Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 15:49:20 -0500 (EST)
From: Kai <wai808@yahoo.ca>
Subject: The Phone Call-Conclusion

Disclaimer: This story includes graphic scenes of sexual nature between two
consenting adult males.  Do not read if A) it is illegal in your part of
the country, B)you are under the ages of 18 or 21 or C) you get squirmish
and pukey at this sort of stuff.

Author's Notes: This plot in this story takes a while to develop so some
may find it a little too slow in the beginning, but please don't give up!
Also, there is a moderate to high sap factor rating.  Lastly, many thanks
to my beta Steph for taking the time to give it a lookover.  All other
mistakes are proudly mine =)

Copyright 2002
Kai wai808@yahoo.ca

THE PHONE CALL


THE PHONE CALL (Conclusion)


Alton's POV


	"Alan!"  He broke his gaze away from the Cherokee and smiled at me.
As usual, he was dressed impeccably in a dark blue suit, every strand of
his perfectly styled blond hair in place, his white teeth straight and even
and looking all around very pleased with himself.

	"Alton, look at you, you look wonderful."  He reached out to me and
embraced me in a quick hug, before letting me go so that he could take a
step back to study me.  "You haven't worn a suit in awhile, what's the
occasion?  Did you know I was going to come back tonight?  Is that it?" he
teased.

	"No I didn't, but that's because I haven't heard from you in almost
a week!  Where the hell have you been?"  I knew I sounded angry, but hey, I
was.

	"Oh Alton, don't get upset.  I've had a very gruelling week and
would much rather sit and relax than stand here in the cold arguing with
you."  He looked at me for a minute.  "Well, since we're both dressed
presentably, how about we go to the Four Seasons for a late drink?"  He
wasn't really expecting an answer from me because he had already started
walking towards his car.  He opened up the passenger side door for me.
When he turned around to see that I was still standing where I was before,
he gave me a frustrated look.  "Alton, I haven't even gone home yet.  The
first place I went to is here to see you."

	I turned to stare at the faint light that was the Cherokee before
walking over to the BMW.  As I sat there, waiting for Alan to walk around
to the driver side, I went through the last few minutes in my head.  Nathan
had looked like he was going to kiss me.  And the way he talked about the
date... it was as if I could picture that it was me he was going to wine
and dine.

	"Who was that in the jeep?" Alan asked as he started the car up and
pulled away from the curb.

	"Actually, you know him," I said.  "His name's Nathan McCrae.  He's
supposed to be the brother of one of your friends."

	"McCrae?  I don't remember anyone by that name.  What does he do?"

	I was starting to get a bad feeling in my stomach.  "He's a
fire-fighter."

	"No, I don't know anyone who has anything to do with the fire
department."  Alan turned to frown at me.  "What have you guys been doing
together?"

	I felt my body turn cold as I thought about all that time we'd
spent together.  I had trusted him almost unconditionally under the
assumption that he knew Alan.  He even kissed me that first night; God
knows what else he was capable of doing.

	"Nothing, just the occasional coffee and dinner," I managed to say
evenly.  "We were at the annual firemen's auction tonight actually.  He was
just dropping me home when you arrived."

	"Oh really?  So you've been behaving yourself then while I was
gone."

	"Of course.  What did you think I would've done?" I was getting
annoyed with Alan's suspicious tone.  "God knows I can't even manage to get
my own boyfriend in bed with me, why would I go out and try it with a
complete stranger?"  I gasped as the car suddenly swerved over to the side.
Alan turned in his seat to face me, an expression of shock marring his
handsome face.

	"Good heavens Alton, what's gotten over you?"

	I sat in silence, horrified at my outburst.  I sat stiff and not
moving, staring at the other man, panic setting in.  "Oh my God," I
whispered.  I covered my mouth with my hand, wishing that I could just
vanish into thin air.  "I don't mean a word of it," I insisted.

	Alan was looking at me weirdly by now.  'I've never seen you like
this before.  I mean, in the moonlight Alton."  He reached over and to my
surprise, he gently stroked a finger across my face and over my lips.  "So
soft," he whispered, almost to himself.

	"Alan?" I asked softly.

	"You're very beautiful Alton," he said. "Sometimes I'm intimidated
by you."

	I looked at him; this time it was my turn to look shocked.  "I
intimidate you?"

	"Of course you do.  You're brilliant, beautiful, and extremely
witty.  I love the conversations we have together and the way your eyes
light up when we talk about something you're passionate about.  But I'm
quite content with just that, and I thought you were too.  But I see that I
was wrong.  Alton, I have no interest whatsoever in pursuing a physical
relationship with you."

	"Really?"  I blinked at him, not quite sure what to think, and
started to feel just a little bit ill.  "You sure as hell fooled me," I
bitterly retorted.

	"Alton, I'm sorry if I led you on.  I thought we were under a
mutual decision that this was strictly an intellectual relationship."

	"No kidding.  If you felt this way then why in the hell did you
give me hope that there could be a physical aspect between the two of us?"
I angrily demanded.

	Alan stared at me like I should be strapped into a white suit.
"What are you talking about?  When did I do that?"

	"Don't act like you don't know.  That phone conversation that we
had."

	"What phone conversation?"

	"The...the one I made that night before you left... last Friday.  I
called you late at night remember?"

	His blue eyes turned to confusion.  "You never called me last
Friday, Alton.  I received your messages that night, but I never returned
your calls because I was already on the plane by then.  I hadn't been able
to reach you until the next day but you were out so I left a message on
your answering machine.  Didn't you get it?"

	Now I was filled with a sudden feeling of dread.  If it wasn't Alan
that I spoke with that night, then who?  Had I engaged in phone sex over
the phone with a complete stranger after all?  And this meant that some
pervert had climaxed at my expense.  I wonder for how many days the guy was
able to get a laugh out of it.  He probably even shared it with all his
buddies.

	"Alton?"  Alan was staring at me with concern.  "Are you okay?
You've gone dreadfully pale."

	"I'm not feeling very good right now.  I think you better drive me
home."  My voice sounded dry and sickly.  Alan nodded and hurriedly cranked
his wheel to pull a U-turn.  I opened the window a crack and let the cool
night's air brush across my face.  We sat in silence for the remainder of
the ride.

	By the time Alan had pulled over, I was quickly out the door and on
my hands and knees, taking in deep breaths of air.  I heard Alan scramble
to my side.  He seemed to hesitate somewhat, like he was unsure of what to
do.  Finally, he placed a hand on my neck and massaged.  I thought about
another time when it was another hand that gave me a massage.

	"Are you alright?" he asked.

	"Yeah."  I took a deep breath of fresh air.  "I'll be fine."  I
shrugged away from his hand and stood up to face him.  "Listen, you're
probably tired now.  Why don't we just call it a night so you can go and
get some rest?  Maybe we'll talk more tomorrow when we're both refreshed."

	Alan takes a minute to consider and then nodded.  This was followed
by a brief moment of silence as we stood there, wondering what the other
one was thinking.  Finally, he leaned over and, to my surprise, gave me a
quick peak on the cheek.  As he turned around to get back into his car and
drive off, I stood there by myself in the dark contemplating that kiss.  It
was the sort of kiss that I would give to Dianne or my Mother.  Actually,
it was rather insulting.  I can do very well without pity kisses.


>>>>> Nathan's POV


	"Hey Nathan, isn't that your college friend?" Kevin called out to
me.  I threw my sponge into the bucket of foamy suds and squinted my eyes
against the sunlight.  It was truck washing day and despite the cool
weather, I had worked up enough body heat to be only wearing a T-shirt by
this point.

	Crossing the adjacent intersection, approaching us was a very
un-amused looking Alton.

	Uh oh...

