Alex was terrified. He realized he shouldn't have come here, but it was too late. Here he was in the dark, with a pair of arms wrapped around him. He wasn't sure what was happening.

"Don't worry, Alex, I'll let you go as soon as we get into the light again. I don't want you to get hurt. The lift is old and has some holes in the cage; you could fall into the shaft."

Alex hated physical contact, just hated it. Yet here he was again, being held by Nicky. It didn't seem to bother him as much as it normally would have. Maybe it was because he was scared of this situation he had stupidly allowed himself to fall into.

The lift stopped, a set of doors opened, and they stepped out into a dimly lit room. The lift doors shut before Alex had a chance to see if the lift really was as decrepit as Nicky had claimed. He certainly hadn't noticed when he boarded it, but he wasn't paying attention then, either.

The air down here -- wherever here was -- smelled funny, different, unlike anything he had experienced before. The air was stale, old, almost ancient. The room was solid rock, with old-fashioned stone and mortar construction. There was a wooden door on one wall. Other than a small wooden bench and table, there was nothing else in the room. Alex was curiously reminded of a medieval dungeon. He was having trouble determining what was so odd about the room when he finally realized the light was provided not by electricity, but by a torch in a holder.

"Where are we?" asked Alex.

"Oh, don't worry, we're still in London more or less," replied Nicky without elaborating further.

"Nicky, you're scaring me. Look, I just want to go now. Before I freak, Ok? This is just too weird." Alex was angry with himself for admitting his fear.

"Stay. You'll be fine. We'll go to my room and talk," said Nicky. He didn't want to explain here, but he didn't realize the effect he was having on his audience. It became immediately clear, though, when Alex bolted to the door, swung it open and ran outside into the corridor.

Alex looked both ways trying to decide which way to run. Neither direction seemed better than the other, so he turned right. He ran as fast as he could, randomly making turns when confronted with choice. It was like being a rat in a maze, he thought. He could hear footfalls behind him and knew it had to be Nicky. He had counted on his sudden departure to give him a head start. The advantage of surprise could seldom be overrated. I just don't understand. How could I let this happen? What do I do? I don't know where I am. It just doesn't make sense. I should confront Nicky forcefully. No, I'm a coward. For such a smart guy, I can't believe I did something so fucking stupid.

"Alex! Alex, where the sod are you?" shouted Nicky. Why did I bring Alex here? I thought he'd understand. It's my fault. Of course he's terrified. He probably thinks I'm going to kill him. I have to take him back and hope it turns out all right. I have to trust him to do what's right. "Alex! Stop! Please, I'll take you back."

Alex had become hopelessly lost in his search for an exit. He clearly was in some sort of underground tunnel system. He made a decision, "Do you promise to take me back?" he shouted. He knew that Nicky was his only way out.

"Yes, I promise," replied Nicky.

Alex stopped and sighed heavily in defeat. The footsteps approached rapidly. Nicky rounded the corner and stopped in front of Alex. After a quick second to catch his breath, Nicky spoke, his palms outwards, "Alex, I'll take you back 'cos I want to be your friend. Really, I do. I'm sorry; I didn't intend it to play out like this. I know I've fucked this one up." Nicky sighed, "Follow me."

They took a circuitous route, through many tunnels and corridors. Alex was hopelessly lost. He wouldn't have been surprised to find out Nicky was lost as well considering the complexity of the tunnels. They finally found the corridor Nicky had been heading for, whereupon they came to a lift, and Nicky pressed the call button. When the lift arrived, they got in. As the doors shut, the darkness was complete. Alex expected Nicky's arms to wrap around him again, and he was oddly disappointed when it didn't happen.

"Alex, I'm so sorry. So very sorry. I did this all wrong."

"Did what wrong? I don't understand."

"Don't hate me. You'll be out in a few moments. Please, just try and forget me. I'm sure you'll be happier." Even Nicky thought his own words sounded pathetic, but they didn't begin to echo the sorrow he felt inside.

The doors opened, and Alex walked out followed by Nicky.

"Your train is coming now, Alex." A few moments later the train pulled into the station. The doors on the third car opened.

"Hurry, get in before the doors shut again." Nicky put out his hand, extended two fingers, and gently brushed Alex on the cheek. "Goodbye," and then he ran back to the lift as Alex boarded.

