Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:01:51 -0600
From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Light in the Darkness, Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and
m/m relationships, and probably some sex too.  If it is illegal in your
area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who
you are), stop here.  Otherwise, please enjoy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a companion story to "Things that Go Bump."
The story lines are related and the characters will occasionally interact.
The stories begin at roughly the same time.


			A Light in the Darkness, Chapter 2
				"Promise"


    "Chase?"

    "Yeah, mom?"  Chase was all smiles and acting as if he hadn't a care in
the world.

    "Are you sure?"

    Chase turned to his mother with a frown.  "You never suspected?  Matt
knew ages ago....  I figured I should tell you while you can still handle
being surprised....  Can't have your blood pressure get up when you're
pregnant...."

    "You told Matt?"

    "This morning....  But I didn't have to, he already guessed...."

    "Chase, what's this all...."  A moment of comprehension dawned on her
face, and she sat down.  "Are you sure, sure?  I mean, you can't even...."

    "I don't have to see to know who I like....  But I know what feels
right, I know who I'm comfortable with, who I want to share my time
with....  I like boys, mom, and it's okay...."

    "Your life was going to be so difficult anyway....  I just don't want
you to have the extra suffering...."

    "Would I suffer less if I pretend to be someone I'm not, living with
someone I don't love?"  Sarah took her son in her arms.

    "You're right....  It's just ... hard....  So, William?"

    "I'm falling for him pretty hard...."

    Sarah smiled at the look on her son's face as he said the words.  "He's
pretty cute, huh?"

    "Way," Chase said in his surfer accent.

    His mother laughed, but then said seriously, "Maybe he should have his
own room...."

    "Mom!  No!  Please?"  Her son begged.  "I ... I promise we'll ... be
good?"

    "Well, at least you didn't hide it, but don't make promises you can't
keep...."  Looking at the door, she called, "William?"

    He opened the door and walked in quickly.  "Yes?"

    "Do you mind sharing a room with my son now that you know he's
... gay?"

    William walked over at put his arm around the boy, kissing his cheek.
The woman nodded.  "Promise me that you two will ... " She sighed.  "
... be careful of each others' feelings...."  With that, she stood and
walked to the door.  "William, Chase may be a young man, but he's still my
little boy...."  William hugged Chase close and nodded.

    "What a day!" William said when she was gone.  "You could have warned
me...."

    Chase laughed, and said, "But then I wouldn't have had to
apologize...."  With that, he pushed William back onto the bed and laid
down next to him, kissing the boy deeply as he rubbed his chest.

    William moaned, and when Chase pulled away, he asked, almost shyly,
"Would you mind ... my shoulders are really tight....  I guess I'm still
tense...."

    "Sit up," Chase commanded, and he crawled behind William and started
rubbing his tight shoulders.  After almost twenty minutes they were just
starting to relax, and William groaned with the pleasure of it.  After a
few more moments, Chase said, "It's getting late....  We could get ready
for bed...."

    William unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it in the corner, then stood to
strip his pants off.  He turned to find Chase already stripped down to some
very tight blue briefs.  His cock, nearly six inches and fairly thick,
looked rather larger on his slight body, and the tight material outlined it
superbly.  William crawled into bed, and said, "You are ... amazing...."
Chase ran his hand down William's defined pecs and abs, lightly brushing
over the front of his boxers and grazing the end of William's
six-and-a-half inches.

    Chase rolled over on top of William, positioning himself between the
bigger boys legs, so their penises pressed together.  The boys kissed and
Chase licked William's nipples, teasing the boy, feeling his cock spasm.

    "I'm going to make a mess if you don't stop...."  Chase smiled and
began rhythmically humping, until he felt the warm wetness accompanying
William's grunts.  Then he rolled off, pulled down his briefs, and began
jacking feverishly.  Unexpectedly, he felt a big soft hand pushing his own
away.  A few jerks of the unfamiliar hand and he shot four shots of cum up
his chest and into his pubic hair.  Some got on William's hand, and he put
it in his mouth....  Different....

    William took his boxers off and used them to wipe himself off.  Then he
gently wiped his lover clean, and got some fresh boxers.

    "Why bother," Chase said, and he thought about it and tossed them back.
Why not?

    "I didn't want to tempt you in your sleep," William joked.  As he
crawled under the covers, Chase cuddled into him, giving his butt a playful
squeeze and resting his head on the boy's chest.  As William stroked the
silky skin on his back, Chase gradually fell asleep on him.

    Once Chase was deep asleep, William extracted himself and grabbed a
book from his bag and read over some of the spells he'd need the next day
to enchant the shed.  About an hour later, he turned out the reading light
and went to sleep.  When Chase woke up for school in the morning, he felt a
strong arm around his chest, and felt the big warm body behind him.  With a
contented sigh, he pressed himself back into the hard body and felt the
boy's harder cock rub against his ass.  Smiling, he began to move so that
William's penis was sliding up and down the crack of his ass.  Chase's
whole body shivered as it rubbed against his hole.  Suddenly, he felt the
arm around him tighten, and William began to move on his own, and in a
minute or so, Chase felt the hot cum shooting up his back.

    "Good morning," Chase said, giggling.

    William smacked his behind, and laughed, "Good morning, beautiful....
Let me clean you up."  Grabbing last night's dirty boxers he again wiped
the boy clean.  "Now, roll over onto your back and let me take care of
you...."  Chase gasped when he felt the boys hand wrap firmly around his
penis and stroke it slowly until he was rock hard.  Then the hand was gone
and he was confused, until he felt the hot, wet mouth take first the head,
then most of his penis.

    "Oh, God, William," he groaned softly.  "Oh, ohhh yeah...."  William
wasn't sure what to do, but he was learning fast from Chase's moans.
"William, I'm going to," he began, but William squeezed his hand and bobbed
his head a few more times, finally feeling Chase's spasms and tasting the
boy's cum.  Chase grasped at his shoulders desperately, pulling him up on
top of him.  The boy kissed him deeply and passionately.  "That was
... amazing...."

    "I'm glad you liked it...."  The boy kissed him again and then laughed.

    "I've got to get ready for school," he said, grabbing a robe and some
clothes and heading to the bathroom to get ready.  William laid in the bed,
thinking about Chase -- he'd miss him during the day....  It almost made
him wish he could go to school....  Almost....  William was a self-starter,
and learned better on his own, from books, from the computer, and by
practice; school was very hard for him.

    "So what are you doing today," Chase asked as he came back in the room,
dressed in his school's uniform, navy pants and white shirt, grabbing his
blazer with school crest from the closet.

    "My God, that's sexy," William said, getting up and coming up behind
him, wrapping his arms around the boy.

    "Glad you think so," he said, turning around and standing on his
tiptoes and to give the boy a peck on the lips.  "Now get dressed and come
and have some breakfast with me...."

    William pulled on some gym shorts and a t-shirt, and followed Chase
downstairs.  "So what are you doing today," Chase repeated.

