Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:18:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: tmabare <tmabare@aol.com>
Subject: The Captain of My Dreams - 20

This story is a work of fiction.  The events in this story are fictional.
The characters in this story do not exist and any resemblance to real
people is purely coincidental.  Any use of celebrity or other real persons
is entirely fictional and in no way reflects upon their actual sexual
orientation.  This story contains erotic and/or sexually explicit
activities between consenting adults.  If you are under age, find this type
of work offensive, or it is illegal for you to view this, do not read it.

The Captain of My Dreams – Part 20
By tmabare ©2012

* * * From Part 19 * * *

Waking up the next morning, Teddy felt like he had been hit by a truck.
Not only was he tired from the trip and time change, but he had drank
entirely too much at the party.  After showering, shaving, and brushing his
teeth Teddy headed downstairs.  He found everyone gathered around the
kitchen table eating breakfast.

As soon as Edward saw Ted, he smiled wide and was rewarded with Teddy
leaning over and kissing him.  "Morning, babe, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I think I did.  Remind me to never drink again."  He reached over
and picked up Edward's orange juice and downed it in one gulp.

Laura walked over and placed a full glass in front of Edward and handed
Teddy a second.  "Sweetie, wait until you see the videos."

"Ugh, I'm going to change my name and move to some deserted island."

Edward couldn't help but laugh.  "Well, I live on an island.  It's not
exactly deserted, but you know..."

"Thanks for the offer.  I think I will take you up on it."  Teddy smiled
and kissed Edward again.

Sitting down next to Edward, Teddy started eating.  He tried to limit it to
the healthier items but that was hard with Laura's cooking.  Breakfast was
her thing and she had outdone herself.  The conversation was lively with
everyone enjoying the time together.

* * * Part 20 * * *

Walking thru Riverfront Plaza, Teddy felt the sense of relief he
experienced every time he was in Savannah.  The city with its diverse
culture and wide open squares reminded him of his new home in London.
Thankfully there weren't as many people and as much traffic as there was in
London.  As they walked along looking at the crafts and other items for
sale, Teddy was silently watching Edward.  The man he had grown to love so
much was unusually quiet.

"Babe, what's wrong?"  Teddy said it quiet enough so that no one else could
hear.

"I wish I knew for sure.  You know how you felt before we left London?
Well I'm having the same feeling.  Like there is something bad going to
happen.  We have been so happy, but I can't help but feel that something
terrible is coming."

"Maybe we're both wrong, maybe nothing bad is going to happen."  Teddy said
it, but he wasn't even able to convince himself.

As they continued to walk, Edward's face suddenly changed to a huge smile.
He grabbed Teddy's arm and made a bee line towards a building across the
way.  He was practically at a run, and Ted was starting to become worried.

"Babe, what the hell..."  It was then that Teddy saw where they were
headed.  He started to laugh, "You saw the sign didn't you.  Tell me you're
not flipping out over candy, are you?"

Edward didn't say anything, he just nodded his head repeatedly.  He flung
the door open and pushed Teddy inside.

"Good lord, I wish I had a video of this."  Teddy just laughed at the
largest of the children.

Walking thru the door of Savannah's Candy Kitchen, Edward quite literally
was a kid in a candy store.  Ted couldn't help but smile and watch the big
man he loved turn into a small boy as he wandered around trying things and
picking out more and more candy to buy.

Edward finally looked over at the smiling Teddy, "What?  This isn't all for
me... it's for the boys and Bess too."  He shrugged his shoulders as he
said it and it just added to the little boy look he had going.

"Riiiiight."  Teddy started laughing and couldn't stop.

As he was laughing, Ted didn't notice the couple walk up behind him.
Edward saw the people, but didn't think anything about it.  It was then
that the man reached out and tapped on Teddy's shoulder.  Edward suddenly
realized who he was looking at and almost dropped the items he was holding.

"Ted?"

Edward saw as the look on Teddy's face change suddenly.  The smile which
had been there was instantly gone and was replaced by a look of pain.  Ted
took a deep breath and turned around.

