A Chance Encounter, Chapter 13

A Chance Encounter

by Jason Finigan

This story is set in an alternate reality, and assumes the technology and capabilities of this reality's 23rd century are present in modern-day society.

Portions of this story contain copyrighted characters from other authors. Fictional organizations, situations, and characters from "Out of the Past" are copyright © by Dark Star and are used with permission. Clan Short is copyright © 2004-2008 CSU Productions; all rights reserved

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2007-2008 by Jason Finigan, all rights reserved. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com.

From the last chapter:

"Okay you two lovebirds, let's get this stuff and get home. We've got a party to get ready for."

It didn't take us long to get everything that was on the list that my mother had made before everything with Mr. Powell had started. Leave it to my mother to come up with things I wouldn't have thought we would have needed, but as usual, she was right on top of things. Before heading back home, we had picked up the torches, a new propane tank for the bar-b-q, and a lot of food, especially snacks like chips and pretzels and things like that. When we put everything in the trunk, I thought the whole thing was going to explode, and I definitely didn't think that the door would close. My father had to force it closed, but he finally managed to get it shut.

"Hey, Babe," Terry said turning to look at me. We were on our way home, and were almost there. "When do I get to meet some of your friends. You know, like this Brad guy you were talking to me about."

"I don't know. I think I'll give him a call sometime tomorrow, and see what he's doing. I'd love for him to meet you too."

"You think he'll be okay with us being a couple?" Terry asked.

"I'm sure of it. He's been trying to get me with someone for ages, but I never had the courage to ask anyone out. It was different with you. I just fell in love with you, and I couldn't help myself."

"Any regrets?" Terry asked.

"Not a one, Babe," I told him, and leaned over to give him a kiss.

"Alright boys," my father called back to us. "We're home," he said as he pulled the car into the driveway.

Chapter 13

The party was amazing.

I don't just say that just because I thought it was, but because I could see it on the faces of everyone there. Emily and Sam were sitting at the side of the pool, talking and giggling with each other. The adults were all sitting at the large picnic table we had in the back yard, including Shirley, who had joined us earlier in the day after that awful demonstration in front of our house. Vivian had gone to arrest her husband for hitting her, and came back later on to join us for the party.

Simon and I had a ball getting things set up. Blowing up the balloons, hanging up streamers, and even setting up the picnic tables and getting the food ready. My father, of course, was manning the Bar-B-Q, and Simon's father spent most of the time talking to my father as he cooked the hot dogs and hamburgers that we had just finished eating.

I think the best thing was when Emily and Sam came out of the house with a large white sheet of bristol board on which they had drawn and coloured a beautiful picture of Powder, who we were all having the party for as our way of saying good bye to her. It was hung by the kitchen window where everyone could see it. I knew that one day soon, we would be going back up to the preserve to see her, and see how she was getting along now that she was with her mother.

We all needed the rest and to be able to unwind after the events that had happened recently. Terry and I had talked things over, while setting up the party, and we decided that we weren't going to let some misguided individual ruin things for us or for our family. And even though the McKendricks weren't really family, we all considered them to be. Sam's father wasn't able to join us for the party, but her mother was. I think half the time she spent making sure that Sam was okay, and wasn't stressing herself out. I had already talked to Emily about Sam's health and I knew she wouldn't do anything to make Sam overly excited. Just looking at Sam's face though was enough to tell me that inviting her to this party was absolutely the right thing to do. I don't think I've ever seen her any happier than I did at that party.

Terry too was in his element. After eating, we were in the pool for quite some time, well beyond the point where our fingers began to look like prunes. Neither of us cared, and it was actually the perfect time for me to show him some of the things that I had learned from my water safety course, something that is required for someone to become a lifeguard. I had taken advanced first aid training, with special emphasis on both adult and child CPR, as well as instruction in how to use the portable defibrillator that is now mandatory at all pools.

All too soon, however, the party began to wind down. Emily and Sam retreated into the house, along with several of the adults, including Uncle Tim and Uncle Darryl. My mother was sitting at the picnic table talking to Shirley, obviously catching up on the latest gossip. Considering how sheltered Shirley had been recently, I expected my mother to be telling her a lot more than Shirley could. How a husband could hurt his wife is beyond me. Love is supposed to be a beautiful thing, a feeling that makes you forget all about your own selfish desires and want to do as much for the one you love as you possibly can.

That's how I feel for Terry. Looking into his eyes, I can tell that he feels the same way about me. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him, if given the chance. And I am so thankful that my family was so understanding and wanted to give Terry and me the chance to be happy. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Terry, the thing is, I think my family already knew this and if I knew my parents, they were probably well on the way to planning our wedding.

Terry and I weren't in any rush though. We were happy with getting to know more about each other, and enjoying each other's company. We had plenty of time to worry about things like that later, much later. After all, both Terry and I were still teens, and still going to school. I wasn't quite ready to become an adult just yet, and I knew that Terry felt the same way. We still had a lot to learn about life, but with our families' help, we're learning a lot more than some kids our age.

Paula had to leave, and we all saw her to her truck, making sure she promised to come visit us again sometime soon. Even though none of us, except for Tim, knew her well, she was really well liked by all of us. I was hoping to catch her alone and find out more about her time with Tim in college, but the recent events made that impossible. I'm sure I'll hear all about it the next time she visits though. And who knows, maybe by that time she'll have found herself a boyfriend and will bring him along with her.

Terry and I left the backyard and opted to head upstairs to our new room. There was still a lot to do with it to finish it to the way we both wanted, but after everything that's happened lately, I just wanted to collapse onto the bed and not have to worry about it until later. Terry closed the door and sat down on the bed beside me, his hand reaching over and beginning to lightly rub up and down my spine. God how much I enjoyed that. With every touch he sent never ending shivers running throughout my entire body. All I could do was lie there and groan out loud as his hands did things with my back and sides that no one had ever done before. I could lie like this forever, just to feel the things he was doing to me.

