Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:25:06 -0500
From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com>
Subject: Devil's Gambit 07

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and
m/m relationships, and probably some sex too.  If it is illegal in your
area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who
you are), stop here.  Otherwise, please enjoy.



		       The Devil's Gambit, Chapter 7
			 "Terrifying Visitations"



    Tom patted David on the shoulder and walked down to his office, where
he found a few of his books down.  He put them back on the shelves and got
some other books out and set to work on his new book project.  A couple of
hours passed before he was interrupted by a phone ringing.

    "Tom Corman," he answered.

    "Hi, professor ... um Tom....  It's Billy....  Could I talk to Peter?"

    "Sure, Billy!  Hold on a minute...."  He walked the phone down to
Peter's room and knocked on the door.

    "Yeah?"

    "It's me....  I've got the phone for you...."  Placing his hand over
the receiver, he whispered with a smile, "That didn't take long...."  He
left the phone with a smiling Peter and walked to the kitchen to see what
he could make for dinner.  He had some of the lasagna noodles that don't
have to be boiled so he put together a quick tray of lasagna and popped it
in the oven.  In the living room, he found David chatting online with the
cute girl, Catherine Peabody, from St. Sebastian's.

    "Smell's good, Tom!"

    "Thanks....  Quick and easy....  I'm going back to my office to work
for a while, but if it smells like its overcooking, pull it out....  It'll
mean I got lost in something or other...."

    "When will it be done?"

    "About forty-five to fifty-five minutes -- when the cheese on top
starts to brown...."

    "Alright, I'll keep an eye on it...."  Tom ruffled the boy's hair and
walked upstairs and got to work.  It was different having the house full of
life, but it was definitely a change for the better.  He was just finishing
up the section he was working on when David knocked softly and stuck his
head in.  "It's ready, Tom!  I put it on the stove to cool for a minute....
Peter's setting the table...."

    "Thanks," Tom smiled up, rising and following David back to the dining
room.  They all had dinner together, and Aiden arrived about half-way
through and joined them, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator.  He filled
them in on the progress of the case against the brothers' family.  When
they arrested Carter, they found all sorts of illegal stuff at his house,
from computers and tapes full of child porn, to drugs, so he was done....
The mother would be the hard case, because she'd say she didn't know.  The
boys would have to testify.  In the meantime, though, there would be no
difficulty in getting David's custody extended.  But David would have to be
careful and stay out of trouble.

    When they finished eating, Aiden and David did the dishes and Peter
pulled Tom aside.  "So, Billy called to see if it was alright if he came
over tonight....  I said okay, but I can still call him...."

    "It's okay, Peter....  Billy's a nice boy....  But listen, remember
that you're not clear yet on your STD tests, and you don't know Billy's
status, so be careful ... if things go that way...."

    Peter blushed and whispered, "We're not jumping into bed, tonight -- I
don't even know if he's gay -- but if it does go that way at some point, I
promise we'll be safe...."

    "Good....  And I don't think you have to worry about him being gay....
I've gotten that vibe from him....  Ten-to-one he shows up here tonight
looking like a million bucks, to wow you...."

    Peter blushed, and admitted, "He looked like a million bucks to me,
already...."  Tom laughed and walked off to the kitchen, where David and
Aiden were laughing.  Tom walked up behind Aiden and laid his head on the
man's shoulder blade and sighed, smiling.

    "Get a room," David said, rolling his eyes and laughing as he finished.
The two men went and curled up on the couch together in front of the
television and couldn't find anything, so when David joined them, Tom
tossed him the remote and said, "You pick a movie from the on-demand....
We can't pick...."

    David picked an action movie and Tom laid down with his head on Aiden's
chest, while David put his feet up.  Soon, the bell rang and Peter ran from
his room to get it.  "Hey Billy," he said, smiling brightly.  "Come on
in...."  Tom made a conscious effort not to move, and Peter brought the boy
into the living room.  "Billy, this is my little brother David," he said,
and the boy rose to shake his hand.  "You know Tom, and this is Aiden...."
Tom winked at Billy and Aiden waved apologetically, as if to say, you'll
excuse me for not getting up.

    "You guys are welcome to join us....  The movie just started....
There's also a little rec room on the third floor with a television and a
pool table....  Help yourselves to the kitchen, but no alcohol, if you're
driving...."

    "He means, at all," Aiden added with a wink.  "Cop, remember?"

    "Alright, Dirty Harry," Tom said.

    Billy and Peter looked at each other and then the stairs.  They grabbed
drinks and headed for the rec room.  Tom figured they would enjoy some
getting to know you time.

    When the movie was over, Tom gently suggested, "You should get some
sleep David, you have a test tomorrow...."

    "Yeah," he said.  "See you in the morning."

