Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 20:57:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: HnstSkr4@aol.com
Subject: Blakes Saga III Chapter 2

Warning: This story does not contain any sex.  None of the characters are
based on real people nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead
people.

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Blake's Saga - Me and You

Chapter 2 - The Party

Ian and Trace are lying in their bed talking before getting up for the day.
Suddenly it hits Ian that they need to plan Blake's birthday.  Hopefully,
they can come up with something that will make Blake happy.

"Trace do you have any ideas for Blake's birthday?"

Trace gazes out into the room as he considers Ian's question.

"Blake is getting ready to celebrate his 16th birthday, so we have to make
this birthday big.  It's also his first birthday with us, so I think it
should something that he'll remember, maybe a party."

"A party sounds great, and you're right, it should be a birthday that he'll
reminisce about in the future."

Now, they just need to put some of their plans into action and purchase the
presents.  Over the next two weeks, they buy the presents and spend time
putting together their plans.  Trace and Ian have five days to do
everything that needs to be finished.

= = =

First thing on both of their lists are phone calls and they already decided
to split the calls.  Trace agreed to call his family, Ben, and Juan, while
Ian calls his family, Rick, and Caden.  For now, the calls are finished and
the guys are relaxing a bit.  Suddenly Ian gets an idea.

"Do you think we could convince Blake's birth parents into allowing him to
talk with his siblings?"

Trace likes Ian's idea, but he knows this gift, above all others, must
remain secret, because if his parents refuse to allow him to talk with his
brothers and Blake knows about it, the refusal would only cause his heart
to break.

"I'll make the phone call, but I don't want to tell Blake about it until
just before the call is made."

Ian is perfectly okay with Trace making the call because he has already
called the house on at least one occasion.  Trace is worried about saying
the wrong thing and ending up in an argument with whoever answers the
phone.  They already know that if Blake is allowed to call, that he will
not be able to discuss anything that has to do with his sexuality or the
phone call will be over in a heartbeat.  Ian and Trace are both nervous and
excited for their son.

= = =

Trace takes his phone out of his pocket and dials the birth parents'
number.  This time, instead of being work related, it is all personal.  It
seems to be taking forever for someone to answer the phone.  Just as Trace
is ready to end the call, someone on the line picks up.

"Hello, who is this?"  Blake's birth father knows that his "son" lives in
Indiana, so he figures he had better ask, if for no other reason than to
avoid him.  He is not going to amend their decision on kicking his son out
of the house.

"This is Trace Richards.  I don't think we've ever talked before, so I
doubt that my name means anything to you?"

"You're wrong; I know who you are, so why don't you just get to the point."

Trace is not happy with the way Mr. Kimball is speaking to him, but he is
willing to listen to whatever the man has to say.  He actually likes the
fact that Blake's birth father is all business.

"Well to be honest, I called hoping you might allow Blake to speak with his
siblings.  We were thinking it would make a great birthday present.  We
will respect the fact that you are against homosexuals, and we will tell
Blake that he cannot discuss any part of it.  Would it be a problem if he
called on his birthday?"

Suddenly, there is silence on the phone, but then Trace can hear voices in
the background.  There is quite the discussion going on at the other end of
the line.  Three minutes pass before someone picks up the other phone
again.

"We will let him call the house, but the call will be for our youngest
son's sake and not the other way around.  David may still think of him as a
brother, but that teen is lost to us, so be warned that if anything of a
homosexual nature is discussed, that the call will be immediately ended."

Trace agrees and Mr. Kimball sets the time for Blake to call.  When the
call ends, Trace thinks to himself, 'Why do Blake's mother and father have
to be so cruel?'

Trace is just happy that Blake will be able to have a conversation with his
brother.  With a smile on his face, Trace places a kiss on Ian's lips, and
Ian immediately knows that things went well on the phone.

"I take it that the birth parents are allowing Blake to speak with his
brothers."

"Yes, but only David.  I am actually kind of surprised that they allowed
it.  His dad was not very kind about the whole thing.  He never once
mentioned Blake's name, it was 'that teen'.  Oh and he can't discuss
anything of a homosexual nature with his brother either."