"Phillip, what a surprise."  Ted tried to modulate his voice to hide the
shock and pain he was feeling.  It was then that he felt Edward's hand on
his back, the feeling of warmth from that contact was just what he needed.
He could feel himself relax and the pain instantly disappeared.  Edward had
stepped closer and his body was now in direct contact with Ted's.

Ted noticed the look on Phillip's face change as he saw the physical
contact between Edward and him.  The young woman with Phillip looked a
little confused as to what was going on.

"Um, yeah.  I heard you were in London, didn't expect to run into you
here."

"We're here stopping off on the way to Florida to close the house.  We're
going to be living in London now."  Ted leaned back against Edward as he
said it.  "Sorry, where are my manners?  Phillip Rodriguez, Edward Smythe.
Edward, Phillip."

Edward extended his hand and grasped Phillips.  Edward noticed the attempt
at strength that Phillip was trying to exhibit and made sure that he
squeezed more than usual.  He was rewarded with a look of slight pain on
Phillip's face.  "Pleasure to meet you."

Phillip pulled his hand back, "Yeah, same here."  He then wrapped his arm
around the woman he was with, "This is Crystal Williams, Crystal this is my
friend Ted Jackson."

"Nice to meet you Crystal."  Teddy quickly shook her hand and pulled back,
once again leaning on Edward.

"You too, Phillip has told me a lot about you.  He said you were his best
friend, but that you guys had grown apart."

Ted noticed the look on Phillips face, a look that he had come to know all
too well.  It was the same look he always got when he was caught in a lie.
It was replaced by a look of pleading toward Ted.  Ted knew now that
Phillip had not been honest about his past with Crystal.

"Yeah, we've been friends for years.  You know, my work started to take up
more and more time and sometimes friendships are the first to suffer."
Part of Ted wanted to scream that was a lie, but he was also not looking
for that drama.  "So where did you guys meet?"

"I'm a nurse at Tampa General.  Phillip came in working a few times and
then I finally got up the nerve to talk to him."

"That's cool."  Teddy didn't mean it, but he hoped that his tone fooled
her.

Phillip had a strange look on his face, "Ted, you keep saying `we.'  I take
it you two..."

Edward had been silent enough in his own opinion.  "Yeah, we've been
together for a while now.  I'm a Captain in the Royal Army, currently
assigned to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment."  Edward saw the look
on both of their faces.  Philip's was shock and Crystal's was a smile.  "We
met here in Savannah at a party thrown by John and Laura.  Now we live
together in London, where we are raising my daughter together."

"That's so cool.  I've always wanted to go to London."  Crystal was
oblivious to the looks on Ted's and Phillip's faces.  "It's my home and I
may be prejudice, but it has to be the most beautiful city on Earth."

Crystal's face showed she was enchanted by Edward and the thought of living
in London.  "Everything I've seen makes it sure look like it."

"Phillip, are you going to see the boys while you are here?"  As soon as he
said it, Ted could have kicked himself.  The boys had finally stopped
asking about him and to reintroduce him into their lives didn't seem fair.

There was a pause as Phillip's face changed, "I wanted to, but Laura said
she didn't think it was a good idea."

Ted nodded his head slowly, there was a fight going on inside him.  He felt
a small squeeze of Edward's hand that was on his lower back.  "I'll talk to
her about it.  There is no reason that you shouldn't see them.  I'll call
you once I talk to her."

"Thank you, that would be great."  There was a marked improvement in
Phillip voice.

"No problem.  Look, we need to buy this stuff and get going.  It was nice
meeting you Crystal.  Phillip I'll let you know once I talk to Laura."  He
extended his hand and shook both of theirs.

"Crystal, it was nice meeting you also." Edward also took the time to shake
both of their hands and held Phillips for an extra amount of time.
"Phillip, looking forward to seeing you again some time."  There was a
definite edge to Edward's voice as he said it.

Phillip just nodded his head, "Yeah, same here."

