Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:42:09 -0400
From: Matthew Andrews <astoriaboutlove@gmail.com>
Subject: Astroria.love chapters 5 & 6

WARNING: This story contains gay sexual content. If this offends you, or is
not legal in your city, state, country ect. then please exit this
story. This is a fictional story. All people and events are not real. This
is a love story, not a J.O. story. There will be no sex for the first
couple of chapters, maybe a little longer. If this is not something that
interest you, I suggest you look for something more your style.

Astoria, Oregon is a real town, but I've never been there. I got all my
info about Astoria on the internet.

I will mention certain products or companies for discriptive purposes
only. I'm not advertising or endorsing said products or companies. I found
all my info on said products or companies online, where you can also find
any © ®TM info about them.

This is my first ever story and I do all the editing so if I missed
something, forgive me please. I hope to get 2 chapters out a week, maybe
every 2 weeks. But if I can get them out faster, I will. One other thing. I
know some things in this story are unrealistic and maybe impossible or
improbable, but it's just a story. Hope you enjoy it, you can always email
me and let me know what you think.

ASTORIAboutlove@gmail.com

If you can, please make a donation to Nifty. It keeps the site going for
all us readers and authors to enjoy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


+++ CHAPTER 5 +++

Sunday, March 23, 2014
++++( CHASE )++++

Having just woken up, I lay in my bed and stretch the stiffness out of my
body. I look at the alarm clock and see that it's almost 11:00 already. I'm
still kinda tired.  What happened last night is already on my mind. (SIGH)
It was not a good night.  I look over at Cole who is still sleeping. I love
him so much. There has to be a way to get us out of here. Mattie! Maybe he
can help us. I know Cole wouldn't want me to tell him whats going on, but
it has to end. This time was really bad.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

When we pulled up to our house, Mattie shut the car off and got out. Cole
and I grabbed our stuff and got out ourselves. Mattie gave both of us a hug
and said, "I hope you guys can come back next weekend. One of you call me
and let me know.  You guys call me if you need anything, Ok? Anytime, it
doesn't matter. Love you guys. If you get that permission form signed Cole,
call me to let me know and I'll pick you guys up on Monday morning. If not
I'll see you later Monday, Ok? Oh, here take this." Mattie pulls out his
wallet and hands us each a $50 bill. "Just take it ok. I want you guys to
stash that somewhere. I want you to have it, so if you ever need it in an
emergency, use it. Hide those gift cards you got too and if you come over
this weekend, I'll take you to Sears and you can get something. Ok?"

We nodded our heads. We both said goodbye to Mattie and started walking up
to the front door. Mattie waited until we had the door open before getting
back in his car. I looked back at him and waved. He waved back and then
pulled away.

When Cole and I got inside, we hung our coats up and took our shoes off. We
took the bags we had to our room and found a place to hide the money and
gift cards. Once we were done with that, Cole said he had some homework and
test that Mattie wanted him to do and he wanted to get some of it done now
so he wasn't doing it all day tomorrow. He took his things to the kitchen
table and started working on it. I stayed in our room and put some music on
quietly and got one of my drawing books. I worked on a drawing for what
only seemed like maybe an hour, but it was past 8:00 when Cole came in with
his bookbag and told Me he was done with his homework but still had the
tests to do. He said he was gonna do some of those after we got something
to eat.

We searched the kitchen for something to eat, but there wasn't much. Dad
hadn't been home yet and he usually gives Cole some money and we ride our
bikes up to Safeway and get what we can with it since dad's too lazy or
drunk to do it. I suggested we use a little bit of the money that Mattie
gave us to order a pizza, but Cole said we should save it for a real
emergency and if didn't eat all the pizza, dad would ask us how we got
it. I didn't really think about that, so I agreed we should save the
money. We had a couple eggs and some bread left so Cole just made us some
egg sandwiches.

After we ate, Cole started on some of the test before it got too late. I
went around the house to make sure everything was cleaned up and then went
back to our room to work on my drawing some more. Cole came back in about
an hour later and told me he was too tired to finish everything and he was
gonna do the rest tomorrow. I was pretty tired too, so we both started
getting ready for bed.

Just as we were walking into the bathroom to brush our teeth, we heard dad
get home. I could tell he was drunk by how loud he was being. He was
walking really loud, bumping into things and dropping stuff he picked up.

After like two minutes he was quiet for a few moments, then we heard,
"COLE!  GET YOUR FUCKIN ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"

I looked over at Cole like, "What the hell?"

Cole got a look on his face like he just realized something and it wasn't
good. "I left the folder out." he told me.

I didn't really know what he was talking about. "What?" I asked him.

"The tutoring folder, with the test and stuff in it." he said in a nervous
voice.

"Oh shit." I whispered.

"NOW COLE!" dad yelled.

Cole slowly walked to the kitchen, while I followed but stayed in the hall
and listened.

