Disclaimer:

Here is chapter 54, the next chapter in an ongoing story about Stephen Gately from Boyzone and Eloy de Jong, formerly of Caught in the Act. I do hope you like this one, and please write and tell me what you think.

For the obligatory disclaimer, I must say I have no contact with either gentleman or group, so these chapters exist within the imagination of the author's mind, combined with public events that happened during this time.

Cheers,

Musicfan

The group of friends found that they were really enjoying themselves in Florida. They encouraged Stephen to ring his friend Chris, who was all too happy to break away from his studies and act as a tour guide for them. Alex looked askance at their plans to be tourists and left them to their own devices. None of them were very put out about it, and they had a good time together without him.

Eventually though, they felt that the time had come to go home. While they really didn't want to leave, there were commitments looming on the horizon and increasing calls from Louis wondering when they were coming home pressured them to come back to Ireland. They decided to have one last night out, and Keith rang up Chris to ask him to join them. Chris agreed and decided to meet them at the hotel. The rest of them made plans to meet in the hotel bar and when they showed up, they found Stephen already sitting in a corner booth with Chris.

"Hey there," Stephen greeted the two couples as they sat down. "No Alex again?" He rolled his eyes and grinned at Chris. Alex, for some strange reason, had taken an aversion to the other man.

"No, he's on his way down," Ronan said. "After all, this is our last night here. It would be good to have everyone together." He nodded to Chris, who obligingly scooted closer to Stephen to give them room to sit down. Ronan had to hold back a grin as he watched Chris' obvious attempt to stay close to Stephen, even knowing there wasn't any hope of a relationship there. Stephen had told him that he wasn't free and that they were going to be friends, but Ronan could see that Chris was going to take advantage of as much as he could while Stephen was still there.

"So, where are we going for dinner," Keith asked. Chris grinned up at him as he leaned back and casually draped his arm on the back of the booth behind Stephen.

"Well, since this is your last night in town, I think you should have a good ol' American send off. How do you all feel about barbeque?" He asked, letting his fingers trail down onto Stephen's shoulder. Stephen didn't seem to notice at all, though. The others were fine with the idea of eating barbeque and said so as Alex finally arrived at a leisurely pace, taking his seat with a nod towards Stephen and Chris. "Alright then, we can go to Bubbaloo's Bodacious BBQ."

"Bubbaloos?" Stephen said with a laugh. "Is it run by someone named Bubba?" The rest of them laughed at his jest and Chris grinned at him.

"Probably. This is a southern state, after all. But it's inexpensive, it's great fun, and I think y'all like it. So, sound good?" He looked around the group who all nodded in agreement. Alex looked away when their eyes met and he again wondered at Stephen's friend's reticence about him. He didn't let it bother him though as he turned to look back at the others. "Okay then, sounds like a plan."

They finished their drinks before heading out. Chris had borrowed a friend's van so they could all fit inside. He apologized for the garbage in the form of abandoned candy wrappers in the back that his friend's nephew had made. Chris had been meaning to take the van to the car wash on the way over, but had been running late and had forgotten to stop off. Lisa assured him that they were all used to children and weren't bothered with it at all.

Bubbaloos was a lot of fun, and everyone had a great time while trying not to make too much of a mess. Even Alex relaxed in his attitude towards Chris, finding him willing to be friendly and to ignore his earlier rebuffing of overtures. Stephen had sat next to Chris at the table. He had found over the course of the few days they had been together that the more time they spent talking, the more they had in common. During a later point in the night when Ronan had dragged Yvonne out to do some of the line dancing and Keith was playing pool with Lisa and Alex, the two men found themselves alone at the table. Stephen smiled as Chris slipped his hand into Stephen's under the tablecloth and squeezed it lightly.

"I'm so glad we met at the club. I also hope we can keep in touch, once you get back home," he said, looking at Stephen.

