A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE

A Different Kind of Love By Whipp Livingston 2002

It was a Friday evening and it had been a long week for Beau Michaels. He was puttering around in his kitchen making supper when he heard someone coming in his front door. From where he was, he could not see the front door, but his name being called out had told him who it was.

"Beau?!" Hank yells.

"I'm in here!" Beau yelled back.

Hank came into the kitchen and Beau noticed Hank dressed in his civilian clothes and not his police uniform. He smelled like soap, a hint of Stetson cologne and fresh clothing. Hank takes a whiff of the rich aroma of something great cooking as it filled the entire house.

"Mmm, what smells so good?" he asked. He came up from behind and stood close to Beau and took an even bigger whiff, realizing how starved he was for a home cooked meal. Which he often got when visiting his best friend.

Beau slightly turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see a smiling Hank. "Pot Roast." Beau said. "There's also some potatoes, a vegetable, salad, and some wine too. But I haven't opened it yet."

"Well I can do that," Hank says. He grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter top and pulls a drawer open in front of him and pulls out the corkscrew. It doesn't take much for him to pop the cork as it makes a loud pop and he begins to pour the wine into two wine glasses.

"You're in a good mood today," Beau noticed as he gave a quick a smile. "So, what brings you here and how was your week?" he asked. "Get any bad guys?"

Hank was a cop for the Hillside Police Department where he had been working for the past thirteen years. He took the job right out of the police academy and had moved up in rank several times throughout the years.

Hank leaned against the counter and took a sip of wine from his glass. "Naw, it was kinda quiet today. But I did give out five speeding tickets during the week," he says. He went up behind Beau and snatched a carrot from the boiling pot.

"Get your grubby little hands out of there," Beau said as he poked Hank in the side with his elbow.

Hank pops it into his mouth and chews it quickly before burning his mouth.

"I thought I would come out and see what you're up to. I had an early shift today and I didn't feel like going to the apartment." He paused momentarily. "Why do you cook like this when it's just you here?"

"Do you know you ask me that same question every time I know you're on your way here?" Beau asked a question with a question.

"But you didn't know I was coming so what gives?" Hank replied.

"Do you know what day it is, Mr. Inquisitive?" Beau smirked as he gave Hank a side glance.

"Oh yeah," Hank said, dumbfounded. "So I forgot it's Friday, big deal."

Hank pretended he had forgotten it was dinner night just to get a reaction from his best friend.

"Uh huh, yeah right." Beau teased right back. "Well you came just in time." Beau said, stretching as he was trying to reach two dishes from the top cabinet.

"Here, let me get that for you." Hank grabbed two dishes without stretching and placed them on the counter beside the stove. "I didn't just come here to eat. Besides it is our usual night to hang out and to see how your week went."

"See, I knew you remembered." Beau teased. "And you missed last week, you had to work." Beau. "You were here the week before," he said as he fills both dishes.

"Well that was different." Hank said as he helped set the table. "Mom and Dad were here and they insisted I have dinner with the three of you. You know I can't say no to them."

"I know, especially with how insistent mom can be." Beau laughed.

Within minutes they're sitting down to dinner.

Hank's eyes widen as he takes a bite. "Wow! This is fantastic!"

"Thanks," Beau said smiling, "Mom gave me the recipe. I just added different flavors."

"It's delicious." His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled at Beau. He takes a bite of broccoli, chews and swallows.

"You know, since you are not busy tonight, you ought to go out and find yourself a girl," Beau said trying to persuade Hank into finding another girlfriend.

He knew the last break up was a few months back but still fresh. Beau felt bad that Hank hadn't had much luck in finding a woman he liked. He never understood why Hank's relationships only lasted no more than a few months and no longer.

"Let it go Beau," Hank said adamantly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why? What's the big deal?" Beau wanted to know. "You been moping around ever since you broke it off with Becky. Which in fact you never told me why you broke it off with her."

"I said I don't want to talk about it. I didn't come here to fight with you. Now drop it," Hank ordered.

Beau sighed heavily and silently ate his dinner. After an awkward moment of silence, Hank looked into Beau's brown eyes and spoke softly. "I'm sorry I barked at you," he said lowering his voice. He felt bad for snapping at his best friend when all he was trying to do was help.

"All right. I broke it off with her because there's someone else. But I don't know how to tell that someone else how I feel. Besides, I don't think it'll work out between us anyway."

Beau spoke low, careful not to tread on rough waters. "What makes you think it wouldn't it work out?" But before Hank could answer, Beau threw up a hand to stop him from saying anything.

"Never mind, it's none of my business. I'm sure who ever it is I just hope you're happy. Now me on the other hand, I don't mind being alone. I've made it this far without being in a relationship, and you don't see me getting upset."

"That's different, Beau," Hank shot back. "I've been around the block a few times, you haven't. How the hell can you sit there and tell me it doesn't bother you not having sex at all?"

Beau spoke honestly. "Yes, I have had sex before. I screwed a girl back in high school and she ruined it for me, okay. Besides, I don't even think about it now. I'm too busy with both my jobs to even think about it."

"You run yourself ragged working both those fucking jobs," Hank scoffed. "You barely give any time for yourself. All you ever do is do your lawyering and your realty. When's the last time you ever done anything for yourself or taken a vacation?"

"And that's my prerogative," Beau retaliated. He gives Hank a look of concern. "Besides, we're not talking about me, we're talking about you. And what makes you so certain that the girl you want to be with wouldn't want to be with you? She'd be an idiot not to."

"You think so, huh?" Hank said shrugging his shoulders watching his long fingers tapping on the table.

Hank was quiet as he sat there eating his meal while his mind raced with thoughts. He wanted to tell Beau that the person he was thinking about was him and how much he had grown to love him. Hank realized months ago that he was in love with Beau but he couldn't bear the thought of ruining their friendship of twenty years. He even went to the extent of going to see Beau's parents but he wasn't about to tell Beau that. He had no one else to talk to and he was as close to them as he was to own parents were when they were alive. Seeking their advice was the only thing he could think of at the time.

Beau looked at him from across the table not realizing what was going on Hank's mind but whatever it was he knew it was tearing him up inside. He thought maybe a boost of self-confidence would do the trick, so he dropped his fork onto the plate and got up from the table.

"Come here," Beau said as he rose from the table and grabbed Hank by the arm and directed him to the hall mirror. "You see that person in there."

Hank gave Beau a wide grin causing his eyes to shine brightly. "What are you doing?" he said looking at Beau through the mirror. "You can't be serious are you?"

"Just humor me will ya? Look into that mirror and tell me what you see?" he asked.

"Hmm," he rubs his stubbly chin, acting as though he was deep in thought. "I see me and you," he says, giving a wide grin as he sees his reflection.

"Ugghh!" Beau shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Hank, do I have to explain everything to you?"

Hank said. "I know what you meant, Beau. I'm just teasing you."

"Well don't," Beau chided. "Now's not the time for games."

He reached up and cupped Hank's chin with a firm grip. He could feel the day old stubble of whiskers on his chin.

"You want to know what I see. I see a charming, sophisticated, kind, loving, and certainly a very attractive guy. Any woman on this earth would be stupid to give up on a guy like you." Then he turned on his heels and walked back to the table with Hank following close behind, taking there seats at the table.

"I never thought about it like that before, but I guess you're right." Then he narrowed his eyebrows in thought as he looked at Beau from across the table. "All that stuff you just said, you weren't telling me all this just to make me feel better were you."

Beau gave a hurtful look and then a disgruntled groan. "Arghh! Hank, I meant every word. I wouldn't lie to you." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe after all these years you'd think I would start lying to you. Least you can do is be honest with yourself."

"You're right. I'm sorry." His shoulders slumped and he lowered his head and poked his food with his fork. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just never good at talking about my emotions."

Beau glanced at Hank and a wave of remorse swept over him that he could almost feel what Hank was going through.

"It's all right. I'm not hurt or even mad at you. I was just stating a fact." Beau said. "We're a lot a like that way. I'm not very good at talking about mine either."

"No it's not Beau. It's not all right," Hank dropped his fork as it clanked against the porcelain of the dish and rose from the table.

He took the few short steps to the sliding glass doors. He stood there with arms crossed and his right shoulder leaning against the door frame. He stared out into the evening sky as the sun was setting when he heard Beau getting up from the table.

Beau went to him, looking him in the eye. "What's bothering you? I never seen you like this before. Something has you upset. You know you can talk to me. It's what best friends are for."

"You want me to be honest? All right I will," Hank spoke candidly. "I love you. I've always loved you but I was afraid to tell you for fear you don't feel the same way about me. You're the one I have been thinking about. I can't stop thinking about you. I want to have a life with you."

Beau stood there with a look of surprise, not sure what to think. It wasn't so much as a shock to him, but it was the fact that Hank had admitted to him how he felt that made him so stunned. He had always thought something was there between them but never actually considered anything but a close friendship of many years.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Hank asked taking Beau's hand into his.

Instantly, Beau pulled his hand from his and walked away. He went into the living room and sat down on the edge of the sofa, his knees up with his arms resting on them. A few seconds later Hank came in the room and sat down next to him.

"Beau," he said softly. "I didn't mean to put this all on you at once. Please tell me what you are thinking. Say something. Anything. Please don't shut me out."

Beau swallowed hard. "I thought there was something going on with you on when you weren't coming around as much. There for the longest time you were keeping your distance. I thought maybe I had done something wrong. Something that made you feel uncomfortable. Then all of a sudden you show up again, acting as if nothing ever happened. It all makes sense now."

"I was sorting through my own feelings about you." Hank said remorsefully. "I didn't want to hurt you or our friendship. That's why I told you I took extra hours at the station. Which I did by the way because I didn't want to lie to you."

"Hank, there's something I need to be honest with you about," Beau spoke up. "I thought that way about you too a long time ago. But I learned to suppress my feelings and began looking at you in a big brother kind of way. I had a younger brother once but he lived only a short time."

"I remember you telling me about him." Hank remembered. "His name was Grant?"

"Yes," Beau whispered, as the memory of his tiny baby brother came flooding back.

"Listen, I know you don't want things to change between us," Hank said low. "Hell, I don't want things to change either. I just want to add to it. I want to give us something we both haven't had before. I tried to suppress my feelings like you have done but I don't want to do that anymore. I'm tired of hiding."

"Hank, I'm not so sure about this." Beau said, lowering his head.

"Why not? Why couldn't we have a relationship?" he asked. "Beau, I love you." Hank said.

Beau picked up his head and looked Hank straight in the eye. "Hank, I love you too, but you are a well respected cop and everyone knows you and likes you. I am thinking about you and what it would do to your reputation. I don't want to ruin that."

"I don't care about that. Hell, there a lot of gay cops out there that have relationships and still have their jobs. It doesn't make them any less a man, it just makes them human."

"I agree with you, Hank, but I don't know about this. What if . . . "

Hank cut off Beau's words and pressed his lips to Beau's. Hank surprised himself more than he did Beau when he acted on impulse without giving it any thought. He even took Beau's breath away, as if a lightning bolt struck the both of them and ignited. Slowly the kiss begin to linger and deepen. Beau let out a slight whimper and he melted into Hank's arms. When the kiss ended, they just sat there staring at each other with their foreheads connected.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long," Hank said, his voice soft and throaty. "I thought you would resist me, but you didn't. Why didn't you?" he asked.

"Maybe because I wanted it too and also it was the way you were looking at me," Beau answered.

Hank drew his head back, giving a puzzled look. "How was I looking at you?"

Beau chuckled, thinking about the kiss. "I've seen that look before. That look just before you know a kiss is about to happen. You had that look. It was as if you were looking deep into my soul," he said, his voice turning softer. "The look of love and being in love."

Hank caressed Beau's stubby cheek with his long fingers. "You've been watching too many Hallmark movies." He stated as a matter of fact.

They both burst into laughter, realizing how true that was. Beau did watch too many Hallmark movies. Then Hank's face turned serious again.

"Seriously though, I do love you. And I am so much IN love with you. You are the one that makes me happy and I want to do that for you also. Would you let me do that for you? But there's one thing I want to know first. When did you start having feelings for me?" he asked in a low and quiet voice.

Beau grins at him. "You really want to know?"

Hank nods his head.

Beau answered abruptly. "Since college."

"Since college!" Hank exclaims as he gave such a look of surprise. "That would make it over twenty years ago, Beau. I never would have suspected that. How come you never told me before?"

"Because I never thought of outing myself, that's why. I knew then that I was gay but I never acted on it. But the more my attraction grew for you the more I was able to suppress my thoughts and feelings whenever I was around you. I forced myself to look at you as more of a brother figure. And that worked for me." Beau stated. "Until now." he chuckled as he thought about it.

"Well I never thought of myself as being gay. I didn't always think that way about you. My feelings became more recent which was why I broke it off with Becky. She was too prim and too proper and wanted too much from me. And the entire time I was with her I was miserable. So I began to analyze my life into a pro and cons list about who I was and what I wanted and what made me happy. That was when I realized that everything I felt revolved around you and how much you mean to me. So I put myself through a test."

"And that was when you distanced yourself from me?" Beau jumped in.

"Yes," Hank admitted. "And the entire time I was miserable without you. When I'm around you, it feels right to me." He paused a moment. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like having sex with me or any man for that matter?"

Beau tipped his chin upwards, thinking and quickly spoke. "With you, only all the time," Beau said impulsively.

They both laughed and after they calmed down from laughing, Beau met his gaze.

"What about you?" Beau asked. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like?"

Hank shrugged his shoulder. "I've thought about it and when I did you always came to mind. I think I've always had feelings for you and never really realized it until about a year ago. Every relationship I had I was never happy. And every time I was around you was when I was the happiest. And now you're all that I think about."

Hank leaned in and went to kiss Beau again. But Beau quickly rose from the sofa and went into the kitchen and stood over the sink looking out of the window into the dark night. He was thinking about what Hank had just said and was thinking about Hank's reputation as a cop. Suddenly, he felt Hank's hands on his shoulders, kneading them. Damn he's got strong hands, Beau says to himself.

Hank puts his mouth at Beau's left ear, his hands still massaging Beau's shoulders. "I don't make you nervous do I?" His voice was low and hoarse. The bulge in Beau's pants begin to respond and he willed it to restrain from getting hard. "Cause I don't wanna make you nervous, horny yes, but not nervous."

Beau turned in Hank's arms facing him and smiled. "Yeah, like I need more horny!" He leads him gently by the arm to a kitchen chair and he took the opposite. "Hank, we can't do this."

Hank gives Beau a reassuring smile. "I know it doesn't make any sense and I've tried to talk myself out of it for a couple months but I can't. I fell in love with you, Beau."

"How did this happen?" Suddenly, Beau's mouth went dry and could feel his heart pounding faster and he reached for his glass of wine that was sitting on the table and took a quick sip of it.

Then he rose from his seat and took a few steps and turned back around on his heels. "You didn't say anything to me." He said, raising his voice. "I would have remembered if you did. Why now all of a sudden. Am I just a rebound from Becky or have you really thought this through."

Hank rose from his seat and went to Beau, placing his hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye.

"Listen to me, you are not a rebound. I have really given this a lot of thought. You wanted me to be honest with you, well now I am. Don't you see, I am most happy when I am with you. You're the one I want to be with. Just give us a chance, that's all I ask."

Beau knew Hank was right and he knew he couldn't deny his feelings for him either. He let out a deep sigh. "I'm not saying no and I'm not saying yes, but will you give me some time to think about this?" Beau asked, looking him in the eye.

"I'll give you all the time in the world," he says giving a smile. "In the meantime, I am going to give you something to really think about."

He pulls Beau into him and kisses him once more. The kiss was absolutely breathtaking as he shoved is tongue into Beau's mouth and found his as they brushed against each other.

Hank pulled back but still held Beau close to him. "If it makes you feel any better I can go and have some blood tests done and rule out any misgivings. I will do anything for you."

Beau smiled at him. "You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I can call Travis up and make us both an appointment."

Travis was Dr. Travis Stephens. He was a friend of Beau's and he and Travis had went to high school together and graduated from the same class and had remained friends since school days. After medical school Travis moved his practice to Hillside and opened up his own clinic and hospital. Hank followed Beau to Hillside a year later and joined the Hillside Police Department.

"All right. That sounds like a plan," he says looking at the time on the microwave. "I better go. I have another early shift tomorrow and it's getting late."

"Go?" Beau said in surprise. "Hank, you don't have to leave."

Hank leans in and gives Beau a simple kiss. "I am not running away. Like I said, I have another early shift tomorrow and I don't have a clean uniform with me. And you need time to think." He sighed deeply and smiled at Beau. "I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do. Just being with you like this for now will suffice. I don't want to lose you. You mean too much to me."

Hank walked to the door with Beau right behind.

"When will I hear from you?" Beau asked.

"I am busy with double shifts for the next couple days," Hank says. "How about Monday evening."

"That would be great. I'll make us dinner. I know I can always count on you to stop by around meal time," Beau said with a wide smile and a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Cute," Hank grins, "real cute. But so not funny."

"I thought it was," Beau laughed and lightly punched Hank in the arm. "Hold it. Don't leave just yet."

He quickly went to the kitchen and pulled out a glass microwave bowl. He filled it with pot roast and snap a lid on tight and was back just as quickly as he had left the room.

"Here, take this with you." Beau said handing him the bowl. "You can have it for lunch tomorrow. Just don't heat it with the lid on it. It'll melt."

Hank smiled lovingly at Beau. "Thank you." He leaned down and pulled Beau into him and kissed him tenderly on the lips with a slightly opened mouth and slipped him just a little tongue.

Their lips were scarcely joined when their eyes met and they smiled lovingly, fixated on each other as Hank stood there with his arms around Beau, and Beau held onto his thick massive arms.

"Are we going to stand here like this all night or are you going home?" Beau asked with a smile.

"Babe, as much as I want to stay here with you, I can't. You have the whole weekend to think things through." Hank dropped his arms and opened the door to leave. "I will stop by Monday evening around six o'clock."

"See ya then."

"Later, babe."

Beau stood at the door and watched Hank getting into his truck, started the engine, and began to back out of the driveway. Hank gave a wave as Beau waved back and began to drift down the steep hill of a driveway.

The weekend was busier than expected for both Beau and Hank. Then on Saturday evening Beau called his mother on the telephone and wanted to know if it were okay to stop by for a visit the following day. Grace was thrilled with the idea and said there were no plans for her and Forrest.

Beau got up early Sunday morning and drove the forty miles through the Pennsylvania countryside to see his parents. He arrived to the quaint small town of Green Point which was twenty minutes outside of Lebanon City. It took him another ten minutes when he pulled into the driveway and seen his mother on the front porch tending to her hanging baskets of plants, giving them their daily watering.

He takes a good look at her and realizes how much she has changed. She stood at five'seven and dressed in the latest fashion. At sixty-five, she still was so vibrant and full of life. Her hair was beginning to turn gray, her face and voice still looked young as she smiles at him as he got out of his 2002 Ford Escape.

"Well, I was wondering when I was going to see you," Grace says with a smile. She was now standing at the top of the few steps to the front porch with her arms outstretched. "Come and give your old mama a hug."

"Hello Mom," Beau smiles as he takes the few step up to the porch and gives his mother a warm welcoming hug. "It's good to be home, at least for a visit. How are you? How is dad?"

"I am fine and your father is out back working in his shed. He says staying busy keeps him young, I've always found that to be true. It's a good thing you called otherwise I would have asked him to take me shopping. And you know just how much he loves that." She said with sarcasm in her voice and then she chuckled. Beau did too, just thinking about it.

They walk into the house and went into the kitchen and his mother gets a pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator. Beau saw what she was doing and went to the cabinet and retrieved two glasses and poured them each a glass.

"Well I am glad to hear that you stayed home today," Beau says. "There is something I need to talk to you and dad about."

"Oh, I think I know what this is about," she says hesitantly. "It's about you and Hank isn't it? He's finally talked to you hasn't he?"

Beau looked at her in awe and amazement. "How did . . . how did you know?" He stammered. "What do . . . what do you know about this?"

She sat down at the table, took a deep breath and began to explain Hank's visit several months back. "Hank came to your father and I several months ago, said he had feelings for you that had been growing for a while now and wanted our advice." She said in a calm, soothing tone.

Beau sat there, shaking his head, as he could feel his face flush with anger at the thought of Hank going to his parents before he had a chance to. He was livid and wondered if he could ever trust Hank again.

"What did he say to you?" he said with some contempt in his voice.

"Beau, there is no reason to get upset," she says reaching out to touch his arm. "He just wanted some advice, honey."

"Upset? I have every right to be," he shouted. "Why did he do this? Damn that man. What kind of advice was he seeking?"

"Don't be yelling at your mother, son," Forrest says as he comes in through the kitchen, the screen door slamming shut behind him. He goes to the counter and pours himself some lemonade. "Now what's all this about, Beau? Why are you yelling at your mother?"

Forrest Michaels was a man of strength and character and very well respected from all who knew him. He stood at five'eleven, just two inches taller than Beau. His once dark brown hair had now turned gray and his eyes were a shimmering blue. Beau resembled his father in some ways, but Forrest had his own swarthy good looks and his charm was very definitive, whereas Beau inherited most of his mother's genes, like her pretty brown eyes and light sandy brown hair.

"Forrest, dear," Grace says in her soft voice, looking at her husband. "He was not yelling at me. He's just upset that Hank came to us first instead of him."

She turns back to Beau and looks him straight in the eye. "Are you in love with him?"

Not paying any attention to the question he was asked and in a much calmer voice this time, he says. "May I ask what he said to you?'

"Not until you answer my question first. Are you in love with him?" she repeated in a firmer tone.

Beau hung his head and looked at his feet. He couldn't bear to look his mother in the eye. "Yes, ma'am," he answers in a low tone.

"Now see, was that so hard to say?" she said soothingly.

Beau instantly picked his head up, looking surprised as he glanced at Grace and then at his father.

"Mom, I would have expected more from you than that. I just told you I am in love with Hank. I would have thought you would be bringing the raft of God down upon me."

Beau looks at his dad who has been quiet the whole time. "Dad, you can jump in here any time."

"Son, I want you to listen to me," Forrest said, speaking firm and pointing a finger at him. "I was not happy at all when Hank came to us and told us that he had feelings for you. How the hell do you think I felt about a man telling me he is in love with my son? You want to know what I did? I sat down here at this table and listened to what he had to say. And before I said anything I realized something, I have never in my entire life seen a man so in love with someone as much as he is with you. You think I could pass judgment on that? I can't hold that against him or you.

But you need to know something else. This wasn't about you. It was about him and what he was going through and how to deal with his own emotions. Do you know how hard that was for him? A man of his stature, his character, not to mention his reputation. Henry may not be my son but I have grown to love him like he is. He has been a part of this family for a long time. But you, you are my flesh and blood and no matter what choices you make will not change a damn thing how I feel about you and it certainly will not change how your mother and I feel about Hank"

There were tears in Beau's eyes when he looked at both of his parents.

"I never expected this to happen. You have to know that. All of a sudden he tells me he's in love with me and wants a life with me. I told him that nothing could happen between us. But something obviously did. He kissed me and it threw me off guard and I kinda let it happen. I mean I've known this man for my entire adult life. And yes, I admit I had a crush on him back in college. But I suppressed those feelings and never acted on them. I always thought of him as a brother after that. But now, I don't know what to do. I'm scared to death."

"Why? What is there to be scared of?" Grace looked at him with such concern in her eyes. "You just said yourself you have known Hank your entire adult life. What could you possibly be afraid of? It's all right that you love him, it's what builds a relationship."

"Mom, he's a cop. Need I say more," Beau implores. "He wants us to start a relationship and I'm not sure if I want to. I mean, I'm afraid something terrible will happen and then I won't have my best friend with me."

"You mustn't think like that, sweetheart." Grace said as her eyes began to gloss over with tears.

Forrest spoke up. "Your mother's right, son. You can't think like that. You can't dwell on the negative. You have to focus on the here and now and positive aspects of life. Yes, you and Hank have known each other since college days. That's a long time. Things have changed since then and things will continue to change. That's what happens. It's life. You have to think of it like the Serenity Prayer. You have to accept the things you can't change. Courage for things you can. And the wisdom to know the difference. It's what your mother and I have taught you ever since you were a boy. I shouldn't have to remind you of that."

"Yes, exactly" agreed Grace as she gently dabbed away her tears with a hankerchief. "Beau, all we ever wanted for you is to be happy. Granted, I had hoped for grandchildren from you but after all these years I realized it's not going to happen. But your friendship with Hank has changed and I have never seen you this happy. Sometimes love just comes softly, like it did with your daddy and me. And look at us now we have been together for forty-three years."

"That's different, Mom." Beau said. "You were nineteen and Dad was twenty-two when you guys got married. I'm twenty years older." Beau shook his head in wonderment. "I don't know what to do. I am so angry with him right now that he came and talked to you without even discussing it with me. And it surprises me even more that you didn't say anything to me weeks ago."

"It wasn't in our place to do so," Grace says taking a seat at the table. "Hank asked us not to. Not until he talked to you first." She reached out and took her son's hand into hers. "It's all right, Beau. You have our blessing."

"I guess this is what I was looking for, for your love and support," Beau said with a soft smile. "I love you two very much."

"We love you more, son," Grace said as she stood up and hugged her son.

"We will always be here for you son," Forrest said. "You will always have our love and support no matter what you do."

"Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad." Beau said, as tears stung his eyes.

They spent a nice afternoon together and Grace made dinner for the three of them. Then finally Beau looked up at the clock on the wall and it was after five o'clock in the evening.

"Wow! I can't believe the time. It's getting late and I have a long drive ahead of me. I really hate to go, but I must." He grabs his jacket from the back of the chair and gives Grace a kiss on the cheek. "I love you mom, you too dad," Beau says as he looks across the kitchen and gives a warm smile to Forrest.

"I'll walk out with you, son." Forrest said.

"Have a safe trip back," Grace said with a smile. "And give Hank our best."

"Oh I will Mom." Beau said. "Love you. Bye."

"I love you too, son," she shouted over her shoulder.

Once outside, Forrest and Beau strolled slowly to the vehicle and Forrest had his arm around Beau's shoulders. Beau can see how deep in thought his father was and it concerned him a lot so he spoke up.

"Something wrong, Dad?"

"No, nothing's wrong, son." Forrest replied. "I just want to remind you that no matter what your choices are, your mother and I are always here for you. I also want to say that it took a lot of courage for Hank to do what he did. He didn't have to come to us, but he did. He doesn't have anyone to go to anymore since George and Maria died. Losing his parents like he did at such a young age was very hard on him, especially as unexpected as it was."

Beau's shoulders slumped and he felt ashamed for getting so angry so quickly. They were at his vehicle and he leaned slightly against it.

"You're right, and I'm sorry." His eyes met his father's. "I do love him, Dad. I just don't want to move too quickly. I have thought about all the pro's and cons. But, Dad, it does scare me. How can I open my heart to him with the job that he has? He could be here one day and gone the next."

"That's just it, son, no one knows what our future holds only the Creator does." Forrest gave his son a warm smile. "Now chin up, and eyes forward. There's a man waiting at home for an answer. And if I know what kind of man you are, you will make the right decision."

Beau returned the warm smile and gave his dad a warm manly hug. "Thanks Dad."

Beau opened the car door and slid behind the driver's seat. His window was down and Forrest closed the door after Beau was inside. Forrest leaned in towards the open window resting his arms on the door. "I know how your temper is son you're just like your mother, so go easy on him all right. He does love you."

"I will Dad." Beau started up the vehicle and his father stepped back and started for the house. "Oh, and Dad, Mom always said I had your temper," he grinned.

Forrest turned back around to look at Beau with a smile. "Oh she did, did she? Well I will have to put her straight on that." Forrest chuckled, knowing very well that he and his son were more alike than any father and son were. He had never been more proud of his son than he was at that moment.

On the way home, Beau thought about what his father had said. His mind began to drift when he remembered the day when Hank learned his parents had died. It was their senior year in college. Hank's father George was riding home on his Harley one day and as he was rounding a sharp curve. He never saw what hit him. It was that instantaneous. A trucker had slammed into him, killing him instantly. When the news got home to Maria, Hank's mother, she instantly had a heart attack. The shock of the news was too much that it killed her. The paramedics came but it was too late. She was already gone.

Hank was devastated and life for him as he knew it was over. He was the sole survivor of his family and he never felt more alone. Having Beau and Beau's parents, and even Beau's sister in his life was a godsend. His dependence on them deepened as he grew to love Forrest and Grace as his own parents and the love was reciprocated.

Henry Thomas Styles, Hank as he preferred, was not an only child. He had an older sister named Anne. She was happily married or so the family thought. Her husband was Andrew Parker and they were expecting their first child. Andy was between jobs and it hit him hard and he began to drink. Every day he was drunk and he became physically abusive towards Anne. When it was close to the baby's due date, he lost his mind completely and went insane, killing Anne and their unborn child, then takng his own life. George and Maria took it hard and they pinned all their hopes and dreams on Hank.

Beau remembered Anne very briefly. It was his and Hank's second year in college when Anne and her baby were killed. Then six years later, George and Maria had died. The memories of Hank's parents and his sister filled his mind to overflowing as it wracked his heart with grief as he softly cried as he thought of them. He wiped his eyes as he was concentrating on his driving when his cell phone rang.

Beau grappled for his phone and flipped it opened. "Hello?" He answered on the third ring and placed it on speaker, sitting it aside.

"Hey Beau, where you've been? I've been trying to get a hold of you all day." Hank says on the other end.

"Sorry, I had the phone turned off while I was visiting with Mom and Dad. We had a lot to talk about," Beau said, then waited for a response.

Beau wished he could see the expression on Hank's face through the phone when he told him he visited his parents. But he knew he had to have struck a nerve when he noticed a slight pause over the phone. He couldn't even think about talking to him at that precise moment. He was still slightly agitated that Hank had spoke to his parents about them.

Then Hank spoke softly. "How are Mom and Dad? They doing okay?"

"They're fine," Beau answered directly. "So, what do you want?"

"I was just wondering if we are still on for tomorrow night?" Hank asked.

"Why wouldn't we? You and I have a lot to talk about." Beau said, paying attention to his driving at the same time.

"Would you like me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself," Beau said, keeping his voice calm and direct. "I thought I would make us some pasta and garlic bread."

"That sounds great." Hank replied. There was another slight pause. "Hey, Beau?"

"Hey what?"

"I love you," Hank whispered.

"Love you too," Beau said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"All right, bye my love."

"Bye." Beau flipped the phone shut and sighed deeply.

Beau realized the kind of love they were seeking was new and different for the both of them. He also realized he couldn't stay mad at Hank. He also couldn't deny how close Hank had gotten with his own parents over the years.

When he got home, he went to his home office and prepared himself for the next day. He had more than a few houses to sell and had several clients to see who needed some legal work done. Being a realtor and a lawyer kept him busy at all hours. By the time he was done, he looked at the clock and it was half past ten. He stood up, stretched, yawned and headed off for his bedroom. He stripped out of his clothes and headed for the master bath, took a hot shower, then climbed into bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.

First thing Monday morning, Beau called the clinic and made an appointment to have blood tests done for him and Hank. Then he showed two houses and made immediate sales on both of them, which made him very happy. The clients he had for legal work, had called him and postponed their appointment for another time. He showed several more houses that afternoon, then was summoned for a court case that took a couple hours.

When evening rolled around, Beau was in his kitchen making dinner. He turned the stereo on and put a CD in the track and left the music fill the room. Then just a few minutes before six o'clock, Hank came bounding through the front door. He heard Beau moving around in the kitchen singing along to a Bryan Adams song.

"Everything I do I do it for you," Beau sang out softly.

"May I have this dance?" Hank said as he quickly wrapped his arms around Beau's middle, causing Beau to jump in his arms.

Beau jerked his head back to look at Hank. "You scared the shit out of me," he snapped.

"Then I think you better go change," Hank smiled and leaned in and went to give Beau a kiss and missed. Beau had broken free from the embrace to check the stove.

"Something wrong, Beau?"

"Nothing's wrong. Why, should there be?" Beau said, as he turned the burner off and carried the boiling pot of spaghetti to the sink and drained the water from it. "How was your day, catch any bad guys?" He asked in his usual form.

"It was all right." Hank watched as Beau was setting the table. Somehow he had the feeling he was in trouble with Beau. "Not today, I didn't."

He saw a bowl of salad sitting on the counter and a dish of garlic bread and carried them both to the table.

Soon the table was set and they both sat up to the table.

"Whoops, I forgot the wine in the fridge," Beau said as he went to get up from his seat.

Hank placed his hand on top of Beau's. "Stay. I'll get it. You done enough."

"How was your day?" Hank asked, as he retrieved the wine, then two glasses from the cabinet.

"I sold two houses today," Beau smiled with excitement.

"Awe, babe, that's great. I am so proud of you." Hank smiled with pride in his voice. After pouring the two glasses of wine, he returned and sat up to the table, handing Beau a glass of wine.

"Thank you." Beau smiled. "Oh, by the way, before I forget, you have an appointment on Thursday morning at ten o'clock with Travis."

"I think I can make it before I go into work." Hank knew he couldn't avoid the question that was burning in his mind as he wondered about the day before. "So how was your visit yesterday with Mom and Dad?" Hank finally asked almost hesitantly.

"It was fine. They're doing pretty good." Beau answered.

"Um, Mom called me last night." Hank hesitated to say as he shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.

"Somehow, that does not surprise me." Beau said, shaking his head and giving Hank a not so suttle look, knowing how his mother works her charm. "What did she have to say to you?"

"Beau, please let's not argue." Hank pleaded. He hated it when they argued.

"I'm not arguing. Who's arguing?" Beau calmly sat his fork down onto the side of his plate.

"Listen to me Hank," Beau said softly, "I know you went to Mom and Dad about us and yes I will admit I was angry at first. But then I realized it wasn't all about me, it was about you and what you were feeling. I know how you must feel not having your family and not being able to share things with them. I am glad you feel comfortable enough to talk to Mom and Dad, but you could have come to me first. Then we could have went to them together but you didn't."

"I realize that now and I am sorry," Hank said with remorse in his voice. "But I wanted to be sure of what I wanted and how to deal with my feelings for you. I just wanted their advice on what I should do before coming to you."

"I know that now, but can you imagine my surprise when Mom told me you had gone to them and not me first." Beau said. "How do you think that made me feel? Do you think I am that shallow? That insincere?"

Hank looked at Beau, the remorse in his eyes was still there. "Baby, I don't think that at all about you. I'm sorry I didn't come to you first."

Beau placed his hand on top of Hank's. "I have been doing a lot of thinking about us. And there is something I need to get off my chest. I have never done anything like this before and it makes me afraid. Hank, I do love you. But I keep asking myself if this is for real and not some dream where I'm going to wake up. I'm afraid to fall in love with you. I don't want to take the risk and end up losing you."

Beau couldn't bear to look at Hank without getting teary eyed and he rose from his seat and went to the counter and looked out the window as the sun was setting behind a group of trees. He heard Hank getting up from the table and coming up behind him, putting his big strong arms around his shoulders.

"You don't have to be afraid," his voice was soothing. "I'm not going anywhere. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"How can you be so sure? What if you get hurt or possibly get killed while on duty? I couldn't take that," Beau said softly.

Hank turned Beau around to face him and with a crooked finger he lifted Beau's chin, looking into Beau's glossy eyes.

"Nothing and I mean nothing will ever take me away from you," he said adamantly, "I love you."

Hank took Beau into his arms and held him close and kissed him on the forehead then their eyes met. "I'm trying very hard not to push you and we have been taking it slow. If it happens it happens. Can you live with that?"

"I'd like to do that. But are you sure you want this, because I'm used to being alone. Don't you want some young hot chick to run after instead of me?" Beau asked with a half of a smile.

Hank chuckled. "i don't want some young hot chick. All I want is you. I want this more than you can ever imagine. You are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You're all that I think about and all that I want."

Hearing him say those words meant a lot to Beau and from the sound of his voice he knew Hank meant every word. Beau felt his face flush and turned his gaze away from Hank with a coy smile.

"What?" he said, smiling from ear to ear, his eyes sparkling. "What did I say that made you blush like that?"

Beau spoke softly, "I've always imagined I would be saying those words someday but to hear those words coming from you," he shook his head. "All these years I never had the courage to say to you what you just said to me."

"I meant every word," he said, taking Beau's hands into his.

"I know you did, and I feel the exact same way." Beau said. "Now let's finish dinner before it gets cold."

They sat back down at the table and ate their dinner. They made small talk while they ate. After they finished, Hank helped clean up the kitchen. Then they went into the living room and relaxed on the sofa as they watched some television. Hank had even nodded off while they were watching the news. Beau left him sleep as he quietly moved to a side chair and picked up a book he was previously reading and picked up where he left off. An hour and a half later, Hank awoke and stretched his limbs.

"Why did you let me fall asleep?"

"Because you were tired and needed your rest," Beau replied.

Hank happened to look up at the clock and noticed the time. "Awe damn, I have to go. I got to be on patrol in an hour and a half." He went to the closet and grabbed his jacket and slipped into it. "Thanks for dinner, it was great. And the next time I want to spend a quiet evening with you, don't let me fall asleep."

"I'll remember that." Beau said with a smile and walked Hank to the door.

"Hank?" Beau said in a low tone.

Hank turned in Beau's direction, looking him in the eye. "Yeah babe?"

Beau reached up and straightened out Hank's jacket collar. "Be safe tonight."

Hank smiled and raised a gentle hand, softly caressing Beau's face with the backs of his fingers. "I will," he said and leaned down and tenderly pressed his lips to Beau's. "I'll call you tomorrow sometime," he said, his lips close to Beau's.

Beau smiled softly. "I'll be here."

He stood in the doorway and watched Hank walk to his car. Once he got behind the wheel, Hank waved goodbye through the opened window. Beau waved back, thinking he was so glad he didn't have close neighbors to see them at the door. It wasn't that he was ashamed, but scared, worried what this could do to Hank's career. He had nothing to worry about himself and didn't care what people thought about him, but he did care what they thought about Hank.

Chapter 2

Several weeks had passed and Hank and Beau were becoming closer as they took there time into there relationship. They both agreed they would wait until after they got there test results back and when they felt they were ready to take that next step.

Then the day came when they got the results of their HIV tests and were both given a clean bill of health as they knew they would. Beau was ecstatic when he got the phone call and soon as he hung up the phone it had rang again. Thinking it was Travis again. He picked up the phone.

"Did you forget something Travis?" Beau said into the phone.

"This is your mother," Grace said in a firm tone. "Now is that anyway to answer the phone?"

"Hi mom," he chuckled. "I'm sorry, I just got off the phone with Travis and I thought he was calling me back. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine dear. Are you busy?" she asked more jovially.

"No not at all. So what's on your mind, Mom?"

"Well, you're father and I are planning on coming up your way tomorrow and do some shopping. And I was wondering if you weren't busy maybe we could stop by and see you."

"That would be wonderful," Beau smiled, "I'll even make us lunch. So what time should I expect you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe around one o'clock. Will that be all right?" Grace inquired.

"Sounds perfect," he answered with a smile. "Is their anything special you want me to make, mother." He heard a noise outside and peered out the window and saw Hank pulling into the drive.

"I can't think of anything off hand. But whatever it is, I know it will be wonderful."

"Well that's because I learned from the best," Beau had teased his mother.

"Oh sweetie, your just a charmer like your father," he heard his mother chuckle and then in a more serious tone she asked, "How is Hank doing?"

She had asked that question just as Hank was coming in the front door dressed in his uniform.

"Hank is doing just fine, Mom," he looked at Hank and gave him a smile as Hank walked up to him and gave him a peck on the lips. "He just walked in the door."

"Hi, Mom," Hank yelled out close to the phone and then went into the bathroom

"Oh, I didn't know he was there," she said. "Tell him hi for me."

"He just walked in the door, mom." Beau repeated himself, then takes the phone from his mouth, looking at Hank. "Mom says hello back." Then placed the phone back to his ear.

"Honey, I just want to say that I am so happy for you two. Knowing you are happy and being taken care eases my mind. You're father and I are not always going to be around you know. I want you to finally be happy."

Beau interrupted her. "I am happy but Mom please don't talk like that. If you're trying to make me feel guilty for not coming around more often, you're succeeding. You and dad are going to be around for a long long time. You know I don't like it when you talk like that."

She paused for a moment as he heard his father in the background talking to her. "Beau, I'm gonna hang up now. You're father lost the remote control to the television and can't find it," she chuckled. "We'll talk more tomorrow. Bye, I love you."

"I love you too, Mom. Bye-bye."

Beau hung up the phone and went and stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching Hank shave. "What brings you by tonight? I thought you had to work tonight."

"I do, but I left my razor here the other night. Soon as I am done here I got to get moving." Hank rinsed the residue off the razor and finished shaving and then wiped his face dry with a hand towel. "I love to stay and chat babe, but I got to go."

Beau backed out of the doorway as Hank was coming out of the bathroom and followed him out to the living room to the front door.

"You can stop by for lunch tomorrow around one o'clock if you want. Being Saturday and all, Mom and Dad will be here, so I will be home all day."

"All right. I just might to do that." Hank turned to meet Beau's gaze and gave him a tender kiss. "I will see you tomorrow babe, Love you," he yelled back as he went to his truck.

"Love you too." He watched as Hank hurried out the door to his truck, then down the driveway in a matter of seconds.

For Hank it was a long night as he was on patrol and to top it off he was on double duty till at least noontime the following day. He was at the station thirty minutes before midnight and for two and half hours he did paperwork and then at three in the morning he went out on patrol. It was a long night and all he wanted to do was to go home and take a long hot shower and slip into bed and sleep for at least twelve hours. During the night he had stopped several cars for speeding over the required limit and one with a busted out taillight. Other than that it had been quiet as a light rain had cast a shadow in the night sky making it darker than usual without a bright moon or any sparkling stars.

While sitting there, watching the traffic he started to think about Beau. He thought about all the years they had known each other and wondered what would have happened if they had revealed their love for each other earlier in life. He began to think what it would be like to make love to him when he felt a stirring in his pants. He pats his growing cock and tells it to settle down. As much as he wanted to be with Beau, he was respecting Beau's wishes and taking things slow and not rushing into anything. He told himself that he could never love anyone as much as he loved Beau.

His love for Beau was genuine and passionate, making him realize that it wasn't about just having sex with him it was about him being happy and making Beau happy. But he also realized how much his job was putting a toll on Beau and he was working very hard to help Beau overcome his fear.

At half passed eleven o'clock in the morning, Hank's radio came on, drawing him out of his thoughts as he hears about an accident that had happened no more than fifteen minutes from where he was and they needed back up. He radioed in, telling them he was on his way. He started up the vehicle and flashed his lights and flipped the siren on and off he went to the crash site.

When he got there, metal and glass were everywhere and two vehicles were almost unrecognizable. He could still make out what they were; a beat up old black pick-up truck and what looked like a sky blue sedan, almost like the one he knew Beau's parents had. Hank got out of the car and stood behind his opened door. He looked at the wreckage and knew no one could have survived that kind of impact. Another squad car pulled up behind his cruiser and two officers got out and walked up behind Hank.

