Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
The Devil's Gambit, Chapter 11
"The Eye of the Storm"
NOTE: I am now posting my stories to my new website, jaygordonstories.com. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. Currently, Devil's Gambit is available there, up through CHAPTER 16 (latest for registered users only!), so check it out if you like the story!
When Tom arrived at his office the next morning, he was in fine spirits, and that carried him through the day. He let Walt know that they were a yes for Thanksgiving, and worked on his book between classes. On the way home, he picked up some groceries, some wine, and a couple of movies.
"Hello?" he called. He put the bags in the kitchen and saw no sign of anyone. He looked in the back yard and found that Peter had cleaned it up and put the rest of the stuff away, but there was no sign of anyone. He did his best to control his rising panic -- things had been too good for too long.... He went to his office and looked for a note or ... something. Then he remembered the cell phones, so he dialed up Peter's phone first.
"Hello," the boy answered, and Tom sighed in relief.
"Hi, Peter, it's Tom.... No one was home, so I got a little ... nervous...."
"Sorry! Billy is off today, so he picked me up.... We're at the mall...."
"Okay, good.... You have your amulets?"
"Yes, mom," Peter responded with a laugh.
"Alright, alright! See you later...."
"Bye!" Peter answered, hanging up.
A few moments later, David walked in the front door laughing and talking to somebody. Sticking his head out of the kitchen, he saw Sebastien. "Hey, buddy! Didn't expect you so soon!" The boy blushed and shrugged, and David sort of smiled. "You want something to drink, or a snack?"
David took the boy by the elbow and brought him into the kitchen. Tom poured them some drinks and David grabbed a bag of chips. "Did you see the whole house last night?" The shy little thing shook his head no. "Get David to show you around.... Show him my office and library, and all that stuff...." David smiled and nodded, and the boys were off. But before they got too far, Tom called, "Can you stay for dinner?"
"I invited him and his parents said it was okay," David said with a blush.
Tom gently scolded, "Be sure to let me know when you invite someone for dinner... What if I had planned on starving you all tonight?"
Tom laughed and waved the boys off. He put a salad together and started to throw together dinner. He was stirring up some chicken marsala when Aiden came home.
The man wrapped his arms around Tom and kissed the back of his neck. "That smells good...."
"Thanks," he said, setting his spoon down and turning in the man's arms to kiss him.
"Get a room," David said, as he passed toward the living room. Sebastien's eyes were wide, however; he had never seen that kind of affection between men, and Tom could tell by his blush that it had affected him. Tom shook his head and turned to grab the pan of bread to slide it into the oven. Aiden smacked him playfully on the behind and slipped away to change. Tom smiled when he heard him join the boys in the living room -- they were all laughing and talking.
"Dinner will be ready in a minute," he called. "Come grab plates!"
They all came in and fixed their plates in the kitchen, carrying them out to the table. Tom grabbed the bread and wine and sat it on the table, pouring a glass for him and Aiden. "Where's Peter?" Sebastien asked, trying too hard to appear off-handed.
"He's out with his boyfriend," Tom said. "Did you meet Billy?"
"Oh," the boy said. "I didn't realize.... Billy's nice...."
"He is.... He was a student of mine," Tom added. "So what did you think of my library?"
"Awesome," the boy said. "You've got a lot of cool books...."
"Well, you're welcome any time...." Tom and Aiden asked the boys about their day at school, and other things, and they were just finishing when Peter got home. Sebastien's eyes lit up, and Tom again took note. "Did you guys eat, Peter? There's plenty of leftovers...."
"We did," he said, "but I'm hungry again...." He laughed and grabbed a plate and a drink, joining them. Tom internally chuckled at how Sebastien absolutely followed his every word. You could almost see his eyes rise and fall with Peter's lips.... David and Peter handled clean-up, and Tom gave Aiden the bag of movies as he said, "Sebastien, come upstairs for a few minutes?"
Aiden nodded to him as the boy followed Tom. "Did you see my chess set?"
