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A Love Before Time	By : Katma Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Savage Garden Views: 1080 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the members of Savage Garden. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-A Love Before Time
- 1
Chapter One:
Every Story Is a Love Story

The bus finally stopped for fuel, and Daniel practically ran out the door. He was sick of traveling and of being cooped up in that stupid bus. Basically, he had had enough of this life. Daniel couldn’t wait until the Affirmation tour was over and he could go back home and start doing what he really loved. He had said that he thought being a celebrity was a contradiction to what he truly was. He was a musician, and he was going home to regain that role. Anyway, touring had lost any bit of fun it once had now that he and Darren were fighting.

Daniel sighed as he headed into the small food mart by the gas pumps to get a soda and a bag of chips. Actually, you couldn’t even say that he and Darren were "fighting" because Darren wouldn’t talk to him about it. The problem had started with the Affirmation album, the distance that came from writing songs from two different continents. Then it grew with Daniel’s breakdown in Japan. They were both trying to stave off an outright fight, but Daniel knew it would get to that point, and probably sooner rather than later. There was a distance in Darren’s eyes that had never been there before. He knew Darren flatly refused to understand why Daniel needed a break. He had unwillingly accepted it, but he would never understand it. This frustrated Daniel to no small end and caused him to pull away as well. The result; an ever-widening rift that everyone was beginning to notice, despite Darren’s attempts to keep up the appearance of normalcy. Daniel himself didn’t care anymore. He just had to get through this tour and then he could be free. Whatever happened then, happened.

Daniel placed his bottle and bag on the counter and reached for his wallet. A hand touched his wrist gently and he looked to the right. Darren gave him a small smile.

"Let me get that."

"Thanks," Daniel said. He looked warily at Darren, wondering what the singer wanted.

Darren paid for Daniel’s items and for his own bottle of water, then handed Daniel’s purchases to him. The two walked outside in silence. Darren was twisting the bottle in his hands nervously, Daniel noticed.

"What is it, Darren?" he asked.

"Well… I was just wondering if I could ride with you in your bus for the rest of the trip? We’re not far from New York, and the driver said that even with traffic we should be there in less than an hour."

Daniel blinked in surprise. This was new. Darren hadn’t willing sought his company in a long time.

"What’s going on?" Daniel turned a suspicious gaze on the singer.

"Nothing." Darren looked surprised.

"So you just want my company? There’s no ulterior motive?" Daniel’s voice was heavy with irony. The two hadn’t spoken anything but business for almost a month now.

"I just wanted to talk to you a bit. Can’t I do that now?"

"I don’t know. Can you?"

Annoyance and a bit of hurt flickered over Darren’s features. "Well, I thought I could. Never mind, though."

Darren turned abruptly and headed for the second bus. Daniel felt a pang of guilt as Darren stalked off.

"Daz!" he called. The singer stopped but didn’t turn around.

"I’m sorry. I’m just sick of being on the road. You can ride with me if you still want to."

Darren half-turned, looking torn between a desire to storm off and the need to talk to Daniel. Then he turned fully and quietly followed Daniel into the bus. The two sat and there was a lurch as the bus began to move. Neither man said anything, and the silence stretched uncomfortably. Daniel looked out the window. The rain that had been threatening all day had finally begun to fall, and Daniel watched the drops chase each other down the tinted glass. Daniel could feel the silence pressing down on him, but he wasn’t going to be the one who broke it. Darren had wanted this; he could be the one to speak first. He could hear Darren shifting, and then he abruptly spoke.

"Danny… what do you think about soulmates?">
<>

"What?" Daniel asked, completely surprised.

"Soulmates. What do you think about them?"

"I don’t," Daniel said truthfully. "That’s more your thing than mine, Daz." He paused, staring at his partner. Darren looked slightly disappointed at his response. Daniel couldn’t contain a bit of curiosity, and so asked,

"What brought this on, Daz?"

"Hang on a sec," Darren said. He reached into the knapsack he’d brought with him and pulled out a newspaper. He handed it to Daniel. Daniel took it, looking from the newspaper to Darren.

"The article’s on the second page, halfway down," Darren told him.

Obediently, Dan opened the newspaper and read the article. When he was done, he looked up at Darren, a puzzled frown creasing his brow.

"An article about a murder of a newlywed couple made you think of soulmates?"

"It’s hard to explain," Darren said. He took the paper from Danind snd scanned the article briefly. "Look, here," he said, pointing at the lines in question.

"The poor girl’s mum is talking about her daughter and son-in-law. She says that they met at work and were married within the month, that it was like they were fated to be together. Doesn’t that sounds like they were soulmates?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Either that or they were young, impetuous, and couldn’t wait."

Darren shot Daniel a half-amused, half-exasperated look.

"You are the most pragmatic person I’ve ever met," he said.

"I only seem that way because you have all these grand romantic notions," Daniel said. Darren pulled back from Daniel. His face began to darken slightly, and Daniel hastened to ward off the oncoming storm. "But yes, I can see where you could come up with the idea that they were soulmates. But why the sudden concern? I mean, you already believe in the soulmate principle. Did you really need them as proof?"