"Who the fuck did that to your hair?" dad asked.

"My friend's mom cut it." Cole told him.

"Well, it looks like shit." dad said.

Cole didn't say anything so my dad asked, "And what the FUCK is all this? A
fuckin tutor Cole? So, you not doing your school work now?"

Cole didn't answer right away and I heard a (SLAP). I heard Cole let out a
little whine. "Answer me boy!" dad said.

"I'm sorry dad. I've been trying, really, but I just don't understand some
of the stuff, so they want a tutor to work with me on some things." Cole
said.

(SLAP) "Don't you lie to me boy. I know better than that. You never had any
problems before. You're just gettin fuckin lazy. (SLAP)

I heard what sounded like Cole fall down.

"GET UP! NOW!" dad said.

"Dad, I'm sorry I just-" Cole started to say before my dad cut him off with
another (SLAP)

"I won't have you bein a lazy little shit. You're gonna learn to be a man,
even if I gotta beat it into you." dad said. I heard what sounded like him
taking his belt off.

"Dad please!" Cole said.

All I heard after that was (CRACK, CRACK, CRACK) over and over again and
Cole crying and pleading for him to stop. I don't know how many times Cole
got hit before I heard him fall again and my dad say, "Oh, you wanna cover
up your ass?" (CRACK, CRACK, CRACK)

I heard everything go quiet for a moment, then I heard my dad say, "You let
go of the belt right now Cole."

"Oh shit!" I thought to myself.

"Dad, please stop. I'll try harder I promise." Cole said

"I said let go off the belt Cole." dad said in a really scary sounding
voice.

"No!" Cole told him.

"Oh no. Why'd you have to say that Cole. It's gonna be worse now." I
thought.

"NO? Fine, I don't need the belt!" dad said.

All I heard after that was my dad hitting him over and over with his bare
hands and cole screaming out every time he got hit. I don't know how long
it went on before I heard my dad stop and after a moment he said, "Get up!"

I didn't hear anything. "I SAID GET UP, NOW!" dad yelled.

I didn't hear Cole move.

"Whatever, lay there you lazy little fucker. You can stay there all night
for all I care, you fuckin pussy." dad said.

I heard dad moving toward the hall so I ran to our room and closed and
locked the door. I heard my dad make his way to his room and slam the
door. I wanted to rush out to Cole, but I wanted to make sure dad wasn't
gonna come back out. I figured with how drunk he was and how much energy he
just used, it would only take him a few minutes to fall asleep.

Once I thought he was asleep, I crept my way into the kitchen. I thought
for sure that Cole was dead when I saw him. I couldn't tell if he was
breathing and he had blood running from his nose and lip where it was
busted. I could already tell he was gonna have a big bruise on his cheek. I
also saw that his glasses were broken.  I walked over to him and got on my
knees next to where he was laying. I was just about to touch his shoulder
when he slightly opened his eyes and asked in a really weak voice, "Is he
asleep now Chase?"

I felt tears falling down my cheeks. I nodded my head and said, "Yeah I
think he is. I'm pretty sure I could hear him snoring when I walked into
the hall. Are you hurt bad Cole? I heard everything. I know he hit you a
bunch of times with the belt and his hands."

"It really hurts, but I think I'm ok. That fucker broke my glasses." he
said as he grabbed his glasses and tossed them across the kitchen floor.

"I'm sorry Cole. I should have done something. You always look out for me,
but I never help you when you need it. I guess I'm just a coward." I said
while crying.

"Don't Chase. I wouldn't want you to do anything and don't you ever
try. You're younger and smaller than me and he could really hurt you bad."
Cole got a really angry look on his face and said, "I hate him. He's a
fucking hypocrite. He calls me a lazy little shit, but he's the lazy
one. We do all the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and I'm the one who
does all the cooking. I help you with homework and look after you. Don't
you take that the wrong way, because I'd do that stuff for you anyway, but
it's supposed to be his job. He's the damn parent. He expects us to just do
all this stuff and what's he do, catch fish and drink all the time. Some
parent."

I started running my fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes. We
sat like that for a minute before he asked, "Will you help me up Chase. I
just want to go lay in my bed."

I nodded my head and slowly helped him get up. The whole time he was
wincing and holding his left side. I helped him slowly walk back to our
room and sit on his bed. I helped him get his shirt off and saw red marks
all over his chest and sides where dad had hit him. This was the worst it
had ever been and I thought, "If this doesn't stop, dad's gonna kill him."
I wiped his bloody face with his shirt and he laid back on the bed. I
helped him out of his pants and he slowly moved up the bed as I pulled his
cover down. When he got comfortable enough, I covered him up.

