Stand for Love

Hello my lovely readers and welcome to the 17th and final chapter of this story. Before I go into writing, I'd love to say thank you for being with me on this great and long journey. We have all come a long way and it is nice to wrap up this story together. I just hope this chapter will be of interest to you. I am really looking forward to comments and rates. Enjoy...

****

Running straight to the building, Nicholas heard a loud explosion and then the ground shook furiously. It felt like a tremor and the powerful wave of wind that he felt made him stop. Then he raised his face to look forward...and saw the building in flames, collapsing.

He stopped and then all his strength left him. He felt a sharp pain hit his heart and it broke into pieces. The tears that formed in his eyes were different from all the others. They were of pain, rage and thunder. He had never felt like that before. The pain he felt was worse than death. He couldn't believe...he didn't want to believe that the building where Adrian was probably kept had exploded and was now collapsing.

"Adrian!" Nicholas screamed out in pain, staring at the building in flames. "No..."

Nicholas' heart died with what he saw. His heart gave a sharp pain when he thought of Adrian being in that burning building.

Then as if the hounds of hell were after him, he furiously began running towards the building, screaming out Adrian's name. He kept on going straight to the flaming building before...he felt tight arms wrapping around him.

"Let me go," Nicholas cried, violently trying to free himself from that powerful grip.

"Please," George cried, looking at the dangerously burning building, gripping his friend tightly. "Please Nicholas."

"Let me go," Nicholas cried at the top of his voice. "Leave me the fuck alone...he needs me."

"Please Nicholas." George was in pain. His eyes never left the burning building. "He's..."

"No!" Nicholas couldn't hear anything against his Adrian. "I need to save him before..."

"Nicholas!" George screamed out. "He's gone,"

"No!" Nicholas' voice was painful to everyone who heard him. "Let me go you fucker." He was in imaginable pain. He swore his heart had stopped beating. Powerful waves of pain raced to the rest of his body, making him shudder. "Get your hands off me." But George was too powerful. Nicholas couldn't go free no matter how much he tried to do it.

"Adrian!" Granny came screaming after seeing the condition the building was. "No!" But she was gripped by Emily who was also in pain.

She fell to the ground as more pain slipped through her, to her heart. She had never experienced such pain. She was weak and she couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. She lay on the ground, crying out in pain and torture together with Emily. When others joined, they cried out even more than anyone else. They couldn't believe that had happened.

"Leave me alone," Nicholas who was now furious was beating on George so hard, it hurt. But George held on to him.

"Please," Nicholas cried as he felt his strength leave him. "I need to save him."

"He's not..." George couldn't say it. He couldn't bring himself to saying that Adrian was gone. The pain was too much to bear and he was in tears, so much tears than he could ever imagine.

"No!" Nicholas gave a weak cry of pain as he felt all his strength leave him. Then he painfully melted and fell to the ground, burying his head in the dirt. He was in excruciating pain and his voice...his voice was like a flaming arrow in his own flesh, burning and torturing him. The headache he felt at that time was more excruciating than anything he had ever experienced before.

"Please let me go in." Nicholas cried out, feeling George rub his back while he cried out. "He needs me to be there for him. I need to save him."

"Nicholas," George cried, sobbing uncontrollably. "Please pull yourself together and..." He paused and wailed.

George couldn't hide the pain that he was feeling. He had lost something important and had to cry. Adrian was one of the most important people in his life even though he was his friend's husband. And now that he had lost him, he couldn't take the pain. He might have been encouraging his friend and trying to make him calm but his own pain was just too much. Who was gonna make him calm?

As Nicholas lay on the dirty, crying out in pain, his heart was dying. It was beating really painfully and his head was pulsing with each beat the heart made. His whole body had given up and now he was crying out in the dirt. He couldn't believe that Adrian was gone...maybe the person who had called lied about it. He didn't even want to believe any of it even though the whole evidence was right there in front of him. He wasn't gonna believe it until he sees Adrian with his two eyes. He couldn't become a widower at that age, no. Adrian couldn't leave him like that. He couldn't even try any of it. It just wasn't possible.

