Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 17:53:22 -0600
From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com>
Subject: a-light-in-the-darkness-II-4

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!


Chapter 04


	Spencer sat up on his cot in his private quarters reading a book
when the phone rang.  "Lieutenant Spencer," he answered.

	"Percival," the thick British accent cut across the line.

	"Mother," he said with a smile, "you know I prefer Spencer..."

	"Well, dear, it was my privilege to name you, so you'll forgive me
if I rather like it...  How are things there?"

	"Wonderful, mother...  We were just in Central America assisting
Consul Salazar with the repression of a nest of cryptovamps."

	"Nasty creatures," the woman said.  "Were there many?"

	"Over a hundred..."

	"Good show!"

	"Well, it was mostly Sebastian, mother," he said with a smile.

	"Of course it was dear!  No shame in that...  There's a lot you can
learn from him.  If anyone else had asked for you, I would have refused..."

	"Christen Wheeler," he began, but his mother cut him off.

	"... is a witch, dear.  One of our own.  But Sebastian is an old
friend.  How are you, though?"

	"I'm fine, mother!  Really..."

	"I just worry you'll get lonely there," Dora said.

	"No more lonely than I am anywhere else.  In fact, I've made a few
good friends -- James of course, and Sebastian, but also Marcus and
Chris, and some other guys..."

	"Ah, yes, Marcus...  Captain Donaldson is a bright young man.  I
understand he's going to be training some of Sebastian's boys?"

	"Yes...  They start on Monday..."

	"And have you met with the Grand Marshal recently?" Dora inquired.

	"I haven't seen Chase in a little while, mother.  What's this all
about?"

	"Well, I was just hoping you'd have some time to get to know him
better.  The World Congress is not too far off, and it would be interesting
to know where he stands on certain ... issues."

	"I'm not sure he has a `stand' on most `issues;' he's a boy...  And
I didn't take this position to spy on my friends."

	"I'm not asking you to SPY Percival...  That's so distasteful.  But
if you had the opportunity to talk with him and see if he's amenable to our
ways of thinking..."

	"Mother!" Spencer exclaimed, but paused and caught his tongue
before he said something unkind.  "I'll talk with him and explain our
position.  But I won't pressure him..."

	"That's all I can ask...  Now, have you met anyone ... special?"

	"No...  It's hard for me, you know..."

	"I know, dear...  I just hoped..."

	"I know, mother...  But ... well, I don't know...  I don't get out
much and everyone around here seems to have someone..."

	"Well, you're not that busy all the time.  Go out!  Ask James to
show you around and maybe introduce you to some people...  Or, perhaps
Chris?"

	"Mother!"  Then after a pause he smiled a little.  "Anyway, Chris
is busy with Marcus."

	"Alright dear...  You know ... it's just I ... love you and I hate
to see you alone..."

	"Good night," the man said with a sigh.  "I love you too..."

	"Good night," Dora replied.

	Spencer put the phone down and pulled on his pants and a t-shirt
before stepping out of his room.  The light was on under Marcus's door, but
Spencer decided to head out alone and think.  He let himself out the gate
and walked up toward town.  It was late, but there were some bars open.  He
went inside one that looked nice...  It was a pub-style sports bar, and he
sat down.  "Ale, please," he said, and the young bartender smiled.

	"English?" the man asked as he put a tall ale in front of the
handsome young soldier.

	Spencer smiled slightly and nodded.  "Lieutenant Spencer, at your
service..."

	"Well, lieutenant, what seems to be bothering you on this beautiful
evening?" the young man asked, leaning back against the counter opposite
the bar.

	"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Spencer asked, taking a
drink.

	"It's kinda late for a new customer.  Most of the time, this time
of nights, it's just regulars and guys who're already well sauced..."

	"I'm just ... I've been spending a lot of time alone and I thought
I should at least get out of the house..."

	"Now what in the world is a man like yourself doing spending time
alone?  I'd think the ladies'd be all over you!"

