . v. mahajan , r.a . peterson ( 1985 ) , models for innovation diffusion , sage publications , beverly hills , ca . p. a. geroski ( 2000 ) . models of technology diffusion . _ research policy _ , * 29 * , 603 625 . d. j. bartholomew ( 1982 ) . stochastic models for social processes , wiley , new york . r. m. may ( 1974 ) . stability and complexity in model ecosystems . princeton university press , princeton , n. j .. v. b. lal , karmeshu , s. kaicker ( 1988 ) . modeling innovation diffusion with distributed time lag . _ technological forecasting and social change _ * 34 * , 103 113 . karmeshu ( 1982 ) . time lag in a diffusion model of information . _ mathematical modeling _ * 3 * , 137 141 . m. n. sharif , k. ramanathan ( 1981 ) . binomial innovation diffusion models with dynamic potential adopter population . _ technological forecasting and social change _ * 20 * , 63 87 . keynes ( 1930 ) . a treatise on money . harcourt , brace and co. e. p. odum ( 1959 ) . fundamentals of ecology , w.b . saunders , philadelphia . a. fernandez - camo , m. toralbo , m. vallejo ( 2004 ) . reconsidering price s model of scientific growth : an overview . _ scientometrics _ * 61 * , 301 321 . m. szydlowski , a. krawiez ( 2001 ) . scientific cycle model with delay . _ scientometrics _ * 52 * , 83 95 . t. t. kuhn ( 1962 ) . the structure of scientific revolutions . chicago university press , chicago . plesk ( 1997 ) creativity , innovation and quality . asq quality press , milwaukee . amabile , r. conti , h. coon , j. lazenby , m. herron ( 1996 ) . assessing the work environment for creativity . _ academy of management review _ * 39 * , 1154 1184 . i. m. beck ( 1984 ) . a method of measurement of scientific production . _ science of science _ * 4 * , 183 195 . m. szydlowski , a. krawiez ( 2009 ) . growth cycles of knowledge . _ scientometrics _ , * 78 * , 99 111 . d. j. de solla price ( 1956 ) . the exponential curve of science . _ discovery _ * 17 * , 240 243 . w. goffman , v. a. newill . ( 1964 ) generalization of epidemic theory . an application to the transmission of ideas . _ nature _ * 204 * , 225 228 . l. m. a. bettencourt , d. i. kaiser , j. kaur , c. castillo - chavez , d. e. wojick . population modeling of the emergence and development of scientific fields . _ scientometrics _ * 75 * , 495 518 . l. m. a. bettencourt , a. cintron - arias , d. i. kaiser , c. castillo - chavez . the power of a good idea : quantitative modeling of the spread of ideas from epidemiological models . _ physica a _ * 364 * , 513 536 . m. nowakowska ( 1973 ) . epidemical spread of scientific objects : an attempt of empirical approach to some problems of meta - science . _ theory and decision _ * 3 * , 262 297 . d. j. daley ( 1967 ) . concerning the spread of news in a population of individuals who never forget . _ bulletin of mathematical biology _ * 29 * , 373 376 . e. bruckner , w. ebeling , a. scharnhorst . the application of evolution models in scientometrics . _ scientometrics _ * 18 * , 21 41 . w. ebeling , r. feistel , i. hartmann - sonntag , l. schimansky - geier , a. scharnhorst ( 2006 ) . new species in evolving networks - stochastic theory of sensitive networks and applications on the metaphorical level . _ biosystems _ * 85 * , 65 - 71 . a. j. lotka ( 1912 ) . ein fall von autokatakinese mit oscillatorishem verlauf . _ zeitschrift fr physikalische chemie _ * 80 * , 159 - 164 . a. j. lotka ( 1925 ) . elements of physical biology . williams and wilkins , baltimore . v. volterra ( 1931 ) . variations and fluctuations of a number of individuals in animal species living together . 409 - 448 from r. n. chapman . animal ecology . mcgraw hill , new york . s. m. kot ( 1987 ) . the stochastic model for evolution of scientific disciplines . _ scientometrics _ * 12 * , 197 205 . w. glnzel , u. schoepflin ( 1994 ) . a stochastic model for aging of the scientific literature . _ scientometrics _ * 30 * , 49 64 . e. bruckner , w. ebeling , a. scharnhorst ( 1989 ) . stochastic dynamics of instabilities in evolutionary systems . _ system dynamics review _ * 5 * , 176 191 . e. bruckner , w. ebeling , m. a , jimenez montano , a. scharnhorst ( 1996 ) . nonlinear stochastic effects of substitution - an evolutionary approach . _ journal of evolutionary economics _ * 6 * , 1 30 . t. braun , w. glnzel , a. schubert ( 1985 ) . scientometric indicators . a 32-country comparative evaluation of publishing performance and citation impact . world scientific , singapore . c. chen , d. hicks . ( 2004 ) . tracing knowledge diffusion . _ scientometrics _ , * 59 * , 199 211 . i. z. kiss , m. broom , p. g. graze , i. rafols ( 2000 ) . can epidemic models describe the diffusion of topics across disciplines . _ journal of infometrics _ * 4 * , 74 82 . i. z. kiss , d. m. green , r. r. kao , ( 2005 ) . disease contact tracing in random and clustered networks . _ proceedings of the royal society b _ , * 272 * , 1407 1414 . n. g. vankampen . ( 2007 ) . stochastic processes in physics and chemistry . elsevier , amsterdam . h. risken . ( 1984 ) _ the fokker - planck equation _ ( springer - verlag , berlin ) p. hnggi , h. thomas ( 1982 ) . stochastic processes : time evolution , symmetries and linear response . _ physics reports _ * 88 * , 207 319 . c. w. gardiner . _ handbook of stochastic methods _ , ( springer - verlag , berlin ) . a. k. romanov , a. i. terekhov ( 1997 ) . the mathematical model of productivity - and age - structured scientific community evolution . _ scientometrics _ * 39 * , 3 17 . w. ebeling , a. engel , v. g. mazenko ( 1986 ) . modeling of selection processes with age - dependent birth and death rates . _ biosystems _ * 19 * , 213 221 . w. ebeling , a. engel , r. feistel ( 1990 ) . physik der evolutionsprozesse . akademie - verlag , berlin . e. h. kerner ( 1959 ) . further considerations on the statistical mechanics of biological associations . _ bulletin of mathematical biophysics _ * 21 * , 217 253 . j. c. allen ( 1975 ) . mathematical model of species interactions in time and space . _ american naturalist _ * 109 * , 319 342 . a. okubo ( 1980 ) . diffusion and ecological problems : mathematical models . springer , berlin . w. g. willson , a. m. de roos ( 1993 ) . spatial instabilities within the diffusive lotka - volterra system : individual - based simulation results . _ theoretical population biology _ * 43 * , 91 127 . n. k. vitanov , i. p. jordanov , z. i. dimitrova . ( 2009 ) . on nonlinear population waves . _ applied mathematics and computation _ * 215 * , 2950 2964 . n. k. vitanov , i. p. jordanov , z. i. dimitrova . ( 2009 ) . on nonlinear dynamics of interacting populations : coupled kink waves in a system of two populations . _ communications in nonlinear science and numerical simulation _ * 14 * , 2379 - 2388 . z. i. dimitrova , n. k. vitanov ( 2000 ) . influence of adaptation on the nonlinear dynamics of a system of competing populations . _ physics letters a _ * 272 * , 368 380 . z. i. dimitrova , n. k. vitanov ( 2001 ) . adaptation and its impact on the dynamics of a system of three competing populations . _ physica a _ * 300 * , 91 115 . z. i. dimitrova , n. k. vitanov ( 2001 ) . dynamical consequences of adaptation of the growth rates in a system of three competing populations . _ journal of physics a : mathematical and general _ * 34 * , 7459 7473 . n. k. vitanov , z. i. dimitrova , m. ausloos ( 2010 ) . verhulst - lotka - volterra ( vlv ) model of ideological struggle . _ physica a _ * 389 * , 4970 4980 . w. ebeling , a. scharnhorst ( 2000 ) . evolutionary models of innovation dynamics , pp . 43 56 in d. helbing , h. j. herrmann , m. schreckenberg , d. e. wolf ( eds . ) traffic and granular flow 99 . social , traffic and granular dynamics . springer , berlin . a. i. yablonsky . ( 1980 ) . on fundamental regularities of the distribution of scientific productivity . _ scientometrics _ * 2 * , 3 34 . a. i. yablonsky ( 1985 ) . stable non - gaussian distributions in scientometrics . _ scientometrics _ * 7 * , 459 470 . s. d. haitun ( 1982 ) . stationary scientometric distributions . non - gaussian nature of scientific activities . _ scientometrics _ * 4 * , 89 104 . w. li ( 2002 ) . zipf s law everywhere . _ glottometrics _ * 5 * , 15 41 . j. s. katz ( 1999 ) . the self - similar science system . _ research policy _ * 28 * , 501 517 . a. f. j. van raan ( 2000 ) . on growth , ageing and fractal differentiation of science . _ scientometrics _ * 47 * , 347 362 . x. gao , j. guan ( 2009 ) . a scale - independent analysis of the performance of the chinese innovation system . _ journal of infometrics _ * 3 * , 321 331 . n. vandewalle , m. ausloos ( 1997 ) . coherent and random sequences in financial fluctuations . _ physica a _ * 246 * , 454 459 . k. ivanova , m. ausloos ( 1999 ) . application of the detrended fluctuation analysis ( dfa ) method for describing cloud breaking . _ physica a _ * 274 * , 349 354 y. s. chen , p. p. cheng , y. tong ( 1993 ) . theoretical foundation of the 80/20 rule . _ scientometrics _ * 28 * , 283 204 . g. k. zipf ( 1949 ) . human behaviour and the principle of least effort , addison - wesley , reading , ma . d. de solla price ( 1976 ) . a general theory of bibliometric and other cumulative advantage processes . _ journal of the american society for information science _ * 27 * , 292 306 . r. wagner - dbler , j. berg ( 1994 ) . regularity and irregularity in the development of scientific disciplines : the case of mathematical logics . _ scientometrics _ * 30 * , 303 319 .

arxiv

in recent years , abdominal muscle training has gained increasing popularity , and exercises like crunches or abdominal training serves to improve core stability , which is the ability to strengthen the lumbopelvic complex and transfer forces from the upper to the lower limbs of the body while maintaining the spine in a neutral position1 , 2 . the core region of the body has been anatomically described as a box , with the abdominals at the front , spinal and gluteal muscles at the back , the diaphragm on the top , and the pelvic floor and hip muscles on the bottom3 . generally , the core muscles , which form the primary muscle group for maintaining spinal stability4 , can be divided into two groups according to their functions and attributes : local system and global system5 . the most common traditional exercises21 and training methods to enhance abdominal strength and stability employ body weight exercises consisting of static or dynamic contractions in various body positions ( e.g. , supine , lateral ) , starting with isolated movements and then continuing through with more complex sequences1 , 6 such as crunches , sit - ups , and planks ( prone or lateral ) . however , such exercises , especially the crunch , are performed with repeated flexions and lateral bending motions that produce vertebral compression at high lumbar overloads and therefore may be injurious for the spine7,8,9,10,11 . correct breathing ( especially as it involves the respiratory muscles ) is vital to abdominal training because respiratory muscles are directly involved during common core stability exercises12,13,14 . found that the diaphragm is actively recruited in many resistance training exercises , including sit - ups13 . other studies demonstrated that the respiratory muscles are involved in a variety of activities in which respiration is not primarily involved12 , 13 , 15 , 16 . because breathing is one of the most basic patterns directly related to human movement17 , as seen in neonates18 , 19 , inefficient breathing may result in muscular imbalance and motor control alterations that can affect general motor quality17 . to our knowledge , few publications to date have evaluated the impact of breathing in relation to abdominal exercises . our hypothesis was that exercises based on a combination of global stretching postures , which are advantageous for improving respiratory apparatus efficiency20 , and breathing exercises may exert a concurrent positive effect on core function and body movement . the aim of this study was to evaluate whether , as compared with a training protocol of common exercises21 , abdominal training plus breathing exercises would more greatly enhance abdominal fitness , quality of movement , and respiratory function . all participants gave their written informed consent after having been informed about the objectives and scope , procedures , risks , and benefits of the study . participation was voluntary , and withdrawal from the study was permitted at any time . all procedures were carried out in accordance with the declaration of helsinki ; the study protocol was approved by the university s institutional review board . the study sample comprised 32 healthy male nonsmokers without pulmonary disease or a history of low back pain ( experimental group [ eg ] n = 16 , mean age 30 2 years , height 1.73 3 m , weight 67 2 kg ; control group [ cg ] , n = 16 , mean age 28 3 years , height 1.76 2 m , weight 70 3 kg ) . before the start of the study , all subjects engaged in regular physical activity at least 3 times per week with a training regimen that included medium - intensity aerobic activity ( 6575% heart rate maximum ) for at least 45 minutes and a resistance training program that included free - weight and machine exercises to 6070% of one repetition maximum ( 1rm ) for 2 days per week . the subjects were matched and randomly assigned to two groups as determined by a chance process ( a random number generator on a computer ) that could not be predicted . no other physical exercise , aside from that specified for the purposes of this study , was performed during the study period . respiratory measurements were taken with the subjects comfortably seated and the trunk at a 90 angle . pulmonary function was measured with a portable spirometer ( pony fx , cosmed , rome , italy ) while the subjects were wearing a nose clip . the test was repeated three to five times to obtain at least two acceptable trials ( variability < 100 ml ) , with a 2-minute rest interval between the trials to ensure adequate recovery . a single experienced investigator interpreted the data according to established guidelines23 to obtain a target value for each subject and to ensure that the maneuver had been performed correctly . forced vital capacity ( fvc ) , forced expiratory volume in one second ( fev1 ) , and peak expiratory flow ( pef ) were evaluated . the american college of sports medicine ( acsm ) curl - up ( cadence ) test and the functional movement screen ( fms ) , two simple , practical , valid , and reliable tests17 , 24,25,26 , were used to assess abdominal muscle fitness . the acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test evaluates local muscular endurance of the abdominal muscle groups , which are important for good posture and performing various daily tasks . the fms evaluates the efficiency of basic human motion , for example , as during breathing ; a proper breathing pattern in turn influences movement efficiency17 , 24 . the acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test protocol is carried out with the subject lying on his or her back on a mat with knees bent at a 90 angle and feet on the floor . the arms are extended to the sides with the fingers touching a piece of masking tape . a second piece of tape is placed 12 cm beyond the first piece . for this study , the metronome was set to 40 beats per minute . at the first beep , the subject lifts his or her shoulder blades off the mat by flexing the spine until the fingertips reach the second piece of tape . at the next beep , the subject slowly returns the shoulder blades to the mat by flattening the lower back . the subject performs as many curl - ups as possible without stopping , up to a maximum of 75 repetitions24 . the fms , developed by cook & burton27,28,29 , consists of seven patterns : deep squat , hurdle step , in - line lunge , shoulder mobility , active straight leg raise , trunk stability push - up , and rotary stability . movement competency is graded on a scale from 0 to 3 points based on how the tasks are accomplished : 0 indicates movement with pain , 1 indicates inability to perform the pattern , 2 indicates pattern performed with compensations or imperfections , and 3 indicates pattern performed as directed . instruction and administration of the fms were carried out by a certified fms instructor according to published guidelines27,28,29 . the two training protocols were administered for 15 minutes twice per week for 6 weeks in both groups ; all exercises were performed after a standardized 10-minute warm - up consisting of cycling on a stationary bike . the eg exercises were focused on achieving and maintaining a proper diaphragmatic breathing pattern for 23 seconds during inspiration and 810 seconds during expiration , with a vocal sound emitted to induce active recruitment of the pelvic floor muscles and deep internal abdominals30,31,32 . to do this , the subject inhales , expanding the lower abdominal region , the side and back of the abdomen , and the lower ribs . the chest is kept relaxed without pushing out the stomach , and the head is aligned with the spine to avoid excessive bending of the spine or body compensations . he or she stretches the arms upward , and on exhalation , produces a sound from the mouth , maintaining the spine aligned and stretched . the subject sits with the spine erect , lower limbs elongated , and arms extended in front of the chest . during exhalation , a vocal sound the subject sits in a kneeling position with buttocks resting on his heels and legs slightly apart ; the face is directed forward with the left arm bent overhead . during exhalation , a sound is produced while starting to bend the body laterally and stretching the opposite side of the body . the subject sits in a kneeling position , with one arm bent in front of the eyes and the other resting on the floor . during inhalation , the trunk is rotated to the right while maintaining normal spinal curvature . during exhalation , a vocal sound the cg exercises were chosen from a variety of common exercises21 during which a spontaneous breathing rhythm ( 1 second for inspiration and 1 second for expiration ) is maintained in the following sequence : 1 . crunch : the subject lies on his back with knees bent , feet on the floor , and hands resting on the chest . during inhalation , the shoulders are lifted off the ground ; during exhalation , the subject returns to the starting position . 2 . crunch with rotation : the subject lies on his back with knees bent and feet on the floor . during exhalation , the trunk is lifted and rotated ; during inhalation , the subject returns to the starting position . supine bridge : the subject lies on his back with knees bent and feet on the floor . during exhalation , the pelvis is lifted an inch off the floor while pressing into the soles of the feet . during inhalation 4 . prone bridge : the subject begins prone in a table position with knees under the hips and arms under the shoulder ; on inhalation , the right leg is simultaneously lifted straight out and behind , and the left arm is lifted straight out in front . the routine for exercise numbers 1 and 2 consisted of two series of 15 repetitions each . exercise numbers 3 and 4 consisted of two series for 10 seconds in isometric contraction . all sessions were supervised by an expert instructor to ensure that the exercises were properly performed . data were entered into a personal computer , and all statistical analyses were performed using the statistical package for the social sciences ibm spss version 21.0 ( ibm corp . , armonk , ny , usa ) . two - way [ time ( before vs. after ) 2 group ( eg vs. cg ) ] repeated analysis of variance ( anova ) tests were used to measure differences in respiratory parameters , acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test scores , and fms scores , followed by tukey s test . a dependent - measure t - test was used to determine pre- and posttest differences between the groups . partial eta squared ( part ) effect size was used to estimate the magnitude of the difference within each group ; the thresholds for small , moderate , and large effects were defined as 0.01 , 0.06 , and 0.14 , respectively33 . there was no significant difference in any of the measurements between the two groups at baseline . table 1table 1.results of pulmonary function tests ( mean sem ) between the experimental and control groupsparametersgroupsvaluesgainsbefore testingafter testing% change ( before and after training)% change ( eg vs. cg)fvc ( l)eg5.0 0.25.6 0.212.212.5cg4.9 0.35.0 0.21.6fev1 ( l)eg4.1 0.14.6 0.111.59.2cg4.0 0.34.2 0.25.2pef ( l / second)eg8.4 0.49.8 0.415.613.4cg8.3 0.88.6 0.63.4significant difference between conditions before and after testing ( p<0.05 ) in the same group . fvc : forced vital capacity ; fev1 : forced expiratory volume in 1 second ; pef : peak expiratory flow ; eg : experimental group ; cg : control group presents the differences in respiratory measurements before and after exercise training . fvc improved by 12.2% ( p<0.05 ) ( 5.06 0.2 l pretraining vs. 5.68 0.2 l posttraining ) in the eg , while it remained unchanged in the cg ( 4.97 0.3 l pretraining vs. 5.05 0.2 l posttraining ) . after training , there was a significant increase in fev1 ( 12.5% ) with a a significant difference between pre- and posttraining fev1 was observed ( 11.5% , from 4.14 0.1 l to 4.62 0.1 l ) in the eg as compared with the cg ( 5.2% , 4.02 0.3 l and 4.23 0.2 l ) . after 6 weeks of training , fev1 was 9.2% higher on average ( p<0.05 ) in the eg than in the cg . there was a significant increase of 15.6% in pef ( from 8.49 0.4 l / second at baseline to 9.82 0.4 l / second at the end of training ) in the eg compared with the cg ( 3.4% , from 8.37 0.8 l / second pretraining to 8.66 0.6 l / second posttraining ) . after 6 weeks of training , pef was 13.4% greater in the eg than in the cg . significant difference between conditions before and after testing ( p<0.05 ) in the same group . fvc : forced vital capacity ; fev1 : forced expiratory volume in 1 second ; pef : peak expiratory flow ; eg : experimental group ; cg : control group table 2table 2.results of functional tests ( mean sem ) between the experimental and control groupsvaluesgainsparametersgroupsbefore trainingafter training% change ( before and after training)% change ( eg vs. cg)acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test ( number of repetitions)eg40.0 1.054.0 1.134.325.6cg39.0 2.843.0 3.48.1fms ( a.u.)eg11.4 0.616.5 0.544.741.0cg11.0 0.311.7 0.46.3significant difference between before and after condition ( p<0.05 ) inside the same group . significant difference between groups post - training ( p<0.05 ) . acsm : american college of sports medicine ; eg : experimental group ; cg : control group ; fms : functional movement screen reports the mean functional test scores of subjects before and after training . the eg improved by 34.3% , from 40 1.01 to 54 1.1 ( p<0.05 ) on the acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test , whereas the increase in the number of repetitions was lower in the cg ( 39 2.8 to 43 3.4 ; p<0.05 ) . after 6 weeks of training , there was a significant difference of + 25.6% ( p<0.05 ) with a there was a significant difference in the fms scores ( 11 2.6 arbitrary unit au , pretraining vs. 16 2.0 au posttraining ; p<0.05 ) in the eg as compared with the cg , in which improvements were smaller ( 11.0 0.3 au pretraining vs. 11.7 0.4 au posttraining ) . a significant increase of + 41% ( p<0.05 ) with a large effect size ( 0.13 ) was seen in the eg as compared with the cg . significant difference between before and after condition ( p<0.05 ) inside the same group . acsm : american college of sports medicine ; eg : experimental group ; cg : control group ; fms : functional movement screen the main finding of this study is that , compared with traditional exercises , a program including core exercises performed with a focus on muscular chain stretching and breathing techniques can lead to greater improvement in respiratory function , abdominal muscle endurance , and movement efficiency . furthermore , the results suggest that a series of core exercises performed with a vocal sound emission can be a valid strategy to enhance proper diaphragmatic breathing patterns and deep internal abdominal activation30 , 31 much more than in traditional abdominal routines in which people tend to hold their breath or use chest wall respiration34 . in agreement with published data , our results show that , while traditional core exercises can improve pulmonary function , improvements are greater with muscular chain stretching in combination with breathing techniques . this difference was expected because the exercises were specifically designed to train the respiratory muscles and the diaphragmatic breathing pattern in particular . indeed , greater improvement in lung function parameters but also in fitness test scores was observed in the eg . in both groups , the baseline acsm curl - up ( cadence ) test and fms scores were in line with normative data , whereas after training , the scores on both tests were in the above - normal average only in the eg24 , 35 . specifically , the raw scores of the fms test , whole body stability and balance patterns , as evaluated for the parameters rotary stability and trunk stability push up , improved from 1.3 au to 2 au in the eg , indicating improved body control due to a better respiratory pattern . in shoulder mobility , the eg improved from a medium to the highest score ( 2.4 au before , 3 au after training ) , whereas the cg remained unchanged with a medium score ( 2.5 au before , and 2.6 au after training ) . the same trend was noted on the active straight leg raise test . concerning whole body patterns ( deep squat , hurdle step , in line lunge ) , the eg improved from a low to a medium score on each of the three patterns ( 1.62.5 au , 1.4 2 au , and 1.62.4 au , respectively ) , whereas most values remained unchanged in the cg . as reported in previous studies , proper diaphragmatic breathing is directly linked to better functional movement17 , but combining proper breathing with global stretching postures can produce a greater effect on such functional parameters , as measured on mobility , stability , and whole body pattern tests . regarding the biomechanical aspects of breathing , the expiration phase promotes active recruitment of the abdominal muscles , contrasting the natural elevation of the rib cage ( induced by raising the arms overhead ) ; to the contrary , elevating the arms raises the anterior chest wall , makes the thoracolumbar column hyperlordotic , and puts the diaphragm in an oblique position that inhibits its proper function . during exhalation , the thoracolumbar spine returns to a more neutral position ( opposing the previous hyperlordosis ) , and the diaphragm is more horizontal without posterior pelvic tilt34 . the subject should inhale to expand the lower portion of the abdominal region , the side and back parts of the abdomen and lower ribs , keeping the spine aligned and the chest relaxed . using a correct diaphragmatic breathing pattern promotes co - contraction of the abdominal muscles in the so - called bracing technique , which provides trunk stiffness and stability36 , 37 . when focusing on diaphragmatic breathing , it is important not only to reestablish a correct respiratory pattern but also to ensure lumbar spine stabilization by increasing intra - abdominal pressure38,39,40,41 and activation of the core structures to transfer forces from the center of the body to the lower extremities . to produce an economic breathing pattern , all joints must be centered in a stable position to involve all muscular chains . the head , eyes , and spinal curves should all be aligned with the pelvis and the hips down to the knees and feet . this can be achieved with proper diaphragmatic breathing and adequate muscle tone distribution ( as can be trained with eg exercises)18 , 19 . the combined eg exercises may offer several other advantages : first , recruitment of the deep abdominals increases intra - abdominal pressure and coactivation of the entire abdominal wall34 , which has a fundamental role in providing adequate support for spine and trunk stiffness42 , 43 . second , in contrast with crunches , there are no repeated flexions that could be injurious to the vertebrae7,8,9 . third , the spine remains in a neutral posture34 , so the abdominals can be trained in an elongated and normal position . in sports or activities of daily living , people rarely flex the rib cage to the pelvis , thus shortening the rectus abdominis9 . the sample size was small , and the subjects did not belong to a specific population . in addition , electromyographic assessment of the abdominal muscles was not performed . in conclusion , eg exercises that incorporate correct breathing patterns and body flexibility offer an alternative to traditional abdominal exercises . as such , they may be useful for coaches or physical therapists when selecting core exercises to improve overall abdominal fitness and pulmonary function and to retrain correct diaphragmatic breathing and whole body movements . further research is needed to compare abdominal breathing with other core exercises in order to clarify the combination of breath and abdominal exercises in treating painful disorders ( low back pain , neck pain ) and improving motor control in fitness and rehabilitation programs .