    "Night," Aiden added.  When the boy had closed his door, Aiden rolled
over and started kissing Tom, making out on the couch like teenagers.  When
Aiden's hands slipped beneath his shirt, they slipped into the bedroom for
a roll in the sack.

    Afterwards, as they lay there cuddling, Tom filled Aiden in on his day
and his trip to Saint Sebastian's.  "The headmaster and I are old friends
from my days in Paris....  He and his wife want us all over for dinner
soon, I think...."

    "That'll be nice....  St. Sebastian's is a great school.  David's a
lucky boy," Aiden smiled, kissing him on the forehead.

    "Not up til now, which is what I want to make up for...."

    "You're a saint," Aiden charged with a cheeky grin.

    "Not hardly....  I should tell you, too....  You know I said that I'd
only been with three guys?  One is you, one is Jamie, and the third is
Alasdair...."

    "What?" Aiden asked with a laugh.  Tom explained how they'd gotten
together in Paris, Alasdair, the sexually adventurous bi-curious guy, Tom
the shy, introverted, scared gay guy.

    "I might have fallen in love with him, if I didn't know he could never
be into just me....  There'd always be some woman who had his eye....  It
kept my feet on the ground....  We had a hell of a time, though...."

    "Maybe I should be jealous?"  Aiden was only mock serious in asking
this.

    "Alasdair and I share a very hot history....  But it's all history
except for an extremely devoted friendship....  I think you and I will have
something stronger...."

    Aiden wrapped a strong arm around Tom and rolled him onto his back,
climbing between his legs, kissing him as he slid in a second time.  This
time, they made love long and slow, leisurely, almost, if it weren't for
the intense passion that was being expressed in their kisses and whimpers
and the light caresses.  When they were both drained and exhausted, they
took a quick rinse in the shower, and Tom put on his robe and padded out to
get them a drink from the fridge.  There he bumped into Billy, who was
grabbing two sodas.

    Billy was transfixed by the sight of the young man in his short silk
robe, but soon came to his senses and just smiled as the man grabbed a
couple of cans.  "Having fun?" Tom asked casually.

    "Peter's really nice...."

    "You know, he's been through a lot....  Take things slow," Tom said,
and Billy looked like he was going to deny something, but then just nodded.
"And, you know, I don't care who knows about me, but I do try to keep a low
profile around campus, so...."

    "My lips are sealed....  What am I going to say?  I saw the prof with
his boyfriend while I was getting to know this guy I kinda like?  Probably
not...."

    Tom smiled sweetly at the naivety.  "If you weren't honest, you could
lie about it ... like you were delivering food or something...."

    "I'd never do that, Tom...."

    "That's why I like you, Billy....  Now hurry back upstairs....  If you
want to stay, you're welcome.  It's getting late....  Pick a room, or
whatever...."

    Back in bed, Aiden asked, "What took so long?"

    "Bumped into Billy....  We had a few things we needed to discuss...."

    "Protecting your pups?"

    "I guess," Tom said with a huff.  "I told him it was getting late and
he was welcome to stay -- pick any room he wanted...."

    "I wonder which one that will be?"

    Tom smacked his arm but admitted, "Of course....  I just hope they'll
take it slow...."

    "Like us?" Aiden asked with smoldering grin.

    "We're different!"

    "You don't know that....  Maybe they're made for each other, too...."

    Tom rolled over to face Aiden and smiled.  "You think we're made for
each other....?"  He teased, "You're in love, aren't you!"

    Aiden reached out and swept his hand through Tom's hair.  "Madly!"

    Tom was taken aback for a moment by the honesty of the simple act.
"Aiden, I love you, too," he whispered, burying his face in the man's neck.

    "What's wrong?"

    "I never thought I'd be able to say that to someone else....  You know,
I saw him last night...."

    "Jamie?"

    "Yeah, he told me to move on ... with my life, with you....  He likes
you, apparently...."

    "How could he not," Aiden asked with a smile, drawing Tom into his
embrace.  Tom fell asleep shortly, his head resting on Aiden's smooth
chest.  Morning came quickly and took Aiden away from him, but Tom was off
and would work from home.  He dropped David at St. Sebastian's shortly
after school started, for his testing, with a promise to pick him up at
2:30.  Back at the house, Tom found that Billy and Peter were just
stirring.  "Have fun, boys?"

    Peter blushed, but Billy smiled and nodded.  "We just talked most of
the night," Billy said.

    "It's not my business," Tom said, putting his hand up.  "Just promise
that if and when the time comes, you'll be safe?"  They both nodded, and he
made some eggs for them, before Billy had to run home to shower and get
ready for class.  Tom was working in his office when Peter joined him to
read in some of the books he'd been looking at the day before.

    After a while, he spoke up, "Thanks for caring, Tom....  It does make a
difference....  I probably would have had sex with Billy, if it wasn't for
worrying about what you'd think....  And I think that things will work out
better if we take it slow...."  Tom nodded, and Peter smiled.  A little
later, Peter asked, "Where do you think I can get a job that won't
interfere with college?"