    "Well, when my shed comes, I'm going to get my lab set up....  And I
guess I'll get back to my studies....  I also need to see if someone can
take me down to get a new computer...."

    "Steve works from home," Sarah said as she came into the room, putting
on her earrings.  She was looking very professional in her navy skirt suit
and heels.  "Just tell him to forward the phone to his cell and get off his
ass!"

    "Hey!" Steve said, standing with mussed hair in his robe in front of
the coffee pot.  "Just because we don't all have to go to the corporate
jungle to earn our keep, you don't have to hate on us!"

    "What do you do," William asked the adults.

    "Brunhilda is a corporate fat-cat," Steve said with a laugh, as his
wife tossed a hand towel in his face.

    "I'm a scientist," Sarah said with a little fire, "who doesn't get to
spend much time in the lab anymore.  I'm the VP for development at a small
pharmaceutical company...."

    "I'm just a troubleshooter," Steve added.  Chase laughed, but didn't
say anything.  "What, Chase?"

    "Troubleshooter?  Dad's a business adviser....  He helps keep small
companies in business when they hit trouble spots...."  Steve shrugged and
sat down with his cereal next to the boys.

    "I guess you and I are men of leisure, William...."  The boy laughed as
mother and son gave made disapproving faces and quickly ate their
breakfast.  Shortly, Matt burst through the door.

    "Come on!  The bus is a block away."  Chase threw his bag over his
shoulder, gave his mom and dad pecks on the cheek and William a peck on the
lips before hurrying after Matt.  He knew the driver would give him a
minute but he didn't want to abuse the fact.  Sarah soon left, and Steve
and William sat alone.  William disappeared upstairs and returned with two
books.

    "What are you up to?"

    "Well, I'm putting some notes together -- when the building arrives,
I'm going to turn it into a professional magical workshop....  I'm just
trying to figure out what all I'll need, and what's top priority.  And, I'm
trying to keep up with my school work....  Not that I plan on going back to
school in any case...."

    "No," Steve asked, surprised, "not even when all this is sorted out?"

    "No....  I'll take all the tests, but I just don't see the need for
it....  I've got important things to do...."

    Steve laughed and nodded, "I'm sorry that you've had to grow up too
fast....  If you have the chance to enjoy life a little now, you should
take it...."

    "I never particularly enjoyed school, anyway....  Let me learn about
things in my own way, great....  Make me read boring texts and vomit it
back and I suck...."

    "Well, I can't say I agree, but it sounds like you've thought it
out....  But promise me that when its safe, you'll at least let us show you
around Chase's school.  It's pretty good and they encourage individual
learning...."

    "Alright....  I'll check it out...."

    "Good man," Steve said, patting the boy on the shoulder as he walked
toward his office to grab the phone....  William worked at the table for a
couple of solid hours, mostly reading a history of the Crusades he'd taken
from his father's shelf before ... the explosion, but also occasionally
noting a spell he needed to remember as it came to him.

    Around lunch time, the doorbell rang and Steve explained to the
delivery crew where he wanted the building and unlocked the side gate so
they could back their truck in, and then he and William had a sandwich and
watched the men work in the back yard.  When it was in place, they
inspected it for damage and Steve signed the work order.  When the men had
left, he locked the gate and said, "Now why don't we go check on that
computer...."

    William reinstated his glamour and they headed for the local Best Buy.
After a quick browse, William settled on a high-powered HP laptop, with a
big screen, a big hard drive and a lot of memory.  It was the most
expensive one they had in stock, but William meant for it to last.  While
the software was being set up, the guys browsed the store, Steve picked up
some movies and William got a cd.  When they got home, it was only about
two, so William tossed his computer on the bed and grabbed his bag of
magical implements and his wand and headed out into the back yard.

    William took a bottle of ink and a pen from the bag and set the rest in
the grass.  Dipping the pen in the enchanted ink, he began drawing symbols
on and above the doors and windows of the structure.  As he completed each
sigil, it would glow red and become quite invisible.  He had just finished
the last drawing when he heard the back door of the house open and looked
to see Chase and Matt standing there.

    "Whatcha doing," Matt said.

    Looking at the implement in his hand, he said, "Just a little touch-up
on the paint...."

    "So what is that for?"

    "One of my hobbies is ... chemistry, and well, I've got plenty of
time....  But it's not exactly good for in the house...."  He threw his bag
inside the building and started walking toward the boys, still in uniform.
Noticing the casual way Matt stood at Chase's elbow, his tie loosened, his
hair carefully ruffled, William noticed for the first time how cute he
was....

    The boys talked for a little while, but soon Matt had to go, and
William wanted to get a little more work done.

    "Do you mind, I need to do a little more work to secure my lab, and
there are a few other things I want to do...."

    Chase smiled.  "I'll go ahead and do my homework....  I'll call you for
dinner...."

    "Thanks, sweetheart," William said, putting his arms around the boy and
leaning in to kiss his neck softly.  "You don't mind me calling you that?"

    "No," Chase whispered, burying his face in the boy's chest.  Chase
turned to go to his room and work on his computer, and William gave him a
swift pat on the behind, bringing a smile to the boy's face.  William
walked down to his shed and took out his wand, and got between the building
and the corner of the fence where he wouldn't be seen, and began the
complex incantations he had chosen to protect his space from detection and
intrusion.  Many of these he had performed recently to protect himself in
the forest, but the process still took nearly two hours.  Then he stepped
inside.

    The building was well-designed, with shelves on the walls and hook-ups
for power.  These he would not need for a while, but the shelves were
useful.  He began taking magical items and potions ingredients from his bag
and placing them on his shelves, taking stock of what he would need.  He
had a cauldron, but it was small, a "travel" size, about one quart.  He had
a very nice mortar and pestle carved from stove from the quarries from
which the rocks of Stonehenge had been taken.  He had nearly two-hundred
jars and vials of herbs, spices, and other biological material, and a set
of books from his family's magical library, including the most powerful
book his family owned -- in it, the knowledge of their entire library, as
well as any books it would ever share a shelf with, would be replicated.
Then there was a portfolio full of loose papers, family trees and
instructions for processes invented by members of his own family, as well
as photographs and sketches.  He sorted the documents -- he kept the photos
and family stuff with him, but left the spell and other notes with the
books.  For now they'd be safe on the shelf, until he finished his
transformation of the building.  He unpacked a series of other instruments
and implements, including a set of knives and daggers, cloaks, capes, cups
and chalices, candles and candlesticks, and so many other things.

    Soon, he heard the sweet voice calling his name, and he stepped
outside, pointing his wand at the door and really locking it.  He
approached the house carrying his portfolio, and wrapped his arm around the
boy's shoulder as they walked inside.  He saw Sarah look at them and smile,
and he felt a little better.

    "How's the work coming," Steve asked.

    "Actually, it's coming along nicely....  The spells are very difficult,
but I practiced them in the woods to protect myself, so I'm very familiar
with them.  I was just going through my supply of materials, and I think
I'll need to go back to the forest soon and collect some specimens...."