"Hey Hank, I didn't know you were still working," said Officer Nick Sullivan.

"Yeah, I'm pulling a double. My shift is just about over," Hank answered.

The other officer, Ed Burns cracked a wide smile. "Or are you working on getting Chief Hughes position sooner than later?"

"Knock that shit off, Ed," Hank barked. "I'm just here if they need any help. Now come on and let's go help them out."

The firefighters were using the Jaws of Life to pry the vehicle open to get to the people that were trapped inside. Hank, Ed, and Nick walked over to help them and instantly Hank stopped dead in his tracks once he saw their bloodied faces.

"Oh my God!" Hank cried out, instantly turning his back to the site.

"Hank, you all right?" Nick asked immediately.

"What is it, Hank? You know those people?" Ed asked, concerned.

"Yeah I do. They're Forrest and Grace Michaels, Beau's parents. What the hell happened here, Geoff?" Hank asked one of the firefighters once he turned back around.

"The guy in the pick-up was drunk, ran the red light and plowed right into them. I don't even think they knew what hit them. It was instantaneous, they both died from the impact with broken necks."

"Oh God!" Hank cried as he lowered his head and left the tears fall. He quickly wiped the tears away and cleared his throat. "I knew they were coming from Green Point today. When I stopped at Beau's last night, he was on the phone with his mother." He shook his head in despair and disbelief. "This is going to kill Beau."

Nick placed a hand on Hank's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, we can handle things here. Why don't you go and give the news to Beau. I know it's a shock to see them like this. Beau won't have to identify them. We got that from their information and of course from you."

"Thanks Nick. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help," Hank said, wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"That's all right, Hank. I know how close you were to Beau's family. Now go and break the bad news to Beau and give him my best."

"Mine too," said Ed, patting Hank's shoulder.

Hank slowly walked back to his cruiser. He got behind the wheel and left the tears fall. Why did it have to be them? Of all people why them? They were good honest hard working people. This should not have happened to them. All these questions and thoughts were scattered in his mind and it made him think of his own parents.

All the emotions he felt had brought back the memories of both his parents and how they died fifteen years before. He remembered how devastating it was for him and how Beau and his parents were there for him the entire time. This time he was going to have to be there for Beau. Once he got himself calmed down and wiped his eyes dry he pulled out and went straight to the station.

He walked somberly into the station thirty minutes later. He hadn't even noticed Chief Hughes as he walked past him on his way to his desk and sat down hard into his chair and covered his face with both hands and took in a deep breath. The chief had noticed Hank wasn't himself and he walked over to see what was wrong.

"Hank, who was involved in the accident?" Chief Mitchell Hughes asked.

Hank rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He pulled open a top corner drawer and pulled out a bottle of Tylenol and popped two capsules in his mouth and swallowed.

"A fucking drunk killed Beau's parents. The sonofabitch died at the scene." He took in a deep breath and tried not to show his emotions. "Why the fuck did this have to happen to such great people? I don't know how I'm going to break the news to Beau, and I certainly don't want anyone else to tell him."

"Oh my God," Mitchell spoke in shock. He knew Forrest and Grace from growing up with them and going to high school together in Harrisburg. He had lost touch with them when they moved across the county line and moved to a quaint town after retirement. Now knowing he would never see his old friends again had become quite a shock to him.

The chief placed a hand on Hank's shoulder. "Beau is going to need a friend right now more than ever. Don't worry about the paper work. I can have someone else do it. You just go on ahead."

Hank looked up at him, seeing how concerned the chief was. "You sure about this, Mitch?" he asked as he stood up and Mitch extended his hand and Hank reached out and gave a light shake.

Mitch spoke up. "Hank, you are in no shape to finish your work. Now go. My prayers are with you both. I know how much the Michael's meant to you. Take some time off and help Beau as much as you can."

"All right. Thanks Mitch," Hank said.

"Oh, and Hank," the Chief said as he thought about his friends he had just lost. "Give Beth and Beau my love will you please. Forrest and Grace were mighty fine people and great parents to them two."

"Sure thing," Hank said with a half a smile and walked towards the doors.

Hank walked out into the bright sunny day to his navy blue 4X4 Ford Ranger. He climbed in behind the wheel and just sat there for a few minutes, then turned the ignition, put the truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

He drove the thirty-minute drive out into the country. With his window down, the fresh air felt good on his face. He turned the radio on and had it turned low just enough that he could hear country music playing.

It didn't take Hank long to pull into the drive that led up the hill to Beau's house. He pulled in beside Beau's Ford Escape and put the truck in park and turned the engine off. Then he stepped down out of the truck and leaned back against it, looking towards the house. Then he looked up towards the heavens and silently asked God to give him the strength for what he was about to do. How was he going to tell the man he loved more than life itself, that his parents were dead? More importantly, he wondered if Beau would let him be there for him at this difficult time. Hank mustered up the courage and headed for the house. Once he reached the door he paused, took a deep breath and left it out slow and opened the door and walked inside.

That same morning, Beau awoke early and ran some errands and even stopped by the grocery store and picked up a few things for the lunch he was going to prepare for his parents visit. He had noticed it had rained during the night. The morning was wet and dreary, but as the day went on, the sun came out brightly and soon everything was drying up. He hummed happily as he busied himself trying to get things done before his parents arrived.

Everything was done on time and he kept it in the oven to stay warm and the table was already set. He sat at the table and kept watching the clock. It was half past one and he wondered where they could have been. They were almost never late and he began to worry. He had wished they had gotten a cell phone like he wanted them to, but his mother didn't like them and said she didn't need one. He waited and waited till finally he heard the front door open. He got up off the chair and started for the living room.

Beau started yelling before he even got into the living room. "Where have you been? I got really worried . . ." he rounded the corner and stopped in mid sentence. "Hank!" he said in a surprised almost confused state. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I need to talk to you, Beau," his voice sounding serious and upset.

Beau took it as a long, rough, and tiresome night he had. He knew Hank had a double shift. He was dressed in his uniform, which meant he was still working or had just gotten off work. Even in uniform, Hank was just as handsome as ever, he thought.

Beau turned to walk back into the kitchen and Hank followed while Beau spoke over his shoulder. "Mom and Dad are on their way. They should have been here by now. I just wish they had gotten a cell phone when I wanted them to. But you know Mom she lives in the old times."

Hank stopped at the counter and looked out the window above the sink, paying little attention to what Beau was saying as his mind drifted off. Beau was oblivious to Hank's wandering mind as he went to the table and sat down.

"You hungry?" Beau asked. "The table is already set for lunch? All I have to do is get everything out of the oven."

Hank didn't answer.

"Hank?" Beau said a little louder.

Hank jumped a little. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

"I asked if you were hungry." Beau gave a look of worry and concern and went to Hank immediately. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Hank removed his sunglasses and lowered them to his middle. Beau's wide smile had instantly vanished and immediately knew something was very wrong when he saw Hank's eyes were all red from crying.

"Beau, honey, we need to talk," Hank said, swallowing a lump that was rising in his throat.

"What is it?" Beau was almost afraid to ask.

"It's about your parents." Hank said, again swallowing a hard lump that was quickly rising in his throat.

"What about them?" he asked, now becoming even more worried especially when he found it strange when Hank said `your parents' when he always referred to them as Mom and Dad.

"There was an accident this morning. There's no easy way to tell you this, but a drunken driver hit them head on and killed them both. They died instantly."

Beau gasped for air as if he had just been punched in the gut. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth and shook his head in disbelief.

"No. No. No. No, that can't be," he said not wanting to believe what he just heard.

"I am so, so sorry," Hank's voice quivered, as he tried very hard not to show his emotions and swallowed the lump that kept rising in his throat.

Finally, when it seemed his lungs would burst from lack of air, Beau broke down, crying out. "NOOOO!" he shook so violently, that it racked his body. His knees buckled and Hank caught him before he went down and lowered him to the floor and held him in his arms.

Hank held Beau for the longest time as he shook and cried as Hank rocked him back and forth. A spot on Hank's shirt was soaked from Beau's tears, and his nose was running like a faucet. Hank propped him up along the wall and got up and went into the living room for some Kleenexes and came back with a hand full. Beau blew his nose and dried his eyes as Hank did the same.

"Why Hank? Why did this happen? I want whoever did this to pay for what they took from me." Beau's grief changed to anger.

Leaning up against the wall between the kitchen and the living room, Beau drew his legs up and placed his elbows on his knees, crossed his arms on them and buried his head, his shoulders shaking.

Hank placed a gentle hand on Beau's shoulder. "He's dead. The drunken son of a bitch is dead. He also died at the scene."

Beau lifted his head from his knees and wiped his nose with his tissue. "Were, were you there?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes."

"Were they banged up pretty bad?" Beau sniffed, trying to hold back the tears, wanting to know every detail.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it didn't look good," Hank said shaking his head.

"I guess I have to go and identify them, don't I?"

"No, I already did that for you. Plus they're driver's license identified them as well. You wouldn't have wanted to see them anyway, not the shape that they were in."

"Thank you for that." Beau leaned in to Hank, resting against his solid body, seeking comfort in his arms as Hank held Beau close to him. "I knew I couldn't bring myself to do that. Thank you." he said with the utmost gratification.

Then Beau remembered the conversation with his mother the night before. She said they wouldn't be around forever. Was it a premonition he thought. No, it couldn't have been, it was just a coincidence he said to himself. And then he remembered snapping at her, as it made him feel even worse and sick to his stomach, knowing that that was the last conversation he had with her. He buried his face into Hank's neck as a realization came to him and he couldn't bear to think of it.

"Oh God," he cried, "my parents are dead and I'm all alone." he just shook and cried in Hank's arms. "I'm all alone."

Hank kissed him on the forehead. "I'm here, baby," he cried. "I'm here."

Hank being there for Beau was what he needed to make it through the next hour. Beau had recognized that Hank had the toughest job of all, coming here to break the news to him.

"I'll be here for you . . . whatever you need," Hank promised, and his promise went as deep as his love and devotion not only for Beau but for his parents as well.

Beau took in a deep breath and let it out slowly and broke free from Hank's embrace and rose from the floor. He went to the side table at the sofa and grabbed a few more tissues. The he sat down on the edge of the sofa. Hank stood up and came and sat down next to him.

"Want me to call Beth for you?" Hank asked softly.

"No, I will. I have to do it." Beau stifled back his tears and blew his nose once again.

Hank watched as he followed Beau into the kitchen to the u shaped counter where the phone was. Beau could barely contain his composure as his hand shook as he picked up the receiver and dialed his sister's number and doubled over the counter.

Hank went to him immediately. "I'll do it."

When he dialed, he looked over his shoulder at Beau, wiping his nose with a tissue again and again, his eyes red and streaming with tears.

In another town not far away in Kensington, Beth was humming happily as she was cleaning up her kitchen and her husband Kain was in the den relaxing when the phone rang.

"Hello," she said happily into the phone.

"Hi, Beth, it's Hank, we need to talk honey," as she heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"Oh hi Hank, how are you? What can I do for you sweetie?" she replied.

"Beth, are you there alone or is Kain there with you?"

"Of course Kain is here why would you ask such a thing? Is something wrong Hank?" her voice now becoming worried.

"Can you come to Beau's home? I have to tell you something and I don't want to do it over the phone."

"Hank whatever you have to say just say it," she said, becoming annoyed.

Beau reached for the phone as Hank handed it to him. "Beth, I need you to come to my house as soon as you can," he spoke into the phone as he wiped away his tears.

"Beau, I have things to do. I just can't drop everything to come see you. Now tell me what's going on? What's wrong?" she was adamant as she spoke.

"They're gone, Beth. Mama and Daddy are gone," Beau cried into the phone.

"Beau what the hell are you talking about? I just spoke to Mama this morning. She said her and Daddy were coming to visit you today," she said.

"Listen to me, Beth. They never made it. They were killed in a car accident this morning," he sobbed into the phone.

"Oh my God! NOOOO!" she screamed into the phone and collapsed to the floor.

Kain heard her screams and came running into the kitchen, finding her on the floor with the phone lying next to her and someone speaking from the receiver.

"Who the hell is this?" Kain spoke sharply into the phone.

"It's me Kain, its Hank. I'm here with Beau. Beau wanted you and Beth to come to the house but she gave him no choice. Forrest and Grace were killed early this afternoon in a car accident. I'm sorry to give you the news like this."

As Hank was speaking into the phone, he watched Beau somberly walk into the living room and out of sight.

"Oh my God," Kain got out in barely a whisper. Kain shook the instant shock from his head. "Thanks for calling Hank. Oh and Kain, take care of Beau will ya please? We will be there as soon as we can."

"No worries, just take care of your wife first," Hank said into the phone and then he hung up.

He slowly walked into the living room and found Beau on the sofa. He sat down next to him and Beau leaned into him as Hank took him in his arms and held him for the longest time. He knew what he had to do now and he wasn't going to leave Beau alone at a time when he needed him the most. Then he thought of his overnight bag in the truck and knew he would have enough clothes to last him for a couple days.

Hank left out a deep sigh. "I'll be right back."

"Hank, where are going?"

"I'm just going to the truck babe, I'll be right back."

Hank returned within minutes with his bag and sat it down next to the hallway and then returned to the sofa and pulled Beau into him.

"What are you doing with that bag?" Beau asked through tears.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm staying the night and tomorrow I'm stopping by my place and getting a few more things. I'm going to stay here with you."

Beau barely could put a smile on his face. "You don't have to do that, I'll be fine."

Hank spoke low and in a firm tone. He sat back down onto the sofa, pulling Beau into his strong and secure arms. "Please don't argue with me, I am staying for the time being. You cannot be alone at a time like this and I'm not going anywhere. Let me take care of you."

Beau leaned into him and rested comfortably against his chest, needing the comfort and safety of Hank's arms. He lifted his head from Hank's shoulder and looked up at him with glossy eyes and tried to smile.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We are going to get through this, I promise you," Hank gave him a soft kiss on the forehead and pulled him closer towards him.

The days leading up to the funeral were like a nightmare that Beau couldn't awake from. Arrangements were made for graveside services only, with no viewing and no reception for afterwards. The graveside service was packed with friends and loved ones as they paid their respects.

At his house, Beau went to his room as Hank played host as he served drinks to Kain, Beth and their two children, Kara and Graham.

"Mom, is Uncle Beau going to be alright," Kara asked her mother.

"I'm worried about him too, Mom," Graham said.

"We all are honey," she said as she wiped her tears.

She sat down at the table, holding a glass of wine in both hands. "I haven't seen him this upset since Mom and Dad lost Grant. He so wanted that little brother. So did I." Beth spoke of the infant brother the family had lost over thirty years prior. That baby meant so much to all of them.

She turned to Hank and tried to put on her best smile. "It was like a godsend when you came into his life. I'm worried about him, Hank," Beth said almost in tears.

"So am I, Beth," said Hank. "I've never seen him like this before."

"I have," she said softly, as she hugged him, and stifling back her tears. "I'm so sorry, Hank. I know this must bring back memories for you also."

"I'll be fine," Hank said, wiping a few tears away. "I'm more worried about him."

"If it helps, I can work with him professionally," Kain said. Kain was a psychiatrist and had his own office near his home.

"No," Hank said low. "I think he just needs some time to get over this. I'm sure he'll come around," he says as he looks with worry towards Beau's room.

"I hope so," Beth said, worried. "I'm glad you're here, Hank. I just wish he would talk to us. I'm afraid he may do something drastic and hurt himself."

"Don't worry so much, Beth," Hank said. "I'm going to keep my eye on him. I'm not going anywhere."

"That's good to know," Kain said resting a hand on Hank's shoulder. "But if anything does happen, just know that I am just a phone call away."

"Thanks Kain, I appreciate that."

Kain turned to his wife. "Beth, honey, we should go. There is nothing more we can do. It's all up to Beau now. He will come to us when he is ready. Come on kids, let's go."

After several weeks had passed still, Beau felt as if he was never going to overcome his grief to where at moments so steeped it rendered him incapable of anything more than weeping. He felt so drained as if his life had no purpose anymore and slipped into a world of depression. He barely slept and he barely even ate and it began to show.

Friends and neighbors stopped by offering their condolences, bringing by casseroles, soups and salads so they wouldn't have to cook. Kain and Beth would even stop by on a weekly basis. But still, Beau wasn't up to seeing anyone. The more Kain and Beth came around, the more Beau began to slowly respond.

Hank went back to work, keeping busy so he wouldn't fall behind in his work. He tried in many ways to talk to Beau, trying to get him to open up about his feelings. Hank was worried and Beau didn't help matters by distancing himself from Hank. Hank was quick to notice it and he wasn't very happy about it.

At the end of his shift on a Friday evening, Hank went to his apartment, gathered more things and headed out of town to Beau's house. The sun had already set for the evening and a storm was brewing just off the horizon. The storm clouds were moving in fast and the thunder rolled and he watched the fingers of lightning strike across the sky.

He drove onward through the storm until he reached the driveway that led to Beau's house. As soon as he reached the house, the heavens opened and the rains came down in heavy downpours. He pulled his truck up to the side of the house towards the back door and raced inside, going in towards the laundry room that was off of the kitchen.

Once inside, he took his drenched shirt off and threw it in the hamper to be washed and grabbed a clean t-shirt that was lying on top of the dryer. When he walked into the kitchen he was surprised to find Beau sitting at the table.

Their eyes met and Hank smiled at Beau. "Evening Love, how are you feeling?"

"I guess I'm ok. I didn't hear you coming in." Beau said softly as he glanced up from the table.

"It just started to storm," Hank said softly.

Hank moved around in the kitchen as he was preparing himself something to eat. He looked so handsome standing there, so tall and muscular as the shirt clung to his damp body like a layer of skin. Seeing Hank standing there made Beau realize how much he missed being with him.

"Want something to eat babe. I'll make you something." Hank offered.

Hank went to the fridge and pulled some things out and made himself a sandwich and then placed some chips on the side. He even scooped up some potato salad onto his plate, that Beth had made and dropped off a few days before.

"No thank you," Beau said softly. "I'm not hungry, but you go ahead."

Hank went to the table carrying a plate and a glass of iced tea with him and pulled a chair out and sat down.

"Want to talk about it now?" Hank asked soberly.

Beau sat there with one knee drawn up to his chest, resting his foot on the edge of the seat. He shook his head and rubbed his chin with his index finger.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Beau said softly. He was very somber and it was noticable he had been crying all day. "I've been thinking I should go away for awhile. Maybe up to the lake house."

Hank shook his head in disbelief as he chewed his food before speaking. "You think that's wise considering all you've been through?" he asked. "You really shouldn't be alone. I'm worried about you, sweetheart. I wish you would let me help you through this."

Beau dropped his left arm heavily to the table. "Hank, please!" He said, raising his voice. He brought a hand up, rubbing his forehead, trying to rid a headache and took in a deep breath and left it out slowly. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't ever want to talk about it. I need to figure this out on my own, alone."

"I'm hardly ever here now. How much alone time could you possibly need?" he snapped as he threw a disgruntled look at Beau.

"I don't know what else to do. What do you want me to do?" Beau yelled.

Hank raised his voice, sounding angry. "First, I want you stop feeling sorry for yourself. And it's quite obvious I can't tell you what to do. You're going to do whatever the hell you want to anyway. If Mom and Dad were here right now, and see you like this," his voice breaking and tapping his finger hard on the table. "What do you think they would say? I sure as hell do, they would tell you it was time to let it go and move on."

"That's easy for you to say, they weren't your parents." Beau shouted and he knew as soon as he said it how wrong it sounded and he knew it had to hurt.

Hank rose from the table, kicking his chair back. He took a couple steps then turned suddenly back around on his heels, shouting with tears in his eyes.

"Do you have any idea how all this has affected me?! I didn't have to be the one to come and tell you what happened but I chose to, knowing it would have been easier coming from me than one of my fellow officers. You don't know how hard it was for me to come and tell you that Mom and Dad were . . ." He turned his head, trying to swallow the lump that was growing fast in his throat. He couldn't even say the word but forced it out anyway. ". . . were dead? I was devastated. I was hurting right along with you. I loved them like they were my own parents. And you have the gull to sit there like you're the only one suffering. What about me, Beau? Don't I get to grieve?"

Hank braced himself at the edge of the counter island, gripping each corner and hanging his head as he stared at the counter blinking away the tears. He tried to control the anger and hurt that was building up inside of him, but he slammed his fists down hard onto the counter, causing Beau to jump in his seat.

"Damn it, Beau! Why don't you fucking talk to me?! Tell me what you're feeling! Anything! Just stop fucking shutting me out! I didn't shut you out when my parents died." And with that being said, he turned and walked away.

Beau propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. He had forgotten about how hard it was for Hank when he lost his parents and remembered how devastated he was. He was so consumed in his own grief that he didn't think about Hank's feelings and he realized that Hank was right, he was feeling sorry for himself and was only thinking about his own grief.

Thoughts went throughout his mind. `Why was I so mean to him? He didn't deserve it. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he walked out that door and never came back. Then I'd be really alone, with no one in my life at all and I wouldn't have anyone to blame but myself.' Beau knew he had to go talk to him and explain himself. He couldn't let it go on like this any longer.

Then Beau's worst fear was actually coming true when he met Hank just at the hallway when he all but ran into him as Hank was coming out from the quest room with his bag. Beau looked at the bag and realized what he had done. He had driven Hank completely away. Beau grabbed Hank's arm before he went any further.

"Hank, please don't leave like this," he pleaded with him.

Hank jerked his arm away from him, glaring at him. "What do you want me to say?! You don't want me around. I get it!" he yelled.

"That's not true!" Beau yelled back, extremely hurt by his accusation, but definitely well deserved.

"It is true!" Hank yelled. He shakes his head, wondering why he's still there. "Why the hell are you doing this? What do you want me to say?"

Beau hung his head in shame and turned and walked away. In a low voice he said. "I thought by getting away from here would help me feel better about myself." He took a deep breath and left it out. "I'm sorry."

Beau stood near the sofa and sat down on the edge of the seat, hard. "I thought I could force myself not to become too dependent on you. But I can't. I don't want you to leave." His chest tightened and he tried to take a deep breath but burst into tears instead. "If you walk out that door, then my life is over. I might as well just kill myself right now and get it over with."

"Don't you ever say that!" Hank yelled, giving a stern look. "You hear me! I don't ever want to hear you say that again!"

"Well that's how I feel," Beau sobbed. "Mom and Dad are gone and I just drove you away. What else is there for me to live for?" he hung his head in shame.

Hank's shoulders slumped forward and he dropped his bag to the floor and slowly walked across the room and sat down next to Beau. His voice was calm and low this time.

"Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this? All I ever asked is that you just talk to me and you won't even do that. if you're not going to talk to me than why the hell should I stick around?"

Beau lifted his head and looked at Hank with glossy eyes. "Because I need you. You're all I have left," he cried and took in a deep breath and left it out slowly as he stifled back a few tears.

Hank turned his head and looked over his right shoulder and seen the box of tissues on the end table and reached for some and handed them to Beau. Beau wiped his eyes and blew his nose, then proceeded to pour his heart out.

"I thought by pushing you away would make me realize that I can live without you. But, I don't want to be alone anymore. I thought I could do it, Hank, but I can't. I know I treated you horribly and you have every right to hate me." Beau took in a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"I don't hate you," Hank said low. "I'm just worried about you and want you to tell me what you're feeling. I only want to help."

Beau sighed heavily. "I realize that now. I just can't get passed what happened and I keep going back to the night before when I last spoke to Mom. She told me, her and Dad wouldn't be around forever and that it bothered her that I've been alone for so long. I just never expected them to be taken so soon and so quickly. She told me how worried she was about me being alone for so long and then how happy it made her when you and I were going to start a relationship. She wanted you and me to be together and said that everyone deserves to be happy."

"Well," Hank said low and nodding his head. "She was right."

"Yeah, but Hank, I snapped at her," Beau sobbed. "When she was talking about not being around forever, I told her not to talk like that. I told her that she and Dad were going to be around for a long time and then this happened. At first I thought it was a premonition that she knew something was going to happen. Then I told myself that it was just a coincidence but now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" he asked turning towards Beau and giving a confused look.

"I don't know. It was like as if Mom knew something was going to happen and she wanted to make sure that I would be all right. She kept telling me she didn't want me to be alone. I think it was like a test or something. Whether or not I am worthy enough to find love or if I am destined to be alone. I don't know. But one thing I do know is that Mom knew that you loved me and that you wanted to take care of me."

"I do, Beau." Hank said, his voice adament. "I do love you and I do want to take care of you. Why can't you understand that?"

"I do. I didn't mean to hurt you, Hank." Beau hung his head and left the teardrops fall. "Oh God, I am so sorry. I really screwed things up, didn't I?""

Hank felt such remorse that he reached out and pulled Beau into his arms and held him close to him. "It's all right, baby," Hank said sadly. "I'm not going to leave you. I love you. I just wanted you to talk to me and you're doing just that."

Beau wrapped his arms around Hank's neck. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this," he said.

He lifted his head and looked into Hank's eyes. "I didn't realize what I was doing until you were about to walk out that door. It scared the shit out of me and I thought I lost you forever. You being here is all that I want, all that I need. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

Hank leaned in and with such tenderness pressed his lips to Beau's and held him close. Beau sinks into him, sighing heavily. He had missed Hank's strong arms so much. He felt so safe with him and it didn't take him long to cry himself to sleep.

When Beau awoke, it was morning. He was lying in bed with Hank beside him. Beau replayed the events from the night before in his head; the shouting, the crying, the talking, then falling asleep in Hank's arms. He had noticed he was still in his clothes from the night before, but Hank wasn't in his as the only thing he was wearing were his boxer briefs. Hank was lying on his back with his face turned the opposite direction, sleeping soundly. Beau watched his massive hairy chest rise up and then fall back down as he breathed deeply.

Beau yawned quietly and stretched his stiff limbs to the limit. He hadn't felt this rested and so relaxed in a long time. It had been several days since he had slept and he smiled contentedly as he look over at Hank lying there sleeping, and he thinks to himself how much he loved him. In all his years the love they had for each other was built on a strong close friendship, more like brothers as others would say. And now here they were seeking a new kind of love, a love of passion, want, and desire. And for the first time in his life, he realized he truly was in love with Hank Styles.

Beau inched himself closer and ran his fingers through the fine dusting of hair on Hank's chest causing him to stir as he began to awaken. He groans as he turns his head slowly in Beau's direction with his eyes still closed.

"Good morning baby," he murmurs under his breath.

Beau tried to fight the urge to kiss him, but temptation overcomes and he gently pressed his lips to Hank's.

Hank made a pleasurable sound. "Mmm . . .," as Beau catches him off guard and he slipped an arm around Beau's middle, pulling him closer and into his massive muscular chest.

Hank pulled back from the kiss, fully awake now. "Wow! Where did that come from?"

Beau smiled contentedly. "To thank you for being there for me when I needed you the most. And for not giving up on me."

Hank moved to his side and pulled Beau to him. "I know last night seemed I was giving up, but in all honesty, I would never give up on you. I wasn't going to leave, I was taking my dirty laundry to the washer."

"What? You let me believe that you were going to leave me and didn't say anything?" he thought about it for a moment and then he burst into an uncontrollable laughter. "I am so stupid. And I am so glad you're here," Beau says giving a smile. Then another thought came to mind. "I can't believe you carried me in here last night. What surprised me the most was waking up and finding you here beside me."

Hank turned to his side, facing Beau. "I hope this doesn't feel awkward for you and yeah, I carried you in here, then I showered and laid down here beside you in case you needed me when you woke up. You were out of it. I never seen you so exhausted."

Beau's eyes drifted away from Hank's and watched the hairs on his chest curl around his fingers. "That's because I hadn't been getting any sleep. You could have left me on the couch," Beau said.

"I didn't mind," Hank said shrugging his shoulder. "Besides, I knew you'd sleep better in here. You never even budged when I picked you up and carried you in here."

"You could have hurt yourself doing that."

"Nonsense," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "You weren't heavy at all."

Beau looks at Hank through glossy eyes. "You really do care about me don't you?"

"Beau, I love you," he stated candidly. "I'd do anything for you. What do I have to do to prove myself to you?"

Beau gives a half smile and speaks softly. "I'm sorry, Hank. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I was so wrapped up in my own grief that I didn't acknowledge the pain you were going through yourself. It was very stupid and insensitive of me not to notice. I know I made you very angry and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Beau turned his head the opposite direction not wanting Hank to see how upset he was.

"Hey," Hank whispers softly, gently gripping Beau's chin, turning his face to him. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that."

"No. That's where you're wrong, Hank. I deserved to be yelled at that way. It forced me to realize that I was being an ass to you when all you wanted to do was to just help me and I love you for that." Beau turned to his side, facing him. "I do. I can honestly can say that I am so in love with you."

Hank smiled, his eyes sparkling. "I'm in love with you too."

He leans in and kisses Beau softly, then deepens it as it ultimately grew into a fiery passionate kiss. Beau melted into his arms and let it happen and left out a deep sigh with a slight whimper, and wrapped his arms around Hank's neck and left the kiss go on and on. And what an incredible mouth he had! He was good at using it too, suckling Beau's lips, setting his head in motion and encouraging Beau to do the same. He kissed in a way that he hadn't been kissed by him in a long, LONG, time. And it sent his head spinning with desire.

Hank puts a hand on Beau's waist, tipped his head and gave them the only thing they wanted at that moment. He wet Beau's lips and brushed his tongue with his own and wiped out all the pent-up longing of the days before it, and the nights they lain awake in their separate beds, wondering when this would happen again.

At last he pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Beau, I mean it," he whispered. "Just kissing, if that's what you want."

"What I want and what I'll allow myself to do are two different things." Beau says to him.

He pressed his lips back onto Hank's and Hank moved closer, bearing his weight on his elbows, crooking one knee along the side of Beau's hip.

When the kiss ended Beau wrapped his arms around Hank's neck and drew him down, his face falling above his shoulder.

He sighed. "Hank, you feel so good on me I could stay like this forever."

"Good idea," he said lifting his head from Beau's shoulder. He pressed his lips back to Beau's and kissed him deeply.

"Hank," he whispered, as he came down on him. "I want you so much."

"Then were even . . .but say it again. I've waited so long to hear that from you."

"I want you so m---"

His mouth cut off Beau's words and he kissed him deep and full of passion. He helped pull the clothes from Beau, throwing them aside, till finally they were naked and lying in the middle of the bed.

Hank gazed into Beau's eyes as he positioned himself on top of him. "Am I crushing you?" he asked concerned.

Beau smiled, looking into his eyes. "No. I love how you feel against me."

Hank's lips brushed against Beau's. "I've missed you so much," he whispers.

"I've missed you," Beau stated in a lustful voice.

Hank kisses softly. "Let me make love to you," he whispers against Beau's lips.

Hank held him as if he would break and Beau grabs on as if he were falling. Beau lets himself surrender to this man as his lips slowly moved down his throat, to his neck, and then to his bare hairless chest. Hank clamped his mouth over one tight nipple and strongly sucked at it, then guiding his tongue to the other one.

Ecstasy and pleasure surged throughout Beau's body. He never thought it could get any better then this. He takes in every detail in around him and listens to Hank's breathing wanting to remember every detail of this moment. The pleasure that Hank was bringing to him was absolutely, positively exquisite.

Hank takes his time to make love to be sure that he brings Beau along with him. He takes pleasure in knowing that Beau's pleasures are being fulfilled. He knows the right places to touch and to kiss as he takes him to new heights in their passions. He doesn't think about his own needs but only aims to please as he takes Beau to places he has never been before.

Hank's lips and fingers move further down kissing and caressing Beau's stomach. His tongue probing his shallow navel and a surprise moan burst from Beau's throat as he thought he was going to climax just by Hank kissing his navel. From there Hank kept moving downward, down the narrow fury happy trail between Beau's navel and his pubes and then to his hard erect penis.

He takes Beau's cock and makes love to it, swallowing it deep down his throat. Hank kisses and sucks on his cock and balls as his fingers probed Beau's puckered anal ring. Beau watched with delight as Hank's head bobbed up and down, licking, stroking, and probing his piss slit for more of the juice that kept bubbling up from Beau's nuts, driving Beau into an incredibly wild frenzy of passion.

Hank went lower, removing his fingers and began licking and probing Beau's rosebud with his tongue. A jolt of instant pleasure went through Beau and he threw his head back, arching his throat, crying out in shear ecstasy as came across his stomach without even touching his hard dick. It was absolutely amazing! He never thought he could climax without even touching himself.

After Hank had Beau's sphincter dripping wet with his spit, he moved quickly back up and reached for a bottle of lotion from the nightstand that Beau used for dry skin. Soon Beau could feel the cold lotion being applied to his butt.

Hank is so gentle, gentle and loving as Beau can feel the confidence through Hank's fingers as they move surely but softly. Hank is slowly massaging Beau's butt muscles, making large lubed circles with his fingers and then slowly pushing them into him.

"I think that you're ready," he whispers softly. He softly caresses Beau's upper thighs. "Just be calm and relax. This is going to be a lot different." Hank bends over again and kisses Beau softly on the lips as he looks lovingly at the man he has wanted to be with since college days.

"How would you know?" Beau asked. "Have you done this before?" Beau whispered with a sly grin.

"No. But I read up on it," Hank replied.

He keeps his mouth close to Beau's. "I could never hurt you," Hank whispers. "I think I know how these muscles work. All you need to do is lie here and think about how much you love me and how much I love you."

He positions himself between Beau's legs and he applies more lotion to his cock and Beau's rosebud, then places his cock at the center of his butt and pushes as he slowly enters into Beau's anal cavity.

Beau moaned heavily, pressing his head back into the pillow. "Ohhhh! Hank, stop, that hurts. Don't move, let me get used to you being inside me first, then go slow." Beau forces himself to breathe deeply.

"Oh, baby, you're so tight. I could cum right now if I wanted to," Hank exclaims.

Hank was big enough that his penetration wasn't easy. Beau thought that if he hadn't been poked, prodded, and lubed enough, and so utterly relaxed, taking him up the ass would have been more painful.

As it was though, their fit was perfect, so perfect that tears sprang to Beau's eyes as he felt some pain, then a lot of pressure. He was tight all around Hank's enormous member. Hank was deep within, but not by much as he still had a lot to go. He pushed on, as Beau felt his huge cock spreading him wide open.

Once Hank was completely buried inside, he lowers himself down onto Beau's chest, looking deep into his eyes. He is moaning deeply as Hank finds his rhythm and begins slowly moving in and out of Beau.

Beau holds him in his arms and rubs Hank's back, feeling every muscle ripple beneath his touch. They stare lovingly at each other, then Hank dips his head and kisses Beau and their tongues dance the dance of love. His lips taste sweet to Beau. He holds himself up by his arms and his rhythm is quicker but steady.

Feeling Hank moving in and out of him made Beau want him all the more. He threw his head back, panting and moaning with the utmost gratifying pleasure he had ever experienced.

Instantly, Hank lowers his head and begins sucking, licking, and kissing Beau's neck. He picks up his pace, driven by his own urgency. Beau began to meet his thrusts, as Hank's cock went deeper inside him again and again.

They both moan in instant gratifying pleasure as their eyes meet, smiling at each other. The love Hank has for Beau shines from his eyes. He lowers his head and kisses Beau deeply their tongues entwine. Grunts, groans, and heavy breathing tore from their throats through their kiss.

Hank is moving in and out with quick strides as he is hitting Beau's prostate with each thrust. Every inward stroke forced Beau closer and closer to that moment when the tension would become too much. He wanted to hold off as much as he could and enjoy the moment, but he couldn't.

Beau tore his mouth from Hank's and throws his head back, crying out, arching his trembling body, caught in an intense orgasm. With his cock between their sweaty bodies, the friction was too unbearable, too breathtaking.

"Oh, oh Hank. I'm going to cum. Oh yes," Beau bellows.

"Oh baby, I'm cumming too. It's coming baby," Hank yells.

Beau held Hank close to him, raking his back with his fingernails as hoarse rough cries tore from their throats and they both climaxed together. Slowly, Hank collapsed on top of Beau, his body trembling as Beau held him in his arms.

Hank pushed one more time and he was there, touching a place inside Beau that, impossibly, rekindled the heat of his desire. He hadn't thought he could climax again, especially for the second time, but as Hank's cock was pressing agonizingly against his prostate he realized differently. The heat inside of him began to grow, becoming even more intense and he lifted his body to him, locking his legs around Hank and grabbing his ass and pulled him in tighter as deep as he could take him.

Beau clenched the muscles in his ass, squeezing Hank's cock and cried out, caught in another orgasm more intense than the other, so intense he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't focus. He heard Hank make a sound and he was thrusting hard, grunting and groaning, his arms locked around Beau as they both shouted out in unison and came together one more time.

The sticky moisture of Beau's cum, smeared between their sweaty bodies. And Beau could feel Hank's seeping out of his ass between his legs. His heavy breathing slowed to a more normal pace, telling Beau at least a few minutes had passed.

Hank stirred and rolled off Beau and onto his back, throwing his arm over his eyes, breathing deeply. "Awe fuck," he muttered, his voice muffled. "That's the first time I ever come twice with one hard-on. It damn near killed me. That was fucking awesome! Man, if you were a woman, you'd be pregnant by now."

Beau could have laughed at that statement if he had the energy, but the fact remained it damn near killed him too and said so to him.

Beau lays in the crook of Hank's arm, resting his head on his shoulder. Beau watched the hairs curl around his fingers as he caresses Hank's sweaty chest and thinks about the way he had came twice in a row with him. He wasn't surprised as much, considering it had been his first time since high school and he wondered what it was like for him, which made him think of Hank's sex life.

"Hank?" Beau said softly, "would it be tacky of me to ask when the last time you had sex?"

"Mmm. I don't know, maybe about a year or two ago. Why?'"

Beau lifts his head and looks at him. "Seriously?" he was shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, especially coming from a man like Hank. "A gorgeous hunk of a man like you hadn't had sex in two years."

Hank turns to his side, facing Beau, smiling. "You think I'm gorgeous, huh?"

Beau gives him a wide grin. "Duh! Why would you even ask such a thing?"

Hank rests his hand on Beau's hip and pulls him into him. Then his dark blue eyes looked deeply into Beau's.

"I waited for you because you're all I want. Do you know how many hand jobs I have done just thinking about you? Now tell me why you wanted to know?"

"Oh, no reason. I just wanted to know." Beau said, as he fluffed up his pillow and rested his head back on it.

"Okay, mister inquisitive, what's this all about?" He lifts himself up onto an elbow, looking down into Beau's eyes.

"It's no big deal." Beau said, turning his back to him. "It's just that this was very powerful and unexpected."

"That it was." Hanks says softly as his head rests gently along side of Beau's and folds him into his arms and gives him a soft kiss on the shoulder. "Did you think it would have been any different?" he said softly in his ear.

"I don't know." Beau says softly. "I just never thought of this ever happening between us. It took my breath away and awakened a feeling in me I never felt before. I never knew it could be this good."

"Two years was just too damn long," Hank said, his voice rumbly and deep while he lay with his eyes closed. "I can't imagine how you went without it since high school."

"Neither can I, now that we are here like this," Beau said and glanced at his alarm clock as it read 12:30 in the afternoon. "I should get up and make us something to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Only for you, babe," he says as he nuzzles his nose into Beau's neck and begins kissing him.

Beau smirks. "I could get used to this you know."

He reaches for Hank's hand at his side and took it in his and brought it up to his chest and held it there. He kisses the top of Hank's hand and nestled his back into Hank's furry chest. Beau basks in the comfort of Hank's body lying next to him. He gives it all he has and rolls to his other side and their eyes meet again and they share yet another passionate kiss.

Beau pulls back from the kiss and gives Hank a look. "Don't you have to work today?"

"No I do not," he smiles. "We have the whole day to ourselves," he says seductively. He pressed his nose into the curve of Beau's neck, kissing him as his hands move over Beau's smooth chest.

Beau closed his eyes, smiling, enjoying the moment. "I love this. I love the way you make me feel," he says to him.

"I can be here every morning with you like this. How would you like that?" he asked as he softly caressed Beau's body.

Beau smiled. "I'd like that very much. But what about your place? It's a lot closer to work," he added.

Hank shrugged his shoulders. "It's just an apartment. And just think of all the money I'd be saving if I moved in. Plus, you'd wake up with me beside you every morning."

Teasingly, Beau scrunched up his face. "Oh, yeah, you got a point there. Maybe I better rethink the possibilities."

"Hey!" Hank growls and tickles him, and Beau bursts into laughter.

Hank stopped and gave a smile. "Do that again," he says, "feels good to laugh doesn't it?"

Instead Beau grew still, looking him in the eyes and smiling, appreciating these moments of closeness. He hadn't felt this way in a long time and it felt so right to him as they kissed tenderly on the lips.

"So, can I move in here with you?" Hank asks persistently.

"Will you give me some time and let me think about it?" Beau asked.

"Yeah, I guess I can. But don't keep me hanging too awfully long. You've kept me waiting long enough just to be with you like this."

"Awe, poor baby." Beau says, teasingly and caressed his hairy chest. "Did you miss me that much?"

"You don't know the half of it," he quirked, and they laugh at that statement.

Beau lies there thinking about him moving in and he voices his thoughts out loud to him. "Well since you already have some of your stuff here, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't move in. You practically already do live here."

Hank lifts his head his eyes widen. "You mean it?"

"I guess we could give it a shot," Beau says with certainty and a reassuring smile.

Hank's face beams with happiness and his eyes sparkle. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Beau knew he couldn't say no to Hank. They did bring out the best in each other. And even now, Beau couldn't see himself without Hank by his side.

They tossed and turned throughout the bed, rolling with laughter. "How can I say no to you?" Beau panted, looking down into Hank's eyes as he lies on top of him holding himself up with outstretched arms.

"Oh, baby, you're the best." Hank thrust his head up and kissed Beau full on the mouth.

Instantly, Beau sits up straddling him, sitting on Hank's cock as it stabs at his butt hole. He reaches behind and positions his cock at his sphincter and pushed it in and left out a huge sigh. Beau threw his head back as a wave of total ecstasy moved throughout his entire being.

He brings his head back down, watching Hank as he had a firm grip on Beau's hips and pushed up. He arched his throat, revealing his adam's apple, and left out a groan that would have shook the house.

They found a rhythm as they made love once again as their hands held on to each other. Hank's hips would rise up to meet Beau's down thrust and their eyes never left each other's gaze.

Beau learned to squeeze and relax the muscles in his ass, riding up and down on Hank's enormous cock. Hank leaves out a moan of undeniable, uncontrollable, gratifying pleasure as Beau's dick bobs happily, leaving sticky dots on his hairy stomach. He snatched Beau's hard dick and began stroking it.

Beau pushed Hank's hand away. "You'll make me cum before I want to. I want to enjoy this as much as I can before I do," Beau said, watching his fingers move over his furry chest and stomach as the muscles flex beneath his touch.

