Holding Onto Forever 2

Chapter 11

2 Months Later:

Mello walked up to the front door of the 2 story brick building, carefully balancing a grocery bag in his arms as he fished his keys out of his pocket. He slid the key into the lock and turned before using his shoulder to push open the door, and then kicking it closed once inside. He placed the heavy grocery bag down on the kitchen counter, exhaling slightly while taking off his black coat.

"Near. Are you hungry? I was going to make soup." Mello said, projecting his voice into the next room.

Near was sitting down on the couch with his knees held close to chest. He was wearing white pajamas, the same as you would have seen him in years ago. The pajamas hung loosely around his thin frame. He looked gaunt, almost skeletal. He stared ahead blankly at the wall in front of him, barely responding to Mello's entrance, the dark circles under his eyes exaggerated in the darkness of the room.

"I'm not hungry." He replied dryly.

"Near. You've hardly eaten anything lately. You don't look well."

"I'm not."

"Well you've lost nearly 20 pounds these past few months, I'll force feed you if I have to. I promised Matt I would take care of you..."

"Don't say his name! I cant bear to hear it!" Near cried out loudly, before laying down on the couch, pulling a blanket over him. He could be heard crying softly into the pillow.

Mello put down what he was doing and walked over to Near, sitting down on edge of the couch. He placed his hand on Near's back, rubbing softly.

"Near, please."

Near sat up and wrapped his arms around Mello, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I miss him Mello! I cant take it anymore! Why don't you just let me die!"

"Because I promised I wouldn't." Mello replied softly, holding Near in that position while he cried, something he did nearly every day.

It was beginning to affect Mello. It was hard seeing Near constantly in this state. Unfortunately while the planet was rebuilding things quickly, professional psychiatric help was almost non-existent. Mello was all Near had to help him through these dark times, and on some level, Mello needed Near too. He needed someone to care for. It gave him purpose. He had grown to love Near, and often wondered if Near would ever feel the same about him.

Near's cries settled into the occasional shiver. Mello's shirt was soaked with his tears, but he didn't complain.

"Will you please eat something?" Mello asked again.

"Ok."

Mello left Near on the couch and returned to the kitchen. He fought back tears of sympathy while he chopped the vegetables. He missed L desperately. While he was stronger than Near, the only thing preventing him from losing his mind was Near himself. He was a good distraction, but every once in a while, especially after Near had one of his breakdowns, he began to think. He didn't want to cry in front of Near, who was a shell of his former self, so he stayed strong while he was around. He had to be strong enough for the both of them.

The house was silent, except for the sounds of the soup boiling on the stove. Near had resumed his previous position, staring at the wall. It had almost seemed if he was staring through it, lost completely in his own personal hell. Mello wondered what was going on in his head.

Near often voiced concern of where Matt ended up. He wondered if he was in someplace pleasant, or someplace awful. He wondered if he was happy, or if he was as crushed as he was, and while he never said it, Mello knew Near was worried that Matt had found someone else to love.

Mello poured the soup into a shallow bowl and placed it on the counter in front of a stool.

"Near, the soup's ready. Come eat."

Near slowly got up from the couch and shuffled into the kitchen, plopping down on the stool. He slowly began to eat, not once looking down, still staring straight ahead.

"I would like to go to the cemetery tomorrow." He said.

"But Near, we were just there yesterday." Mello replied.

Even though the only time Near ever left the house was to visit Matt's grave, Mello felt it was time for Near to begin to let go, otherwise he would never recover from this. However, as Near looked up at him, staring at him with pleading eyes, Mello was powerless. He couldn't do it.

"Please..." Near's voice was barely a whisper.

Mello nodded, before turning around to start cleaning up the kitchen. He heard the spoon scraping the bowl again, but only for a short while, followed by the sound of it sliding on the countertop a bit.

"I'm finished." Near said.

"Near, you didn't even eat half of it."

"I don't want anymore. I'm going to bed."

Near slid from the stool and onto his feet. He walked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Mello could hear the faint sounds of his sobs behind the door as he cried himself to sleep.

Mello had some time to himself, but he didn't want to use it to think. He had to keep himself busy, so he cleaned the house obsessively. He did the laundry, hand-washed all the dishes, mopped the floors, cleaned the bathroom, and anything else he could think of until he was exhausted at which point he retired to his bed.

The next morning Mello was up early making breakfast. He let Near sleep in. There wasn't any real purpose to waking him up. It seemed like sleep was the only peace the boy had anyway.

There was a knock at the door. It startled Mello, as they never had any visitors. He stopped what he was doing and wiped his hands on a towel walking towards the front door.

Mello nearly fell backwards at what he saw on the other side of that door.

"Hello Mello." L said, a smirk dressing his face.

Mello glomped L, squeezing him tightly as tears of joy ran down his face. He exhaled deeply as L ran his hands up and down his back.

"You came back for me."

"I love you too much. I had to come back."

Mello nearly melted at his words, the tears started flowing faster from his tightly shut eyes as they stood in the threshold of the front door grasping each other.

Mello opened his eyes and saw a flash of auburn hair. He slackened his grip on L.

"Matt?"

Matt was standing in the walkway smiling.

"I came back too."

Mello released L and embraced Matt.

"Near is going to be so happy." Mello said.

"How is he?" Matt asked.

Mello withdrew from Matt and shook his head slowly.

"Not well. He's in bed right now." Mello said, gesturing to the front door.

Matt nodded and walked into the house, looking around for the bedroom. He found a closed door and opened it slowly. Near was sleeping, clutching a stuffed bear. Matt's heart sank when he noticed how much weight he lost, how sick he looked.

