Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:08:05 +1000
From: Iain Robertson <iainlthr@hotmail.com>
Subject: Changes - chapter 12

Copyright for this story belongs to and remains with the author. I don't
have any major objection to my work being re-distributed, but ASK
FIRST!!!

This is a gay adult story with the consequent language and images. If
homosexuality and/or sexually explicit themes offend you then do not
continue. If these are illegal in your area, then you have my sympathy,
but you proceed at your own risk.

This is a work of fiction, and as such the characters are not bound by
the usual dictates of modern society. Unsafe sexual practices can be
undertaken with impunity only in the world of fantasy. In reality, it is
your obligation and your right to play safely, sanely and healthily.

I hope you enjoy my work, and if you have any comments, or ideas that may
inspire new work, please feel free to contact me -- all emails will be
answered to the best of my ability. Iainlthr@hotmail.com.


Changes

Chapter 12


When Ian woke the next morning, it was at the disturbance of Veronica,
his live-in temporary nurse. He shook the sleep slowly from his mind and
began to sit up in bed.

"Hey there, you know you're not supposed to do that without help!" she
admonished cheerfully.

"Yeah, I know, but I can't lie here all day."

"That's what I'm here for, give me a second and we'll have you out of
bed. Your parents are already up and about - they're on the back deck
having breakfast. It was all I could do to stop your mum coming up here."

"Sorry about that," Ian said quietly. "I suspect she's going  to make
both of our lives hell for the time she's here."

"Don't you worry about me," Veronica said with a smile. "I can look after
myself, and she only wants what's best for her son. You should be proud
and grateful to have such a caring family."

Ian grimaced, remembering his confession to his parents of the previous
evening. "I hope so," he said, more to himself than anything.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I told them some things last night that I don't know how they're
going to handle."

The nurse looked down at her charge like a mother hen fussing over her
brood. "If you're talking about being gay, then I don't think you have
anything to worry about!"

"What? How do you know?"

"I heard your folks talking this morning. Seems that you've simply
confirmed what they'd guessed some time ago." She stopped, looking
thoughtful, and went on. "Ian, it's probably none of my business, but it
seems to me that your parents are fine with your sexuality. If anything
they seem relieved that it's out in the open. They really are good
people, and you're lucky to have them."

"Thanks, V," he said, letting out a long breath. "I appreciate it."

Half an hour later, Veronica had Ian washed and dressed and downstairs,
helping him to a chair beside his mother, then heading for the kitchen to
prepare some light breakfast for her patient. Despite her reassurances,
Ian faced his parents with a mixture of nervousness and apprehension,
unsure of how, or even whether, to rekindle the conversation of last
night.

"Hi, Mum, hi Dad," he said weakly.

"Good morning my boy," his father smiled.

"How did you sleep, darling?" asked his mother quickly.

"Fine, fine," he said. "I'm sorry if I crashed out on you, but I was
exhausted."

"Very understandable," his mother opined sagely. "It's we who should be
saying sorry, for keeping you up, and for putting you through the ordeal
of reliving the whole story."

"No," Ian said quickly. "It had to be told. I wasn't keeping it from you
for any reason other than to have you not worry when you were so far
away. But I did want you to know the truth - the whole truth - as soon as
I could speak to you both, face to face."

The young lawyer looked from his father to his mother and back again,
trying to read their thoughts. He drew a long breath and unintentionally
lowered his eyes.

"Mum, Dad, I'm gay. I know we covered that last night, but I had to say
it, to say the words to you out loud." His mother began to speak, but Ian
held up his hand, silencing her. "Please, let me get this out. I'm gay!
It's not something I chose, it's not something I even wanted to admit to
myself for a long while, but it's the truth and I can't change it. I hid
it from you, from my friends, from myself for a long, long while, and
hiding it hurt like hell, but I couldn't bring myself to face the reality
until I met Geoff.

"He showed me that being gay isn't something you have to hide; that it
isn't something to be ashamed of. After he was killed I promised myself
that I would stop all the pretending, and that if people couldn't accept
me for who and what I am, then that was their problem and not mine, but I
wasn't going to change or pretend for them." He stopped for a moment, and
looked up again, directly at each of them. "I love you both, and I hate
the thought that I might be hurting you or disappointing you, but I want
you to know the real me." With that, he slumped lower in his chair, a
look of imploring on his face as he waited for their reaction.