Ian did not like the fact that Blake's birth dad was so mean to his son,
but at least they are allowing him to call the house and speak with his
younger brother.  Everything seems perfect.

= = =

The next day has finally come and for the Blake's dads it is going to be a
crazy day.  Everything is finished as far as the hard work is concerned.
Presents are bought and wrapped, invitations have been sent out and
accepted either by text or by phone, and Ben has been lined up to keep
Blake busy as they set up.  The decorating is the biggest hurdle at this
point.  Trace and Ian plan to conquer that monster while Blake is out of
the house.  Trace wants to remain in bed just a little bit longer, because
he knows that he will be on the move for the rest of the day.  The guys get
out of bed and get ready for the day by showering, getting dressed and just
enjoying the quiet.  Blake has yet to wake up and it is not like him to
sleep in, but since it is his birthday, they are letting him enjoy his
extra hour of sleep.  At exactly 9:00 am, Ben is going to call to wake up
him up and get him moving.

= = =

Sure enough, the phone rings right after Trace and Ian have finished their
breakfast.  Trace picks up the phone and lets Ben know that he'll get Blake
for him.  He enters Blake's bedroom and with a gruff voice says, "Blake get
up," and he's secretly enjoying it.

"What do you want, Dad?"

"Ben is on the phone for you."

Blake does not understand why his boyfriend didn't just call him on his
cell phone.  He looks around his room and realizes that his phone is
missing, but then he looks at Trace and sees his phone in Dad's hands.

"Dad, can I have my phone?"

Trace gives the phone to Blake, smiling the whole time, and his son starts
glowing.  "Thanks, Dad."

"Enjoy your phone call."

Trace leaves the bedroom and heads back downstairs to assist Ian.

= = =

"Sorry for the wait.  What's new, handsome?"

"Duh - birthday breakfast, remember? My mom is taking us out for
breakfast."

Blake had forgotten about the breakfast, so it's a good thing that Ben
called.  A stray thought crosses his mind.  "Do my dads know that it's my
birthday?"

"I need fifteen minutes to get ready."

"Okay, but not a minute extra; we'll be there in fifteen minutes.  I'll
hang up so you can get ready."

Ben does not want any part in ruining the plans for Blake's party, and he
does not want Ian and Trace to be mad at him.

Ben clicked the "end" on the phone and they did not even exchange "I love
you," which feels weird.

= = =

Blake spent almost fifteen minutes in the shower.  As he emerges from the
bathroom, Ben arrives at the house; he gets out of the car and walks up to
the front door.  Knocking on the door makes Ben nervous because even though
he loves Blake, he has a tiny crush on Trace.  This crush is one that he
intends to keep quiet about because he doesn't think Blake would be okay
with it.  He will just deal with it by being nervous around Trace, loving
Blake, and focusing on that love.  Ian looks out the peephole and opens the
door.  Ian glances at his watch and smiles as he looks at Ben.

"Perfect timing, Ben.  I'll get Blake for you; just hold on a second."

Ian walks away from the door and starts to head up the stairs as Blake is
attempting to come down them.

"Ben's here and he's super hungry."

"Can I borrow fifteen dollars?"

"Why do you need money?"

Blake gave him stupid look, but Ian knows the money will not be used for
food, so he gives him the money anyway, knowing it would be used for his
son's enjoyment.  Ian pulls out his wallet and hands Blake twenty dollars.
It's easier to give him twenty and faster than counting out fifteen.

"Here you go, son; enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks, Dad."

Blake walks out of the house, and Ben gives him a kiss as they turn and
head towards the car.

= = =

Blake and Ben immediately start talking as the car pulls away.  Ben's mom
is enjoying the fact that Ben is happy and excited.

"Happy birthday, how does it feel to be sixteen?"

Blake doesn't see any difference between being fifteen and being sixteen.
He has to admit, though, that things are better now than they were a year
ago.

"Honestly, the only difference is where I live and who's in my life, other
than that, 16 feels a lot like 15."

He wants his dads to remember that today is his birthday.  He also wishes
that he could be back home in Idaho, well at least for a little bit.

