Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 16:11:09 -0500
From: fsw99 <fsw99@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: Chapter 50 of One Big Happy Family

Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual
acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over,

**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,

**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website
or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission
is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against
violators.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to me at fsw99@mindspring.com.

			       Chapter Fifty

The doors opened at 6:30, and as soon as they did, kids were running as
fast as they could for the stage. The curtains had been drawn, but we were
watching out of the breaks in the curtain as the doors opened, wondering
what the reaction would be.

Mr. Anderson had said that word had spread. That was an
understatement. There were lots of kids we had never seen before, all
pushing and shoving to get as close to the stage as possible.

Mr. Anderson had already thought of that. He had hired BD and lots of his
football team buddies to control the crowd. They were in front of the
stage, and already were starting to get on some of the more rowdy members
of the audience. Why not? They were promised $20 each, free admission, and
front row. Not a bad deal. As they recognized friends from competing
football teams they knew, they also recruited them to help, and the
security got tighter.

At ten minutes till 7, the crowd started chanting `Too Young`, `Too
Young`. This was starting to really seem like a real concert
atmosphere. (Ever been there? For a REAL electric, concert atmosphere? Fans
going crazy in anticipation? I have been to about 60 concerts now. Still
going.  Listen to AC/DC Live, recorded in Brit Land, like I call England,
kidding Phill. Saw them less than 2 months ago. 6th row!!! Listen to how
they call for Angus, their SPECTACULAR lead guitarist!!! They are almost as
loud as the band is. Not quite!!! hehehehehe)

Everyone was REALLY nervous!!! The gym was almost full. Everyone seemed to
be chanting the band's name. SHIT!!!! They never expected this!!!

Everyone was kind of walking around with huge eyes, looking at each other,
wondering if they could live up to this much anticipation.

I tried to cut through some of the tension. "Guys, come here a minute. I
know you are nervous.  You have to be. There are lots of people out
there. But, we talked about this. Someday, you might play huge
stadiums. This will just seem like a little bitty building, if you are
successful. You guys are really good. REALLY good. The kids out there are
going to love you, even if you make a few mistakes. It isn't like playing
this morning in front of Mike, when you didn't know if he thought you were
any good or not. He has been in this business for a long time. If you
weren't any good, he would have told you, and walked out. He thinks you are
great. So do I. Go out and kick some ass, OK? Let's do it. I'll introduce
you. Get ready, and tell me when. I will introduce you, and get off the
stage. Jimmy, you and Isaiah go into the opening part to `Long Time` when
you are ready. Brian, you and Nate open the curtains when I tell you. The
crowd is ready. We are ready. Let's kick ass."

"Stan, I need to tell Isaiah something. It will only take a couple of
seconds, OK?" Phill asked.

"Sure. Make it fast."

Phill led a puzzled Isaiah off the side and whispered in his ear. Isaiah
got a big grin on his face, hugged Phill briefly, and came back. Everyone
wondered what that was all about, but there was no time to ask.

"Is everyone ready?" I asked.

Everyone shook their heads yes.

I nodded to Brian and Nate, and they drew the curtains. The crowd
exploded. "Hello," I said. "I want to introduce an up and coming new band,
`Too Young To Be Scared`. The applause was deafening, and the lights
immediately went out, except for the stage. The applause got louder.

Jimmy and Isaiah looked at each other, and started the opening to `Long
Time`. The crowd erupted. From that point on, everyone was on their feet
for the rest of the concert, including the bleachers. The band was now a
HUGE hit!!!

They took their break, and the chants for the band to come back were really
loud now. They came back in a few minutes, after drinking some water to get
extra fluids back into their system, and played two more songs. Time for
one more.

Isaiah came to the front mic, and said, "Thanks for everybody coming. We
had a blast playing for all of you tonight. Hope you had a good time, too."
The crowd roared it's approval.

"Look, I am really tired. I don't think I can sing this last song. Phill
has agreed to take my place.  This is `Don't Let It End` by Styx. Until
next time, OK?" Isaiah shouted, as he ran off the stage.

Phill looked over at Robbie, pulled the microphone close to him, and said,
"Robbie, this is for you. I have been thinking of a way to apologize to you
since we broke up. This is the best I can do. One, Two, Three, Four."

The band started the song, and Phill started singing straight to Robbie.

