Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:31:56 -0600
From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com>
Subject: A light in the darkness II 7

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



 AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is sequel to the "Things that Go Bump" and "A
Light in the Darkness" stories.  You should probably read those first!
Sorry for the long break but I've started a new and demanding job (third
job, anyway)!



I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well.  I'm putting them up
there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to
Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out.  It's closed
membership to avoid spam and flames, so just let me know!



Chapter 07



	"Marcus!" Carl complained.  "Fix it?"

	"Try again yourself!" the man laughed.  Carl had accidentally
transmogrified himself into a squirrel, but was unable to reverse the
process.  "You see, this is what happens when you get ahead of yourself!"

	"I know!" Carl pleaded.  "Just help me!"

	"I did warn you, you know," the man said to him, smiling, as he
waved his wand over the boy and returned him to human form.  Then he turned
to Chris and said, "You're just lucky that this isn't something your people
ever really got into!"

	"I am," Chris said.  "But all of this energy manipulation stuff is
pretty abstract!"

	"And very dangerous once you get in to it," Marcus warned, though
Carl looked dubious.  "I'm serious!  I mean, do you know what someone like
Rabbi Roth, or Chase, can do?"

	Carl looked very serious and shook his head.  "I saw Chase destroy
a demon's pure spirit."

	"WHAT?" Chris and Marcus asked in unison.

	"When the whole thing with Sammael was going down, Sammael sent a
pair of demons, an incubus and succubus to infiltrate our school.  One of
them helped us, but the other was loyal, and Chase, well, you guys didn't
hear about this?"

	"Chase's part in the whole thing is mostly unknown, except to
Sebastian, James, and Avery," Marcus said.

	"It was the strangest thing.  He revealed her demon spirit," Carl
said with a shiver, "and then he made the most complex series of images,
like he was painting in fire in the air.  Then the whole thing was spinning
around her and contracting until she was gone."

	"SHIT!" Chris declared.

	"I've never heard of anything like that," Marcus said, in awe.

	"Be thankful you never saw anything like it," Carl said with
another deep shiver.  "I thought Chase would never stop crying."  Carl told
them all about that day when his whole world changed – even more than
when he admitted to himself he liked boys.

      ***

      James looked both ways as he stepped out of the alley, and quickly
turned right.  He had remembered to put up a glamour, so he looked nothing
like himself, but he still felt exposed.  Perhaps it was the sunlight.  And
he couldn't remember the last time he walked the streets on his own.
Quickly he arrived at the building where his brother lived; a small café
dominated the ground floor, but the stories of apartments were accessed by
a keypad security access stairwell.

      James touched the keypad and whispered an incantation.  A flash of
electricity shot from his finger and the door buzzed open.  With a quick
look over his shoulder, he dashed up the stairs.  On the third floor, he
found his brother's door and went to knock, but hesitated for a long time.
At last, however, he overcame his nerves and rapped on the door.

      Only when he heard footsteps did he remember to drop his glamour and
return to his true form at the last moment.  His brother opened the door in
his bath robe and looked shocked to see him.  "Jamey?" he asked with shock.

      "Hey, Josh," James said, shoving his hands in his pockets.  "Uhm, can
I come in?"

      "Oh, shit!  Sure!  Come on!"  Josh waved him inside and asked, "What
are you doing up here?"

      "I came to find you," James said simply.

      Josh sighed and picked up the phone.  "Maggie, my little brother is
in town.  I won't be in today."  Then after a little pause, he added,
"You're the best!  See you in the morning!"  Then he sat down across from
James, his hairy legs crossed casually.  "Well, here I am."

      "Josh," James said, the name slipping through his lips with a sound
both exasperated and pleading.  "You left me there!  You know what he was
like with me."

      "I had to get away, buddy.  You wouldn't understand why, but I had
to.  I'm sorry things got harder for you when I was gone."

      "You could try to explain," James said, his eyes misting over.

