I knowwwwww, I take way too long to write things, and I procrastinate too often. This chapter is... a really kind of messed up chapter? As I was writing this I was just kind of shocked by how it turned out. Sometimes I'm surprised by the stuff I come up with in my head. In this chapter we see the return of a few characters, Mrs. Relena Hardy, Andrew and Max. this chapter contains M/M sex and this is a M/M romanceish story, hence it is rated for adult content, feedback is always loved, Enjoy!

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The Pathways of Life ~

Chapter 3 ~ Visitors

The following morning Shane was overwhelmed with a deep depression that left him in a state of Lethargy bordering on Catatonia. The nurses and doctors couldn't get much response from him as his thoughts of Alan depressed him to no end. In the end he had not only lost Max, but Alan as well. The day seemed to pass by slowly, every second seeming like hours. Around noon a mouse who was short, wore glasses and dressed in a lab coat entered the room, "Hello, Shane, I presume?" she asked. Shane gave no response, barely even bothering to look in her direction. She seemed to take note of his state and continued speaking, "I'm Mrs. Relena Hardy, I provided therapy for a friend of yours, Alan." The name caused Shane to look at her with more focus, he noticed that she was holding what seemed to be a journal, similar to what he was writing in. "Alan was only one of my clients for a short time, but he left this for me to give to you in the event that he... passed away." The mouse stepped forward and handed the book to him. "Alan often spoke fondly of you, he was dealing with demons that I don't think he ever managed to overcome... I'm so sorry for your loss." Relena put her paw on Shane's shoulder for a moment before she left him alone in the room with Alan's Journal.

The book felt heavy to him but he managed to open it, the pages seemed a bit worn, like they were pretty old. The date on the first page confirmed his suspicion, it started the day after he had met Alan. He spent the day reading through the book, learning how Alan felt about him when they first met, that he had lured Shane over with the intent of just some easy sex, but that Alan had developed a sense of love for Shane. The words in that journal broke him, learning that Alan wanted to do everything he could to protect Shane, that he viewed Shane as the only reason he existed. Shane felt lost, torn and struggled to keep reading as tears poured from his eyes. He knew that Alan had loved him, but he never knew that Alan cared this deeply for him. His heart skipped a beat when he came over a part of the journal that seemed to be after he was sent away.

'Things have to change now... I have to be very careful about what I do. My role in this story of Life is about to change. I have to make everyone believe that I am a homophobe, that the part of me that loves Shane is gone. But... that's going to be so hard for me, because he's the only person other than my mom, my real mom, that's ever made me smile... I don't want to have to do this to him, he deserves so much better than what I have to pretend to be. I... honestly had dreams of building a life with him, if he wanted a future with me I would have been more than happy to build that with him... but now that can't happen. I have to do my best to chase him away from me and help him find someone else... I know I can't have happiness, but that doesn't mean he has to suffer. I'll do whatever it takes to find him another partner, someone who will protect him in the way that I can't...'

Shane's heart seemed to sink and then stop as he read over everything. "He still loved me... all that time he still loved me..." Shane felt extremely depressed, knowing that the one person he loved more than anyone had to push him away, "We still could have been happy Alan... we still could have built a future together damnit!" He was overwhelmed by the dark feelings in his heart. There was a cart not far from his bed that had some of his medications on it. He reached with a struggle and grabbed the closest bottle, taking a handful of pills from the bottle and stuffing them in his mouth. He swallowed down as many pills as he could, not long after becoming drowsy, his vision starting to blur. He saw the silhouette of someone in the doorway to his room and thought of Alan, "I'll be with you soon Alan... There's no one left in this world who can possibly love me... I'm just as worthless as when we first met... just as worthless as Max said I was..." Shane's breath became shallow and his heart rate slowed down, it wasn't long before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Shane awoke what seemed like an eternity later. He felt weak and his chest hurt, as he shifted he heard a gasp coming from someone standing next to his bed, "S-shane!" The voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it, "Alan...?" he groaned weakly. He looked in the direction as his vision came back into focus, "A-ah.. Max..?" Max was standing there, seeming distressed and worried, "Shane... I'm so glad you're ok... I came in and saw the bottle on the floor..." Max had leaned over and was hugging Shane tight. It made Shane feel more lost and hopeless, because he knew Max wasn't his, could never be his. Max parted from the hug and looked down at Shane as he stared up at him, a hollow expression on his face. "Why are you here Max...?" Shane's voice was hollow and empty, there was nothing in it.

Max didn't entirely understand how Shane could be this way, wasn't he at all happy to see him? Max had been worried to no end about Shane, learning that he had survived. It seemed like Shane had lost his will to stay alive, but why? Maybe he had been too hard on him after all. Maybe what he had said to Shane all those years ago had really messed him up, "I got a call from Mrs. Hardy... she said it might be a good idea for me to come see you, and I've been so worried about you Shane... you jumped in front of a bullet for me..."

