Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:47:56 -0500
From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Light in the Darkness Book 2, Chapter 01

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.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is sequel to the "Things that Go Bump" and "A
Light in the Darkness" stories.  You should probably read those first!
Sorry for the long break but I've started a new and demanding job (third
job, anyway)!

I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well.  I'm putting them up
there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to
Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out.  It's closed
membership to avoid spam and flames, so just let me know!





			A Light in the Darkness, Book II, The Order



						Chapter 01





	"How's it going, guys?  How was the rest of your vacation?" Chris
asked as James and Sebastian tromped upstairs from the basement.  After
their two weeks at the island, everyone else had returned to their normal,
or normalish, lives, while James and Sebastian tacked on another two weeks
all alone.

	"Nice!" James beamed.  "A little more vamp, but what can you do?"

	Sebastian rolled his eyes and grinned.  "He means, we stayed out of
the sun and got our strength back...  As great as it is to spend some time
in the sun and allow oneself to be weak, one doesn't live four thousand
years by doing that too often."

	"We went to the Louvre, and Notre Dame, and visited vineyards in
Bordeaux," James began telling Chris, dragging the boy to a couch.
Sebastian laughed and walked upstairs to put a few bags in their room.
Then he went out to Richard's quarters.

	Knocking on the door, he called, "Richard?"

	He snickered as he heard fast footsteps hurrying round the room,
and Richard opened the door wearing a pair of boxers.  "Bad time?"
Sebastian asked with a grin.

	"No, no," Richard began, a little out of breath.

	"Then why are you wearing Pete's boxers?" Sebastian asked, crossing
his arms and smiling even more widely.

	"What do you mean?" Richard started to ask, but rolled his eyes and
looked down to see that in his hurry he had grabbed Pete's boxers with the
big Superman S over the crotch.

	"You're more of a white linen man, Richard," Sebastian said,
putting his hand over his mouth as he began to laugh.  The ancient vampire
again rolled his eyes when Richard closed the door in his face, and he
could hear the two men changing.  He had seen Richard naked a hundred
thousand times.  It's funny what love will do to you, Sebastian thought to
himself with a smile.

	When Peter and Richard emerged, Sebastian almost gasped.  "What?"
Pete asked with a magnificent, boyish smile.

	"It's just ... I was thinking about what you looked like a month
ago.  It seems like forever now...  Happiness becomes you, my friend,"
Sebastian said softly, putting a hand on his cheek.  "Now, how was the
Council in my absence?"  For his two weeks alone with James, Sebastian had
gone "off the grid," turning over his reins to his new number two.

	Richard shook his head and said, "Just minor things, bickering,
turf, you know...  Since you declared an end to your reign as high consul,
everyone's been jockeying to see what their new place is..."

	"How's Horatio faring in the politics?" Sebastian asked.

	Richard grinned.  "I gave him a little boost when a position on the
governance committee came open, and he got the spot...  He's shrewd in his
own right, and he's a loyal friend.  He'll do well."

	"I would have appointed you," Sebastian said, not knowing what else
to say.

	Richard shook his head.  "I couldn't be away from Pete that much,
and I couldn't take him away from James and Chris...  Besides, I like it
here with you," the man almost blushed as he said it.

	Sebastian hugged his friend and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek,
grasping his shoulders.  "Thank you, Richard.  That means a great deal to
me..."

	Richard and Sebastian went down to the office to handle some
Council business that had backed up, while Pete joined James and Chris on
the couch to catch up.

	"Where's Marcus?" James asked Chris after he'd run through his trip
highlights.

	Chris laughed.  "He's working out with Lt. Spencer in the yard...
You can take the boy out of the military, but you can't take the military
out of the boy..."

	James corrected, "We didn't so much take them out of the military
as get them reassigned to the gayest barracks this side of Camp Rainbow..."

	"Don't forget about Fort Dicks," Peter said, laughing.

	James shook his head.  "That one is spelled D-I-X, and those guys
would kick your ass," he said with a laugh.

	"One night with us and it wouldn't be kicking they'd want to be
doing!" Pete said with a grin.

	"When did YOU get so gay?" Chris asked with a laugh.  Soon the boys
were giggling incoherently like a bunch of normal teenagers.