	"I'm on special assignment, so I stay at my post...  Doesn't leave
a lot of time for socializing, or dating," he added with a laugh, taking a
deep drink.

	"I see..."  The bartender smiled and put his hands on the counter
behind him, causing his triceps to flex nicely.  "Where're my manners?  I'm
Dean!"

	"My friends call me Spencer," the lieutenant said, smiling.

	"No first name?" the man smiled wickedly.

	"Not one I like," Spencer smiled.  "My mom, and ONLY my mom, calls
me Percival..."

	"Oh, my," Dean said, repressing a laugh.  "Well, Spencer, I get off
in an hour and I'd offer to show you around, but nothing will be open..."

	Spencer drained his glass and said, "Would I seem desperate if I
took you up on that anyway?"

	"A little lonely, maybe," the man smiled, refilling his glass.
"But I'm glad to have the company.  I never feel like hitting the sack
after work...  Takes me a while to wind down..."  Seeing a customer at the
end of the bar with an empty glass, Dean slipped away and returned after
getting the man another whiskey sour.  "So what do you do in the army,
Spencer?"

	The man took a drink to give himself time to think.  He put his
glass down and said, "I doubt you'd believe me if I told you..."

	"Try me...  You don't seem like a bullshit artist," Dean smiled.

	"Special forces, black ops..."

	"I've heard that line before from guys across the bar, but since
there's no babe here waiting to get talked out of her panties, I'll have to
take your word for it..."

	"I'll give you a demonstration some time," Spencer smiled,
beginning to feel the effect of the second ale in quick succession.  "I may
not look like a lot, but I've got skills..."

	Dean smiled and thought to himself, `May not look like a lot, my
ass...  Mmmm mmmm...'  But what he said was, "I believe you..."

	Before the bar closed, Spencer had a third drink and was feeling
buzzed, but not drunk.  Three ales was a lot but he was English.  He'd had
that many at sixteen...  Once all the other patrons were shooed out, and
the bar was cleaned, Dean led him out and locked up.

	"Where's your car?" Dean asked.

	"I walked down..."

	"Me, too," Dean replied.  "Feel like a walk?"

	The night was cool and Spencer nodded, "Yeah..."

	Dean led him around the downtown neighborhood, pointing out
restaurants and shops he liked and the better hangouts.  By the end, they
had circled around to building of condos near the bar and Dean said, "This
is me..."

	"Dean, thanks a lot for showing me around and talking..."

	"I enjoyed the company..."  Before Spencer could turn to walk away,
Dean hurried to add.  "You know, I'm just going to have some dinner if you
want to come up for a while..."

	"You're sure?  I don't want to overstay my welcome..."

	"Come on...  I'm starting to get hungry," Dean said with a smile.
Upstairs, he led Spencer into a small condo -- one bedroom, one bath with
a eat-in living space and a compact kitchen.  "It's small, but it's just
me," Dean said.  "Excuse the mess.  I wasn't expecting company."  With the
exception of a shirt hanging over the back of a chair and a few open
magazines, there wasn't much in the way of a mess.

	"It's nice," Spencer said.  "Homey..."

	"Yeah, it's mine," Dean smiled.  He got a bag of salad mix out of
the refrigerator and put some greens on a plate, before grabbing some
grilled chicken and dressing.  "Can I get something for you?" he called to
Spencer.

	"I'm great, thanks," Spencer replied, sitting on the couch.  Dean
sat his salad on the coffee table and sat at the other end of the couch
before grabbing a drink for each of them.

	He was about to start eating when he saw Spencer's eye flit to the
open magazine on the coffee table.  Thank God it's open to an article, the
man thought as he grabbed the magazines up carefully and said, "Let me get
this mess out of your way."  He tossed the magazines into a rack at the end
of the couch and out of sight.

	"So what's your assignment?" Dean asked as he ate a bite.

	"Top secret, I'm afraid," Spencer shrugged.

	"In our little town," Dean said, raising his eyebrows.  "Hmmm..."