"Have they mentioned what they're getting you for your birthday?"

Blake would love to get some new games for his game system, but anything
that they get will be cool.

"Nah, I have no idea what I'm getting or if they even know it's my
birthday."

Ben gives Blake a little punch to shoulder and a well-deserved pinch.

"You know your dads know it's your birthday.  They're the best."

'Ben is right, I'm sure they know it's my birthday, and I have to admit
that Trace and Ian are good parents.'

Blake's stomach rumbles a bit, and the need to eat is becoming pretty
intense.

"So where are we going for breakfast?"

"We're going to this restaurant that serves breakfast 24 hours a day, and
it has the best stuffed French toast."

Ben's family went there two days ago, and not only was the food great, but
the staff was great too.  The breakfast place sounded like a good idea
because Blake loves pancakes and it is a part of the bigger picture for
today.

A week ago, Ian asked Ben to keep Blake busy on the morning of his
birthday.  Ben figures that between having breakfast, and perhaps time at
the mall, will be enough time for Blake's dads to get everything ready.  He
managed to convince Juan to join them after the breakfast.  Of course, he
hopes his boyfriend doesn't catch on to what is happening, and that he is
caught by surprise when he arrives at home.  Trace and Ian are counting on
him to follow the plan.

= = =

As they pull into the parking lot, Blake starts to get excited.  The car
stops and everyone undoes their seat belts and exit the vehicle.  Ben's mom
was going to stay in the car, but the smell of the food has made her a tad
bit hungry too.  She also decides to join the teens at their table, of
course Ben is a little embarrassed, but he knows that his mom means well.
Almost immediately, their waiter approaches them and takes their orders.

"Hey, any chance your dads are getting you a car?"

"I don't think so, but that would be sweet."

A car would be sweet, but it would be hard to hide; come to think of it, he
has no idea what they're getting him.

"Ben, I want you to come over tonight for my birthday."

Ben smiles because he would love spending time with his boyfriend, but he's
also smiling because he knows that he has already been invited over by
Trace and Ian.

"I'll be there, babe."

Blake's eyes become huge when he sees the food coming out to their table.
Blake and Ben both ordered the stuffed French toast, and it does look great
topped with whipped cream and blueberries.  Blake and Ben also both have a
side of sausage and hash browns, and they are drinking orange juice.
Blake's excited to start chowing down on his food.

"Has anyone besides Ben wished you a happy birthday today?" Ben's mom asks
between taking bites of her pancakes, and her question makes him think.

"Nah, my dads didn't, but I'm pretty sure they remember what today is,
they're usually on top of things."

"Ouch!"  Ben says as he looks at Blake, and thinks of how that must feel,
and it must not feel all that good.  Ben's mom also knows that Blake's dads
are throwing him the party tonight.

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

'Unless, my parents surprise me, I'll be home all night, but at least Ben
is coming over for part of the evening,' Blake thinks.  He's smiling, but
he is beside himself right now.

"I'm just going to celebrate with my dads and Ben tonight," Blake says as a
smile spreads across his face.

"Why are you smiling?" Ben asks as he looks at his guy.

"I'm just smiling because I get to spend time with you."

Ben thinks he's being sneaky and steals a kiss right in front of his mom
and the entire restaurant staff and customers.  They eat their food and
talk amongst themselves for the rest of their stay, and they talk about
everything from food to their plans for the weekend.

= = =

Meanwhile back at home, Trace and Ian are busy decorating and setting up
the house so they don't have to be running around crazy later in the day.
All they want is for Blake to be happy and for this party to go off without
any glitches.  Between the two of them, they managed to get the banners up
in the living room and the one up above the dining room table.  Everything
seems to be running smoothly so far, and that makes them happy.  Their
biggest concerns are the guests arriving on time and Ben keeping Blake busy
while they set up.  The pizzas have not arrived yet, but they should be
here soon.  The cake is already in place and ready for everyone to dig into
it.  Ian is busy wrapping presents, and Trace is greeting the guests as
they come inside.  Everyone was told to park at the elementary school,
which is two blocks away from the house.  They have also made sure to drive
both of their cars up to the elementary school as well.