pubmed

What do the quantum numbers actually signify? I know how to calculate them and such stuff, but I wanted to know what they actually signify. I have a vague idea that they have something to do with an electron's position in an atom but what do all of them mean? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Quantum numbers give information about the location of an electron or set of electrons. A full set of quantum numbers describes a unique electron for a particular atom. Think about it as the mailing address to your house. It allows one to pinpoint your exact location out of a set of $n$ locations you could possibly be in. We can narrow the scope of this analogy even further. Consider your daily routine. You may begin your day at your home address but if you have an office job, you can be found at a different address during the work week. Therefore we could say that you can be found in either of these locations depending on the time of day. The same goes for electrons. Electrons reside in atomic orbitals (which are very well defined 'locations'). When an atom is in the ground state, these electrons will reside in the lowest energy orbitals possible (e.g. 1$s^2$ 2$s^2$ and 2$p^2$ for carbon). We can write out the physical 'address' of these electrons in a ground-state configuration using quantum numbers as well as the location(s) of these electrons when in some non-ground (i.e. excited) state. You could describe your home location any number of ways (GPS coordinates, qualitatively describing your surroundings, etc.) but we've adapted to a particular *formalism* in how we describe it (at least in the case of mailing addresses). The quantum numbers have been laid out in the same way. We could communicate with each other that an electron is "located in the lowest energy, spherical atomic orbital" but it is much easier to say a spin-up electron in the 1$s$ orbital instead. The four quantum numbers allows us to communicate this information numerically without any need for a wordy description. Of course carbon is not always going to be in the ground state. Given a wavelength of light for example, one can excite carbon in any number of ways. Where will the electron(s) go? Regardless of what wavelength of light we use, we know that we can describe the final location(s) using the four quantum numbers. You can do this by writing out all the possible permutations of the four quantum numbers. Of course, with a little more effort, you could predict the exact location where the electron goes but in my example above, you know for a fact you could describe it using the quantum number formalism. The quantum numbers also come with a set of restrictions which inherently gives you useful information about where electrons will NOT be. For instance, you could never have the following possible quantum numbers for an atom: $n$=1; $l$=0; $m\_l$=0; $m\_s$=1/2 $n$=1; $l$=0; $m\_l$=0; $m\_s$=-1/2 $n$=1; $l$=0; $m\_l$=0; $m\_s$=1/2 This *set* of quantum numbers indicates that three electrons reside in the 1$s$ orbital which is impossible! As Jan stated in his post, these quantum numbers are derived from the solutions to the Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom (or a 1-e$^-$ system). There are any number of solutions to this equation that relate to the possible energy levels of they hydrogen atom. Remember, energy is QUANTIZED (as postulated by Max Planck). That means that an energy level may exist (arbitrarily) at 0 and 1 but NEVER in between. There is a discrete 'jump' in energy levels and not some gradient between them. From these solutions a *formalism* was constructed to communicate the solutions in a very easy, numerical way just as mailing addresses are purposefully formatted in such a way that is easy that anyone can understand with minimal effort. In summary, the quantum numbers not only tell you where electrons will be (ground state) and can be (excited state), *but also* will tell you where electrons **cannot** be in an atom (due to the restrictions for each quantum number). --- **Principle quantum number ($n$)** - indicates the orbital size. Electrons in atoms reside in atomic orbitals. These are referred to as $s,p,d,f...$ type orbitals. A $1s$ orbital is smaller than a $2s$ orbital. A $2p$ orbital is smaller than a $3p$ orbital. This is because orbitals with a larger $n$ value are getting larger due to the fact that they are further away from the nucleus. The principle quantum number is an integer value where $n$ = 1,2,3... . **Angular quantum number ($l$)** - indicates the shape of the orbital. Each type of orbital ($s,p,d,f..$) has a characteristic shape associated with it. $s$-type orbitals are spherical while $p$-type orbitals have 'dumbbell' orientations. The orbitals described by $l$=0,1,2,3... are $s,p,d,f...$ orbitals, respectively. The angular quantum number ranges from 0 to $n$-1. Therefore, if $n$ = 3, then the possible values of $l$ are 0, 1, 2. **Magnetic quantum number ($m\_l$)** - indicates the orientation of a particular orbital in space. Consider the $p$ orbitals. This is a *set* of orbitals consisting of three $p$-orbitals that have a unique orientation in space. In Cartesian space, each orbital would like along an axis (x, y, or z) and would be centered around the origin at 0,0. While each orbital is indeed a $p$-orbital, we can describe each orbital uniquely by assigning this third quantum number to indicate its position in space. Therefore, for a set of $p$-orbitals, there would be three $m\_l$, each uniquely describing one of these orbitals. The magnetic quantum number can have values of $-l$ to $l$. Therefore, in our example above (where $l$ = 0,1,2) then $m\_l$ would be -2, -1, 0, 1, 2. **Spin quantum number ($m\_s$)** - indicates the 'spin' of the electron residing in some atomic orbital. Thus far we have introduced three quantum numbers that localize a position to an orbital of a particular size, shape and orientation. We now introduce the fourth quantum number that describes the type of electron that can be in that orbital. Recall that two electrons can reside inside one atomic orbital. We can define each one uniquely by indicating the electron's spin. According to the Pauli-exclusion principle, no two electrons can have the exact same four quantum numbers. This means that two electrons in one atomic orbital cannot have the same 'spin'. We generally denote 'spin-up' as $m\_s$ =1/2 and spin-down as $m\_s$=-1/2. The Schrödinger equation for most system has many solutions $\hat{H}\Psi\_i=E\_i\Psi\_i$, where $i=1,2,3,..$. In the case of the hydrogen atom the solutions has a specific notation, which are where the quantum numbers come from. In the case of the H atom the **principal** quantum number $n$ refers to solutions with different energy. For $n>1$ there are several solutions with the same energy, which come in different shapes ($s$, $p$, etc with different **angular** quantum numbers $l$) that can point in different directions ($p\_x$, $p\_y$, etc with different **magnetic** quantum numbers $m$) These quantum numbers are also applied to multi-electron atoms within the AO approximation. So the quantum numbers are a way to count (label) the solutions to the Schrödinger equation.

stackexchange/chemistry

Why would an infinity corrected objective lens produce an image without a tube lens? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this situation I've come across. I'm essentially recreating a homemade microscope that my understanding would suggest shouldn't work. This setup uses a 10X Olympus PLAN N objective attached to a beam splitter to provide illumination. Then, 55 mm worth of extension tubes connect to a camera (Point Grey Grasshopper3 with a 1/1.2" sensor). There is no tube lens between the infinity corrected objective and the camera sensor (other than the beam splitter). My understanding of how infinity corrected microscope systems works would seem to suggest that this shouldn't work, but a correctly oriented and seemingly undistorted image shows up on the camera. Presumably, we aren't actually realizing the actual magnification this objective is designed to provide (in fact, its about half what it should be the sensor is 8 mm tall and a ruler placed in the view shows about 1.5 mm across the short dimension of image). Can someone clarify what the light path looks like here and how we are actually able to see an image? Is it possible that the image quality is actually really poor, but we just seem to be getting results that are more than suitable for how we are using it? Are you sure it's an infinity objective and not an RMS standard 160mm one ;-) It's also possible that you don't have it focussed at exactly it's working distance. Remember the objective is just a (complex) lens. It only produces an image at infinity when the object is at a particular distance. If you put the object further away from the lens the image will be formed nearer than infinity. Just like any other lens, Objective lens is a lens, without the Tube lens also it will form an image by following the Lens equations, [Lens Equations](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geoopt/lenseq.html). It is just that if working distance of the objective lens would be changed, the camera can image at different distances. The above link gives an equation for single lens but this can be extrapolated to a multi-lens system.

stackexchange/physics

Windischmann is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: Karl Joseph Hieronymus Windischmann 17751839, German doctor, philosopher and anthropologist Mike Windischmann born 1965, American soccer player Jan Windischmann born 2000, German Apprenticeshipper at German Company ASC Technologies AG Category:German-language surnames

wikipedia

Hellgate could refer to: Hellgate: London, a 2007 computer game Hellgate 1952 film, an American Western Hellgate 1970 film, a Hong Kong film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio Hellgate 1989 film, a horror film starring Ron Palillo Hellgate 2011 film, a horror film starring Cary Elwes See also Gates of Hell disambiguation Hell Gate Hells Gate disambiguation