      Josh got up and walked across to his window.  "I don't know.  How do
you explain something like that to your little brother?"  With a deep sigh,
he continued, "Do you remember Billy Tompkins?"

      "The tall, redheaded kid.  He was a drama club guy, right?" James
asked.

      "Yeah.  That's him.  He also used to tutor me some in math to help me
out.  He was a really nice guy."  James sat silently through his brother's
pause, forcing the man to continue.  "He was sweet.  When dad would yell at
me and tell me how worthless I was, I could talk to Billy.  He told me dad
was wrong."

      James got up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.  "You CAN
tell me, Joshy," he whispered.

      "Give me a minute, Jamey," Josh said, and walked across the room to
the bedroom.  As the minutes passed, he began to wonder what was going on,
but soon his question was answered.

      When the door opened again, his brother was dressed, and the he was
accompanied by a taller, lean-muscled red-head.  James smiled and said,
"Billy?"

      "Hey James!" the man replied.  "It's been a long time.  Last time I
saw you, you were...  And wow!"

      "So, you guys have been together since you left?" James asked, still
smiling.

      "We've been together since junior year, Jamey," Josh said wrapping
his arm around the tall man at his side.  "We got married in Connecticut!"

      "Wow," James said, shaking his head with a smile.

      "You're taking this way better than I expected, Jamey," Josh said.
"Especially given what happened..."

      "Josh!  There's a big difference between being gay and being what he
was!" James declared violently, then calmed himself.  "Did dad ever know?"

      "Yeah," Josh said, laughing.  "The night before I left for college,
freshman year, I came out to mom and dad.  Dad told me to never come back,
never call or write, and to stay away from you.  I tried to call you, but
he always answered first, you know that."

      "Why didn't you call after mom kicked him out?" James asked.

      "Mom kicked him out?" Josh asked.

      "You really were cut off, huh?" James asked.  "Just before she died,
she kicked him out, filed for divorce."

      "Why?" Josh asked.

      "Dad was going to cut me off too.  I guess she couldn't bear to do it
again," James said.

      "WHAT?" Josh asked.  "Why would...?"  James just smiled and shook his
head.  "No shit?"

      "His name is Sebastian," James smiled and reached for his wallet.
There was a little picture of them together in Paris that he handed to
Josh.

      "Is this Paris?" Josh asked, laughing.

      "Just across from Notre Dame," he answered.  "I've been living with
him since I got out of the hospital."

      "Hospital?" Josh asked.

      "I assumed you knew," James said.  "When he shot mom, he shot me too.
I nearly died."

      Josh grabbed his brother and gave him a big hug, and James could feel
him crying.  "I would have come home for that, baby bro," he said in a
whisper.  "I'm so sorry..."

      "You should have come home for mom, too," James answered.  "She
learned a lot from what she did wrong with you.  But I get why you didn't.
It really hurt that you didn't come to see me, though."

      "I didn't know," Josh said.  "I didn't know."

***

      Sebastian came upstairs from his office and called out to James, but
got no reply.  He could tell instantly that James wasn't in the house, and
reached out for him with his mind.  `James?'

      `Yes?'

      `Where are you?' Sebastian wondered.

      `I'm with Josh in Albany...  I'm sorry, but I needed to see him
alone, first,' James answered.

      `It is risky going out on your own right now, but I understand.  But
I'm coming.' Sebastian replied.

      `Great,' James answered, surprising him.  `See you soon!'

***

	"So, Sebastian is in town too, guys," James said.  "I just asked
him to give me some time to come see you.  But I'd love for him to meet you
guys!"

	"Can you stay for dinner?" Billy asked.  "I have to go to work, but
I'd love to meet him too!"

	"Sure!" James said.  Then he hugged his brother-in-law and the man
departed after grabbing his attaché case.

	"So when will he be here?" Josh asked.

	"Soon, I expect," James smiled.  Then the two of them sat and
caught u for a bit until the doorbell rang.