(If you don't know the song, the main part is in three pieces, separated by
commas, and each new segment starts with a capital letter. There is a pause
between each comma. The chorus is in two parts. Enjoy!!! hehehe)

"What can I do, Pictures of you, Still make me cry Trying to live, Without
your love, It's so hard to do Some nights I wake up, I look at your pillow,
Hoping I'll see you there
    But I get up each day, Not much to say, I've nowhere to go Loneliness
fills, Me up inside, Cause I'm missing you So if you give us, A chance to
remember, The love we had once together Wait and see, Time is all we really
need, I'm praying you won't say no

 Chorus Don't let it end, Baby we could have so much more Don't let it end,
Honey don't walk out that door I'm telling you baby, I've made my mistakes
But I'll make you this promise, To do what it takes I'll be there to
protect you, And hold you tight You got my loving baby, Every single night
Don't let it end, I'm begging you, Don't let it end this way Don't let it
end, I'm begging you, Don't let it end this way"

The song ended and both Phill and Robbie had tears running down their
cheeks. They just smiled at each other, joined hands, and ran off the
stage. This was a really slow song. Nothing like a band would normally end
their concert with. The noise now was incredible. It didn't seem to ever
want to end. It was like everyone had seen something special in Phill and
Robbie's lives, and knew it.  And it didn't matter to anyone that it was a
GAY MOMENT in their lives. Everyone had been here to share the moment, and
the moment was now locked into their memories.

BD and his football buddies were trying to get everyone to leave, but no
one wanted to go. The lights were turned on, but all anyone wanted to do
was stand around and talk about what they had just seen.

Phill and Robbie didn't stop running until they had run completely off the
stage and got back to their dressing room. They laid their guitars down
carefully and then hugged tightly, only breaking it to kiss each other
passionately. When the others walked in, they all just stared, grinned at
each other, and watched.

They finally broke the kiss, but kept each other in the other's arms. "I am
so sorry. This is all my fault. I love you so much. I have made such an ass
out of myself," Robbie said.

"No, it is my fault, too. I shouldn't keep bringing up Keith in front of
you. I know how you feel about him. I love you, too," Phill answered. They
were totally oblivious to anyone else being in the room. They had each
other's total attention.

"No, he came to see me yesterday. He made me understand. I was going to
apologize to you after the concert," Robbie said.

"You never have to apologize to me for anything. I love you. Don't you
understand that?" Phill asked.

"Yes, but I should have never gone so crazy when I saw you hug him. I am
really sorry for that.  He told me you were coming to make up with me right
then," Robbie said.

"I was. But you were so mad, I couldn't. I didn't mean anything by hugging
him. We are just friends," Phill said.

"I know. I hugged him, too," Robbie said, starting to giggle.

"What?" Phill yelled, and tried to pull away from Robbie.

"Take it easy. We are now friends, too. I like the idea of visiting him and
his cousins one weekend. Just the two of us in our own suite. Could be
fun," Robbie said, grinned at Phill, and then kissed him once more.

I was enjoying watching this scene, but looked out of the corner of my eye,
and saw Mike standing at the door, looking in with his eyes wide.

"Um, guys, I am glad you are back together, but can you finish this little
re-union back at my house? We have a guest," I said.

They broke the kiss, looked over at Mike, and froze, still holding each
other and both blushing fiercely.

Mike walked in and shut the door. "Both of you are gay? And love each
other?"

"Yeah," they both said at the same time in very quiet voices.

Paul was never shy. "Does that bother you? If so, we had better get us
another manager, because all of us are gay, and we don't care who knows
it. Jimmy and I are a couple. So is Isaiah and Ed.  So, get over it, or hit
the road."

Mike's mouth fell open. "You are ALL gay?" he asked.

"Yeah, so what? It's not a disease, you know?" Paul challenged.

"How many more of you are gay?" Mike asked with huge eyes.

"I'm not," Nate said.

"Me, either," Brian added.

"Everybody else," I admitted.

"No shit!" Mike said, as he started pacing. "And you don't care who knows?"
he asked, turning back to us.

"No! What fucking difference does it make now? Everyone out there
knows. Phill kissed Robbie the last time we performed. Isaiah all but
proposed to Ed on stage. Who cares? We don't. You want to dump us now that
you know?" Paul yelled.

"Paul, calm down," I yelled.

Mike just burst into laughter. He laughed until tears were rolling down his
cheeks. We all just stared at him like he had lost his mind. "You don't
know what this means, do you?" he finally asked.

"No, what?" I asked.