wikipedia

THE INSIDER written by ERIC ROTH & MICHAEL MANN 11/5/99 NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS AND SOME "OMITTED" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR THIS SOFT COPY. FADE IN: All we can see is black filling the screen... Black on black... INT. A JEEP, LEBANON - DAY And we're in a speeding SOVIET JEEP... Two men in front, shouldering assault rifles. HEZBOLLAH SOLDIERS... And there are three MEN in the back. A middle-aged Man wearing a tired suit and tinted sunglasses trying to hold on. And on either side of him, two Men, blindfolded. The man on one side is in his forties, hands pressed in the pockets of a well-travelled black-leather jacket... A stocky man, with the edge of a J.D. Salinger character, he's seen everything at least once. But even he has lost some of his self-confidence, here, turning his head, sensing the wind, a blast of Arabic music that disappears behind him... He's LOWELL BERGMAN. On the other side of the man in the tired suit is a lanky Man with a voltmeter around his neck, NORMAN. EXT. THE BEQA'A VALLEY, BAALBEK, LEBANON - DAY The Jeep races up narrow winding streets of a Lebanese village. It's shadowed by a Jeep in front, and in back, each carrying personnel armed with AK's and a few RPG's... And in the third Jeep are two blindfolded, not very threatening Lebanese soldiers. And as the speeding convoy passes a captured Israeli Armored Personnel Carrier covered with Arabic graffiti, looking down on them from huge murals are the stern visages of the Ayatollah Khomeini, and a Hezbollah religious leader, the Sheikh Fadlallah... And, suddenly the convoy skids to a stop... And blindfolded Lowell and Norman are roughly taken out, and pushed, stumbling, through the cloud of dust without sight... The lanky cameraman is stopped, told to wait, while Lowell is pushed past armed men guarding a small stone house, and inside... INT. A HOUSE IN LEBANON - DAY A round-faced Man in his mid-forties, with large-framed glasses, black hair and a grey-black beard, wearing a dullbend, a turban, sits informally at a kitchen table... It's the Sheikh Fadlallah whose face stares out at us from walls. A Gunman cradling an AK-47 sits in an incongruous purple armchair in a corner. A torn poster of the Seychelles is on one wall. Another Gunman stands by a window. Lowell is sat down in a chair at the kitchen table... THE SHEIKH Coffee? LOWELL Yeah... Thank you. THE SHEIKH How have you liked your stay? LOWELL (droll) What I've seen...I've liked. The Sheikh smiles. And the smile passes as quickly as it came. A steaming cup of coffee in a small Arabic demitasse is put down. THE SHEIKH Please to explain, why I should agree to interview...with pro-Zionist American media? LOWELL Because I think Hezbollah is trying to broaden into a political party right now. So you care about what you're thought of in America. And in America, at this moment in time, Hezbollah does not have a face. (confident) That's why. And we've first realized this man is not a hostage; he's come here voluntarily. THE SHEIKH Perhaps you prove journalism objectivity and I see the questions first. Then I decide if I grant the interview. LOWELL (blunt) No. We don't do that. (beat) You've seen "60 Minutes" and Mike Wallace. So you know our reputation for integrity and objectivity. You also know we are the highest-rated, most-respected, TV-magazine news show in America. The Sheikh quietly looks out his glasses at him, studying him. And Lowell "closes": LOWELL (cont'd) So. Mr. Wallace. Should he get on a plane or not? The Sheikh thinks it over and then... THE SHEIKH Tell him I will see him day after tomorrow. LOWELL That's good. That works. (after a beat) Uh, you know, I want to ask you something...I know it sounds odd...but... It's quiet...too quiet... LOWELL (CONT'D) Hello, Sheikh...? (no answer) Hello, Sheikh...? Silence. He hesitates, starts to lift his blindfold... He lifts it. And he sees the Sheikh, and his gunmen, are gone. The house empty. Only his Cameraman, the lanky man, left there, standing by the door still in his blindfold... LOWELL (CONT'D) Norman. NORMAN What? What? LOWELL Take your blindfold off. The lanky man does and we see the cameraman is Asian- American. LOWELL (CONT'D) (sarcastic) Welcome to the world. Norman gives Lowell an ironic look and tests the local current at an electrical outlet. NORMAN Fluctuating all over the place. Anywhere we shoot, here, it's gonna be portable gennies and we'll run cable... Lowell nods and opens the curtains from this commanding height. Baalbek and the Beqa'a Valley below gold-domed mosques. A moment of triumph. He dials his cell phone... MIKE WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER) Hello? LOWELL (into phone) Mike, it's me. We're on... AND WE HEAR PEOPLE LAUGHING AND ENCOURAGING "GO AHEAD... OPEN IT..." INT. A LABORATORY, BROWN & WILLIAMSON, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - DAY We're in a SCIENCE LABORATORY... OUT OF FOCUS LAB TECHNICIANS, in white lab coats, celebrating a heavyset Black woman's birthday... Half her presents are opened. Balloons, incongruous, floating above the lab... And there's a sense that somebody is watching... And from the waist up, a disembodied figure comes into FOCUS behind a glass partition, as if quarantined, isolated, an expressionless MAN in his late forties, watching them... INT. JEFFREY WIGAND'S OFFICE - DAY The office soundproofed, he watches the people laughing, their lips moving. His hair not yet settled on grey, his face is changing, always interesting. Born in the Bronx, educated in Upstate New York, he retains little of the accent and much of the directness. He's JEFFREY WIGAND. He turns to resume gathering things from his desk...some technical books, a medical text on asthma...putting them in his briefcase. And as he leaves the office, the silent party like a bizarre mime behind him... INT. LOBBY, BROWN & WILLIAMSON BUILDING - DAY Briefcase in hand, Jeffrey appears from the elevator from ABOVE, from WIDE and in FRONT, his eyes, frozen pools... And like a bad dream, a broad-shouldered Man, leaning against the wall near the reception island in a suit he's not comfortable in, wearing an earphone, saying something into a lapel microphone after Jeffrey's passed. INT. WIGAND'S CAR, LOUSIVILLE - DAY Light mottled through trees reflects off the car window... Jeffrey's face goes in and out of the tunnel of light and shadow...down this tasteful, suburban Louisville street of neat houses and manicured lawns... He pulls into driveway behind a 3 series BMW. It's a grey French provincial replica... INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, FOYER - DAY Jeffrey comes in and a young Girl, six, is watching television in the den...BARBARA. WIGAND Hi, honey. BARBARA Hi, Daddy. WIGAND What's new? BARBARA Ms. Laufer gave me a star today. WIGAND Yeah? What for? BARBARA For reading. He pours himself a drink at a wet bar. WIGAND That's great... Little early for cartoons, isn't it? BARBARA Okay. Dutiful, she shuts off the TV, going upstairs. BARBARA (cont'd) Deborah? Debbie? He looks outside. A Woman is sitting on the back porch drinking wine, reading a paperback book, drinking wine. There's something like a Hockney painting about her against the manicured lawns. Right now the Woman comes in. She's pretty, tall, languid, reserved, somebody it would be nice to wear on your arm. LIANE WIGAND. She has an odd delay between a thought and her speech... LIANE Oh, I didn't know you were home... It's early... Isn't it? He doesn't say anything... LIANE (CONT'D) Gotta take Debbie to ballet... And it all feels suburban, familiar. Suddenly there's a shout... BARBARA'S VOICE (OVER) Mommy! Jeffrey goes quickly up the stairs into... INT. WIGAND'S HOUSE - DEBORAH'S BEDROOM - DAY And a little girl, eight, sitting on the floor in a ballet leotard, her head back, wheezing, her neck muscles contracting and bulging, her face pale, lips white, and her eyes filled with fear as rapid, shallow breathing induces a sense of suffocation. DEBORAH WIGAND is having a severe asthmatic attack... WIGAND Sweetheart, c'mon. C'mon. BARBARA She was playing with my Pooh doll again... Jeffrey sits her on the side of her bed next to which is a Nebulizer, an air compressor to deliver medication via a tube into a circular mouthpiece. The compressor whirs. Deborah breathes in the medication. Jeffrey brushes the hair back from her face and wipes perspiration from her forehead as... WIGAND Slow down. Slow down. Slow down. Breathe deep. Breathe deep. Slow down, honey. Slow down. Slow down. Liane rushes in with rolled-up towels, kneels in front of Deborah, smiling to mask anxiety, and goes into the bathroom with the towels and turns on full blast the bathtub's hot water. We don't know why yet... Deborah's chest heaves. She's scared. Jeffrey gets in front of her and talks to her to arrest her attention. WIGAND (cont'd) Here we go. Deep breaths, deep breaths. BARBARA She was playing with the Pooh doll. WIGAND Pooh's dusty, sweetheart...he's dusty, and you breathed him in, okay? So what's - what's happening to you now is... cells called mast cells told your lungs "don't breathe any more of that dust in." (beat) ...and the airways in your lungs are like branches. And when the branches close up, you get an asthmatic attack. And, we give you medicine, and you get better. Huh? Okay? You're better already, aren't you? And the medication's taking effect and she's calmer. Liane, hands clutched in her lap, smiles at Deborah. Now she takes Deborah's hand and exchanges a look with Jeffrey. Jeffrey's a good father, a natural caregiver. WIGAND (cont'd) Okay, baby? INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - EVENING Jeffrey, Liane and the two Girls silently eating dinner, Deborah in a bathrobe. DEBORAH Can I go to dance tomorrow? I'm better... LIANE ...if you are, then I'll take Barbara to soccer and take you to dance after... WIGAND I can take her. LIANE Don't you have to be at the office? WIGAND (instead, getting up) Is there any more rice...? LIANE (nods) Yes, it's on the stove... He goes into the kitchen, to the stove, seeing... LIANE (cont'd) Do you want more rice? DEBORAH Maybe later. LIANE How about you? BARBARA I'll take some. WIGAND Instant rice...? BARBARA Can I go over to Janeane's house? LIANE I'm sorry, darling, have you seen my coffee mug...? WIGAND Try the car. And Liane going outside... EXT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE - EVENING She opens Jeffrey's car looking in the front seat at the cup holders. She turns to leave and sees the backseat filled with two boxes and the books we saw him take... LIANE Uh, what are those boxes? WIGAND I'm going to the store. You need anything? LIANE What do you need at the store? WIGAND Soy sauce... LIANE Right now? WIGAND (meaning in the car) That's my stuff from the office... LIANE Why did you take your stuff from the office? WIGAND (simply) I didn't want to leave it there... LIANE (confused) I don't understand. WIGAND (matter of fact) I got fired this morning... Where else am I gonna take it? LIANE Why? Who said? WIGAND (specifically) Thomas Sandefur... LIANE (stunned, fearful) What are we supposed to do...? What about our medical coverage; what about our health? What about our car payments? The payments on this house? He looks at her. There's an unspoken moment when it seems he's desperate for her to ask how he's feeling... But she doesn't and now there's a wall up and the moment passes... WIGAND (a beat, specific) There's a severance agreement... It includes cash payouts over time and continuing medical coverage... (beat) Sure you don't need anything? LIANE No, thank you. She's stunned. He leaves. And as Liane's completely still, her accessories seeming literally to weigh her down, she wants to ask how he is, how he must be feeling, and she turns into CAMERA towards him to do that. But he's driven off down the street. LIANE (cont'd) Jeffrey...! INT. ANOTHER HOUSE IN BAALBEK - DAY The Sheikh, wearing a fresh white robe and skull cap, comes into the room... THE SHEIKH I am very pleased to receive you as my guest, Mr. Wallace. MIKE WALLACE Thank you for having us... REVERSE: Norman's camera crew is setting up. MIKE WALLACE is there. A dangerous combination of intelligence, arrogance, and celebrity, there's a kinetic quality about him. Wallace sits across from the Sheikh on a dais of patterned linoleum in incongruous armchairs against a wallpaper mural of a French formal garden. A Sound Technician wires the Sheikh and Mike with microphones. Norman says something to Lowell and then goes out. NORMAN I think I've got a problem with the gennie. I have to go outside. LOWELL (going outside) Norman...? Mike turns his chair to face and slides it closer to the Sheikh's chair. The Head Bodyguard barks something in Arabic. The Interpreter says something back in Arabic. The Sheikh, absorbed in his notes for the upcoming interview, ignores all of this. INTERPRETER He says you must not sit so close. MIKE WALLACE What? (re: Bodyguard) I can't conduct an interview from back there. The Bodyguard, bristling at Wallace's tone, barks more confrontational Arabic. INTERPRETER You must move back your chair. MIKE WALLACE Will you tell him that when I conduct an interview, I sit anywhere I damn please! INTERPRETER There is no interview. As Mike leaps forward, moving inches from the Bodyguard's face with such sudden ferocity, even the Bodyguard flinches. MIKE WALLACE You! I'm talking to you! More armed men start to enter. MIKE WALLACE (cont'd) What the hell do you think I am? A 78- year-old assassin? You think I'm gonna karate him to death with this notepad? (to Interpreter) Are you interpreting what I'm saying? INTERPRETER Yes. LOWELL We're there. MIKE WALLACE Good, well ask him if Arabic is his second language. LOWELL (to Interpreter) Don't interpret that! (to both) Hold it. Hold it. Hold it! Slow, slow!! (to the Sheikh) Sheikh, do you mind...if you would just turn your chair a little bit to face Mr. Wallace? The Sheikh looks up from his notes, nods, fixes his chair, goes back to his notes... LOWELL (cont'd) Is that okay? INTERPRETER Okay. LOWELL (Bodyguard assents; to Mike) Are you ready? Or you want to keep fucking around and warm up some more...? MIKE WALLACE No. (wry) ...that's got my heart started. They know each other well. Lowell smiles. Wallace sits down. LOWELL Alright, Todd, give me the three-button on Mike, please. Okay. We are rolling. Okay, Mike. They roll camera... "60 Minutes"... "Hezbollah"... MIKE WALLACE (charming) Sheikh Fadlallah, thank you so much for seeing us. (changes) Are you a terrorist? The Sheikh didn't expect the Mike Wallace opening shot between the eyes. He recovers... THE SHEIKH Mr. Wallace, I...am a servant of God. That expression of incredulity... MIKE WALLACE A servant of God? Really... Mike, tipping his glasses down while the hostile Gunmen, cradling weapons, watch him through the doorway... MIKE WALLACE (CONT'D) Americans believe that you, as an Islamic fundamentalist, that you are a leader who contributed to the bombing of the U.S. Embassy. The ballsiness of Wallace, asking these questions in this place, is impressive... EXT. BERKELEY - LATE MORNING It's still. A MAIL TRUCK is stopped at an odd angle in the street outside an older brick house with a bold redwood Big Sur-like fence on a hillside. Beyond the truck is a forever view of the Bay. A handle turns. Mail truck door opens. Mailman, carrying a box, going through the gate. Doorstep. Box is deposited there. It's quiet again. The BOX sitting nakedly by the front door... INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BEDROOM, BERKELEY - LATE MORNING Lowell, in sweat pants and an old tee shirt now, is on the telephone, still in bed... Newspapers, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, are spread all over...home as refuge. A tray with large cups of coffee is on a side table. LOWELL ...everyone thinks Canadian Mounties ride horses and rescue ladies from rapids, Mike. They backed locals in Oka in a fight with Mohawks over building a golf course on their burial site. They beat up protesters at Kanasake... (pause) Where'd you hear that? The other phone on a nightstand rings... A Woman in her forties, SHARON TILLER, enters, in a bathrobe, brushing her teeth. She answers it... LOWELL (cont'd) (droll) Oh, someone took a poll? "Are all things Canadian boring...?" SHARON (to Lowell) It's Stuart...he's in Mexico City... LOWELL Let me call you back... He takes up the line...listening... LOWELL (CONT'D) Yeah, Stuart... What New York bank? A young Man in his early twenties wanders in... JAKE Hey Dad...Sharon... Lowell waves at JAKE, his son. SHARON (to Jake) No classes this morning? LOWELL Will he go on-camera and talk about the Mexico City branch? JAKE I don't have to be there until ten- thirty. Lowell's son sits on the bed looking at part of a newspaper. And another young Man, in his early twenties, with long hair comes strolling in, Sharon's son, JOSIAH. JOSIAH Hi Mom, Lowell... Lowell, still on the phone, waves to him. SHARON Hi, sweetheart... Josiah sits on the bed too, reading the back of the sports section Jake is reading... Another line rings, Sharon getting it. The Boys, used to them, get up, and leave... LOWELL (into phone) Will independent sources corroborate that? SHARON Hello? Yeah... EXT. THE BERKELEY HOUSE - MORNING The Boys coming out of the house together... And seeing the BOX by the door... LOWELL'S SON (shouts back inside) Dad, you got a box out here... And they go out the gate, talking, walking off along the Berkeley street. The box left waiting by the door. LOWELL (looking at her itinerary) Let me see this... No, 'cause I gotta know where you're going at all times. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BEDROOM, BERKELEY - MORNING SHARON (into phone) I can't... I've got to fly to Boston tomorrow. Lowell comes with the box back to bed. He's already unwrapped it. Inside are stacks of papers... He looks at the box cover. No return address. An anonymous sender; not unusual for him. He casually looks through the papers. SHARON (CONT'D) Two p.m. Great. Bye-bye. (hangs up) LOWELL (reading) ..."ignition propensity?" (to Sharon) ...you understand any of this...? He gives her some papers. We see formulas...scientific data in tables... SHARON ...no...this looks like a table of temperatures... Who's this from? LOWELL (shrugs) ...it's anonymous. References to "P.M." (motions) It's got to be Philip Morris, huh? SHARON I have to take a shower. As he looks at the papers, Sharon goes into the bathroom... INT. THE FEDERAL DRUG ADMINISTRATION AGENCY, CAFETERIA, WASHINGTON - DAY We see a MAN in his forties, eating a late lunch, getting paged in a crowded cafeteria. An old 1930's WPA mural on the wall... His pager goes off... Doug Oliver walks across the cafeteria to a bank of pay phones and dials. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, DEN - BERKELEY - MORNING The phone rings. Lowell picks it up... LOWELL Yeah. DOUG OLIVER (into phone) Hi, this is Doug Oliver... LOWELL Oh, hi, Doug...it's Lowell. I'm doing this story on fire safety... People burning up from falling asleep smoking. I received a shitload of scientific papers from inside Philip Morris... Anonymous. You or anybody in FDA know someone who can translate this stuff into English for me? DOUG OLIVER (beat) ...uh, yeah... EXT. A BERKELEY CAFE - CLOSE: PAY PHONE There's the sound of a phone ringing. PULL BACK to reveal Lowell outside a cafe with dry cleaning he collected over one shoulder. A LITTLE GIRL'S VOICE OVER (Deborah's) answers. "Hello." LOWELL Mr. Wigand, please. There's a whisper..."Someone's calling for Daddy, Mom." Behind Lowell is a humming Berkeley street. He gestures familiarly to a Server, who brings out his two take-out cappuccinos. Lowell nods his thanks, pays... LOWELL (cont'd) Thank you, Bob. LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) Who's calling? LOWELL My name's Lowell Bergman... I'm -- LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) Did you say Berman? LOWELL No, Bergman...B.E.R.G.M.A.N.... I'm a producer with "60 Minutes"... LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) "60 Minutes"? LOWELL Yeah. LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) "60 Minutes," the television show? LOWELL Yes. Lowell waits for some moments, and... INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - DAY LIANE (on phone) He doesn't want to talk to you. EXT./INT. BERKELEY CAFE - DAY LOWELL How does he know he doesn't want to talk to me? He doesn't know what I'm calling him about... LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) He doesn't care to know. And she hangs up. Lowell's motionless... And his interest piqued, he sets down his cleaning. He calls back... The phone rings and rings... A MACHINE picks it up... Jeffrey Wigand's Voice: "This is the Wigands'... If you'd like to leave a message or send a fax, start now..." INT. THE WIGAND HOUSE, JEFFREY'S OFFICE, LOUISVILLE - DAY And we see Jeffrey Wigand, sitting at his desk in his office, working on his computer, hearing Lowell... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (on the machine) This is Lowell Bergman with "60 Minutes"... I'm doing a story on fire safety and cigarettes... I have scientific documents from a tobacco company, and I could use your help as a consultant explaining these documents to me... My number is area code 510-555- 0199... I'll be there, at this number, in 10 minutes. He hangs up. Jeffrey doesn't react, quietly working on his computer. INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, BERKELEY - DAY Lowell's restless, waiting... And not getting a call back, he tries another tact. He writes a FAX, "Please call me at..." He writes his number down. He sends the Fax. He's still. It's quiet. And not getting an answer he gets up, starting to leave the room. And suddenly the fax machine RINGS... He turns. He reads a message emerging from the machine..."I can't talk to you..." He's quiet. He writes on a piece of paper..."Can't talk to me?" "Won't talk to me?" "Don't want to talk to me...?" As he faxes it back... INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, OFFICE, LOUISVILLE - DAY Wigand reading the return fax from Lowell... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, BERKELEY - DAY Lowell, waiting... The fax machine rings again... He reads Jeffrey's answer. "Can't." "Won't." "Don't want to..." He's quiet, more than just interested, now. There's something beyond intriguing here. He turns. He looks through a stack of phone books for something...a nationwide 800 directory. He looks through it and dials Wigand's phone number again... LOWELL If you're curious to meet me... INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE, OFFICE, LOUISVILLE - DAY Wigand working on his computer... Lowell's VOICE on his answering machine... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (on machine) ...I'm gonna be in the lobby of the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, reading The New York Times, tomorrow, at five o'clock... Lowell clicks off. And as Wigand sits at his computer, giving no indication what he might do... INT. THE SEELBACH HOTEL LOBBY, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - EARLY EVENING An old hotel with faded carpets. Lowell in the lobby reading a New York Times, waiting... And instead of looking up every time somebody passes, he looks down at people's shoes. A pair of black wing tips walking by... A woman's high heels... A pair of men's tasseled loafers. A lace-up brown. A pair of tennis shoes. A cordovan wing tip. The pair of tasseled loafers walking by again... And Lowell looks up... And the Man in the tasseled loafers, turns away... It's Jeffrey Wigand in a suit and a tie with a Fortune 500, corporate-executive bearing... Lowell crosses to the elevators. Wigand looks around the lobby and follows Lowell in, and as the doors close... INT. A HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - EARLY EVENING LOWELL (OVER) Have you always lived in Louisville? Brilliant late afternoon sunlight. We PULL BACK to see Jeffrey, standing by a window, silently looking outside to the left... Lowell, cool, waiting, hands in his pockets, in the middle of the large room... WIGAND Mr. Bergman? What did you want me to consult about? A sudden KNOCK on the door... WIGAND (CONT'D) (turns, suspicious) Who's that? LOWELL (wry) That's room service. They usually knock first. (calls) Come on in... Over here, please. Room Service brings in a tray with coffee. As Lowell signs the bill, the Room Service Waiter waiting, looks at Wigand... Their eyes meet... The Waiter looks away. LOWELL (cont'd) Thank you. And the Waiter leaves... LOWELL (CONT'D) (pouring) How do you like your coffee? Black? WIGAND Black, black... Lowell gives him his cup of coffee. WIGAND (CONT'D) Look, I really don't have that much time... LOWELL (nods) Is there anything you want to know about me, Mr. Wigand...? WIGAND Like what? Your sign? Lowell smiles. WIGAND (CONT'D) I know what I have to know. LOWELL Just so I know you know, when I talk to people in confidence, it stays that way. WIGAND (abruptly) How did a radical journalist from Ramparts Magazine end up at CBS? Lowell looks at him, he does his homework... LOWELL I still do the tough stories. "60 Minutes" reaches a lot of people. Wigand's quiet, measuring him. WIGAND (after a beat) Let me see the documents... Lowell gives him the box of papers... Wigand sits down, the box on his lap, quietly looking through them...flips to a different heading, consults a chart... WIGAND (CONT'D) ...this is a Fire-Safety Product Study for Philip Morris. Burn rates...ignition propensity...things of this nature. (after a beat) I could very easily explain this to you in layman's terms, because it's from another company... He puts the papers down... WIGAND (cont'd) ...but that's as far as I go... LOWELL Far as you go where? WIGAND (a beat) This issue is a drop in the bucket. I can talk to you about what's in here. But I can't talk to you about anything else. And Lowell knows something else is going on here... WIGAND (CONT'D) (meaning Philip Morris documents) I signed a confidentiality agreement. I honor agreements... A lot more is going on here... Lowell nods, a good reporter... WIGAND (CONT'D) Doesn't CBS have confidentiality agreements, Mr. Bergman? LOWELL Between journalists and management, yes, I believe they do...but I don't take that seriously. (after a beat) Where do you work? WIGAND Did work. LOWELL (fast) Did work. WIGAND (the bottom line) How much would I get paid? LOWELL That, you have to discuss with CBS Business Affairs. But, for something like this, I would say anywhere between 10, 12 thousand. Wigand nods "Okay." WIGAND Should I just take the documents now? LOWELL If you want to do it. He turns to leave... Lowell gets the door for him... Wigand momentarily slows... WIGAND I worked as the head of Research and Development for Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company. I was a Corporate Vice President. Mr. Bergman... And he goes out the door... Lowell's still. Wigand's job title resonates. Lowell turns to the window, casually looking into the early evening...and he comes face to face with what Wigand was staring at, The Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company Headquarters Building, lit up right across the street... INT. CBS, A SCREENING ROOM - DAY MIKE WALLACE (on screen) "President Assad of Syria said that difficult obstacles remain but that his country, quote, 'looks forward to a great, long peace with Israel.'" TAIL LEADER. THEN BLACK. Suddenly lights come on. Executive Producer DON HEWITT is suddenly on his feet. A veritable dervish, in constant motion... DON HEWITT (kissing Mike) It's a Peabody, Mike. When you're dead and buried, Hezbollah is the one they're gonna remember you for... Mike, used to him, ignores him, getting up, turning to leave, Hewitt on his tail...while... LOWELL (to his Editor) ...come in earlier on Mike's Marine barracks line when he's talking to Sheikh Mussawi... MIKE WALLACE You eating with us? LOWELL Yeah. MIKE WALLACE Bring a tie so they'll let us in the front door... And Lowell gestures for an olive-skinned Woman in her late thirties, Lowell's assistant, DEBBIE DELUCA, to join them. The eye contact on the way out says there's something important he needs to tell her... EXT. CBS - DAY There's a blast of NOISE. The City. Lowell, Wallace, Hewitt, Debbie, enter from the CBS lobby, moving through the reflections. Lowell is about to say something to Debbie, but BILL FELLING, Evening News' Assignment Editor, coming the other way... LOWELL Debbie... FELLING Hey, Lowell. Midstream, fast: LOWELL Oh, Bill... Main Justice is investigating a major New York bank. Laundering narco dollars out of their Mexico City branch. You want it for the Evening News? FELLING What about you, you got a crew already? LOWELL I'm gonna do a follow-up. FELLING Okay. (leaves) LOWELL Catch ya' later. EXT. 53RD STREET, NEW YORK - DAY Lowell, crossing... LOWELL Debbie... And, now, as they cross Madison... LOWELL (CONT'D) (to Debbie; finally) I want you to get legal onto CORPORATE CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS. Boundaries of their constraint. Kentucky state law about. I want you to drop everything. DEBBIE DELUCA (cuts in) Okay. Hewitt stops to buy a newspaper. He doesn't have change, Debbie does. EXT. 55TH STREET (WESTBOUND), NEW YORK - DAY And Mike, Lowell and Don bang into Michael's restaurant. We SEE them through the glass, being greeted, people shaking their hands, escorted by the maitre d' to their table as... INT. THE BROWN & WILLIAMSON BUILDING, MAIN LOBBY, LOUISVILLE - DAY Meanwhile, it's static. Still, frozen. Jeffrey sits in the RECEPTION AREA of The Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company headquarters. Complimentary cigarettes are arranged on tables. A dark quiet. The hush of big business. Standing in the background by a wall next to the banks of elevators, is an ever-present Man, another one, with an earphone and lapel microphone... UNIFORMED SECURITY (to Wigand) Mr. Wigand, you can go up now... He gets up, crossing to an elevator. INT. THOMAS SANDEFUR'S OFFICE, BROWN & WILLIAMSON - DAY THOMAS SANDEFUR (re: his distraction) Sorry. I'm accepting an award from the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation. It's going to kill the rest of my day. THOMAS SANDEFUR is absorbed in spreadsheets of regional sales figures. Dark pouches are under his eyes. He doesn't look up. He doesn't look healthy. We're in a luxurious office with a view of Louisville. Jeffrey is waiting in a chair. Sandefur is Brown & Williamson's CEO. Two LAWYERS, their briefcases, like weapons, close at hand, sit on a couch. Their jackets are off. They wear expensive shirts. THOMAS SANDEFUR (cont'd) (finishing; looking up at Jeffrey) So. You had a chance to play golf? Surprisingly affable, Sandefur prides himself on his salesman's sunny manners. He has a mellifluous Georgia accent... THOMAS SANDEFUR (CONT'D) (to the Lawyers) Jeff's a premiere golfer... What are you, a two handicap? WIGAND (precise) Seven... THOMAS SANDEFUR (to lawyer) And, he gets out there and he has five strokes on us. He has more concentration than anybody I've ever met. It's spooky how he can concentrate. WIGAND I'd rather play than talk about it. (beat) What did you want to see me about? I don't like being back here. Sandefur smiles, used to him. THOMAS SANDEFUR Jeffrey says exactly what's on his mind. Most people consider what they're saying...social skills... Jeffrey just charges right ahead. (smiles, after a beat) Now, I know you understood the nature of the confidentiality portion of your severance agreement with Brown & Williamson, Jeff... WIGAND Chapter and verse. THOMAS SANDEFUR (nods) Yeah, I know you do... (beat) You know, I came up through sales. One of the reasons I was a great salesman, was I never made a promise I couldn't keep. (beat) I knew that if I ever broke my promise