Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:48:24 -0400 (EDT) From: David Higginbotham <thefuturecanadian@yahoo.ca> Subject: The Prince - Chapter 9 The Prince Chapter 9 "Beware The Ides of March/The Tangled Web, Part II" ***Monday, 15 March, 2006*** It had been a few weeks since Margaret's departure from Montevallo. The lives that Gavin and Alex had grown accustomed to had long since returned. They'd gotten back into their own schedules. The only difference was the fact that Alex had gotten a little down by the fact that he wouldn't be able to celebrate his birthday with his sister. It was the first time in his life that they'd not celebrated their birthdays together. Being the observant, good boyfriend that he was, Gavin noticed this and was determined to make it at least a decent celebration of his boyfriend's birth. The planning actually started the weekend before. Gavin had woken early on Saturday, as always, and told Alex that he was going to head to work a bit earlier than normal. He made up some excuse about how a coworker needed the day off and he'd agreed to work the first half of his shift for him. In reality, he was sneaking to the mall to pick up the gift that he'd purchased for Alex. It was an gold ID bracelet that he was having engraved for his boyfriend. He carefully hit it in his SUV's glove compartment. It was a place Alex didn't look for things very often. He went to work at his normal time and then came back to Montevallo in time to have dinner with Alex. On Sunday morning, Alex and Gavin drove up to Albertville. Ray and Paula had planned to grill some steaks for Alex for his birthday. Paul and Edna came by to celebrate as well. Edna prepared here "famous" potato salad to go along with the dinner that Paula and Ray had put together. Alex was happy to be there with them, as they'd all become his family away from home. The drove back to Montevallo well after dark, and after Alex read Conner a bedtime story. But then Monday rolled around. Gavin purposefully woke himself early. He wanted to take advantage of every possible moment of the day. He quietly sneaked out of the room and walked into town to McDonald's. He ordered four biscuits with gravy to go. On the way back into the dorm, he stopped by his truck and picked up the small package from his truck along with a small bag with candles typically put on a birthday cake. When he walked back into the room, he found Alex was still asleep. He quietly set up the biscuits and covered them with gravy. In one of them he stuck a candle and lit it. The quiet sound of the lighter caused Alex to stir a little bit. Gavin turned with the plate in his hand. "Alex, babe," he quietly said. Alex turned over and looked up at his boyfriend, and the plate he was holding. "Happy Birthday to you...happy birthday to you...happy birthday, beautiful man...happy birthday to you..." he sang. Alex smiled. "Good morning," Alex said. "Sleep well?" "I did." "Well, are you ready for breakfast?" "I would love some breakfast." "Well, I have your favorite. Gravy and biscuits!" "Yum...gravy!!!" Alex joked as he sat up in the bed. "You have to make a birthday wish, first," Gavin said. Alex thought for a second and then blew out the candle. "What did you wish for?" "I didn't wish for anything, actually. I just said a quiet thank you to the Birthday Gods for letting me meet you." "Awww..." Gavin said. He leaned in and kissed Alex's cheek before getting up and getting his own breakfast. He sat down across the room from Alex and watched as he lapped up the gravy from the plate. He'd learned in his two months in America how to eat the grey mixture just like a true Southerner. Gavin smiled. Before long, they had to get to class. Despite it being Alex's birthday, they both still had class and they both still had other things to do to get ready for the day. Before they left the room though, Gavin handed Alex the small box with the bracelet. Alex almost smiled as he opened the box. He took it out and inspected the inscription. "Siempre tendr·s una parte de mi corazÛn," Alex read aloud. He smiled. "I love you," he said as he hugged and kissed Gavin before putting the shiny golden thing on his wrist. "I love you, too, babe," Gavin said. He returned the kiss and then both of them were off to class. It was announced in his Spanish class that it was Alex's birthday. Dr. O'Neil (his Spanish professor) had arranged for a cake to be delivered during the class time. Both the gesture and the cake were sweet, but were nothing compared to the breakfast and the gift he'd received from his boyfriend that morning. After class was over, he met with Gavin for a moment. They walked from Comer Hall to Farmer Hall to check their mail and spend a moment together before Gavin went to an "appointment" that he'd mentioned to Alex that morning. They pulled their mail from their boxes and immediately stuffed the letters and such into their bags. Gavin had received a large manila envelope with Italian postage and without a return address. He didn't think about it, though, as he was enthralled in conversation with Alex. They walked back to the dorm together after checking their mail. Alex went into his room; Gavin walked into his for just a second and then left again. His goal for the afternoon was to make sure that everything for the evening went well. Despite the fact that only a few people would be there, Gavin still wanted everything to be perfect. By the afternoon, Gavin was getting excited. When Alex slipped away for his afternoon lab, he walked back to his room for a moment. He remembered that he'd not yet read his mail that day. In a free