Who Really Knows, Anyway--A CrissColfer Fanfiction

Chapter 16

"Well, this is a strange little town," Darren said as he and Chris rolled into Eugene, Oregon. It was true; they were downtown where homeless hippies slept on the sidewalks and the Saturday Market was full of tie-dye vendors and tarot card readers.

"Kinda cute, though," Chris replied.

They came to a medium-sized bookshop, parking in the alley behind it where they were set to meet Chris' manager and the owner of the store.

"Hello, Mr. Colfer! It's so very nice to meet you!" squeaked a large man wearing a nametag that read 'Hello, my name is John Halling! Ask me about our Book for Book program!'

"Uh, hi, nice to meet you too, Mr. Halling," Chris said. Darren noticed that his voice shook a little and the pitch went higher. Chris was nervous!

"I have your publicist in the back, here, and- who is this?" Mr. Halling said, noticing Darren.

"Oh, this is Darren. My, um, uh, boyfriend," Chris introduced a little anxiously. He had no idea if the man knew he was gay and if he would be okay with it.

Luckily, Mr. Halling smiled without missing a beat and ushered the two in.

Darren took Chris' hand, squeezed it reassuringly, then let it go. That was all Chris needed.

"Nice place! Wow, is that a- no. It couldn't be!" Chris said, racing towards the stacks of books that the store had in its backroom.

"It is! A first edition Harry Potter set," Mr. Halling proclaimed proudly.

Darren was next to Chris in half a second. "Can we touch it?" he said softly.

"Of course," Mr. Halling said, and the two men gingerly reached out. They grabbed the set together, stroked it lovingly, then put it back on the shelf, not wanting to do any damage.

"How did you get it?" Chris asked.

"A friend of mine likes to collect things like this," he answered, "He acquired it, then graciously gave it to the shop. I don't keep it out front because, well, there are some pretty desperate people in this part of town."

Chris was greeted by his manager, and they stepped into the store front to look over the setup.

"You aren't selling those, are you?" Darren murmured to Mr. Halling.

"We are, but for a very hefty price!" Mr. Halling chuckled.

"How much?" Darren asked in a whisper.

Mr. Halling told him, and Darren pulled out his credit card. At first, the store owner seemed a little surprised that a man in his mid-twenties would have enough money for something like that, then seemed to remember that this particular man was dating Chris Colfer and was from Los Angeles, so he was probably an actor. He was right.

"I'm going to give them as a present to Chris after his tour is done," Darren mumbled to Mr. Halling, and he understood. He took the credit card, scanned it on the machine in the back, typed in a few numbers with Darren watching, then gave it back.

"It's all yours," Mr. Halling said.

"Can we keep it here until the signing is over? I don't want him getting suspicious," Darren asked.

"Sure," Mr. Halling said, "Just don't forget about it!"

"Oh, I won't," Darren assured, and grinned.

Darren watched Chris sign copies from an unseen corner of the store. He looked absolutely gorgeous, if a little frightened, as hordes of teenage girls and eight year olds alike pushed their way to the front of the crowd to meet the author.

Groups of giggling 14 year olds came and went, and Chris smiled at them all. He signed books and shook hands, making a few of the fans giggle and proclaim once they were out of line that "They were never washing this hand again!"

After nearly an hour and a half, the line had finally died down. Darren slipped out from his corner and came to sit by Chris.

"You're really amazing," Darren said, giving Chris a quick kiss on the cheek. Chris' face immediately brightened.

"Do you mind sitting here for a minute? I don't think anyone else is coming and I'm really hungry, so I'll just go over to the Farmer's Market and pick up something," Chris said, standing up.

"Yeah, go ahead! As long as you bring something back for me," Darren replied.

"I will," Chris said, and pecked Darren on the lips before leaving the store.

Darren sat back. Here he was, with his perfect boyfriend, having an awesome time in one of the weirdest towns he had ever been in. Maybe they could go out and--

SCREECH! BANG!

Darren looked up, startled by the sudden noises. He moved over to the window.

"No. No! NO!" Darren shouted as he ran out the door. Chris' body lay in a heap near the sidewalk across the street, and a large navy blue car was right behind him.

"Chris!" Darren yelped, and bolted across to where Chris lay. The car that had apparently hit him was backing away. Suddenly, it screeched off down the street.

"No! Wait! You just-" Darren's cries were useless. The SUV tore away. Darren shook himself, then kneeled down beside Chris, scooping him into his arms. He felt his wrist. Yes, he still had a pulse, and he was breathing, but his eyes were closed and it felt like a few of his ribs were broken. Worst of all, Chris' head was bleeding, and the blood was gushing from a little wound on the back of his head.

Okay, Darren thought in a panic, Calm down. Call the ambulance.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. By this time, a crowd had gathered around the sidewalk where Chris had been hit.

"Is that-" one voice said.

"That's Chris Colfer!" another gasped.

"Chris Colfer and Darren Criss!" yet another said.

"Hello? Yes, hi, my boyfriend just got hit by a car, right next to the Saturday Market, and the bookstore, and- yes, he is breathing. He's unconscious, his head is bleeding a lot, and I think he broke a few bones," Darren yelped into his phone, terrified, "Thank you, thank you, please hurry!"

The ambulance arrived within ten minutes, and Darren helped them load Chris into the back.

"Good luck," a blond girl around 13 whispered from the front of the crowd. She was near tears herself.

"Thanks," Darren whispered back, letting one tear drop from his eye. Then they closed the doors to the ambulance and rushed off down the road.