"No, not as proof that soulmates exist. But I did wonder… I mean, here they are, newly married and newly in love, and something beyond their control rips them apart. Do you think that that’s it? The month they had was all they get? Or do you think that their souls search for each other throughout time until they can finally be together?"

Daniel stared at Darren. The earnest look on the other man’s face convinced him that Darren was serious in his question.

"Uh, I don’t know, Daz. I guess I would hope that the souls would eventually find each other, but I doubt it. Like I said, I don’t really believe in this soulmate stuff. And I really don’t know about reincarnation."anieaniel shrugged helplessly. "Guess that doesn’t really answer your question."

Darren sighed. There was a sad and faraway expression in his eyes. He looked very lost and vulnerable.

"Not really. But thanks for trying," he said. "And Jonesy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not laughing at me. The others did when I tried to have this conversation with them."

"I wouldn’t laugh at you, Daz."

"I know. But still… thanks."

Darren smiled warmly at Daniel, who couldn’t help returning it. The two basked in an increasingly rare moment of camaraderie. The silence this time was comfortable, and only broken by the arrival of the buses at their hotel. Darren grabbed his knapsack and bounced out the door almost as soon as it opened. Then he poked his head back in the bus.

"I gotta go get my stuff… I donant ant to leave it where Leonie can get it." He made a face and Daniel laughed. "Thanks again for letting me ride with you. See ya inside!"

Then he disappeared again. Daniel shook his head and grabbed his stuff, stepping out of the bus a few moments later. He was immediately assailed by the noise and rush of New York. After a few moments of sensory overload, he stopped trying to assimilate everything around him and began concentrating on getting inside with all of his stuff. He glanced behind him and saw Darren walking with Leonie. There was a bounce in his step and he was talking animatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands. He looked very excited, obviously enjoying the vibe that positively radiated from this city. A wry smile tilted the corners of Daniel’s mouth. At least one of them was happy to be here.

Darren and Leonie swept by Daniel with barely a glance. Daniel’s smile soured. Obviously, the moment in the bus was just that; a moment. They were apparently going to go right back to the way they were before the conversation on the bus. Daniel sighed. He knew that this probably would happen. It didn’t mean he liked it, though, or that it didn’t hurt.

He trudged inside and stood with the rest of the band as Leonie went up to the front desk to get their hotel keys. Darren was practically bouncing where he stood. Ben laughed at him.

"Excited, mate?"

Darren blinked innocently. "How could you tell?"

"I don’t know. Call it a hunch."

"Guess you have big plans for our free day tomorrow?" asked Lee.

"Plans, yes. Not sure about the big part, though."

"Well, what are they?" Ben asked.

Darren smiled. "Well, I wanna go to the Met in the morning, and then…"

"The Met?" Lee interrupted. "As in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?"

"Yeah, that’s the one."

"You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re wasting your free day in some stuffy museum?" Ben asked.

"It’s not a stuffy museum!" Darren protested. "They have some new Egyptian pieces that I really want to see. You guys should come with me. It’s a really great place."

"Hell, no!" Ben said, laughing. "I’m not spending my time here in a museum."

"Me, neither," Lee said, grinning.

Leonie walked up to the group in time to hear Lee’s comment.

"You, neither what?" she asked.

"Darren wants to spend his free day in a museum. I was just telling him I wasn’t going to come with."

"You wanna come, Leo?" Darren looked at her pleadingly. Leonie rolled her eyes.

"Darren, darling, I’m going shopping tomorrow. Nothing is getting between me and the New York City shops."

Darren’s face fell, and Leonie patted him on the arm.

"Sorry, luv."

"’Salright." Darren then looked at Karl. "You’ve been quiet. You wanna go?"

"Not really, Dare. Sorry."

Darren glanced at Daniel quickly. He half-opened his mouth, then shut it again. With another sad, slightly helpless look at Daniel, Darren plastered a pout on his face.

"Guess I’ll just go on my own, then."

"You didn’t ask me yet," Daniel said, surprising even himself. Darren locked stunned blue eyes on his, and the rest of the world faded away.

"Would you come with me to the Met tomorrow?" Darren asked. There was a hesitance in his voice that spoke of both hope and fear. Daniel offered him a small smile.

"Sure, Dare, I think it would be fun."

Darren didn’t smile, but his eyes warmed. "You wanna have breakfast at nine, then?"

"Sounds good."

"Sounds great, actually," Leonie broke in. "We’ll all meet down here at nine, then. But in the meantime, here’re your keys." She handed out the keys. "Now get some sleep, guys. There’s a big, bad city to enjoy tomorrow."

The band exchanged laughing goodnights and headed for the elevators. Daniel lagged behind, wondering what possessed him to volunteer himself for an afternoon with Darren. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as uncomfortable as he imagined it would be. Why, why, why? he berated himself. Then Darren turned just before the elevator doors shut and shot Daniel a huge grin, and Daniel remembered. Maybe, just maybe, this was the chance they needed to regain their friendship.
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A Love Before Time