"I'd love that, but I'll give you the same warning I give all my friends, which is I'm not the best at keeping in touch, especially when things get busy. But if you don't mind not hearing from me for months on end sometimes, I'm willing to give it a go." Stephen grinned at the other man companionably. "The best way is to call my mobile, since I never know where I'm staying when I'm on the road. But I'll also give you another number you can reach me at, if I'm ever in Ireland long enough to hang my hat." After a few days in Chris' company, he had explained what he did for a living. He grabbed the pen that Chris had used for the bill and jotted down a number for his house in Wicklow onto a clean napkin. "Thank you for being such a great host, and taking time to show us around. I enjoyed it a lot."

"I enjoyed spending time with you and your friends," Chris said, pocketing Stephen's number. He took another napkin and jotted his own number down. "Here's my number at home in Stowe when I'm not at school. Don't worry if you get busy - I know what that's like! Likely once I get closer to finishing my studies and get my internship, I'll have no time whatsoever. But I certainly would like to keep in touch." Chris paused as he tried to think of a way to articulate what he really wanted to say before Stephen and his friends left.

"Stephen," he said, looking at the clear blue eyes that regarded him as he talked. "I think you're a very special person. Given another place and time, who knows? Maybe we could find ourselves together. But even without that, I still want to be your friend," Chris finished with a glance down to their clasped hands. He definitely found a link between them, and didn't want to lose that with Stephen's parting.

"You're very special yourself, Chris. I would like to keep our friendship, too. You're easy to be with, and it's refreshing to be with you. You feel so real to me, and I really want to keep in touch." Stephen smiled at his friend. Sometimes he felt like some of the people he met on the road were just trying to curry favour just to say that they knew him, and use that for their own advantage. He had been burned enough in the past that it made him cautious in new relationships. But he found himself quite relaxed with Chris. He found Chris' habit of openness and touching refreshing, and he reveled in the freedom of being able to do the same while here in the America, where no one knew him.

"Okay, it's a plan then." Chris said with a grin, happy with their resolution. They stopped talking when Stephen's friends came back from their dancing. Alex had wandered over to the bar, checking out the cowboys posing there. Stephen had shaken his head over Alex's actions, but knew better than to chide him. He had asked his friend what he had against Chris, but Alex couldn't really give him an answer. In the end, he had admitted that Chris seemed much too wholesome to him, and he just didn't like that. Stephen hadn't minded, finding that was what drew his attention to the other man.

Once everyone was together, they planned on heading back to the hotel, as they had an early morning flight the next day. Alex declined a ride back, saying if he was only going to be there one more night, he was going to make it worth the trip. The rest of them laughed at his declaration and went back to the hotel without him.

They had spent a lot of time at the restaurant dancing after the meal, so Keith, Ronan and their wives opted to head to their rooms for the evening, leaving Stephen alone with his friend.

"Would you like to come up for a bit, or do you have to go?" Stephen asked, feeling a bit reckless as this was his last night. "I have a mini bar in the room."

Chris thought about it for a moment, knowing that it probably wouldn't be wise, but throwing caution to the winds. "Why not?" He followed Stephen into the lift and up to his floor, waiting while Stephen opened the door to the room he shared with Alex.

"Come on in," Stephen said, pushing the door open and allowing Chris to precede him. He followed the taller man in, closing the door behind him. There were bags packed off to the side, Alex having already gone through his stuff for the flight the next morning. Stephen was still in the process of packing, with all the gifts he had bought for his family in bags about the room. He pushed those off the sofa and motioned for Chris to sit down, moving towards the bar in the armoire. Opening the door, he put the key in the fridge and pulled out some bottles to make them some drinks. He found himself interested in having something more than a glass of wine this evening, and was feeling rebellious for some reason. Making them both a couple of glasses of scotch, he brought them back to the sofa, handing one to Chris before sitting down next to him.

