Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 03:17:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Adventures of a Real Dark Knight Chapter 12 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!! Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. Star Trek and all related characters created by Gene Roddenberry. Copyright Paramount Studios. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. jmsotc@yahoo.com Chapter 12 Give Thanks I went home and went to bed. I was so exhausted, emotionally, mentally and physically. Why did this have to happen to me? Sleep was not restful, though I did get a lot of it. I didn't set my alarm. I wanted to sleep as long as I could. When I finally woke up, I showered and dressed. Not too much later, Brian showed up. "Hi," he said. "Am I too early?" "No, not at all," I replied as I was putting on my socks. "I just slept in." "Did you have a late night?" "Yeah. An interesting one, to be sure." "Did you see the Huntress?" "No. Wasn't looking for her, either. I had my own job to do." "What was that?" "I was looking for the person dressed as Batman, the Imposter." "Any luck?" "Well, sort of," I said with a snicker. "I did find someone wearing a Batman suit, but it wasn't an imposter. It was someone involved in some fantasy sex play." "Oh," Brian replied looking away. I smiled. "So who are we having Thanksgiving with?" he asked. "Do you know David Gallagher?" "From 7th Heaven?" "Yep." "Him? Wow! That's neat! Does he have a girlfriend?" "Uh, no," I answered. "A boyfriend." "Oh. That's cool." I tied my shoes and Brian and I left for David and Michael's townhouse. It was weird that they were so young and still had their own townhouse. They were too young, but I guess when you have money, you can do those kinds of things. We arrived and went to the door. "Uh, Eric," Brian began. "Yes, Brian." "This isn't a date or anything is it?" "No. Just friends." "Oh, good. That's good. Not that you're not a nice guy or anything, I'm just not gay, you know?" "Yes, Brian," I said with a smile, "I know." The door opened and David was on the other side. "Hi, Eric! Glad you could come!" "Hi, David. Thanks, again, for inviting me. This is Brian, a classmate." "Hi, nice to meet you," Brian said shaking David's hand. "Come on in. Barry is already here." "Barry?" I asked. "Yeah, from the show. He and Jason Behr are seeing each other." "Oh, the guy from Roswell." "Yeah. They met on the set of 7th Heaven, when Jason played the character that Barry's character hired to take Mary on a date." "Oh, I remember that episode." "Yeah, since then, they've been seeing each other." David showed Brian and I in to the living room where Michael, Barry and Jason sat. "Barry, Jason, this is Eric McCoy and his friend Brian." "Oh, he's cute," Jason said to me. "He sure is. Too bad he's straight," I replied teasing Brian a bit. Brian just smiled an uncomfortable smile. "The food is about done," Michael said to Brian and I. "Shall we all go into the dining room to eat?" All six of us went into the dining room. Brian and I sat next to each other. Barry sat on an end with Jason next to him. Michael sat at the head of the table, next to me. And David's spot was across from me. However, he did not sit down. He went into the kitchen. "I'll be right back," I excused myself and went into the kitchen. "Would you like some help, David?" "Sure." "Where did you learn to cook?" "My mom. She's a great cook." "Michael's blessed to have you." "I'm blessed to have him." David was easily trying to cover his concerns for Michael's continued debilitating health. "David," I began. "Please, Eric. I don't feel like being counseled right now." "It's okay to cry if you want." "I know. But I feel I need to be strong for him." "That's natural. I was just offering some freedom to a situation where you may feel you can't be free to express yourself." "Thanks." David walked over to the island and picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes. "Could you take this out?" "Certainly." I grabbed the mashed potatoes and went out. David came out with the turkey. It looked impressive. The meal went very well. Brian was very careful about what he said. I could tell he was uncomfortable being around so many gay people. That was natural for someone who is not used to it. He did a splendid job. Barry and Jason left and I helped David with the clean up. Brain stayed with Michael and they talked about Michael's show 2GETHER. It was a cute show. I had seen a couple episodes myself. When we finished, I gave David and Michael a hug. "Thanks for having me over for Thanksgiving. It was nice. I'm thankful for you two." "Thanks, Eric. We are so thankful for you, too." Brian and I left their townhouse. "What are your plans for tonight?" Brian asked. "I've got some packing to do. And then I'm turning in early. I only have a few days left here and I have to make sure I have everything in order." "Okay. If you go on patrol, look for me." "I will." I looked into Brian's eyes and grabbed him into an embrace. "Brian, I care for you like a brother. Take care of yourself. This is in case I don't get to see you before I go. The city is in your hands, and the Huntress's. Take care of it and her. I know she doesn't like me right now. But she is still doing a good work." Brian just hugged me back. "Why do I get the feeling I'm never going to see you again?" he asked. "I'm sure you will see me again." We parted