= = =

Back at the restaurant, Ben excuses himself so he can visit the bathroom.
He needs to check in with Blake's parents, and using the restroom gave him
a good excuse to get away from the table.

"Hello, Trace speaking."

"This is Ben, are you ready for us to bring the birthday boy home?"

"I think everyone is here, so go ahead and bring him home."

"Okay, I'll make it happen."

Ben is unhappy at the moment because he has to change the plans.  Switching
gears, he sends his mom a text to tell her that they need to get Blake
home, and then he also texts Juan to tell him not to show up at the mall
and to have his mom drop him off at Blake's house instead.  He puts his
phone away, washes his hands and exits the restroom.  Returning to the
table, he is glad to see that his mom and Blake are up at the register.

"Ready to head out?"

Ben is anxious to see his boyfriend's face when they arrive at Blake's
house.

"This is going to be so epic," he thinks.

They load up into the car and make their way back to Blake's home, but they
have to avoid going past the school.

When they arrive at Blake's, he is a bit surprised to see both Ian's and
Trace's vehicles are missing.  He knows that Ian never uses his car on
Saturday, and Trace isn't working either, so where are they?  Blake reaches
into the pocket of his sweater and pulls out his keys.

"Mom, is it okay if I walk Blake up to the door?"

"Sure, Ben."  She just smiles as she watches them get out of the car, and
then when Blake opens the door she pulls away.  Blake sees her pull away
and looks at his boyfriend, "Where did your mom go?"

"Maybe she finally trusts us."

Blake is not sure about having Ben over without Trace and Ian knowing about
it, still, his mom did take off, and he should not have to be outside until
his dads show up.  Blake enters the house and puts his sweater back into
the closet; so far so good, Blake does not seem to suspect anything, but
all that changes when he enters the living room.

His friends and family scream "Happy Birthday!" and they catch him by
surprise.  One by one, the guests come to wish him a happy birthday, and
then Trace and Ian come into the living room.

"Happy birthday, son.  We hope you enjoy yourself tonight."

They want him to relax and they also want to tell him about the phone call,
but that will have to wait till after the presents are put away and the
guests are gone.

"Thanks, Trace!  Thanks, Ian!"

Blake is touched that not only did they remember his birthday, but that
they went through the trouble of planning a party for him.  The world seems
to be getting better and better every day, even the days where Blake misses
home.  Walking over to the kitchen table, Blake clinks a spoon on one of
the glasses to get everyone's attention.  He looks over the room and takes
in everyone's face.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming and I want to thank my dads; you
guys are the best."

Then he adds, "It's time for food, everyone, so help yourself."

Everyone lines up for their food, which is set up in buffet style.  As the
teens get their food, they head outside to the patio, so they can get away
from the adults.

= = =

Blake's thoughts turn to his family in Idaho.  His mood shifts a little
bit, but it's enough for Ben to notice.

"Blake, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine; don't sweat it."

Ben knows something is up, so he decided to simply wait for Blake to say
something.  Blake hates worrying the people in his life.  Ben and Blake
come inside long enough to grab another piece or two of pizza.  In the
couple of minutes that Blake is inside, his dads spot the subtle change in
their son.  Trace decides to let it go for now and then he can deal with
it.  Ian flat out approaches Blake and Ben, and says "Blake, can we talk
for a minute?"

"Sure."  Blake follows Ian upstairs to his room, and he is a little
nervous.

"Blake, is anything wrong?"

"No, everything is good.  Can I go back downstairs?"

"Yeah."  He doesn't get it; something is on his son's mind.  Ian watches as
Blake leaves the room.  Each holiday seems to be bringing with it a little
bit of pain because Blake misses the traditions he's used to and he misses
his siblings.  Ian goes back to the party, eager to move to the end of the
night.  Trace's smile removes all the uncertainty from Ian; it always does.

= = =

People seem to be ignoring the pizza, so it seems like the perfect time to
get to the cake.  Trace calls everyone in from outside, while Ian gathers
everyone together from inside the house.  Trace begins to light the candles
on the cake, as Ian turns off the lights.

