So at the end of Unwanted I said I'd take a break, do my original stuff, finish Three's a Crowd... but since then I've been the busiest person alive: I got a different position at work, I've been editing practically non-stop since Unwanted ended and what should have been two weeks off has been so jammed full of stuff that needs doing that I'm going back to work on Monday for a break! As such, I'm a bit desperate to get creative again - now that I'm no longer editing I need to get the creative juices flowing before that part of my brain dries up completely...

I also miss hearing from my lovely reviewers. So for those of you who enjoyed Unwanted, I present An Unwanted Side Story (double meaning! aren't I clever?). I can guarantee that, unless something goes terribly wrong, this story will not be 40 chapters.

An Unwanted Side Story

Madeline was practically jumping up and down as she waited for the plane to taxi in. She was so nervous and excited – she was finally going to meet Matthew face-to-face! She hated that her hair was still so short, but at least it wasn't patchy any more. Would he think she was pretty? He wouldn't be overly sensitive, would he? She was officially in remission now, but people were still so awkward around her.

Maddie jumped to her feet as Matthews flight number was called. Her mother laughed and stood as well, taking her arm to calm her down a little.

"Sweetie, you'll wear yourself out." she pointed out "You want to impress this boy, right?"

"Mummy!" Maddie shrieked, blushing "It's not about 'impressing' him! I just want him to like me."

"He's come all the way to Montreal just to be with you." she pointed out with a wink and a nudge "I think he already likes you."

"As long as he doesn't like you too much." her father pointed out sternly "How will we know which one he is?"

"I know what he looks like." Maddie assured "I didn't want him to know what I looked like until my hair grew back."

Her father looked awkward a moment, but recomposed quickly, running a hand through her fine blonde ringlets.

"Your hair's lovely. And if that boy likes you as much as I think he does, he wouldn't have cared."

Maddie blushed. All three looked around as a crowd of passengers started filing out of the terminal, Maddie jumping up onto her toes to get a better look. Her breath caught when she saw him. He was taller than she thought he'd be – he had said he was just over six foot, but 5 foot 3 inch Maddie hadn't realised just how tall that was. He had broad shoulders and pale skin, with fluffy blond hair and gentle eyes. That was definitely Matthew!

"Matty!" she called over the crowd, catching his attention.

He turned those gentle eyes towards her, her heart melting a little as he smiled.

"Maddie!" he greeted, waving at her.

He made his way through the crowd towards her, pulling his giant suitcase with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Despite the long flight, he opened his arms in preparation for a hug, and Maddie was more than happy to oblige him. He carried a little extra around the waist under his loose clothes, but not enough that it was a deal blushed awkwardly as they let each other go.

"Please don't take this the wrong way," he implored "But you're way prettier than I thought you'd be."

"I-I'm not." she stuttered, feeling her face grow hot as she fingered her ringlets "I'm not pretty at all."

"Liar." Matty laughed.

"And why didn't you think my daughter would be pretty?" her father challenged, bringing his attention away from Maddie.

Matthew examined her father a moment, then her mother. After taking in the information, he smiled, shifting his bag on his shoulder as he stood straight.

"Pretty girls usually don't have much of a personality." he admitted "Maddie's so interesting and smart, I thought she must have three eyes."

Her father pouted, but her mother laughed.

"Good save, young man." she congratulated "I'm Alice, Madeline's mother. This one is Marie-Elise, her father."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." he greeted, shaking her offered hand.

"We have a long drive ahead." Alice informed him "Shall we go?"

"Want me to take your bag?" Maddie offered, gesturing to his backpack.

"It's okay, I got it." Matty assured, smiling at her again.

"I got it." Marie-Elise corrected, grabbing the bag from him and marching off.

Matthew quickly followed with his suitcase, clearly flustered. Alice shook her head, laughing through her nose as she took her daughters arm.

"The only time your father wants to be a man is when boys are flocking around." she joked "I swear the only reason she wore jeans today is so she could look manly."

"That's impossible." Maddie chuckled as they followed them "After all that surgery she'll never look manly again!"

"Your friend seemed awfully okay with your father being a woman." her mother noted.

"I did warn him in advance." she admitted "I talked to him about it a lot during the change."

"And here I was worried about you not talking to anyone."

Maddie was embarrassingly captivated by Matthews sleeping face. He had long eye lashes, and the way his long hair fell over his face... Alice chuckled to herself in the front passenger seat while Marie-Elise fumed as she drove.

"Stop sulking." Alice teased.

"I'm not sulking." Marie-Elise argued.