	'Oh yeah,' I thought dejectively, 'he definitely knows that I have
no ties to Alan whatsoever.  Hopefully, I'll come out of this with only
minor cuts and bruises.'  And despite the wrath that I knew was about to
explode out of the other man, I couldn't help but think how incredible he
looked.  He was only wearing old jeans and an equally looking old blue
hoody with the yellow letters UCFV emblazed on it, but damn he wore them
well.  It wasn't windy today, but as usual, his hair said otherwise.

	I jumped down from the top of the truck and started to meet him
halfway, which was just on the edge of the driveway.  We stood facing each
other.

	"Nathan," he blandly said.

	"Alton," I returned.  I was starting to fill with a feeling of
unease.

	"Guess what I found out last night?" he asked.  His tone was still
bland.

	"Um... smoking is bad for you?" I tried.

	He blinked once, then again.  "Alan tells me that he has never
heard of you before."  I tried to look shocked, but I knew that the attempt
was in vain.  He narrowed his gaze at me.  "Why did you make up that lie?"

	I looked back over my shoulder at the other guys that were busy
washing the large vehicles.  "Listen Alton, I know you're mad with me..."

	"Try pissed as hell," he interrupted in a low even voice.

	Taking a small gulp, I continued.  "Pissed," I corrected, "at me
but I can't go into it right now.  Meet with me tonight and I promise,
absolutely promise, that I'll explain everything to you."

	He glared at me some more as he thought it over.  I could see the
side of his jaw clenching and unclenching.  "Fine," he said.  "No more
bullshit, Nathan.  The truth and nothing else."

	"Scouts honour."  I made a cross over my heart and held the pledge
with the other.  "I'll be at your place around eight.  Is that okay?"  He
gave me a curt nod before turning around, back into the direction of where
he came from.  Slowly I walked backwards, letting myself watch the figure
until it turned around a corner.

	"Nathan, what the hell was that all about?" Shawn yelled.