"Okay, everyone, time to sing Happy Birthday," Trace announces as his leads
the group in singing to Blake, which turns his son's face a bright shade of
red.  Everyone's face is lit up from the candles and smiles fill the room.
Blake can feel the love in the room, but when he looks into the eyes of his
dads or of his boyfriend, he feels overwhelmed.  Here he is, free of the
curse of hate that runs in his birth parents' home. The past year has been
filled with the greatest sadness and the greatest happiness in his life so
far.

"Blow out those candles and make a wish, Blake."

Blake closes his eyes and makes his wish as he blows out his candles. 'I
want to talk to David.'  He pulls out the candles and shares them with his
younger cousins, so they can lick the frosting off them.  Trace takes off
to grab the presents with the help of his dad and mom, while Ian start to
pass out the cake and ice cream to everyone.  Someone manages to capture an
image of Blake and Ben feeding cake to each other, just like a couple of
newlyweds.

= = =

Ian moves the crowd toward the living room for the opening of the presents.

"Well I think Blake is ready to open his presents, so grab your camera,
everyone."

Ben is the first person to share a present with Blake.

"I know, you've had a year that would have tested the best of us, but I am
so glad that you are in my life.  I love you, Blake."

Ben hands him a box wrapped in baby blue wrapping paper with red hearts
drawn on a couple spots.  Blake carefully unwraps the present and he does
his best to preserve the paper.  Inside the box, there is a teddy bear.
Blake is so in love with it, and he has just barely opened the box.  He
pulls it out of the box and brings it up close to him; it smells just like
Ben, and it is going to take a special place on his bed.  Next up, Trace
and Ian brought out the birthday cards and one by one Blake opens each of
them.  Almost every card holds some denomination of money.  When all the
cards are opened and the money counted, Blake has taken in $200.00.  Some
of the cards also contained a few gift cards and one of them is from a
local craft store to help him with his drawing and photography.  He also
receives a few new video games, which he so badly wanted, a huge bag of
jellybeans from his favorite candy store, an IOU for driving lessons, a
couple books, and a few nice photo frames.  Everyone claps as Blake's dads
bring out a couple boxes for him to open.

"Here you go, son, go ahead and open your presents." Ian says, as Trace
stands ready to snap some pictures.  Blake opens the first box, which is
filled with three smaller boxes.

"You mentioned going fossils hunting, so Ian came up with the idea of
getting you some fossils to get you started on your fossil collection here
in Northwest Indiana.  These fossils are from a friend of Ian's,
Mr. Bowman, who is also going to suggest some places to go fossil hunting
in the area."

Sure enough, Blake opens the three small boxes; the first one contains a
piece of petrified wood, the second box contains a crinoid fossil, and the
third box is a slightly larger box contains a replica Simlodon (American
Saber Tooth Cat) canine tooth.

"Thanks, guys, this is so cool."

Trace hands a box just big enough to hold a 3x5 card, and his son just
stares at it for a second.  Blake opens the box and pulls out a card, which
he reads.  "This card gives you the chance to do something that you've
wanted to do since you came to Indiana."

"Umm? what is going on?"

Blake knows there is only thing that he has really wanted since he came to
Indiana and that is to go home, but lately it is not to go home, it's to
talk with his brothers.  Blake knows whatever this card is offering is
huge.

"We're taking Blake upstairs to see about this card.  This card gives a
Blake a chance to call home tonight and speak with his brother David.  It's
going to be somewhat private, so we'll talk to everyone after the call."

Everyone seems to be in shock, because they all know Blake's story.

"Are? are you serious, or is this a joke?" Blake asks as he looks at his
dads with a look of pure disbelief.  'There is no way my mom and dad gave
them permission for me to call.'

"We are serious, so get upstairs."

Blake gazes at his boyfriend and at his dads, Trace and Ian smile.

"Ben, I want you to come up with me."

Ben, Blake, Trace, and Ian all climb the stairs up into the master bedroom.

