Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:48:09 -0800 (PST) From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com> Subject: Phases- part 10 Copyright and Disclaimer: 1. This is a fictional story with fictional characters. 2. No one is to steal this story under any circumstances. 3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it, this isn't the story for you. Hope everyone had a good holiday season, and hope you are all still enjoying! Here's part 10 entitled, "Meet the Parent" The holiday season had come and gone, the guys were all in a good place in their lives. Nick was in New York with Adrian, Leo and Jesse were back together and happy as ever, and Kurt and Ryan were good as always. In the morning, Kurt and Ryan woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. Kurt groggily reached over and answered it. "Hello?" Kurt asked rubbing his eyes. "Hey, it's me," Nick replied. "Nick?" Kurt asked. "Yeah," Nick replied. "Do you know what time it is?" Kurt asked looking at the clock and reading 5:03 AM. "It's only 8," Nick replied, but then quickly remembered, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry, I forgot that I'm three hours ahead of you." "Yeah," Kurt replied. "You want me to let you go?" Nick asked. "No, it's fine," Kurt replied. "Good to hear from you again. Haven't talked to you in almost a week, thought you died or something." "No, I'm good," Nick said, "Better than good. I'm having the best time out here." "I bet you are," Kurt said. "Today after we get breakfast, we're going to go down to Soho," Nick said. "Awesome," Kurt said, "Do some shopping for me." "Will do," Nick said. "How's Leo doing?" "Good, him and Jesse are very good," Kurt replied. "Good," Nick said, "And Ryan's doing all right?" "Yeah, he's good, he's trying to go back to sleep right now," Kurt said rubbing Ryan's back. "Oh okay," Nick said, "Well I'll let you go." "All right," Kurt said, "Thanks for calling, glad to hear you're having a good time." "I am," Nick said, "I'll call you and let you know when I'll be back." "Okay," Kurt said, "Be safe." "You too," Nick replied. "Bye." "Bye," Kurt replied hanging up the phone. He then rolled over and snuggled up with Ryan. "How's Nick doing?" Ryan asked. "He's good," Kurt replied as he got comfortable in bed again. "Sorry he woke you up." "It's okay," Ryan replied as the two fell back asleep. Later that day at a more reasonable hour, Leo and Jesse were waking up in bed together at Leo's apartment. "Good morning," Jesse said kissing Leo. "Morning," Leo replied smiling. "How'd you sleep?" Jesse asked. "Perfectly," Leo replied, "Felt just like how it used to be. I missed this." "Me too," Jesse replied, "I it was so great to just lay together and talk all night and just be together and hold you." "First of many nights," Leo said. "Yeah," Jesse replied, "Back we're back!" "Exactly," Leo said smiling as he gave Jesse another kiss. "I'm going to make you breakfast," Jesse said. "Sounds great, except I don't have anything in the kitchen," Leo replied. "All right," Jesse said getting up, "I'll run to the store to pick some stuff up. What do you feel like?" "You don't have to," Leo said. "I want to," Jesse said, "Now what would you like?" "I always love your chocolate chip pancakes," Leo smiled. "Coming right up," Jesse said, "Just rest and I'll be back in a bit." Jesse quickly put some clothes on and headed out to the grocery store. "I love that man," Leo said to himself smiling as Jesse walked out the door. As Leo laid in bed he grabbed the phone and called Kurt who was reading the anniversary issue of his magazine, the first time he's been able to read it since he got it over a week ago. "Hello?" Kurt asked picking up the phone. "I love Jesse," Leo said happily. "And I love shopping, what else you got?" Kurt joked. "No, seriously," Leo said, "Jesse is so great. I'm so glad him and I are back together." "I am too," Kurt said. "I think you and him make a perfect couple." "Me too," Leo replied. "He's just so amazing." "Leo, did you just call me to sing the praises of Jesse?" Kurt asked. "No, I called because I wanted to know if you had a chance to smooth things over between your mom and Ryan," Leo said. "No," Kurt said, "I was actually thinking of calling her today and setting up a dinner between him and her." "You should," Leo encouraged. "But do you think it's too soon to do a big dinner between them?" Kurt asked. "No," Leo said, "You two have been dating over a month now, and you two live together so that speeds forward your