2. 

Darren was just making his Oscar speech when the phone rang. Huh? The assembled glitteriti faded into blackness and he felt movement beside him. Forcing himself to realise that he had been dreaming again, Darren prised open his eyes and saw Dan sat on the edge of the bed, the phone to his ear.

‘Sure yeah. Four-thirty? No problem, we’ll be there.’

Putting the phone down he turned to Darren his face etched with concern. 'That was Dr Walker's secretary. Apparently your 'T'-cell count has dropped a little from last time. He wants us to go in this afternoon to talk about starting you on some medication.'

Darren pulled a face and closed his eyes again, fighting the tears that welled up behind his eyelids.

Soft hands caressed his exposed shoulders. ‘It’ll be alright baby. It’s just a precaution. We always knew it was a possibility.’

Darren opened his eyes and looked deep into Dan’s loving ones. He knew Dan was lying and he knew Dan knew that he knew he was lying. It wasn’t ‘just a precaution.’ It was the beginning. The beginning of the end.

‘Dan…’ Darren begun.

‘Ssssh, no, not now.’ Daniel’s lips descended onto to Darren’s and cut off the conversation that he knew his lover was about to embark on. Daniel didn’t want to think about what Darren was suggesting. Not now, not for a long time and he choose the most effective way he knew how to get Darren’s mind off of the subject.

Drawing back the bedclothes, he let his hands roam over Darren’s upper body, gently curling his fingers in his chest hair and then tugging slightly, just enough to elicit a deep moan from within Darren’s throat.

Pushing the sheets off completely he reached out a hand towards the night stand. Darren’s hands went down to his cock and he began to work himself up to full hardness as Dan tore open the foil wrapped pack.

‘Allow me.’ Smiling Daniel swatted his hands away and rolled the lubricated condom onto Darren’s arousal.

‘Have I told you how much I love you Daniel Jones?’ Darren whispered as Daniel completed his task and moved to straddle his lover.

‘Yes you have Darren Hayes and I love you too, very much,’ a soft kiss to Darren’s left nipple, ‘but,’ another kiss, this time to his right, ‘tell me again.’

‘I love you, I love you, I…LOVE…’ Darren gasped as Daniel lowered himself onto Darren, allowing him to fill him completely.

Fifteen minutes later they were both panting, exhausted from their passion. Reluctantly Daniel eased himself up off of the bed and snagging his robe from the back of the chair made towards the door.

‘Don’t you go back to sleep now. I’m gonna make some breakfast.’

‘Oh Dan just for once can’t I give the health food crap a miss? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaeeeeee?’

‘No.’ Daniel told him firmly. ‘That ‘health food crap’ as you put it is helping you fight this disease and it is what we are having for breakfast.’

Later that afternoon…

‘I’m sorry Darren.’ Dr Walker said as he filled out a lengthy prescription. ‘Just take this down to the hospital pharmacy and they will fill it for you. And remember to stick to the times as closely as possible, that’s very important.’

‘I’ll make sure he does.’ Daniel stated as he led a very quiet Darren from the room.

‘Ok, I’ll see you again in two weeks time to make sure that it’s working. In the meantime if you have any problems you know where I am.’

Once they had collected Darren’s drug cocktail from the pharmacist they exited the hospital back out into the crisp September sunshine.

‘Do you mind if we don’t go straight home?’ Daniel asked as they got into the car. ‘There is something that I want to show you.’

‘Dan, I’m really not in the mood for surprises.’

‘You’ll like this one, I promise.’

Daniel drove them into the city centre and parked in front of a small row of shops.

‘You’re taking me shopping?’ Darren said incredulously. Dan hated shopping.

‘Thought I would treat you to something seeing how you were such a good boy at the doctors.’

‘Ooooooohhhhh a treat, like what?’

Daniel came to a halt in front of a jewellers. ‘Like one of those.’ And he pointed to a tray of gold rings.

‘But they are…’

‘Wedding rings.’

‘Danny are you proposing to me?’

‘I guess I am. Now do you want to go inside and choose one?’

In answer Daniel found himself enveloped in a huge hug as Darren rained kisses all over his face.

‘I’ll take that as a yes then shall I?’ Dan grinned disentangling himself from Darren’s embrace. ‘So how do you feel about a Christmas wedding then my love?’