	I shrugged and fished around the bucket for my sponge.  "Word of
advice, never try to pull one over the good Doctor.  It will blow up in
your face."  Clucking my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I climbed back
onto the top of the truck and pondered about how I was going to make it up
to Alton as I scrubbed the dirt off the metal.

~~~~~

	Standing outside the door, I glanced at the bouquet of orchids I
was holding and wondered how much longer this was going to work.  Taking a
look at my watch, I saw that it was finally 8 o'clock.  I'd been standing
out there for the last five minutes, trying to postpone the tongue-lashing
for as long as I could.  Sighing in defeat, I finally brought up the
courage to knock on the door.  I could feel my heart beating heavily as
seconds ticked by.

	Hmm.  It seemed like it's been an eternity but I knew that only a
minute had lapsed.  Now I was confused.  The door was still closed.  So I
knocked again, but this time harder.  I heard a thud come from inside and
then quickly followed by the sound of someone fumbling with the doorknob.

	The door flew open and a very dishevelled looking Alton stood on
the other side.

	"Nathan," he said breathlessly.  I stared at him.  He looks good.
He was wearing a grey tee and navy shorts.  He rubbed his eyes and pinched
the bridge of his nose.  "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep.  How long were
you standing out here for?"

	My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if he knew how long I really
was standing in front of his door.  "Oh, just a minute or two," I smiled.

	"Come in."  Alton took a step back to let me through.  I wordlessly
handed him the bouquet as I passed by and watched for his reaction out of
the corner of my eye.  He stared at the light pink flowers in confusion as
he closed the door.

	I waited... holding my breath in...

	His eyes slowly narrowed...

	DAMN.

	"Are you trying to aggravate my allergies Nathan?" he demanded.

	DAMMIT.

	I vigorously shook my head in denial and held up my hands in mock
surrender.  "I'm just trying to make things up to you, Alton."

	He put the flowers down onto the coffee table and crossed his arms
in front of his chest, giving me an even glare.  "You can start by
explaining a few things to me."

	"Such as?"

	"Such as who you are exactly."

	"Nathan McCrae, firefighter," I honestly replied.

	"And you are associated with Alan Laurier how?" he raised an
eyebrow at me.

	"Well, er... that is... I'm not."

	"Bastard," he swore.  "You lied to me.  I trusted you... let you
into my hous..." he stopped abruptantly and brought a hand up to his lips
and stared at me, anger dissipated as a look of horror slowly dawned upon
his face.  "Oh God," he whispered, "I let you... you... and me..."

	"No no no.  No Alton, you have to let me finish explaining myself,"
I firmly told him.  I took a step towards him, but to my dismay he jerked
away.  Sighing, I kept to where I was standing and ran a hand through my
hair in frustration.  "Alright, I admit that I don't know anyone named
Alan.  But everything else I've told you was true.  I've never meant to
hurt you in any way Alton.  You have to believe me.  Please."

	He stared at me warily.  His brown eyes were narrowed again.
"Look, if you want me to leave, I'll understand," I quietly told him.  I
could see that he was conflicted.  We stood there apprehending the other in
silence.  "Alton?" I gently prompted him.

	He sighed and glanced over to the sofa.  "Have a seat," he said.

	I let out a long breath of relief.  Funny, I didn't even realise
that I was holding it in until now.


>>>>> Alton's POV

	'Oh man, what did I get myself into now?'  I found myself pacing,
my thoughts were of the man that was now sitting in my living room.  His
eyes... I could feel his eyes on me, studying me thinking about him.  Me,
thinking about him studying me thinking about... what the hell?  I stopped
in my tracks and gave myself a mental shake.

	Think now, he claimed that he knew Alan.  He kept up a pretence and
who knows how long he intended on keeping up with that lie.  But on the
other hand, he did seem sincerely sorry about what he did.

	But was he truly sorry about lying to me or just sorry for getting
caught?  Damn, why did I have to be so pessimistic sometimes?  I gave
Nathan another wary glance and quickly looked away when he gave me a
hopeful smile.  Damn and damn again... why did he have to look so cute and
pitiful?

	I focussed my attention onto the coffee table and a splash of pink
caught my eye.  The bouquet of orchids was still laying there neglected.  I
thought back to all the other occasions when the other man surprised me
with flowers.  I could definitely say that I'd never been treated to that
before.  I couldn't recall when the last time Alan was so sweet or
thoughtful.  After being together for over ten months he still didn't know
how I liked my coffee, I bitterly thought.  Not even a phone call on my
birthday.  I looked over again at Nathan and scowled at him before glancing
away once more.  A guy like Nathan would probably be the type to call at
midnight so that he would be the very first to wish me a happy birthday.

	No, for whatever reasons behind his lies, the man was too sweet to
have any hurtful or malicious motive.  Then a thought came to mind...

	"If you don't know Alan, then how did you know his name?" I
suddenly asked him.  He looked at me in surprise, then his face became pink
as a guilty expression slowly became evident.

	"I'd rather not say," he said.  I raised an eyebrow at him, not in
amusement either.

	"You don't really have a choice here.  You promised me that you
would explain everything to me."

	"Oh, I did, didn't I?"

	"Quit stalling McCrae," I snapped.  I stood in front of him with my
arms crossed in an attempt to appear intimidating, or at the very least
somewhat imposing.

	Nathan grimaced at me and moved one hand in a circular pattern in
the air like he was trying to gain some momentum before he began to speak.
"How should I put this..." he slowly began.

	"Try short and sweet, and preferably sometime by the end of this
year," I said impatiently.

	"Alright, calm down Alton."  The man had the audacity to appear
annoyed with me.  "Just remember that it was you who assumed that I was
Alan."

	I blinked at him.  What kind of obscured remark was that?  "What do
you mean I assumed that you were Alan?  I've never seen you before in my
life until just over a week ago."

	"No, not when we first met.  When you called me the night before
that day."


>>>>> Nathan's POV

	"When I called you?  I never cal..."  He stopped mid-sentence and I
could almost pinpoint the exact moment when realisation dawned on him about
what I was talking about.  His eyes widened in horror and his mouth dropped
somewhat.  He began to make attempts to swallow and speak but no sound came
out.

	"Alton?"  I nervously asked.  I stood up and moved towards him.  He
caught my movement and took a step backwards.

	"No!  Stay back!"  I froze where I stood and promptly sat myself
back onto the sofa.  I watched as he begins to pace again.  Finally, he
stopped and stared at me intently.  He began to imitate me, one hand
beginning to wave wildly in the air as he considered his words.  "So... are
you implying what I think you're implying?"

	"If you mean if we had phone sex then yes."  Ah well, there was no
point in beating around the bush.

	"I see."  He ran his hands through his hair and concentrated his
focus onto a particular point on the wall behind me.  After awhile, I
turned around to look, almost believing that there was indeed something
interesting back there.  Upon seeing nothing but white paint, I turned my
attention back to the other man and snapped my fingers at him.

	"Alton!"  He shook his head to clear it and looked at me blankly.
After a few seconds of silence and empty staring, I sighed in frustration
and waved my hand in front of his face in another attempt to gain his
attention.

	He blinked once... he blinked twice.

	"Sorry," he mumbled.  Ah... more pacing here, more hair ruffling
there.  Finally, he stopped and the hand waving began again.  'This is
starting to get old,' I was thinking.  "Why?" he spat out.

	"Why what?"

	He fixed his brown eyes on me, his stare intense.  "Why did you let
me continue with..." The hand gestures became more agitated and a slight
pink flush started to develop on Alton's face.  "Didn't you ever begin to
think that the call was out of the ordinary and that maybe you should hang
up?  Or do you normally get obscene phone calls at late hours of the
night?"

	I carelessly shrugged as I considered my answer.  "Sure, I should
have hung up on you, or demanded to know what kind of sick loser needs to
get his rocks off by making crude prank calls.  Actually, I originally did
think that it was one of the guys back at the station playing a trick on
me, but to tell the truth I didn't hang up because I was turned on."

	Alton looked at me with a shocked expression on his face.  "You
were turned on?"

	"Hell yeah I was turned on."  I stood up suddenly and before he
could react I walked over to where he was standing and grabbed him firmly
by the shoulders.  Fear flickered into his eyes and I felt his entire body
stiffen under my touch.  I quietly cursed and slackened my grip on him
somewhat, but never let go.  "Alton," I whispered, "Do you understand that
YOU turn me on?"  Before he had a chance to say anything, I pulled him to
my body and kissed him hard.  He gasped, which opens up the opportunity for
me to slip my tongue through his lips in search of his own.

	Unresponsive and stiff at first, the body held within my embrace
finally yielded to its needs and holding Alton was like what it should feel
like... absolutely perfect.


>>>>> Alton's POV

	I started to wrap my arms around the back of Nathan's neck, giving
as much as I was taking from that wonderful kiss.

	'C'mon Knox, what on earth are you doing?' somewhere from inside my
head my subconscious was screaming out at me.  'This man deceived you
remember?  Hello?? Lying to you, ring any bells?'  Hands roamed down to my
ass and pushed my pelvis into an equally hard one.  The action emitted a
moan out of me and a satisfied grunt from Nathan.

	'Think Alton, think!  You remember Alan don't you?  Tall, blond,
good-looking man?  AKA your boyfriend? Significant other? Lover of ten
months?'  Nathan suddenly lifted me up and I helped him out by wrapping my
legs around his waist, never once breaking away from the kiss.  He steered
us over towards the sofa and carefully dropped us into it; my back on the
cushions and him comfortably between my legs.

	'People can't be lovers if they don't make love,' I argued back to
my sense of logic.

	'Well, yeah you've got a point there,' it receded.  Then it was
nothing... nothing but the pure pleasure that I was experiencing right then
with thoughts of only Nathan in my head.  Finally, I won over logic and I
gleefully enjoyed my prize, moaning loudly into that amazingly skilled
mouth as the handsome fire-fighter ground his erect cock against mine.

	That is, I was until the phone suddenly decided to ring.

	I groaned in annoyance when Nathan broke the kiss and stared down
at me, desire in his eyes.  We were both breathing hard and panting for
breath.  The phone was on the third ring when I finally answered it.

	"Alton?  Is that you?  Are you alright?"

	"Alan..." I breathlessly answered.  "I'm just a little out of
breath, just came in through the doors when you called."  Guiltily, I
stared up at Nathan whose eyes narrowed when he found out who it was on the
other line.

	"Alt, I feel horrible about what happened last night," Alan
continued over the phone. "I was hoping that I could come over tonight and
make sure that you're alright."

	"I'm perfectly alright," I assured him.  "There's no need for you
to come over tonight."  I noticed that the hand that was resting on my hip
had possessively firmed its hold.

	"Please," Alan insisted.  "I think that there are some things that
we really need to talk about."  Sighing inwardly, I had to agree with him
on that.

	"You're right," I admitted.

	"Very good.  I'm just about to leave the office now.  I should be
over in about half an hour.  Does that suit you?"

	"Yes, that's fine.  I'll see you then."  I hung the phone up and
gave a quick glance over to Nathan.  He didn't look too amused.

	"What do you mean you'll see him?  Is he coming over?"  I realized
then that I was in a rather vulnerable position, legs still spread out with
him between them, and decided to sit up properly before Nathan got further
agitated.

	He didn't put up a fight as I started to withdraw my limbs from
around him, but he did look rather disappointed and helped by sitting back
on the other end of the sofa.

	"Yes, he'll be here in about half an hour," I responded.  "There's
some stuff that he and I need to work out."

	"I see," he said.  He stood up and straightened out his clothes.
"I guess I should be going now then."  I nodded and stood up also as I
began to straighten myself out, physically as well as mentally.  I could
feel the air of distance radiating from him and I respected his boundary by
staying away, when inside I was dying to hold him in a tight embrace and
never let him walk out that door.

	I followed him towards the door in question and held it open for
him.  He was just on the other side of it when he stopped and turned my
way, an awkward smile on his face and a sadden look in his eyes.  "Alton,"
he quietly began, "I just want you to know that I am sincerely sorry that I
ever deceived you into thinking that I knew Alan, and for letting you
continuing that phone call when it was obviously meant for someone else.
But never for a minute believe that I regret what has transgressed between
us.  Everything else that I've told you is true.  And although we've only
known each other for a short period of time, I also want you to know that I
have fallen in love with you."

	I didn't know what to say in response and watched in shocked
silence as he walked away from me and continued to be silent as he got into
his jeep.  He gave me one last look before finally driving away.  Once the
vehicle was out of sight, I stepped back into the room and closed the door,
laying my forehead against the cool wood.  "I love you too," I whispered,
too late, into the empty room.

~~~~~

	The next time I opened the door, it was Alan standing there smiling
sheepishly at me.  I returned the smile and quietly regarded him.  It was
as it always was, every blond strand of hair in place, perfect skin lightly
tanned, not even a wrinkle on the expensive tailored suit that he wore.
Any other time this sight would have made my heart flutter and head light,
but not tonight as my heart now yearned for the attentions of another.

	I stood to the side and allowed him in.  He lightly pressed a kiss
on my cheek as he passed by.  As he seated himself, he focussed his
attention to the orchids that were still lying on the table.  "What are
these?" he asked.

	"Oh those, just something a friend brought by to cheer me up."  I
seated myself onto the other end of the sofa and stared at the pink
flowers, wondering where Nathan had taken off to.

	"Did you sleep well last night?"

	I blinked.  I didn't expect to hear that question and annoyingly
turned to look at Alan.  But instead of making some sarcastic remark, I
instantly softened my expression when I saw the concern and sincerity on
his face.  "There was a bit of tossing and turning involved, and not the
good kind," I lightly joked.

