Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 07:12:28
From: musicfan@indabox.com
Subject: Where Do We Go #31

Disclaimer:

   The following story is the next installment in an on going series about
Stephen Gately from Boyzone and what I imagine to be the story behind the
beginning of his relationship with Eloy de Jong from Caught in the Act. I
have no contact with either person, nor know any of the members of either
group.

    Thank you for the emails, it's great to have feedback on the story so
far.  And to those who are feeling a wee bit impatient with the lack of
lust in the past few chapters, hang in there, because it's coming.


    Cheers!

    Musicfan


####

    Eloy's mother smiled at the young man on the walkway in front of her.
He had dark hair and blue eyes that glanced at her nervously before looking
down.  She found herself immediately captivated and understood what her son
saw in him.  She slipped an arm in Eloy's and leaned into him with a smile.
Looking up, she beckoned him closer.  He leaned down.

     "Op welke manier uitrichten ik zeg welkomstgroet binnen Engels?" She
whispered softly.  He whispered something back before looking back up to
give Stephen a reassuring wink.  Stephen didn't notice, he was so nervous
at meeting Eloy's mom for the first time.

     "Welcome, Stephen," she said softly, pronouncing his name so that it
sounded more like Stefan.  She smiled at him. "Sorry, ik onvertaald niet
spreken Engels."

     Eloy turned and reached a hand out to Stephen.  Tentatively Stephen
grasped it with his own and he pulled Stephen closer. "Unfortunately, my
mother doesn't speak English.  But I am happy to interpret back and forth
for you both."  He smiled encouragingly down at Stephen as he pulled him to
his side.

     Stephen smiled nervously at Eloy's mother.  "Please tell her thank
you..." he searched around for a word he had heard Eloy say in the past and
looked up at Eloy's mom. "Dank u?" He said tentatively.  When she smiled at
him, he knew he had gotten it right. "And Eloy, please tell her that I am
pleased to meet her."

     "Hij bestaat aangenaam kennis te maken," Eloy said proudly to his
mother.  She smiled delightedly and reached a hand out to Stephen.  He
found himself taking it automatically.

     "Kom mee binnen," she said, pulling him into the house.  He followed
her, looking back to make sure that Eloy was there.  He really didn't have
to worry, because Eloy had no intention of abandoning him.

     They entered a parlour that was decorated in shades of blue, with
light grey accents.  Stephen looked around without trying to seem that he
was looking around. A large sofa dominated the room and was covered with
brightly coloured pillows.  Eloy's mother continued to lead the way and he
only had a quick glimpse of family pictures along the wall.  A smile tugged
at his lips when he saw a small boy perched on top of an impossibly tall
horse.  He knew that the boy in the picture must have been Eloy.  On other
walls, he could see gold records proudly displayed and he felt a pang of
homesickness, because it reminded him of what his own mother did around the
house back in Dublin.

     From there they entered a large airy kitchen and Stephen knew
immediately where Eloy's fondness for plants came from.  It was filled with
flowering plants on every available surface.  He sniffed appreciatively as
they paused for a moment.  Eloy's mother opened a pot and stirred before
putting the lid back on. She smiled at them both and beckoned them both
through the back door and onto the patio.

     The backyard was ablaze with colour.  Flowers grew in wild abandon and
as Eloy's mom lead the way to a table and chairs, Stephen saw that she had
already set the table for brunch.  Eloy pulled out a chair for her to sit
down and then he and Stephen sat down also.

    "It's very lovely here, Eloy." Stephen said.  Eloy smiled at him and
translated what Stephen said back to his mother.  She beamed at him and
chattered away about the different flowers in the garden, with Eloy keeping
pace as she pointed out her favorites.  Stephen found himself relaxing more
as time went on.  At one point she jumped up and went back into the kitchen
to get their brunch together.

    "So, what do you think?" Eloy asked with a smile, his chin resting on
his hand.

    Stephen smiled at him.  "She's wonderful. I love her."  He glanced
around and saw her moving about the kitchen.  "Shouldn't we be helping
her?"

    "No, she loves this kind of stuff. I wouldn't dream of trying to help,"
Eloy said with a laugh.  He placed a hand over Stephen's.  "Still nervous?"

    Stephen shook his head and smiled. He then turned his hand over so that
they were palm to palm.  He stroked the back of Eloy's hand with his
thumb. "No, not at all. This is great Eloy.  Is this where you grew up?"

