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Sam
Blue, Nick and Brian have a peaceful few days fishing and hiking. Blue and Nick find more common ground as Brian bridges the gap between them. Blue and Brian hit it off very well which pleases Nick. Like Blue he feels lonely at times even though he lives with his family. Blue feels happy that he might have some year round guy friends. He isn't sure he trusts Jett any more.
They get back in time for Blue to do his old people yoga class and the three of them have dinner together afterwards in the city. Brian is staying with Nick for a few days before he moves into his new place.
The next morning Blue goes to the bakery as usual.
"Heidi I want to drop back to one day here a week." Blue says.
"Okay. I did suggest it before." Heidi says.
"I was thinking I'd do mondays then maybe we could do the cheesecakes monthly, after this weekend. That way you get to push your other items too." Blue says.
"That is good with me. I know it has been becoming a chore." Heidi says.
"Exactly it was meant to be a way to make a bit of money to keep me going while I focused on getting my own business started not take over. I love making it but not so many." Blue says.
"Agreed. I will come up with 2 other weekly specials, Ollie's Lemon cake, your cheesecake, maybe the milkshakes and one of my pies or a seasonally special, only on weekends one weekend as month. I like it. Gives me a chance to work out what else people love." Heidi says.
"I do love bring here I just need to sort my life out and refocus. Can I bring some fliers in for my yoga classes?" Blue asks.
"Of course." Heidi grins and they both get back to work.
The next morning Blue finishes a yoga session with a client that Liberty put him in touch with and heads to the bakery to grab some soup, he's had no time to shop since being back.
"And here he is the Cheesecake man himself, Blue." A television presenter says.
Blue instinctively puts his hands over his face and runs straight back out. How could Heidi not have warned him.
He dashes in to the deli to be out of sight shaken and disturbed.
"They were in here before, did a tasting of the ice-cream." Marsha says.
"Why didn't anyone warn me?" Blue asks.
"Sorry love, I thought you guys had forgotten to tell me. Lucky I'd had my hair done yesterday. I thought it was pre-publicity for the ice-cream. I was pretty happy. Great publicity for here." Marsha says.
"I suppose you'll be needing a bigger delivery." Blue smiles.
"Yes I will. The camera man is vegan and declared it delicious and was very impressed most of the ingredients were local." Marsha says.
"I'll look a right fool if they include me running off." Blue sighs.
"Excuse me, you're Blue right?" A woman asks.
"You are?" Blue asks without confirming.
"Lucy Cole from the college newspaper." Lucy says.
Blue bristles and scowls at her.
"What more could you possibly want from me. Off the record, this is all off the record, wait I best record this as I can see you are too." Blue says angrily and Marsha holds up an old Dictaphone and shows she will record too, she might like the publicity but will side with Blue too.
Blue looks at the machine and grins for a second.
"I like to record recipe ideas." Marsha grins.
"Off the record, what else can you possibly want from me? Was ruining my life not enough? Exposing where I live? An ordinary private citizen, not a criminal, politician or movie star? What right did you have to invade my privacy?" Blue asks.
"You were of national interest." Lucy says confused.
"And you decided to tell the nation where I lived because they wanted to know. No thought of what I wanted or for my safety. All this is still off the record. You could have put me in danger and you didn't give a shit. Did you not stop to think that a 19 year old dropping out of college and essentially disappearing might do so for safety reasons?" Blue asks.
"But that wasn't why you left." Lucy says.
"No? Did you bother to ask me? You snuck pictures of me but didn't bother to speak to me until now, when it is too late." Blue says.
"As a journalist it is my job to find the truth. Which is why I want to ask you more questions on the record." Lucy says.
"Not more, some. And no. On the record, if I was to give an interview it would never be with you. My siblings now know where I live. That is on you and I could never trust you to report the truth." Blue says and pulls his coat over his head and runs for his car.
"I am sorry not to call when they turned up. I couldn't turn them away. It was so busy and I was trying to deal with them and I didn't expect you to be in. I did explain you would not go on camera." Heidi says calling Blue.