Hank pulled himself up, wrapping his burly arms around Beau, slowly moving his hands up his back. Hank's blue eyes smile lovingly as they stare into each other's eyes.

"You're so beautiful," Hank says in a husky lover's voice. He leans in and kisses Beau deeply and passionately as their tongues dance together.

Parting for air, Hank's lips move to Beau's chin and his teeth bite down gently. Beau tilted his head slightly as Hank's lips move down his throat and he leaves out a moan of enjoyable pleasure as Hank's lips continue to move over his chest and clamps his mouth on one nipple and strongly sucks on it then slowly moves to the other. Ecstasy and desire flow freely throughout Beau's entirety and he links his fingers together behind Hank's neck, and leans backwards, letting Hank kiss and caress him with his lips and long fingers.

Hank pulls Beau back down onto the bed and he anchors his hands on Beau's hips and begins to push up as Beau goes down, sending his cock further inside of him. Beau sits back up, arches his throat, moaning with great desire. He feels the heat inside begin to grow and knows he couldn't last long as it became more intense. He throws his head back, moaning and panting with the utmost desire.

"Oh yesss!" he hisses and Hank seizes the opportunity and snatches his cock and begins stroking it in time to their thrusts. Beau's moans become louder, as he braces himself and rides out the waves of an uncontrollable orgasm.

Hank pumps Beau's cock with quick strokes and he cums, sending thick streams across his chest and stomach, some of it even landing on his lips and chin. Beau collapses on top of him, exhausted from the intense orgasm.

Hank's arms enveloped Beau, and he quickly rolls him over placing Beau on his back and begins fucking with a steady fast rhythm.

"Oh yeah, baby! It's coming, baby!" His body shook and shuddered, as he released his seed into Beau's waiting ass once more, then he slumped heavily onto Beau with a contented groan.

When they both climaxed, there was such an explosion of passion that they shouted in ecstasy as their senses filled to overflowing. They lie there in a tight embrace and kissed for what seemed an eternity as their hearts beat as one. When they had finally calmed down from their lovemaking they lie there gazing into each other's eyes and smiling.

"We're going to end up killing each other. You know that." Beau said softly.

"Yeah, but what a way to die," Hank replied and kissed him again.

A little while later they both slipped into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and went to the kitchen and Beau made them a late lunch. He had made them each a cheeseburger and had gotten some potato salad and macaroni salad out of the refrigerator that had been dropped off several days before by his sister. Hank had poured them each a glass of iced tea and they sat up to the table and ate till they were full.

After they were finished eating Beau took his dish and empty glass to the sink. At the window something caught his eye and he looked out and seen a doe coming out of the woods into the clearing. The deer lowered its head and began eating grass in the backyard. `My, she is a beauty,' he thought.

Something moved beside her and then he seen a fawn standing next to her. He stands there as he gets lost in thought watching in awe as the mother deer keeps close to her young as they were eating the soft grass. Beau slightly jumped at Hank's touch as he came up from behind. He was so quiet that Beau didn't hear him.

"You okay, babe?" He asked slipping his hands around Beau's middle. He kissed his neck, and instinctively, Beau leaned back against him.

"I'm fine. I was just watching that doe out there with her baby. Aren't they a sight to see?" he exclaimed.

Hank looked up, resting his head along side of Beau's. "Wow!" he said low. "Yes they are," he exclaims. Then he finished it by saying, "damn, I wish it was hunting season."

Beau poked him in his side with his elbow as Hank left out a grunt.

"What was that for?"

Beau turns in his arms, facing him, his eyes shining bright with love. "What did that deer ever do to you?" he asked.

He hooked his hands around the back of Hank's neck locking his fingers together as he looks into his eyes as they stare lovingly back at each other. Beau raises his head slightly and kisses him full on the mouth.

Hank lifted Beau up and sat him on the edge of the counter and wedged himself between Beau's legs and pressed his chest into Beau's. His hand slipped underneath Beau's shirt and slowly moved up his back. He deepens the kiss and Beau folds his arms behind his neck, sifting his fingers through Hank's dark hair. He then interlocks his legs together around Hank's waist. They both moan with desire and Hank pulls Beau off the counter and carries him off to the bedroom, kissing him the whole way.

For the remainder of the evening they stay in bed making mad passionate love till finally they lay spent, sweaty and exhausted. It was after ten o'clock at night when they settled down and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Chapter 3

The next morning Beau awoke before Hank. Beau looked at the alarm clock and it was five minutes after eight. He gets up out of bed and goes into the bathroom to take a shower. When he went back to the bedroom to get dressed, Hank was sitting up in bed stretching his huge arms up over his head and flexing his muscles. Beau looks at him and he smiles as he went over to kiss him.

"Man am I hungry," Hank spats out.

"Gee I wonder why, maybe because we did the marathon in the sexual Olympics last night." Beau teased, giving him a big smile.

Hank smiled back and grabbed Beau's arm and pulled him onto the bed and started kissing him. "I love you," he says looking down at Beau.

Beau stares up into his smiling eyes. "I love you too you big lug."

They share yet another passionate kiss when Hank's cell phone started ringing. He reached for his cell phone from the nightstand and Beau got up and went to his dresser and started getting dressed.

"Detective Styles here." He paused, listening to the other person on the line. "You're shittin' me? Awe damn. All right, all right. Give me about forty-five minutes. Yes that's what I just said," he snapped. "I'm not at the apartment. Yeah, yeah, I'll be there." Then he hung up the phone. "Damn it," he blasts.

"I guess that phone call means they need you down at the station?" Beau asked as he was already dressed.

"Yeah, they do," Hank replies. "I wasn't due in till this afternoon but they need me now. I gotta get a shower, but first I have to go out to the truck and get another uniform."

"You go get a shower and I'll go get you your other uniform. We can kill time that way." he tells him as he slipped into his sneakers.

"I knew there was a reason why I love you so much." Hank went to kiss him. Beau knew if he did that, they wouldn't be getting anywhere.

"Go get your shower!" Beau yelled at him.

"Alright. All right. Don't yell at me."

They both went in separate directions as Beau literally ran out to Hank's truck for a clean uniform. He took it in and laid it on the bed and ran to the kitchen and fumbled around making something quick to eat. He made scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh coffee.

By the time he had the table set Hank was coming out of the hall and into the kitchen.

"It smells great in here," he says with a smile, and sat down at the table and began eating.

He looked at the clock. He had fifteen minutes to sit and eat and not rush around but he wanted to get to the station as soon as possible. He ate quickly and washed it down with his coffee. He rose from the table and gave Beau a quick kiss on the lips.

"Gotta go, babe. Breakfast was fantastic. See ya later. Love ya," he shouted back as he was going out the door.

Beau stood in the middle of the kitchen in awe, shaking his head, chuckling to himself. "I guess this is how it's going to be from now on," he says out loud to himself. `Can I live with that?' he thought to myself. He nodded to himself in response, "Yes I can," he says out loud once again.

Beau sat down at the table and ate his breakfast. When he finished, he cleared the table and started to clean up. Afterwards, he went to his computer and decided to check his emails for some of his clients and send out emails to them. He still dealt in law and he was also in realty. He never gave up his bar license when he went into being a realtor for properties. He did magnificently well in both occupations. Plus he was his own boss and had his own home office.

He spent several hours on the computer answering the majority of emails. He didn't have as many as he thought he would, but his clients knew that he was going through a great loss. He caught up rather quickly with his work as it was put on hold for only a month's time.

After his work was all done, he decided to get some cleaning done which took him almost the rest of the day to do. He stripped his bed and the one in the guestroom where Hank had slept for some time and washed all the bed linens and the comforters and threw them in the dryer and remade the beds.

Then he took some personal belongings he had put in the guestroom at one time and boxed them up and put them in the closet of the other bedroom he use as an office. Then he dusted from top to bottom, ran the vacuum, and did a double check, making sure he had everything done.

When evening came and he was completely done, he rewarded himself with a tall glass of iced tea and went to the living room and sat down on the sofa and reached for the television remote and turned it on. He started to watch a program when a news bulletin appeared at the bottom of the screen. He switched channels to the evening news, there had been a robbery on the other side of town, closer towards the city. That's why Hank had to leave, he thought, and he looked up at the clock, and it was going on 5:30 in the evening. This happened this morning, why didn't he call, he said to himself.

He was about to flip back when they said shots were fired. That piqued his interest of course, then it gave a few small details that would echo in his head before sinking in, it was that not only was a clerk had been wounded that an officer at the scene was shot as well.

He picked up the phone and called Hank's cell. No answer, it kept going to voicemail. It wasn't him he kept telling himself, there's just no way. But what if? What if it was him? Beau started to get sick to the stomach. Of all that he went through, he couldn't bear the thought of losing Hank too. He gripped the pillow next to him and hugged it tightly, and brought his legs up to his chest, as he felt his chest tighten his eyes started to well up. `Where is he? Why isn't he returning my calls?' All these questions popped into his head. He started to pace the floor when Hank came walking in the door. Beau ran to him and threw his arms around his neck.

"Whoa! What's all this?"

Beau's emotions went on overdrive, and it took him a minute to respond.

"I thought that could have been you."

"What?"

"The TV, the news said an officer was shot."

"Oh, that. I was hoping you wouldn't have seen that."

Beau pulled himself from the embrace, turned, took a few steps and spun around on his heels. "And you couldn't call me. Do you realize how worried I have been!?" he yelled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Beau didn't even know what to say next. He went from joy to anger in mere seconds.

"Well, I'm here now babe." Hank says with a half smile, and reached for Beau.

But Beau pulled away and couldn't even look at him yet. "You think this is funny?" he said, raising his voice.

"Calm down. Let me explain."

"You want me to calm down." Beau was shouting now, "You want me to calm down! Why couldn't you even call me and let me know you were okay?! How the hell do you expect me to react?!" Beau's hands clenched into tight fists. "Do you even know the terrible thoughts I had of what could have happened to you?"

He turned and went to the couch and sat down with a huff, grabbing the pillow he had before, clenching it in tight fists as he held it even tighter to his chest.

"I'm sorry, baby." Hank sat down next to him. "I'm not used to answering to anybody."

"Well, you better get used to it, cause I love you dammit."

"You're right," he says apologetically. "And I did try to call you. But then I realized my phone was dead." He placed his hand gently on top of Beau's. "That's what I wanted to explain to you. I knew you'd be worried."

Beau looked at him with tears in his eyes, and threw his arms around his neck and hugged him tight, not wanting to let go.

"Well I did worry. And I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was just scared to death that something happened to you. Ever since Mom and Dad died, I hate the thought of being alone." He lifted his head from Hank's shoulder and their eyes met. "Don't ever do that to me again." Beau said shaking a finger at him.

Hank gently held Beau's face in his hands and swiped away the tears with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you." He moved closer and kissed him. "Come here," he says, pulling Beau into him. He leaned back against the sofa and held him close. They sat there for what seemed like hours but time had only passed by twenty minutes.

Beau raised his head from Hank's chest and noticed Hank had fallen asleep. He must have been drained from all the excitement of the day, Beau thought. He slowly got up so not to wake him and went into the kitchen to prepare supper. He plans on rigatoni and garlic bread. He put ground beef on to brown and chopped some onion and added it to the meat, then placed a pot of water on to boil. Then fifteen minutes before serving, he put the loaf of garlic bread in the oven.

While fiddling around at the stove, Beau seemed to remember he had a bottle of Chardonnay white wine in the bottom of the refrigerator. He opened the refrigerator door and knelt down and looked, and there it was. He retrieved it from the back, and the bottle is cold to the touch. Perfect, he smiled.

He sets the table as the aroma of pasta, sauce, and garlic bread fills the air. Hank walked into the kitchen, as Beau was about to pour the wine into the glasses.

"Here. Let me do that and you check the stove," he says with a smile and a wink, taking the bottle.

"How come you came home early? I thought you had an evening shift." Beau asked as he carried a dish of food to the table.

"You remember Ed Burns don't you?" Hank asked as he helped set the table.

"Yeah I remember Ed." Instantly Beau turned to Hank. "Did something happen to him, was he the one that got shot?"

"No! Oh God no. He called off. He and Maeve had a baby boy early this morning."

"Awe, good for them," Beau smiled. "Maeve and the baby doing all right?"

"Oh yeah." Hank said as he sat down at the table. "I covered his shift today and Steve O'Malley is covering mine tonight."

Beau smiled back at him as they are sitting up at the table. "Who got shot, Hank?" Beau asked insistently.

Hank shoved a forkful of pasta into his mouth. "Carlton did. Too bad the bullet got him in the arm and not the chest."

"Hank!" Beau said as his mouth dropped opened. "I know Brad Carlton is an ass but for you to say that about him is so unlike you."

"So what did you do today" Hank asked as he sipped on his wine and immediately changing the subject.

"Other than worrying about you, I got stuff done around the house." Beau answered plainly.

Hank instantly got defensive. "Honey, I said I was sorry. I thought you understood."

Beau nodded his head. "I do," he said, and took a crunchy bite of the bread, chewed and swallowed. "Now it's honey? Before it was baby. I could get used to those sweet nothings." He looks at Hank and gave him a smile, than took a bite of pasta.

Hank smiled and reached across the table and took Beau's hand into his. "And I could get used to you cooking for me. This is delicious."

"It's just rigatoni," Beau said as he watched Hank shove another forkful of it into his mouth and shakes his head. "Would you like me to get you a shovel?" he teased, grinning at him.

Hank chewed and then swallows before he answered. "You think your funny, don't you?" he asks wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Sometimes I do." Beau said, giggling. "If only you could see yourself," and he shakes his head again.

"I know I shouldn't ask this but when do you think you'll be going back to work?" Hank asked almost hesitantly.

"I did today. I checked and sent out my emails and left everyone know I am back to work. I should hear from the company tomorrow since it's Monday. They'll want to send me a listing of apartments and homes to sell. And I have an appointment with Kain and Beth, they want me to write up a will for them. I have a few others to write up as well. So I should be pretty busy all week."

"Well that's great. I'm glad you're getting back into the swing of things."

After they finished eating, Beau began cleaning up and loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. Hank was in the living room rummaging through DVD's so they could watch a movie on the big screen television.

"Honey, what movie do you want to watch?" he raised his voice some so he could be heard.

"Oh I don't care. Pick something out we'll both like," Beau says from the kitchen.

He finished up and carried his fourth glass of wine into the room and sat down on one end of the sofa, placing his glass on the side table. Hank then went over to the sofa and lays down, resting his head on Beau's lap looking up at him.

"Are you comfortable?" Beau asked, smiling down at him. At that moment Beau realized he definitely could get used to having Hank as not only his best friend but as his lover as well.

"Yes I am," he smiles back.

With that, the movie started. The movie was pretty good, Beau had seen it before, but Hank hadn't. It was called Open Range, a western, with the hunky Kevin Costner playing in it. Towards the middle of the movie, Beau had finished the fourth glass of wine and it made him tired and groggy and soon nodded off.

Later, he heard Hank's voice calling him. "Hey, Beau," he whispers, gently shaking him. "Movie's over, let's go to bed."

"You go," Beau murmured, "I'll stay here and sleep." The wine had more affect on him than he thought it did. He knew he shouldn't have had that fourth glass of wine, it was a tad too much.

"Come on, baby," Hank grunted as he picked Beau up and cradled him in his arms. "You'll sleep better in bed."

"I love you, Hank," Beau murmured sleepily as he was being carried down the hall to the bedroom.

"I love you too, baby."

In the bedroom, Hank placed Beau on the bed and helped a sleepy Beau undress then helped him slip under the covers where Beau had soon drifted off to sleep. A little while later, Hank climbed into bed beside him and pressed his body against Beau's back and held him close to him.

Sometime during the night, Beau awoke from a nightmare and he was sitting up in his own bed in familiar surroundings, drenched in a cold sweat and was sobbing uncontrollably, trying to catch his breath. His heart was beating loudly in his ears, and he shook with fright.

"It's okay baby. I'm here. It's just a nightmare." Hank held him close, consoling his lover. "You're shaking something fierce," Hank frets. He pulls the covers back over them and Beau cries into Hank's neck, shaking in his arms.

Hank pulled him closer. "It's all right baby, I'm right here. It's going to be all right," his voice is soothing, comforting and loving. "It's just a bad dream." He kissed him softly on the forehead. Beau's fast beating heart had finally slowed to a normal pace. Feeling safe and secure in Hank's arms, he fell back to sleep.

The next morning Beau awoke in the same position with Hank holding him close to him. He remembered every detail of the dream he had and couldn't shake it off completely. He had dreamt he saw Hank lying on the floor in a puddle of blood and he started to shake. He shook with fear, knowing some one was near by and was going to kill him as well. He dreamt he was cradling Hank in his arms when another shot rang out. That was when he was jarred out of his nightmare. Beau knew he would have to keep the nightmare to himself and would not tell Hank about it. Instead, he quietly lies there, watching him sleep.

He rested his head on his own pillow, resting closely but not touching the sleeping man next to him but instead watches his man sleeping. Hank stirred as he started to awaken and he groaned and yawned as he stretched long ways. He yawns again. "How long have you been watching me?" he asks sleepily as he pulls Beau in to him.

"Not long," Beau replied.

"You know you gave me quite a scare during the night. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest."

"Mine too," Beau said, snuggling in closer. "I'm really sorry about that. I usually never have nightmares. I think it might have been the wine I drank last night. I should not have drank four glasses."

"I didn't know you had four," Hank said as he turned to his side, facing Beau. "It very well could have. You mind telling me about it? It might help."

"No, Hank, you don't want to know." Beau did not want to tell him about the nightmare he had.

Instead, he turned his back to him, not saying a word. Making it quite obvious that it was about him.

Hank slid over and pressed his chest into Beau's back and whispered in his ear.

"It was about yesterday wasn't it?" Hank insisted. "Beau, nothing is going to happen to me," he says, trying to convince him otherwise.

"You don't know that, Hank." Beau said. He couldn't bear to even think about what could happen to Hank while he was out fighting crime. "I didn't worry as much before. But it's different now that we're together."

Hank shifted and wrapped his arms around Beau's middle, resting his head slightly above Beau's. "I hear what you are saying, but baby, nothing is going to happen to me," he repeated with certainty. "We're going to be together for a long time."

Beau then turned in Hank's arms as their eyes met. Hank smiled lovingly then pressed his lips tenderly to Beau's. They stare lovingly at each other for a while him as Hank softly caresses Beau's cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I cleaned the other bedroom out for you yesterday, and I thought we could go to your place and pick up the rest of your things." Beau said in a low voice to him. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you'll have to help me move the heavier stuff out of the room and put it in the den downstairs to make room for your stuff."

"Why did you clean out a room for me?" Hank wanted to know. "I thought I was going to share this room with you."

"Of course you'll be sharing this room with me. I wouldn't have it any other way. But I want you to have your own room so it doesn't look like you're sleeping with me. Now that we're `out of the closet', I don't want people to know about us. It's no ones business really. Sure I would love to shout from the highest mountaintop that I am in love with you and you are in love with me. But I don't want anyone to know that I'm gay. At least not yet."

"Are you ashamed of who you are now?" Hank asks.

"Not so much ashamed, but scared. I am happy with the way things are between us. Besides Hank, I'm thinking about you. I keep going back to what I kept telling you before about how you are a very well respected cop. What do you think it would do to your reputation?"

"I know and I told you before I am not worried about that, but I do agree with you on everything that is being said. And just so you know, I haven't said anything to anyone about us. I'm glad we're having this conversation, it actually sheds some light on how we both feel about this relationship. But there is one thing I'm not so sure of."

"What's that?" Beau asks giving a quizzical look.

"Keeping myself under control when I'm around you out in public." Hank grins as he snuggles closer to him. "It's going to be pretty tough for me to keep my hands off you. Sometimes I just might feel like doing something," he pauses, "like this." He buries his nose into Beau's neck and growls, which tickles a sensitive spot as Beau laugh's.

"Beau?" He said low near his ear.

"What?" Beau murmured, lazily sifting his fingers through the back of Hank's dark hair.

Hank lifted his head from Beau's shoulder. His eyes sparkling at him just inches away. "Promise me you won't shut me out like you did before."

Beau said softly. "I'm sorry for that."

"I know. It's just that I was worried about you. I've never seen you that depressed before and it scared the hell out of me. I thought I was losing you and I was afraid of what you might do."

Beau smiled softly and spoke low. "I know I hurt you and I promise I won't do that again. I love you, Hank. I always will." He reached out and wiped a tear away from Hank's cheek and kissed him tenderly on the lips and took him into his arms as they held each other.

They pulled from the embrace but stayed close, sitting up in bed. Hank shifted and opened his legs and pulled Beau into him. The sat stomach to stomach with their legs on either side of each other with their dicks touching each other and getting hard.

Hank looks lovingly into Beau's eyes and caressed his face. "I love you so much, Beau. You are all that I want, all that I think about."

Beau's hands moved up Hank's muscular hairy chest. "You don't know how much that means to me, Hank." They kiss tenderly as it grows into something more passionate and deep.

Hank slowly pushed Beau down onto the bed. Beau wrapped his arms around Hank's muscular build, gently running his fingers over the tight muscles as they flex from his touch.

"Mmm," Beau makes a pleasurable sound as he feels Hank's massive member poking gently at his sphincter. Instantly, he pulled back from the kiss.

"You have to work today, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't have to be in till later. I'm working the night shift tonight. What about you?" he asked.

"I don't have any appointments until tomorrow." Beau answered. "All right then. Let's get a shower and go to your place."

"That's not what I was thinking about doing," Hank smirked.

"I know," Beau grinned at him.

Hank watched as Beau's nude body jumped out of bed and sauntered across the room and stopping at the door that led into the bathroom. Beau turned to look at Hank who was smiling as he was lying on his side, with his head propped up by the palm of his hand, watching Beau with intense eyes.

Beau left the door open as he went the shower and turned the water on and adjusted the temperature so it could heat up, then stood at the toilet and took a good long piss. When he finished, he stepped into the hot steamy shower and began to soap up.

Hank came in then and went straight to the toilet and took a long piss himself. When he was done, he flushed the toilet, causing Beau to leave out a squeal as he got a sudden jolt of cold water. Hank started to laugh.

"That's not funny, Hank. Now I'm cold," he yelled.

Hank opened the shower door and stepped in behind Beau, placing his hands on Beau's waist. "Would you like me to warm you up?" he says in a husky lover's voice at his ear.

Hank pressed his chest into his back and slowly moved his hands around to the front of Beau's body and began kissing his neck. Hank takes the soap from Beau, and begins to wash him, moving his hands slowly down his body.

Beau tilts his head back onto Hank's shoulder and Hank kisses his neck. His lips move from his ear down the curve of Beau's neck and then slowly back up, letting the tip of his tongue caress the soft wet skin. Beau lets out a moan as Hank slides his left hand down around the front of his left leg, to the underside of Beau's raging, bouncing, and throbbing hard-on.

Beau feels Hank's cock harden as it nestles in the small of his back and he turns in his arms, taking the soap from him and began to soap up Hank's beefy, hairy body. He moves closer to him, pressing his lips to Hank's muscular, hairy chest, then slowly taking Hank's left nipple into his mouth and started to suck on it, causing Hank to moan. He moves to the other nipple, biting on it very gently and lovingly, sucking on that one too.

Hank crooks a finger under Beau's chin and gently lifts his head and leans in and tenderly presses his lips to Beau's. Beau moans with desire as Hank shoves him up against the shower wall and picks him up in his arms. Beau wraps his arms around Hank's neck and hooks his legs around his waist. Beau feels Hank's cock at his sphincter and Hank gives a slight push and his cock enters Beau's ass with ease. They get lost in a passionate state as they make love in the shower.

Hank begins a rhythm as he moves in and out of Beau's rosebud. "Oh baby," Hank whispers in a husky lover's voice and breathing heavily into Beau's ear "Mmm, you feel so good." He nibbles on Beau's earlobe, and than suddenly shoves his tongue into his ear.

Beau gives a moan of pure pleasure. "Oh, Hank," Beau whispered.

Instantly, Hank pulled back. "Am I hurting you?" he says. The look of concern is in his eyes.

"No, you're not hurting me," Beau says. "But if we want to go to your apartment and bring your stuff here, we have to get moving before you go to work."

Hank never stopped moving in and out of him as he kept his rhythm going. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But can we finish this first, I'm about ready to nut, baby." He gave a harder push, causing Beau to moan loudly as Hank touched that special spot inside him.

Beau threw his head back and held on to Hank for dear life as he fucked his ass. When they climaxed there was such an explosion of passion that they shouted in unison as they both came simultaneously.

Beau left his legs drop as he tried to stand on weak knees.

"You okay," Hank said, holding him up so he doesn't fall.

"Yeah, I am fine. You just make me weak in the knees," Beau grins. "Why don't you finish up and I'll go make us breakfast."

"Sounds good," he says and gives Beau another kiss.

Beau steps out of the shower and dries off. He goes to his room and gets dressed. When he is done he leaves the room and walks down the hall to the kitchen and makes them breakfast; pancakes, sausage links, orange juice and fresh brewed coffee.

Beau is puttering around in the kitchen humming to himself when he had a sense that someone was watching him. He looks and sees Hank peering around the corner smiling as his eyes have a sparkle to them.

"What are you doing?" Beau grins, turning his head and looking directly at him.

"Watching you," he smiles.

"Why?" he asks, narrowing his eyes.

"Because I just like to, that's why," he says coming into the kitchen.

He comes up to Beau and kisses him on the lips, then went to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Have you noticed anything different since I've been here the past couple days?" He turned around where he stood and leaned back against the counter, sipping on the hot coffee.

Beau was standing over the stove watching the pancakes so they wouldn't burn. He gives it some thought and his mind is a blank.

"I can't think of anything. Should I?"

He fills a plate of food for Hank and hands it to him and he went and sat down at the table.

Hank was pouring maple syrup over his pancakes and talking. "I was standing there watching you for the longest time before you even noticed me."

"Yeah, so what's your point?" Beau asked, carrying a plate of food to the table and sitting down to eat.

"My point is dear, it's as if I was looking at a totally different person."

Beau gives a confused look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how much you've changed, you knucklehead. You were moving around in here like you were walking on cloud nine, humming and smiling. I couldn't help but smile to myself thinking how much happier you seem to be," he says taking a big bite of his pancakes as a small drop of syrup runs down the side of his mouth and he swipes it away quickly with his tongue.

"You think so? Hmm. I wonder why that could be." Beau teased. "I would think a certain man would be the reason why I'm so happy."

"It's just that you were very depressed and withdrawn which is perfectly natural for what you went through and now look at you, you're smiling again. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time." Hank takes Beau's hand into his and smiles. "I'm just glad you gave me a chance to show you how much I love and respect you."

"We've come a long way, baby" Beau stated.

"You're damn right we have." He pushed his half empty plate away and drank the last of his coffee. He patted his stomach and grunted. "Damn, you got to stop cooking like this. I'm going to get fat."

Beau grins. "Not with me around you won't. You'll get plenty and I mean plenty of exercise with me."

"Ooowee! Now that's what I like to hear," he says with a broad smile.

Beau starts to laugh at that statement, and gets up and starts to clear the table. Hank helps him fill the dishwasher, but Beau chooses not to turn it on just yet. He will do that later, after supper, he tells himself.

"Hey?" Beau turns to Hank after closing the dishwasher. "Do you want that bedroom set that's in the guestroom for yourself?"

"Hell yeah, my stuff is all crappy anyway. Where did you get that anyway if you don't mind me asking?"

"Don't you remember, it was my old set from home." Beau says as it reminds him of home. Home, he thinks to himself as he hears the word coming out of his mouth and smiles instead of crying.

"Yeah, now I remember." It was as if a light went on in Hank's head. "I helped you move that in here. That was some heavy lifting stuff. But then again it is oak. Real nice too."

"Well then, it's yours." Beau looks at him intently. "Now, are you ready to go get your stuff?"

"Let's go," he says.

They take Hank's truck and head off to his apartment across town. Before they get to his apartment they stop at a local grocery store for some boxes, then head on over to the apartment to start packing. When they arrive, Beau had almost forgotten what it looked like. It had been a long time since he had been there.

It's a nice looking apartment, but small enough for one or two persons. It was whitewashed and spotless too. It had a living, dining, and kitchen, all in one big area with not a whole lot of furniture in it either. Hank's bedroom was of nice size and spacious too.

"Where do we want to start?" Beau asked. "And what do you want to do about your furniture?"

"I can get rid of most of the furniture. I won't need all of it. But it will take me several truck loads to get everything out of here, and I'm not going to do it all today."

Beau looked at him a little funny. "I didn't say you had to."

Hank shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that. It just came out wrong. Sorry, babe."

"No problem. It is sudden." Beau says, not taking his eyes off Hank, wondering what he is thinking. "Do you really want this? I don't want to pressure you to doing something you're not ready for."

Hank reached out and took Beau's hand. "I have been wanting this for a long time. But this is your decision, your house. The pressure is on you, not me. And if you think it's too sudden then we'll just drop it right now and forget about the whole damn moving in thing."

"Hank, I have been alone in that house for way too long." Beau stands in front of him, their eyes not far from one another. "I want you with me. I want to share my life with you. And it's not just my home anymore it's our home."

Hank gave a soft smile and caressed Beau's face with the backs of his fingers. "You amaze me darling. I wouldn't know what I would do without you. I love you too much," he whispered and leaned in and gave Beau a soft kiss.

"We better get started packing," Beau says softly with a smile.

"You're right," he replied. "How `bout you take the bedroom and I'll start in the bathroom and we'll work our way out," he says.

"Fine with me," Beau says as he grabbed several boxes and headed off to the bedroom and started boxing things up from around his bed, gathering up all the loose things he can find and shoving them into a box. Then he packed up all of Hank's clothes and his uniforms.

It didn't take them long to have a truckload of stuff to take back to the house. And before they left, Hank made it a point to stop by to see his landlady. He gave her the news that he was moving out and said he would be back before the end of the week and gather the rest of his belongings and pay her the rent that he owed her.

Back at the house, they unloaded everything and took it into the guest room. Then came the time for Hank to leave for work. Alone, Beau started to clean out his chest of drawers in his room taking his own clothes and filled the other dresser and what was left he put in the closet on a shelf. Then he started filling the dresser with Hank's clothes and didn't stop till he had all of Hank's clothes in the dresser and hung in the closet. The rest of Hank's things he left alone, telling himself that Hank can do with it whatever he wanted.

Later, Beau made a light supper consisting of a salad and chicken breast and a few potatoes. He made up a plate for Hank, covered it up and placed it in the oven to keep warm.

That night Beau crawled into bed alone and for the first time it felt awkward not having Hank lying there when he finally gotten used to him being there. Beau laid there awake knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep until Hank got home. But soon fatigue overtook him sooner than he expected and he drifted off to sleep.

It was around one o'clock in the morning when he was awakened to the sound of the shower running and knew Hank was home. He rolled back over and went back to sleep. Then a little while later he soon felt Hank crawling into bed beside him and taking him into his arms.

"Mmmmm, you're home," Beau said sleepily.

"I'm home babe," he whispered in his ear.

Half awake, Beau turned in his arms. "Did you get something to eat?" he asked.

"No. I wasn't hungry, so I put the dish you had for me in the fridge." Hank answered.

"Okay," Beau said low. "The chest of drawers has all your clothes in it. And I hung your uniforms in the closet."

"I would have done that eventually," Hank said.

"I know," Beau said still talking low, as he snuggled closer to Hank, lying in the crook of his arm. "But, I had to clean it out anyway. I didn't mind putting your clothes away," Beau said, resting his head on Hank's shoulder. He could smell the fresh smell of soap on Hank's soft clean skin as his fingers sifted through the soft hairs on his chest.

"Thanks babe," Hank says and kisses his forehead. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," Beau replied back.

And they fell asleep in each other's arms.

By the end of the week, Hank had moved in for good. And poor old Mrs. Jenkins didn't have to worry for too long about finding a new tenant, when one of Hank's fellow officers immediately took the apartment.

The news about him moving in with Beau was going around at the station. And Beau was curious as to what the other officers were saying about him moving in.

"Are they giving you a hard time?" Beau asked.

"I told them I was just helping you out 'till you got back on your feet. I made it sound like you were having money trouble. I know it sounds lame, but I'm not ready to out myself just yet. Then one of them tried to be funny and asked if I was fucking you, and I hauled off and decked him and said I didn't like what he was insinuating about you or me and that we were just friends. That's when I got loud and told them all exactly what I thought. That they could think what they want and told them all to kiss my fucking ass."

"Wow! That seems pretty extreme. Now they're really going to be talking about us. I just hope it doesn't affect you getting the C. O. P. (Chief of Police) position. I don't want to be the one costing you something you deserve. You've earned it to have that title."

"Don't worry about that, I'm not." Hank says adamantly.

"So which one did you hit?" Beau asked, wanting to know all the details.

"Carlton."

"Brad?" Beau said in surprise. "Actually, you know that doesn't surprise me. He always was a jerk, especially to me. I don't think he ever got over me punching him in the mouth when he got fresh with me last year at the Christmas party at McSorley's Bar."

"Why do you think I hate him so much? I didn't like him then and I still don't like him now," Hank said with a snarl.

Then Beau laughed as he remembered what Hank did to Brad afterwards.

"I will never forget when you picked him up by the seat of his pants and the back of his neck and threw him out the door." Beau laughed. "I will never forget that as long as I live."

Hank just snarled as he thought of the man he hated the most. "Yeah, well, he's a cocky son of a bitch. Just be on your guard when you're around him," Hank warned. "I don't trust him and neither should you."

Brad Carlton was a egotistical, self-centered pain in the ass. It was as if he had no charm at all, and when he did, it didn't last very long. He was also an amazingly attractive man with a deep set of dark eyes, dark hair and a thin trimmed beard and moustache. He was of medium height but damn he was nothing but a solid brick house and had protruding muscles on every inch of his animalistic like body. He attracted both sexes with his good looks and had is way with anyone that gave him the slightest bit of attention. Whether if they were a man or a woman. It was one of the reasons why he became divorced after only two years of marriage. His wife had come home from work and found him in bed with another man.

A week went by and Beau had sold two houses and a condo. He even delivered the will document he had written up for Kain and Beth. He was so glad he was back to work and not only that he was in a much happier state of mind then he was three weeks before.

The exuberance Beau felt must have radiated off his body. Even his sister and her husband noticed when he had dropped the will off at their place and they were sitting at their dining room table, talking.

"There's something different about you, Beau," Kain said sitting at the dining room table next to Beth. "It's like you are a totally different person."

Kain Ashby was a tall good looking gentleman, dark hair with tips of gray at the temples, brown eyes, and had a fit body. His profession was that of a psychiatrist who had his own private practice there in town.

Beth inherited their mother's look, a small petite brunette, who ran a daycare center near where Kain worked called Little Angels Daycare Center. They had two grown children away at college; Graham and Kara.

"Yes, I notice that too," Beth said, grinning. "You seem a lot happier, more so than when you were a month ago. I know losing Mom and Dad was tough on you. It was tough on all of us."

"Yes it was," Beau said, taking his eyes from them and looking down at the table. "But now being back to work is a lot less stressful. You know, I always thought I would have Mom and Dad to rely on and be there for me. And when they died I never thought I would get over that loneliness feeling for them. Now, I don't feel so much alone anymore since Hank moved in."

"How is Hank doing?" Kain asked.

"Oh he's great," Beau smiles as his eyes light up. "He is working even harder now at the station since he was selected to be the next chief of police. But Mitch is not going to retire until next spring, so Hank has a long ways to go yet. He has made quite a career at being a law enforcer. I have never been more proud of him."

Kain said, "Beth and I heard that Mitch was going to retire, but we never knew that Hank was up for the position," he exclaimed. "I bet he's all excited."

"He is. He is very excited about it," Beau exclaimed. "There is no one better than Hank to fill that position."

"You seem excited about this too," Beth stated.

"I am, probably more so than Hank is. I think this would be a great opportunity for him." Beau glances at his watch and pushes himself away from the table. "Well I have to get moving. I sold a house this morning and I need to get some paperwork done and delivered later this afternoon. It was really nice talking and catching up with the two of you."

"Same here Beau," they both said together as they walked him to the door.

When they reached the door, Kain had opened it for him. Then Beau turned back around to both of them. "How would you two like to come over to the house some night this week for dinner? Just the four of us, I can get the grill out and barbecue some steaks."

"That would be great," Kain said.

"How about Wednesday evening at six?" Beau asked.

"We'll be there, Beau. And I will bring dessert," Beth said with a big smile.

Beau smiled. "Great. I'll see you then. Bye."

Back inside the house, Kain said to Beth. "Did you see the way he lit up when I asked about Hank?"

"I certainly did," Beth said. "I know that look. I think the two of them are a little closer then he lets us believe."

"You think so?" Kain asked.

"Kain, I know love when I see it. And Beau is in love with Hank and they are doing more than sharing a house together. It's about time Beau lets someone into his heart even if it is Hank. Besides, I think they make a great looking couple." Beth paused and turned to Kain. "Does that bother you, them two being a couple?"

"No, not at all, If that is what they are," Kain replied. "And, I totally agree with you. Plus, I think Hank is good for Beau. Those two have been through a lot over the years and I'm just glad they're there for each other."

"Well, I tell you what sweetie," Beth says, "on Wednesday when we go for dinner, I will talk to Beau and you can talk to Hank and we will act like we already know everything and we will see what happens."

"Okay, you have a deal." Kain says smiling as he leans in and kisses his wife.

On his way across town, Beau picked up lunch for him and Hank. He had gone to Salvador's Sub and Pizza Place which was across the street from the police department. Once he had paid for two sandwiches and a soft drink, he walked across the street to the station and went inside. He scanned the wide open room looking for Hank and didn't see him at his desk and wondered where he could be. He turned to walk to Chief Mitchell Hughes' office and to his chagrin he literally had ran right into Officer Brad Carlton.

"Watch where you're going," Brad snapped as he looked up from his paperwork and looked straight at Beau. "Hey there hotshot, you and Styles got something going on?" he boldly asked out loud in front of everyone as they all looked up in their direction.

"What the hell are you talking about," Beau snapped at him pretending that he has no clue as to what he is talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me Michaels. I see the way you two are when you're together and the way you look at each other when you think no one's looking. What are you a couple of fags?"

"You should talk. Apparently someone doesn't remember what happened at McSorley's Bar last year at Christmas," Beau says as he hears a few chuckles from the other officers that heard him. They knew exactly what Beau was talking about as the majority of them were at the party when it happened.

"You better shut your fucking mouth," Brad barked.

"What's the problem Brad? Did I strike a nerve? The only reason you're still upset is because you're still embarrassed that I punched you in the face and turned you down flat." Beau laughed in his face. "You know what, I'm not doing this, and you are not even worth the trouble. You're still the same self centered arrogant asshole you'll always be."

"Shut the fuck up, before I fucking shut you up." Brad took a step forward, ready to start a fight. Beau was not intimidated by his stature but rather stood his ground.

"You better watch your fucking mouth boy," Hank barked in his deep voice. "You have a fucking problem, you bring it to me fuckwad," Hank barked as he had just went to his desk after coming out of the chief's office and heard everything that was said.

"Yeah I do," Brad says whipping his head toward him, surprised that Hank was right there.

"Want to take it to the chief," Hank blasts, as he makes his way toward Officer Carlton. "Or you want to take it outside and settle it like a man."

"Hey," Brad says as he looks from Hank and then back to Beau, "if you and this little miss fairy here want to get it on, that's your business," he says with a smirk.

Hank sees red and just hauls off and decks him, sending Brad flying across his own desk. The commotion brings the chief out of his office.

"What the hell is going on out here," Chief Hughes yells.

"Well chief," says officer Kirk Hughes, the chief's son. "It seems here Brad was making homophobic accusations towards Hank and Mr Michaels. First he got in Mr Michaels face and made some ugly remarks and then got in it with Hank who just put him in his place. Actually they both put Brad in his place."

"That right Hank?" the chief says looking from Hank to Beau and then to Brad.

"That's right Mitch. Anybody else has a problem with us being a couple they can come to me and I will tell them how it's going to be." Hank says taking a step closer towards Beau who just stands there in shock not saying a word as Hank speaks for the both of them.

"Hank, calm down," the chief says, "I want to see you two in my office now. You too Beau."

Beau gave a look of wonder to Hank, as to why he had to be in the office was beyond him. But the three of them followed the chief into his office. Hank and Beau both took a seat at the desk while Brad stood leaning against the wall.

The chief stated for a fact that the law protects those from discrimination in the work place and that if Brad or anyone else there at the station for that matter had a problem with it to let him know and he would take care of it.

"Chief, what does this have anything to do with me?" Beau asked. "I don't work here."

"I know you don't work here, but you are still a lawyer and some of your cases come through here," the chief blasts. "Besides, I knew your parents. You didn't know this but your parents and I went to high school together and have always been good friends. I would hate to see anything happen to their son," he said as he glared at Brad giving him a look of warning.

"Thank you sir, but . . . " Beau said, but the chief held up his hand to stop him.

"I'm also not blind either. I can see how the two of you are together and I want the two of you to know that you have my total support and I wish you luck for a great future together. Hank, I have never seen you this happy in a long time. I have said all I need to say, you two can go now."

As Hank and Beau left they heard the Chief say in a firm hard tone to Officer Carlton. "Have a seat." The Chief barked at Carlton.

Now that the cat was out of the bag about Hank and Beau, things would be different and not everyone would like the idea of a well respected cop living with another man. What caught Beau off guard even more was when the other officers stopped them to shake their hands and said it took a lot of guts for Hank to admit what they were and for coming out in a police brotherhood. Even Hank's partner Ed Burnes had noticed a tremendous difference in Hank.

"Hey, Hank," Ed said. "I kind of thought what was going on between you two, but being we are friends and all, I didn't want to say anything. I was waiting for you to say something first. And on behalf of everyone here I have to say I respect your privacy and you don't have to worry about what we think, just so you're happy."

"Thanks, Ed. That means a lot," Hank replied with much gratitude.

Ed turned his look towards Beau. "Beau, you got a great guy here. You are very lucky to land a man like Hank. Congratulations you two."

"That goes for me too," says Officer Nick Sullivan. "And just so you know, I have your backs."

"Thanks Nick," Hank and Beau both say in unison.

Nick leaned into Beau and whispered into his ear. "At least now I know I can't ask you out like I was going to. Good luck with Hank, you deserve it."

Beau's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, surprised as to what Nick had just said. He had always liked Nick and thought of him as a very attractive man. He was so much like Hank, only he had sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes, but everything else about him was pure masculinity and powerful which made him even more attractive.

While Hank and Ed were talking, Beau turned away to talk to Nick. "You are a great man Nick and I appreciate that." Beau said low. "I didn't know you felt that way about me. I have always considered you a great friend but I am with Hank now and I love him very much and he loves me."

"That's all that matters, Beau," Nick said with a wink and a smile.

"Thanks for understanding, Nick," Beau said.