"Oh man, this feels so good!" I whispered between moans.

"I know," he giggled, and then without warning, he began to run his fingers up towards my now outstretched arms, and began to tease the sensitive underside of each one. The feelings in my back were nothing compared to this, and I swear my goosebumps developed goosebumps. It felt like I was in heaven.

"When I'm able to move again, I am so going to kiss you for this!" I groaned loudly.

"Is that a promise?" he asked, still giggling.

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed as another wave of pleasure swept over me.

He kept this up for what seemed to me like hours, though I'm sure it was only a couple minutes. The last thing I remembered while trying to catch my breath was his lips on the side of my neck, and him giving me a quick kiss before he lay down beside me.

"I love you, Simon," he whispered to me.

"I love you too, Terry," I replied, and moved over towards him, kissing him on the lips softly.

"That was really some party wasn't it?" he asked me after the two of us lay quietly for a bit.

"Yeah, it was. I think it was the perfect way to end the day."

"Well it's not quite over just yet," he told me.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember what my Dad said? About my uncle? He's supposed to be here today, though I thought he would have been here before the party started."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I wonder why we haven't seen him yet," I said.

"I don't know. Do you think we should find out if my Dad has heard anything from him?" Terry asked me.

"It couldn't hurt. Most people have cell phones by now, and I'm sure he has one himself."

"Technology, gotta love it huh?" he said, grinning at me.

"Yep!" I answered. The two of us then sat up, surprisingly, I didn't feel stiff at all. Whatever it was that Terry had been doing with my back really helped loosen it up a lot. We got up off the bed and left the room, heading down the stairs to the living room where everyone was still chatting away. Terry's father was sitting beside my father, and they were discussing the landscaping that my father wanted for both the front and back yards.

"Excuse me, Dad?" Terry interrupted, just when he thought that there was a pause in their conversation that was safe for him to talk to his father.

"Yes, what is it, Terry?" he asked, looking up at us.

"Well, I was wondering when my uncle was supposed to be arriving. You said he'd be here today, and I thought he might have made it to the party."

"Well, it just so happens that I got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. He's stuck in a little bit of traffic due to some accident, and should be here in about half an hour or so. I've told him a little about what has been happening around here, so he won't be too shocked to see this many people in the house."

"Did you tell him about..." Terry started.

"About you being gay, and about you and Simon being boyfriends? No I didn't. That's something you need to do, Son," he said.

I could see that Terry was visibly releasing his breath, which he had obviously holding while waiting for his father's response. There could only be one reason that he would do that.

"Are you worried about your uncle, Terry?" I asked him.

"Wha?" he asked, startled, looking at me as if I had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Oh, no, not really. Well okay, maybe a little," he admitted.

"Son, you don't have to worry. Remember, he's gay too, so he's gone through a lot of what you're feeling right now."

"I know I should be okay with him knowing, Dad, it's just that for some reason, every time I think someone might find out about me and Simon, I get worried that something will happen that will separate us."

"Terry, listen to me. We're not going to let that happen. Okay? Your uncle knows the only reason I would contact him to come visit is because you have come out, so he already knows you're gay. What I need to know is, how do you feel about him?"

"I don't know," Terry said, looking down at his feet.

"That's fair enough, but can you look at me?" David asked him, which Terry did, reluctantly. "Your uncle did what he did because he wanted to protect you from our parents. And so did I. Your grandparents are not going to be happy in the slightest to hear about you being gay, even though they never saw much of you in the first place."

"But why would they care? And what business is it of theirs anyways?" Terry asked, beginning to get angry. I put my arm around him to try and settle him down, which thankfully worked.

"You have every right to be angry at them, Terry. Believe me; your mother and I are just as upset with them. That's why we rarely talk to them at all, but when your uncle gets here, I want you to give him a chance and listen to what he has to say," David said.

"I will, Dad. I don't really have any bad feelings about him. I mean, he did what he thought he had to, so I can understand that. I guess I just spent so much time trying to hide who I was that just having someone finding out that I'm gay gets me a little worried."

"And that is entirely understandable, Son. I do know this. He does love you. Even though he's only known you from the things I've told him over the phone and in letters. I think he's more worried that you'll hate him for not being a part of your life."

"I don't hate him, Dad," Terry said.

"Just remember that you'll have your boyfriend standing with you, and you have the rest of us for support if you need it. We'll be here the whole time when your uncle gets here, so don't worry about it. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad," he said.

"Can I get a hug from my son?" David asked, smiling at Terry. Without any hesitation, Terry practically ran towards his father and the two of them fell into a long comforting embrace.

I think it was fortuitous timing that at that moment the doorbell rang. Without waiting, I rushed to the front door and opened it up. Standing there in the doorway was a man who looked very much like Terry's father, though there were subtle differences. The first one being that this man was definitely older than Terry's father, yet from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he still had a youthful spirit. A smile began to form on my face as I began to imagine the mischief that Terry's uncle and my Uncles were going to get into as I recognized the same youthful spirit in their eyes as well. He was a well groomed man with short brown hair and sporting a trimmed goatee. There was a little bit of gray in his goatee, but nothing substantial. His eyes were a dark brown, and while he didn't look to be overly muscular, he did look quite fit which reminded me of my Uncle Darryl.

"Are you Terry's uncle?" I asked, holding the door open.

"Um, yes, I'm Dale Long. I hoped I had the right address," he said, smiling down at me. I forgot to mention that he was quite a bit taller than me, probably standing about six foot compared to my five foot, nine inches.

"Come in," I said, stepping aside to let him in. He came into the house and looked around tentatively.