"No!" In the library he pulled down a set of sterling silver chess pieces representing medieval figures. "Cool!"
"Let's play while the boys clean up?"
"Sure," he said.
"White or black?"
"Black," the boy said, and Tom made the first move.
"So, Sebastien ... I noticed you're very interested in Peter," Tom said, opting for the direct route as the boy opened. Sebastien looked horrified and flushed red. "Sebastien, think about who you're talking to.... If I'm wrong, feel free to say so.... But you know, I told you that I was painfully shy as a child.... Part of that is that I spent so much time hiding who I was.... I was so afraid.... I just want you to know you have someone you can talk to, if you need to...." He made his move. Sebastian silently countered, and Tom already knew how he was going to respond.
Just when he had given up, Sebastian said in almost a whisper, "I'm so afraid ... all the time...."
"Tell me about that...."
"Well, you know, I ... notice guys, and you can't really control that first look.... I'm always terrified somebody -- the guy, my dad, somebody -- will notice, will figure me out.... David wouldn't want to be my friend, my parents wouldn't want me, my sister would hate me...."
"Sebastien," Tom sighed. "Those fears ... I understand them completely, but I need you to know that ... those things you are so afraid of are unrealistic...." The boy looked at him skeptically, and Tom laughed. "I'm sorry, but ... you're just so lucky.... David thinks of you like a little brother, and his own brother is gay.... Hell, he CHOSE to live with two gay men, knowing that fact.... And your sister is his girlfriend.... How uptight could she be? And I don't know your dad that well, but your mom already suspects.... And she's scared, but she just wants the best for you...."
"That's ... true?" Sebastien looked like he could cry.
"Yes," Tom said. "Are you alright?" The boy shook his head, no. Tom knelt next to him and wrapped his arm around the boy. "I have an idea.... I'm going to call your parents and get them over here tonight and we're going talk to them together," but as Sebastien turned white as a sheet, he laughed and added, "and I promise that if either of your parents reject you, I'll punch them in the face...."
"I can't," he said.
"We can, buddy.... Think about it.... Your parents know about me and Aiden, but they still let you hang out over here...."
"You promise you'll help me?"
"I promise...." The boy nodded and Tom picked up the phone, dialing the numbers the boy told him. "Peggy, it's Tom.... I was wondering, could you and Mitch head on over here? ... No, no, he's fine.... I just need to run something by you.... Yep, thanks...."
"So," Tom smiled at the boy, "be strong, trust yourself.... Be proud of yourself.... Peter's pretty cute, huh?"
Suddenly, Sebastien's mind was not on his situation, as he blushed. "Yeah, well.... He's got a boyfriend...."
"And he's way too old for you.... But that doesn't mean you don't notice.... And believe me, when the time is right, you'll find a nice guy...."
"Who'd be interested in me?"
"Sebastien," Tom laughed, "you're smart, cute ... funny when you let people in.... When you get a little confidence, you'll have no trouble at all...." Sebastien blushed but smiled, and the doorbell rang. "Wait here...."
Tom hurried down to the door, where Aiden was welcoming the Peabodies inside. "We can talk upstairs," Tom said, shaking hands.
Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Should I come?" Tom nodded, and they all went upstairs. Inside the office, Sebastien sat wringing his hands, his eyes red and puffy.
His mother rushed to him, kneeling and hugging him. "What's wrong, honey?" The boy shook his head.
"Sebastien," Tom said, "look at me...." When the boy met his eyes, Tom smiled and said, "Trust us! Say what you want to say...."
The boy looked at his feet, but stood up and walked over to where his dad was standing. "Dddad," he said with a slight and endearing stutter, looking over his shoulder at his mom, "I was talking to Tom this ... evening abbbout why I'm so shy.... Part of it ... is because I thought ... if people knew about me ... they wouldn't love me anymore.... You and mom...."
Peggy started crying then, and Mitch put a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "That, son.... That would never happen...."
"Not even if I was gay?"
