(Author's Note) - Hey readers! First of all lets get it out of the way and say that the usual warnings apply. Now that that's done let me say a few words:
-
I, as the writer, love this story! I write it because I can't get it out of my head, just like any other pieces I write. I write it for you, but I also write it for me. I guess it's a conjunction of both.
-
That said, come on guys! I love writing this but it makes me a little discouraged when I don't get mail from you. Since you're reading this, no I'm not talking about all the other guys out there that COULD email me. I'm talking about YOU! If you don't usually give feedback to writers let me tell you that, in the past, I didn't either. BUT that's how I met my good friend Derek. AND now that I'm a writer I see that it really does mean a lot. I got pretty good feedback from my first chapter but since then... silence!
SO PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THIS STORY JUST SEND ME SOME EMAIL ! I'll be honest with you - I have some issues with personal insecurity. When I stop getting fan mail it makes me think you guys don't like where I'm taking the story and makes me consider not posting any more parts. --even if you email just to say "hey", it does matter.
(By the way this chapter switches back and forth from Caleb to Dylan's point of view so please be careful that you don't get a little lost) Also, expressed in this chapter are bigotry and some really nasty gay bashers. I do NOT feel this way but it is part of the story so I'm sorry if any of you are offended by it. Here you go!
Caleb's Point Of View:
That day we laid like that for quite a while. It was one of the few times in my life that I felt truely at peace. I was amazed when Dylan called me his husband. The funny thing is that I would have it no other way. I loved him so much. The days and nights drew on. For the next couple days Dylan had to go to work. I hated the fact that I didn't have a job too to help support us. More than that I hated so much to see him go.
The three days after that big screw up, which was totally my fault, he got up in the morning to go to work. Every time he left it felt like my heart was breaking. I tried to be strong for him. I made sure I never cried - until he left the house. Luckily though, unlike times in my past, Dylan was there at the end of the day to mend my heart back together. I knew he loved me so much. I didn't know why, but he did.
My past was becoming a distant memory. Even so, I still remembered. I guess that kind of pain never goes away. I felt a little ashamed that I hadn't told Dylan everything. They were my problems though. I didn't want him to worry about me. As long as I was with him I would be fine.
Then there were the dreams. I had them every night since that day Dylan called me his husband. I would be back in my home town. Then I would be back at a time I hoped I would never have to experience again. As I looked over there was my beautiful Travis, all beated and bloody. But then he would change to my Dylan, looking just fine. Dylan would pick me up in his strong arms and when I looked over there would be Travis, kind of glowing and just smiling in approval. And he would say to Dylan, "Dylan, take care of our Baby. He's still hurt."
Every time I would wake up and sit straight up in the bed. I felt kind of bad because every time it happened I would wake Dylan when I sat up. He would ask me what was wrong. I would tell him "nothing hon".
He would just pull me close to him and whisper to me, "Okay Babe, whenever you want to tell me. I love you and I'm here for you." God he knew me almost better than I knew myself.
Sure we made love some but that wasn't everything. Certainly nice, but not the reason we were in this relationship. We did lots of other things too. When we did make love it was just that - an expression of the love we had for each other. I still don't understand how some people can think that's wrong.
One night we went to a movie. Another day he got home earlier than usual and we went to the park. We just walked around and talked. It was nice. It made me feel close to him. Dylan was the only person, besides Travis, to actually make me feel like I was worth anything.
I thought about this and many other things. I was down at the same park we had visited two days ago. I was laying in the grass under a tree. It was so peaceful here. Being there still reminded me of Dylan and the time we had spent together here. I felt so relaxed that, without even realizing it, I fell asleep. Little did I know how dangerous that would be for me. Until it was too late.
Dylen's Point Of View:
The morning seemed just fine. I woke up next to my Baby as was becoming standard. My life seemed to be becoming so much simpler. If it wasn't for those damn dreams I kept having it would seem perfect.
At work I had always tried to act happy. I guess it worked because now that I actually was happy I just tried not to let it show much and nobody had noticed. Then again this could be because I'm pretty introverted. I had a few friends at work but not much and I never talked about my personal life. A few people knew my father and so they new about my personal life, everything except Caleb, and it was never discussed. Plain and simple.
As I sat in my office doing my work, or at least acting like I was, I heard my phone buzz. It was my secretary saying that Sharon wanted to see me. I was confused but I told my secretary to send her in. Let me explain. Sharon is one of those people that know my father. I wasn't exactly sure why or how but she did. We were friendly to each other but we weren't close. She was a secretary and they usually had their hands too full to have any relationship with anyone in the workplace.
