Title: Set Adrift - Second Chances 7 Author: Jezebel the Temptress Feedback: eh_oh_po@yahoo.com
Disclaimers: This is fiction. Ben and Sully are figments of my imagination and The Backstreet Boys are strangers to me and not gay. This has not truth to it. This is for adults only, that's over 18 or 21, depending on your country.
Nick and Ben watched the others leave the Firm offices before they left themselves. Ben saw that Nick was hanging back for something and he wondered if it was the confrontation with his family that Nick was hoping to avoid.
Ben loved Nick and he wasn't about to force him into anything. Especially not where his family was concerned. He was content for it to just be the two of them and was quick to reassure Nick of that fact.
"We can still back out." Ben said, referring to the fact that they were due at Nick's Mom's house for dinner. "I don't mind if you want to keep it as friends around your family. I know that you love me and that's enough."
"No." Nick said. "It's not."
Ben frowned.
"We have to hide so much already. We can't be ourselves in public in case the press sees or in case someone takes offence to it. I don't want to have to hide with my family as well. The band knows, and they are my brothers in a way, but I want my Mom and my siblings to know as well." Nick said. "At the moment I feel as if I am torn in two different directions and I don't want that anymore."
"I just don't want you to feel you have to do this for me." Ben replied softly.
"I'm not." Nick replied. "This is for me."
"Nick..." Ben began. "You have to prepare yourself for the fact that this might not work out. They might not accept this...No matter how much you think you know someone they don't always accept homosexuality when it's right in front of them. Even the most open-minded people can be bigoted when it's their own son or daughter coming out."
Ben had heard so many stories of parents that had accepted other people but not their own children that he felt the need to warn his lover. He was willing to be there for Nick but he didn't want him to resent Ben after coming out if things did go badly.
"You won't talk me out of this." Nick said adamantly. "I don't know if my Mom will accept this or not but I need to tell her."
"Okay." Ben said, making a promise to himself that he would be there for his lover no matter what happened.
"I guess we should get going." Nick said with a slight sigh. There was no use putting it off any longer.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked, wanting to make sure, just once more, that this was what Nick wanted.
"Yeah." Nick replied. It was what he wanted but that didn't stop the heavy feeling of dread in his stomach that something was going to go wrong.
The house was different to how how Ben expected it to be. He had thought of a quaint family home when he thought of Nick growing up, a little more Brady Bunch than this monstrosity.
"It's a little big." Nick said, almost apologetically when he saw his lover's eyes bugging out. "Mom wanted somewhere that was less cramped than our house in LA was."
"You bought this for her?" Ben asked. He knew that Nick was generous but this was something else. It must be at least a million dollar house.
"It used to be my house too." Nick said.
Ben knew that Nick didn't live here anymore. He had recently bought a beach side property that was now his permanent home. It was a lot less ostentatious than this and seemed so much more fitting as the place that his lover called home. There was access to the mariner where Nick kept his yacht and even a private beach that he shared with his neighbours. This house seemed more showy than Nick would ever be.
"Aaron bought it from me when I wanted to move out." Nick said. "He still lives here with Mom and the family."
"Are you ready to go in?" Ben asked, sensing that he was getting the history of the house more as a stall to keep them on this side of the door.
Nick swallowed, took a deep breathe and then nodded. He reached to release his seatbelt and felt Ben take his hand and look over at him lovingly.
"No matter what, I'll be here afterwards." Ben said, giving Nick's hand a slight squeeze before letting go and reaching for the door.
Nick watched as his lover approached the door and rushed to follow him. No one should have to face Jane Carter alone.
Nick was about to use the key that he still kept to his family home when the door flew open. A small bumdle of energy threw itself at Nick and Ben smiled as soon as he saw the flash of blonde hair. This must be the miniature version of Nick that a lot of the girls he counselled liked. Little Aaron Carter who was not so little anymore.
"Man, I've missed you little bro'." Nick laughed as he hugged his brother back. "Is Mom inside?"
"Are you kidding?" Aaron asked. "We're all here. It's not often that you come home."
Nick laughed again and threw an arm over Aaron's shoulder, walking in and ignoring Aaron's questioning looks that pointed to Ben. Nick was going to explain this once and once only so he would wait until they were all together before he introduced Ben around.
The inside of the house was less extravagant than Ben had expected. There was still a show of the wealth that the Carters had obviously lacked when Nick was small but it appeared that someone had at least attempted to make this look like a home. There was a very comfortable family room with a large television and three large couches, all of which were filled with people.
Ben realised that meeting Nick's family all in one go was going to be a bit of a baptism of fire. There was his three sisters, his brother, his Mom and his Dad in this room and all of them looked at him with barely veiled curiosity. He hoped that once they knew who he was that it would not turn to hostility.
"Mom, Dad... This is my..." Nick paused as if trying to find the right word for their relationship. Ben half expected him to stick with "Friend" when Nick continued. "This is my new boyfriend, Ben Maloney. Ben this is my family. My Mom and Dad, My sisters BJ, Leslie, Angel and you've met my little brother Aaron." He said, indicating the boy who he still had his arm around.