The train pulled away, with Alex on board. Alex looked at his watch. He'd been gone at least two hours, yet, according to his watch, less than five minutes had passed since he first got off the train into Lord's station. The train pulled into Baker Street, and he exited, heading straight for his hotel. He heard a busker playing, but he could tell it wasn't Nicky just by the sound.

As he entered the hotel, he began to think. I have to do something to get Nicky out of my head. First, he packed his suitcase, a small wheeled bag, with his clothes and the few souvenirs he'd bought. Then he decided which books to pack and which books to put in his backpack. In his suitcase, he put his well-worn copy of Ender's Game which he had read on the flight over. He put his dog-eared copy of Lord of the Rings into his backpack. Later he would finish the book for perhaps the tenth time. He loved that book. It really helped him get lost in his fantasy world. Finally, he began to grow tired.

Alex lay in his bed. His suitcase was packed and everything ready to go at the morning's wake-up call. He was thinking. Why can't I get Nicky out of my head? The first time in my whole life, someone's stuck in my head, and it's someone who tried to do something bad to me. Shit, that's not true. He didn't try to hurt me, and I know it. Before that bizarre experience in the tube station, we seemed to be getting along pretty well. Great, I finally make a new friend and he's some psycho. Alex drifted slowly off to sleep, his thoughts churning about tempestuously.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Alex answered the phone with a grunt.

"It's a quarter past seven, sir. You asked us to ring you."

"Thanks," said Alex, jumping out of bed, and getting ready for his ride to the airport. He had arranged for a taxi even though it was expensive, because he didn't want to deal with the tube on his way to the airport. Truthfully, he didn't want to run into Nicky again either. On the way down to the taxi, he grabbed a chocolate croissant from the tray in the hotel lobby.

The cab was waiting. Probably with the meter running, thought Alex cynically. He jumped in, carrying his suitcase and backpack. "Heathrow or Gatwick, young master?"

"Heathrow. Terminal Four, please," said Alex as the cab pulled away. The cab sped on through the foggy streets of London. Because it was an early morning, traffic was light. Alex stared out the window.

"Sir, you seem to be distracted. Is there something I can help with?" asked the cabbie, assuming Alex was interested in the sights they were passing. Normally the cabbie would have been right, but he had no way of knowing Alex's mind was somewhere else.

"No, I'm fine," Alex lied, "I just don't do mornings." Alex's thoughts were still on Nicky and their bizarre encounter.

The cab entered the motorway and accelerated. After about ten minutes the traffic ground to a sudden halt, surprising for this early hour. Apparently there was an accident or some other obstruction barring the traffic. "Sir, what time's your flight?" asked the cabbie.

"I've only got another hour before I have to check in. Do you think we'll make it?"

"Not bloody likely with this mess. If you don't mind the tube, the Northfield stop's a few metres ahead on the left. You can hop the tube the rest of the way. I'll give you half-off the fare to make up for the trouble."

"I suppose so," replied Alex glumly.

The cabbie exited the motorway, turned a corner, and stopped. "That will be twenty pounds flat, discount applied."

"Done," said Alex as he forked over his twenty pound note with a few coins extra thrown in for a tip.

Fuck! Here I am stuck in the middle of fucking London traffic with a plane to catch. Why does this shit always happen to me? Alex looked around briefly, and saw the tube station just ahead on the left. He trudged towards it, wearing his backpack and pulling his suitcase behind him. I hope I don't miss the plane; that would just be great. Stranded in a foreign country with almost no money. My parents will probably think I did this on purpose. Hell, I can't tell them anything about this. They'll think I'm making this up and send me back to the shrink. Nobody in their right mind would believe this shit. FUCKFUCKFUCK!

Alex entered the station, and bought a ticket to Heathrow. This part of the tube was above ground, and the platform was at ground level and paved with asphalt. There were some benches and even rubbish tins, something absent from the inner city lines. It was more like a railway station than tube station. He waited for the train.

Once again, Alex began thinking to himself. I should have taken the train to begin with and avoided all this mess. When the train finally arrived, it was deserted. Alex remembered it was still early morning and one wouldn't expect the tube to be crowded at this ungodly hour. Nearly alone in the subway car, he sat there, angry, lost in his thoughts. It wasn't a long trip from here, at least he didn't remember it that way.

