This story is a work of fiction. The events in this story are fictional. The characters in this story do not exist and any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. Any use of celebrity or other real persons is entirely fictional and in no way reflects upon their actual sexual orientation. This story contains erotic and/or sexually explicit activities between consenting adults. If you are under age, find this type of work offensive, or it is illegal for you to view this, do not read it.
The Captain of My Dreams – Part 20 By tmabare ©2012
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- From Part 19 * * *
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Waking up the next morning, Teddy felt like he had been hit by a truck. Not only was he tired from the trip and time change, but he had drank entirely too much at the party. After showering, shaving, and brushing his teeth Teddy headed downstairs. He found everyone gathered around the kitchen table eating breakfast.
As soon as Edward saw Ted, he smiled wide and was rewarded with Teddy leaning over and kissing him. "Morning, babe, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, I think I did. Remind me to never drink again." He reached over and picked up Edward's orange juice and downed it in one gulp.
Laura walked over and placed a full glass in front of Edward and handed Teddy a second. "Sweetie, wait until you see the videos."
"Ugh, I'm going to change my name and move to some deserted island."
Edward couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I live on an island. It's not exactly deserted, but you know..."
"Thanks for the offer. I think I will take you up on it." Teddy smiled and kissed Edward again.
Sitting down next to Edward, Teddy started eating. He tried to limit it to the healthier items but that was hard with Laura's cooking. Breakfast was her thing and she had outdone herself. The conversation was lively with everyone enjoying the time together.
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- Part 20 * * *
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Walking thru Riverfront Plaza, Teddy felt the sense of relief he experienced every time he was in Savannah. The city with its diverse culture and wide open squares reminded him of his new home in London. Thankfully there weren't as many people and as much traffic as there was in London. As they walked along looking at the crafts and other items for sale, Teddy was silently watching Edward. The man he had grown to love so much was unusually quiet.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Teddy said it quiet enough so that no one else could hear.
"I wish I knew for sure. You know how you felt before we left London? Well I'm having the same feeling. Like there is something bad going to happen. We have been so happy, but I can't help but feel that something terrible is coming."
"Maybe we're both wrong, maybe nothing bad is going to happen." Teddy said it, but he wasn't even able to convince himself.
As they continued to walk, Edward's face suddenly changed to a huge smile. He grabbed Teddy's arm and made a bee line towards a building across the way. He was practically at a run, and Ted was starting to become worried.
"Babe, what the hell..." It was then that Teddy saw where they were headed. He started to laugh, "You saw the sign didn't you. Tell me you're not flipping out over candy, are you?"
Edward didn't say anything, he just nodded his head repeatedly. He flung the door open and pushed Teddy inside.
"Good lord, I wish I had a video of this." Teddy just laughed at the largest of the children.
Walking thru the door of Savannah's Candy Kitchen, Edward quite literally was a kid in a candy store. Ted couldn't help but smile and watch the big man he loved turn into a small boy as he wandered around trying things and picking out more and more candy to buy.
Edward finally looked over at the smiling Teddy, "What? This isn't all for me... it's for the boys and Bess too." He shrugged his shoulders as he said it and it just added to the little boy look he had going.
"Riiiiight." Teddy started laughing and couldn't stop.
As he was laughing, Ted didn't notice the couple walk up behind him. Edward saw the people, but didn't think anything about it. It was then that the man reached out and tapped on Teddy's shoulder. Edward suddenly realized who he was looking at and almost dropped the items he was holding.
"Ted?"
Edward saw as the look on Teddy's face change suddenly. The smile which had been there was instantly gone and was replaced by a look of pain. Ted took a deep breath and turned around.
"Phillip, what a surprise." Ted tried to modulate his voice to hide the shock and pain he was feeling. It was then that he felt Edward's hand on his back, the feeling of warmth from that contact was just what he needed. He could feel himself relax and the pain instantly disappeared. Edward had stepped closer and his body was now in direct contact with Ted's.
Ted noticed the look on Phillip's face change as he saw the physical contact between Edward and him. The young woman with Phillip looked a little confused as to what was going on.
"Um, yeah. I heard you were in London, didn't expect to run into you here."
"We're here stopping off on the way to Florida to close the house. We're going to be living in London now." Ted leaned back against Edward as he said it. "Sorry, where are my manners? Phillip Rodriguez, Edward Smythe. Edward, Phillip."
Edward extended his hand and grasped Phillips. Edward noticed the attempt at strength that Phillip was trying to exhibit and made sure that he squeezed more than usual. He was rewarded with a look of slight pain on Phillip's face. "Pleasure to meet you."
