Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is sequel to the "Things that Go Bump" and "A Light in the Darkness" stories. You should probably read those first! Sorry for the long break but I've started a new and demanding job (third job, anyway)!
I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. It's closed membership to avoid spam and flames, so just let me know!
A Light in the Darkness, Book II The Order Chapter 02
After school the next day, Matt's car pulled up out front of Xavier's house and tromped inside, just as he always had at Chase's house. He walked into the boys' room and found Chase playing with Alex on the bed, while William was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey," Chase said, smiling.
Matt climbed onto the bed and leaned against the headboard. "I wish you were at school... It sucks without you..."
"We'll be back in the fall," Chase smiled at his friend, noticing again that the boy was as physically beautiful as he was spiritually. He had to admit to himself sometimes that he was glad he'd not been able to see it before so he never got caught up on Matt in that way.
"How's the little stink factory?" Matt smiled, leaning over Alex and tickling him.
"Adorable, as always," Chase said, as Matt picked him up and baby-talked to him for a few minutes."
"So, where's William?" Matt asked.
"He's in San Jose," Chase said.
"California?" Matt asked, incredulous.
"Costa Rica," Chase laughed.
"WHY?"
"He just popped down for a few hours of training with Avery," Chase laughed.
"You guys are so weird. Some time you guys have to pick me up at school and take me to lunch in Paris, or something. I earned it!"
"You did," Chase laughed. "How's everything else?"
"Well, it kind of sucks that you moved, but I'm glad Daniel's just down the street. And I guess Amy's definitely going on her program. I think she's going to break up with me. I told her I wanted to try to make it work, talk on the phone and stuff, but ... I think she just wants to be able to have fun and see what happens..."
"I'm sorry, man... But you had fun," Chase added.
"Yeah... I just thought it might last," Matt pouted. "I really liked her..."
"Well, you're hot... You'll meet someone who wants to stick it out!" Chase tried to reassure him.
"Yeah, well," Matt said, and turned his attention to the baby in his lap. He lay back in the bed and put Alex on his chest and made silly conversation with the baby while Chase watched him with a smile.
"If you don't mind I'm gonna run to the bathroom... You want something to drink?"
"Yeah, whatever you got is fine," Matt said.
When Chase returned with the cokes he'd gotten out of the refrigerator, Alex was asleep on Matt's chest. "You want me to take him?" Chase whispered. Matt shook his head and took his soda, so Chase crawled into bed next to him and they talked quietly for another hour before Matt had to go home. He passed the baby to his friend and gave him a quick hug before disappearing.
William got home just as Alex was waking up, so he gave the boy his evening bottle, and he and Chase joined their uncles downstairs for dinner. While everyone ate, Alex played happily with a little mobile in the floor. Just as they were all getting ready to pop in a movie, Sarah called for Chase to check in.
"How's everything?" she asked.
"Fine," he said with a laugh. "We went out with Sebastian and James, and some of the guys last night, and William was training in Costa Rica this afternoon..."
"Are you trying to make me feel better or worse, Chase?" the woman asked with a laugh.
"How's VACATION, mom?" Chase asked.
"Fun, we're just lounging by the beach and having great food all day long... All this relaxation is getting on my nerves. I'm ready to get home and get back to work," the woman laughed, only half serious.
"Missing Alex?" he teased.
"Missing all my boys," she said sincerely. "Be good, sweetie! Put Xavier on the line?"
Chase held the phone up and Xavier smiled and took it from his hand. "Hi, Sarah! How's Steve?"
"You know Steve... As soon as he hit the beach, he was in full vacation relaxation mode... How are the boys?"
"FINE, Sarah," he said. "Everything is fine..."
"They went out with Sebastian?"
"Yes, Sarah... You know they were perfectly safe with him," Xavier laughed, speaking quietly so the boys didn't hear.
"I know," she allowed grudgingly. "It just gives me the heebie-jeebies... I mean, vampires and all..."
"Sarah, you know Aiden and I, and William and Chase for that matter, qualify as `and all...'"
"Sorry," she said, laughing, embarrassed.