He barely got out a raspy sounding, "Thank you Chase." before he was
asleep. I stripped down to my underwear and went over to my bed. I crawled
in and just sat there and watched Cole for a while, just to make sure he
was ok. I don't know how long I watched him but eventually I fell asleep. I
didn't sleep very good at all though. I would hear Cole moan in his sleep
from the pain and it would wake me up. I'd watch him for a while before
falling asleep again. This went on all night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So now, while Cole's still sleeping, I'm thinking about what I should do. I
think anything would be better than the way things are now. As long as Cole
and I get to stay together, I wouldn't care to go into a foster home or
something. I'm not sure what to do though. That's why I think I should call
Mattie. Now I just have to get Cole to agree with it.

I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom to relieve myself. Once
I'm done, I can't help but notice that the house is really quiet. Dad's not
snoring and it doesn't even sound like he's here. I walk to the front
window and take a look out to see if his truck is here. It's not, so I
guess he went somewhere already. It looked really gloomy out and it was
raining a little.

I walked back into our room and went up to Cole's bed. I wanted to let him
sleep, but I wanted to talk to him while I had a chance. Not knowing how
long dad was gonna be gone, I figured I should do it now. I pulled Cole's
cover back a little and climbed in behind him. He was laying on his right
side with his back to me. I saw a bunch of red belt marks all over him when
I looked at his back. I reached out and felt his back. I could feelthe
welts and it was kinda hot. I started rubbing his back a little but he
didn't wake up. I figured I would softly sing a song to him until he was
awake. I thought of a song that kinda fit the day and started softly
singing it. It was my own version of "Sunday Morning"

***
Sunday morning rain is falling
Steal some covers, share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us with moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in.

Things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do
I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew
That someday it would bring me back to you
That someday it would bring me back to you
Someday,

That may be all I need
In darkness you are all I see
So Cole, rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

***

I heard Cole let out a little sigh. I could tell he was awake now, but I
kept singing.  I started rubbing his side and back really lightly.

***

Fingers trace your every outline "Oh yeah yeah"
Paint a picture with my hands "Oh Oh"
Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm
Change the weather, still together when it ends

But things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do
Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you
Singing one day it'll bring me back to you
Find a way to bring myself back home to you

You may not know, that may be all I need
In darkness you are all I see
So Cole, rest you bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

And I never want to leave

***

Cole turned onto his back and looked at me. We both had some tears in our
eyes.  I started rubbing his chest and it looked like he was about to say
something, but before he could I told him, "I wanna call Mattie." He looked
at me like he didn't understand what I was trying to say.

"I can't keep watching you go through this Cole. It was really bad this
time. Next time, he could kill you. I want to call Mattie. I think he can
help us. I'd rather us be in a foster home together, than watch you getting
hurt or watch you die." I told him.

I was expecting him to argue about it, but he just stared at me, released a
big sigh and said, "Ok Chase."

We laid there for a few more minutes just looking at each other. I leaned
in and gave him a short, soft kiss then asked, "Where's Mattie's number?"

"In the pants that I changed out of Friday evening before we left. They
should be on the floor by the closet." he said.

I got out of his bed a found his pants. I searched the pockets and found
the paper with the number on it. I ran out to the kitchen, grabbed the
phone then ran back to our room and locked the door. I walked back over to
Cole's bed and sat down next to him. I punched the numbers into the phone
and waited for Mattie to answer.

"Hello?" Mattie said.

"Mattie, this is Chase." I said

"Hey Chase. What's up?" he asked.

"Mattie can you come get us?" I asked him.

"What's going on Chase?" he asked.

"If you can come, I'll tell you when you get here. If my dad's green Blazer
is in the driveway, just wait for us to come out. If it's not there, park
down the road a little, then walk around the back and knock on the window
on the left side of the back door." I told him.

"Um, Ok Chase. I'll be there as fast as I can. I wanna know what's going on
after I get there though." he said.

"Ok Mattie. Try to hurry please." I said.

"I will Chase. See you in a few minutes." he tells me.

"Bye Mattie." I say.

I hang up the phone, turn to Cole and say, "I'm gonna get some stuff
ready. We're not gonna stay here. Hopefully Mattie will let us stay with
him, but if not, we'll figure something else out. I'm sure Mattie will let
us stay though."

Cole nods his head and I get up and start getting some things ready. I pack
us a few clothes and set those by our door. I grab our bookbags and set
them there too.  Cole then asks me, "Will you run out and grab all the
papers and that folder off the table?"

I nod to him and run out and grab everything. I come back to our room and
put the papers back into the folder, then stick that in Cole's
bookbag. Next I get dressed in some red cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. I
grab a pair old black shorts and a red t-shirt for Cole to wear. I help him
sit up on the edge of the bed and put the clothes on. His body looks worse
now. It's starting to bruise really bad all over his chest and he's got a
pretty good one on his face. Just as I'm getting his shirt on, I hear a
knock on the window. I run out and open the back door for Mattie.

"Hey." he says.

"Come with me. I wanna hurry because I don't know when my dad will be
back. " I tell him. He gives me a concerned look and follows me to the
bedroom.

