1. Prologue: An Unexpected Guest (1/2)

summary: kyle

oflovski hasn't stepped foot in south park for seven years---and he doesn't plan on ever going back. but when a chance encounter with old friends force him to return, he's got a lot to deal with. mostly explaining why he left his hometown for good . . . and why he

oke one of his best friends' heart. of course he doesn't plan on saying anything, that is until he realizes just how hard it is to be a martyr when the one you're protecting happens to be the only one who can get under your skin; and make you spill the truth.

pairings: kenny x kyle, pip x damien, cartman x wendy, stan x heidi (i had to give him someone), kenny x gary (he's the mormon kid and that we'll be explained later), possible christophe x gregory (but i'll only hint at that), clyde x bebe, craig x tweek, token x lola (more on that later), and slight red goth x curly goth.

rated: teen for now, but i will probably have to change that as the story progresses into some darker moments.

author's note: okay, this story has been fighting to be told for a very long time. i can't even begin to go into detail about how many times i'd listen to a song on the radio and think, "wow, that would be perfect for not falling apart." and then i'd be like, "wait, when the hell did i give that idea a name?" (yes, the title came from a maroon 5 song; but that's another story) soon enough i'd decided to type it. but it wasn't until i received a reply from sekritomg regarding what i like to call her 'awesomeness' that i finally came to the decision that this was one story i wanted to publish. this story was actually born out of a really fucked up dream i had, but it evolved into something entirely different. before i knew it i was researching jewish philosophy and searching j.m. barrie quotes (i have been on a peter pan fetish ever since i finally watched finding neverland) like mad. the result is this story. now the only person i'm writing this for is myself, but if other people enjoy it then i guess that's just a bonus. oh, and be warned: this prologue is sort of dry, but i needed to set a foundation for the rest of the story to be written upon, and to be honest, i myself have always wondered about gregory and christophe's past. so sit back, relax, and enjoy. plus read the quote. the whole story revolves around it, and the idea of what we would and wouldn't do for love . . .

"love is not blind; it is an extra eye, which shows us what is most worthy of regard."

--------------james matthew barrie

prologue: an unexpected guest

seven years ago

christophe delorne and gregory thorne had shared a lot of things in their lifetime.

both of their mothers had grown up together as childhood best friends, and it was in this mindset that they expected their children to follow suit. needless to say neither of the boys disappointed them, becoming closer each year they spent together, albeit arguing about almost everything and anything. their personalities clashed all the time as well. gregory acted superior to everyone around him (especially christophe), despite the fact that he was three months younger than all the boys in his age group. christophe on the other hand tended to frighten the shit out of people and was left alone to

ood with only gregory by his side. not many people could stand such a temperamental boy, and even gregory sometimes left his friend alone if he became to moody.

when first grade came around the two 'gentlemen' were sent to the prestigious school of yardale, located on the western-most outskirts of london. while the tuition might have been considered by many as to steep a price to pay, neither the thrones nor the delornes even gave it a second glance. gregory's parents were very well off, his mother worked for the scotland yard while his father was the most well-liked politician in the united kingdom. christophe's family on the other hand had acquired their money by more dubious means. madame delorne spent her days as a con-woman, and his father skulked around as a hired mercenary. so while gregory held the uppermost respect for the law, christophe was constantly bending it. yet while such a major difference in not only social class but morality as well would normally have ruined such a fine relationship, the two's friendship was only strengthened. together they formed a partnership: gregory found out about a case and did all the background work before handing it off to christophe who did most of the action. of course every now and then gregory got his hands dirty, but what could he say? christophe did have a tendency to rub off on people.

everything seemed to be going perfectly, until third grade came around and all was shot to hell.

unexpectedly mr. thorne resigned from office and both he and mr. delorne ran away, deciding to pursue a relationship with each other instead of their wives. each wife coped in their own respective way: mrs. thorne drank, while mrs. delorne became religious---though christophe would rather have had his mother do the former.

with the two mothers bitter and resentful, they decided to move to the red-neck hick town of south park, colorado to bitch to each other about their failed love lives. and it was in south park, colorado, that the duo met kyle

oflovski.

who just so now happened to be standing wild-eyed inside their apartment ten years later, at six am.