"Just remember, it was our kind who put those babies in your belly..."
"I know, Xavier, I know," she said with a smile. "Just watch out for our boys..."
"Always... Enjoy your vacation!" Xavier said.
"Thanks... See you soon!" Sarah answered. ***
The following morning, William was off to Avery's compound in San Juan early for a long day of training, leaving Chase alone with Alex again. So Xavier took Chase out to see the work that had been done to get his gallery ready.
"The building looks amazing!" Chase exclaimed. "What did your tenants decide to do?"
"One opted to move out early, and I let him out of his lease; the other agreed to move into a renovated office and make a new lease with me. The second floor -- don't tell him I told you -- the second floor will be office space for your dad and Dan, with smaller offices on the third and fourth... They just finished installing the new elevator last week..." Xavier rattled off excitedly.
"You seem to be enjoying your role as businessman!" Chase smiled.
"More than I thought I would," the man nodded. "The new storefront is looking great -- I got this special glass to protect the art from the sun while still giving a nice view from the outside..."
"So when will you move your stock and open?"
"Two weeks, I'll move everything down and get it all set up... My assistant is relocating, so that will make everything easier... Anyway, I'll have a grand opening gala in about a month, I guess, after we've been open a little bit..."
"Sounds fun!" the boy smiled. "We'll help you advertise!"
"Just dress up and look cute," Xavier winked. "Nothing get's my clientele worked up like hot blond dudes!"
"Yeah?"
"Sure, older guys and middle aged Southern women eat that up," Xavier smiled. "How do you think I got to be such a success?"
Chase laughed and shook his head. "Have you been checking out any of the local artists? Found anyone new you'll be selling?"
"Funny you ask... I'm meeting a guy tomorrow afternoon. Why don't you come along? I assume William will be off training some more?"
"Yeah," Chase laughed. "He's been taking it really seriously. I teased him that he's got a complex because I rank so much higher than he does. If he doesn't rank general by the time he's 18 it'll eat him up..."
"You know that's not it?" Xavier asked seriously.
"I know, but it's fun to tease him... He really just wants to be able to protect us!"
"Never mind that you need protecting least of all," Xavier nodded.
"I could do worse than having William at my back, and that I do need. And I can maybe defend myself, but then there's Alex, and my parents, the new babies... He won't allow history to repeat itself..."
"So, changing subjects, have the wizards been trying to contact you much?"
"No," Chase replied. "Why would they?"
"I'm surprised every little thing they don't come running to you... It has been a long time since there was a grand marshal..."
"Oh..."
"You understand, Chase, that means you out rank the queen in all but spiritual matters? She is the spiritual and legal head of all our kind who are part of her organization, but there are matters in which she answers to you, now... In August, there will be a World Congress of Wizards, which will include those who serve the queen, the Society, and other organizations under which our kind band -- including Druids, Streghe, Wiccans, Kabbalists, and the like. You will preside over that meeting..."
"WHAT?" Chase asked.
"Chase, being ranked as grand marshal, you are the most powerful magickal practitioner in the world known today..."
"I ... I guess I never really thought about it," Chase stammered.
"Hmph," Xavier laughed. "I guess we need to get you into that outfit to make sure it fits..."
"You just want to see me in it," Chase laughed.
"I do love a man in uniform!"
"William does look FANTASTIC in his..."
"Hush now! That's my nephew you're thinking about over there!" ***
"You brought your father's book?" Avery asked, sitting across a big desk from William. The boy nodded and took out his family's most powerful book, a charmed book that duplicates the knowledge of any book it contacts. He sat it on Avery's desk and slid it across to him. "It's a remarkable thing... I've only ever seen two. This one," he said, lifting William's book. But then he reached into his desk and pulled out another like it. "And this one... With your permission?"
William nodded, and Avery put them together. Normally, if you were paying attention, you could hear an almost static crackle as one of the books absorbed knowledge. But these two books, in a massive exchange, made a noise like thunder, and William could feel the shock wave. Avery smiled. "It seems as if your ancestors were nearly as busy as I was... Thank you, my friend... You will discover in my library there are many books of a ... dark nature. If there is anything you want to understand better, please come to me. The dark arts are not to be experimented with lightly."