	The blond lightened up at my change in mood and grinned.  Then we
both simultaneously broke out into a fit of giggles like young school boys,
eventually with small tears in our eyes.  When we finally calmed down
enough to hold a proper conversation, Alan turned to me with a more sober
expression on his face and asked, "Would you mind telling me what happened
here in the last several days while I was away?"

	So I told him my story.  It was cinematography to watch his
fleeting emotions as I talked.  Disbelief and awe for the time when I tried
to have phone sex with him, disapproval and perhaps a little anger upon
finding out how Nathan had deceived me, empathy and caring when I finally
broke into tears when I told him that I had fallen in love with the
fireman.  Alan took me in his arms and calmly held me, brushing my hair
with his fingers and soothingly rubbing my back with his other hand.

	When I had finally reduced myself down to the odd sniffling, I
pulled back and smiled gratefully at him.  Gently, he reached out and
brushed a lingering tear off my cheek with his thumb.  "Oh Alton," he
sighed with a wistful note, "If only things had turned out differently
between us.  I will always treasure the times we've had together and will
always love you."  At my look of shock, he put a finger to my lips before I
could say anything.  He continued, "Of course, it's not the same kind of
love I would share with a soul mate, but rather the sort that I share with
family and those who are closest to my heart."

	He pulled me back to him in another embrace and I let him.
Quietly, we sat like that for a moment, our arms together with his chin
upon my head to which I laid on his shoulder.  "What are you going to do
about him?" Alan quietly asked.

	"Nathan?  I have no idea.  I think he's pissed at me.  He was here
when you called earlier."  Alan pulled away from me and stared at me, his
handsome face etched with worry.

	"He was?  Why on earth didn't you tell me then?  Tell me to take a
hike or something?  I could have waited."

	"No, I needed to make sure that our relationship had come to a
close before I could begin a new one.  I didn't want to jump head in if I
was still wondering what could've been between you and I."

	Alan shook his head in awe at me.  "Alt, you're amazing, you know
that right?  I hope this Nathan is worthy of someone as incredible as you."

	I blushed at the compliment that I wasn't used to receiving.
"Well, er... thank you, Alan."

	"I hope he knows what a lucky man he is."  Then a slight frown
marred the perfect face, "And if he doesn't realise what a wonderful man he
has in front of him then he never deserved such happiness to begin with."

	"Alan, I love you too."  He grinned at me, his teeth white and
even.

	"Well, I better be going now and let you find him.  I need to get
ready for another trip out of town anyway."  He got up and started to brush
his clothes into some order.

	"Oh no, I got tear stains all over your jacket!"  I bit my lip
guiltily as he studied the damage.

	He waved his hand at me, looking at me like I was being silly.
"Alt, it's nothing a trip to the dry-cleaners won't fix."  Then he bent
over and kissed me lightly on the cheek again before heading to the door.
"No need to walk me out.  I will give you a call after I get back and I
want a full report on how things will be with you, yes?"

	I grinned at him again and nodded my affirmation.  Pleased, he
closed the door behind him and I was left by myself again.

>>>>> Nathan's POV

	"McCrae!  Office!  NOW!!"  The sound of a slamming door shortly
followed the demanding order and a silent blanket of tension filled the
station.  Nobody made eye contact with me as I got from the clock radio
that I was trying to fix, since it was me that broke it initially in a
temper fit.

	I opened the door and quietly closed it behind me, waiting for more
orders from my currently irate Captain.

	"Sit down, McCrae."  I went for the seat and did as told.  The
older man before me glared down at me and began to pace.  "You've been
acting like a caged animal these last few days, always moody and snapping
at anyone who comes near you.  You're quick to irritate, you're withdrawn
from the others, and things are being broken left and right."

	"It's just a few plates, the clock and a hole in the wall, Sir."  I
grimaced as my right hand still throbbed painfully underneath the bandages.

	"Shut the fuck up, I'm not done speaking to you yet!"  The pacing
stopped as the other man focused a more intense glare at me.  Once he was
satisfied that he would be hearing no more lip out of me, he continued on
with his tirade.  "As fire-fighters we are dealing with life and death
situations.  When we are inside that inferno and face to face with the
beast we need to be able to depend and trust each other in order to
survive.  I don't want my men out there if they are unsure of each other."
He stopped in front of his desk and placed both his hands on top of the
table's surface, leaning towards me to build up the intimidation factor.
"Now, do you want to tell me why half my men act like they're walking on
eggshells around you?"

	I clenched my jaw for a bit as I considered my response.

	"No."

	"Do I need to put you on a week's leave of absence?"

	"Sir, you know that threats don't work on me."

	The Captain suddenly looked tired and straightened his back.
"Nathan, give me a break here, as one friend to another."

	I sighed.  I knew that what I had to say would never leave these
four walls.  I value Sam's trust and respect his word.  "I'm in love with a
married man."

	His eyes widened and he looked at me in shock.  "Is this about that
Alton guy?"

	"Yeah."  I rubbed my hands over my face and through my hair.  "It's
been almost a week since I last saw him.  I royally fucked things up and
lost any chance there was between us.  He's probably laughing about me
right now with his lover," I bitterly spat.  But even as I said those words
I knew deep down that Alton would never do something so hurtful as that.

	Sam remained quiet and waited for me to finish.  His face was
blank, no judgement, no scorn, and most of all no pity.

	"I told him that I loved him while he was waiting for his boyfriend
to come over.  Of course, that was after he found out that I had been
deceiving him about who I really was and admitting that it was me that he
had phone sex with.  Oh God Sam, what was I thinking?  Who tells someone
that they love them when they were going to be seeing their lover within
that same hour?  What was I expecting?  That maybe he would say that he
loved me back?  Fuck, this thing called love bites the big one."

	"Nathan, you don't know how it is yet.  Give him some time to sort
things through.  It's only been a week.  Hell, he may just be as confused
as you for all we know, and if he isn't then it was never meant to be and
you'll just have to find a way to deal with it."  Saying it like he saw it,
sans the sugar coating.  I shrugged at him, wishing that it was really as
simple as that.  "Son," Sam began, "You're really no good to me tonight,
why don't you just go home and call it a day.  I'll see you here bright and
early tomorrow as it is."  I nodded and knew that the dismissal wasn't
really a choice.

	On my way out of the station I ran into Shawn.

	"Hey man, everything okay?" he asked.  He was concerned but still
made sure to keep his distance, his eyes somewhat wary as he regarded me.

	"Yeah, everything's good.  I'm just gonna go home and take it easy
for the night.  I'll see you tomorrow morning."

	"Cool," he nodded at me and let me go.  When I was almost out the
door, he called me again.  I turned back to him to see what he wanted.  He
trotted over to where I was standing and he gave me a concerned look.
"Dude, you sure everything's okay?"  I nodded.  "Alright, but are YOU
feeling right lately?"

	Giving him a wry smile, I shrugged.  "Well, I haven't been in the
best of moods lately.  It's just something I have to work out."

	He nodded again, looking at me thoughtfully.  Then he did something
that I would not have expected in a million years.  Eyes wide in shock, I
stared at him speechless.

	Frowning and somewhat blushing, Shawn became defensive.  "What?"

	"Dude, did you just hug me?"  Albeit it was an awkward and clumsy
one.

	"So?"  I continued to stare at him in silence, waiting for a more
mature answer out of him.  "Well," he began uneasily, the squirming
starting to set in, "you looked like you really needed one."  He crossed
his arms in front of his chest and almost puffed himself up, a cocky gleam
reappearing in his eyes, "And besides, I'm secure enough in my manhood to
be giving another guy a hug."