"Thanks. Sorry for bolting like an idiot. I hope they tasted your bread on camera too." Blue says.
"They will. We're closing early to let them film some more and do retakes and all that. They showed up to film the line and then asked if they could do more. They pretended they had already asked but they knew we knew they hadn't and I couldn't say no." Heidi says.
"Of course you couldn't. I'm really pleased for you. I just wish I had been prepared. I came in for food as I've not much in." Blue says.
"Oh dear. You'll have to order some Chinese." Heidi says.
"I will. Actually I need to go and see where we are with ice-cream as Marsha will need more and more on standby." Blue says.
"Great. I am glad they covered her place too. Good for the town." Heidi says.
"Yeah, I know. I had a run in with that student journalist today too. I laid it on thick and probably stupidly made an enemy." Blue sighs.
"Blue if someone had told people I was here even a few months ago I would have felt terrified. We both cut ties for good reasons." Heidi says.
"I know. Hopefully this TV slot when it airs will put he focus on the food and leave me out of it." Blue says.
"I'll do what I can." Heidi says.
Blue sorts through his cupboards and checks on his eggs. Ollie and Ella took it in turns to look after the chickens while he was away. Ella left a sweet note to say she was scared to begin with but now loves them and can she come round more often. He starts making some pasta from scratch, something he doesn't do often but thinks he should do more of.
As he lets the dough rest Cheryl calls.
"How do you feel about Ocean and I moving up now." Cheryl asks.
"What? Really?" Blue asks excited.
"Well I have trained enough people here. How about next weekend? Ocean is homeschooled and has a gym in place your end, sure he's be without Spence but only for a few weeks. You can help Ocean with his studies and he can have skype lessons with George, Robin and the others if he needs them. The refit is close to being done and Marsha called about the TV spot. I feel it is time for me to be hands on." Cheryl says.
"Sounds good to me. Ocean's room is ready, the guest rooms are done. I could really do with having someone in the house." Blue says.
"I thought so. I've been talking and fighting with your mom." Cheryl says.
"She'll be by once a month or so." Blue says.
"Yes. About the only thing we agree on is you have too many nights alone." Cheryl says.
"I know. I was just away with Nick and his friend Brian who is just starting a job where Gervais is interning and it felt good to have some year round friends I can chill with. They are a lot less intense than others. Having you and Ocean would really ground me, I need family around more than I realized." Blue says.
"Ocean misses you and I think he needs someone he can chill with too. I think you'll be good for each other." Cheryl says.
"Are things full on for him even without school then?" Blue asks.
"Yeah. He loves gymnastics and his friends at the club are so much better than at school and his academics have come on immensely with the individual attention but I know he needs some real down time. I can't just step away from here when I'm here. A few months of us both having the same day off will do us the world of good." Cheryl says.
"Sounds like it is you who needs it most. Everyone here is so excited to meet you." Blue says.
"Keep it quiet. I will tell Mike but no one else. I want you to show me everything before everyone else starts trying to influence me." Cheryl says.
"I am so excited. Oh I had no idea you were in touch with Marsha." Blue says.
"Ella put us in contact with each other after you made that first sale. She's very happy and has good ideas." Cheryl says.
"Cool I should have thought of it. Good for Ella thinking for herself too." Blue says.
"Oh I am for sure going to work on Nick and Ella's confidence issues." Cheryl says.
"For sure their own opinion of themselves is hindering them. I'm not sure the business is right for Nick but I can see Ella doing well in both sales and the store now." Blue says.
"
Agreed and she wants to do more. They will both be fine. We'll find something that captures Nick too. Jett I am less sure about." Cheryl says.
"Me too. But that is my trust issues talking. He wants this, he wants the career but hell we'll see when he starts for real. I'm not letting him lose the way I was planning." Blue says.
"Agreed." Cheryl says.
"I hate how Bea has fucked up my instincts again. I hated her when I met her. I was wary of Jett for a moment but let him charm me. I think he'll be good for the company but I think he'll need more managing than I anticipated and I don't know that we have anyone who can do that." Blue says.
"We have me." Cheryl says with a grin.