I'd suffer the consequence... And there's a warning behind it... WIGAND (contained) Is that a threat? THOMAS SANDEFUR ...we worked together for, what was it, three years...? Now, the work we did here is confidential, not for public scrutiny...any more than are one's family matters... WIGAND (quietly) You threatening my family, now, too? THOMAS SANDEFUR Now, don't be paranoid, Jeff. (a beat) About the direction of research here, we may have had our differences of opinion... WIGAND "Research..." (smile + scorn) You declare, as a badge of honor, you don't even know what makes water boil... THOMAS SANDEFUR That's why we hire scientists... WIGAND (interrupts, direct) Okay. (a beat, honest) I don't believe you can maintain corporate integrity without confidentiality agreements. I was paid well for my work. The health and welfare benefits are good. The severance package is fair. I have no intention of violating my confidentiality agreement and disclosing that which I said I wouldn't. THOMAS SANDEFUR I appreciate all that, Jeff. But, upon reflection...we've decided to expand our zone of comfort with you. And there's a seriousness that weighs heavily on the room... THOMAS SANDEFUR (CONT'D) So we've drafted a supplement to your agreement...it broadly defines and expands in more detail what is "confidential." Nobody will be able to say, "Well, hell's bells, Margaret, I didn't know that was a secret..." (beat) We're very serious about protecting our interests. (a beat) We'd like you to sign it. And he's acutely aware of the threat behind it... WIGAND (a beat) And if I don't? A LAWYER (speaking for Sandefur) If we "arrive" at the conclusion you're acting in bad faith? We would terminate, right now, payouts under your severance package. You and your family's medical benefits. And initiate litigation against you, Mr. Wigand. WIGAND Dr. Wigand. A LAWYER (a beat) Dr. Wigand...after you've examined the document, you will see it is in your own best interest and you'll sign it. Jeffrey slowly turns to face the attorney. And we see on his face the true nature of this man. WIGAND So, what you are saying is: it isn't enough that you fired me. For no good reason! Now you question my integrity? On top of the humiliation of being fired? You threaten me?! You threaten my family?! (beat) It never crossed my mind not to honor my agreement... (turning, to Sandefur) But I will tell you, Mr. Sandefur, and Brown & Williamson, too... Fuck me? (a beat) Well, fuck you!! And with that he gets up, and leaves... And it's quiet... A LAWYER I'm not sure he got the message... THOMAS SANDEFUR (with total confidence) Oh, I think he did. EXT. A PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE - DAY Wigand picks up the phone and dials. INT. THE NEW YORK RESTAURANT - DAY They've finished lunch. Wallace and Hewitt are turned to talk to Sam Cohn and an older writer as suddenly Lowell's cell phone rings. LOWELL (answering) Yeah... WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) ...you fucked me! LOWELL Who is this? EXT. A PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE - DAY WIGAND (crazed) ...protect your sources...! You screwed me! You sold me out! INT. THE NEW YORK RESTAURANT - DAY LOWELL What are you talking about? Where are you? EXT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE - DAY WIGAND Fuck you, too! And he slams down the phone. INT. THE RESTAURANT, NEW YORK - DAY Lowell, holding the dead phone in his hand... EXT. A GOLF DRIVING RANGE, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT We see a brightly lit, golf driving range, empty, the wet grass under the lights vibrant, emerald green... A caged cart, with one big yellow headlight, like some kind of strange insect, drives across the range, picking up golf balls. And we see Jeffrey hitting golf balls, driving one after another, after another... His swing is powerful, angry, a lone golfer, trying to chill out. He pauses, spent. Settling down, he exhales. Then, he looks down the way... And he slows... He sees in the far distance, spot-lit, one other lone golfer, a Stocky Man, incongruously in a suit and tie, watching him... And the Man in the suit right then, with great power and a tremendous follow through drives a golf ball... The ball slamming into the steel net. And the lights SUDDENLY go out. The range closing for the night. The "insect" comes to a stop. And it's quiet, dark. Jeffrey gathers up his clubs. He crosses, his golf shoes, the metal cleats, clicking on the pavement, toward the PARKING LOT. And there's the sound of the clicking of golf shoes behind him. He turns. And the stocky Man in the suit, carrying a golf bag walking some distance behind him, staring at him. Jeffrey comes to the parking lot. It's empty. Just Jeffrey's car, and despite all the empty spaces, another car, purposely or otherwise, parked right next to his. He crosses to his car, getting in... INT. WIGAND'S CAR - NIGHT He drops the three clubs in the rear seat and settles behind the wheel. He turns. And he sees the Man in the suit has gotten in the car next to his. They look at each other. The Man, in no hurry, lights a cigarette, relaxes. It's malevolent as hell. And Jeffrey, suddenly, grabbing a golf club, jumps out of his car... EXT. THE PARKING LOT, DRIVING RANGE, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT Golf club in hand at the driver side window... WIGAND (motioning with the club, threatening) Stay away from me! You stay away from me! The Man starts his car, and drives off nonplussed. It's still. And as Jeffrey with the golf club stands in the empty parking lot, not knowing what's threatening him, something real, something imaginary... EXT. THE WIGAND HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - WIDE SHOT: WIGANDS' HOUSE - EARLY MORNING A violent rain's falling. And we see Jeffrey coming out of the house holding an umbrella over his little Girls. They start towards the car. There's the sound of a car door shutting. Liane, carrying lunch boxes, comes after them... LIANE Jeffrey, you forgot their lunches -- She slows, seeing someone. Jeffrey turns: it's Lowell. He's surprised. LOWELL Mrs. Wigand, how do you do? WIGAND (to the girls, protectively) Jump in, quick, c'mon... LOWELL I'm Lowell Bergman. We spoke on the phone, remember? The Girls climb in the car. Lowell crosses behind the Audi around the far side. LOWELL (CONT'D) C'mere. I want to talk to you. WIGAND Good. I want to talk to you. Jeff closes the door on his daughters and joins Lowell around the far side of the car. WIGAND (CONT'D) (confronting him) What do... LOWELL (running over) I did not burn you. I did not give you up to anyone! WIGAND (continuing) This is my house... In front of my wife, my kids?! What business do we have? LOWELL To straighten something out with you. Right here. Right now. WIGAND So, you didn't mention my name? You haven't talked to anybody about me? LOWELL Why am I gonna mention your name? WIGAND How did Brown & Williamson know I spoke to you...? LOWELL How the hell do I know about Brown & Williamson? WIGAND It happened after I talked to you. I do not like coincidences! LOWELL And I don't like paranoid accusations! I'm a journalist. Think. Use your head. How do I operate as a journalist by screwing the people who could provide me with information before they provided me with it? WIGAND (skeptical) You came all the way down here to tell me that? LOWELL No. I did not. Big Tobacco is a big story. And you got something important to say. I can tell. (a beat, personal) But, yes. I did. I came all the way down here to tell you: story, no story, fuck your story, I don't burn people. It starts to rain harder. They look at each other. Jeffrey, without saying a word, gets in the Car. He backs out. Lowell, left standing in the driveway with Liane in the rain. Liane goes back into the house. And Lowell starts back across the street to his car. There's a sound. He turns. Jeffrey's car, having gone around the corner, has come back and stopped in the street. WIGAND (after a beat) Ride with me while I take the girls to school... Lowell hesitates, then gets into the car in the back seat. INT. WIGAND'S CAR - MORNING They drive away. Lowell, incongruously sitting in the back seat with Barbara. Jeffrey and Deborah in the front seat. And it's quiet, just the sound of the wipers on the window. And as Lowell rides with them... EXT. A RIVERSIDE PARKING LOT IN LOUISVILLE - WIDE REAR SHOT - MORNING We see the Car's parked in a weed-strewn empty lot. Rain, pounding on it and the surface of the river beyond... WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) ...and my little girl has acute asthma... Deborah. My eldest daughter. INT. WIGAND'S CAR, LOUISVILLE - REAR TWO SHOT - MORNING The Girls are gone. We enter mid-scene. Lowell's still in the back seat... WIGAND (CONT'D) And, I'm unemployed. So I have to protect my medical coverage. (the bottom line; turning to look at Lowell in the rear seat) ...so I left them a message this morning. Their expanded confidentiality agreement? I will sign it. LOWELL They're afraid of you, aren't they? WIGAND They should be. The sound of the rain... LOWELL (after a beat, trying to make it easier for him) Talk to me outside the zone of your agreement? WIGAND (guarded) Like what? LOWELL Like where'd you work before Brown & Williamson? WIGAND (a beat) Johnson & Johnson. Union Carbide in Japan. I was general manager and director of new products. I speak Japanese. I was a director of corporate development at Pfizer. All health- related. (wry) What else? Outside the "zone"...? LOWELL I don't know...you think the Knicks are gonna make it through the semi-finals? Wigand smiles...as their eyes meet in the rear view mirror. A subtle connection... It passes... DISSOLVE TO: INT. WIGAND'S CAR - WIDE FRONTAL - DAY Jeff's car in the field, the giant Colgate-Palmolive clock behind. The rain stopped. Steam rises from the weed strewn empty lot. Lowell's in the front seat. And we get the feeling they've been talking for hours... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Just give me an example... WIGAND For example. James Burke, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson...when he found out that some lunatic had put poison in Tylenol bottles, he didn't argue with the FDA... He didn't even wait for the FDA to tell him. He just pulled Tylenol off every shelf of every store right across America. Instantly. And then he developed the safety cap... Because, look, as a CEO, sure, he's gotta be a great businessman, right? But he's also a man of science. He's not going to allow his company...to put on the shelf...a product that might hurt people. (sarcastic) Not like the Seven Dwarfs... LOWELL Seven dwarfs? WIGAND The seven CEOs of Big Tobacco...they got up in front of Congress that time...it was on television... LOWELL ...and swore under oath that they know nothing about addiction, disease... WIGAND It was on C-SPAN. Yeah. LOWELL Okay, so, here you are...you go to work for tobacco. (after beat) You come from corporate cultures where research, really, creative thinking, these are core values. You go to tobacco... Tobacco is a sales culture. Market and sell enormous volume. Go to a lot of golf tournaments. The hell with everything else. (beat) What are you doing? Why are you working for "tobacco" in the first place? WIGAND (deadly honest) I can't talk about it. The work I was supposed to do...might have had some positive effect. I don't know...it could have been beneficial. (bitterness there) Mostly, I got paid a lot. I took the money. My wife was happy. My kids had good medical. Good schools. Got a great house. (simply) I mean, what the hell is wrong with that...? He looks at Lowell, as if needing validation... LOWELL Nothing's wrong with that. That's it; you're making money...you're providing for your family? What could be wrong with that? It's quiet. After some moments... WIGAND I've always thought of myself...as a man of science. That's what's wrong with it. LOWELL Then...you're in a state of conflict, Jeff. Jeffrey doesn't say anything. LOWELL (CONT'D) Because, look, here's how it lays out: if you got vital, insider stuff the American people for their welfare really do need to know...and you feel impelled to disclose it and violate your agreement in doing so, that's one thing. On the other hand, if you want to honor this agreement, then that's simple. You do so. You say nothing. You do nothing. There's only one guy who can figure that out for you. And that's you. All by yourself. Lowell's evenhanded...is it too evenhanded? As Wigand contemplates the edge he's standing on, they're quiet. Then Wigand sees the time... WIGAND I've got to go pick up the girls. They only had half a day... Lowell nods. Jeffrey starts the car. The windshield wipers screech on a dry window. Their eyes meet. As they drive off...we HOLD on the Colgate-Palmolive Clock. INT. A KITCHEN AREA, CBS OFFICES, NEW YORK - DAY We've entered mid-scene... A monitor on a cart plays a 1/2- inch VCR of a C-SPAN broadcast. Seven CEOs of Big Tobacco... in front of a bas relief of the American eagle. Each in turn swears nicotine is not addictive or he doesn't know anything about health risks, they're not sure, maybe, maybe not, etc.... LOWELL (OVER) He referred to this...the Seven Dwarfs... MIKE WALLACE (OVER) What "Seven Dwarfs?" LOWELL (OVER) The seven CEOs of Big Tobacco... Referred to this... Said they should be afraid of him... I assume, afraid of what he could reveal. (to Staff Lawyers) Now, you tell me. What does this guy have to say that threatens these people? And, now, we see Lowell, Mike Wallace and Debbie DeLuca with two staff Lawyers, MARK STERN and JOHN HARRIS, sitting around a workstation used as an improvised eating area. Beyond them are the "60 MINUTES" offices, workstations, piles of material, television monitors hanging from the ceiling, all tuned to CBS programming... MIKE WALLACE Well, it isn't "cigarettes are bad for you"... LOWELL Hardly new news. MIKE WALLACE No shit. LOWELL What's this? MARK STERN (re: video) What that is is tobacco's standard defense. It's the "we don't know" litany: "Addiction? We believe not. Disease? We don't know. We take a bunch of leaves, roll 'em together. You smoke 'em. After that? You're on your own. We don't know." (beat) So...tells me nothing. (beat) Besides, you'll never get what he's got. LOWELL Why not? JOHN HARRIS Because of this guy's confidentiality agreement, he is never gonna be able to talk to you. LOWELL That's not good enough. This guy is the top scientist in the number three tobacco company in America. He's a corporate officer. You never get whistle-blowers from Fortune 500 companies. This guy is the ultimate insider. He's got something to say; he wants to say it; I want it on "60 Minutes." JOHN HARRIS Doesn't matter what he wants. MIKE WALLACE Am I missing something here? JOHN HARRIS What do you mean, Mike? MIKE WALLACE He's got a corporate secrecy agreement? Give me a break. This is a public-health issue, like an unsafe airframe on a passenger jet or...some company dumping cyanide into the East River. Issues like that? He can talk, we can air it. They've got no right to hide behind a corporate agreement. (re: his coffee) Pass the milk... JOHN HARRIS (does) They don't need the right. They've got the money. MARK STERN The unlimited checkbook. That's how Big Tobacco wins every time. On everything. They spend you to death. $600 million a year in outside legal. Chadbourne-Parke. Ken Starr's firm, Kirkland and Ellis. Listen. GM and Ford, they get nailed after 11 or 12 pick-ups blow up. Right? These clowns have never...I mean ever... JOHN HARRIS Not even once... MARK STERN ...not even with hundreds of thousands dying each year from an illness related to their product...have ever lost a personal-injury lawsuit. On this case, they'll issue gag orders, sue for breach, anticipatory breach, enjoin him, you, us, his pet dog, the dog's veterinarian... Tie him up in litigation for ten of fifteen years. I'm telling you, they bat a thousand. Every time. He knows that. That's why he's not gonna talk to you... Lowell's been quiet, thinking about something else... Now... LOWELL Okay, let's look through the looking glass the other way... MIKE WALLACE What do you mean? LOWELL We got a guy...who wants to talk but he's constrained. (beat) What if he were "compelled"? MIKE WALLACE (eating) Oh, torture? Great ratings. MARK STERN What do you mean compelled? LOWELL (seriously) I mean compelled by a Justice Department, state courts, be a witness. That would cut through any confidentiality agreement, wouldn't it? MARK STERN Yeah... DEBBIE DELUCA What does that do? LOWELL What do you mean, what's it do? DEBBIE DELUCA What I mean is, like, how does it cut through the confidentiality agreement? LOWELL Because he has to reveal it in a court of law. It's on record, it's out. It's no secret anymore. So how can they restrain his speech or retaliate? It's out in the world... MARK STERN (nods) If you could engineer it into the court record, you might have something. They would have a helluva time trying to restrain his speech then, wouldn't they? Pause. JOHN HARRIS (still skeptical) Yeah, but what venue? And where does he get - does he have killer attorneys? LOWELL I don't think he's got any attorneys. MARK STERN He's gonna need attorneys who aren't afraid of risking years of litigation. And millions of dollars of their own dough in legal costs... LOWELL What do you say, Mike? What do you think? MIKE WALLACE (pause) Even if he gets the defense team, will he go for it? INT. A HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA, LOUISVILLE - DAY MRS. WATSON ...you're awfully overqualified, Dr. Wigand. The aftermath of a high school lunch. Tables, covered with litter, as far as the eye can see. And we see Jeffrey sitting with a formidable Black Woman in her mid-fifties, the High School Principal, CYNTHIA WATSON, drinking cups of coffee... WIGAND (after a beat, awkward) I'm trying to...start a new career... I believe I could be a good teacher... She's quiet. She senses this applicant has a lot on his mind. MRS. WATSON Let me give it some thought... WIGAND (selling) ...and not a lot of companies in the health-care field hire ex-tobacco scientists. She nods, studying him. They get up. INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - DAY The house is nearly empty. Liane, arms folded across her chest, is quietly standing in the empty living room. Jeffrey comes down the stairs... WIGAND That's it... And it's quiet. And Liane holds herself, overcome... LIANE (beat) That's where our babies were born... Debbie took her first steps, right there...in the grass. And they're quiet. LIANE (CONT'D) I didn't plan on this... Liane looks at him, afraid. And as he moves to hold her. WIGAND Hey, hey, hey, c'mon. C'mon. We can make this work for us. Okay? It's just...it's a smaller scale. Simpler...easier...more time. More time together. More time with the kids. More time for us, okay? It's just... Can you imagine me coming home from some job feeling good at the end of the day? This is gonna be better. This is gonna be better. And instead of this downturn turning them against each other, it brings them closer together. And as they stand in the empty house... INT. THE WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE - DAY We see unpacked boxes in the small 1970's kitchen. Country- western music is playing on a radio. And we see Liane busily putting things away in a cabinet. And, then, stops and looks out the window. She tightens a knob on a cabinet. There's a moment of domestic peace for her as she sees... EXT. THE WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE, THE BACKYARD - DAY Jeffrey with the Girls in a part of the backyard, kneeling in the dirt, planting a vegetable garden, putting in some small tomato trellises. We see the house, now. It's a small, one story. Deborah sees her mom and waves. It's an image from the 1950's post-war boom. Liane waves back from behind the pane of glass... INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE #2, BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT Jeffrey's asleep on his side next to Liane, her back to him. His arm is draped over her, protectively. There's a sound. He turns. And he sees Barbara in her nightgown, standing in the doorway... WIGAND Hey, baby. What's wrong? BARBARA (terrified, whispers) What's that outside, Daddy? WIGAND Did you see somebody or did you hear them? BARBARA I heard them. WIGAND Where? BARBARA In the backyard. Fast, soundlessly, he's out of bed into old moccasins and trousers... INT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, BASEMENT - LATE NIGHT Jeffrey goes into a corner of the basement, around the corner from the furnace, where his "office" is now. Unpacked boxes are on the floor. He fumbles with the combination lock on a small gun safe, lifts the lid, taking out a hand gun. Barbara followed him. WIGAND Sit at Daddy's desk, okay? Why don't you just sit up at the desk. Get out some paper and draw me a picture, okay? What are you gonna draw me, baby? An animal, something like that? You stay down here until Daddy gets back...alright, Barbara? You stay down here. He keeps it hidden from Barbara. He goes up the stairs. EXT. WIGANDS' HOUSE #2, BACKYARD - LATE NIGHT It's still. He steps further out onto the lawn with its dark shrubs and small tree in the corner. INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE #2, BASEMENT - LATE NIGHT Meanwhile, Barbara in the basement, starts as the water heater comes on, scaring her. She goes up the stairs to follow after her father... EXT. WIGANDS' HOUSE #2, BACKYARD - LATE NIGHT Meanwhile, Jeffrey has crossed towards the darker back corners. Sudden rustling. He spins, gun ready. And the yellow eyes of a RACCOON stare at him. WIGAND (to himself) You almost got your damn head blown off... The raccoon defiantly bares its teeth. Jeffrey starts to go...but he sees something and stops... Meanwhile, Barbara has come to the sliding glass door... Jeffrey sees one of the tomato trellises is crushed, stepped on...and in the vegetable garden's earth, are distinct, fresh, deep FOOTPRINTS... BARBARA'S VOICE (OVER) Daddy... Wigand steps between her and the garden, hiding it... EXTREMELY CLOSE ON JEFFREY, as he covers, trying to keep from his daughter the invasion, trying to control his emotions... WIGAND (reassuring her) It's just a raccoon, baby...nothing. He crosses to her, putting his arm, around her, walking her back inside... WIGAND (CONT'D) They're nocturnal. You know what that means? That means that they only come out at nighttime. He locks the sliding glass door, takes a last look outside. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE IN BERKELEY - LATE AT NIGHT The Phone suddenly RINGS. Lowell asleep, alone... He gets it... LOWELL (sleepy) Yeah... INT. WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE, HALLWAY - LATE AT NIGHT It's dark, save a light from the living room. Liane, in bed, seemingly sleeping. And we see Jeffrey, just outside their door in the foyer, sitting on the floor against a curved wall, a drink at his side on the telephone... A man with no one to talk to... WIGAND (after a beat) Lowell... Jeffrey Wigand... INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - LATE AT NIGHT Lowell sits up... WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) Is it too late? LOWELL No. No, it's okay... How's - how's the new place? INT. THE WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE - LATE AT NIGHT WIGAND The new place? New. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - LATE AT NIGHT LOWELL (intuiting) You okay? WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) Sure. Lowell knows he isn't... LOWELL You know, I was thinking of calling you tomorrow, anyway. (beat) How are your kids handling the new house? INT. WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - LATE AT NIGHT WIGAND Good. (beat) You have kids? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) We have a couple. One's hers, one's mine. Everybody uses a different name. (wry) Modern marriage. (beat) How's Liane? WIGAND She's okay. He looks at Liane for beat. We SEE his POV in medium shot. Then he moves and sits on the floor in the living room. WIGAND (CONT'D) Hold on a minute, Lowell... (after a beat) ...somebody...may be following me. I don't know. They came on the property... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) What do you mean followed you? Did you call the police? WIGAND I don't want to be paranoid... I mean, maybe it's a game. Some kind of mind game. LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Well, what do you really think, though? WIGAND I don't know what the fuck I really think! Are they doing it? Is some crank doing it? Are they doing it to make me feel paranoid? Are they doing it for real and don't give a shit what I think? I don't know! I don't fucking know. And it's quiet again. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - LATE AT NIGHT Lowell sitting in bed on the phone, alarmed, sharing Wigand's fears. LOWELL Jeffrey, describe for me in detail what happened. INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - LATE NIGHT And Jeffrey's emotions are back in check as... WIGAND Well, no, look...I mean, there was a footprint. Forget it. It's probably not important at all. (beat) You know, I got a job now. I'm teaching high school. Japanese and Chemistry. (beat) So, what were you calling about? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) You called me. He takes another drink... WIGAND No, you said you were going to call me tomorrow. So, what about? LOWELL (after a beat) Oh, yes, yes, yes, I did...I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to hook up and talk to you. About what we were talking about in your car. WIGAND ...okay. LOWELL (after a beat) Makes you feel good? Putting what you know to use? Jeffrey's impressed by Lowell's perceptivity... WIGAND How'd you know that, Lowell? LOWELL It's obvious, isn't it? He looks at Liane in the next room, asleep. LOWELL (CONT'D) Hello. You there WIGAND Yeah... Look, thanks for talking. I'm sorry I woke you up. LOWELL It's okay. Jeffrey hesitates, holding the phone, then he hangs up...but the phone RINGS right away. WIGAND Lowell...? But there's thick silence. WIGAND (CONT'D) Who is this? Do not call here! Do not... They hang up. And he realizes he's talking to a DIAL TONE. He hangs up. And as he sits in the patch of light from a street lamp, the gun in his hand on his lap, to be up all night guarding his family... INT. THEIR BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT And past Liane's sleeping form down the hall into the living room is her husband, his back to her, sitting in the trapezoid of light. And as we DOLLY along her side, we come upon her face and discover she's been up all along and her eyes are pressed shut, her hands over her ears...her reaction to his raging on the phone. She's far from "OKAY." INT. A JAPANESE RESTAURANT, WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT And we see Lowell and Wigand sitting in their stocking feet at a traditional Japanese table in a private screened room... A traditionally-dressed Japanese Waitress waiting to take their order... Wigand conversing with her in Japanese... The Waitress formally nods, and leaves... LOWELL What did you get us? WIGAND Tempura... And Wigand drinks some more saki. WIGAND (cont'd) The internet said you did graduate work in Wisconsin, then went to UC La Jolla with Professor...Marcus? LOWELL Marcuse. Yeah. He was my mentor. He had a major influence on the New Left in the late '60s...and on me, personally. WIGAND Next to your father? LOWELL My father? What the hell's that got to do with my father? WIGAND Is that why you became a journalist? Then you get to ask all the questions? LOWELL You charge by the hour? WIGAND My father was a mechanical engineer...most ingenious man I ever knew. LOWELL Well, my father left us when I was five- years old. He was not the most ingenious man I ever knew... Let's get back to Brown & Williamson. If you decide to go on "60 Minutes," I got to know everything about why you got fired. WIGAND Why? LOWELL They're gonna dig up stuff from your past, they're gonna throw it at you. I got to know what they're gonna throw. You understand? WIGAND (concedes) I drink. A couple of occasions more than I should have. (thinks) I was cited for shoplifting once. But it was a mistake... (hesitant, after a beat) I pushed Liane one time. We were both stressed out because of the pressure. She went to her mother's. (out of the blue) I got fired because when I get angry I have difficulty censoring myself. And I don't like to be pushed around! LOWELL I'm not pushing you around! (after a beat) I'm asking you questions. WIGAND I'm just a commodity to you, aren't I? I could be anything. Right? Anything worth putting on between commercials... LOWELL (honest) ...to a network, probably, we're all commodities. (beat) To me? You are not a commodity. What you are is important. And he's begun to consciously or unconsciously "sell"... LOWELL (cont'd) You go public and thirty-million people hear what you got to say, nothing, I mean nothing, will ever be the same again. Wigand doesn't react. LOWELL (cont'd) You believe that? WIGAND (skeptical) No. LOWELL You should. Because when you're done, a judgment is going to go down in the court of public opinion, my friend. And that's the power you have. WIGAND You believe that? LOWELL I believe that? Yes, I believe that. WIGAND You believe that because you get information out to people...something happens? LOWELL Yes. WIGAND Maybe that's just what you've been telling yourself all these years to justify having a good job? Having status? And maybe for the audience, it's just voyeurism? Something to do on a Sunday night. And maybe it won't change a fucking thing. And people like myself and my family are left hung out to dry. Used up! Broke, alone! LOWELL Are you talking to me or did somebody else just walk in here?! I never abandoned a source! WIGAND I don't think you really understand -- LOWELL (running over) No, don't evade a choice you gotta make be questioning my reputation or "60 Minutes'" with this cheap skepticism! WIGAND I have to put my family's welfare on the line here, my friend! And what are you puttin' up? You're puttin' up words! LOWELL Words! While you've been dickin' around at fucking company golf tournaments, I been out in the world, giving my word and backing it up with action. Lowell is getting very close, in spite of the value of Wigand, to telling Jeff to take his story and stick it up his ass. LOWELL (cont'd) Now, are you going to go do this thing, or not? Wigand abruptly rises... WIGAND (surprisingly mild) I said I'd call the kids before they went to bed. Onisa... And turning, he crosses the restaurant. And that's where it hangs. INT. A CBS EDITING SUITE, NEW YORK - DAY And we see we're watching footage in an on-line editing bay from what we will learn is Lowell's "N.O.P.D. Blue" on police corruption in New Orleans. Lowell, TONY BALDO (his editor), Debbie and an intense YOUNG MAN wearing glasses, an Intern, looking at the cut. All the police are on horseback, lots of cops on horses. Lowell is waiting for a call to go through... LOWELL The stringer was supposed to be shooting B-roll on street cops in New Orleans. What's with all the horses? TONY BALDO Camera guy's got a thing about mounted police. LOWELL (re: horses) Don't any of these guys ride in cars or walk? TONY BALDO How long did he stay on this? LOWELL What was he seeing? DEBBIE DELUCA (into phone) Yes, hello... I'm trying to reach Mr. Richard Scruggs... INT. A LEAR JET - DAY And we see the PILOT, a fit-looking, unassuming man, wearing aviator glasses, in his late forties. A heavyset Man in his forties, riding up in the co-pilot's seat we'll come to know as RON MOTLEY. The Pilot's on a headset... He has a distinctive Southern accent... THE PILOT This is Richard Scruggs... DEBBIE DELUCA Could you hold on one second, please? (to