    "Specimens," Sarah asked, hesitantly, causing William to laugh.

    "Herbs, fungi, and in the spring, flowers and fruits ... and
insects....  There are a few things that are less pleasant, but nothing
sinister....  Also, I was thinking of planting a little herb garden around
the shed....  It'll look good and provide me with a steady supply....  For
the kitchen too...."

    "Of course," Sarah said with a laugh, before asking, "Why insects,"
fairly certain she didn't want to know.

    "Some insects have properties and components that are necessary for
some potions, but for my purposes, insects make very good surveillance...."

    Chase laughed, "You're going to use them as bugs?"

    "Exactly!  We invented that term....  I'll use them to watch my
building and the outside of the house from a distance...."

    "Extraordinary," Sarah proclaimed, fidgeting in her seat and pushing
food around her plate.

    "You're nervous about tomorrow," William finally asked, and the woman
smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  "Don't be....  I know everything will
work out!"

    "I just don't want to get my hopes up...."

    "I've heard of some pretty amazing things they're doing, so unless
you've been cursed by some powerful black magic or Steve's been fixed, I
can't imagine it won't work!  There is one thing ... well, two...."  Now
all eyes were on the boy, demanding explanation.  "There are two risks, one
is common to all fertility treatments -- the risk of multiples...."

    "Oh, twins," Chase exclaimed.

    "Or octuplets," Steve responded, drawing the smile from his son's face.

    "Oh!  Yeah...."

    "What's the other?"

    "If they have to go beyond the human means to treat you, your babies
will have been ... exposed ... to magic at their very conception....  Not
unlike all magical beings...."

    "Ahhh," Steve said, thoughtfully.

    "What," Sarah demanded.

    "My little brothers and sisters might be wizards," Chase mused.

    "Perhaps....  It's hard to say, since your parents aren't magical.
Some of them might be full-fledged wizards.  It happens to some naturally
born children....  But in any case, you can expect them to have various
kinds of psychic or other abilities...."

    "I ... I guess we're lucky to have you here, then," Sarah said, her
desire to have children overcoming whatever concerns the news might have
raised.

    "You'll be a good brother," Chase said, happily.  Steve and Sarah
raised their eyebrows at William but said nothing and Chase appeared
oblivious to the response his comment had raised.

    Soon they all finished dinner, and Steve said, "I got some movies
today, you guys want to watch one with us?"

    "Sure," Chase said, and William shrugged.  William helped Steve with
the dishes, and then they all went to the living room and sat around the
big TV.  Steve and Sarah sat on the couch, and William sat in the big
armchair, which left Chase with a decision.  He could sit on the loveseat
by himself.  Instead, he walked over to William and sat on his lap,
sideways, with his head on William's shoulder.

    "Would you be more comfortable on the loveseat," William whispered in
his ear while Steve started the movie, and Chase shook his head, no.
Instead, the boy cuddled and held him tight.  About half-way through the
movie, William had a very sudden urge to go to the bathroom, so he stood up
with Chase in his arms and sat the boy down, running to the bathroom.  When
he returned, he took Chase's hand and led him over to the loveseat.
William laid down, and Chase curled in next to him, wrapping William's arm
around him for security.  By the time the movie was over, both boys had
fallen asleep.

    Sarah looked at the boys and sighed.  "I wish...."

    "Sarah," Steve warned.

    Giving Steve a hard look, the woman said, "... I had a camera...."

    "Sorry, dear," Steve said, and grabbed the digital camera for his wife.
She took the picture of the boys cuddled together sleeping, and then Steve
woke them, shaking their shoulders.  "Boys!  Run up to bed or you'll be
sore in the morning...."  Groggily, both boys got to their feet and made
their way upstairs.  They barely were awake enough to strip and crawl
beneath the covers, but as he was drifting off to sleep, William felt Chase
cuddle up beside him, hand on his chest and smooth leg draped over
William's.  And it was Chase's hard penis poking him in the side that woke
William in the middle of the night.  Chase's beautiful face wore a look of
ecstasy.  Must be having a nice dream, William thought.

    He pulled away from the boy and made his way beneath the sheets, taking
Chase's penis in his mouth, running his tongue along its soft underside.
Chase moan brought a smile to the corners of his mouth, and as the boy
gradually woke, he felt Chase's hands rubbing his shoulders and the back of
his head.  "I'm cumming," Chase announced in a loud whisper, making William
thank his lucky stars the boy's parents' bedroom was downstairs on the
other side of the house.  He tasted Chase's sweet cum and shared it with
him in a deep kiss.  With a big grin, Chase pushed William onto his back
and got between his leg, teasing his way down William's torso with his
tongue.  Taking the big boy's penis in his hand, Chase licked his lightly
hairy balls, sucking them one at a time into his mouth.  Then he teased the
sensitive skin behind William's balls, going so far as to graze William's
hole with his tongue.  The boy moaned so passionately, Chase went to work
with his tongue, teasing the tight whole, probing it playfully, all while
slowly stroking his cock.

   William's moans were becoming urgent, and he was whispering, almost
incoherently, "Oh, Chase, oh yeah....  Please, fuck me....  Oh yeah, do
it...."  Chase smiled to himself at the thought of topping the big, strong
masculine boy, but now was not the time, so he quickly took the boy in his
mouth and sucked him hard for a minute longer, until he felt the big penis
throb in his mouth, firing thick streams of cum into his mouth and onto his
face as he was forced to back off.  When William looked down and saw his
face streaked with his white cum, he giggled.

    "That's so hot," he whispered to Chase, reaching for his t-shirt to
wipe the boy's face.  The boys made our feverishly for a few minutes, until
they got really sleepy again.  As they cuddled up to fall asleep, though,
Chase whispered, "What was really hot ... was how you begged me to fuck you
when I was licking your butt...."

    "I did not," William said, blushing.

    Chase put on an ecstatic face and mimicked the bigger boy's deep voice
and the begging tone it had taken: "Oh, Chase, oh yeah....  Please, fuck
me....  Oh yeah, do it...."

    William laughed, and said, "Alright, so maybe I did....  And it would
have been wonderful....  But I want to wait and try to make it special,
somehow...."  Chase nodded and kissed the boy on the shoulder.

    "Maybe, for your birthday...."  William smiled and wiggled his
eyebrows.

    "Maybe....  Now let's go to sleep before I get hard again...."  Now it
was Chase's turn to wiggle his eyebrows.  "Midnight snack?"  William
smiled, hugging the boy close, and soon they were back to sleep.

    Chase woke up very early the next morning from having gone to sleep so
early, so he got up and showered, letting William sleep in.  When he
returned and dressed, he sat down at the desk, and logged on to his
computer, putting one hand on the Braille readout.  He checked his email
and answered a few from friends, some from the camp he attended in the
summer for blind teens. He decided to tell some of his closest friends that
he had met someone, though he didn't yet come out to them.