Phillip pulled his hand back, "Yeah, same here." He then wrapped his arm around the woman he was with, "This is Crystal Williams, Crystal this is my friend Ted Jackson."
"Nice to meet you Crystal." Teddy quickly shook her hand and pulled back, once again leaning on Edward.
"You too, Phillip has told me a lot about you. He said you were his best friend, but that you guys had grown apart."
Ted noticed the look on Phillips face, a look that he had come to know all too well. It was the same look he always got when he was caught in a lie. It was replaced by a look of pleading toward Ted. Ted knew now that Phillip had not been honest about his past with Crystal.
"Yeah, we've been friends for years. You know, my work started to take up more and more time and sometimes friendships are the first to suffer." Part of Ted wanted to scream that was a lie, but he was also not looking for that drama. "So where did you guys meet?"
"I'm a nurse at Tampa General. Phillip came in working a few times and then I finally got up the nerve to talk to him."
"That's cool." Teddy didn't mean it, but he hoped that his tone fooled her.
Phillip had a strange look on his face, "Ted, you keep saying `we.' I take it you two..."
Edward had been silent enough in his own opinion. "Yeah, we've been together for a while now. I'm a Captain in the Royal Army, currently assigned to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment." Edward saw the look on both of their faces. Philip's was shock and Crystal's was a smile. "We met here in Savannah at a party thrown by John and Laura. Now we live together in London, where we are raising my daughter together."
"That's so cool. I've always wanted to go to London." Crystal was oblivious to the looks on Ted's and Phillip's faces. "It's my home and I may be prejudice, but it has to be the most beautiful city on Earth."
Crystal's face showed she was enchanted by Edward and the thought of living in London. "Everything I've seen makes it sure look like it."
"Phillip, are you going to see the boys while you are here?" As soon as he said it, Ted could have kicked himself. The boys had finally stopped asking about him and to reintroduce him into their lives didn't seem fair.
There was a pause as Phillip's face changed, "I wanted to, but Laura said she didn't think it was a good idea."
Ted nodded his head slowly, there was a fight going on inside him. He felt a small squeeze of Edward's hand that was on his lower back. "I'll talk to her about it. There is no reason that you shouldn't see them. I'll call you once I talk to her."
"Thank you, that would be great." There was a marked improvement in Phillip voice.
"No problem. Look, we need to buy this stuff and get going. It was nice meeting you Crystal. Phillip I'll let you know once I talk to Laura." He extended his hand and shook both of theirs.
"Crystal, it was nice meeting you also." Edward also took the time to shake both of their hands and held Phillips for an extra amount of time. "Phillip, looking forward to seeing you again some time." There was a definite edge to Edward's voice as he said it.
Phillip just nodded his head, "Yeah, same here."
As they walked off, Teddy turned to look at Edward. "Okay, what was that about?"
"Nothing, babe. Just thought I needed to show him who you are with now and make sure there was no doubt in his mind what he lost out on."
"I thought you were about to pee on my leg back there."
Edward burst out laughing. "That could have worked. You know, mark my territory."
Teddy couldn't help but laugh at the comment. As they finished their shopping, Ted felt the need to stay closer to Edward than he had been. It was as if his entire world had been shaken by seeing his ex-boyfriend in the flesh.
For his part, Edward noticed the sudden change in Teddy and made sure that he didn't move away too suddenly. He sensed the sudden need in Teddy and wanted to make sure that he was there to provide the support he needed.
As they left the store, they started the walk back to John and Laura's. Walking through the streets of Savannah, Teddy could feel himself start to relax again. By the time they made it to the house, he was feeling like his old self. Opening the door to the house, he was surprised to not be greeted by the kids.
"Hello, we're home." Teddy called out to see who was around.
Laura came walking out of the kitchen, "Hey there. John took the kids to the park."
Teddy stopped and looked at Laura, "Do you want to take a swing at who we ran into today?"
The look on her face told Teddy what he already knew. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you. I just didn't think there was any way you would run into him."
"Well, we did." He paused as he thought about the encounter, "He said he asked you about seeing the boys."
"He called the other day. I just don't think it's such a good idea. They are finally to the point where they don't ask about him. I'm not sure how it would be to reintroduce him into their lives."
As much as he wanted to keep his word to Phillip, Ted was still angry and hurt. "Ok, you're probably right."
Edward stood there stunned. He couldn't believe that Teddy had given in so easily.
Ted looked between the two of them, "I'm going to go lay down. I suddenly feel tired and not so well." Not waiting for an answer he started up the stairs to his room.
Edward just stood at the bottom of the stairs looking at Laura, "I don't think he's going to sleep so well."
"I think you're right."
