All Secrets Untold - Chapter Three (Part Two (The Sequel))

Chapter Three - Part Two

The next morning, Chase awoke to a pounding head and music blaring from the other room. Obviously, Eric was awake and fixing breakfast. He didn't know when his boyfriend had joined him in bed, but evidently, Eric had gotten up early, judging by the sunlight pouring in through the gap beneath the blind covering the main window. Blackout blinds were only good when they covered the damned window completely. Chase muttered a few curses to himself as he shuffled out into the kitchen.

"What's with all the loud music?" he asked, gripping his head and peering into the brightly lit kitchen through squinted eyes. "Eric?" His boyfriend was no where to be seen, leaving the kitchen empty and the small stereo on the kitchen bench running without an obvious reason for why it was on. Something on the stove hissed and bubbled, but it was quiet compared to the music. The kitchen appeared to be empty. "Eric?"

Footsteps in the hall made Chase swing round, hand raised and fingers curled up like claws. "Jesus, Chase, it's just me," Eric said, walking past him and around the other side of the bench. He took the pan on the stove off the heat and glanced towards Chase. "I'm right here, babe. Was just in the bathroom."

Chase exhaled and took a seat at the bench, forcing his fingers to relax. He didn't know why he'd reacted like that. What made him so jumpy? "Can you turn the music down, please?" he asked, trying ot distract himself from the thought.

Eric glanced towards the stereo. "It's not even that loud, Chase," he said, picking up the remote for it from off the bench. Chase watched the numbers go down another couple of notches. Eric was right; it was on low volume. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Weird dreams."

"Weird dreams, huh?" his boyfriend questioned, turning back to the stove. "Remember any of them?"

Chase sat there for a moment, frowning. He could smell the bacon Eric was cooking now, and thankfully the music was quieter. He could actually hear himself think now. It also meant he could hear the coffee maker bubbling away on the opposite side of the stove to the stereo.

"I do, actually," he said, making Eric turn towards him. His boyfriend had put the pan back on the stove by now, leaving his hands free. Eric leaned on the bench, looking at him with curious eyes. "It's damned weird, but I do remember the dream."

"Only the one?" Eric asked, eyes scanning his face. Chase nodded, swallowing anything he might have said about the look Eric was giving him. "Wanna talk about it?"

He frowned, dropping his gaze and tracing a pattern in the granite counter top with his fingers. "Sure," Chase muttered, biting his lip. He glanced up a moment later. "It's just one thing, really, that stands out."

"Oh, and what's that?"

Chase swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. For some reason, this dream had disturbed him. "Glowing red eyes."

Eric went quiet, eyes downcast. Chase decided to let him think about that for a moment. He turned his attention to what was on the stove.

"What're you cooking?"

His boyfriend started, blinking and glancing up at him. "Huh?"

Chase gave him a fond look. "What's for breakfast?"

"Oh!" Eric said and turned back to the stove. "Bacon and eggs, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to eat it, um..." He paused, glancing back towards Chase with a sheepish smile. "Considering last night, you know."

He sighed, and nodded. Chase agreed with his boyfriend. That had been a rather....violent reaction. He still didn't quiet understand why he'd thrown the food up. "I get it. We'll try liquids for now."

"You're okay at the moment," his boyfriend said, turning to head for the coffer maker as it began beeping. "It's only been a day, right?"

"Yeah," Chase replied in a quiet voice, staring down at the counter top again. He began to trace patterns again, thinking. He had a handful of clues, but there was no guarantee they'd help him figure anything out. The gun, the bullet and the fact that he'd been shot in the head, the blood in his mother's office, his lack of memory--and the only thing that seemed to matter to him. The glowing red eyes. He exhaled, jumping slightly as he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. Eric tightened his grip and placed the cup of coffee in front of him.

"Take it easy," Eric whispered, lips by his ear. He raised his voice a moment later; "Anyone would think you were paranoid."

"I am paranoid," Chase snapped, rolling his eyes his boyfriend. "Being shot in the head tends to do that to you."