Alex dug into his backpack to pull out a book, but changed his mind and instead took out his Sony Discman. He popped in a CD. Most of the people in his school listened to hip-hop music, rap, or country. Country music is so ghastly. I don't understand how anyone can stand it, and to call rap 'music' is an offense against nature. Alex liked classic rock, alternative rock, some new age, and an eclectic mix of other genres. But for his trip, he only had room enough to pack a few CDs to economize on space. Because he was travelling to England, he picked Elton John, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones -- it seemed very appropriate to him. He decided on Elton John, put in the CD, pressed the 'random play' button, and listened.

I can't light no more of your darkness. All my pictures seem to fade to black and white. I'm growing tired, and time stands still before me. Frozen here, on the ladder of my life. Too late to save myself from falling. I took a chance, and changed your way of life. But you misread my meaning when I met you; closed the door, and left me blinded by the light.

Alex turned pale, almost white. "You're stalking me, aren't you?"

Nicky's face scrunched up with a pained look. "Does this mean you won't be my friend? 'Cor, that sounds so pathetic. I can't believe I said that. Listen, I really want to talk to you. I don't want it to end like this. I'll come with you to the airport, and we can talk there. It's a public place, you'll be safe."

"It's not like I have a choice, is it? You're going to follow me there anyway, aren't you? How the fuck did you find me here?" Alex really was worried. How did Nicky find me here?

"You think way too much, Alex. When are you going to figure out that if I was going to hurt you, I already could have? Look at me."

Alex looked at Nicky but said nothing.

"No, look me right in the eyes."

Alex complied, though with reluctance. He wasn't happy the first time Nicky had done this to him.

"Alex, I give you my word of honour I won't do anything to harm you, won't do anything to you against your will. Please, just give me a chance. You need me, and deep down inside you know it," pleaded Nicky desperately.

Alex felt Nicky's desperation. "Nicky, this is so weird. It's almost as if you aren't human. What I mean is, you say things to me, and I hear them, but I feel them too. You know, this is just too much for me to deal with."

"Well, are you willing to talk to me? Can I stay with you until we reach the airport?"

Fuck! Fuck! FUCKFUCKFUCK! What do I do? I am so confused. This is too much, too fast. Something's going on and I don't know what. I'll be at the airport in a few minutes, I can walk through the security gate and never see Nicky again. My whole life, nobody ever seemed like they wanted to really talk to me. Now, someone does, and I'm running the other way. Why me? Great, self-pity. That's what I need. I am such a fuck-up. I've got to take a chance but it's so damned risky. "Yeah. I suppose so."

Nicky reached over, turned the volume back up on Alex's Discman. The train went underground and pulled into the Hatton Cross station, leaving just one more stop before the Heathrow stops. Nicky sat with his thoughts. How am I going to talk to Alex? Everything seems so complicated, but I can just feel that he needs me. This is so weird. I've had these types of feelings, but they've never felt this strong before, but I just know we'll be good friends. I wish he'd give me a chance. I hope I'm not too much a coward to tell him the truth.

Alex continued listening to his Discman as the next song came on. He thought again about his home life, his lack of an identifiable social life, and everything else. He realized none of it meant much to him. He knew he'd always been afraid of being close to anyone, and afraid of being hurt if it didn't work out. He always assumed he was the only one who felt that way, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe this was normal. The train pulled into Heathrow Terminal Four, and Alex put his Discman away in his backpack, getting ready to go.

Alex froze. He came to a sudden realization. Alex, although intelligent, wasn't always quick on the uptake when it came to emotions because he was too busy analyzing them to just feel them. So, when they did hit, they hit hard. Now was just such a time. The human mind works fast, and what may seem like hours can take place in a few seconds.

"Isn't this your stop?" asked Nicky wondering why Alex wasn't moving towards the doors.

"Yes it is, Nicky, but I'm not leaving. You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out. I can't let it end like this, regardless of what I end up deciding; that would just be wrong. I'm going to take a chance. I have to. I'm not sure what to think or what to believe, but I believe you when you say you won't hurt me. I don't know what I'll do about missing my flight, but that problem is for later."

