Quelqu'un A Aimer

Chapter Thirteen

A Tarnished Rose

A/N After extensive plot revision, this has ended up as the last chapter. The last freaking chapter! Can you believe it? That makes me pretty happy. Because really, as much as I love this story, I'll be glad to have the chance to write something else. Even though this is my baby, the first chapter story I've finished. Eee!! Thank you so much to everyone that's read this, and especially to those people who reviewed. Review responses are at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

Mael P.O.V

The next six weeks passed fairly quietly. Maybe someone up there figured we deserved a break or something. Either way, the weeks flew by, bringing us to Emelien's birthday.

It was his eighteenth and, understandably, he wanted to celebrate with a bang. He'd been planning for weeks, maybe even months by this point. It was going to be huge.

I had taken to sleeping at his place more often in the weeks after the beach house incident, and so it was me that woke up to Emelien's cellphone belting out some horrible ring tone early on the morning of his birthday.

I didn't want to answer it (I didn't really feel I'd earned the right to yet), so I shook Emelien awake and shoved the phone into his hands.

He answered it (as you do). "Mmmm….'ello?"

He sat up. "What? What the fuck are you talking about?" "You're fucking kidding me." "No. No. No. Goddamnit, Campbell!" He paused. "Fine. I'll be there soon."

He disconnected the call, and promptly threw the phone across the room.

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Emelien P.O.V

Exactly thirty minutes after Campbell's call I stormed into his office, furious. I'm surprised I wasn't giving off sparks.

I slammed my fists down on his desk. "What the fuck is the meaning of this!"

Campbell eyed me over his desk. "Language, Emelien. And I should be asking you that."

I glared at him. "Do you have the pictures?"

He shoved a sheaf of newspaper clippings toward me and I picked them up, leafing through them. "Well, fuck."

Campbell's features hardened. "Well, fuck, indeed." He leaned forward. "Now here is what you're going to do."

"I've set up a press conference for you in half an hour. You will be there, and you will say this." He handed me a slip of paper.

I skimmed the statement and scoffed. "You seriously think I'm going to say that!"

He smirked. "I don't think. I know you're going to say that. Unless you want to lose your recording contract."

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Mael P.O.V

I watched quietly as Emelien stumbled into the apartment, cursing under his breath, and held out my arms to him. He fell into me, clinging tightly, and said "I've got a press conference in fifteen minutes. Come with me?"

I nodded.

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Mael P.O.V

The conference room at Stellar was packed; people perched on every available surface, crammed into doorways, crouching on the floor.

I hadn't a clue what we were there for, beyond it (obviously) being something to do with Emelien's career. The new single, I thought, or something similar. But he wanted my support, and so I was willing to give it.

I watched quietly as Emelien began to speak.

"Hey," he said. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. Everyone knows what their real reason for being here is, and so I'll get right to it."

"As you are all very well aware, some rather," he paused, "scandalous pictures of me have been circulating recently. This morning, in fact. I have a statement up here saying something along the lines of 'why no, it's not me in those pictures, I wasn't making out with a boy in public, and I am most certainly not gay'. No. You know what?" He turned to look at me, standing just outside the doorway. "It is me in those pictures. I did make out with a boy in public. And I most certainly am gay. And, "he beckoned me over, "this is my boyfriend. Everyone say hello to Mael." He grinned at me as I came onstage, and pulled me in for a kiss. I was vaguely aware of camera flashes and a babble of voices as Emelien broke away, grinned, announced "So put that in your fucking tabloids!" and ran out of the room, pulling me with him.

We tore through the building, nearly knocking over a few people, until we finally made it outside. There Emelien stopped, panting, and pulled me into an alleyway. He then turned to me, grinning slightly and leaning against the wall. "So I figure we've got about two minutes before we have to start running again." His smile turned to a smirk. "This is your last chance to back out, you know. To avoid constantly having to run from reporters, constantly having your life disrupted, constantly-". I put my hand over his mouth. "Shut up." I told him. "I'm not going anywhere."

I felt his face shift into a smile again, and he bit my hand. I removed it from his face and said "Any last words? Before we have to run from the mob, I mean."

The sound of screaming crowds reached our ears at the same time, and we both grinned. "Yeah," Emelien said, "I have a few."

I inclined my head at him. "Yeah?"

His grin grew wider. "Race you."

It's Independence Day I'm free, and it's a strange place to be. I'm gonna break these chains, unleash the changes in me. I see an endless road, I feel the restless wind, I've lost the fear inside, 'cause I've got no choice but to live or die. – Suddenly, LeAnn Rimes.

A/N AWWWW CHEESY ENDING!!!!!!! AHEM Well folks, that's it. I might come back to this later, but for now this concludes Emelien and Mael's story. I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review!

sweets555: I'm glad that chapter answered some questions for you. And I'm glad you're starting to like Emelien more. Thanks for the review!

me gusta la café: Haha. I have nothing to say in reply to that. Mostly because I said it all to you on MSN. Thanks for reviewing P