moment, he pulled the letters from his backpack and began to open the small envelopes first. His credit card bill made him cringe a little bit. He was almost to his limit! There were a few pieces of junk mail which he promptly threw into the trash bin. Then there was the large manila envelope. He inspected it, but couldn't tell who it was from. He deliberately opened the envelope. He pulled out a piece of paper with writing on it. "I thought you might want to know who your boyfriend really was..." the letter read in typed print so that the sender couldn't be identified. He next pulled out what was taking up the bulk of the space in the envelope: a section of newspaper dated for the coming morning. "THE PRINCE'S AMERICAN VOYAGE!" the title read. Then he saw the picture. Before him was a printed picture of Alex and him taking up the entire front page of the Cabochea Times that was to be released the next morning. He was taken aback for a moment. He turned to the second page and began to read the article about Prince Alex and how he'd told people that he wanted to go to America to "study." The article cited unnamed officials who were privy to the conversations between Alex and the Queen. "Oh shit!" Gavin said. He didn't know how to react. This was all new for him. How was he supposed to be taking this revelation. At first, he was in total shock and disbelief. He walked to his desk where he quickly opened an internet browser window. "Alexander Saavedra," he said as he typed the name into the Google searchbox. The first link that popped up was the website for the Royal Family. He clicked the link. On the main page was Her Majesty, Queen Isabel. "Shit. I've talked on the phone with a Queen," he said outloud. He followed the links to view personal biographies of each of the members of the Royal Family. He looked at pictures of the Queen, and then Margaret. He looked at Elizabeth and her two children. Finally, there were no other links on the page but the one he was dreading to click. He hit the link and then closed his eyes, hoping that it would all be a cruel joke. When he opened them, though, there was a picture of Alex standing there, in a suit and his royal regalia and medals of honor. A tear came to his eye. In that moment, he felt betrayed. He thought he knew the person he'd been sharing a bed with for almost two months only to find out that he didn't know this very big part of his boyfriend. He took the paper and walked over to Alex's room. He didn't realize that Alex was still in class, but Eddie was quick to point it out. He walked to Lisa's apartment and knocked on the door. She invited him in, noting the worried and confused look on his face. "What's up, Gavin?" Lisa asked. Gavin didn't speak but instead handed her the paper. "Oh...I see," Lisa said. "Did you know?" Gavin asked. Lisa found herself unable to lie. "Yes. I knew." "Why didn't you tell me? More importantly, why didn't Alex tell me?" "I don't know," Lisa answered. "He came here to avoid having to be a prince for a little while." "But I would think that this would be something he would have told me." "Would it have changed your perception of him?" she asked. "I would like to think that it wouldn't have, but I honestly don't know," Gavin answered Lisa. "Just talk to him about it. And keep an open mind," she advised. Gavin began to lose control of himself as he thought more and more about it. His confusion turned to anger as he thought about Alex and the reasons why he'd come to Montevallo. His mind raced with scenarios about how Alex had only come there to find a man and seduce him and then he'd return to Lorenzia and never give him another thought. He felt used and cheap in that moment. He'd opened up completely to Alex, but Alex had guarded this part of himself back. As he stewed in his own mind, Alex was finding it harder and harder to pay attention to his lab assignment. He'd decided that that would be the day when he told Gavin about himself, and he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't get sidetracked or off topic. He would tell Gavin who he was and then roll with those punches. If it meant that he'd be returning to Lorenzia that evening in disgrace, so be it. He loved Gavin and he wanted him to be able to share his life completely. As he left Harmon Hall, he walked back to Napier with a resolute stature. As Gavin sat in Lisa's apartment, Alex entered the building. He took a deep breath and entered the hall where both he and Gavin lived. He walked straight past his own door and to Gavin's. He knocked, but there was no answer. He waited a moment before knocking again. Still, there was no answer. Feeling as if the moment had been anti-climactic, he walked away from his door and to his room. Eddie was there, but the two said nothing more than simple greetings to one another. Alex sat and checked his email. There were a few birthday messages from various people, including Margaret, Queen Isabel, and Marcia, who'd always treated him and Margaret as if they were her own children. He waited and waited with bundled nerves on the moment he could see Gavin again so that he could reveal himself completely to him. Gavin got the nerve and walked out of Lisa's apartment after talking to her a bit longer. He needed to be away. He needed to clear his mind a bit before he saw Alex again. He needed to decide how to handle the situation. Before leaving, Lisa had given him a piece of advice that he felt compelled to consider. She told him that Alex would have to reveal himself in his own time. He knew that it was best to act as if nothing were going on, but he couldn't see how to do it. He