= = =

Blake becomes very nervous as he looks at the phone in front of him. You
can hear a pin drop.  That is how quiet everyone in the room is being.  To
some degree they are all nervous.  As Blake is dialing his number, he
notices that his hands are trembling... he waits for someone to pick up the
phone.  Hopefully, Blake's mother and father have kept their promise.
Trace doesn't want Blake's feelings hurt by his parents again.  Ian is
starting to worry that no one is going to answer.

"Hello?"

Much to Blake's delight, his brother David, answers the phone.

"David? is that you?"

Blake can't believe his ears.  A small tear glides down his face.

"Blake?"

"Yeah, how are you?"

David has a million questions for his brother, but with his parents nearby,
he can't ask the ones he wants to ask.  It seems like forever since the
brothers have heard each other's voices.

"I'm good, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great.  My parents take really could care of me."

David's heart is at ease knowing that Blake is taken care of by his new
parents.

"Anything new going on in your life?"

"Uncle Curtis took me fishing last week and I caught a couple of fish.  Dad
took me out fossil hunting and I found some nice agates.  He said that I
would make a good geologist."

'It would be nice if Ian would do outdoors stuff with me.  I know he likes
being outdoors.'

"Congratulations on the fish, I bet it was awesome.  The agates sound
pretty cool too.  I really miss those trips to the river."

Blake's voice and words hit Ian in the chest at least a little bit.  He
realizes that he needs to include Blake a bit more in his trip to the
outdoors.

"Are you coming home soon?"

David didn't want to look at their parents when he asked that question
because he knows that they wouldn't approve.  Still, he feels like the
question needed to be asked.  Blake has a few tears coming down his face.
Right now he is just trying to hide the fact that he is upset from his dads
and from Ben.

"David, I? I'm not coming home."

For as much as he wants to avoid upsetting David, he doesn't want to lie to
him either.  There is a brief pause in the conversation as David chokes the
tears back.

"So did you get everything that you wanted for your birthday?"

"Yeah, I got everything that I wanted and then some."

David smiles, he's happy that Blake is enjoying himself and happy on his
birthday, but he still misses his brother.

"Blake, Mom and Dad said that I have to hang up.  I? I love you."

Now that crushed Blake; he wants to see his brother and hug him, but he
also wants to avoid his parents.

"I love?"

The phone went dead before Blake could finish his sentence, so he put the
phone back on its base.

"Blake, what happened?"

Trace stares at his son, worrying about the fact that the call ended so
abruptly.

"Mom and Dad made David hang up on me."

Blake leans on Ben and gets a kiss and a hug from his guy.

"We're sorry Blake," Ian says as he looks at his son, who's now softly
crying.

"Blake, I think David knows how much you love him and maybe someday your
parents will change their attitude and then you can have this conversation
that you want to have face to face with David."

Trace's words seem to have helped his son overcome his pain to some degree.

= = =

Five minutes later the phone rings again and by some miracle the Caller ID
shows Blake's parents' number in Idaho.

"Hello?"

Blake's smile is literally lighting up the room.

"Hey, Blake!"

"David!  I thought Mom and Dad said you had to hang up."

"They did and then Mom walked upstairs to go to bed and Dad let me call you
back."

'Is Dad's heart softening a bit?'

"What did you do for your birthday?"

"My dads threw me a party and then we called you on the phone."

"I? wish you were home."

Again, Blake is shaken by his brother's comments.  He looks at his dads and
at Ben while trying to come up with a response.  Despite some home
sickness, Indiana has been good to him.

"I miss you, David, but my life here in Indiana isn't so bad."

He has parents who know what it's like to be gay and he has Ben, the
perfect boyfriend. Blake cannot imagine not having them in his life, and
for now, he doesn't want to return to his home state.

"So? you don't want to come home?"

He is home, but things could change and when they do, he might consider
returning to Idaho.

"David, I love you and I want to see you and spend time with you, but for
now, Indiana is my home."

Ben grabs his boyfriend's hand to show his love and support, so Blake knows
he isn't alone.  Trace and Ian smile at each other knowing that in some way
they're responsible for some of Blake's happiness.  All Blake can think of
is the intolerance in the hearts of his birth parents, and it's enough to
keep him away.