      Josh picked up the phone and said, "Barton-Tompkins residence."

      "Hello, it's Sebastian.  I'm with James."

      "Come on up," Josh said, pressing the button to unlock the door.  A
few moments later, the knock came and he opened the door.  "Wow!  You are
cute!"

      "Did you expect anything less from your little brother?" Sebastian
asked with a winning smile.

      "You are a slick devil," Josh smiled.  "Come on in!"  Sebastian sat
next to James and grabbed his hand softly.  "So tell me about yourself,
Sebastian."

      "Well, there's not that much to tell," Sebastian answered with a
put-on shy smile.  James frowned playfully and quickly mentally updated
Sebastian on the situation.

      "Now why don't I believe that's true?" Josh said with a smile.  "Can
I get you something to drink?"

      "Water is fine," Sebastian said, and when the man returned, he
continued.  "You'll have to excuse me.  I am a very private person; I don't
trust many people."

      Josh put his hand up and said, "You don't have to tell me anything."

      "No," Sebastian replied with a smile and sat the glass down.  "You
should know something about the person your little brother is living
with...  My name is Sebastian van der Meer, and I'm the heir to a major
international financial empire."

      "Your father owns van der Meer Holding Company?" Josh asked, to their
surprise.  "What? I work in finance, remember!"

      Sebastian nodded appreciatively.  "Not exactly.  I'm an orphan.  I
own van der Meer Holdings, among other companies."

      "I guess you can afford to take my brother to Paris whenever he
wants, then," Josh said, laughing.

      "You and your husband should join us some time," Sebastian added
casually.

      Josh smiled, but it quickly faded.  "How did you know about Billy?
James didn't know and I just told him a moment ago."

      "Well, it took some work finding you.  James took off as soon as he
had the address, but one of the things our search turned up was a marriage
license with your name on it," Sebastian replied, lying easily.

      "Oh, well!  I guess you have good people working for you," Josh said.

      "The best," Sebastian nodded.  "And I had the help of some old
friends who think the world of your brother."

      "I guess you guys have been through a lot in a short time," Josh
said, thinking quietly.  "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, James."

      "You can't even imagine what we've accomplished, though," Sebastian
smiled, trying to buoy the man's spirits.  "And of course we've got each
other!"

      "Josh, there's a reason I came looking for you now," James said with
a sigh.

      Josh looked up at them with a question in his eye, and Sebastian
answered, "I am a very prominent person, you understand.  Yesterday, we
received an envelope in the mail." He handed the envelope to Josh, who took
out the pictures.

      "What does it mean?" he asked.

      "Someone is watching you, and wants us to know it," Sebastian
answered.  "Beyond that, we don't know what they want.  But we know that,
when the time is right, they intend to use you to get what they want.  And
that means you are in danger."

      Josh's face had grown progressively pale.  "Billy!"

      Sebastian smiled and shook his head.  "I have a team on him right now
that can extract him if necessary."

      "What are we going to do?"  Josh asked, slumping back into his chair.
"A team, already?"

      Sebastian smiled again.  "We're big, we're powerful, and we're
experienced," he answered with a shrug.  Josh nodded.  "Now, as for what
you're going to do, I have an idea but I don't know how you're going to
like it.  You like Albany?"

      Josh shrugged.  "It's alright.  We've both got good jobs with upward
mobility, but neither of us have family here."

      "Ever been to Richmond?" Sebastian asked.

***

	"Amy, can't we talk about this?" Matt pled with the girl by her
locker.

	"Matt, we're young.  I don't know what'll happen while I'm gone and
neither do you.  We shouldn't get so serious!"

	"But breaking up?  It's like you're planning to find another guy!"

	"I'm open to meeting a guy where I'll be," she admitted.  "This
long distance thing just isn't for me."

	"I am in love with you," he declared angrily, "and I thought you
were with me!"