turned his cell phone off so that he could be with his own thoughts and not be disturbed by others. Plus, he didn't know how he would react if Alex were to call him. Alex waited for a while in his room. He didn't think anything about Gavin not being there, as he knew that Gavin was busy with something. He just didn't know what was occupying his time. At around seven, Gavin returned to the dorm. Night had already crested the horizon and the eerie sky of dusk was bleeding into the obscurity of night. He walked past Alex's door toward his own. He opened the door and then sat there in the darkness for a few minutes. Alex had put on his iPod to drown out the sound of Eddie typing away at his keyboard, so he failed to hear the sound of Gavin's door opening and shutting. As Gavin lay on his bed, the scent of Alex flowed into his nostrils. Immediately, thoughts began to surface again. The thoughts led to a renewed sense of confusion and the confusion led to tears once again. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it back on. There were two new voicemail messages, but he didn't care what they had to say. He scrolled through his phonebook to Alex's number and hit send. Alex sat at his computer listening to music as he chatted with Margaret via Yahoo Messenger for a few minutes. Neither of them knew that in a few hours, things would be changing so much for them. Alex didn't hear his phone ringing, but rather saw it lighting up and vibrating across his otherwise clean desk. He picked it up and saw that it was Gavin. He put his iPod on pause and told Margaret he would be right back. "Hey gorgeous," Alex said, trying to hide his own nervousness. There was silence on the other end. "Hello? Gavin?" he said again. "Hey," Gavin finally managed to muster. Despite the fact that he was trying to hide his emotion, Alex could tell that something was wrong. "Hey. What's up?" There was another moment of silence, broken only by the sound of Gavin sniffling into the phone. "Um...I need to talk to you about something." "I need to talk to you, too. Where are you?" "My room," Gavin answered. "OK. I will be over in a second," Alex said. "OK," Gavin responded and hung up the phone. Alex closed his own phone and walked out of the room toward Gavin's. There was an eeriness about the moment. He walked up to the door and knocked gently. "It's open," Gavin said. Alex walked into the completely darkened room. The only light was the one that shined in from the street outside. "Want me to turn on a light?" Alex asked. "Yeah." Alex complied and flicked on the overhead light, exposing Gavin's body lying across the two beds that had been pulled together so that the could share cold and warm nights together. After a moment, Gavin sat up on the bed. Alex sat in a desk chair away from him but so that he could still see his boyfriend's face. "Why didn't you tell me?" Gavin asked without a word being shared between them. "Tell you what?" Alex asked, truly innocent in that moment. Gavin pulled out the newspaper and handed it to Alex. Alex immediately felt his heart breaking and his body seeming to lose all cohesion. He looked at the picture on the front, taken only a few weeks before on the front porch of Gavin's parents' home. "Gavin...I...um...I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Alex said. Things were not working out how he'd planned for them to. "Were you going to tell me before you left, or were you just going to let me stew in my own love and heartbreak?" "I'd decided that I was going to tell you this afternoon, and I would never have just left you hanging. I swear." Gavin began to cry again. "Alex. I've given myself completely to you. I've only asked that you be true to yourself and to me." "I know. You've given me a life that I've only dreamed of, Gavin. I love you," Alex said, standing and trying to move closer to Gavin. "You love me?" Gavin said. "If you loved me, you would have told me about this a long time before." Gavin stood and moved away from Alex. "I'm sorry, Gavin," Alex said, beginning to tear up as well. Gavin began to get angry once again. "Yeah..." Gavin walked out of his room. Alex followed him. "I'm so sorry, Gavin," Alex said, following behind his boyfriend like a puppy behind his master. "Alex. Stop." Gavin said. He turned around and looked at Alex once again. He looked at Alex for a second, but still couldn't stand to see him cry. "If I weren't so in love with you, you'd be on the ground. My last 'boyfriend' told me that I was his world, and then I got shit on as soon as he found someone better." "I'm not your last boyfriend, though," Alex pointed out. "That's true. But I least I knew him," Gavin said. It was a verbal slap in Alex's face. "He didn't lie to me about who he was. He didn't give me the impression that he wasn't going to just leave and forget about me." They stood there in the hall. By this time, everyone, including Eddie, had opened their doors to check on the pair. One of the residents had called Lisa, who was standing in the doorway of the hall. She watched and was crying. She didn't know how to comfort either of them, but she so wanted to. "I am so sorry, Gavin." "Yeah..." Gavin said again. "I need to get out of here," he declared, "I need to be alone." He turned and walked toward the end of the hall. Lisa moved out of the way. Gavin walked out and to his truck. He climbed in the driver's seat and began to drive again. He drove out toward the interstate and toward Birmingham. He didn't know where he was going, and he really didn't care. As he left, Lisa walked over to Alex, who found himself unable to move. "Let's go to your