Trying to encourage himself didn't seem to work at all. What he felt was beyond pain. It was just something else from out of this world, causing him nothing but unimaginable pain. The pain was just too much. Man he hadn't even felt like that when his father died. He couldn't lose Adrian, it just wasn't possible. They had made so many promises together.

After feeling unimaginable pain, Nicholas' muscles contracted...his body shuddered...his body began trembling beyond normal...his brain froze...he was suddenly feeling a shiver down his spine...he convulsed on the ground in pain...his heart started pounding so hard, his chest was about to burst open...his head was hurting, pulsing beyond anything that he had ever felt...his hands clenched on the ground that he was crying and his wails increased.

Then Nicholas raised his head, stared at the burning building which was also collapsing and felt the burning sound. The smell of the flames and the smoke was making him die, literally. Then with all that pain that he felt, he raised his face upwards and the sound that came out of his mouth made everyone scared that they stopped crying and paid attention to him.

Nicholas' sound was like a howl, filled with pain and anguish. He was howling Adrian's name, clenching on the ground so hard that he could almost dig a hole. Everyone who heard him where in so much pain that before. Their cries and screams intensified and they wailed like never before. They had just lost someone special, an angel from above.

After that excruciatingly painful howl, Nicholas dropped his eyes on the ground and screamed out, sobbing terribly as each passing second he heard something collapsing. Then his pain went beyond anything else till he couldn't fill it anymore. The pain left him and it brought something worse than anything worse he had ever felt before. His tears were like a fountain of water. He couldn't stop crying no matter what.

"Why?" Nicholas wailed. "Please...why...he's not dead. My Adrian is not dead."

He buried his head further into the dirt and allowed the pain to punish him for not being there at the time when his Adrian needed him the most. He still couldn't believe Adrian had left him. It was too impossible to believe.

If Adrian had died, then Nicholas had nothing to live for. He was gonna kill himself and follow Adrian to the world beyond.

****

The sound of siren could be heard by everyone who was crying. They knew the police had come but it was already too late. The building was burning beyond control and nothing could be done...unless the fire fighters came.

Nicholas was still crying, still with his head buried on the ground. His pain was still too much and he was already wishing for nothing but death. He just wanted to run into that fire and die with Adrian but George was holding him so tightly.

After a few minutes, footsteps could be heard approaching them but none even cared to even look as their minds were already in pain over the loss of their loved Adrian. If he had truly died, they were gonna miss him. They were gonna carry the pain that they had with them for the rest of their loves. They were not gonna forget Adrian, ever.

"What's going on..." The inspector was panicking. "Where is..."

"Please help him." Granny cried out in pain. "Please get my Adrian out of there."

Hearing the old woman's pleas, the inspector's eyes went to the uncontrollably burning building. From just looking at it he knew everything was over. If truly he was in that building which was burning then there were no chances of him surviving. He just nodded his head with a sad grimace and then tried to suppress the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"I am sorry," The inspector said with a sad grimace. "There is nothing I can do. I don't think he..."

"He's not dead." Nicholas furiously got up and went to the inspector. Then he stood right in front of him and breathed harshly, giving him angry eyes. "My Adrian is not dead. He is going to survive. He is not going to die. Do you understand me?"

"Mr. Miller you need to..."

"Shut up!" Nicholas bellowed, gripping the inspector's uniform. "You shut up and go and save him." Nicholas knew gripping the inspector's uniform like that would land him in trouble but he didn't care. He just wanted his Adrian to be saved.

"Mr. Miller," The inspector said softly. "Let me go. It'll only bring you more problems."

"Then go and..."

"Nicholas!" George called, crying like a little child. "Please, let him go."

Hearing George's voice in pain, Nicholas let go of the inspector and he broke down on the ground and cried out. He just needed his Adrian alive and he didn't care how. He just wanted him alive and kicking.

"Please, find my Adrian." Nicholas' pleas were painful to the inspector's ears.

"The only thing I can do right now is call the fire department." The inspector gave a gloomy sigh. "Then we'll be able to search for his body after the fires dies down. Excuse me."

Then the inspector left.