	Marcus and Lt. Spencer came in from the back yard to find them like
that, and the men just smiled at one another.  Lt. Spencer ran upstairs to
shower and change, while Marcus snuggled in next to Chris and put an arm
across his shoulder.

	"So when do you start your training?" James asked Chris as the fit
subsided.

	"Soon," Marcus said with a smile.  "We know Chris is definitely not
a born wizard; I've been able to discern that much, but we still have to
test his capabilities.  We'll go on a retreat into the wilderness and begin
the first stages of training, as well as perform the standard tests..."

	"Do you know where you'll go?" James asked.

	"No, I was hoping Sebastian would have an idea," Marcus smiled.

	"He does," Sebastian smiled as he and Richard returned.  "But there
are some people I need to talk to first...  I know that you'd perhaps like
to spend the time alone, but there's another boy I'd like to undergo the
tests.  I don't know yet if he's interested in training, but he has no
guidance of yet...  Perhaps you could work with both him and Chris, if he's
interested?" Sebastian asked.

	"Of course," Marcus nodded.

	"Is it someone we know?" Chris asked and Sebastian smiled.

	"As a matter of fact, it is...  You remember Chase and William's
friend Carl?  His boyfriend is Edward?" Sebastian asked.

	"Oh, right...  He's a wizard?" Chris asked.

	"Irish Druid by rite," Sebastian nodded.  "I don't know if he's
practiced in his gifts, but he is a born wizard, and druids sometimes
possess special gifts of magick – premonition, telekinesis, and the
like...  It's my understanding his family has a cabin in the forest, so
that would solve that problem..."

	James and Sebastian went upstairs to unpack a few things and James
said, "It's nice to be home..."

	Sebastian wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and said, "It's
good to be wherever you are..."

	"Mmmm," James sighed at the feeling of the smaller vampire at his
back.

	"Let's go out tonight?" Sebastian suggested.

	James turned in his arms and smiled down at him.  "Yeah?"

	"Making up for lost time," Sebastian said, resting his cheek on the
boy's chest.  "All that time we should have been dating wasted saving the
world!"

	James laughed and stepped back, quickly stripping and leading the
way to the big shower, which they shared.  When they were changed and
ready, James asked, "Where do you want to go?"

	"I was thinking we might head down to Richmond for dinner and a
movie," Sebastian said with a smile.

	James shook his head with a smile.  "We should bring Chris and
Marcus with us then..."

	Sebastian nodded and took his hand.  They walked down to Chris's
room and knocked.  Chris opened the door casually, and James smiled to see
Marcus propped up in the bed, fully clothed, reading.

	"We're going to Richmond for a night out...  We thought we'd visit
some friends and figured you guys should come along, if you don't have
other plans.  Maybe we can track down Carl and Edward..."

	Marcus put his book down and smiled, stepping up behind Chris and
wrapping his arms comfortably around the boy.  "Sounds fun," he said, and
Chris nodded.

	The four of them headed downstairs and called Sam, who opened his
end of the inter-dimensional portal they had established.

	When they stepped through, Sebastian hugged his old friend and
introduced the man to Marcus and Chris.  "I think I recall meeting Chris at
Chase's birthday, but it's nice to meet you Marcus...  Wasn't there
another...?" Sam began to ask, but Chris nodded.

	"I was dating a boy named Steve...  We broke up after all the
end-of-the-world stuff...  Too much stress for him," Chris smiled,
squeezing Marcus's hand.

	Sam nodded thoughtfully.  "So what brings you to our little city,
gentlemen?"

	"I thought we might check in with some of our new friends,"
Sebastian smiled.

	"And that package I see you've brought wouldn't be for your little
`nephew' would it?" Sam asked with a smile.

	"Just a little something we picked up in Paris," James winked.

	"Well, William and Chase and his parents are still staying with
Xavier and Aiden until the first house is ready," Sam said.  "Do you need a
car?"

	"I called for one to fetch us on the corner," Sebastian said,
shaking Sam's hand.  "Thank you...  Everything else is okay?"