room for a minute," Lisa said, putting her arms around Alex's shoulder and turning him toward his room. They walked into the room and shut the door. "You OK, dude?" Eddie asked, trying to be nice. "Do I look OK?" "Sorry," Eddie said, offended that his attempt to be nice was met with hostility. Alex sat down on his bed for a second and cried into his hand. Lisa rubbed his back. Eddie sat back down at his computer and began typing away. "I need to talk to my sister," Alex said, fishing in his pocket for his cell phone. He dialed the number, but there was no answer. He tried again, but there was still no answer. Desperate and not thinking clearly, he dialed the number for the palace switchboard. "Palacio Cabochea," the operator answered. "This is Alex. ID number 629. I need you to ring Princess Margaret's suite, please." "Right away sir," the operator responded, placing him on hold. She came back on the line, "One moment, sir. I'm connecting you." "Thanks you," Alex responded. "Alex?" Margaret responded. "He knows," was all Alex could manage to muster through his emotions and his tears. "I take it from your tone that it wasn't a good encounter." "No. Apparently, the Times got a hold of some pictures from a few weeks ago and are going to publish them tomorrow." "Oh shit!" "Yeah. Someone sent him a copy of the paper that's coming out tomorrow." Eddie listened to Alex's end of the conversation. He thought for a second and then began putting pieces together. "Can I see the paper?" he asked Lisa. Lisa took the paper from Alex and handed it to him. He looked at the front page and his knees grew weak. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Mom is not going to be happy with me. The Parliament is not going to accept this well," Alex continued his conversation with Margaret. "All we can do is wait and see what unfolds." "I can tell you that it's not going to be good. If dad were still here..." "Let's not bring that up right now, Alex. When Mom finds out, I'm sure she'll be quick to tell everyone what Dad would have said. For right now, just calm down." "I can't calm down, Mags. Everything is falling apart. Gavin hates me now; Elizabeth is going to be Queen," Alex said. Eddie felt a lump in his throat. "Everyone is going to hate me, and you're going to have to disassociate yourself with me for fear of public retaliation." "Fuck public retaliation, Alex. I'm your sister. Nothing will ever change that!" Margaret quickly responded in an effort to try to calm her brother's emotional state. "If people can't handle that then they'll just have to live without me." "Alex..." Eddie managed to say as he looked at the pictures in the paper. He stood from his seated position, but he didn't know why. "Give me a minute, Eddie," Alex said as Lisa continued to rub his back. "Alex. Just calm down. I'll try from my end to cut this off before it gets too blown up," Margaret said. Alex couldn't respond. "OK?" she asked. "Alright. Listen. I feel like I'm going throw up. Can I call you back in a minute?" "Yeah. You're going to be OK, Alex. You're the strong one," she said. "Yeah." "Are you there by yourself?" "No. Lisa and Eddie are here." "Let me talk to Lisa," Margaret said. Alex handed her the phone as Eddie handed him the trashcan, just in case he was about to throw up. "Hello?" Lisa said into the phone. "Please keep an eye on him. Don't let him out of your site." "Yes ma'am," Lisa said. "Thank you, Lisa." "Not a problem, Highness," Lisa answered. "Call me Margaret. Keep his phone handy in the even you need to call me. I'll have my phone with me and turned on at all times." "Alright," Lisa said. "Talk to you later," Margaret said. "Right. Bye," Lisa said as the two of them both hung up their phones. "Alex. I have something I need to tell you," Eddie said. "What?" Alex asked through tears. "Um...A few weeks ago, I got a strange call from a lady. She introduced herself as your sister, Elizabeth." "What did you tell her?" Alex asked, growing quite angry. "Nothing. She said that she was putting together a photo album for you and your sister for your birthday." "Yes?" "And she said that she would pay me if I could email her some pictures of you from your time here in America." Alex felt himself tighening up with anger and rage. "Well, when I saw the pictures of you and Gavin on your computer, I thought that they were really sweet pictures and that they would be good for her project." Alex stood and began pacing the floors of the small room as Eddie recounted his story. "So I sent her the pictures that I found on your computer. I swear that I had no idea that she'd use them like this. I sweat to God!" "So you violated my personal property," Alex summarized. "Yes. But I am so sorry... I didn't know." "And you sent my private pictures to someone that you didn't even know?" "Yes." Unable to control his anger, his body tensed and Alex lunged toward Eddie. He began hitting him uncontrollably. "You mother fucker!" Alex yelled. "You have single handedly ruined my life. You fucked up my relationship and you've possibly fucked my Kingdom by putting my sister in a position to take control and ruin Lorenzian society." He kept hitting Eddie until Lisa pulled him off. Lee came into the room upon hearing the screaming and held Eddie back from retaliating. His nose was bleeding and his left eye was swollen. Alex didn't care, though. Eddie was as good as dead to him. "I'm so going to have you arrested for that, mother fucker!" "You can't!" Alex screamed back. "Yeah. Watch me?" Eddie said, breaking free of Lee's hold and reaching for his phone. Alex turned and pulled the locked box from beneath