He sat down on the bed, and stroked Near's hair, gently brushing it away from his face. Near's eyes fluttered open, and immediately went wide when he focused on Matt. He pulled himself upwards in the bed, clutching his knees to his chest. He thought he had finally cracked, that his fragile mind had broken down fully and was deceiving him, tormenting him. Matt watched in horror as Near shook his head back and forth pulling at his hair with closed fists. Near wanted to call out to Mello, to tell him he was hallucinating, but couldn't find his voice. Matt's touch calmed his movements, but his mind was still racing. It felt too real, the warmth of Matt's hand on his own.

"You're not really there. This is all in my head." Near said, his voice cracking and quivering.

Matt pulled Near into him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"It really is me. I'm here." Matt said.

Near breathed Matt's scent in deeply, succumbing to the fantasy, he broke down into sobs as he hugged Matt tightly, the feeling of safety and warmth enveloping him like a flood. He wanted to drown in it.

"Please be real... please be real..." Near chanted. His body was shivering.

Matt pulled Near away for a moment and looked deep into his eyes and then kissed him gently.

"Believe me now?" Matt said smiling, wiping the tears away from Near's face.

Near hugged him again, putting his head down on Matt's shoulder. He started to sob again, to let out the months of pain he had built up. He could hardly believe this was really happening, but the feelings were too intense for it to be a delusion. Matt really was back. Near's sobs settled into an occasional sniffle.

"How? How did you come back?"

"L. He...intercepted me, and used his influence on Lithia to send me back. He's here too you know."

"This is amazing. Mello must be thrilled."

"Oh he is."

They released each other from the hug. Matt held Near at arms length and looked him up and down.

"Near you look terrible." Matt said, an obvious tone of concern in his voice.

"These past few months haven't been easy for me." He replied, looking down at his lap.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry it all happened. I did it to save you."

"I know what you did. I'm grateful. I just have you back now and that's all I care about."

Another 2 months later:

It was only supposed to be a small ceremony. Just a gathering of certain people, but word spreads fast. Everyone wanted to be there. People came from distant cities all over the planet to see Matt and Near joined together in marriage. At the front row was L, Mello, Olivia and John, the few people they knew in this world. The rest were filled with friends they never knew they had.

The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. It was as sunny as it could get on Etherine, the winds were calm and the air was warm and dry.

Matt and Near stood facing each other holding hands in front of the podium while an official from the Ministry stood behind them, signaling to Matt to begin. Matt fished the ring out of his pocket, and took Near's hand gently, before putting it on his finger.

"I, Mail Jeevas, promise to love you, protect you from harm, care for you when you're sick, to consider your needs as well as mine, to make you laugh when you need to, and to let you cry as well. I promise to devote my life to making you happy, and cherish you for all eternity."

Near swallowed hard, but couldn't stop the errant tear of joy from escaping. He took out his ring, and put it on Matt's finger the same as Matt had done to him. He smiled widely before taking his turn.

"I, Nate River, promise to never let you out of the house, handle any sharp objects, or do anything that involves fire, chemicals, or any other type of hazard..."

The roar of laughter from the audience was infectious, causing both Matt and the official to crack up into hysterics. Near allowed the audience to settle down again before his face became more serious.

"When we first met, I never thought I'd ever know how to feel, how to love, or how to even cry. I wasn't human, even though I thought I was. You made me human. You made me feel all those things, and while it sometimes hurt, the wonderful feelings that come along with it are what makes life worth living. When I look into your eyes, everything wrong with the world is right again. When I hear your voice, nothing can bother me, when I feel your touch, I know nothing can ever harm me. I, Nate River, promise to always stay by your side, to always help you make your dreams come true, and to comfort you when they don't. I promise to love, and cherish you for all eternity, for as long as my soul exists."

"By the power vested in me by the Prime Minister, you are officially married. Congratulations to the both of you." The official said.

Matt placed his hands onto Near's cheeks gently, while Near placed his at Matt's sides, closing their eyes as their lips touched. Surges of electricity passed through them as they shared the most important kiss they've ever had. A kiss that bound them together for eternity.

After the ceremony, L had met Matt and Near outside, waiting patiently as the crowd swarmed around them, shaking their hands. He made his way over as the the crowd dissipated.

"Hey L!" Matt said.

"I wanted to congratulate the both of you again, but there was something else I needed to tell you. You two will be together forever."

"Yeah, that's what we're hoping, which is why Matt is going to wear a helmet every where he goes." Near said, rubbing Matt's head playfully.

"No, that's not what I meant. Your souls are now bound together for eternity. It's something I was able to make happen when I was back on Lithia. If the both of you die, you'll both end up in the same realm."

"Are you serious?" Matt said. L responded with a nod.

"Thank you!!" They both said in unison, embracing L in a hug, "You don't know how much this means to us." Near said.

"Now go enjoy your honeymoon." L said, smiling.

A/N:

Aahh.. doesn't everybody love a happy ending? I know I do. I cant believe this story is finally complete, it seemed to drag on forever. But now I can start with the next one, which is very exciting. Thanks for all the reviews and support.

Another thing. This story means quite a bit to me actually. I hadn't really intended to write a sequel to HOF, but one of my reviewers begged me for a sequel. :) I started to think about it, and how I would pull it off. I decided to e-mail him and ask him if he wanted to be my beta reader of sorts, since I was writing the story for him, and he was excited about the idea. What started out as just two writers sharing ideas and helping each other out has blossomed into one of the greatest friendships in my life right now, and I think that's a beautiful thing. I love you Matt (aka Vampiricshadow)!