	"No worries here," Sam said.  "For now all remains quiet,
except..."  The man smiled as he fell silent.  "I'll let Chase tell you
about that..."

	"You're a mean old man, Sam," Sebastian joked.  "You know my
curiosity is boundless!"

	Sam nodded with a grin.  "Come see ME sometime, Sebastian," the man
said as he ushered the four young, or young-looking, men outside.  Down on
the corner a big limo waited for them.  As they crawled into the back of
the big car, Sebastian gave the man Aiden's address, and they set out.

	As they pulled up to the gate, the driver pushed the button and
asked, "Who should I say is calling?"

	"Sebastian van der Meer..."

	The man repeated the name into the box and the gate buzzed and
began to open.  By the time they pulled up in front of the house, Chase was
on the front porch with Alex in his arms.  He waved as they walked up.

	"Hi, guys!  What's up?" Chase called.

	"We've just returned from Paris, and thought we'd come down to
visit," Sebastian said with a smile as James reached for Alex and lifted
him from Chase's arms.

	"And we brought Alex a present," James added with a grin, passing
Chase the heavy bag.

	"Good Lord!  What is this?" Chase asked with a laugh.

	"Let's just say, he probably won't be able to use it for a while,"
James said.

	"Come inside, guys," Chase said, leading them through the door.
"William, Xavier!  Company!"

	William came downstairs and smiled when he saw the new arrivals.
"Hey!  What's going on?"

	"We just came down to see if you guys could go out tonight," James
said as he tickled Alex, causing the baby to giggle.

	Xavier patted the boys on the shoulder, giving Sebastian a reserved
look, and said, "You guys have some fun, I'll watch Alex..."

      James handed the boy to Xavier and encouraged Chase to open the
present he and Sebastian had brought.  Chase dug into the bag and found a
hand-made wooden train set from a famous Parisian toymaker.  "It's
wonderful," Chase exclaimed as he hugged them both.  "Thank you!"

      "Shall we?" Sebastian asked with a smile.  "Where are Steve and
Sarah?"

      "They're on their own little vacation," Chase said.  "Xavier's in
charge!"

      "Well, then, if you don't mind, we'll grab a bite and wander around
town?" Sebastian asked the man, once his friend, once his enemy, now
... what?

      "Be careful, and have fun," the man said to his boys, not breaking a
smile for Sebastian.

      Chase followed Sebastian and his group outside, but William hung
back.  "Sometime, I want to hear what you have against him," he said to his
uncle.

      "It's not important, William," Xavier responded firmly.

      "If it's not important, why haven't you gotten over it?" William
persisted.

      "It's complicated...  Now run along!  Don't keep your friends
waiting!"

      William nodded but frowned and exited, hopping into the back of the
limo.  "Do you think Edward and Carl might join us?" Sebastian asked when
they were all together.  "There is something we need to discuss..."

      William shrugged and pulled out his phone.  He got no answer at
Edward's, so he called Carl's cell and, as he expected, the boy's were
together at Carl's house.  "Hey, Carl...  Sebastian and James are down and
they're taking us out to dinner.  Are you and Edward free?"

      "Sure," the tall boy replied in his deep, rich voice.  "Where should
we meet you?"

      "We've got a car!  Let us pick you up at your place," William
replied.

      "No problem.  See you in a few minutes..."

      William lowered the privacy glass and gave the driver Carl's address.
They could all see the car getting some stares as they pulled into Carl's
decidedly middle class neighborhood.  They were even more surprised when
six casually dressed teenage boys climbed out.

      Carl and Edward came out to meet them, and Carl did not invite them
inside.  When he saw the car, he laughed and said, "This is going to be the
talk of the neighborhood!"

      Sebastian laughed and motioned for everyone to get back in the car.
While they rode to the restaurant he decided to get down to business.

      "Carl, one of the reasons we came to visit is that Marcus is going to
begin training Chris in the magickal arts, and I know your background.  I
thought, perhaps, if your parents aren't training you in the old ways..."

      "My parents still freak out if they hear me speak a word of Irish,"
the boy laughed.  "Everything I know I learned from my grandmother..."

      "Well, Marcus is a world-class wizard warrior...  If you'd like to
learn, he can begin teaching you the basics and we can find someone to help
you in your own tradition..."