relationship even more." "I guess," Kurt said. "And it's better to calm the air between her and him earlier instead of waiting," Leo said. "He might be too afraid to even go to dinner with her," Kurt said, "He's so embarrassed about what happened." "Well let him explain what's been going on and I'm sure she'll understand," Leo said. "You know, I don't think my mom would be all to keen that the man I'm dating and living with might possibly be in the process of losing his job," Kurt said. "Kurt, why are you being so difficult about the two of them meeting?" Leo asked, "Just do it." "Because I'm just as scared of them meeting," Kurt said. "I never brought a guy over to meet my mom." "Never?" Leo asked. "No," Kurt said. "Not even Scott?" Leo asked. "Nope," Kurt replied. "Why?" Leo asked, "You're mom's so great." "I don't know," Kurt said, "I just never did. Ryan is the first guy who I want my mom to get to know." "Maybe because this is the first guy you really like a lot," Leo said. "Probably," Kurt replied. "Well, give her a call and set something up," Leo said. "You're right," Kurt said, "I just need to check with Ryan first, I want to make sure he's ready for it." "Good luck," Leo said. "So what are you and Jesse doing today?" Kurt asked. "Well, he's off getting stuff to make me breakfast," Leo replied. "Aw, he's such a great guy," Kurt said. "I know," Leo replied. "I love him so much." "I forgot how cute you two were together," Kurt said. "I know," Leo said, "I did too. But it was so great, last night, we just laid in bed talking just like the way we used to together. I loved it." "I'm glad," Kurt said. "Anyway, I'll let you talk to Ryan about meeting your mom," Leo said. "Okay, I'll talk to you later," Kurt replied. "Love you." "Love you too," Leo replied hanging up. Over at the Gay and Lesbian center, Ryan was busy going over profits made for the center and for the charities sponsoring the event when his co-worker Lisa came in. "Hey Ryan," Lisa said hesitantly. "Hey," Ryan replied. "You talk to the managers?" "Yeah," Lisa replied. "And?" Ryan asked. "And while they said you're heart is in the right place, you just aren't bringing in enough money to keep this center going," Lisa said sympathetically. "They're firing me huh?" Ryan asked. "They would like you to stay on, but in a reduced role," Lisa replied. "They're demoting me?" Ryan asked. "Pretty much," Lisa replied. "Who's replacing me?" Ryan asked. "That's the worst part," Lisa replied. "They want me to try it." "What?" Ryan asked. "I know, which makes this all the more awkward," Lisa replied. "I wanted to tell you first, before they came and told you." "I can't believe this," Ryan said. "I know," Lisa replied, "That's why I feel so awful about this. You know, maybe I shouldn't take it." "Don't be stupid," Ryan said, "This is a great opportunity for you." "But I can't take your job," Lisa said. "Yes you can," Ryan said, "Just go for it." "Are you sure?" Lisa asked. "Positive," Ryan replied trying to be optimistic. "Well, how about we work as a team?" Lisa asked. "No," Ryan said, "I think I'm done here." "What?" Lisa asked sadly. "You don't mean that, you love it here." "I just can't do this anymore," Ryan said, "I busted my ass here, and if that's not good enough for them, then the best thing for me to do to keep my dignity is to move on." "But we need you, I need you," Lisa said. "No you don't," Ryan said, "This is a big break for you. You've worked so hard and if I'm going to lose my job, I'd rather it be to you, someone who deserves it." "Thanks so much Ryan," Lisa said giving Ryan a hug. Their moment was interrupted by Ryan's cell phone ringing, he looked at the caller ID and saw Kurt's name. "It's my boyfriend," Ryan said. "Okay, I'll talk to you in a bit," Lisa said leaving Ryan's office. "Hey," Ryan said answering the phone. "Hey, how are you?" Kurt asked. "I'm okay," Ryan replied, "I'll probably be home early today." "Oh great!" Kurt said. "I was calling because I was wondering how you felt about having dinner with my mom." Ryan thought it over, he already screwed things up for himself at work, he wasn't about to ruin things in his personal life as well. "Sure," Ryan replied, "Give me a chance to get on her good side." "Really?" Kurt asked happily, "I won't ask her if you don't want to." "No," Ryan said, "Let's do it." "Great!" Kurt said, "I'll give her a call and set something up." "Sounds good," Ryan said. "How early do you think you'll be home today?" Kurt asked. As he said that Ryan's manager came into his office. "Very