Mitch sort of half laughed, half sobbed when his son said it, and Sebastien looked confused. "Of course not, sweetheart.... Why in the world would you think that?"
"It's just, you think you know, but you ... never really know.... I mean, look what Peter's parents...."
Peggy hugged her son. "Honey, Peter's parents ... are not good people.... Anybody who could turn their backs on their own children like that, for that, there's something wrong with them...."
Sebastien was enclosed by his parents, and Mitch smiled tearfully over at Tom, mouthing a silent, 'Thank you....' Aiden wrapped his arms around Tom as they stood by.
"SO, Sebastien, how does it feel? Four people know your secret, and nobody's turned their back on you...."
The boy smiled. "I ... it's weird.... I don't know...."
"Just remember, there's no pressure to tell ANYBODY you aren't comfortable with.... Speaking of which, if you want to run down and talk to Peter and David, now's as good a time as any...." Sebastien smiled and nodded, running out of the room and down the steps.
"Where did all of this come from?" Mitch asked, when his son was gone.
"We had talked a couple of times about how shy he is.... He reminds me of myself at his age, so I tried to give him some advice.... But I'd also been watching him interact with people, and I noticed that he was super-focused on Peter, even though he really likes David.... Watch him when he's with the boys, it's like he zones out when he's watching Peter.... Anyway, that was a dead giveaway for me, so I just asked him over a quick game of chess.... One thing led to another, and he let me know that a lot of his stress has to do with his fear that you guys would reject him.... So, here we are...." Raucous laughter echoed up the stairs and the adults all smiled. "Just support him, show him you love him.... If you ever need to talk, or need some advice, you call us, or he can call us, whatever.... I know you're great parents, but it's different, trust me...."
They both thanked him and then they went looking for Sebastien. Mitch pulled him aside for a moment. "Sebastien is really excited about this camping trip.... I was wondering.... Would you mind if I tagged along? It's something ... I should have done more of...."
"The more the merrier," Tom said, patting him on the shoulder. Downstairs, they found Sebastien on the couch, leaning on David, whose arm was wrapped around him loosely. Peter was sitting in a chair across from them, and sure enough, the boy's eyes were locked not on the screen but on Peter's face. Sebastien smiled up at Tom as he heard the adults come into the room. "I see everything's fine?" The boy nodded and Tom ruffled his hair again. "I think your parents are probably ready to head home, but like I said, any time.... You're welcome to stay the night, too -- just let me know...."
Peggy looked at Mitch, who shrugged. "Actually, this weekend, we were thinking that we might go away.... Catherine's going to be at a friend's, but we weren't sure where Sebastien...."
"Could I?" the boy asked, looking at Tom, then his mom, then Tom again. He was clearly excited, and Tom smiled a nod at Peggy.
"Alright," she said. "Just don't pester them to death!" Sebastien blushed and got up to go with his parents, but not before David gave him a little squeeze.
"See you at school tomorrow," David said with a nod. The boy blushed a little and nodded back as he followed his parents to the door.
Tom saw them out. "Don't worry about this weekend, there's plenty of room and we all enjoy having Sebastien around," he said to the boy's parents. "Besides, I still have five empty bedrooms!" They all laughed and said their goodbyes.
Back in the living room, David looked up at Tom and smiled, shaking his head. "I don't what you did, but it's good...."
"He reminds me a lot of myself at that age.... I'm just hoping I can help save him a lot of grief...."
"Well, I'm glad.... He's really sweet," David said, chuckling when he realized what it sounded like to his ears.
"Yeah.... Look out for him at school?"
"Of course...."
"Good night boys. Don't stay up too late, David."
The next morning, Tom got up with Aiden. "Where to so early?" Aiden asked as they shared the mirror. "You don't have class today...."
"Oh, hell! I forgot to tell you.... Your chief asked me to come in to meet with him.... Jim passed the message along on Sunday...."
Aiden looked surprised. "What does he want?"
"Apparently, there are a couple of cases he might want me to consult on...."