Lowell) Lowell, I got him on the phone. LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Hello, I'm Lowell Bergman. RICHARD SCRUGGS Hold on... Mobile approach...this is Lear November 643. Over. CONTROL OPERATOR'S VOICE (OVER) Go ahead 643. RICHARD SCRUGGS (after a beat) Request a flight level 220, on a heading of 284 degrees. Over. (after a beat) Mr. Bergman? LOWELL Yes, I'm right here. Could you call me back on a hard line? RICHARD SCRUGGS Alright. LOWELL Area code 212-555-0199. RICHARD SCRUGGS I'll call you then. INT. A LOUNGE, PRIVATE AVIATION TERMINAL - DAY Through the window, we see Scruggs' plane being refueled while Scruggs and Motley in a run-down lounge are talking on a SPEAKER PHONE with Lowell. They've taken over the Secretary's office for privacy. LOWELL (re: footage) What do we do with that? The phone rings. DEBBIE DELUCA I don't know. RICHARD SCRUGGS' VOICE (OVER) Richard Scruggs... LOWELL ...you filed a lawsuit against tobacco on behalf of the State of Mississippi, did you not? RICHARD SCRUGGS (nods) That's right... LOWELL (after a beat) Well, I'm working with someone, now, who was the former head of research at Brown & Williamson, a former corporate officer there. RICHARD SCRUGGS What's your interest in this, Mr. Bergman? LOWELL Well, he may tape an interview with us. And, we believe if his testimony showed up in a court record first, it would free him up from his confidentiality agreement and give him some protection. MOTLEY It could work. If it's public record, it's public record. LOWELL Yeah, and he's going to need legal representation. MOTLEY He sure as hell will. RICHARD SCRUGGS (a beat) Has he decided to go public? Because let me tell you, we've been doing this for three years now, and we've worked with a lot of corporate cases involving whistle-blowers, so we know... Big Tobacco will do everything in their power to stop him. So, is your man truly committed? LOWELL Well, actually, no. Well, he's on the fence. That's the point. Scruggs and Motley exchange a look... Motley shrugs... RICHARD SCRUGGS Well, we'd certainly be interested in making his acquaintance, but without knowing what he's going to do... LOWELL Well, would you want him to call you? Or, you want to call him? How do you want to do it? RICHARD SCRUGGS (no nonsense) It would be better if he called us. LOWELL Yeah. RICHARD SCRUGGS Alright? LOWELL Okay. Thank you. At this moment, these two attorneys are unsold on the prospect of Jeffrey Wigand. Scruggs disconnects. LOWELL (cont'd) Shit... INT. CBS EDITING SUITE, NEW YORK - DAY LOWELL (contemplating phone; to Debbie re: show) Oh, we need cops on the street. We don't need them on horses. DEBBIE DELUCA I don't know what he was thinking. LOWELL Oh, for God's sake, what has this guy got, a horse fetish? DEBBIE DELUCA Alright, alright. LOWELL Get me to New Orleans this afternoon. I'll shoot the fucking thing myself! TIGHTEN on mounted New Orleans police at crime scene, herding crowd. INT. THE WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE, KITCHEN - TWILIGHT Liane cooking dinner, making pasta. Ingredients, diced tomato, basil, are neatly ordered. She's waiting for water to boil. The kids are doing homework on the round table in the kitchenette. It's an idle moment. She's dazed-out watching them. DEBORAH What are you cooking? LIANE I'm cooking pasta primavera. DEBORAH Oh, I love that stuff. And now she hears from the basement the BELL RING on Jeffrey's computer. It's a tiny bell, incessant... She crosses to the basement stairs. LIANE I'm going to have to go downstairs. INT. WIGANDS' NEW HOUSE, BASEMENT OFFICE - NIGHT Liane down the stairs, approaching Jeffrey's computer. And she SEES an incoming E-mail icon - a large letter with wings - flying repetitively across the screen. The bell RINGING is louder. She calls-up the E-mail... On the screen in large RED letters: WE WILL KILL YOU. WE WILL KILL ALL OF YOU. SHUT THE FUCK UP. And now Liane is shouting and running up the stairs and... LIANE Debbie, Barbara... Debbie! EXT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - EVENING Jeffrey, having arrived home from work, pulls the mail out of the mailbox, now stands, frozen, staring at something... And he sees, standing upright in the back of the mail box, like a monument of threat, a single hollow point .38 CALIBER BULLET. He freezes... And simultaneously... Liane and the Girls are running toward him...like in a bad fucking dream. He's looking at them. Liane is saying something about E-mail, but his slow-motion attention is still arrested by the statuesque bullet. As they close on him... EXT. NEW ORLEANS, THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT And we see Lowell lit by FLASHING POLICE LIGHTS. We're at a crime scene. Uniformed cops on horseback. Just arrived, the Cameraman's unloading his gear, preparing to shoot B-roll. LOWELL What happened? COP Dispatch received a call of shots fired in the area. Uniforms arrived on the scene and found this white male subject shot to death. LOWELL Was it gang related? COP There's no indication as far as a tag or an advertisement... Police moving around as Lowell's cell phone RINGS... LOWELL (answering) Excuse me. Yeah... INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE, BEDROOM - NIGHT WIGAND They're terrorizing us. Death threats?! To my family? My kids?! LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) What are you talking about? WIGAND Someone put a bullet in my mailbox. LOWELL Jeff, call the FBI right away... WIGAND They do this with impunity! LOWELL Jeff... WIGAND They get to go home at night. What does it cost these people to do this to us? Nothing?! My girls are crying, so fuck them! I want to tape! I'm done thinking about it. LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (frustrated) I heard you. But I got to arrange a legal defense first. I got to get you to testify in court, get it on public record. WIGAND (cuts in) Then hold it off the air until you got that. But I want to go to New York. And I want to go on the record. Right now! LOWELL Good. But Jeff... WIGAND I'll call them, Lowell. INT. WIGAND'S HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And two older, local FBI AGENTS #1 and #2 are sitting with Jeffrey in his living room... FBI AGENT #2 Did you handle the round, Mr. Wigand? WIGAND Yes, I'm afraid I did. FBI AGENT #1 We won't be able to lift usable prints. FBI AGENT #2 Do you own a gun, Mr. Wigand? WIGAND A gun? Yes. FBI AGENT #2 What caliber is your gun? WIGAND What caliber is my gun? FBI AGENT #2 Yes, sir. What caliber is your gun? WIGAND (a dawning realization) What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Now one of the kids is crying, Liane trying to calm her, takes her out of the room. WIGAND (CONT'D) (a beat, realizing) You think I put that bullet in the mailbox myself...? FBI AGENT #2 If we could take a look, Mr. Wigand... And he gets up... They follow him into the bedroom. He unlocks the side drawer on his night stand, taking out a gun, giving it to one of the Agents. FBI AGENT #1 Why do you keep this gun? WIGAND I don't think it's unconstitutional yet to own a gun. I'm a target shooter. FBI AGENT #2 That bullet was for a .38 caliber. Do you own a .38? WIGAND Yes, I do. A .38 Target Master. In my gun safe downstairs. A .45 Gold Cup. A .22 target pistol. So what? FBI AGENT #2 (after a beat) Do you have a history of emotional problems, Mr. Wigand? WIGAND Yes. Yes, I do. (beat) Yes, I get extremely emotional when assholes put bullets in my mailbox...! And we hear Liane's voice from downstairs... LIANE'S VOICE (OVER) (upset) I didn't tell you that so you could just pick it up and take it away. Jeffrey! And we see Liane following FBI Agent #3, coming up the stairs from the basement, and the Agent is carrying Jeffrey's computer... WIGAND What's going on? LIANE I told him that you had an E-mail death threat that said if you didn't shut the "F" up, they were going to kill you... Agent #3 starts out of the house with the computer followed by #2. Jeffrey runs out after them. EXT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE - NIGHT WIGAND (outraged) You can't take that... It's personal property...! FBI AGENT #2 (OR #3) We have a search warrant, Mr. Wigand. There's been a death threat. WIGAND (after him) ...my files! Personal correspondence... Agent #3 ignores him, putting the computer in the trunk of their car. And FBI Agent #1, the .38 bullet in a baggie, comes out of the house. WIGAND (CONT'D) ...letters to my brother...my will. His shoes slip on the grass and he falls. And the FBI are getting into their car. And NEIGHBORS have come out, watching them. Liane and the girls, standing halfway down the front lawn, the neighbors looking at them. She and Jeffrey look at each other. Will she go to him or not? She goes to him as he rises... WIGAND (cont'd) That computer has everything... FBI AGENT #2 You alright, Mr. Wigand? FBI AGENT #1 We need to take a look at your gun safe, Mr. Wigand. EXT. NEW ORLEANS, THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT LOWELL (interrupts) I'm telling you, your agents in that office are acting improperly! Now, who are they trying to protect? And we see a Man in his early forties, a neatly-dressed man who prides himself on his appearance, at his desk in the Bureau (FBI). BILL ROBERTSON. He's completely distracted, focused on agent travel orders... BILL ROBERTSON'S VOICE (OVER) Let me tell you something, Lowell. Look, look, look. You're talking about two agents in a regional office in Louisville. I got the goddamn Unabomber threatening to blow up LAX! I gotta move 45 agents from all over the country into L.A. Alright? When I get a chance, I'll give it a look... LOWELL (heated) You better take a good look! Because I'm getting two things: pissed off and curious! Now, any of these guys been offered jobs in corporate security after they retire? Either one of those guys have ex-agent pals already in those jobs? Like, for instance, their ex-supervisor, who's already at Brown & Williamson as we fucking speak? INT. BILL ROBERTSON'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON - NIGHT BILL ROBERTSON (beat) I'll give it a look. LOWELL You're getting my drift? BILL ROBERTSON I'll give it a look. He hangs up. INT. DINING ROOM, THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, NEW YORK - NIGHT And we slide by some elegant diners to fall onto Lowell and Mike Wallace with Jeffrey and Liane in the Hotel's dining room, having ordered dinner. LOWELL So, is everything okay? MIKE WALLACE How are the rooms? Comfortable? LIANE (to Mike) Yes, very. You know, I enjoy your work so much...when you're talking to somebody, I always feel like I'm right there. And she laughs... MIKE WALLACE Thank you got saying that... LOWELL Do you think we could talk about the taping? Tomorrow's taping, just so we can get it out of the way and order... MIKE WALLACE Yeah, well, questions will go toward what work you did there, why you were fired. And others will deal... LIANE (not sure she quite heard) ...taping? (beat) What are you taping? WIGAND I'm doing an interview. LIANE (whispers) An interview! Do you know what they will do to us...! I thought... Sorry. But she suddenly gets up and leaves, hurrying out of the dining room. And Jeffrey oddly doesn't move. LOWELL (trying to intervene) Liane, this is a preliminary... (after a beat) You didn't tell her we were taping? What did she think she was coming to New York for? WIGAND ...to talk about it. To think about it. I had a plan to ease her into it. But, I really - I didn't know how to do that... Jeffrey abruptly crosses to the nearby Bar. LOWELL Oh, man. MIKE WALLACE Who are these people? LOWELL (frustrated) Ordinary people! Under extraordinary pressure, Mike. What the hell do you expect? Grace and consistency? And Lowell leaves the table. And as Mike Wallace sits at the table, looking around, wondering what the fuck he's doing there. INT. THE BATHROOM, NEW YORK HOTEL - NIGHT Liane folds her arms protectively across her chest... INT. A STUDIO, CBS - MORNING And we see a small TAPING STUDIO separated by flats and black curtains from other CBS News sets. Cameras are set up. INT. THE STUDIO, CBS - DAY And we enter mid-scene on Jeffrey in a more formal demeanor, sitting in a chair, Mike Wallace sitting across from him, under the lights, taping an interview. Lowell, off camera. MIKE WALLACE You heard Mr. Sandefur say before Congress that he believed nicotine was not addictive...? WIGAND (nods) ...I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured himself because I watched those testimonies very carefully. Lowell's reaction. Jeffrey's statements are stunning and powerful revelations...and dangerous ones to make. MIKE WALLACE All of us did. There was this whole line of people...whole line of CEOs up there all swearing. WIGAND Part of the reason I'm here is I felt that their representation clearly misstated, at least within Brown & Williamson's representation, clearly misstated...what is common language within the company...we are in the nicotine delivery business. MIKE WALLACE And that's what cigarettes are for...? WIGAND A delivery device for nicotine. MIKE WALLACE A delivery device for nicotine. Put it in your mouth, light it up, and you're gonna get your fix... WIGAND You're gonna get your fix... MIKE WALLACE You're saying that Brown & Williamson manipulates and adjusts the nicotine fix, not by artificially adding nicotine, but by enhancing the effect of nicotine through the use of chemical elements such as ammonia... WIGAND (nods) The process is known as "impact boosting..." While not spiking nicotine, they clearly manipulate it. There's extensive use of this technology, know as "ammonia chemistry." It allows for the nicotine to be more rapidly absorbed in the lung and therefore affect the brain and central nervous system. INT. THE STUDIO, CBS - LATER WIGAND The straw that broke the camel's back for me and really put me in trouble with Sandefur was a compound called "coumarin." When I came on board at B&W, they had tried to transition from coumarin to a similar flavor that would give the same taste, and had been unsuccessful. I wanted it out immediately. I was told that it would affect sales, so I should mind my own business. I constructed a memo to Mr. Sandefur indicating I could not in conscience continue with coumarin in a product that we now knew, we had documentation, was similar to coumadin, a lung-specific carcinogen... MIKE WALLACE And you sent the document forward to Sandefur? WIGAND I sent the document forward to Sandefur. I was told that we would continue to work on a substitute, we weren't going to remove it as it would impact sales, and that that was his decision. MIKE WALLACE In other words, you were charging Sandefur and Brown & Williamson with ignoring health considerations consciously... WIGAND Most certainly. MIKE WALLACE And on March 24, Thomas Sandefur, CEO of Brown & Williamson had you fired. And the reason he gave you? WIGAND Poor communication skills. MIKE WALLACE And, do you wish you hadn't come forward? You wish you hadn't blown the whistle? WIGAND Yeah, there are times I wish I hadn't done it. There are times I feel compelled to do it. If you asked me would I do it again? Do I think it's worth it? Yeah, I think it's worth it. INT. A HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASS, LOUISVILLE - AFTERNOON Not too many kids paying attention. Meanwhile, Jeffrey has written his name on the blackboard. WIGAND Hi. KIDS (in unison) Hi. WIGAND My name is Jeff Wigand. You can call me Mr. Wigand; you can call me Dr. Wigand--I have a Ph.D. in biochemistry and endocrinology; you can call me Jeff... (beat) Anything else you want to call me...you'll have to do so in private... (a few kids smile) Okay... I find chemistry to be magical. I find it an adventure. An exploration into the building blocks of our physical universe... (beat) So, how many of you have taken chemistry before? Nobody raises their hands. WIGAND (CONT'D) (easy smile) Okay...I've never taught it before, so we're gonna be fine. A couple of laughs... And we feel Jeffrey, for the first time is in a milieu that suits him. WIGAND (cont'd) Our first experiment is... (holds up cigarette lighter) ...going to be measuring the molecular weight of butane... INT. SCRUGGS' OFFICE Scruggs' office is decorated with watercolors of Phantom jets and A-6s as Scruggs takes off his glasses... CHARLENE He's on line three. INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDOR Jeffrey Wigand is on a pay phone in the corridor crowded with students... RICHARD SCRUGGS Hello. WIGAND Mr. Scruggs, Jeff Wigand. Lowell Bergman said I should give you a call... INT. SCRUGGS' OFFICE RICHARD SCRUGGS My co-counsel, Ron Motley, and I have filed a lawsuit against the tobacco industry on behalf of the State of Mississippi to get the state reimbursed Medicaid costs for treating people with smoking-related illness. (beat) If you'd be interested in talking to us, we'd certainly like to talk to you... WIGAND When should we do this? EXT. WIGAND'S HOUSE #2, LOUISVILLE - TWILIGHT Jeffrey drives up the block and onto his driveway. Seeing a MAN in a suit, an ear piece in his ear, disappearing around the corner of his house, Jeffrey leaps out of the car. But the front door's open. So instead of chasing after, he runs inside... INT. THE WIGAND'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - DAY/TWILIGHT And he sees another Man is in the living room... WIGAND Who the hell are you?! What are you doing in my house?! And he sees Lowell enter from the dining room... LOWELL It's okay, Jeff. SECURITY GUARD Mr. Wigand, you need to speak to... LOWELL (wry) It's okay. You got your own security now... Wigand catches his breath. WIGAND Lowell, I can't afford -- LOWELL ...they "volunteered." A friend owns a large security company. TALIFARO How are you doing, Mr. Wigand? I'm Jon Talifaro. There'll be three of us on detail. LIANE (crossing through) I'm going to the store. Please explain our new "houseguests" to your children. And Wigand looks at Lowell... Barbara comes into the living room and holds onto her father's leg. WIGAND I called Richard Scruggs in Mississippi... LOWELL I heard. WIGAND I'm going to be a witness for them in their litigation. So I'm going to fly to Pascagoula to give a deposition... LOWELL I know. I'm going to go there tonight... WIGAND Did you have a good day? DEBORAH Yes, I did. I had a great day. WIGAND Coffee, Lowell? LOWELL Yeah. (to kids) Want to play that game we were playing before? You know, I think you got it up to five. I was ahead of you. She goes over and holds his hand. And as he holds her hand, seeing what his life has become, he looks up and his glance connects with Lowell... INT. THE KITCHEN, THE WIGANDS' HOUSE - NIGHT We see out the window a Security Guard, incongruous, walking by. And we see Liane, finished with the dinner dishes, silently wiping off the sink. There's a pall you could cut with a knife. A moment, and Jeffrey comes in the kitchen door from the garden... He stops to wash his hands in the sink. LIANE Please don't wash your hands in the sink. WIGAND Where should I wash them? LIANE Use the bathroom. WIGAND What's the difference... LIANE That's for food. But he ignores her, washing his hands... And she turns the water off. He turns it back on. He thinks, then turns it off. Then she turns it on. LIANE (cont'd) Leave it on! Just leave it on, okay?! And she turns and leaves the room, coldly, all her anger repressed. For Jeffrey, everything else and now this? The running faucet. EXT. THE WIGANDS' HOUSE, LOUISVILLE - LATE NIGHT The house on the quiet suburban street. A Security Guard, incongruous, a noticeable bulge where his shoulder holster is, sitting watch under the porch light on the small front porch in a metal porch chair. INT. THE BASEMENT, THE WIGANDS' HOUSE - LATE NIGHT And we see Jeffrey, unable to sleep, sitting at his desk, alone in the basement, listening to classical music. He instinctively turns. And he sees Liane, in her bathrobe, has come down to sit on the basement stairs. He looks over at her. And he thinks she's come down to make up. And all she really wants him to do is say, "I need you..." But he can't... And like ships that pass in the night, nothing's said. It's quiet. She puts her hands protectively in her robe pockets. And she starts to cry... LIANE I don't think I can do this... I want to stand by my husband... I really do, Jeffrey. But I don't think I can do this anymore. I am so sorry... WIGAND Can we talk about this when I get back? LIANE Yes...Jeffrey. She goes back up the stairs. And as Jeffrey sits in the basement, and the music plays. INT. THE LOUISVILLE AIRPORT - DAY We see Jeffrey and his Security Man. He passes a small Filipino Woman in a nurse's uniform and a Man in clerical garb, who hands him a small American Flag, asking for donations. And, now, he passes through the metal detector. He nods thanks and walks towards us, relaxing, looking behind every so often to see if anybody is following him. As he passes Gate 3, he HEARS over his shoulder... THE MAN (friendly) Jeff...? Jeffrey turns and the Man throws a sheaf of SUBPOENAS at his chest... THE MAN (CONT'D) (nasty) You've been served. And he turns and walks off. And as Jeffrey looks down at the subpoenas... INT. RICHARD SCRUGGS' KITCHEN - 7:00 A.M. Jeffrey is sitting with Scruggs and Motley in Scruggs' kitchen around a semi-circular counter. Coffee and sweet rolls. It's casual. No one's dressed for court. Scruggs has been looking through the sheaf of subpoenas. About Motley, we sense power held in reserve. RICHARD SCRUGGS Now, what this one is, is a temporary restraining order, a gag order, issued by a Kentucky court. Meanwhile, a movie-star handsome man in shirtsleeves and a tie, a coffee cup in his hand, enters and sits casually on the arm of a chair. RICHARD SCRUGGS (CONT'D) (introducing) Jeff Wigand, Michael Moore. MICHAEL MOORE Good to meet you, Dr. Wigand. RICHARD SCRUGGS Mike's our Attorney General down here. (to Moore) I was just explaining to Jeff, they got a Kentucky court to issue a gag order to stop his deposition today. MICHAEL MOORE Right. RICHARD SCRUGGS Now, they tried to get the Mississippi Court to honor it, but the judge threw it out... (to Jeffrey) However, for you, there is a more perilous effect to the Kentucky gag order... MICHAEL MOORE (after a beat) Dr. Wigand, you do understand what could happen, don't you? WIGAND I'm not free to testify...here...? MOTLEY That's right. If you violate the Kentucky order, when you step foot back in Kentucky, they can find you in contempt and they can incarcerate you. And you ought to know that. And Jeffrey fairly turns white, it's never occurred to him he might go to jail... WIGAND Jail? RICHARD SCRUGGS Possibly, yes. That is one of the possible consequences of your testifying here today. That's right... WIGAND How does one..."go...to...jail?" What does my family do? Go on welfare? If my wife has to work? Who's going to look after the kids? Put food on the table? My children need me. If I'm not teaching...there's no medical...no medical...even on co-pay, that's like... Tuition... MICHAEL MOORE Dr. Wigand, listen, you may not be able to do this thing. As I understand from Dick, you're our key witness. And, I hope you don't withdraw. I guess we'd all understand if you did... (at watch) Guys, I've got to go. I'm gonna be late for court. I'll see y'all a little later. Dr. Wigand, good luck. He leaves. And Jeffrey's quiet, frightened. Having shaken the departing Moore's hand, he now turns away from Scruggs and Motley, thinking about consequences. RICHARD SCRUGGS I know what you're facing, Jeff. And, I think I know how you're feeling... Jeffrey's skeptical anybody could know "how it is"... RICHARD SCRUGGS (CONT'D) (low, personal) In the Navy I flew A-6's off carriers... In combat, events have a duration of seconds, sometimes minutes... But what you're going through goes on day in and day out. Whether you're ready for it or not, week in, week out... Month after month after month. Whether you're up or whether you're down. You're assaulted psychologically. You're assaulted financially, which is its own special kind of violence. Because it's directed at your kids...what school can you afford... How will that affect their lives. You're asking yourself: Will that limit what they may become? You feel your whole family's future's compromised...held hostage... (after a beat) I do know how it is. EXT. RICHARD SCRUGGS' HOUSE, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY A white, traditional, Southern house, with a veranda and gables...a large front lawn with weeping willows. And we see Lowell, hands in his pockets, not an insider or an outsider, waiting alone on the expansive lawn. The front door opens. A Mississippi State Trooper, putting on his round brimmed hat comes out and crosses the driveway. Then Jeffrey coming out with Motley. Motley talks to him on the veranda for a moment and then heads towards his car. Meanwhile, Jeffrey comes down over to Lowell on the lawn. And Jeffrey looks off, across the street from the house, at the Gulf. And we see the street is blockaded by Mississippi State Police cars. An armed camp. Other men in suits, Lawyers and state officials, wait. Ron Motley gets in his car and drives away. LOWELL You attract a crowd. WIGAND (smiles, wry) Yeah, great. LOWELL I heard about the Kentucky gag order... WIGAND I don't know what to do. And they're quiet, a breeze of the Gulf ruffling their coats... He looks out at the water, a cargo container ship passing by. He watches its slow progress... And Jeffrey quietly starts to walk off across the lawn, hands in his pockets, shoulders bent, head down, thinking... And Richard Scruggs comes out, tying his tie, to wait beside Lowell... EXT. COURTHOUSE, CANTY STREET, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY Motley's car parks, and he and an Assistant are approached by a flurry of media from the parking lot behind us, crossing Canty Street to intercept him. And we SEE the lot is jammed with Mercedes-Benzes, Town Cars and limousines belonging to the 150-200 Big Tobacco, Wall Street lawyers. Some hang out by their cars, killing time. It's a tailgate party. Beyond them are trucks and vans with satellite dishes supporting the media circus. They're all here for Jeff's deposition. The scale of it dwarfs the plebeian storefront with its sign "Temporary Jackson County Courthouse"...into which Motley enters... EXT. RICHARD SCRUGGS' HOUSE, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY Jeffrey contemplating. INT. COURTROOM, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY One TOBACCO LAWYER, an Edward Bennett-type while waiting is on his cell phone... TOBACCO LAWYER (into phone) Hold on a second... (seeing Motley enter; to Jr. Lawyer) Would you please ask Mr. Motley if he expects his witness to appear or not...? JR. LAWYER crosses to Motley. EXT. SCRUGGS' HOUSE, DOCK - DAY Jeffrey alone on the jetty, looking out to sea. Trying to decide, trying to untangle identity and consequence. A moment. He turns, crossing to Lowell and Scruggs. Then. it's the three men, standing on the lawn. Time seems to slow...all of them aware it's a critical decision, personally and historically... WIGAND (severely conflicted) I can't seem to find...the criteria to decide. It's too big a decision to make without being resolved...in my own mind. They're quiet. Jeffrey, getting nowhere. Lowell offers... LOWELL Maybe things have changed... Long pause on Jeffrey as he contemplates his future. And something just got resolved. He asks Lowell, rhetorically... WIGAND What's changed? LOWELL (unsure) You mean...since this morning? WIGAND No. I mean since whenever... Nothing's changed. Wigand looks at them. He found his own answer. WIGAND (CONT'D) Fuck it. Let's go to court. And Dick Scruggs and Lowell look at this normal, somewhat flawed, very courageous man... RICHARD SCRUGGS (to unseen staff) Dr. Wigand would like to leave now. And there's a sudden flurry of activity. Jeffrey and Scruggs walk to a Mississippi State Police car. Lowell gets into his car and drives away, separately. Police, State Officials, run to their cars. Cars starting, lights flashing, Wigand's car pulls into position. INT. SCRUGGS' CAR - JEFFREY - DAY in the back seat with Scruggs. The driver's a State Policeman. Jeffrey watches the small town of empty lots, old buildings, a 1930's Deco school pass by. It's all heightened, especially vivid to his eyes somehow. And he exhales heavily to calm himself, to focus... EXT. THE COURTHOUSE, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY Some of the Tobacco Lawyers, their jackets off, still hanging across Canty Street by their cars. And now they see the police lights turning, coming around a corner, moving towards the courthouse. The caravan stops. First, Scruggs gets out. A moment, then Jeffrey appears. And the Reporters pounce on Jeffrey, cameras flashing...Mississippi Police leading him through the crowd... Moore appears at courtroom door (already there). And as he's whisked away into the courtroom. INT. THE COURTROOM, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY The tobacco lawyers become dead quiet. Cell phones are hung up. Newspapers are put away. Jackets are donned. This is now very serious business. Motley meets Jeffrey, all eyes on him. MOTLEY Okay, Jeff, I'm going to sit you down at that table over there. I'm going to start as fast as possible. I don't want to give them a chance to get another restraining order, okay? Let's go. MICHAEL MOORE Good luck, Doc. Motley calmly motions Wigand to take a chair. He settles in. STENOGRAPHER Please stand. Raise your right hand... Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? WIGAND I do. STENOGRAPHER You may be seated. MOTLEY You understand, Dr. Wigand, you are under oath. This is a sworn deposition. There's no judge. It's not a trial. (understatement of the century) Will you state your name for the record. WIGAND (after a beat) Jeffrey S. Wigand. He spells it for them... EXT. THE COURTHOUSE, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY Lowell, waiting with the other journalists... PHOTOGRAPHER Got any idea what's going on in there? LOWELL No, I don't have a clue. INT. THE COURTROOM, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY Motley still conducting the inquiry... And the tobacco lawyers, like a pack of dogs, waiting to pounce... WIGAND That is correct. MOTLEY In other words, it acts as a drug? TOBACCO LAWYER Object to the form of the question! MOTLEY It acts as a drug on the body? TOBACCO LAWYER Object to the form! MOTLEY It acts as a... TOBACCO LAWYER Object! MOTLEY There an echo in here? Your objection's been recorded. She typed it into her little machine over there. It's on the record. So now I'll proceed with my deposition of my witness. Does it act as a drug? TOBACCO LAWYER (shouts) Dr. Wigand. I am instructing you... (to Wigand) ...not to answer that question in accordance to the terms of the contractual obligations undertaken by you not to disclose any information about your work at the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company. And in accordance with the force and effect of the temporary restraining order that has been entered against you to by the court in the State of Kentucky! That means you don't talk! (beat) Mr. Motley, we have rights, here... MOTLEY (explodes) Oh, you got rights and lefts! Ups and downs and middles! So what?! You don't get to instruct anything around here! This is not North Carolina, not South Carolina nor Kentucky. This is the sovereign State of Mississippi's proceeding. Wipe that smirk off your face! Dr. Wigand's deposition will be part of this record. And I'm going to take my witness' testimony! Whether the hell you like it or not! (to Wigand) Answer the question, Dr... WIGAND (slams it home) Yes. It produces a physiological response, which meets the definition of a drug! Nicotine is associated with impact, with satisfaction. It has a pharmacological effect that crosses the blood-brain barrier intact... MOTLEY Thank you, Doctor. Thank you. EXT. THE SCRUGGS' HOUSE, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI - NIGHT Lowell stands on the porch looking out at the rain. There's a slight sound. He turns. And Jeffrey's come outside. He stands leaning on the porch railing, looking out at the rain and windswept trees. They're quiet. They share a look. They nod to each other. The smallest nod of accomplishment. And they're there on the porch, alone, outside the house in Pascagoula, Mississippi. INT. CBS EDITING ROOM, NEW YORK - AFTERNOON We see Lowell, unusually buoyant in the same clothes as yesterday. He's working with Tony Baldo on a cut of the show, the net result of his architecture of events, his combination of persuasion and integrity... We see on the Avid monitor a single of Jeffrey... WIGAND (on monitor) "Part of the reason I'm here is I felt that their representation clearly, at least within..." LOWELL Run that Sandefur piece on "nicotine's not addictive." Run that on-camera. Then cut right to Wigand with "I believe they perjured..." Then go wide to the CEOs all taking the oath. Back on Jeff and play the pause after the word "felt" on the B-side... Widen to include Debbie DeLuca, the Intern, two other Editors, Felling. They have gathered behind Lowell in the doorway. This is a hot show and it's generated excitement among Lowell's co-workers. And while Baldo cuts, we see... INT. CBS, CORRIDOR OUTSIDE EDITING ROOM - DAY ...the group has spilled out the doorway, watching Lowell's story come together. Beyond them, approaching, is Mike Wallace, coming to work... BILL FELLING (leaving) ...helluva show, Mike. Explosive material. People separate as Mike pushes in. Lowell sees Mike. While Tony Baldo is making the edits on the Avid... LOWELL (to Mike) It went great in Mississippi, Mike. MIKE WALLACE Good. Don Hewitt enters from the corridor without jacket. DON HEWITT I heard Wigand's deposition got sealed. LOWELL Yeah, they argued he was going to reveal the secret formula of "Kools" to the world. (seriously) "Sealed" doesn't hurt Scruggs' litigation, and since we're the only ones with the story, I believe we're sitting on an exclusive. MIKE WALLACE I like that... DON HEWITT Corporate has some questions. We've got a meeting at Black Rock first thing in the morning. LOWELL When's the air date? DEBBIE DELUCA (to Lowell) Excuse me, Lowell. Sharon's on line 3. LOWELL Tell her I'll call her back in ten. BALDO Here we go. Baldo now runs Lowell's edit of the above sequence. And we SEE THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT. Sandefur in CLOSE-UP states "I believe that nicotine is not addictive." Wigand in matching CLOSE-UP states "I believe he perjured himself." Then all seven CEOs of Big Tobacco stand up and raise their hands and take an oath in front of Congress to tell the truth while Wallace says "...the whole line of people, the whole line of CEO's up there, all swearing that." And Wigand says off-screen with great emphasis "Part of the reason I'm here is I FELT"...and it cuts to Wigand for a pause that makes the word "FELT" resound and, then, he goes on to say on-camera "that their representation clearly misstated what they commonly knew. We're a nicotine delivery business." We see the combination of art and truth woven into impact that has an audacity that's stirring and beautiful... EXT. LOUISVILLE - DUSK We see an anonymous rental car moving through downtown Louisville. INT. THE RENTAL CAR - NIGHT It's Jeffrey in the front seat, driven by one of his security men. He's coming home under the cover of darkness. They pass a FLAMING CAR on the freeway shoulder. Jeffrey turns to stare at it. They turn off onto city streets and stop at a light. Jeffrey's nervous. Jeffrey instinctively turns. A Police Car stops alongside. The Policeman looks at him. Eyes meet. Jeffrey looks away. The signal takes forever. It changes. And as the Police Car moves off... EXT. WIGANDS' HOUSE - NIGHT The car's stopped at the curb. Jeffrey gets out. He starts up the walk, and the Second Security Guard quickly crosses the lawn to intercept him... And Jeff opens the door going inside, anxious to be home... INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE - NIGHT The house is quiet, dark. Too quiet. Too dark. Something isn't right. He crosses to one of the children's rooms...the master bedroom. The lights are on. Both rooms are empty. He goes into the kitchen and sees a note that's been left for him... He opens it. He sits heavily in a chair, reading the note. The Security Guard peers... And as Jeffrey sits in the silent house, the hero come home... INT. THE CONFERENCE ROOM, CBS - DAY We're at a table. Mike and Lowell laugh at some joke while HELEN CAPERELLI, CBS GENERAL COUNSEL, enters with the President of CBS News, ERIC KLUSTER. HELEN CAPERELLI Shall I send for coffee? Sorry I'm late. MIKE WALLACE No, no, we're fine... HELEN CAPERELLI Are you sure? Also there is Don Hewitt. Caperelli is too well put together, too practiced, too polished. They nod. They don't need coffee. HELEN CAPERELLI (CONT'D) Alright, I thought we'd get together because there's a legal concept that has been getting some new attention recently, "tortious interference." (beat) If two people have an agreement, like a confidentiality agreement, and one of them breaks it because they are induced to do so by a 3rd party, the 3rd party can be sued for damages for interfering...hence, "tortious interference." DON HEWITT Interfering? That's what we do. LOWELL I think what we're trying to tell you is that it happens all the time. This is a news organization. People are always telling us things they shouldn't. We have to verify if it's true and in the public interest... And if it is, we air it. MIKE WALLACE After we corroborate it. That's why we've never lost a lawsuit and run a classy show. (impatient, now) Anything else? HELEN CAPERELLI And "60 Minutes'" verification is exact. And precise. And I don't think it would hurt to make sure you're right...on this one. DON HEWITT Why? You think we have liability? What's the CBS News' position, Eric? ERIC KLUSTER There's a possibility, it's rather remote... HELEN CAPERELLI But one we have to check on, Mike. I've retained outside counsel to do exactly that. On a segment, I might add, that's already rife with problems... LOWELL What does that mean? "Rife with -- ?" HELEN CAPERELLI I'm told unusual promises were made to Wigand. LOWELL No, only that we would hold the story until it was safe for him... HELEN CAPERELLI (cuts in) And, I'm told there are questions as to our "star witness'" veracity. LOWELL (trying to control his anger) His "veracity" was good enough for the State of Mississippi. HELEN CAPERELLI (historic) Our standards have to be higher than anyone else's, because we are the standard...for everyone else... Whatever that means... LOWELL (wry) Well, as a "standard"...I'll hang with "is the guy telling the truth?" HELEN CAPERELLI Well, with tortious interference, I'm afraid...the greater the truth, the greater the damage. LOWELL Come again? HELEN CAPERELLI They own the information he's disclosing. The truer it is, the greater the damage to them. If he lied, he didn't disclose their information. And the damages are smaller. LOWELL Is this "Alice in Wonderland"? MIKE WALLACE You said "on this one." What about "this one"? And Lowell hears a changed note in Wallace's voice. After a beat. HELEN CAPERELLI (familiar, seductive) If this holds up, and it very well may not, Mike...but, if it did. And we aired this segment? And CBS was sued by Brown & Williamson? I think we could be at grave risk. MIKE WALLACE (a beat) How grace? HELEN CAPERELLI (and she's been waiting for this) Well, at the end of the day...because of your segment...the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company...could own CBS. As if on cue, the alarm on Helen Caperelli's watch beeps. She glances at it. HELEN CAPERELLI (CONT'D) You know, I am sorry. But I'm due upstairs. She gets up, gathering her things. LOWELL Is CBS corporate telling CBS News do not go to air with this story? HELEN CAPERELLI You're getting ahead of yourself. We're all in this together. We're all CBS. We'll find out soon. Thank you, gentlemen. And taking up her briefcase, she leaves. Don and Mike rise. LOWELL "Tortious interference"? Sounds like a disease caught by a radio. DON HEWITT (to Mike) Lunch? MIKE WALLACE Sure. (to Lowell) Don't worry, we call the shots around here. Lowell finds himself angry and alone. He crosses to the window and pulls out his cell phone and goes to work. DEBBIE DELUCA'S VOICE (OVER) Hello? LOWELL (into phone) Debbie, it's me. I want you to check some filings and give me John Wilson's number at Bear-Stern. INT. CBS, HEWITT'S OFFICE - DAY LOWELL What now? DON HEWITT Kluster's coming over. Hewitt's on an unrelated call. Lowell crosses to look out the window, a manila folder (the filing) under his arm with whatever he found out, like a bomb, feels distant from these people. The door opens, and Eric Kluster, the President of CBS News enters... ERIC KLUSTER Hello, Lowell, Mike, Don. Hewitt hangs up the phone. ERIC KLUSTER (CONT'D) There has been so much soul searching about this Wigand, I've decided we should cut an alternate version of the show without his interview. LOWELL So, what happened to Ms. Caperelli's checking with outside counsel first, all that crap? ERIC KLUSTER That's happening. And, hopefully we won't have to use the alternate, but we should have it in the can. LOWELL I'm not touching my film... ERIC KLUSTER I'm afraid you are. LOWELL No, I'm not... ERIC KLUSTER We're doing this with or without you, Lowell. If you like, I can assign another producer to edit your show... Lowell's stunned. He looks like he's been hit with a hammer... LOWELL Since when has the paragon of investigative journalism allowed lawyers to determine the news content on "60 Minutes"? DON HEWITT It's an alternate version. So what if we have an alternate version? And I don't think her being cautious is so damned unreasonable. ERIC KLUSTER (wry) So, now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, Mr. Rather's been complaining about his chair again. (laughter) As they start to leave... LOWELL (mild) Before you go... And Lowell takes out... LOWELL (CONT'D) I discovered this. SEC filing... (he gets their attention) For the sale of the CBS Corporation to Westinghouse Corporation. MIKE WALLACE What? DON HEWITT Yeah, I heard rumors. LOWELL It's not a rumor. It's a sale. (rhetorical answer) If Tisch can unload CBS for $81 a share to Westinghouse and then is suddenly threatened with a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from Brown & Williamson, that could screw up the sale, could it not? ERIC KLUSTER (serene) And what are you implying? LOWELL (to Kluster) I'm not implying. I'm quoting. More vested interests... (reading from SEC filing) "Persons Who Will Profit From This Merger... (beat) Ms. Helen Caperelli, General Counsel of CBS News, 3.9 million. Mr. Eric Kluster, President of CBS News, 1.4 million..." DON HEWITT Are you suggesting that she and Eric are influenced by money? LOWELL Oh, no, of course they're not influenced by money. They work for free. And you are a Volunteer Executive Producer. DON HEWITT CBS does not do that. And, you're questioning our journalistic integrity?! LOWELL No, I'm questioning your hearing! You hear "reasonable" and "tortious interference." I hear... "Potential Brown & Williamson lawsuit jeopardizing the sale of CBS to Westinghouse." I hear... "Shut the segment down. Cut Wigand loose. Obey orders. And fuck off...!" That's what I hear. DON HEWITT You're exaggerating! LOWELL I am? You pay me to go get guys like Wigand, to draw him out. To get him to trust us, to get him to go on television. I do. I deliver him. He sits. He talks. He violates his own fucking confidentiality agreement. And he's only the key witness in the biggest public health reform issue, maybe the biggest, most-expensive corporate-malfeasance case in U.S. history. And Jeffrey Wigand, who's out on a limb, does he go on television and tell the truth? Yes. Is it newsworthy? Yes. Are we gonna air it? Of course not. Why? Because he's not telling the truth? No. Because he is telling the truth. That's why we're not going to air it. And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets! DON HEWITT You are a fanatic. An anarchist. You know that? If we can't have a whole show, then I want half a show rather than no show. But oh, no, not you. You won't be satisfied unless you're putting the company at risk! LOWELL C'mon, what are you? And are you a businessman? Or are you a newsman?! Because that happens to be what Mike and I do for a living... MIKE WALLACE Lowell. LOWELL (runs on) "Put the corporation at risk"...? Give me a fucking break! MIKE WALLACE Lowell. LOWELL These people are putting our whole reason for doing what we do...on the line! MIKE WALLACE Lowell! LOWELL What? MIKE WALLACE I'm with Don on this. And there it is. EXT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - AFTERNOON We see Sharon in a vegetable garden in their side yard... She turns, seeing him standing behind her... After a moment. She knows. SHARON What's wrong? LOWELL They're killing the Wigand interview... SHARON What?! LOWELL They're pretending it's process. Bullshit, it's foregone. SHARON (beat) What are you and Mike going to do? LOWELL I'm alone on this... SHARON (beat) Oh, baby... And the phone RINGS... Sharon goes in the house to get it... She comes back out... SHARON (CONT'D) (after a beat) Jeffrey Wigand... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, BERKELEY - LATE AFTERNOON LOWELL Jeffrey... INT. A HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And we see Wigand looking rough, unshaven, sitting on a couch in a hotel room. And we see his belongings, clothing, some boxes, a bottle of vodka, his computer, what's left of his world, are around the room. LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Jeffrey, how are you? How's the family, okay? WIGAND There is - there is no family. LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) What do you mean there is no family? WIGAND Liane has filed for divorce... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, BERKELEY - LATE AFTERNOON And Lowell's dead quiet. INT. THE HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT WIGAND And, so, I moved out... I see the girls a couple of days a week... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (concerned) Where you staying now? WIGAND (sarcastic) Our favorite hotel, honey... I checked into Room 930. Odd choice? Huh? And we don't know what he means by that... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, BERKELEY - LATE AFTERNOON The last of the daylight shadows his office. LOWELL (after a beat) I don't know how to say this, Jeff, except to just say it right out, so I'll say it. They do not want to air it. WIGAND (stops) What?! LOWELL B & W may have threatened litigation... CBS is on the block... (a beat) But you, I mean, I know how... WIGAND No. LOWELL No? No, what? WIGAND I do not think that you "know" for me...what it is to walk in my shoes... (beat) ...for my kids to have seen it...for them to know why I've put them through what I did...the public airing of that...the testament to why I did what I did...you're telling me is not going to see the light of day. Lowell's quiet. And Jeffrey starts to hang up... LOWELL Jeff... And Jeffrey hangs up. INT. JEFFREY'S HOTEL ROOM, LOUISIANA - (PROCESS) - NIGHT Jeffrey silently sitting in the chair. We COME AROUND and see why he's been purposely sitting there. Why he's chosen this room. Directly across the street is the Brown & Williamson Building. The lights are on. The building lit up. And in an upstairs office Brown & Williamson lawyers, moving around a conference room, talking. And as Jeffrey looks out the window... EXT. A SMALL TOWN, UPSTATE NEW YORK - DAY A peaceful, suburban street. Small houses. A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR (P.I.) from IGI, in a raincoat, getting out of a car, going up the walk. He knocks on the door. Some moments. A Woman in her late forties, handicapped, in an electric cart answers the door... P.I. Mrs. Wigand? THE WOMAN It hasn't been Mrs. Wigand for some time. P.I. Well, I'm an investigator and I was - I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions about that? THE WOMAN Alright... INT. JOHN SCANLON'S PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM, A MEDIA ROOM, NEW YORK - DAY And on a TELEVISION SCREEN, SUSAN WIGAND, the woman in the electric cart, giving a taped interview to the P.I.... SUSAN WIGAND ...seven months after we were married we found out that I had multiple sclerosis... We PULL BACK to see John Scanlon and his Staff watching the tape... His firm's logo, public relations campaigns for some of his high-profile clients are on the walls. Scanlon's on the phone talking with somebody as the tape runs... P.I.'S VOICE (OVER) (on television) And, you had a daughter, Diane, with him, is that correct? SUSAN WIGAND (on television) Yes, in 1973. JOHN SCANLON (on the phone, whispering) ...come on, Tommy Sandefur told me himself, he's not gonna allow Brown & Williamson to be demonized to the American public, so I told Peter Jennings and I...hold on... He stops, listening to the videotape... P.I.'S VOICE (OVER) (on television) Would it be fair to say when he divorced you he left you in a precarious situation? You had multiple sclerosis; you had a small child to raise. JOHN SCANLON (ignoring that part; to staff) Mention that part in the executive summary and in the chapters "First Wife" and "Estrangement of Daughter." (beat; into phone) So, I was telling Pete, I said, "You've been taken in by this guy... SUSAN WIGAND (on television) Yes... (beat) But you have to understand, the divorce was something that we both wanted... JOHN SCANLON He's a total bullshit artist. He's a shoplifter. He's a convicted shoplifter. And as we end in a sea of documents, affidavits, court records, all from Louisville, all about Jeffrey. We understand the war has only been begun... INT. CBS, "60 MINUTES," CORRIDOR, LOWELL'S OFFICE - MORNING Lowell, in his office, his door open for anyone to see him, an immovable force, sitting behind his desk. Hewitt appears in his doorway... DON HEWITT (after a beat, cold) So, what are you going to do? LOWELL Well, what do you think I'm going to do? Quit in protest? I'm not going to do that. DON HEWITT (surprised) You're taking "no" for an answer? LOWELL No. I'm not going to take "no" for an answer. No. DON HEWITT Then what are you going to do? Hewitt looks at him... LOWELL I'm staying right here. Doing my job. Fighting to get my show on the air. You don't like it? Hey, I'll tell you what...fire my ass... DON HEWITT End up in a high-profile lawsuit with Lowell, the First Amendment martyr? I don't think so. (laughs) Take a look at this... This is a summary of a dossier that's being prepared. And he gives him a copy of it. DON HEWITT (CONT'D) He would lie about his whole life...? Who's going to believe him about anything he says...? (a beat, and the coup de grace) The Wall Street Journal's doing a major story and I think the Post. You backed the wrong horse... He turns and starts off along the hall. As he goes... DON HEWITT (cont'd) (his parting shot) The version without his interview is going to air the week after next. Lowell watches him walk away. Debbie enters. DEBBIE DELUCA What was that about? LOWELL Get me Wigand. DEBBIE DELUCA Sure. LOWELL ...fuck is this? Fuck! INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, HIGH SCHOOL, LOUISVILLE - DAY LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (on the phone, upset) You never told me you were married before...that you had a daughter... And Wigand is in the phone booth at the High School...students walking by... WIGAND (outraged) Well, how is that any of your business?! That is not something that you people need to know! His voice carries, a student looks over... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE - DAY LOWELL (frustrated) Oh, you know what we do or do not need to know? Since when have you become a media expert? INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY WIGAND (upset) What do you want to do, Lowell, look up my ass, too...! And he realizes he's said it too loud, a couple of passing students stop, looking at him... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, CBS - DAY LOWELL Oh, my God. WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) (after a beat, lowering his voice, but contentious) You're not even on this anymore... What do you care? LOWELL Jeff! Wake the fuck up! Everybody is on the line here. If they can catch you in a lie, they can paint everything with that brush. Do you understand? Everything you say! WIGAND I told the truth! LOWELL Everything...you...say! And I can't defend you, man, with one hand tied behind my back! Because you keep from me...what they can discover. And they will discover everything! Believe me. INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY Wigand's quiet. He looks out the phone booth. After some moments... WIGAND (meaning his first wife and their child, upset) ...I was young. I was young...confused... We didn't handle it the right way... INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE, NEW YORK - DAY LOWELL (after a beat) She sued you for back payments of child support? INT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY WIGAND She did not sue me. We had a dispute over money... I settled it, she dropped the complaint... (angry) Any other questions? And we'll go back and forth... LOWELL Yes. Did you lie about being on the American Judo Team in the Olympics? WIGAND What? LOWELL Some public relations guy got a hold of a tape of an interview...where you're saying you were on the American Judo Team in the Olympics...? WIGAND (explosive) What kind of shit is this? I was not on the team, I sparred with the Olympic Team...okay? And we see, unbeknownst to Wigand, the P.I. in the raincoat, who interviewed his ex-wife, coming out of an administration office, walking towards us along the hallways... LOWELL Alright...the ABC Telemarketing Company? WIGAND ABC...? LOWELL ABC Telemarketing Company. WIGAND (the absurdity) A can opener! A $39.95 can opener. I cancelled payment... It was junk. (sarcastic) You ever bounce a check, Lowell? You ever look at another woman's tits? You ever cheat a little on your taxes? (a beat, angry) Whose life, if you look at it under a microscope, doesn't have any flaws...? The P.I. in the raincoat passes Jeffrey, now, and doesn't even glance at him... LOWELL That's the whole point, Jeffrey. That's the whole point. Anyone's. Everyone's. They are gonna look under every rock, dig up every flaw, every mistake you've ever made. They are going to distort and exaggerate everything you've ever done, man. Don't you understand? WIGAND (shouts) What does this have to do with my testimony? LOWELL That's not the point. WIGAND What does this have to do with my testimony?! I told the truth! It's valid and true and provable! LOWELL That's not the fucking point, whether you told the truth or not! Hello...? WIGAND I told the truth... I told the truth. And Wigand's quiet, a deep, dark depression. The school bell RING snaps him out of it... WIGAND (after a beat) I've got to teach class. I've got to go. I've got to teach class. LOWELL (undaunted) And I've got to refute every fucking accusation made in this report before The Wall Street Journal runs. (a beat) I am trying to protect you, man! Wigand's quiet. WIGAND (after a beat, the killer) Well, I hope you improve your batting average. And he SLAMS the phone down. And as he stands in the phone booth, like a man in a glass booth, all alone... EXT. CBS BUILDING, ROOFTOP - DAY ON the door to the roof. It SLAMS open. An enraged Lowell enters and walks out into the cold rain. Like a prize- fighter, shoulders hunched against the cold, he buries his hands in his jacket pockets. He crosses to the edge of the roof high above the city. He's pissed off. He takes out his cell phone. He dials... Lowell hears background NOISE... INT. WALL STREET JOURNAL - NEWS MEETING - DAY Twenty sub-editors and section heads sit and stand in a clear area... One of them, a large man, is CHARLIE PHILLIPS on a cell phone. CHARLIE PHILLIPS Hello? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (cautious) It's Lowell. Are you guys planning to do a piece on a former top executive in Big Tobacco? CHARLIE PHILLIPS You caught me in a news meeting. LOWELL Well, are you or are you not, Charlie? CHARLIE PHILLIPS You bet we are. And I can't talk to you now. LOWELL We gotta hook up. CHARLIE PHILLIPS Sure. Where? LOWELL P.J.'s. CHARLIE PHILLIPS I'll be there. INT. A PHONE BOOTH, NEW YORK - NIGHT A busy New York street. Light mist. And we see Lowell is on the phone in a phone booth... LOWELL Yeah, I got it. 500 pages of it. They looked in every corner of this guy's life...from a spousal abuse charge, to shoplifting, to a traffic ticket he got once for running a red light. It's Terry Lenzner's outfit, IGI. Jack, listen to me. Their strategy: discredit this guy, ruin his reputation in The Wall Street Journal, and then nobody will ever listen to what he's got to say about tobacco. He's dead. Unless I can get this thing knocked down. INT. A HOUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT A townhouse with a commanding view of the Bay. And we see a broad-shouldered man in his late forties sitting at a desk on the phone. JACK PALLADINO. His wife, SANDRA SUTHERLAND, sitting across from him on another phone. They're Private Investigators... LOWELL To make it even a little more attractive, I don't know if you're ever gonna get paid. SANDRA SUTHERLAND Is there any truth to any of it? LOWELL That's a good question. "Is there any truth to any of it?" I doubt it. PALLADINO What's their deadline? LOWELL Soon. Palladinos exchange looks; she nods. PALLADINO Fax me the summary. LOWELL That's great, Jack. Lowell hangs up and walks towards us to enter... INT. BAR - NIGHT CLOSE on Lowell entering, moving through the crowd of sports writers, feature writers, sub-editors, etc. He comes upon a rugged-featured man, JIM COOPER from The New York Times, sitting next to Charlie. JIM COOPER Hey, Lowell. LOWELL How are you, Jim? JIM COOPER Hey, listen, I hear you guys are sitting on something sensational over there. Lowell looks at Cooper quizzically. LOWELL Really? Hi, Joan. Just then Jim's wife enters. They exchange greetings. JIM COOPER Hi, baby. LOWELL Catch you later. Cooper and his wife leave. Charlie and Lowell are alone in the crowded bar. LOWELL (CONT'D) When's your deadline? CHARLIE PHILLIPS Monday. LOWELL Push it. CHARLIE PHILLIPS What? Forget it. LOWELL It's a smear campaign, Charlie. CHARLIE PHILLIPS It's drawn from a selectively circulated... LOWELL (cuts in) Oh, it's real selective...about as hard to get a hold of as the Manhattan phone book. CHARLIE PHILLIPS Well, it's authoritative and is overwhelmingly documented. LOWELL And it's bullshit. And if I'm right, are you going to put the Journal's reputation behind a story that's going to blow up in your face? CHARLIE PHILLIPS I'll take a look at what you got. But I'm not moving any deadlines 'cause you say so. That's the way it lays. In a different, personal tone... CHARLIE PHILLIPS (cont'd) Are you all right? LOWELL Yeah. Catch you later. INT. A COFFEE SHOP, LOUISVILLE - DAY And we see a Policeman sitting at the counter having a cup of coffee... SANDRA SUTHERLAND Officer Murabchick? He turns as Sandra Sutherland sits at the counter to the left of him. SANDRA SUTHERLAND (cont'd) Officer Muravchick. How are you? I'm Sandra Sutherland. POLICEMAN How do you do? SANDRA SUTHERLAND Fine, thank you. I'm doing a background check. Mind if I sit down? INT. COURTROOM, LOUISVILLE - LATE AFTERNOON An older Man is on the bench. He's just recessed his court. As everybody streams out, going against the tide is Jack Palladino. He approaches the judge, crossing to a side door... PALLADINO Your honor, could I have a word with you? You presided in a dispute over support payments... INT. A COFFEE SHOP, LOUISVILLE - DAY POLICEMAN Jeffrey Wigand? Yeah, I cited him. INT. EDITING ROOM, CBS - DAY DAN RATHER (on monitor) CBS is under criticism, because the CBS News program "60 Minutes" will not be presenting an interview... Lowell's destroying his own work product, taking apart his creation that we saw earlier to be so impactful. Tony gets a call as Hewitt enters. DON HEWITT What the hell are you doing? LOWELL What does it look like I'm doing? I'm editing. DON HEWITT No, not that. I'm talking about the Associated Press. They got this story that we pulled this interview and they talked to Mike and I. Did you tell them that we were lying? LOWELL No. I should have. I told them I disagreed with you, Mike and Kluster that this segment is as good as the original. I'm not lying for you. I'm not gonna shut up for you. Not on any of it. DON HEWITT Hey! I'm not going to fire you, okay? Take a vacation. Now! INT. LOWELL'S OFFICE - EVENING A suitcase is on the floor. Lowell, finishing packing up his things from his office. MIKE WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER) Lowell. I decided to preface Sunday's show. I did three minutes on the "Evening News." You'll want to see it. (beat) Where you going? And he sees Wallace has stopped at his door... LOWELL I've been banished. In lieu of being fired. MIKE WALLACE (disinterested) I took off on Tisch. I took off on corporate. They'll know they're not going to see everything on Sunday night... LOWELL I don't know. How does that get Wigand on the air? MIKE WALLACE (goes up) Do me a favor, will you? Spare me, for God's sake. Get in the real world. What do you think? I'm going to resign in protest? To force it on the air? The answer is "no." I don't plan to spend the end of my days wandering in the wilderness of National Public Radio. (beat) That decision I've already made. VOICE (from corridor; to Mike) It just started, Mike... Wallace waves Lowell's remark aside and exits. We dwell on Lowell until he exits... INT. CBS CORRIDOR - EVENING ...into the hall. Dan Rather introduced Mike. As Lowell exits, we SEE Hewitt, Kluster and Caperelli outside of Hewitt's office watching... Lowell, disgusted, takes a cursory look and moves towards the elevator. But he hears... MIKE WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER) Where's the rest? Where the hell's the rest?!! Lowell turns to see Wallace shouting up at the monitors in disbelief... MIKE WALLACE (CONT'D) You cut it! You cut the guts out of what I said...! Wallace moves in on Kluster... ERIC KLUSTER It was a time consideration, Mike... MIKE WALLACE Time? Bullshit! You corporate lackey! Who told you your incompetent little fingers had the requisite skills to edit me! I'm trying to Band-Aid a situation, here, and you're too dim to... HELEN CAPERELLI (interrupts, familiar) Mike... Mike... Mike... MIKE WALLACE "Mike?" It was a big mistake. Now, he turns on her. Zeroing in, getting closer... MIKE WALLACE (CONT'D) "Mike?" Try "Mr. Wallace." We work in the same corporation doesn't mean we work in the same profession. What are you gonna do now? You gonna finesse me? Lawyer me some more? I've been in this profession fifty fucking years. You and the people you work for are destroying the most-respected, the highest-rated, the most-profitable show on this network! EXT. THE EAST RIVER - NIGHT A Range Rover pulls up. Charlie Phillips gets out. He crosses to Lowell who's been waiting by his own taxi. LOWELL Here. He hands Charlie a folder with the brown notebook inside that is the partially complete Palladino/Sutherland/Lowell work product. LOWELL (CONT'D) These are their leads, their sources. I want you to have your reporters... CHARLIE PHILLIPS Suein Hwang and Milo Geyelin. LOWELL Have them make their own calls. They'll find that these sources have a different story than the one that's in the dossier... (demands) Push the deadline, Charlie... Charlie starts looking through the Palladino/ Sutherland/Lowell work product. Meanwhile... CHARLIE PHILLIPS I'll push it for a week. Let Milo and Suein go through it. INT. WIGANDS' HOUSE #2, KITCHEN - DAY LIANE What do you want to buy him for a gift? BARBARA He's into kind of little cars, that... LIANE That remote control thing? BARBARA Yeah. LIANE Alright, we'll do that tomorrow. BARBARA Mom. LIANE Yes, baby? BARBARA There's Dad, on TV. INT. A BAR, LOUISVILLE - DAY And we see Jeffrey in a quiet Bar. The television's on, the sound low, the midday news. As Jeffrey looks up and sees his photograph on TELEVISION. In his LOCAL WORLD the impact is: LOCAL NEWSCASTER And in local news, WLKO Louisville has gained access to a five-hundred-page dossier on former Brown & Williamson research head Jeffrey Wigand detailing charges of spousal abuse, shoplifting... And Jeffrey looks as if something just detonated inside of him. WE'RE LOOKING AT MIKE WALLACE SITTING IN FRONT OF A BACKDROP ON "60 MINUTES," ON A TELEVISION... INT. HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And Jeffrey sitting alone in the hotel, watching the show... MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...thousands of documents from inside the tobacco industry have surfaced over the past year, documents that appear to confirm what a former..." And as we look at Jeffrey's face, set in stone... INT. THE CARIBBEAN BUNGALOW - DAY/NIGHT MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...US Surgeon General and the current head of the Food and Drug Administration have been saying. We learned of..." INT. DON HEWITT'S HOUSE, THE HAMPTONS - NIGHT And Don Hewitt in his house in the Hamptons, alone in his bedroom, watching the show... MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...a tobacco insider who could tell us whether or not the tobacco industry has been leveling with the public..." INT. MIKE WALLACE'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK - NIGHT MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...that insider was formerly a highly- placed executive with a tobacco company..." INT. HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...but we cannot broadcast what critical information about tobacco, addiction and public health he might be able to offer. Why? Because he had to sign a confidentiality agreement with the tobacco company he worked for..." INT. MIKE WALLACE'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK - NIGHT Mike Wallace is in his study, watching the show alone. As we slowly move in on Mike, seeing himself on television... MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "The management of CBS has told us that knowing he had that agreement..." And the look on his face says: HE DOES NOT LIKE THIS. INT. THE CARIBBEAN BUNGALOW - DAY/NIGHT Lowell silently watching the broadcast... MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "...if were to broadcast an interview with him, CBS could be faced with a multibillion-dollar lawsuit..." INT. HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT Jeffrey, watching the show... MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes," from the interview with Wigand...) "The fact is, we are not allowed even to mention his name or the name of the company he worked for and, of course, we cannot show you his face... '...and your confidentiality agreement with...