Flames. Everywhere. Julian could see them even with his eyes squeezed shut. He couldn't remember where he was, or why he was hurting so badly, or why it was so hot in here. He was lying on a hard ground, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to die.

He opened his eyes and saw Logan lying on the floor in front of him, and suddenly the events of the past few hours came rushing back to him. He saw Logan's hand just mere inches away from his own.

Logan's eyes opened; the first thing he saw was Julian's own eyes looking into his. The actor looked so sad and scared, and he felt a need to fix that. Logan struggled to stand; he noticed that when he did so, his fingers brushed against Julian's, putting a strange expression on the boy's face.

The blonde put weight on his feet, trying to stand and yelled out when his foot broke through the floorboard below him. It had been greatly weakened by the explosion. He lunged forward, moving away from the hole. Julian was still struggling to move; he tried to push himself into a standing position, but the pain in his arm which he had forgotten about returned in a painful burst, and he fell back down again. Blaine appeared on Logan's side, asking for the axe to try and clear the way to the fire escape. Logan pushed it towards him, and Blaine picked it up, nodding to him with a meaningful look on his face before rushing in the other direction. Logan's lips scrunched together as he nodded back, and then he turned to Julian. "Come on, Jules, you have to get up." It was becoming harder and harder to breathe as the room filled with smoke and ash.

"You think I don't know that?" Julian spoke smartly, despite the situation. Julian, with the help of Logan's strong arms, heaved himself into a kneeling, and then standing position. Julian swayed on his feet, but Logan held on to him tightly. They heard a yell from Blaine, signaling that the fire escape was open. They walked towards it, as quickly as they could, before Julian remembered someone. He turned around and saw Adam's crumpled figure lying on the ground where flames were a few feet away from engulfing him. "We have to help."

Logan gaped at him; they were so close to the door! "Damnit, Jules! He's going to get us all killed and you want to help him." He was furious. Why would Julian even care for the boy who caused him so much pain? He cringed, realizing what he had just thought, and how he was guilty of the same thing. "Fine." Tears sprung in his eyes as he told Kurt to make sure he, Reed, and Blaine got out safely, that they would join him soon. They were reluctant, but he yelled, telling them that they had no other choice.

They made it to Adam, and hoisted the boy up, each supporting him on one side. They only got a few steps, however, when the floor below them cracked, a huge break opening up below their feet. Logan shoved Adam—and therefor Jules, out of the way.

Julian hit the ground, but this time he stood up quickly, despite the dizziness he felt. He searched the floor and cried out in despair when he saw Logan, trying desperately to pull himself out of a hole in the floor. The actor ran over to him, kneeled and grabbed his arms. The flames were lining every wall of the room now, only coming closer. To his horror, Julian saw that, through the hole, the second floor was almost completely on fire, meaning that if he let go, if he let the boy he loved fall, he wouldn't be able to make it out.

Logan stared into Julian's eyes, which were streaming with tears, and made up his mind. "You have to get out of here while you still can." He was prepared to die if it meant that Julian would get to live.

"Logan! Are you insane? I can't go, not now." He was sobbing again. They were probably both going to die and it was entirely his fault.

"You have to!" A piece of the ceiling fell just a few feet away, shaking the floor even more and causing them to gasp in horror. Logan was sure that at any moment, the whole building would collapse and they would both fall into the flames below them

"No! You don't understand!" He couldn't let go of Logan. He would never let go. "I'm not leaving here without you!"

Logan's eyes widened and he felt tears dripping down his face despite the heat. He couldn't fight it any more. Another piece of the ceiling came down. He nodded hurriedly, his heart burning not only from lack of oxygen.

"Pull yourself up on three!" Julian yelled above the roar of the flames. He was determined now. He had to get Logan out of this. "…Three!" Logan pushed as hard as he could, trying to get up, while Julian pulled at his arms. Julian laughed in an insane type of relief when Logan managed to get his chest out of the hole and onto the floor. "We're almost there-" That was when they heard it. A cracking. The floor beneath Julian started to give way, and both of them frantically tried to move more, when the unexpected happened.

Julian was hit on the side of the head with something hard, and he went flying sideways, almost into the flames by the wall. He screamed in anguish, knowing that Logan wouldn't be able to hold on by himself, that he would never be able to see him again. He turned his head, hoping more than he had done with anything before that Logan had somehow been able to miraculously hold on, and gasped when he saw what had happened.

Adam had obviously awoken, and was kneeling where Julian had been a few seconds before. He was holding Logan's arms, keeping him from going over. His cheeks were tear-stained as well, though he had an evil glint in his eyes. "Adam—" Julian began, but he was cut off.

"I know you're going to ask me to help him up! I know you, Julian, but I can't do that!" He was staring at the flames below where Logan's feet were dangling from. His arms were trembling.

"Yes you can-" Julian protested.

"No! You don't understand—you have to understand! He's the only one standing between us being happy! And he caused you so much pain and—" Now it was Julian's turn to interrupt, desperate, as Logan fearfully watched the proceedings.

"Adam, if you kill him I won't be able to be happy." This got Adam's attention. Julian took the opportunity and kept talking. "You have to help him up." He stood, walking slowly towards them, taking careful steps. He really didn't want to have to say what he was about to, but Adam still looked like he wanted to let Logan burn. "Then we'll be able to be together."

Adam stared at him, wide eyed, actually looking hopeful despite the situation. He closed his eyes briefly, as if making a decision, and then bent over and began to pull the other boy out. He was strong compared for how he looked, as the other boys had found out earlier in the day when he attacked them.