    Chase walked over to the bed and felt for William very gently.  His
hand came to rest on the boy's muscular bicep.  He gently leaned in, using
the arm as his guide, and kissed William on the cheek, softly rubbing his
arm, and left, closing the door softly behind him.  Downstairs, his parents
were having their coffee and planning when to meet to go to the doctor
together.

    "Everything alright," Steve asked, seeing the boy come downstairs
alone.

    "William's still asleep ... I didn't want to wake him...."

    "William spent weeks in the forest alone and nearly sleepless....
It'll take a long time before he's fully rested," Steve mused.  Chase
nodded and sat down to eat a bite, before heading out to meet Matt.  Sarah
walked out to talk to the boys before driving to work.  Steve went to his
office to take care of his morning's work.  By ten, he'd still not heard
William stir, so he went and got dressed in business casual for the
doctor's visit, then walked up the stairs.  William was sprawled out on the
bed, exposing most of his sleek, tan body.  Quietly Steve approached the
bed and pulled the covers up over the boy before shaking his shoulder.

    "William?  William, it's time to get up...."  William groaned and
looked up to see Steve looking very amused.  "Looks like you're catching up
on lost sleep...."

    William groaned and stretched and started to get out of bed until he
remembered he was naked.  Trying not to look embarrassed, William said,
"I'll be down in a minute," and waited for the man to leave.

    When he was alone, he pulled on a pair of light knit shorts and a
t-shirt, and went downstairs to eat some cereal before getting ready.  As
he sat to eat, Steve sat down next to him.

    "What time is your appointment," William asked.

    "1, but I'm meeting Sarah at 12...."

    "Chase is very excited," William said, but when the man raised his
eyebrows, William blushed and said, exasperated, "about the possibility of
a sibling...."

    "He's also very excited about you being a big brother," the man said.

    William sighed and shrugged.  "Look, I...."

    "William, chill," the man said, laughing.  "I know how you feel about
my son....  You put enough money in his name to cover him for life, and you
look at him like he's your life....  And Chase is a very passionate boy, he
loves very deeply....  If I give you a hard time, it's in fun...."  William
blushed again, at the man's words and at his own overreaction.  "Besides,
who would I be to question the word of an angel?"

    Changing subjects somewhat, William asked, "When is Chase's birthday?"

    "Two weeks from yesterday...."

    "Are you having a party for him?"

    "Yeah, Sunday, the day before his birthday...." William nodded.  He had
almost two weeks to figure out what to do for his boyfriend, but he already
had an idea.  He just hoped it wouldn't kill him.

    Before long, Steve got ready to go and William asked, "Can I keep the
card for today, I want to order some things online for my lab...."  The man
dug in his wallet and pulled out the Visa debit card that drew on Chase's
account.

    "Just print out the receipts for my records," the man said, and before
William asked, the man added, "Just do the shopping on my computer until
you get yours set up with a printer...."

    "Thanks, dad," the boy said as the man handed him the card, and they
both fell silent and still.  "I," the boy began, tears welling up in his
eyes, and Steve put his arms around the boy.

    "I'm sorry, William, for all that you are going through....  I hope you
know, we're all going to be here for you...."

    The boy nodded, and sighed through light sobs.  "You are a lot like
him...."

    "Thank you," Steve said, taking the liberty of kissing William on the
head.  Then holding him by the shoulders, he said, "I have to go, now, but
you have our cell phone numbers if you need us....  I'm sorry, but...."

    "Go!"  William said, laughing off his last tears....  "Your wife has
been waiting about fifteen years, so I wouldn't be late if I were you...."
Before the man could turn to go, William gave him a hug and then waved him
off.

    Once he was alone, William sat down and tried to read, but he was too
restless, so he went to the computer and ordered a large stainless steel
table and bench for his lab, as well as set ups for a couple of Bunsen
burners.  Then he splurged and ordered a very expensive, top-of-the-line
home weight machine.  All this would be delivered within the week.  Still
restless, he ran upstairs and put on his tennis shoes and grabbed his wand,
which he slipped into the tight waistband of his briefs, and put his
standard glamour on to shift his appearance.  He stepped out onto the front
porch after leaving a note, and locked the door with his wand.  Then he
took off for a run.  He remembered passing a park on the way to the Best
Buy, so he followed the path they had taken, jogging through the large
residential area.  After nearly two miles, he came to a large, grassy park,
with big oak trees and the occasional picnic table, so he veered off into
it, and ran on its trails.  Occasionally, he'd pass someone walking, an
older couple, or stay-at-home moms, more than a few of the latter openly
admiring the jockish figure on the boy.

    He popped into the public restroom to relieve himself, and there was a
man at the second urinal.  As William began to relieve himself, William
noticed that the man was staring at his penis and rubbing his own hard
cock.  The man must have been Steve's age, but out of shape and generally
creepy.  As William finished and hurriedly sorted himself and started away,
the man grabbed his ass, winking, and called after him, "Come back and play
sometime!"  Now William was worse off emotionally than before, and he took
off at a dead heat, but his muscles were tiring quickly, as he had not had
a lot of regular exercise in weeks.  He was just getting into a shopping
area when he got a sharp cramp in his left leg that put him on the
pavement, grasping at his leg in pain.

    "Are you all right, young man," a voice called out to him a few minutes
later as he sat on the sidewalk.

    "I'm afraid I pushed myself a little too hard and got a cramp....  I'll
be fine...."  He looked up and saw and older gentleman in a tweed jacket
leaning on a cane.

    "Come on, let me help you inside.  Rest a while, call someone if you
need to...."

    William was going to refuse, but he looked at the sign reading 5th
Avenue Synagogue.  Safe enough.  William struggled to his feet, the older
man took his left arm and led him to the door, pushing the button on the
intercom.  "How may I help you?"

    "Irma, dear, its Rabbi Roth....  Buzz me in...."

    A loud buzz and the door unlocked, and the rabbi lead William into
through the office into his own and sat him in a comfortable chair.  A
woman followed them, William was guessing Irma.  "Irma, be a dear and get
the boy a soda....  I found the poor lad sitting on the sidewalk in
pain...."  He heard a refrigerator open in the outer office and soon Irma
was back with a Coca-Cola.

    "Thank you," William said, and the rabbi excused her.

    Pulling a chair nearer the boy, the man held out his hand, "Sam
Roth...."

    "William ... err ... Abernathy....  Nice to meet you, sir...."

    "So, why don't you tell me how you ended up on our sidewalk?"

    "Well, I was running...."

    "That's not at all what I meant, William....  Of course, you know
that....  Why aren't you in school today if you're well enough to be
running?"

    "I've recently come to town because of family troubles ... and school
isn't at the top of my list of priorities...."

    "Education is very important...."

    "Oh, I'm getting that....  I was just reading a history of the
Crusades...."

    "Oh," the old man said, with a grin.  Leaning back, he grabbed a book
from his shelf, "Not this one?"

    The boy nodded, and the man smiled approvingly.  "So, these family
problems...."