Shane sighed to himself, after what he had read in Alan's journal he didn't have any desire to carry on, he had lost the only person who truly loved him, everything else seemed fake and pointless. "He still loved me Max... all that time he still loved me... My only hope for happiness died that night... I should have died with him.. then we'd be together..."

Max sat down in a chair nearby seeming confused, "What are you talking about Shane?" moments later Shane pointed to two journals on the nightstand, "One of those journals is mine, the other is Alan's... there's a lot to my past you don't know about Max... a lot about his past... We used to be together, me and Alan... he was my soul mate. But all of that got taken away from me Max... Then I foolishly believed that I could mend my broken heart with you, by making you love me... and in the end you just ended up hating me... I've got nothing left Max, I lost the only person who ever really loved me. I lost everything." Max just stared, not sure with how to respond, how to react. Shane seemed so broken, it hurt to see him like this, to know that he was partially responsible for the way Shane now felt about things.

"Shane... that's not true. I loved you, I saw what a good person you can be. I was just... angry when I said what I said. You didn't deserve that Shane, I should have understood, and I never should have abandoned you like that." Max held on to Shane's paw, which made Shane cringe a little. "Why are you really here Max..? You have your precious Andrew... you made your choice... you don't need me, no one does. I've outlived my purpose here. Just.. Go away! Leave me here to tear myself apart because I'm not worth anything! Let me die... so I can be with Alan again..."

Max felt a little torn by how Shane was acting, the things he was saying. He felt guilty for playing his part in making Shane like this. He pulled Shane into a tight hug, "I'm here Shane... I still love you and I'm not going to just leave you behind again. Yes.. I have Andrew... But I love you too Shane, you understand me in ways that Andrew doesn't. I can make this work... I can be with both of you, you both mean everything to me, you're not worthless Shane, especially not to me."

Shane pushed Max away from him, breaking the hug, "I don't want you anymore... I don't love you Max... the only person who loved me and I loved is gone. There's no happy ending for me, there never was... so just go away..." Max seemed hurt by what Shane said, but Shane really didn't care. He found it so hard to feel anything but loathing. Max stood up and left the room, leaving Shane alone. It wasn't long before Shane fell asleep, falling prey to his nightmares. In his mind he saw Alan being taken away from him, losing the only person who mattered to him. Then he saw Max, saw the moments they shared flash through his head. He lied when he said he didn't love Max, but he didn't want to screw up Max's life any more than he already had. It was better that Max thought Shane hated him, he still had a future he could build, Shane had lost his chance. Shane was succumbing to the dark will of Fate, allowing the darkness to rule his life because it's all he could still see. He didn't wake up until around noon, and he almost jumped out of the bed in shock when he saw Andrew sitting in the chair near his bed.

Andrew put down a book, which Shane saw was his journal, and looked at Shane, "About time you woke up. Max came home the other day and told me what happened." Shane was a bit shocked, there didn't seem to be any anger in Andrew's voice, just calm and understanding. "Listen Shane, we both know you lied, you still love Max. There are some night where I just hold him... he's haunted by what he did to you, he's haunted by things that only you can understand. I'm not just going to step out of the way, he's my husband and I love Max... but he needs you too Shane. You need each other." Shane listened but didn't entirely understand what Andrew was saying. "I want you to come and live with us Shane." Andrew reached over and grabbed Shane's paw, holding on to it gently, "Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with you too." Andrew smiled a little as Shane just stared back in disbelief. "B-but... I, I don't want to mess up Max's life any more than I already have... He has you and... he chose you."

Andrew shook his head a bit, "He also chose you, you'll be messing up Max's life more by forcing yourself out of it. This is my choice Shane, I want you to be in Max's life, as intimately as I am, because he needs both of us... and you need him Shane, I read most of Alan's journal and your journal. Even though Alan was a monster to us... you saw him through different eyes, you knew him before everything changed and I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the reason that you forced Max away, it's not fair to you, to lose both of the people you love." Andrew looked into Shane's eyes, Andrew's eyes held sympathy, empathy, and an understanding. Shane couldn't comprehend what was happening. Even though he had never really spoken to Andrew directly he felt a sort of connectedness to him. What happened next shocked him even further. Andrew leaned forward and kissed Shane, it was a simple kiss and it didn't last long but it sparked something inside of Shane. Shane gazed back into Andrew eyes and sat still for a moment before pulling Andrew back, returning the kiss and even deepening it.

Andrew couldn't help himself as instinct took over and he slid his tongue into Shane's maw, actually enjoying the kiss he shared with Shane. Andrew blushed a bit as he thought to himself, 'huh... maybe this will actually work out, a three way relationship...' Shane parted the kiss and smiled a little at Shane, "So... is that a yes?" Shane couldn't speak, he just nodded, a deep blush spread across his face. Andrew stood up, "Technically you are well enough to leave the hospital, I just have to sign you out. I'll get that taken care of and then we'll go home, ok? Max will be happy to see you I'm sure."

