Author Notes: Once again, thank you all for the insane amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. I really appreciate it! Apologies for the massive delay in updating this time. I'm not going to bore you with my excuses. Just enjoy the penultimate chapter! I like that word… 'Penultimate'…

Chapter 29 - Unify

After what feels like decades of nothing but darkness, my eyes finally snap open to a scene of purple walls and navy curtains. For a second I feel disorientated, but quickly come to realise where I am. A smile creeps onto my lips as the familiar comforting smell of Eric's bedroom surrounds me. I can feel the morning sun pouring in through the window and warming my face. I can hear the muffled chirping of a few birds as they roost in the tree outside. Snuggling into the soft bed-sheets and breathing in the serenity, I shut my eyes again as my racing heart slows to a steady pace. I don't think I can even remember what had me so worked up in the first place…

I wince when I suddenly notice how stiff my body feels. Damn, you would have thought that I'd been sleeping forever. I can practically hear the joints in my back creak as I arch it. My movement causes something to stir next to me. I turn sharply and see Eric by my side, propped up on one elbow as he openly gazes down at me. His chestnut hair is stuck out at all angles and the slightly bronzed skin of his broad shoulders glistens in the morning sunlight. I smile fondly, welcoming his lips as they delicately brush mine, banishing any nightmares that may threaten to plague my mind.

When we part, his warm smile seems to resonate in his eyes, causing them to glow prettily. Before I have a chance to say anything, he moves to straddle my hips, engulfing my body with his familiar heat and scent. His soft hands trail up my arms, interlacing our fingers together and pressing my engagement ring into my palm. That's funny – I don't remember taking it off. I suppose I must have done… Grinning teasingly at the bewildered look on my face, Eric leans in and kisses my ear before whispering:

'I just can't seem to lose sight of you, Jew…'

My confusion melts into content as I wordlessly permit him to slide the ring onto my finger. My heart soars at Eric's approving smile, and I close my eyes happily as he swoops in for another kiss. But when my eyes open, my world has changed. Purple walls and navy curtains have dulled to dismal gray. The songbirds are now silent, and the soft sheets feel like sandpaper against my skin. Most noticeably of all, Eric is gone from his perch astride my hips. In his place is Bradley, face contorted into an expression of pure disgust as his cold hands grip onto mine.

I gasp silently as a clammy palm tightens around my ring finger, snapping it from my hand as if it were a twig from a branch. Eyes blazing and wild, Bradley rakes at my t-shirt with razor-like fingernails, shredding the material to ribbons. My pants are disposed of just as easily, leaving me exposed and at his mercy. I try to struggle, but find that I'm paralysed. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound can come. My eyes search the room for Eric, but I can't find him. Helpless, I tremble. I've never felt more alone.

'It's for your own good, Kyle. It won't hurt if you just... hold... still!'

Fear locks a death grip around my throat as Bradley's evil smirking face hovers no more than an inch above mine. I screw my eyes shut and all of a sudden, I find my voice.

'Eric!!'

* * * * *

When my eyes open once more, my frightened screams seem to fade out into an echo. It takes a moment for me to realise that I'm no longer trapped in that black desolate abyss. There's no more Bradley, no more wicked fingers gripping my throat or tearing at my skin. Just a pure white tiled ceiling, accompanied by sounds and smells that are unmistakably those of Hell's Pass. I blink heavily, a wry smile tugging at my lips. Well, well - I haven't had a dream as fucked up as that one in a while. But exactly how much of it was based on reality? I'm trying to remember, but my memory seems overcast. Everything's just so fuzzy…

Slowly, the clouds begin to shift and images of what happened with Bradley come flooding back to me. Being knocked unconscious following our disagreement. Waking up handcuffed to a tree, on my ass in the cold snow. Bradley declaring his love for me, despite my being a 'filthy Hell-bound faggot'. Those retarded ambiguous Bible passages. And those Goddamn fucking pruners…

The pruners!

I wince as the surgical tape holding an IV line into the back of my hand resists the grab I make for my crotch. Regardless, I continue to fumble blindly, desperate to find out whether or not I'm still in one piece. Damn it! I can't quite reach. If only I could get just a little closer…

'Don't worry, dude. It's still there.'