A long moment of silence ensued, remarkable in itself for anyone who knew
Ian's mother. Anne Sterling looked long and hard at her son before
glancing sideways for confirmation from her husband, who squeezed her
hand in acknowledgment. She cleared her throat and reached for Ian's
hand, holding it tightly in her own.

"Ian," she said softly, sincerely. "I doubt that you could ever do
anything to hurt us or disappoint us so badly that we would abandon you.
We have suspected that you were gay, even known it deep down, if we're
being honest, for a long time. But despite what you may think, we don't
live in the dark ages. We know that being gay is not something you
choose, not something you can control. It's what you are, and we love
you. Yes, I'm disappointed - disappointed from a selfish point of view
that you won't be giving me grandchildren; disappointed for you, that you
won't know the joy and the pain of bringing up children. And I'm hurt
too, hurt that you felt you couldn't tell us before, that you had to go
through so much pain alone, without our support or our help. Disappointed
that we never met the man you fell in love with, and hurt because you are
hurting so badly from what has happened."

She sat forward, so that she was holding hands with both of her men, and
went on.

"I'm proud of you, Ian. Not because you're gay - that just happened, so
you can't take any credit for it ..."

Ian permitted himself the slightest of smiles.

" ... but I'm proud of you because of who you are now, who you have
become. You are successful, mature, and honest; and I am so happy to be
able to call you my son, and to be able to share your life, all of your
life, with you."

Before the young man could respond, his father now spoke, another unusual
occurrence in the Sterling family.

"Ian, I won't pretend to you that I would have preferred it if you were
not gay. But that isn't because I don't love you, or because I think
being gay is wrong. The only reason I would have you any other way is
because, despite the advances our society has made in recent years, I
know that gay people still suffer, are still marginalised and treated
differently, and hurt as a result. I hate the thought that my son will be
disadvantaged in any way simply because of who he is. As I understand it,
the current theory is that being gay is a genetic disposition, which
means that you have your mother and I to thank, or to blame depending on
your point of view, for the way that you are."

With that comment he allowed himself a chuckle, and Ian and his mother
joined in, breaking the seriousness of the moment to some extent. But
Richard wasn't finished yet.

"My son, if there was, if there is, anything I could do to help you avoid
the hurt and the pain you will know, I want you to let me know and I will
do what I can. All I want for you is to be happy, to find yourself and be
proud of what you find." He moved forward, wrapping his arms around his
son's shoulders and holding the younger man tightly. "I love you, Ian,"
he whispered quietly.

Ian's eyes filled with tears. He hugged  his father back, and with some
discomfort which he ignored, he spread his arms to include his mother as
well. "I love you both, so much I can't tell you!" he said.

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

Over the next two weeks, Ian and his parents mended some bridges, and
shared many hopes and dreams as they got to know each other all over
again. He recounted for them the whole story of his relationship with
Geoff, the police involvement and flight, the trip to Melbourne and the
awful detour into Canberra on the way back, with its tragic consequences.
His physical wounds healed remarkably quickly, and before long he was
able, with the doctors' blessing, to forego the need for a nurse to be
with him except for a daily visit to check on him. The young lawyer felt
as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he was able
to truly relax and speak his mind with his family for the first time in
years.

Nick and Tina were also constant visitors to the house during that time,
enduring light-hearted jibes about helping Ian to deceive his folks, and
generally keeping the tone upbeat and bright. Nick managed to renew his
acquaintance with Ian's parents, and Tina very quickly became a close
friend and adopted daughter to Mr and Mrs Sterling, earning their
affection and respect for her level head and down-to-earth nature, and
her obvious admiration and love for their son. She had a number of
private conversations, especially with Ian's mother and out of ear-shot
of Ian himself, along the lines of trying to find ways to match Ian up
with a suitable man, someone to take his mind off Geoff Carruthers;
someone to give him the love and companionship he so desperately needed.

Maggie, Ian's employer, also called in at one stage, and was introduced
to his parents. She spent some time that morning getting to know them,
and left feeling much better about Ian's circumstances generally. She
made sure she had Anne and Richard Sterling's contact numbers for future
reference, and assured them that Ian's position was secure - that his
being gay was completely irrelevant to his work.