"I don't want to go back home," he said, a bit petulantly. Chris knew it was probably the alcohol speaking, but he also knew how hard it must be to give up the freedom that his friend had been enjoying in the time he was out here. He put his arm around Stephen and hugged him companionably, taking a sip from his glass with the other hand.

"Well, we always have things we don't want to do. But sometimes, despite that, duty prevails," Chris said solemnly. He could feel the effects of the alcohol and knew that if they weren't careful, they could push things farther than they wanted to go. But he found that the enticement of Stephen snuggled up against him was too much of a temptation. He turned Stephen towards him and kissed him, holding the other man against him. Stephen closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Chris' lips against his own. It had been so long since he had been with Eloy that he found himself starved for this kind of intimate touching. He knew that they shouldn't go past this point, but there was a certain part of him who wanted Chris to continue. To take advantage of his insobriety and take the decision away from him. Chris pulled away after a moment, surprised with both his own action as well as Stephen's willing reaction. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't be doing this."

"I know," Stephen agreed softly, opening his eyes to stare up at Chris. "But kissing you is so nice." He smiled crookedly and Chris matched his smile. Over the past week that they had spent time together, he had told Chris some of the problems with his current relationship. Chris had pushed him to work it out, seeing how much Stephen cared for his lover by the way he talked about him. He had already told Stephen to talk to his friends and not hold back the information from them. He had seen how close they were to Stephen, and how protective of him they were. Both Keith and Ronan had pulled him aside, warning him to be careful with Stephen. He had appreciated it, knowing that his friend was well cared for. The fact that they didn't know the story behind his current heartache was troubling, because he had a feeling they would help him work it out, if only Stephen would let them.

"Chris, thank you for being so lovely," Stephen said, reaching up to stroke his face. "You've been quite gracious throughout all this, and I think that given time, you'll find someone much better than me."

"Don't put yourself down, Stephen," Chris said, looking down at his friend. "If you were free, I'd follow you anywhere you wanted." He was serious in his comment, knowing he'd be willing to find a way to do that, just to be with Stephen.

"No," Stephen said, shaking his head. "Don't say that. Chris, you have a gift to help others and you have too much to share to abandon that all for someone else."

"I guess, but really, I can practice medicine anywhere," Chris said, staring into Stephen's eyes, wishing that the circumstances were different. "And sometimes, I just want to think about something like being with you, instead of spending all my time studying. Can't I wish differently for once?" He leaned his cheek against Stephen's, breathing in his cologne. He had never felt this way about anyone before, and to finally find someone that he thought he could have a serious relationship and to find that other person wasn't free tore his heart apart.

Stephen instinctively responded to the tone in Chris' voice and pulled him close into an embrace. Chris rested his head against Stephen's shoulder. He knew at that point that neither of them would go any further than they already had, but for one brief moment as Stephen held him, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like.

Stephen felt Chris' tears against his neck and closed his own eyes, stroking the other man's hair. Softly, he murmured words of encouragement, not knowing of another way to help his friend. When Chris finally got control of himself and pulled back, Stephen met him with a small smile as he reached over and wiped the wetness from Chris' cheek.

"Chris, you know I'd never want to see you hurt, right?" He watched until Chris nodded, acknowledging his words. "I'm sorry that this is hurting you like this. Maybe it's better if we don't keep in touch..." Stephen trailed off.

"No, please don't say that," Chris interjected. "I want to keep in touch. I'm sorry I'm acting like this. I don't know what came over me just now. I know this would have been impossible. It's just that... well, I don't know when we'll see each other again. And I'm going to miss you."

Stephen pulled Chris back onto his shoulder again and wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders. "I'm going to miss you, too. It's so easy to talk to you, and I really value that in a friendship. Who knows, maybe you'll get over to Dublin, or London, and we can meet up at some point, yeah? Or maybe I'll get back here, God willing. It's not forever, you know." Stephen looked down at Chris who smiled wearily.

"Yeah, I guess." Chris said softly to what his friend said. "Damn, but I wish things could be different."