    "Oh, no.  My mother has only lived here a few years.  I did grow up not
too far from here." He said, watching to make sure his mother didn't need
help, despite what he had said before.  "Luci found it for her."

    "It's nice," Stephen said.  He watched a butterfly flutter past them
and onto a branch before looking at Eloy. "Must be something about older
sisters that make them good at finding houses."

    Eloy laughed. "I hadn't thought of that."  He got up as he saw his
mother carrying out a heavy tray.  Stephen turned around and half-rose from
his seat, but he realized that between the two of them, they had things
well in hand.  Eloy put the tray down to one side and allowed his mother to
serve.  There was a pot with some sort of fish stew, some pastries that
Stephen didn't recognize, and a lot of other dishes.  He marveled at the
amount of food she pulled off the platter.

    "Mama! Poffertjes!!" Eloy exclaimed with a smile.  He grabbed some of
the small pancakes and then added some onto Stephen's plate with a grin.
"She knows I love them."  His mother sat back down with a smile and helped
Eloy fill Stephen's plate up until he protested that he wasn't going to be
able to eat it all.

    "Stop it!" He laughed.  "You're going to make me fat!" Eloy translated
that for his mom and they both laughed. Eloy's mom told Stephen to call her
Lenie, which he did a bit shyly at first.

    By the time they had finished, hours had flown by.  They had sat over
the remains of the meal talking about everything under the sun, with
Stephen explaining some of the things he was working on, and Eloy talking
about his own projects.  Lenie tried to get up and take the dishes away,
but the two men objected and carried the tray of dishes back into the
kitchen, where they washed and dried them together.

     While Eloy washed, Stephen grabbed a nearby hand towel and dried the
dishes.  Lenie followed them back inside and made some coffee, all the
while keeping up a chatter that had Eloy alternately laughing and rolling
his eyes between translations.  When they were finished, Lenie took Stephen
by the hand and brought him through the house.  Even without Eloy
translating sometimes, Stephen got the message that Lenie wanted to say,
just in her expression.

     She pointed out pictures of Eloy as a young boy, and once again,
Stephen found himself in front of the picture of Eloy on the horse. Stephen
looked at Eloy who was grinning with delight at the way the two of them
were getting along.  Despite the language barrier they had immediately
taken to one another and he couldn't have been happier. He couldn't help
but contrast their relationship with his mother's relationship with his ex,
Carlo.  While they had always been pleasant to each other, they had never
bonded the way she and Stephen seemed to on just their first meeting.

     He stayed back while they walked around the living room arm in
arm. She'd point out some pictures of either Eloy or his sister, and then
talk about how the picture got taken. Sometimes Stephen would look to him
for an explanation, but he didn't seem bored or uncomfortable at all.

    In fact, Stephen was having the time of his life.  Eloy's mother was
telling him everything he wanted to know about his favorite person. How
could he not enjoy every minute of it?  He beckoned Eloy over as Lenie
leaned across the piano in the den, deftly grabbing another picture to show
off.

    "Are you embarrassed yet?" he asked with a soft laugh.  Eloy shrugged
amiably and shook his head.

    "No, I'm used to this, because she'll bring fans through sometimes and
show off. She enjoys doing it so much," Eloy said with a laugh.  He took
the picture out of his mother's hand and shared it between the three of
them.  "This is when I was a bit younger and used to compete in dance
competitions."

     Stephen looked over the costumed young man with the sequined headband
with a grin.  "God, and I thought I wore some awful stuff as a kid... Hey!"
he protested when Eloy poked him in the arm. "You have to admit, E, that
this is a bit funny."  He smiled up at Eloy. "Though someday I'm sure
you'll see your share of my tacky outfits from when I did the same thing."

     Lenie looked on with a smile, knowing that Stephen was teasing her son
about the picture.  She enjoyed watching them together.  When she had been
in the kitchen before their brunch, she had deliberately taken her time so
she could watch them out the window.  Body language spoke volumes that
words did not, and she had seen a lot pass between the two of them just in
the time she had been away from the table.

     Eloy looked up and caught her watching them.  He smiled at his mother
and translated what Stephen was saying to him about his picture.  She made
the appropriate face to support him and he turned around triumphantly and
said something in English that she didn't understand.  Stephen laughed and
together they moved on to the sofa in the living room.  Lenie brought the
coffee into the room from the kitchen and they all took a cup.  Eloy and
Stephen sat down on the sofa together while she curled up in the
overstuffed armchair off to one side. Eloy stretched before putting his arm
around Stephen's shoulders and cuddling him close.