When the time finally came for the elder Sterlings to return home, both
they and Ian were sad at the parting, but feeling much better about the
renewed relationship between son and parents. Neither Ian nor his parents
had ever felt so close to each other as they did now, and Ian vowed that
he would not let any gap grow again between himself and his mother and
father. For her part, Anne Sterling had quietly enlisted a spy, in the
form of Tina, as an added precaution to ensure that she was kept fully
abreast of Ian's life and any problems.

They made their farewells at Ian's home, rather than the airport, with a
taxi waiting outside.

"Mum, Dad," Ian said as he held them both in his arms. "I just want to
say 'thank you', for being so understanding and so accepting. I don't
know what I would have done if you'd rejected me."

"It's us who should be saying thanks," his mother replied. "Thank you for
letting us into your life, for sharing yourself with us again. Too many
children shut their parents out, and both sides end up the poorer for
that!"

"I love you!" said Ian with misty eyes.

"I love you too, darling," his mother stammered.

Richard looked at his son with a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you,
Ian," he said. "And I love you!"

"I'll call you as soon as we're home," his mother promised.


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

Over the next month and a half, Ian steadily improved, needing to be
visited by the nurse less and less frequently. Nick and Tina conspired
with a number of mutual friends to visit him as often as possible, to
keep his mind off Geoff, and to keep him focussed on getting well. Maggie
called in several times, ostensibly to seek his advice or assistance on
various matters, but in fact to check up on him. And Michael Sciutta also
stopped by a couple of times, clarifying certain points and checking the
information that Ian had given him concerning Geoff's business contacts,
as well as acting as a go between for his federal colleagues who were
preparing the case against the men who had killed Geoff and wounded Ian,
readying it for hearing in Canberra.

But even with the constant flow of people, Ian soon became restless. He
was stuck at home most of the time with little to do. He began to pester
the doctors he saw regularly, insisting he was well enough to return to
work, and finally they agreed, specifying that he only engage in light
duties, but conceding that he could start spending time in the office
once again.

Ian rang Maggie with the news, eager to get back to his desk as soon as
possible.

"Maggie, I don't know if you have the official confirmation yet, but I've
been cleared to come back to work, so I'll be in first thing tomorrow,"
he said enthusiastically.

"You'll do no such thing!" she declared. "I do indeed have the medical
reports, and they state `light work only'. Since today is Wednesday, I
don't want you in here until Monday, and even then it will only be for a
half day. After that we'll see how you go!"

"But ..." he began to protest.

"That's my best offer, Ian!" she said forcefully. "Take it or leave it."

"Oh ... okay," he said resignedly, cursing her silently for what he saw as
undue caution. "I'll see you Monday morning then."

"And not too early either!" she added as she rang off.

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

Despite his determination to get back to 'normal' as soon as possible,
Ian didn't get into his office until after 9.00 on that Monday morning.
He suspected, quite rightly, that Maggie would be furious if he disobeyed
her and showed up early, and at the last minute, whilst he was dressing
that morning, he had an attack of nerves at going back. It would be the
first time in months that he had seen many of his work colleagues, and
suddenly he began to wonder just what stories had been circulating in
that nursery of gossip known as the secretarial pool about his absence.

So it was with a little apprehension that he arrived, and looked
nervously out of the elevator doors as they opened to the familiar sign
of "Armstrong and Sorensen, Solicitors". Karen the receptionist was
seated at her usual place, all smiles and politeness as ever.

"Good morning, Karen," Ian said, feeling self conscious.

"Good morning, Mr Sterling," she replied breezily, as if he hadn't been
away, then added, almost as an after-thought, "Welcome back."

"Thanks!" Ian breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wasn't going to be as
difficult as he'd imagined. He made it to his own office with only a few
nodded smiles to several people, and without the need to enter into any
real conversation. Almost before he could drop his briefcase onto the
desk or shrug off his jacket however, Jill, his secretary was at the
door.

"Welcome back, Mr Sterling," she said with a smile. "It's great to see
you on deck again."

"Jill," Ian admonished, "What's this 'Mr Sterling' business. Please, call
me 'Ian'."

Her smile widened. "Sure thing, boss!" she laughed, and he joined her.
"But really, Ian, it's so good to have you back. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, honestly! In fact, I've been going out of my mind with boredom for
weeks. I could have been back at work ages ago but for the over-zealous
caution of the 'powers-that-be'. You know what doctors are like - always
so careful."