early," Ryan replied. "I'll see you later." "Bye," Kurt replied as he hung up. Over at Leo's place, he just got done getting dressed for the day when he heard Jesse call out to him. "Breakfast is ready," Jesse announced. Leo came out of his room and saw a table full of all sorts of breakfast goods, chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, and coffee. "Wow," Leo said impressed. "Sit down," Jesse said pulling out a chair at the table for Leo. "Thanks babe," Leo said giving Jesse a kiss. "Anything for you," Jesse replied. "Careful, a guy can get used to this sort of treatment," Leo said smiling. "Well, I think that was my problem before," Jesse said, "I didn't do enough to show how much I care about you. It's going to be different this time." "Oh yeah?" Leo asked. "Yeah," Jesse promised, "You were always doing nice things for me and I took them for granted. I won't let that happen again." "I love you," Leo said kissing Jesse again. "I love you too," Jesse replied. "This looks so good," Leo said as he poured some syrup on the pancakes. "Hope so," Jesse said sitting down at the table. "And it taste great," Leo said taking a bite of his food. "So what do you have going on today?" Jesse asked. "Well, I actually have an audition," Leo replied. "An audition?" Jesse asked, "That's great. What's it for?" "It's for a tv series," Leo replied, "Dana at work told me about it. They were having some open auditions a while ago and I missed it, but fortunately, they are doing open auditions again. I guess the person they first cast didn't fit for the role." "Well you're great," Jesse said, "They'd be crazy not to hire you." "Yeah, you say that before every audition I go to," Leo replied, "And so far I've only gotten four out of the hundreds of auditions I've been to." "Well then that just means only four of the casting directors you've seen were sane," Jesse said with a wink. "Did you tell Kurt and Nick about this audition?" "No," Leo replied, "It's embarrassing telling them about an audition and then not getting it." "They're your best friends," Jesse pointed out. "I know, but I just don't want them feeling sorry for me," Leo said. "I mean, look at them, they both have great jobs and I'm just a waiter." "You're still starting out," Jesse said, "You just got to stick to it. You'll get there." "Look at you," Leo said, "You have a good job." "And I had to work my butt off for it just like you're doing now," Jesse said. "Don't worry." "I guess," Leo said, "I'm thinking of maybe just giving up the acting thing." "Don't you dare," Jesse said. "You love it." "I know, but-" Leo began before Jesse cut him off. "Listen to me," Jesse started, "When you talk about acting, you get this passion in your eyes. It's obvious that you love it and that's what you should stick to. I wouldn't want to see you in a career where you weren't happy." "You really think I can do it?" Leo asked. "Totally," Jesse replied. "Thanks babe," Leo said squeezing Jesse's hand. "So what do you have going on today?" "Have to go into the office for a bit and finish up some last minute things for my presentation and then present it to the advertisers this afternoon," Jesse said. "Nervous?" Leo asked, "I know you get a little nervous when you aren't completely done with your stuff before you have to present it." "Not too much this time," Jesse said, "I think cause I know what I want to do to finish this stuff up." "Good," Leo replied. "Good luck." "You too," Jesse said. Back at Kurt's place he was on the phone with his mom, Monica, about meeting Ryan for dinner. "...So anyway, if you just meet him again, I know you'll love him," Kurt said. "Sweetheart," Monica began, "Are you sure he's a good guy for you?" "He's a great guy," Kurt replied, "And you know I have good instincts about people. Look at how much you love Nick and Leo." "All right," Monica said, "But he didn't get off to a very good start." "I know," Kurt replied, "But I know he'll more then make it up to you." "Okay," Monica said, "How about you two come over here for dinner tonight?" "Sounds perfect," Kurt said, "Thanks so much mom." "I'll see you later sweety," Monica said. "Bye, love you," Kurt said. "Love you too," Monica replied hanging up. Meanwhile, Ryan parked his car and took a walk on the beach to collect his thoughts. He just lost his job, a job he loved, and didn't know what to do now. Remembering what him and Kurt had talked about on Christmas he decided to give him a call. "Hey, I was just about to call you," Kurt said answering the phone. "Hey, I need to talk