Huh? I immediately stop trying to fondle myself when I hear a soothing friendly voice, one I recognise straight away. Cringing as I suddenly realise how sore I really am, I slowly turn my head in the direction of the voice, meeting concerned blue eyes.

'Stan?'

He offers me a weary grin. 'How are you feeling?'

'Lousy. Where's Eric?'

I totally don't mean to sound rude. But as relieved as I am to wake up to my best friend's face, I can't help feeling a little disappointed that it isn't Eric by my side. I can tell Stan understands this as he gestures to the other side of the room. I follow his gaze, and my heart seems to skip a beat or two when I see Eric asleep on a small couch by the door. Although he appears to be out for the count, I can tell that he's not sleeping peacefully. His face is marred with worry, and I suppose it's obvious as to why.

'He's been up all night watching over you,' Stan says, apparently reading my mind. 'You know, telling the doctors how to do their jobs and stuff. He wanted to know every detail of everything they were doing to you. I swear he had every test, every drug, every bandage accounted for!'

'Yeah,' I snigger despite myself. 'That sounds like him. Obsessive to the brink of absurdity.'

'I can understand why he would be. We really thought we'd lost you for a while.'

I shudder at that, almost feeling guilty in a strange sort of way. I can't imagine what everyone I care about has been through because of this - particularly Eric. At least I've pulled through though. I honestly didn't believe that I would.

'How did I get here, by the way?'

Stan shrugs dismissively. 'It's kind of a long story.'

I can't resist rolling my eyes. 'I'm in no hurry to be anywhere, dude.'

He looks thoughtful for a moment, absently fiddling with my bed-sheets and ensuring that I'm well tucked in. I try not to smirk, but I do - it's almost as if he's gearing up to tell me a bedtime story or something.

'After you walked out of Cartman's house, Butters called him up on the phone. He was all upset because Bradley had come over and gone postal on him for deciding to take your advice. He said something about this town being overrun with sinners and stormed out. It got Cartman thinking, and he realised the German writing on that death threat you were sent matched Bradley's penmanship on the note that he gave you.'

Damn, I would never have thought to make that comparison! Then again, I never would have suspected Bradley. I suppose the fact that Eric is a paranoid suspicious headcase has its advantages after all. I shake my head in disbelief.

'Damn, dude... I must have seen Bradley's handwriting pretty much every day since we started college. How could I have been dense enough to miss that?'

'Well, Cartman said he'd clearly made an effort to disguise his writing. Apparently there were a couple of glaring similarities though, not ones that are obvious to what he described as 'the untrained eye'. Like the way the letter F was looped and the overall slant of the writing or something... Anyway, the minute Cartman made that link, he called me and Ken. And we tracked you down together.'

I smile at that. The old quartet, reuniting for yet another bizarre adventure. Just like old times.

'So how did you guys find me?'

'Cartman figured that you'd go to those trees by the school to blow off steam. It's a good thing he was right. I just wish we'd got there a little sooner…'

He glances sheepishly at my left hand, which is so heavily bandaged it looks like I'm wearing a big white boxing glove. I try to wiggle my fingers, but it's impossible. Judging by the look on Stan's face, the answer to my next question is obvious. I ask it anyway.

'There was nothing they could do?'

'While I drove you to the hospital with Cartman, Kenny hung back to watch Bradley and wait for the police. He managed to find your finger in the snow, but it was so wet and shrivelled by the time he got it here that the doctors weren't able to do anything with it…' He cringes visibly, pale-faced. 'Sorry, dude.'

I lift my mummified hand to my face. So, I only have four fingers now? Well, three if you discount my thumb. Huh...bummer. I shoot Stan a sardonic grin.

'It's cool,' I sigh. 'I suppose things could have been worse. Much worse…'

As I glance towards my midsection, I notice Stan shudder out of the corner of my eye. All things considered, I'd say their rescue was pretty darn timely...

'Not that I care, but where's Bradley now?'

'In a hospital on the other side of town, under police surveillance,' Stan replies, smiling weakly. 'Cartman did a real number on him. Fortunately for Bradley, he'd left his switchblade at home.'

I daresay that was fortunately for Eric too. I don't know how I'd handle having a jailbird doing twenty-five to life for first degree murder as a boyfriend. Still, it doesn't stop the sadist in me from feeling mildly disappointed.