"One of those 'powers-that-be' is only following those same doctors'
orders, and so should you," said a familiar voice from behind Jill's
back. The secretary stepped back quickly to reveal Maggie Jones with a
fake but determined frown on her face.

"Oh, Ms Jones, I'm sorry ... I didn't realise you were there," Jill said
quickly.

"That's alright Jill," Maggie said reassuringly. "I just want a quick
word with our Mr Sterling, then you can catch up on things with him when
I'm finished," she smiled.

Jill excused herself, pulling the door closed behind her and leaving
Maggie and Ian alone.

"You're quick off the mark!" Ian declared.

"I left specific instructions with Karen to notify me the moment you
arrived," she confided. "Ian, I thought you'd like to know what the
situation is here with regard to your absence. Officially, you've been on
extended sick leave and bereavement leave in accordance with your
entitlements, just like any other employee." She allowed herself a
knowing smile before she went on. "Unofficially, the gossip is that you
were on a weekend trip to Canberra when a client called you for help
because he had your number in his phone. You arrived in time to witness
his murder, and were attacked and then chased before managing to contact
the police and have your attackers arrested. I understand you're
something of a hero!"

Ian winced. "But that's not the full story, and I'm no hero ..." he said
uncomfortably.

"I know, but that's what is being said. It's up to you who you tell the
full story to; what you correct and what you choose to leave out. Jim
Rogers knows the whole story, and is keeping an eye on the police case,
and ready to help you if you need it."

Ian nodded. Jim was a good friend, and specialised in criminal law.
"Anyone else?"

"Jill," Maggie answered with a single word. To Ian's look of surprise,
she added, "She was the first one to be told about what had happened. She
took the initial call from Nick, and she's a damn fine woman, Ian. I
think you can trust her with just about anything."

He smiled. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."

"And Dave Johnson knows the full story as well," Maggie added breezily.

"Dave?" Ian looked startled. "But Dave works in Probate and Estates," he
said uncomprehendingly.

"That's right! There are a few matters you need to consider. I have some
things to do now, so take your time getting back into it, and don't let
Jill give you too much to do first up. I have scheduled a meeting for us
- you, me and Dave Johnson, in my office at 12.30. He and I will explain
more to you then, okay?"

"Unh, okay," Ian agreed, puzzling over this new development, as Maggie
walked out and left him sitting there in confusion. He was still in the
same position when Jill's reappearance brought him back to reality. She
was holding out a cup of steaming coffee to him.

"You okay?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah," he nodded vaguely, shaking himself back to attention. "Sorry,
Jill, just lost in thought."

"Well, on specific instructions from above, I have managed to rescue two
files which should rightfully be yours," his secretary bristled,
business-like. "I doubt they'll keep you busy for more than an hour at
most, but that's all you're allowed for the time being."

Ian grimaced and took the sheaves of paper from her. "I'm not an
invalid," he muttered, half to himself.

"I know, Ian, but you've been through a hell of a time, so you need to
ease back into things," Jill answered.

He looked at her thoughtfully, remembering what Maggie had said. "Jill,
come in and close the door, please."

She nodded silently, surprised at this unusual request, but did as asked.
Ian motioned her to a seat opposite him and looked at her enigmatically
as she settled herself.

"What are people saying about me, really?" he asked.

Jill coughed a little at the directness of the question. "Most of them
are simply saying you were injured when you got caught up in a row
between a client and some crims. That's the official line, and the
majority are buying it."

"But not everyone?"

"Well ... there are a few who think there's more to it than that. I even
heard one fool theorising that you were crooked yourself, that you got
stabbed in some deal that went wrong, but no-one else believes that."

He looked at her again, taking his time as he sorted out his questions.
"Jill, I know you know the whole story - Maggie told me."

She nodded again, unsure of where he was leading.

"I'm gay."

His secretary reddened slightly, beginning a feeble protest. "Ian, I ..."

Ian interrupted her quickly. "There are going to be a few changes around
here," he said. "I'm gay, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise anymore.
But I need to know how you feel about that, honestly."

"Um, how I feel about the fact that there are going to be changes?" she
asked, still a little confused.

"No, how you feel about me being gay. Are you upset, surprised,
disgusted?"