Adam let Julian help, and miraculously, the combined effort of the boys was enough to get Logan up and the three of them standing. That is, they were all standing until Adam shoved Logan towards the door that led to the fire escape. Julian was too preoccupied watching Logan fall, yelling as he almost hit the flames, to notice that Adam was pulling the knife from what looked like his back pocket. He kicked Julian, forcefully shoving him to the ground while the actor cursed himself for letting his guard down so easily. Why had he been so stupid?

"Leave." Adam said to Logan, contempt in his voice. He stood over Julian, the knife aimed at his chest. Logan gaped at him, shocked that he was willing to just let him walk away.

"You're coming too." Logan said, mostly to Julian. A sick feeling rose in Logan's stomach when he saw Adam shake his head slowly. "No! No, we're staying." He looked at Julian lovingly, making the other boy sick.

"Adam, we have to leave. The building is about to collapse." Julian cried desperately from where he half kneeled on the floor. It was now necessary for them to yell to be heard above the fire.

"Don't you get it?" Adam yelled. "I can't leave! There are too many people out there! Do you know what they'll to do me, to us if we leave?" Julian stared at him, knowing that this was what Adam believed and he wasn't going to be swayed to believing anything else. Adam coughed, his lungs barely able to handle the yelling he was doing, and turned to Logan once more. "Now LEAVE!"

"I can't-"

"Please." It was Julian who had spoken that time. Logan looked at him, but the room was far too hot and dry in the room for more tears to be shed.

Logan shook his head. He couldn't leave. Not after everything that had just happened. Julian had refused to leave until he saved him, and now he was going to do the same. He watched his best friend, wanting nothing more to hold him again. "No." He spoke.

Adam was about to yell, but Julian stopped him, an idea finally forming in his mind. "Let him stay. Just ignore him. Every second we spend telling him to leave is only taking away from the time we have left together." Adam gaped at him, and Julian couldn't help but notice how hopeful he looked. If there was ever a time when he needed to use his acting abilities, the years of training, it was now. "If we're going to die here, we might as well make the most of the time we have left."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked. Logan stood watching, trying to figure out what Julian was getting at.

Julian stared straight into Adam's eyes. "Put the knife down."

"But-"

"Do it. I won't be able to kiss you if you're holding a knife to my throat." Both Adam and Logan's jaws hit the ground at that. Adam looked as though he didn't trust his ears to give him such news, while Logan looked downright disgusted.

Adam backed the knife away, though he still kept it in his hand. Julian stood slowly, marveling in the fact that the first part of his plan had worked. Wasting no time, he pressed his lips against his stalker's. Logan knew, somewhere inside that he should do something. He should run at Adam and take the knife while he was distracted, but he found his feet frozen to the spot. Why was Jules kissing that thing?

But Julian had it planned. He snaked his hand down Adam's arm, reaching the wrist that held the knife and twisting it so that the knife fell to the floor about a foot away. "Lo!" Jules yelled, while wrestling Adam, trying to keep him away. Julian's yell shook Logan out of his thoughts, and he made a lunge for the knife, grabbing the blade accidentally. Without wasting time, he threw it through the hole in the floor. While Adam yelled in protest, Logan grabbed his shirt, keeping him from regaining his balance, and shoved him towards the door.

He turned to call Julian as he reached the doorway, but found the boy already by his side, running towards the fire escape. The two of them forced Adam out of the doorway out on to it, and down the stairs, ignoring his screams of protest.

By the time they reached the bottom, they were surrounded by a huge group of people. Adam was grabbed and held by two officers, as the others had already warned them about him.

Julian looked around, able to breathe cleaner air again, and he could barely believe it. They were out, he and Logan were safe. It was over. Suddenly he felt strong arms embracing him from behind, and he wanted to start crying again. He turned so that he could hug Logan back, and he pressed his head against the taller boy's shoulder.

Logan held on to his best friend tightly, not wanting to let go. Kurt came up to them, wanting to know how they were but Logan silenced him with a look. Kurt understood, and, nodding, he left them alone.

Logan felt Julian coughing, and realized he was trying to speak. He leaned his head close so the other boy wouldn't have to strain his voice. "I never wanted you to find out. Especially not like this." Julian whispered..

A paramedic had come over to the boys, telling them to follow him so he and others could help them, but Logan vehemently told them to wait, just for another minute. He held Julian's arm and led him a few feet away, so they could talk. He spoke softly, letting the other boy know how he felt. "I'm kind of glad, actually, that I know. It makes things… easier."

"What?" Julian asked, surprised. Because according to him, all this did was complicate things.

"There are no secrets anymore." He knew now. No one was hiding anything anymore; he knew all of the facts. Julian nodded slowly, unsure of what to say to that, even though a part of him needed to find out what Logan thought of him now. Julian felt Logan take a deep breath, and knew his question was about to be answered.

"I can't say that I feel the same way about you, not now. That would be a lie and I couldn't do that to you." Especially not after everything that happened today, and what Julian has felt for the past three years. "But I can say, confidently now, that the thought of losing you forever hurts too much. I need you in my life." He stopped talking, trying to find the right words, but ended up just hugging Julian again, and holding him close. He needed him to know that he wasn't just going to run away like a scared little boy, or avoid him because he spilled his heart out. He wasn't going to be like that.

For the first time in a while, Julian had hope. His fears of Logan's reaction had proved insufficient. And though a relationship anytime soon was out of the question, he knew that Logan wasn't counting it out for the future, and that anything could happen over time. They were safe now, and he could stay at Dalton with his friends, where he wouldn't have to hide any secrets any longer. He held on to Logan, and despite his injuries, and despite everything that had happened he actually felt happy.

I will go down with this gondola!