"Is Terry here? Is my brother here?" he asked.

"Yes, to both questions. They're in the living room. Take off your shoes and come in," I said, giving him a polite smile and nodding my head to let him know things were okay. He returned my smile and did as I had asked him to, then followed me into the living room after I had closed the door. Terry was sitting beside his father, his head resting comfortably on his shoulder.

"Dale?" David asked, suddenly getting up from the couch, startling Terry slightly.

"Hi, Bro," Dale said, smiling shyly. Terry's father ran up to him, and immediately grabbed him in a long brotherly hug. Even though he had told us that they rarely got to see each other, the love that they had for one another never wavered in all that time. I could hear soft sounds of sobbing, but couldn't tell who it came from, or if both of them were crying. It was probably the latter, as I know it's what I would do if I wasn't able to see any of my family for a long time. Terry sat on the couch, and just stared at his uncle, who was now holding onto David as if his life depended on it. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but somehow I knew that Terry was just trying to get a sense of his uncle. A person who he was now meeting for the first time.

Finally David and Dale separated, both of them with tears streaking down their faces. Dale looked over at Terry and then pulled away from David. He then looked over towards Terry, who was still sitting down, and watching the two of them intently.

"Is that Terry?" he asked, almost in a whisper, but loud enough for me to hear him.

"Yes," David answered, and turned to look at Terry. "Terry, I'd like for you to meet my brother, and your uncle, Dale. Dale, this is my son, Terry." Terry got up off the couch and as he made his way towards Dale, Dale extended his hand out to him. Terry just looked at it for a second, before looking up at Dale again. Then slowly held out his hand and grasped his uncle's hand. Dale smiled down at Terry, while they shook hands for the first time.

"It's so good to finally meet you in person, Terry. Your pictures don't do you any justice. You are one hell of a handsome young man," Dale said. This of course had the effect of making Terry blush furiously.

"Um, thanks," Terry replied shyly.

"Terry, I want to apologize to you. I wanted so much to be in your life and watch you grow up into the man you are becoming. I wanted it so much. But with the way my parents were, there was no way I could do that. I was afraid," Dale said.

"Afraid? Why afraid?" Terry asked.

"Because I was afraid that they would have said something to you about me, and you would have heard some very hateful things. My parents and your father's parents are normally very nice people, and I still love them a lot, but they really cannot accept that I am gay. To them it's everything they've grown up to hate, and this late in their lives, that's something that they just can't let go of. I knew that if I wasn't around, it'd be unlikely for you to hear anything like that from them," Dale said sadly.

"We rarely ever go see grandma or grandpa. I didn't know why until Dad told me about them."

"To be honest with you, Terry. I had a hint that you might have been gay when you were very young."

"How?" Terry asked, surprised.

"You were always more outgoing than the other kids you used to play with. You always tried to get along with everyone and when someone was left out of something, you always tried to include them. But it was more than that, your Dad told me that he caught you a number of times paying more attention to some of the boys than everyone else, except the girls that is."

"Oh," Terry said, "I honestly didn't know until a few years ago."

"Yes, that's the way it is for most people. And now it seems that you have grown up magnificently, and from the looks of that young man standing behind me, you've found yourself a very good boyfriend," Dale said, referring to me.

"He's not just good... he's the best," Terry said, smiling widely at me.

"I bet he is," Dale said, laughing slightly. "You have any questions or anything, you let me know. I may not have been there for you when you were growing up, but I want the chance to get to know you now, and I promise I will always be there for you, if you want that is." Without warning, Terry wrapped his arms around Dale and pulled him into a tight hug. Dale was almost beside himself. There was no way he was prepared for the reaction that Terry had, had. He didn't expect to have a sixteen year old nephew holding onto him for dear life. All he could do was put his arms around Terry, and return the hug for as long as Terry wanted.

He looked up at David, who was just as puzzled by Terry's action as Dale was. But Terry's father's shocked look was soon replaced by a relieved smile as he witnessed his son and brother begin to bond together for the first time. Something that I knew should have happened the day Terry was born. I could only stand there watching along with everyone else as the two of them hold each other in the middle of the living room.

"Daddy, why is that man hugging Terry?" Emily asked, startling everyone. So focused we were on Terry and Dale that we had completely failed to notice when Emily and Sam had entered the room.

"Emily, that's your uncle Dale that Terry is hugging right now. Your uncle just arrived a few minutes ago," Kathy told her, recovering quickly.

"Oh, why didn't anyone tell me?" Emily asked.

"We weren't expecting him to get here so soon," David replied.

"Uncle Dale? Can I get a hug too?" Emily asked, walking up to him.

"You must be Emily," Dale said, looking down at her.

"Uh huh," Emily replied, holding up her hands, just like Kyle, the kid I used to babysit, did when he wanted cuddles from someone. Terry let go of his new uncle and stepped aside so Dale could reach down to pick up Emily, who giggled with delight as she hugged his neck.

"You are getting to be a really big girl," Dale said. "Do you want to come sit with me?" he asked her.

"Uh huh," Emily said again. Dale carried her over to the couch and carefully sat down beside his brother, settling Emily down onto his lap and waiting for her to get comfortable. "Daddy, is he going to be living with us?" she asked.

"No, honey. Dale has his own place, but he'll be visiting more often now," David replied.

"Oh, okay. I like him," she said, with such simple innocence that everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh. The only one that didn't quite know what was going on was Sam, as I could tell that she had only been able to catch a bit of what was being said. Making a motion with my arms, I got her attention and began to repeat for her everything that had been said. After which she began to giggle lightly, and nodded her head in understanding.

"Simon?" Dale said, noticing what I had been doing.

"Well, Sam is deaf. She can read lips, but she was only able to catch a bit of what was going on, so I just filled her in on the rest," I told him.