      "Wow," Carl said, not sure what to say.  "I don't know...  Do you
mind if I think about it for a bit?  I need to talk to Edward too," he
added, and felt the boy squeeze his hand softly.

      "Of course," Sebastian smiled.  "In any case, do you think Marcus and
Chris could use your family's cabin for their weeklong test and training
retreat?"

      "My family only goes out there in the summer, so it'll be empty...
Sure!  Just put everything back the way it was," Carl replied.  "Assuming
we're not there too," he added, smiling at Chris.

      "If you decide you want to go, I could arrange it with your parents
and school," Sebastian replied enticingly with a wink.  "Free passes all
around!"

      When they got the restaurant, a place friendly to the Council,
Sebastian's group was without comment shown to a nice corner table a little
apart from the rest.  Shortly the restaurant owner, an older gentlemen
emerged and approached their table.  "Consul van der Meer!  What a pleasant
surprise?"

      "Thank you," Sebastian smiled.  "We're just in town to visit
friends..."  The man nodded.

      "Please let us know if you require anything special this evening,"
the man said, retreating as quickly as he'd come.

      The waiter took their drink orders and left them with menus.  After
they ordered their food, Carl slipped away to the bathroom and soon Edward
followed.

      "So what do you want to do?" Edward asked Carl outside the bathroom
before they returned to the others.

      "I ... I'm not sure...  That's a dangerous world.  It killed my
grandmother, and we've both seen it up close and personal...  I don't want
to put you in danger.  But it's part of who – what – I am, too..."

      "I think you should do it," Edward said, grabbing his hand.  "I can
tell you really want to, and I don't want to hold you back.  I'm not
afraid," he smiled, "I'll have you to protect me..."  The tall boy leaned
in to kiss Edward softly on one cheek, while softly stroking the other with
his fingertips.

      "Alright," Carl whispered with a smile.  "And you'll come with me for
the week?"

      "Of course," Edward smiled.

      When they returned to the table they dug into the appetizers that had
just arrived.  Edward smiled across the table at Sebastian and said, "We're
in!"

      Sebastian nodded with a happy smile.  "Excellent!  I'll give you a
call when we've got the exact dates and whatnot figured out.  We'll send
people to `convince' your families and school..."

      After that, they all mostly got caught up on the weeks that had
passed since they had all been together on the island.

      "We found a place," William said after a while.  "Just outside of
town, there's an old farmstead.  It's got a big farmhouse and barn, and
about forty acres of land...  Once we close on it, we'll all move out to
the farmhouse and start building a new, bigger place for mom, dad and the
babies..."

      "And get the barn fixed up for horses," Chase added, as William
rolled his eyes lovingly.

      "And that," William said with a sigh as they all laughed.

      "How's your mom?" James asked.  "Babies okay?"

      "Yeah!  Mom's started showing, but she still feels pretty good.  The
doctor says there is no way she'll go to full term, with her age and them
being triplets and all, so they'll probably be born in July or maybe August
if she's doing okay..."

      "Will they be able to come home being born that early?" James asked.

      "It's not that early," Chase replied.  "They should be able to..."

      "How's Matt?" James added.

      "His parents got him a car, so he's doing better and we still see a
lot of him...  He's been in a funk the last couple of weeks because Amy is
thinking of going on a summer program to Europe and he can't go..."

      "So what are they going to do?" Sebastian asked.  He'd gotten the
impression over their week together that whereas Matt was fairly devoted,
Amy really liked Matt but not to the same level.

      "He wants to stick it out, but he doesn't know about her," Chase said
sadly.  Sebastian nodded, his feelings confirmed.

      "And there's a new family on Matt's block.  They have a boy a year
older than us.  Daniel..." William added, making Chase curl his nose a
little to everyone's amusement.  "Matt's been hanging out with him some...
He brought him by Xavier's once."

      "What's he like?" James asked, trying not to smile.

      "He's cute," Edward said, goading Chase a little.  "And he's pretty
nice.  A little weird.  His family is pretty strict, so he never wears
casual clothes or anything like that.  And he's got some kind of exemption
from P.E..."