'Well, I hope he managed to disfigure that twisted fucker at very least,' I growl. 'Even without the use of his knife.'

'Hey, don't let Cartman hog all the credit,' Stan says, acting indignant. 'Me and Kenny got our digs in too.'

A wicked grin spreads across my face. Yeah...I hope Bradley really enjoyed having his ass handed to him by a quarterback and a hood-rat, as well as a sociopath with no conscience. Awesome!

'Thanks, dude.'

'It was my pleasure...'

I feel Stan's strong hand gently squeeze my shoulder as he winks playfully. Somehow, I feel very blessed to have three friends that care about me so much. Or rather, two friends and my-

'Kyle?'

The sudden manifestation of Eric's distinct voice draws the breath from my lungs. I turn and see the apprehension in his chocolate eyes. Poor thing – he looks so freaked out. So frightened... I smile, softly and reassuringly, hoping that doing so will somehow soothe him. Though he stares blankly at me for what feels like a long time, every passing second works at moulding his lips into a gradual joyful smile. The silence is broken when Stan clears his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand for lack of anything better to do.

'Anyway, I'm gonna, err...go and find Ken before all the hot nurses here take out a restraining order against him. Again. So, err…see you soon.'

He hastily leaves my side and backs out of the room, closing the door behind him to ensure our privacy. Eric's eyes refuse to leave mine as he slowly gets up and crosses the room. He leans over me carefully, his lips parted slightly as he seems to mouth something unidentifiable. In turn, I desperately search my exhausted brain for the perfect thing to say to him. But it's a wasted effort on both our parts. We don't have to say anything.

A split second later he's captured my mouth with his, kissing me like he's making up for years of lost time. I moan softly as the wound on my lip throbs deliciously from the friction. His warm hand engulfs mine, and his thumb delicately stroking over the surgical tape is enough to make me shudder. God, it feels so good just to feel him touching me again. Something warm and wet splashes onto my cheek. There's no way of really telling who the lone teardrop belongs to. I'm not so sure it matters at this point. There was a part of me that truly believed I'd never get to see him again. For once, I'm glad I was wrong.

He reluctantly pulls away from me, if only to allow us both to breathe. His eyes sparkle with a layer of unshed tears, and before he speaks I can practically hear him mentally commanding himself not to cry.

'You okay?'

I smile as he coughs hoarsely, trying to shift the crackly quality from his voice. Unable to help myself, I reach up with my bandaged hand and dab the solitary tear track from his flushed rounded cheek.

'I am now.'

He laughs hesitantly, rolling his eyes at my corniness as he dives back in for a second kiss. I feel his fingers crunching through my dirty matted hair and can't help cringing. God, I must look like shit right now. I feel like I haven't bathed in a week. That and with all these wires and tubes sticking out of me, I must look like some kind of genetic experiment gone wrong - complete with missing body parts! The fact that he's willing to kiss me even when I'm in such a state makes me feel even more loved by him than usual.

When we part, our faces remain inches from each other as his eyes scrutinise mine. It's not long before his usual easy grin appears, sending a wave of warmth through my body. Despite the dull pain I'm feeling from head to foot, I've never felt so happy or safe as I do right now. Eric squeezes my hand as he clears his throat, his normal voice having returned.

'I was talking to your mom earlier. On the phone. Her and Ike are getting the next flight out here.'

Huh?

'My mom? Really?'

That was the last thing I was expecting to hear! I guess bad news spreads fast.

'Well, Stan talked to her first and she asked him if she could speak with me,' Eric blithers, still clearly perplexed by the whole thing. 'I was totally not up for it at first. I was expecting her to be full of hell, blaming me for everything. Stan insisted I talk to her though. But it was cool, 'cause she was...nice. Really nice, actually. I guess your ever-charming BFF must have sweetened her up or something. She even thanked me for looking out for you! It was fucking creepy, seriously...'

He looks as freaked out as I probably do. I open my mouth to speak, but then close it again. I mean, what can I say? Could this whole horrible situation really have caused my mom to have some sort of miraculous random change of heart? I'm not so sure myself. But it'll be interesting to see what she has to say for herself when she gets here. It'll be good for a laugh, if nothing else.

