Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 16:57:13 -0500
From: Michael Raburn <mraburn@bellsouth.net>
Subject: DYLAN'S HOPE 7

THIS WORK MAY BE COPIED OR REDISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
CONSENT OF ITS AUTHOR.

THIS WORK DEALS WITH A FICTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO MEN.  IF READING
ABOUT HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS OR SEXUAL CONTACT BETWEEN TWO MEN IS EITHER
ILLEGAL IN YOUR AREA OR OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READY ANY FURTHER.

ANY SIMILARITIES TO ANY PERSON LIVING OR DEAD ARE PURELY COINCIDENTAL.
THIS WORK IS ENTIRELY FICTIONAL.



THANKS GUYS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT...



DYLAN'S HOPE

Michael A. Raburn


Chapter 7



We were having breakfast Friday morning when I heard a car pull into the
gravel driveway.  Dylan quickly rose to look out the breakfast room window
to catch a glimpse of who was visiting.  It is impossible to see the full
driveway from that vantage point so he turned back to me perplexed then
headed to the front of the house.  I was glad that at least he had gotten
dressed so he wouldn't freeze when he opened the door.  Most days he
puttered around the house in running shorts and socks but then again we did
keep the cabin pretty warm.  And, of course I rarely complained about his
choice of dress.

"Andrea, Robert!" he yelled.  "Come on in.  Your dad will be so pleased
that you're here."

"Dylan, I'm so glad to see you.  How's everything going with you and Dad?"
she asked as she hugged him.

I had forgotten that the couple was due back from their honeymoon so
quickly.  We had been so busy with exploring our relationship that the time
had slipped away.  We had settled into a quiet routine, quiet mostly
because I was hobbling around.  He had helped keep me busy enough to not
feel so lost that Andrea was not around anymore.

"Daddy!" She screamed as she came running into the breakfast room.  Three
large strides and she was again in my embrace.  "I missed you so much.
What the hell happened?" She stepped back to look at the bandage on my leg.

"I missed you too, pumpkin.  How were the islands?  How did you know we
were up here?" I stroked her loose hair back from her face.  She was
considerably tanned, with just a couple of patches of sunburn on her nose.
Reaching a hand out, I pulled Robert into our embrace.  "Did ya'll have a
good trip?"

Dylan returned from the kitchen with two more coffee cups, plates and
flatware and encouraged Andrea and Robert to join us in breakfast.  We sat
around the table leisurely eating omelets and exchanged stories of what we
had done over the past weeks.  Andrea took particular glee in teasing me
about how young and relaxed I looked and about how it was about time.  She
was of course concerned about the accident and had to check out Dylan's
first aid skills.

With an embarrassed face, I thanked her for pushing me in the right
direction.  Dylan told them the story about the crazy trip to the hospital.
They told us all the funny stories of their honeymoon in the Virgin
Islands.

"So, when are you two getting married?" Robert asked, seemingly out of
nowhere.

"Uh, yeah.  I can't wait to plan another wedding." Andrea gushed.

"It's just about all she's talked about the past two weeks."

"Um, we haven't talked about that yet.  Let us think about that for a
while.  We have only been together a couple of weeks." I glanced over to
smile at Dylan's handsome face, grasping his hand and interlacing our
fingers.

"Not that our feelings will change for each other, whether we have a
ceremony or not?" He smiled, his finger caressing the back of my hand.

	Changing the subject I asked: "How long are you staying?"

	"Just the weekend.  We need to get back to Atlanta and start
packing." Andrea answered.

	As happy as I had been the last few days, the inevitability that
she was leaving was again thrust upon me.  I turned my eyes and caught a
glimpse through the window of snowflakes falling outside.  I knew they were
moving to Seattle on an intellectual level, but it now seemed like it would
happen for real.  They had made an offer that had been accepted on a great
starter house, both had jobs lined up, yet somehow I thought it would never
happen.  My little girl was grown and was about to truly start her own
life, away from me.




"Daddy, how did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?" she asked
out of the blue.

We were watching television in the den that evening.  She was paying little
attention to the program as she finished the book she was reading.  Often I
wondered how she could concentrate on both things, but then again, I was
working on a proposal for a client and still following the show.

"Andrea, I don't know that I ever figured that out.  I took the courses
that I was good at and eventually I got a degree.  We...ah, I had it all
planned out by the time you were born."  Why had I said that?  Did I have
to drag up that memory?

"I don't understand.  Don't you like what you do?" her face turned to me.

How do you explain to a thirteen year old about the choices that you don't
get to make in life?  About the path that you get thrust upon?  That not
making a decision is making a decision?  That you wake up one morning and
don't know how you got there?

"Of course I like what I do.  If things were different, I'd probably have
done something else.  But, this is what I know."  I answered, more
perplexed by my own answer than by her question.

"What would you have done?"

"Sugar, I'm not sure.  I might have been a minister, like my grandfather.
Or I might have taught, like mom.  Who knows, maybe I'd have been an artist
or a sculptor.  I took lots of art classes in high school but your
grandfather made me stop."

"Why?"

"He wanted me to be an engineer.  He felt that art classes were a waste of
time and his money." I mused.  "What do you think you want to do?" I asked,
knowing she would change her mind a thousand times before she actually
entered the workforce.

"I want to be just like you." She stated.

"What?"