"Trust me, Chris, you really wouldn't want to get involved with me. It can be really lonely, and you know most of the story that can make even my head spin. I really believe that everyone has a path to follow in this life. And while yours is in a different direction from mine, there's a reason why we are in this place in time," Stephen said softly with conviction. "So we're meant to be friends, yeah?"

"Yeah," Chris said, nodding slowly. He pulled out of Stephen's embrace and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thanks. I think that a certain amount of this is the alcohol talking, but I do mean it. Stephen, promise me something?"

"What's that?" Stephen asked.

"Think about the things we've talked about this week. Talk to your friends. Let them help you." Stephen looked down at Chris' comment and smiled wryly as Chris forced him to look up again. "And don't wait too long to get in touch with your lover. I have a feeling that he's feeling the same kinds of things right now. Being apart is probably the worst thing for you two. I also think that there is no one else who knows exactly what each of you are going through. If you love him, you have to be prepared to go all the way, because the way you two are going at the moment doesn't seem to be the solution. But just think about it. And talk to Ronan and Keith. They really care about you, and I think they can help you, if only you'd let them."

Stephen nodded, knowing Chris was right. "It's hard though. But... but I'll try."

"Good." Chris gave Stephen a tight hug before pulling back for the last time. "I better get out of here before I get stupid again. When is your flight?"

Stephen sighed, brought back to the reality of his departure again. "Nine o'clock."

"Then you'll get a good night's sleep before it, then. And no staying up tonight! Doctor's orders!" Chris said, shaking his finger at Stephen, who laughed ruefully.

"Well, if it's a doctor's orders, then I'll have to behave, yeah?" He stood up with Chris and linking arms, walked with him to the door. "Thank you, Chris. You really are a breath of fresh air. And I do want to keep in touch with you." He stopped just inside the door and wrapped his arms around the younger man in a hug. "You take care of yourself and I'll talk to you soon, I'm sure."

"Yeah, you take care, too," Chris said, hugging Stephen tightly before pulling back and smiling down at him. "Thank you, for being understanding. And I'm looking forward to hearing from you, so don't lose that number of mine!"

"I won't. You have a safe drive home," Stephen said, smiling slightly. Chris stepped towards the door and looked back, not wanting to leave. They stared at each other for a long moment before he stepped back in and gave Stephen a lingering farewell kiss.

"Goodnight," Chris said softly, pulling back from the kiss and moving back towards the door.

"Goodnight." Stephen said. He closed the door behind Chris and leaned against it wearily. He knew that what Chris said was right, but he didn't know how to change what he had put into motion. If his friends ever found out what he did without consulting them, he knew they'd be angry. Even though he knew that it was the only choice that he could make.

He made his way back to the sofa, looking at their abandoned glasses before taking his own and downing it in one gulp. Coughing slightly, he packed his bags for something to do, his thoughts whirling about in his head. He wondered how he could react to Chris the way he did if he was supposed to be with Eloy. He had had a traditional upbringing, believing that once you fell in love with someone, that was it. There was no one else that could take your attention away from that other person. He knew he was feeling guilty for kissing Chris, and felt like he had cheated on Eloy, even though they hadn't done anything other than kiss one another.

He knew he was spiraling down and made a concerted effort to stop himself from doing so. It wasn't going to get him anywhere, and so he made a promise to himself that once he got a chance, he would tell Eloy what happened. He felt he had to be honest, and though it scared him that it would drive the other man away, he knew that he would never forgive himself if he held back.

Feeling slightly better about his decision, he turned off the lights and went to bed. He wasn't expecting Alex back anytime soon, and he really wasn't interesting in talking to him once he did come in. Sleep was a long time coming that night.

#

A few days after they flew back to Dublin, they were planning on heading right off to Sweden to record for Cheiron. Stephen's mother despaired of him ever coming home for any length of time. She didn't really understand that they had a big holiday in the States and so it was right back to work. They held a few meetings at the local Polydor office downtown, listening to tracks that had been remixed in their absence and trying to decide what ones they wanted on the album.