She walked into the my door with worry written all over her face. I automatically hoped it wasn't about my father. I'll never forget what she told me.
"Dylan," she began. "I'm going to tell you something and I need you to ask no questions and just do what you need to okay?"
"Well I guess. What's wrong? It's not about my father is it?"
"No, it's not your father. Dylan... it's Caleb. Please don't ask me how I know. When you can think rationally you'll probably figure it out. But this is very important. Caleb needs you NOW! Go to him. In the Riverside park. Go quickly!"
It was like I went into autopilot. I didn't care what I might miss at work. Nothing mattered but Caleb needing me. I might have just about screamed to my secretary on my way out that I had an emergency: cancel everything. If I did it barely registered because I just kept going. I jumped in my car with one thought in my mind - get to the park.
It was starting to get dark when I got to the park. It wasn't a big park and I frantically ran for the main section. I heard some noise over to my right and ahead of me so I just ran that way. After all there was no one else in the park, I would assume, except Caleb. I don't know why he would be here but she said he would be. She wasn't even supposed to know about him! So what could I do but assume that, somehow, she knew.
What I saw next was something I'll never forget. For it made me realize just how much Caleb had meant to me.
Caleb's Point Of View:
I had been in a fairly quiet and secluded area of the park. As far as I knew I was still just thinking. Somehow though I had fallen asleep. Strange how that can happen sometimes. So about probably four hours since my last conscious thought I was brought out of my peaceful sleep, which was something that needed to happen anyway, but hard. With a direct message straight to me about just how bad this world is.
I was grabbed at the arms and hefted, in my waking state it felt more like thrown, against something very hard. My waking mind really tried to work fast. In that park. Ouch, a tree maybe? I was hurt, very confused, and naturally said the first thing that came to mind.
"Dylan?" I half questioned, half hoped, to no one particular. OKAY, ouch at my fucking face! Was that a fist!? Goddamn, I thought to myself, open your eyes Caleb! So I did. I vaguely saw three figures in front of me and realized two were holding my arms, effectively pinning me to the tree. This couldn't be good.
"Yeah, that must be the other one!" I heard. It came from the small one I think. Well I should say the smallest because none were really small. "Yeah that's right faggot I saw you here two days ago with that faggot fuck buddy of yours. It was all too obvious. And then you have the nerve to come back here. I called the guys as soon as I saw you sleeping here. It's a good thing you didn't wake up either. You deserve to die. All your kind. You're unnatural, a perversion! Probably a child molester too! The bible says you're goin' to hell fag. God'll see to that! But the rest of the world shouldn't have to live with your kind around anymore. So we'll just see to that!"
By now I knew this guy meant business. I wondered how I could be so stupid as to fall asleep in the park anyway. Serves me right, I thought, the one time in my life I don't want to die and here I am. As if for dramatic effect at the end of his little speach I received a nasty punch to the stomach. This caused me to kind of slump in pain. When my arms didn't even budge I knew these guys were strong. I just wasn't getting away. This was really it.
I looked up and I could see cold steel glistening in the man's hand. Strange enough I was kind of glad I could see the knife. Then my rational mind got the better of me and I realized that a knife was a bad thing. He was advancing towards me with it. Now he was no more than three steps and an arm legnth away from me. I closed my eyes and waited for the inevidable seering pain. My neck, chest, stomach, crotch or wherever he planned to stab me. He was going to stab me I was sure of that. I always found it best to avoid talk with people like this. So far I hadn't said anything. So I was suprised to hear:
"Any last words fag?" followed by a couple snickers.
I didn't even think. My eyes shot opened. I always have a way of cold, calculated, rage when I'm angry that Dylan told me was pretty scary. It was as if I were hearing myself speak, not the person saying the words. Lord knows it came out with more fury in my voice than I ever thought I could muster. "That 'faggot' is my husband! You can kill me but I'll always love him! You can't kill THAT you bastard!"
He stumbled back a few steps and for just a second he was clearly shocked. Maybe he expected me to deny it all together. I'll never know. "Oh you're gonna die!" I heard. He advanced on me and I closed my eyes and uttered the only words I ever really wanted to be my last
"I love you Dylan"
Dylan's Point Of View:
They were holding him to a tree. I heard the words "you're gonna die" and saw a man move towards him. I didn't even think. All this time and I had never had to use magick in self defense. Of course I was taught only to use it in extreme emergency. Without a doubt, this clarified. There wasn't even anyone around to see anyway. My training just kicked in immediately.
