Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:36:47 -0700
From: Stephen Phelps <dnsphelps@mcsi.net>
Subject: Michael and Jake, Part 7
Disclaimer: I do not know, nor do I claim to know Jake Gyllenhaal, or any
other celebrity's that may wander through these pages, and I do not know or
therefore mean to imply any knowledge of their personal lives or their
sexual preferences. This is a work of fiction, and the character of
Michael is my own creation, so any use of him outside of this story can
only be done by first gaining my permission. If you are under 18 years of
age, or it is illegal for you to be reading this where you live, or you are
bothered by the prospect of a homo-erotic relationship between two men,
then you had better go and find something else to read on another website.
Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry it's taken me awhile to get a new chapter
posted! It's been a hectic couple of months, starting pretty much the day
after chapter 6 was posted. First, my computer decided to give up the
ghost and take everything contained therein along with it! Thankfully I
was able to get a few important things rescued, like my Outlook Express
email address book and my old documents and photo's! Well, obviously, I've
gotten a new computer! Second, work has been extremely busy, as anyone in
retail will tell you, what with one "Back to School" sale after
another....And Finally, I had a new character/story that were just begging
to be told, so I wrote his introduction and it's been posted for several
weeks now. His name is Caleb, and his story is called Flying Blind, also
in the Celebrity section. Have no fear, Caleb's story will continue....Now
that I've written a little bit about him, he's allowing me to get back to
Michael and Jake. Before I get onto the story, I have to take a minute to
say "Thank You" to Avy and Christopher, once again. I seriously doubt that
I would have gotten this chapter out were it not for their continued moral
support (translation: constant nagging!). All kidding aside, thanks guys!
You're the best! And now, without further ado, on with the story.....
Michael's POV
"Well, that's a relief off my mind," I said to Maggie as we
waited for our cabs outside the lawyer's offices. After he had
sufficiently recovered from shock, Marshall Williams got right down to
business. We were going to go up to Albany next Monday and get things
squared away regarding my lottery winnings. After I had the ticket
officially verified and received my first check, minus any taxes, I was
going to be paying a visit to a mid-town investment firm. The firm that
Marshall recommended just so happened to be the firm that was handling my
parents' investment portfolio, so that made me feel more comfortable right
away.
"I imagine so. Now you can concentrate on other things,"
Maggie replied.
"Yup. Start planning for the future and start working on my
house," I said with a smile.
"I can't wait!" Maggie said, looking just like a giddy
teenager in that exact moment.
"You and Peter are still coming to the studios tomorrow
afternoon, right?" I asked, holding open the door of the taxi for her as
she climbed into the back of the waiting cab.
"Absolutely! I want him to see the house and grounds and
everything!"
"Cool, I'll see you both tomorrow then," I said, closing the
door. The window went down a second later.
"Don't forget to bring the sketches!" Maggie reminded me.
"I won't. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
And then Maggie was giving her address to the driver and the
cab was pulling away from the curb. Mine arrived a minute later.
My cell phone rang from its place on the coffee table. I was
sitting on the sofa between Ryan and Michelle as they took turns reading
aloud. I reached over and picked it up, checking the caller ID, and
smiling when I recognized Jake's number. I flipped it open immediately.
"Hi," I said softly.
"Can you talk?" he asked.
"Yeah. So how did things go with your folks? Maggie told me
what was going on."
"I'm sorry about that.....I should have told you myself what I
was planning," he apologized.
"No problem....."
"Anyways, I sat down and had a good long talk with my
folks....."
"And?"
"They want to meet you when you come out for the Emmy's next
month. Mom's a huge fan, by the way."
"Hmmm."
"What?"
"That's how I got involved with your family to begin with, sort
of."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, Maggie showed up outside the studio one day last week,
after we were done taping for the day, and asked me for my autograph. Hard
to believe how much my life has changed in my life in the last week....."
"For the better, I hope?" Jake asked.
"Definitely! So tell me, how did it go, really?"