Hearing the inspector's words was more painful than imagined. Nicholas' wails increased when the inspector left. He just wanted to die right there. He had never thought he could experience such pain in his life, ever. If Adrian had died, he knew his life had changed for good. He would mourn his lost lover for the rest of his life.

Nicholas and everyone else's wails never stopped, not even once. Even as the fire fighters came they were still crying. They couldn't stop because what they had lost was a precious rose...a rare gem and one of the greatest treasures of the world.

Nicholas and his family were moved behind when the fire fighters came to do their work. They were taken at a distance. They were hoping, praying and giving it their all. They just wanted to find nothing related to Adrian in that building. Until that happens they were gonna be crying.

While seated on the ground at a distance in George's arms, Nicholas' cries never even seized, not once. He just wanted to cry everything out even though he knew it was impossible. He had his eyes on the fire fighters who were ready to start their work and there after the police. He was gonna get some news by dawn as the inspector assured.

Still crying, Nicholas prayed that his Adrian shouldn't be found in that building. He prayed that whoever had sent that text was just playing with them. In fact, his heart was telling him that Adrian wasn't even at that place when everything began. They weren't gonna find anything about Adrian.

As more tears came out and the pain increased, Nicholas watched as the firefighters began their work. He prayed that Adrian should be in that place. He really prayed so.

***

It was now the break of dawn. Nicholas' cries had stopped but not his pain. He was still in indescribable and unimaginable pain. The firefighters had put out the fire after almost two hours and there after the inspector and his men had taken over. Nicholas had refused to move even an inch from that place even though the inspector had insisted he goes home. But he had rejected that idea. He had cried out through the night and now his face was flooded...his eyes were red and swollen...he was dirty and he was vulnerable, waiting for some good news not bad. He had no idea how he was gonna be should he get bad news.

Nicholas had his eyes on the ground, still trembling in George's arms. His whole family was still with him and they too had refused to go home until they got every answer together. None of them had spoken a word because they were all in pain. All their eyes were red and swollen but granny was still crying. It was a really bad event for everyone.

Moving his eyes on the ground as he tried not to think too much, Nicholas heard footsteps coming towards him. He rose up almost immediately, looking up at the inspector who was coming with his head dropped. He was not looking good but Nicholas hoped he had some good news.

"Ins...inspector," Nicholas muttered, shaking terribly as a gush of both fear and cold took over his body. The pain was the worst of all the emotions that he had.

"What did you find out?" Emily asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

The inspector raised his head and stared into everyone's faces. He had no idea how to tell the family the news that he had for them. After all, they had suffered too much.

"The building was bombed and there were gas cylinders too which made the fire burn uncontrollably and difficult to put out." The inspector said. "Everything in there...was burnt to ashes even before the fire was put off."

"My Adrian was not in there, right?" Nicholas felt tears pouring on his eyes again. His whole body shook in pain. He didn't want to receive any bad news. As it was, he was already dying inside from just thinking about the possibility of Adrian dying in that fire. "My...Adrian...it was just a trick by the kidnapper to..." He paused when he heard Arianna's cries. "Please," He begged as a billion tears traced his cheeks. "Tell me Adrian was not in there."

"We can't say," The inspector said softly, looking up at Nicholas. "Like I said, everything in there was burnt to ashes. We couldn't make of anything."

"That's good news right?" Granny's voice was low and harsh. The old lady had experienced too much for someone her age. She didn't want to experience anymore pain or heartaches. "If you..."

"My men and I couldn't find any bodies but..."

Nicholas' tears flowed to his face when he heard that word. He hated how police men worked. All they did was bring some bad news. Couldn't they bring something good for him? Adrian had suffered a lot to be killed.

"But what," Emily cried. "Just tell us that he was not there."

"But...we found something." The inspector sighed, bringing a little plastic which was in the hand that he had kept behind. He brought his hand further and raised it, showing everywhere what exactly was in that small plastic. "We found this. Do any of you recognize it?"