Once more Jill flushed quickly before she looked him directly in the
eyes. "Of course I'm not disgusted! Or upset, except maybe a little that
I didn't realise earlier, and that I have probably been just as guilty as
anyone of assuming otherwise, and trying to push you into relationships
you weren't interested in. Surprised? Yes, maybe a little at first,
although with hindsight it all makes sense, and I should have seen it
before. You just never let anything personal show, Ian. You were hardly
the hand-bag toting effeminate stereotype."

He laughed at that, then became serious again. "No, and I never will be.
But that's not all there is to being gay."

"I know that, boss. And if you want to keep your personal life secret
then I respect that. But people gossip - they always have and always
will. And it's the nature of us that we like to see others we admire
happy. That's all I ever tried to do when I suggested women you might
like to date."

"Things are going to change," Ian re-affirmed. "I don't want the
intricacies of my private life becoming the topic of conversation around
the water-cooler, but I'm not going to hide who I am anymore either. If
someone asks, I'll tell them."

"And if someone asks me?" Jill pressed him.

"You can either plead ignorance and tell them to ask me directly, or use
your judgment. If my being gay is relevant, then there's no reason for
you to lie or to refuse to tell them, although I can't imagine why it
would be relevant to anyone around here."

His secretary had a mischievous look in her eye when she answered. "How
about if the one who is asking is good looking, rich, and wants to ask
you out on a date?" she said with a laugh.

Ian smiled back at her. "Somehow I don't think I'll be in the dating mood
for some time," he said sadly.

"Oh, Ian, I'm sorry."

"No need. Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm just not ready for that yet.
Now, I'd better get some real work done, okay?"

"You're the boss," she said as she stood to leave.

"Yeah, I wonder," he chuckled.

******

The work that Jill had given him, allocated by Maggie, taxed him very
little, and Ian was pretty well finished with it in just over an hour and
a half. He finished up with dictating some notes and was just about to
start looking for something else to do when Jill appeared at his door
again.

"Just reminding you that you have a meeting scheduled with Ms Jones and
Mr Johnson in Ms Jones' office shortly," she said.

"Oh yes, that's right. Do you know what it's about?" he asked.

"No idea. Maggie Jones' secretary rang me on Friday afternoon and told me
to schedule it for you."

"Okay, thanks Jill."

Ian wandered casually around to Maggie's office, wondering why one of the
solicitors who practised almost exclusively in the area of deceased
estates would be meeting with him, and why Maggie had felt it necessary
to divulge all of Ian's details to him. It wasn't that he was upset that
Dave Johnson would know - Ian got along well enough with Dave. It was
simply that Ian couldn't make the connection between Dave's work and his
problems.

He didn't have to wait too long to find out. Almost as soon as the three
of them were seated around a large table in Maggie's office, she began.

"Ian, first of all, you're here as a client and not as a lawyer or an
employee. So you ask the things a client asks, and you'll be treated that
way. We won't be asking for any upfront contribution to fees, but if you
go ahead Dave will be charging you at the normal rate as if you were any
other client, costs payable at the completion of the matter."

"What matter?" Ian asked, even more confused.

"The Estate of Geoffrey Carruthers," David Johnson announced, as if it
were obvious.

"What? I don't have anything to do with Geoff's Estate," Ian protested.

Dave looked at Maggie with surprise, but she nodded easily at him and
turned to Ian.

"Yes you do. At the time of his death you were his partner ..."

"Ex partner," Ian interrupted, but Maggie ignored him.

"You were his partner, and you have been nominated as such on all of the
autopsy and coroner's reports, as well as on the Federal Police file
concerning his death. That was why they released his body to you for
burial. Inquiries by both the police and by our own private investigators
show that there are no living relatives or other possible claimants to
his Estate. He had no siblings, no children, and both of his parents are
dead. He made no Will that we have been able to discover, which means he
died intestate." She looked at Ian carefully, watching for any signs of
distress. She knew how hard it must be for him to have this all brought
up again.

"Ian, that means that unless you apply to be appointed Administrator of
his Estate, the Public Trustee will do so, and all of his assets will be
forfeit to the State." Maggie stopped there and waited for some reaction.

Ian sat quietly in the chair opposite her, his thoughts churning around
inside his head. He didn't want any of Geoff's assets, but to have the
bureaucrats deal with everything so coldly as they would, and to swallow
up everything he had into State Government coffers upset him too. Finally
he spoke up.

"But I was no more than his ... uh, boyfriend, for a short while," he
said, blushing at the admission despite his resolve to be more open about
his sexuality.