"We do. Okay I will keep things quiet and make sure there is actual food in the house. We will have so much fun." Blue says with a big grin. The awkward events of earlier in the day forgotten.
The week goes by quickly, the TV piece airs during a morning show and they edited out Blue's freak out. Marsha and Heidi have an upturn in custom, the ice-cream is selling and Ella and Nick are managing the phone and web orders from other stores. Happy that things are getting started. Blue has poached Ollie for all his days except Mondays when they do the bakery together. Heidi is fine with this as other staff want more hours and her current team is all up to speed.
Thursday night Blue is filling Will in on everything. It is Will who is the needy one now. He is missing Blue terribly and can't seem to focus on recovery as well as he should be without Blue around.
"Can I fly to you tomorrow and you take me back to school Sunday?" Will asks.
"Oh baby why didn't you lead with that? Yes, yes, yes. Oh babe that gives us one night alone, I know, I know you can't do too much but we can be together just us. Then Cheryl and Ocean arrive Saturday. Tad and Larry are coming down from school for the weekend to meet Ocean and Cheryl too." Blue says.
"Baby I miss you so much. I just totally lost it today I was crying and crying and I have hit a wall. It's time to change up my program anyway and the trainer just told me to go home and see you." Will says.
"I love your trainer. Oh baby tomorrow for real? You make me so happy." Blue grins.
"I cannot wait to kiss you." Will says with a grin.
"I get to wake up to you for 2 days." Blue says wiping away a happy tear.
"I am so sorry for not taking your feelings into account. You have gone through far too much without me the last few weeks. I tried to block you out to be single minded and get ready the quickest way but I just can't do it without you. I just can't." Will says.
"Good. It was so hard to support you being away when I wanted you here. Oh baby everything is going better now. I love you so much." Blue says.
"I love you too. So, so much." Will says wiping away his own happy tears.
The minute Will changes his plans he felt his shoulders relax and his pain lessoned. He knows it was right to stay longer and get his surgery done but he also knows it is right to get back to school and to Blue. He feels incredibly grateful that Blue has stuck around for him. He knows he has asked an awful lot of him and is excited to start making things up to him.
Blue can hardly sleep from excitement. He has already cleaned and baked ready for Cheryl and Ocean and is now doing it all again trying to make everything perfect. Cheryl will have to be upstairs with Ocean as Will will need to be downstairs. Blue is wildly swapping things around. Chopping more wood, baking even more. Eventually exhausted he hits the shower and then bed.
He works on ice-cream until it is time to go to the airport, trying to stay focused and calm. Ella and Nick laugh at him and tease him about what a disaster he is being. He's been training up a new team all week and Blue is so jittery moving from station to station trying to advise and direct but his words are rushed and he's like a maniac.
Finally it is time to go and collect Will. He comes out in a wheelchair which surprises Blue.
"To protect my shoulder coming through the airport. Can walk just fine." Will says to Blue's questioning look.
Blue swings Will's bags onto his back and pushes Will out to the car one handed.
"You look so beautiful." Blue says leaning over to kiss Will when they are in the car.
"I can't believe you're real. We cannot do that again." Will says.
"You better not do that to me again. You have to let me come with when you're going to be away for weeks and weeks." Blue says.
"I'm really sorry for not treating you right. It is hard not to be railroaded by national staff. It took my huge crying fit to get them to realize I'm not a robot." Will says.
"I love you. I love you and you're here now. Lets not rehash shit. I was a petulant child and I know you forgive me. Lets just concentrate on now and the future." Blue says.
"Wow is my Blue really letting things go? I don't believe it." Will teases.
"Baby oh it was so hard without you. I will let anything go if it means you will want to stay." Blue says.
"Baby I never wanted to leave. I promise, never again, unless I make worlds or the Olympics but I think you'll forgive that." Will says.
"My baby is home." Blue squeals as he carries Will inside and places him on the bed.
"Kiss me now, kiss me lots. My bags can wait." Will says grabbing at Blue.
They arrange pillows to make Will comfortable and get lost in each other's lips.