"Oh, I understand now," he said. Then turned to Sam, and shocked the hell out of me as he began to sign to her, "I'm sorry Sam, I didn't know that you were deaf. Would you like to sit on my lap too?" Sam of course was absolutely thrilled at seeing that Dale was able to sign to her, and she excitedly got up onto his lap, straddling one leg, while Emily was straddling the other.

"Yes. Sam is deaf, but we're going to be making an appointment for her to get a cochlear implant. It's a little device that basically bypasses damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve. She would be able to hear, but it will take her time to learn to recognize the sounds. We're hoping that eventually she'll be able to hear and talk just like the rest of us," Mrs. McKendrick said.

"Yes, I'm familiar with them. I actually work for a company that speciallizes in speech therapy for the deaf. That's how come I know how to sign. It helps to be able to communicate with the people I'm helping," Dale said.

"Really? Wow, that is great!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you can help Sam after she gets her implant."

"I'll get you the number of the company I work for so you can set up an appointment. Just mention my name, and you'll be sure to get a spot. I'll even make sure I get assigned to her personally then," Dale said. Then he looked down at Sam, and made sure she could see what he was saying. "Do you want me to help you when you get your implant so you can hear?" Sam smiled enthusiastically and nodded her head, throwing her arms around Dale's neck and giving him a nice hug.

"There's just one thing though, Dale," Mr. McKendrick said. "Before Sam can get her implant, she needs corrective surgery on her heart to repair a defective valve. Unfortunately she was born with a congenital heart defect, and only now are we able to get it corrected."

"Really? I thought they do that kind of thing when they are infants if it's discovered early enough," Dale said.

"Well it wasn't discovered until a few years after her birth. They wanted Sam to gain some more of her strength again before they attempted to fix the problem. The thing was, our insurance company wasn't going to cover the cost of the medications that she would need after her surgery. Thankfully Craig and his family are going to help us with that, in exchange for some landscaping of course," Mr. McKendrick said, grinning over at my father.

"We are only too happy to see that beautiful daughter of yours well again," my father said.

"That reminds me, I need to make some introductions. Where are my manners?" David said, getting up from the couch. He proceded to introduce everyone, and when he got to my Uncle Tim and Uncle Darryl, I could see Dale's eyes light up.

"The two of you are married?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," Tim said, holding onto his husband's hand.

"You two are so lucky! My ex and I were going to get married," Dale said, then began to frown slightly. "That is until I caught him cheating with another man."

"Ouch, I'm really sorry about that, Dale," Darryl said. "But look at it this way, at least you found out before the two of you got married. I'd hate to think what would have happened had you found out after. Divorce is not a cheap solution to that kind of problem."

"I know. That's the same thing I've told myself over and over again. I've given up dating for a while, and am just concentrating on my work for now. And now that I have my family back, I won't be alone any more like I was before," Dale replied.

"True, but there is no substitute for someone to spend your life with," Tim said.

"I agree with you there. But I'm not worried. I'll find someone when the time is right. I've learned that you don't go looking for love, it usually ends up finding you when you least expect it."

"You said a mouthful there, Dale," Tim laughed.

"Speaking of a mouthful, I've been on the road for like hours, and I could use a bite to eat. Is there anything I can eat?" Dale asked.

"Oh, of course," my mother said, and got up from the couch, where she had been sitting with my father. "Just follow me," she said, heading for the kitchen.

"Okay, girls. Time to get up," Dale said, gently lifting Emily, and then Sam up off his lap so he could stand up. "Food is waiting!" And with that, he headed for the kitchen after my mother. When he came back, he had a couple of hamburgers and some salad from the party earlier. My mother had re-heated the hamburger for him, so he wouldn't have to eat them cold. As he sat there eating his food, the conversation among the rest of the adults had drifted towards the encounter we had with Mr. Powell. My uncle Tim and uncle Darryl were especially involved in it, as their perspective on the hatred that this man possessed was something that none of the rest of them could relate to. Terry and I could though, and we ended up holding each other's hands through most of it. Something in the conversation made Dale suddenly gasp allowed, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"Dale, what is it?" David asked.

"This person you are talking about, you said he was kicked out of the baptist church for his views," Dale said.

"Yes, what of it?"

"I have heard mention of an organization that believes much of what this Mr. Powell does. Everything you've said so far makes me believe that he's a member of it as well. From what I've heard about this group, they are extremely vocal, and according to the rumors I've heard, are definitely dangerous."

"Who are they? And why haven't we heard anything of this group?" my father asked.

"I'm not surprised you haven't. For the most part, they've been operating openly in the United States only. I don't think I've heard much of anything of them in Canada, but if I'm right, that's about to change."

"Just where have you been hearing of things about this group?" my mother asked.

"From the Internet of course," Dale said. "Most of the major publications post their articles online as well as on printed paper. It's from these that I've been able to keep up to date on this group's activities. And believe me, what I've read has made my skin crawl."

"Surely they can't be that bad," David said.

"Oh, yes they can be, and are. I've compiled quite a list of articles related to this group. Next time I'm down here I'll bring it by so you can have a look for yourself."\

"That would be good. I'd like to read what you have," my father said.

"What's the name of this organization?" my mother asked.

"The Fundamentalist Church of Christ," Dale answered.

"Oh wait a minute, I think I've heard of that group!" Uncle Darryl exclaimed.

"What? You have?" my father asked.

"Remember when my parents kicked me out of my house when I came out to them?" he asked my father.

"Yes."

"Well, at the time they belonged to a fundamentalist group, and I think it was the same one that Dale just mentioned."

"I think you're right, Hon," Tim said.

"Damn, I didn't know that, that group has been around for that long," Dale said in thought.

"Well, obviously they have been. The question is, why haven't we heard much about them in Canada if they're as bad as you say they are?" my father asked.

