Everything was falling apart. The spark had became a raging inferno, and now they were paying the price.
Geoff said some things when he was drunk. Everyone did. It was normal, but this time tensions had flared. Dan and Geoff fought verbally, Harley and Charlie doing their best to separate them. In the end, it left Dan gripping his husband's arm protectively as he turned to leave. "We're leaving. Come on, Harley." He snarled under his breath, the elder Englishman gripping onto Dan's jacket sleeve, scared that if he let him go he'd be gone. "I need a cigarette." They heard Charlie mumbled as the door closed behind them. And the spark was ignited.
Things were tense between the couples that night. Charlie and Geoff fought, resulting in Charlie leaving Geoff, and Dan and Harley weren't on speaking terms for most of the night. Until of course, Harley crawled into Dan's arms like a cat trying to squeeze it's way into his owner's lap. The younger just smiled at his husband's attempt at trying to make things better and he forgave him immediately. After all, it wasn't his fault that the thing was brought up. It was in the past, and forgotten, right?
Geoff blamed Dan. Geoff blamed Dan for Charlie leaving. He blamed Dan for his booze source being smashed. With revenge in his mind, he drove up to Harley and Dan's shared apartment. Despite being piss-drunk, he managed to get there unharmed, stumbling up the stairs with a six pack in one hand and a gas can in the other. The door was unlocked, and he barged right in, seeing Dan and Harley fast asleep on the couch and scoffed.
The beer bottles fell from his hand and onto the floor, smashing instantly, Harley stirring, though stayed asleep, while Dan jolted upright, to see Geoff walking through the cramped apartment, emptying the gas can in a circle around the apartment. "Geoff!" He woke up Harley with his startled scream, and the elder Englishman woke up, seeing Geoff and watched with wide eyes as he went back to the front door, holding up a match.
"Goodbye." He smirked, before letting the lit match drop, slamming the now locked door behind him. He broke the lock, trapping the two lovers in their home that was now on fire. They stumbled towards their daughter's bedroom, Dan holding her close as Harley closed the door in the only room that was untouched by the fire. But soon the raging inferno met the door, and the two said their final goodbyes.
Everything was falling apart. The spark had become a raging inferno and they were paying the price for it. Dan and Harley paid with their lives. Two innocent lives taken away by a drunk man's fury. A crime of passion and alcohol. Two deadly things that should never touch, had finally come together to lead this night into disaster.
Geoff was never convicted for the murder or the fire, but Charlie always suspected he was behind it. And despite the death of his best friend and his friend, he stayed with Geoff. The man who was responsible for the deaths of two innocent men and their innocent daughter.