I reached back my hand, muttered the incantation, and threw an energy ball at him with force. Now, I was expecting it to hit him like a punch in the stomach. Obviously it had been a bit stronger because it hit him like it must have been the hardest punch to the stomach in human history. He fell to the ground doubled over in pain. It didn't even phase me.
I grabbed the knife and muttered another incantation. The knife disappeared. I think I literally sent it six feet underground. I just did the first thing that came to my mind. Anything to protect Caleb. I reached my arms out, from a distance, almost as if to grab the two men who now stared at me wide eyed. With a flick of my hands they each flew about ten feet to the side.
By now I moved toward an equally stunned Caleb who was also staring at me wide eyed with amazement. I wrapped my arms around him tight. I was just glad that I got there when I did. I held him tight for the fact that I never wanted to let him go, and for what I was about to do.
"Ready to go Babe?" I asked.
He managed a "yes". I told him to close his eyes and he did just that. I set my course for home. I almost never jumped like this because if someone saw it could be real bad but now was different. I muttered the words to "jump" and in about two seconds we were safe in our living room. I told Caleb he could open his eyes. When he saw where we were he nearly jumped ten feet.
"How... What... Oh god Dylan." He fell to the floor and just cried. I suspected, more than anything, the fact that he was still alive was an amazement to him. This was one of these times a person had to cry. I understood that. I lowered myself to the floor and held him in my arms whispering words of love and security.
"Dylan?" he finally whispered.
"Yeah Babe?"
"How did you know?" he asked with clear confusion.
"A friend told me you were in danger." I put it simply.
"Oh." he replied. It was almost inaudible. "So how did you..." he left it hanging. We both knew what he was thinking and I suppose he just couldn't find words for it.
"Baby." I sighed. "I'm so sorry I never told you. My family, my coven, control very powerfull magick. I had hoped I would never have to tell you. I love you so much and I just hoped I would never have to use it. I havn't had to use any of that in so long. Caleb I could do that stuff when I was ten." I didn't really know what else to say and i was running out of words. "And, well, you're wiccan too." I added.
He looked at me in disbelief. "Yes Dylan I'm wiccan. Wicca is a religion. There's a hell of a difference between being wiccan and, well, Harry freaking Potter! I didn't even know that kind of thing existed." he shook his head.
"Almost no one does Babe." I assured him, kissing the palm of his hand. I looked at him hopefully. "I could've never saved you the natural way. When I saw him coming at you my training just took over. I couldn't let him hurt you. I just couldn't."
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I felt his body all warm and soft next to mine. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" he whispered to me.
"I guess maybe the same thing I did to deserve you." I told him.
"No. Dylan you're kind, beautiful, you love me so much. You have a wonderful career. You've taken me into your home. Dylan I love you so much but I'm just... I can't compare to that."
"Caleb Baby don't do that to yourself. Please don't do that. You don't know how much it hurts me to hear you say things like that, just because I know it hurts you. Don't you see that you CAN compare to that? You're a kind beautiful man who loves me plenty. It shows through what you do. You're strong Caleb. You try your hardest to be strong for me, I know that. Don't you think I know how you cry when I leave in the morning? I love you for that. See, you compare to me in every way that it counts. In time I know you'll have a wonderful career that you enjoy. You've had it hard Caleb I get that. Please lets not rush the money issue. It doesn't matter to me. As long as we have enough to survive I don't care. Just let me love you Babe and don't worry about anything. You'll never have to worry again, okay?"
"I love you." he said as he reached up and stroked my hair with his hand. "Can we go to bed Dylan? You hold me?"
"Always." I said as I reached down and kissed his forehead. (He was laying in my lap). I picked him up and carried him to the bed. I laid him down. I lovingly undressed him and then did the same for myself. I climbed into he bed and got behind him and spooned him. Once again he told me how much he loved me and in minutes he was sleeping peacefully. His calm breathing was always like a drug for me and in no time I felt pretty tired. Caleb, I knew, would always feel nice in my arms.
Even though his breathing made me on the verge of sleep I still couldn't sleep. I just had too much I was thinking about. I was so confused. What was I going to do now? There was no other way I could have saved him. I knew I couldn't loose him. But this was so fucked up! I knew he was confused. He had every right to be confused. The only thing that kept me sane was that he never seemed to fear me. I knew we had time to talk about it. I wanted time that was ours though. I knew just how I could arrange that. We could take a vacation to my family's summer home. That would be perfect. I guess I had thought through everything because when I closed my eyes I finally slept.