    "I don't know....  Let me think on it....  But don't worry about it too
much, in the meantime....  If there's something you're needing, let me
know...."

    Looking almost guilty, Peter said, "Do you think I could get a phone
and a television for my room?"

    "Let's get that taken care of this weekend!  I also want to get you and
your brother cell phones....  We need to be able to get in touch with each
other, and the ladies are going to need a convenient way of getting in
touch with David...."

    Rachael called a few minute before they had to leave.  "Hey, Tom!
Alasdair said you'd come by St. Sebastian's....  We'd love to have you and
the boys over for dinner this weekend!"

    "Aiden will have classes this weekend, but I'll ask him what night he
prefers and talk to Peter and David....  Speaking of which, David's testing
should be over, so we're off to pick him up...."

    "Right-o!  Let me know which night you prefer...."

    "Will do!  And Rachael, congratulations!"

    "Thanks Tom....  Talk to you soon!"

    "Bye...."

    Tom grabbed his keys, "You want to come?"

    "Are you coming right back?"

    "Yeah...."

    "I'll just hang out here, then, if you don't mind?"

    "Right....  We'll be back soon...."

    When Tom arrived at St. Sebastian's, he found David in the office
waiting.  "So, how did it go?"

    "They're going over it now....  You want to wait and see?"

    "Sure!"  A few minutes later, Alasdair emerged from his office with the
test administrator with a smile.

    "You've done exceptionally well, David!  We'll be happy to have you
start on Monday, if that suits...."

    Tom nodded and patted David on the back.  "Very good!  I suppose we'll
see you this weekend?"

    The man nodded with a smile and waved goodbye, stepping back into his
office.  "So how well did I do?" David asked the test administrator.

    "Ninety four percent," the man said with a smile, "and the average
student we accept scores between seventy-eight and eighty-four....
Congratulations...."

    "Wow," Tom exclaimed.  "Very impressive...."  As they were getting
home, Tom asked, "Is there something you'd like to do to celebrate?"

    "Nah....  It was nothing, really...."

    "Believe me, it is something....  It'll earn you a partial
scholarship....  If you want to know what that means, the tuition at
St. Sebastian's is about $20,000 a year...."

    "Oh....  Wow....  And you were going to pay it...."

    "Of course I was....  I really want you to understand something....  I
want to help make up for all you went through with your parents and your
brother....  I can't undo what's been done, but I can make the rest better
as much as I can...."  The tough looking teen leaned across and gave him a
long and sincere hug.

    "Well, there is one thing," he said with a smile.  "I'd like to call
Catherine and ask her out on a date this weekend ... but...."

    "You don't have a car or any money," Tom asked with a laugh.  The boy
nodded, and Tom asked, "Do you have a license?"  The boy nodded, pulling it
out and showing it to him.  "Alright, ask her out, and I'll let you borrow
the car and give you a little money, but let me know which night it is,
tonight, because Dr. Franklin's wife has invited us over for dinner and I
need to let her know...."  The boy surprised him again by reprising the hug
and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, beaming as he burst from the car
and up the steps, no doubt to grab the phone.

    Inside, Tom returned to his desk, and Peter commented, "He sounds
happy...."

    "He passed the test with flying colors, so I promised him he could
borrow the car to take his admirer on a date this weekend....  By the way,
the headmaster's wife has invited us for dinner this weekend as well...."

    Peter looked over at the man so casually integrating them into his life
and doing so much for them and shook his head with a smile.  "Thank you....
David's never had a normal life...."

    Tom smirked and said, "And he's not likely to get one here, living as a
straight guy with three gay men, one of whom is a wizard, in an old
Victorian mansion while attending an elite private school....  But I know
what you mean, and you're welcome...."

    That evening, Aiden brought dinner and they all made their weekend
plans together.  Again he stayed the night.  Overnight, they were awakened
by screams.  Aiden pulled on his shorts and Tom grabbed his robe as they
set off in search of the sound.  Peter burst from his room at the same
time, so they all knew it was David.  They got to his room, but the door
wouldn't budge.

    "Turn your eyes away," Tom warned, putting his hand on the knob
concentrating until the door blew open in a burst of light.  A dark figure
loomed in the window outside and laughed as Tom rushed into the room.  It
was giving the boy an intense nightmare, and David was writhing agonizingly
on the bed.  Tom tried to shake him, "David, it's just a dream....  Wake
up!"

    The boy wasn't responding, so Tom told the other men to join him around
the bed and instructed them to put their hands on him and think loving and
happy thoughts.  Gradually, the boy stopped moaning and moving, and Tom
could wake him up.

    David shot up and hugged Peter, tears pouring from his eyes.  "It was
here!"