Nicholas had his eyes on the thing that the inspector was showing him, a small diamond ring. The same ring that...no, he couldn't believe it. His heart had already started giving up, sending waves of powerful and painful vibrations to his entire body. His breaths were short and harsh. His hands were trembling terribly and then his chest tightened painfully, pushing the air out of him. Then tears of pain started pouring on his face.

Nicholas then started moving his trembling hand upwards to the small plastic. Then he gripped it, got the diamond ring out and held it on his palm. He was shaking so much that the ring on his palm trembled terribly. Then his breaths became so harsh that he felt like he was having an asthma attack. It was really painful and he couldn't take it anymore. He was already crying.

Holding that ring on his palm while he shook in fear, he closed his eyes and opened them again. It was the same ring. He would recognize it anywhere. That was the ring he had given to Adrian on the day he had got married to him. It was true...it was all true. There was no denying the fact that that ring belonged to Adrian and that could only mean one thing...Adrian had been in that building and he...he had burnt together with everything else.

Realizing the truth, Nicholas' body began trembling as if he was having a seizure. Then he began gasping for air as the air got short. Then the tightening on his chest got intense which was followed by the heart pounding so hard on his chest, he felt like it might just explode. His hand shook so much that the ring wasn't even stable.

"No!" Nicholas' cry was loud, harsh and painful. "Adrian!" He yelled in the most painful voice yet.

"Nicholas..."

Then he felt a sharp pain in his heart, literally making it stop beating. Immediately his chest tightened like never before and he felt it again, a really sharp pain in his heart. By then veins shot in his eyes as they became even redder than they had been. He felt like his veins were constricting, preventing blood from reaching his heart. Then as the pain turned into something else, Nicholas moved the hand he had his ring in and held on to his chest, gasping. Then he couldn't breathe no matter how much he tried. His body shuddered in pain and all the strength left him. He was shaking like he was having a seizure, scaring everyone who saw him.

"Nicholas," George cried out in horror. "What's happening to you?"

Nicholas was deaf to the cries of his family members. The pain he felt shot straight to his brain, making him lose consciousness of his environment. His vision started blurring, making him partially blind to the things that were around him. Then all the strength left him and he felt to his knees, tightening his grip on his chest as his gasps for air increased to a huge number.

The next thing Nicholas felt was arm gripping him but he eventually fell to the ground, convulsing terribly as tears of pain left his eyes. He was really hoping he would just die. The pain continued and so did his need for air. His vision kept on blurring and then everything began spinning as the pain intensified. The last thing he saw was George's face closer to him, crying and screaming something that he couldn't hear.

***

"Nicholas!" George screamed out in horror. His heart was aching terribly. He had just lost Adrian and he couldn't afford to lose his best friend too. "Nicholas, please don't do this."

"What happened?" the inspector sounded worried. "Does that ring belong...oh my god?" He exclaimed.

"Nicholas!" Noah cried out. Then with tears in his eyes and a pain that couldn't go away, he leaned down and pressed his head on Nicholas' chest. He could feel his heart beat but it was really weak. He knew if he didn't do a thing he would surely lose his brother.

"What is happening?" granny cried, gripping her hair. "Please, Nicholas, don't do this."

"He's fine," Noah sobbed. "But we need to take him to the hospital. I'll do everything at the hospital. If I don't do anything..." he cried. "...we might lose him as well."

Without even a word, George wrapped his hand around Nicholas' waist and the other on his legs. Not minding the weight of his friend, he picked him up and began rushing him to the car. He was heavy but George didn't care about that. He was gonna save his friend no matter what. Reaching the car, George slipped Nicholas in the back and went straight to the wheel. He waited for Noah and granny to enter before driving off like a mad man. The car was filled with sobs and cries from all of them but George stepped on it like a mad man. He was gonna make sure that he saves his best friend no matter what. The pain of losing Adrian was really painful to all of them.

Though he was driving like a maniac, George knew that the pain he felt was too much. Adrian would forever be in his heart, forever.

****

Victoria and the others opened the door to the house, laughing and happy. They had never been as happy as they were at that particular time. They couldn't believe that Adrian, their greatest obstacle had died finally. They couldn't believe that after so long they would be able to live peacefully without a pest called Adrian in their lives.