Mikey seemed moody, and the others left him alone, knowing that whatever was wrong, he needed to work things out for himself. So it was with some surprise that he asked Ronan out for a drink as they were leaving the office. Ronan agreed, knowing that if Mikey wanted to talk that he would be willing to listen to him. They drove out towards Ronan's home without talking before finding a pub that they could stop in. Ronan lead the way to the back of the pub after getting them a couple of pints, not wanting to be bothered. Mikey was definitely looking serious, and he wanted some privacy for the two of them.

"How's this?" Ro asked, nodding to a table in the back. This was a local place where he went to from time to time with his friends, so he was known to the barman and the other patrons.

"Yeah, that's fine," Mikey said, putting his pint down and pulling up a chair. Ronan sat down opposite and waited for him to speak. "Ro, we have a problem."

"Yeah?" Ronan asked, taking a pull from his glass before saying anything else. "And what's the problem?"

Mikey looked down for a long moment before looking up again. "It's Stephen." Ronan stared at Mikey, perplexed for a moment. They had just spent the last few days with Stephen and he had seemed fine.

"Steo?" Ronan asked in surprise. "What's the problem with Steo?"

"Damn, this is complicated," Mikey said with a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "When I came back home, I sat with Mark in the plane, yeah?"

"Yeah, I remember," Ronan nodded, remembering their departure from New York. "What about it?"

"Well, we had a few drinks. You know how Mark hates flying. He got himself pissed. And he also talked a lot," Mikey said, looking up to watch Ronan's face. Ro nodded, following him in the story. "Well, he told me something he didn't mean to. Apparently Louis was after Stephen when we were in Dublin last, and threatened to out him to the studio if he continued seeing Eloy."

"What?" Ronan exclaimed. Several heads turned in their direction at his shout and he ducked his head back down. "What the feck are you talking about?"

"That Louis knew he was seeing someone and told him that if the studio found out, we'd lose the contract. Apparently he was crowing about it to Mark, saying how he was so good at what he did. Mark was pretty disgusted by it, but didn't question him about it at all," Mikey said quietly. Ronan looked at him in anguish, thinking of Stephen being put in that kind of a position where he had to choose between his private life and his friends. He knew exactly which way Stephen would jump, too.

"How did Louis find out about Eloy," Ronan asked, feeling awful for Stephen, and thinking about how long this had been going on without a peep from Stephen about it.

"I don't think he knew who Stephen was seeing, just that he was. And he used it as only Louis could. The more I think about what Stephen's done over the past few months... Ro, you know what it's like to fall in love. Imagine if Louis told you that you couldn't see Yvonne anymore because it would hurt the band. That's basically what he's done to Stephen. And with that one already having problems of a long distance relationship, he probably went off the deep end when Louis said something," Mikey said.

Ronan dropped his head into his hands. "It was exactly for that reason that we eloped, you know. I figured if it was a done deal, he couldn't do anything about it. Announce it to the press before he could stifle it. I knew that he wouldn't be able to stop that. Shite, Mikey, poor Steo. He's been soldiering on through all this without a word.

"And he was so good to Keith and Lisa in America. Went out of his way to make sure that everything was right for them, real sweet of him. Christ, Mick, how do we help him?" Ronan asked.

"I don't know. This has been eating at me for a while, waiting for you all to get back," Mikey admitted tiredly. "I think we need to help him if we can."

"How though? Every time you ask him how things are going, he says its fine. None of us knew what was really going on, and he was carrying it all by himself. Shite, Mick, he really had us snookered. He just told me that Eloy was really busy and didn't have time to come to the States. How was I to know that he'd called things off?"