      Chase just added, "I don't see what's so great about him, but
everybody seems to like him alright..."

      "You're just jealous," William teased.  "You've had Matt all to
yourself for so long, you're worried that now that we're moving Matt'll get
a new best friend..."

      Chase sort of scowled and shrugged.  "Maybe..."  The whole group
laughed again as he smiled a little.

      After dinner, it was dark but they drove out to the farm to show
everyone where they'd be moving if all went well before heading off to the
mall to just walk around.  Since it was a school night for Edward and Carl,
they skipped the movie and headed home early.

      When Sebastian, James, Chris and Marcus were alone, Sebastian asked
Marcus, "What do you think about Carl?"

      "I'm not sure...  He doesn't `feel' like any wizard I've ever met,
but Druids are different in so many ways, not unlike the Kabbalists...  Sam
would be a better judge of that..."

      Sebastian nodded, and called the man, who met them at the synagogue
to let them back through the portal.  It would have been convenient if
William's building was still accessible.  When they met the man, Sebastian
said, "Sam, I'm going to be back in the next day or two...  I'd like you to
meet with Carl, the young Druid who's friends with the boys.  I'm thinking
of having him trained."

      "Of course...  You know, with all the training you're arranging –
James, William, Chase, now Chris and Carl – you ought to open a school,"
Sam said with a laugh.  But then he saw by the look in the vampire's eye
that he had put an idea in his head.

      ***

      Chase and William found Aiden home at last, sitting on the couch with
Xavier's head in his lap.

      "You guys are home early," Aiden said, running his hand through
Xavier's hair.

      "Carl and Edward have school tomorrow," Chase said.  "We called it an
early night..."

      "What did Sebastian want with those boys?" Xavier asked, sitting up.

      "Chris, James's friend, is going to start training in magick, and it
looks like Carl is too...  You know, Carl is a Druid?" William asked.

      "I didn't realize," Xavier said thoughtfully.  "And his family isn't
training him?"

      "His grandmother was but she died when he was very young.  His
parents have turned their backs on their heritage," Chase said.

      Xavier nodded.  "Well, Alex is asleep, so you boys have a good
night," he said as he lay back down.  When the boys were upstairs, he said
to Aiden, "William asked me today about me and Sebastian..."

      "Did you tell him?" Aiden asked with a gentle smile.

      "NO!"  Xavier laughed.  "But I'll have to eventually...  Soon..."

      "I know you don't agree, but it's not a big deal.  I mean, yeah, you
over-reacted and made a fool out of yourself, but..."

      "Way to pull your punches, sweetheart," Xavier laughed.

      "You were just an impetuous kid," Aiden laughed.  "Sebastian doesn't
hold a grudge.  Why don't you just let it go and apologize?"

      "I should apologize?  What about him?  He didn't have to..."

      "Xavier, if he had done what the rest of us did, where would we be
now?  Sammael would have won and you know it...  That was more important
than making an impotent gesture to protest Avery's exile, especially when,
you know what?  He deserved what he got!"  Xavier's eyes flashed open in
shock at these words from one of Avery's closest pupils.  "That's right, he
deserved it.  He should have come to the Council, or at least his friends.
Or he should have stopped with the guilty parties.  He had no right to do
what he did!  Not to say that I don't understand..."

      "If you feel that way," Xavier began, his heat rising, "why did you
leave in an impotent gesture?  Why did Alex and Sam leave?"

      Aiden gave him a hard look.  "You know why!  You know ... I would
have done anything for you, even then...  I know I loved you first, I just
figured you knew...  And Alex left because he loved you like a brother and
your sister would never have forgiven him.  And Sam left because of Alex...
So, the answer to all of that?  Not for Avery but because of you!"  Xavier
sat up, a shocked look on his face.  He'd been such a self-absorbed child,
he'd never realized.  And in the years since, he'd never thought about it
because he'd been so angry and felt so betrayed.

      "Honestly, I had no idea that ... even then?" Xavier asked, his eyes
misty.

      "Xavier, when I told you it was love at first sight for me, I meant
it...  The first time I saw you, you were fourteen, and I was in college,
and I knew then that, if you were like me, I'd wait for you, I'd do what I
had to do to win you over...  After that day, I can honestly say there was
never anyone else..."  Xavier's eyes were full of tears.  "What's wrong,
sweetie?"