"I do, Beau," Nick replied. "I know it had been tough for you losing your parents. I know what that is like. But now you have Hank and I haven't seen you this happy in such a long time. Good luck, Beau, you deserve to be happy."

Beau smiled happily. "Thanks so much. You don't know how much that means to me."

They stood there talking a little while longer when Brad left the chief's office in a huff. He gave hard glances at Hank and Beau, grabbed his things and left the station without saying a word.

After all the commotion died down and everyone was back to work, Hank said to Beau. "So, what brings you here?"

"I stopped at Sal's and got you some lunch," he said. "It's sitting on your desk."

"Awe, thanks. I am hungry." He said as the two of them went and sat at his desk. Hank unwrapped his sub and took a bite. "Want to sit here with me while I eat?" he asks with a mouth full.

"I guess I can for a little bit. I still have a lot to do before going home." Beau said, sitting down in a chair beside Hank's desk. "I didn't come here to cause trouble with Brad. But since the cats out of the bag now, I guess I can relax a little more, knowing that everyone supports us."

"Yeah, surprised me too. That just goes to show you who your true friends are," he stated.

"That's true," Beau says. "Oh, speaking of which, I invited Kain and Beth over for dinner Wednesday evening. I hope you have the night off."

Hank looks over his schedule and nods his head. "Yep. I do have off."

"Okay. Whelp, I got to get going if I want to make supper for us later on. I got a shit load of work to get done."

"All right, babe. I'll see you when I get home." Hank rises from his desk as he stands with Beau and they share a look of love for each other and mouth the words I love you to each other instead of saying it out loud.

Beau leaves the building and heads off to the real estate agency he worked through and dropped off some papers and picked up more while he chatted with a few friends for a while till he realized it was getting late.

When Wednesday came, it was a perfect evening for a barbecue. The evening sun was beginning to set and it set off a beautiful color of fiery orange in the sky and their was a slight chill in the warm air, a sign that autumn was right around the corner.

The steaks were sizzling on the grill along with potatoes and corn on the cob both wrapped in foil. Six o'clock came fast, and Kain and Beth showed up while Hank was tending the grill.

Beau was getting dishes out of the cabinet to set the patio table when Beth came into the kitchen.

"I hope you like peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I made the cobbler myself." Beth says as she was holding the pan in her hands. She sat it down on the counter, and puts the ice cream in the freezer.

Beau glances at the pan of cobbler. "Oh God Beth, you let Hank see that, he'll eat the whole damn thing," he laughed. Looking around, he noticed Kain wasn't in the room. "Where's Kain?" he asked.

"He's out talking to Hank." She says as she stood next to Beau as they chatted. "So, how are things with you and Hank?" she asks with a bit of a lift in her voice as she wore a sly grin.

"Okay I guess," he said as he stood at the counter reaching in the top cabinet for some glasses. He stops in midair and looks at her as she gives a look that said the ruse was up. "You know don't you?"

"Know what, honey?' as she plays coy.

"Beth," Beau say giving her a look, "don't play coy with me. You're not any good at it."

"Beau, you could always see right through me." She grabs his arm. "It was quite obvious when you were at the house the other day. When we asked about Hank, you lit up like a Christmas tree. That's when Kain and I figured out about the two of you."

"You mean Kain knows too?" his eyes widened with shock. "Oh my God, what did he say?"

"He thinks Hank is good for you and you for him. He also hopes that you two are as happy as the two of us are. We want you to know you have our love and support."

"Awe, Beth, he really said all that?" Beau said with a smile.

"Well of course, honey," she said with a smile. "We have always thought of Hank as part of the family."

Outside, Hank and Kain kept watch over the grill as they talked.

"So, Hank, how do you like living out here away from town?" Kain asked.

"Oh, I like it a lot. Not so much hassle," Hank replies. "I'm happy. Beau's happy, and we keep each other company."

"Yeah. I have to agree with you there," Kain says. "Beau does seem to be more relaxed and at ease now that you're here. It's good to know that you really care about him. I mean after all that he went through losing his parents and all. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Beth. She means the world to me, so I know what you're talking about."

"You do?" Hank said, looking over at him. "I'm glad someone understands me. I hope I don't make you uncomfortable when I say this, but I love that man and we make each other happy. That's what matters to me the most, making him happy."

Kain gives a friendly pat on Hank's shoulder. "I know how you feel about him, it's quite obvious. And no I'm not uncomfortable being around the two of you."

"Thanks Kain," Hank says with a smile.

Beth and Beau were heading out to the deck, when she whispered something funny about Kain and they both laughed.

"What are you two giggling about?" Hank asks.

"Knowing them two, Hank, it can't be good." Kain says with a smirk.

"You may have a point their, Kain." Hank says.

"Hey there buddy," Beau says to Hank as he sets the table, "you better watch it or you will not get any of the peach cobbler that Beth made for dessert that goes with the vanilla ice cream," as he sang out the last two words.

"You made peach cobbler?" Hank asked in surprise, as Beth nodded her head. "I love peach cobbler, only Beau here won't make it for me," he says as he gives him a grin.

"I have so made it for you!" Beau yelled at him. "Don't believe him you two," Beau says in a normal tone. "You keep that up and you won't get any," he teases Hank. "I'll eat your portion."

Hank hung is head just to tease. "That's all right, Beau," Hank shot back. "Go ahead, eat the whole damn thing. We'll just have to have a good ole nice work out session later on so you don't get fat."

"Hank! Stop that!" Beau yelled in embarrassment and felt his face blush, causing Kain and Beth to burst into laughter.

"You know, if I wouldn't be mistaken, you two sound like an old married couple," Kain said with big a smile.

"I'll second that," Beth said as she takes a seat at the table beside Kain.

"All right you two stop that," Beau chastises as he helps bring the food from the grill to the table. "And another thing, I am not old. Hank may be, but I'm not."

"Who are you calling old?" Hank says as he brings a platter of steaks to the table. "I didn't hear any complaints last night."

"Hank!" Once again, Beau blushed with embarrassment as he shook his head. "You are incorrigible."

"It's all right, Beau," Beth said. "You are so uptight. You need to loosen up and not let things bother you."

"There is no need to be embarrassed about a good healthy sex life," Kain said. "It's good to be out in the open and share things with others. Now with Beth and I, we have been married for twenty two years and our sex life hasn't slowed down yet."

"No, but you have," Beth barely whispered, even though Beau heard what she said and almost choked on his glass of iced tea as he tried not to laugh.

"I heard that," Kain said and they all laughed.

Halfway into the meal, Beau picked up his glass of wine. "I want to make a toast."

"To what," Hank says as they all pick up their glasses.

"To good friends and family and to the good times we will share," Beau chimes out.

"Here. Here," they all chimed in and took a drink.

"We should do this more often," Hank said.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Hank," Kain said.

The evening moved on rather quickly as they were talking and laughing and just having a great time.

"Well who's ready for dessert?" Beth calls out. "I know I am."

"Me too," says Hank. "I can't wait any longer, knowing there's peach cobbler and ice cream right inside."

Beau rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Well go get some," he said, then quickly added, "on second thought, I will go and get you some. Knowing you, the rest of us won't get any," Beau chuckled as he rises up from the table and carries the dishes inside.

"I'll help you, Beau," Beth offers, following close behind with the rest of the dishes.

"Hey, honey," Hank hollers to Beau, "just bring me the whole pan," he says and Kain just laughs at him.

"Hank! Stop that!" Beau yells as he walks inside and shakes his head as he and Beth erupt with laughter.

"You know it amazes me," Beth says, "how much the two of you love each other. It is almost like you two are soul mates."

"You think so, huh?" Beau said as he opens a cupboard door and retrieves four small bowls and hands them to her. "I do love him. He makes me happy and he means the world to me."

"Well, I can tell you this much," Beth says as she scoops up some cobbler and puts it into a bowl. "He really does love you. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. That man is so in love with you."

"Why thank you Beth," Beau says with a smile. "Oh Beth, this looks so good," he said as he helped put some ice cream on top of the cobbler. "But I ate too much at dinner so I'm only going to eat a little bit of it."

"Oh I ate too much too," she said. "How about we tease the guys and give them our smaller portions and we take their bigger ones."

"Hey, I'm game if you are?" Beau says with a chuckle as he grabs some spoons from a drawer and place one in each bowl.

They each take two bowls and go back outside. They share a smile as they set the smaller portions down in front of them and they took the bigger portions as Hank and Kain both look at all four bowls.

"Hey, what's this?" Hank says as he looks at his dish and then Beau's. "You have a bigger portion than I do."

"Yeah, me too," Kain states. "What gives?"

"Hank you did say, if I eat too much of this we will need a good work out later on. What do you think I'm looking forward to," Beau says with a big smile.

"Yeah, Hank, you did say that," Beth insinuated and they laugh at him.

"Yeah, but Beth, that's not fair to me. Hank said it, I didn't," Kain says. "Why should I get a smaller portion than you."

"Oh, you're such a bawl baby," Beth teases, scrunching up her face, "here take it," she says, handing him her dish as they switch. "Beau and I were only teasing you guys."

"You two are bad," Hank spats, as he and Beau switched bowls. Hank gives Beau a grin. "I will take care of you later."

"Bring it on big fella," Beau teases. "You're loving every minute of it too." Beau teases, looking across the table at him.

"I hate to admit it, Hank, but Beau does have a point," Kain says abruptly, "and I just betcha that that point is probably hard as a rock by now."

Beth's mouth drops open and she drops her spoon into her bowl. She backhands Kain on his arm. "Kain! I can't believe you just said that!"

Hank and Beau both burst into laughter.

"Oh honey you got to lighten up," Kain says laughing. "It was funny."

As the early September sun began to set and the air began to cool, the four of them moved inside and sat around the kitchen table and talked and laughed as the time flew by. Then Beth looked up at the clock and it was almost eight o'clock in the evening.

"Kain, honey, we should get moving. It's getting late," she says. "We both have an early day tomorrow."

Kain stood up and stretched his legs. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well I'm sorry you two have to go," Beau said as he and Hank both stood up.

"We really had a good time tonight," Beth said. "I don't ever remember having this much fun."

Hank and Beau both walked them to the door. "We'll have to do this another time sooner than later," Hank said as he opened the door.

"Most definitely," Kain said quickly. "But next time, you'll have to come over to our place."

"We will do that," Beau says. "And thanks you two for coming over. It was a pleasure having you over for dinner."

"Well, thanks again and have a good night."

Beau shuts the door and turns to Hank and smiles. "It's just you and me now." as he took his hands up Hank's chest and then around his neck and gave him a tender kiss. Their lips part and Beau looks him in the eyes, as they sparkle.

"Do you want to watch a movie while I clean up the kitchen."

"Why don't I help you first, then we can watch a movie together." Hank says with a smile and leans in and gives him a tender kiss.

Hank follows him into the kitchen and they began cleaning up. Hank cleared the table, while Beau was rinsing off the dishes and was stacking them in the dishwasher. The dishes that Hank brought from the table he immediately put in the dishwasher. Then he took a wet dishcloth and cleaned the table, while Beau closed the door to the dishwasher and set the timer to wash.

After all was done, they retired to the living room and sat down and watched a movie. Hank sat on one end of the sofa, while Beau sat in the crook of his arm and rested his head on Hank's shoulder. Every now and then they would share a glance at each other and smile. When the movie was over, they shuffled off to bed and went to sleep in each other's arms.

Chapter 4

Several months had passed and it was getting close to Christmas. Thanksgiving had come and gone without so much as a thought. Hank had to work and it was a busy time in the realty business for Beau.

It had been eight months since the death of Beau's parents. The holidays was something Beau loved the most and he wanted his parents there with him celebrating what should have been a joyous time of the season. He hadn't said anything to Hank about it and he wasn't even planning anything till Hank said something when they were relaxing in the living room watching television one night.

"What are you plans for Christmas?" he asked.

Beau spoke softly, feeling a little down. "With Mom and Dad gone, and it being the first Christmas without them, I'm not feeling the spirit this year, Hank. I'm just going to let it pass me by this year."

"I understand what you're saying, but I think you should have it for them. That's what they would have wanted. They would want you to move on without them." Hank said softy.

Beau turned his head so not to show his tears and spoke in a low voice. "You're right I should, but I just don't have it in me, Hank. Besides, I don't have decorations to put up."

He wiped his eyes and smiled as he thought of something. "Do you remember while we were in college and it was the first Christmas you spent with us after your parents had died? You and Dad got stuck putting up the lights on the tree while Mom and I made popcorn garland."

"Yeah I remember that. Those were great times shared." Hank said with a gentle smile, thinking about the past Christmases he spent with Beau and his parents.

He watched as Beau rose from the sofa and went to the window, never taking his eyes off of him. He knew Beau was still hurting and it tore at his heart to watch his lover mourn all over again. He wanted to take that pain and hurt away from him, but he knew all he could do was to be there for him and support him in all his needs.

Beau gazed up into the night sky, the moon was full and bright and every star was out twinkling in the cold dark sky. A chill runs through him and he folds his arms against his chest, and thinks about how much the past year has changed. He couldn't help but to feel the familiar loneliness he had felt back in May, and he begins to cry softly.

"My family's gone," he cried low, barely in a whisper.

Hank went to Beau and wrapped his arms around his middle, pressing his chest into Beau's back. Beau pulled Hank's arms tighter around him, feeling the warmth of his body and it felt so good. Somehow, being in Hank's arms he felt safe and secure. It was a feeling he was learning to love and appreciate. He tilted his head back against Hank's shoulder as he stared out into the darkness of the cold dark night.

"I miss them so much," he cries. "With them gone, I feel so empty, so alone."

"Oh baby," Hank says sadly. "You're not alone. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He speaks low at Beau's ear. "I know it hurts losing them, but now we have each other with some pleasant memories to hang on to."

Beau turns in his arms and his eyes meet Hank's and gives a slight smile. "What would I do without you? You've always been there for me and you never gave up on me either." He snuggled into Hank's warm chest and rested his head against his shoulder.

Hank held him close and gently rubbed his back. "I'd do anything for you, baby" he whispered. "I love you."

Beau lifts his head from his chest and their eyes meet. "And I love you," he whispered and he stretched but not much as they shared a tender kiss.

"Come my love, it's late, let's go to bed," said Hank.

"I'll lock up," Beau said.

"I already did that," Hank stated, taking Beau by the hand and leading him to their bedroom.

They undressed and crawled into bed, pulling the top sheet and the blanket up to their middle. Hank pulled Beau into him and held him close and began kissing his neck.

Beau left out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. "Oh Hank, you feel so good."

They're eyes met and they stared lovingly at each other and Hank dipped his head and kissed his lover tenderly, then passionately.

"Make love to me, Hank," Beau whispered.

"No love," Hank whispered. "You're feeling vulnerable right now. I love you too much to use you for my own sexual needs. Let's just lie here and let me hold you and love you." Hank shifted as he spooned Beau and held him in his arms and rested his head along side of Beau's. "You should know by now how much you mean to me."

Beau smiled gently. "I do, and you always know what I need."

Hank kissed Beau's shoulder, speaking low at his ear. "I just know how to respect you for the person you are and the one that I fell in love with."

Beau turned in Hank's arms and their eyes met. "I love you too, more than you'll ever know."

They shared a tender kiss then Beau moved closer and nestled in the crook of Hank's arm. With Hank's arm around him and his head on his shoulder, Beau rested comfortably and soon the two fell asleep.

In the morning when they awoke they found it snowing and a thin white blanket of snow lying on the ground. It had started snowing some time in the early morning hours. The snow was coming down heavy and seemed like it would not let up and the forecasters were calling for a foot of snow.

"It's a good thing you have the day off today," Beau said to Hank.

"The news said it should stop some time this evening, so I am going to run some errands and get them done now before it gets even worse. I'll be back in about an hour," Hank said slipping into his coat and then pulling on his gloves.

"You just be careful all right," Beau said with concern.

Hank gave the love of his life a big smile. "I'll be fine," and leaned in and kissed him. "What are you going to be doing?"

"I will be in the basement going through those boxes from home."

"You sure you're up to doing that?"

Beau gave a reassuring look. "I'll be all right Hank. It's been eight months since they've been gone and six months since we cleaned out the house. I need to get it done. It will help me find more closure."

"All right," Hank said giving a look of concern. "I will be back to help. I won't be long okay. Oh wait, hey do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No. I'm good. Thanks. You just be careful on those slippery roads." They kissed again and Beau watched Hank from the window as he pulled out of the drive and down the driveway.

In the basement, Beau looked around at all the boxes that were stored there for the past six months. He started in one corner and began rummaging through his parent's belongings and to his surprise he found several boxes of Christmas decorations he had forgotten were there. Going through the boxes brought back so many memories, happy memories of when he was growing up and he couldn't believe some of the things he had found and not seen since he was a young teenager when he still lived at home.

He took the boxes up into the living room and started to put different things around the house, making it look festive, anything to remind himself of what the past Christmases were like. Surprisingly enough, it made him feel good about himself having all these memories surround him and not bursting into tears for once.

He heard a noise from outside and looked out the bay window and seen Hank coming as he was stomping the snow off his boots. Had it been an hour already, he thought. He looked at the clock and seen that Hank had only been gone for forty-five minutes. Hank stomps off the snow and came bounding in the door and noticed the Christmas decorations and he smiled.

"What's all this?" he says with a lift in his voice. "I thought you said you didn't have anything to put out?"

Beau turned to Hank and met his gaze, smiling back at him. "Well I found these down in the basement in Mom and Dad's things and I thought I would put them out. I had no clue they were down there."

"That was a good idea," he answered and gave a look at Beau. "How does all this make you feel?"

"It brings back a lot of great memories of when I was growing up." Beau's face beamed with pride as he looked around the room with his hands resting on his hips.

"I was hoping you'd change your mind about Christmas," Hank says moving closer towards Beau and standing next to him. "Look at you, your face is absolutely shining."

Beau reaches out for him as Hank holds him close. "You were right you know. Seeing all this around me, makes it feel like their here with us."

"I'm glad you feel that way, because I kinda did something and I was hoping you wouldn't get mad," he said.

"Henry Thomas Styles, what did you do?" Beau said, taunting him as he called him by his full name.

"I got this," he said and he went and opened the door.

He went outside and came back a moment later trying to bring a huge Christmas tree through the front door and finally succeeding. It even had a tree stand all hooked up as he sat it down.

Beau bursts into laughter. "I can't believe you," he says, holding his stomach with one hand as he rolled with laughter.

Hank looked at him with a big smile on his red face. "It's over six foot. I knew you'd like it. I even bought a stand for it too. Where do we want to put this thing?"

Beau shook his head and chuckled, then scanned the room. "How about in front of the bay window?" He says taking a step forward to help.

"I got it," Hank says with a smile and places it in front of the window. "Now where's the stuff you put on this thing?"

All of a sudden Beau got a look of confusion on his face. "Wait a minute. You knew those boxes of Christmas decorations were down there didn't you? You wouldn't have gotten this tree if you hadn't known."

Hank shoved his hands in his pants pocket looking as guilty as ever. "You're right. I did know and I thought you did too till last night."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I didn't want to push. I didn't want you doing something that you didn't want to do if your heart wasn't in it." Hank reached out for Beau. "I'm sorry babe. I wanted to tell you, but I figured once you saw them you would make your own decision."

"It's all right, Hank. I'm not upset."

"Then can we decorate the tree and put on some music."

"We sure can," Beau smiled.

As Hank went and put some Christmas music on, Beau went searching in the basement for the box that was labeled tree ornaments. He found it and heaves it up into his arms and carries it across the basement and up the steps and into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table and opens it finding lots of lights, garland, and trinkets to hang on the tree.

Hank says, "I'll take the lights," as he grabs them and untangles them. He plugs them in so he could see what he was doing, and he started at the top of the tree and worked his way down till the tree was filled with twinkling clear lights.

Then they started hanging white tinsel garland as Hank started at the top. He draped if from branch to branch, while Beau did the same below, weaving back and forth till somehow he got in Hank's way. The white-spangled garland caught on Beau's mouth while he was dipping beneath Hank's arm, and as he tried to swing free, it caught on his sweatshirt, and pulling the garland from his hands and off the last branch he'd decorated.

"Oops, look what I've done. Sorry."

Hank looks at Beau and chuckles. "Hey, there's more on you than on the tree."

Beau looks up and Hank sees a single strand caught on his face.

"Hold still," he said, and reached out to remove it with a fingertip, while Beau stood as still as an hour hand on a clock, looking up at him.

Hank dipped his head and put his mouth on Beau's so tenderly, he barely felt it. They stood there just so, lips scarcely joined, each tipping slightly toward the other until Beau teetered a bit and touched Hank's chest to regain his balance. Hank caught Beau's hand with his and carried it to his mouth to kiss its roughened knuckles.

Into Beau's eyes, he said softly, "Let's finish this first."

They finish decorating the tree, filling it with ornaments. When the ornaments were all hung, Beau started picking things up off the floor, throwing everything into the big box that everything came out of.

"Hank, it's going to be your job to water the tree from now on."

"Yeah that's right," he said, reminding himself that the tree needed water. He went to the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of water and knelt down and filled the tree stand bowl.

Beau stood back and looked at the tree they had just decorated and it looked great. They actually did a good job at decorating it. Hank had stood up and placed the water pitcher on the coffee table and stood next to him, placing an arm around his waist.

"We did good," Hank said, proud of the accomplishment they had made together.

Beau looked up into his smiling eyes. "Yes we did," he stated.

"Come here," Hank whispers and takes Beau into his arms and he kissed him fully on the mouth.

His lips pulled from Beau's, but remained close as Hank rested his forehead onto Beau's and looked lovingly into his eyes.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Beau smiled. "Yes, but I never get tired hearing it."

"Good." He says taking Beau's hand and guided him to the sofa and pulled him down beside him, taking Beau into his arms once more and kissed him again. The cushion gave and Beau rolled slightly against him. Hank put a hand on his waist, and gave them both the only Christmas gift they wanted at the moment.

The two weeks before Christmas went fast. Beau went out and did some shopping. And when Hank was working, that was when he wrapped Hank's gifts. He had bought him a new pair of gloves which he needed, his were falling apart. And he also gotten him some of his favorite cologne, a few CD's, and a new Rolex that he saw Hank eyeing up in a Sears's catalog and a couple other different things.

Then Beau's heart sank when Hank said he was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from three to eleven. He said it was the busiest night of the year with emergency calls and partygoers drinking too much and getting drunk, which meant accidents would be happening everywhere.

When Christmas Eve came, Beau sat alone watching an old Jimmy Stewart movie, `It's a Wonderful Life.' He's seen it so many times he could rehearse every line, but loved seeing it every year. By the time it went off, Hank would be getting off work and he was trying to stay up and wait for him. He rose from the couch, unplugged the tree lights, and checked to see if it had plenty of water, which it did. He did his nightly routine as he checked and made sure every window and every door was locked. He took his time checking things but was getting tired and went off to take a shower.

By the time he was finished in the shower and going into the bedroom, he heard Hank coming in the door. He slipped on his bathrobe and went out into the hall and seen the kitchen light was on.

Hank looked up from the table. "Hey, babe, I thought you'd be sleeping." He was eating the supper that Beau had made earlier; porterhouse steak, baked potato, and french green beans. Beau had made up a plate for him and covered it up and kept it warm for him in the oven.

Beau sat down beside him. "I just got out of the shower. I was waiting up for you." He looked over at Hank, seeing how tired and worn out he looked. "Busy tonight?" he asked, making small talk.

"It was," he said. He reached across the table and took Beau's hand into his. "I'm glad you waited up for me."

"You look tired."

"I am," he says, pushing his half empty plate away from him.

Hank went to get up from his chair when he suddenly winced in pain as he reached behind and grabbed his back.

"Hank, what's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing." He said as he tried to work a kink out of his back. "I pulled a muscle when I dove to tackle a guy earlier today that was trying to get away."

"Come on, sweetie." Beau said low, getting up from the table. "Why don't you take a hot shower and then I'll give you a backrub."

"Sounds good to me," he says with a tired voice.

Arm in arm, they make their way down the hall to the bedroom. Hank goes into the bathroom and turns the water on and strips out of his tight uniform and into the hot shower. Beau walked behind him as he went to the medicine cabinet and took out a small bottle of baby oil and goes back out into the bedroom to wait for him.

When Hank was done he came into the bedroom and falls to the bed onto his stomach, nude. Beau climbs on top of him, straddling Hank's back. He pours baby oil into his hands to warm it up and smoothes it over Hank's tight back, taking pleasure at feeling all the muscles he has.

As Beau works his hands over his back, Hank begins to moan as the muscles begin to relax and become putty in Beau's hands. Beau moves his hands vigorously, finding the knots and working on them until it gives way and Hank breathes a collective sigh of relief. Beau smiles to himself because it's as much of a joy to him as it was for Hank.

Hank rolls to his back and looks up at Beau, smiling. "Awe! Sweet man that felt great. I feel so much better now. You're pretty good at that. I should have you do that more often."

Beau leans down as their eyes are just inches away and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. "Oh, I'm not done yet, honey. I'm just getting started."

Beau sits back up and pours more oil into his hands and begins to massage his hairy chest and stomach. His tan hairy body glistens as Beau rubs the oil into his skin, his muscles flexing beneath his touch as his hands move over his stomach and his sides.

As Beau straddles Hank's waist, he feels Hank's cock stiffen underneath him. Beau works on Hank's burly arms and shoulders, then back to his chest again. Their eyes meet and they kiss tenderly, then deeply, as their tongues play with each other.

"How do you feel now," Beau says in a husky lover's voice, his lips brushing against Hank's.

"Sleepy, but horny as hell," he quirks.

"We always have tomorrow morning," Beau smiles.

He moves off Hank and placed the bottle of oil on the nightstand and lies next to him, resting his head on Hank's shoulder and drifts off to a sound sleep.

The next morning Beau was jarred from a deep sleep as hands were caressing his body and felt kisses to his neck. Hank was tight up against him as his hairy chest tickled his back. His hands slowly moved from Beau's chest, to his stomach and further down as he fondled his dick and balls.

"Come on baby, time to wake up," says a hoarse voice. "It's Christmas morning."

Beau groans sleepily, pushing him away. "Mmm. Let me sleep."

"Come on now, wake up," he insisted, nudging Beau.

Beau slowly moved to his back, not opening his eyes. "What time is it?" he yawns, muffling his words.

"It's 7:30," Hank answers.

Beau groans loudly as he stretches and scratches himself, then rests with his eyes still closed and drifts in and out of sleep.

"Okay, you asked for it." Hank mutters under his breath, as Beau tries to figure out what that was suppose to mean.

He feels Hank moving under the covers. Then he felt a warm, wet sensation slip over the head of his dick as it was being fully engulfed into Hank's mouth. Beau's eyes popped wide open and he lifts the covers to see Hank worshipping his dick. His head bobbed up and down, sucking and licking on the now hard dick. Beau even felt a wet finger or two slip into his ass, adding even more pleasure as he moaned heavily.

"Oh God," he drops the covers and tilts his head back into the pillow. He moistens his dry lips with his tongue, enjoying the moment.

Hank moans with pleasure as he was sucking, licking, stroking, and probing in the piss slit for more of the pre-cum that oozed out.

Beau's breathing grew forced as he felt a surge moving through his body as he is about to experience a fantastic orgasm. He moaned loudly.

Hank swallows every drop that erupted from Beau's cock till he was drained, and then lets it fall from his mouth and slowly kissed and caressed his way up Beau's body. He smiles at Beau when he peers out from under the covers and then kisses him tenderly at first and then passionately. He wedged his hips in and pushed forward as his cock made its way into Beau's ass. He starts to move in and out, slowly at first, then gradually picking up pace. He slips his arms beneath him, pulling Beau closer as his hairy chest tickled his smooth one.

Beau tightens his ass muscles around his thickening cock, hearing him leave out a pleasurable moan. He wraps his arms around him and kissed and sucked on his neck as he never done before. The sharpness of Hank's beard stubble was a turn on for him as he licked towards his Adam's apple. He sucked on the bobbing knot and breathed deep. Hank responded with a loud groan and thrust harder as Beau arched his throat, feeling the pleasure as Hank was hitting that special spot inside him.

He moaned through clenched teeth, "Oh yes, harder."

As every thrust Hank gave, Beau was coming closer to the edge till he could not hold back any longer and erupted between their stomachs.

Hank was screaming with him, "It's coming, baby! Its, aughhh!" he couldn't finish his words as he was overpowered by the imminent passion as he emptied his hot seed deep inside and collapsed heavily onto Beau.

Beau folds his arms around his lover's husky build holding him close. His hands move up Hank's back, to his head as he was sifting his fingers through his dark hair. When their breathing slowed, Hank went to move off of him.

"No," Beau says softly in his ear, tightening his arms around him.

"I'm too heavy," he states.

"I don't care. I want to hold you," Beau says, not wanting to let go.

"I do," he says with concern. "I don't want to crush you."

Hank caught him behind one knee with his heel and rolled them to their sides. He takes a pillow and stuffed it beneath their heads, and for a long time they studied each other's eyes. Beau touches his lower lip with a fingertip, then kissed him lightly.

"There are gifts out there under the tree waiting to be opened. Don't you think we should go out there and open them up?"

"Yes we should."

They both get up out of bed and each slip into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Hank takes Beau by the hand and guides him out of the bedroom and into the hall, and then into the living room. They sit on the floor in front of the tree and start opening up their gifts. Hank picks up one with his name on it, and Beau knew which one it was and snatches it from him quickly.

"Hey," he growls.

"That's for last," Beau says with a smirk.

Hank grins back. "Yeah, well it better be something I like."

"Oh, you'll love it," Beau surmises as his eyes roam the gifts and picks one up with is name on it and Hank snatches it from his grasp.

"That's for last too," he quirks.

Beau laughs. "We're not getting off to a good start here."

Hank laughs. "Yeah, you're right."

After opening the gifts, they were both pleased with what they got each other. Then there remained the last two gifts they hadn't opened yet. The ones they snatched away from each other.

"You go first," they both say together, and they laugh at one another.

"Open yours, Hank," Beau insisted with a wide smile.

When Hank opened his gift, his mouth dropped open and his eyes lit up.

"How'd you know I wanted one of these?" It was the Rolex watch Beau had gotten for him. Hank took it from the box and fastened it onto his wrist, checking it out.

"Just a hunch." Beau said. "Aren't you going to look at the back of the watch?"

Hank takes the watch off his wrist and turns over to find an inscription and reads; To the love of my life. Always and Forever. His eyes sparkle as they light up and gloss over.

"I love it." Hank leaned in and gave Beau a kiss. "Sweetheart, open yours," he says as his voice goes soft as he is anxious for Beau to open his gift.

Beau tears off the paper quickly to reveal a black leather hinged box. The lid makes a small creaking sound as he opens it and he gasps as he raised a hand to cover his mouth. He is astonished as he sees what's inside. It was a simple gold chain with two golden ring bands hooked to it. It looked to be expensive and he glanced up at Hank who was smiling from ear to ear.

"You like it?" he asked, beaming with happiness.

Beau's eyes glistened as his eyes began to fill with tears but he managed to stifle them back and wiped them away. "It's breathtaking, but Hank, how could you afford this?"

"You never ask a question like that." Hank says looking disappointed as he looked at Beau. "You don't like it?"

"I love it, but I never expected anything like this." Beau threw his arms around his neck pulling him in for a kiss. "Thank you," he whispers against Hank's lips.

"May I see that for a moment please?" Hank asked as he reached out for the gold chain. Beau hands it to him, half knowing where this was leading.

"You don't have to wear this if you don't want to." he says as he unhooks the necklace and slides off one of the rings. "But I have something to say and I want you to listen to me." He holds the ring up in front of them. "You see this ring," he says with a serious look on his face.

"Yes." Beau answered with a smile, knowing exactly where this was leading. Hank takes his hand into his and looks him in the eye.

"I love you, and no matter what, I've always loved you. You and I have a special bond that no one will ever break. You mean the world to me and I'll always be there for you. Always. I love how you make me feel and I am most happy when I am with you. That is why I got this ring for you as a symbol of my love for you." Hank slips the ring onto Beau's finger. "You are my life and this is my commitment to you."

Tears stung Beau eyes as he blinked them away and they fall to his cheek. He was truly touched by Hank's words as they made an imprint on his heart. He wiped his eyes, cleared his throat, gave a smile and spoke softly.

"Hank, you are a man filled with many surprises. You have been there for me through the darkest time when I thought my life was meaningless and useless. It was your strength that brought me back. I couldn't have done it without you."

Beau picked up the chain and took the other ring and slipped it onto Hank's finger.

"You have brought so much into my life and you make me happy. Happier than I ever thought possible. I never knew I could ever find a love like this with you and you mean the whole world to me. You are my life and I love you so much and this is my commitment to you."

They share a tender kiss which turns into a passionate one. Hank pulled him into his arms and pushed him down to the floor. They make love again, right there on the living room floor, consummating their newfound partnership.

They lay there in their afterglow, regaining their strength after having one hell of an intense lovemaking session. Beau turns to him, meeting his gaze. "Hey husband of mine are we going to wear these rings, and let everyone know we are life partners or should we put them away for safe keeping?"

"What do you want to do?' he asked.

"Well, I don't know." Beau says, a little confused about it himself. "On one hand, I would love to wear this ring. But then on the other hand, I still feel we should keep this to ourselves."

"You know something," Hank said, lifting himself up on an elbow looking down into Beau's eyes. "I don't give a shit what people say about us. Besides, the guys down at the station know about us and so do Kain and Beth. I am not going to be intimidated by people who think that what we have is wrong because it's not. God knows how we feel about each other, He may not like it, but He is also a forgiving God."

Beau looks at him, astounded by his words. "Wow! I never heard you talk like that before. I mean about God and all. Cause I feel the exact same way you do. And you're right," he says, bracing himself up with both elbows. "I'm not going to be intimidated by anyone either. I'm going to wear this ring, and you know why I'm going to wear this ring."

"Why?" Hank asked with a big smile.

"Because every time I look at it, it's going to remind me how much I love you and how much you love me."

"I like that answer," he says and dips his head and kisses him fully on the mouth. "I love you my darling husband," he says as he gazes into Beau's eyes, his lips brushing against his.

"I love you too husband." Beau smiles at him.

A little while later they went and showered together then got dressed. A little while later, Beau started to prepare an early dinner before Hank had to go to the police barracks. It wasn't fancy like a Christmas dinner should have been, but it was only a small turkey roast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some green beans. He even made some hot biscuits, which was a treat, because he hardly ever made them.

"You have any plans while I am at work," Hank asked as they were sitting at the table eating their meal.

"I'm going to go to the cemetery and place some flowers on Mom and Dad's grave," Beau replied. "Then I am going to Kain and Beth's. The kids are home for Christmas and I have something for them."

"I wish I was going with you. I'd like to see the kids again." Hank frowned.

"I know my love. I wish you were going too." Beau glanced at the clock and it was a quarter till two. "You soon have to get ready."

"I know," Hank said softly.

After dinner, Hank went to get ready for work and Beau was cleaning up the dinner dishes. He stacked the dishwasher and hand washed what the dishwasher couldn't clean. By the time he was done cleaning up the kitchen, Hank came out from the hall and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, dressed in his police uniform..

"Hey babe, I'm going now," Hank said, ready to leave.

Beau turned towards him. "Be safe, Hank."

"I will. Love you," he shouted over his shoulder on his way out the door.

"Love you, too," Beau shouted back.

After Hank had gone to work, Beau finished up in the kitchen and then went to freshen up before leaving for his sister's home thirty minutes later. He first stopped at the cemetery and visited his parent's graves, placing some fresh flowers in their vases. He knelt down by their graves, said a short prayer then he stood back up and raised his head looking towards the heavens and smiled as the memories of the past flooded his mind.

"Take care of them, God," Beau whispered. He looked back at the graves once more. "I love you, Mama and Dad. I miss you so much."

From a short distance Beau heard a noise and quickly looked to see where it was coming from. It sounded like someone was walking close by and when he looked up, no one was there, but he did see a police car that had pulled out of the parking lot beside the cemetery. At first, he thought it was Hank but Beau knew that Hank would have let his presence known and when he took a closer look on the number of the cruiser, he knew it wasn't him.

Since weeks before Thanksgiving, Beau couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched and it freaked him out. The uneasy feeling of being watched and being followed had started to get to him and he wondered if someone was actually after him. He hadn't said anything to Hank about it and thought it to be just his mind playing tricks on him.

He walked the short distance to his car and crawled behind the wheel of his Escape and went to visit Kain and Beth. He was given strict orders to stop by and see them and the kids while Kara and Graham were home from college.

He pulled out of the cemetery and twenty-five minutes later he pulled into their drive. He retrieved two small gift bags and started for the house. When he rang the doorbell, a young man with brown eyes and dirty blond hair and of twenty-two years of age answered the door.

"Hey Uncle Beau, how are you doing?" he asked with a smile and looked around as if looking for someone else. "It's great to see you. Where's Uncle Hank? I was hoping to see him with you." Graham asked gesturing Beau inside.

"Oh, he's working the three to eleven shift," Beau replied. "How are you doing kiddo? How's school?"

Graham ushered Beau inside and closed the door. "It's all right. It keeps me busy, and I'm working part time at Blockbusters too."

"That's good Gray." Gray had been his nickname from Beau ever since he was born.

"It's always tough the first couple years but it will pay off in the long run. Just keep doing what you're doing."

They walk into the living room where every one was gathered around the Christmas tree and talking.

"Hey everyone, look who decided to finally show up," Graham snickered.

"Uncle Beau!" Kara screamed out and ran and gave him hug. "I have missed you so much."

Beau smiled happily as he was all but knocked over by Kara's welcoming hug. They pulled back and Beau got a good look at her. "Look at you, Kara Abbie, aren't you quite the pretty young woman."

Kara blushed. She was the spitten image of her mother, long golden blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.

"Oh Uncle Beau, stop," she said. Then the twenty-four year old young woman went all serious on him.

"Come," Kara said pulling on Beau's arm. "I want you to meet my fiancé."

"Fiancé!" Beau exclaimed. "And who is this lucky man that stole my niece's heart."

"That would be me, sir." A tall, dark haired, blue eyed, muscle god stood up from where he was sitting. He extended his hand and shook hands with Beau. "Nice to meet you sir, I am Stephen Andrews. Kara has told me a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you too, Stephen," Beau said with a smile as he checked out the young man that was obviously very good looking.

"Hey, Mom," Kara spoke up once her mother came into the room. "I hate to do this, but if Steve and I want to see his parents we better leave now. We should be back this evening before we head back to school."

"Hey don't go just yet," Beau said as he grabbed a bag that he brought with him. "This is for you," he said as he handed Kara a small gift bag.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Uncle Beau." She smiled with giddiness as she reached into the bag to find a small box.

She carefully opened it to find a pair of diamond earrings and her face lit up and she covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh my God, these are absolutely beautiful. Oh thank you, Uncle Beau," she screamed as she looped her arms around his neck.

Kara gawked at the earrings and realized she had seen them before, "Uncle Beau, haven't I seen these before. Aren't these Grandma's?"

"Yes Kara, they were your grandmother's," Beau said feeling a little melancholy. "t couldn't think of a better person to give them to. I know you will take good care of them."

Tears came to Kara's eyes. "Oh, Uncle Beau. I couldn't possibly take these."

"Yes you can and you will." Beau said in a firm tone. "She knew you always admired them for years and she wanted you to have them after she was gone."

"I would be honored to wear them," she cried.

Beau had a feeling that this was going to go into a sob story and he didn't want that. "Now scat before we both start sobbing," Beau said as they each wiped their eyes.

Kara laughed as she dried her eyes. "Thank you Uncle Beau. I love you." Kara smiled at her mother as they stood side by side admiring the earrings.

Beau smiled happily. "I love you too, kid."

"All right, quit it with the crying," Graham teased. "What about me, what did you get for me?"

"A knuckle sandwich if you keep it up," Kain said, slapping his twenty two year old son on the back of the head.

"Gray, what makes you think I got you something," Beau teased his nephew.

"Because I know you, Uncle Beau," Graham chastised.

"Oh you do, do ya?" Beau teased, smiling as he ruffled the young man's hair.

"Awe come on Uncle Beau, stop teasing," Graham fidgeted as he straightened his hair.

"All right, here you go." Beau laughed and handed Graham another small gift bag.

Graham pulled a small box out of the gift bag and opened it. His eyes light up. "Wow! It's Grandpa's pocket watch and cufflinks. I always liked these."

"I know you did, and they were his favorite," Beau said with pride. "That's why he wanted you to have them." Beau was already sentimental and he couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

"Beau what's wrong," Beth said as she went to his side.

"I'm sorry," he cried. "I swore I wasn't going to do this. It's just I miss Mom and Dad so much. I've been thinking a lot about them lately."

"Of course you have. I've been thinking about them too and I miss them just as much." Beth's voice was soft and soothing as she hugged her brother as she too wiped her eyes.

"Why didn't you come to the house to help me go through their things?" Beau asked.

"I couldn't Beau," she softly spoke. "I knew the moment I would start going through everything I would fall apart."

"Well, I had the furniture moved to the lake house and the rest I had boxed up and put in my basement. Soon as you want, we can go through everything together."

"That would be great," Beth said softly.

"Mom, we got to go," Kara said insistantly looking at the time and then at Steven. "We will be late, Steve."

Kara went and gave Beau a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Uncle Beau. I will treasure these forever and give them to my daughter someday. It was so good to see you again," Kara said.

"And its always good to see you," Beau smiled, then he shook hands again with Stephen. "Young man, you better take good care of her."

"Don't worry sir, I will," Stephen replied. "She means the world to me."

"Please don't call me sir. It makes me sound old," Beau smiled. "Call me Beau."

"Sure thing, Beau," Steve said with a genuine smile and a sparkle in his eye.

"Let's go honey, your parents are waiting for us," Kara said pulling on his arm.

"I'm coming darling," Steve said. "It was a pleasure meeting you Beau."

"Same here," Beau replied as he watched the two young lovebirds making their way out the door.

"That was very nice of you to do that, Beau," Beth said, "I remember Mom saying she wanted Kara to have her diamonds and Dad wanting Graham to have his pocket watch and cufflinks but I forgot all about that till I just saw them."

"Well I was downstairs going through some of the boxes and found them. I'm just glad I found them when I did," Beau said. "I had put out the Christmas decorations from home."

"Why isn't Hank with you?" Beth asked.

"He's working. He has the three to eleven shift tonight," he answered.

"It's a shame he has to work on Christmas," Kain said as he fixed a few drinks not far from them.

Beth and Beau took a seat near the roaring fireplace as the wood crackled and snapped as it burned in the hearth. Kain handed first handed Beau a glass of wine and then another to Beth. When Beau reached for his, Beth left out a squeal.

"What is that?" she yelled as she took Beau's hand into hers, seeing the ring that Hank had given him.

"Oh that," Beau says nonchalantly. "It's nothing."

Kain stands over them as he looks down at the ring. "That is not nothing," Kain says in shock. "That's a wedding band."