    "You okay?" Stephen murmured softly. He placed his hand on Eloy's knee
and squeezed lightly. "Don't want you tired out too much, honey."  Eloy
rested his cheek on the top of Stephen's head with a sigh.

    "No, I'm okay. It's just nice to be able to sit here with you, is all."
Eloy said with another heartfelt sigh, dropping his other hand into his lap
and threading his fingers in Stephen's.  "It seems like I've been running
around constantly for the last few weeks and it's just nice to be still,
you know?"

    "Yeah, I know what you mean," Stephen said with a smile.  He looked up
and saw Lenie watching them together with a smile on her face.  She gave
him a wink that he returned before looking down again.  "This is your time
off.  Please don't feel like you have to run around on account of me, you
know."

    "Thank you, zusje." Eloy said. "Though there is so much I want to show
you here."

    Stephen made a dismissing gesture with his free hand. "There will be
other times. It's not like this is going to be my only trip here, you
know."

    "Ja, I know." Eloy said before drifting off into silence.  "It's just
that I had all this stuff worked out in my head for this trip.  I really
hadn't planned on losing last night, you know."

    "It doesn't matter, E." Stephen emphasized.  "Tell me, how does one
tell you to behave in Dutch?"  He leaned back into the cushions so he could
smile up at Eloy.

    "I'm not telling you that!" Eloy protested with a laugh.  His mother
made an inquiring sound and he quickly translated for her.  Stephen picked
up the last bit and turned them over in his mind a bit before pulling back
to shake his finger at Eloy.

    "Zich gedragen!" he said which made Eloy crack up.  His pronunciation
was horrendous, but both Eloy and his mother got the idea of what he was
trying to say.

    "Niet," Eloy replied.  His mother started saying something to him in
rapid Dutch and Stephen sat back to wait for the translation.  He could
feel Eloy shaking silently by his side as he chuckled in response.

    "What'd she say?" He asked when she had finished.

    "My mother just called me a brat, for one thing and told me in no
uncertain terms that I should listen to what you have to say," he said,
laughing.

    "You should always listen to your mother, you know," Stephen said
seriously.  That made Eloy laugh even harder.  "Which word means brat?"

     "I'm not telling you," he said self-righteously. "Because I am not
one."

     "Yeah, right." Stephen said as he pretended to pull away from Eloy and
turn his back towards him. "Tell me another one that I'll believe."  He saw
Lenie smiling at him merrily and he winked again as he tried to resist the
pull of Eloy's arms around his shoulders. "Now stop that right this
instant!"

     "No," Eloy said, pulling him back to lie across his lap. "Hush now!"
He looked down at Stephen before leaning down to kiss him.  It was a kiss
similar to the ones they had shared earlier that morning.  Stephen's arms
went up and wrapped themselves around Eloy's neck as the kiss deepened.  By
the time they came up for air, neither was conscious of how much time had
passed.

     Eloy gradually came back to the present. He looked down at Stephen
whose lips were parted slightly from their kiss. His cheeks were flushed
and his lashes fluttered on his cheeks.  He looked up to see his mother
watching them with a smile, her chin propped up on one hand on the arm of
her chair.  Shaking his head ruefully, he sighed, which caused Stephen to
open his eyes. He realised their position was a bit compromising in front
of Eloy's mother and struggled to sit back up again.

     Eloy wouldn't allow him. "No, stay." He kept his arms wrapped around
Stephen and looked down at him. "I like you better this way."

     Stephen was a bit uncomfortable staying in that position in front of
Eloy's mom. "Eloy, please."  He gave up struggling because Eloy wouldn't
let him go, and silently admitted defeat.  He glanced over at Lenie who was
watching them with a smile on her face.  He relaxed a bit at that.  She
obviously had no objection to their cuddling together and seemed delighted
at seeing the two of them together. Though he had to admit to himself that
he couldn't in a million years imagine doing this in his own home in front
of his parents.

    Eloy saw a strange look pass over Stephen's face and he wondered what
was going on inside.  Sometimes Stephen puzzled him that way. "What?"

