The Darkest Hour

Today was a bad day. After all of his progress he'd made over the last few days (minus being arrested and having his therapist scared shitless because of a ghost he was sure was his grandmother), Mikey knew the instant he'd woken up that today was a bad day.

First, Alicia was gone. He didn't know where she was, but she wasn't in his arms, where he always wanted her. Second, Mikey had a huge red mark that he'd missed somehow the day before, right in the center of his scrawny stomach. Someone had hit him hard, or maybe he'd walked into something the other night and didn't notice because he was too wasted. And third, he felt horrible.

Mikey felt like he'd been run over by a train while having the flu with the slight touch of being eaten alive by maggots. He felt utterly disgusted with himself. And he was sure that Dr. Pasley wasn't about to come back out here to help him-but Mikey didn't feel like leaving his room let alone the hotel either.

He wanted to know where Alicia had gone. Mikey missed her, and he'd only been up for a few minutes. He wanted her by his side; he wanted her to make him feel alright. Maybe her and Lindsey went out again. What could they be doing? his mind wondered.

He shrugged it off and pulled his boxers down. I need a fucking shower, he thought as he pulled back the curtain to the tub and turned on the water. Thankfully, Mike and Alicia had gotten a room with hot water, in comparison to Ray's room that only ran cold water, leaving Ray and his girlfriend to share a bathroom with Frank and Jem. Poor, unfortunate Ray and his huge hair.

Well, at least he could tell jokes today.

He waited for the water to get hot before Mikey let one foot into the tub, followed by the other. The hot water hit his skin, sending Mikey's surface into a fit of goosebumps and shivers. He sighed, hoping he'd get used to the heat quick. Once he finally did, Mikey felt his muscles loosen up and he turned around to grab his shampoo. He realized then that he didn't remember the last time he showered; if he had the night he'd been in prison, then Alicia had just washed him to get him to smell better.

Mikey washed his hair, his body, and his face before rinsing off and stepping out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He walked back into the room to find it still empty, and he wondered just where Alicia went. He'd been in the shower for a while, and she still wasn't back.

Instead of thinking too much of her absence, Mikey headed over to his dresser and pulled out a black shirt and black pants, then slipped them on and his towel off. Just as he pulled the zipper up on his pants, the door to the room opened and in walked Alicia. "Mikey! You're up!" she called. He tried to smile as he turned around to see her.

Alicia made her way over to her fiance, though she noted the sad look in his eyes. Today wasn't a good day, she could tell. But she could also see that Mikey was trying to make the most of his day-he'd showered, something he didn't do when he wasn't feeling good, and he'd gotten dressed and ready for the day. So she smiled and wrapped her little arms around his waist. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Mikey raised and eye brow as she leaned back in his long arms. "Go where?" he asked. She giggled, and his smile went from fake and pushing it to real and happy.

"Silly, we're going out today! Just you and me, remember?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had gone exceptionally well for Mikey, considering it was supposed to be a horrible, no good, very bad day. He was supposed to feel completely down that day, and no one was supposed to get him to feel better. But Alicia had; Mikey wasn't complaining about that. He felt good the whole day-not great, like he did on good days, but good. That was a complete improvement, making Mikey feel like he was getting closer to a break through.

Dinner had been enjoyable. He got to eat with the girl Mikey loved, the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He spent the whole day with her, and even got to have dinner with her. Mike realized he'd have to get used to this feeling of utter joy inside him-he was going to be with Alicia for a long time, and he'd get to have days like that one all the time. That thought brought a huge smile to Mikey's small face.

But the best part of the day was how it ended-with sex. Great, amazing, 'I love you because you love me' sex; the kind that can't be replaced with anything on the planet once you find it. Not only did he get to share his world with the woman he loved, but Mikey was ready to tell any other girl (including the 13-16 year old fan girls that screamed about wanting his babies) that he was Alicia's and Alicia's only. She owned him, heart, soul, and body.

Alicia cuddled up to Mikey's bare chest and groaned. "I'm cold, Mikey," she whispered. He smiled and pulled the sheet up over her bare shoulder, keeping her close to him all the while. He asked, "Better?" and Alicia slightly nodded and kissed the skin in front of her. Truth be told, the room was freezing.

It was starting to freak Mikey out. The whole room must have been haunted-the ever changing temperatures, the lights flickering on and off every few nights, and the noises that didn't even sound human. Of course, the sounds could have just been Jem and Frank doing nasty things, but whatever. Mikey didn't even want to think of anything like that.

"How many months until I get to marry you?" he asked. Alicia smiled and sighed happily, pulling herself closer and closer to Mikey again. She was so excited to be able to walk down the aisle and say 'I do', and call herself Mrs. Mikey Way.

"Three months, baby. Three months," she answered.