I recognized this immidiately. It was the deam again. I would be holding Caleb. Then I would look over and see Travis. I hadn't even seen Travis before but it was just one of those dream things. I knew it was him. Travis would tell me to take care of Caleb. Same dream as before. Now it was time to wake up, just as usual. I didn't wake up though. It was like something was controlling me. I didn't want to, but I couldn't help it. I dropped him.
Almost immediately I was awake and I noticed that Caleb was too because he was sitting bolt upright and breathing heavily. He looked far more distressed than ever before. I grabbed him close to me in a hug. "I'm so sorry Baby." I whispered to him. He was crying. I knew I couldn't control it but I felt so horrible. I stroked his back softly trying to communicate all the love I had for him.
"Oh Dylan I've been having this dream and... and, you dropped me." he sobbed out.
"I know Babe, I had the same dream. I'm so sorry. I don't know why it happened. I didn't want to do it but I couldn't help it." Neither of us knew why the dream had happened or why we both had it. I had heard of things like this but I didn't think they actually happened. I guess that probably sounds rediculous but I do know that even magick has it's limits.
With me holding and comforting him Caleb got back to sleep shortly. I just couldn't get back to sleep myself. That dream had effected me so much that Caleb's breathing was doing nothing for me. Finally I got up and started to make phone calls. We had got in early and it was only about ten o'clock at night.
First I called my parents' house. My mom ansered the phone. I asked her if it was okay that I used the vacation home. She said that would be fine and she would make sure there was food there for me. When she heard that I would need food for two people for the first week she was more than curious. I wasn't ready to tell her yet. I guess she understood that because in the end she let me off the hook without telling her. I explained that I wanted my coven to stay there during the second week of my stay. Of course she was fine with that.
Next I called Brian. Brian was an important member of our coven. He was almost like the glue that held the pieces together. There were seven of us. I asked him to rally up the others and see if they were interested in a week, one week from now, at my family's spot. I was just about to thank him and say our goodbyes when I heard him.
"Dylan!" I heard Caleb's desperate cry. "Dylan!"
"Dylan who's that?" asked Brian with a renewed interest in the conversation.
"Brian!" I knew I had to be straight-foward with him or I'd never get off the phone. "I have to go! The love of my life needs me."
"Dylan!?" I could hear the doubt in his voice. "The love of your life? You couldn't have known her more than a week. Damn! She must be something else!"
I couldn't help but just hold the phone away from my head to look at it for a second in disbelief. She. There was a gay couple in our coven so I knew it would be okay but I hadn't really thought about the fact that I would be coming out. I couldn't tell him now though. He would have too many questions. Caleb needed me. That was all I could think of.
"Oh yes." I concurred more ironically than he really knew. "Indeed 'she' really is, well, something else." I had to fight back a snicker before my heart was wrenched as Caleb called me again. "I have to go!" I didn't wait for a response.
After hanging up the phone I rushed into the room and onto the bed. I crawled close to Caleb to comfort him. He had tears in his eyes.
"What is it Baby? What's Wrong?"
He put his arms around me and pulled me down facing him. "I need you." he whispered as he pulled me close. "Dylan where'd you go? Please hold me." I smiled at how sometimes he can be so strong and other times like a child. I loved that about him. It made me feel a need to protect him which, of course, I gladly would. I glanced at the alarm clock which now read 11:03.
"I'm here baby. I'll hold you. Don't worry about where I was. I'll explain it all in the morning." I told him.
"Dylan please don't leave me again. I was so scared when I woke up and you weren't there."
"I'm so, so sorry. Don't worry Baby I won't leave." I stroked his hair. "I'm here. Forever."
"Dylan?" It came almost as a mumble and I could tell he was close to needing sleep.
"Yes?"
"Can we sleep like before? Makes me feel protected. Makes me feel close to you." he sounded so tired and he kind of slurred.
I smiled to myself. My baby liked being spooned. Nice! Wait, there was more behind that statement. Almost like he was asking permission. That's not good.
"Of course Baby." I said pulling him into the position, his back flush against my chest. "I love you. If you need something, anything, you should never be afraid to ask. Besides, I think it feels real nice too." I assured him. I closed my eyes to sleep, close to the man I loved.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Well folks, that's it for this chapter. I know, I know... yeah I've been pretty lax on the "love making" scenes. This chapter was almost all about setting the stage for the BIG vacation. Tons of new, exciting, and probably a bit controversial things are going to happen within the next, oh, five or so chapters I guess. For those of you waiting for the two new lovers to give themselves to each other, all the way, sexually - hang in there! I promise it's coming! All in good time my dear readers.