"Did you and Hank, . . ." Beth starts to say something and then stopped as Beau whisked his hand away.

"No we did not," Beau said instantly. "And it is not a wedding band, it is a commitment ring. He gave it to me this morning," he smiled happily gazing at the ring.

Beth gasped and smiled with tears in her eyes and hugged him. "Oh, I am so happy for the two of you."

"Congratulations Beau," Kain said shaking his hand.

"Thanks you. But I am not here to gloat about this ring. It completely caught me by surprise when he gave it to me," Beau says smiling and still gazing at the ring. "Besides, you know how private I am and I want this kept between us for the time being until Hank and I are more comfortable being out in the open."

"Like that's going to happen," Graham spoke up as he came in the room as he was listening at the doorway. He was holding a bowl of ice cream and had taken a bite of it.

Kain spoke up, giving his son a stern fatherly look. "Graham Nathaniel, you will respect your Uncle Beau and keep your mouth shut, you hear me."

"Sorry, Uncle Beau, that's not how I intended for it to come out," Graham said remorsefully. "I mean, I respect your privacy and all, but if you love some one and you want to share your life with them. Wouldn't you want to share that love with others?"

"You make quite a solid point their, Gray," Beau surmised, "and when Hank and I are ready to do that it will be on our terms. Hank and I have a more understanding of the principle of how things can be and are more reclusive. Not everyone is as accepting as others are in these types of relationships."

"Yeah I guess you're right," Graham said lowering his head thinking about how he wanted to tell his parents about him and the young man in his life and wondered if they would be as accepting as he had hoped they would be. He also hoped he would have a love as strong as the one Hank and Beau have.

"You all right, son?" Beth asked, looking up at Graham with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm all right," he answered. "It just hit me how some people can be towards others and not care whether it's morally wrong or not. I mean love is love, it shouldn't matter what others think."

"You're absolutely right son," Kain said placing a gentle hand on Graham's shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze as he stood next to him.

"But you are happy with the way things are, aren't you Uncle Beau?" Graham asked, seeking an answer to comfort his own doubts.

"I am happy," Beau says with a genuine smile. "More than I have been in years. Hank is the most wonderful, caring man I have ever known. He is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Beth said undoubtedly with a smile.

Beau happened to look at his watch. "Oh my, I didn't realize it was getting so late. I better get moving, I have things to do."

"Oh, please won't you stay for supper," Beth pleaded as she held onto his arm.

"Thanks, but no," Beau said as he got up and reached for his coat. "I am still full from making my own dinner. I made it early so Hank could have something to eat before work."

"Well I do appreciate you stopping by, and you made the kids very happy," Kain said with a smile and helped Beau into his coat. "You know how much they love seeing you."

"I do." Beau said to Beth.

Then he turned to Graham.. "Come here my sweet boy," Beau said to Graham, holding his arms out. "Give me a hug."

Graham sat his bowl of ice cream down and went to his uncle and gave him a hug. "Thank you Uncle Beau for the gift. I will keep it safe and treasure it always."

"I know you will. You're welcome my sweet angel boy," Beau said. "I love you kiddo. Behave yourself."

"I will." Graham said. "Love you too."

Kain and Beth walked Beau to the door and Kain opened it for him. "I will see you later, and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" Kain and Beth chimed.

As Beau was walking out the door, he stopped and turned and instantly hugged his sister. "I know I don't say it much to you, but I do love you."

"Oh honey, I love you too," Beth said, teary eyed.

"I'll soon you okay," Beau said as he wiped his eyes.

"Okay. Drive safe." Beth said softly.

"I will. Bye."

As Beau was driving home, he smiled happily, thinking of the lost time he spent away from his sister. He and Beth weren't always close growing up. Their was a four year age gap between them. Once they hit there teenage years was when they began to drift apart. They each chose different paths in life. Now he was trying to make up for lost time and spend as much time with her as possible.

Beth married her Kain right out of high school. They were high school sweethearts and they both supported each other throughout their college years while Kain studied modern medicine and psychiatry while getting his doctorate degree and Beth studied home economics. Their third year, Kara Abbie was born and two years later Graham Nathaniel arrived, making their family complete.

Christmas music was softly playing on the radio and the sun was shining brightly as the snow was melting and making the roads very slushy. Beau was careful not to go too fast and he had the Ford Escape in four wheel drive. His phone rang and he reached for it and seen that Hank was calling.This time there was no flip phone as he had bought himself a brand new phone right after Thanksgiving. He pressed the green button and put it on speaker so he could keep both hands on the wheel.

"Hey there handsome, what's up," Beau says with a smile.

"Hello love, I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?" Hank asked.

"No love, you didn't," Beau answered. "I am on my way home now."

"And how was everyone?" Hank asked through the phone.

"Everyone is doing great and Kara met someone and is engaged. His name is Stephen Andrews and he seems like a very nice guy. And boy is he ever gorgeous!"

"Oh really? Should I be jealous?" Hank said. "Are you going to try and steal him away from her?"

Beau laughed. "Yeah right. What would I do with a college boy when I have a real man at home."

He heard Hank laughing heartily on the other end. "Good answer! Wow, I can't believe little Kara is getting married."

"I know," Beau said. "It's seems like yesterday they were little kids. Now they are in the early twenties. Makes me feel so old."

"I know the feeling, babe," said Hank.

Beau was cresting a steep hill and as he was rounding the curve and easing down the other side, he began to pump the brake but the pedal went straight to the floor. A sheer of panic instantly went to his face as he tried to pump the brake faster and there was nothing.

"Oh my God!" Beau cried out in a panic.

"Beau, what's wrong?" Hank said, hearing the fear in Beau's voice.

"Hank, I have no brakes!" Beau screamed. "I went to brake and the pedal went straight to the floor. I am trying to pump it but it's not doing anything."

"Where's your location?" Hank yelled through the phone.

"I'm on Maple Grove Road, heading west," Beau cried out. "Hank I can't get this thing to slow up and I'm heading towards the intersection!"

Hank could hear the panic in Beau's voice and it scared him something fierce. "Beau, I know you're scared honey, but try to remain calm and take control. I'm on my way."

Beau sped faster down the hill towards the intersection. He had to act fast knowing it was impossible to avoid an accident. He pulled his seat belt tighter and braced himself as he pulled on the emergency brake and the vehicle flipped into a somersault several times before landing in a ditch on its side. Horns sounded and tires screeched as other drivers swerved from colliding.

On his way to Beau, Hank called the fire department and for an ambulance in the process and within moments Hank was pulling up at the scene of the accident in his squad car and seen the wreckage lying on its side. He threw the cruiser in parkjumped out and ran towards the wreckage just as the fire department arrived along with an ambulance.

"Beau!" Hank screams out as he reaches the car. "Beau!"

Beau hears Hank's voice screaming out for him and he cries out. "Hank, get me out of this thing!"

Hank climbed up onto the side and looked down and seen Beau's bloodied face as he was frantically trying to get the seatbelt off so he could get out.

"Babe, we're going to get you out, help is here," Hank said as he noticed gas was leaking from the tank.

Finally, the seatbelt gave and Beau went to move but his legs were trapped beneath the steering wheel.

"Oh my God," Beau cried out in pain. "Hank, I can't move my legs. They're trapped beneath the steering wheel." The whole dash and steering column were lying heavily on Beau's lap.

Hank looks down at Beau and tries to keep him calm. "Honey, we're going to get you out. Just be still until we can get to you. Everything is going to be all right. I'm right here and I am not going anywhere."

Hank looks up as he watches for one of the fireman and sees a familiar face. It was Geoff Davidson; he was the same fireman that helped with the accident that claimed Beau's parents.

"I'll be right back, babe," he says calmly, "I'm not going far." He jumps down off the side as Geoff comes walking up.

"It's Beau," Hank says in a frantic state. "His legs are trapped beneath the steering wheel. We got to move fast. Gas is leaking from the tank," Hank explained in a low voice so Beau couldn't hear what he was saying. "If we don't get him out now than it will be too late."

"Calm down, Hank. We're going to get him out," Geoff said, then he looks over his shoulder and shouts to the other men. "Bring a hose over here. Now!"

Hank and Geoff both climbed up on the side of the vehicle and looked down at Beau where the window once was.

Geoff speaks in a low and soothing voice. "Beau, My name's Geoff. I need you to remain calm for me okay. We're going to get you out as quickly as possible."

Geoff turns to the two men that have the fire hose. "I am going to climb down into the car, you two, start spraying water on the gas tank so it doesn't get hot."

"Got it," one of the guys yelled.

"Just get me out of here, Geoff." Beau pleads despairingly. "I can smell gas."

"I know," Geoff says calmly as he enters through the broken window and climbs down inside the wreckage. "I'm going to see if I can lay the seat down and pull you out." Just then there was a noise and the vehicle began to shake.

"What is that, are they hosing down the car?" Beau asked, confused.

"Yeah, they're keeping it from getting hot so it doesn't catch on fire," Geoff answered as he pulled hard onto the back of the seat. He struggled several times till finally it gave and Beau went flying backwards. "You okay?" Geoff asked with much concern.

"Yeah. I think so," Beau answered. "I just have a hell of a headache though."

"That's from the airbag deploying in your face," Geoff said low. "Can you move your legs at all?"

"I think so, they don't feel like they're broken," Beau surmised.

"Don't try to move, let me lift you instead. I can't risk you moving," Geoff said, speaking in a tone that meant he knew what he was doing. He lifted Beau gently backwards and freed him from the confines of the steering wheel.

"Okay, now I'm going to stand you up and Hank is going to pull you out through the window. Do not use your legs. I'm going to hoist you up myself."

"All right," Beau said, as he understood that Geoff had to talk him through the steps.

"Okay Hank," Geoff says looking up at him. "Get ready to pull him up and out."

Hank braced himself and reached for Beau and began easing him out through the window. They work feverishly till finally Beau was pulled from the wreckage. Hank carried him and placed Beau on a gurney. Immediately, the paramedics treated the cuts and abrasions on Beau's face while Hank stood next to him, making sure for himself that Beau was going to be fine.

"I don't understand why my brakes went out, Hank," Beau said. "I just had the car serviced two weeks ago and there was nothing wrong with it."

"I don't know either," Hank said, "but I'm going to have it checked out down at the station and see if it was tampered with."

"Tampered with?" Beau said in a confused state. "What are you trying to say Hank? You think someone did this deliberately?"

"I don't know. But I'm going find out what caused this one way or another," Hank said with a serious tone. "Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt you?"

"Not off hand," Beau replied, "but who would want to hurt me? I haven't done anything to anyone."

"Well, if that car was tampered with, than someone is out to hurt you. And I'm going to make damn sure I will find out what the hell happened." Then he gave Beau a quizzical stare. "How the hell did you get that to stop without colliding with another vehicle?"

"I pulled my seatbelt tighter around me, braced myself and pulled on the emergency break and swerved towards the ditch without trying to hit anyone," Beau said without thinking about it.

Hank's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! That was quick thinking. I'm so glad you're all right."

He makes eye contact with the paramedic named Neal. "How is he, any bones broken?" Hank asked.

"No bones broken," Neal smiled. "We're just going to take him to the hospital just to check him out thoroughly and than he should be able to go home."

Beau groaned and went to get up. "I do not need to go to the hospital."

"Yes you do," Hank argued, giving a stern look, gently pushing him back down onto the gurney. "Don't argue with the man. You are going and that's final."

"Yes, Hank," Beau said softly, seeing the concern in his eyes.

"I will be right behind the ambulance, all right?" Hank says giving a gentle smile.

From a distance, a figure was sitting in a car watching, seething with anger as a very much alive Beau was being extricated from the wreckage. The figure started up the vehicle they were in and drove off in the opposite direction and began to hatch up another plan.

At the hospital, Beau was given a clean bill of health, with the exception of some minor cuts and scrapes and was able to go home that same evening. Kain and Beth had heard about the accident and rushed to Beau's side to see how he was and were relieved to hear he was going to be fine.

For the next several days, Hank worked ardently to finding out what caused Beau's accident. Even several other officers were there to lend a helping hand. Officer's Nick Sullivan and Ed Burnes were two of them and even Brad Carlton wanted to help but his help was appreciated but declined. The Ford Escape was totaled and Beau bought himself a new one, only the new one was navy blue in color instead of the silver gray he had before.

It wasn't till the following week when Hank's investigation into the accident brought some information to him that he did not like. The brake line was indeed cut manually. It had set off an alarm inside his head that told him he had to do whatever it took to protect the love of his life and apprehend the person who caused the accident. He also decided not to let on to Beau what he found until their was concrete evidence on who caused the accident and why.

Chapter 5

The following April, Hank had gotten the Chief of Police position. Chief Mitchell Hughes had finally retired and handed over the reigns to Hank. Beau was with him at his side at the swearing in ceremony as they announced his new job title.

Hank had his own office, which excited him even more and he set his own hours the way he wanted them. He was also glad he didn't need to wear a uniform anymore. He was now seen dressed in not in a suit but at least a tie and a blazer. He took his new position serious and wasn't going to let a single thing get in his way. He wasn't going to back down to anyone or anything and the first thing on his agenda was to find the culprit who caused Beau's accident.

Beau had made some major changes as well. The estate from his parent's will had finally settled at the end of May, and left him and Beth with quite a sizable inheritance. What surprised Beau the most and knowing how his parents felt about Hank was that they provided for him as well, shocking the hell out of Hank. Hank never expected a thing and he was truly touched that they thought of him. Beau never gave any doubt as to what Hank meant to his parents, and he was proud that they had included him. They even set up trust funds for Graham and Kara.

Beau put the majority of his inheritance away for safe keeping and giving some to charitable donations in their memory. Now with all the money he had from the estate and his own he didn't have to work at all, but he chose to anyway. In fact he and Hank had both become millionaires.

Spring was moving fast into summer and it was a bright sun shiny Thursday afternoon and Beau was sitting in his car at a stoplight. It was an exciting day for him as he had sold a house and a condo that morning, and couldn't wait till that evening to tell Hank the good news. Sitting there and waiting for the light to change to green, his cell phone started ringing. He looked to see who was calling and it was Hank, causing him to smile and he answered it right away.

"Hey gorgeous," he says happily.

"Are you busy?" Hank asked sounding serious.

"I'm in my car, not far from the station. What do you need?" Beau asked.

"I can't discuss it right now, but I need you to stop by. How long will it take for you to get here?"

"Five minutes, tops. I'm not that far. See you soon," he said abruptly and hung up the phone just as the light turned green.

It didn't take Beau long to approach the police department. He walked in and started towards Hank's office when Brad stopped him.

"Hey, you can't go in there," he barked.

Instantly, Beau turned glaring at Brad. "Hank is expecting me. Do you mind?" he snapped at him.

"He is on a conference call. And you better watch who you're fucking talking to?" he snapped back.

"You know Brad, this is really getting old. It's about time you get over being jealous and realize that what Hank and I have is something you will never have." Beau snapped. "No wonder you have no love life. What person in their right mind would want to be with someone like you?"

"Apparently you didn't hear what I said," Brad said as he stopped Beau from going any further by grabbing hold of his arm.

"Carlton, get back to your desk and get to work instead of causing trouble," DeputyChief Nick Sullivan ordered. "Unless you want to cause another fight in here and it's not going to be a threat this time it'll be a promise."

As much as he wanted to punch him, Brad thought better of it and decided to play it to his advantage and kill Beau with kindness and work in his charm and lure him in and then he would make his move.

"You're right. I apologize Beau," Brad said with barely no remorse and headed back to his desk.

When Beau reached Hank's office, Hank waved at him as he was finishing up on a phone call. Beau sat down opposite of him at the desk and waited patiently until Hank was finished and hung up the phone.

"What did you want to see me about?" he asked.

Hank stood up from his desk and came around to Beau, leaning on the edge of his desk.

"I am having a lousy morning and I just couldn't wait long enough to see your beautiful face," he said in a low voice. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Is that why you wanted to see me?" Beau smirked.

"Yes," he grinned.

He chuckled. "You could have just asked me over the phone."

"I know, but I wanted to see you. Plus I like it when you give Carlton a hard time when you stop by." He grinned.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't going to let him get to me," he said with a smile. "You'll never guess what happened to me today."

"Um," he says. "You sold a house?"

Beau's jaw drops in surprise. "And a condo. How did you know?"

"Because you always get that look in your eye when you sell a house or when you're having sex with me." He grinned. "And we didn't have sex this morning so I knew you had to sell a house."

"And a condo," Beau laughed. "You're something else, you know that."

"Yeah I know," he said, standing up. "You ready to go, cause I'm starving."

"Let's go," Beau says, rising from the chair.

He went to the door and opened it. "Sullivan!" he yells, causing Beau to jump.

Nick was on his feet and in front of Hank in no time. "Yes sir?"

Hank pointed a finger at him, saying. "Hey, you're in charge till I get back. I'll be stepping out for a while."

"Okay chief," Nick replied.

Then Nick turned his look to Beau. "Beau, I'm sorry about earlier. You're a great guy and friend and you don't need to put up with that kind of shit."

"Thanks Nick, that means a lot." Beau said with thanks. "Hey, I been meaning to ask you, how do you like your new position as deputy chief?" Beau asked him.

"It's great actually," Nick said, giving a broad smile. "Next to Hank here, I like giving orders to the younger officers just getting started. Makes me feel like I'm in charge." He laughed.

Beau laughed with him. "Don't be too hard on them."

"But then again, some of these older ones sometimes to be put in there place," Nick says as they both look toward Brad Carlton.

"I know what you mean," Beau said, then he glanced across the room and seen Brad glaring at him from his desk.

Beau interrupts Hank and Nick as they were talking and excuses himself. He walks over to Brad's desk where he was sitting. Putting both hands down onto the desk and leaning in, he spoke low.

"I don't know what the hell your problem is but you better get over it. But if you ever grab my arm again, I will make damn sure you will never work in this place again. And if you value your job, you better get a major attitude adjustment, buddy."

Brad slowly raised from his seat, putting his face into Beau's and speaking low but this time his tone had changed to a more sincere apologetic tone as he surprised the hell out of Beau.

"You're right Beau. I was thinking about it and I guess I'm still sore about that party a couple years ago. I guess I did want to get back at you but I'm done with that. You're right, it's time to grow up."

Beau straightened himself up from leaning over the desk. "Good and now maybe we can be civil to one another instead of trying to pick a fight."

Still, there was a vibe about him that Beau did not like, knowing that the man could not be trusted. He went to say something else but Hank came up from behind.

"Is everything okay over here?" Hank said.

"Yeah," Beau says. "Everything's fine."

"Carlton?"

"Yeah, everything's all right," he said in a calm, peaceful tone.

Hank nods his head. "Good. Let's keep it that way." He turns his attention towards Beau.

"Ready to go?" Hank asked.

"Yeah," Beau said low. And they walk out of the door.

Coming out of the police station they stand there a moment, until traffic slows up and then walk across the street and stop at Salvador's Pizza's and Subs. Inside, the aroma of different foods fills the air. They take a booth and Beau glances at the menu even though he knows what he wants.

Hank gives him a side glance. "Why are you looking at that? Every time we come here you order the same damn thing."

"I do not." Beau said, giving him a condescending look even though it was true to be told.

"Yes you do," Hank says as a matter of fact. "You always order a cheese steak sub with the works."

The waiter, Antonio overhears and walks up to the booth and grins at Beau. "You want the usual, Beau?" Antonio asks with a wink and a smile at Hank and causing him to burst into laughter.

Beau rolls his eyes. "Thanks Tony, but no. Instead I'll have an Italian sub with hot peppers."

"Wow! Looks like he's moving up in the world, Chief," Antonio replies with a smirk.

"Ha ha very funny, Tony," Beau teased the very hot Italian waiter.

One word described Antonio Valencierre and that was HOT! His swarthy Italian good looks were impeccable. His body was chiseled like and toned and the three top open buttons of his shirt revealed a fine mass of thick dark hair. His eyes were a dark blue and his hair was jet black and from the looks of the front of his pants, he was packing quite a thick tool as well.

Hank chuckled. "I'll have the same thing, and bring a pitcher of Pepsi too please."

"Sure thing Chief. Will that be all?" he looks at both of them. They both nod their heads, and Tony leaves with their order.

Hank sits with his back to the wall and props his leg up on the bench seat. "So, you want to tell me what was going on between you and Brad at his desk? You want me to say something to him, cause I will," Hank said. "I don't like him as much as you do."

Beau said. "No just let it go. He actually apologized for the way he's been acting, said it was time to grow up. One thing I don't get is why he was interested in me in the first place because I never let on that I was interested in him."

Hank shrugs his shoulder. "I don't know. All I can say is he's a damn good cop, but has a lousy personality. None of the other officers really like him. He moved into my old apartment and he's divorced with no kids. His wife caught him in bed with another guy and she left him and took everything he had."

"You know, Hank, it could just be that he was embarrassed that he got caught and everyone found out about him and he blames everyone else for his wrongdoings. His ego got hurt and he can't own up to how things came out. That's why he's lashing out, especially to me since I turned him down and punched him square in the mouth."

In the meantime, Tony walked up with their order and Hank and Beau both begin eating. As they were eating, the wheels in Hank's mind was reeling, thinking if Brad had anything to do with the brakes being cut in Beau's vehicle.

"Hello," Beau said waving his hand in Hank's face. "Where'dya go?" he chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" Hank said as he returned from his deep thoughts.

"I was asking you what you thought about having a dinner party at the house with Kain, Beth and a few of our friends."

"I don't think I have any extra time for something like that, Beau. It's been really busy at the station lately and plus I have extra paperwork to work on and switching patrols around on some of the officers," said Hank.

"Speaking of which, has anything come up with why the brakes on the car were cut?" Beau inquired.

"Nothing. I can't find a damn thing and I am thinking that when you had it serviced it became nicked somehow." Hank guessed. "Are you sure there isn't anything else that I missed and you're not telling me."

"Come to think of it, A while back ago I had the feeling of being followed but that was months ago. Then nothing happened so I just dropped it and left it alone." Beau said, shrugging it off.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" Hank asks as he gives a worried look. "And you're just now telling me this?"

"I can take care of myself, you know," Beau contradicted him. "Besides if someone wanted me dead they would've done it a long time ago."

He loved the fact that Hank cared about him and wanted to protect him, but he hated it when Hank acted like he couldn't take care of himself.

"How long?" Hank repeated in a low growl.

"I don't know. I know it was before Thanksgiving." Beau says giving it some thought and once again shrugs it off.

Hank's eyes widen, giving a look of surprise. "Beau, you could have been killed in that accident."

"Will you keep your voice down," Beau scoffed at him in low tone.

Hank took in a deep breath and left it out slowly, thinking about what he wanted to say next before he lost his temper. "Has anything else happened that you might know about?"

"Nothing has happened since then. I don't know why you're getting so upset about this anyway. It was months ago and I am still here so just drop it," Beau said a little louder as the few people that were there in the restaurant looked their way.

"From now on I want you to keep the doors and windows locked when I'm not at home. And if you see or hear anything, you let me know right away." Hank gave a stern look. "I mean it, Beau, you let me know right away," he says in a firm tone.

"I will. But don't you think you're making too much out of this?"

"No I'm not making too much out of this," he repeated quickly and sarcastically. "How can I protect you if I don't know what the hell is going on?" Hank barked.

Beau raised his hands in front of him in protest. "All right. I get it. I'm sorry."

"Baby, I love you and I'm you're husband, it's my job to protect you," Hank said in a calmer voice this time.

Hank glanced up and motioned to Tony for the check and paid for the meal and gave Tony a nice tip and the two headed out. They crossed back over the street to the police station and stopped at Beau's vehicle. The wind started to pick up and the sun went quickly behind some clouds and it felt like rain in the air.

"I guess you'll be late tonight?" Beau asked, leaning up against his vehicle.

"Yeah. I'm hoping I can finish early though." Hank said, standing close and leaning lightly against the passenger car door where Beau was standing.

Beau could see the uneasiness in Hank's face. "Honey, please don't worry."

"How can I not after what you just told me." Hank said, feeling uneasy.

Beau took a deep breath and left it out and changed the subject. "What time should I expect you home?" he asked.

He shrugs his shoulder. "Eight thirty, nine o'clock. I'll call you if it's going to be any later."

"All right," Beau said, as he happened to look up into the window of the police station and seen Brad standing at the window, holding a coffee mug and taking a drink from it and giving a slight wave of the hand.

Hank walked Beau around to the driver's side of the new Escape and opened the door for him. Beau climbed in behind the wheel and turned the ignition and puts the window down and closed the door. Hank leaned in through the opened window and gave him a tender kiss and a reassuring smile. "I'll see you when I get home."

Beau smiles, seeing the love in Hank's eyes, and nods his head. "Okay. You'll call if you are going to be late?"

"Have I never called?" he asked with a smile. "I'll see you later, love."

As Beau pulls out, Hank walks towards the doors to the station and went straight to his office and picked up his role call list and went back out into the open area.

"Okay guys listen up," as Hank called attention to the eight members of the precinct that were there for their work orders.

"Everyone should have gotten their patrol whereabouts on the streets." He looked around the room as he got nods from everyone there with a few shout outs of yes.

"Burnes and Sullivan, you two team up and take the south side. Adams and Kopechne, you two take the west side. Barnett and Gills, you're at the east end. Carlton and Hughes, I need you in here helping to catch up on paperwork. Any questions?"

Brad spoke up. "Why am I being pulled off patrol. What the fuck?!" Brad glares at him as he gets belligerent with him.

Hank stood his ground and shouted back at the officer. "I can do whatever the fuck I want. I am the boss you piece of shit and if you don't like it you can go elsewhere. I will not fucking tolerate your superior attitude anymore. Now everyone get back to work," Hank ordered and slammed the door as he went back into his office.

Brad shouted he was not going to do paperwork for the rest of the night and left the building in a huff. The whole time he was driving to his apartment the more he seethed with anger at the thought of being pulled off patrol for the night. He needed to vent his frustrations and have some fun with it at the same time. He was already feeling the testosterone building up inside him along with a fit of passion.

Once he got to his apartment he decided what he was going to do. He took his time changing out of his police uniform. Then he went to the fridge and grabbed a few beers and downed them. He sat in his recliner only wearing a jock strap, smoking a thick cigar, and flipping through the channels on the television. Not finding anything entertaining, he rummaged through his dvd's and found something he liked, gay porn. After getting his kicks off, he was still not satisfied enough.

Brad hated Hank with a passion. Their was no reason for him to hate the guy, he just did. And that entitled little fairy who thought he was better than everyone else. But damn, he wanted him. He wanted him so fucking bad. He knew he had to get back at them. They had no right to embarrass him the way they did.

Later that evening, and after giving it some considerable thought Brad knew what he had to do. He donned into a pair of black Levi's and a long sleeve black t-shirt. Then he slipped on a pair of black tight fitting gloves and threw on his black leather jacket, and tucked his revolver into a side pocket on the inside of his leather jacket and put a pair of handcuff's into the back of his pants pocket and headed out.

Back at the police station, Hank was sorting through all the paperwork and all the patrols putting them in order to file when he was in need of a cup of coffee. He opened the door to his office and stepped out towards the breakroom area. When he returned to the lobby area he only noticed Hughes at his desk.

"Where the hell is Carlton?" he barked.

Sgt. Kirk Hughes spoke up from his desk. "He left a while ago. sir. He said he wasn't sticking around to do paperwork, that he had better things to do."

Hank shook his head. "Well then, I won't have to worry about firing his ass then. If he decides to come back he does not have a job here. I'll be in my office if you need me," he said to Hughes.

"Yes sir," Hughes replied.

Beau was at home working in his office. He was writing up the bill of sale for the house that he sold that day. He checked his e-mails and set more appointments for the week. Then he changed out of his dress clothes into an old pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He looked at the clock and it was going on half past six and he was feeling hungry and went into the kitchen and started supper.

He ate alone, which was a habit he was getting back into again. He had made a plate up for Hank and kept it warm in the oven for him till he got home. A loud crack of thunder made him jump and he looked out the window as he watched a storm brewing. He went into the living room and turned the television on just as a weather bulletin had just popped up. A severe thunderstorm with damaging winds of up to seventy-five miles an hour and possible hail was in the forecast for the evening, said the weatherman.

"Great," Beau said out loud in a disappointed tone.

He turned the television off and returned to the kitchen. He was filling the dishwasher with the supper dishes and turned it on and began cleaning up the kitchen. The radio was on and softly playing country music. He was humming happily along with the music when he heard a knock at the door. He looked up at the clock and it was a fifteen minutes after seven. He got up and looked out the window and saw Brad standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Beau asked through the window.

"I need to talk to you," Brad said in a friendly manner. "Would you please let me in so we can talk? I promise I won't be long. I just want to apologize to you. It'll just take a minute."

Beau looks at him, wondering if his apology is genuine, or a trap of some kind but against his better judgment he opened the door.

"You already apologized earlier and I accepted your apology. What more do you want?" Beau wanted to know.

"I am not leaving till you and I have a talk," Brad ordered as he pushed his way inside.

"All right come in. What's so important that you had to come all the way out here?"

Brad followed Beau inside and into the kitchen. Nonchalantly, Beau pressed the speed dial button on his cell phone for Hank when Brad shoved him against the wall, catching him off guard before he was able to defend himself, causing the phone to drop to the floor.

"All I want to do is talk and you treat me like scum. I know you had something to do with Hank putting me on desk duty tonight. After he came back from lunch with you, he had given my patrol to someone else and I was put on desk duty. DESK DUTY!"

"That had nothing to do with me. If you weren't so fucking hell bent on getting back at me you wouldn't be in that position."

Brad shoves Beau into the living room. "You're going to pay for this bitch," and punched Beau hard in the face, knocking him to the floor.

For several minutes they fought each other. Beau threw several good punches back, hitting Brad in the face. But Brad went into police mode and grabbed Beau's arms to keep him from punching him any further and twisted them behind his back. He picked Beau up off the floor and slammed him against the wall and pushed his chest into Beau's back, pressing him hard against the wall.

"It was too fucking bad about those brakes being cut," Brad seethed. "And you're quite the busy man, you always have to be here, there, everywhere. I tell ya it was pretty hard keeping up with you. But I finally caught up to you at your sister's where I cut the brake line."

"You fucking bastard," Beau spat. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?"

"You know damn well what I fucking want from you, bitch. I figured I had to pull the nice guy routine just to get what I want and I don't take no for an answer."

With one quick move, Brad yanked Beau's sweatpants and boxers down around his ankles. "You denied me before and I let you get away with it. Now I've waited long enough."

From out of nowhere Brad had a switchblade in his hand, and with a flick of a button it locked in place. Beau's eyes widened in fear as he watched the six-inch razor sharp blade being brought to his face.

"You make one move and I will fucking slice your face," Brad seethed with rage. He quickly pulled his zipper down and pulled his already stiff, hard and enormous cock from his pants.

Fear enveloped Beau as his eyes widened with the blade just inches away from his face as he pleaded.

"Brad, please put the knife down," Beau said in a calm tone this time. "We can talk about this. I'll do whatever you want."

"Damn-fucking-straight you will," Brad barked and slipped his hands into the crevice of Beau's ass and fingered Beau's butt hole. Brad leaned in close, "you ready for this," he says as Beau felt Brad's cock at his hole. In one quick thrust, Brad pushed his cock deep into Beau's ass, causing Beau to scream in pain.

"You won't do this to me," Beau seethed with anger through clenched teeth. With all the strength he had, he managed to throw Brad off him then kneed him in the groin, causing Brad to drop to the floor as he grabbed himself and groaned in pain.

"Ugh, you god damn bitch you're going to pay for that." Brad groaned.

Beau moved quickly but Brad grabbed him by the ankle, causing him to lose his balance as he went to the floor and banged his head hard on the corner of the coffee table.

Once again, Beau fought back against his attacker, but Brad overpowered him and tossed Beau on the floor onto his stomach. Beau groaned in pain and felt a wet spot on his forehead and knew he was bleeding. Brad grabbed Beau's arms and threw them behind his back and pulled a set of handcuffs out of his back pocket and handcuffed him, then turned Beau onto his back to face him.

"You want to play it rough, huh?" Brad growled in his face. "I'm going to fuck that ass of yours whether you want me to or not."

"Get off me," Beau tries to get away from him but Brad punched him hard in the throat and the face, then pounded his head onto the floor, knocking him out cold.

"That'll fucking shut you up for a while," he barked and forced himself between Beau's legs and shoved his cock back inside his ass, bringing Beau back out of his subconscious state as he screamed out in pain.

"Please don't do this," Beau cried out. His pleading words went unheard and another blow comes to his face and several to his chest. "You'll never get away with this you son of a bitch," Beau yells out in pain as he is forced to face his rapist.

Brad ignores his pleas as he thrusts his hips forward, pounding away at Beau. He was brutal as Beau's screams became muffled when Brad covered his mouth with his gloved hand. Beau bites down hard on Brad's hand and he yelped out in pain.

"Ouch, you fucking bitch!"

Brad punched him again, harder this time both in the face, neck and chest. Then with both hands, he wrapped them around Beau's throat and squeezed, his thumbs pressing agonizingly hard onto his larynx, crushing Beau's windpipe.

As Beau feels the life being choked out of him he feels Brad moving in and out of him with quick hard jabs, hitting his prostate every time. All he could do was lie there and take the brutal forceful rape.

"Yeah, you like that don'tcha, bitch. You like my big cock up your fucking cunt." Brad seethed, as spit flew from his mouth.

Brad's breathing became labored and intense as he was grunting and panting. He was pounding into Beau with fury, pile driving all the way in and out. Fueled on his own desire and not noticing Beau had lost complete consciousness, his grip on Beau's throat tightened as he pounded harder several times, shouting as he was reaching his orgasm.

"Here it comes bitch. I'm gonna breed your fucking cunt. Take my fucking load you bitch."

He pushed in hard and held there as he erupted inside of him, sending his hot seed into him, cumming copiously. He gave short, hard jabs as he felt another orgasm coming when from out of nowhere, he was thrown across the room and his semen went spewing everywhere as he came the second time.

Hank jumped and landed on Brad and sat on his chest, punching him over and over about the face. Brad threw some defensive punches but Hank had the best of him. Over and over, Hank connected with his face and head till Brad had stopped fighting.

After knocking Brad out cold, Hank turned his attention to Beau. "Beau, baby," he cried, "I'm here, baby. I'm here. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

Beau eyes stared up at him as tears stung his eyes. "I tried t . . to . . . stop . . . him," he barely could get out between breaths, finding it difficult to breathe.

His body convulsed as he tried to cough and gasp as he was regaining what seemed like very little air into his lungs. He glanced over Hank's shoulder and his eyes widened as he sees Brad standing over them.

On instinct, Hank turned just as Brad tackled him with his knife, causing Hank to drop his gun near Beau. Beau reached for the gun and had it in his hand then he passed out from lack of air to his lungs.

Brad lunged at Hank and stabbed him in the chest. Lying injured between Brad and Beau, Hank inched his way backwards till he bumped into an unconscious Beau. He kept his hand over the stab wound he received.

Brad picked up the gun that was lost in the scuffle and stood over the two of them. "I am going to fucking kill you both." He cocked the gun and pointed it right at them. "Say goodbye old man," he hissed.

"Drop the gun now!" ordered Officer Sullivan, who was suddenly there in the open doorway. He had his gun in hand pointing it straight at Brad. Brad turned quickly taking aim and two shots rang out and Brad fell to the floor, dead.

Hank turned to Beau. "Beau, baby wake up." With no response, he felt for a pulse and there wasn't any. "Nooo! Don't you do this to me!" Hank cried out. "Don't you dare leave me!"

He begins CPR as Nick hurries to help Hank as they both work feverishly to bring life back into Beau's lifeless body. After a few minutes of agonizing torture, Hank finally felt a pulse as the paramedics came rushing in.

In and out of consciousness, Beau sees flashing lights as he was being carried out of the house on a gurney. Squad cars and ambulances were all over the front yard as he was placed into an ambulance and taken away to the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, Beau was wheeled into emergency. He lies there unconscious as the medical staff works feverishly to save him. Several cuts are stitched, but his face was swollen from the beating he had taken. Several hours later, he finally awoke feeling groggy as a nurse was monitoring his condition.

The nurse spoke softly, explaining to him what she is doing as she was checking his vitals and told him not to try to talk. His throat felt like it was on fire as he tried very hard to swallow the lump in his throat. But the harder he tried the worse it felt. The nurse was still talking in a soft voice when he heard other voices coming from outside the room and he became more alert.

"Hank!" Beau tried to cry out, his voice sounding rough and tingly.

"Sir, you need to calm down," the nurse beseeched. "You're not helping yourself."

"I want to see my husband," Beau says as he was trying to get up and pulled the oxygen tube from his nose in the process.

The nurse gently held him down by both shoulders. Too weak to fight back and suffering one hell of a pounding migraine, Beau laid back down. She places the oxygen tube back over his nose, as Nick and the doctor came bursting through the room.

"Well, I see your finally awake," the doctor said merrily.

The doctor was Travis Stephens. Travis wore gold wire brimmed eyeglasses that contoured to his brown eyes and brown hair. Beau stared at him as Travis held a chart in his hands, his chart he presumed and clasping his fingers together around the chart.

"How is he Doc?" Nick asks, as he looks down at Beau. Nick was dressed in his uniform and Beau assumed he was still on shift.

"Where's Hank?" Beau asked hoarsely. "I want to see my husband."

Nick placed a firm hand on Beau's shoulder giving him a stern look. "Calm down, Beau. I want to hear what the doctor has to say so I can make a report."

Beau lies there in silence as he looks up at Nick, knowing not to say anything at least not yet.

"Go ahead doctor," Nick said.

"His airway was all but crushed when he was being strangled. That is why he had passed out and then stopped breathing. Once the swelling goes down in his throat we will see how damaged it is. That's why he is on oxygen for the time being. He has a severe concussion. Several bruised ribs, not broken thankfully. A nice looking shiner, and a bruised jaw. Other than that, he should be all right. Right now, I'm more concerned about his airway passage. If anything, he will remain the night just for observation and if everything goes well he should be able to go home in a day or two."

"And what about his, um, you know," Nick shakes his head trying to find the correct words to use as the doctor realizes what Nick was trying to ask.

"Oh, that," the doctor says. "That area is okay. No tears or scarring. Nothing to be too concerned about. We did manage to clean him up."

"Thanks Doc," Nick says.

"No problem," Travis says. He taps Beau's foot and points a finger at him. "You get some rest, Beau. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients. I'll stop in and check on you later."

"Hold it right their, Travis," Beau croaked, gently rubbing his throat as he was looking right at him. "I want to know where Hank is and I want to know now. Where is he?" he demanded in a very low rough hoarse voice.

Nick looked from Beau to Travis, realizing that they knew each other and kept quiet as Travis spoke.

"He is in surgery, Beau."

Beau's face went ashen as his mouth dropped open and quickly brought his hand up to cover it. "Surgery? Why, what happened?"

"Beau, Hank suffered some serious stab wounds which one of them was a small laceration to his left lung," he said softly.

"Oh my God," Beau cried out. "Is he going to be all right?"

"He is going to be fine," Travis assured him. "His lung needs to be repaired and stitched back up. They should be bringing him in here shortly. I have arranged it that you two can share a room."

"Thank you Travis," Beau said, crying softly.

"Now I do have to go." Travis said softly. "Don't get yourself all upset and please get some rest. You will not be of any help to Hank if you get yourself all upset."

"I will," Beau whispered softly through tears, gently nodding his head.

Nick then spoke up. "I will make sure he gets his rest, Doc. May I stay for a while, I need to ask him some questions anyway?"

Travis smiles at Nick, looking him over quite carefully and likes what he sees. "Yeah sure, no problem. Just don't be too long. He does need his rest."

"Thanks," Nick says with a smile. Then Travis left the room to do his rounds.

"Oh God, please don't take him from me," Beau prayed out loud. He covered his face with his hands and just shook and cried.

"He's going to be okay, Beau," Nick says softly. He pulled a chair over and sat at his bedside.

"Hank tried calling the house and he didn't get an answer and he got worried. Then his cell phone started ringing and he seen it was you calling. When he answered it, he heard everything. Why did you invite him in?"

"I thought he was being genuine. We had talked earlier and he apologized for the way he had been acting towards me and against my better judgment, I allowed him in. I went to the kitchen and went to press the speed dial button for Hank and let it lay. I was thinking I would get Hank on the line so he could hear everything but he knocked it out of my hand." Beau paused, taking in a deep breath. "I don't even know if the call went through."

"Oh, it did," Nick said factually.

"Then Hank heard Brad admit that he cut the brake lines and was stalking me?"

"Yeah, we all did," Nick stated. "But we didn't catch all of it. Hank grabbed the phone and ran for the police cruiser before we could hear anything more. What else can you tell me?"

"He just started hitting me and I ended up having my hands cuffed behind my back and he . . ." Beau broke down and sobbed, "he raped me," he cried. He covered his face once more and brought his legs up and rested his arms on his knees and buried his head.

Nick turned off his recorder and spoke softly. "Beau, I am so sorry," Nick choked back his tears, trying not to show his emotions. He reached out and took Beau in his arms and Beau clung to him like a child not wanting to let go.

He lifted his head from Nick's shoulder. "Right before I past out, I remember reaching for Hank's gun, but I don't remember it going off," he said. "Did he get away?"

"No. Brad's dead."

Beau gave Nick a surprised look. "Dead?"

Nick nodded his head. "Hank got to the house before the rest of us did. I never seen him drive so fast," Nick exclaimed.

"By the time the rest of us got there, you were passed out on the floor and Brad was about to shoot the pair of you. Brad shot at me but missed. I shot back once and hit him right in the chest and killed him instantly. Then Hank and I gave you CPR and brought you back. After that, Hank collapsed. That was when I noticed he was stabbed."

"Did you see him before he went into surgery?" Beau asked with such concern and worry, almost afraid to ask.

"Yes I did. He was fine," Nick assured him. "He was worried about you though and he asked if I would stay with you."

Beau shook his head, running his fingers through his hair, thinking about all that had happened. "I did this. If I hadn't told him about Brad, he wouldn't be having surgery right now. It's all my fault." He begins to sob, covering his face with his hands.

Nick spoke firmly but softly, pulling Beau's hands away from his face and looking him in the eye. "It was not your fault. Don't go blaming yourself for something that wasn't in your control."

"How can I not, Nick?" he said, dropping his arms heavily to his side. "A cop is dead. And the love of my life is in surgery fighting for his own life as he tried to save me."

"Now that's enough," Nick said in a low, stern voice. "I will not have you blaming yourself. You were defending yourself. I don't want to hear another word about it, understand," he said with a firm tone.

Beau takes in a deep breath and nods his head, realizing he was right. "You remind me of Hank when you talk like that."

"Well I care about you, Beau. I can't help but love you too." Nick said as he reached out and took Beau's hand into his. "I think of you as one my best friends."

Beau smiles at him. "Really? I guess I never realized. I care about you too. But my life is with Hank. He's my one and only true love."

