I Won't Give Up

Moments after Ameila screamed at me, Jackson and Viki burst into the room looking distraught. "What the he-- heck?!" Viki said, looking at the three of us, who were all laughing hysterically.

"Greg didn't want to wake up," Dawson said, looking up at them in amusement. "Ameila woke him up."

"You woke me up from a sound slumber," Jackson said, glaring at Ameila who was giggling harder than ever. Walking into the room and over to us, Jackson picked up the princess and held her in his harms. "You're such a turd," he said, winking at her.

"I am not!" she said, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue.

"Are, too," he said. "That right there proves it!"

"Okay, you two, that's enough!" I said, standing up and stretching. I heard a few gasps and then a whistle. Opening my eyes, I saw Viki and Jackson looking at me in lust. "Hey, now. I'm spoken for. Besides, it's not like you haven't seen my shirtless before."

"Um... Greg, look down," Dawson said, trying to hold back laughter. Looking down, I realized that the frayed boxers I had worn the night before finally ripped completely and I was now in the buff. Before Ameila could see anything, Jackson covered her eyes and walked out of the room, Viki right behind him. Finding the boxers in the bed, I threw them out and I saw Dawson looking at me with a look of desire. "You know, it has been a while since we last did anything. And Jackson took Ameila... so..."

"Don't finish that sentence," I said, walking over to the door and sliding the chain lock into place. Walking over to Dawson, I pulled him off the bed, grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off. Falling to the bed, our lips collided as my hands roamed down to his pajama bottoms, kicking them towards the wall.

Before I knew it, I was being forced to lay back on the bed, Dawson straddling my hips with ease. I knew he was wondering about what happened last time, getting pregnant with Ameila. "We don't have to do this, you know," I said, reaching up and cupping his face in my hand.

"I want to," he said, smiling. And within moments, nothing but sheer ecstasy filled the room.

Time Elapse

Once everything was packed, and everyone was fed, we headed for our cars. Dawson looked more at ease, which I don't know if it was from Ameila or the sex, but either way, I was happy to see him smiling again.

Before we could get in our vehicles, a small group of four people came running over to us. "Excuse me, do you guys have a few minutes to spare?" the only blonde girl asked, looking at the seven of us with slightly hopeful eyes.

"Sure. What's up?" I asked, looking at her.

"We have this group where we reenact scenes from various shows or movies, and we're needing more people for the scene we're doing. We saw you guys and were hoping you could join us."

"What scene are you doing?" Jackson asked, pushing himself forward and meeting the gaze of a couple of the people.

"Have you ever seen the It's Time performance by Glee?" a brunette boy asked, looking at all of us. We all nodded, causing him to look a bit relieved.

"We know it by heart. We've done it back at Juilliard as practice of working in sync," I said, grabbing Ameila's hand and smiling.

"Are any of you good at singing?" the brunette asked.

"Honey, didn't you just hear the man say Juilliard?" Dawson said, walking in the direction the small group came from. "Let's do this!"

"Is he ... okay?" the blonde asked, pointing to his head as if asking if Dawson was mentally stable.

"Oh, he's more than okay. He just had the best sex of his life this morning," Fiona said, causing the others to snicker.

I walked over to her, wrapped my arm around her shoulder, put my lips to her ear and whispered, "Don't be jealous, Fifi. Hell, if you went through what we did, even just watching it, it would have been the best you would have had, too."

"You're such an ass, Phillips," she replied as we made our way over to the crowd forming.

"Hey, old man!" Dawson said, looking directly at me. I raised an eyebrow and walked over to him, watching as he just grinned. "They've decided you're gonna be the one singing. I showed them the video I got of you singing on the stage when you weren't looking and dubbed you'd be the best to belt out the song."

"Alright. Sounds good," I said just as I was dragged by one of the kids from the other group to a certain spot. I heard the music start and smiled, winking at my crew. Starting the number, and watching as the pedestrians around the block surround the area, I felt myself getting so into the part. "So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent and now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit, right to the top. Don't hold back. Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check."

I never really paid much attention to the song, but now I realized how true it was for Dawson and I. We have been knocked down farther in that last few months than we have ever been before. Now, we're starting over from all the shit that's been handed to us. I looked directly at Dawson who was currently watching my every move as I sung the next verse.

"So this is were you fell, and I am left to sell. The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top, don't look back. Turning the rags and giving the commodities a rain check. I don't ever wanna let you down, I don't ever wanna leave this town. Cause after all, the city never sleeps at night."

We continued on with the routine, some people clapping along with the beat, some singing under their breath. It was the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere, as part of a group effort. Yet, I still knew we had to start a new page and get ourselves back to the top.

When everything ended, the gang ran to me as the crowd who had come to watch us clapped and cheered. Looking at the five faces who followed us all this way, I felt my heart break. "You guys need to go back to New York," I said, their faces wearing matching expressions of shock and pain. "I know you guys want to help us rebuild everything and get us back there, but right now, I think it's best Dawson and I do this alone."

"What if we stay only temporarily?" Wil asked, getting a few agreements. "Help you get settled back in and then we head back. I mean, we've come this far already, it only really seems logical."

"Come on, Greg. It wouldn't hurt nothing," Dawson said, his eyes pleading. "We're a family. So put your pride aside for a moment and let them help us for a bit."

"Yeah, daddy! They belong with us!" Ameila said, breaking through the legs of the twins and grabbing their hands.

"Fine!" I said, rolling my eyes as we headed back to the cars. I watched as the twins chased Ameila, watched as Fiona talked with Wil, Jackson, and Dawson, their arms linked together. Ameila was right, they did belong with us. They have helped us push through so many obstacles since we've been at Juilliard, and I know they're going to continue to help us push through.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I caught up with Dawson and smiled when they laughed at something. It's a small thing, a laugh, but when you see it lighting up the faces of the people you hold dearly, it's the greatest thing in the world.