"That is because the criminal code in Canada is very strict when it comes to discrimination. Canada is one of the more liberal countries in the world, and discrimination is frowned upon greatly."

"Yeah, we saw that today when Mr. Powell got sent to jail. The police officer that was here said he was arrested for inciting hatred," I said.

"That's right. A person can have their own beliefs and opinions, but when they try to influence others to harm another group, or person, the law will come down on them pretty hard."

"Well, at any rate. It looks like Mr. Powell is finding out just what Canada can do when it comes to hate speech. I'm sure he's probably fuming right now," Tim said.

"Of that you can be assured, but he'll be doing all his fuming in a jail cell," Dale laughed, which was joined by everyone.

"Anyways, it's getting late, and I know of two girls who need to get ready for bed," my mother said.

"Oh my," Mrs. McKendrick said, looking at her watch. "I didn't even realize that it was getting so late."

"My how the time flies when you're having fun," Darryl chuckled.

I looked over at Emily and Sam, and was amazed to see the two of them asleep on either side of Dale. I thought it was so cute to see them like that. Dale had his arms around the two of them, and their heads were resting on either side of his chest.

"Dale, would you help me get these two girls to bed?" David asked, bending down in front of Dale to carefully pick up Emily.

"Of course," Dale said.

"I think I should take Sam home with me," Mrs. McKendrick said, getting up from where she was sitting.

"Oh let the two of them sleep together," my mother said. "Sam's worn out, and she's happy."

"I don't know," Mrs. McKendrick said, looking over at her daughter.

"Pam, she's happy, and perfectly safe here with us. Let her enjoy her first sleepover," my father said.

"Okay," Mrs. McKendrick finally said, smiling slightly. "I guess I'm just too over protective. I've had to be to keep her well enough for this operation."

"We understand," my mother said. "And we have your number should we need you. But I don't think we'll need to worry tonight. Those two are way past tired and all they'll be doing is sleeping. Why don't you come back over first thing in the morning and have breakfast with us?"

"I would like that, thanks. And I'm sorry for being so protective."

"Nonsense, that's what makes you an excellent mother," my mother replied. Mrs. McKendrick said her goodbye's to everyone, giving Terry and me a hug, then went to the front door, followed by my mother who went to see her out. Dale and Terry's father carried the two girls up to my old room where Emily was sleeping while Terry and their family was with us. Meanwhile, uncle Tim and uncle Darryl were getting up and stretching.

"I could use a coffee," Tim said.

"I'm all for that," Darryl replied, "Anyone else want some?" he asked, and upon seeing that no one did, went off with Tim into the kitchen. That left just Terry, me, my father, and Terry's mother in the living room.

"You know something, Babe. I'm getting kinda tired myself," Terry told me.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," I said.

"Why don't the two of you get up stairs and get ready for bed yourselves," my father said.

"Sounds like a plan to me," I said, looking over at Terry, who was nodding his head. At that moment, my mother came back into the room, followed by uncle Tim and uncle Darryl, who were each carrying a cup of coffee.

"Heading off to bed already boys?" Tim asked, seeing that Terry and I were just about to leave.

"Yeah. It's been a long day, and we're tired," I told him.

"Alright, you boys have a good sleep," my mother said, and gave the two of us a hug. We said our good night's and gave hugs to everyone else, then made our way up the stairs to my new room. On our way, we ran into Dale and David.

"Going to bed boys?" David asked us in the hallway.

"Yeah," we replied, almost at the same time.

"Well, good night then. Sleep well," David said, giving the both of us a hug.

"Good night," we said.

"Boys, it was really nice meeting you two. I'll be hanging around here for a while. I might stay for a couple days, if it's okay with your father, Simon," Dale said.

"I know he'll love it if you did," I said.

"And you Terry, I'm really glad I got to meet you in person. You really have grown into an amazing young man."

"Thanks, Uncle Dale," Terry said, and gave his uncle a hug, who returned it.

"Good night boys," Dale said, before following David down the stairs. Terry and I made our way up to my room, and once inside, closed the door. Stumbling to the bed, I practically collapsed onto it, landing on my stomach, half my legs hanging over the edge. Terry lay down beside me, resting on his side, and looking over at me.

"God I can't believe everything that's happened today," Terry said.

"I know. First Mr. Powell, then the party, and then your Uncle shows up. I hope tomorrow is going to be more of a regular day. Any more like today and I'm going to die of exhaustion!" I said.

"I know what you mean. I'm sure tomorrow will be just fine though," Terry said.

"Yeah. You know, I was kinda thinking that I wanted to go out to the mall tomorrow," I said.

"Oh yeah? What for?" Terry asked me.

"I dunno, I just feel like it. I haven't gone to the mall to hang around for a long time. Well, at least not since the last time that me and my friends were there before school finished. But it still seems like forever."

"A lot has happened in the last few days hasn't it?" Terry asked.

"You can say that again. But you know something? I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world. Finding you was the best thing that could ever happen to me," I told him.

"Simon, cut it out, you're going to make me blush!" he replied, smiling at me.

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked, sitting up, and looking down at him. I leaned forward and brought my lips to his, and began to kiss him. At first it was just a gentle kiss, and then it grew to something much, much more. The love we felt for each other seemed to take over and our kiss soon began to mirror the passion we felt, becoming so much more intense than just the simple kiss I had planned to give him.

Soon we were in each other's arms, laying side by side, our hands roaming all over each other's backs as we kissed. I dared not let him go, for though I knew in my mind he was right there with me, I felt as though if I let him go even for a second, I could lose him. He must have felt the same way because his hands never let go. I felt so alive, and so happy at that one instant. I have no idea how long we lay there kissing one another, but it seemed like forever.