"I know that Beau," Nick said, "and that's not what I meant. Yes I wanted to date you. But that was before I knew you were with Hank. After that, I knew there wasn't a chance in hell for me. But I chose to love you as a friend anyway."

"You will find someone to fall in love with. It just won't be me," Beau said with assurance.

"I don't think I ever will," Nick replied. "I had a chance and I blew it."

"If it is any consolation to you, I would have gone out with you," Beau smiled as he looked into Nick's eyes. "You are a charming, loving, handsome man. In fact I saw the way Travis was looking at you. I think he may like you. I think he would be good for you. Why don't you ask him out?"

Nick gave him a shocked look. "Are you serious? I can't just walk up to him and ask him out. I don't even know the guy. But apparently you do. You surprised me when you called him by his first name. I didn't realized you two know each another."

"I've known Travis since high school. After graduation we lost touch until he moved here and opened up this clinic and hospital. He's a real nice guy."

Nick smiled. "Yeah he does seem like a nice guy and he is good looking. But what if he doesn't go that way and hauls off and decks me?"

"Well then you can arrest him for assaulting a police officer." Beau grinned. "Besides I don't think that will happen because he does go that way."

Just then the door to his room opened and the nurses were bringing Hank in on a gurney. Beau's eyes teared up as soon as he saw him.

Nick stood up and out of the way as the nurses worked at monitoring Hank's vitals and hooking him up to all the machines. Then all but one nurse left. She was a young girl in her late twenties and her nametag read Gretchen Henry, and she was of medium height with auburn hair.

"How is he, please?" Beau asked the nurse. "I'm his life partner and I want to know how he is."

"Just one minute sir," the nurse said softly as she turned on the last monitor. She then turned to Beau. "He is still pretty much out of it, Mr. Michaels, but he should have a quick recovery. The surgery went well so he shouldn't have any complications. The anesthesia will be wearing off soon, but the medication will keep him groggy and sleepy. He will be in and out of consciousness most of the night."

"Thank you Nurse Gretchen," Beau said with many thanks in his heart and a deep sigh of relief.

"You're welcome Mr. Michaels," she smiles, and she went to him and checked his pulse and then felt around his tender and bruised throat. "Are you still feeling some discomfort and tenderness?"

"Yes but the ice chips are helping." Beau replies.

"That is good. I see you are getting low on ice I can get you some more," she said softly.

"That would be nice, thank you."

"It is no problem, sir."

When Gretchen was finished she grabbed the cup and left the room and was back with the ice not long afterwards. Once she was out of the room the second time, Beau slipped out of bed and went to stand up but felt a little dizzy and light headed.

"Beau, you should be in bed," Nick said firmly, as he took hold of Beau before he was about to fall to the floor.

"I'm fine, Nick. Just help me over to him, please?" Beau asked.

He gave a sigh and spoke hesitantly. "Oh alright, but you need to get your rest."

"I will, after I see for myself how he is," Beau said softly.

Nick helped Beau to Hank's bedside and Beau softly caresses his face.

"I love you, Henry Thomas Styles and I want you to come back to me. I can't live without you." He leaned down and gives him a soft kiss on his cheek and his eyes filled with tears as they stream down his face.

"I love you too," Hank says weakly, barely in a whisper, and opens his eyes slowly and looks up into Beau's glossy eyes. "Don't cry babe, I will be all right."

Beau gives a tiny smile as Hank awakens and looks down into his groggy eyes. "I know you will, love," Beau says taking his hand into his. "Get some rest now, I love you."

From the anesthesia, the medication, and complete exhaustion, Hank drifted off while Beau stood there by his bedside and caressed his cheek and watched him sleep for just a little while longer.

"Come on Beau, let's get you back into bed," Nick said low.

Nick helps Beau back into bed and covers him back up. "Get some sleep, okay?"

Beau nods his head in response. "Nick?" he said, `will you stay with me?"

"Sure," Nick whispered. He sat down on the chair he had pulled up to the bedside earlier. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

"I can't possibly think about sleep."

"Well you are going to have to," Nick ordered, "you need your strength. Plus you need to rest your voice. You're sounding worse now from talking too much."

Beau looks over at Hank and watched him sleep and spoke softly to Nick as his voice got all choked up and cracked.

"You know, when my parents were killed I felt so alone, but Hank was there the whole time. He never once gave up on me, although I was giving up on myself. But he forced me to realize that I wasn't the only one grieving, he was too. He loved my parents and they loved him. They even encouraged us to be a couple knowing how much Hank loved me. I was just too stubborn to see it. I kept telling myself I was too independent, not worthy enough of his love. But it happened anyway. We fell in love and now it scares me to think that someday I will lose him and I will be right back where I started from. Alone."

He pulled the covers up to his chest and sinks down into the bed and cried softly.

"Beau, you sure are lucky to have him," Nick said low. "When I see the two of you together, I can see the love you two share. You just have to lean on that love and everything will turn out for the best. What happened tonight should not have happened. But one thing I know for sure is that you will never be alone. You have your sister, your friends, and most of all you have Hank. He loves you. His eyes light up every time he talks about you. I have never seen a man so happy or more in love than he is with you."

Beau turns his head to face Nick and smiled softly. "Thank you Nick, I needed to hear that."

"Now get some sleep okay," Nick urged. "You need the rest."

Beau nods his head, feeling the fatigue overcome him. Weary from exhaustion and the medication, he drifted off to sleep.

In the early morning hours, Beau was taken for some tests and then taken back to his room. He noticed Nick had gone and still tired from the ordeal and from the medication that he went back to sleep and woke up about mid morning.

When Beau awoke the second time, he almost forgot where he was and then realized he was still in the hospital. He turned his head and saw Nick with his head on the side of the bed, sleeping. He smiled seeing his friend had returned and he took his hand and slowly sifted his fingers through Nick's blonde hair and he stirred as he started to awaken.

Nick lifted his head and rubbed his eyes clear and then their eyes met. "Are you okay? You need the doctor?" Nick asked.

"I'm fine. I feel a lot better now," Beau said.

"Well you sound better. You were very hoarse last night." Nick exclaimed.

"Where were you early this morning? I was taken for some tests and you weren't here."

"Well when you fell asleep, I did have to leave. I went to the station, wrote up a report and clocked out. Then I went home took a shower, changed clothes, and came back here."

"You didn't have to do that, Nick. Besides, I have Hank here." He turned his head to see Hank but he wasn't there. Instantly he panicked and got worried. "Where's Hank?"

"Don't worry. They took him down for some tests, he'll be back shortly." Nick assured.

Beau sighed deeply. "Oh thank God. I thought something happened."

"You were sleeping when they took him. You were out of it. Nothing was going to wake you up." Nick said, as he fluffed Beau's pillow and fixed his blanket.

Just then the door opened and the nurse was bringing Hank back into the room. He was in a wheelchair and giving the nurse a hard time. Beau smiled instantly upon seeing him.

"Is he giving you a hard time?" Beau asked the nurse with a smile.

She chuckled. "He is being a little hard headed," she answered.

Beau gives Hank a stern look. "Hank, stop giving her a hard time. She is only trying to help."

"If you don't mind, I would like to sit here for a bit." Hank said, looking up at the nurse.

"All right," she said softly. "I will be back later to help you in bed," she says and then leaves the room.

From the opposite side of the bed, Hank moves the wheelchair closer to Beau and took his hand into his. "How you doing, baby?"

"I'm fine now that you're here," Beau answered as he leaned over and gave Hank a kiss.

Hank pulled back and glances at the two of them. "Hey, Nick. How are things going at the station?"

"Well, ever since last night, things have gotten a little hectic but I have everything under control until you get back." Nick replied. "I will be going in soon anyway and check things out. I called Ed a while ago and he said everything has gotten a lot calmer now."

"That's good." Hank said. "I should be back by the end of the week. They said I might be able to leave tomorrow."

Beau's eyes light up. "Oh, honey, that's great," he said. "Did they say anything about me?"

Just then Travis came in the room. "Good morning," he says cheerfully.

"Good morning, Travis," Beau says. "What's the word? Can I go home?" he asked almost pleadingly.

Travis stood at his bedside right next to Nick. "The reason I kept you here last night is because I was afraid your airway passage was crushed. But after I ran some more tests this morning. I found that your airway passage is quite badly bruised and swollen. The medication I gave you last night seemed to help a lot and it should take about two weeks to clear up. During that time you will have to take it easy and eat only soft foods and take your medication twice a day."

Beau smiled happily knowing nothing was permanently damaged. "Thank you, Travis."

"No problem. I have your discharge papers being written up now unless you want to stay and go home with Hank on Monday?"

"Monday?" Hank said confused. "I thought I could go tomorrow."

Travis gave Hank a look of concern. "I can't let you go just yet. There is a possibility you may have an infection. This is why I don't let patients out right away after such an operation. I just want to take some precautions and make sure you are on the road to recovery. You're going to be here for the weekend my friend."

A nurse came into the room and handed Travis papers. "Dr. Stephens, here are the discharge papers you asked for for Mr. Michaels."

"Thank you Nurse Gretchen," he says with a smile as he takes the papers in hand and then she turns and leaves.

Travis turns his attention to Beau. "Everything looks good and you can go about your daily duties. Just don't overdo it, Beau. You're still recovering."

"Oh, I won't Travis. Thanks," Beau said as he signed the release forms, then realizing something. "Ah, I just thought of something, I don't have anything to wear."

"That's where I come in at," Nick said, holding up an overnight bag. "Kain and Beth stopped at the house and picked you up a few things and dropped it off while you were sleeping. I was here when they stopped by."

"Why didn't you tell me Kain and Beth were here?" Beau asked.

"Sorry, I didn't think about it until now," Nick said apologetically.

"Okay, Beau, you are all set to go," Travis said as he finished signing the papers. "Oh and one other thing," he says, pointing a finger at him, "I want you to hold off on sex for at least a week or two. You do have some scars and tearing and they need to heal. That goes for you too, Hank."

"A week," Beau said, disappointed.

"Yes, a week," Travis said with a stern voice.

"Don't worry, Travis," Hank said, "As much as I hate to do it, I will try very hard to maintain my composure around him."

"See that you do," Travis said with a wink, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, I guess that's it. I will leave you guys alone so you can talk. I'll be back later," Nick said as he rose from the chair he was sitting on and said his goodbyes.

Beau rose out of bed and started to get dressed as they talked and when he was done, he helped Hank into bed and covered him up then sat on the edge of the bed.

With his shoulders slumped, Hank looked at Beau with tears in his eyes and began to cry softly. "I don't know what I would have done had I lost you last night. When I saw you lying on that floor, I didn't . . ."

"Hank," he stopped him from saying anything more by putting his index finger on his lips and spoke softly. "I'm all right now. No one is going to take us away from each other. My love for you is stronger than anything." He leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you," Beau whispered.

"Oh baby, I love you so much." Hank says taking Beau into his arms and kissed him tenderly.

The nurse who had brought Hank back from having tests done came into the room. "Oh, I am terribly sorry for barging in just now."

Hank and Beau smiled at each other.

"No, it's quite all right," Beau said, getting up from sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Chief Styles, you're in bed," she said with a smile.

Beau spoke. "Yes, I had helped him. I hoped you don't mind."

"No, not at all. How are you feeling Chief Styles?" The nurse asked as she checked his wound making sure it had not reopened.

"I'm okay. I just want to go home," Hank insisted.

"I know you do. You incision is healing quite nicely," she says. "I will check on you later, Chief," and she leaves the room to do her rounds.

"I'm going to go now, but I will be back later," Beau said. "I want to check the house and then stop by Kain and Beth's and thank them for stopping by." He leans in and gives him another kiss. "Get some sleep alright, you look tired."

"I am tired," he said low.

Beau gives him a reassuring smile. "I love you."

"Love you too," Hank says and gives him another kiss.

"I'll be back soon."

Hank lays back and he snuggled underneath the covers to get comfortable. Before leaving the room, Beau stopped and looked over his shoulder at Hank and he was already sleeping.

As Beau walked out of the hospital, he realized he needed a way home and didn't have his cell phone to call a taxi.

"Need a ride home?" came Nick's voice from behind.

"I thought you left," Beau said to him.

"I stopped at the cafeteria and got something to eat."

"Oh," was all Beau said, thinking about how he was going to get home.

"Want me to give you a ride home?" Nick repeated.

"I can call a cab." Beau said. "I don't want to put you out."

"I have no problem taking you home. Unless it is a problem with you?" Nick asked.

"I don't have a problem with it," Beau said plainly as he could not rid the images in his head from the night before. He put on a brave front and tried not to let it bother him.

They walked to Nick's Ford Ranger truck and Nick unlocked and opened the door for Beau. Beau climbed up into the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt as Nick closed the door Then Nick went around to the other side and jumped in and started it up and the truck shook as the engine roared. He put it into first gear and slowly pulled out.

The first few minutes were quiet, and Beau stared out the window, resting his elbow on the door and propped up his chin into the palm of his hand. Country music softly played on the radio and Joe Nichols was singing a song called `I'll Wait for You.'

Beau heard the song before but this time he listened to the words and softly cried as he thought about the night before. He wondered if he could ever make love to Hank again without being reminded of the rape. Then he wondered how he or Hank could go on with or without each other. So many thoughts and what ifs went through his mind and wondered if he would ever get over what happened.

"Beau," Nick's voice was soft as he glanced over him. "You know you can talk to me about anything. I want to help you through this. What are you thinking right now?"

Beau left out a deep sigh and spoke softly. "I was just thinking about what happened. I don't know what to do now. I don't want to go back inside that house and be reminded of what went on. The mess I have to clean up. I don't know if I can do that, Nick. I just keep praying for answers that just aren't there."

"It will be tough at first, but you're strong. You have Hank and the two of you can conquer anything," Nick said.

Beau took in a deep breath and blew it out. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said softly.

"It's only natural for you to feel the way you do," Nick stated. "It's not like you're going to get over it, like tomorrow. It's going to take some time."

"Nick, I know you mean well," Beau sighed. "But I really don't want to talk about this. Not to you. Not to anyone. This is something I have to deal with on my own."

Nick sighed heavily. "That is where you're wrong. You do have to talk about this if you want to get over it. You have to express your feelings. It's the only way you're going to heal. They have support groups for this kind of trauma."

Beau shook his head in frustration and raised his voice. "What if I don't want to?! You don't know what I'm going through or how I feel. Don't start telling me what I should and should not do!" Beau barked, his voice hoarse and his throat sore.

For the remainder of the ride home, they both were silent and Beau turned his gaze once again to looking out the window. Finally, Nick had pulled into the long drive that led to the house, and when they got to the top of the hill, he noticed Kain's car parked beside the house and wondered why it was there. It didn't take long to find out when he jumped down out of the truck. Nick had gotten out of the truck as well.

Kain was standing in the doorway, hanging a brand new door. "Honey!" he yelled inside for Beth. "Beau's home."

"Beau!" She screamed and came running and all but knocked him over, taking the wind right out of him, as she hugged him tight and cried. "Oh my God, I was so worried about you. Are you okay? I didn't you hurt did I? What happened? Is there anything I can do?" All these questions were thrown at him at once.

"Honey, give the man a chance to breathe," Kain insisted.

Beth finally loosened her grip from around Beau's neck. "I'm so sorry honey," she cried. "Ohhh, you look so bruised. How can I help?"

"Well this isn't quite the welcome home I was expecting," Beau said, softly rubbing his throat, as he was surprised to see them.

Kain spoke up. "Well, when we heard what happened, we were both shell shocked and Beth here was on pins and needles the whole time. So to keep her mind off things I thought we could help you out. I hope you don't mind us doing this for you."

"Mind! Are you kidding, unexpected yes, but mind no. And thank you for dropping by the hospital and bringing me clothes. I just wish I would have seen the two of you," Beau said.

"You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake you," Beth said.

"We're just glad your home now," Kain said offering a handshake and a hug.

Beth just smiled from ear to ear and carefully wiped her eyes. "Yes, I am glad you're home."

The four of them walked into the house and Beau noticed everything was cleaned up and he took in a deep breath through his nose and smelled the fresh aroma of different cleaners.

"Wow! Beth you didn't have to do all this, but thank you so much."

"Oh it was no problem. I had to do something for you," Beth said as she took an arm around the middle of Beau's back. "We love you, Beau. We all do."

"That's right," Kain said coming up from behind and putting another arm around Beau.

"You have a full circle of family and friends right here to support you."

"That goes for me too," Nick said as he came closer.

Beau smiled happily. "Thanks guys, thanks so much. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Well I hate to break this up, but I got to get moving. I got to get to the station," Nick said turning towards the door.

"Nick?" Beau said looking over his shoulder. "Thanks for bringing me home. I appreciate it."

Nick smiled. "Anytime." He gave a wave with a hand. "See ya."

"Nick?" Beau repeated.

He turned yet again. "Yes?"

Beau said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you like I did."

He gave Beau a reassuring smile. "Not a problem. Just take it easy, okay," he said. "Remember what the doctor told you," he said with insistence.

"I will, and thanks again. Bye."

"Bye."

Beau watched as Nick left and Kain came up from behind.

"What's with him?" Kain asked, as he went back to working on the door.

"He's upset with me," Beau said, "because he thinks I should express my feelings. And I kind of told him off."

"Well I'm sure things will get better," Kain said as he lifted the door onto its hinges. "I just need to finish with this door and you will be all set."

"Need any help?" Beau asked.

"No. I got it, but thanks anyway," he says giving a smile, showing his pearly white teeth.

"Well, I am going to town and pick up supper," Beth announced. "What can I get for you, Beau."

"Oh, I'm fine, Beth. But thanks anyway. I'm going to pick something up later for Hank and I and will be going back to the hospital." Beau smiled at the two of them as they just stared at him. "What?" Beau asked feeling intimidated by their stare.

"Nothing," Beth says. "I just thought you would want to have dinner with us."

"Oh," Beau said low, feeling bad. "I'm sorry Beth I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But I promised Hank I would see him this evening, and I thought I would get us something from Sal's."

"Oh okay," she said and turned to Kain. "Kain, would you walk me to the car?" she asked.

"What's up?" Kain asked as he walked outside with Beth.

"Do not let him out of your sight," she said low. "Something is not right with him. He is acting like nothing happened. Keep an eye on him till I get back alright."

"Yeah, I noticed it too. I will try and talk to him, get him to open up," Kain whispered, voicing his concern as well.

Beth smiled at her husband. "Good, treat him like he is one of your patients. I will be back soon," she said giving Kain a peck on the lips.

Beth gets into the car and leaves. And Kain goes back into the house to talk to Beau. When he went back inside, he noticed Beau wasn't around so he went looking for him and found him in the bedroom.

"Beau, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kain asked, using his doctor of psychiatry voice.

"Can't it wait? I want to get into the shower." Beau insisted.

"Yeah, I guess it can. I'll wait until you're done," Kain said and he stepped out of the room.

Beau went into his bedroom and then into the adjoining bathroom leaving the door ajar and turned the water on to heat up. After stripping out of his clothes he steps inside the shower and lets the heat of the water warm him up as it pelt against his skin and he soaped up his body and washed all the residue of the hospital off of him.

The hot water felt so good as it sprayed down over his body. He held out his arms in front of him, bracing his hands against the shower wall. He dropped his head forward as the water cascaded down over his head and down his back as the images of the night before took over his mind. Trying to hold the hurt and humiliation deep inside was agonizing for him and as hard as he tried, he couldn't. He slowly slid down the shower wall and curled up into a ball, loosing all control and sobbed vehemently.

Out in the hall, Kain stood by the door leaning against the wall and crossed his arms. He could hear the sobbing cries coming from the other room and it tore at his heart, as all he wanted to do was to comfort his brother-in-law. After some time passed, he heard the water shutting off and the door to the bathroom open. Kain waited for a few minutes more then took the opportunity and went back into the room.

He found Beau lying on the bed, dressed, his head buried in the pillow as he couldn't stop crying. Kain sat down next to him, softly rubbing his back.

"Please, don't touch me," Beau sobbed.

"I just want to help," Kain said softly. "I don't want you to feel you have to go through this by yourself. Beth and I are here for you and you have Hank too. And if I have to, I'll work with you professionally until you are back to your old self."

"Kain, don't worry about it," Beau said, stifling back his tears, pulling himself up onto his knees, the bed, and holding the pillow tightly to his middle. "I'll be fine."

"No you're not," Kain said gently. "You are not fine. I heard you in there crying your heart out," he said pointing towards the bathroom. "You went through a horrific ordeal. No one expects you to be brave about this. No one deserves to have gone through what you went through. I'm here for you and I'll work with you through this. But if you don't want my help, at least let me have one of my colleagues work with you."

"You would actually do that for me?" Beau asked, surprised that Kain would do such a thing for him as he was searching for some kind of absolution.

"Of course I would," Kain offered. "You're my family and I love you. It's what families do for each other."

Beau leaned forward and looped his arms around Kain's neck. "Thank you, Kain," he sobbed and left out a great big sigh.

Kain held him close. "What are you doing about tonight? You can't possibly stay here by yourself knowing what happened here."

Beau pulled from the embrace and bowed his head low. "I don't know. It took all I had to come home and not be reminded of what happened. I can still feel his hands around my neck. I can still feel him on me. Even after the shower, I feel so dirty." Beau shook. "Every where I look I see his face." He covered his face in his hands and started crying again. "I don't even know if I will ever be able to make love with Hank anymore."

Kain took him in his arms again and held him. "Beau, this is not an easy thing to go through. I could not possibly know what you're feeling, but I can sympathize with you. You don't have to go through this alone, especially tonight. Why don't you come home with Beth and I?" he asked insistently.

Beau's head rested on Kain's shoulder, and he looked down towards the floor, without lifting his head from Kain's shoulder, Beau spoke. "I was going to stay at the hospital with Hank over night. But I don't think they will allow it. I can just get a room at the hotel near the hospital."

Kain spoke softly. "You shouldn't be alone right now. You will come to our place and stay in the guestroom."

"I couldn't possibly do that. You and Beth don't need me there bothering you. I'll be all right." Beau said.

"You heard what Kain said," Beth said, standing at the door, listening. "You'll come and stay with us and that's that."

Beth was standing there long enough to hear the last end of the conversation.

"All right. I will," Beau relented. "But, I'll come by later this evening if that's all right. I want to take a few things to Hank first and get him something decent to eat instead of that awful hospital food."

"That's fine," Beth answered. "Now, how about getting something to eat."

"I couldn't possibly eat," Beau cringed. "My throat is too sore and I wouldn't be able to keep anything down."

"Hmmm, I never thought you would turn down my strawberry pudding," Beth grinned. "You always liked it when I used to make it for you at home when you weren't feeling well."

Beau let out a slight moan. "You always did find a way to make me feel better."

That evening, Beau went back to the hospital to see Hank. He had taken a small overnight bag with him that contained a change of clothes and a pair of satin navy blue pajamas. On his way there, he had stopped and picked up a sub and a soda from Sal's. When he walked into the hospital room, Hank was sitting up in bed.

"Hey good looking. I brought you something to eat," Beau hoarsely said with a smile.

Hank returned the smile. "Oh good, I am starved and I hate the food here." He opened the wrapper and took a big bite. "What's in the bag?" he asked with a mouthful.

"A change of clothes and a pair of those pajamas I bought for you at Christmas."

"Good," Hank said. "I'll change later."

"Has Travis been in to see you since I left?" Beau asked, sitting on the side of the bed.

"Not yet," Hank said. "Did you get something to eat?"

"Beth made me her strawberry pudding. I had some earlier." Beau answered, "That's all I could keep down," Beau added, rubbing his stomach, feeling sick. "I think it's my nerves."

"You never could eat when your nerves were bad," Hank added speaking low. "How is everything at the house?"

"When I got there, Kain and Beth were there. Kain put a new door on, and Beth had everything cleaned up for me. I'm very thankful to have my sister back in my life."

"Me too," Hank said. "I bet you were surprised to see them?"

"Oh I was." Beau smiled. "Beth nearly knocked me over and strangled me as she hugged me," he chuckled, softly rubbing his throat.

"How did you get home?"

"Nick took me. I ran into him out in the parking lot. I was about to call a cab when I bumped into him. He insisted on taking me home."

"Nick's a good man," Hank nodded as he thought well of Nick. "I also know he likes you a lot. Has he ever tried anything with you?"

Beau shook his head. "No he hasn't. You know, he considers you and I his best friends. Back when we were outed at the station, he told me he had feelings for me, that he wanted to ask me out. But once he found about the two of us, he said he knew then that he never had a chance in hell. He thinks very highly of you, Hank."

Then he thought of how he spoke to him earlier that evening when Nick was being so nice and concerned. He realized he should had never lashed out the way he did. It was downright mean and he felt ashamed and the look on his face showed it.

"Come here babe," Hank whispered to him, holding out his arms. "Let me hold you."

Hank sits his food down on the tray in front of him and pulls Beau into his arms and tenderly kisses Beau. Beau hesitated at first, but the familiarity of Hank's lips on his caused him to melt in his arms. The kiss lingered and they stared lovingly into each other's eyes. They didn't know it at the time, but Travis had come into the room. He cleared his throat loudly, getting their attention. Instantly, Beau pulled away and sat up.

"Hello Travis," Beau said, giving a coy smile.

"Hello," he chuckled, giving a wide smile. "I see our patient is getting some TLC."

Hank had a broad smile on his face and his eyes sparkled happily. "No actually we both were getting some TLC."

Travis chuckled as he moved closer and examined the incision on Hank's chest.

"Your incision is healing quite nicely," Travis said as took his stethoscope and listened to Hank's lungs. "And your lungs sound clear, no signs of any infection. The medication I gave you earlier kicked in and did its job." He wrapped his stethoscope around his neck. He looked at Hank and then at Beau. "Now I'm not making any promises here, but if everything goes well tonight, you may be able to go home tomorrow."

Hank eyes lit up. "I can. Well why not now?"

"Now hold on their, Hank," Travis said. "You need to take it easy for several more days. And you cannot go back to work at least for another week. No lifting anything more then twenty pounds and I have a prescription for your incision. You also have to apply some ointment to the scar so it doesn't cause any infection."

Beau spoke up at that moment. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I will make damn sure he takes his medication."

Hank smiled. "I don't care just so I can get out of here."

"Beau, may I speak to you for a moment please?" Travis asked.

Beau followed Travis out into the corridor. "What is it, Travis, is there something I should be worried about?"

"No," he said abruptly. "No, it's nothing like that. I just have a question."

Beau jerked his head back in surprise. "You have a question for me?" he asked almost confused.

"The officer that was here earlier, Nick, I think his name is?"

"Yes, that's correct, Officer Nick Sullivan. What about him?" Beau asked.

Travis rubbed his jaw, contemplating on what to say. "I don't know any other way to ask this but straight out. But, is he single and available?"

Beau's mouth dropped in surprise, shocked to hear that he was interested in Nick and he gave a slight chuckle.

"I had a feeling you might like him and yes he is available. Would you like me to put a good word in for you, Travis?" Beau asked.

"Something wrong?" Hank asked as he came up from behind and dressed in the pajamas Beau had brought for him.

Beau turned to Hank. "Nothing's wrong. I just have some matchmaking to do."

"Matchmaking?"

"It seems Travis here is interested in Nick."

"Oh really?" Hank said in surprise.

Travis blushed in response. "Is this a problem with you two?"

Beau said. "No, on the contrary it is not. I have a plan, and hopefully it will work. Travis, are you free next Saturday evening?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Travis answered.

"Good," Beau answered as he went back into the room and went to the dresser for some stationary and a pencil and was followed by Hank and Travis. "I am writing down the directions to my house and can you be there for 6:30 for dinner?"

"I can be, and I don't need directions. I remember where you live." Travis replied with a smile. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I will say this much. The quicker he finds someone to be with, the sooner the better." Beau said.

"Why do you say that?" Travis asked, giving Beau a quizzical look.

"Because, the man's lonely. That's why." Beau said. "He has it stuck in his head that no one would be interested in him."

"Well I am. I think he is one hot sexy looking guy, next to you two," Travis grinned then looking at his watch. "Awe shit, I better get moving. I have rounds to do," and he walks away. "I will check on you later, Hank."

Hank and Beau stand there for a moment. "Come on handsome, lets get you back into bed," he said. "I like those pajamas on you. The color looks great on you and it brings out the sparkle in your eyes."

"You bring the sparkle out of my eyes, babe" he says as they make it to the bed. Hank crawls back into bed, and Beau covers him back up.

"Honey?" Hank says. "I felt a little hesitation when I kissed you a little bit ago. Are you okay?" he asked spreading a napkin across his chest and picking his sandwich back up and finished eating the rest of it.

Beau sat down beside him on the edge of the bed. "Yeah. It's just I am still feeling the effects from last night. It's going to take some time is all."

Hank takes Beau's hand into his. "We'll get through this. As long as we're together, we will conquer anything."

Beau smiled and leaned down and rested his head on Hank's shoulder. "I love you, Hank," he whispered.

"I love you too, baby," he said as he put his arm around Beau. "Beau?"

"Hmm, what sweetie?" he asked resting his eyes.

"You think it will work out between Nick and Travis once they get together?" he asked.

"I hope so. I like Nick and he's a good man and he deserves to find someone who loves him as much as I love you." Beau quickly sat up. "Which reminds me, I better give him a call and see if he's free on Saturday."

"I hope it does works out." Hank said. "He told me earlier he's thinking of transferring to another station. I certainly do not want to accept his resignation."

"Oh no. I don't like the sound of that," Beau said and took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Nick's cell phone number. He walked over to the window and looked out as he waited for an answer.

Nick answered on the third ring. "What's up, Beau?" he answered.

"How did you know its me?" he asked.

"I have your number in my contact list. So what do you want? I'm kind of busy right now." Nick said, sounding as if Beau had caught him at a bad time or that he just didn't want to talk to him.

"What are you doing next Saturday evening?" Beau asked.

"I'm off work and I made some plans. What's this all about?" he says in a huff.

"I'm having some friends over to the house for dinner and I wanted to invite you over."

"I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with me?" Nick said, sounding annoyed.

"I never said that. You know you are one of my closest friends. But if you don't want to come I understand. I just thought you might want to hang out with some friends."

"I'll have to get back to you on that. Now I got to go. Bye," click.

Beau took the phone from his ear and shook his head, ending the call.

"What is it, Beau? Why did you get that look just now?" Hank asked.

"He was short with me and I probably pissed him off earlier. But he said he would get back to me. I'm not so sure he will."

"What did you say that pissed him off?" Hank asked, abruptly. Not looking very happy at the moment.

"I kinda blew up at him when he told me I need to express my feelings about what happened last night. I pretty much told him to mind his own business."

"He's right you know," Hank said agreeably.

"I know," Beau said, hanging his head in shame, "I shouldn't have blown up at him the way I did. I just felt pressured and I didn't want to talk to him or anyone about what happened."

He felt horrible at the way he blew up at Nick and wished he could take it all back. But nothing felt as horrible as to what he was feeling on the inside as he thought he might never get over the ordeal he went through. Just the sound of his own voice was bad enough. The rough hoarseness was unbearable.

"Come here," Hank says holding his arms out to Beau. Beau went to him and Hank held him close in his arms. "Just relax and let me hold you," he says calmly.

The day had flew by so fast and with all that went on he was so tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. Being in Hank's arms he felt safe, warm and secure. It was the only safest place he wanted to be and it didn't take him long to fall asleep.

Chapter 6

In the morning Beau was awakened by a gentle shake to his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Travis standing over them.

"Travis?" he said sleepily and then yawned covering his mouth in the process. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep." Beau whispered as he got out of the bed quietly so not to awaken Hank.

"That's all right, you needed your rest anyway," he whispered. "I came in during the night on my break to check on Hank and you two were sound asleep."

"It wasn't my intention to stay the night, although, I was going to ask you first," he said apologizing.

"That's okay, I didn't mind," Travis said low.

He felt around Beau's throat and had him open his mouth, just to check the healing process. "Hmmm, still red and swollen," he says. "How's the pain?"

"Sore, but not too bad," Beau admitted. "Ice chips help," he added.

"You two don't have to whisper, I am awake," Hank said sleepily.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. Did we wake you?" Beau asked quietly.

"No," he yawned, "no you didn't." Then he stretched his limbs.

Travis went to the other side of the bed and put his stethoscope to his ears and listened to Hank's lungs and checked the incision. "You're sounding a lot better, better than yesterday." He opens the pajama top and inspects the incision. "Hank, you are quite a quick healer."

"I've always been," Hank said. "Then can I go home this morning?"

"Uhhh, I can't see why not." Travis hesitated.

Just then there was some commotion going on outside the room and the door to their room flew open.

"There you are, where have you been?" Beth shouted. "Do you know how worried I was when you didn't come to the house last night? You had me worried sick."

"I'm so sorry, I should have called you," Beau said and started to chuckle.

"It's not funny, you really had me worried," Beth said, obviously upset.

"You're right, and I am sorry," Beau said regretfully, "I fell asleep here last night."

"See, I told you he was okay," Kain said to her calmly.

Then he turned to Beau and pointed his finger at him and yelled. "Don't ever do that again, Beau. You had us both scared to death."

"Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here," Hank said raising his voice.

"Calm down sweetheart," Beau said, turning to Hank. "Kain and Beth didn't want me to be alone last night and offered me to stay with them till you got home."

"All right, there are way too many people in here," Travis spoke up. "Kain, Beth, now that you know Beau is alright, you will have to wait out in the hall until I get the discharge papers for Hank." Travis ushered them both out the door.

"I'll be right back," Beau said to Hank, "I have to make amends with them."

"That can wait for a minute," Hank says, gently pulling Beau to him. "Right now all I want to do is kiss you."

"Yeah," Beau grinned.

"Yeah," he whispering seductively, and kissed Beau. But Beau would only accept a pec on the lips.

Once again, Travis came in unheard and cleared his throat. "You two are going to have to find another room," he suggested with a smile. The three of them just laughed. "Here you go, Hank. Sign these forms and you are out of here."

"While you do that, I have to make amends out in the hall," Beau repeated and made his way out of the room.

He found Kain and Beth in the waiting room a few doors down and walked right up to them as they stood up.

"Listen," Beau said calmly, "you don't know how sorry I am about not calling you. And I feel really guilty. Hank and I got to talking and we fell asleep."

Beth left out a deep sigh. "And I'm sorry for barging in and yelling at you like that but you did have me worried. Now that I know you're okay I guess we can go. Do you need anything before we leave?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, we would like to help any way we can," Kain offered.

"As a matter of fact there is something I would like to discuss with both of you," Beau said.

"What's that?" they both said in unison.

"Hank and I decided to have a few friends over next weekend for dinner and would like it very much if you two could be there."

"Don't you think that it's a little too soon? I mean the pair of you is just getting out of the hospital." Beth said with some concern.

"Beth, I'm fine, Hank's fine. We just want to have a little get to together with our closest friends. It's not like I'm throwing some big shindig. It's only going to be Hank and I, the two of you, and Travis. I called and asked Nick to come, but he said he would get back to me."

Beth and Kain look at each other for answers and then looked back at him. "You know what, we will be there. But, Kain and I will be there early, because I am going to help you with the cooking," Beth said with certainty.

"Oh you don't have to do that. I can handle everything," Beau stated with a flip of a hand.

"Beau, it's that or we don't come at all," Beth said adamantly.

Hank came up from behind and stood close to Beau. "I wouldn't argue with a woman. It gets us nowhere."

Beau turned his head to see that he was dressed and ready to leave.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there."

He turned his look back to Beth. "All right Beth, you win. You always win."

"Yep, you definitely can say that again," Kain said teasingly and ended up getting poked in his side with her elbow.

"Watch it buddy boy," she smirked, and the four of them had got a good chuckle from it.

Beau turned to Hank. "You all set to go?"

"Yes I am, babe. What do you say we go home?"

"Sounds good to me," Beau replied. "Hey, do you want to go to Sal's for lunch. I don't feel like cooking and I could go for one of Sal's pizzas. Kain, Beth, would you like to join us?"

They look at each other for approval. "Yeah all right, we can do that," Kain said, "but I'm buying."

"No argument here," Hank replied and was poked gently in his side with Beau's elbow as their eyes met with a smile.

They all walk out of the waiting room together and started towards the elevator.

"Hey guys wait up," Travis yelled as he ran towards them. "Here, you forgot this." He handed Beau the overnight bag that he had brought clothes in for Hank.

"Thanks Travis," Beau said with a smile and took the bag. "We will see you Saturday evening?" he asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he smiled happily. "Hey, I got to run. Good luck you two, you deserve it."

"Awe, thanks Trav," Beau said appreciatively, giving Travis a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"See you guys on Saturday," he shouted as he ran to do his rounds.

The four of them stood at the elevator and waited for it to open. "What do you have planned for Saturday?" Beth asked.

"I don't know yet, maybe just a barbecue. You know steaks or maybe chicken, potatoes, and some kind of vegetable. What do you think?" Beau asked as the four of them step into the elevator.

"I think that sounds perfect and I can make the dessert," she says.

"How about peach cobbler?" Hank insisted with a smirk. "I haven't had any since you made it last and that was pretty good with the vanilla ice cream."

"I guess I can do that," she answered.

They had a good lunch at Sal's and afterwards went to their respectable homes. When Hank and Beau got home they walked hand in hand into the house and sat down and relaxed on the sofa.

"Hank, what do you think about selling this house and buying a new one?" Beau asked softly as they lie there in each other's arms.

"I love this house, but considering the recent happenings here I can understand why you would want to leave." He pulled Beau gently into him, wrapping his arms around him. Hank kissed him on the forehead. "As long we are together it doesn't matter to me."

Beau snuggled closer to him and resting his head on Hank's shoulder and began to cry softly. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I keep asking myself, why. If I would have only handled things differently this would not have happened."

"Beau, come on now, it's not your fault," Hank said low, softly rubbing Beau's back. "Brad is dead and he will not hurt you anymore. It's just going to take some time to get over this."

Beau lifted his head and rested his chin on his chest, looking into Hank's eyes. "Kain said he would help me with all the emotions I am going through."

"I think it would help," Hank agreed. "I don't want you feeling guilty when there is nothing for you to feel guilty about. You did not do anything wrong. We are going to get through this," he said with a firm voice.

"I love you, Hank," Beau said with tears in his eyes. "I really need you now more than ever."

"You got me, babe. I am not going anywhere." His words were reassuring and he wrapped his arms around him and gave him a soft kiss. The whole time Hank gently rubs his back, and Beau finds it soothing and relaxing.

"You sure you want to do this barbecue on Saturday?" Hank asked in a concerned tone. "I can always call them and tell them it's postponed for a later time."

"No. I want to do this. I need to keep my mind off things and stay focused. Besides, I am doing this for us and for Nick too. Something good has to come out from all this mess," Beau insisted.

"All right. I just want to be sure you are okay to do this." Hank said.

"Oh I am," Beau said with sincerity.

The week was slow going as Hank and Beau relaxed at home. Hank was beside himself without work. He was used to keeping busy but he promised the doctor he would take it easy. On occasion, he stopped at the station only to check up on his staff and went over paperwork which was easy enough and not as strenuous. He was just going to have to wait a few more days before he was able to get back into the full swing of things. And unlike, Beau, he stuck with his medications on time and took them regularly.

Beau was never a pill popping person. He didn't like to be on any medication. Instead of twice a day, he took his prescriptions maybe once a day if at all and that was only if he remembered. Throughout the week, his voice cracked and croaked and he thought he would never regain his natural voice. He wasn't helping himself get better and he did his best to hide it from Hank. And Hank never suspected anything either.

Saturday came fast and Beau kept busy all day setting up for the barbecue. Kain and Beth showed up around two o'clock as they said they would come early to help out. Kain and Hank got the gas grill out and cleaned it. Then they were in and out of the kitchen as they were taking things out the kitchen door while Beth and Beau prepared side dishes.

"Honey, how are you doing really?" Beth asked concerned for her brother.

Beau sighed heavily, dropping his arm to the table. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that," he snapped.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared at Beau. Then he felt bad for snapping at her.

"Beth, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I am just taking each day as it comes and Hank has been wonderful at taking care of me. Really, I am fine. It's just going to take me some time."

"I know. I'm just worried about you is all," she said as she began to tear up. "You are my brother and I will always worry about you. You did remember to take your medication today didn't you?"

"I know and I love you for that but you don't have to worry about me. Besides, I have been considering talking to Kain about what happened." Beau said. "And yes, I took my med's today," he lied.

"Talking with Kain would be good for you," she agreed hesitantly, wiping her eyes.

"Beau and I both agreed that he should talk to Kain," Hank said, as he came up behind Beau, placing his hands on his shoulders.

Kain said. "We have an appointment on Monday."

"Did Nick ever call you back?" Hank asked low at Beau's ear.

"No he didn't. So I guess he is not coming."

Just then a knock came to the front door.

"I'll get it," Hank says gently patting Beau's shoulder, then walks into the living room to answer the door. Beau follows from behind.

Hank opened the door and they are both surprised to see Nick.

"Nick!" Beau exclaimed. "I was hoping you would come."

"Hey Beau. Hey Chief." Nick steps inside and Hank shuts the door behind him as Nick spoke. "I have been busy, that's why I didn't call. I hope the offer still stands. How are the two of you doing?" Nick asked.

"We're doing great Nick," Hank replied. "Although, I may have to ask you to hold down the fort for the next couple days. I can't come back to work till next Monday."

"That's all right," Nick said. "It's no problem. I will just keep you posted on what's going on Chief."

"Chief? What happened to calling me Hank?" Hank asked.

"Sorry," Nick replied, "been a rough day."

"Come on in," Beau said to him. "Everyone is in the kitchen. May I talk to you alone for a moment, please?"

"Yeah sure." Nick replied. "What's up?"

Another knock came to the door. "Just a sec." Beau said. "I got it," Beau called out and he went to answer the door. Beau smiled as the only other person that was expected was Travis.

"Hey, Travis. Glad you could come. Come on in," Beau greeted with a smile and ushered him inside.

"Thanks. How've you been?" Travis asked.

"Getting better," Beau said with a smile.

"Good. You're voice is still sounding rough though," Travis said. "Here, I brought you this," as he handed Beau a bottle of Merlot.

"You didn't have to do that."

"It was my pleasure. Besides it's rare that I get to go out with friends."

Hank came up behind Beau. "Hey, babe, I got to check the grill."

"All right," Beau said. "I will entertain for a bit." He glanced Nick's way. "Nick, you remember Travis don't you."

"Yes, I sure do," he says with a smile and extends his hand out and they shake hands.

"How you doing Doc?"

Travis smiles. "I'm good Officer Sullivan, but please call me Travis?"

"As long as you call me Nick." Nick says with a big smile.

"I would like that very much," Travis replied with a big smile.

"Could you excuse me for a second, please." Nick said cordially and turned to Beau. "Beau you wanted to speak to me before you answered the door?"

"Oh yes." Beau remembered. "Travis, there are drinks on the counter. Help yourself."

Travis went to get himself a drink when Beau turned to Nick.