    Stephen looked up and realised that Eloy had been watching his
reaction.  "Nothing.  Just..." he paused, trying to find a way to explain
what he was thinking.  "It's just that I can't ever imagine doing this back
home in Dublin."  He smiled wryly up at Eloy, who laughed.  Stephen had
explained that while his parents were accepting of him, there was an
unspoken understanding that it was fine as long as it didn't become public
knowledge.  When Stephen had told Eloy that, it had made him a bit sad that
they wouldn't want to support their son in his life.  He knew his
upbringing had been a lot more liberal than Stephen's, but still, he
couldn't imagine his mother being anything but supportive.  He frowned
briefly with remembered thoughts of his own father's rejection of his
lifestyle.

      "Wat?" Lenie asked softly, startling them both out of their thoughts.
She had seen that Stephen had grown quiet and once he had said something to
Eloy that they both had gotten a bit distant. Her question brought them
both to the present, and this time Eloy didn't resist when Stephen sat back
up again.  Eloy softly explained to his mother that Stephen's comment had
brought memories of run-ins with his own father back to mind.

     Lenie's mouth pursed as she thought back on to her ex-husband's
reaction to Eloy's assertion that he was gay.  Prosper had been livid,
screaming at his youngest son.  She couldn't understand what had made him
so upset, since it hadn't really come as a surprise to her.  He had been so
crestfallen from his father's reaction and she had spent a lot of time
trying to make up for what his father did.  She got up off the chair and
came over to where they were sitting.  She sat down next to Stephen and
wrapped her arms around the two men on the sofa.  Eloy returned her hug and
the two of them squeezed Stephen in the middle.

    He laughed, feeling sandwiched in between the two of them. "Hey!" Eloy
rested his head on Stephen's shoulder and winked at his mother.

    "Doet opdat bijstand?" She asked.  Stephen looked around so he could
see Eloy's face.  He made a sound, asking for a translation.

    "She wanted to know if the hug helped," Eloy said.  "Did it?"

    Stephen smiled and turned back to Lenie.  He put his arms around her
and hugged her back.  She smiled delightedly and wrapped her arms around
him.  It was a lot different from hugging her son, who oftentimes was hard
to reach.  She kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him.

     "Ik behoefte u verheugd. Ik behoefte u allebei verblijd." She said.
Eloy rubbed his cheek against Stephen's and translated her wish to see them
both happy.

     "Thank you," Stephen said. "Dank u." He grinned, since it was the only
word he really knew in Dutch.  She laughed merrily, chasing his darker
thoughts away.  In some ways, it made him wistful that his parents weren't
as accepting as Lenie was.  He tried to picture bringing Eloy home to his
mother and drew a complete blank.

     He vividly remembered the day he told her he was gay.  They had been
sitting at the kitchen table and he remembered the smile that seemed to be
stuck on her face before she turned away and bit back a sob.  He had been
totally bewildered by her reaction, and had turned to his father, who had
been far more accepting at the time.  His mother had run out of the room
and up the stairs crying and he remembered feeling his gut wrench with
reaction.  His sister had tried to explain that it had come as a bit of a
shock to their mother and the thought that he might never give her
grandchildren was upsetting to her. His father had left the table to go
comfort his mother. He tried to tell his sister that there was no reason
why he couldn't have children at some point in his life if he wanted, but
while she understood, getting their parents to listen was another story.
It just wasn't done where they lived.  His mother was horrified at what the
neighbors would think when they found out.  Stephen had felt so absolutely
miserable at the time.  He really hadn't meant to cause them pain.

     It was his sister who helped them all through the rough time. Though
his father was a bit more understanding, Stephen had the impression that he
accepted it in the theoretical sense, but not in the practical application.
At times when he had been home and had talked about being attracted to
someone, both of his parents had reacted with stiff smiles and nods.  He
got the feeling that they didn't understand at all.

     He got pretty confused and depressed about it for a while. It wasn't
too long after the boyz' first album and tour when they had arrived
triumphantly back home from the Smash Hits tour that year. He had wanted to
share everything that was going on with his family, but though they tried,
they just couldn't comprehend how much his life was changing from their
own. And they definitely didn't understand how much he yearned to have
someone special in his life, even though he tried to articulate it to them.
Eventually Alan told him that he better not mention things like that, since
it was still upsetting to their mother. Stephen had withdrawn inside
himself after that, only letting himself really come out of his shell when
he was on tour or on stage.  It had worried his sister to no end, and at
times it seemed like it was the two of them against the world as she strove
to help him come to terms with his life. The lads had helped and had been
supportive on their end, too, which had done wonders. He sighed, lost in
his thoughts.