to you," Ryan said. "What's up?" Kurt asked. "Well, I just lost my job," Ryan replied. "You what?" Kurt asked. "Yeah," Ryan sighed. "The Christmas event wasn't that successful. So I'm done." "They fired you?" Kurt asked. "They prefer the term, 'let go,'" Ryan replied. "Where are you?" Kurt asked. "The beach," Ryan replied. "Stay there," Kurt said, "I'll be right down." Twenty minutes later Kurt arrived at the beach and immediately saw Ryan sitting down in the sand. He quickly ran up and hugged him. "Hey, thanks for coming," Ryan said. "Thanks for calling me and letting me be there for you," Kurt said, "You want to talk?" "I just can't believe this happened," Ryan said. "I know, I'm so sorry," Kurt said, "You worked so hard on that event." "I know, but the truth is, they're right," Ryan said, "I've been slipping. I'm not as good as I used to be, I was better at getting sponsors, raising funds for the center. I just lost it somewhere." "Well, maybe it just means it's time for you to find something different, something new," Kurt suggested. "But what?" Ryan asked. "I have no idea what I want to do now." "When you were at the center, were you working there because you loved it or because you were good at it?" Kurt asked. "I liked it a lot," Ryan replied. "But did you love it?" Kurt asked. "No," Ryan answered. "I guess not." "Well, maybe now it's time to find something you love," Kurt said. "I guess that's one way to look at it," Ryan said. "I just don't want to think about it now. It's been a rough day." "Yeah, I should call my mom and cancel dinner," Kurt said. "Tonight?" Ryan asked. "Yeah," Kurt replied, "I'll just tell her what happened, she'll understand." "No," Ryan said, "We're going to have dinner with your mom. I am not going to give her another reason to not like me." "She'll understand," Kurt said, "This was out of your control." "No," Ryan said, "Meeting her is important, not only to you, but to me as well. I want to go." "Are you sure?" Kurt asked. "Positive," Ryan answered. "Thank you," Kurt said giving Ryan a hug. Later that day, Leo arrived at the open audition, he was one of hundreds of men there auditioning for the part. As he was waiting to be called in he was looking at all the other guys that were there, all of them were just like him, young, unknowns, all trying to make it into show business. "Can you believe how many people are here?" one guy said starting up a conversation with Leo. "I know, it's amazing," Leo replied. "My name's Price," he said shaking Leo's hand. "Leo," Leo answered. "So have you done any tv work?" Price asked. "No, just some local theatre stuff," Leo replied. "You?" "I've done some commercial work here and there," Price answered. He then looked around at all the guys there, "It's sad isn't it?" "What's that?" Leo asked. "I bet you, half the guys in this room are gay," Price said, "And they expect to get a role as a lead in a series? No one is going to hire a gay guy to lead a series like this." Leo just nodded, not sure what to say. He would have been offended by that comment, had it not been something he had thought about a million times. How far in show business can he expect to get being a gay man? "Number 128," an older woman said walking out of the auditioning room. "That's me," Leo said looking at the number on the slip of paper he got when he walked in. "You're up," she said. "Good luck," Price said to Leo. "Thanks," Leo replied as he walked away. When he went inside the room, it was completely empty, except for a table on the other end with seven people sitting there in a row looking at him. "Name?" a man sitting at the table asked. "Leo Washington," Leo said handing them his resume. "I'm Isaac Turner," the man said shaking Leo's hand, "I'm the casting director, and the rest of these people are executives from the studio and for the show." "Hi," Leo said politely. "So you'll be reading for the role of Dane Fisher," Isaac said, handing Leo a page of dialogue, "I'll read opposite you, so if you want to take a minute to look over the material and then we'll get started." "Great," Leo said nervously. Leo then took a minute to look over the script and prepare himself a little. "Ready?" Isaac asked. "Yeah," Leo replied. "All right, I'll be reading the part of Mona," Isaac said, "Let's begin,'Dane, I have a confession to tell you. I'm the one who kissed Jake.'" "You kissed Jake?" Leo began acting, "How could you do this to me? We've been together for three years!" "I'm sorry, it just happened. Him and I were working late one night and he just kissed