	"True enough," I agreed.  Then with a smile and a parting wave, I
left the station and got myself into the jeep.  Sitting in it in silence, I
stared around my surroundings inside the vehicle and noticed it to had
become rather messy in the last few days.  An empty Pepsi bottle and a
take-out coffee container sat in the cup-holders, a scrunched up McDonald's
bag in the backseat, right alongside its KFC's counterpart.  On the
passenger floor sat more empty pop cans and water bottles.  Sheesh, I
really had let myself go.  And as I started up the ignition, I knew that I
was heading home to a larger version of this mess back at my apartment.

	I promised myself that I was going to clean it up on my next day
off, but then again it's not like I had to impress myself with anyone
anyway right?  At a red light, I just happened to be stopped beside a
playground.  I looked over and watched as parents pushed their children on
the swings, made sure they didn't fall off the seesaws, and oversaw the
castle-making.  Then I did a double-take when I recognized one of the
adults helping a little boy across the jungle bars.  It was the crazy hair
that caught my eye actually.

	I watched in somewhat of a daze as Alton smiled and laughed with
Mike as the young boy kicked his legs in the air, imitating a walking man.
He was wearing khakis and a deep green sweater, with the sleeves pushed up
to his elbows so that Mike wouldn't accidentally scuff them with dirt.  God
he looked good.  I started to envision myself in that little scene, right
alongside Alton with my arms around his waist and him holding the blond boy
in his arms, the three of us laughing.  Or perhaps a boy of our own?  One
that we could adopt?

	The sudden blare of a car horn violently pulled me back into
reality and as I looked up I saw that the light had turned green and the
car that was in front of me before was now several metres in front of me.
Quickly, I pushed on the gas pedal, hoping to speed out of there before the
loud noise brought Alton's attention towards me.  'Snap out of it, McCrae!
I scolded myself.  He's involved with another man and you're thinking about
having a family with him?  How fucked up is that??'

	The rest of the drive home was no picnic either as images of Alton
in the arms another man, the faceless character presumably Alan according
to my subconscious, kept taunting me.  I never knew my imagination could be
so creative.  Various flashes of Alton haunted me... him with his head
thrown back and body arched in ecstasy, him spreading his legs out
willingly for another, him with his face in an expression of rapture as
hands that were not my own began to caress his body.  It was killing me; I
was a man with a desperately severe case of love sickness.

	It surprised me how I was able to get myself home in one piece.
Actually, once I opened the door to my place and had a good look inside, I
almost wished that I wasn't there.  The mess was incredible... but I was
past the point of caring.  I decided to head straight to bed and sleep this
whole night away.  And as I made my way through the piles of newspaper and
dirty dishes, I began to strip myself naked and added the discarded
articles of clothing to the ground along with the rest of the old laundry.

	I slid in between the blanket and sheets and dropped my head to the
pillow.  Then trying with all my might, I willed myself to sleep, but it
proved to be quite impossible.  I mean, my tired body was willing, but my
mind was racing a mile a minute.  Without the distractions of driving now,
I was able to conjure up sounds and sensations to add to the erotic images
of Alton in my head.  I developed an instant erection which was driving me
nuts.  It appeared that sleep was not forecast anywhere in the near future,
so with a sigh of frustration, I pulled myself out of bed and went into the
bathroom in hopes that a quick wank in the shower would be the answer.

>>>>> Alton's POV

	Curiously I had looked up towards the direction of where I heard
the car horn and my heart started to race when I saw a familiar dusty
looking grey Cherokee pulling through the intersection.  I was willing to
bet that it was Nathan's.  Had he seen me in the playground?  Was he in a
turmoil like I was?  The need to see him, to be touched by him, was great.
But I was too afraid that I had waited too long to try and contact him
again and feared that he no longer was interested or cared.

	"Uncle Alt?  Were you listening to me?" the six year old demanded.
I snapped my attention back towards the young blond in my arms who I was
helping back down to the ground.

	"Oh, I'm sorry Mikey.  I was thinking of something else for a
minute there.  What did you say?" I politely asked.  I had to bite the
inside of my cheek as the boy rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, as
if wondering what he was going to do with me.

	"I was saying," he began to speak slowly as if I was a child
younger than he, "that maybe we should go visit the firehall and see if
Nathan is working today."

	My heart skipped a beat and a breath got caught in my throat.
"Why?" I managed to choke out.

	"I like him.  He'll let me put on his fireman's hat again and I
want to sit in the trucks."

	"Mike, I'm sure the firemen have more important things to do than
cater to a little boy.  And besides, I don't think that Nathan is working."

	The six year old began to pout and whine.  "Why not?  You don't
know if he's there or not.  Please please pleeease Uncle Alton?  I really
want to go see the firetrucks.  And 'sides, I don't have anything to say
tomorrow in show and tell!"

	Now it was my turn at rolling my eyes.  I can't believe what a
sucker I am for this kid.  I'm fairly confident that he knows that he's got
me wrapped around his finger pretty well.  "Alright alright.  We'll go but
don't whine if it turns out that Nathan's not there okay?  Absolutely no
more fussing for the rest of the day, understood?"

	"Yes!" the boy exclaimed and pulled on my hand towards the
direction of the location in mind.  "I promise that I'll be good all day!"

By the time we made our way to the fire hall, it was nearly impossible to
calm Mike down.  He was jumping excitedly like a Mexican jumping bean.
There were a couple of firemen milling around the outside of the station
and I recognized one of them as one of the guys that helped save that
kitten that fateful day when I had first laid eyes on Nathan.

	"Excuse me," I asked, firming my hold on Mike's hand in an effort
to calm him some more, "Can you tell me if Nathan's on duty tonight?"

	The man grinned at me when he recognised me.  "Hey, you're that
professor friend of Nathan's.  Alton right?  Sorry man, he left here about
half an hour ago, you just missed him.  My name's Shawn by the way."  I
took the hand he offered and he noticed Mike who had suddenly gone quiet
and started to sulk.  "Little dude, why the long face?" he asked the six
year old.

	Mike shrugs in a lost boy kind of manner.  "I was hoping that
Nathan was here so that I could wear his hat and sit in the trucks."

	"What makes you say that you can't?  I'm just a good as Nathan is.
Tell you what, why don't you hop onto my back?"  Shawn squatted down and
turned his back towards Mike.  Magically the pouting disappeared and was
replaced by joyful glee.  Mike dropped my hand like yesterday's news and
without any hesitation at all climbed onto the large fireman in a piggy
back ride.  Shawn straightened up and started to bounce their way towards
the large fire engines, stopping momentarily by the racks that held their
uniform.  He grabbed a helmet of the top shelf and handed it behind him to
Mike.  It took two small hands to get a grasp of the object and once placed
on his head, you weren't able to see the upper half of Mike's facial
expression.

	There was more giggling as the ride continued towards the trucks.
Once Mike was deposited behind a wheel and made sure that he was able to
entertain himself, Shawn walked over to where I was standing and smiled.
"So, you're the one responsible for Nathan's lousy mood lately."  This took
me aback and I stared at him in shock, not quite sure of what to say or do.
He grinned at me and shook his head.  "No no, I don't mean to alarm you
like that.  It's just kinda cool seeing someone like Nathan get worked up
over another person.  He's usually so mellow and rarely anything phases
him.  He acts like a boy who's not getting what he wants.  You must be some
guy to have such an effect on him."

	I blushed, still unsure of what to say.  The other man was starting
to look at me with some sort of awe and it was beginning to make me feel
uneasy.  Thankfully, Mike took that moment to demand my attention.

	"Uncle Alton!  Are you watching me?"  We both turned towards the
boy that was frantically turning the wheel from one side to the other.  We
went to stand by him and watched him in amusement.

	"Can you even see over the wheel Mikey?" I asked.

	"Of course I can Uncle Alt!  Now watch me drive to the scene of the
fire."

After spending a few more minutes indulging the young one, I turn to Shawn
and asked, "I don't suppose it's possible for me to get a hold of Nathan's
phone number?"