      "I'm kind of ashamed ... I don't even remember you until so much
later..."

      Aiden laughed.  "I'm not surprised.  I didn't dare spend time near
you...  You were so young, it could have gotten inappropriate.  If I'd
known about your prodigious nature, I would have stayed even further
away..."

      "What?" Xavier asked with a laugh.  "I was sexually aware of
myself..."

      "And of every teacher and handsome man who ever spent more than a few
days with you, it seemed," Aiden laughed.

      "Not Sebastian," Xavier winked.

      "Yeah, because he turned you away!  I still think that's why you're
so hard on him," Aiden half-joked.

      Xavier shrugged and smiled, pulling Aiden into a kiss.  "Well, since
we DID finally get together, there's never been anyone else in my heart
either," he whispered.

      "I know," Aiden smiled gently, before lifting his partner in an
impressive show of raw strength, and carried him off to their bed.

***

	Chris and Marcus sat in the living room after James and Sebastian
disappeared upstairs.  Chris settled himself in Marcus's lap and they
watched the end of a movie on the television.  When Chris yawned, Marcus
kissed him on the cheek and said, "You should go to bed.  You've got school
tomorrow, and you're no vampire..."  James had returned to school at last,
so he could watch over his friends and also finish up his studies.  He
could do that from home, but he missed seeing people every day.

	"I guess..." Chris said, whispering, "I just wish you'd come to my
room..."

	"Chris," the young soldier whispered in return.  "I don't know if I
could restrain myself..."

	"That's what I'm hoping," Chris smiled, slipping his hand inside
the man's shirt.

	Marcus smiled and sighed at feeling Chris's soft hand against his
chest.  "I'm an old fashioned kind of guy, Chris...  You just got out of
your first serious relationship, and I just don't want to..."

	Chris cuddled up to him and laid his head on the man's shoulder.
"It's alright...  I can wait.  For a while," he added with a little grin.

	"Chris, I can't tell you how much I want to just go upstairs with
you right now, but it...."

	"It really is okay, Marcus," Chris laughed.  "I understand.  Well,
I understand why you might feel that way, anyway," he added.

	He stood and pulled Marcus to his feet.  "Good night, Chris," the
man said with a smile, retreating to the yard where a very small barracks
was still set up, running on a skeleton crew.  Marcus and Lt. Spencer each
had a small room to themselves, while the rest of the soldier slept in a
common dormitory.

	Lt. Spencer stuck his head out and followed Marcus to his room.
"You're still sleeping out here in a cot?" he asked with a laugh.

	Marcus rolled his eyes at the other man and said, "I just had to
fight Chris off inside, so you wanna give me a break?"

	"Goodness!" Lt. Spencer exclaimed, throwing up his hands.
"Whatever!  I'm just saying...  Chris is pretty cute..."

	"Coming over to the dark side, Spencer?" Marcus joked.

	The man replied, cryptically, "You never know...  Someone that cute
comes along, I doubt I'll be hanging out out here, that's all I'm saying,"
he added with a smile.

	"Well, well, well," Marcus said thoughtfully, watching the man's
face.  "Tell me about it..."

	"It's a long set of stories," Lt. Spencer smiled.

	"I don't have any other action going on tonight, as you so kindly
reminded me..."

	"You want to go for a walk?" Spencer asked.

	Marcus nodded and followed him outside.  They let themselves out of
the gate and walked up the dark street.  "I never met my father," the
lieutenant explained, "and my mother was a very busy woman...  I spent a
lot of time by myself – my nanny's knew better than to meddle...
Anyway, my first few crushes were on girls, but my first MAJOR crush was on
a boy...  His father was a high-ranking wizard, and we were around each
other a lot because of my mother's business.  He was a couple of years
older than me, and he had the most delicious muscles," Spencer laughed to
remember it.

	"Did you ever do anything?" Marcus asked.

	"I wanted to," Spencer began hesitantly, "and I think he did too...
But we didn't.  In the end, though, I realized that I was comfortable with
myself.  Guy or girl, whatever would be would be...  I was a lonely,
bisexual kid, but I was okay with myself..."