There was a heavy silence in the room after Nick's introduction, Ben had to admit that it was a bit of a bombshell to drop straight on them, he wasn't sure that Nick had brought any other men home so not only were they having to come to terms with meeting their son's new boyfriend they also had to come to terms with the fact that he was gay.
Ben wondered if he should say something, even if it was hello, but before he could speak Nick's Mom spoke.
"Have you thought about this? I mean really thought about it?" She asked.
"Mom, this isn't new. I just, I wanted you to meet the man I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"You always were a disappointment to me Nikolaus." She said as she stood. "You are going to ruin your career with this...this...ridiculous man and you'll take the rest of us down with you." She said, the anger clear in her voice. "I've worked my whole life to get you and your brother where you are today and this is how you repay me."
"Mom..." Nick pleaded.
"No!" She said. "I'm tired of hearing your excuses. Get Out of This House. You're not welcome here anymore."
Nick's shoulders fell and Ben was at his side in an instant, catching him before he fell completely out of grief. The pair of them turned to leave and were near to the door before anyone else said anything.
"Wait." Aaron said softly. "Don't go."
"Aaron..." His mother scalded.
"No." Aaron said, a little more confidently this time. "This is my house and you can't say who is and isn't welcome here. Nick, you're my brother and I don't care who you're with. I still love you."
"Me too." Angel said, following her twin.
"If anyone should leave, it should be you, Mom." BJ added.
"You can't throw me out of my own home." Jane argued.
"Why not, you were about to do the same to Nick." BJ pushed. "What is the difference between us asking you to leave."
"Guys, I appreciate what you're trying to do..." Nick began, fighting the tears that threatened to fall as he knew he was wrenching his family apart.
"No. She has done enough to try and hurt this family." BJ said. "It's about time that we stood up for ourselves. We're all nearly adults and I don't think that she should get to rule our lives anymore."
"You would be nothing without me." Jane spat. "All of you."
"We'd be happy." Aaron said quietly.
All eyes turned to him and tears began to fall.
"You think that you were the only one that gave anything up? That you were the only one to make any sacrifices? I watched as you pushed Nick into doing things he wasn't ready to do, bullied him about his weight and his looks until he doubted himself and I followed him because I was too scared to do otherwise. I gave up any chance of a normal childhood, of being able to grow up like most normal people and I worked my butt off every day of my life to get where I am too." Aaron said. "You think that we would be nothing without you? I think we would have still gotten here but we would have been a lot better off once we got here."
"I can't believe you want to side with a failure like him." Jane said.
"Jane, don't make them choose." Bob Carter, Nick's Dad said, speaking up for the first time. "You know that the kids have always stuck together. Chances are they won't choose you, and I wouldn't blame them."
"I can't just sit back and watch him make a mistake." Jane said. "Not when there is so much at stake here."
"You need to learn to let go." Bob replied. "Nick has been his own man since he was 15, you know that. If you don't accept this you'll lose them all."
"Mom..." Nick tried again. "This doesn't change who I am, it doesn't change anything except that I am happy. Ben and I will be careful, we know that we have to be. I don't want to split the family up, but I'm not going to give Ben up either."
Ben squeezed Nick's hand, knowing that when it came down to it this was the ultimatum that they would have to deal with.
"I'm sorry, I can't accept that." She said, pointing to Nick's and Ben's linked hands.
"Then I suggest you go and pack a bag." Bob said.
The Carter children were shocked at this.
"I've passively watched for too many years while you push these kids, and I won't do it anymore." Bob said.
As Jane left the room Nick finally allowed the tears to fall. He had lost his mother and despite all that she had put him through it still hurt. What surprised him was that not only Ben was there to support him, Aaron moved back to Nick's side to hug him and even his Dad came over and patted him on the back in a comforting gesture.
This probably wasn't the best thing that could have happened but he felt as if now he could be himself and for Nick this was the best he could have hoped for. As Ben pulled back slightly to allow the rest of the family to comfort Nick he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Bob Carter, Nick's dad standing in front of him. For a moment Ben wondered if he was going to get knocked out cold, the man looked so serious and he had just thrown his wife out because of Ben. Ben knew that the man was well within his right to be angry with him and he would accept whatever he got.
"I want you to know that this isn't all down to you and Nick." Bob said. "This has been brewing within the family for a while now, and I guess this was just the last straw."
Ben nodded, not really sure what to say to that.
"I can see how happy you make my son, and while I can't say that I'm too thrilled about the choices he has made, it has been too many years since I have seen him this happy." Bob said. "I guess all there is left to say is Welcome to the Family. I hope that you won't let Jane's reaction colour the way that you see the rest of us."
"Thanks." Ben said, feeling choked up at having received this level of acceptance. He held out his hand, hoping that he could shake hands with the man that he had grown to respect in the short time he had known him. He could see where Nick got a lot of his better qualities.
"Nonsense." Bob said as he ignored the hand and instead pulled Ben into a hug.
For the first time in a long time Ben felt as if he was being accepted for himself and he felt the lump in his throat move up as he began to sob. He had never had this chance with his own father and he was glad that Nick had gotten it with his.
And so, the Carter family, sans Jane shared in the emotions of the day. No doubt there would be harder times to come but for the moment they were content in being together.
To Be Continued.
Notes: I know the "problems" within the Carter family at the moment, this is not meant as anything other than fiction and no harm is meant.