his bed. He pulled out his diplomatic passport and handed it to Eddie. Eddie read on the inside cover that "the bearer would be free from arrest or constraint while outside of Lorenzia." "You just better watch your back," Eddie said, pointing a finger. "Like I'm scared of a fat ass queer!" Alex said. Alex moved past Lisa and grabbed one of the leather suitcases from the closet. He packed a few clean clothes and put them into the valise. The sharp pain in his hand made him think about what he'd just done to Eddie. He had never lashed out at anyone in anger before. "Eddie," Alex said without turning to look at his roommate, "I'm sorry about that." There was no response from Eddie. Lisa and Lee stood in the room still, but now just to make sure that nothing else happened between them. "It's OK," Eddie finally said, "I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing." "If you need to go to the doctor, I will pay for it." "I think I might have to in a little bit." "I'll take you," Lee volunteered calmly. "Thank you," Eddie said as Alex pulled his American Express card from his wallet. "Put all the expenses on this, please," Alex said, handing Lee the limitless card. "Make sure that they check everything carefully," he instructed. "Alright," Lee said. "And Eddie. Did you say that she paid you?" "Yeah," Eddie answered. "She wired me fifty thousand euros." "Do you still have the receipt?" "Yeah," Eddie said as he fished around in his desk. "Here," he said, handing Alex the piece of paper. "Thank you," Alex said, sitting back down on his bed and examining the paper. As all of this was going on in Montevallo, Margaret was already planning damage control in Cabocha. She'd put on a robe and marched down to the Switchboard Room, where the morning papers were delivered to the palace before being released to the public. "Highness," the operator said, standing up out of respect. "Good morning. Have the morning papers arrived yet?" "Yes ma'am. They were just delivered a few moments ago." "Where are they?" "Right over there, ma'am," the operator said, pointing to a stack of papers to be delivered to the Queen's office later that morning. "Thank you," Margaret said, walking over to the freshly bound stack of the Cabocha times. True enough, flashed across the cover was a story about Alex and Gavin. Margaret undid the twine and took a copy. "Please have the rest of these burned immediately." "Yes ma'am," the receptionist complied, calling someone to immediately remove the papers. Margaret took the single copy and walked up to her mother's suite. Standing outside the main entrance were two members of the Royal Guard. "I need to see the Queen," she announced. "We're under orders not to disturb her between the hours of 9PM and 7AM, ma'am." "This is a matter of state importance." The guards looked at each other for a second, and the one on the right hand side slowly opened the door. Margaret crept into her mother's suite and gently turned on a light beside her bed. "Mom?" Margaret called out. "Mom. Wake up. I need to talk to you." "You didn't get arrested again, did you?" "No ma'am. It's not me this time. It's Alex," Margaret stated. The Queen struggled but managed to sit up in the bed. "What about Alex? Is he OK? He's not hurt is he?" the Queen asked immediately. "Not physically," Margaret said. "Mom. There are some things that you don't know about Alex. Before I say anything else, though, I need you to promise that you're not going to get mad or upset." "You're scaring me slightly, Margaret. What is it?" the Queen asked. Margaret handed her the paper. The Queen squinted to see the paper. "Would you turn another light on and hand me my glasses?" "Yes ma'am," Margaret said, turning on the light on the Queen's table and handing the aged, frail woman her glasses. The Queen looked at the paper this morning. "Oh dear..." was all she managed to say. "Does he know about this yet?" the Queen asked, looking at Margaret. "Yes ma'am. The person responsible for these pictures sent Gavin, the man in the picture, a copy." "Alex's friend Gavin?" "Yes ma'am." "They were...lovers?" the Queen asked as the situation became clearer and clearer to her. "Yes ma'am." "And you knew about this?" "Yes ma'am." The Queen pulled off her glasses. She took a deep breath, riddled with pain. "It would be in his best interest if he were here before my first appointment of the morning, which is at 10." "I'll call him right away," Margaret said. Margaret stood from the edge of the bed. She was unable to gauge what her mother was thinking or how she was going to react in the morning, but she knew that whatever was about to hit the fan, it was bound to be quite unpleasant. "And Margaret," the Queen said as she sat up on the edge of her bed. "Yes ma'am?" "Let him know that I love him, but that this situation is bigger than him." "I will," Margaret said. She walked quietly out of the suite as the Queen grabbed the phone. The Palace receptionist connected her with her assistant's phone. After explaining the situation, Marcia agreed to immediately come to the office. Margaret walked out of the suite and dialed her brother's cell phone number. Lisa answered the phone. "Hello?" Lisa asked. "This is Margaret. I need to speak with Alex for a moment." Lisa handed the phone immediately to the Prince. "Mom knows," Margaret said as Alex introduced himself. "How?" Margaret took a deep breath and swallowed the knot that had developed in her throat. "I took her the morning paper." "Oh shit! Is she upset?" "I don't know. She was very sedate about it." "Oh shit!" "She wants you home before her first appointment at 10, though." "OK," Alex said, knowing that he'd eventually have to face the music. "Alex?" "Yeah? "She said to tell you that she loved you," Margaret said, leaving out the last part of her mother's comment. Alex, for a moment, felt relieved. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, I suppose." "Yeah." "I love you, baby bro." "I love you, too, big sis," Alex said, having never called her that before. Margaret smiled. They hung up the phone and Alex immediately phoned the Lorenzian Consulate in Birmingham. "Consulado Real Lorenzano," the operator answered. "This is Alex, ID 629. I need a car to pick me up in Montevallo and a flight to Cabocha." "I'll have someone right on that, Highness," the operator responded. "Thank you," Alex said. He turned to Lisa. "Thank you for staying with me," he said. Lisa opened her arms wide and took Gavin into a tight hug. "Would you do me a favor?" "Anything," Lisa said. "When Gavin returns, please tell him that I am sorry and that I love him more than he will ever know," Alex said. "I certainly will," Lisa said, patting Alex's back and then breaking the hug. Together, the two of them feverishly packed the remainder of Alex's things. "Do you want me to send you the rest of your things?" "No. If there is anything that Gavin wants, please let him take it, then donate the rest to charity." "Alright." "Thank you again, Lisa." "Not a problem," she said. They hugged again, but within just a few minutes, the car was already arriving, with Police escort, to take him back to the consulate. The whole dorm seemed to have assembled to see what was going on. Crowds had assembled on the quad across the street to see who was getting such royal treatment. Lisa helped navigate Alex through the crowd unscathed. Alex, unencumbered by the Royal Guard who stood outside the car, climbed into the car. He waved at Lisa and then sped off away from the dorm. Alex had a lot of time to think as they drove toward the consulate. The only thing that seemed to be clear though was Gavin. He looked down at the golden bracelet; it was the best gift he'd ever received, yet all he could think about was the fact that he'd kept a very major part of himself from Gavin. He felt bad for Gavin having to deal with such a situation. Alex looked out the window several times. He'd hoped that they'd pass Gavin so that he could have one last look at the man he loved before he went back home. Alas, the cars pulled up to the consulate before he saw him though. Alex was a bit disappointed. Finally the door to the limo opened. He pulled himself out and was escorted to an office that wasn't occupied at that late hour. He walked in and turned the light off. The door remained open so that the security detail could keep a protective eye on him. He sat down in the high leather chair of the office and waited, in silence in the room. As he looked out through the large window of the office building, he thought about Gavin and only Gavin. In that moment, it didn't matter what happened to him in that moment, as long as Gavin was OK. As he sat and thought, Gavin was making his way up the interstate toward Albertville. He didn't know why he was going up there, the car just seemed to steer him that direction. It was almost as if the car new that he needed a moment to regroup himself and to regain his center. The only place that had that affect on him was his parents' country home. As he drove through Gadsden and then Boaz on his way to Albertville, he remembered feeling betrayed. He couldn't believe that Alex would have intentionally done something like that, but it had happened. Alex had kept the secret from him; Alex had told him that he loved him; Alex was the one that carried all the blame and all the responsibility for his current condition, his current mental state. He was angry, but also sad. He was furious, but also despondent. He didn't know how he was going to explain this to everyone that had endured his constant praise of Alex. He didn't know how he would explain this to his parents or Conner. Once in Albertville proper, he turned down highway 75 and then to his parents' road. He was surprised to find the light still on throughout the house. He'd imagined that he would slip in and peacefully pass the night, but it didn't look like it would be the case. He quietly pulled behind his mother's van and walked up to the front door. The main door was open, and through the screen door, he could hear his mother arguing with Conner about going to bed. "But Mom," Conner whined. "I want to talk to Gavin." "Gavin is busy with Alex's birthday today. We can call him first thing in the morning," Paula said. "MAMA!!!" Conner said. Gavin pulled out his cell phone and called into the house. "Ray!!! Answer that, please!" his mother yelled. "Hello," Ray said as he sat in the living room. "Hey Dad." "Hello there. You-know-who was just asking about you," Ray said in a quiet voice. "I know." "How would you know?" "I'm on the front porch," Gavin said. Ray knew something was wrong. He quietly walked outside, still wearing his jeans and a white t-shirt. The daunting country man saw his son, standing there. His strong, big son was standing there weeping uncontrollably, unconsolably. There was still an open phone line that was disconnected as Gavin walked up onto the porch and took a seat beside his father in the porch swing. Ray had seen this look before in Gavin. It was quite heart wrenching. As was their style, the two men sat on the porch quietly. Gavin had learned a long time before that his father could sometimes be a man of few words, but simply having him close seemed to serve to calm him