***CONTENT WARNING*** THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS DEPICT THE DEATH OF A MAJOR CHARACTER. THIS MAY BE TROUBLING FOR SOME READERS. WITHOUT GIVING SPOILERS, THE CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE ACTUALLY DESCRIBES THE METHOD OF DEATH, WHICH WILL BE VERY DISTURBING. ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A TRUE STORY, AND TRUE STORIES ARE SOMETIMES DISTURBING. IF SUCH THINGS BOTHER YOU I WOULD ADVISE THAT YOU SKIP THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT ONE.***

Having finally confessed our love to each other my life was now almost perfect. Every day we found another reason to love each other, and we were getting along splendidly. I had not had a depressing thought in ages. Everything was perfect, except for one big thing: I was still leading a secret, double life. As much as I loved Troy, I was still keeping him a secret from my family. They knew him, of course, but they didn't know how much he meant to me. They thought that I was still single, and as such were still trying to set me up with girls they knew. Troy thought this was hilarious, but I just felt bad about hiding him away like I was doing. I loved him more than anything in the world and wanted to shout it from the roof tops, but instead I was putting on a big act. I was tiring of it.

"I want to tell them", I said to Troy one day, after leaving my parents' place after a Sunday dinner.

"Tell them what?"

"About us. About you. About me."

"Why so eager all of the sudden?"

"It's not sudden, I've been thinking about it for ages. I'm tired of hiding, and I'm tired of lying. It's not fair to you for me to hide my love for you. Every time I say the word 'Roommate' I feel like I'm betraying you."

"That's crazy. You're not betraying me at all."

"Ok, maybe not betraying, but it must seem like I'm ashamed of you. You know I'm not. It's more like I'm ashamed of myself. But I'm not quite that either, not anymore. I'm proud of how far I've come and I'm proud to have you. It's just... I dunno, I want to tell them but don't know how to."

"I see. Well, you know that I'll support you whatever you do, but you don't have to force it. When the right moment comes along you'll know."

"Yeah... Thanks. I just hope I don't lose everyone."

"You really think they'd abandon you?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. But I'm at the point in my life where I want to accept the risk. I have to."

"Ok, well, let me just say that I think you have nothing to be afraid of. Your parents are awesome. I don't know them as well as you do, but I don't think they're going to banish you from their lives. They probably already have a suspicion."

"What? How? I don't act..."

"...Gay? No, you don't. But I do. They can probably tell that I'm gay, and they can certainly see how you act around me. You're much friendlier and happier than any straight person would be with a 'roommate'."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do. I really do."

"Ok, then. It's settled. I am going to come out. I just don't know when."

"You'll know when the time comes, that's good enough."

"You're really something else, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're just incredible, for putting up with me and my flaws. I didn't think it would be possible to love you any more than I do, but every time I think that I end up loving you even more. It's crazy."

"It's baloney, is what it is. But I love you too", Troy said, and we went home.

Around the middle of March we had decided that we wanted to move out of Dartmouth. We liked our apartment, but the area it was in was becoming increasingly bad for crime. The store across the street was always being robbed at gunpoint, there were always cops chasing people through the streets, and the whole neighbourhood was just going to hell.

The decision was made all the easier one day when we came home and discovered that our apartment had been broken into. They didn't steal much, just a VCR, the cordless phone, and some camera equipment, but in breaking in they broke a window and Murphy got outside. She was missing for two days before she showed up meowing at the patio door. The landlord's fix for the broken window was a sheet of plexiglass glued in with silicone. We had had enough, so we decided to move back to Sackville.

Mom & Dad were ecstatic that I was coming home to Sackville, and did not bat an eye at the fact that Troy would be joining me. Derrick, who was still seeing Don, and Mel were a little upset, because they wouldn't just live down the road from us anymore and likely wouldn't see us as often. Rodney was put off too, until he discovered that we would be moving into an apartment directly across from First Lake. The building was actually built where the old Town Center woods were, the same woods that hosted so many parties back in the 1980's that were mentioned at the start of this story. Rodney was all for this because it meant that we could go fishing at the lake just like old times.

We moved in at the end of April and quickly settled into our new life in Sackville. Troy and I would often go for walks through Sackville's many foot paths, and I would bore him to tears with memories of these paths and the various places we would visit.