Dave Johnson now took up the explanation. "You and he lived together up
until the time he left Sydney, and he did that because he was on the run
from the police. So strictly speaking he did not actually break up the
relationship at that time. And you were with him at the time he died,
returning with him to Sydney as I understand it?"

Ian started to open his mouth but Maggie jumped in. "Ian, don't say
anything yet. Let Dave finish before you make any comment. I may have
some suspicions about what you're thinking, but there's a lot to consider
here, and a very fine line to tread."

Chastised but silent, Ian nodded for Dave to continue.

"Because there is no-one else who would make any claim on the Estate, all
you need do is sign a declaration that at the time of his death, you and
he were in a de facto relationship."

"But a homosexual relationship?" Ian asked, unable to hold his tongue.

Dave looked surprised, and Maggie tutted gently. "Ian, you haven't been
keeping up to date with the changes to the Probate statutes! The relevant
laws were changed in New South Wales quite some time ago now, to include
same-sex couples in the definition of 'de facto relationships' for the
purposes of Estates and Probate."

"Which means that as the de facto partner of an intestate person, you are
automatically entitled to the vast majority of his Estate. All of it, in
fact, if there are no other possible beneficiaries," Dave added.

"I'm not after his money. I never was!" Ian said softly, sadly.

"No, but do you want the government to get it?" asked Maggie.

"How much are we talking about?" Ian asked.

"Well, that's a little unclear just yet," Dave said. "I've made some
enquiries with the New South Wales Police, and as I suspected they will
be making a claim against some assets under the Proceeds of Crime
legislation. But it would appear that such a claim will be limited to
funds held in company names for which Mr Carruthers was the sole
shareholder, and where there is no feasible explanation for those funds
having been acquired by legitimate means. How far they get with that I'm
not sure - it's outside my area of expertise." Dave stopped a moment
while he checked the papers in front of him again. "But leaving those
amounts aside, the funds in accounts which could reasonably have come
from his legal investments, together with the real estate properties he
owned and various other assets which the police don't seem interested in,
add up to a total of ... just under nine million dollars!"

Ian's jaw dropped. He looked from Dave to Maggie and back to Dave again.
"I had no idea," he said, when finally he could speak again.

"There's another two million dollars or so which the police will be
claiming as I mentioned," Dave added.

"I wouldn't challenge that!" Ian declared immediately.

"Then you'll do it?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know," Ian said. "I'll have to think about it."

"Don't wait too long," Maggie warned. "The police need an Administrator
appointed in order to make their claim against the Estate, so if you
don't do it soon, the Public Trustee's Office will."

*******

Ian sat in his kitchen, perched at the bench and looking out of the glass
doors into his yard, but he wasn't seeing his garden at all. He had
excused himself from the meeting and gone home early in a daze. Nine
million dollars! Geoff's legacy to him? Or blood money?

He didn't know what to do. He was lost and alone all over again.
Somewhere deep inside he heard a voice - his own voice - declaring that
he wouldn't let things get the better of him ever again, that he would
share his life and his feelings with his friends. Almost absently, he
dialled Nick's number and Tina answered.

"Hi, Ian," she said brightly. "You're lucky you caught me. I'm usually
not home yet, but I had some things to do, and finished early, so here I
am."

"Uh, that's great, Tina," Ian answered uncomprehendingly. "I was
wondering if you guys were doing anything this evening?"

"No, I don't think so. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, but I could really use a chat, talk something through with you,
and I don't seem to have the energy to get up and out."

"Of course," Tina responded quickly, sensing the confusion in Ian's
voice, and trying to disguise her own concern. "I'll come over straight
away. I'll ring Nick at work and tell him to go directly to your place
instead of coming home, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ian said softly before hanging up again without any
further comment.

Tina was on his doorstep in less than fifteen minutes. In that short
interval, Ian had gathered himself together to some extent, and even had
the foresight to ready coffee for his visitors. When he opened the door
to her, Tina looked him up and down carefully, and breathed a silent sigh
of relief to herself. He didn't appear to be as upset or in trouble as
she had suspected.

Nick had left work as soon as he got Tina's call, and was no more than
five minutes behind her, so that he arrived before she and Ian had
completed the usual pleasantries, or sat down to their drinks. Ian poured
a coffee for his friend as well, and the three of them settled onto
comfortable chairs, Nick and Tina looking expectantly at the young
lawyer.