(blip) is still in force?'" And all we can hear is an ELECTRONICALLY-ALTERED VOICE and the BLANKED-OUT image of a man... WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) "Yes, it is." MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "So, what are they gonna do? Sue you for making this appearance?" WIGAND "I would bet on it." MIKE WALLACE (on "60 Minutes") "The former executive has reason to bet on being sued, for major cigarette manufacturers..." Jeffrey, motionless... A man, no longer with a face or a voice... And as he gets up, and quietly turns off the television... INT. MIKE WALLACE'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK - NIGHT, LATER Wallace, hasn't moved, still in his chair. He stares, ignoring the CBS programming, on the phone, making a call... EXT. THE CARIBBEAN BEACH - NIGHT Lowell, walking up the sand, his cell phone rings. LOWELL Yeah. MIKE WALLACE You disappeared on me. How long you staying? LOWELL (absurd) I disappeared on you? MIKE WALLACE (meaning the show) Alright. What did you think? LOWELL (after a beat) I think it was a disgrace. The look on Wallace's face says he thinks so, too. It's obvious. He hangs up the phone. EXT. LOWELL'S BUNGALOW, THE CARIBBEAN - NIGHT Lowell is on the phone, now. The moon lights the water, the empty beach. He listens as a phone, through STATIC, RINGS and RINGS and RINGS. INT. WIGAND'S HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And we hear the phone RINGING. We slowly PAN across the hotel room. We see on the floor a pair of men's tasseled loafers... A discarded sport jacket... And we see Jeffrey, barefoot, sitting in a chair in the center of the room. He's looking out the window at B&W. The curtains are blowing... And he's still... The sound of the phone RINGING and RINGING... EXT. THE BEACH, THE CARIBBEAN - NIGHT AN OPERATOR'S VOICE (OVER) Sir, there's still no answer in that room. LOWELL Alright. Get me the manager's office... INT. THE HOTEL MANAGER'S OFFICE, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT HOTEL DESK CLERK David? David, you've got a call on line 4. I think you better take it. A thin Man answers the phone. THE HOTEL MANAGER This is David MacDougal. How can I help you? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Mr. MacDougal, my name is Lowell Bergman. I'm a producer for "60 Minutes"... I'm concerned with a friend of mine who's staying at your hotel right now. INT. THE HOTEL CORRIDOR, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And we see the Hotel Manager, walking along with a Security Guard, and now KNOCKING on Jeffrey's door... And when there is no response, the Manager nods to the Security Guard, the Guard using a pass key, unlocking the door. But the door stops, the chain-lock drawn. The Manager looks in through the chain...and he can see Jeffrey sitting in the chair... THE HOTEL MANAGER Mr. Wigand? Mr. Wigand? Jeffrey's still. The Manager quickly takes a cell phone from the Security Guard. EXT. THE CARIBBEAN - NIGHT Lowell, standing on the beach anxiously waiting. THE HOTEL MANAGER'S VOICE (OVER) (upset) I think I need to call the police. He won't respond... LOWELL No, no. Don't call the police! (urgent) Just tell him I'm on the phone with you... My name is Lowell Bergman... Just tell him that. INT. THE HOTEL CORRIDOR, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT THE HOTEL MANAGER (through the door, frightened) Mr. Wigand...Mr. Bergman is on the telephone. Jeffrey's quiet. EXT. THE CARIBBEAN - NIGHT LOWELL Did he hear you? THE HOTEL MANAGER'S VOICE (OVER) You're breaking up. I can't hear you. Lowell goes deeper into the water. LOWELL What about now? THE HOTEL MANAGER'S VOICE (OVER) What? LOWELL Hello, can you hear me now? INT. WIGAND'S HOTEL ROOM, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT And now the walls behind MORPH into a green daytime garden, the garden behind his house. And as we DOLLY AROUND Wigand, more walls MORPH into the side yard, and, turning slowly, he sees Barbara and Deborah in the emerald-green grass. They stop and smile, then they stare at us, at their father. And he looks at his children, at an idyll lost... The chair, the man are the only real objects left in the view from inside his head... EXT. THE CARIBBEAN - NIGHT Lowell anxiously moves along the beach, trying to be heard, the phone chattering with static... LOWELL (alarmed) What's happening?! THE HOTEL MANAGER'S VOICE (OVER) (afraid) He doesn't seem to be listening... LOWELL (on the cell phone, shouts, urgent) Alright, now listen to me. I want you - I want you to tell him, in these words: get on the fucking phone...! THE HOTEL MANAGER'S VOICE (OVER) I can't say that! LOWELL No, you can. Tell him to get on the fucking phone! INT. THE HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT THE HOTEL MANAGER (at the door, to Jeffrey, loud) He told me to tell you, to get on...the fucking phone...! And even he's surprised by his language. And suddenly Jeffrey gets up, unlatches the door, grabs the phone from the Hotel Manager. Wigand in the hotel corridor, Lowell standing knee-deep in the water... WIGAND (on the phone, angry) You manipulated me into this...! LOWELL That's bullshit, Jeff! WIGAND You greased the rails! LOWELL I greased the rails for a guy who wanted to say yes. I helped him to say yes. Alright. You're not a robot, Jeff! That's all. You got a mind of your own, don't you? WIGAND (running on) "Up to you, Jeffrey. That's the power you have, Jeffrey. Vital insider information the American public need to know." Lowell Bergman, the hot show who never met a source he couldn't turn around. LOWELL (running on) I fought for you...and I still fight for you. WIGAND You fought for me...?! (running on) ...you manipulated me...into where I am now...staring at the Brown & Williamson Building. It's all dark. Except the 10th floor! That's the legal department. That's where they fuck with my life! LOWELL (beat) Jeffrey, where you going with this? So where you goin'? (quiet) You are important to a lot of people, Jeffrey. You think about that. You think about them. CLOSE ON JEFFREY: standing in the room with the blowing curtains... LOWELL (CONT'D) I'm running out of heroes, man... (after a beat) Guys like you are in short supply. And for the first time, Wigand smiles. WIGAND (a beat, wry) Yeah, guys like you, too. And the grave situation passes. WIGAND (CONT'D) (after a beat) Where are you, anyway? LOWELL I'm on a leave of absence. Forced vacation. WIGAND (a rare laugh, his sarcasm) You try and have a good time. LOWELL (droll) Yeah. Yeah, I will. INT. THE CARIBBEAN BUNGALOW - DAY/NIGHT Sharon's cooking across the room... And there's just the sound of the ceiling fan turning. LOWELL "I'm Lowell Bergman, I'm from '60 Minutes.'" You know, you take the "60 Minutes" out of that sentence, nobody returns your phone call. Maybe Wigand's right. Maybe I'm hooked. What am I hooked on? The rush? "60 Minutes"? What the hell for? Infotainment. It's so fucking useless, all of it. SHARON (a beat) So, it's a big country with a free press. You can go work somewhere else. LOWELL Free press? Press is free...for anyone who owns one. Larry Tisch has a free press. SHARON Get some perspective, Lowell. LOWELL I got perspective. SHARON No, you do not. LOWELL From my perspective, what's been going on and what I've been doing is ridiculous. It's half-measures. SHARON You're not listening. (beat) Really know what you're going to do before you do it. And as the fan squeaks, turning... Lowell stares at Sharon. WE SEE SNOW IS ON THE GROUND. EXT. LINCOLN, MONTANA - DAY Between two curved colonnades of SNOW-covered trees drives a rental car. CLOSER, it's Lowell. His POV spots a dirty SUV and he pulls into park across from a coffee shop in this out- of-context mountain town. His pager beeps. He looks at it. He detours from the coffee shop to a pay phone on the corner of the Moose Lodge. DEBBIE DELUCA'S VOICE (OVER) I've got Richard Scruggs on the phone... LOWELL Patch him through. RICHARD SCRUGGS' VOICE (OVER) Well, Lowell, you are not going to believe this... INT. A COURTROOM + ROTUNDA, MISSISSIPPI - DAY And we see the back of a crowded courtroom. Richard Scruggs is standing in the rear amongst bailiffs an witnesses, talking on his own cell phone. RICAHRD SCRUGGS The Governor of Mississippi is suing his own Attorney General...to abandon litigation against Big Tobacco... LOWELL Oh, good... Waiting media are relaxing as Scruggs continues to Lowell... RICHARD SCRUGGS (after a beat) But, now that the version without Jeff ran...what's the chance of getting his interview on the air...? (beat) Hello? Sudden STATIC. Scruggs now exits the building, past the metal detector, seeking better reception. LOWELL Yeah, I'm here. EXT. COURTHOUSE STAIRS, MISSISSIPPI - DAY RICHARD SCRUGGS What chance is there of getting Jeff's interview on the air...? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (droll) Less than great. And the courthouse doors suddenly burst open, Michael Moore and his attorneys coming out. Scruggs comes further down the steps so he can hear, away from Michael Moore who begins answering questions from the Press. RICHARD SCRUGGS (after a beat) ...I'd be lying to you if I did not tell you how important it was in the court of public opinion... EXT. THE PHONE BOOTH, LINCOLN, MONTANA - DAY LOWELL (a beat) ...and I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you, I'm about out of moves, Dick... RICHARD SCRUGGS All right. See you... INT. CAFE, LINCOLN, MONTANA - DAY Lowell walks right in and up to a booth and a COUPLE in hiking pants and hiking boots. They look up at him... LOWELL Hi. So, what are you folks doing here in Lincoln? And we sense something is all wrong here. MAN GEOLOGIST (affable) Geology survey. LOWELL (nods) Geology. Yeah? Really? WOMAN GEOLOGIST How about you? LOWELL (direct) I work for CBS News. MAN GEOLOGIST (after a beat) Oh, yeah? Lowell nods. They look at each other and they both know there's a lot more than meets the eye. And as Lowell gets up and leaves... EXT. A PAY PHONE, LINCOLN, MONTANA - DAY And we see Lowell on the PAY PHONE again. LOWELL Just ran into two of your "geologists." Geologists whose hands aren't all chewed up...? BILL ROBERTSON'S VOICE (OVER) Lowell? INT. THE FBI, BILL ROBERTSON'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON - DAY And we see Bill Robertson's on the phone... BILL ROBERTSON Do not...screw this up. We are a week away from an arrest... EXT. THE PAY PHONE, LINCOLN, MONTANA - DAY LOWELL So, I'll hold it... And... BILL ROBERTSON'S VOICE (OVER) (on the phone) We'll give you a heads up before we launch. LOWELL How long? BILL ROBERTSON'S VOICE (OVER) Three hours. LOWELL You got a deal. (hangs up) INT. LOWELL'S ROOM, MOTEL, MONTANA - NIGHT Lowell is in a T-shirt and sweat pants, sitting in an old, re- upholstered-one-too-many-times chair in a room barely big enough for a chair, a bed and the TV/VCR combo on the cheap dresser. It's playing Lowell's cut of the full Wigand interview. He watches the show that will never see the light of day. MIKE WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER) "...like the testimony before Congress of Dr. Wigand's former boss, Brown & Williamson's Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Sandefur." THOMAS SANDEFUR (in CLOSE-UP) "I believe that nicotine is not addictive." WIGAND (in matching CLOSE-UP) "I believe Mr. Sandefur perjured himself... Because I watched those testimonies very carefully." Then it cuts to all seven CEOs of Big Tobacco raising their hands and taking the oath in front of Congress to tell the truth while... WALLACE'S VOICE (OVER) "All of us did...there was this whole like of people, the whole line of CEOs up there, all swearing that." WIGAND'S VOICE (OVER) "Part of the reason I'm here is I FELT..." And the PAUSE after the word makes "FELT" resound, and as it CUTS TO Jeffrey ON CAMERA saying... WIGAND (CONT'D) "...that their representation..." And Lowell FREEZES after the image... He gets up, looking out the window through the curtain with the spill from the neon motel sign. Outside are horse trailers. He goes back to watching the show...standing there...in touch with his own creative work product and the ideas inherent in it in this decision-making process that we feel is critical to him. Turning, he dials the phone and we intercut with... JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) Hello? LOWELL Jim, it's Lowell. INT. NEW YORK TIMES - NIGHT JIM COOPER Hey! Where are you? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) (doesn't answer) Remember that night at P.J.'s? You asked me if we were sitting on something "explosive"? (beat) Well, we're not "sitting on" it. (beat) CBS corporate leaned on CBS News which yanked an interview we did with a top- ranking tobacco scientist. A corporate officer. They are trying to close down the story. JIM COOPER (sarcastic) You mean, "60 Minutes" is letting CBS corporate decide what is or is not news? (beat) What's Wallace think about this, or Hewitt, or...? LOWELL How prominent? What kind of placement? JIM COOPER Oh, c'mon, Lowell. This is The New York Times. I don't know... LOWELL Well, until you do, all I can tell you is what you already know...they will not air an interview. JIM COOPER Call me back in ten. Lowell hangs up. Re-dials. INT. DEBBIE DELUCA'S APARTMENT - NEW YORK - LATE NIGHT Debbie answers, intercutting with above... LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Debbie. It's me... DEBBIE DELUCA Hi. What time is it? LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Oh, it's late. DEBBIE DELUCA That I know. When are you coming back? LOWELL I can't get out of here til mid-morning. I'll be in tomorrow night... (beat) Listen, could you call a number for me, it's in Mississippi... DEBBIE DELUCA Okay. Hold on a second... What is it? INT. NEW YORK TIMES - NIGHT Jim Cooper's workstation. His phone rings. He grabs it. JIM COOPER Hello? (beat) LOWELL'S VOICE (OVER) Lowell. JIM COOPER Alright, Lowell. Page one. Editorial's interested. Let's talk. INT. MOTEL, LINCOLN, MONTANA - NIGHT LOWELL Here's how it works. You ask me questions. I tell you if you're wrong. JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) Okay. (pause) Lowell? LOWELL Yeah? JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) You're sure you want to do this? LOWELL Why? JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) Hey, it doesn't work? You've burned your bridges, man. LOWELL You ready...? JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) Okay... About this whistle-blower... Did Mike and Don go along with the corporate decision? No answer. JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER)(cont'd) Lowell? LOWELL Did I tell you you were wrong? JIM COOPER'S VOICE (OVER) No. (beat) I'm assuming the cave-in begins with the threat of litigation from Big Tobacco. Are we talking...are we talking Brown & Williamson, here? MOVING CLOSER into the face of Lowell. His gaze falters. His eyes go back to the motel TV mutely frozen on the show. Whatever he's seeing there, his gaze is steadfast. EXT. STREET, NEW YORK - 5:30 A.M. Newspaper box is loaded with The New York Times. EXT. HOTEL, NEW YORK - 5:30 A.M. Cab pulls to curb and a raincoated Man emerges. We SEE he carries a copy of this morning's New York Times. INT. A HOTEL ROOM, NEW YORK - DAWN A suitcase is half-unpacked on the floor...a sleeping figure... There's a knock. Irritated, a sleeping Lowell gets up to answer it. He looks through the security peep hole. He opens it. And Mike Wallace, a newspaper under his arm, is standing in the doorway. MIKE WALLACE Did I get you up? LOWELL No, I usually sit around in my hotel room, dressed like this at 5:30 in the morning, sleepy look on my face. There's an awkward quiet. Mike enters. He slows, looks around. MIKE WALLACE How many shows have we done? Huh? C'mon, how many? LOWELL Oh, lots. MIKE WALLACE Yeah, that's right. LOWELL But in all that time, Mike, did you ever get off a plane, walk into a room, and find that a source for a story changed his mind? Lost his heart? Walked out on us? Not one fucking time! You want to know why? MIKE WALLACE I see a rhetorical question on the horizon. LOWELL I'm going to tell you why. Because when I tell someone I'm going to do something, I deliver. MIKE WALLACE Oh, how fortunate I am to have Lowell Bergman's moral tutelage to point me down the shining path. To show me the way. LOWELL Oh, please, Mike... MIKE WALLACE (beat) Give me a break! LOWELL No, you give me a break! I never left a source hung out to dry, ever. Abandoned. Not 'til right fucking now! When I came on this job, I came with my word intact. I'm gonna leave with my word intact. Fuck the rules of the game! Hell, you're supposed to know me, Mike. What the hell did you expect? You expect me to lie down? Back off? What, get over it? MIKE WALLACE In the real world, when you get to where I am, there are other considerations... LOWELL Like what? Corporate responsibility? What, are we talking celebrity here? MIKE WALLACE I'm not talking celebrity, vanity, CBS. I'm talking about when you're nearer the end of your life than the beginning. Now, what do you think you think about then? The future? "In the future I'm going to do this? Become that?" What "future"? No. What you think is: how will I be regarded in the end? After I'm gone. He trails off. They look at each other. MIKE WALLACE (cont'd) Now, along the way I suppose I made some minor impact. (beat) I did Iran-Gate and the Ayatollah, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Saddam, Sadat, etcetera, etcetera. I showed them thieves in suits. (beat) I've spent a lifetime building all that. But history only remembers most what you did last. And should that be fronting a segment that allowed a tobacco giant to crash this network? (beat) Does it give someone at my time of life pause? (simply) Yeah. And the look on Wallace's face is "It did. Whether it should or should not...what difference does that make? It did." And we realize only now that he has not come to argue. LOWELL Mike...in my... MIKE WALLACE (low) You and I have been doing this together for fourteen years. And he gives Lowell a copy of The New York Times. MIKE WALLACE (cont'd) This is today's New York Times. (beat) In it is the whole sordid story of what went on inside our shop. Lowell looks down at the page. The headline is "'60 MINUTES' ORDERED TO PULL INTERVIEW IN TOBACCO REPORT." MIKE WALLACE (cont'd) And in the editorial... It accuses us...of betraying the legacy of Edward R. Murrow. Turning, he walks out and down the hallway. Lowell looks at the newspaper. INT. THE COMMUTER HELICOPTER - MORNING The helicopter approaching Manhattan. John Scanlon sitting with Hewitt, both of them reading The Wall Street Journal Wigand article. DON HEWITT (troubled) They conclude most of it seems pretty unsubstantiated... (looking at him, sickened) You're full of shit, John. INT. COFFEE SHOP, NEW YORK - MORNING Lowell at a table littered with New York Times, New York Daily News, etc. His phone rings... LOWELL Yeah. INT. A CITY BUS, NEW YORK - MORNING Broadway backgrounds streak past Debbie DeLuca's head as she rides, talking on a cell phone, The Wall Street Journal in her hand. DEBBIE DELUCA ...front page. There's a picture of Wigand. Article's entitled, "Getting Personal," by-lined to Suein Hwang and Milo Geyelin. Wait, hold on a second, Lowell. Debbie hits "call waiting." DEBBIE DELUCA (cont'd) Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll see if I can find him. Hold on... (beat; to Lowell) Yeah, Don's looking for you... LOWELL Good. DEBBIE DELUCA The sub-heading is, "Brown & Williamson Has a 500-Page Dossier Attacking Chief Critic." It quotes Richard Scruggs calling it "the worst kind of an organized smear campaign against a whistle-blower." INT. COFFEE SHOP, NEW YORK - MORNING EXTREMELY CLOSE Lowell. DEBBIE DELUCA'S VOICE (OVER) "...a close look at the file, and independent research by this newspaper into its key claims, indicates that many of the serious allegations against Mr. Wigand are backed by scant or contradictory evidence..." EXT. STREET, NEW YORK - MORNING As Lowell hails a cab in a WIDE ANGLE and runs towards us, jumping into the cab... INT. DON HEWITT'S OFFICE - DAY DON HEWITT The news division has been vilified in The New York Times, in print, on television, for caving to corporate interests! We PULL BACK and we see that Lowell's with Hewitt in Hewitt's office... DON HEWITT (CONT'D) The New York Times ran a blow by blow of what we talked about behind closed doors! You fucked us! LOWELL (shouting) No, you fucked you! Don't invert stuff! Big Tobacco tried to smear Wigand; you bought it. The Wall Street Journal, here, not exactly a bastion of anti- capitalist sentiment, refutes Big Tobacco's smear campaign as the lowest form of character assassination! And now, even now, when every word of what Wigand has said on our show is printed, the entire deposition of his testimony in a court of law in the State of Mississippi, the cat totally out of the bag, you're still standing here debating! Don, what the hell else...do you need? And Hewitt, looking around. DON HEWITT Mike, you tell him... MIKE WALLACE (simply) You fucked up, Don. And Don's taken off stride... DON HEWITT (recovers fast) Hey, it's old news! Stick with me. Like always, we'll be okay. These things have a half-life of fifteen minutes... MIKE WALLACE No, that's fame. Fame has a fifteen- minute half-life... (droll) Infamy...lasts a little longer. Lowell looks at Wallace. MIKE WALLACE (CONT'D) We caved. It's foolish. It's simply dead wrong. (in his face, so there's no doubt) Now, this is what we're going to do. We're going over to Black Rock... INT. A HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASS, LOUISVILLE - AFTERNOON Jeff is in front of his class, teaching... WIGAND Okay, so let's get back to it. Alright, now, what we saw there was... INT. LAX - ECU: LOWELL - NIGHT Tired, his suitcase at his feet. We don't know if he's coming or going. He's at a pay phone in the more-deserted- than-not airport. LOWELL (into phone) They cancelled the six o'clock. (beat) I don't know why. I'm on the 8:10. I should be home...9:30. I'll see you then. Love ya'. Bye... He hangs up and ambles over to a lounge with a few travellers sitting in it. MIKE WALLACE "CBS Management wouldn't let us broadcast our original story and our interview with Wigand because they were worried about the possibility of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against us for tortious interference... But now things have changed." INT. JEFFREY WIGAND'S APARTMENT, LOUISVILLE - NIGHT A small apartment. Jeffrey dishes out second helpings of pasta primavera into two pasta plates and brings them into the kitchenette to his girls, Deborah and Barbara. And now we SEE AND HEAR the small television on the table playing "60 Minutes" and... MICHAEL MOORE (on television) "...in my opinion, is an industry that has perpetrated the biggest fraud on the American public in history." Deborah looks proudly at her father. Wigand's gotten up and gone out of the kitchenette. He has stopped for a moment around the corner in the hallway. His kids can't see him. We can. And he watches them and his eyes get shiny and start to tear. And as he stands there, watching his girls at the kitchen table witnessing their father's hard-earned "truth" on television, we realize that of all the audiences, his girls are the one he cares about most... INT. AIRPORT LOUNGE And Lowell in his moment of victory is watching his "60 Minutes" double segment on a departure lounge television with his feet resting on his suitcase, next to a Chicano woman with two kids and her mother and an older man with a beard and cane. An airport cleaner stops to watch, too. Lowell glances at him... Unbeknownst to these viewers, arrested by the content on the television screen, is that the man who made it sits casually among them, watching his work. INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, KITCHEN, BERKELEY - NIGHT Sharon sits at the kitchen table. She watches in a far corner a small countertop television. It's "60 Minutes," the full show entitled "Jeffrey Wigand, Ph.D." and on the top right, "PRODUCED BY LOWELL BERGMAN." As Sharon continues watching the television playing on the counter, the emotional currents within her remaining unrevealed... INT. MIKE WALLACE'S STUDY - ON MIKE WALLACE - NIGHT watching the show. He sees himself... MIKE WALLACE (to Wigand) "You wish you hadn't blown the whistle?" WIGAND (on television, hesitating) "There are times...I wish I hadn't done it. But there are times that I feel compelled to do it..." "I've - if you asked me if I would do it again or if it's - do I think it's worth it. Yeah. I think it's worth it." Wallace, satisfied, rises to refill his glass, as... INT. AIRPORT LOUNGE Lowell watching show in airport. INT. A SURVEILLANCE VAN, LINCOLN, MONTANA - NIGHT And we see the FBI Agent, BILL ROBERTSON on the phone. BILL ROBERTSON I promised you a three-hour heads- up...well, here it is. Have a camera crew standing by in Helena, Montana on Tuesday and I'll give you a three-hour head start. Alright? By the way, that was a hell of a good show tonight... INT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - NIGHT LOWELL (nods, trustworthy) Thank you, Bill. And he quietly hangs up. And it's still. Sharon's laid down, closing her eyes. They lie close together. After some moments, she opens her eyes and lets us know what she's been thinking... SHARON (understated) You won. This time he isn't droll. LOWELL Yeah? (a beat) What did I win? There's an odd look on his face, not the look of a victor. He shuts off the light. And as they lie close together in the dark in each other's arms... WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FAMILIAR CBS EYE ON A TELEVISION SCREEN. AND THEN THE WORDS: "SPECIAL REPORT." INT. MASTER CONTROL ROOM, CBS - DAY Lowell, entering through machine rooms, into a state-of-the- art Master Control Room. On a wall are fifty or more monitors, in the humidity-and-temperature-controlled nexus of CBS operations. And it's jammed with people, witnessing a fast-breaking, major news event. Mike Wallace stands near Felling. Lowell crosses past Felling and stands next to Mike Wallace. And we see footage of a handcuffed, bearded, barefoot Man...THEODORE KACZYNSKI, the UNABOMBER, being taken in by the FBI. A director counts down. Dan Rather launches... DAN RATHER "Reporting from CBS World News headquarters in New York, good afternoon. There has been a major break in the case of the so-called 'Unabomber.' CBS News has learned that a remote homesite outside Lincoln, Montana has been under FBI surveillance..." BILL FELLING Thanks for this. You know, we beat everybody. ABC, NBC, CNN. Mike motions Lowell out into the corridor so they can be alone. INT. CORRIDOR, CBS - DAY The control room and crowd are seen through the glass wall. After some moments: MIKE WALLACE That Canada story? Still interest you? LOWELL (nods) Everything interests me. Mike nods... Lowell puts his hands in his jacket pockets... After some moments... LOWELL (CONT'D) I quit, Mike. Mike's startled. MIKE WALLACE Bullshit. Lowell shakes his head "no." MIKE WALLACE (CONT'D) C'mon, it all worked out. You came out okay in the end... LOWELL I did? What do I tell a source on the next tough story? Hang in with us. You'll be fine...maybe? They look at each other. Lowell says to Mike, intimately, what he knows Mike knows... LOWELL (cont'd) What got broken here...doesn't go back together again. Lowell's heartfelt regret. He starts to leave. They look at each other. LOWELL (cont'd) So, uh... And Lowell moves off along the hallway, the monitors all showing CBS programming. He doesn't even look back... A LEGEND APPEARS: CARD #1: SUBSEQUENT TO THE EVENTS DRAMATIZES HERE, THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY IN 1998 SETTLED THE LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST IT BY MISSISSIPPI AND 49 OTHER STATES FOR $246 BILLION. CARD #2: ALTHOUGH BASED ON A TRUE STORY, CERTAIN EVENTS IN THIS MOTION PICTURE HAVE BEEN FICTIONALIZED FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT. THE SOURCE OF THE DEATH THREATS AGAINST THE WIGANDS NEVER WAS IDENTIFIED AND NO ONE WAS EVER CHARGED OF PROSECUTED. CARD #3: IN 1996 DR. WIGAND WAS NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR IN KENTUCKY. CURRENTLY, HE LIVES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. CARD #4: LOWELL BERGMAN IS A CORRESPONDENT FOR THE PBS SERIES FRONTLINE AND IS ON THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY. THE END