Walking into the house, Ted saw the suitcases by the front door. Looking around he didn't see Philip, so he poured himself a drink and walked onto the back balcony. He was sitting there listening to the ocean when he heard Phillip walk down the stairs inside.
"Hey, I'm home from work."
It took a minute for Phillip to appear in the doorway, when he did Ted could tell there was something wrong.
"Ted, we need to talk." He turned and walked back into the living room.
Teddy got up and followed him, "Sure babe, what's up?" Ted sat on the couch in the living room, placing his drink on the table he looked out at the beach before turning back to Phillip.
Phillip sat in the chair across from Ted, he placed his head in his hands for a moment and then looked up at Teddy. "I'm not sure how to tell you this."
"What's wrong, babe? You're starting to scare me."
"I think we need time away from each other."
Ted wasn't sure what he was hearing, "What?"
"I need time to decide if this is what I want. I think I'm just going to end up hurting you. I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life with a man, I think I want a woman."
Feeling himself start to lose control of his emotions, Teddy tried to moderate his voice. "Didn't you just tell me last night that this was the best relationship you've ever had?"
"It is, but I don't think it's what I want anymore. I'm just going to end up hurting you, I know it." There was a long pause, "I need to tell you something... I've been having sex with other people, unprotected sex."
That was the final piece for Ted to lose it. "You put me at risk? How could you do that?"
"I didn't mean to, it just happened. I couldn't control myself, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I just couldn't stop myself." Phillip looked out across the beach to the ocean and then looked back. "If it helps, none of them were men. They were all women."
"No, that doesn't help."
"I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is going to work for me."
Edward walked in the room to find Teddy twitching under the covers. He knew all too well that he was having a dream. He was also sure he knew what it was he was dreaming of. He lay behind Ted and wrapped his arm around him.
"Babe, you need to wake up. Calm down, baby, I'm right here."
Hearing the sound of Edward's voice brought Ted out of the dream he was having. As he woke, there were tears in his eyes. He just let himself feel the warmth and love that was coming from Edward.
Teddy started to speak, "Edward, I'm so..."
"Shhh, it's ok. I figured this was going to happen. The minute we ran into Phillip, you were bound to start dreaming about that day again."
All Ted could do was cry and let himself be held. The feelings of safety and stability he got from Edward were incredible. He tried to keep himself from losing it completely and just focused on the future he had with Edward. With a few minutes, Teddy was back asleep and there were no more dreams.
The next few days became a blur as the guys and kids prepared to leave for Florida. The flight down to St. Petersburg was short and smooth. Walking down the stairs of the aircraft, Teddy saw the figure of the women he had relied on for so many years.
"Hello, Stephanie." The sound of familiarity and relief was evident in his voice.
"Mr. Jackson, it's good to have you home, even if it is only a short visit." She hugged the man she had come to respect so much. She looked up from the hug and saw Edward walking up behind them. She whispered into Teddy's ear, "Dear lord, he is hot."
The comment made them both laugh, "Yeah, he is that." Teddy turned and reached his hand out to Edward. "Stephanie Wilson, Edward Smythe. Edward, this is my right hand girl, Stephanie."
Edward put on his best smile as he shook Stephanie's hand, "It's great to finally meet you. I can't thank you enough for all of your help with my family problems."
Teddy was surprised when he saw Stephanie actually blush, "I was glad I could help. Let me thank you for what you have done for this one." She moved her head towards Ted as she said it.
"I'm standing right here you know?" Teddy couldn't help it. He was glad the two of them were getting along.
Edward and Stephanie both couldn't help but laugh. Loading the cars and leaving the airport was handled quickly and like a well oiled machine. Teddy was driving his own car with Edward sitting beside him and loved the warm Florida weather. The kids asked if they could ride with Stephanie and she had been more than happy to have them with her. Traffic wasn't as bad as Teddy expected it to be, as they made their way south toward Tierra Verde.
As they were driving, Edward could feel himself getting hungrier and hungrier. "Babe, can we stop off and get something to eat?"
"If I know Steph, she has a spread laid out at the house for us."
"I'm sure, but I'm hungry now." The fake whine in Edward's voice was unmistakable and it made them both laugh.
"Sure, anything special?"
Edward looked up in time to see the sign for a Subway. "Yeah, Subway is good. Let's go there."
Teddy didn't say anything as he pulled into the small strip mall. Parking right in front of the door he noticed that the place was nearly empty. They walked in together and Teddy instantly saw the reaction of the two men behind the counter. The both were staring at Edward and had a look of desire on their faces.
As the guys walked to the counter, they were both paying more attention to the menu than to the two workers. When Edward finally looked down he couldn't help but laugh at the reaction he was getting from the two men behind the counter.