	"Dean, I've already said too much as it is..."

	"Don't worry, I'll drop it..."

	"This must sound like a real line," Spencer said, looking at his
hands.

	"Yeah, kinda, but for some reason I do believe you," Dean answered.

	"I just keep wondering what I could show you to prove it," Spencer
laughed.

	Dean thought to himself, "Take your clothes off and let me inspect
your body,' but he said, "Don't worry about it man!"

	Spencer got an impish smile on his face and stood up, walking over
to an open patch of floor and bent over, placing his head and hands on the
floor.  Then he was standing on his head, his shirt falling and revealing
his straining abs, and while Dean watched he extended his arms until he was
standing on his hands.  And then he lifted his left hand from the floor.
With one extraordinary burst of energy, he was suddenly standing on his
feed again.

	Dean's mouth was agape, and Spencer smiled.  "So you're either a
special forces soldier or an Olympic gymnast," Dean said at last, "and I'm
guessing they are even rarer than you guys..."

	Spencer shrugged and took a seat, exhaling deeply from the
exertion.  He had cheated a little at the end, giving himself a magickal
boost, but then, he was showing off...

	After a silence, Spencer asked, "So what do you do when you're not
tending bar?"

	"Oh, I go to shows, listen to live music...  Sometimes I play a
little with friends' bands..."

	"What do you play?" Spencer asked, interested.

	"A little acoustic guitar...  But they keep me around because I
write good songs for them..."

	"Anything I've heard?" Spencer asked again.

	"Probably not, but one of my songs just got picked up by the label
that has the Bieber kid.  It's a cheesy love song and it would be perfect
for him, so I've got my fingers crossed..."

	"Waiting to hit it big?" Spencer asked.

	"Nah...  I like my life.  Job keeps me out there meeting
interesting people, like yourself," he added with a smile.  "Got to have
new material to write songs...  But a few extra dollars a month would be
nice!"

	Spencer smiled and yawned.  "I'd really better be going!"

	"Listen, some of my friends are playing Saturday night at the
coffee shop I showed you on the square.  They're going to play some of my
music and I'll probably join them for a song or two...  My first Saturday
off this month!  Why don't you come out?"

	Spencer smiled.  "What time?"

	"Starts at 9 p.m.!  But you could meet me here earlier if you
like," he added, writing his name, number, and email on a piece of paper he
found on the side table.

	Spencer looked at the paper and nodded.  "Thanks, Dean.  That
sounds like loads of fun!"

	Dean walked him to the door and locked it behind him, before
leaning back against the door and sighing.  "Wow!" he whispered.

***

      Friday morning, Chase rolled over on top of William, both still
naked, and woke him with a passionate kiss.  "Hey," William grinned.

      "Hey, yourself," Chase smiled.  "Last night was ... a nice start," he
added with a wink.

      "I was thinking, with Aiden here for a long weekend, why don't we all
pack up and head down to Virginia Beach?  It's not the greatest, but I bet
it's packed with cute sailors on shore leave," William teased.

      "I'm not enough for you, eh," Chase smiled wickedly.

      "Just because you've got filet mignon doesn't mean cheeseburger
doesn't still smell good!" William laughed.

      "Sounds like fun...  I'll feed Alex while you go talk to your
uncles!"

      Chase warmed a bottle and grabbed the baby while William knocked on
his uncles' door.  "Come in," Xavier called.  Both men were still cuddled
in bed.  William explained his plan and the men readily agreed.  "When do
you want to leave?"

      "I should go see Sebastian and Avery at the normal time," William
said, "but I'll come home by two...  Then we can get there in time to check
into our hotel.  Traffic shouldn't be bad on Thursday..."

      The men agreed and shooed him out so they could start getting ready.
As they started dressing, Aiden said, "So we never did get to have that
conversation last night..."

      "What are you thinking, Aiden?"