"Listen, I want to apologize for the way I acted towards you last week. It was not fair to you for me to do that. I really hope you can forgive me and accept my apology." Beau's words were sincere. "I never meant to hurt you. I know you were only trying to help."

Beau reached out as the two embraced. "It's all right," Nick replied. "And I do accept your apology. I was just concerned about you. We are friends aren't we?"

"We sure are," Beau smiled, as he pulled away. "And I want you to know that you were right. I am going to speak to someone about what happened."

"That's great," Nick said, as they hugged once more.

"Beau!" Hank yells from outside the kitchen door.

Beau excuses himself and goes into the kitchen. "Yes!"

Hank gives him a smile. "Everything's ready."

"Great!" Beau says smiling back at him. "We'll be right out."

They all go outside on the deck and sit down to dinner at the patio table. Kain and Beth sit side by side and so does Nick and Travis. The evening progresses rather well, as they laugh and talk, just having a great time.

"So, Nick. What do you like to do on your time off?" Travis asks as he intentionally rubs his leg against Nick's. Nick responds by returning the gesture with his own leg.

"Well," Nick says as he swallows his bite of food. "I like going out and having some fun. Course I would have to meet someone to actually have some fun with." He gives Travis a smile and winks at him. "But mostly I like to just sit and watch a movie and relax."

"Sounds a lot like me," says Travis. "When I have a long hard day at the hospital, all I want to do is to go home pop a dvd in the player and watch a movie while I eat my dinner."

"You work way too hard and way too much," Beau says to Travis. "You need a break every now and then."

Then Beau turns his attention to Beth. "So Beth," Beau says as the table got quiet. "What did you make for dessert?"

"I made peach cobbler like Hank asked me to. The ice cream is in the fridge softening up," she replies.

"I can't wait to sink my teeth into that," Hank said with a huge smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you can," Beau said, smiling back at him as he took a bite of steak. Just then Beau started to cough and choke on his food and he covered his mouth with a napkin and excused himself from the table and went inside.

Hank became worried and followed him inside. Beau went to the cabinet and reached for a glass and took a drink of water. His throat was still tender and thought he could handle the meal, but he guessed wrong.

"Honey, are you all right?" Hank asked in a concerned tone, as he came in right behind him.

Beau smiled as he turned to look at him with watery eyes. "I'm fine, my throat is still a little tender," he said as his voice was breaking up.

Hank took him in his arms. "You scared me there for a second."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Beau said, hugging him back. He looked over Hank's shoulder as Travis was coming inside.

"Everything okay?" Travis asked as he came in and went directly to Beau and felt around his throat.

"I'm fine Travis," Beau croaked. "I just took a bigger bite than I should have. I'm better now. Now let's go back out with the others. I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Open up," Travis ordered. Beau hesitated at first until Travis gave a stern look, then he opened his mouth, as Travis took a look at the back of his throat. "It looks a beet red, but it is not bleeding."

"Good. Then can we go back out now," Beau boasted.

"All right, but smaller bites this time," Travis ordered with a shake of his finger and then walked away.

Hank stood there with a worried look on his face.

"Hank," Beau lamented. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I just have to take tiny bites. That last one i thought i could handle, apparently I couldn't."

Hank gave him a soft kiss. "Apparently so. Come on." He takes Beau by the hand and they go back outside and sit down to finish their meal.

Everyone gives Beau a concerned look, causing Beau to get annoyed. "I'm fine. I just took a bigger bite than I should have," he repeated once again as he sat down to finish his meal.

The rest of the evening went perfect as they talked, laughed and ate. Towards the end of the meal Beth spoke up. "Anyone ready for dessert. Don't answer that Hank, I know you are," she said quickly, causing an uproar of laughter at the table.

Beau and Beth cleared the table, carrying everything inside and place the dishes on the counter by the sink. Beau retrieved some bowls from the cabinet and begins to fill them with cobbler as Beth gets the ice cream from the fridge.

"You're voice is sounding hoarse again. You sure you're okay?" she asked with a worried look.

"Yeah. It's just my throat. It's really sore. I think I'll just have some ice cream this time. Maybe it will help sooth the soreness," he said looking up as he saw Travis coming inside.

"That sounds like a good idea," Travis says as he heard Beau's suggestion. "I thought I would come in and help."

"Thanks, Travis," Beau says as he hands him two bowls.

"You know, Travis. I havent seen you for quite some time, except for the other day at the hospital." Beth said. "How've you been?"

"I'm doing good," he said. "I'm constantly working and going in on my days off. But after tonight, I think that will change." Travis said as he and Beau share a smile, as each knew what the other was thinking. Beth couldn't help but notice.

"I hope so too, Travis," Beau said with a grin. "Come on, lets get this out there before they start grumbling," he said as they each take two bowls and head back outside.

Beau hands Hank his dish of cobbler and ice cream and Hank glances at Beau's dish.

"You're not eating any cobbler?" he asked.

"No, just ice cream," Beau answered, "I thought the coldness from it would help sooth my throat."

"Babe, you sure you okay?" Hank's voice filled with concern.

"Will you please stop asking me that," Beau snapped, raising his voice. "Listen up guys, I am fine. My throat is a little more sore today than usual, but I can handle it. I'm not a child, so stop treating me like one."

Beau knew they cared but it was becoming maddening as they kept hounding him, asking every minute how he was doing. He sat down at the end of the table and picked up his spoon and began to eat the ice cream.

After the tension passed, Travis spoke. "Would you be willing to come down to the hospital tomorrow and let me take a another look at it?" he asked.

"I suppose I could do that. But I don't think it would do any good," Beau said with certainty. "It's just a little sore today, that's all."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that," Travis responded. Just then his beeper went off. He took it out of his pocket and checked it. "Beau, you mind if I use your phone? I seemed to have left my cell phone at home this evening."

"No, not at all." They both got up from the table. "I will show you where it is."

"Thanks," says Travis.

Once Beau showed him where the phone was, he headed back outside to give Travis his privacy. Not long afterwards, Travis returned to the table.

"I was worried I was going to have to leave," he said, "but they just needed my consent on a patient."

Nick turned to face him. "That's good. From what I hear, you don't get a break from that hospital very much."

"Yeah well, I need to change that," Travis said with a smile. "I need to make time for myself if I want to have a life. Speaking of which, when does your shift start?" he asked, looking at Nick.

"I have to be in at seven in the morning," Nick answered.

"Why don't you two go out and get to know each other better," Beau suggested.

Nick and Travis each share a look. "Would you like to do that, Travis?" Nick asked.

"Only if you want to Nick," Travis answered.

Hank and Beau share a look at each other and smile as their plan had worked. Hank gives Beau a wink and Beau gives one back at him. There is a powerful feeling of love at the table as they look at one another.

"If we go now, we can probably catch a movie," Nick suggested.

"That sounds great, let's go," Travis said sounding elated and they rise from the table.

"Thanks for a great evening, Beau. I owe you one." Travis said as he gave him a wink and a thumbs up.

"Yeah, thanks for dinner. It was great," Nick smiled. He turns to Travis. "Ready to go handsome."

"Let's go, gorgeous." Travis smiled.

After Travis and Nick had gone, the remaining four remained at the table.

"So was this dinner all about getting them together?" Kain asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why would you ask that?" Beau said, becoming offended. "Even if it was, it wouldn't have made any difference."

"I can smell a matchmaker from a mile away," Beth said giving Beau a sly grin.

Beau couldn't help but smile as the look he had gave it away. He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs.

"Well when Travis told me he liked Nick, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to steer them in the right direction. Towards each other." Beau said, making a motion with his hands as they came together.

"i agree," Hank said. "Did you see the way those two were looking at each other, man it was almost like as if they were lovestruck teenagers."

They all burst into laughter at the way Hank had spoken. It was so comical. They sat and talked for a long while till Kain said it was time for them to go. Hank and Beau walked them to the door and bid goodnight.

After they left, Beau started to clean up the kitchen and was stacking the dishes in the dishwasher. and cleaned the countertop and stove. When he was finished he went into the living room and seen Hank lying on the sofa watching tv. Beau takes the chair across from the sofa.

"What are you doing over there? Come on over here with me," Hank says, coercing Beau with a smile.

Beau gets up and goes to the sofa. Hank holds his arms out to him as Beau lays down beside him. Hank then nuzzles Beau's neck, till Beau tilts his head giving him better access. His lips move to Beau's ear. His breath is warm and soft, his voice deep and throaty as he whispers sweet-nothings in his ear. His hands slowly move over his body.

When Beau is with Hank the one thing he realizes the most is that its not just about sex, it is about being loved and how to show it. Hank cares more about how Beau feels and not about his own.

Beau turns to face him. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you," he said sounding remorseful and ashamed.

Hank smiled and spoke softly. "I know babe." He leans in and presses his lips to Beau's and kisses him deeply, their tongues dancing together. Beau wraps his arms around him.

"Everything is going to be all right. You don't have to worry," Hank said softly, gently caressing his cheek with his long fingers and looking into Beau's eyes. He pulls Beau closer into his arms.

"I cant help it," Beau says. "I can't stop thinking about what happened. It scares me to think that it will get the best of me and . . ."

"Stop," Hank insisted in a soft tone, pressing a firm finger on his lips. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. How many times do I have to tell you it was not your fault?"

Tears stung Beau eyes as he began to cry. "Then why do I feel like it is?"

"Baby, come on now, we've been through all this already." Hank shifts his body and pulls him closer. "Come Monday, I am going with you to see Kain and together we are going to get through this," he says firmly.

"I thought you were going back to work on Monday?" Beau said looking confused.

"You are more important," he insisted.

Beau snuggled closer resting his head on Hank's chest. He was in the safe haven of Hank's strong powerful arms and felt secured and loved. The warmth of their bodies together made Beau feel sleepy and contented.

"Let's go to bed. I'm tired," Beau whispered as he got up and pulled Hank with him as they stumbled down the hall to the bedroom.

Once in the room, Hank moved towards Beau, taking him into his arms and kissing him. His kisses are slow, lingering, and savoring. His fingertips move gently over his face, touching his eyelids, caressing his ears, and his whole hand molding gently to his bruised neck.

They undress one another and Beau realizes that Hank is slowly moving him backwards towards the bed and onto it as Beau crawls backwards up to the head of the bed.

Hank slides his knees under Beau's legs, gently pushing them apart and up as Beau could feel Hank's member poking around near his rosebud. Hank gently slides his hands up Beau's inner thigh and up his body and leans down and kisses Beau softly on the eyelids, then he buries his face into Beau's neck, caressing him gently. He begins a slow moving trend as he moves down Beau's body, kissing and caressing with his lips and hands.

Beau's emotions were running high as he tried to focus on the here and now but unfortunately his mind kept going back to the night he was accosted. The harder he tried, he still could not get those horrific images of what happened out of his mind. He begins to cry softly and pushed Hank away from him, turning and resting on his right side.

Hank pressed his body to his, taking Beau into his arms as he held him close. He rested his head above his and whispered in his ear. "Let it out, baby, just let it out."

Beau turned in his arms and buried his face in Hank's neck and just cried non stop, sobbing incoherantly. "I'm sorry, Hank. I'm so sorry," he cried into his neck.

Hank's voice was calm and gentle. "Its all right, baby. It's all right, my love." There were tears in Hank's eyes as it tore at his heart as all he wanted to do was to take the pain away.

Eventually, they fell asleep in each others arms.

Beau awoke around three in the morning and had to go to the bathroom, which was something that hardly ever happened. When he crept back into the bedroom he watched Hank in the dim light as he slept. His face is so strong and determined and yet loving. And Beau thinks there is nothing more sexier than a powerful man who is gentle because he loves you. He crawls back into bed and instinctively, Hank wrapped his muscular arm around him and pulled him gently to him so that Beau's back was pressed to his hairy front.

Beau slept late and woke around 9:30 from the aroma of food in the air as it was being made. When he walked into the kitchen, Hank was standing in front of the stove wearing black boxers and a white t-shirt making scrambled eggs and bacon, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

He turns as Beau walk in and he smiles. "Good morning, beautiful," he says happily and leans in and gives him a kiss. "You tossed and turned a lot during the night. Did you get any sleep at all?" he asked.

"Some," Beau answered hoarsely, feeling sick. He went to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup then sat down at the table glancing at the newspaper and sipping on his coffee as Hank placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him.

"I'm not hungry, Hank." Beau said, gently rubbing his throat.

"You're throat still bothering you, babe?" he asked concerned.

"Only when I swallow," he answered.

"I know your not hungry but you have to eat," Hank said almost pleadingly. "You need your strength."

He handed Beau a fork and then carried his own dish to the table and sat down beside him and began to eat his breakfast.

Beau stabbed at his eggs and took small bites. Beau carefully chews, he glance at Hank who gives him a smile.

Beau gives a tiny smile back, as he was not feeling cheery at all. As he sits there eating his eggs, the phone rings and Beau gets up to answer it wondering who would be calling this early.

"Hello?" Beau answered in a cracked hoarse voice.

"Hey, Beau, it's me, Travis."

Beau smiles upon hearing his voice. "Hey, how'd things go last night? Did you get lucky?"

"I can't thank you enough for getting Nick and me together. We went to see Marley and Me and then we went to my place and got to know each other and ended up in bed together."

"Oh Travis!" Beau was elated as the smile on his face and turned and met Hank's gaze and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm so glad everything worked out for the two of you."

"Well I have you to thank for all this. But that is not why I am calling. I have an opening at 1:00 this afternoon and I want you to come down here to the hospital and let me take another look at that throat."

Beau groaned at the thought of going back to the hospital. "No, I don't think its necessary for me to come and waste your time. You have better things to do than to check my throat. Besides I'm feeling better," he lied. He wasn't feeling better at all and was running a fever. He really didn't want to go back to the hospital.

Travis spoke up on the phone. "You are sounding more hoarse now than you were last night."

Hank walked up to Beau, saying. "Give me the phone, babe."

Beau handed Hank the phone and he put it up to his ear as he heard Travis giving Beau a lecture about his health.

"Hey, calm down there buddy," Hank said as he put the receiver to his ear.

"Oh, hi Hank, sorry about that," Travis apologized.

"Don't worry about it. What time does he have to be there?" Hank asked.

"I have an opening at 1:00 this afternoon," Travis repeated.

"We'll be there," Hank said as he gave Beau a stern look and hung up the phone.

Beau gave a disgruntled sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Don't start pouting," Hank said with a firm tone. "You are going and that's final. Not another word."

Beau sat back down at the table and finished his breakfast and sips on his coffee. He let the bacon and toast lay knowing he would have difficulty swallowing them, but the eggs went down better than he thought with very little pain.

"So, from the thumbs up you gave me, things went pretty good last night with Nick and Travis?" Hank asked as he sat across from him and took a bite of his bacon.

"Yeah, they ended up in bed together," Beau said, staring down at his plate and pushing his food around with his fork.

"Wow! That was fast," Hank replied. "You don't want the bacon," he said watching as Beau put his bacon on his plate.

"It will just hurt my throat, but the eggs are fine," Beau said. "Anyway, I hope it works out for Travis and Nick. They both deserve to be happy."

"Yes they do," Hank agreed.

Beau gave a contented sigh and pushed his plate away and concentrated on reading the newspaper.

"Beau, you didn't eat much," Hank chided. "How do you expect to keep your strength up if you don't eat?"

"I ate the fucking eggs didn't I," he sassed as his voice cracked, looking up from the paper.

Hank sighed heavily. "You know its not all that often I make you breakfast, but the least you can do is appreciate the gesture."

Beau threw the newspaper down onto the table. "When have I never appreciated you making me breakfast?" he raised his voice as it continued to crack and croak. "I tried to tell you I wasn't hungry. I ate the fucking eggs. Why do you have to make a mountain out of a molehill?"

Before Hank could say anything else, Beau stormed off towards the bedroom and slammed the bedroom door. Beau threw his clothes off and went into the bathroom and started the shower. When the water was hot, he stepped inside and left the hot water pummel against his skin. He grabbed the bodywash and the scrungie and soaped up his body and left the water rinse off the soap and then washed his hair.

When he finished, he stepped out of the shower and dried off and stood in front of the vanity and looked at himself in the mirror. "God, that hot shower felt so good," he thought, it made him feel so much better. He looked at the bruises on his face and neck as they were clearing up nicely, but damn his throat was still sore and swollen. He though to himself maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Travis check it after all.

Hank strolls into the bathroom and comes up behind and wraps his arms around Beau's middle. "I'm sorry for being an ass out there. I'm only looking out for you and I'm worried about you."

Beau looks at him in the mirror and spoke softly. "Yeah I know. And I was the one being an ass. I'm sorry I snapped at you." He turned in his arms and wrapped his arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. "Forgive me?" Beau pleaded.

Hank smiles and he leans in and kisses Beau softly. "I love you, sweetheart," he says against his lips. "Baby, you're running a fever."

"It's just from the shower. I had the water really hot." Beau answered as a thought entered his head. "How about we get away from here and go up to the lake house? It's perfect up there this time of year."

"That sounds great," Hank smiled. "But, first we have to get that throat of yours checked and then we can go. Besides these stitches are killing me and if they don't take them out I will."

Beau laughed at him. "Ouch. Please don't make me laugh. It really hurts." He went to clear his throat and he groaned in pain and quickly gasped for air as he got a stabbing pain and his hand instantly went to his throat.

"Beau, what is it?" Hank said getting a scared look on his face.

"I don't know," Beau said, low and raspy, barely even a whisper. He could barely talk. "Something doesn't feel right." He gasped for breath as the pain increased. Tears came to his eyes as the pain was unbearable. "I . . . can't . . . breathe."

"Come on, we're getting dressed and I'm taking you to see Travis now," Hank said in worried tone and took him by the hand and guided him into the bedroom where they quickly got dressed.

On the way to the hospital, Hank drove at a high rate of speed. What became a thirty minute drive turned into a twenty minute one. Just before Hank reached the hospital, the pain in Beau's throat was so unbearable that he lost consciousness and passed out from the pain. Right outside the emergency doors, Hank pulled up in front of the hospital and slammed it in park.

"Beau! Baby, come on wake up!" Hank felt for a pulse and was relieved when he felt one but it wasn't a very strong one. He jumped out of the cab of the truck and ran around to the passenger side and threw open the door and scooped Beau into his arms and ran for the hospital doors.

"I need a doctor!" Hank cried out as he burst through the doors carrying Beau inside. "Get me a doctor now!"

A team of nurses came running as Hank placed Beau on an empty gurney.

One of the nurses who had been there a week ago came immediately. "What happened?" she asked.

"All I know is he grabbed his throat in pain, said something didn't feel right and had trouble breathing," Hank replied. "He past out right before I brought him in."

The nurse yelled over her shoulder. "Call for Dr. Stephens, STAT."

The nurse standing at the desk picked up the reciever and spoke into it.

"Dr. Travis Stephens to the ER, STAT," was repeated twice and loud over the intercom and within a matter of minutes Travis came running through a set of doors.

"What do we got," Travis yelled as he came into the examining room and he stopped dead in his tracks as he was shocked to see Beau lying on the gurney. He looked over his shoulder and seen Hank pacing back and forth rubbing the back of his neck.

Travis went to work right away as he examined the throat more closely and noticed the airway was compressed almost the whole way shut. Beau was also running an extremely high fever which was common with an infection. An IV was set up right away to provide antibiotics to fight the infection.

Travis had to move fast. With lack of air to his lungs and heart, Beau could go into cardiac arrest. It was almost too late when Beau began to flatline and Travis was inserting a tube into Beau's mouth, into the trachea and attached a ventilator to help him breath. Once the ventilator was on and air was getting to his lungs. It seemed time stood still as they waited long enough to see if the air was getting to his lungs and heart. If not, they would have to jump his heart. Then came a beat and then another and then another as the heart began to beat a steady rhythm.

"He is stable now, doctor," a nurse said breathing a sigh of relief and keeping a close eye on the monitor.

"Oh thank God," Travis spoke with relief. "Keep a close eye on him he is not out of the woods just yet. I'll be back momentarily. I need to speak to the person who brought him in."

Travis stepped out of the exam room and took a deep breath and left it out as the relief left his tight chest. He scanned the waiting room looking for Hank and then he found him leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his legs out in front of him and his head bowed low.

"Hank," Travis said low as he walked up to him.

Hank instantly looked up, his eyes were red from crying. "How is he, Travis? What the hell happened?"

Travis proceeded to tell him the news in detail.

"Hank, his airway is swollen shut. He is running an extremely high fever which means there is an infection. Right now I have him on a ventilator to help him breath. Once the drugs kick in and the swelling goes down, I will know more." Travis intentionally left out that Beau had flatlined, he didn't want to add any more stress to Hank than there already was.

"Can I see him?" Hank asked somberly.

"Sure, come with me." They walked side by side. "I'll be moving him to a private room. He will be here for a while," Travis said.

"For how long?" Hank asked with worry.

"Until the swelling goes down and until he wakes up," Travis answered. "He is a very weak man and rest is what he needs right now. It could be several days or even weeks before he wakes up."

"Weeks!" Hank exclaimed with wide eyes.

They walked into the room and Hank went to Beau and sat down next to him taking Beau's hand into his. "You`re go to be all right, baby. Just come back to me okay. I can't lose you," he says as the tears streamed down ihis face.

As Hank sat with Beau, Travis went to make a phone call to Nick. On the third ring, Nick picked up.

"Hey babe, how are you?" Nick asked.

"Nick, I need you to come to the hospital," Travis insisted. "It's Beau."

"Oh my God. What happened?" Nick asked, his voice changing to complete concern and worry.

"I will tell you when you get here. And Nick, sweetheart, would you do me a favor and call Kain and Beth too? Hank is going to need all the support he can get right now."

"I'm on it babe. I'm on my way, and Travis."

"Yes."

"I love you baby."

"I love you too," Travis said in shaky voice. "I'll see you in a bit."

Within a matter of twenty minutes Nick, Kain and Beth were there. All three were sick with worry as Travis told them what had happened in complete detail. By that time, Beau was moved to a private room on the fifth floor and Hank never left his side for a second.

Quietly, they all went inside to see Beau. Beth walked up behind Hank and placed a hand on Hank's shoulder. Hank lifted his head to see the three of them standing around the bed.

"We're all here now," Beth cried. "He will pull through this, Hank."

"Yeah, I know," Hank said through tears. Then his tears turned into anger as he stood up and stepped away. "Damn it," he wailed. "If Brad was here right now I'd kill him all over again. That son of a bitch did this to him." He dropped to his knees and hung his head and just left the tears fall for his lover. "Oh God! I can't lose him!"

"Hank, you can't think like that," Kain said as he went to him, kneeling down beside him. "Beau needs you to be strong for him. He is counting on you."

"Kain's right, sweetheart," Beth said drying her tears as she went to Hank and gave him a comforting hug. "You don't have to bear all the burden. We are all here for you and Beau. You just lean on us."

"Beau's a fighter," Nick joined in. "We just have to wait for him to pull through. He will make it, Hank."

Hank stood up and was given hugs of encouragement from his friends and his family as they all dried their eyes.

"I don't know what we would do without the three of you." Hank stood up then cleared his throat. "Beth, would you mind staying with him till I get back?"

"Where you going, Hank?" she asked.

"I'm going home to pack a bag. I'll be back."

Hank went home long enough to pack a bag, and was back at Beau's side within forty five minutes. He also brought with him something he had found at home, a partially opened bottle of prescriptions that Beau was to have finished. When he returned to the hospital, he went straight to Travis.

"I think I know why Beau is here, Travis." Hank said, feeling angry as he handed the bottle to Travis. "He didn't take all his medication like he was prescribed."

"It's all right, Hank." Travis said softly. "He was probably having difficulty swallowing them. Which is why he didn't take them all."

"Then why didn't he say something last night?" Hank asked.

"I can't answer that," Travis spoke up. "But right now, he's getting all the medication he needs to overcome this. This is why I wanted to see him later today. But now, it's even more crucial. He's in a medically induced coma for the time being. That's just to start the healing process. He's getting all the care he needs now. You just have to stay strong for him and be there when he wakes up."

Two weeks passed and still Beau had not regained consciousness, but his vital signs were growing stronger every day. The swelling in his throat had gradually went down but there still remained the infection in his throat and the high fever.

Travis was nice enough to set a cot up for Hank in the room and he used the shower there instead of going home to clean up. Kain and Beth stopped by every day to see if Beau had awaken. And Nick was put in charge at the police station till Hank would return.

It was going into the third week when still there was no change. Beau still had not regained consciousness. It was Saturday and Travis had come into the room and was monitoring Beau's condition.

"Why isnt he waking up, Travis?" Hank asked almost pleadingly as he sat at Beau's bedside.

"His body needs time to heal," Travis said softly. "His brain is telling him he needs to sleep and rest while the antibiotics fight off the infection In his throat. He is still running a slight fever. It's not very high, but still it's a fever and the swelling went down considerably so we do know the med's are kicking in and doing its job."

There were tears in Hank's eyes as he spoke. "I just want him to wake up so I can tell him how much I love him and for him to come back to me."

"Beau knows how much you love him," Travis said softly. "That's why he is fighting to get back to you."

"He's right, Hank," came Nick's voice as he quietly came into the room. He walked up to Travis and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "Hi babe," he says to Travis and gives him a wink as Travis gave one back to him.

"How is everything at the station?" Hank asked, not taking his eyes off of his lover.

"It's going rather well, Hank. Everyone is pitching in and helping out," Nick says with a smile. "Everyone sends there best and praying for a speedy recovery for Beau."

"Thanks. I really appreciate that," Hank said wiping his eyes.

"Hi guys, what's up?" Beth says cheerfully, putting on a brave front, as her and Kain walked into the room. "Any change?" she asks in a concerned tone.

"No change," Travis says as he shakes his head.

"Hank, have you eaten yet?" Beth asked.

"Not yet. I will get something later on," he said. "But thanks anyway."

"I can get you something from Sal's if you like?" she asked.

"Why don't you take a break and come with us and get some lunch," Kain said. "It will do you some good to get out of here for awhile."

"Guys, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I cannot and will not leave him. What if he wakes up and I'm not here?" Hank said as he spoke up. He left his head drop to the side of the bed, resting them on crossed arms, not taking his eyes off Beau.

"All right," Beth spoke low and firm in a reassuring way. "But I will bring something by for you later."

"Thank you, Beth," Hank said, as he kept his head down on the side of the bed.

Everyone left the room and Hank drifted off to sleep as he rested his head on the side of the bed. Several hours later Hank had stirred in his sleep as a hand softly touched his cheek and then felt fingers softly sifting through his hair. Hank slowly opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he was seeing and wondered if it was a dream, but it wasn't.

Beau had finally woke up.

Hank cried tears of joy. "Oh baby!" he said as he got choked up. "I'm so glad you're awake. I've missed you so much," Hank whispered as he kissed the top of Beau's hand. "I'll be right back okay, I'm going to get Travis."

Hank yelled for Travis as he ran from the the room and into the corridors of the hospital and found him at the nurses station. "Travis! He's awake! Beau's awake!"

They both ran back to the room and Beau had gone back to sleep. "I don't understand it," Hank said as he slumped back down in the chair at Beau's side. "He was awake. He touched me and when I looked up he was awake." Hank sobbed vehemently, burying his head into his arms.

Travis studied the monitors and checked Beau's vitals and heard Hank take a gasp of breath. Instantly, Travis turned his head and seen that Beau was awake and was touching Hank's tear stained cheek.

Travis smiled as he put a gentle hand on Beau's shoulder. "Welcome back Beau. You have a tube in your throat to help you breath. Your airway had swollen shut so I had to put you on a ventilator. Nod your head if you understand me."

In a weak moment, Beau slightly nodded his head.

"Good," Travis said giving a smile. "You still have a slight fever and an infection in your throat so it's a little too early to remove the tubing. Let's just wait for a day or two and see how things go, all right?"

Again, a slight nod from Beau as he struggled to keep his tired eyes opened. He slowly turned his head to meet Hank's gaze as a tear came to his eye and streamed down his cheek.

"Don't cry babe," Hank whispered, holding Beau's hand in his and kissing it. "Everything is going to be all right."

Beau closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

"Travis," Hank panicked.

"It's all right, Hank, he's just sleeping." Travis assured him.

It took almost another week and a half till the breathing tube was out and Beau was on the road to recovery. His fever was gone and so was the infection and he couldn't wait to leave the hospital.

"When can I go home?" Beau asked Travis, his voice calm and normal. "I've been in here for almost a month."

"As soon as I say you can. You are still weak and recovering," Travis answered firmly. "I'll be back in a little while. I have other patients to see. Get some rest and that's an order."

Then he stepped out as he went about the hospital on his rounds checking his other patients.

Then Hank spoke softly. "Honey I know you are antsy to get out of here, but please baby, just do what Travis says. I don't want to have to go through all this again," Hank said with pleading eyes.

Beau looked at Hank with such sad eyes and took his hand into his. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad I have you back. I love you so much, I just don't know what I would do without you," Hank cried.

A knock came to the door and in came Kain and Beth with a basket of flowers and balloons. "Something to cheer you up," Beth said with a big smile.

Hank rose from his seat, ignoring their presence and walked over to the window and stared out into the bright sun shiny morning. Kain instantly realized that they had walked in on a serious moment.

"How are you feeling honey?" she asked.

"I'm doing all right, stiff, but all right," Beau said with a smile. "Hank and I are going to take a little walk later on so I can work on getting my strength back."

Beau looked at the basket of flowers and the five balloons that screamed get well and he chuckled. "You didn't have to do this, but thanks so much."

"It's good to hear you are getting better. Kara and Graham send their best and want you to get well soon," Beth said. "They want to be here but with college and everything, they're pretty busy and they send there love and best wishes."

"That's fine. I'd rather they not see me like this anyway," Beau replied. "Just let them know I will see them when I get out of this place, and give them my love."

"I will sweetie," Beth says with a smile. "I am so happy you're getting better. I was so scared I thought I was gonna lose you."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, sis." Beau chuckled.

Beth gives an endearing smile. "I love you, sweetie." And reaches out and gives her brother a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you too, sis."

Kain was quiet as he eyed Hank, knowing they were not welcomed at the moment. He stood close behind Beth and held her in his arms.

"How are you feeling, Hank?"

Hank didn't answer as he stared out the window.

Beth walked around to the other side of the bed. "Hank?" Beth repeated.

"Huh? What?" Hank quickly answered as he was deep In thought, as Beth jarred him out of his thoughts.

"I asked how you been," she repeated.

"Sorry about that. My mind was elsewhere." Hank responded. "Oh I'm fine honey. Thank you for asking."

Finally, Kain spoke up. "Anyway, we just wanted to stop by and drop this off and see how you are doing. We better go and give you two some alone time," Kain said. He gave a gentle tug on Beth's arm. "Come along sweetheart."

"You don't have to go," Beau chimed out. "You just got here."

"Yes we do," Kain spoke up. "We have a lot to do today, but we wanted to come and see you first and bring you something to cheer you up." Kain looked at Beth and took her by the hand. "Come on Beth, we got things to do."

They turned to leave and when they got to the door, Kain turned around smiled and said. "We will talk soon okay, we're happy to see you getting better."

"Okay, thanks for everything," Beau said happily.

They walked out into the hall and Beth turned to Kain glaring at him. "What was that for? Why did you rush us out the room like that?"

"Because, Beth, they were having a moment." Kain kept his voice low but firm. "Beau almost died and it almost tore Hank apart. They need all the alone time they can get. Hell, I wouldn't even know what I would do if I lost you."

Beth hung her head and began to cry. "Yeah I guess you're right," she said low. "I thought we did walk into something, but I chose to ignore it. I'm sorry I yelled at you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and softly cried. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you either. It scared the shit out of me when Beau almost died. I don't want to be the only one left of my family."

"I know," Kain said holding her in his arms and rubbing her back. "It scared all of us. Come on let's get out of here. I hate hospitals."

"You're a doctor," Beth chuckled. "You can't hate hospitals."

In the room, Beau glanced at Hank and noticed he was deep in thought. "Hank, why are you so quiet?" he asked. "What's on your mind?"

"I was just thinking about what you asked me before you ended up in here. About us going up to the lake house," Hank reminded him.

"I would still like to go, if you don't mind?" Beau asked almost hesitantly. "I have been thinking about that, Hank," as Beau voiced his concern. "I don't want to go back to that house. I want to sell it and I want us to move to the lake house. I love it there and I know you do too."

"I was going to suggest the same thing. Beau, we can live where ever you want as long as we are together," Hank said with a smile and stretched as he leaned in and kissed Beau tenderly on the lips. "Whatever you want to do, I am right there with you."

After another week and a half, Beau was released from the hospital. He and Hank went home, packed up their clothes and other things they needed and drove out to the lake house.

After an hour of driving they pulled into the familiar long dirt road that led to the lake house. The dirt road was a half of a mile long until they came into the clearing, Beau glanced ahead to the house and a wave of emotions swept through him as it felt like the house was welcoming him back home.

The brown rustic colored house was a bi level with black trim. It was home away from home, but now it was going to be a permanent one. What was even more awesome about this place was the large tree fringed lake that was two hundred yards from the house. It was called Lake Michaels, named after Beau's great-great-grandfather; Jacob Jedediah Michaels who purchased the land in 1858. And ever since then, the house and land had been handed down through generations of Michaels'.

Beau's parents modernized the place and they were not stingy when they remodeled. Everything had to be of the best updated fashions of todays world They even went to the extent of adding several more rooms and left the upstairs for only storage.

The house was huge with twelve rooms including three bedrooms downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs and three and a half baths. There was a large living-family room with an enormous fireplace, a dining room, a large kitchen and pantry. And off the master bedroom was the master bath. Between the two other bedrooms was another bathroom. Off the kitchen was a laundry room and a half bath.

Hank pulled the truck up in front of the house and shut off the engine. Beau jumped down out of the truck and walked around to the other side of the truck. His eyes roamed the countryside, revealing rolling fields as far as the eye could see and then down to the sparkling water of the large shimmering lake. He took a deep breath of the fresh evening air as the smell of the lake filled his nostrils.

"I had forgotten how beautiful It is this time of year," Beau had said out loud more to himself rather then speaking directly to Hank.

Hank came up behind and wrapped his arms around Beau's middle, causing Beau to lean back against him.

"It is beautiful here. You are beautiful," he said low, as his lips were at his ear. "Come my love, let's walk down to the lake."

They walked hand in hand the short distance to the lake and stood at the shore of it. Beau's eyes glanced over the lake as the evening sun shone brightly as the water sparkled from its silvery glaze.

"Remember the first time I brought you here?" Beau said to Hank as he took a trip down memory lane and smiling as he glanced over at Hank.

"Yes I do," Hank said. He squinted as the evening sun shone on his face and smiled as he remembered.

"It was our first semester at college and it was summer break," Hank began. "You brought me out here because you said it was the best place to be during the summer. I didn't believe you at first and then when we got here I fell in love with the place. I met your parents for the first time and Kain and Beth. After that I was like a son to them and a brother to you."

Hank turned to face Beau and held him close to him as they stared into each others eyes.

"My ways of thinking has changed since then. I no longer think of you as a brother but my lover. The man I want to grow old with. I love you Beaumont Everett Michaels."

Beau cringed. "Ohhh, you promised you would never call me that." Then he chuckled as he leaned in to Hank's solid, strong body.

"I love you, Henry Thomas Styles."

They stared lovingly into each other's sparkling eyes and kissed passionately that it took their breath away. Their lips parted and they held each other close as they gazed into each others eyes. As the sun went behind some clouds, there was a slight breeze that came off the lake and Beau shivered.

Hank wrapped his arms tighter around Beau. "We better get you inside before you catch yourself a cold," Hank said low. "It wouldn't be good for you to be getting sick again. Come on my love, lets get you inside."

They walked back to the truck, and spent the next five minutes unloading the truck and taking everything into the house. Beau stepped out onto the porch as Hank was coming back from the truck.

"That's it babe," Hank said as he stepped up onto the porch. "Everything's in the house."

"That's good. I put the groceries away while you were bringing the last of the stuff in."

Beau reached out for him and embraced him, resting his head on his chest and smiled a contented smile. "I'm so glad we came up here." He said low.

Hank held Beau in his arms, resting his chin gently on the top of his head and softly rubbed Beau's back. "So am I, babe. So am I," Hank replied in a voice just as low as Beau's was.

Beau pulled away from his embrace. "I guess its time to put the rest of the stuff away," he said with a sigh.

"That can wait. Come here gorgeous," Hank grinned and kissed him as his tongue made its way into Beau's mouth.

A soft moan came from Beau as he wrapped his arms around Hank and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. Then out of no where, Hank swept Beau off his feet and cradled him in his arms.

Beau bursts into laughter. "What are you doing?" he says beaming with happiness and looped his arm around Hank's neck. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Nonsense. You're light as a feather." His smiling eyes sparkled. "This is a new beginning for the both of us and I never want it to end," he says with confidence.

He pressed his lips to Beau's and carried him across the threshold and into the house, across the living room and down the hall to their new bedroom.

In the bedroom, he placed Beau onto the bed and lowers himself on top of him. They kiss and caress each other as they begin pulling the clothes off each other until soon the clothes are strewn all over the floor and they lie naked in each others arms.

"Oh baby, I love you so much," Hank whispered in a husky lovers voice.

"Make love to me, Hank." Beau whispered back to him.

"You sure you're ready? I don't want to rush you, baby." Hank said voicing his concern as it showed.

"I want to be with you. It's been so long," Beau pleads.

"You tell me if I hurt you," Hank said in a firm tone as he settled in between his lovers legs. The love he has for Beau poured from his eyes. He kissed Beau in a way that makes him feel needed and his kisses are slow, languorous, and savoring.

"Oh baby, you are so beautiful," his voice is low and sensuous.

He reached over to the nightstand and retrieved the lube and soon Beau could feel the cold lube being applied to his anus. Hank is so gentle, loving and confident as his fingers move surely but softly as he massages his butt muscles. Then, after a bit there were two fingers in and the pressure was a little more, but Hank was moving slowly that it all just seemed to happen.

"I think that you're ready," he whispers. He caresses Beau's upper thigh. "I'll go slow, baby." He leans in and kisses him and keeps his mouth next to his. "I could never hurt you, you know that," Hank said looking lovingly at Beau and then kissed him tenderly.

Beau could feel himself opening up to Hank as he slowly moved inside him. A soft moan issued from Beau's throat as they kissed. Hank jerked his head back.

"You okay?" Giving a look of concern.

Beau smiled into his eyes. "I'm fine, Hank, just make love to me. It's not like we haven't done this before."

"I know," he said softly, with a little worry in his tone. "it's just it's the first time since it happened," he said with uncertainty.

"I'm not going to break," Beau assured him in a soft tone. He reached up to caress Hank's face with his long fingers, giving him a loving smile. "I'm with you aren't I?"

"Yes you are." Hank gives a loving smile back. He leans down and kisses him.

Beau moans with instant pleasure and wraps his arms around Hank's neck and deepens the kiss. Hank slips his arms beneath Beau, pulling him into him, the mass of fine hairs on his chest tickles Beau's smooth one. He found his rhythm as he slowly moved in and out with gentle strokes.

Beau breaks the kiss, panting and arching his throat, moaning with the utmost desires as Hank's kisses move to his throat and neck. Beau tightens the muscles in his ass as Hank leaves out a pleasurable moan. Beau keeps doing this as he feels his own orgasm reaching closer and closer. Hank's cock thickens inside him as he realizes he is getting closer too. His breathing is forced and his rhythm is quicker.

"Oh Hank, you got me close." Beau's breathing increases and he moans with desire and cries out as his body shook in Hank's arms with the most amazing orgasm.

"Me too," Hank cries out as he shoots his seed deep inside, then drops gently on top of Beau as they regain their composure.

Beau wraps his arms around his thick bulk and sifted his fingers through Hank's hair, holding him close. He runs his nails over his head again and again, slowly, and Hank shivered once with his face buried in Beau's neck.

They lay there entangled together, holding each other close, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Hank lifts his head from his neck and their eyes meet and he gently presses his lips to Beau's.

Hank finds a pillow and stuffs it beneath their heads, then for a long, serene time they gazed into each others eyes. Beau touches his lower lip with a fingertip, then kissed him so gently and so lightly.

"Beau, I have something to tell you and this isn't easy for me," Hank said with some concern in his voice.

Beau gives him a perplexed look. "What is it, Hank?"

"I'm leaving the force," Hank said flatly.

Beau's eyes widened in surprise. "Hank, no. I will not let you do that." he said. He immediately sits up in bed, pulling his legs up to his chest. "I will not let you throw away what you have worked so hard for."

Hank pushed himself up. "Beau, after all we we have been through, I thought you of all people would want this."

"Well you thought wrong," Beau objected. "I am planning on going back to work soon. And I will not allow you to throw away your future."

"My, my future," Hank was flabbergasted. "I am not throwing away anything."

Hank rose up out of bed, took two or three steps and turned back around. His nude muscular hairy body was such a turn on as he paced the floor. Beau watched his muscles flex involuntarily as he stood there, mesmerized by him as listens to every word Hank was saying.

"What we have here is not my future. It is our future," he said, emphasizing the word. "We have worked so hard to get where we are now and we have enough money for five lifetimes. I just want to give you the life you deserve. I almost lost you dammit. Twice!"

He stopped at the foot of the bed, fixing his eyes on Beau as his eyes glossed over.

"You are my life and all I want is to take care of you," Hamk said, choking up.

"Hank," Beau whispered softly. He crawls to the foot of the bed and loops his hands together behind Hank's neck, linking his fingers together. He looks him directly into his ocean blue eyes.

"I love the fact that you want to take care of me. I really do. I just don't want you to do anything in haste. You just got this job and you've waited a long time to get where you are now."

He looks deep into Beau's eyes. "I just wish it was that simple. When you were in the hospital, I had gotten a call from the mayor. I am on paid leave until further notice."

Once again, Beau's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" he yelled. "Why didn't you tell me about this before? Do you think that I am that insecure and insensitive that you couldn't tell me what was going on?"

He pulled away, sighing heavily and sat on the edge of the bed. "When did they call and tell you all this?"

"Two days after I took you to the hospital," he answered as he came and sat next to him.

"Beau, I'm sorry," Hank said with such remorse. "How could you possibly think that about me? You were in the hospital. You almost died. I wasn't about to tell you anything until you got out of the hospital and was strong enough. Besides, you are more important to me than that fucking job. I was just waiting for the right time to tell you."

"What in God's name happened that the mayor put you on leave?" Beau admonished him.

Hank stood up and stepped away from the bed. "They found out about you and me and everything that went down with Brad Carlton. They feel that having a gay chief of police is not good for the public eye and asked me to step down."

Beau was flabbergasted at the idea of him being demoted. "That is discrimination and you know it as well as I do they can't do that," he said defiantly justifying his actions. Then his voice softened. "Leaving your job is not what you want to do. And don't tell me you are doing it for me because it is not what I want. I know you better than that, Hank. You have waited your whole life for an opportunity like this. Don't let them take it away from you."

Beau watched as Hank walked over to the window and peered out into the darkness.