"If you let me use this, you might go Platinum in several months, Gold at
least. With your sound, and your attitude, and openly gay, you have just
created a brand new market. You are all good looking boys. The girls will
love you, because all of them will think that if they could just get you
alone, they could change you. There has never been a gay boy outlet, except
for Hanson and the older boys bands, and they aren't gay. Your hard sound
will appeal to straight boys, too. We might make some history
here. Everyone out there seems to support you, gay or not. They already
know you are gay?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. It's a long story. We will have to tell you about it sometime. Don't
you have to be somewhere right now?" I asked.

"Not any more. I already have some ideas. You are going to end up paying me
a lot of money. I think it is time I started to earn it. How about I treat
us all to dinner? You boys ever had some really good champagne? I think
tonight is a really good time to celebrate. You guys change clothes and let
me make a couple of phone calls, OK? Tomorrow, I need to take all of you
out and buy you some new outfits. You have anything planned for tomorrow?"
Mike asked.

"Yeah, we have all the parents coming over tomorrow night. We have to get
their approval, or all of this won't matter," I said.

"Fine. I will have it catered. You don't mind if I come, too, do you? I
think I can also help in convincing them. Man, the ideas are
flowing. Change, OK? I have to make my calls, and we can
leave. Phill. Robbie. What do you say about leaving here in the back of my
Mercedes. Top down, of course. It wouldn't hurt to start our publicity
stunts right now. There will have to be some kids still in the parking
lot. You might as well start on establishing your new identity," Mike said.

"What do you mean?" Robbie asked.

"Gay lovers, who just happen to be rock and roll stars. What else?" Mike
said laughing, as he walked out the door. We could hear him laugh as he
walked further away. What the Hell just happened?

                                                ******************************

Mike took them all to the fanciest restaurant that any of the boys had ever
been to. He ordered several bottles of Don Perignon champagne, and everyone
gasped when they saw the price per bottle. Everyone got one glass each, but
Stan stopped them at one.

"Look, guys, if you really don't care, I am going to really play up the
fact that you are a gay band for the release of your CD. When it really
starts to move up the charts, I will try and get you on some shows. Maybe
David Letterman. I have had some of my other groups on his show, and I know
him. I am already working on getting you some concert dates. I have already
talked to one agent for a band that you could open for, and he seems really
interested. You will never guess who the band is," Mike said.

"Who?" Paul asked.

"Kenny Wayne Shepherd."

Jimmy was just taking a sip of his champagne, breathed in a gasp of air at
the same time, and he started coughing. He spit the champagne that was
still in his mouth all over the table. Paul had to pound him on his back to
make him quit coughing. When he finally got his breath back, he looked at
Mike and said, "No shit?"

"No shit! That is what you said you wanted, remember?" Mike asked as he
laughed.

"Yeah," Jimmy said, looked at Paul and Brian, and burst out in a big
grin. That grin wouldn't go away for the rest of the day.

                                                ****************************

The catered buffet was spread out on the kitchen and dining room
tables. All the parents had arrived, and everyone was eating. Everyone had
been surprised at all the expensive foods that Mike had ordered. Crab
claws, rock lobsters, jumbo shrimp over ice, medallions of beef, chicken
breasts over rice, lots of different vegetables and deserts. Everyone came
back at least one more time. The boys were stuffing themselves on all the
seafood.

When everyone was stuffed, I had all the parents sit down in the
den. Again, we had to use all the kitchen and dining room chairs to make
sure everyone could sit down. Several of the boys still had to stand. I
also stood. I was too nervous to sit.

"The reason I asked all of you over tonight is the boys have been offered
what I think is a great opportunity. This is Mike Johnson, who is the boy's
agent, if you haven't already met him," I started.

"Why do the boys even need an agent? They are just a high school band,"
Isaiah's Mom interrupted.

"Stan, if I may," Mike said. "Today, they are a high school band. In a
month or two, they might have a top selling CD. I want them to record their
CD in the next week or so, and when it is ready to be released, take them
out on the road to publicize it," Mike said.

"What? We can't let Phill go traveling all over without us. What about his
school work?" Phill's Mom said.

"We will hire a tutor for the boys. There will be plenty of time for
studying and lessons as we travel," Mike said.

"No way. Isaiah and I are moving as soon as our house sells. You can count
Isaiah out," Isaiah's Mom said.

"Mom, look, there is something you have to know. I am gay, and I love Ed. I
am going with the band. This is too good an opportunity for us to pass up,"
Isaiah answered.

"What?" she yelled.

Phill looked over at his parent, and said, "You might as well know about
me, too. I have already told you I am gay, but I am in love with Robbie,
and we are both going, too."

"What?" Robbie's Mom yelled.