"It went a lot better than I thought it would. I didn't
mention Paul.....They don't need to know about that. I told them about
what had been on my mind for a while, about meeting Maggie for lunch and
then meeting you and the kids. Of course mom knew right away who you were.
They asked all the usual questions, and then my dad finished by telling me
to be 'careful'."
"I know, I got pretty much the same speech from my folks," I
said.
"So, how are things really going?" Jake asked.
"Okay. I met with the lawyers today. We're going to go up to
Albany next Monday to get my lottery ticket validated and everything. It
turns out that the investment firm that they recommended to handle things
for me financially also handles my parents' financial portfolio."
"Well that's a good thing."
"And I already have a possible tenant for the third floor space
of my house, and I haven't even started to do any formal work yet."
"Really? Who?"
"Peter and Maggie."
"My Peter and Maggie?"
"Yup, the very same! I don't think she'd going to take 'no'
for an answer!"
"It's better to give in now and admit defeat. Believe me, I
know."
"I kind of came to that same conclusion myself."
"So what else?"
"What? Oh. Let's see....The family is going to descend like a
bunch of vulture's on Friday. There was a token attempt to contest the
will, but the rest of the family managed to nip it in the bud."
"Oh?"
"I'll tell you about it when you get back here."
"Okay....."
"Listen, I really hate to cut this short, but it's my reading
time with the kids before they go to bed....."
"Oh....."
"I was wondering if I could call you back in.....say, an hour?"
He let out a breath, and I could hear the smile in his voice
when he said, "Yeah, that would be great!"
"Good, then I'll talk to you later?"
"Yup, in an hour....."
"Bye Jake."
"Bye."
I closed the phone and put it back on the table, feeling quite
a bit better than I had before it had rang.
Another twenty minutes of reading, and I got the kids ready for
bed. After getting them settled for the night, I went in search of my dad.
As usual, he was in his office at his drafting table.
"Hey," I said walking into the room.
"Hey yourself. Come see what your old man found."
I walked over to the desk to see a rather old looking set of
floor plans spread out.
"What's this?"
"It's the original architectural plans for your house."
"Really? Cool!" We spent the next thirty minutes or so
looking them over and brain- storming. I also asked him about he and my
mom's investments, and he offered to go down to the office with me on
Friday afternoon, after I got done at the house.
"Thanks dad."
"Anytime, son."
I headed out of the room and went down the hall to my own room,
picking up my phone on the way. Getting comfortable, I dialed Jake's
number and waited.
The alarm went off all to early at 5:30 the next morning and I
got up and went in to shower. After drying off and getting dressed, I went
into the kids' rooms and gave them each a kiss good-bye, a whispered, "Have
a good day at school," and then went out into the kitchen to get something
to eat before leaving for the studio. I had an idea that I wanted to
discuss with Glenn, and I wanted to do it today, before I lost my
nerve.....
Arriving at the studios, I immediately went up to Glenn's
office, and knocked on the door.
"Michael, what brings you in so early?"
"I had an idea I wanted to pitch, and I wanted to do it before
I chickened out....."
"Okay, have a seat," Glenn said as I approached his desk.
"Now, what's your idea?" he asked once we were both sitting down.
"Well.....I had a thought.....What if Blake and Justin were
driving home late one night. It's raining, Blake has had too much to
drink, Justin hasn't, so he's driving. They're talking about their lives
and how much they've changed over the past few years since discovering that
they were brothers....."
"Go on."
"It could actually be the night of their Birthday's, since
that's coming up soon....."
"Uh-huh."
"Anyways, Justin is driving Blake home from the party when this
car comes from out of nowhere, maybe loses traction on the wet pavement
approaching an intersection or something."
"Michael, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Glenn asked.
"That depends, what do you think I'm suggesting?"
"Possibly killing off one or both of your characters? Do you
want to leave the show?"
"What? No! God no!! I was thinking more along the lines of
Justin needing major reconstructive plastic surgery due to the fact that
their car gets hid broadside on the driver's side. You know, flying broken
glass, twisted wreckage, the whole bit!"
"Hmmm."