Eventually we broke apart, though reluctantly. Only the need for us to catch our breath forced us apart. We lay there staring into each other's eyes and each seeing the love we felt reflected back at us.

"I love you, Terry," I said softly.

"I love you too, Simon," he replied just as quietly.

After a few minutes, I began to get up, causing him to look up at me questioningly.

"I need to take a shower. Care to join me?" I suggested with a smile on my face.

"Lead the way, my love," Terry said, getting up from off the bed, and following me out of the room down the hall and into the bathroom, holding onto each other's hands.

* * *

Waking up the next morning was pure bliss. After the shower Terry and I had shared together, we both fell into bed and into each other's arms. The both of us were so tired, we could do little else but hold each other, and cuddle until the both of us were fast asleep. Our first shower together was magical. We stripped off our clothes, began to run the water until the temperature was just right, and we climbed in together. Terry spent a good amount of time washing me down, scrubbing my back, my chest, my arms, every part of me with soap. He paid special attention to my groin, fondling my shaft with his soap covered hands, and rubbing the sack underneath with so much love and tenderness that I could not help but become aroused by his actions. More than once, did I moan out loud, and I thought my legs would buckle under me as his hands magically began to work me into such a state until I could not hold back any longer, crying out as my body seemed to explode. Pleasure as I had never felt before filled my entire being, and I knew that if it wasn't for Terry holding me steady, I would have collapsed from the things he was making me feel.

Never before had I felt such pleasure. Never before had I had a release as what Terry gave me. All I could do was lean up against the side of the shower, still in Terry's arms, and breathing heavily, trying to recovering from the aftermath of the largest orgasm of my life.

Recovering slightly I set about returning the favor, running the soap all over his smooth almost hairless body. Allowing my hands to touch every part of him, being as gentle as I could. I almost laughed when I heard him begin to moan, and looking down I could see that what I was doing was having the desired effect. I wanted him to feel the same way he had made me feel, if not better. His eyes were closed as my hand reached down to caress his shaft, teasing it, as I slowly worked my fingers up and down it's length. Moans soon began to escape from his lips, as I stroked his shaft slowly. It was now my turn to try and steady him, as my hand steadily began to move up and down his shaft faster. He was now leaning up against the wall, and was thrusting into my hand, his member harder than ever. Then with a cry, it happened, his member jumped and exploded, the force of which threatened to make him collapse from the sensations he was feeling. It was now me holding him up, until he was able to recover from the orgasmic high he experienced.

We stood there together holding onto each other like that for five more minutes, the both of us trying to catch our breaths. This was the first time that either of us had done anything like this, and I knew without a doubt that there would be many more opportunities for us to explore the love we felt for each other.

By now the water was beginning to run cold, and we quickly rinsed off, then got out of the shower. We dried each other off, and gathered our clothes, placing them in the hamper along with the wet towels. We then left the bathroom and walked into my bedroom, closing the door behind us. Falling into bed, we cuddled up close to each other and promptly fell asleep.

Now as I lay beside Terry, and looking at him sleeping peacefully beside me, all I could feel was love and contentment. I didn't care what the future had in store for us, just so long as we were together. Running my hand over his exposed arm, he began to stir, his eyes opening slightly. Upon seeing me, he instantly smiled, and opened his eyes all the way.

"Good morning, my love," I said as he stretched out as best he could.

"Good morning," he replied. "Did last night happen for real?"

"Yeah, it did," I said, smiling at him.

"My God that was amazing. I have never felt like that before," he said.

"Neither have I."

"What time is it?" he asked.

"About eight-thirty in the morning," I said, looking over at the clock beside my bed.

"Mmm, I don't want to get up. I want to lay here like this all day," he said.

"I would love that too, except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"I gotta pee!" I exclaimed and pulled the covers off of me, and ran out of the room, naked as the day I was born.

"Nice butt!" Terry called out as he watched me leave. At that moment I was standing over the toilet, my morning wood making it difficult to aim for the bowl below, but eventually I managed, sighing with relief as I released my bladder into the toilet. Terry came up behind me, and joined me, his stream joining with mine until both our bladders were empty. Grabbing a couple wads of toilet paper with which to clean ourselves off, and handed one to Terry. Once we were done, I flushed the toilet and we made our way back to my bedroom. Along the way, I raised my head, taking a deep sniff of the air. It was at that moment that my belly told me it needed to be filled.

"Someone's up, and cooking breakfast," I said hungrily.

"Oh yeah!" Terry said, excitedly.

"Come on. Lets get dressed so we can get something to eat."

"I'm right behind you, Babe!" he exclaimed.

Terry reached into the dresser and took out a pair of his track pants, some socks and a t-shirt. I grabbed something similar. Neither of us decided to wear any underwear, which I actually preferred. Together the two of us gingerly made our way back downstairs, and walked into the kitchen where we saw Mrs. McKendrick, Terry's mother, and my mother already busy getting breakfast ready.

"Good morning," I said, giving my mother a nice big hug.

"Good morning, Simon, Terry," my mother said, hugging both of us in turn.

"Good morning boys. How did you sleep?" Mrs. McKendrick asked.

"Wonderful!" we said at the same time, laughing.

"Okay, I don't think I want to know," my mother said, smiling knowingly. The way she was looking at us made me believe that she knew what happened in the shower last night, and I began to blush furiously.

"So what are you boys planning on doing today?" my mother asked.

"Well, I thought I'd go with Terry to the mall today. Would you or Dad take us there?" I asked her.

"Well why don't we all go? It's been a while since I've been there myself," my mother suggested.

"Cool, okay!" I said excitedly.

"Simon, Emily and Sam are still asleep, would you and Terry mind going and waking them up? Breakfast will be done soon."

"Sure thing. Come on Terry," I said, racing back up the stairs. Terry followed right after me, and stopped when I was just outside Emily's door.

