English Summer Rain (always seems the same) It seemed like eternity, but finally the train stops in London’s Waterloo station. Justin quickly grabs Molly’s hand and the two start running towards the security lines with their bags in their hands. A few cars down, Brian and Carl hurry out onto the terminal and begin running towards security as well. The crowd of people seems to have doubled from the terminal in Paris. Carl hollers, “Slow down, Brian!” as he tries to keep up. Brian ignores him and continues running, pushing bystanders away. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t, lose Justin. Finally reaching the security lines, Justin exhales deeply. Molly looks around, “Do you think we lost them?” Justin scans the area, “I think we’re okay.” He breathes in deeply, focusing on calming his heart rate. The line begins to move and Justin takes a step forward. “Justin!” Whirling around, Justin starts to frantically look around. “What is it?” Molly asks. “I heard someone call my name,” Justin replies, standing on the balls of his feet in order to get a better look through the crowd. “You aren’t the only Justin in the world,” Molly retorts with agitation. Biting his lower lip, he looks over at Molly and decides it would be best to just keep his mouth shut. The line continues to move and Justin picks up his bags off the floor to move forward. “Justin!!” Brian shouts. He can see Justin turning around towards the crowd, his face a mask of confusion and his mouth moving to the words: "That sounds like Brian…" Molly frowns and says something, but Brian can’t read her lips. He sees Justin nodding his head and giving a sad smile before taking another step forward to the front of the line. “Damnit fuckin’ shit!” Brian roars as a noisy crowd of tourists begin to drown him out. “Justin Taylor!” he screams again, waving his arms. Justin and Molly reach the front of the line. Brian and Carl watch as they hand the security guard an envelope. The man opens it and nods, granting them immediate access. “Shit!” Brian groans. He had to restrain himself from knocking anyone down. He was pretty sure getting arrested would not help his situation. “The lines are moving pretty fast, Brian. We can catch up, don’t worry,” Carl reasons. “Shut up,” Brian retorts as he begins to grind his teeth. This was unbelievable. He stands there, helpless; as he watches Justin and Molly disappear into the crowd. *********** Outside, Justin and Molly look around. “There,” he points to the hotel on Belvedere Road. “We can stay there.” Molly frowns, “London County Hall? Is that even a hotel?” He shrugs, “I think so. Besides, if it isn’t, I’m sure they can tell us where the closest one is.” Sighing, she holds her belongings close and lets her brother guide her through the congestion and across the streets. Within minutes they reach the hotel reception and ask for a two bedroom suite. The receptionist states that they have two one bedroom adjoining suites available. The siblings agree that two separate rooms with an adjoining door would be the most ideal; especially since they weren’t sure how long they would be staying. Richard had given Justin his credit card, telling him that as soon as the Taylor money was transferred into Justin’s account, he would be canceling the credit card immediately. Justin’s response was a simple, “Whatever.” He no longer cared about his uncle and was hoping to forget that the man even existed. Paying for a week’s stay, the two siblings hurry to the elevator. Once inside, Molly begins, “I need a nap.” Justin smiles, “Okay. You take a nap and I’ll order us some room service. We can eat in my room.” She nods, “I want pizza.” The thought of pizza causes Justin’s stomach to growl in anticipation. “Moll, that is an excellent idea.” She chuckles and they exit the elevator to their rooms. The two rooms are spacious and Molly immediately crawls into bed. “Mmm… this is nice.” Justin is glad the hotel meets her standards. Putting her bags in the closet, he enters his room through the adjoining door and quietly closes it before calling for room service. ************ “Where the fuck could they be?” Brian asks to no one in particular. They had finally left the international terminal and now faced the congested street. It was starting to drizzle. “Well that’s just fuckin’ great,” he mutters. “Do you think they took a cab?” Carl asks. “No.” Brian knew Justin well enough to know that having to sit in a four hour cab ride in France and then be stuck in a train for two and half hours; Justin would rather walk through the busy sidewalks and streets than sit in another taxi. Looking around, he spots the closest building that looks like it could possibly be a hotel. “There!” Carl frowns, “London County Hall?” “Justin is in there.” Brian announces. He could feel it. Carl knows better than to argue and decides to just follow Brian across the busy intersections and into the building. The receptionist smiles at them, “May I help you?” Brian grins and gives the woman all of his charm, “Yes, I am looking for two people who might be staying in your establishment… Justin and Molly Taylor?” Yawning, Justin pulls off his clothing and changes into a pair of comfortable sweatpants and long sleeved shirt. He was tired too, but the thought of sleeping truly terrified him at this point. What if this was a mistake? What if whomever was looking for them, finds them? Oh Fuck, why did I give the reception our real names?!?! He can feel a panic attack brewing. Slowly falling to the floor, he tries to concentrate on his breathing. He would not freak out. He would not lose it all now. They had come so far and he would not break down. He would not. He would not. He would not…. Knock knock Startled, Justin looks at the door. Could it be room service already? Knock knock He cautiously stands up. He wants to call out, ‘who is it?’ but at the moment cannot find his voice. Fuckin’ breathe…. Gradually, he feels his legs moving towards the door. This was it. He opens his mouth once more, but again, nothing comes out. Reaching for the doorknob, he holds his hand on the knob, and takes a deep breath. Knock, knock, knock It was becoming more persistent. Swallowing hard, Justin turns the knob, and slowly opens the door. ------------------------------------------------------ Sorry for the delay: I'll be posting the next chapter in a few hours. Hugs, Snow