"I think we should offer Mark the role of Justin....He knows
both parts inside and out. And he and I already work well together. He's
a great actor, and I think he deserves a chance to show how good he really
is. Plus it would be a great opportunity to take the characters and
actually play them together at the same time, and storyline
development....I mean think about it....Here are two young men, who, for
the past seven years, have always been comfortable in the knowledge that
they were identical to one another in each and every way, and suddenly that
is all taken away in a single instant, by a twist of fate.....And if you
put us right next to each other, we actually look like we could be
fraternal twins at least.....I really think it could work....."
"You've given me some really good ideas here today, Michael.
Let me think it over and run it by the network exec's."
"Okay, cool.....I guess I'll head down to hair and make-up.
And Glenn? Thanks for listening....."
"Anytime."
By the time we were through with hair and make-up, and dry
rehearsals, and blocking, and technical meetings, it was time for lunch. I
went down to my dressing room with Chantal and Mark Coleman, my body
double, and came to a halt just inside the door. Sitting there on the
coffee table was a vase full of vivid, blood-red roses. A secret smile
stole over my features.
"Hmmm, I think our Mikey has a secret admirer, and if the smile
on his face is any indication, he knows who it is!" Chantal sing-songed.
"Oh hush up!" I said, blushing. I started to reach for the
card, but Chantal beat me to it.
"Oh! What's this? 'To Michael'! No signature?" she teased.
"Give me that!" I said snatching the card from her fingers. I
looked at it. She was right, there was no signature. I grabbed my
back-pack and took out my phone and speed dialed Jake.
"Hey!" he said. It sounded like he was someplace very
crowded. "What's up?"
"They really are quite beautiful, but you really shouldn't
have....."
"What's quite beautiful, and what shouldn't I have?"
"The roses! Come on Jake....."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, but I didn't
send you any roses!"
I stood there, brow furrowed, phone to my ear, staring at the
card in my hand.
"Okay, if you didn't send me two dozen perfect long stemmed
roses, then who did?" I asked him.
"I don't know, but it sure as hell wasn't me. Maybe it was
Maggie?"
"Oh, duh! Of course!" I said, suddenly feeling stupid.
"Okay, if that's all, I really need to get off of here."
"Where are you at anyways?"
"The airport, I'm coming back."
"Oh.....Will I see you tonight?"
"No, not if I miss my flight!"
"Okay, I get the hint, I'll see you later, bye!"
"Bye!"
I hit "end" and then scrolled down to Maggie's number and hit
"dial."
"Hello?"
"Maggie? It's Michael. I just wanted to say thank you for the
roses. They're beautiful!"
"I didn't send any roses, maybe it was Jake?"
"I just got off the phone with him, and he said he didn't send
them either!"
"Is someone else trying to make time with my brother's
boyfriend?" Maggie asked jokingly.
"I'm not sure what to think.....If you didn't send them and
Jake didn't send them, then who did?" I asked, turning to look at the
roses on the table.....It was beginning to look like I had a mystery
admirer on my hands after all!
I walked out of the studio later that afternoon to find the
usual fans requesting photo's and autographs, and smiled warmly as I began
signing whatever people wanted signed, within reason, of course. I spotted
Peter at the back of the crowd, but Maggie was nowhere to be seen. When I
was done, he came over.
"You handle the whole 'celebrity' thing quite well," he
commented.
"I do my best," I replied. "So, since you're here, I'm
assuming Maggie told you about the trip by the house yesterday?"
"In great detail."
"Where is she anyways? I thought for sure she would be here to
twist both of our arms over this....." I asked. Peter just laughed.
"She's finishing up shooting a movie with Oliver Stone. She
said she would come by the house with the dogs when she's done, if that's
okay," Peter replied.
"No problem."
"Cool."
"So, you wanna go check it out?" I asked, referring to the
house.
"Sure," he replied.
"Let's go then," I said, and then followed as Peter led the way
to a black Lexus that was parked nearby.
Peter's POV
Twenty-five minutes later, we were standing on the sidewalk in
front of Michael's house, the Lexus parked at the curb right in front of
the gate.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Michael asked as we stood looking
through the bars of the tall wrought-iron fence that surrounded the
property.