"Think we should knock first," Terry said,

"Yeah," I said, and gently knocked on the door. I waited for a few seconds but didn't hear anything from inside the room. Looking at Terry, I shrugged my shoulders and opened the door. What I saw inside the room made my face light up. There in the bed, spooned up against each other were Emily and Sam, still sleeping peacefully. Emily was behind Sam and had her arm draped over her, holding her close.

"Aw, now that is just too cute," Terry whispered.

"I agree, go and get my mom, she'll want to see this," I whispered back. Terry left the room quietly while I stood in the doorway, just looking at the two sleeping girls. If I didn't know any better I would have sworn that they were more than just friends. A few minutes later, Terry came back up stairs, and this time he was followed by my mother as well as Terry's mother, who had obviously been downstairs as well, and Sam's mother. The three of them looked in the doorway and saw the two girls lying there like that, and they too began to smile.

"You boys go downstairs, we'll wake up the girls, okay?" my mother suggested. "Simon, check up on breakfast. I turned everything off, but I don't want it to sit there."

"Sure thing, Mom," I said.

"Thanks, Dear. We'll be down pretty soon," my mother said.

Terry and I went back downstairs and he began to set up the table. I went to the stove and took the bacon out of the frying pan, putting it in a paper towel lined basket that my mother had made ready. The scrambled eggs were in another frying pan, and there were several serving plates on the counter top. Grabbing one of the plates, I emptied the eggs onto it. The toast was already piled up on a large tray on the table, and there was another tray full of waffles. I brought both the eggs and the bacon over to the table and sat them down, then went to the fridge to grab the butter and syrup.

Eventually my mother and Terry's mother came back downstairs, and they were followed by two obviously still tired little girls. Terry and I grinned at them, and went over to pick them up. Both of them squealed with delight as we did, and Sam settled comfortably in my arms, while Emily did the same in her brother's.

"You two looked so cute like that," I told Sam, which caused her to blush.

"You saw us sleeping?" she signed to me.

"Uh huh," I said. "I don't have to ask if you two slept well, cause I know you did." All Sam could do was smile and nod her head. Meanwhile Terry was talking to a giggling Emily.

"You guys ready for breakfast?" a smiling Mrs. McKendrick asked us.

"Yeah!" the three of us answered loudly. Sam just nodded her head when I told her what her mother had said. We let the girls down, who immediately went to sit down. Terry and I decided to sit down in the two seats across from them. The two girls were giggling about something, and it was obvious to me that Sam had taught Emily a bit of sign language, as Emily was having an easier time of understanding what Sam was saying. Pretty soon we were joined in the kitchen by uncle Tim and uncle Darryl. And from upstairs came my father, David, and Dale.

Seeing as there wasn't enough room for everyone in the kitchen, the adults moved to the living room to eat their breakfast while us kids stayed in the kitchen. There was a lot of conversations going on in the living room, most of it overlapping one another making it difficult to tell what was being said. It was times like this that I envied Sam, for her not being able to hear things made it easier as there wasn't any distractions. By the time we had finished a second helping of breakfast, we were all full, and went into the living room where the adults had long finished theirs.

"You guys actually finished eating?" my father teased us.

"Dad, we didn't eat that much," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

"I'd better go in there and make sure the plates and everything are still intact," My mother said, getting up from the couch she was sitting in.

"Mom!" I complained, which set everyone off laughing at us.

"We can't help it that we're growing kids," Terry said, trying to defend our dignity.

"At this rate, we're going to need to do some more shopping," David said.

"Dad, would you or Mom be able to take us to the mall today?" I asked him.

"Sure, when did you want to go?" he asked.

"Um, maybe this morning," I said hopefully.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Hon," my mother said to my father. "We should all go. It's been ages since we've all gone there as a family."

"Not a bad idea actually. What about you, Pam? Did you want to come with us?" David asked.

"Sure, I'd love to," she said.

"Sam's coming with us isn't she?" Emily asked.

"Of course she can come with us, Emily," Mrs. McKendrick said.

"Well, it's just about ten o'clock now, so everyone might as well get ready while I put the dishes in the dishwasher," my mother said. "Boys, girls, go upstairs and brush your teeth and wash your hands." There was a mad rush of feet racing to get up the stairs as we all made our way to our bathrooms to do as my mother had asked us to do. Not more than five minutes later we were all back downstairs getting our shoes on. Even though it was the beginning of July, it was still a little cool in the morning, so I was glad to be wearing track pants. I knew later on in the day it would get really warm, and I'd change into my shorts then, but for now, track pants were the best. Emily and Sam were also dressed for a cool morning, but knowing Sam, I knew she'd be changing into a light dress later on.

"Everyone ready?" my father asked, to which everyone either nodded their heads, or told him they were. We left the house together, and got into our cars. Terry and I were in the car with my mother and father, Emily and Sam went with Terry's parents, Mrs. McKendrick went with uncle Tim and uncle Darryl, while Dale was driving his own car. Seeing as how the mall wasn't too far away from where we lived, it didn't take us more than fifteen minutes to get there. Actually, I think the traffic slowed us down more than anything else.

By the time we got to the mall, it was shortly after eleven o'clock. Since Terry and I were older, we were allowed to wander through the mall on our own. As soon as we got inside, my father handed me a bunch of cash which I looked at in surprise.

"What's this for?" I asked him.

"If you're going to be here, you might as well get something you would like," he told me.

"Thanks, Dad!" I said, noticing that he had put almost a hundred dollars into my hands. I pocketed it quickly, putting it in my wallet that was in my back pocket. When I looked back over at Terry, I saw that his father had done the same for him, and was just putting his money away as well.

"Now you boys behave yourselves while we are here. We'll meet up at the food court at say about one in the afternoon, okay?" my father said.