"Hmmm.... He never said anything to me," Aiden said, sulking a little.
"Maybe he thought it wouldn't be appropriate to ask you to ask me...."
"Maybe, but that means he knows about us.... Jim probably mentioned it to him.... Oh, well.... The chief is a pretty good guy.... He'll like you...." They shared a long kiss before getting dressed. "And try to remember to keep me in the loop on these things? Especially when you're on my turf," the man said with a laugh, trying to pretend like the annoyance was all feigned.
"I'm sorry, Aiden, it really did just slip my mind.... I'll tell you all about it this evening. If you remind me.... Now, want some breakfast?" asked Tom, missing the point of his lover's words.
"Sure.... What's cooking?" Aiden asked.
"I thought I'd mix up a batch of pancakes, maybe some sausage...."
"Sounds great, babe," Aiden said with a cute grin as he finished putting on his uniform, still feeling a bit hurt. Tom whipped up his batter and began to cook, the smell drawing David from his room. The boy was gorgeous in his school uniform, Tom thought with a smile. Poor Catherine was hopeless.
"Mmmm, pancakes," he said, peaking around Tom.
"Get yourself some juice," Tom said. "I've got you an appointment to meet with my friend, Amanda Klein, after school today.... Her address is on this card.... Do you know where this is?"
"Nope," the boy said, pouring his juice.
"Pull it up on the computer at school and print it out...."
"Sure, no problem...."
Tom slid the first batch of pancakes and a couple of sausage patties in front of David, and had another ready for Aiden, Tom slid in next to Aiden and grabbed his hand.
Rolling his eyes, David smiled and shook his head. "You guys are too much...."
"Sorry," Tom said, rolling his eyes back at David, who laughed again. Both David and Aiden had to hurry off, so Tom cooked the rest of the pancakes and set them aside for Peter when he got up, before he went up to his office to work. Before 10, he heard Peter stirring downstairs, so he grabbed his briefcase and headed down.
"There's pancakes by the stove for you," he said outside of Peter's door.
"Thanks.... I'll be out in a minute...."
"I've got to run.... I'll see you after lunch...."
"Okay, bye!"
Tom drove down to police headquarters and walked up to the desk sergeant. "Can I help you sir?"
"I'm here to meet with the chief of police," Tom said, looking around. It was bigger than he expected, somehow.
"And you are?"
"Professor Thomas Corman," he responded.
The man picked up his phone and hit a button. "Sir, Professor Corman here to see you.... Yes, sir...." Putting the phone down, the man looked at him and said, "The chief will be down in just a moment, sir...." Tom stood with his briefcase, and waited. Shortly a tall man in a grey suit walked down the stairs and came straight to the desk. He stepped outside and looked around, as if looking for someone else.
Tom stepped forward and held out his hand. "Tom Corman, sir...."
The man smiled, looking surprised. "Lincoln Pryce. Nice to meet you, professor.... I'm sorry, I was just expecting someone ... older...."
"I get that a lot," Tom laughed.
"Come on up to my office," he said, leading the way. "Have you ever been down here before?"
"No, sir.... It's my first visit."
"Well, when we're through, I'll show you around after we talk." He led Tom into a largish office, lined with bookshelves, wallpapered with commendations, degrees, and newspaper articles. "Have a seat, professor," the man said, indicating a soft leather chair away from the desk, sitting in the one nearest it.
"Please, call me Tom, Chief Pryce...."
"Well, in that case, it's Lincoln.... So I guess you're wondering why I asked you to come down here?"
"I was," Tom said with a smile.
"Well, of course I'm aware of the recent assistance you provided my friend Sheriff Sanders.... In the last few months, we've had a number of cases with elements of the occult.... We're simply not prepared for this sort of thing.... Of course, we all know what the standard line of thinking is -- the FBI insists that such crimes are the work of isolated individuals, but...."