The look Eric gave him made him scowl. Eric proceeded to ignore him and dish himself up breakfast. Chase would have had some himself--if not for the fact that he'd thrown up the food he'd eaten the night before. That was definitely not a good sign. What was wrong with him? He found himself thinking about that a lot lately. What had the bullet to his brain done to him to make his body reject food?

"So," Eric began in a questioning tone, "any ideas on what you're going to do about your mystery would-be murderer?"

Chase watched the other man take a seat and begin to dig into his food. He watched Eric eat for a moment before responding. "No," he told him, picking up the mug of coffee Eric had given him a few minutes ago. He took a sip--it was cold already--before he continued speaking. "I was just thinking about getting back to Blackwood Industries and trying to fix the damage my absence caused yesterday."

His boyfriend slanted him a look. "You mean the entire building running around like headless chooks?" his boyfriend asked, pausing in his eating to take a sip from his own mug. "You're the acting CEO, Chase. When you vanished and all they could find was your blood on the office floor, they panicked!"

"Of course they panicked," he replied, taking another sip. He'd drink the coffee, cold or not. "I'm acting CEO, remember?"

Eric gave him a 'no-duh' look. "I just said that, Chase."

"Shut up," he muttered, dragging his eyes off Eric so he wouldn't think about eating anything. He really needed to see a doctor he could trust about his new apparent condition.

The bluntness in his voice made his boyfriend stop talking. They sat in silence for several minutes, Eric eating and him drinking his coffee, until Eric was finished and Chase had pushed the now-empty mug away. His boyfriend stop up, gathering up the empty plate and their mugs.

"So, I was doing a little research earlier," Eric told him, taking a deep breathe before he strode around to the sink, "and I think I know someone who might be able to help."

Chase raised an eyebrow at him, but his boyfriend didn't turn around. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Eric snapped, dumping the plate and the mugs into his kitchen sink. He turned around and leaned back on the bench, hands gripping the edge of the sink tightly. "His name is Hunter Morgan--"

He was slightly surprised. Chase blurted out, cutting his boyfriend off; "The P.I.?"

"---yes, that one." Eric gave him an annoyed look. It was the one that told him he'd better not interrupt again or Eric would be pissed. Chase shut his mouth and let his boyfriend continue. "And I think you should call him. His card says he'll cater to anything that's a little bit outside the norm."

Chase heaved out a long-suffering sigh. "I think being shot in the head is a lot more than a 'little bit outside the norm', Eric."

"Just call him."

"Fine," he muttered, dragging out the 'i' to make sure Eric knew he was irritated by now. "I'll call him. Where's this card?"

Eric fished a small piece of card out of his pocket, holding it out for him. Chase took it from him, flipping it over to see the name and number on the other side. He frowned at it. How had he never head of this man before? He read the agency name again. Morgan Private Investigators, was it? Interesting. The card said Hunter Morgan was the one to call. He sighed and dug his phone out of his pocket. Eric had cleaned it for him the night before when they'd entered Eric's apartment.

He glanced up at Eric before punching in the number and hitting the 'call' option. It took a couple minutes before someone answered. "Morgan Private Investigators," was the first thing he heard, "How can we help you?"

"Hunter Morgan?" he asked, even though he knew he had the right person. Chase bit his lip while he waited for a reply. The man on the other end gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Yes, that would be me," he replied, sounding irritated. Chase took a moment to wonder how bad the guy's week had been for him to sound so frustrated, but he quickly dismissed it. "You have something to ask me about?"

"I'm Chase Blackwood, and I need to discuss something with you," Chase said, glaring at Eric as his boyfriend smirked at him. The man was entirely too proud of himself. "Can you meet at my office in Blackwood Industries later today? Say, eleven?"

He heard Hunter exhale on the other end of the line. "I suppose so," was the reply. "I've got a few things to do first, but I'll try to make it by eleven."

"Thank you," he told him, making sure he sounded relieved. "I'll see you then." Hunter said something in reply, but Chase had stopped listening. He hung up and turned a full-on glower on Eric. "Happy now? It's done. He'll meet me at the office at eleven."

Eric just smiled at him. "Good. it's settled, then." The smirk came back with a vengence. It made Chase narrow his eyes at his boyfriend. Eric appeared unrepentant. "Good thing I already made him an appointment."