	"Matt!  I do love you, but we're too young for this!" Amy
exclaimed, exasperated.  "Come on, Matt!  You'll have a hundred girls
chasing you around by the end of summer.  Make me out to be the bad guy if
it helps," she allowed, trying to be gracious.

	"BUT YOU ARE THE BAD GUY!" he hissed loudly and stormed off,
rubbing his eyes with his arm and hoping no one saw the tears.  Daniel had
been watching from his own locker and he trailed Matt down the hall and
into a men's room.

	"Matt?" he asked, finding no one standing in the open.  Matt didn't
answer but Daniel could hear his sniffling in the last stall.

      Daniel went in to the next-to-last stall and said quietly, "Matt,
what happened?"

      "Nothing," he said, and then after a long pause, he added, "I knew it
was coming, but I wasn't ready for it.  She broke up with me."

      "You'll find someone else," Daniel said.  Then he added, "Someone
better."

      "She was my dream girl, Danny," Matt said, then laughed.  He was
imagining the boy cringing as he always did when Matt called him that.
"Sorry, Daniel!"

      Daniel laughed too this time.  "Well, next time you'll find real
best, not dream best."

      Matt sort of laughed.  "That barely makes sense!"

      "Come on.  We've got to go to class," Daniel said.  "We'll hang out
tonight!"

      "Alright," Matt said and opened his stall.  Together, the two boys
made their way to class, and through the day.

***

	Chase and William were playing with Alex in the floor of their room
that afternoon, when Xavier brought them the phone.  "It's Daniel," he said
as he handed the phone to Chase.

	"Hey, Daniel," Chase said, giving William a look of confusion.
"Uhm, what can I do for you?"

	"I just wanted to call you.  Amy broke up with Matt officially, and
publicly today, and he took it pretty hard.  I'm going over there to hang
out, but I thought you guys might want to come to and help cheer him up?"

	"Yeah...  Yeah!  We'll be there soon.  Thanks a lot, Daniel!" Chase
said, hanging up the phone.

	"Amy broke up with Matt," Chase explained.  "We should go over
there."  William nodded and grabbed Alex.  They went downstairs and knocked
on Xavier's door.

	"What's up guys?" he asked, then laughed.  "You need me to watch
Alex!"

	William looked down and said, "I'm sorry, I know we're putting this
on you guys a lot, but..."

	"It's fine!" Xavier smiled.  "We love it, and besides, I need the
practice!"

	"Amy broke up with Matt today for real, and he's taking it kind of
hard," Chase explained.

	"GO!" Xavier said, shooing them.  "Send him our love too..."

	William drove the car and they arrived at Matt's in about fifteen
minutes.  Matt's mom opened the door and said, "Hello, sweeties," pulling
both of them into a hug.  "He'll be so happy to see you to!  Daniel's
upstairs already."

	The boys tromped upstairs to Matt's room, and found Matt and Daniel
sitting in the floor, leaning on Matt's bed, playing video games.  Matt was
dominating, of course, because Daniel only ever got to play when he was at
a friend's place, and that was rare enough before Matt.

	"You guys want to play?" Matt asked glumly.

	Chase just sat down next to the boy and laid his head on Matt's
shoulder.  "Are you okay?"

	Matt dropped his controller and leaned his head against Chase's and
shook his head as his eyes began to water and his shoulders began to heave.
William looked at Daniel and saw the boy's face boil with emotions –
empathy for his friend's sadness, but also something else.  Jealousy?

	Catching Daniel's attention, William cocked his head toward the
door, and mouthed, "Let's go."  Out in the hall, he said, "I think they
need some time alone."

	Daniel squirmed uncomfortably as he asked, "Doesn't it bother you?"
Seeing William's confusion, he added, "How close they are, I mean."

	"Honestly, it could have.  But they had what they had a long time
before I came along.  I'm just lucky they never put two and two together,"
William said honestly.

	"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

	"As tight as those two are?  And they know each other like we
barely know ourselves.  If things had not been very different, Matt might
have wised up and realized he and Chase could really have had something."