    "Rabbi, to tell you the truth, I'm in a dangerous situation, and I
don't know what I ought to tell you....

    "Well, that's honesty I can appreciate....  But I'm just an old rabbi,
and I can keep a confidence...."

    "My house was bombed, and my parents are dead....  Everyone, including
my family, thinks I'm dead, and I'm in hiding...."

    The rabbi tilted his head to the left and stared deep into the boy's
eyes.  "William ... Jennings?"

    The boy stood quickly and put too much weight on his leg, doubling over
in excruciating pain.  His hand flew automatically to his wand, but the
words froze on his lips when he saw the smile on the man's face.

    "I'm sorry to startle you....  I read about your ... tragedy in the
papers....  And truth be told, I know a little more than that....  Put that
away...."  William lowered his wand but kept it in his lap.  "I don't blame
you....  Dear boy....  Your father, Alex, and I once served on a committee
for the Society of Magic together...."

    "Jewish wizards?"  For some reason, the thought brought a laugh to
William, and the rabbi joined him.

    "No, dear boy....  Well, in a manner of speaking, yes....  As you may
know, our tradition takes a dim view of magic, but that's because the magic
our founders encountered was based on blood and death, and the manipulation
of dark spirits.  Practitioners of magic, like humankind in general, come
from every world view.  So, while Judaism prohibits sorcery, it does allow
for a kind of mysticism.  We practice a kind of mystical magic, very
different from your own outwardly but based on quite the same principles.
The Society of Magic has representatives and leaders of every school of
magic, and its leaders represent us to the Shadow Council....  Perhaps your
father talked about his days in the Society, on the Council?"

    "No, never...."

    "Hmmm....  Well, in any case, I suppose you are right to stay out of
school, at least for now.  But you really shouldn't be seen in public,
either...."

    "I'm not....  This form is a glamour...."

    "Good show, young man!  And I suppose I shouldn't offer you a ride
home....  I don't suppose I can depend on your immediate trust."

    "I suppose not," William said, smiling.  "But I'd like to talk with you
about some things I've found in my family papers...."

    "I'd welcome it!  As you can imagine, I don't often meet others like
myself in Richmond...."  William nodded and smiled.  The man held up a hand
and stepped behind his desk, pulling out a small book.  "Let me show you
this, before you go, however...."  The cover was fine leather, with gilded
characters foreign to William.  He took the book from the man's hand and
opened it, finding more of the characters, but, intriguingly, a number of
diagrams of sigils and amulets, talismans, etc.

    "This is familiar," William mused.  "Hebrew?"

    "Yes, it was a gift from your father, purchased in a little bookstore
in Krakow, Poland....  Look in the back...."  William turned to the end of
the book and found two wallet-sized photographs -- one of his father in his
late teens standing next to the much younger rabbi, and the other was a
family picture of his father and mother, with William as a baby.  William
nodded, closing the book and handing it back to the man.  "Your father was
a great man....  I was older than his father, but we became very good
friends...."  Reaching into his pocket, he handed the boy his card, with
his numbers, home and office, and email.  "Please let me know what I can
do...."

    "Thank you, Rabbi," William said, standing uneasily and taking the
man's hand.  The leg was painful but it would support him, and he hobbled
to the door.  On his way out, he was sure to thank Irma.  He thought of the
strange coincidence as he walked slowly back toward the house.  It occurred
to him that Sarah and Steve would be a while, but that Chase would get home
before he got back at this pace and that Chase would not be able to read
his note.  He hobbled slightly faster, and when he reached the park, he
stopped to find a stick that would support his weight.  He soon found one
to suit his purpose, and seeing a nearby willow tree, he collected a small
limb he could use to carve a new wand.  With the stick, he made better
time, but when he arrived home, he found the door unlocked and inside Matt
and Chase were arguing over what to do.  Chase was telling Matt they should
call someone, when William walked through the door.

    "William?"

    "Yes, he's home!"

    "Chase, I'm sorry!  I left a note, but I never thought you'd beat me
home...."

    Chase frowned toward Matt.  "Did you look for a note?"

    Matt looked embarrassed.  "Sorry, Chase...."

    "I was so worried," Chase said.  When he hugged William, he felt the
boy wince.  "Are you alright?"

    "I went for a run to get out and to get some exercise, but I overdid it
and got a bad cramp in my leg....  I had gone so far, and I had to rest
before I came back....  But I met an interesting fellow," he said, telling
about the old rabbi, except the magic parts in Matt's presence.

    Chase turned to Matt and said, "Thanks for coming over, but I'm going
to help William with his leg, and...."

    "And what?"

    "Well, I don't know how much you want to watch me massage my
boyfriend's leg...."

    "Oh, yeah!  You guys have fun," Matt said, laughing, and let himself
out with a wave.

    "Now, you!  Lay down on the couch and I'll be right back...."  William
did as he was told, and Chase returned with a muscle cream.  "Where's the
cramp?"  William guided his hand to the place on the back of his thigh.
"Roll, over, then...."  William did as he was told, and Chase began
applying the cream to the area with a firm massage, working his finger into
the knotted flesh until he felt the muscles begin to relax.  As the tension
melted, William's whole body relaxed and a few moments after Chase stopped
massaging and moved so that William's head was cradled in his lap, William
fell asleep.  Chase turned on the TV with low volume and sat there until
his parents came home, running his fingers through the boy's thick hair,
occasionally stroking his cheek.

    Sarah made her way to the bedroom to change into more comfortable
clothes, but Steve stopped and whispered, "What's wrong?"

    "Why, what do you mean?"

    "I smell the cream...."

    Chase smiled.  "William went for a run and pushed himself too hard...."
Steve nodded, figuring he knew what that was about, and followed his wife
to the bedroom.  Then Chase slipped out from under William and quietly
knocked on the bedroom door.

    "Just a sec....  Come on in," his mother answered, and Chase came in
and sat on the bed.

    "SO!?!"

    "So, what?"

    "MOM!"

    Smiling, Sarah sat next to her son.  "The doctor doesn't think anything
is physically wrong, based on his 'special' exams of us, but he gave us a
month's supply of a ... potion or medicine or whatever, and told us to get
to work...."

    "Ewww!"

    "How did you think it was going to work," she said with a laugh.

    "I was hoping it would have something to do with lab coats and turkey
basters!"

    "Well, he thinks we can do it the old fashioned way with his
potion...."  Chase gave her a big hug, and then gave one to his dad, and
they both thought he looked like he'd explode.

    When William appeared groggily in the doorway and asked, "How'd it go,"
Chase ran into his arms and squeezed him tight.

    "Soon, soon, soon!"

    "Don't get ahead of yourself, Chase," his father warned.  "But the
doctor is very hopeful that we could see a result soon...."

    "That's wonderful," William said, flashing a brilliant, if sleepy
smile.

    "Why don't we go out for dinner," Sarah suggested.  "I don't feel at
all like cooking...."  Everyone agreed, and though no one said it, it was
to be something of a celebration.