'Oh, and your dad came by while you were still in surgery,' Eric continues. 'He left saying something about reading up on every law he knows to get that fucking asshole Bradley the utmost maximum punishment for what...'

His voice trails off as it begins to crack again. Breathing shakily, he slowly eyes me from top to bottom as if he's only just taking in my prone appearance for the very first time. Cursing under his breath, he clamps his eyes shut and bites down on his quaking bottom lip. My heart lurches up into my throat. I hate seeing him like this.

'Eric, it's okay,' I say softly. 'I'm alright now, see?'

I squeeze his hand insistently until he opens his eyes again. He studies my hand in his, refusing to look at my face as a single tear manages to escape him.

'When we found you, you were fucking...bleeding like a stuck pig,' he croaks. 'And you wouldn't respond, not to anything. It was like the time I found my mom, only so much worse. I really thought I'd lost you for a moment. I never want to feel like that again...'

I pull his hand up to my face, brushing it lightly with my lips. He glances up, making eye contact as I nuzzle my face into his palm.

'You'll never lose me,' I whisper. 'I promised you, remember?'

I sigh happily when he smiles. I know I've said it before, but sadness just isn't becoming of him. Having pulled himself together, he smirks at me brightly.

'On a lighter note, the doctor says you can keep your severed finger if you want. Isn't that the coolest?'

I stare at his enthusiastic expression incredulously for a moment.

'...Are you kidding me?'

'No, I'm seriously! We could keep it in a jar on the mantel. Or you could just carry it around with you in a matchbox.'

He's joking. I think.

'No, thanks.'

'You sure? It would be a hell of a conversation starter at parties.'

He flashes me a goofy grin, which for some reason draws a girlish giggle from me.

'I really don't think I need a souvenir to remind me of this whole fucked up experience.'

He shrugs, slightly disappointed. 'Yeah, I guess not... I still can't believe that asshole tried to cut your dick off!'

I raise an eyebrow at the sudden flash of anger in his voice, but quickly find myself agreeing with it.

'Yeah, that Bradley kid's a total fucking freak,' I say, stating the obvious. 'You were right about him all along.'

'Told you so! You really oughta start listening to me more often, my dearest Jew.'

He sounds so frigging arrogant that I seriously consider biting his finger when he gives my nose an emphatic prod. I resist though.

'Nice work with recognising his writing, by the way.' I figure I might as well get the compliments out of the way while he's already feeling smug. 'I never realised you were a master of graphology.'

'Oh, I'm a master of a lot of things...'

Smirking wickedly, Eric slides his hand down from my face and under the bed-sheet covering my chest. His fingers splay against my torso, gently massaging the tense flesh through the material of my pyjama top. I sigh attentively, enjoying the feeling of his hands on me until his fingers start to slip beneath my bottoms.

'What are you doing?'

He doesn't reply, instead choosing to grasp loosely at my cock. I hiss and shudder, flushing slightly as his slightly damp palm fondles my hot skin.

'I'm just making sure that the doctors have been taking good care of my property,' he murmurs.

'Dude, we're in the middle of a hospital!'

'So? No one's watching.'

'Dude!'

'Hush, Jew! What did I just say about listening to me?'

I gasp harshly as he starts lazily jacking my cock. My flesh springs to life at break-neck speed, rapidly hardening in his hand.

'I don't believe you!' I splutter. 'I was just nearly made a eunuch and you think it's appropriate to molest me?'

Eric presses his free hand to his chest, feigning a hurt expression.

'Molest? I'm just letting Little Kyle know how much I value him. He's had a very stressful time lately. He needs to unwind, wouldn't you agree?'

'You really have no sense of decency, do you?'

I roll my eyes at the humungous smirk he grants me.

'I think you know the answer to that by now, my love.'

Before I can reply, his other hand descends and journeys beneath the bed-sheets also. I squirm, unable to do very much to stop him due to my one bandaged hand and the drip line restricting the other. I whimper helplessly as I feel thick fingertips caressing my balls. Now that Eric has both hands working me, I'm unable to do anything but lie back and enjoy the attention I'm receiving. I suppose I could always push the panic button and have him thrown out... but I guess at least he's helping me to forget about the pain I'm in.