"OH MY GOD! What happened to you?" Mattie says once he sees Cole's face.
Cole just lowers his head and doesn't answer.

"Did your dad do this?" Mattie asks me.

I nod my head and Mattie looks like he wants to kill my dad. I tell him,
"He found the folder with all the tutor stuff in it and went crazy on
Cole. He said Cole was just being lazy and he said he was gonna make a man
out of him by beating him, I guess."

Mattie sits down next to Cole on the bed and says, "I'm so sorry Cole. If I
would have known-"

Cole cuts him off by saying, "Don't Mattie. This is not your fault. This
has been going on for a while. The tutoring stuff was just another excuse
for my dad to take something out on me. Normal parents don't do stuff like
this. He's been an angry drunk since my mom died and he treats Chase and me
like shit. He's hit me before but it's never been this bad. He was really
drunk last night."

"Lift up your shirt Cole." I tell him.

Cole lifts his shirt and shows Mattie his chest and back. Mattie looks like
he is halfway between being sick and rage. He pulls his phone out and says,
"I'm gonna take off your shirt for a minute Cole. I want pictures of this."

Cole nods his head and Mattie carefully takes his shirt off. He takes a
bunch of pictures, puts Cole's shirt back on and says to us, "I'm not gonna
let you guys come back here. I want you to get anything you want to bring
to my house and pack it up real quick. I'm gonna take you to see my mom and
let her decide what to do. I'm assuming since you called me that you want
to leave and like, never come back here again, am I right?"

We nod our heads and I point to the stuff that I packed already and said,
"I packed some stuff, but there is a few things I wanna grab real quick."

Mattie nods his head, then I start gathering the few things I want to
bring. My art book, CD's, our picture of us with mom and my bear that mom
gave me when I was little and stuff everything into my duffle bag with the
clothes I packed. I ask Cole, "Is there anything you want me to grab?"

"Yeah, grab my treasure box out of the closet." he tells me. I know what
he's talking about, so I find it in the closet and stick it in his
bag. Then I remember the money Mattie gave us and the giftcards, so I grab
those and put them in Cole's bag.

Mattie asks, "Is that everything?" we nod our heads. "Ok. I'm gonna run
this stuff to my car real fast. Chase, I want you to gather your shoes and
coats and bring them in here. Get your's on and help Cole get his on, Ok?"

"Ok." I tell him. Mattie grabs our duffel bags and bookbags and makes his
way out the back door. I run to the livingroom and get our shoes and
coats. I run back to our room and put mine on, then help Cole. Once I'm
done I sit next to Cole and rest my head on his shoulder.

I hear Mattie come back through the back door a few moments later. He walks
in our room and stares at us for a minute before he walks over and kneels
in front of us. He tells us, "I don't want you guys to worry, Ok. I'm gonna
make sure my mom knows that I want you guys to stay with us. I know she can
get a really good lawyer, so if I have my way, you guys will live with us
as long as you want. You never have to come back here again. I'm pretty
sure your dad is gonna get arrested though. And CPS is gonna get involved
but my mom will deal with all that. We might need to take you to the
hospital too Cole. Anyway, we'll deal with all that when we get home so,
let's get out of here before your dad comes back."

Mattie and I help Cole up and we all make our way out the front
door. Mattie had parked his car down the street, so it took a minute to get
there. We helped Cole into the front seat, then Mattie and I got in. We all
got our seatbelts on and Mattie started up the car. Just as he was about to
pull out, Cole spotted dads truck coming down the street. Mattie told Cole
and I to duck down as far as we could.  Cole slid down in his seat and I
laid across the back seat. I heard dad drive by us so I peeked over the
back seat. Dad parked in the driveway and got out of his truck. I watched
him walk in the front door, then turned to Mattie and said, "We better go
now Mattie."

Mattie pulls away from the curb and we make our way down the street. After
a minute of silence Mattie asked Cole, "Exactly what happened last night, I
mean, when your dad did this, what all did he do?"

Cole told Mattie everything that happened and I filled in a few things that
I remembered. Mattie then asked, "Did you get knocked out?"

"Yeah, I remember waking back up right before Chase came into the kitchen."
Cole told him.

"Do you have a headache or feel sick right now?" Mattie asked.

"Yeah, a little bit of both." Cole told him.

"You could have a concussion. I think we should get you checked out really
soon.  I'm sure my mom is gonna want you to go when she sees you."

The rest of the drive was silent. I was really tired from not getting much
sleep last night. I was almost asleep when we pulled up to the gate at
Mattie's house. He opened the gate, drove through and then pulled around in
front of the house. Once Mattie shut off the car, I got out and went around
to help Cole get out. Mattie got our things out of the car and we all
walked up to the front door. Since Mattie had his hands full he asked me to
open the door. Once I opened it, we all walked in and lead us into the
livingroom. I helped Cole sit down on the couch and Mattie told us he was
gonna go find his mom. I sat down next to Cole and started taking his coat
off. Once I had his off, I took mine off also.