William shook his head. "What are we working on today?"
"It just so happens that a village near here is suffering from a plague of cryptovamps..."
"Cryptovamps?" William asked, confused.
Avery laughed and nodded. "I know... Cryptovamps are not pure vampire. But neither are they pure human... We know next to nothing about the process of becoming a vampire, but sometimes, things go wrong. A vampire might come back feral, having lost its mind completely. Sometimes these escape and attack animals, or even other humans. The results are often ghastly, as if some mutation that occurred in a `wrong' vamp gets passed on and further mutates... What we'll find are creatures as strong as vampires, who are part human, perhaps part animal, and totally out of control. Reasoning with them is futile. We must eradicate them, as well as any human who has had contact with cryptovamp blood. We must do this before one of them reaches the city. Ready for a little field action?"
"Yes, sir!" William grinned.
"Then you'd better call Chase and let him know you may not be home for a couple of days..." William grimaced at the thought of it, before picking up the phone and placing the call.
"Chase? We're going on a training mission. It might take a day or two..."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. "Be careful," came Chase's response, with enough feeling behind it to give William pause. "I love you..."
"I love you too," William replied. "I'll call you as soon as we're through."
"You better..."
"Bye," William said, putting the phone down.
"Everything okay?" Avery asked.
"Fine," William said softly. "I'll go get into my fatigues..."
A few moments later, Avery's phone rang. "What the hell are you doing?" an angry voice on the other end of the line demanded. "Where are you taking my nephew?"
"Calm down, Xavier... I took you on more dangerous training missions than this when you were weaker than William..."
"Avery, you be careful with him!" Xavier barked, and Avery tried not to laugh.
His smile faded when he heard a soft voice on the other end say, "If anything happens to him, I'll hold you personally responsible..."
"Chase," Avery began.
"That's Grand Marshal Abernathy-Jennings to you, today," Chase said calmly as he handed the phone back to Xavier.
"Good Lord," Avery muttered into the phone to Xavier.
"Just be careful, and everything will be fine," Xavier responded.
Avery sat the phone down and sat at his desk, deep in thought. Before William could return, Avery called Chase back. "Chase, I know this upsets you and you're worried, but my job is to train William, to make him into the most capable wizard he can be... I can't do that with you second-guessing me..."
"I'm not. That's why I didn't ask him not to go, which is what I really wanted to do. I didn't ask him to come home to me and his son. I didn't ask him to take Sebastian as his teacher... All things that, to be honest, I'd be more comfortable with... I just want you to know that..."
"So we understand each other?"
"Yes, Avery, we understand each other... Be safe..."
"We will... I'll be sure he calls you as soon as we're finished.
"He will," Chase replied as he hung up the phone a second time. ***
That afternoon, Sebastian returned to Richmond on his own. "Back so soon?" Sam asked as he welcomed his friend.
"I keep busy, Sam... Marcus is going to train and test Chris and the local boy, Carl, so I'm here to set that up with them..."
"Xavier called me a little while ago. Apparently Avery is taking William on a multi-day training mission..."
Sebastian sat down and thought for a minute. "Oh, shit!" the vampire exclaimed as he reached for his cell phone to call Avery. But the man was offline. He was gone.
"What is it?" Sam asked. "Xavier sounded upset, but..."
"If he knew what I know, he'd be more than upset... A code came across the Subnet at the Consul level last night... Cryptovamps, a full-on infestation..."
"What is he thinking?" Sam asked in a panic.
"He's probably thinking William is a very capable warrior wizard, which is true," Sebastian defended.
Sam was a student of Avery's, like Xavier, but he wasn't so forgiving. "Still, CRYPTOVAMPS?"
"I know," Sebastian sighed. "I'd better drop by Xavier's this evening... Damn..."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Sam asked.
"Sure, meet me there at 7 o'clock?"
"I'll see you then," Sam responded, squeezing his shoulder on his way out.