    "Casual or fancy," Steve asked.

    "Fancy," Chase answered.  William smiled and the two boys went upstairs
to get ready.  William needed a shower, while Chase decided to change from
his slacks and blazer into a navy suit with a cream shirt, which he was
able to identify on his own by the color-coding label system on his
hangers.  William walked into the room in his towel and said, "God, you're
beautiful...."

    Chase turned to him and smiled, and William dropped his towel to help
straighten Chase's tie.  In return, Chase planted a finger in the middle of
his chest and dragged it down his tight abs to his pubes and wrapped his
fingers around the hardening cock, giving it three quick jerks.  Then he
said, "Now, get ready!"

   "Tease!"  William pulled on his blue dress pants and a cream shirt to
match his Chase, but skipped the jacket as the shirt hugged his form
flatteringly.  When they were ready, the boys walked downstairs together
and presented themselves to Chase's appreciative parents.

    "You guys look great," Sarah exclaimed.  William blushed and Chase
thanked his mother.  "Let me get a picture," she said, retrieving the
camera.  "Stand by the fireplace...."  When she had her pictures, William
changed his appearance, and they all piled into the SUV and drove into town
to a little French restaurant Sarah liked.

    William thought the place was great, and ordered some of his favorite
dishes from his family's trips to France.  They really were enjoying
themselves and desert was on order when two girls from Chase's school came
by their table.

    "Hi, Chase," the brunette said, "It's Natalie Hall, from school, and
Marjory Tate."  So Marjory must be the blond, William thought.  Then he
noticed how tight-lipped Chase's smile was.

    "Hi, Natalie, Marjory," he answered, remaining seated, which again
surprised William, since he was usually so polite.  "These are my parents,
Steve and Sarah, and this is my friend, William...."

    "Hi, William," Natalie said in her syrupy voice.  "Are you just
visiting, or are you staying for a while?"

    "It's looking like I'll be staying for a while, Chase's family has been
kind enough to let me stay with them while my family is away...."

    "Well, you should get Chase to bring you to the dance next month if
you're still here....  I'm sure a lot of the girls would like to meet
you...."  With that, the girls waved and walked off, giggling, and William
looked down to see Chase's white-knuckled grip on the arms of his chair.
Discreetly, William reached beneath the tablecloth and put his hand on
Chase's inner thigh and began stroking it with his fingers, until he saw a
smile creep back into the boy's face and he released his grip on the chair.

    "I hate those girls," Chase said to no one in particular.

    "Honey," Sarah said, but Chase cut her off.

    "No, they're popular and mean....  They've made fun of me for years....
They used to put things in my way to make me stumble until they got caught,
put signs on my back....  If Matt didn't go everywhere with me....  And now
they make fun of him, ask him about his boyfriend...."

    William took his hand, still hidden, and said, "I'll go to that dance
WITH YOU if you want...."

    "I don't know if coming out would make my life any better, William,"
Chase said with a laugh.

    "Well, I could go and play a few tricks in return....  Or I could
glamour the hottest babe in the world and get a dress...."

    Chase giggled, and asked, "You'd do that for me...."

    "I'd do anything for you, sweetheart."  Chase leaned over, nearly
forgetting where he was, but stopped at the last minute and just squeezed
William's hand.

    "Well, I'd for one prefer you didn't return evil for evil," Sarah said,
"but if you'd like to go together, we would support you...."

    "I'd love to go out, but I understand if you think it would make life
at school too hard...."  William said.  Chase smiled at him, and made an
easy decision, leaning in to kiss William, who put his hand on the boys
face and returned his kiss with passion.  Then, with a wicked grin, Chase
said, "Now tell me what Natalie's and Marjory's faces look like...."

    William laughed and said, "Well, some kind of mix between, 'Oh my God,
it's a ghost,' and 'Oh my God, the hot blond just killed my cat'...."

    "Excellent," Chase said.

    "But, they're both on their cell phones, and the parents look fit to be
tied...."

    "I figured it would be easier than coming out -- I don't even have to
say anything this way, and now we can go to the dance together and you
won't have to wear a dress, unless you want to...."

    They all chuckled a little, but then they noticed that Natalie's
parents were actually coming over.  The severe looking couple stopped short
and waited for the adults to acknowledge them, but neither Sarah nor Steve
did.  So Natalie's father cleared his throat.  Steve looked over at him
casually, raising his eyebrows.

    "It's one thing to have the misfortune of having a gay son," the man
began, sounding mighty self-righteous, "but it's quite another thing having
him flaunt his sin in public.  This is a family restaurant...."

    Steve, not paying the man enough respect to stand, or even to turn and
look at him, smiled at his son and said, "Well, we are a family, and I
think they make a rather handsome couple...."

    "It's no wonder you have such iniquity spring up under your roof," the
man replied.  Sarah looked furious; how dare these people speak about her
sweet boy like this.  She nearly stood, but William beat her to it.  Slowly
and casually he stepped around the table, holding his head high and his
shoulders back.

    "Mr. Hall," he said with an almost sinister smile, that made the man
take an involuntary step back, "I don't know any purer soul than Chase....
But sin is a dragon that lurks by the way, waiting to devour...."  He
pronounced sin so that the s hissed.  Waving his hand in front of the man,
William's face darkened.  "What a hypocrite!  You adulterer....  Who is
she?  Your secretary?  Your coworker?  Or is it a he?  Your boss, perhaps?"
William turned his back on the man, and resumed his seat, taking Chase's
hand in his own.

    The couple, the man flustered and the woman furious, turned and stormed
off, each shooting the boy nervous glances.

    "Hall is cheating on his wife," Steve asked, laughing.

    "I don't know," William said, laughing, "I'm no mind-reader.  Actually,
the way he looked at me, the good money says he has a man or boy on the
side...."

    "So, did you do something, curse him or something," Sarah asked.

    "Well, no, and yes," William said, again laughing.  "Nothing magic!
But I put a bug in his wife's ear, and he's going to be paranoid now....
That's a combination that spells self-fulfilling prophecy...."  Everyone
laughed then, paying only self-congratulatory notice to the glares they
were receiving from the dysfunctional table across the room.

    When they arrived home, Matt was sitting on the front porch.  "Jesus,
Chase, what did you do?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Don't give me that....  I just got like ten phone calls asking me if
it's true....  Being a good friend, I say I don't know...."

    "I kissed William in front of Natalie Hall and her lap-dog Marjory...."

    Matt put his hands on his head, and said, "Tomorrow's going to be a
shit-storm...."

    "Maybe....  But I feel very free all of a sudden...."

    "Well, I'm going to have to get caught having sex with a girl in a
broom-closet if I'm going to make it out alive, socially," Matt exclaimed,
storming off.

    "See you tomorrow!"

    "I'd shoot you a bird, but if you shoot a blind kid a bird, does
anybody see it," Matt said, shooting the bird anyway.

    "You did it anyway, didn't you," Chase asked, laughing and knowing the
answer.

