Wow, I feel bad, I haven't updated this for like 2 months, and I really like this story. If I wasn't writing it, this would be the exact type of story I would want to read, so I really don't want to screw it up. Thank you very much for the reviews, I hope I don't let you down.

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A few weeks had passed, and it was now clear to everyone that Vince was not okay, if you couldn't tell from just looking at him, then muted colored clothes he now wore or the way he sat listlessly in his barbers chair, not even pretending to read his magazines and flinching every time someone walked into the shop or got just a little too close would surely alert you that something was way off with Vince. And instead of getting progressively better, he got worse. Howard kept telling himself that things always get worse before they got better, but he was really starting to doubt that Vince would ever be the same again.

For the first week after what everyone now referred to simply as 'the incident', Vince hadn't had any nightmares, and Howard prayed to anyone that would listen, that it would remain that way.

But, when Howard was awoken one night to the sound of Vince's terrified screams, he knew his prayers had been ignored.

"P-please stop!" Vince cried, startling Howard out of his sleep. Looking over he saw Vince thrashing about on his bed, trying to fight off his invisible attacker.

Howard immediately jumped out of bed and rushed over to Vince, he needed to calm him down before he hurt himself.

"Vince" Howard said as calmly as he could, lightly shaking Vince, and trying not to scare him even more.

"N-no please. Howard h-help." Vince whimpered pitifully and Howard's heart nearly broke.

"Vince! You need to wake up, it's just a nightmare, it isn't real!" But Howard knew full well how real it all actually was. This time, Vince didn't protest, he just laid there whimpering Howard over and over, and Howard couldn't deal with it any longer.

"Vince… please wake up, it's me, Howard, I'm right here Vince." Howard whispered quietly, and this managed to shock Vince in to consciousness, well… almost.

"H-howard?" Vince asked hopefully. And Howard smiled.

"Yeah Vince it's me."

"I knew it."

"Knew what Little Man?"

"That you would save me." Vince said before falling back into a more peaceful sleep, leaving a guilt filled Howard kneeling by his bed.

"You know it will destroy him if he ever finds out right?" A voice spoke, and Howard turned around to see Naboo leaning against the door frame. Howard looked back to Vince.

"If he isn't already…" Howard muttered and didn't bother turning around when he heard the door close behind him.

xxx

Of course Vince still made an attempt to pretend everything was normal, he was Vince Noir Rock 'n Roll star and he had a reputation to uphold. And the second week after 'the incident' he managed to plaster a smile on his face, one that to Howard, Naboo and Bollo was so obviously fake that it actually hurt to look at.

Vince had spent an entire week pretending (again) that everything was alright, like if he believed it with all his heart it would be true. But the harder he tried the more painfully obvious it became that he was no longer that person. He hardly even went outside anymore, not even when Howard offered to take him to the half off sale at Topshop.

His smiles looked almost pained, and his laugh was hollow. But the worst thing to Howard, by far, were his eyes. There was no emotion in them, none of the spark that made Vince, Vince; they were just, empty.

There were also a lot of things that freaked Vince out way more than they should. For example:

One afternoon, Bob Fossil burst into the shop, in the usual Bob Fossil manner.

"Moon." Fossil said curtly, fixing Howard with a glare.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know where my Little Vincey is, I haven't seen him in forever!" Fossil complained before looking around the shop for Vince.

Howard was just about to tell him that they really didn't have time for any of his antics when something flew past him, up the stairs. Howard looked over to the spot that was previously occupied by one Vince Noir and found it empty, magazines strewn on the floor.

Fossil was confused, but rather than waste time trying to explain something he honestly didn't know how to explain, he shoved him out of the shop, locked the door and ran upstairs to find out what was wrong with Vince.

"Vince?" Howard asked the empty room, no Vince in sight, so he proceeded to the bedroom and was about to call Vince again when he heard quiet mumbling coming from his bed where Vince was curled up in a ball.

"Vince?" Howard asked cautiously, moving close enough to the bed to hear the words Vince kept mumbling.

"Howard will come. Howard will come. Howard will come." Vince repeated brokenly, but Howard still had no clue what caused him to react this way.

"Vince, what's wrong" Howard tried again, placing his hand on Vince's shoulder, and at that, Vince craned his neck around to look at Howard with empty eyes.

"I love my Little Vincey." Vince said in such an emotionless voice that it chilled Howard to the bone, but none the less, Howard understood the meaning behind Vince's words.

It had taken awhile to draw Vince out of his trance, but eventually Howard was able to calm him down enough to get to sleep.

From that point on, Howard had made sure no one referred to Vince as 'Vincey.'

xxx

A week later, Howard was again faced with a similar situation.

A customer had come in requesting something that would 'liven up the bedroom' so to speak. And lucky for him a new shipment of supplies had just arrived from Shamansbury's that morning.

"Well good sir, you're in luck, we have just the thing! Arrived this morning in fact." Howard said cheerfully and proceeded to scoop a few of the requested item into a bag when Vince came down the stairs, tea in hand.