better than all the words in the English language. "CONNER BUTLER!" Paula screamed. "RAY!!!! Can you come help with your son?" "Why were y'all always my son when she was mad?!" Ray said, starting to stand. "Sit down Dad. I'll be right back. I think I could probably help better than anyone," Gavin said, hoping that the sight of his little brother would help him to forget about Alex, at least for a night. Gavin walked quietly into the house. The sounds of Conner's ill mood were coming from his bedroom upstairs. His mom was also up there. Gavin stood in the doorway for a second; his presence hadn't yet dawned on his mother or brother. Paula moved out of Conner's way for a second, and that was all the boy needed to know that Gavin was right there. "GAVIN!" he yelled, jumping off his bed and past his mother and into his brother's awaiting arms. "Hey little bro." "Hey," Conner said simply. Paula looked at her oldest son and knew that something was wrong. She walked out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. It planned to be a long night and she wanted to make sure that there was enough coffee to hold them over until Gavin felt like going to bed. "Will you read me a story? Where's Alex? Did Mags come with y'all?" Conner asked, full of questions. "Alex and Mags aren't here. It's just me. I hope that's not too much of a disappointment." "Of course it's not. I love you, Gavin," Conner said, wrapping his arms around Gavin's neck once again. "And about that story. I have a better proposition for you." "What's a proposition?" "An offer." "OK," Conner said. "What's your prosposition?" he asked, trying to pronounce the word correctly and subconsciously impress his big brother. "I am going to go back to Montevallo in the morning and get my things. If we can forgo the story tonight, you can go with me tomorrow, and we will read stories until your heart's content. OK?" "I can live with that," Conner said without thinking. "Good. Now have you taken a shower?" "Yeah." "Have you brushed your teeth?" "Yes." "Have you peed all you're going to pee for the night?" "Uh huh." "OK. Go climb in my bed, but don't tell anyone, OK." "It's our secret!" Conner declared with pride, grabbing his pillow and blanket and heading toward his brother's room. It was a treat for him to spend the night in Gavin's room, a treat that he respected and cherished. In just a few minutes, he was out cold on Gavin's bed. Gavin turned out the light, but left the door open just so that he could check on Conner a few times over the course of the evening. He walked back downstairs and out to the porch. Margaret had told him just how calming the crickets could be on a warm Southern night. He'd never thought about it until that moment. "How do you do it?" Paula asked. "What?" "Get him to go to bed so easily." "I bribe him," Gavin said, cracking a smile for the first time since early that afternoon. "Maybe we should try that, Ray!" Paula said, trying to lighten the tense mood. "So what happened with Alex?" Ray asked, getting right to the point and bypassing his wife's suggestion. Gavin felt himself swelling again. "He lied to me." There was an eerie silence once again between the three of them, broken only by the song of the crickets and katydids. "He lied to you? About what?" "Who he was," Gavin said calmly as he looked out over the fields belonging to his father. "What do you mean?" his parents asked. "He knew everything about me. He knew y'all. He knew Conner. He knew what my weaknesses were, and yet he still lied to me." Ray seemed to understand the cryptic code in which his son spoke. Paula didn't. "So.......?" Paula asked. "Alex Saavedra is actually His Royal Highness, Alexander Joaquin Ivan Petrov Saavedra, Crown Prince of Lorenzia. His sister is Her Royal Highness, Margaret Elena Petrova Saavedra, Princess of Lorenzia and Duchess of Meditaira. His mother is Her Majesty, Isabel III, Queen of Lorenzia," Alex answered, having remembered all their names from reading them on the Royal Family's website. "Oh dear," Paula said. "I second that," Ray said of his wife's comment. "I thought he was a normal boy, who actually loved me, and all the while, he's some high-falutin' European Royal who will probably go back to Lorenzia tonight and forget that he knows me." Gavin could no longer hold back his emotions and began to cry. "I loved him completely and he probably will be able to brush my existence off as an unimportant bump in the road." "Can I be honest with you about something son?" Paula asked. "Yeah..." "Do you remember when you were a teenager and asked how I knew I was in love with your father?" "Yeah...You said it was something in the way he looked at you that let you know every morning that he loved you." "Right." "Well, son," Ray started, "I see the same thing in your mother's eyes. It's something that can't really be explained with words." "Why do I feel like you guys are about to tell me something I don't want to hear?" "Because we are," Ray said bluntly. "Baby. You know that we love you, and that we ALWAYS will. You never have to worry about bringing a boy over to the house, because we want to know who you're seeing. We want to know if he's a decent guy," Paula said. "That last kid you brought over...What was his name, Ray?" "Pete, maybe?" "Yeah," Gavin answered. "Well, Pete. We could tell in his eyes that it was just physical. Your father and I stayed awake many nights to make sure you made it home OK when you went out with him," Paula continued. "When he was around, we saw the excitement in your eyes ." "But that wasn't there in his," Ray completed her sentence. "The look was there with