"I need your advice," he began as he drew their attention. "Geoff has
left me in yet another difficult position and I want to know what you
think."

Intrigued, the couple pressed him to go on. Ian quickly explained what
Maggie and Dave had put to him about his possible claim to Geoff's
estate, the ease with which it could be done, and the need for a little
exaggeration or bending of the truth to state that he and Geoff were
partners when he died. He finished with a tired "I don't know whether to
make the claim or not."

Tina looked at him, hard. "It seems to me," she said at length, "that
although you may not have been partners at that time, strictly speaking,
you have certainly been acting like his partner ever since, and
beforehand too. You've gone through all the grieving and worry, all the
hassles and hurts, just as if you were his partner, so there's no real
lie in saying you were."

"But I had finished with him," Ian argued. "I had told him we were
through, that I wouldn't be seeing him again after we got back to
Sydney."

"Maybe, but things may have changed," Tina said. "On the other hand,
making this application means putting yourself through the whole
rigmarole again. Maybe it's better if you just walk away and forget it,
for your own good."

Ian was torn. "But then all of his things, all of his money and property,
just goes to the government. There's nothing left of him at all. It's all
just swallowed up."

"How much are we talking about?" Nick asked at last. Ian hadn't mentioned
any figures to them yet. Tina's ears pricked up at that - it hadn't
occurred to her to ask for specific amounts.

Ian looked from one to the other, and in a very small voice, so quiet
they could barely hear, he said, "Nine Million!"

"Holy shit!" Nick whistled.

"Oh, Ian ..." Tina said, her eyes widening in disbelief.

The three sat in silence then and looked blankly at each other as the
ramifications sank in for all of them.

"I think you should take it," Nick said at last. "Call it 'compensation'
for what he put you through. Besides, the last thing you want is to just
hand it over to the government."

Tina nodded. "Yes, I think you should take it, too. But use it to make
amends, to make Geoff's life mean something - donate it to a charity in
his name or something like that."

Ian looked from one to the other, digesting their words. After a long
silence, he smiled just a little. "You're right! I think I will do
something like that."

********

The following day Ian called around to Maggie Jones' office first thing
in the morning, and was shown in without any questions from her
secretary.

"Maggie, I've notified Dave Johnson already," he said with a smile. "I'm
going ahead with the application to be appointed Administrator of Geoff
Carruthers' Estate."

"Excellent, Ian," she beamed. "I think it's the right thing to do, from
several perspectives. And I won't lie to you that the fees we'll collect
from an Estate of that size will look very nice in my ledger as well!"

He grinned widely at that. "Then, I hope you'll be happy to hear that I
want to engage the Firm's services in another matter as well, once the
Estate goes through."

"Oh?" she said, raising one eyebrow in curiosity. "Please sit down, 'Mr
Sterling', and tell me how we can help."

"I'd like advice and guidance in setting up a charitable foundation ..."
Ian began.

****

An hour later, Ian Sterling had finished being a client, and was
returning to his office to become a lawyer again, since that was what he
was paid for. After his meeting with Maggie Jones he was feeling very
good about himself and the world, and he whistled softly as he made his
way through the building. A quick stop at the firm's in-house library to
collect some research on a matter he was looking at, and then the rest of
the morning could be given over to finally getting back into some real
work.

Standing between the shelves of legal volumes and commentative articles,
Ian was flicking slowly through the pages of a loose-leaf service when
the sound of voices drifted across to him. Two young men were talking in
one corner of the room, out of sight from where he stood.

" ... and I said to him 'why don't you just fuck off back to Oxford Street
with your poofter mates, and leave the rest of us normal guys alone?',"
said one voice.

"Bloody typical," replied the other. "It's bad enough that the queers
have their own bars and stuff. But it makes me wanna heave when they
start hangin' around pubs where real people go to drink. They're just out
to get you, you know. Turn you into one of them!"

"Shit yeah," agreed the first speaker. "And christ only knows what you
can catch from 'em. AIDS and all that other stuff!"

"Yep. They should all be locked up together, away from society."