	Daniel looked thoughtful for a minute and asked, "Why do you think
he didn't?"

	"Matt is a very special person.  He's very protective, and I think
he was so busy being `big-brother', it never really occurred to him what
they could have.  To be honest, if Chase had regained his sight before me,
I think things might have been different."

	"But Matt and Amy," Daniel protested.

	"Gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever," William said.  "You know, I
always considered myself mostly straight before, but I never really thought
about it either.  When I saw Chase that morning in the woods, though, I had
a change in perspective," he said with a laugh.  "The first time we kissed,
it felt like my heart was being pierced."

	William paused for a moment and sighed.  "Matt and I are a lot
alike, I think.  I think Matt is mostly straight, but he's real comfortable
with male affection, and I think for the right person, he could open
himself up."  As he said the last, he watched Daniel's face carefully and
it confirmed his suspicions.  Daniel had a crush, and Matt was its object.

	"But there's nothing there between them?" Daniel asked.

	William laughed.  "There will always be SOMETHING there between
them, something that I can't touch.  It's old and deep and ... startling
sometimes, but it's different than what Chase and I share."  William held
up his hand and said, "You see these rings we wear?  They mean something I
can't explain to you.  But believe me when I say, however crazy deep Matt
and Chase may be, they both have this infinite reserve of real, maddening
love available for someone else.  I'm proof of that."

	Daniel smiled and said, "My parent's would never let me come over
here again if they heard you talking like that."  He laughed sadly and
said, "In fact, they would never let me come over here if they knew
anything about you and Chase!"

	"I hope you don't have a problem with us?" William asked.

	"No, you guys are great.  Weird – no, really, really weird –
but great.  It used to make me uncomfortable how open you guys were,"
Daniel added, honestly, "but then again, I still sometimes get weirded out
when Matt puts an arm around me or something.  In my family, you just don't
do that."

	"Don't do what?" William asked, confused.

	"Touch," Daniel said simply.

	"But I mean," William started to respond, but Daniel shook his
head.

	"I don't remember ever getting a hug, even from my mom," the boy
said softly, looking away.  He knew it was abnormal, and he was ashamed.

	William's eyes watered and he instantly grabbed the boy and drew
him in to a long, warm hug.  "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

	Daniel trembled a little at the boy's embrace, but soon relaxed.
But then he tensed up again, and William could sense why.  He felt
something poking him in the leg, even as he felt Daniel try to pull away.

	But William pulled him tight again.  "It's normal, Daniel.  It
happens to all guys, we can't help it.  It doesn't mean anything..."

	Daniel sobbed a couple of times softly in his arms, and William
rubbed his back gently until he calmed down.  "Thanks," the boy whispered,
though he was still blushing brightly.

	He was still wiping his face, when Chase opened the door and said,
"Hey guys!"  After a moment's pause, "Is everything okay?  I thought all
the emotion was in here!"

	"Deep thoughts," William explained and pulled Daniel back into the
room with him.  The boy's played card on the bed until Daniel had to go
home.

      Once they were alone, Chase and William also moved to go, since it
was a school night.  But Matt looked so unhappy, they stayed for another
hour, before calling and telling Xavier they'd be spending the night.

      As they piled into the bed, William snickered to himself wondering
what Daniel would think about all the bare boy flesh in this Matt sandwich.
But it sobered him up to think the poor boy had been raised to think of
this as a sin.  With that, he draped an arm across Matt's chest and closed
his eyes, losing himself in deep thoughts until sleep silenced them.

***

	Sebastian had gotten reservations at one of Albany's most exclusive
establishments, asking for a private seating arrangement so they could
discuss matters further.  He and James pretended to go back to a hotel to
change, when in reality they popped back to the house to get some nicer
clothes, and returned to Josh's apartment just after Billy got home.

	The young man opened the door and his mouth fell open.  "Shit!  You
guys look awesome, James!  You must be Sebastian?"