He thought for a minute and then shrugged.  "Sure, why not.  Maybe you can
talk him back to his normal self."  He went inside the building and after a
couple minutes came back to hand me a scrap of paper with a phone number
scrawled onto it.

"Thank you," I said.

He waved at it, "Don't worry about it man.  Just work your magic on him
again alright?"  I blushed some more when he threw a wink my way.

"Hey Mikey," I jerked my head back at him, signalling that it was time for
us to go.

"Aww, do we have to go now?" he pouted.  But he still obediently let go of
the wheel and turned towards me with his arms out.  I reached in and pulled
him out, helping him to the ground.

"Sorry buddy," Shawn said to him, taking the helmet off.  "There's always
next time, feel free to drop by again."  Mike smiled at him, consoled by
the invitation.  They waved at each other before Mike started to pull on my
hand towards the direction of his house.

"Wait till the kids at school hear about what I got to do today, Uncle Alt.
Boy they're going to be so jealous of me.  Yesterday Trevor brought in a
toy truck to school, one that he got for his birthday, but I got to sit in
a real truck.  And not even a regular truck but a fire truck!  Next time we
should take pictures, okay Uncle Alt?" he stared up at me, a serious look
on his face.  I grinned at him and nodded in agreement.

Dianne met us at the door and smiled as Mike ran up to her and started to
spill everything about what he did to her in one excited babble.  She
wasn't able to get much of a word into the conversation.  Instead, she
nodded and made sounds of interest when necessary.

"Thanks for looking after Mikey again," she finally said to me when Mikey
ran into the house to call his friends from school.  She leaned over to
give me a kiss on the cheek.  "Would you stay for dinner?"

"No, not tonight but thanks.  I have some stuff I need to mark and look
over.  Tell Mark I'll see him bright and early on Monday."  I turned to
leave and quietly began to walk the eight blocks home.  I contemplated
about what I was going to say to Nathan and how I was going to let him know
how I felt about him.  An idea suddenly came to mind and I hurried the rest
of the way home, knowing that I had a lot of things to get out of the way
first before executing the plan.

>>>>> Nathan's POV

	It was an amazing dream.  I had Alton, warm and naked in my arms.
His expressive eyes focussed on nothing except on me.  Our limbs were
entangled, my leg between his and his between mine.  His skin was smooth
and the sounds that came out of his mouth with every kiss I planted on him
were addictive.  Every moan and sigh that he made was for me and me only.
If I could spend the rest of my life in eternal sleep with a dream like
that one then I would never wake up again.

	That is, I would have to remember to unplug the phone next time.

	Immensely irritated and grumpy, I answered the phone.  "What?" I
mumbled rudely into the handset.  Upon hearing silence on the other side, I
got more annoyed.  "Hello?  Answer me you idiot!"  I glanced at the clock
and saw that it was just pass 2 o' clock in the morning.  Damn, it took
forever to fall asleep too.  I was just about to slam the phone back onto
the receiver when I heard a hesitant sound on the other line.

	"Nathan?"

	"For crying aloud, yes!  Hurry it up will ya?"  I closed my
eyelids, still heavy with sleep.

	"It's...it's Alton."  My eyes snapped open and I sat up in
attention.  My heart was pounding and I pinched myself just in case I was
still dreaming.  "Um... Nathan?  Are you still there?"

	"Oh, uh... yeah."  I cleared my throat, not sure of what else to
say.

	"I'm sorry I woke you up, but... but I've missed you."

	Inside I was seeing fireworks and doing a mental jig.  "Oh?"  Hell,
I impressed myself when my voice didn't crack.

	"Yeah, I was just thinking about those nights when we used to just
lie there together in front of the t.v., and then I would just plop my feet
onto your lap.  And then you would roll your eyes at me but start to give
me a foot massage without complaining."  I stayed quiet and decided to see
where he was going with this.  We both knew that none of this had ever
happened, well... not outside of my head anyway.

	"Then I was thinking about that time when we went out for coffee
and I decided that I wasn't hungry enough to order any food, but ended up
eating half of your pie.  And when you took me to the amusement park and
you insisted that we go up on the Ferris wheel.  You knew that I was afraid
of heights but I went on anyway because you wouldn't stop begging."  I
still hadn't said anything up to this point, I was too busy imagining these
events and it was so easy to picture them happening.  I was grinning like a
fool over things that had never happened; yet it all seem so real.  I guess
the silence from my end finally was unnerving Alton because he started to
sound really unsure of himself.  'Say something before he loses his nerve
and changes his mind!' my unconscious screamed out at me.

	"I knew that once I had you on the ride you would be so scared that
you wouldn't let go of me," I chuckled.  I heard a sigh of relief on the
other end and I continued, "It was an excuse for me to be able to hold you
close."

	"It worked," he admitted.  "But then you made it up to me by
winning me a stuffed animal."  I could remember that non-existent day so
easily in my head.  "Nathan?" came a soft whisper.

	"Yes?"

	"I love you."  The voice was still soft but it came out loud and
clear to me.

	"What did you say?" I demanded.  I still wanted to make sure and I
pinched myself again, hard.

	"I said I love you."

	"What about Alan?" I held my breath, hoping to hear what I wanted
to hear.

	"He's done with.  He came over to talk that day to make sure that I
was okay with it.  And I was because it was you that I wanted, and I have
been wanting you ever since that day I walked into you.  I just never
realised it until that last time you came over.  You said you loved me
then, and I wanted to say it back to you too, but didn't know I wanted to
until you had already left."  The voice started to waver and become unsure
again.  "I mean, I hope you still feel the same way, but if it's too late,
if you don't anymore, I mean... I understand..."

	"Alton, listen to me.  I love you dammit.  Fuck, don't move, I'm
coming over right now."  I didn't wait to hear his response.  I threw the
phone on the ground and pulled on some old jeans and a T-shirt.  My first
instinct was to get my ass over to Alton's place ASAP.  I slammed the door
closed, not even bothering to lock it, and jumped into the jeep.  Pulling
out of the driveway, I proceeded to drive at near break-necking speeds to
the other side of town.

>>>>> Alton's POV

	"Nathan?  Hello?"  I heard a loud clack from the other line,
followed by a series of rustling and finally a loud door slam.  I replaced
the handset back to the phone base.  My heart was beating fast; he was on
his way over.

	I was as nervous as a teenager on his first date.  From where I was
seated on the bed, I looked around the room to make sure that it was clean.
On the small dresser top were a few small candles.  I went over to light
them and they gave the small room a warm glow.  I had taken a shower hours
ago, and now wore a tank top and old sweat pants.  It took me awhile to
work up the nerve to call Nathan again, and had almost wimped out when he
finally did answer the phone.

	I was debating whether to change into some a little more
presentable when I heard an insistent banging at the door.  Looking at the
clock I noticed that only a little over five minutes had elapsed since I
hung up.  I hurried over to open the door and as soon as I did strong arms
lifted me off of the floor and the door was slammed shut with a kick of
Nathan's foot.  He swung me around so that I was now trapped between him
and the door and took me in a deep, breathtakingly passionate kiss.  I
swooned and sighed, my knees went weak and would have fallen to the ground
if it weren't for the tight embrace that he held me in.  My lips felt
bruised and I was light headed with giddiness when Nathan finally pulled
away from me.  His eyes were glazed with desire and I caught my breath.  I
had forgotten how good-looking he was.

	"Say it again," he demanded.  I looked at him, confused for a
second before the answer dawned on me.

	"I love you," I tenderly told him.  A grin nearly split his face in
half and he took me into another kiss.

	"Oh God, if feels so good to hear you say that," he gasped.  "I
love you too, you know that right?" he frowned down at me.

	"Of course I do," I smiled at him.  Then in one swift movement, he
bent over to pick me up, one hand behind my back the other around the back
of my knees.  I wrapped my arms around his neck for support and reached
over to lick him lightly on the neck.  He clenched his jaw slightly.