    Upstairs, William asked Chase if he thought Matt would really be
alright.  "Matt just rolls with the punches...."

    "I'm just worried those might not be metaphorical punches anymore....
I mean, you're mostly protected, who wants to be the guy who beat up the
blind kid...."

    "I guess you're right....  What should I do?"

    "I don't know....  Maybe it will go differently than expected...."

    "You never know," Chase said, with a grin.  The boys undressed and
crawled into bed and soon fell asleep.  William woke up early the next
morning and climbed out of bed and showered.  He pulled out his book,
looking for something to help Matt, but he found nothing, so he ran outside
in the yard with spoon full of honey and spread it on a tree branch.  After
he ate his cereal, he found a couple of bugs flying around the honey and a
few with their legs stuck in it.  First he stunned them, then he enchanted
them to do his bidding.  He had six, so he assigned three each to follow
Matt and Chase at a distance of no more than fifteen and no less than five
feet.

    Just as he was releasing the bugs, he heard Chase call from the house,
"William?"

    "I'm out in the yard, sweetheart...."

    "Alright, I'm going to run," Chase said, and William ran up to him for
a hug and kiss.

    "Be careful today....  And tell Matt to do the same...."

    "Alright," Chase said.  "See you at home."

    When the boy was gone, William went back down to his shed and unlocked
the mystic locks, letting himself inside, and went to work on his expansion
of the inside, creating a trans-dimensional doorway.  He did this by
drawing a door in chalk on a bare wall, and then copying a complex series
of sigils on the doorway.  Then he knocked on the door with his wand three
times.  Suddenly, the door no longer looked like chalk but like a real
door.  Opening the door, he stepped out into black, open space.  With his
wand, he traced out the space he wanted to claim, and walls appeared when
he said the incantation.  Now he had an additional room, perhaps 20 by 40,
that he could use for practicing dangerous spells or, as he planned to do,
to set up his weight machine.

    With a few more spells, the room was lit and the walls were decorated a
little.  Then, on one wall, he traced a slightly smaller door, a safe, and
used similar spells to create a large, private, and unbreakable safe to
keep his most prized possessions.  The door would only open if he placed
his hand on its face and pronounced an incantation is his own voice.
Taking a break, he closed his eyes, and saw that Chase and Matt were
together and that all looked relatively calm.  The boys were in class.

    William walked up to the house for lunch and made himself a sandwich,
before returning to work.  Around two, there was a knock at the door of the
shed.  Steve stood outside, and William called for him to come in.  Steve
looked around at all the jars on the shelves, picking a few up to peer
inside.

    "I see you ordered a stainless steel workstation with gas hookups for
your Bunsen burners....  We can't run gas lines, so we'll need to buy you a
gas canister to go out here....  And what's this," Steve asked about the
door, seemingly to nowhere.  When Steve opened it, there was nothing on the
other side.  William laughed.

    "Can I show you," the boy asked, and the man nodded.  William knocked
on the door with his wand and turned the knob.  "Come on...."  William led
Steve into the room.

    "My goodness, no wonder you only wanted a small building," the man
said.  "I take it this is where you're setting up your exercise
equipment...."

    "Yes!"  William said happily.

    "Very nice," Steve said, and he was about to say something when William
got a little weak in the knees.  He closed his eye; one of his bugs had
caught a conversation between three of the jocks.  They were going to
ambush Matt after school before the buses....

    "School, now," William said, taking off at a run to the car, and Steve
was a few steps behind.  When they arrived at the school, there was a crowd
already gathering in the parking lot.  There were no teachers nearby, so
William jumped from the still-moving car.  When he arrived at the closed
circle of students, he shouted but no one would let him through, so with a
burst of energy, he knocked the children aside and walked into the circle
where Matt was on his knees.  William thanked God the boy wasn't badly
hurt.

    "What the fuck do you think you're doing," William yelled at the three
boys, tossing his jacket onto the ground.  Chase, where was Chase?  He was
waiting on the bus....  The boys had gotten separated....

    "Who the hell are you," the alpha-jock demanded, looking more than a
little amused.  William was an athlete but he lacked the bulk of any of
these guys.  William heard the crowd around him whispering.

    "He's the boy from last night," a girl's voice called, and the whispers
intensified.

    William's face grew dark, and he spoke with a deadly softness, "You
two, you can walk away now, if you want to save yourselves....  Surely your
boss can take care of himself...."

    "Ain't nobody our boss...."

    "Are you afraid to take on one kid by yourself," William taunted.  "It
took three of you to take care of Matt, so I think you're going to need
reinforcements."  The crowd was hushed now.  No one talked to these guys
like that.  William walked over to Matt and helped him to his feet.

    "What are you doing, they're going to kill you...."  Even as Matt said
it, William knew the two goons were rushing him from behind.

    "Go!  Get out of here," he said to Matt.  Concentrating on his foot,
William brought a sharp magical force to bear as he rounded on the boys,
kicking the first one square in the chest, laying him on his back.  Then,
rising, he drove the base of his palm into the second boy's sternum,
doubling him over in pain.  With unnatural calm, he walked between his
attackers toward their leader, who stood four or five inches taller than
him.

    "You can't go after my boyfriend, because he's blind, so you beat up
his straight friends?  Well, I'm here, I'm queer, what are you going to do
about it?"  He was pleased when he heard nervous giggling in the audience
at his adaptation of the gay rights mantra.

    The boy looked pissed, and he took a clumsy punch.  Like lightening,
William grabbed his fist and spun around behind him, driving a foot into
the back of the ballplayer's knee, driving him to his knees.  William kept
constant pressure on his arm, kept it near breaking.  "If you, or any of
your friends come after my friends again, you'll never play football
again," William announced, then leaned over and whispered, "And if you ever
dream of hurting Chase, they'll never find your fucking foot, you
Neanderthal...."  Then in a swift change of direction, he jerked the boy's
arm down and out, dislocating it with a sickening noise.  "Something to
remember me by," he said, walking away from the three boys and helping Matt
to Steve's SUV.  Steve had already found the bus and gotten Chase, so they
drove off.

    "Are you okay, William," Steve asked.

    "Yeah, no one even touched me," he said, darkly.  "Are you okay, Matt?"

    "Bloody nose, bruised rib," he grumbled.  "It's been worse...."

    "What happened," Chase asked, sadly.

    "I dropped my bag on the way to the bus, and one of those goons grabbed
my arm and dragged me out the back exit....  A lot of kids must have known
something was going down, because it was a big crowd....  How'd you get
here so fast?"

    "Intuition....  I thought something might happen at the end of school,
and when we saw the crowd, I knew where to go...."

    "How did you stop it," Chase asked, and Matt laughed.

    "He kicked their asses," Matt proclaimed.  "I mean, really.  I think
they'll have to use the second string quarterback for the first few
games....  On the bright side, I don't think anyone's going to bother us
any time soon...."

    "I'm so sorry," Chase said, his voice breaking.  "I shouldn't have been
selfish...."