"I love you, David."

"I love you too, Blake.  Dad says I have to go; bye, Blake."

"Bye, David!"

Blake smiles and gently kisses Ben, while in Idaho, David has tears welling
up.

= = =

In the beginning of the conversation, Trace had some worries that this
phone call might make Blake want to return to his birth family.  He is
relieved that his son wants to remain in Indiana.  He cannot imagine life
without their son in his life.  Blake doesn't complete Trace's or Ian's
lives, but he has certainly added to it.  Blake brought a change of pace
into their lives when he joined their household.  Nothing makes Trace
happier than to see Blake happy and excited and the same goes for Ian.

Blake is feeling very thankful for having his dads in his life.

"Ian, Trace, thanks for giving me the chance to call home and speak with
David.  You have no idea how awesome it was to talk with him tonight."

Everyone in the house is smiling, but the two dads are smiling on the
outside and in the inside.

"You're welcome, Blake", Ian said as he smiled at their son.

"How did you get my parents to agree to the phone call?"

"We told your dad that you wouldn't bring up anything having to do with
gay, and that was enough for them to allow it."

Blake is surprised by his birth dad's actions, but he still wonders why his
mom allowed the call.

'Maybe they haven't stopped loving me.'

Ben smiles and then reaches into his pocket and pulls out another small
box.

"Blake, I have one more present for you.  It's not much, but I want you to
have it."

He stares into the box smiling the whole time as he was lifting the item
up.  A small polished rock is slowly lifted from the container by Blake.

"What stone is it?"

Before Ian can say the name of the crystal, Ben answers, "It's rose quartz.
I thought you could add it to your rock collection."

"Thanks, Ben!"  Blake embraces Ben and then he gives him yet another kiss,
then Ben kisses him back on his cheek.  Ben starts to examine the crystal,
while Ian and Trace head downstairs.  Before Ian gets to the stairs, he
turns and says, "Blake, you need to get down to your guests."  Blake and
Ben return to the party and finish watching the movie.  When the movie was
over, Blake made sure to thank everyone for coming and personally thank
each one for their gift.

= = =

Ben and Blake head upstairs and as they get to the third step, Ben's phone
goes off.  "Hello Mom, what's up?"

Ben doesn't look all that happy with whatever his mom is telling him.

"Sure, I can ask them."

Ben looks at Trace and Ian hoping that they'll won't say no "Can I get a
ride home?"  Trace gets up and grabs his keys.  Suddenly, Ben can feel his
heart rate increase just a tad and luckily, Blake grabs his hand and walks
out to the car, followed by Trace.  The boys sit in the back and talk the
entire ride.  When they arrive, Ben and Blake get out of the car, and as
they near the house, Blake and Ben share a kiss, after which they say
goodbye.  Blake walks back to the car feeling very good about the day and
everyone who made past 12 hours memorable.

"Okay, son, let's get home so we can relax."

Blake didn't respond verbally, but he did at least nod his head; he is a
little lost in his own thoughts, mostly about David.  Blake wants to enjoy
whatever is left of the day, staying up in his room sounds like a good
plan.



When they get home, Blake follows his plan, gathering up all of his gifts
and heading upstairs to play some games.  Trace, on the other hand, sits
down on the couch and sits by himself for a few minutes before Ian joins
him and the two dads snuggle next to each other.

"The idea to see if Blake could call home was pure genius."

Ian is so glad that things worked out the way they did, and he wasn't
expecting things to go as smoothly as they did.

"Yeah, I think he was pretty surprised by the opportunity to call home."

The guys kiss and fall into an embrace that led to whisperings in each
other's ears.  Trace kisses Ian and the couple moves on from cuddling on
the couch to something a little bit more fun on their bed.



= = =



For you Facebook users, come join us in the Blake's Saga group and share
your thoughts on what you would like to see happen in future chapters.
Discuss the latest chapters, and mention any other stories of Chuck's that
you have read and would like to see him return to.  We're only a small
group now and would like have to more members.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlakeSagaandMore

Remember to write me at Hnstskr4@aol.com and let me know what you thought
about the chapter.