     A touch on his cheek brought him back to the present and he blinked.

    "Where'd you go?" Eloy breathed in his ear. "You drifted off
somewhere."

    Stephen leaned against him with a sigh.  "Sorry, I was woolgathering."
He smiled at Lenie and taking her hand, gave it a slight squeeze. "Danke."

    Lenie gave him an understanding smile.  She had seen the cloud pass
over his face and knew he probably was remembering something sad. Eloy had
mentioned that his moods were often easy to read and she found that he was
right.  Everything Stephen felt seemed to show on his face.

    "U vierkante decameter immer welkomstgroet in mijn thuis." She spoke
softly and slowly, as if speaking slower would make herself more
understandable.  She looked up at her son before returning her glance to
Stephen's face.  Eloy repeated what she just said in English and Stephen
felt his heart swell at her statement. "You are always welcome in my home."

    "I..." He stopped, unable to get a word past the lump in his throat. It
was almost painful, having this unconditional acceptance from Eloy's
mother.

    "U tweetal vierkante decameter tezamen." She interrupted him. "Opdat is
allen opdat zetsels. Ik zorgvuldigheid."

    "What?" He turned so that he could watch Eloy's face as he interpreted
what she had said.

    "Mama said that all that matters is that we are together." He smiled
down at Stephen.  "I'm sorry that your family hasn't been as accepting as
they should be. And that she cares for you."

    Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please tell her that
it means a lot to hear her be so accepting of us, E.  Please." He repeated
what Stephen had said and Lenie looked at him for a long while before
pulling him into her arms again.  Eloy went on to mention that his parents
hadn't been happy about him being gay and that obviously it bothered him.
She looked at him and tried to convey her acceptance through her eyes.  It
tugged on her heartstrings to find this young man so vulnerable.  She could
easily see what her son saw in him on many points.  The way that Eloy
hovered behind him protectively told her more than either of them realized.

    Stephen rested his cheek against Lenie's breast and sighed deeply. He
really hadn't thought that his feelings could be so close to the surface,
but seeing the easy and accepting relationship that Eloy had with his
mother brought home to him the fact that although his parents obviously
loved him as their son, they didn't understand him.  Lenie understood Eloy
and willingly supported him and his life decisions. After a moment he sat
up and kissed her cheek.  He closed his eyes briefly and took in the
comforting smell of her perfume before pulling back and opening his eyes
again.

    "Wow," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Eloy.  I had no idea that was going
to happen."

    Eloy had been rubbing his back all the while and wrapped his arms
around Stephen's waist. "Its okay, liefste.  That's what we're here for,
you know." He pulled Stephen back to rest against his chest and hugged him.

    There was a bit of an awkward pause as Stephen tried to shrug it off.
Eloy wasn't buying it though and kept him wrapped up in his arms. He looked
up as his mother said something that he thought he shouldn't repeat to
Stephen.  It wasn't the nicest thing to say, but based on what they had
just both witnessed with Stephen, there was a lot that they were going to
have to talk about at some point in the future.  He decided it was probably
better to just change the topic, which he did by tickling Stephen and
nuzzling his neck.

    "Behave!" Stephen said, which made Lenie laugh and broke the mood they
were all in. The moment had passed and they moved onto other things.

    Eventually, they were all talked out.  Eloy looked down at his watch
and jumped when he saw what time it was.

    "Stephen, it's getting late.  We have to run." He said before switching
to Dutch and telling his mother that he wanted to get home so he could plan
dinner.  She gave an understanding nod and got up from the sofa when they
did.  She shooed them away from helping her with the coffee and ushered
them towards the door.  They said their good-byes and planned for getting
together the following day before they headed out the door.  Lenie stood at
the door and rested her forehead on the frame as they walked down the walk.
She could see that theirs was a special relationship and she sent a silent
wish that they wouldn't have too rough of a time with it all.  Long distant
relationships had their own set of problems, and with both of them also
traveling for their careers, it wasn't going to make things any easier.

     Eloy followed Stephen down the walk and out to the car.  He opened the
door for Stephen and let him get in before walking around and getting into
the driver's side.  His mother was still at the door as he started up the
engine and they waved as he turned around in the drive and headed back
towards town.  He looked over at Stephen who was being rather quiet.