	"Sweetheart, keep that up and I'm going to have to take you right
here on the living room floor.  Now which door to the bedroom?"

	"The one on the right."  He walked through the door and gently
deposited me onto the bed.  I looked up at him, expecting him to join me
but when he didn't, I started to sit up.  But he gently pushed me back
down.  I looked up at him, confused.

	"I just want to look at you," he breathed into my ear.  I closed my
eyes as the whisper tickled my ear.  I could feel him begin to take my top
off.  I lifted my arms up above my head to help him out.  I gasped as he
started to kiss his way down my torso, over my neck, over my chest, over my
stomach.  His hands gently brush down my flank and I could feel goosebumps
developing.  I shivered.  "Are you cold?" he asked, concern in his voice.

	"No," I could hear that my voice was shaking slightly.  "I'm just a
bit nervous that's all.  It's been awhile."

	"I'll go nice and slow, and we won't do anything you're not ready
for.  Just let me know if you need to stop."  I nodded and sighed as he
continued to kiss my upper body again.  Without warning, his warm mouth
closes over my left nipple and I arched my back, crying out as feelings of
pleasure course through me.  I had had a raging hard on by that point and
I'm positive that my sweat pants were doing nothing to conceal that fact.

	Nathan moved his hand to either side of my hips and with a firm tug
on the pants he began to pull them down.  Once they were discarded, I heard
silence and there was no movement.  Confused, I opened my eyes and looked
up at him, watching him staring at me very intently.  I was starting to
feel rather self-conscious of myself and had to resist the strong urge to
cover myself up with a sheet.  "Nathan?"

	He turned his focus to me, desire and love evident in those grey
eyes.  "You're so beautiful," he whispered to me.  I could feel my whole
body blushing and I looked away, too embarrassed to make further eye
contact.  A finger hooked under my chin and turned me back to face him.  He
leaned in close to me, and I knew he was going to kiss me...

>>>>> Nathan's POV

	I took a minute to get used to the idea that this was all for me.
Alton was laying naked on the bed, a serene expression on his face, smooth
skin golden by the candlelight.  Naked, he was vulnerable and trusting of
me.  It was a beautiful sight to behold.

	He was nicely toned; his muscles long and lean.  His chest was
smooth and had a light trail of hair below his navel.  I followed it to the
bush between his legs, which surrounds his throbbing cock.  I leaned in to
brush my lips along it.  I heard a soft gasp come out of Alton, which got
more distressed when I slipped my tongue out to lick lightly around the
corona.  I took my time studying that part of his anatomy, savouring every
micron of it with my tongue, not leaving any part of it uncovered.  He
squirmed delightfully at my ministrations and I finally decided to put the
poor man out of his misery by engulfing the entirety of him in my mouth.

	His back arched up off the bed, his legs openly spread out to
either side of me, and I could feel the bed sheets move underneath us from
him grabbing at them with his hands.  I only hoped that the landlord
upstairs didn't hear the loud moans coming out of my lover's mouth.  I
swallowed him to the hilt and lapped at the precum that flowed out.  His
head turned from one side to the other, his teeth biting his lower lip in a
poor attempt to remain silent.  I could tell that he was trying his hardest
to keep control of himself.  I released him from my mouth and I moved my
body up over his so that my face was directly over his.  "Darling," I
began, "let yourself go for me.  Don't be afraid to go wild."

	His eyes open up and large brown eyes stare into mine.  "Please
Nathan, please make love to me."

	I chuckle at him.  Who would have thought that my shy professor
would turn out to be such a wanton in bed?  I stood back up and shucked my
own clothes off without much fanfare.  I was close to ravishing him again
when he held his hand up and motioned for me to stop.  I froze in place and
after a few moments of confusion, it dawned on me that his eyes were moving
up and down my body.  When he focused in on my erection, I raised an
eyebrow and asked, "Do you see anything you like?"

	He guiltily averted his eyes to mine and even in the dark light I
could see him blush.  "You rate pretty high up there in the beauty
department too," he says.

	"Not beautiful," I denied.  "Just old and ragged."

	"Hey," he protests.  "You're only 29, I'm six years older than
you."  Then he stopped and a look of horror started to appear on his face.
"Oh dear God, I'm six years older than you!"

	I leaned over to lay my body on top of his.  With one knee, I
gently nudged his legs apart so that I could settle comfortably in between
them.  He unconsciously opened them up to me while he was still
contemplating on that fact.  I caressed his body, over his ass and down his
legs.  "Does it really matter when we get to be as old as we are?  And
besides, you don't look that old and your skin is still as smooth as a
baby's bot..."

	"Don't you dare finish that sentence," he warned, throwing me an
icy glare.  I sighed, wondering how I was going to be able to placate him.
An idea came to mind; I leaned my hips close to his and rubbed our
erections together.  Oh geez that felt good.  And apparently it did the
trick as Alton lowered his eyelids, fluttering them as he let out a soft
moan.  I could get very used to hearing those sounds coming from him.

	"Alt, I don't want to hurt you.  Do you have anything that we can
use to...?"  He nodded his head towards the direction of his nightstand.
Keeping the rhythm steady between our organs, I leaned over and opened up
the small drawer, blindly searching for something that felt like a tube.
No small feat might I add, especially when my darling lover decided to
start scrapping his fingers across my back.

	Popping the lid open with one hand, I squeezed a small dollop of
the lubricant to my other hand and moved down to smear it lightly along
Alton's ass crack.  He let out a gasp as my finger brush across the tight
entrance.  I moved slowly up and down the crevice, applying more and more
pressure over the hole with each consecutive stroke.  Eventually I started
to just circle around it, feeling the puckered texture of his rectum.
Alton was panting heavily now from the attention he was receiving.  When I
had finally slipped the tip of my finger into him, he let out another small
cry.  I smothered him in kisses while my free hand moved up to twist his
nipple.  I was trying my darnest to overload him with sensations.

	His legs started to stretch out further and wrapped themselves
around my waist, his scraping was becoming more frantic across my back and
shoulders, and I finally had to cover his mouth with my own to stifle his
cries.  He stiffened slightly when I added a second finger into his rectum,
but soon the muscles around it loosened and relaxed once he grew accustomed
to it.  The third finger went in with even less effort.  "Are you ready?" I
asked.

	"Oh yessss," he hissed.  "Please Nathan..."

	"Let me know if it hurts too much," I warned him.  I positioned
myself at his entrance and slowly pushed the head of my penis through.  He
bit his lip and he facial expression showed pain when I had breached him.
"Alton?" I softly whispered.  I dropped kisses onto his face.

	"I'll be fine.  We just have to go slow, it's been a long while."
He gave me a wavering smile.  I kept myself still, giving him all the time
he needed to adjust.  With his legs around me, I felt a gentle pull towards
him, a subtle hint that he was ready for more.  Slowly, I pushed in another
inch, me panting from exertion, him panting from pain.

	I began a gentle rocking with what I already had in him.  It must
have been painful for him at first as I saw that he kept his breath in, not
breathing.  When he finally let out a long sigh and his body began to
relax, I knew that the pleasure was finally starting to begin.  I kept up
the rocking, and with each stroke back in I slowly started to add more and
more of myself into him.  Until finally, I was buried down to the hilt.

	"Dear God," I groaned.  "Damn Alton, you feel so good.  I can stay
here forever and die a happy man."  The muscles around me clenched tightly
to my dick; his internal body heat an inferno around my hard organ.

	"I don't think I would object to you staying inside of me too
strongly," he gasped.

	I begin to make love to him now that he was able to enjoy it.  I
used long and slow strokes, our eyes staring into each other, sharing our
inner feelings with one another.  I knew he was getting close, as was I.
He just overwhelms me; he's amazing.