      "I'm thinking you'd make almost as good a mom as Chase," the man said
with a laugh and felt a dirty t-shirt hit him in the back of the head.
"Okay!  As good!"

      Xavier laughed.  "It would mean a lot of changes in our lifestyle..."

      "So does a move to Richmond...  In reality, this move has made me
realize how much of the work I was doing could be done as well by someone
else.  I need to delegate better, and being this far from the office is
good for me.  In a few months, I'm not going to commute at all.  I'm
setting my office here up for teleconferencing, and I'm hiring some new
underlings!  Then I'll only have to travel when there's trouble..."

      "Life IS a little slower pace here," Xavier nodded.  "Being around
Alex...  It's not as scary as I thought it would be..."

      "Scary?" Aiden asked.

      "Being responsible for a helpless living being, raising him right,
teaching him...  It's a huge responsibility..."

      "I really think you'll be an awesome parent," Aiden said, smiling at
the younger man.

      "And you're ready to be a dad?" Xavier asked.

      "I really am," Aiden said with a resolute nod.

      "Well ... let's sit with it for a while, and then get in touch with
our lawyers.  Were you thinking of adoption, or a surrogate to carry a
child for us?"

      "Let's think on that for a while," Aiden said.  "No real hurry.
We've got Alex, and Sarah'll drop her litter soon enough."

      "I'll tell her you said that," Xavier said, laughing.

      "And I'll put that picture of you in Cancun on our holiday card this
year..."

      "TRUCE!" Xavier declared, laughing.

      Chase and William packed their bags and got Alex's stuff together
before William made a quick trip to Sebastian's for his first joint
training session.  When he was gone, Chase sent his mother a message
letting her know which hotel they'd be staying in for the weekend -- his
parents weren't due home until the middle of the following week.

***

	"You came in late last night," Marcus observed as Lt. Spencer
finally emerged from his bunk.

	"Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you..."

	"I was awake...  Preparing to train the young whipper-snappers.
I'm putting together some old standbys to get things going.  So what were
you up to?"

	"Oh, had a little case of cabin fever...  I went down to the sports
pub and had a few drinks and chatted with the bartender.  Nice guy...  He
invited me to a gig his friends are playing Saturday night at the coffee
shop on the square."

	"Cute?" Marcus laughed.

	"He's a songwriter and a guitar player.  Really nice.  After he got
off work, he showed me around downtown a little," Spencer replied, ignoring
him.

	Chris entered the soldiers' quarters and smiled at the men.  "Hey
Spencer," he waved before wrapping an arm around Marcus and laying his head
on the man's shoulder.

	"Hey, Chris," Spencer replied.

	"So what are you guys up to?"

	"Just chatting," Marcus replied.  "Sleepyhead just got up...  He
was out cruising the bars last night..."

	"Was not!" Spencer protested, blushing.

	"She must have been cute," Chris said on seeing his expression.

	Spencer looked at Marcus, surprised and thankful the man had kept
his confidence, even with his boyfriend.  "Indeed!" Marcus replied with a
bright smile.

	"So William and Avery are here and ready to train with Sebastian.
You guys want to go watch, or join?"

	The men looked at each other and nodded, following Chris.

	"Hey, guys," William called on seeing the three arrive in the
basement.

	"You mind if we tag along," Chris asked.

	"The more the merrier," he replied, and they all entered the
training space he had conjured, through the existing portal in Sebastian's
basement.  Sebastian and Avery were already there, talking quietly in the
corner.

	"William?" Spencer asked, drawing the boy away from the others.  "I
wonder if I could come to Richmond some time and have a talk with you and
Chase about the World Congress of Wizards that's coming up in the fall?"

	William arched his eyes in interest.  "Sure, sounds interesting...
Why don't you and the guys come down to Virginia Beach this weekend?  We're
going on a little mini-vacation..."

	"That would be nice, but I already told a friend I'd come to a
concert on Saturday," Spencer replied.

	"No problem...  Next week, then...  Just give me a call?"

	"Thanks, William," Spencer smiled.