Sebastian made his way to Edward's house on foot. Obscuring himself, he was able to cover the distance quickly, though working in the light of day this way was draining. He had called to let the boy's know he was coming, so they were expecting him when he arrived.
Edward's mother, Clarice, opened the door when he knocked. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Boyle?" Sebastian asked. "I'm Edward and Carl's friend, Sebastian..."
"Come in, dear... The boys are up in Edward's room. One moment," she said, ushering him in. "Edward, dear, your friend is here!" She called.
Edward opened his door and motioned for Sebastian to come on down. "Thank you, ma'am!" Sebastian said with a smile.
When he stepped into the room, he sat on the chair, while Edward and Carl sat on the edge of the bed. "Okay, guys, everything is set for you to go out to the cabin with Marcus and Chris... You'll go down on Monday morning and return Friday evening..."
"School is taken care of?" Carl asked.
"And your parents... I'll speak with your mother before I leave, Edward..."
"It ... doesn't hurt people to have their mind messed with like that," the boy asked uneasily.
"No, not like this... It can, it just depends on how forcefully you invade someone's mind. This is just power of suggestion, advanced hypnosis if you will..."
Edward nodded. "Marcus made this list of things you'll need to bring, Carl... Edward, just prepare for a nice vacation to the forest... But bring plenty to read. While the boys are training, you might get a little bored..."
Edward smiled and nodded, grabbing Carl's big hand excitedly. "We'll get to share a bed for a whole week..."
"We've been doing a lot of that lately," Carl smiled back. Then they remembered they had company.
"It's okay, I understand," Sebastian said with a smile. "But I'd better be going, guys, unless you have any questions? I have a little more business than I expected in Richmond today..." Both boys shook their heads. "My cell phone number is on that sheet, so if either of you have any questions, please call. Marcus's number is on there as well..."
The both said goodbye to him, and on his way out he had a little "chat" with Clarice, and by the time he left she was happily assenting to having the boys go on a little trip.
Now the sun was still up, so Sebastian walked casually through the residential streets to Xavier's house. Sam was already inside when he knocked. "Sebastian!" Chase exclaimed when he opened the door and gave the vampire a tight hug. Sebastian realized he was hungry when his attention dwelt too long on the graceful, milky neck pressed against his cheek.
With an awkward smile, he stepped away, hoping the boy didn't notice his excitement. "I came over because Sam told me you are concerned about the training mission William is presently on," he said, still holding the boy's hand.
"That was me... Chase set Avery straight," Xavier said with a smile, explaining what the boy had said to the ancient wizard.
Sebastian smiled at Chase and nodded. "So I wanted to let you know I am going to be monitoring the progress of this mission and will step in if anything even seems to be going wrong..."
Chase hugged him again, thanking him quietly, and Sebastian bit the inside of his cheek to help himself focus. Chase didn't notice, but Xavier said, "Could I speak to you privately, Sebastian?"
Sebastian nodded and followed him into the study, noticing the man lock the door behind them. "When was the last time you ate, Sebastian?" Xavier asked, sounding concerned.
"It's been ... a while..." Sebastian admitted.
"You've got to take better care of yourself. Going around in the sunlight, not eating right... It's a recipe for trouble," the handsome man said, rolling up his right sleeve and standing by Sebastian. He urged him on by holding out his trim, muscular forearm beneath his nose. Sebastian drew a deep breath, but looked up searchingly into Xavier's eyes.
Xavier nodded, and Sebastian sank his fangs into the man's forearm. Sebastian drank deeply, and Xavier moaned from the pleasure of it. By the time Sebastian had his fill, the man had dropped to his knees and come in his underwear, glad he was wearing briefs. "I had forgotten," he whispered breathlessly.
Sebastian averted his eyes and said, softly, "I hadn't... Thank you..."
Xavier smiled and shook his head. "My pleasure," he answered, winking. Sebastian smiled, and Xavier continued, "Sebastian, I'm sorry..."
"For what?" Sebastian said, taking his hand.
"For being such a dick to you about Avery... You did more good for him than any of us who protested, and I held it against you for so long."