"My back's kinda hurting from sitting in the car" Cole told me.

"Here, lay on your side and put your head in my lap. That way you're not
putting pressure on it." I said.

Cole turned onto his right side and rested his head on my left thigh. I
started to run my fingers through his hair and with my left hand I lifted
the back of his shirt so his back could get some air on it.

"Oh man. I forgot about my go-kart in the shed." Cole tells me a few
minutes later.

"I know it kinda means something to you because mom got it for you but,
that thing is a heap of junk Cole. It didn't run when you got it and it
never has since.  We could maybe get it sometime, but I really don't think
it's even worth it." I tell him.

"Yeah. I know the motor was junk, but at least we could save the body of
it. It was still in good shape and I spent a lot of time last summer
painting it." he says.

"I'll ask Mattie later if we can get it sometime." I tell him.

He nods his head a little and looks like he's about to fall asleep again. I
just keep rubbing his head with my fingers and about a minute later, Mattie
walks back into the livingroom..


+++ CHAPTER 6 +++

++++( MATTIE )++++

I was standing on the balcony outside my bedroom and couldn't remember how
I got there. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in my bed last
night. I was naked, but didn't feel cold at all. The moon was shining so
brightly, it made my body look like it was glowing. I noticed in my right
hand was someone else's small hand. I was really confused. There shouldn't
be anyone here. How did they get up here and why didn't it trip the alarm?
I looked to my right to see who was standing next to me.

"Finley?" This just isn't possible. He looked just like he had the last
time I saw him alive, except he was naked too. "How are you here and why
are we naked Fin?" I asked.

"Hi Mattie. I dunno how I'm he-ya, I just is, and I dunno, I likes bein
nekkid." he says in his cute little boy voice that makes me smile and
almost start crying at the same time. God how I miss it.

"What are we doing out here Fin?" I asked.

"I just likes it out he-ya." he says.

"Ok but, what is this Fin? What is this all about?" I asked.

"Weeeeeeeeell, they says I can tell you goodbye, cuz I can't help you no
more." he tells me.

"Who is "they" Fin and what do you mean you can't help me anymore?" I
asked.

"The people who gived me my wings, see." he turns around and shows me a
small pair of beautiful white feather wings. "They let me help you
sometimes and you didn't know I was they-ya, but I was. I had'ta make sure
things worked juuuust right. I know you was sad that I died, but I had'ta
die for it to work right. You had'ta move he-ya and that never was gonna
happen if I didn't die. So don't be sad no more Mattie. You gots two new
brothers that need you. It's your, um, deskiny."  he tells me.

"You mean destiny?" I asked

"Yeah, destiny. Oh, and I'm s'posed to tell you, "watch out for the little
fire." I dunno what it means, but I had'ta tell you that." he tells me with
a serious look on his face.

"So you've been watching and helping me all this time?" I asked.

"No, only when they said I needed to. Like when you didn't wanna do the
tutor thing, I kinda made you think 'bout how you could help some kids
out. You had'ta do it. It was part of the plan." he says.

"So was it really you that talked to me the other day?" I asked.

"Yup. They let me talk to you then." he tells me.

"So how come you've never talked to me before Fin?" I asked.

"I tried to, but you never heard it, just the last time. I tried lot'sa
times cuz I was sad when I watched you cryin, but they told me you was not
s'posed to hear me until it was time." he said, then let go of my hand and
held his arms out like he wanted me to pick him up.

I grabbed him under his arms and picked his little naked body up and
brought him into my chest. He wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs
around my waist.  I put one hand on his lower back and one on his little
naked butt and hugged him.  I felt tears on my cheeks as I held him. I put
my nose in his thin blond hair and smelled his little boy scent. He smelled
just like I remembered. "I've missed you so much little brother." I told
him, then I kissed the top of his head.

"I missed you too. But you got'sa be happy now Mattie. Don't be sad on our
birthdays no more. You got'sa make them good days now." he tells me. I hold
him for a few minutes before he says, "I got'sa go now Mattie. I love
you. I'll see you again someday and then we'll be together forever."

I hug him tight and tell him I love him too. He wraps his little wings
around me and my whole body starts to tingle. He says, "You got'sa wake up
now Mattie.  They need you. You been asleep for too long and if you don't
get up now, the whole plan is ruined. Bye Mattie." he kisses my cheek and
everything goes white.