me," Isaac read. "But Jake is my best friend and you're my girlfriend!" Leo said as passionately as he could, but somehow he knew that it just didn't sound right coming from him. "Wait, hold it a second Leo," Isaac said interrupting the scene. "I'm not really getting much passion from you here. This is your girlfriend, the one girl you loved more than anything. You just found out she kissed your best friend. We want to see the fire in your eyes." "All right, I know what you're talking about," Leo answered. "Okay, let's try this again," Isaac said then began reading, "I'm sorry, it just happened. Him and I were working late one night and he just kissed me." "But Jake is my best friend, and you're my girlfriend!" Leo yelled angrily. "Excellent!" Isaac said, "I really felt it that time. All right, well we'd like to have you come back for a second audition." "Really?" Leo asked happily. "Yes, but it won't be for the role of Dane," Isaac said, "Judging by the way you read, I think the role of Joshua would be better." "Joshua?" Leo asked. "Yeah, he's a supporting role," Isaac said, "He's the gay friend." "Oh," Leo replied, "Okay." "Great, well come back Thursday at two," Isaac said. "Okay, thanks a lot," Leo said as he got his stuff. "Have a great day." Leo then left and headed out feeling a little weird that he was being asked to read for the role of the gay character. As Leo was heading to his car, he decided to give Nick a call. "Hey Leo," Nick said answering his cell. "Hey, how's New York?" Leo asked. "It's great, how are you?" Nick asked. "Well, I just got a second audition for a part in a series," Leo replied. "Leo! That's awesome! Congratulations!" Nick said happily. "Thanks," Leo said, "But it's weird, I was originally auditioning for the role of the lead male in the series, but instead they want me to audition for the part of the gay supporting character." "So?" Nick asked. "So, isn't it weird that they want me to play the gay guy?" Leo asked. "Why? You're gay, it'll probably be easier for you to play," Nick replied. "But do you think they knew I was gay, is that why they wanted me to audition for that part?" Leo asked. "I don't know," Nick replied. "Am I obviously gay?" Leo asked. "No," Nick replied. "But I mean, those executives I'm sure have seen a lot of gay guys through out the business, they probably have better gaydar than we do." "This one guy I was talking to before the audition said that there was no way they'd hire a gay guy to play the lead in a series, do you think that's true?" Leo asked. "Honestly?" Nick asked. "Yeah," Leo replied. "Yeah, I think it's probably true," Nick said, "Most shows are geared towards females, so for a male lead, they want someone who can appeal to the female viewers." "So then pretty much I'll always just be the sidekick if I ever make it in this business," Leo said. "Am I stupid for staying in this business?" "No," Nick said, "Not if you're in it for the right reasons. If you're in it just for the fame and fortune, then yeah, you're stupid, but if you're in it because you love it, then keep going for it." "You're right, you're right," Leo said, "Sorry, I've just been doubting myself lately in this business." "You're a good actor," Nick said, "Just keep on at it." "Thanks," Leo said, "How's New York?" "It's good," Nick replied, "Adrian and I are about to go eat dinner." "Oh, where at?" Leo asked. "We're going to this restaurant in little Italy," Nick said. "Well, have an awesome time," Leo said. "Will do," Nick replied, "Call if you need anything." "All right, love you," Leo said. "Love you too," Nick replied as they hung up. Back at Kurt and Ryan's place the two were getting ready to go to Kurt's mom's for dinner. Kurt was putting his shirt on when he noticed how defeated Ryan looked. "Are you sure you want to go to dinner at my mom's tonight?" Kurt asked. "Yeah," Ryan replied, "Positive." "Don't worry babe, you'll get through this," Kurt said giving Ryan a kiss. "Thanks," Ryan replied. "I just feel like I'm back to square one." "You'll be fine," Kurt said, "You're smart, you're talented, you can do anything you want." "I have to do some serious soul searching," Ryan sighed. "Yeah," Kurt said, "Look at this as an opportunity to do what you really want." "I guess," Ryan said as he finished getting dressed, "So how do I look?" "Handsome as always," Kurt said kissing Ryan. The two began to kiss more passionately and started to lay down on the bed together before Ryan stopped it. "We can't," Ryan smiled, "We have to go to your mom's." "Damn," Kurt