screenplays

Questions about the Fermi-Dirac distribution at $T=0.$ In my book (*Daniel V.Schroeder - An introduction to thermal physics*) in page 267 they introduce the Fermi-Dirac distribution is given by $$\bar{n}\_{FD}=\frac{1}{e^{(\epsilon-\mu)/kT}+1}. \tag{1}$$ But a few pages later they claim that the Fermi-Dirac distribution becomes a step function and then proceed to define the Fermi energy as $$\epsilon\_F=\mu(T=0).$$ Questions: 1) How does $\bar{n}\_{DF}$ become a stepfunction at $T=0$? It's not even possible to plug it in the distribution since then we have division by zero. 2) The expression for the chemical potential $\mu$ is given by $$\mu=-kT\ln{\frac{Z\_1}{N}},$$ where $N$ is the number of particles and $Z\_1$ is the partition function for any single particle. So setting $T=0$ should just give $\epsilon\_F=\mu=0$. But this is apparently not the case. Why? 1) Yes. These curves (for example) were computed with Mathematica with $T$ very small, approaching zero but still finite.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TrvFV.png) Discussion of the limit: $$ \lim\_{T\rightarrow 0} \frac{1}{e^{\delta/T}+1},$$ where $\delta = (E-\mu)/k\_B$. If $E>\mu$, then $\delta >0$ and $\delta/T \rightarrow +\infty$, hence $e^{\delta/T} \rightarrow \infty$ and $f=0$. If $E<\mu$, then $\delta <0$ and $\delta/T \rightarrow -\infty$, hence $e^{\delta/T} \rightarrow 0$ and $f=1$. 2) I don't know exactly where your formula comes from, but usually you do an expansion with $E\_F \gg k\_BT$ like in [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_gas#Chemical_potential). That is because you never consider a particle at energy $\epsilon = E\_F$, but rather at $\epsilon = E\_F + k\_B T$. Also, $Z$ for non-interacting fermions is: $$ Z = \sum\_{n=0}^1 r^n = 1+r,$$ where $r= \exp \left (-\frac{\epsilon - \mu}{k\_B T} \right ) $ which thus also depends on temperature. The Fermi-Dirac distribution is a statistical expression for the fact that only a single Fermion can occupy a specific state. Then, the probability of a state to be occupied is given by the expression. Now let's think of a situation where we have a system with $N$ states of energy, ordered from the lowest to the highest as $0 < \epsilon\_1 < \epsilon\_2 < \cdots < \epsilon\_N$. And we have $n$ identical fermions in the system. If the temperature is very low $T \ll \epsilon\_1$, then of course the 'first' fermion will have to be in the lowest level, and once it is occupied, the next fermion will have to go to the next level etc. until we will fill the $n$ lowest energy levels. This will give the Fermi energy -- the highest energy occupied when the temperature is very very very low. You can think of $T=0$ as 'temperature is much smaller than the lowest energy scale in the system'. The Fermi-Dirac distribution then becomes effectively a $\theta(E\_F-\epsilon)$ function. Note that this is in contrast to bosons, that can all pile up in the lowest energy level when the temperature is lowered, and therefore there is no concept of Fermi energy for them (on the other hand, you get a cool phenomena like the Bose-Einstein condensate). Regarding your worry about $\mu = -k T \ln(Z/N)$ leading to a zero chemical potential at zero temperature: this is not the case as $Z$ also depends on temperature. Again - you can expand for small $T$ and get the expression.

stackexchange/physics