	With a smile and a nod, Sebastian responded, "Billy?"

	"Nice to meet you," Billy responded with a bright smile and ushered
them inside.

	"I guess this is a really nice restaurant," Josh asked with a laugh
on seeing them.

	"You could say that," Sebastian said with a sly grin.

	"Have I ever heard of it?" Billy said, as he stepped into their
room to change.

	Sebastian raised his voice to answer, "No, I don't think so.  It's
sort of a private club."

	James raised his eyebrows and projected with his mind, `Council?'

	`Yes, it's a private dinner club.  Sort of old school with the
twist that it's for professional gay men...'

	`How many of these things do you have?' James wondered.

	`A lot,' Sebastian replied with a smile.

	Sebastian pulled out his phone and called for a car to pick them
up, while the men got ready, so when Josh emerged and said, "We might have
trouble getting a cab here at this hour," Sebastian answered, "Taken care
of!"

	They walked downstairs to find a stretch hummer waiting for them.
The driver hopped out and opened the door.  "Where to?" he asked Sebastian,
tipping James off that this guy was Council, since Sebastian looked to be
the youngest of them all.

	"The Club," he said, simply, and the man nodded deferentially.

	"This is extravagant," Billy noted, being still unaware of
Sebastian's full story.

	"Not really," he replied with a cryptic smile, winking at Josh.

	"Billy," Josh laughed, "Sebastian is Sebastian van der Meer, he
owns van der Meer Holdings."

	"No shit?" Billy said.  "My firm has done some work for your
company!"

	"Oh?" Sebastian asked, surprised.  "You'll excuse me, but we do
business with so many law firms."

	"Of course," Billy replied, somewhat in awe.

	"I'm taking you to my club because I wanted some privacy to discuss
some business with you both.  I hinted at what we're going to discuss with
Josh earlier, but I wanted to lay it out fully for both of you, and we need
privacy for that."

	"We could have stayed in," Billy said.

	Sebastian smiled.  "More private than that..."  Seeing the look on
the man's face, he said, "People in my line of work have to be cautious,
and my presence in town won't have gone unnoticed.  The club has
countermeasures against such unwanted observation.  I'm sorry to be so
cryptic."

	Josh grabbed Billy's hand and explained, "Someone tracked me down
because of my brother...  They threatened me in order to put pressure on
Sebastian."

	"For which I'm deeply sorry, Billy," Sebastian lowered his gaze.
"But I hope that you'll find my plan satisfactory."

	Shortly they pulled up in front of a non-descript building, and the
driver came around and held their door.  At the building, Sebastian placed
his hand on a pad, and an electronic voice said, "Access granted.  Welcome
Consul van der Meer!"  Then he waved his guests to follow him in.

	A small army of porters and hosts awaited them just inside, taking
their coats.  "Can we get drinks for you gentlemen?  Or perhaps a cigar
from our cigar bar?" a handsome young host, clearly the supervisor, asked,
looking Josh up and down surreptitiously.

	"A glass of wine, please," Josh asked.  "How bout you, Billy?"

	"Same," the man answered, putting an arm around his husband's
shoulder, making the young host smile and nod.

	"Of course, sirs!"

	"Consul," a Council officer who clearly answered to Sebastian
emerged shortly.  "We've prepared a semi-private area in the dining room
for you, unless you'd prefer to eat in one of the private rooms?"

	"The dining room will be fine, David," Sebastian said with a smile.
"Everything running smoothly?"

	"Our profitability remains high, sir," the man smiled.  "It seems
even in our day, clientele such as ours value their privacy."

	"I should think so," Sebastian responded with a smile.
"Gentlemen?" he said to his guests, urging them to follow him as he took
James's arm.

	"Your clientele?" Billy asked with great curiosity.

	"Young men, up and coming professionals who prefer the company of
other men, but whose future success is better built on discretion."  Seeing
the question that was coming, he added, "This isn't a place for closeted
men, just men who would not be well served by being seen in clubs and
bars."