     "So," he said as he pulled out onto the main road that led back
towards Amsterdam.  They were soon out of the town of Maarssen and headed
north back towards home.  Stephen looked out the window and watched the
scenery go by.  "What did you think?"

     Stephen was startled out of his thoughts and looked over towards Eloy.
"About what?  Your Mam?" He smiled as Eloy nodded.  "She's... terrific.
Incredible."  Eloy laughed as he expanded on his thoughts. "No, seriously,
E, I mean that.  I don't think I've ever met someone who I clicked with so
well. Well, other than you," he hastily added, which made Eloy laugh all
the more.

    "Goed," Eloy said when he calmed down a bit.  "I'm glad. I knew you two
would get along together.  And she was so excited at finally getting to
meet you, you know."  He turned onto the A2 and started the drive back
towards his apartment.

    "That's so sweet of her," Stephen said, still watching Eloy and
ignoring the scenery.  "I think the feeling was mutual. She is so easy to
get along with. Eloy, I hope you appreciate her."

    Eloy laughed. "Oh, believe me, I do! She's been great to me over the
years, and very supportive, no matter what trouble I got myself into.  I do
appreciate it."

    "Good. Because if you didn't, I'd have to thrash you," Stephen said
with a laugh.  They quieted down and Eloy turned on the radio, hunting
around the stations for something to listen to.  He looked out the window
as they were driving and started to give Stephen a running tour of where
they were as they approached the city.

    "It's quite small, isn't it?" Stephen said as they approached the
outskirts of Amsterdam.

    "Ja, that's one of the nice things about it," Eloy said.  "You can get
about on foot for the most part, and there's a lot to do here.  I love it
here."  He entered along the south canal as A2 ended into Rijnstraat and
slowed down as they entered the city limits.

    "The streets seem pretty small," Stephen noted as Eloy navigated their
way through the narrow avenues.  There were people strolling along the
sidewalks and tourists wandering everywhere with cameras around their
necks.  A lot of it went by too fast despite the fact that Eloy wasn't
going that fast.  Stephen realized it was because everything was packed
tightly together with the buildings on top of each other.  Just as soon as
he focused on one thing, something else would grab his attention.  Eloy
explained that the canals were built over the course of several centuries
for defense and trade purposes, and that more recently they had become more
of a tourist attraction than anything else in the city.

    They wound their way through the streets with Eloy pointing out various
bits that he thought would be interesting.  They turned left along a
smaller canal and traveled along it back towards Eloy's apartment.  As they
got closer, Eloy hoped that they weren't going to have much trouble getting
back inside.  The fans hanging around outside weren't that many yet, but he
knew it was only a matter of time. Stephen noticed that he got quiet as
they drove and he wondered what was causing Eloy's frown.  He thought
perhaps that it might be something he said and he cast back into their
conversation for something that would have made Eloy look that way.  He
couldn't come up with anything at all.

    "Eloy?" He asked tentatively.  He played nervously with the buckle of
his seatbelt.

    "Ja?" Eloy responded absently. They weren't too far from his place now,
and he was thinking of what they would do if there were fans in front of
his apartment.

    "Something wrong?" Stephen asked, half-afraid of what the answer might
be.  His question was met with a sigh.

    "No, not yet," Eloy replied, debating with himself as to whether he
should let Stephen know what the problem was.  He knew that wasn't a good
answer, though.  "It's just that I'm afraid of what we might run into when
we get back to my place."

    "Oh?" Was all Stephen said.

    "In the last few weeks some fans have found out where I live," Eloy
said, almost apologetically. Stephen's sigh showed him that he understood
the problem they were facing.

    "So, what do we do if there are fans there?" Stephen asked practically.

    "That's what I'm trying to figure out," Eloy replied.  "Take a look in
the back seat and see if maybe we have something back there we could use.

     Stephen had no clue what he was looking for, but turned around in his
seat to survey the back seat.  There wasn't much of one in this beat up old
Audi that Eloy was driving.  It had a crumpled sweatshirt, some CDs that
Eloy had tossed into the back and a couple of magazines, but not much else.

    "Out of luck, honey," Stephen said.  He turned back because it was
making him a bit carsick to be facing the wrong direction.
Surreptitiously, he tried to put a hand to his stomach to calm it down.  He
didn't want Eloy to think the idea of fans being at the house was upsetting
him.  Though he had to admit, that it was certainly going to make their
lives more difficult if they wanted to keep their relationship quiet.

