Gabe groaned, rolling stiffly onto his side. He blearily opened his eyes, with difficulty as they seemed very reluctant.

"Morning sunshine," came Laurent's smooth voice. Gabe only managed a vague 'blurp' in reply.

Laurent dropped the smugly cheery morning persona straight away and rushed to Gabe's side.

"Bambi? What's the matter? Are you sore?"

"I'm okay," he managed to get out, although his voice sounded like his vocal cords had been through a wood chipper.

"You aren't. Stay there, don't move."

Laurent rushed out of the room and Gabe was happy to follow the direction when he discovered trying to shift onto his back made the skin of his butt feel like it had been lit up. Instead of a pleasurable wash of pain, all that did was make his head feel like it was imploding, and he groaned again, dropping his head onto the musty-smelling pillow.

Laurent was back moments later, and Gabe yelped when he heard Leeanna's voice and realized she could see the stripes across the meat of his ass. She just chuckled though, used to all sorts in this house.

"Mister Laurent, you can stop panicking. Our Gabe just has a cold."

It didn't feel like a cold. Gabe's throat was burning and his head was collapsing under the pressure, but he let Laurent carefully pick him up and place him back down with a pillow under his butt, and wipe his sweaty face and neck clean with a cool cloth. Leeanna was back a few minutes later with a tray.

"Drink this while it's still hot," she said, gesturing at the teapot, which smelled of spicy tea. "Add the honey and take these tylenol. I'll bring you some broth in a while. You'll need your strength for your audition."

"Oh no." Laurent span around when she'd left the room. "You're too sick. We'll rearrange."

"It's not as simple as that, Laurent," Gabe said, his voice scratchy. "One does not simply tell the London Philharmonic that you want to rearrange an audition. You just do it."

Laurent glared, as if his stern eyes could force Gabe to submit. And for pretty much any other thing, they could. But Gabe had already been handed a highly unexpected lifeline on his old dream. He recognized that his horrible nerves were coming from the reminder that, whatever he'd been convinced of in the recent past by Sawyer, he did want it. It was literally what he'd worked towards for over a decade. Even if he was terrified, or he changed his mind later, he couldn't walk away from the opportunity to at least try.

Laurent sighed when it became clear Gabe wasn't giving in.

"Fine. But I get to look after you when we get home."

"You're coming with me?" Gabe's voice was hopeful, even through the prickling.

"If you'll have me. And it's lucky you're not having to sing."

Gabe laughed, but it hurt, so he took a sip of the soothing honeyed tea.

He let Laurent help him get ready. It was the only option when his arms felt like lead and his neck could barely hold his head up. He felt marginally more alive when he'd had Leeanna's broth and dosed himself on every cold remedy she had in her repertoire, but he was still thankful Laurent insisted on ordering a car.

When they arrived at the venue, he was almost feeling positive. He would do his very best to honor the faith they apparently had in him, and just maybe he'd walk away with a job and a chance to see some of the world.

He wasn't expecting the other person in the foyer, who swiveled his head and glared as they walked in the door.

"Ssh," he hissed. "Can't you see I'm focusing?"

Laurent shrugged, guiding Gabe to one of the rows of chairs away from the grumpy man.

"Hi, Gabe?" A cheerful blonde woman came towards them, her towering heels clipping on the flagged floor. She was rapidly typing on a tablet, which she handed to Gabe when he nodded. "Just your details from last time, if you could update any changes."

He overtyped the address and the phone number with a shudder, handing it back to her. He didn't want to think about the other details. It would either matter – and then he was sure there'd be a pile of other forms with which to correct things – or it wouldn't.

She thanked him and disappeared through the large double doors at the end of the foyer, telling him she'd be back when it was his turn. He wanted to ask about that; why there was someone else auditioning, and possibly another person already in there, but he couldn't find the words before she'd gone, and he was left clutching Laurent's hand, his nervous sweat making the grip slippery.

"Would some tea help, Bambi?" Laurent asked, putting a secure arm over his shoulder.