Alex, baby. He won't soon forget you. He has a part of your heart, and you have a part of his," Paula said. Gavin knew that she was telling the truth. He'd seen only love in Alex's eyes before. Even when they were making love, it wasn't as it had been in the past. There were emotions behind their passionate exchanges. Gavin took a deep breath. "So do you guys want to know what I bribed Conner with or what?" "Sure," Ray said, changing the topic on his son's cue. "I'm withdrawing from Montevallo in the morning. I told Conner he could ride down with me and then that I would read as many stories to him as he wanted tomorrow night. I also have to stop at Bruno's and quit." "OK," Paula said. "Dad, do you mind if I work for you for a couple of weeks until I can find a job up here again?" "No. I could use the help." "Cool. I will see you guys in the morning then," Gavin said, standing and walking into the house. He couldn't bear to talk about Alex anymore that night. He knew his parents were right, but he couldn't admit it to himself. Paula and Ray remained outside for a few more minutes. Paula rested her head on Ray's shoulder and said a silent prayer for Gavin that he might find peace. Ray started off into the darkness and wondered what he'd done to deserve a woman like Paula, a woman with whom he had no secrets other than gifts and such. He yearned to see the day when his oldest would find the same peace and comfort and love in another human being. By 10 o'clock that night, they were all in bed in Albertville. Alex was still seated patiently in the darkened office. He'd dozed off a couple of times but something, a sound or a change in the light just outside would bring him back to consciousness and the realization that the man in whom he knew complete and total love wasn't with him and likely wouldn't be with him ever again. Just a few minutes after 10, Alex was disturbed by Jenny, who'd slid into the office to inform him that a plane was ready for his departure to Cabocha. Alex grabbed his satchel, which contained his computer and a few books and took them with him to the limousine in which he'd arrived at the consulate. "Jenny?" "Yes, Highness," she said as she joined him in the back of the limousine. "Do you think it was wrong of me to hide who I was while I was here?" "Permission to speak freely, sir?" "Never ask me that again. You have permanent permission to speak your mind with me, especially if I ask for your opinion." "Right. Well, I think it was an admirable thing. You wanted people to respect you for you, not for your title. I think that you wanted to prove to yourself that you are more than just a Prince and more than just European aristocracy. Personally, I admire that about you and this endeavor." "Are you just telling me that to make me feel better?" "No sir." "Thank you," Alex said, staring out the window. "Do you know what's going on in Lorenzia?" "Yes. The Royal Office informed us of the situation a bit ago, shortly after you called for a car." "What do you think about that?" "I think that when you give your heart to someone completely, you have to be prepared to have it broken, speaking from a purely personal standpoint. I hate that it's happened to you, because you seem like such a good man. You seem honest and true." "What about the fact that the relationship was with a man?" "Frankly, I'm jealous of him a little bit," Jenny said to try to lighten his spirits a bit. Alex smiled for a second, but then it quickly turned back into a frown as he remembered the somewhere away from him, there was a man who owned part of him permanently. "To be serious, I don't care personally that you're gay. I'm sure that there are some of the people in the kingdom who aren't too happy about it or who won't be too happy about it, but you've got your life to live, and if your happiness and your duty conflict, you have to decide which is more important." "I think that my father would have flown over to Alabama personally and brought me home." "He wouldn't have been happy?" "UNDERSTATEMENT!" Alex said. "He was a very loving man, but duty came first with him. Personal life and love were for the back burner to him." "Oh. How do your think your mother will react?" "I'm not sure. Margaret was very cryptic when she said she'd spoken with her." "Oh. Highness..." "Alex..." "Alex. I can travel with you, if you'd like the company." "That would be nice, though I'm hoping that I can sleep on the way back to Cabocha. Tomorrow promises to be a very long day." "Indeed." They arrived at the airport within a few minutes. The car drove them around to the place where he and Jenny would board the plane. The Royal Guards and Royal Air Corps personnel on the plane treated him as though nothing had happened, fortunately. One of the guards, a cute Captain in the Royal Air Corps smiled at Alex, but it went unnoticed the Prince. His thoughts were occupied with Gavin and if he was OK. He and Jenny holed themselves up in the office on the plane. It was considerably smaller than the Queen's jet, but the office sufficed. Within just a few minutes, the plane took off. Alex watched as Birmingham ascended over the city of Birmingham. It was an emotional moment for him, to say the least. Before long, Alex fell asleep. It wasn't a peaceful sleep mind you, but one that would give him just enough energy to make it through the coming day. Both Alex's dreams and Gavin's were occupied with thoughts of the other. At one point, at almost the precise same moment, they both were stirred by something unknown to both of them. The moment passed, though, and each of them returned to their own restless sleep.