"Why did you hold it against me?" Sebastian asked.
"Because I was confused about why you sent me away to Avery in the first place... And then ... I thought you let him go because you were angry about ... what happened between me and him when I was still a kid, before he met her... When I realized it wasn't that, I felt like a fool, so it was easier to hold a grudge..."
"Thank you for being honest," Sebastian said. Hesitantly, he leaned in and kissed the man on the cheek. "I was so happy for you that you finally made your way to Aiden, that you found happiness. THAT is all I ever wanted for you..."
Xavier hugged him, tears in his eyes. "Let's get back before they start talking!" Sebastian laughed and they walked out together. The scene of these two men emerging from a room together laughing brought Sam, Chase, and, now, Aiden, to silence. Indeed, Aiden's mouth was hanging open until Xavier winked at him.
"Sebastian," Aiden said, giving him a welcoming hug. "Can you stay a while?"
"I need to get home and monitor this crazy training mission Avery's taking William on... And James is waiting..."
Chase smiled and nodded. "Go... You should be with your boyfriend," he said with a little something in his voice.
"What's the mission?" Aiden asked, making both Xavier's and Sam's eyes widened. They'd hoped that wouldn't be discussed in front of Chase, because, while they didn't know what it was, they knew from Sebastian's response that it must be bad.
Sebastian hesitated and looked to Chase, before sighing. The boy indicated that he, too, would like to know. Now Aiden knew he had asked the wrong thing as Sebastian wrung his hands nervously. "A jungle village is infested with cryptovamps..."
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Xavier exclaimed, reaching for his wand to conjure a portal directly to William.
"Xavier!" Sebastian stopped him with a firm grip. "You're weak now... Let me keep an eye on things. Avery can look out for him, and he'll learn a lot..."
"Go, hurry!" Xavier nodded, assenting. He wanted Sebastian back at his monitor as soon as possible. When Sebastian was gone, the men explained as gently as possible what William was facing.
"William will be fine," Chase said with a determined look. "He thinks he needs to do this..." He shared again why he felt that was the case, this time for Aiden's benefit.
Before Chase could walk away, Aiden grabbed his arm. "I'm sure you're right, he's training to be able to better protect his little family... I'm sure you are, but there's something else too, I think." He looked over to see Xavier was out of earshot. "You joked about him wanting a higher rank, and you're closer than you thought with that joke... I think William's a lot like me. If he is, he might be doing all this to feel WORTHY of you..."
"What?" Chase asked, almost laughing.
"Chase, you're an amazing person, and you're one of the few people who aren't overawed by you. I think William is striving to be better because he wants to be worthy of standing by you."
"But that's ridiculous!" Chase insisted. "I love him. Of course he's worthy..."
"You know that... I know that... But because of how he feels about you, he doesn't FEEL that way... It's nothing you did, it's just, when people love each other, they sometimes view each other in funny ways... Let him build himself up, and build him up as best you can. Help him feel about himself how you feel about him. Let him be the strong one some..."
"He's always the strong one," Chase said, sounding thoughtful.
"Let him know it..."
"How do you... Why do you think...?" Chase tried to ask.
"I chased after William's uncle for years; he was little more than a boy when I was a teen in love with him. For years he didn't even notice I existed. You'd be amazed at what I did in those years to build myself up, to make myself feel worthy of even approaching him," Aiden said with a laugh.
Chase nodded and gave the man a hug. Aiden whispered, chuckling, "Now there's a way to make a man feel worthy, little one!" Then he kissed the boy on the head. "Go check on Alex, and I'll check on dinner!"
Aiden found Xavier in the kitchen, and wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Chase okay?" Xavier asked.
"I think so... How about you?"
"I'm alright," Xavier said. "Angry at Avery for this!"
"No shit?" Aiden asked with a laugh. "Why did Sebastian say you were weak?"
"When he showed up here, he was weak. He hadn't eaten in a while and he was on the verge of losing control a little. I took him into the study and gave him my arm..."
"I see," Aiden said, turning him around. "How was it?"
"You know damn well how it was; you've done it often enough..."