"Okay, Dad," I said, already leading Terry away from them. "Come on, Terry. I want to show you EB Games. They have everything there."

"Cool!" he exclaimed, and followed after me, leaving the adults laughing slightly after us.

EB Games was in the lower section of the mall, and we had to take the escalator to get to the lower floor. Since we had entered the mall on the west side, and EB Games was on the east side, we had to pass through the food court on the way over. Just walking through it started to make my stomach rumble. And this despite the big breakfast I had before coming over here. Looking at Terry, I could see his eyes soaking in all the food venues that were in the mall.

"Come on, Babe," I whispered. "Let's get over to the game store now before we end up buying all this food with our money. I want to check out the newest games." Reluctantly, he allowed me to pull him away from the delicious smells that seemed to fill the entire food court.

EB Games is probably my favorite store to go to in this mall. There are a few other shops that I liked, but nothing comes close to the eye candy that can be had in this place. Every game you could ever want was in here, and while my collection of games was pretty big, there was always one or two that I just found I had to get. With my father giving me enough money to buy a game, I knew that I wouldn't be walking out of here empty handed. I just had to make sure I saved enough so I could eat later on.

Terry's eyes were almost coming out of their sockets as he saw the games lining every wall in the store. Almost all the shelves from floor to ceiling were covered in games for every system. Gamecube, PS2, Xbox, and now the new PS3, and Wii consoles as well. While he was looking over everything, I went right to the Wii wall and started to look at everything that was available for it. The one game that I never did get when I first purchased the system, or rather when my parents purchased it, was the newest Legend of Zelda game. I loved that one. It was the whole reason to get the Wii in the first place. Even though there was a version of it available for the Gamecube, it just wasn't the same without the motion sensitive controller that the Wii had.

As luck would have it, they had the game in stock, and in fact was ten dollars off which made it even sweeter or me. I didn't hesitate in the least and asked one of the sales associates for a copy of the game.

"Do you see anything you like here?" I asked Terry, seeing him looking over the Xbox wall.

"Nothing really. I don't have a game system. Most of my games are on the computer. I actually don't spend much time on them."

"Well, there are lots of other shops in the mall that you can look at."

"Is there an HMV in here?" he asked me.

"Yep. There's one near where we came in to the mall."

"I think I'd like to go see that place. They always have lots of cool movies," he said.

"Okay, well, I'll pay for this here, and then we can go take a look."

"Cool."

I finished paying for the game, and put the rest of the money I had from my father in my wallet. If I watched what I spent, I thought, I just might have enough money to buy a movie myself and still get something to eat. We left the store, and headed back towards the way we came. Every so often we would stop at another shop to look at a few things. Mostly new shirts that I thought I might like, or something that he wanted to try on. By the time we got to the food court, it was almost noon, and the amount of people that were in there was starting to increase. As I looked around, something made me stop suddenly, which forced Terry to bump into me as he wasn't expecting me to stop like I did.

"Babe, why'd you stop?" he asked.

"Look over there," I said, pointing towards a table where a man and three young boys were sitting.

"What about them?" he asked.

"I think I know one of those boys, but I never expected to see him again," I said, beginning to get excited.

"Well, maybe you should say hello," he suggested.

"I'm going to feel like an idiot if it's not him though," I said.

"Well, you're not going to know for sure, unless you find out," he pointed out to me.

"Smart-ass," I said, grinning at him.

"Thank you," he said, returning my grin. We walked closer to the table, where the occupants were completely oblivious to my presence. The man that was with the three children, was helping the youngest one with an ice cream cone, the remnants of which had spilled onto his shirt. The young boy was sniffling, as if he had been crying, but the man was talking gently to him, telling him he'd get another one. The boy who I thought I recognized, still hadn't looked over at me, as he was talking to the younger boy. I got a closer look at his face, and gasped aloud. This, the boy did hear, and turned to face me, his eyes opening wide in shock.

"S... Simon?" the boy stuttered.

"Kyle? Is that really you?" I asked the boy who was staring up at me with wonder.

"Uh huh! It is you isn't it, Simon? I mean, I'm not dreaming this?"

"It's me little buddy," I said, grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly without warning the boy stood up from where he was sitting and ran into me, his arms circling around me and holding me tight. I could feel my shirt getting wet as the young boy began to cry on my chest. I too was crying now, holding onto this little angel who I had thought I would never see again.

"I missed you so much, Simon," the boy cried. I knew what it was the boy was feeling, because I was feeling the same way as well. Pure intense joy and happiness.

"I missed you too, Kyle. I have missed you so much," I said, kissing the top of the boy's head, while the other two boys, the man, and Terry looked on.

Editor's Notes:

Well, I wondered how long it was going to be before Simon and Kyle found each other. I knew somehow that they would bump into each other when Simon and Terry were going to go to the mall, cause I was pretty sure that Kyle and his brothers were just about to go there at the end of his story. This is so cool. I loved the fact that Terry finally got to meet his uncle in person. This story is getting better and better. I can hardly wait to see what happens next. Please hurry.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Clan Short Archivist Review Notes:

I bet everyone is wondering why I am here; well if you aren't sure then I suggest that you go back and carefully go back and read this chapter again. I also highly suggest that if you haven't read Chapter One of "Awakening" also by Jay that you get busy and read it also. Another wonderfully written chapter unfortunately it had to be ruined by those slime balls that call themselves Religious Prophets who try and stick their noses where they don't belong. Hopefully things will settle down for Simon, Terry and Family and don't forget about Kyle. One thing I hope you will have figured out by now and that is the fact that most of the authors attached to The Fort have to have a "Kyle" in their story as well as multiple "J" names for their wonderful characters. I am looking forward to seeing many more chapters of this story.