As they walked off, Teddy turned to look at Edward.  "Okay, what was that
about?"

"Nothing, babe.  Just thought I needed to show him who you are with now and
make sure there was no doubt in his mind what he lost out on."

"I thought you were about to pee on my leg back there."

Edward burst out laughing.  "That could have worked.  You know, mark my
territory."

Teddy couldn't help but laugh at the comment.  As they finished their
shopping, Ted felt the need to stay closer to Edward than he had been.  It
was as if his entire world had been shaken by seeing his ex-boyfriend in
the flesh.

For his part, Edward noticed the sudden change in Teddy and made sure that
he didn't move away too suddenly.  He sensed the sudden need in Teddy and
wanted to make sure that he was there to provide the support he needed.

As they left the store, they started the walk back to John and Laura's.
Walking through the streets of Savannah, Teddy could feel himself start to
relax again.  By the time they made it to the house, he was feeling like
his old self.  Opening the door to the house, he was surprised to not be
greeted by the kids.

"Hello, we're home."  Teddy called out to see who was around.

Laura came walking out of the kitchen, "Hey there.  John took the kids to
the park."

Teddy stopped and looked at Laura, "Do you want to take a swing at who we
ran into today?"

The look on her face told Teddy what he already knew.  "I'm sorry I didn't
warn you.  I just didn't think there was any way you would run into him."

"Well, we did."  He paused as he thought about the encounter, "He said he
asked you about seeing the boys."

"He called the other day.  I just don't think it's such a good idea. They
are finally to the point where they don't ask about him.  I'm not sure how
it would be to reintroduce him into their lives."

As much as he wanted to keep his word to Phillip, Ted was still angry and
hurt.  "Ok, you're probably right."

Edward stood there stunned.  He couldn't believe that Teddy had given in so
easily.

Ted looked between the two of them, "I'm going to go lay down.  I suddenly
feel tired and not so well."  Not waiting for an answer he started up the
stairs to his room.

Edward just stood at the bottom of the stairs looking at Laura, "I don't
think he's going to sleep so well."

"I think you're right."

* * *

Walking into the house, Ted saw the suitcases by the front door.  Looking
around he didn't see Philip, so he poured himself a drink and walked onto
the back balcony.  He was sitting there listening to the ocean when he
heard Phillip walk down the stairs inside.

"Hey, I'm home from work."

It took a minute for Phillip to appear in the doorway, when he did Ted
could tell there was something wrong.

"Ted, we need to talk."  He turned and walked back into the living room.

Teddy got up and followed him, "Sure babe, what's up?"  Ted sat on the
couch in the living room, placing his drink on the table he looked out at
the beach before turning back to Phillip.

Phillip sat in the chair across from Ted, he placed his head in his hands
for a moment and then looked up at Teddy.  "I'm not sure how to tell you
this."

"What's wrong, babe?  You're starting to scare me."

"I think we need time away from each other."

Ted wasn't sure what he was hearing, "What?"

"I need time to decide if this is what I want.  I think I'm just going to
end up hurting you.  I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life with
a man, I think I want a woman."

Feeling himself start to lose control of his emotions, Teddy tried to
moderate his voice.  "Didn't you just tell me last night that this was the
best relationship you've ever had?"

"It is, but I don't think it's what I want anymore.  I'm just going to end
up hurting you, I know it."  There was a long pause, "I need to tell you
something...  I've been having sex with other people, unprotected sex."

That was the final piece for Ted to lose it.  "You put me at risk?  How
could you do that?"

"I didn't mean to, it just happened.  I couldn't control myself, I knew
what I was doing was wrong, but I just couldn't stop myself."  Phillip
looked out across the beach to the ocean and then looked back.  "If it
helps, none of them were men.  They were all women."

"No, that doesn't help."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is going to work for me."

* * *

Edward walked in the room to find Teddy twitching under the covers.  He
knew all too well that he was having a dream.  He was also sure he knew
what it was he was dreaming of.  He lay behind Ted and wrapped his arm
around him.