"But only for vampires I like," Aiden teased.
"I apologized to him for ... everything..."
Aiden kissed his cheek. "That wasn't so hard, was it!"
"It sure as shit was!" Xavier laughed. "But I am glad I did. I feel a lot better..." ***
Avery and William moved quietly though the jungle. "The village is about a mile that way," Avery indicated. "We're not sure where the cryptovamps are nesting, and they do nest, but best I can figure is that it's this side of the village. If I'm right, we should detect movement toward the village just after nightfall..."
"But if we're wrong, a lot of people will get hurt, and we'll only know they're nesting on the other side... Why don't we just go into town and kick ass?" William asked.
"Remember the battles against Sammael? Think of the two of us facing a hundred or more vampires as strong as a hundred year old vampire... These ... animals avoid daylight, so if we can find their lair, we can get them without endangering outselves..."
"So these things must be where that vampire myth comes from?" William wondered.
"Probably a lot of the werewolf myths too... Now, put up your charms. Cloak yourself against all the senses, even smell... These things have an acute sense of smell. We want our scent to dissipate before nightfall..." ***
"I'm gonna run to Matt's," Chase said. "Could you guys watch Alex?"
"No problem, buddy," Aiden smiled.
"If I wanted to spend the night...?"
"We'll plan on it," Xavier answered. "Just call if you decide to come home?"
Chase nodded and ran out to his dad's car. He had the keys `til his parents got home, and with his newly minted license, he had a bit of unaccustomed freedom. When he arrived at Matt's he did something he'd never done before. He knocked.
Matt's mother, Norma, answered the door. "Goodness, child, why bother?"
"We don't live next door anymore! I didn't figure you'd be expecting me, Mrs. Stone!"
"We're always expecting you, Chase... Matt's upstairs. Can you stay for dinner?"
"If you don't mind, I might make it a sleepover..."
"Is everything alright?" she asked. He'd not stayed over since William arrived.
"Yeah, just home alone! William's visiting friends and mom and dad are still gone..."
"Oh, well, excellent... You know your way around!" With that, she headed back to the kitchen and Chase ran upstairs. "Hey, Matt!" he called as he ran into the boy's room. "Oh ... hey, Daniel..."
"Chase!" Matt exclaimed, hugging his friend. "Everything okay!"
"Can't a guy just come spend the night with his best friend?" Chase asked.
"Yeah, but you don't anymore!"
Chase blushed. "William is out of town, and the uncles are watching the baby..." Chase swore he saw Daniel's nose wrinkle at everything in that sentence: at his mention of his boyfriend, his baby, and his gay uncles.
"Cool! Just like old times then!" Matt said. "Daniel was just over to work on a school project, but we were about finished... You want to stay too, Daniel?" Now it was Chase's turn to control his facial expressions.
"You know my parents won't let me stay over, but I don't have to be home `til nine," the boy said softly.
"Great!" Matt said, slapping him on the back, not noticing the boy flinch. Chase, as always, did catch it, and his feelings for the boy immediately softened. He was less motivated by jealousy than by his worry about that expression.
As he watched the boy, he had to admit that the others were right. The boy was downright cute -- not beautiful like Sebastian, or handsome like James and William, but cute. He had a wonderful button nose on a perfect, symmetrical face, and his light brown hair hung boyishly in his face. Chase could only wonder what he looked like under his long pants and long sleeves, because his clothes fit intriguingly well.
Chase checked his email while the boys finished, then he sat talking to them and trying to make an effort to get to know Daniel, who was very quiet.
"How do you guys know each other so well?" Daniel asked.
"Until a few months ago, I lived next door. Our house was condemned after some damage so we've moved. But for years, Matt was my guide at school and stuff..." When the boy looked confused, Chase smiled and said, "Until a couple of months ago, I was blind... Matt helped me get through years in school..."
"What happened? I mean, how did you get your sight back?" Daniel asked, now very interested.
"Well," Chase hesitated. "It was sort of miraculous... One morning I woke up and I could see shadows, and gradually my sight just came back. Doctors never could figure out why I was blind, so they don't know why my sight came back..."