laughed. "Later, if it goes well at your mom's we'll celebrate when we get home," Ryan said with a wink. A little later that night Leo and Jesse were at Jesse's apartment getting ready to go out for a night of clubbing. "I think the last time you and I went out clubbing together was on our two year anniversary," Leo said. "It was," Jesse replied, "I remember cause we didn't have a very good time that night. It was when we were starting to have problems." "Oh that's right," Leo remembered. "So are you still upset over the whole gay role?" Jesse asked. "No," Leo replied, "I thought it over and any opportunity to be able to act would be the greatest thing. Besides, what position am I in to be picky about a role?" "Good," Jesse said, "As long as you're doing what you love, that's all that matters." "Exactly," Leo answered. "By the way, you never told me how your presentation went today." "I got it," Jesse said happily. "Babe, that's great!" Leo said giving Jesse a big kiss, "I'm so happy for you." "And the best part is I have to make a few business trips to Hawaii for this account," Jesse explained, "And I think it would be great if you went with me." "Hawaii?" Leo asked excitedly. "Yeah, what do you think?" Jesse asked. "I think I'm going to Hawaii!" Leo said hugging Jesse, "Thank you!" "It'll be so great," Jesse said, "I'll just have a couple meetings, but the rest of the time it's just you and me on a romantic Hawaiian island." "Sounds too perfect," Leo said. The two finished getting ready and then headed out for the night. Meanwhile, Ryan and Kurt had just arrived at his mom's place and were walking up the driveway of her large two story house. "Wow, you grew up here?" Ryan asked impressed by the size of the house. "Yeah," Kurt replied. "This is home." "Why did you leave?" Ryan asked, "It's amazing." The house sat on an acre of property, large garden in the front yard with a beautiful fence around the perimeter with green vines woven through out to give a very serene atmosphere. The garden itself was filled with flowers of all kind and all colors. The house itself was a beautiful white house with a deep red trimming. "I wanted some independence," Kurt said, "So I decided to try living on my own." Kurt unlocked the front door and went inside. The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside, it was the type of house one would see in 'Home & Garden' magazine. The entry way had high ceilings with a beautiful crystal chandelier and beautiful marble floors. To the left of the entry way was the sitting room area with a large white leather sofa that beautifully offset the deep maroon carpeting. To the right of the entry way was the dining room which had a table all set up for three people. "Mom," Kurt called out, "We're here!" "I'm in the kitchen," Monica called out. "Does your mom live here by herself?" Ryan asked. "Yeah," Kurt replied. The two walked into the kitchen and found Monica taking a roasted chicken out of the oven. "Hey mom," Kurt said giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi sweety," Monica replied. "You remember Ryan?" Kurt asked motioning to him. "Yes, hi Ryan," Monica said politely. "Hi Mrs. Parker," Ryan said, "I really love your home." "Oh thank you," Monica answered, although not very warmly. "Dinner smells great," Kurt said. "It should I've been cooking for the past three hours," Monica answered. "Do you need help with anything?" Kurt asked. "No, we're all set," Monica said, "Help yourselves to a drink." Kurt took Ryan to the family room just outside of the kitchen where there was a bar. "What would you like?" Kurt asked entering the bar. "Water is good for now," Ryan replied. "You nervous?" Kurt asked. "I don't think she likes me," Ryan whispered. "Just talk to her," Kurt said, "She's really nice." "So Ryan I hope everything went all right at work today," Monica said, "Lord knows we don't want a repeat of what happened on Christmas." Ryan turned beat red with embarrassment. "Mom," Kurt said sternly. "Oh I'm just kidding," Monica said cracking a smile. "Come on, dinner is ready." The three went to the living room and sat down together. Monica really went all out for this dinner, there was chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and homemade biscuits. "This food looks amazing," Ryan said, "It's been so long since I've had a homemade meal." "Well Kurt told me that you were a really special guy so I thought I would make this mean extra special," Monica replied. "Mrs. Parker," Ryan said. "May I apologize to you?" "Apologize to