"Owl beaks huh?" Said the man curiously when the bag was in his possession. And Howard, being Howard, planned on schooling him in all things natural and good, and how, though he himself would never have the need for such a thing, being the perfect specimen of fertility he was, the wonders of anything and everything natural are sure to be satisfactory for his needs. When there was a loud smash and before Howard was even able to identify the source to be the tea cup, previously held by Vince, in pieces on the floor, he heard the stock room door slam shut. Once again leaving him wondering what the hell just happened, and where Vince had gone?

So as politely as he could, Howard sent the customer on his was, bag full of owl beaks, and proceeded to find out what had caused Vince's latest disappearing act.

"Vince?" Howard asked, softly knocking on the supply room door before slowly opening it, taking precautions so he didn't end up scaring Vince more than he undoubtedly already was.

When Howard entered he found Vince trying to back himself into the corner.

"Vince?"

"P-please don't." Vince cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Vince what's wrong?" Howard asked slowly walking forward.

"NO!" Vince screamed, causing Howard to jump back startled. He wanted to help, but he didn't know what to do.

"Howard, please…please help me…" Vince whimpered, and Howard couldn't help rushing over to him and pulling him into his arms, ignoring the flinch and the attempts to fight him off.

"It's me Vince, Howard. Please, tell me what's wrong." Howard pleaded desperately, and as soon as the words left his mouth, Vince visibly relaxed in his arms. They stayed like that for awhile before Vince broke the silence.

"O-owl beaks…" he mumbled quietly.

"what about them?"

"h-he was eating them." Vince whispered and Howard nearly asked who, when he realized. Vince was talking about Kodiak Jack.

"Vince…I'm sorry…" Irritated at himself that he couldn't do anything more, he was prepared for more tears but Vince just laughed, he laughed and pushed Howard away.

"S'nothing, not your fault anyway, I'm just being stupid." Vince said in that fake happy voice Howard hated so much, and bounced out of the room.

xxx

Other things would cause him to break down into tears as well, but usually he tried to play it off as nothing, no matter how obvious it was to the others that it was about as far from nothing as it could be.

To make matters worse Vince still had nightmares nearly every night, he would wake up screaming and pleading for it to stop, for Howard to protect him. And Howard was truly at a loss for what to do about… anything.

And he really had tried everything he thought would help, short of going back in time, not that he hadn't thought about that too, but Naboo said there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

xxx

It was now a month after 'the incident' and Howard was lying in bed trying to think of anything that would help when a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"Vince, what are you doing?" Howard asked curiously as Vince slowly walked over to Howard's bed.

"C-can I…sleep in your…b-bed tonight?" Vince asked so quietly Howard almost hadn't heard him, and when he finally registered what Vince had asked he very nearly said no (the whole don't touch me thing and all) but with the way Vince was standing there looking so small and fragile, Howard pulled back the duvet and allowed Vince to curl up in his arms.

"Are you alright Vince?" Howard asked and watched as Vince opened his mouth to reply, expecting the same, 'm fine Howard' that he got nearly every time he asked that question.

"I…yeah… 'm…" Vince whispered before closing his mouth and burrowing further into Howard's chest.

"Vince?" Howard asked quietly and after a short silence he heard a quiet mumble.

"What was that?"

"No" Vince whimpered.

"No, what?" Howard dared to ask, although he knew full well what Vince was saying, he knew it was true, everyone did, he just didn't particularly want to hear it.

"… I-I'm n-not…a-alright" Vince sobbed, clutching desperately onto Howard's shirt as tears streamed from his eyes. "It jus' wont s-stop. I… feel him everywhere… i-inside me… I can't get clean! I'm disgusting and it's all my fault…" Vince said sadly and Howard froze.

"What are you talking about Little Man? What's all your fault?"

"Everything… and I deserved it… maybe if I hadn't made myself look like a cheap whore, none of this would have happened. I mean… I was practically asking for it…"

Howard could hardly breathe by the time Vince stopped talking, but he needed to say something.

"Vince… how… how can you even think that! None of this was even remotely your fault! And you aren't dirty Vince, you're probably the cleanest person I've ever met, you're beautiful, and there isn't one 'cheap' thing about you!" Howard yelled after failing to keep the volume of his voice down. He stared at Vince for a long time before something else occurred to him.

"Is that why you stopped wearing all your colorful clothes?"

"I just thought that… " Vince started, then looked up at Howard with surprise written all over his face and mouth slightly agape.

"…What?" Howard asked awkwardly.

"You…you think I'm beautiful?" Vince asked in a small voice and Howard's face felt like it was on fire.

"I… well you see… the thing is… " Howard said, trying to find some way to get out of the situation he managed to find himself in. But amidst the stuttered out words, Howard glanced down at Vince and what he saw took his breath away.

Vince was smiling. A true smile, one that Howard hadn't seen for a long time and Howard had his answer.

"No Vince, you're gorgeous." Howard smiled.

Maybe things would be alright after all.

XXX

Okay that's that. Now tell me honestly if ya liked it. Do you think I should have added more? Done something differently? What? This chapter is extra long just for you! Let me know what you think with reviews.