"Well, no offense to the FBI sir, but they are wrong.... They are right in one sense. The run of the mill crime with ritualistic elements reflect the symbolic thinking of deranged individuals. The problem with Satanic cults is that their leaders are smart and their followers are absolutely devoted.... The problem with the FBI's model is that they thought about Satanic cults on the model of fringe groups with mass psychoses, when the actual, functioning groups are closer to the model of organized crime or terror cells, with a religious devotion to a cause...."
"That sounds like a dangerous mix...."
"It is.... They cover their tracks well, and members are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to maintain the group...."
"Do you have experience with these kind of people? You seem pretty familiar with them..."
"Well, the mindset is pretty much standard for cults, and a lot of my research is on medieval thought... The psychology of mass violence hasn't changed all that much. But I've had some run-ins with Satanic cults. I spent a year in Paris exploring this kind of stuff and every now and again you run into the real deal. Believe me when I tell you they function like terror cells, and if that's what's going on here, there will be trouble..."
"So what I need is someone to look over the evidence from these diverse cases and give me a recommendation.... Are we looking at one deranged individual, a random set of crazies, or is there some pattern that ties these things together...."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Well, we'd bring you in formally as a consultant.... You'd need to sign confidentiality documents and the like.... Then you could access the case files here in the station.... I'm afraid I can't let you take anything out of here.... We have an empty conference room you could work in...."
Tom nodded. "Alright.... You understand I'll have to work around my teaching schedule...."
"Of course.... We're just happy to have you helping.... Come on, let me show you around...." Chief Pryce showed him the room he would be using, the offices and interrogation areas. He also showed him the little annex next door where they kept some labs. Most of the cutting-edge, advanced stuff got sent off, but fingerprints, DNA and things they could do in-house. As they finished, Pryce led him to the clerk's office and left him to fill out the paperwork that was needed to get him in the system, then had his picture taken for his official ID card, which was ready by the time he left. The chief was already in his meeting, so Tom just headed home, after leaving the man a note that he'd be back Thursday morning and asking that the files be ready for him. He also asked if they could get a couple of cork-boards set up for him.
At home, he found Peter in his office reading, an icepack on his neck. "Hey, how was the station? Did you see Aiden?"
"The station was fine, and no, I didn't see him. What's with the ice pack, Peter?" he asked as he set his bag on the floor.
"My shoulder's been hurting," he said, as Tom removed the icepack.
"Here?" Peter shook his head as the man's fingers pressed the muscle. "Here?" Again, no. But when he touched the middle of his collarbone, Peter called out sharply. "How long has it been sore like this?"
"I don't know.... It's been getting worse since I came home from the hospital...."
Frowning, Tom said, "You should have told me about this.... Let's go.... Bring the book with you, this could take a while...." Tom led him to the car and drove them out to the University Medical Center's clinic. That way they could access his recent hospital records as well, since all university healthcare providers shared access to a common bank of patient records to prevent duplication of effort, as well as drug-seeking behaviors. They signed in and waited. Because it operated on the triage system, the clinic treated the more severe issues first, but it was a slow day and they didn't actually have to wait long.
A young doctor, Lisa Schmidt, walked into the room, smiling. "How are you feeling today?"
"My shoulder is a bit sore," Peter said, as the young woman looked over his chart.
"Frankly, I'm a little surprised your everything isn't a little sore!" she said with a laugh. "Remarkable.... Anyway, let's see.... Off with your shirt.... You can step outside, Mr...."
"Dr. Corman," he said, moving to go.
"It's alright," Peter said. "Stay?"
"Alright," Dr. Schmidt said, as Peter stripped off his shirt. "What's your specialty, Dr. Corman?"
He smiled. "Philosophy...."
She smiled and got chatty, "Oh, very good.... I used to love my philosophy classes...." She asked him about his research and the like, and they chatted as she began her examination. Tom was amazed every time he saw Peter; the boy was in such bad shape when he found him, he still managed to look better every day. His torso was beginning to lose that emaciated look and smooth out. Dr. Schmidt examined the boy much as Tom had, and came to the same conclusion. She consulted the x-rays from the hospital and saw the fracture. "It seems that you have a fracture of the clavicle, here," she said. Based on the x-rays, I think surgery is unnecessary, but I want to get another set focused specifically on this site to be sure.... We'll just get your arm in a sling and you need to avoid any lifting with your arm...."