    Matt reached over and took his friend's hand, squeezing.  "Wanting to
be yourself is public isn't selfish....  The people who want you to hide
are selfish....  Besides, I got a date with Amy Roebuck on Friday...."

    "What," Chase asked with a laugh.  "How did you land a date with your
dream-girl?"

    "Well, when William helped me up and I hobbled off, she helped keep me
on my feet....  William let everybody know I was straight, and she said she
thought I was brave to stand by my friends and pretty cute, so...."

    "Wow," Chase said.

    "I know, definitely worth a beating...."

    "Tell me, it really isn't that bad, is it?"

    "Chase, it's okay really," Matt said, laughing.

    "I mean, he's definitely no me," William said with a laugh, "but he's
still basically reasonable to look at...."  Matt swatted him on the back of
the head at that.

    "Boys, now listen up....  Today was really close, and if wasn't for
William, who knows.  From here on out, take your cell phones with you. Keep
them on vibrate and text me at the first sign of trouble....  Understand?"

    The boys agreed readily, and when the car stopped they piled upstairs
to Chase's room.  William couldn't help himself and gave Matt a hug and
repeated his apologies.

    "Alright, alright," Matt said after a few minutes, "you've had your
feel...."  William laughed, and Chase snorted.  William asked them about
their day and how things had gone otherwise.  Actually, it turned out that
a few people were really supportive, aside from the mean girls and jocks,
who had always been against them.  A number of moderately popular people
had joined them for lunch, and things had seemed to be coming up roses
until the incident with the jocks.

    "Well, even some of the jocks were nice to us....  Some of the
swimmers, and some of the baseball players....  Even a guy from the
basketball team sat with us at lunchtime.  Turns out, his big brother was
gay," Chase went on at length.

    "And don't forget," Matt added, "I got a date with Amy....  That'll
definitely raise my social currency...."  The boys laughed, and pretty soon
it was time for Matt to go.  Chase got to his homework and William walked
down to his shed.  Steve followed him out.

    "William, I don't normally condone that kind of ... but ... thank
you....  I don't believe you had many choices...."  The boy nodded.  "Do
you think it's safe at school for them?  Chase is so damn positive, it's
hard to tell...."

    "It sounds like they made a lot of friends, actually, and I think most
of their enemies will be pretty wary of my ... response....  In any case,
as soon as it can be arranged, I'll be there with them...."  William's look
of hard determination sent the message.

    "I was hoping you'd say that," the man said with a smile and walked
back toward the house.  William entered the building, and grabbed a book
from the shelf.  He had to work on his present for Chase -- he had less
than two weeks, and it would be a very difficult thing to finish....  He
only emerged when he heard Chase call him up for dinner, and afterward,
Chase still had homework to attend to, so William went back to his
building's inner room and sat on the bare floor, placing his arms parallel
to the ground, and chanted, "I call upon the great power of the earth, to
grant me from your bounty a small token," over and over until his mind was
clear of all other intentions.

    Suddenly a hulking figure rose up in front of him with a booming voice,
"For what you ask, a price must be paid!"

    William reached to his left and picked up a dagger.  Holding his left
hand palm up, he drew the blade across his hand.  Making a fist, the first
drops of blood struck the earth.  After the blood had flowed for over a
minute, the voice announced, "Very well!"  And with an explosion, he was
gone.  But in the dirt, where blood had pooled, there was now a golden
metal swirled with black.  William collected the metal and placed it into a
black velvet bag, then he walked to his vault and place his hands on the
door, pronouncing the incantation.  The huge door swung open, and William
sat it on a shelf.  There was precious little of this substance, sometimes
called angelic gold, in existence, and to the few who knew of it, it was
more valuable than the most perfect of diamonds.

    He shut the vault behind him, and made his way out to the shed, locking
each successive door until he stood beneath the moonlight.  As he came into
the house, he found Sarah looking over some papers.

    "Sarah, could I get some bandage, please.  I had a little accident and
cut my hand...."

    The woman grabbed her first aid kit and got some bandage and peroxide.
Holding his hand over the sink, Sarah said, "I'm sorry....  This is going
to hurt...."  William cried out when the cold liquid started bubbling in
his wound.  Then Sarah wiped the wound dry and bandaged it up.  "You'll be
fine!  Remarkably clean cut...."

    "I cut myself on one of my tools...."

    "Do be careful," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and giving
him a pat, before he plodded up stairs.

    Entering his shared room, he asked, "How's the work coming?"

    "Nearly finished with my paper....  It's not due til next week, but I
was on a roll...."

    "Very good!"  William put his hand on Chase's shoulder, and Chase felt
the bandage.

    "What happened?!"

    "I cut myself -- no big deal...."

    Chase stood and kissed him on the cheek.  Then he stripped down, but
before he could walk over to bed, William wrapped his arms around his naked
body, running his hands across his smooth chest and abdomen.  He whispered,
"I love you...."

    Chase turned to face him and wrapped his arm around the boy, laying his
head against his chest.  "I love you too...."  William slipped his clothes
off, and the boys crawled under the covers, cuddling close.

    "So, how do you think it'll go tomorrow," Chase asked, running his
fingers through the light, soft hair on William's lower abdomen.

    "That feels good....  Tomorrow?"

    "With your uncle X, silly?"

    "Oh, yeah....  I think he'll flip, and he'll probably be pissed that I
didn't call him, or that your dad didn't...."

    "He'll get over it when he sees you're okay...."  William nodded and
stroked Chase's lower back.  Gradually, they fell into a deep sleep
together.

    In his sleep, Chase dreamed of a familiar room, where he found Gideon
waiting for him.  "Hello, Chase...."

    "Gideon!"

    "How are you?"

    "I feel bad about what happened today with Matt....  He doesn't deserve
to get hurt just because he's my friend...."

    "I'm sorry about that, it couldn't be avoided....  And some good will
come of it, trust me....  Don't feel bad...."

    "I can't help it....  Until William came along, he was the only person
my age I could trust...."

    "Part of what you'll find soon enough is that there are people you can
trust.  Follow your heart, trust your instincts....  You'll know whose
intentions are good most of the time, and you'll have William for the
rest...."

    Chase's smile was infectious, even for Gideon, and he ruffled the boy's
hair.  "Gideon ... I know I shouldn't ask, but ... could I see him, just
once...."

    Gideon's face fell and he turned away from the boy; because of his
condition, the only face the boy knew by sight was Gideon's, because the
boy could see in his dreams.  Gideon felt ashamed to have to deny the boy,
given the secret which bound the two of them more closely than most
guardians to their charges.  In any case, Gideon was no typical guardian.

    "I'm sorry, Chase, but I am forbidden....  It is very difficult for me
because of my ... affection for you...."  He reached out and touched the
boy's cheek in his dream, leaning in and whispering, "But I swear this to
you....  I promise that one day, you shall see his face...."  Gideon
withdrew his hand and the room trembled, as Chase's eyes snapped open, full
of tears of happiness and confusion.