	When Avery and Sebastian finished their conversation, Sebastian
demonstrated a spell to call up a fog, and Chris watched while Marcus and
Spencer, and Avery and Sebastian squared off to see who could maintain the
most powerful veil.  "It's a simple but effective spell," Sebastian
explained.  "Particularly useful if you need to make a covered retreat or
retrenchment..."  Then, turning his attention to Chris, he suggested, "I
know you don't start your training until Monday, but care to give it a go?"

	The boy raised his hand and hurried through the incantation and
managed to produce a very thin cloud just in front of him.  "Not bad!"
Sebastian said.  "I can't wait to see what you can do after a little
training..."

	"But mine sucked compared to everyone else's," Chris complained.

	Sebastian laughed.  "Chris, I was going to loan you my wand...  We
were all using them.  Ritual tools such as these are foci through which we
channel magick.  Very advanced wizards can accomplish similar results
without them, but with more difficulty.  You did better without a wand than
I expected you to do with one."  Sebastian patted the boy on the shoulder
and looked at William.  "Could you demonstrate without a wand, William?"

	William raised his hand and managed to conjure a thick cloud, but
relatively man-sized, whereas before he had filled the room in front of him
with an impenetrable fog.  "William's been training for years with
world-class wizards, Chris, and he holds a rank higher than either of these
two soldiers," Avery explained.

	Chris nodded appreciatively, and soon William and Avery departed to
their homes.  Chris and Marcus left to head into town to a bookstore,
leaving Spencer and Sebastian momentarily alone.

	"So, you're going to talk to Chase?" Sebastian asked.  When the
young man looked surprised, Sebastian pointed to his ears and said,
"Vampire hearing, remember?"

	"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him about the World Congress..."

	"Smart move," Sebastian frowned.  "Be the first to get his ear, and
you're his friend.  Shame...  I thought better of you than to play on that
friendship, your highness..."

	"I promise you it's not like that...  Wait, you knew I was her
son?" Spencer asked.

	"I knew the first time I saw you at the base.  I've known your
mother since she was just a girl, Percival," Sebastian said with a crooked
smile.  "And I saw you many times during your childhood...  I once helped
your mother clean up an indelicate situation..."  Spencer looked at him
like a deer in headlights.  "So what IS it like?"

	"My mother did ask me to play on our relationship.  I told her that
all I'd do is explain to him very forthrightly our position, but that I
would not pressure him for his support..."

	"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Spencer," Sebastian smiled.  "I shouldn't
have jumped to conclusions...  You're an honorable man."  Spencer turned to
go and made it to the door before Sebastian called, "And if you ever want
to talk, I'm just inside.  I don't need to add that Peter knows a little
something about what you've been through as well, but ... so does James,"
Sebastian added, looking away in pain.

	"I ... don't know if I'm ready to," Spencer began.  But then he
stopped and said, "Thank you..."

	Sebastian nodded, and the boy left him alone.  So much hurt, he
thought to himself.  So much pain.  Upstairs on the main floor, Sebastian
ran into Peter in the kitchen.  "Where's Richard?" he asked.

	"Out doing some shopping for the kitchen," the boy answered as he
made himself a sandwich.  "I'm eating you out of house and home now that
I'm just a growing boy again," he added with a smile.

	Sebastian laughed, and then took another look at the boy.  He
didn't look at full strength and he was a powerful young teenager.
Sebastian put a hand on his arm and frowned.  "Peter, you're not taking
care of yourself..."

	"What?" Peter laughed.  "I'm fine..."

	"Peter," Sebastian said, looking uncomfortable, "Richard had been
biting you too often...  You're iron deficient, and your blood count is
low..."

	"Richard doesn't feed on me," Peter said, nervous.

	"No, but ... when you make love," Sebastian began leadingly.

	"Well, yeah, in the heat of it, I like for him to..."

	Sebastian laughed.  "It's the death of a thousand cuts, my friend.
Take some iron and lay off the biting for a few days..."