"Um, yeah....." I replied, awestruck. "That's putting it
mildly!"
Michael chuckled in understanding. "I think one of the first
things that went through my mind when I recovered from seeing it the first
time, other than how big it was, was, 'this place would look so cool
decorated for Halloween!' "
I jerked my attention from the house to look at Michael, who
returned my look with a shit-eating grin.
"Well, can't you just picture it? I mean, doesn't this place
look just like every haunted house you ever dreamed or fantasized about
when you were growing up?"
I turned back to look at the house once more, and found I could
indeed picture it, fake cobwebs, carved pumpkins, and all.....
"Come on, let's go inside so you can see it before Maggie gets
here," he said with a wry smile as he took out the keys to unlock the gate,
and we passed through and headed up the walkway to the porch.
I could see why Maggie wanted this space.....Once some of the
walls came down and the space was opened up, it would be phenomenal.
"So, any more ideas for this place?" I asked.
"Yes, actually.....I've been giving serious thought to
converting all the fireplaces to gas...."
"That's probably a good idea."
"And my dad, who's an architect, somehow managed to come up
with the original floor plans for this place, too!"
"Right on!"
"Yup, I can hardly wait to get started on things around here!"
Michael said excitedly.
"So, tell me more about what you're planning for this place," I
suggested, and he did, explaining what he had in mind as we went from floor
to floor, often showing me sketches that he had done, as well. We were
interrupted when his phone rang. He took it out and smiled when he saw the
caller ID.
"Hey, where are you? Okay, we'll be right out!" he said, then
closed his phone.
"Maggie?"
"Maggie.....So I assume Jake told the two of you about Sunday
morning?"
"Yeah.....So what, now you and Paul are suddenly best buddies?"
"I've always been a firm believer in the old saying, 'keep your
friends close, and your enemies closer'." That caught me off guard and I
burst into laughter as we walked out the front door. Maggie looked up, and
the dogs started barking.
When we got down to the gate, Michael unlocked it and Maggie
came in with the dogs, asking "What?"
"Oh yeah, he's definitely going to keep Jake on his toes....."
"Listen, there may or may not be any romantic feelings on
Jake's part, but I've always thought of sex as a major step in any
relationship, not just something that you jump into because it happens to
feel good at that particular moment.....And despite what he said, I'm not
sure what Jake's feelings are for Paul, or vice-versa.....You can't have a
'no strings attached' relationship, not even a sexual one, without some
kind of strings.....So, yes, if that means that Paul Walker and I are going
to become new 'best buddies,' then so be it!" Michael said.
"So? What did you think of the space?" Maggie asked in an
effort to ease some of the tension that had suddenly sprung up. We were
walking under the weeping willow's down toward the river, the dogs
sniffing, and stopping to "water" something on occasion.
"Pretty nice. Once some of the walls come down and the space
gets opened up, it's going to be great," I told her as we walked. "So,
what else have you got planned?" I asked Michael as we continued our way
around the property.
"Well, since you asked," he began, and then continued to
outline his plans for the huge old house.....
Third Person POV
He sat at his computer, typing, scanning in photo's,
downloading pictures from memory cards and arranging things until he was
satisfied, then he exited the program and waited several minutes before he
logged onto the website, Red_Angel.com. The counter listed him as visitor
number one to the site. He looked at the various area's, checking out all
the pictures, and was quite satisfied with his work, pleased that the site
would be very innocuous and not draw any un-wanted attention. As long as
he kept the photo content limited to ones that any paparazzi could have
taken, and publicity shots, he was fine. When he was done, he logged off
of his computer and went to watch that day's TIVO'd episode........
Jake's POV
I fastened my safety-belt as the plane began its final approach
in to JFK International Airport. I had called Maggie earlier and she had
been more than happy to provide me with Michael's parents address. Now all
I needed to do was wait for the plane to land, grab my carry-on, get off
the plane, and out of the terminal to catch a cab into the city and
surprise my man.....