"I want to help you run Reynolds Consulting when I'm old enough."

She had grown up at the office with me.  Money was tight in the beginning
so rather than find a baby sitter, I took her with me.  She played under my
desk with her toys and entertained clients with her jokes and stories.
Many times she seemed to understand the negotiations and contracts better
than I did, probably from hanging around with so many people that treated
her like a peer and not the boss's daughter.

So, it really wasn't a surprise when she entered college that she chose a
tract that would lead her into the business.  She excelled in all the areas
that I had struggled with.




"Daddy, what were you thinking?" She asked, pulling me back into the
conversation.  "You seemed so far away."  She patted my hand.

"Just remembering." I mused.  "Will you two excuse us?  Dylan will you take
a walk with me?" I asked.

"Of course.  You can walk, can't you?"  He teased, curiosity evident in his
face.

"Andrea, Robert, we'll be back."  I leaned over to kiss my daughter,
ignoring my lover's snide comment.

"We'll be here."  They both answered.  "We'll start dinner if you're gone
too long." Andrea said.




Bundled in our parkas, we walked down the steps and across the side yard.
The snow I had glimpsed through the windows earlier was getting heavier;
still not enough to worry about, but pretty to look at, anyway.  We'd
gotten our gloves on the way out but found out quickly that we couldn't
feel each other's hand with them on.  I pulled off my right glove, shoving
it in my pocket.  Dylan got the idea and mimicked my movements.  We'd have
to keep each other warm as our fingers caressed our partners'.

We wandered along, not saying anything, enjoying our silence.  As we neared
our favorite spot overlooking the valley we stopped to look through the
bare branches.  It was so quiet, peaceful there, far from the city and it's
hectic bustle.  Dylan stepped in front of me and leaned back into my arms.

"Honey, what is it?" He asked.

"Baby, I'm not sure, really.  What do you want to do with the rest of your
life?" I asked, not certain that it was the best way to approach the ideas
forming in my mind.

"To be with you."  He answered without pausing to think.

"Thank you." I whispered into his soft blonde hair.

"Jon, she will always love you, you know.  No matter where she is."

"I know." The words caught in my throat.

"What do you want?" He asked, turning so he could wipe away my tears.  He
shifted our positions so he was holding me against his chest.

"I've got what I want." I looked into his eyes.  "I never knew I could feel
this way." I moved my trembling lips to touch his.

"They'll be so disappointed." He smiled.

"Huh?"

"Well, husband, if that wasn't a commitment ceremony, I don't know what it
was." He moved to kiss me again.

I gasped at the pure emotion that surged in me as the full realization of
his words clicked in my brain.  Pulling him fiercely to me, we met in a
kiss laden with love, affection, and need.  I slid my hands down his back,
grasping at his bottom.  I pulled him forward by his butt, pushing his
hardness into mine.  We continued to kiss and grind into each other,
oblivious to the snow, the view or how cold we were.

"I want you so badly." I moaned into his mouth.

"Oh, Jon, I know.  Honey, I know.  But, they're watching us." He pointed
towards the house.  I only got a glimpse of the curtain falling back into
place when I looked.

We moved to an outcropping of granite stones further down the trail.  Dylan
sat between my outstretched knees, inching back to lean into my embrace.  I
felt the cold of the rock through my jeans and knew we would not be able to
stay long.  Maybe long enough for me to explain my plan and get him to
agree before we headed back.

"Dylan, I don't want to go back." I started.

"It is nice here."

"No, baby.  I mean it.  How do you feel about staying here?"

"What about the company?  Oh, duh, I get it." He grinned that famous
lopsided grin, his eyes twinkling.  "Well, they're a formidable pair.  Do
you think they'll do it?" He asked.

"Don't know.  But, you're right about them."

"Can we do it?" He asked, his use of the plural sounded so natural.

"Maybe.  I've got a little saved up." I grinned back at him.

"Yeah, right." He laughed.  "I've got some stashed away too.  Insurance
from my parents."

"What about your career in banking?"

"Maybe I'll take up gardening.  Somebody's got to feed us, you know."

"You know, I think we could do this." I leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?  Together we're unstoppable." He returned
the kiss.  "Come on, we'd better go tell them that we've planned their
future."

"Brace yourself.  You know how she gets when you push her." I laughed,
poking him in the ribs.  "Let's go, I'm freezing."

We walked back lazily, holding hands, stopping occasionally to share a kiss
or a cuddle.  We shook off the snow and stomped up the steps to the cabin.
I opened the door and wonderful smells from the kitchen greeted us.

"We'll spring it on them during dinner." I whispered.

He nodded to me, snickering.



"Hey guys, how long till dinner?" I asked, roaming into the kitchen.

"At least a couple of hours, daddy." Andrea answered.

"I think we're going to go take a nap."

"A nap?  Is that what you call it these days?" Robert asked, grinning at
us.

Andrea backhanded him in the belly before ushering us out.  "We'll call you
when it's ready."

Dylan grabbed my hand and led me to the bedroom.  I closed the door behind
us and met him in the middle of the room.  Slowly, lovingly we undressed
each other then crawled into bed together, meeting in the middle.  Holding
each other close we whispered of our love and commitment, celebrating with
our bodies the passion we felt for the other.  I held him in my arms after
our orgasm, petting his body as we drifted into sleep.


TO BE CONTINUED