	"I see," Billy said.  "So it's a gay social club that really is a
social club."

	"Exactly," Sebastian smiled.  "And THOSE are as rare as you might
imagine.  Occasionally we get a man who'll show up with the wrong image in
mind of what goes on here, but we have a well-trained staff to keep
everything trouble-free.  I'll show you around later."

	After they ordered drinks and dinner, Sebastian made a signal to
their waiter and the young man withdrew from the room.  "So, as you may be
aware, Billy, I have a vast network of connections, and I have in mind a
proposal for you and Josh.  On paper, it may seem like a step down for you,
but I'd like you to consider it anyway."

	Billy nodded and he continued, "I have a friend in Richmond,
Virginia, who owns a consulting firm.  His business is to advise, and help
save, failing companies.  Recently, he has expanded his office, and has a
very large new account.  This will allow him some new opportunities,
because often his clients don't take his advice, to their own detriment.
With the large amount of capital now at his disposal, he'll be able to
acquire certain of those businesses and resurrect them under his client's
ownership."  James had a grin on his face as he shook his head.  "Steve is
a lawyer, and his new associate is a law student, but I'd like to see both
of you working with them.  Both of your skills would allow them to expand
much faster."

	"Alright," Josh said.  "How is this going to solve our security
problems?  And it does sound like a step down for Billy..."

	"Well, though we do not live in Richmond, we are there quite often
and have a large network there.  I can offer you a security detail there
far superior to anything here.  Steve's family are also quite prominent
there," Sebastian said, passing over THAT detail.  "Further, you'd get to
see your brother much more," Sebastian said, looking at Josh.  "As for
Billy, I'd look at this as an opportunity to build a base for one day
opening your own law firm.  I know some investors," Sebastian winked.
"Plus, you'd make more money and the cost of living is lower.  Less snow,
closer to the beach...  What's not to love?"

	"Well, it is the south," Billy noted with a grin.

	"True," Sebastian nodded.  "But it's a city and things ARE
improving.  In fact, Steve's son, Chase and his boyfriend are quite out,
and remain quite popular in school."

	Both men looked impressed, and James added, "Why don't you come
down and meet with some of the guys and see what you think?"

	"When?" they asked.

	"I'd like to leave tonight," Sebastian said, striking them dumb.
"I don't mean to press you here, but I don't want to leave town without
you.  I can have men packing your apartment by morning."

	"Is it really as serious as all that?" Josh asked.

	"More than I can easily explain," Sebastian nodded.  "If you are
hesitant to move away and give up your careers ... I've guaranteed you
employment with more future than you have now, but if that's not enough,
think about each other.  What if you said no, Josh, and something happened
to Billy?  Or Billy, the reverse?"

	James reached over and squeezed his hand, letting him know he
should ease up and let the two men think.  "Would you like some time alone
to talk?" James asked.

	Josh looked into Billy's eyes and he could see them answer each
other in the silence of that gaze.  "No," Josh said.  "We'll go.  Tonight."

	"Thank you," Sebastian said, tearing up a little at their devotion
to one another.  "Thank you."

	"So how do you know this Steve fellow will hire us?" Josh asked.

	Sebastian grinned and raised his eyebrows, "Because I'm Sebastian
van der Meer of course."  Seeing the look on their faces, he laughed gently
and said, "I'm kidding!  He'll hire you because I'm going to guarantee your
salary in business for the next five years at least, and he's a good
business man.  But besides that, he's a good man..."

	"I guess, accepting a gay son so easily," Billy said.  Billy's own
experience was perhaps stranger than Josh's.

	"Steve had taken Chase camping last year," James said.  "Chase was
blind then – he has since had a miraculous recovery – but they
discovered a boy in the woods, hiding from the people who killed his
parents.  Steve let Chase convince him to bring this boy home and shelter
him, even though it would ultimately cause them great trouble.  He lets his
son's boyfriend share a room with his sixteen-year-old son..."