     Eloy swore softy in Dutch under his breath and kept on going.  "Be
prepared to duck down, zusje.  I'm going to drive by and park if I don't
see anyone.  If I do, I'm going to keep on going, all right?"

     "Yeah, okay." Stephen said.  He loosened his seatbelt and hoped that
he was going to be able to duck down enough to not be seen.  Eloy pointed
out the seat recliner button on the side and he put his hand on it in case
he needed it.  He was feeling a bit silly about it, but on the other hand
the thought of someone finding out about them scared the shit out of him.

    They turned onto Eloy's street and he looked ahead to see if there was
anyone in front of his apartment building.  He was disturbed to see a
couple of people standing across the street and his heart sank.

    "I think I see someone," he said softly, putting his hand on Stephen's
leg. "Just in case, I'm going to turn off before we get there so keep your
fingers crossed."

    Stephen dutifully crossed his fingers and reclined the seat back so he
was looking at the roof of the car.  Light from outside played across the
roof and he closed his eyes to stop himself from getting sick.  His stomach
was in knots.

    With a low curse, Eloy took a right, sending Stephen's stomach against
his ribs with a jarring motion at the abruptness of the turn. He pressed
his lips together and tried to ignore the bile that crept up into the back
of his throat.  He didn't have time to deal with getting sick.

    Eloy pulled behind the row houses into the alley and drove along its
length for a bit before stopping.  He shut off the engine with a sigh and
sat back.  He turned to look at Stephen and bit back a curse. The younger
man had his eyes closed and was looking a bit green.  He had totally
forgotten about Stephen's tendency to get carsick and had just made the
turn without warning as he thought about being able to get in through the
alley behind the houses.

   "Stephen?" He asked softly, reaching out with one hand to touch
Stephen's cheek.  It felt clammy to his touch and he got a bit worried.
"You okay?"

   Stephen made a concerted effort to still his stomach. He opened his eyes
and looked up at Eloy, who was hovering over him. "Yeah, I'm okay.  Just
that last turn got to me.  Give me a minute and I'll be all set."  He
closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. When
he felt he could, he sat up, releasing the seatbelt as he did so. "Are we
there?" He looked around the dim alley, but didn't recognize where they
were.

   "Yeah, we're behind my building.  I forgot that there was a way in the
back that people don't normally use.  At least no one will see us going in
or out this way." Eloy explained.  He was relieved to see that the color
was coming back into Stephen's face.  He really didn't want anything to mar
their time together if at all possible. "Let me know when you feel up to
climbing some stairs."

   "Let's go," Stephen said, opening up the car door and hauling himself
out.  He was bound and determined not to put a damper on their time
together.  He felt a bit better as the cool air touched his face and he
heaved a sigh of relief to be not moving anymore.  Turning around, he could
see that Eloy was standing on the other side, watching him closely.  "Which
way?"

    Eloy indicated the direction with one hand and he walked around the
hood to join Stephen.  The traffic from the street was muted here, and
there were some small trees offering shade for them as they climbed the
stairs to a small door.  Fishing in his pocket, Eloy found the key and
opened the door.  He stepped back to allow Stephen to walk in front of them
before entering and closing the door behind him.  It was dark in the
vestibule and Stephen stood close to him as if nervous about their
surroundings.  A long hallway was in front of them as Eloy locked the door
behind them.

    Giving him a reassuring smile, Eloy brushed his shoulder as he passed
before leading the way down the hall.  They ended up in the lobby of Eloy's
building and Stephen relaxed when he recognized where they were.  Eloy
peered through the curtains and saw that his suspicions had been correct.
Two girls with CITA posters were standing at a car on the opposite side of
the street, obviously waiting to see him come home. It was a good thing
that they hadn't tried to drive down the street.  He sighed as he let the
curtain fall back in place and turned to where Stephen was standing.

    "We made it," he said with a smile and indicated the stairs.  They
climbed up together, taking their time getting to the fourth floor.  The
building was quiet, since it was in the middle of the week and most people
were off at work.

    Stephen was a little out of breath when they finally reached the top
floor. He felt completely out of shape and he tried to hide his panting as
Eloy moved forward to open the door to his apartment.  It was the only one
on the floor, which gave him a bit more privacy.  After unlocking the door,
Eloy stepped in and waited for Stephen to enter.