Shane looked at Andrew and finally spoke, "Andrew... t-thank you..." Andrew turned back and leaned down, kissing Shane's forehead, "It's alright Shane. We'll make this work, alright? We'll all still get our happy endings, you've got Max, and me now. We'll take care of you, all I ask is... just be there for Max, ok? He really needs you right now, and honestly... I think I need you too." With that Andrew left the room to go sign Shane out. It wasn't long before he returned with some nurses to help Shane with getting out of bed. Shane got dressed in some clothes that Andrew had brought for him and he grabbed the journals, walking out with Andrew. Shane's legs were a bit wobbly from being in bed so long, so Andrew had to help support him. Neither one of them seemed to mind how close to each other they were. Andrew helped Shane get in the car and the two of them left the hospital behind. About forty minutes later they pulled into the garage of a decent sized house.

"We're renting a 2 bedroom house while I'm in college, after I finish college we'll probably build our own house. The second bedroom is being used as an office so, you'll have to sleep with me and Max, the bed is definitely big enough for all of us." Andrew winked at Shane, which made Shane blush. Andrew seemed to be flirting a bit with him, which Shane didn't mind, it was just... a tad odd for him. Andrew opened the door and set a few things down, looking back to Shane. "Max is probably still at work, he won't be home for a while. In the mean time..." Andrew walked up to Shane and pressed him gently against the wall as he kissed him, Shane was surprised and overwhelmed by what was happening as he let his instinct take over. His paws worked their way over Andrew's back as Andrew rubbed down Shane's sides. Andrew's paw suddenly rubbed over Shane's crotch, causing him to gasp a little. The two slowly made their way back to the bedroom as their clothes started to disappear from their bodies, piece by piece. Soon the both of them were naked, laying in the bed together. Shane parted the kiss and gazed at Andrew a bit, "Andrew... will you, er, m-mate me..?" The question had two meanings to it, the first meaning was obvious, but the second meaning was a little more hidden. He wanted to be accepted as a mate by Andrew and Andrew picked up on it, smiling a bit.

"Of course Shane, heh, I practically asked you to be our mate already, that means you're my mate too... so yes, I'll be your Mate, and I will mate you too." Andrew ran a loving paw against Shane's cheek before giving him a gentle kiss. He positioned his hardened Wolf cock against Shane's entrance. Shane gasped out in pleasure as Andrew started to slide into him. It had been a long time since he had done this, so he was rather tight. Andrew was a bit rough, but he was much more gentle than Max was. Andrew waited for Shane to adjust to his size before thrusting in and out of him. Both Shane and Andrew moaned out in pleasure, "A-ah, Shane, you're so tight! G-god, I think I'm getting close!" Andrew picked up the pace of his thrusts, as he felt the tension build.

His knot pressed against Shane, wanting to be buried deep inside of him. Shane moaned out, his moans were surprisingly cute and made Andrew even more excited. "M-mff! Andrew, k-knot me?" Shane begged as he moaned out in ecstasy. Andrew smirked to himself as he thrusted hard and fast, forcing his knot into Shane's tight hole, tying them together as mates. As his knot slid in he couldn't contain it anymore, his hot seed shot deep inside of Shane, filling him up. Shane couldn't contain himself either and his seed shot out against both his and Andrew's chest. The two panted enjoying the afterglow. Andrew leaned forward, resting on top of Shane as they remained knotted together. Andrew kissed Shane, smiling at him, "I love you, Shane." he whispered into his ears. Shane still felt like everything that happened was a dream, but he liked it. "I love you too, Andrew..." he whispered back. Andrew pulled Shane with him so they were both on their side now, the both of them fell asleep in each other's embrace.

Shane desperately needed this, to feel loved, to feel secure and needed. Andrew had given him another shot at a happy future, this time he wasn't about to waste it. He'd make the best of his situation, after all, now he had two mates.

Max walked into the house, sighing to himself, work had been difficult that day, and he was a bit tired. He figured that Andrew must be asleep, he started taking off his clothes as he headed back to the bedroom. he stood naked in the doorway, a bit shocked to see that Shane was in his bed, even much more shocked to see Andrew tied to Shane. He was speechless and wasn't sure how to react, then he figured out what must have happened. Andrew had done all of this for him, knowing that Max needed Shane. He smiled to himself and joined the two in bed, laying next to Shane and embracing him from behind. Max kissed Shane's neck then kissed Andrew gently on the lips. Neither one of them woke up. "Thank you..." he whispered to Andrew before falling asleep with the two.

Life takes a lot of twists and turns, sometimes having visitors can bring us despair and sometimes, having visitors can bring us a new sense of hope. As Shane slept between the two, he felt happy, for the first time in a very long time. Things were about to change again, hopefully this time it was a change for the better.

TO BE CONTINUED....