	"No shit?" Josh asked, now having his turn to get misty eyed.  How
different everything might have been had his family been like Chase's!

	"There is so much more to tell," Sebastian smiled.  "But our
friends in Richmond are truly amazing people!"

	"Alright!" James exclaimed.  "This is so exciting!"

	Soon the food arrived, and they all had an enjoyable meal.
Afterwards, Sebastian showed them around.  "I know you guys are moving, but
we have a location in Richmond as well!  Perhaps we should throw in a
membership?"

	"You've been more than generous," Billy said. But Josh grabbed his
arm.

	"Don't be hasty!  Didn't you see the indoor pool?" Josh laughed.

	"TRUE!" his partner responded.

	Afterwards, the car took them straight to the airport, where a jet
was waiting to transport them all directly to Richmond, where Sebastian had
arranged two rooms at the Jefferson Hotel for the night.

***

	When Matt woke up in the morning, he had to slip out from beneath
Chase's arm and then crawl over William.  AS he was sliding over the boy,
William smiled and said, "Good morning wood to you too," and winked.

      Matt blushed fiercely as his erection was presently pressing against
William's stomach.  "You were already awake, weren't you?  Well now you
know what you're missing!"

      He let Matt start to walk away and said, "No, NOW I know what I'm
missing," and slapped him hard on the behind.

      "I'd say you shouldn't tease him so," Chase whispered when Matt was
in the bathroom, "but he loves it too much!"  William laughed and rolled
over, half on top of Chase and kissed him.  He felt Chase's body rise to
meet him, Chase's hands grasping at his back, and he groaned in pleasure.

      "Jesus, guys!  This is my bed remember?  You could at least have
waited for me to get back," he laughed.

      Chase threw a pillow at him and shook his head.  "Feeling better?"

      "Nah, I feel like shit, but I'm glad you guys were here," he said
honestly, one of the traits people loved in him.

      "Any time, man," William said, sliding out of bed and putting his
clothes back on.  Chase soon followed suit, and William watched
appreciatively as the boy bent over and pulled up his pants.  And then he
smiled to himself, and shook his head, because Matt was watching too,
totally oblivious to being observed.

      "Have fun at school," William smiled as Matt walked downstairs in
front of them.

      "Asshole," Matt grumbled.  "When you guys get back to school, I'm
going to make you miserable!"

      "You love us," Chase teased, and Matt was unable to repress his
smile.

      Out at the car, he thanked them again, and gave them both big hugs
before getting in and driving off.

      "Do you think he's going to be okay?" Chase said.

      "Eventually," William smiled.  "If there's anything Daniel can do
about it, it'll be sooner rather than later."

      "What?" Chase laughed in confusion.

      "Well, you saw me after talking to Daniel last night.  We had a
really good talk, Chase, but if there is one thing I'm sure of, it's that
Daniel is absolutely in love with Matt."

      "What?" Chase asked again, dumbfounded.  "Matt isn't..."

      "Think about all those years growing up, think about the sleepovers
we've all had; Matt is totally willing to flaunt himself for us.  He's
totally comfortable with us.  I don't think Matt is like you, but I think
he might be like me," William thought out loud.

      "I ... I guess he does flirt with Edward a lot!" Chase laughed.  "And
he's usually the first one out of his clothes..."

      "Yep," William said, unlocking their car.

      "Daniel, huh?" Chase asked.

      "His parents really screwed him up, but he seemed really interested
in whether Matt was `like us' last night..."

      "What did you tell him?" Chase asked.

      "Basically what I told you..."

      "Do you think that's a good idea?" Chase wondered.

      "If Daniel can work up the guts, Matt won't reject him.  He might not
be interested, but he'll be sweet to Daniel, you know he will..."

      "What if things do work out, though?  Daniel's parents..."

      "If it comes to that, we'll help," William smiled.