Ian felt the flush of blood in his face, and a tightness in his chest. He
reached one hand out to steady himself against the stacks as he listened
with disgust. His first reaction was to get out of there, to hide and
hope the feelings of shame and embarrassment would go away. But his
new-found pride in himself, and his resolve to change things began to
surface, and the fear was quickly replaced with anger. Gripping the book
he had been reading tightly in one hand, he stepped out from the aisle
where he was standing to see who these two were. Both of them young men,
one he recognised as McManus, a research assistant. The other was
unfamiliar to him.

"You two!" he said in a voice filled with icy anger.

"Oh, yes Mr Sterling?" answered McManus, looking up innocently and
smiling.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Ian looked at them and realised neither
of them were aware they had done anything wrong. "I want both of you in
my office in 15 minutes, do you understand?"

"Err, yes Sir," McManus answered, perplexed by the unusual request.

Ian turned on his heel and went to his room, where he took a few minutes
to relax and settle down as he waited for the young men to show up. He
alerted Jill that he was expecting them, and asked her to come into his
office with them when they arrived.

A soft, polite knock at his door announced the arrival of the young men.
Jill led them into Ian's office while Ian remained seated. "Mr McManus
and Mr Dickson to see you, Mr Sterling," she said in her most officious
tone, before moving to stand to one side of his desk. Ian looked up at
them and sat back in his chair, but did not offer them a seat at all.

"Mr McManus, I am familiar with you, but Mr Dickson, I don't seem to know
you. What is your position in this Firm?" he asked quietly.

"Um, I'm a law student, Sir," answered the now nervous young man. "I work
here two days a week as a research assistant. Only started last month,
while you were away."

"I see." Ian looked sideways to his secretary and gave Jill a wink the
boys could not see. "I was unfortunate enough to be in the library
earlier, and to overhear your conversation. To say I was disappointed and
angry that employees of this firm would speak in such terms is an
understatement. Disgusted is a word which springs to mind."

"Mr Sterling, I ..." began McManus, but Ian silenced him.

"Do not compound your mistake, Mr McManus," he warned. "I am trying to be
fair and reasonable about this. Given your positions here, I think some
research by both of you is appropriate. Mr McManus, I want you to prepare
for me a detailed analysis and summary of the Anti-vilification laws,
specifically with regard to the issue of homosexuality. And Mr Dickson,
since you are studying law, you might like to give me a fully researched
and notated precis on the defamation laws in this State, PLUS an opinion
on the effect of a conviction under the Anti-vilification laws that your
friend is researching, where the convicted person is applying for
admission to practise law."

Both men stood there speechless. Jill did her best to suppress a smile of
satisfaction. Ian went on. "Of course I expect these things to be done in
your own time, and to be on my desk within 48 hours." Ian finished.

Finally the student, Dickson, found his tongue. "But Mr Sterling, Sir, we
were only talking amongst ourselves, and it was just a discussion about
gays!" He spat out the word 'gays' as if it had a bad taste.

Ian contained his fury as best he could. "Firstly, Mr Dickson, in my
opinion, your discussion amounted to both vilification of homosexual men,
and defamation of one in particular, although I will be interested to
read your submissions in two days time. Secondly, this 'assignment' of
mine is in lieu of my reporting both of you and your conversation to
personnel or to any of the partners - but my secretary is here as a
witness to this conversation should that become necessary. And thirdly,
gentlemen, I am gay, and more than offended by what you had to say. Now
get out of my office. I will expect your reports early Thursday morning,
failing which I shall be seeing one of the partners to discuss proper
disciplinary action."

Summarily dismissed, the two boys quickly took their leave, and once they
were gone, Ian leaned back again, letting out a long breath. Jill stuck
her head back in again.

"You want me to minute all of that, boss?" she asked.

"Absolutely, Jill. Every word." He looked up at her again with a
concerned expression. "I wasn't too hard on them was I?"

"No way!" she declared with vehemence. "They got off lightly. I'll get
someone to keep an eye on them, make sure they do the research in their
own time like you said, as well."

"Thanks, Jill."

"You know that they will spread the word like wildfire that you're gay?"

"Uh huh," he nodded. "But I think this was one of those relevant
situations we were discussing."


To be continued ...


This story is a fantasy, it is not real and only happened in my
imagination. YOU MUST REMEMBER that in the real world, you can DIE from
having unsafe sex. It is your right and your duty to make sure that
condoms are always used, whether you are giving or receiving. It doesn't
matter how good looking or how ugly he is, and it doesn't matter whether
you are top or bottom, USE A CONDOM!