	Spencer paused and the two men walked on in silence for a while.
"So what happened?" Marcus finally asked.

	Spencer nodded.  "I was fourteen, and my mom had this guy coming to
our ... mansion to give me tennis lessons.  I think he was just out of
college, twenty-two maybe...  He was tall, masculine, and one of the most
beautiful men I'd ever seen.  He had the most piercing eyes, and when he
put a hand on my shoulder, it felt like lightning!"  Then Spencer shivered
in the warm air and shook his head.  "I guess he was testing me out...  The
way I responded to little touches, little shows of affection.  I got all
touchy-feely with him.  I was so starved for male affection..."

	"Spencer, you don't have to," Marcus began, but Spencer put a hand
on his shoulder and shook his head.

	"About two months in, we were at the house alone.  Alfred, our
butler, was out with my mother, because the chauffer was on vacation, so I
invited Carter – that was his name – in for a drink while I went
upstairs to change into my tennis outfit.  No sooner than I dropped my
jeans, standing in my room in just my jock, he burst in behind me," Spencer
said, his breathing becoming labored and his voice anxious.  "His hands
were all over me, and I struggled a little, but he overpowered me easy,
pushing me face down on the bed.  He was behind me...

	"He whispered in my ear not to scream, not to yell, we were
alone...  It would be a lot easier for me if I cooperated.  I was a
sheltered kid, I had no idea what he was going to do, so I did struggle.  I
felt him struggling with his shorts with one hand, and then I felt him
pressing against me, into me.  God it hurt," he said, tears streaking his
face.

	Marcus looked stricken as he asked.  "Was it just the once?"

	"No...  He did me twice that day...  I don't know why I didn't tell
my mom what happened, and he had no idea who we were, so he was stupid and
cocky.  He fucked me twice more before mom caught him.  At first she almost
slipped back out of my room, since I wasn't fighting it anymore and she was
very liberal about such things.  But I worked up the courage to whimper,
`Mommy...'  I don't remember what happened after that, but I woke up in the
bath tub, soaking, my mother sitting on the toilet with her head in her
hands.  When she saw I was awake, she gave me some privacy...  I never said
anything, but I noticed all the razors were gone, and I guess the fact that
I noticed means it was probably a good idea...

	"I guess I thought he did what he did to me because he was gay, so
I pumped a lot of negativity in that direction and totally repressed my own
interest in guys.  Which was okay for a while, because I do like girls.
But I get the feeling that something's missing, something I want to
explore, sometimes.  But I'm afraid too..."

	"When did you start to change that?" Marcus asked, suspecting he
knew.

	"Well, meeting James was the beginning, but really, it was when I
saw him together with Sebastian the first time, what they feel for each
other.  I mean, guys can love each other, just like straight people ... its
natural and normal.  What happened to me shouldn't have happened but it
wasn't because Carter was gay, or even liked young guys...  It was because
he was a rapist.  And the terrible thing is that if he'd waited a while and
really talked to me, I would have made love to him.  He'd still be alive...
It will be different for you and Chris, because Chris really wants you, you
know...  And you have real feelings for each other.  Don't worry just
because he's young..."

	Marcus smiled and him and put a hand on his shoulder.  "I'll keep
that in mind...  But did you say he'd still be alive?"

	"His family came looking for him some time later, but no body was
ever discovered," Spencer said with a grimace.  "I suppose my mother just
lost it when she realized what was happening.  There wasn't anything left
to find, other than some burn marks on the ceiling.  But by that time that
part of the ceiling had been expertly replaced..."

	"So who is your mother?  She sounds fierce," Marcus replied.

	"I'm surprised no one's figured it out yet," Spencer said gravely.
"My mother is Dora Spencer, Queen of the Witches..."

	Marcus opened his mouth, then closed it again, and the two men
walked back to the house in silence.  When they got to their rooms, Marcus
grabbed Spencer by the arm and said, "Thank you for sharing, Spencer...
And, you know, guy or girl, you're going to make someone very lucky one
day..."  Spencer smiled sadly as he closed his door behind him.