"Has he called it off, though?" Mikey asked. "I know they haven't had a chance to get together, but he has been talking to Eloy, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, I think so. He's told me some things about what Eloy was up to on the road, so probably. But if Louis threatened him, you know damn well he'd clam up about it. Damn Louis!" Ronan hit the table with his fist, causing it to shudder. "Mick, we've got to help him."

"Yeah, I agree. But how?" Mikey asked, looking miserable. He was just coming out of a relationship himself, and though he tended to keep things tight to his chest, they all knew how much he had been hurting.

"We're going to be in Sweden next week, right?" Ronan asked, thinking their future plans through. Mikey nodded, waiting to see where he was going to go with his thoughts. "Well, Holland isn't that far from there. Maybe we can get Eloy to come over for a visit. Surprise Steo."

Mikey gave him a speculative look. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Especially since we won't have anyone from the company with us over there. But how do we get in touch with Eloy? It's not like we can ask Stephen for his number, after all."

Ronan leaned on one hand, idly chewing a nail as he thought about it. After a pull from his pint he snapped his fingers, having come up with an idea. "I know! We nick his mobile. He has to have the number programmed in there, doesn't he?"

A slow smile crept across Mikey's face at the idea. "That would do it, wouldn't it? And if it went missing, he would just think he lost it again. That would work fine. Now for the next question – do we tell Shane and Keith?"

Ronan let out a soft sigh as he thought about their band mates. "We'd have to, wouldn't we? Though Keith is going to kick himself once he knows what's been going on."

"None of us knew, Ro. Shane's probably going to feel the same way, too," Mikey said with a sigh of his own. "The best we can do is to show him that we want to support him, and be damned with what Louis says. It's none of his business who Stephen sees, really."

"That's what I've been telling Steo for ages now. But Louis played off of the thing that would scare the shite out of him, which is being outed." Ronan said, keeping his voice low.

"How'd Louis find out, though? Someone must have told him," Mikey said, thinking over the last few months.

"I don't know." Ronan stared down at his drink thinking. "But you know what, it doesn't matter. I know he's only concerned with the group, but it's not like Steo flaunts it all over the place. Mikey, it's the first time I've seen him happy in a long time, and to see him break it off because of what might or might not happen to us just isn't fair."

"I know," Mikey agreed. "Alright then, let's do it. You talk to the other lads, and we'll see what we can do." Ronan nodded and finished off his drink. They left the pub together, Ronan driving off for home and Mikey getting into his car and headed for his own house.

#

It took several days for them to get the other lads together without Stephen, who was off doing some promotional work for Disney. Ronan called everyone around to his house. Shane was the first one to show up, and he lead his friend down to his rec room, waiting for the others before telling him why he wanted a meeting. Keith and Mikey showed up a few moments later, and they all sat down. Quietly, Ronan and Mikey told what they knew. Keith looked stricken, knowing how long it had probably been going on for without a word from Stephen. Shane was quite vocal about Louis' actions, swearing a blue streak before settling down.

"So, what do we do about it?" He asked, having paced around the room during his rant. He wasn't sure who he was more ticked off at, Louis for his little games, or Stephen for not telling them about what had happened. Out of all of them, he knew that Stephen had been having problems, but just thought they were the ones with his brother. He swore again as he thought of it and the others looked at him.

"What?" Keith asked. He was upset, knowing how badly they had teased Stephen in the States, and how good he had been about taking it from them.

"I should have known," Shane said. "I knew he was having problems, but I thought it was just more of the shite with his brother." At their blank looks he realised that Stephen hadn't said anything to the rest of them. He explained the few times he had helped Stephen out after the fights with his brother.

"Poor Steo," Ronan said softly, thinking about how he must have been getting it from all sides. No wonder he had kept it all to himself, rather than get them involved. "Well, we're going to see what we can do." He explained his idea to the rest of them, and they quickly agreed that getting Stephen and Eloy together was the best thing they could do. Shane offered to nick Stephen's phone so he could get the number. Ronan insisted on being the one to ring him up.