The taller of the two took one look at Edward and then looked at Teddy. He looked back at Edward and smiled. "Are you two separate?"
Edward almost couldn't believe his ears and Teddy had to stifle a laugh. Edward did a half smile, "No, together."
After they had both ordered their subs and they were in the ovens, the tall clerk looked at Edward again. "So, you two aren't together?" The implication was clear in his voice.
"Umm, no, we're together." Edward still didn't quite believe the forwardness. He still wasn't used to this kind of attention and the fact that it was happening in front of Teddy made him feel even more uncomfortable.
The young man didn't seem to pay attention to what Edward had said. He just continued to look at Edward and then over at Teddy and then back.
Teddy was on the verge of laughing uncontrollably. He didn't feel the least bit threatened or anything but amused. It was also fun for him to watch Edward's reaction to the attention.
As they were finally ready to pay, the clerk finally made his last comment. "So, you two are separate right?"
Edward had finally had enough. He turned towards Teddy, "Hey babe, this guy wants to know if we are together."
After the shock of the comment, Teddy finally answered. "Yeah, we're together." He paused and then raised his eyebrows several times at the clerk, "You know... together, together."
The look on the young man's face was priceless. He didn't say anything else as Edward paid for the subs and the two of them walked out the door.
Climbing into the car, Edward looked over at Ted. "Tell me it's not going to always be like that. I can't believe the nerve."
"Babe, you handled it well. I swear it isn't always going to be like that."
"Why couldn't he believe that we were together?"
"It's not that he couldn't believe it, it's he didn't want to believe it."
Edward turned to face out the window, "Oh."
The closer they got to the house, the more Edward was looking around constantly. He hadn't been to Florida before and this was a beautiful area. As Ted drove them along Oceanside Drive, Edward couldn't help but look at the houses and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. Pulling into the driveway, Edward's eyes didn't believe what he was seeing. It was one of the most incredible houses he had ever seen.
"All I can say is... wow." Edward's eyes were still wide.
Teddy laughed a little, "This old place?"
"I can't believe you want to leave this place to live in London. Maybe I should just quit my job and we can live here on the beach." Edward was standing up and took a deep breath of the sea air, "Smells incredible and the sound of the waves, it's like a dream."
"Well, I know you're not serious but I'm not getting rid of this house. We are just closing it up. In fact, I am thinking of finding someone to stay here, I don't want to leave it empty."
"I can't blame you. We are going to need to come here often and spend time. Babe, do you mind if I walk around back?"
"Uncle Edward, can we go with you?" Matthew grabbed Edward's hand and started to pull him towards the side of the house.
Bess reached out and grabbed his other hand, "Yeah, Dad! Come on!"
Teddy just laughed as Edward was pulled towards the beach, "You all stay out of the water!"
Dylan was standing beside Teddy, "I don't want to go out there, I'll go with you."
"Are you okay, bud?"
"Yes, sir. I'm just a little tired."
Teddy knelt down and put his hand on Dylan's forehead. "You don't feel hot, let's go inside." He picked up Dylan, who buried his head in Ted's neck.
Walking into the house, Ted could see that Stephanie had been busy. There were fresh flowers on the table and counter along with snacks laid out for the adults and kids. Sitting Dylan on the kitchen island, Ted reached into a drawer. "Okay, bud. I'm going to take your temperature."
Edward walked in from the balcony just as the thermometer beeped. "What's up?"
"I don't feel so good, Uncle Edward." Dylan voice was starting to sound more pitiful.
"You don't have a fever, but we'll check again later." Teddy leaned over and kissed Dylan's forehead. "Come on big guy, what's say I carry you to your room?" Teddy put his arms around Dylan and picked him off the counter.
As Teddy carried Dylan from the room, Edward walked onto the back balcony and looked out to the ocean. He saw Devon, Bess, and Matthew playing in the surf. As he was watching, he heard Teddy walk up beside him.
"Edward, what do you think?"
"It's amazing here. I honestly can't believe you are giving this up to live in London."
"This isn't my home anymore and you know that. My home is wherever you and Bess are." Teddy placed his hand on Edward's back.
Edward leaned over and kissed Teddy. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve you."
Teddy looked up into Edward's eyes, "I think the same thing every day."
"So, what is the plan?"
Moving to sit at the outside table, Teddy pulled a chair out. "Well, we have two days to bum around here and then we are off to Disney for four days. Then it is back here for a day before we head to London."
"Damn, busy week by the sounds." Edward just wrapped his arms around Ted and held him tight. He continued to look out to the waves crashing against the beach.