"Babe, you need to wake up.  Calm down, baby, I'm right here."

Hearing the sound of Edward's voice brought Ted out of the dream he was
having.  As he woke, there were tears in his eyes.  He just let himself
feel the warmth and love that was coming from Edward.

Teddy started to speak, "Edward, I'm so..."

"Shhh, it's ok.  I figured this was going to happen.  The minute we ran
into Phillip, you were bound to start dreaming about that day again."

All Ted could do was cry and let himself be held.  The feelings of safety
and stability he got from Edward were incredible.  He tried to keep himself
from losing it completely and just focused on the future he had with
Edward.  With a few minutes, Teddy was back asleep and there were no more
dreams.

* * *

The next few days became a blur as the guys and kids prepared to leave for
Florida.  The flight down to St. Petersburg was short and smooth.  Walking
down the stairs of the aircraft, Teddy saw the figure of the women he had
relied on for so many years.

"Hello, Stephanie."  The sound of familiarity and relief was evident in his
voice.

"Mr. Jackson, it's good to have you home, even if it is only a short
visit."  She hugged the man she had come to respect so much.  She looked up
from the hug and saw Edward walking up behind them.  She whispered into
Teddy's ear, "Dear lord, he is hot."

The comment made them both laugh, "Yeah, he is that."  Teddy turned and
reached his hand out to Edward.  "Stephanie Wilson, Edward Smythe.  Edward,
this is my right hand girl, Stephanie."

Edward put on his best smile as he shook Stephanie's hand, "It's great to
finally meet you.  I can't thank you enough for all of your help with my
family problems."

Teddy was surprised when he saw Stephanie actually blush, "I was glad I
could help.  Let me thank you for what you have done for this one."  She
moved her head towards Ted as she said it.

"I'm standing right here you know?"  Teddy couldn't help it.  He was glad
the two of them were getting along.

Edward and Stephanie both couldn't help but laugh.  Loading the cars and
leaving the airport was handled quickly and like a well oiled machine.
Teddy was driving his own car with Edward sitting beside him and loved the
warm Florida weather.  The kids asked if they could ride with Stephanie and
she had been more than happy to have them with her.  Traffic wasn't as bad
as Teddy expected it to be, as they made their way south toward Tierra
Verde.

As they were driving, Edward could feel himself getting hungrier and
hungrier.  "Babe, can we stop off and get something to eat?"

"If I know Steph, she has a spread laid out at the house for us."

"I'm sure, but I'm hungry now."  The fake whine in Edward's voice was
unmistakable and it made them both laugh.

"Sure, anything special?"

Edward looked up in time to see the sign for a Subway.  "Yeah, Subway is
good.  Let's go there."

Teddy didn't say anything as he pulled into the small strip mall.  Parking
right in front of the door he noticed that the place was nearly empty.
They walked in together and Teddy instantly saw the reaction of the two men
behind the counter.  The both were staring at Edward and had a look of
desire on their faces.

As the guys walked to the counter, they were both paying more attention to
the menu than to the two workers.  When Edward finally looked down he
couldn't help but laugh at the reaction he was getting from the two men
behind the counter.

The taller of the two took one look at Edward and then looked at Teddy.  He
looked back at Edward and smiled.  "Are you two separate?"

Edward almost couldn't believe his ears and Teddy had to stifle a laugh.
Edward did a half smile, "No, together."

After they had both ordered their subs and they were in the ovens, the tall
clerk looked at Edward again.  "So, you two aren't together?"  The
implication was clear in his voice.

"Umm, no, we're together."  Edward still didn't quite believe the
forwardness.  He still wasn't used to this kind of attention and the fact
that it was happening in front of Teddy made him feel even more
uncomfortable.

The young man didn't seem to pay attention to what Edward had said.  He
just continued to look at Edward and then over at Teddy and then back.

Teddy was on the verge of laughing uncontrollably.  He didn't feel the
least bit threatened or anything but amused.  It was also fun for him to
watch Edward's reaction to the attention.