Consciously he didn't realize it, but what Alex needed was closure. Leaving wasn't going to help him. "Let's go talk somewhere private," he said firmly as the doors to the train closed.

The bright smile that greeted Alex's statement made him realize he made the right choice. Nicky reached over and gave Alex a big hug. Alex turned bright red with embarrassment, and Nicky let go with a sheepish grin, "Sorry, Alex." Alex turned even more red because the train was no longer deserted. A large number of passengers had boarded when the train stopped at the two Heathrow stations.

"I'll live," said Alex. That hug felt pretty good. I wonder why. I usually hate that shit.

"Assuming you're fine with it, we'll go back to my place at Lord's if you trust me enough."

"Fuck it. I'll do it. I'm scared. Really scared. I've never admitted that to anyone."

Nicky didn't reply. He just sat there with a stupid grin on his face. Two changes of trains, a little over an hour, and a short lift ride later, and they were in the same odd room deep below Lord's station.

This time, Nicky led the way out through the wooden door. He walked deliberately down the winding corridors, clearly knowing where he was headed. He came to an old arch made of brick which marked the entrance to what appeared to be the oldest part of this section. A small plaque under the archway, "Erected by Gareth and Sons, Stonemasons, 1868" confirmed it. As they passed through the archway a tall, slender man stood in their way.

"He's with me," said Nicky.

"There are rules, young sir. Outsiders aren't allowed down here."

"I'm changing the rule. Here and now."

The guard frowned, looked puzzled, glared, then stood aside with an odd gesture that Alex took as a salute. Alex knew this was strange, but he was past caring.

"Come on, Alex," said Nicky leading them on through many tunnels and corridors.

There were other people here, though not very many -- they seemed to be widely scattered At least there were more people in this section than anywhere else he'd seen earlier in the station. They were all tall, light, and very quiet people. Alex was disturbed by the eerie similarity of all the people as if it were a genetic experiment gone awry. He also noticed the silence. It wasn't exactly a silence, but rather a lack of noise. Although some of the people were whispering amongst themselves, there was no hint of sound. Alex felt the people were staring at them, but he wasn't sure.

"Nicky, it looks perfectly safe down here. Last time when I ran out you looked panicked, like it wasn't safe for me."

"It wasn't. That sentry we passed would have killed you without a second thought had you found him and not had me with you."

"You promised you weren't going to scare me again."

"Well, you asked me a question. I gave you the honest answer. It's important you understand that down here the rules are different than up there," said Nicky, emphasizing his words carefully. "You're safe once you belong here. But until you belong here, to be alone is to be dead. I'm not saying this to scare you, but to make you understand how secretive we are."

"We? Who is we?"

"Please, wait until we get to my room. We're almost there. Privacy is important. It'd create some complex issues if we talked out here. Besides, not everyone here is fond of those from above. There's a great deal of pent-up hatred of your kind among some of us."

"My kind?" inquired Alex testily. He was on the verge of a great revelation. He knew it, but he just didn't know about what. He hated when complex things were swirling about him and he wasn't able to grasp them.

They came to a well-lit corridor which, like all the others, was at a gradual decline. Along its path, doorways had been cut at regular intervals. Although not big on architecture, Alex noticed the intricate masonry work and it was clearly not part of the original design. It was very unlike the upper levels which were simple stonework.

The people here were finely dressed, and everything was illuminated by what appeared to be gas lanterns. It was cool and breezy, though he couldn't figure where the fresh air was coming from. Like all underground places, there was a lingering dampness that invaded everything.

Alex was certain they were far below what was the original construction of the Underground system. As they descended, the brick and mortar construction gave way to marble and granite inlaid walkways and clean, tiled walls. There was no paint in evidence, but he supposed that was because the pervasive dampness would ruin it quickly.

"This is it. This is where I live," stated Nicky suddenly stopping three doors down from the end of the corridor. "I have something I'd like you to agree to. No, wait. I'm going to ask you, but you don't have to agree. I'm going to trust you. Please, don't take anything from down here back with you without asking. Ok? Some things cannot, must not go above."

"Ok, I can do that. I agree. So, are we going in?"

Nicky swung the door open, and went in followed by Alex, who stopped a few steps inside the door, his mouth agape.