    "Outside," Tom assured him, "It could never come in here...."

    "You're sure?"  David asked and Tom nodded.  "What about school?"

    "Mostly that's in the daytime, and he thrives in darkness....  He's
least powerful in the day....  In the evenings and night, there could be
danger during extracurriculars, so I'll work on some protective charms you
can carry....  But I suspect the school grounds are pretty safe....
Alasdair is a powerful wizard in his own right, and he'd have put wards all
over campus...."  David nodded, looking relieved.  "And knowing your
background, he'll keep a protective eye on you...."

    The boy laid back on the bed, and Aiden asked, "Are you going to be
alright, buddy?"

    David nodded, but didn't look too sure of himself.  Tom put an extra
ward on the window, and they all went back to bed.  Tom was nearly asleep
when he heard a very hesitant knock on the door of his room.  "Yeah?"

    "Are you decent?"

    Tom laughed, yes he still had his shorts on and so did Aiden.  "Yeah,
David, come on in...."  Tom turned on the lamp on his nightstand and David
walked over and sat down.

    "I ... can't sleep...."

    "I'm sorry...."

    "I ... this is embarrassing.... I'm too afraid to be alone...."  Tom
nodded and it dawned on him what the boy was asking.  It actually made him
tear up, given what the boy had been through in his life, that he had the
courage to ask for this kind of help.

    "Sorry, my mind is a little cloudy," he said, sliding over and lifting
the sheet.  Hesitantly, David lay down, and Tom rolled onto his back.  A
few minutes later, David rolled over next to him and put an arm over his
chest, and Tom could feel him fall asleep.  With a little laugh, he
wondered if Aiden would be surprised when he woke up in the morning.

    When Tom woke up he found Aiden propped up on his elbow staring at
them, David still in his arms.  "What?"

    "Everybody expects their kids to crawl into bed with them at some
point," Aiden said, barely stifling his laughter, "and as cute as that is,
this IS kind of extreme...."

    Tom laughed softly and David kind of stirred.  "Not in the
circumstances...."

    Aiden nodded with a smile and put a hand on David's bare shoulder.
"David, buddy, it's time to wake up," he said softly, and the boy looked up
from Tom's chest and rubbed his eyes.  He squeezed Tom a little and said,
"Thanks, guys....  I needed to get some rest...."  With that, he got up and
headed for his room to find some clothes.

    Peter and David stayed home on Friday, while Tom went to school to
teach and catch up on some departmental work -- David's last free weekday
before school started.  After Tom got home, they drove out to the county
courthouse so Tom could meet with Judge Rita Tucker, who gave him a thick
sealed envelope.

    "Anything you have to offer, Tom," she said, hopeful.

    "I'll do what I can....  By the way, I need to take David to get
clothes and whatever else he wants from the house...."

    "I'll call you a police escort," she said, picking up her phone and
arranging for a couple of officers to accompany them.  Shortly, they were
following the car out to the secluded family home.  One of the officers
went with the brothers to David's room, while the other showed Tom the
secret room.  He looked around, taking in the little dungeon, before
storming out in disgust.  He knew ten ways to harness power more
effectively than this: a total waste of lives....  Something wasn't quite
right, either, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  He felt drawn to the
back yard and stepped outside, the young officer on his heels.  A swing-set
sat long unused in the far corner of the property, and little grass grew
around it.  A shed lurked menacingly a few feet away.

    "Did officers search the shed," he asked the officer, who did not know.
But he radioed in and his commander confirmed that they had.  Tom walked to
the little shed and opened the door.  The air was stale, but there was a
hint of ... what?  David was finished, having packed a book-bag and duffle
bag full, leaving most of the things, he hoped, forever.

    "Tom, are you alright," he called from the back door.  Tom motioned for
him to come outside, and David dropped his bag and approached, stopping
short of the building.  "Did you ever come in here, David?"

    "Nobody did....  It was off limits...."

    "Peter?"

    "No...."

    "Did either of you ever see anyone come in here?"

    "Once," David said, surprising his brother, "I saw dad go in ... with a
girl...."

    "And?"

    "I was too afraid to watch," he said, ashamed.  Tom put a hand on the
back of his head and pulled him into a half-hug.  "I think we need to get
back to the sheriff's office...."

    On the way back, he let Peter drive.  He wanted to see the photos in
the envelop.  The pictures were of the body of a boy about ten, found near
a road in this very area of nowhere.  The marks on his ankles and wrists
were vulgar on the sweet, fresh-faced boy.



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



More to come soon.  Thanks to Tarton and Darryl the Radio Rancher for
reading and commenting on an earlier draft.  If you enjoyed this story, you
might consider my other on-going stories at Nifty, Fantasy/SciFi, Things
that Go Bump and A Light in the Darkness.

Or, better, send me a note and join my Yahoo!Group,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/

jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com