"Maybe."

He stood. "I'll go get some. And Gabe?"

Gabe looked up, eyes wide but still instantly calming slightly just at the sight of Laurent looking at him that way.

"You're going to be amazing. Just think about that ache you can feel that reminds you just how well I will look after you."

Gabe blushed at Laurent's retreating back, but he did wriggle in his seat to feel the pain, and Laurent's ploy worked, because it already made him feel calmer.

He hummed to himself, looking over his shoulder at the view of the city streets that was visible through the huge plate windows that surrounded the foyer. It was bright outside, and people scurried along the sidewalk and into the park opposite. It felt good, the sight of people living their lives; it calmed him further, until he could barely remember how nervous he'd been.

"I don't know what you think you're doing."

The voice was a rough hiss, and Gabe turned in shock to the other man, who was leaning forward and scowling.

"What?"

"You vanished from the scene. You should have stayed gone. You obviously couldn't hack it."

"What?" Gabe asked again, dumbly.

"So arrogant. Like you think you can just waltz in and snatch this up without even trying."

"I'm not doing that."

"Oh yeah, so how do you explain why you weren't at any of the practices that were put on after graduation? Didn't offer to be a TA. I know you didn't get a job; it's all they were talking about."

"Who?"

"Everyone! Christ. You don't even know who I am, do you?"

Gabe had no idea, though logic said it must be someone from when he was at the Conservatory. But the only faces he could remember clearly from that time were the ones that he cared about, and he figured this guy didn't fall in that category, not with this reaction.

"You don't know me," he managed to say.

"You're not even that good!" the man spat, standing and storming off towards the doors.

Gabe was thankful to see the woman come back, and she smiled chirpily, apparently unaware of the mood in the room. Gabe couldn't hear her words, but she guided the man through the doors and Gabe sank back against the chair, suddenly exhausted.

"Gabe?"

Laurent's soft enquiry brought Gabe out of his daze, which had held him for goodness knows how long.

"Oh, hey."

"You're looking sick again. We'll go straight home after."

"Sure."

Laurent handed his tea over but kept watching him with a worried gleam. But how could Gabe tell him that all the work he'd put into straightening Gabe out was for nothing? He'd done such a good job dropping him, making his mind slow down, taking him away from negative thoughts. But one bad word from a literal stranger and Gabe wanted to give up.

"Did something happen?" Laurent asked eventually, running his fingertips over the backs of Gabe's hands.

"No..." Gabe instantly felt guilty for the lie. He looked to Laurent, who was still looking expectant, like he knew Gabe would change his mind. He sighed heavily. "Okay, yes. That guy, the one who was sat over there, he knew me. I didn't know him, but he must have gone to the Conservatory too. He said I shouldn't have come back. He said I wasn't that good."

"Well, he's wrong," Laurent responded with simple conviction. "You're incredible, and the people in there know you're incredible, which is why they wanted to see you again without you even applying."

Laurent leaned in and gently kissed Gabe, who sank into it. Who knew if the guy was right, but if Laurent thought he could do it, well, maybe Gabe could feed off that. Laurent gave him plenty of power in other ways.

He pulled back, quickly breathless with this cold, dizzy with more than just lust. Even with the brief flash of confidence, he was still tempted to drag Laurent away, go home and convince him to use the new nipple clamps he'd seen in the drawer, instead of this. But Laurent looked at him, so pleased, so proud, even though Gabe hadn't even done anything yet, that he couldn't find the words to suggest it.

"Gabe?" The woman was back – same smile, but gesturing him forward this time.

Gabe stood, holding Laurent's hand, but her face softened sadly.

"Oh no, sorry, could you wait out here please? Gabe will have to do this bit on his own."

A/N: we're very nearly at the end. I hope you've enjoyed the ride.

The next La Maison story will go back in time, to even before La Maison existed. What on earth were Frankie and Gray getting up to back then?

Here's a mock up possible front cover - and if you're intrigued, pop on a 'follow' so you get notified when it comes to pass later this year