"You completely are."

Marie-Elise grumbled, tapping her hands on the steering wheel.

"I thought they were just friends." she complained "But look at how she's looking at him!"

"Daddy, I can hear you." Maddie pointed out.

Her father promptly shut up, pouting at the road ahead, making her mother laugh again.

"Don't be too hard on your father." she encouraged "She's just not ready for you to grow up yet."

"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to live with your boyfriend!" Marie-Elise insisted "You're only 18, and you've only just been declared in remission!"

"He's not my boyfriend." Maddie assured, sounding far sadder than she meant to.

Spying both parents looking at her through the mirrors, she shrugged and looked at her feet.

"I like him." she admitted quietly, just in case he wasn't quiet as asleep as she thought "But he likes someone else. It was kind of awkward for him... it's one of the reasons he came here."

"Is he gay?" Marie-Elise asked bluntly "Because if he is, that would make me feel a lit better."

"Well, the person he likes is a man." Maddie assured.

"Honestly feel better?" Alice asked.

Marie-Elise chewed on her tongue before answering.

"No."

It was a few days of jet-lag and adjustment before Matthew could start unpacking the boxes his brother had sent ahead. Maddie offered to help, but just ended up sitting on his bed and watching him.

"Sending all this stuff must have been expensive." she figured as she leafed through some of the books he had piled up.

"Yeah, I feel kinda guilty about it." Matthew admitted as he shoved a handful of boxers into the drawer "Francis and Arthur even sent your parents money for my 'rent'! Your dad tried to give it back to me yesterday. I mean... technically it's my mothers money, from the house sale, but still..."

It had been less than six months since his mothers death, Maddie knew he was still sore about it. She tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"But you know, I'm glad you brought so much stuff." she told him "It makes me feel like you're going to stay forever."

"Well, at least four years, right?" he agreed "Thanks again for letting me stay here. I wasn't looking forward to staying in a dorm in a foreign country. I don't think I'm quite ready to live on my own yet, either."

"Thank you for coming." Maddie insisted "Mummy and Daddy wanted me to wait a year or so before going to college, just to make sure the cancer didn't come back. You being there too convinced them to let me go this year."

"Then we both win." Matty laughed "But living in a house full of women is going to be an experience."

"You've lived with women before." she pointed out.

"No mother is a woman in her sons eyes." he pointed out awkwardly "And I don't think Michelle is old enough to count as a woman."

"Who's Michelle?" a voice at the door asked.

They both looked around: Marie-Elise leant against the frame, clad in an apron with a spatula in her hand. She regarded Matthew with suspicion, earrings dangling elegantly.

"My little niece." Matthew admitted, picking up the family photo from the side and handing it to her "She's six years old now – she slept in my bed a whole week before I left!"

"Oh, she's adorable!" Marie-Elise admitted, serious tone dropping when confronted with cuteness "Which one of these is her father?"

"My oldest brother, Francis." he pointed out "He owns a salon. Next to him is my brother Arthur and his fiancé, Ivan. On the end is Alfred, my twin, and my friend Romano."

"Your mother's not in this?"

"No, this was taken after she died." he explained, picking up another picture from the side "This is her."

Marie-Elise gave Matthew a meaningful look, her body posture softening. Did she not know Matthews mother was dead?

"Your father's not in these either." she noted quietly.

"I don't have a father." he replied somewhat coldly.

Marie-Elise took the hint not to ask, handing him back his pictures.

"I've spoken to your brothers on the phone." she admitted "They're really protective, aren't they?"

"Always have been." Matthew chuckled, cold tone disappearing "Alfred is too – Michelles future boyfriends don't stand a chance!"

Madeline watched them from the bed as they chatted. She really wished her father wouldn't dress like that – she was a housewife, did she have to be so sexy all the time? Maddie felt downright ugly next to her with her big glasses and chunky clothes... It's hurtful to a womans pride to be less feminine than her father. She fingered her ringlets, wishing her hair would grow back faster so she could at least look like a girl again.

"... the internet here is pretty good as a result." she heard her father say as she started paying attention again "Not as good as what you'd get in England, but it's still a lot cheaper than using the phone."

"I tried to tell Al that, but I bet he'll still use the phone." Matthew laughed "He'll probably call a lot."

"MY MADELINES!" Marie-Elise suddenly yelled, running back to the kitchen, leaving Matthew dumbfounded.

"Madelines?" he asked Maddy.

"Biscuits." she explained "I swear I got named 'Madeline' because they're my parents favourite."

"Ah, I see."