I woke up in a cold sweat and for a minute it was hard for me to breathe. I
about jumped out of my skin when my phone started ringing. It was Chase
asking for me to come get him and Cole. After I got off the phone I rushed
to my closet to throw some clothes on. I stripped out of my old boxer
briefs and pulled out a red pair of CK briefs. I don't usually wear briefs,
only occasionally. I only grabbed them because I was in a hurry. I slipped
the briefs on and put on a pair or black Diesel Koolter jeans. I snatched a
t-shirt from the rack. It was a green and black DC long sleeved t-shirt. I
scanned my shoes really quickly and found my pair of white and black DC
Court Sport skate shoes and slipped them on. I ran back to my nightstand
and grabbed my phone. Next I ran to the kitchen, snatched my keys off the
counter and made my way downstairs, through the garage and out to my car. I
got in, buckled my seatbelt, started the car up and then I was on my way to
Cole and Chase's house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't know if what happened with Fin was a dream or not but it seemed
real to me. You guys probably think I'm crazy." I said, telling Cole and
Chase everything that happened last night or this morning? I guess it
didn't really matter when it actually happened.

I was sitting next to them on the couch in the livingroom, waiting for my
mom to come down. She was calling a lawyer and one of the people who worked
in her antique store. She was good friends with someone who worked for CPS
and was going to get their number and call them. Once she was done we were
going to take Cole to the hospital to get him checked out. The lawyer and
CPS person were supposed to meet us there.

"I believe you Mattie. Even though it's kinda sad, it's really kinda
awesome too.  You got to see Finley again for a little while." Cole said.

"Yeah, you're right. It was pretty special. I guess if that was real, he's
been my guardian angel all this time." I said.

We all sat silent for a few moments before I said, "I wonder what "the
little fire" is? I have no idea what it's supposed to mean and Fin didn't
know either." I tell them.

"Yeah, that's kinda weird. I hope there's not gonna be a fire." Chase says.

"Me too, but somehow I don't think that's what it meant. I'll have to think
about it later." I tell Chase.

He nodded his head and we sat in silence for a few moments until I asked
them, "Would you guys like to put some different clothes on while we wait
for my mom?"

They looked at each other for a moment and Chase said to me, "Yeah
sure. You and I can go grab some of the clothes you gave us."

I nodded my head and waved my hand at Chase, telling him to follow me. We
made our way to my apartment and into the guest room. Once we got there I
said, "I put all your stuff on the left and all of Cole's on the right. I'm
gonna set both these guest rooms up for you guys when we get all this
settled, so you'll each have a room. That is if you both want to stay here
with me and not in the main house."

"Yeah, I'd much rather stay in here with you. I'm sure Cole does too."
Chase said.

"I'm gonna take you guys shopping in Portland when Cole feels better and
maybe like tomorrow, you and I can make a trip to sears to get some stuff."
I said.

Chase gave me a big smile and said, "Cool. Well that is, if they let us
stay here."

"Don't worry about that. I know my mom will work it out." I told him.

He nodded his head and started looking through the clothes. I started
trying to find something Cole could wear that would be kinda loose and
comfortable. I grabbed a white pair of Polo boxer briefs, a plain white
pair of ankle socks, red and white Adidas Trio 13 soccer shorts, a grey
Adidas Portland Trail Blazers long sleeved shirt and the Adidas shoes I
gave him.

I looked over at Chase and he was just slipping a pair of grey CK boxer
briefs over his plump little white butt. Wow! He had a nice ass. Shit, now
I'm lusting after a 10 year old, well almost 11 year old. (Sigh) What the
hell is wrong with me. He finished pulling the boxer briefs up, then put
his red cargo shorts back on.  He put on a black and red Zoo York t-shirt
and the Adidas shoes I gave him. He turned back around facing me and I
asked, "You ready?"

He nodded his head and said, "Yup."

We made our way back into the main house and downstairs to the livingroom.
Cole looked like he was asleep, but sat up when we walked in. I set the
clothes down on the couch and told Chase, "You might wanna help him change
in the bathroom in the hallway."

He looked at Cole and said to me, "Uh, you should come too Mattie. He looks
kinda out of it right now. I could probably use your help to like balance
him while I help him put the clothes on."

I looked at him with a kinda shocked expression for a moment, then looked
at Cole. He looked like he really didn't care if I helped or not. I looked
back at Chase and said, "Uh, ok I guess. As long as Cole doesn't mind."

Cole shrugged his shoulders, so we helped stand him up.  I grabbed the
clothes and followed them into the bathroom. I closed the door and set the
clothes down on the counter of the sink. I was a little boned up already
just thinking about Cole getting naked. I knew I shouldn't be thinking like
that but I couldn't help it. I just hoped they couldn't tell I was sporting
a boner. When I helped Chase get Cole's shirt off I could tell he was still
in a bit of pain. Chase started pulling the shorts down Cole's legs so I
put my arm around his back and let him rest his arm across my
shoulders. Even with Cole having bruises and welts all over, I still
thought he was really sexy. (Ugh) He's in pain and I'm thinking about how
sexy he is. Chase finished pulling the shorts off Cole's legs and reached
for his briefs. I couldn't watch or I was probably gonna blow a load, so I
turned my head. I heard Chase grabbing the boxer briefs off the counter and
then I felt Cole stepping into them.  I waited until I was sure he had them
on before I turned my head. Chase was holding the Adidas shorts out for
Cole to step into. Once he had the shorts pulled up Cole's legs, he grabbed
the shirt and we got it on him. We sat Cole on the toilet seat and put his
socks on him. Once we were done we lead him back out to the
livingroom. While Chase helped him put the shoes on, I was looking at
Cole. I kept thinking something was different about him and then it hit me.

