Ryan Ross had been able to hear Spencer Smith in his head for as long as he could remember. Well, not exactly hear. It wasn’t like he was telepathic, there was just sort of a buzz, a sense of Spencer Smith’s presence. Over the years, it had become like white noise, just there in the background. Ryan couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to hear Spencer all the time, anymore than he could imagine not longing after Spencer.

Pete sat on the hotel bed and tried to watch Patrick surreptitiously to see if Patrick was maybe surreptitiously watching him back. But he really, really wasn't. Pete knew he looked good – he'd made sure of that in the bathroom mirror before coming out into the room. The white hotel towel made his skin look even darker and his tattoos looked awesome against it all. He was clean and slightly – sexily – wet from the shower. His hair was pushed back (but messily rumpled too) and he smelled amazing. Patrick was straight in the most annoying way.

The therapists said I was depressed. I was too exhausted to fight them on the diagnoses. That was what our little road-trip was about. Trying to find my Guide before I ended up in the New Jersey Center for Disturbed Sentinels. In reality, finding my guide didn't really matter to me anymore. All I wanted was to make sure Gerard found his Guide before her turned back to the drugs.

In a near canon world where orientation refers to dominance or submission, not sexuality, almost everyone has a soulmate that is supposed to complement their personality, biology, orientation and heart. Most people look forward to the day when the psionic bond sparks into existence, connecting them to their other halves. However, a trauma left Bob wanting anything but the bond he sees as a dangerous trap, and he takes matters in his own hands to chemically prevent his bond from effecting him. Patrick doesn't know what he did wrong but he knows that for some reason, his soulmate has rejected him and he has to learn to live with that. Between their pasts, their bands, and their hopes, neither of them expects end up where they do - so close with so much distance still between them.