To Belong Part 3 (DxH) G

[ChrisJS]

Here's another part...it's gettin there...

Don't own the show....I wish...*Snivvel

Tell me how you think I'm doin....not great I'm sure but still...let me know how you think I can improve...

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The breeze was cool as the two figures sat at a table outside a small caf?, talking about nothing and everything.

A cap lay strewn on the small table, only bothered when Samuel periodically picked it up, rubbed the rim and then cast it away again with seemingly endless energy.

?So how long do you think it?s been, Duo? 9 years? 10? Wow, how could it have been that long??

Duo stared at Samuel. No, he decided, his childhood nickname would always suit him. He was Larry and, to Duo, always would be.

?No kidding.? Duo interjected. ?After the gang was disbanded by those Alliance personnel, I never went back to Plain Alley. I often wondered if any of the guys returned there?I had heard everyone was sent to homes?good ones from the sounds of them??

?Yes. Jerry was sent to a home in the 43E section, Ben was accepted by a family in the 139A section and little Bo was actually adopted by a family from L1. I guess the Maxwell Church was well known for taking in orphans?? Samuel looked at Duo hesitantly. ?Is the church where you decided to take your name from??

Samuel winced inwardly as he saw a faint flash of resistance pass over Duo?s face and immediately kicked himself for asking. It had been a widely spread fact that the Maxwell Church had been destroyed?and that there was only one survivor. However, he had disappeared shortly after and was never heard from again. Most had assumed him dead. However, Samuel relaxed a little as Duo skimmed over the topic casually.

?And what about you, Larry? Where did you go??

?I was taken in by a family not far from here. They were nice enough?but I couldn?t get used to the constant bouts of curious sympathy and undeniable reservations they had about the ?little street rat.? Don?t get me wrong, they were nice enough, I just?I didn?t feel right being there. So, I ran.?

Duo looked up at him in surprise, wanting to prod?to ask him why he would give up the chance at life they had all wanted?but decided against it. Instead, he simply nodded his head lightly.

?I ended up somewhere in the northern region of L2 where I ran into Ben. Seemed he wasn?t fitting into the wholesome life either, so we ran together. It?d been that way ever since. We found work as scrappers here and there and worked our way up until we scraped up enough money to start our own business. In fact, Ben was the one who designed the set-up for this company.?

Duo listened, eyes shining with what Samuel thought to be nostalgia.

?So, is Ben at the office??

Samuel?s face fell and paled a bit. Duo noticed the change immediately and couldn?t help but stiffen a little.

?No. Ben passed away a few months ago; car accident about a mile from here. He was on his way to the office and a truck carrier lost control. Thank God his son survived.?

?Ben had a son?? Duo gasped.

?Yes, little Ed. His mother died during the delivery and Ben was raising Ed himself.?

?Ed is Ben?s?? Duo?s chest tightened at the news, not wanting to hear the rest, but Samuel nodded and continued.

?Luckily, Ed is young. I don?t think he has fully realized what?s happened yet.? Samuel sighed. ?I?ve been struggling with the corporation ever since. Ben was much more dedicated than I am, I must say. I love the company, but not enough to get into the top-rank, stuffed shirted business debacles he often got himself into. I prefer to stay at the bottom rung and take care of peon business.? He gave a dry chuckle. ?I?ve been trying to step up into his position and run things but I lack the leadership skills Ben had, so I?ve turned to hiring corporate managers. It was probably for the best, too, since I have been taking care of Ed.?

?You have? Doesn?t he have any other family that could raise him?? Duo questioned softly.

?Not that I?m aware of. I had only met Ben?s fianc? a couple times and Ben never mentioned anyone else in Ed?s life?at least not to me. I didn?t even know her last name so I had no idea of where to start looking. So I took him.?

Duo looked Samuel over again, suddenly noticing how tired he looked. His shoulders pulled down and there were slight circles under his eyes. He seemed to notice Duo?s looks and continued.

?But now I?m not sure hiring outsiders was the best choice. I?m having a hard time keeping up with all of their decisions and actions within the company. I know I can?t run a business without trusting other people but I can?t run one without knowing what?s going on either. But with Ed, I?? He paused. ?I have no choice but to bring him with me to work. The secretary, Ms. Westler, is kind enough to watch him, but I still don?t have the time to run this thing the way Ben would?ve liked??

The more information Samuel spewed out, the more his features frayed, Duo noted. For the moment, Samuel offered nothing else, but Duo could tell there was more on the man?s mind and waited patiently to hear what it was.

Seeing Duo?s patience, Samuel felt hesitant to pour out any more of his burdens, but something about Duo?s presence made him feel more?secure. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

?I don?t know how much longer I can run things like this. The managers definitely share our views of retaliation, but we?ve worked too hard to let our resources go unsupervised by people I don?t fully trust.?

Duo ventured, ??and you don?t trust them because they have been making decisions without your consent??

Samuel looked at Duo and nodded, hesitating. ?And they have been taking an overly-keen interest in Ed.?

Duo raised an eyebrow. ??A keen interest??

Samuel nodded again. ?A few of the managers have been treating Ed to trips to the circus or to the park. I was grateful, at first, thinking that they were trying to help me in time-management. But Ed has come back a few times refusing to talk to me. After one of the trips, he woke up crying. When I tried to calm him, he kept mumbling something about me hurting him. I don?t understand?and I can?t be sure it has anything to do with my employees but?I?ve been trying to keep Ed away from them just to make sure but in doing so I?ve had less time with the company?? Samuel sighed again. ?I don?t know?maybe the stress is getting to me.? He shoveled his hand through his hair hastily.

Suddenly, his face melted into a soft grin and he chuckled. ?Enough about my sorrows. So, tell me about yourself, Duo??

The breeze continued to blow around the two young men as Duo recounted his experiences of the last few years of his life. They spent the afternoon reminiscing and sharing each other?s company and making up for years long gone.

[hhryah]

I loved part 1 the most, probably because I'm a rabid 2xH fan (...I bite... ). I was worried that the rest of the parts would have the weird spacing problem that part 1 had, but the others parts were much easier to read format-wise. As for the progression of the story, I'm interested to see where this is going, and I certainly hope for a ton more of 2xH! You write very well, too, so I'll keep my eyes open.

[ChrisJS]

Thanks...I'm glad the other parts were a little better. I actually meant for part one to end there but I had some ideas. Sorry if it was harder to follow. Hopefully I'll keep improving as I go.