"Hey Cole. Where's your glasses?" I asked.

"My dad broke them. I don't know what I'm gonna do now. I guess I can still
see ok, but not great." he told me.

"Well don't worry about it. We can get you new, even better glasses or if
you want, we can get you contacts. You've got really nice eyes and they get
kinda hidden behind the glasses." I said, but then realized that I just
told him I liked his eyes and started blushing.

Cole smiled at me and said, "You got really nice eyes too Mattie." he
blushed a little too.

I heard Chase make a little snorting sound and Cole whisper, "Shut up."

"I've never tried contacts before." Cole told me.

"Well, we could get you some and a pair of glasses and if you don't wanna
wear the contacts, just wear the glasses." I said just as my mom walked in.

"Took you long enough." I told her.

She gasped when she walked in and saw Cole for the first time. She got a
really sad look on her face and shook her head. "I wish I could have 5
minutes alone with that man. I would-" she let out a frustrated sigh and
shook her head again.

"Well, I just got off the phone with Laura, she's from CPS. I told her
everything that was going on and that we wanted to take Cole and Chase in
and she's gonna bring some paperwork and meet us at the hospital. She said
it shouldn't be a problem for them to stay with us. I talked to a really
good family lawyer too and he will meet us at the hospital too, so we
should really get going. Just to let you know Cole, you're going to have to
talk to the police and CPS about this." she said. Cole told her that was
fine.

"Did you guys eat breakfast," I looked at Cole and Chase who shook their
heads.  "Well I didn't either, so I say we stop and grab something on the
way because it's like almost 1:00 and I'm starving."

I looked at my mom and she just nodded her head and said, "That will be
fine, but we should go now. We need to hurry."

I stood up and Chase helped Cole up. They got their coats on and I grabbed
my white Nike Club Swoosh zip-up hoodie that was hanging by the door and
put it on.  My mom got her coat on too, then said, "I'm going to take the
Mercedes because we will probably be there for a while. They can ride there
with you and if you and Chase wanna go somewhere after we get Cole into a
room, you guys can leave without having to worry about coming back for
us. I'll drive us back here if we get finished while you guys are out."

"Ok, that'll work." I told her.

Chase was already helping Cole into the front seat. Cole looked like he was
doing a little better at moving around, so hopefully he wasn't in as much
pain. I walked around and got in the driver's seat and started the
car. Chase got in the back and we all buckled up. I waited for my mom to
drive past before I started following her. We drove out the gate and made
our way toward town. We made a quick stop at McDonald's since it was
closest to the hospital. We all ate our food on the way and were done by
the time we got into the hospital parking lot. I parked and shut the car
off. We waited for my mom to park next to us before we all got out. Cole
said he was able to get out by himself, so we didn't help him this time.

Once we got into the hospital, Cole, Chase and I sat down in the waiting
area, while my mom talked to someone about getting Cole checked
out. Shortly after my mom came back and sat down with us, Laura Williams
from CPS and our lawyer, Greg Yates showed up. After introductions, Laura
started asking Cole and Chase questions about how their home life was and
what happened last night.

A nurse came out and got Cole about 10 minutes later, so he was taken back
to be examined. Laura and Greg went with him, but we had to stay since we
weren't allowed back there. About 20 minutes later, Laura asked Chase to
come back so she could finish her interview. My mom and I waited for about
45 minutes before Chase came back out and said Laura wanted my mom so they
could go over some things. Chase told me that it was ok for us to sit with
Cole while the adults were having a meeting.

Chase and I sat and talked with Cole for about 20 minutes. He told us they
had taken a bunch of pictures and the doctor was going to run some test on
him later.  Once my mom, Laura and Greg came back to the room, my mom
explained that she had signed temporary guardianship papers for Cole and
Chase and she was going to file for permanent guardianship when they went
to court on Thursday.  They were also filing to have Cole and Chase's dad's
parental rights taken away.  She told us they had talked to the police
while they were doing the paperwork, the police saw the pictures and were
going to arrest their dad.

Since Laura and Greg were finished with everything, they left and my mom
told us that Cole would have to be here for a while, so we could go
somewhere if we wanted to. I looked at Chase and he just shrugged his
shoulders.

"Ok. Come on Chase, we'll go to Sears for a while. If Cole gets released
before we're done mom, call me." I said.

"Ok boys, have fun." my mom said to us.

Chase and I made our way out of Cole's room and back out of the
hospital. We walked to my car and got in. We got our sealtbelts on and I
started up the car.  I pulled out of the hospital parking lot and started
the drive to Sears.