It was early evening, and as I made my way up and out of the
boarding ramp, I saw Peter standing there waiting with everyone else, and
felt a huge smile come over my face. As soon as I cleared the boarding
area, Peter enveloped me in a quick, brotherly hug, and we were on our way.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"It went okay. Mom and dad really listened.....They didn't
pass judgment on me, and they want to meet him next month when he comes out
to LA for the Daytime Emmy's Before I left, dad gave me a box of
condoms....." I said, blushing. Peter just laughed.
"So, where're we headed, hotshot, or do I need to ask?" Peter
wanted to know, once we were out of the terminal and headed toward the
short-term parking area.
"I think you already know the answer to that," I replied.
Before long, we were in Peter's Lexus and heading back into the
city. Then we were in front of an older, multi-storied apartment building,
and Peter was stopping the car. I turned to open the door, and was
pleasantly surprised to see a doorman approaching to do it for me. I
turned back to Peter.
"Don't wait up....."
Peter chuckled and I got out of the car, carry-on slung over my
shoulder, and headed for the double front doors of the entrance.
Before I knew it, I found myself exiting the elevator and
walking down the hall. I stopped and faced the door, mentally counting to
ten before knocking. The door was opened several seconds later by a rather
tall, slender, striking looking red haired woman who could only be
Michael's mother. It certainly was easy to see where Michael got his
coloring from! All except for her eyes.
Her hair was cut short, barely brushing the collar of her
sweater in the back. Wispy bangs with blonde hi-lites brushed her forehead
in the front. She wore a pair of dangly earrings, and her feet beneath a
pair of jeans were bare. She wore a coral colored lip gloss and mascara.
She didn't need anything else. She was quite simply the most beautiful
woman I had ever seen in my life......
"Mrs. Orsini?"
"It's Winthrop, actually. Orsini was my maiden name. Won't
you come in, Mr. Gyllenhaal?"
"Jake, please."
"Madeline, but my friends and family call me Maddie. Please,
come in."
I entered Michael's parents' home, and found myself in a
tastefully decorated, high-ceilinged apartment. Sitting on the sofa was
Michael's father. Even sitting, I could tell he was tall, easily taller
than me by several inches. He had salt and pepper hair that was a bit on
the longish side, a long straight nose, and a strong jaw-line. And green
eyes. Here was the other piece of the equation. He wore jeans, a faded
blue work shirt, and well worn cowboy boots. Like father, like son, I
thought to myself.
"Michael! You have a visitor!" Madeline Winthrop called out
as she joined her husband on the sofa.
Several seconds later, a door opened down the hall across the
room, and I could hear the sound of muffled foot-steps approaching. And
then, he was there, and before I even knew what to expect, my carry-on was
on the floor by my feet, and he was literally running across the room and
jumping into my arms, legs wrapped around my waist, arms around my neck.
We looked into each others eyes for what seemed like forever, but in
reality, it was just a few seconds.
"God, Gyllenhaal, I thought you would never get back," he
murmured quietly, and then we were in a full-blown, all-out kiss........
Well, there it is, part 7, at long last.....You will probably
notice the change in the last name of Michael's family, from Peterson to
Winthrop.....I decided to do this after a reader said that the name
Peterson "creeped them out". Once I started to think back on all the news
worthy events of the past couple of years, it kind of had the same effect
on me, so henceforth, Michael's family's last name will be
Winthrop.....Now, I'm going to issue a challenge to any and all
artists.....I want to know what YOU think Michael looks like.....I'm
looking for sketches-- pen, pencil, color, black and white.....Let me see
what you come up with. Avy, who many of you know as the author of Jake's
Cowboy, has said that if there is enough response, we will start posting
your entries on the Gyllenhaal Chronicles website, so lets see what y'all
can come up with! My email address remains the same, dnsphelps@mcsi.net I
now have three IM's. yahoo and msn are the same--twains_fan_03, but AIM
has changed. It is now GuyOregon8, so let me hear from you, and remember to
write the authors of your favorite stories! We crave the feedback!
Thanks,
Stephen