"I don't like this as much as you do, but they haven't made a decision yet and frankly, I don't even know if I want to go back," Hank said. "I love being a cop, but I love you more and if it means losing you than I don't want it."

Beau climbed off the bed ad walked over to him, staring into his eyes. "Hank, I know you love me. I see it in your eyes everyday the way you look at me, but I don't want you to let go of something that you have worked so hard for." Beau said dishearteningly and gives him a hopeful smile. "Let's just wait and see where things go and if you still want to leave the force, I won't stop you."

Hank wraps his burly arms around his waist. "You mean it, you're not going to fight me on this?"

Beau shakes his head. "No, I won't fight you. But seeing you standing here in front of me with no clothes on is a great turn on," he grins.

Hank gave a crooked grin. "Yeah. You like what you see?" he whispered, leaning in, his lips barely touching Beau's.

"Mmhmm, you know it," Beau whispered back and kissed him passionately.

Hank pulls him tight against him, deepening the kiss. Beau lets out a soft moan as Hank backs him to the bed and lowers him onto it. Hank centered himself above him, then in him once again.

Beau crooked an arm around his neck and drew his open mouth to his, making a soft exquisite sound in his throat, letting out a contented sigh. "Oh Hank," he murmurs his name in a shaken voice.

Hank never stopped his slow rhythm as he moved in and out. Beau strokes his legs, spreading his hands on Hank's hips, and slowly up his backside, feeling every muscle ripple beneath his skin.

Their eyes locked on each other and he dipped his head and kissed Beau so tenderly he barely felt it. Then he deepened the kiss and their tongues found each other and they played together. Beau squeezed his cock with his butt muscles, causing him to moan with the utmost gratifying pleasure.

His breathing grew forced, as well as Beau's. The friction between them was becoming intense. Then Hank touched a place inside him and Beau moaned with pleasure. They came together and shouted out in unison.

Hank's eyes twinkled lovingly, smiling down at at his lover. He lifts himself off of him and lays next to him. Beau rolls to his side and lays in the crook of his arm, resting his head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.

Later, in the middle of the night, Beau awoke from a bad dream. He glanced at the clock and it was 1:30 in the morning. He glanced over at Hank who was sound asleep. Quietly, he rose out of bed and went into the bathroom.

He stood over the vanity looking at himself in the mirror. He leans down and splashed some water on his face, then slipped into a pair of boxers and quietly went out into the living room and sat in the window box of the bay window and stared out into the night sky.

The moon was full as its luminescence on the lake was magnificent as it made the water sparkle from the moonlight. Many a nights when he stayed there throughout the years, he would sit for hours in that very spot and just stare out into the night sky. He would watch as the moon cascade over the waters of the lake, always finding it so peaceful, so relaxing.

"You okay, babe?" Hank whispered. His voice had startled Beau as it broke the stillness of the house and it caused him to jump a little. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you love."

He came over and sat on the edge of the window box facing him, looking at him with such concern.

Beau spoke low, "I had a bad dream and I couldn't go back to sleep."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Hank said resting his hand on top of Beau's as he smiled softly.

"You were sleeping so soundly," Beau said softly, "I didn't want to wake you."

"You want to tell me about it?" he asked.

"Not really," Beau said, staring out the window. Then he turned his gaze back to Hank and could see the worry in his eyes. Beau reached out and softly caressed his face with his fingers and smiled, speaking softly. "I'll be all right, Hank, really. Don't worry so much."

"How can I not worry about you? Come back to bed my love," he whispered. "You know I can't sleep without you in my arms."

"I will in a little bit. I just want to sit here for a little while longer," he said.

"All right," he says as he pats his hand. "I love you, Beau."

Beau gives him a loving smile. "I love you too, Hank."

"I'm going into the kitchen for some milk and double stuff's. You want anything?" he asks.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks anyway."

After Hank had his fill of milk and cookies, he went back into the living room and found Beau asleep in the window box, with his head resting softly against the window pane. He gave a warm doting smile at the man he loved more than life itself. And like many times before, Hank gently scooped him up into his arms and carried him off to bed. He crawled in beside him, drew the blanket up over, covering them both up. Then he pushed his chest into Beau's back and held him in his arms and drifted back to sleep.

When morning came, the sound of Hank's cell phone ringing woke them both from a sound sleep. It sat on the nightstand on his side of the bed and he answered it on the third ring.

"Hello," Hank mumbled in his deep voice and then paused. "Mayor Courtney, what can I help you with ma'am?" The surprise in his voice was quite definite and he was wide awake and instantly sat up in bed.

Beau was taken by surprise as well and sat up and watched and waited for a reaction. Their eyes met as he listened and Hank reached out and took his hand into his and he gave him a reassuring smile.

Hank speaks into the phone. "Yes ma'am. I can be there. I will see you at noon at the town hall then. Thank you," And Hank hangs up the phone.

Beau gave a wide grin. "Well. What did she say?" he asked.

"She didn't say too much. Just that the town council wants to see me at noon today."

"On a Saturday?" Beau chimed out, confused. The Town Council never was opened on a weekend.

"Yes," Hank blurts out. He looks at the alarm clock and it was 9:30. Before getting out of bed, he turned to Beau.

"No matter what happens, I am not going to lose you," he says decisively. Then he leaned in close, his eyes sparkling. "I love you," he whispered before pressing his lips to Beau.

Beau made a soft pleasing sound. "Mmm, I love you too," he said against his lips.

Hank held him close to him as they smiled happily at each other. He gently caresses Hank's face with his fingers feeling the several days stubble on his cheek as he kissed him.

"You better get your shower and you should shave too," Beau suggested. "I will start breakfast."

While Hank went and got a shower, Beau went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. He made scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a fresh pot of coffee. It was the first time in a long time he had prepared a meal in this kitchen. It was spacious and much bigger than at his other house, and he even had a counter island in the middle of the kitchen where they could sit at instead of the kitchen table. He was setting the island when Hank came into the kitchen.

"Mmmm, it smells great in here," he said and he stopped right where he was standing. "How do I look, babe?" he said as he gave a wide smile.

Beau gave him the once over and was blown away at his appearance. He was dressed in black Levi's, a navy blue buttoned up shirt and a black sports jacket.

"I don't know how you can get any more handsome," he says with a smile. "You look awesome."

"Awe, thanks honey." Hank came up and kissed him tenderly. Then turned and poured himself a cup of coffee. He pulled a stool out from under the open end of the counter and sat down to eat.

"You're coming with me, aren't you?" he said in more of an assertion then a question.

Beau gave him a pensive stare. "I think this is something you need to do without me, Hank," he said without hesitation and speaking in a serious tone. "Hank, you know I support you in anything you do. But honey, I don't want to be the one to cause you to lose your job."

Hank's fork stopped midway between his mouth and the plate and gave an inconceivable stare.

"You would not be costing me my job," he sighed heavily. "Besides, with you by my side, they can see I will not be intimidated by their actions. I am not going to hide my feelings for you. I want you there with me," he insisted, giving a look of confidence.

The look on his face told Beau he had no other choice. "Well against my better judgment, I guess I will go with you." He dropped his fork to the half empty plate and rose from the stool. "I better go get a shower and get dressed."

A half hour later Beau emerged from the bedroom, showered, shaved, and dressed in casual wear. He walked into the kitchen with his mind set on cleaning up the breakfast dishes when he notice everything was cleaned up.

"It's time to go," Hank said. "Thought I would save us time by cleaning up while you were showering and getting dressed." He gave Beau the once over. "Wow, you look great, babe."

"Thanks," he smiled and then said, "Hank, are you sure about this? Deputy mayor Bill Ryan will be there and you know how he gets."

Hank comes up and places his hands on Beau's shoulders, staring him in the eyes.

"Honey, don't worry about it. I will handle Bill if he get's too aggressive." He leans in and gives him a kiss. "It's going to be fine, now let's go my love."

Beau looks at him with a serious look. "All right, but if anything happens, I will represent you in court for discrimination."

"No you won't," Hank said adamantly. "If they want me I will stay, but if they have a problem with me being with you, than I don't want the job." Hank noticed Beau was about to say something, but he held up a finger to stop him. "Don't," Hank said, giving a stern look. "Not another word about it, you hear me. I love you more than that fucking job."

The long hour drive into town was quiet. Traffic was not at all heavy like they thought it would be for a Saturday. The sun shone bright high above the trees and the summer heat was beginning to be a little unbearable. Beau was glad the air was on and it felt comfortable in the truck. They drove passed his house, but he couldn't see anything considering the house was on top of the hill behind a set of large pines.

An hour later, they were driving through town on Main Street and Beau noticed how busy the town already was, people going about their daily routines, children running and playing. Finally, Hank pulled the truck into a parking spot directly in front of the huge brick building where the town hall was.

Together, they walked inside and looked around for any familiar face that was on the town council. Hearing voices, they followed them to the end of the hall and there everyone was. Mayor Helen Courtney looked up and saw the two of them as they entered the room. Beau's eyes scanned the room as he noticed the former chief Mitchell Hughes, the deputy mayor Bill Ryan, and other familiar faces he knew as councilors. Even Nick was there considering he was the deputy chief. Their eyes met and smiled at each other and gave a nod to one another.

"Afternoon gentlemen," Bill said with some arrogance in his voice. He looked at Beau, giving a hard glance, making it quite obvious that he was not welcomed. Beau could feel the disdain feeling and was not intimidated by him at all and he was not in the least bothered by his inabilities of humanity.

But, Hank noticed and was not impressed at all and was less tolerant. He spoke up in his deep sounding voice. "I asked Beau to come with me, and if you have a problem with it we can settle it now," he said looking down at the shorter older man and not backing down.

"Gentlemen please," said Helen as she walked up and giving Bill Ryan a mean look. "Bill, quit being an ass. We are not here to start a fight. We are here to establish if Hank still has a job as Chief of Police."

"You are absolutely correct about that, Mayor Courtney," Beau said being a little straight forward. "And I am here to make sure that if this goes the wrong way and happens to go to court for a discriminatory dispute I will know what I need to do to represent him."

"Well I hope it will not come to that," Helen frets. "I think you being here is a good thing. Please have a seat," she said as she gestured both of them to a seat.

Every head turned towards Helen in surprise, even Bill's as she invited Beau to stay and the two of them shared hard glances at one another as Hank and Beau each took a seat side by side.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get started," Helen spoke up.

Mayor Helen Courtney stood at the head of the table and looked in Beau's direction.

"Beau, on behalf of everyone here, we would like to extend our sympathies from the hardships you endured from the hands of Officer Brad Carlton." She glanced at every face sitting there in the room. "Believe me when I say this. No one, and I do mean no one should ever have to go through what you went through."

"Thank you Mayor Courtney," Beau said being touched deeply with appreciation as he gave a warm smile. Beneath the table Hank took his hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze and they shared a smile at one another.

She turned her attention to Hank. "Now Hank, I have spoken to every officer from the station house and learned with great pride of the outstanding job you have done as chief of police since your undertaking of the position we have bestowed upon you since the retirement of Mitchell Hughes. And I just want to say thank you for a remarkable job you have done thus far."

"Thank you Mayor," Hank says as he stands to his feet. "Forgive me for being so blunt but I have something to say. First and foremost, I take my job seriously. I do not bring my personal life into my profession. Now what happened was very unfortunate and yes it so happens that I am living with another man who is by far the most important person in my life. But I am not about to give up the life I have with him just because the town council does not think its right for the chief of police to be sleeping with another man. I have and always have been the same person who just so happens to be in love with the same gender. I made a choice of who I want in my life and it should not affect my position as the chief of police."

the mayor spoke up once more. "We already went through all this before, Hank, and yes I agree with you. I know what kind a man you are. You are an honest and powerful man with the utmost qualities we are looking for in the chief of police. Through my own investigation and interviews I held with the other officers and the community, we know who we want to protect this town. Among the many residents, we are convinced that you are the only one in this town that is honorable enough to hold this position and we hope you will remain our chief of police."

Bill Ryan shot from his seat and began yelling. "Helen, this is an outrage. This is not what we had discussed. I for one do not want this, this, this so called man to aid our town, not for what he is. I will not tolerate this."

"Now you just wait a damn minute Bill!" Beau spoke angrily and shot out of his seat. "I will be damned if I will let you talk about Hank like that. He is a damn fine cop and an even a far better person than you will ever be. Who the hell do you think you are talking like that?"

"Calm down, Beau," Hank said low and stern, as he was pulling on his arm.

"No I will not calm down," Beau said angrily. "He has no right to talk like that about you."

"Beau's right, you know," Nick said as he stood up and all eyes were on him. "I have worked with Hank for fifteen years and he has the highest of respect from all substations in this county. Hell even the whole damn state. He has done a hell of a job at being chief and the crime rate has dropped even more so since he has been chief. Besides, what he does on his own free time behind closed doors is no ones business but his own. And furthermore, you have a hell of a lot of nerve talking like that, Bill."

"I will not tolerate being talked down to. I am the deputy mayor," Bill says with arrogance and entitlement in his voice.

"Not for long if you keep up with that attitude," Helen blasts. "And furthermore you are the only one in this room who has objected to all this. If you can't accept my decision then you will just have to live with it, or leave your position." Helen's eyes the many faces sitting around the table. "Now if anyone else has any objections speak now. Who is in agreement with me on having Hank remain as Chief of Police?"

All hands raised immediately with approval.

Bill shoots daggers at Helen and then at Hank and Beau and shakes a long bony finger. "I swear, you will not get away with this. I will find a way to keep him from ever working in a police station ever again." He grabs his brief case and leaves in a huff.

Hank and Beau shared a smile at one another. After Bill's outrage and Hank being reinstated, the meeting was over and everyone stands around the room talking and getting reacquainted with each other. They also congratulate Hank on remaining Chief of Police.

Helen casually walks up to Hank and Beau with a bright smile on her face. "I never doubted your accomplishments or your position as chief, but things got a little out of hand and I did what I thought was best. I hope there are no hard feelings."

"Not at all, Helen," Hank smiled."You were just doing your job. Eventually, I would like to speak with you privately if you don't mind."

Just then a shot rang out in the room and everyone dropped to the floor.

Chapter 7

"I've been shot," Hank groaned in pain as he grabbed his arm. He fell into Beau as Beau caught him and they both went to the floor.

"Hank! Oh my God!" Beau cried out. He put his hand over Hank's and applied pressure to the wound as blood soaked his shirt and both of their hands.

"It's okay babe," Hank says faintly. "I think it's just a flesh wound."

Nick Sullivan immediately took action and detained Bill Ryan before any more shootings occurred and had called the paramedics and a patrol car.

"Hank, are you all right?" asks Helen as she crawls over to them.

"I'll be fine. I just need stitched up. Are you okay?" he asks with as much deep concern for her as she was for him.

She started to talk. "I think I'm..." she stopped mid sentence and slumped over.

"We need help over here!" Beau yelled instantly.

Lucas Browning, one of the councilors, came quickly running to her side immediately.

"Lucas, how is she? Is she shot?" Beau asked deeply concerned not taking his hand off Hank's wound.

"I don't see any blood," he said, "I think she is having a heart attack."

"Oh my God," Beau said as fear enveloped him. "Does she have a pulse?" Beau asked.

"A slight one," Lucas replied.

"That means she's still breathing," Beau said quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. "If she stops breathing, she will need CPR. Do you have any training in that?"

"Yes," was all that Lucas said, and then he looks down at Helen. "Helen, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Lucas, I can hear you," Helen said blatantly as she opens her eyes and she goes to get up.

"Just lie still," Lucas said as he held her down. "Help is on the way."

"I hear the ambulance coming," Beau said as he stretched his neck and looked out the bottom half of the window. "They're here now."

Two policemen come in and once Bill was handcuffed and taken out of the building, the paramedics were able to come in and work on Helen right away and were able to stabilize her and placed her in the ambulance and got her to the hospital as quickly as possible. Then they went to work on Hank's arm and bandaged him up and placed him in another ambulance with Beau right beside him.

"Honey, I am fine," Hank said to Beau. "Please don't fuss over me. Go, take the truck to the hospital and I will meet you there."

"All right. I will," Beau said calmly. "I will be right behind you."

He steps down out of the ambulance and looks back at Hank with a worried look. Then the driver shuts the door before they could even say good-bye to each other. Beau stands there as he watches the ambulance drive off and then runs for the truck and heads off to the hospital.

At the hospital, Beau was once again at Hank's side as a doctor came in and began suturing Hank's arm. And Beau begins to wonder where Travis is.

"Where is Dr. Stephens?" Beau asked as he searched for the doctor's name badge on his jacket and found it behind the lapel of his jacket and it read Dr. Franklin Harper.

"He is with another patient," Dr. Harper said as he was stitching the wound on Hank's arm. "How do know Dr. Stephens?" he asked as he looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Travis is a long time friend. We went to high school together," Beau answered.

"Oh, well then. I will tell him you said hello," the doctor replied.

"That won't be necessary," Travis said as he walked into the room. "I'm already here. Hello guys. I heard about what happened. You two doing okay?"

"We're fine. How about you, Travis?" Beau asked with a smirk.

"I am doing pretty good myself," Travis gave a smirk too and winked, knowing he was asking about him and Nick. He inched closer and watched Dr. Harper stitch up Hank's arm.

"How does your arm feel, Hank?" Travis asked.

"It's a little sore, but I can handle it," Hank replied. "And little mister worry wart here, won't let it go," he says rolling his eyes and nodding his head towards Beau. "He said I had to come to the hospital and have it checked out instead of the paramedics to take care of it."

"Hank, that snide remark wasn't called for," Beau spoke up. "If it was me, you would have done the same thing."

Hank smirked and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess you are right. I'm sorry."

Travis looked at Hank and then at Beau with a wide grin on his face. His arms were crossed at his chest as he watched the two of them argue.

"I was taken by surprise when I heard the news," Travis said. "Nick called and told me all about it. I was just in checking on Mayor Courtney, she's going to be just fine," Travis said with confidence.

"That is wonderful to hear," Beau said. "Did she have a heart attack?"

"Just a mild one, nothing serious," Travis answered. "She can go home in the morning."

"That's even better news," Hank said happily.

"There, I'm all finished," Dr. Harper announced. "Just don't use that arm too much. If it had been another inch more, I'd be digging for a bullet."

"Thanks Doc," Hank smiled as he rubbed the stiffness out of his arm without touching the wound. He raised his head as he looked up at Beau. "Can we go home now?"

Dr. Harper left the room and began his rounds as Travis stuck around. "Hey, can I ask the two of you something?" Travis inquired.

"What's on your mind, Travis?" Beau asked.

"Um...never mind. I couldn't possibly ask." Travis hesitated and stepped back.

"What is it, Travis? You know you can ask me anything," Beau urged him on.

"I know it's none of my business but I wanted to ask what you are planning on doing with your house since you are moving out to the lake house?" he asked.

"Are you interested in the house?" Beau asked a bit surprised with the question.

"Only if you're going to sell it," Travis said.

"I am interested in selling it, but I will have to clean out the house first and then draw up the necessary papers and get back to you on that," Beau said.

"Travis, you do know what happened there don't you?" Hank asked candidly.

"Yeah, I know," Travis said hesitantly. "But it doesn't bother me. And look at the two of you now, your relationship has gotten a lot stronger."

Just then Travis was being paged over the intercom for a code blue in room 534. "Hey, I got to go. Just let me know what you are going to do all right." And he runs from the room to go to the fifth floor.

"I will," Beau yelled as he watched Travis sprinting out of the room. He glanced at Hank and gave him a smile. "Come on handsome, let's get you home."

"Now I like the sound of that," Hank said as sprinted out of the chair.

They left the hospital and walked the short distance to the parking lot to Hank's truck. Beau climbed in behind the wheel as Hank got into the passenger side. As Beau drove they made idle conversation on the way home.

"I guess it's really going to happen," Hank said.

"What's really going to happen?" Beau asked.

"You, selling the house," he stated.

"Hank, we talked about this," Beau said as he concentrated on driving. "I love living at the lake house and I thought you did too."

"I do love living there," Hank replied stating the fact.

"I just want things to be like they used to be," Beau said in a low tone, thinking about the past three months and what had all transpired. "I figured living at the lake house would bring back the normalcy. But if you don't want to move there permanently we don't have to."

"No. You're right," Hank said factually. "I get why you want this more than anything."

Beau pulled into the driveway of the old house.

"Why are we stopping here?" Hank asked as he was looking out the window and watching where they were going.

"I need to grab some things from my office," Beau said. "I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," Hank said in a firm tone.

Beau raised his voice. "Hank, will you please just take it easy. I said I will be right back."

Beau gave a look of remorse and left out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you." He leaned across the bench seat and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'll just be a couple minutes, okay?" he says as he looks lovingly into Hank's eyes and smiles.

"Okay babe," Hank said with a smile back.

Beau was in and out of the house and back in the truck within a matter of minutes with a small box of paperwork from the office that he needed to make the necessary moves towards selling the house. He jumped behind the wheel and set the box between the two of them.

"What's in there?" Hank asked.

"Must you ask so many questions," Beau said grinning at him. "It just so happens to be the papers I need to sell the house. I figured I can hire a moving truck to move all our things to the lake house."

"When do you suppose you will do that?" Hank said, watching as Beau put the truck in gear.

"I don't know. I really didn't think I could find a buyer so quickly," Beau said as he thought about how much closer Nick and Travis have gotten. "You think Nick and Travis will like living there."

"Who said anything about Nick and Travis living there together?" Hank asked as he looked over and gave Beau questionable look.

"I just assume he was buying it for the two of them." Beau stated.

Forty-five minutes later, Beau pulled into the dirt road that led to the lake house. It didn't take him long to reach the clearing and pulled up beside his Ford Escape which was parked along side the house. Beau grabbed the box beside him as they both jumped down out of the truck and they walked to the house.

"I'm famished," Hank states as he pats his growling stomach as they enter through the kitchen.

"I'll make us dinner," Beau says going to the refrigerator. "Anything in particular you want?"

"Anything you make will be good enough for me," he answered as he watched Beau moving around in the kitchen as he went from the stove and back to the counter island which was four feet from the stove, and then back to the refrigerator.

"I can help babe," he offers.

He moves closer to Beau from behind and places his hands on Beau's hips and rested his chin on his shoulder, watching him slice carrots.

Beau slightly turned his head just a little and peered out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "Why don't you go into the living room and watch tv and relax," he says.

"Watching you is more entertaining," Hank says in a low seductive voice as his lips caress Beau's neck.

Hank wrapped his arms around Beau's waist, nuzzling his nose at Beau's ear, kissing his neck. His hand drops to the front of Beau's pants and unbuckles his belt and undoes his pants and reaches inside and fondles his dick. He grinds his hips into Beau's backside, as his own member is already hard in his jeans.

As much as he tried to concentrate on slicing the carrots for the pot of stew, Beau drops the knife to the counter top and closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure that Hank was giving him and he smiled. He turns in his arms and they share a passionate kiss,

"If you keep this up, I won't be able to finish dinner. I thought you said you were hungry?" Beau whispers as they share tender kisses.

"I am hungry," Hank says through kisses, "but I'm also hungry for you," he chuckles. He pushes Beau back against the counter island, kissing him passionately.

Beau moans with instant pleasure. "Mmm . . . honey . . .dinner . . . is going . . .to burn," he says between kisses. He placed both his hands against Hank's hard chest and pushed him back.

"That can wait, right now I want you," Hank said as he quickly reached and turned off the stove.

He turned back around and lifted Beau onto the counter island and wedged himself between his legs and took him in his arms and gave him a mouth watering, tongue smacking, passionate kiss.

As they kissed, Beau's fingers quickly went to work at unbuttoning Hank's shirt, while Hank was undoing his pants and had them off in a flash. He reaches for the cooking oil and uses it for lube, and then he climbsup onto the island counter and centered himself between Beau's legs and pushed his cock into Beau's welcoming rosebud and began a steady rhythm as he moved in and out.

Their they were, splayed on the counter top as Hank had his way with Beau. They shared a kiss of love. It was a savory, lingering, passionate kiss as they made love right there in the middle of the kitchen, on the center counter top island for that matter.

"Oh Hank," Beau moaned, panting his name with pleasure through their kisses. His breathing became forced as he began to feel the heat rise inside him as he felt it rising faster and quicker. Their rhythm never slowed as they kept a steady pace as their bodies surged with desire and went into oblivion of passion.

Their voices fill the kitchen as they cry out in a state of passion. Hank gets louder as he went into a steady roar and he slammed his pelvis forward and held it there as he emptied his seed deep into Beau's ass as they simultaneously came together.

They rest in each others arms as they regain their breathing, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Once they came down from their most high, they climbed down off the counter and redressed. Beau went to the sink, washed his hands and then scrubbed down the counter island and sanatized it before going back to finishing dinner as if nothing had ever happened.

For the next several days, Beau worked ardently on selling his house on the hill to Travis and Nick and had everything moved from his house to the lake house. Then he had the house cleaned from top to bottom before having them move in. He was just grateful he didn't have to be there as he hired packers, movers, and cleaners to take care of the entire house with Hank's assistance. It took another week for the bill of sale to go through and Travis and Nick began moving into the house right away.

Two weeks later, Hank had Beau going to the house with him as Travis and Nick were moving in. It was a nice drive through the countryside as it was a nice sunny Autumn day.

"Do you really think we should be going to the house when they are busy moving everything in?" Beau asked as Hank was driving the truck.

"Why not, what if they need some help?"

"They have moved most of everything in already without our help," Beau chastised him as he ranted and raved. "it's like you already had this planned or something. You haven't said much of anything about the station. Is that it? What's going on with you anyway? You've never kept anything from me before, why start now all of a sudden?"

"Will you just hush!" Hank raised his voice. "There is nothing going on. Why do you have to be so fucking paranoid? And have I ever, EVER, gave you any inclination that I have kept anything from you? NO! So knock it off for crying out loud. You're driving me fucking crazy with all these fucking questions? We're not in court and I'm not on the fucking stand."

For a slight moment there was silence between the two. Then Beau began to chuckle and then Hank too. Soon they were laughing at each other.

"I'm sorry," they say to each other in unison.

They weren't far from the house and Beau really was not at all pleased to be returning to his old place. Even if it was for a visit. He knew he had to get over the fact of what happened there if it meant keeping in touch with close friends who were like family to him.

Finally, they were pulling into the driveway and up the hill where Nick had his truck backed up as close to the house as possible as they were unloading boxes of personal items. They already had their furniture moved a day before. Nick was standing in the bed of the truck pulling boxes towards the tailgate for easy access when he looked up as he heard someone coming up the drive. He stood upright once he saw Hank and Beau.

"Hey, guys, how's it going," Nick says with a smile and gives a wave of the hand.

"Hi Nick," Beau said as greeted with a best a smile he could offer.

"Hey, Nick, need any help?" Hank asked, as he and Beau were walking across the yard to the house.

"You're a little late for that, Hank, where were you an hour ago," Nick teased as he jumped down out of the back of the truck.

"Hey, I guess I timed that right then didn't I," Hank grinned.

"Yeah I guess so, you ass," Nick laughed.

"How are things coming along?" Beau asked. Then he sees Travis coming out of the opened front door.

"Hey guys," Travis says as he greets them with a smile. "I thought I heard someone coming up the drive. How are the two of you?"

"Beau was just asking how things were coming along, darlin'," Nick smiled at him as Travis sauntered up to him and they put an arm around each other.

"Things couldn't be better" Travis was absolutely shining with happiness and it showed with his big smile. "I love this house!"

"That's great to hear," Beau said as the smile Travis gave was infectious and he couldn't help but be happy for them both.

"How's the arm, Hank?" Travis asked in his doctor voice.

"It's fine. The stitches came out yesterday," Hank replied, and instantly rubbed his arm just from thinking about it.

"That's great to hear," Travis says. "Hey why don't you guys come in and I'll fix us something to drink."

As the four of them were going inside, Beau stopped dead in his tracks as the image of the rape instantly popped into his head. `Is this going to happen every time I come here,' he says to himself and hesitated about going inside.

"Beau, you okay," Hank asked, watching him.

Beau shook the horrible image out of his head. "Yeah, I'm okay. How `bout that drink," he said abruptly, pretending not to acknowledge the image, and went ahead of Nick and Hank and went inside with Travis.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Nick shouts through the opened door.

"What's up Nick?" Hank asked, giving a puzzled look.

"Let's take a walk, Hank," Nick says, pulling on his arm.

They took a walk around the perimeter of the house, slowly strolling towards the deck that was off the kitchen.

"Have you told Beau that you're cutting back on your workload," Nick said low to Hank as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"No, not yet. I would appreciate it if this was kept between us." Hank said low in a defensive tone. "I'm not sure how he would take it. He expects too much from as head of the police department. This would devastate him. I really do not want to disappoint him."

"Don't you think the two of you have been through enough?" Nick chided in his deep voice. "Sorry, Hank, but I really think he should know. He's not stupid, he's going to catch on that you are around more often and working less."

They were nearing the stairs to the deck and began taking two at a time with their long muscular legs.

"I know what I am doing, Nick," Hank admonished him, "I'm still going to be chief and with you being the deputy chief the station has been running smoothly. We haven't had any problems. The crime rate is down now. What's there to worry about?"

"What's there to worry about?" Nick repeated sarcastically with raised eyebrows once they reached the top of the landing. "You don't get it do you, Hank? Didn't you just get done telling me last week that Beau told you if you wanted to leave the force he wouldn't stop you?"

They walked passed the sliding glass doors unaware that Beau was standing there looking out and taking several sips of wine from the glass he was holding in his hand. He was deep in thought until he was distracted once he saw Hank and Nick walking toward the patio table.

Travis was standing at the counter pouring two more glasses of wine for the men outside and was talking to Beau who was oblivious to his every word.

"Beau! Earth to Beau!" Travis shouted at him finally getting his attention.

"Oh, sorry, Trav, what did you say?"

Travis gave a look of concern. "Never mind that, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Beau shrugs off. "Its just being here brings back too many memories."

Travis gave a look of remorse. "I'm sorry, Beau." He goes to Beau and takes him in his arms. "Everything is going to get better, It'll just take some time."

Beau gave a sad look with glossy eyes. "Thanks Travis, that means so much to me," Beau says sinking into his warm embrace. "You don't know how much that makes me feel."

"Come on, let's take these drinks out to our men," Travis says picking up the two glasses and hands one of the two glasses of wine to Beau.

They go out onto the deck and Nick and Hank are sitting at the table talking. They are so engrossed in their conversation that they never noticed Beau and Travis coming outside.

Beau stopped dead in his tracks, listening more closely when he heard them talking about him and the station. Travis, not paying attention all but ran into Beau when Beau grabbed his arm and stopped him and put a finger to his lips motioning for him to keep quiet.

"You have done a great job while I have been on leave," Hank said. "But I think it will be best if I step back a bit and not be at the station full time."

"Thanks, Hank," Nick said, taking the compliment with pride, but was still concerned about the situation that Hank had put him in. "But like I said, Beau wants what you want. You need to tell him you are stepping back some," Nick scolded him. "He's going to find out anyway."

"I know," Hank said low. "I just don't want to disappoint him. You know how I feel about him. How can I tell him that I won't be going into work regularly. He is going to think of me as a failure."

"Hank, you are so wrong about that." Nick retaliated. "Beau loves you more than anything and if he loves you the way I think he loves you, he's going to support you no matter what you do. But if you don't tell him, he's going to feel hurt that you couldn't trust him enough to tell him."

"Thank you Nick, I couldn't have said that any better myself," Beau said sharply as he was standing there with Travis right beside him.

Both men whipped their heads around in surprise and Hank leaped from his chair. He watched as Beau set the two glasses he was holding down onto the table in front of him.

"Beau, honey, how long have you been standing there?"

"Enough to hear everything that was said, Hank," Beau said, not sure how to react. He felt a mixture of anger, hurt, frustration, and remorse. All these emotions were overwhelming to him and he lashed out. "I just wished you would have trusted me enough to tell me yourself and not having to hear it like this."

"Beau, don't do this." Hank pleaded then he grew defensive. "Why do we constantly have to go through this? Why can't you see that I am doing this for you?"

Beau stormed off towards the woods behind the house, angry and hurt. Travis and Nick glanced at each other in confusement and than back at the two men who started shouting at each other.

"Beau, where are you going?" Hank yelled out as he ran towards him. "Get the hell back here and let's talk about this."

Beau abruptly stopped and quickly turned on his heels, glaring at him. "Why, Hank? What's there to talk about? Why don't you just go back to Nick and talk it over with him," Beau said sarcastically. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"Now damn it, that's not fair," Hank yells as he runs after him. "Get the hell back here, Beau."

When he caught up with Beau, he grabbed him by the arm and whipped him around to him. Instantly, Beau punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Realizing what he had done, Beau covered his mouth in shock.

"Hank, oh my God!" Realizing what he had done. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hit you."

"It's all right," Hank stammered, as his hand gently went to his eye. "I shouldn't have grabbed your arm like I did."

When Travis seen what happened he went running after them with Nick not far behind. Travis immediately went to Hank and checked his eye but remained quiet as Hank and Beau argued.

"No it's not all right," Beau said, standing there almost in tears. "When you grabbed me like that it wasn't your face I saw." He looked at Travis. "Is he going to be all right, Trav?"

"Yeah," Travis answered. "He's just going to have a nice shiner for a few weeks."

"Damn you got one hell of a swing," Hank cried out. "That fucking hurt."

"He sure as hell does," Nick chuckled. "Remind me to stay on your good side, Beau."

Beau began to laugh as he thought about what he had done. He covered his mouth, laughing as he wiped away the tears from his eyes.

"What the hell is so funny?" Hank scolded as he was starting to get mad. "You fucking hit me."

"I know," Beau stated as he began to calm down from laughing. "I was just remembering the story mom used to tell me when I was a kid about David fighting off Goliath. Here I am being David and fighting off a giant as big you and all it took was one swing."

They all burst into laughter. And Beau went to Hank and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry sweetie."

Hank started to laugh as he made a mental picture of it in his head.

"Yeah, I guess that was kind of funny wasn't it." He wrapped his arms around Beau as they danced around the yard laughing.

"So are you okay with the way everything is going to be from now on?" Hank asked.

"We will talk about that later," Beau said, his voice went all serious.

Then he thought of something that Hank had said to Nick and it had upset him. He pushed Hank back out of their embrace as he scolded him, shaking a finger at him.

"But let me tell you one thing Henry Thomas Styles, I never thought of you as a failure and I don't ever want you thinking otherwise. You understand me?"

"Yes my love," Hank said low as he hung his head, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and watching as he shuffled a foot back and forth through the dirt. He felt ashamed of what he had said and done.

"And another thing," Beau continued. "I am not a fragile, delicate piece of glass that can't take care of himself. You have to stop coddling me and trying to protect me from every fucking thing that you feel is going to hurt me. I was fucking independent long before we got into this relationship and I'm not going to stop now just because we are committed to each other. Yes, we both had a few set backs more so me than you. But we both got through them together. I wouldn't have it any other way. But you have got to let up."

"Look at me, Hank," Beau continues to scold him and Hank raises his eyes to meet his. "Through all the years I have known you, you have never disappointed me. I love you, you damn fucking fool," he stated with glossy eyes.

"I love you too," Hank whispered, pulling Beau into him, kissing him right in front of Nick and Travis. "Ouch," he groaned, as Beau's nose bumped his eye when he kissed him.

Nick and Travis stood there in each other's arms watching as their two friends kissed. Then they share a look of love at each other and share a tender kiss themselves. All four of them walked back to he tdeck and sat down for a little while and finished their drinks till Beau spoke up and said it was time for them to go.

As Hank was driving home, Beau quietly stared out the window with his elbow resting on the arm rest and his chin cupped into the palm of his hand. The evening sun was setting and he could feel the cold air come through the window pane. Hank would glance over at Beau every so often, knowing how lucky he was having Beau in his life.

Once they were home and walking towards the house, there was a chill coming in off the lake and Beau shivered as the autumn evening air was becoming bitterly cold. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and took the several steps up onto the porch.

"We'll have to make a fire tonight. The air is getting brisk," Beau said as his teeth almost began to chatter from the cold.

"I'll grab some wood for the fireplace and start a fire right away." Hank replied.

He went to the other side of the porch and grabbed an arm load of wood from the woodpile while Beau went inside. Hank saw that the wood pile was getting low and made a mental note to cut some fire wood the following day.

When he went inside, he went straight to the fireplace. Beau was in the kitchen making dinner. Within moments there was a roaring fire and the room warmed quickly. Then Hank had an idea and he gathered some candles and placed them around the room and lit them till the room was filled with the soft lighting it gave off. He was turning off the lamps when he heard Beau calling out to him.

"Hank, time for dinner."

"Be right there babe, I need to go wash my hands," Hank answered.

As Hank was walking into the kitchen from the bathroom, he took a big whiff. "Mmm, everything smells so good," he says as he sat up to the table.

"It's just warmed up stew and garlic bread," Beau says as he brought them each a glass of wine and sat up to the table.

"I will have to cut some wood tomorrow, the woodpile is getting low," Hank said taking a big bite of the hot stew. "There is going to be a lot of cold air coming off that lake now that it's going into winter."

"Guess its time to turn the heat on," Beau nonchalantly throws out as he pokes at his food and then pushes it away.

"What's wrong?" Hank asks as he gives Beau a concerned look. "Ever since we left Travis' place you barely said two words to me. Please tell me you're still not upset with what happened."

Beau glances at his black and blue eye, seeing the evidence that he caused. "Yes I am," he said low. "Look at what I did to you." He reaches out and barely touches Hank's face.

Hank leaned his face into Beau's soft touch. "Honey, it's all right. I know you didn't mean to hit me. I shouldn't have grabbed your arm like I did."

They sat there making small talk as the ate their meal. Then Beau rose from the table and carried his empty dish to the sink. He still felt horrible at what he had done and he wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself.

"It was his face I saw when you grabbed me," Beau said low. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me." Hank got up from the table, carrying his dish to the sink. He placed them down onto the counter and placed his hands on Beau's shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"Honey, stop feeling guilty. I'm all right," he said in a soft and reassuring tone. "Why don't I clean up and you go in the room and relax in front of the fire. You have been stressed out lately and you need to learn to relax."

Beau gives a small smile. "Thanks love," he gives him a tender kiss on the lips, turns and goes into the living room.

He stops in the doorway of the living room and sees what Hank had done. A soft smile comes to his face and says to himself `he always thinks of everything I need.' He goes to the shelf of CD's and scrolls through them, finding some soft instrumental music to relax to. As the music softly plays he curls up on the sofa and pulls a throw from the back of it and covers his legs with it. He sat there watching the fire, as it was warm and inviting.

A short time later, Hank enters the room after finishing up in the kitchen.

"Feeling better love?" Hank asks as he poked the fire, then threw another piece of wood on the fire, watching the embers burning. The wood crackled and popped, as the room became warmer.

"A little, thanks for asking."

Hank sat on the floor with his back against the sofa, Beau dropped his arm over Hank's shoulder and draped it over Hank's chest, instantly Hank covered Beau's arm with his own.

"So I guess you are going to cut back on work and stick around here, huh?" he whispers into Hank's ear.

"Yes, I have really thought this through, Beau, and it's what I want. With everything that went on and almost losing you, I never want to go through that again. I don't want anything coming between us anymore, like our jobs, nothing. We don't have to work anymore, between the both of us we have enough money to live on. Beau, honey my heart is so full of just loving you and wanting to take care of you, of each other. You're my life and all I ever want or need and that my love is all that matters to me."

"I know that," Beau whispers. "On the way home, I got to thinking maybe I'll give up being a lawyer and just concentrate on realty. It will give us extra time together."

Beau leaned down, nudging his nose into Hank's neck, giving soft kisses behind his ear and down his neck, all the while, reaching inside Hank's opened shirt and caressing his hairy chest.

"Really?" Hank said, surprised. "You would do that?"

"Of course I would," Beau whispered.

Beau slid off the couch as Hank pulled him onto his lap. Instantly, Hank wrapped his around his lover and held him close.

"Before we got involved, I never thought I would ever find this kind of love for anyone," Beau said. "I wasn't expecting to." he whispered against Hank's chest, as if he was speaking to his heart. "But you showed me differently that we could have that love and it happened for us. I didn't think it would have worked out between us but it has and our love is unwavering and untouchable."

He lifted his eyes to Hank's and they shared a tender kiss, which turned into a passionate one. Beau slowly unbuttoned Hank's shirt. Within moments their clothes were off and tossed to the side as they began to make love.

Hank gently lowered Beau to the floor as they kissed. They stare lovingly at each other speaking only with their eyes as they sparkle from the glare of the fire. Hank hovers over him taking a widespread hand up his leg, stomach and ribs to his smooth chest. He dips his head taking his right nipple into his mouth and slowly suckles on it and then moves over to the other one, sending Beau into a fiery state of passion.

Beau sighed long and contentedly. "Oh Hank, I love the way you make me feel."

Hank slowly worked his way down Beau's body, kissing and caressing every inch of his luscious body. He took his time making love to Beau's body, taking him to different heights of their passion and always adding a little more pleasure every time. Then he centered above him, and then in him as they both left out a deep sigh.

Their eyes met as Beau took his hands up Hank's strong and muscular back, feeling every muscle ripple beneath his touch. Together they became rhythm and harmony. The soft beat of their bodies became one as the two of them were lost in a frenzy of love and passion.

The music on the stereo changed and a familiar song began to play. Beau didn't realize that there was another CD in the player as Reba McEntire began to sing a song about forever love and how they would spend their life side by side. It was a perfect song for the perfect moment and they shared a loving smile at each other and then a tender kiss.

Hank's rhythm changed as he began to move quicker. When his breathing grew forced, he braced himself up; hands spread wide, elbows locked, He made some sounds, unmusical to all but Beau, the source of his pleasure.

Beau gripped him with his heels and hands as he felt an extraordinary orgasm about to erupt between the both of them. When they came, they shouted out their love for each other and shook and shuddered, holding each other tightly.

When Hank's pulse had slowed and his breathing evened, he caught Beau behind one knee with his heel and rolled them to their sides. They shared tender kisses and caresses, staring long into each other's eyes, smiling at each other.

"I love you so much, Beau. You are my forever love." Hank says as the song is ending. He reaches out for Beau and pulls him closer, taking Beau in his arms.

Beau smiles and caresses Hank's stubbly chin as he stares lovingly into his eyes. "I love you too, Hank and you are my forever love."

As they bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Beau came to realize that no matter what life throws at them they would face the hard challenges together. Head on. It had been a hard road thus far and he knew in his heart that his life was with Hank. They would not give up, no what matter the consequences may be.

He snuggled in closer to Hank, resting his head on his chest as his mind flooded with memories of their long lasting friendship. He smiled happily, knowing that throughout their adult life their friendship was never ending as they once bonded as brothers. And that meant more to him than anything. Never in his life had he ever imagined there would be nothing more than a solid and wonderful friendship. But here he was, lying next to the man he chose to spend the rest of his life with. They lie there in a lover's embrace as they sought out a different kind of love.