	"Thanks," Peter said, looking embarrassed.

	Sebastian nodded with a smile and winked.

***

	There was a buzz at the gate.  "Yes?" Xavier responded as he was
busy getting a few last-minute things together.

	"Mr. Montrose?  Dorian Brandt..."

	Xavier raised his eyebrows but pushed the button.  Thinking better
of it, he called out, "Chase!  Could you get the door?"

	The boy came tromping downstairs in a pair of light cotton pants
and a pink polo shirt -- dressed for an evening at the beach -- with
the baby over his shoulder.  "I didn't hear the bell!"

	"I just buzzed someone up from the gate..."

	"Who?" Chase asked.

	"A friend," Xavier answered wryly.

	When the bell rang, Chase opened the door and knew immediately he
had been set up as he looked up at the handsome man at the door.  "Dorian!
Come in..."

	"Who is this?" the man asked, looking confused at the sight of the
baby in Chase's arms.

	"This is my son, Alex," Chase replied with a smile.

	"Pardon me, but you seem a little young..."

	"Things happen," Chase said with an ironic smile.

	"He's beautiful," Dorian replied with an inscrutable look.  Chase
led him to Xavier, who was riffling through drawers in the office looking
for a few things.

	"Sorry Dorian, but we're off to the beach and madly getting ready.
What can I do for you?"  Dorian was about to answer when Aiden entered.
"Dorian, this is my partner, Aiden...  Aiden, this is Dorian Brandt...
He's the artist I was telling you about."

	Aiden nodded, "Indeed...  Well, it's nice to meet you, Dorian..."
Then he cast a look at Chase and said, "When will William be home?"

	"Soon," Chase replied.

	"William?" Dorian asked.

	"William is my partner," Chase responded, and Dorian couldn't help
but notice the ring Chase wore on his left hand now.

	"I.... Well, I just found one piece I forgot to show you and
thought you might like it for your show," the man said, clearly flustered.
Xavier and Chase followed him outside and he opened the trunk and unveiled
the painting.

	"What do you call it?" Xavier asked, immediately intrigued.

	"Inferno," Dorian replied.

	"I'll take it...  Add it to the others when the men come by next
week!"

	Just then, William walked up then and tickled Alex.  "This is
William, Dorian," Chase said.

      Dorian gave William a long and appraising look before giving him a
strange smile.  "Nice to meet you, William..."

      "Nice to meet you," William replied, taking the baby in his arms and
kissing him on the head.  He thought he noticed Dorian's jaw flexing behind
his handsome smile.

      When the young man was gone, William said, "That was peculiar..."

      Xavier snickered and said, "Not really...  I took Chase with me to
meet him the other day and was pretty sure the young fellow was pretty
taken with the boy.  I think you disappointed him by existing..."

      "Ahhh," William said, nodding.  Then both he and his uncle had a
laugh at Chase's blush.

***

	On Friday night, Marcus and Chris accompanied Spencer down to the
pub.  Marcus had been needling him about the guy, so Spencer wanted to get
it over with and introduce them.  But of course, Chris had to come, so he
could have a little fun with the boy in the process.

	The three of them sat at the little dining area of the pub since
Chris was under age, and Spencer said, "So, Chris, can you guess who my
friend is?"

	After they ordered dinner and their drinks -- the older men beers
and Chris a diet soda -- Chris tried his hand at identifying which
barmaid or patroness was Spencer's interest.  At last, Spencer walked up to
the bar and asked Dean, "When you get a minute, can you come over and meet
some friends of mine?  Oh, and can I also get another ale?"

	"Sure!  I'll be over in a minute when Harold get's back from his
smoke-break." Harold was an older man who was the second bartender on busy
nights and the lone tender on very slow nights.

	When Spencer returned, Chris commented, "The bartender sure is a
hottie!"