With a plan in hand, they decided to implement it once they got to Sweden. They flew into Stockholm a couple of days later and went north to the studio in Kungsholmen. They did a reasonable job of keeping Stephen distracted and Shane was able to get his mobile off of him while they were in the hotel bar that night. They were only in town for a short time, so they wanted to get moving as soon as possible.

After Shane slipped the mobile to him, Ronan decided to call it an early night and headed off to his room. The rest of them stayed up, happy to be off on their own without any minders.

Ronan reached his room and after locking the door, pulled Steo's mobile out of his pocket and turned it on. It chimed softly as it powered up and he waited impatiently for it to connect to the service. Once it did, he pulled up the directory, looking for a number. He smiled as he went through the list. It seemed like Stephen kept everyone's number in there so he wouldn't have to look them up. Finally, he got to two that had possibilities. One said E-home and the other just said E and he paused. Taking a chance that it was the right number, he punched the speed dial and put the mobile to his ear. He paced impatiently for a connection.

"Hullo?" A deep voice answered, sounding tired. Ronan grinned, knowing he had picked the right number.

"Hi, is this Eloy," he asked. Upon getting a confirmation, he introduced himself to Eloy.

"Ja, hullo Ronan. Is everything okay?" Eloy asked, a bit concerned that one of Stephen's band mates would be calling him out of the blue. Immediately he thought that something was wrong with Stephen and his heart leapt at the thought that something serious was wrong.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Listen, the lads and I were thinking. Stephen doesn't know I'm ringing you, by the way. And he's been such a good egg about working on the album, and I know that you two haven't had a lot of time together, that, well, we wondered if you'd be willing to help us with a surprise for him." Ronan said, trying to marshal his thoughts together.

Eloy sat back in his chair, curious about what Ronan had for an idea. "What kind of surprise?" he asked.

"Well, we just flew into Stockholm where we're going to be doing some recording with the people at Cheiron. And I know you're busy working on your own stuff, but it being so close, I was hoping that maybe you would be able to come over for a day or two and be able to spend some time with him." Ronan held his breath as he listened to the silence on the other end of the phone.

"Ronan, that's a sweet idea," Eloy said after a few moments. "But, I'm not sure that..."

"Look, Eloy, we know what Louis said to Stephen," Ronan interrupted, afraid that Eloy wasn't going to agree if Stephen and he had made an agreement to break it off. "Frankly, we don't like it. It's not right, what Louis did.

"Eloy, you mean the world to him. You wouldn't believe how happy he looked when he was telling me about you. He's dotty over you, Eloy, and he needs you," Ronan said, feeling the need to convince the other man. "He's been so good about doing what is good for the group that he's neglected what's good for him. We want him to be happy. We want you both to be happy. And the only way we can see a way to tell him is to get you over here. Please say you'll come."

"I'll see what I can do," Eloy said softly, moved by Ronan's plea. The thought of seeing Stephen again sent a thrill through him, and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to refuse the request. He didn't want to, even if he made Stephen angry at his actions. "Give me your mobile number where I can reach you and I'll ring you once I've made some plans. How does that sound?"

"That would be grand, Eloy." Ronan said, quickly telling him the number. "Let me know and I'll plan the rest on this side."

"Okay," Eloy said, writing down the number. "Hey, Ronan?"

"Yeah?" Ro said, staring out the window.

"How'd you get my number, by the way?" Eloy asked, curious.

"Erm, well, Shane nicked Steo's mobile in the pub downstairs and handed it to me so I could call you," Ronan admitted. Eloy howled with laughter at his admission.

"Great idea. Okay, I'll call you in the morning," Eloy promised, still chuckling. "But if this backfires and he gets mad, I'll point the finger at you."

Ronan grinned at the threat. "You do that. Don't worry, it will be fine." He rung off and stared at the window for a moment, thinking about their plans, and Stephen's possible reactions. "Please God."