ways and instead of heading to my apartment, I headed for the cemetery. I wanted to visit Hunter before I left. So much of my activities were regarding him and what he went through. I was closing a chapter on this part of my life and it wouldn't be right if I didn't see him one last time. The cemetery was very quiet as most of the loved ones of those gone on were visiting with family. I walked up to Hunter's grave and knelt down, brushing the grass shavings away. I looked down at the headstone and could almost see him smiling at me. "Hi, Hunter. I miss you, you know that, don't you. I wish you didn't do what you did. I could really use your shoulder. Things have come up. I have to leave. I'm not abandoning our friends, though. They have Brian to help protect them. I'm not abandoning our cause, either. Circumstances have come up that warrant me leaving L.A. Things will be okay. I guess I just have to carry on the fight in another town, another state. The battlefield is all over the world, anyway. There is a need to show the world what gay people are all about. And the young...they seem to need so much help anyway. Just look at what happened with you. You ended your life because a man forced his beliefs down your throat, as well as countless others. I have to ensure that others don't go through that." I felt tears well up in my eyes. God, how I missed Hunter. He was such a quiet guy. He was so warm, so loving, so gentle. He had the soul of a saint. He loved life and wanted to do the right thing. Unfortunately Dr. Israel's idea of the right thing led to Hunter ending his own life. Why should such precious life be wasted because others think it's wrong? Must everyone have another person to hate? Must everyone have a cause that will exclude some person or group for a petty unimportant reason? So far it seems so. But it must stop. It has to stop if we are going to make any progress in this world. A song came to mind and I began to sing it to Hunter in honor of his memory. There's a place for us Somewhere a place for us Peace and quiet and open air Wait for us somewhere There's a time for us Someday a time for us Time together with time to spare Time to love, time to care Someday, Somewhere We'll find a new way of living We'll find a way of forgiving Somewhere, Somewhere There's a place for us A time and a place for us Hold my hand and we're halfway there Hold my hand and I'll take you there Somehow, Someday Somehow, Someday Somewhere I felt a hand grab mine as I sang. I looked up and saw Nick Carter holding my hand. We had gotten to become friends when we shared a hospital room when I was recovering from being raped. He joined in with me singing. Somewhere, Somewhere We kept singing that over and over, that one word. Got to be somewhere Got to be somewhere Somewhere out there Somewhere I couldn't handle it. I feel to my knees and cried. It came as a torrent flooding out. I could not control it, nor did I want to. I had to get this out of me and the only way to do that was to cry. As I sobbed, I felt arms around me. Nick had knelt beside me and held me as we both cried for our dearly loved and sadly departed friend. We must have been there for a while because when the tears stopped and I looked up, the sun was setting. I stood up and Nick stood up beside me. "You come here often?" I asked. "Yeah. I miss Hunter. He helped me so much. If it had not been for Derrick in my life and Dr. Israel in his, we could have had something." "Hunter would be so happy to hear you say that." "He was a good friend, a good man." "I know." "What about you? Do you come here a lot?" "I wish I could say I did. I was never any good with handling death, as you noticed. Plus I've been busy. Not that I've not thought about him a lot. I have. Almost every day. I think about what he and I had as a friendship. He had gone through so much. And to see him when he hung himself..." The tears began to flow again. "You saw him hang himself?" "I found his body hanging from the ceiling. And the song "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely" was playing, in particular Howie's part. There's nowhere to run, I have no place to go, surrender my heart, body and soul, how can it be you're asking me to feel the things you never show." Nick just looked at me with tears in his eyes. "That song helped him understand what he was going through. Some may use that to say it encouraged him to commit suicide, but it didn't. It helped him understand that people like Dr. Israel only try to trap others into feeling less than what they are. Those kinds of people destroy others from the inside out. Unfortunately, Hunter took the only way he could see. There is always a way out besides death. That's what I want to do with my life...show others there is a way out, a positive way, a better way." Nick and I stood there looking at Hunter's grave for a few more minutes. Silently, Nick turned and left leaving me alone with Hunter. Then I turned and walked away. To Be Continued... Wow! What an emotional chapter! And kind of funny with Brian being the only heterosexual male at Thanksgiving! Kind of reminds me of the movie "Object of My Affection" with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. She invites all these homosexuals to Thanksgiving. It's so cute. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would love to hear feedback from you, positive or negative, about this or any other chapter in this saga.