Mewling softly I lean my head back against my pillow, arching my hips slightly as Eric's skilled hands stroke my throbbing cock. I close my eyes, starting to surrender myself to the friction. This may be totally inappropriate considering where we are, but damn it feels good! Just as I'm really beginning to enjoy myself, I feel a cold glob of what feels like jelly being smeared over the head of my cock. An instant later, Eric removes his hands from under the bed-sheets. Grinning, he sits back with his hands clasped together, watching me wordlessly. I stare back at him, clueless as to what he's done to me or what he's waiting for.

'What the hell was that?' I ask flatly.

'You'll feel it any second.'

I cock my head to one side. Feel what? All I can feel right now is something cold on my... My brain suddenly shuts down when the head of my cock starts to tingle. Oh... The tingle gradually erupts into a pleasant burning sensation, almost like the feeling you get in your mouth after eating spicy food. Hmm...this is different. Whatever it is, it's enough to makes my insides tremor. Although not unpleasant, it's a little bit freaky. I glance at Eric, wide eyed and starting to pant.

'What did you do?'

He grins wider as he gages my reaction, slowly opening one of his hands and revealing a small tube.

'Stimulating cream,' he says simply. 'It's designed for use on the female clitoris, but there's no reason to let the bitches have all the fun.'

I open my mouth to speak, but all I can manage is a muted squeaking sound. The cream's effect is starting to intensify, making my flesh sizzle and obligating my body to tremble. I notice Eric licking his lips at my breathless quaking form.

'Mm, yeah...You like that, Kyle?'

I do, actually. I don't get a chance to say so before he leans in and kisses me deeply. A shiver races up my spine when Eric moans sensually into my mouth, his tongue sliding in between my lips. His breath-taking kisses do nothing to calm the sweet irritation below my waist and I writhe powerlessly beneath him. He soon moves his attention to my ears, biting and suckling at the lobes and purring softly. All the while my cock seems to have taken on a life of its own, buzzing with a strange sort of static electricity and sending subtle jolts of pleasure into my body's core.

'Would Little Kyle like a kiss?' Eric moans huskily. 'Would he like to feel my lips around him, the tip of my tongue trailing all over him?'

He slides his hand up my pyjama shirt, tweaking and toying with my nipples. I gasp harshly through clenched teeth. My weary body feels ultra sensitive right now, and has an almost violent reaction to his every touch. I rock my hips uncontrollably, groaning as the damp material of my bottoms envelopes my burning shaft.

'You'd like that, wouldn't you? My mouth gently caressing your firm creamy skin, sucking and nipping at your balls? Would you like that?'

His hand leaves the confines of my shirt, trailing down towards my stomach. For a moment I think he's going to show mercy and return to my cock, which by now is all but screaming to be touched. I'm sadly mistaken. Instead, he brushes his teasing fingertips over the skin of my stomach and down over the inside of my thighs. I buck my hips in a pitiful attempt to encourage his hand to touch my tortured shaft, but to no avail. My frustrated moans turn to gasps of pleasure as Eric's lips and teeth graze my neck. He runs his hands up and down my body, continuing to stroke and caress the skin of my thighs, my ass, my stomach, my chest – everywhere but the one area that really needs it. It's teasing in its wickedest of forms, and I love it.

Somewhere deep inside me, an explosion starts to build. For every inch of my flesh that Eric's fingertips cover, the impending eruption swells. Every time his teeth clash against the sensitive skin of my neck or ear, my inner fire burns fiercer. My body prickles as sweat starts to pool on my skin, and my chest begins to heave as if I'm sobbing. Eric shoots me a sexy smirk. He knows I'm almost there.

'Come for me, Kyle. Come right in your pants for me.'

His command is undeniable. My entire body shudders as I climax, releasing a wave of seed into my pyjama bottoms. The convulsions that rock my body are so intense that it hurts, but its well worth the agony. As my body starts to cool I hear Eric chuckling softly into my ear, his fingertips tickling my stomach while I recover. The instant I get my breath back, I bring my bandaged hand up and punch his shoulder with all the strength I can muster. Which isn't much, but it's enough to get him whining.

'Hey! What the hell was that for?'

'Because you're a fucking idiot!' I growl. 'How in the hell am I gonna explain this to the nurse?'