"What can he take for the pain?" Tom asked.
"Well, I'd suggest Advil or Motrin unless it's really severe.... Peter?"
"No, I'd say it's not severe.... And I'd know severe," he added with a laugh.
"Good, then.... We'll just get you up to x-ray, then I'll get back to you," she said as she walked out. Soon, he was wheeled off to radiology for an x-ray, and then brought back to his room. Schmidt returned smiling. "Looks good.... We just want to keep the arm immobilized for a few weeks, until this heals up.... Check back with me in ... let's say three weeks?"
"Will do," Tom said, as she showed them how the sling device worked. "Thanks, Dr. Schmidt...."
"I hope this heals up as fast as the rest of you did," she said to Peter with a smile. "Nice to meet you both.... Professor...." With that, she took her leave, hurrying off to the next patient.
On the way home, Tom pulled through the drive through and got them both a burger for a very late lunch, and said, "Peter, I want you to come to me with anything.... You really should have told me about this...."
"I didn't want ... to be a bother," he said, looking out the window.
Tom reached over and grabbed his forearm. "You're not a bother, Peter.... We're a family now.... An unconventional family, but it's what we are.... I want to take care of you, let you have a normal-ish life...." Peter laughed at that. "I'm not old enough to be a father-figure for you, but ... think of me like a young uncle...."
Peter nodded. "Thanks...."
"By the way, your brother has his first appointment with my friend Dr. Klein this afternoon.... She has an opening on Wednesdays during the morning if you're still interested.... You could ride in with me and meet with her, then read or work in the library `til I get done in the afternoon...."
Peter nodded. "Yeah, sounds good.... I could ... come to one of your classes?" he added, almost a question.
"Sure, if you want!" Peter nodded, and Tom patted his good arm. Back at the house, Tom went and got Peter some Motrin and a drink and set him up in a comfy chair in his office. "Do you need anything else?" he asked, as Peter started reading.
"I'll let you take care of me, doc, but no babying," Peter said with a laugh.
Tom shrugged, then pinched him on the cheek. "They grow up so fast," he said, walking to his desk, as Peter chuckled and got back into his book.
Tom sat working on his book for the next hour or so, until they heard David call, "Hello?"
"Upstairs!" David walked in a few minutes later. "What happened to you!?" he asked, looking at Peter.
They filled him in on their afternoon, and Tom asked, "How did you like Amanda?"
"She's really cool!"
"I thought you might like her," Tom smiled. "So for now, she'll see you on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon...."
"Alright. That'll work...." David stated, his smile covering something only Peter could see.
When they hear Tom's feet tromp upstairs, Peter sat down and whispered, "You didn't tell her about HIM, did you?"
David, misunderstanding, replied, "No, of course not. She'd think I was crazy, I just talked some about Carter, mostly..."
Peter shook his head. "I don't mean the demon," he whispered, looking around almost paranoid. "I mean ... the MAN... The one who would come sometimes..."
David's eyes widened as Peter mentioned the man, and shook his head. "I'd ramble on about demons while they put me in a straight jacket before I'd talk about him..."
"Good! Talk about whatever you want... You need it. We both do. But we have to promise each other not to mention HIM to anyone. He'll kill us all if he thinks we might tell – you, me, Aiden, Tom... Hell! He'll probably even Catherine and Sebastien just for kicks..."
David nodded, and his slight tremble assured Peter that the boy took that possibility with deathly seriousness.
Thanks to Darryl and Tarton for reading over a copy of this in advance. More to come soon. If you enjoyed this story, you might consider my other on-going stories at Nifty, Fantasy/SciFi, Things that Go Bump and A Light in the Darkness.
Or, better, send me a note and join my website, jaygordonstories.com!
jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com