	"You think?" Spencer asked as Marcus nearly blew beer out of his
nose.  A moment later, the handsome young man took off his apron and walked
around from behind the bar.  Chris's eyes widened as the man walked up to
their table and settled into an empty chair.  "Guys, this is Dean.  Dean,
these are my friends Marcus and Chris..."

	"Hey," Marcus said with a smile.  "Nice to meet you guys!  So how
do you all know each other?"

	"Marcus and I ... serve together right now, and Chris is friends
with our boss," Spencer said, leaving out some of the stranger
complexities.

	But Dean had a sharp eye and was a keen observer of behavior.
"Don't worry, I won't ask..."  When Chris and Marcus gave him a strange
look, he laughed and said, "I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but isn't that you
guys' rule?  Don't ask, don't tell?  You're like ... army, right?"

	"Ohhhh," Marcus said, laughing.  "You're funny...  Yes, it's army,
but you can ask.  They can't.  And you aren't wrong."  Marcus
inconspicuously snaked his hand beneath Chris's.

	Dean nodded and smiled, giving Spencer a look that no one could
quite read.  "So, you guys should come down to the coffee house tomorrow
night with Spencer...  I'm going to be playing with some friends..."

	"Sounds nice," Chris said.

	"I gotta get back," he said with another big smile.  Then he looked
over at Spencer and said, "I get off at midnight...  Harold has to close
up."  Spencer nodded, and Dean took his place behind the bar.

	"Holy crap!" Chris exclaimed.  "That's a guy!"

	"I'm pretty sure," Spencer said.  "Though I'm not ABSOLUTELY
certain..."

	"Is he -- are you -- you know?" Chris asked.

	"It's complicated," Spencer said, taking a drink.  "Let's head back
and I'll try to explain it to you on the way back to the manor..."  Hanging
back a little, Spencer whispered to Dean across the bar, "You mind if I
drop by your place later?"

	"I kinda hoped you would," the man replied with a smile.

	On their way back to the manor, Spencer explained to Chris that he
had always known he was bisexual, leaving out the part that would explain
why he'd never tried anything with a guy.  When they got to the house,
Chris and Marcus went inside, while Spencer went to his quarters to read
and pass the time.  He almost never watched television, but his mind was so
busy, he almost turned it on before he settled on a book he liked.

	He was still reading when Marcus stuck his head in a couple of
hours later.  "So when are you leaving?"

	Spencer smiled and blushed.  "I don't want to be waiting on his
doorstep when he gets home..."

	"Good move...  Then again, it would let him know you're interested.
Good night..."

	Spencer smiled.  "Night..."  When Marcus's lights were out, he left
quietly and arrived at Dean's so that he was sitting on the steps when the
man got home.

	"Hey, Spence," Dean smiled brightly as he realized the man was
there.  "I'm glad you came..."

	"Me, too," Spencer replied.

      Instead of unlocking the door, Dean sat on the step next to the man
in the cool night air.  "Your friends are cool..."

      "Yeah, they're nice guys...  Some of the first real friends I ever
made..."

      "Why is that?" Dean asked.

      "My family is prominent in England...  I was always well protected.
Plus, I was different..."

      "What are you, some kind of prince?" Dean asked with a laugh.

      Spencer looked at him with a sad smile and said, "In a manner of
speaking...  My family is very private, so you won't find me on any
register, but our blood is royal..."

      Dean smiled strangely at him.  "And different, you say?"

      "I hope it won't harm our friendship, but I'm bisexual..."

      "Oh," Dean said, feigning disappointment.

      "What's wrong?" Spencer asked, sounding fragile.

      "Gay would have been nice, but bi will do," Dean responded with a
smile.  He turned so they were sitting eye-to-eye, and added, "I've been
wanting to kiss you since you were in my apartment..."  Spencer blushed,
but leaned in part way, and Dean met him in the middle, kissing him softly
on the lips.  It wasn't a bolt of lightning, but it wasn't far off, either.
Both men sat staring at each other long after the brief kiss ended.  "Want
to come up?"