"So we get to stay with you guys, like forever?" Chase asked.

"I hope so. That's what we want to happen, as long as you guys want that
too." I told him.

"Ok." he said, then stared out the side window.

"Is something wrong Chase." I asked after he didn't say anything for a few
minutes.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just really tired because I didn't get much sleep last
night. I was awake half the night watching Cole. After I fell asleep I kept
hearing Cole make these moaning sounds from the pain and it would wake me
up. That happened all night." he said.

"Well you should've just told me Chase. You want to go home and take a
nap?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm really tired Mattie." he said.

"Ok bud. I'll take you home so you can rest for a while. We can do some
shopping some other time. No big deal." I told him as I turned toward the
direction of my house, well OUR house now.

I smiled as I thought about that. After a few minutes of silence, I turned
to Chase and saw he was already asleep, leaning against the door of the
car. (Sigh) He looked so cute while he was sleeping. I can't believe I'm
thinking about how cute an 11 year old is. That's not normal right? Well,
it's not like I can do anything about it, so I'll just have to deal with
it. I'll just ignore it and I'll be fine.

Once we made it through the gate at our house, I parked under the covered
car port, parked the car and shut it off. I got out and walked around to
the passenger side. I opened the door, unbuckled Chase's seatbelt and
scooped him up. He woke up a little, wrapped his arms around my neck and
laid his head on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. It
sent shivers down my spine and gave me goosebumps. I kicked the car door
closed with my foot and pressed the alarm button on my key fob to lock the
car.

Normally I would be kind of upset that mom had forgotten to reset the alarm
on the garage, but I was kind of thankful this time. I couldn't reach my
phone to turn it off, so I just tried the door. It was unlocked and the
alarm was off, so I guess it was a good thing. I kicked the door closed and
made my way upstairs. I unlocked my door and went inside, kicking that door
closed too. I figured I'd just take a short nap with Chase, so I carried
him into my room. I laid him down on the bed, pulled his shoes and coat off
and pulled the covers up around him. I toed my shoes off also, took my
hoodie off, grabbed my phone out of the pocket and set the alarm for 2
hours. I set the phone down on the nightstand, stripped my jeans off and
climbed into bed next to chase.

Once I pulled the covers over myself, I felt Chase roll a bit and cuddle up
to my side. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back through his
shirt. I loved how he felt in my arms and how he smelled. He tucked his
head into my neck and said, "I love you Mattie." I wasn't sure if he was
really awake or not but I told him, "I love you too Chase. Get some rest
buddy. I'll wake you back up in a little while."

He lifted his head and looked at me with sleepy eyes. He smiled for a
second before he moved his face close to mine and gave me a really sweet
little kiss, right on the lips. It only lasted maybe 5 seconds before he
laid his head back down. After the shock wore off, I started rubbing his
back again. I could tell he was asleep after about a minute and I followed
not long after.

I was woken up by someone moving on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw Cole
climbing in on my left side. I looked at the doorway and saw my mom
standing there. She whispered, "I tried to call, but you must not have
heard it. I thought you were going shopping?"

"We were going to, but Chase was really tired. He was up half the night. I
just brought him back here for a nap." I whispered back to her.

She nodded her head and said, "Well make sure you don't sleep all day, it's
about 4:00 now. Try to get back up soon."

"I'll get Chase and I up in about and hour. I think Cole should sleep for
as long as he needs it." I told here. She nodded her head again and walked
out of the room.

Cole had climbed in under the covers and was laying on his stomach next to
me.  Once my mom left the room, he turned on his side a little, wrapped
both his arms around my left arm and layed his head on my shoulder. I had
Chase cuddled on my right and Cole on my left. I felt so at peace and a
warm feeling filled my chest.  Cole moved his left arm to my chest and put
his hand about where my heart was.  Almost like he could feel what I was
feeling at that moment. I heard him let out a short sigh before he started
to drift off to sleep. I laid awake for a few minutes thinking about how
much these two boys had changed my life in the last couple of days. We've
all had to deal with both good and bad situations, but it's drawn us closer
together. I feel such a strong bond between them in such a small amount of
time, it's truely amazing. Hopefully soon everything will settle down and
we can start making a better, happier life for them. They deserve better
than what they've had to go through and I was gonna do everything I could
to make sure they got everything they needed. I was so comfortable at that
moment that I couldn't fight my tired eyes any longer and soon fell back
asleep along with these two beautiful boys.




(Maroon 5 - Sunday Morning © 2003 Octoscope Music, LLC)

(Yes I know those aren't the actual lyrics, I changed them some. If you
would like to hear what I think Chase would sound like and how he would
sing this song, go to YT and search * Sunday Morning cover - John Robert *
or go to his YT page * rmrimel1* and look for the song. The video is poor
quality, but this kid does an amazing job on the song. At least I think he
does!)