As they were finally ready to pay, the clerk finally made his last comment.
"So, you two are separate right?"

Edward had finally had enough.  He turned towards Teddy, "Hey babe, this
guy wants to know if we are together."

After the shock of the comment, Teddy finally answered.  "Yeah, we're
together."  He paused and then raised his eyebrows several times at the
clerk, "You know... together, together."

The look on the young man's face was priceless.  He didn't say anything
else as Edward paid for the subs and the two of them walked out the door.

Climbing into the car, Edward looked over at Ted.  "Tell me it's not going
to always be like that.  I can't believe the nerve."

"Babe, you handled it well.  I swear it isn't always going to be like
that."

"Why couldn't he believe that we were together?"

"It's not that he couldn't believe it, it's he didn't want to believe it."

Edward turned to face out the window, "Oh."

* * *

The closer they got to the house, the more Edward was looking around
constantly.  He hadn't been to Florida before and this was a beautiful
area.  As Ted drove them along Oceanside Drive, Edward couldn't help but
look at the houses and the Gulf of Mexico beyond.  Pulling into the
driveway, Edward's eyes didn't believe what he was seeing.  It was one of
the most incredible houses he had ever seen.

"All I can say is... wow."  Edward's eyes were still wide.

Teddy laughed a little, "This old place?"

"I can't believe you want to leave this place to live in London.  Maybe I
should just quit my job and we can live here on the beach."  Edward was
standing up and took a deep breath of the sea air, "Smells incredible and
the sound of the waves, it's like a dream."

"Well, I know you're not serious but I'm not getting rid of this house.  We
are just closing it up.  In fact, I am thinking of finding someone to stay
here, I don't want to leave it empty."

"I can't blame you.  We are going to need to come here often and spend
time.  Babe, do you mind if I walk around back?"

"Uncle Edward, can we go with you?"  Matthew grabbed Edward's hand and
started to pull him towards the side of the house.

Bess reached out and grabbed his other hand, "Yeah, Dad!  Come on!"

Teddy just laughed as Edward was pulled towards the beach, "You all stay
out of the water!"

Dylan was standing beside Teddy, "I don't want to go out there, I'll go
with you."

"Are you okay, bud?"

"Yes, sir.  I'm just a little tired."

Teddy knelt down and put his hand on Dylan's forehead.  "You don't feel
hot, let's go inside."  He picked up Dylan, who buried his head in Ted's
neck.

Walking into the house, Ted could see that Stephanie had been busy.  There
were fresh flowers on the table and counter along with snacks laid out for
the adults and kids.  Sitting Dylan on the kitchen island, Ted reached into
a drawer.  "Okay, bud.  I'm going to take your temperature."

Edward walked in from the balcony just as the thermometer beeped.  "What's
up?"

"I don't feel so good, Uncle Edward."  Dylan voice was starting to sound
more pitiful.

"You don't have a fever, but we'll check again later."  Teddy leaned over
and kissed Dylan's forehead.  "Come on big guy, what's say I carry you to
your room?"  Teddy put his arms around Dylan and picked him off the
counter.

As Teddy carried Dylan from the room, Edward walked onto the back balcony
and looked out to the ocean.  He saw Devon, Bess, and Matthew playing in
the surf.  As he was watching, he heard Teddy walk up beside him.

"Edward, what do you think?"

"It's amazing here.  I honestly can't believe you are giving this up to
live in London."

"This isn't my home anymore and you know that.  My home is wherever you and
Bess are."  Teddy placed his hand on Edward's back.

Edward leaned over and kissed Teddy.  "I'm not sure what I did to deserve
you."

Teddy looked up into Edward's eyes, "I think the same thing every day."

"So, what is the plan?"

Moving to sit at the outside table, Teddy pulled a chair out.  "Well, we
have two days to bum around here and then we are off to Disney for four
days.  Then it is back here for a day before we head to London."

"Damn, busy week by the sounds."  Edward just wrapped his arms around Ted
and held him tight.  He continued to look out to the waves crashing against
the beach.

* * *