We were so caught up in the moving and settling in that we hadn't seen Derrick, Don, or Mel since mid March, though we did keep in touch with them via IRC. Things seemed to be going well between Derrick and Don, until I got a message on the evening of Saturday, May 13, from Don. Troy was sitting beside me as the conversation started.

Quique: Hey, Carmen, can we talk?

Asterixx: Sure. What's up?

Quique: Derrick and I got into a big fight. We broke up.

Asterixx: Oh, no. What happened?

Quique: It's the drinking. He's been getting worse and worse, missing work and everything because of it. I couldn't handle it anymore, so I told him he had to stop. He blew up at me, so I told him he had to make a choice: Either the booze or me. He chose the booze. He kicked me out of his place and told me to fuck off.

Asterixx: Oh my God. So where are you now?

Quique: I'm fine, I'm staying with the same friends I was living with before I met him. Don't worry about me. I'm worried about Derrick though.

Asterixx: Why? He's probably just upset, he'll be Ok.

Quique: No, he won't. He never really was. He's never really gotten over James, Carmen. Mel told me that when James left Derrick really started hitting the liquor hard, and I could see it. He was always comparing me to him.

Asterixx: That's sad. I can see what you mean, though. Even when he caught James cheating he didn't give up, though he said he did. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Quique: Don't be sorry. I enjoyed my time with him, and who knows, maybe we can talk and straighten things out some day. I'm really worried about him though, he's on a tear. Can you keep an eye on him for me?

Asterixx: I'll do what I can, though we don't go out much anymore. Next time I see him online I'll try to talk to him.

Quique: Thanks. I'll talk to you later.

Server Message: Quique has left IRC.

I closed the chat window and looked at Troy.

"Wow", I said. "That's crazy."

"Yeah, it is. I hope Derrick is OK."

We didn't really think much more about it that night or even the next day. Derrick was a notorious drunk, and he was well known for his temper, so we figured that he'd be OK once he sobered up, and would likely talk to Don again. The next day was Mother's day, so we spent the time at my parents' house and took Mom out for dinner. When we got back home I turned on the computer and sat down. Within seconds of logging in I was hit with a bunch of message requests from Mel, Don, and James. This was the first time I had heard from James in months, so I focused on his message first.

Asterixx: Hey, James, what's up?

^James: Hey, man, have you seen or heard from Derrick?

Asterixx: No, I haven't. Troy and I haven't seen him for weeks, but he was going out with Quique and hanging around with Mel. Have you tried them?

^James: Yes, I have, we've been chatting all day. Mel said that Derrick left the bar crying last night and didn't go home. Nobody has heard from him since. We're all really worried.

Asterixx: He probably just got picked up by some guy and is sleeping off a hangover. Have you tried asking in open channel?

^James: Of course I have. Look at the channel topic.

Asterixx: /topic #gay_halifax

Server Message: #gay_halifax topic "If anyone has seen or heard from Derrick (^Blue^) pls contact ^James, Quique, or MarshMellow"

Server Message: #gay_halifax topic was set by ^James at 08:15 AM Sunday May 14 2000

Asterixx: Ok, that's a good start. I'm sure he's OK.

James: I hope so. I've gotta go. I have a bunch of people to message and call. Let me know if you hear from him, Ok?

Asterixx: Of course. Good luck.

I closed IRC and went into the kitchen.

"Hey, love... What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"Derrick is missing. Nobody has seen him since last night, when he left the bar crying."

"Oh, well, he probably hooked up with somebody."

"That's what I said. I hope so..."

I checked online several more times that day, and there was still no sign of Derrick. James was getting frantic. The next day I worked so wasn't online until after 5. As soon as I logged in I was hit with messages from James asking if I'd heard anything. I hadn't, so I told him so. I was starting to get really worried now: We were now into day two of Derrick being missing.

The following day on the way to work the hair stood up on my arms when I heard a news report on the radio about the police seeking help locating two missing men. At lunch time I was reading the newspaper and there was an article about Derrick, with the headline: "Help sought to locate missing men".

Apparently two people went missing that Saturday night, but police didn't think the two cases were related. The article described Derrick's details and what he had been wearing, but added one detail that I had not heard before: He was seen by people as they were leaving Club NRG (the Millennium had changed its name to Club NRG after New Years) near closing time, 1:30AM, but then was seen running North on Gottingen Street at 3:30AM. Why would he be running at that time of night, almost two hours later and so far from Reflections, the only bar in the city that would have been open at that time?