      Spencer nodded and followed him like a man under a spell.  They
repositioned themselves on the couch and kissed a while longer, a little
more vigorously, before Dean at last exclaimed, "As much as I hate to, I've
got to put an end to this!  I'm absolutely starving!"

      Spencer watched the man eat and blushed intermittently, while Dean
just shook his head.  "What?" he asked between bites.

      "I ... never really thought ... anything like this would happen?"

      "You never thought you'd watch a bartender eat leftovers on his couch
after midnight?" the man asked jokingly.

      "I never thought I'd ... act on my feelings for a ... you know...."

      Repressing his smile, Dean said, "A ... musician?"  Then they both
laughed.  They turned on the television, and sat close together.  Soon they
started kissing again, and Dean put a hand on Spencer's inner thigh.

      Before he knew what was happening, Spencer had his wrist gripped
tightly and wrenched high up his back in a policeman's hold.  "YOU'RE
HURTING ME!" Dean squeaked, and Spencer immediately released him, stood and
backed up until he hit a wall, with a horrified look on his face.  "What
the hell, man?"

      Spencer's eyes watered, and he said, "I am soooo sorry."  As his
tears started flowing, Dean stood to approach him but he kept backing away
and circled around the table keeping his distance.  "I'm sorry," he
repeated and ran for the door and down the stairs before the man could
catch him.  But Dean was athletic and hot on his heels, so as soon as he
was out of sight, he cloaked himself and ran as fast as he could back to
Sebastian's.

      As he burst through the doors of the barracks, he was mumbling, "Oh,
God! Oh, God!"  And occasionally he would kick something.  Finally he made
it to his room.

      Marcus sat up and grabbed Chris's hands.  The boy was giving him as
massage, and felt sure he was on his way to the long awaited action.
"Marcus...."

      "Something's wrong, Chris!"  Marcus pulled on his shirt, and Chris
did likewise.

      "You're right, I'm sorry," the boy said as he followed the man to
Spencer's door.

      "Spencer?" Marcus called.  "For God's sake man, what's wrong?"

      "GO AWAY!"

      "Spencer!  I can knock this door down!"

      "And I can make you regret it," the young man spat back through the
door.

      "I'm getting Sebastian," Chris said loudly enough for him to hear.

      "Wait!" Spencer called and they heard the door unlock.  Marcus opened
the door and they found the man sitting on the end of the bed, his head in
his hands.

      Chris fell to his knees before the man and put his hands on
Spencer's.  "What happened?" Chris whispered.

      "We kissed," Spencer whispered his response.  Then he spoke a little
louder.  "And then we kissed some more, and it was great...  But when he
put his hand on my thigh, something clicked, and I grabbed his wrist and
wrenched his arm up behind his back...  I think I hurt him..."

      Marcus asked, concerned, "Badly?"

      "No, bruised wrist, probably...  But I freaked him out majorly...  I
ran out of there so fast..."

      Chris gave him a big hug, knowing he was missing something huge but
not asking, and Marcus patted him softly on the back, before slipping out
of the room.  He returned a few minutes later with a portable cot and sat
it up near Spencer's.

      "What are you doing?" the man asked, rubbing away his fading tears.

      "I'm not leaving you alone," Marcus said.

      "I'm not going to do anything stupid," Spencer said.

      "I didn't say you would, but some other stuff might bubble up to the
surface, in your sleep, say...  I just want to be close by in case you need
some help..."

      "Okay," Spencer said glumly.

      Chris squeezed the man one last time and headed up to the house.  The
two soldiers soon sacked out as well.  About four o'clock, Marcus's fear
was realized as Spencer started thrashing on his cot and he actually lit a
fire in his bed in his sleep.  Marcus was up in a moment and put it out
with his pillow.  "SPENCER!  Wake up!"

      The man clawed his way out of a very dark place, his body slicked
with sweat.  "Oh, God!" the man exclaimed as he sat up and wrapped his arms
around Marcus.  And the two men sat like that until nearly dawn.