	"I want to be on top," he whispered to me.  Breathing hard, I held
on tight to him and rolled the both of us around so that I was lying with
my back against the bed; him straddling me, never breaking the bond between
us.  I looked up at him looking down at me.  There was adoration and love
in those eyes.  His hair stood up away from his face, his perfect body
illuminated by the candlelight.  He began to move on his own accord, his
hands at my hips in a silent signal for me to keep still.

	Tortuous as it was, I kept immobile when what I really wanted to do
was thrust up into him, meeting him with every one of his own downward
strokes.  Mercifully, he starts to speed up, his head thrown back and body
arched, as he lost himself to the pleasure he was generating.  "Nathan..."
he panted.

	Unable to stay still any longer, I sat up and held him tight to me,
taking him into a deep brutal kiss as I pulled his hips towards mine,
helping to drive myself deeper into him.  He moaned into my mouth as I took
control again.  His arms were around me again and they began to scratch
once more, giving him a source of outlet for his release.

	"Take me," he whimpered.  "I need it... please... love you so
much..."  How could I refuse him?  I quickened my pace up, the stroking
between us almost becoming brutal, and finally he cried out.  I didn't have
any available hands to cover up his mouth in an attempt to muffle his
screams, but otherwise I would.  My head was swelling up with pride that I
was able to make this creature react so wildly, but at the same time I was
half afraid that the people upstairs may call the police in fear that
someone was being hurt down here.

	His fingers dug into me one last time, quite deeply.  I even had to
let out a small cry of pain.  His body stiffened and the legs around me
tightened a microsecond before his entire body started to convulse, while
his ass started to clamp down on my dick, milking me for all I was worth.
A chain reaction began; not being able to hold off any longer I came
violently deep into my lover's bowels, filling his insides with my fluid.
His own dick went off, spewing hot white liquid all over between our
bodies.

	I continued to pump into him, extending his orgasm as well as my
own.  But finally exhaustion won out and I collapsed back onto the bed,
pulling him down with me.  We took our time to catch our breath.  When I
felt movement above me, I looked up to see that Alton was propped up on his
elbows, looking down at me.  His eyes were glowing and he had a large grin
on his face.

	"Yes?" I asked amusingly.

	"That was fun."

	I grinned up at him.  "I'm glad you think so.  I had fun too."

	"Can we do it again?"  He clenched himself around me to add to his
point.  I let out a small gasp, amazed at where he could get this sudden
surge of energy.  But to my surprise, I felt myself hardening inside of him
again.

	"I'm not really in the mood right now though.  You tired me out," I
teased.  But with me growing rapidly harder we both knew that I was lying.

	"What if I can get you in the mood?" he asked playfully.  I
shrugged as he sat up and started to grind himself onto me.  He was now
slick from the previous workout and I moved easily within him.  I gasped at
the sensations, but he was moving so painstakingly slow.

	"Sweetheart," I gritted my teeth, "you're killing me."

	"I want to take my time.  I want it nice and slow," he purred.

	I grabbed a hold of him and flipped us around again.  I took his
left leg and hook it over my shoulder, his right one still wrapped around
my waist.  His breath caught as I sunk myself into him as deep as I could.
Widening his eyes, he looked at me to see what my next move would be.

	"You want it nice and slow?  Then nice and slow is what you shall
get."  I gave him what he wanted.  A kiss that was nice and slow, my cock
inside of him moved in long strokes, nice and slow.  We took our time this
time around, making love and just savouring each other's presence.  Even
our orgasms were calmer; Alton's cries were not half as loud as they were
before.

	"Alton?" Gently I stroked and caressed down his face and neck with
my fingers.

	He moved his face to catch one of my fingers with his mouth.  He
slowly started to suck on it, keeping his eyes closed.  A breath caught in
my throat as I watched this little act of eroticism.  His lips were warm
and moist around my knuckle as his tongue started to play and tickle my
fingertip.  When he eventually let go of my finger, I was in a somewhat
mild case of comatose.  He cocked his head to one side and stared up at me
in amusement, a small smile playing on those devilish lips.

	"Shower," I managed to croak.  His smile got wider and he let me
help him towards the bathroom.  I set him on top of the counter by the sink
before I reached into the bath to turn the shower on.  I turned when I hear
a gasp of horror from behind me.  I spun around, concern on my face.
"Alton?  What's wrong?"  I rushed over to him to comfort him.

	"Turn around for me."  His eyes were wide with shock and I did as
he asked.  When I felt gentle fingers upon my back, tracing the sore
tracks, it dawned on me that my back must have been criss-crossed with
angry red marks.  "Do they hurt?" he asked.

	"Not much, they'll be a little sore once they get wet I'm sure."  I
turned around to face him again, and took him in my arms, placing small
kisses on his lips.  One of his legs move to encircle itself around my
waist, the other one rubbing up and down the back of my thighs.

	"I'm sorry," he murmured as he entangled his fingers into my hair.

	"Nothing to be sorry for," I whispered.  "You've marked me, I'm
yours forever."

	He smiled into my kiss.  "Yes, mine forever... yours forever."

>>>>> EPILOGUE Alton's POV

	It was just past eight o' clock in the evening but the sun was
still shining bright and strong.  It was the last day of summer classes and
I had just finished my last evening lecture for the semester.
Unfortunately, at this time of day the buses didn't run as often as they
would during peak hours.  I sat on the bench, patiently waiting, staring
off into the distance.

	I heard a vehicle drive by but the engine didn't sound large enough
for it to belong to a bus so I didn't give it any notice.  I heard it stop
close by though, and I looked over when I heard someone call my name.

	"Dr. Knox!"  I looked at the man behind the wheel.  "Do you need a
ride?" he asked.

	I shook my head at him.  "No, I'll be fine.  Thanks anyway though."

"Oh c'mon Prof, it's the last day of school.  I'm in no rush to go home."

 	I smiled and shrugged.  "Sure, why not?  I need to be home soon
anyway.  I'm expecting a phone call and I was running later than I
anticipated."  I climbed in and grinned at the driver.  He started heading
into the direction of my house without having being told which way to go.

	"Oh?  An important phone call?"  He glanced over at me, an innocent
smile on his face.

	"Well, not really.  Just a friend that was supposed to call tonight
that's all."

	"Just a friend?" he gave me a slight frown.

	I shrug again.  "Yeah, I was actually expecting him to call me
earlier today, but I guess he got too busy at work.  We were supposed to be
celebrating something today, but I guess he forgot."

	"Really?  What's that?"

	"It's my birthday today," I told him sadly.

	He frowned some more.  "Rather thoughtless friends you have there,
Prof."  He pulled over to the sidewalk beside the house I lived in.  I had
finally moved out to a place of my own and paid a mortgage rather than
rent.  He turned the ignition off and looked over at me.  "Are you gonna be
okay?" he asked concerned.

	"I'll be fine."  I got out of the vehicle and thanked him for the
ride as I closed the door.

	"Hey Prof."  I turned around to see that he had gotten out of the
jeep and started to walk towards me.  A bouquet of roses was pulled from
behind his back and he leaned over to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.
"Happy birthday, darling."

	"You remembered," I exclaimed happily.  I took the roses from him
and pulled Nathan into a tight embrace.

	"There was a call that came in early this morning.  I wasn't even
fully awake myself yet and I didn't get a chance to call you, and by the
time we were done you were already in class.  I'm sorry," he apologized,
his grey eyes looking down at me with love in them.

	I grinned and gave him a hard kiss, pulling him inside the house we
both lived in.  There was no point in giving our neighbours a show on our
front lawn, as I'm sure that they were tired of watching the happy couple
make out once more in public.

	I pulled him towards the bedroom, not before carefully putting the
roses on top of the dresser, and pushed him onto the bed.  Then to the best
of my ability, I showed him just how much I forgave him, and just how much
I loved him.

End