I gesture wildly towards my concealed crotch, feeling more than just a little uncomfortable as the spatters of cum start to cool against my skin. Not surprisingly Eric merely shrugs, grinning like the mad son of a bitch that he is.

'Just tell her the truth. Tell her your boyfriend is so super hot and sexy that he made your horny Jew-cock explode without even touching it.'

I roll my eyes at his crude wording. He really doesn't have any decency whatsoever. But I think I love him all the more for it. I couldn't help but notice a glaring error with what he'd just said though...

'Fiancé, you mean?'

His eyebrow arches at that. 'Huh?'

'You're not my boyfriend. You're my fiancé. Remember?'

I find myself smiling shyly at the look of amusement that comes over Eric's face.

'Of course,' he says with a nod. 'Which reminds me...'

To my surprise, he reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out my ring. I never thought I'd see it again. It's a good thing Kenny's so good at finding things.

'Yours, I believe.'

He takes my right hand, gently sliding the ring onto the index finger. I almost point out that it's actually Jewish tradition to wear engagement rings in such a way, but it's unnecessary. He's bound to know. His thick fingers thread into my hair as he presses his lips to my forehead, and I'm positive the feeling of bliss that bubbles in my stomach has very little to do with the morphine coursing through my veins. There's a stronger sort of drug at work here. Eric's eyes meet mine again, and he smiles as beautifully as I've ever seen him.

'Love you, Jew.'

'Love you too, fatass.'

* * * * *

Change is a funny thing.

Like when I was younger, I really hated Eric Cartman. That stupid big annoying fatass. I hated him so much I would lose sleep at night just thinking about him and his fucked up ways.

'...You're going down, Jew boy.'

'In your dreams, fatass....'

After coming to terms with my sexuality at the age of sixteen, I decided that my feelings of hatred were in fact repressed feelings of lust. So I went for it, even though I knew full well what kind of risk I was taking in doing so.

'...Why do you want to do this with me?'

'Because I think it'll be awesome...'

Every single day since I made that choice, I've watched my relationship with that annoying fatass transform before my eyes. The mysterious force that once repelled us from each other suddenly started drawing us together, like an unstoppable gravitational pull.

'...I don't wanna share you anymore. Is that...selfish?'

'Not at all. I don't like sharing my toys either...'

I could only sit back and observe in awe as our supposed deep-rooted hatred for each other melted into unbridled lust, and then later into a love so strong that not even the ferocity of our own stubbornness could tear it apart.

'...Don't fucking pity me.'

'I don't. I care about you. There's a difference...'

As time goes on, I'm still unable find a reason to regret making the choice I made that one fateful drunken night, even though I'm sure that some people would disagree…

'I'm extremely disappointed in you, Kyle.'

'I know. I just don't care anymore...'

But despite what the cynics say, I never want to look back…

'Repent! Say you don't love him!'

'No! There's nothing you can ever do to me that'll make me say that...'

I never want to stop this magic, to break this mesmerising undeniable spell we're bound by…

'I belong to you...we belong together.'

'You bet your ass we do!'

Because sometimes, change is a good thing...

But other times, you're just better off in chains.

* * * * *

I know what you're thinking- that last line there sucked donkey dick. It's a lame pun on the lame story title, and doesn't make any sense. But it took me half an hour to think of it. Seriously, that's half an hour's work right there. No wonder I update so fucking slowly…

To be honest, I came dangerously close to having Kyle die in hospital in this chapter and writing the final chapter with Cartman as the narrator. But in the end I came to the decision that I really wanted the story to conclude happily. I think the vast majority of my readers will concur. So I hoped you enjoyed your 'cheesy Care Bears bullshit' ending! LOL!

Well...one more chapter to go! I'll try my damn hardest not to keep you guys waiting so long for the last chapter. It's essentially going to be an epilogue set an undetermined number of years after the time of this chapter, just to tie everything up in a nice neat little package and let you know how everything worked out for our two boys and their buddies. And of course, it just wouldn't be 'Kyle in Chains' if I didn't manage to squeeze one final sex scene in there! I don't know whether to feel sad or relieved that this damn thing is finally coming to an end, LOL! Nah seriously, I'm sad...

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you liked the 'penultimate' chapter and are glad that Kyle is alive and still very much with his pee pee! Let me know what ya thinks!

DD

xx