me?" Monica asked. "Yes, I want to apologize for what you walked in on during Christmas at the center," Ryan said. "I'd been so stressed out and I just snapped and I know it doesn't excuse it, but you should know, I would never purposely talk that way to Kurt." "You have to understand that I'm very protective of Kurt," Monica said, "He's my baby." "I know," Ryan replied, "And I want to make sure you know that I am crazy for him and what you saw that night will never happen again." Monica looked deeply into Ryan's eyes and saw the sincerity there behind his words. She then gave him a smile. "You're right Kurt," Monica said. "Ryan is a very special young man. I appreciate what you said to me Ryan." "Thanks Mrs. Parker," Ryan said. "Please, call me Monica," Monica replied. "All right, thanks Monica," Ryan smiled. Kurt didn't say anything at first, he just smiled with relief. "Thank God." "So Ryan, tell me what it is you do down at the center," Monica said. "Well, right now, I'm sort of, out of work," Ryan said. "Out of work?" Monica asked. "Yeah, my future there at the center was really depending on how that Christmas event went, and it didn't go as well as I'd hoped," Ryan replied, "That's why I was so stressed out over it. I knew my job depended on it." "Oh I'm sorry to hear that," Monica said sympathetically. "So what are you going to do now?" "Not too sure," Ryan answered. "I think this can actually be a good opportunity for him," Kurt chimed in. "Gives him a chance to try something new." "Yeah," Monica said, "That's one way to look at it. Are you going to be able to afford the rent with Kurt?" "Yeah, I was smart enough to put money aside every month in my savings account," Ryan said. "Very smart of you," Monica said. "At least that gives you time to really find a career you can be happy in." "Hopefully," Ryan said, "So what is it you do?" "I am in semi-retirement," Monica replied. "My mom used to run a cosmetics company with my dad," Kurt said, "But when he died she sold the business, but does little things for the company every now and then." "Oh cool," Ryan said. "So where did you grow up Ryan?" Monica asked. "I grew up in Sacramento," Ryan replied. "What do your parents do?" Monica asked. "Oh well, I don't have parents," Ryan replied, "I was an orphan." "Oh really?" Monica asked. "Yeah, it was kind of a rough child hood," Ryan replied, "That's why I liked working at the gay and lesbian center, I get to interact with a lot of young kids who are in the position I was in." "Well I'm sure it's inspiring for those kids to see how far you've come," Monica said. "Hope so," Ryan said, "I just wanted to show them that even when life deals you a bad hand, you can always get past it." "Very good way to think," Monica said. "You're right Kurt." "What's that?" Kurt asked. "You're right when you said that I would love him," Monica said giving a sincere smile to Ryan. "I'm glad we did this." "Me too," Kurt said beaming, so happy that his mom changed her mind about Ryan. Ryan smiled and sighed with relief, feeling very comfortable now. The rest of dinner went very smoothly, the three laughed a lot together and by the end Monica had formed a good relationship with Ryan, which pleased Kurt a lot. Meanwhile, over across town Leo and Jesse were dancing together at the club. The music was jamming and the two never lost eye contact with one another, they danced very closely with one another and kissed passionately between dances. After dancing most of the night away the two left the club around two in the morning. "Thanks so much for tonight," Leo said holding Jesse's hand as they walked to the car. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun," Jesse said kissing Leo on the forehead. "I'm not even tired," Leo said. "Me neither," Jesse said giving Leo a mischievous smile. "Lets hurry home," Leo said, knowing full well what Jesse wanted to do the rest of the night. The two got in Jesse's car and headed home. As they pulled out of the parking lot they came to a stop light. While they were waiting Leo looked over at Jesse and just saw everything he could ever want, he couldn't express how happy he was to be with him again. He was so consumed in looking at the man he loved that he barely had time to notice the headlights shining into his face before a car slammed into them. Everything went black. ************************************************************************* To Be Continued... With any comments, questions, or feedback please e-mail me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!