"Thanks, Phill. Subtle as always. But he is right, Mom. I should have told
you a long time ago, but I couldn't," Robbie said.

"All of you are gay?" Robbie's Mom asked.

"I'm not," Nate said.

"Me, either," Brian also said.

Tim and Tom didn't say anything, and their parents looked over and stared
at them. They both immediately blushed crimson.

"Look, I know this is a shock to all of you. But, let me show you some
figures I brought with me.  I don't know if any of you have ever heard of
the Hanson brothers. These figures are what they grossed their first
year. I think your boys can do even better than that," Mike said, getting
the paperwork out of his briefcase. "I haven't even showed these figures to
the boys yet."

He passed copies around to everyone, and there were shocked gasps all
around the room, especially from the boys and I.

"How does Nate fit into all of this?" his father asked.

"The boys all voted, and he will get a half share, as will Brian. Brian and
Jimmy will also get royalties from the songs that they have written. Tim
and Tom will get a half share each, also. We will pay Stan's expenses, but
he has refused any compensation at all. The other boys will have a share
each. My commission is twenty percent, but I will earn my money, I
guarantee you. I will also travel with the band part of the time. I will
pay out anything that the concerts don't cover to start with out of my own
pocket. We will have an accounting firm go over everything that is spent,
and provide everyone with copies on a quarterly basis," Mike explained.

"But who will take care of the boys? We can't just let them be on their own
all over the country," Isaiah's Mom protested.

"I am Paul and Ed's adopted Dad, and I am the legal guardian of Jimmy. I
guess I have half raised Robbie the last three years with his mother's
blessing. That will be my job. You will all have to sign over partial
guardianship of your sons to me in case of emergency, which should never be
needed. As you know, I have kind of been looking out for them for a while
now, anyway. Not very long for Nate and Brian, but several months for the
others. I will hire the tutor and make sure they all study just as hard as
if they were in school. We will be able to also go to many educational
places that they would never get to go to in our travels. That has to mean
something to their overall education, too. If this doesn't turn out as good
as we hope it does, they can just return to school and go on like this
never happened. If it does, they will have plenty of money for college or
anything else they want to do," I said.

"This is pretty overwhelming. I think I need to talk to Isaiah alone," his
Mom said.

"I think that is a really good idea. Why doesn't everyone do that with your
son or sons," I said looking at Phill's parents. "There are 3 bedrooms
upstairs and my office that you can use. There is the basement, too."

"We will take our three home with us. We will be back in a few minutes,"
Phill's Mom said, getting up.

The other parents took their sons into the bedrooms, and Robbie's Mom went
with him into my office. "Stan, could you join is, too?" she asked.

"Sure, Mrs. Stephens," I said.

I walked in and she closed the door. "Don't you think it is time you
started calling me Sue?" she asked, smiling.

"I guess you are right. Sue," I said.

"OK, I want to ask you both some questions. You both love each other, don't
you?" she asked.

"Yes," we both said almost at the same time.

"And your relationship has been lots closer than just friends, right?" she
asked calmly.

"Wha...what do you mean?" I stammered.

"I mean you have had sex with each other."

I blushed furiously and so did Robbie. He was the first to say
anything. "Yes, we did. We have never had intercourse. I wanted to, but he
wouldn't. I started it, Mom, not him. I loved him then, and I love him
now. I just don't love him like that any more. I love Phill, and I want him
to be my lover. Stan kept telling me I would find someone my own age, and I
did. I didn't believe him then, but he was right. If it wasn't for Stan, I
never would have found Phill. Don't you understand?"  Robbie said, tears
coming down his cheeks.

She just smiled, and went over and hugged him. "Yes, Robbie, I
understand. I have known about you and Stan for a long time."

"What?" we both yelled.

"You don't think I know my own son? You don't think I could see the changes
that have happened since he first started staying with you? They were all
good changes. All he talked about when he was home with me was you. But,
you have been good for each other, and I knew you both loved each
other. And, you never hurt him. Thank you for that," she said to me.

I just smiled at her. "Like you said, we love each other. How could I ever
hurt him?" I asked.

"And you will take good care of him?"

"Just like he was my real son."

"Then, you have my permission for him to go. I want you to call me every
night I am home, you understand?" she asked him.

"Sure, Mom, and thanks," Robbie said, hugging her. She motioned for me to
come over, and we had a three way hug. Well, one parent had agreed. That
was good. And another person knew I was gay. Didn't know how I felt about
that.

Comments can be sent to me at fsw99@mindspring.com.