"Aren't you worried one day your blindness will return?" the boy asked.
"No... I have faith that it won't," Chase said with an easy smile for the boy. Daniel smiled back at him then, as if they understood one another.
When they all stood to go to dinner, Daniel asked again, "What happened to your leg?" noticing Chase hobble a little in the absence of his walking stick.
"I did something I ... well, let's just say the human body shouldn't always be made to do anything it can do," Chase said with a smile. As they walked down the steps, Daniel quietly and unassumingly placed a hand on his elbow to help steady him. When they reached the bottom, Chase smiled and nodded silently to him.
Matt's dad was out of town, so it was just Norma with the three boys. Matt and Chase talked nearly incessantly, while Daniel smiled and listened. After dinner, the three boys cleaned up and ran back upstairs to play video games and talk.
Daniel got up to go promptly at 8:45. "Are you sure you can't stay?" Chase asked.
Daniel smiled, embarrassed. "I've never been allowed to stay over with anyone," the boy admitted.
"Why?" Chase asked.
"My parents are very ... protective," he murmured, embarrassed. "Our religion has a lot of things that most people find strange, so I don't expect..."
"I understand," Chase said, mostly to let the boy off the hook. Now he did truly feel sorry for the boy and vowed to himself to try and like the boy. It wasn't that hard.
When the boy was gone, Matt said, "He's a nice guy..."
"I guess..."
"You know you'll always be my best friend," Matt said with a laugh, ragging on the boy for appearing jealous.
"I just wish you were closer... I mean, I know we're going to need the extra room and all, but..."
"Chase, it's like a fifteen minute drive, and we'll be in school together again next year," Matt said, wrapping an arm around Chase's shoulder like the old days as they sat in the floor leaning against the bed in front of the television. "Want to play video games or watch a movie?"
"Honestly," Chase said, his voice breaking, "I want to sit just like this for a while..."
"What's wrong, Chase?" Matt said, holding him tighter.
"William's gone ... on this crazy training mission with Avery... They're in some Costa Rican jungle fighting some weird vampire-animal hybrid... They'll be out of contact for a few days..."
"WHAT?" Matt asked, unable to contain himself any more. "With you and Alex back here?"
"I know," Chase said, tears in his eyes. "I know he can handle himself, but why does it have to be him? Haven't we done enough? Can't they handle this on their own?"
"Chase, you know William would do anything for you..."
"That's why I didn't ask him to come home... He would have, but ... he feels like he needs to do this," Chase said.
"Well, I kind of get it... In that world, you cast a big shadow... I mean, to me you're just Chase. But I knew you when little bullies could trip you on your way to the bathroom and reduce you to tears... You and William are in deep, but you haven't known each other all that long, and most of that time, you've been this kind of prophet and holy vessel..."
Chase laughed through his tears as he lay his head on Matt's shoulder and said, "That's sort of what Aiden said..."
Matt turned the television to some sitcom, and they sat watching it for a while. At last, Chase yawned and they turned it off and crawled up into the bed together, shedding clothes, as they had so many times before. Before he fell asleep, Chase whispered to the boy, "Thanks, Matt... I love you..."
"Love you, too, bro," Matt whispered back, smiling sleepily. ***
At last, William couldn't help himself any more. "It's been dark for hours, Avery! They're nowhere near here! What are we going to do?"
"Wait `til morning and track them away from the village and find out where they sleep..."
"THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THAT VILLAGE, AVERY!" William shouted.
"Keep your voice down... What do you propose?"
"We go in there and save as many tonight as we can... We capture one of them before sunrise, and we use it to find the lair..."
"That's a terrible idea," Avery said with a smile. "Just what your father would have done..."
William smiled at the man and nodded. "Let's do it..."
Still cloaked as much as possible, they made haste toward the little village. They were still far out when they began to hear solitary screams in the night -- mostly screams of terror, but some screams of pain.
William and Avery dropped their spells that kept them invisible and pulled out their wands. Avery watched the left and William got the right as they moved even more quickly now.