Matthew pulled a concerned expression, kneeling down in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked "You look pale."

"I'm kind of tired." she admitted.

"Shall we take a break?" he offered, ignoring that fact that she hadn't done anything "Take a walk down the shops?"

She shook her head. She still wasn't quite confident enough for casual walks outside.

"Then what about a movie?" he suggested "I bought some real crap with me – five minutes and I can hook my external hard drive up to the tv."

Maddie chuckled, wiping the hair from his eyes.

"Sounds good."

"Move your arse!"

"You see this big arse box in my hands, eh?! You move your arse!"

"Move my arse where, idiot?!"

"For fucks sake!" Arthur swore, balancing on top of a stool as he fixed the curtains up "Toni, there's room on the bed."

"If he sits on the bed, where the fuck am I going to put this box?" Romano argued.

"Give it to Alfred!"

"And where am I going to put it?" Al pointed out.

"Whose bright idea was it to both move in on the same day?!" Toni exasperated "And why is the rent so high on this box of a flat?!"

"You're the one who bitched at me about 'getting the uni experience'." Romano reminded him "I could have stayed at home!"

"This and that are different things!"

Arthur sighed and went back to his curtains, leaving those two to their bickering. Al checked his phone again, sighing loudly when he put it back in his pocket.

"Waiting for a call?" Arthur asked him.

"Matthew hasn't emailed me." he admitted.

"He emailed you yesterday." the older brother pointed out.

"That was yesterday! He hasn't emailed me today!"

Arthur gave him a withering look. Alfred just pouted, climbing over the boxes towards the door.

"I'm going to set up the router." he announced.

"Don't you dare!" Antonio chastised him "You unpack these boxes before you worry about that shit!"

"But Matthew-"

"Matthew's fine!" Romano agreed "He's been there three months already, hasn't he? Cut the umbilical!"

Before Al could argue, Francis and Ivan appeared in the doorway with more boxes, soliciting more irate arguing from Antonio and Romano. _

Al stared at his inbox, but only his old messages greeted him. Romano sat on the sofa above him, popping handfuls of popcorn into his mouth as he watched tv.

"Do you think he's doing okay?" Al asked.

"He told you he was, didn't he?" Romano pointed out.

"That was before. Something might have happened since then."

"For fucks sake!" Romano declared"You do realise you're fraternal twins, not recently separated Siamese twins, right?"

"The correct phrase is 'conjoined.'"

"The correct phrase is GET YOUR OWN DAMN LIFE AND STOP OBSESSING OVER YOUR BROTHER!"

"Don't yell!" Al retorted "The walls are thin! Think of the neighbours!"

"They'll get used to it!" Romano declared "This is uni! And you need to get out more! Did you find a job yet?"

"Not yet..." he admitted "But I've got my community service work-!"

"You don't get paid for that." Romano reminded him "You want to get stuck waiting tables with me? It's that or work for Ivan!"

"I know..."

"Stop refreshing the damn page!" Romano swore, grabbing the laptop away from him "Matthew's out having a life, and it's time you did too!"

"But Matty-"

"Has gone to live with a cute girl! Travelled half way across the planet to do so! Get the hint!"

"She's not his girlfriend!" Alfred reminded him, trying desperately to get the computer back without causing him to drop it.

"Yeah, for now." Romano went on "You think he's gonna stay single? For what? Your creepy incestuous crush?"

Al went bright red, looking very awkward.

"Gimme a break." he muttered, looking away from Romano.

Seeing his upset expression, Romano softened a little, putting the laptop down on the kitchen counter behind him.

"I know you miss Matty." he cooed "I miss him too, but you should use this opportunity to move on and finally put this behind you. You gonna hold onto this crush forever? Like you think Matty's every going to return your feelings?"

"Shut up, I know that." Al spat "But I'm not going to hook up with some random person just to force myself to get over this thing. That's not better."

"I'm not saying you should." Romano agreed "Maybe just use this time for a Matthew detox or something. Like, don't contact him for a while."

Alfred frowned at the idea, clearly unimpressed. "How long of a while?"

That chapter was very short... or at least it felt short after all that editing. They'll get longer as I get into the swing of it again. So as I'm sure you've guessed, this side story is about Alfred, Matthew, Madeline and Romano. Those of you who have read Unwanted to completion will know how it ends for Maddie and Matty, but the journey is always more interesting than the destination. As for Al and Romano... Please look forward to more shortly!

Edit: Thanks to my good friend Sora-Resi, this is no longer a wall of text. Why on earth did it take out all my formatting?