The Familia. (ZeRoyalChaos TOS fanfiction)

The road to the final destination.

I glance back, and see that Chilled didn't follow me, and is probably still unaware of my actions. Closing the door behind me I take the book out of my coat pocket. Max sits at the table, waiting. Slowly tapping a coin on the surface, seeming calm, but somewhat frustrated. When the door clicks shut he sits up in the seat, and turns to face me. The coin in his fingers stays suspended, rather than landing on the table.

"Are you okay? What happened with you two?" He started a rapid fire questioning, but paused when he noticed the book. "What's that?"

"Laura's notebook. She held a few seances, and documented them. I thought you'd be interested in one from a man named Adam." I stated, finding the right page.

Max hesitated, his face painted with conflict and confusion. He wanted to speak, but each time he attempted to he just closed his mouth again. After a little while he just nodded, and held out a hand.

I passed the book over, and his eyes darted across the words, reading at a fast pace. Often his brows furrowed, and sometimes there was a shadow of a smile in his eyes, as if something joyous was being remembered.

He shrugged handing it back, "Another guy who wants me dead... I was most confused about the parts that said he had loved me, or that I had known him."

I stuffed the book back in my pocket, and sat opposite Max. "Do you not feel betrayed? At some point in time he loved you, and now he hates you, wants you murdered at the hands of a pathetic orphan. What if you encountered this, Adam, what would you say? Would you wish such a vile death upon him?"

The silence set in, and Max became very still. His eyes glazed over, and seemed to play his thoughts out. Romance, passion, a comfortable love... Gradually it deteriorated, the admiration devolved into sadness as heartbreak crept in, corrupting everything. Eventually anger settled in his features, but guilt was evident.

"Don't blame yourself. Adam has watched these weeks happen, has seen and experienced Anthony's twisted ways. Yet he still prefers you dead than Anthony. Perhaps there was a hidden romance?" I suggested. Beating Max at his own devious game would be something special.

He let go of the coin and sat back, "No. They didn't know each other long, from what I do remember, and Adam spent almost every waking hour by my side. I remember that we were always together, and a few things still stay clear in my mind... But his face is gone, as is his voice... I feel like certain memories are twisted. One replays itself over and over, though."

"And that is?"

He looked directly at me, reading my expression as he spoke, "The moment in which Anthony put a bullet in Adam's chest."

I was taken aback, but I managed to adjust, and pick up the coin. I set it spinning on the table, and watched as the faces whirled past in a blur. "So, what to do? Shall we go after Anthony, and I put a bullet in his chest? Or would you rather we provoke the town and watch him swing?"

His hand trapped the coin, and he picked it up once more. Carefully he balanced it on his fist, and tossed it up in the air, catching it on the back of his hand. "Heads we let the town have him, tails I butcher that son of a bitch with a knife." He grinned at me, "A bullets too kind."

He glanced at the coin, and seemed disappointed. "Looks like we're having a lynching."

I sighed, "What a shame."

Silently, and without explaining, Max exited the house. I guessed he was heading into town to attend the voting, and I needed to follow fairly soon. I didn't want to go, because it gave him a head start on getting Chilled hung. If I wasn't present, he wouldn't even try, would he? Keeping up the bad guy demeanour has exhausted me, I was terrified, getting caught would blow everything.

If I know Chilled, he's going to lose it. He won't trust me, and he'll revive Adam. I will continue to plant ideas in Max's head, and when the two reunite all hell will break loose. Max can't get us if I get him first.

Pushing forward is the only choice, because it appears that I'm the only one of us that is sound of mind. They have stupid petty combat, and all of these innocents are being dragged into it. Their game is going to destroy this already dysfunctional community. I always suspected that something was wrong with Max, he lied to me from day one. I just wanted to wrap my head around him, and everything he was thinking. Chilled didn't stop with trying to assure me that Max was evil and dangerous. Chilled really cares about me.

I wanted to help him, I wanted to understand him.

Knowing that Adam did love him made up my mind. If I knew that Chilled was too risky to be around I'd ask someone to help me sort it out, and if it came down to it I'd have to force myself to even contemplate his death. Adam clearly knows best, when it comes to Max, and I want to carry out his final decision. When someone means the world to you, you do what is best for them. Your emotions no longer matter, and so I'm doing that. I'm ignoring the fact that Chilled won't trust me, I'm forgetting that he won't love me back after this. Whatever he felt will be crushed, and whatever the dead saw between us will no longer exist.

It falls on me to sort this out, because I care about Chilled, the way he cared about me. He wanted to protect me, and I'm doing the same.

I'm going to get things done, and this will all be finished soon enough.

-------------
Crappy chapter, written in a rush because I hadn't updated in a while. I did good on my mocks, schools over so soon. Pretty much, my life is still boring, oh well.
I'm getting my laptop fixed, and when I do I was planning on doing a sort of game night. Obviously I'll have to finalise the details and stuff, but anyone who's interested can contact me. (I know LinkinPhan is doing a game night, but I have been planning this for a while, it's not just a rip off XD) organising a time would be the most difficult, but in summer it shouldn't matter too much for me.
Have fun or whatever, enjoy yourselves ^-^
Thank you for all the reads, votes and comments. They make my day, and make me want to continue this story.