This is a work of gay-themed romantic fantasy: some chapters contain graphic sexual descriptions. While this one does not, others will; if reading such content is illegal (for whatever reason) or if such material offends you then please quick away now!
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
Some of you might be asking yourself "where's the Son in `Dover and Son'?" Well--in this Chapter we finally get to meet him! I realize the timeline I posited when I introduced the kid doesn't work so I'm going to have to change things up a bit. Sorry to any of you continuity freaks. These stories are done without a plot outline so they evolve as I write.
Thanks to all of you who have been so kind about my work; I really enjoy hearing from you. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, complaints or want to see yourself memorialized in deathless prose on the Internet drop me a line at HonableRonable@gmail.com or RonVenable@hotmail.com and I'll see what I can do to accommodate you. BTW--I ALWAYS right back!
One final note; Left-leaning Snowflakes; this story is marked SEMI-SAFE for your consumption: there is one racially-insensitive comment.
CHAPTER SIX ...and Son
CHARACTERS
Ben Dover. age 49 - our Hero and new Dad
Scooter Browne -- Ben's Housekeeper
Montresor and Iphigenia AKA Monty and Figgie -- Pookahs
Caleb "Catfish" Calhoun, age 34 -- Ben's Roommate
Benjamin Jay Du Bois (Dover), age 15 -- long lost Son
Ethan Gray, age 45 -- Ben's lover
Ben came through the Firehouse door to find Scooter, his "Brownie" Housekeeper in a complete dither. Usually, he was utterly unflappable but now the Brownie had completely lost it. "What's wrong ol' Son?" Ben asked, wondering what happened to discombobulate Scooter to such a degree.
"Montresor has invited an `unexpected' Guest into the house," the Brownie told him. "The Pookahs and Catfish are upstairs entertaining him..."
The big man raised an eyebrow; Montresor wasn't one to invite "guests" home--especially ones that upset the Brownie to such a degree. Scooter hadn't mentioned Catfish being in distress or sensing the interloper was a danger (which the man's Empathic abilities would have picked up on, thanks to his training with John-Thomas Bilodeau). In the end all he could do was ask for more info. "What sort o' `Guest', Brownie?"
"It's better if you go upstairs and see for yourself Sir..." Scooter refused to meet the Texan's eyes.
"Well, since ya won't tell me..." Ben strode upstairs to see who was visiting. A line from the song "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart sprung to mind; "you can imagine his surprise when he saw his own eyes!" For indeed, the young man sitting on the couch nervously petting Monty had eyes that were the same "Dover" Blue as Ben's. "Ah--howdy...?" Ben finally managed.
The kid leaped up and stood uncomfortably straight. "Hello Sir," he said, voice tremulous. "I think you're my Dad..."
The Texan knew in an instant who this had to be. "So--you're Benjy Du Bois?" he asked.
"Yes Sir!" the boy replied, "but I prefer Jay!"
Ben sighed. "So--y'r folks told ya th' truth?" he asked. "I s'pose I shoulda thought of that b'fore I entered that Devil's bargain!"
"They didn't TELL me anything Sir!" the kid replied. By the way Catfish was flinching Ben wondered if the kid was either really scared, angry or both. "I just--picked up things..."
"Well Son," the big man said, trying to gentle his tone and broadcast reassurance to Catfish, "why don't we sit down an' ya c'n tell me y'r story! Then I'll tell ya my side o' what happened..."
The kid sat down and began to speak. "Everything was fine," he said, "at first--at least until my Mom found out my Dad got another lady pregnant!"
"Billy-Joe SWORE he was sterile!" Ben said.
"Maybe he was--with my Mom..." young Jay said desolately, "but that didn't stop him from knocking up his chippie!"
"Chippie?" Ben was surprised. "How do ya even know that word?"
"Mom called her that," the boy said. "I looked it up on Urban Dictionary. And she totally is. Her name is Stormee!" Jay spelled it out. "She just turned twenty-one--and she was a Dancer at Hucci's!"
"I know th' place," Ben admitted. "It was Billy-Joe's fav'rit' strip club! So--go on Son..."
"Just before Mom and Dad split up, I heard them talking about me and my REAL Dad..." he said cautiously.
"Go on..." the big man encouraged, giving his newly-discovered Son a light hug. "None o' this is your fault boyo!"
"They decided to petition the Court to change my Birth Certificate," the boy went on. "I think they were going to try and sue you for some of the Sutherland money--but then your SUV got shot up and all the mess that followed afterward--and, well, that's when Dad's `Chippie' showed up and everything went to Hell!"
"There's more t' th' story," Ben said. "Ya may as well tell me th' bad part!"
Jay gulped. "Mom started dating around--and her boyfriends went from bad to worse!" he said. "Her last live in' was part of the True Sons of Purity' and..." The young man took a gulping breath then told the rest in a rush. "When he found out I was gay he wanted to throw me out!"
"Son of a bitch!" Ben's awen told him the boy wasn't lying--but he somehow knew there was one last bit to tell. "I'm guessin' yore Momma wouldn't tolerate that," he said. "What happened t' make ya want t' run away?"
"He said he was gonna call some of his buddies over to `fuck the fag' out of me!" he ground out after a moment. "That's when I knew I had to run away. I found a copy of my altered Birth Certificate with your name on it so I started researching your Social Media--not that there was much to find but you have your name and address listed on Facebook! I stole all the cash I could grab from them and went to the Bus Station! I had enough to get a ticket from Houston to LA and so I just left..."
"What happened when ya got ta LA?" Catfish asked. Ben could see the story had rocked the Empath to his core. "Someone tried ta hurt ya, dint they?"
Jay nodded. "This guy said he had a safe place that I could stay if I needed to but something about him creeped me out..." he finally said. "Then this really cute Hispanic or Indian--like Native American Indian not would you like a Slurpee'? kind--told me he was a Pimp and I wasn't safe with him. He bought me a burger and gave me a Day Pass for the Tube and directions on which transfers to take to get here then how to find the Firehouse once I got off. Oh, he said Coyote' says to tell you Hello and mind your whelp'!"
Ben nodded. "Thank ya Coyote!" he said, looking up. "Much obliged!"
"We cain't send `im back Cap'n Ben!" Catfish exclaimed. "They'll hurt th' poor l'il tadling!"
"Definitely not!" Ethan said, coming in from downstairs. "The kid's a Skindancer!"
"A what?" This was one of the Exotics Ben hadn't heard of.
"Skindancers are a type of Shifter," the man's blond lover replied. "They don't take animal shapes though--they can make themselves into different people. Show your Dad what you really look like kid..."
The kid looked betrayed and Ben was angry and shocked. "What do you know?" he barked at Ethan. "Start talkin' an' make it snappy!" The big man didn't like secrets and it was clear he'd just stumbled on a big one.
"When I met you last year, I got curious," the smaller man said as he moved to sit down near Ben. "I wasn't expecting that whammy you laid on me so I started investigating! I wondered if you were using magic or if what I was feeling was real! I had you thoroughly researched--which is how I found out about your first son..."
"Go on..." Ben said coldly.
"It's not my story to tell," Ethan said levelly. Then he turned to Jay. "You need to tell your Dad--SHOW him--what your parents did to you!" he said gently. "I'm sorry for what happened to you and for my part in it by my inaction but I know your Dad will protect you!"
"How did you know I could change my shape?" the youngster asked.
"Your Mother was a known Skindancer," Ethan told him. "I found out how badly your Dad beat you and when you showed up looking flawless the rest was elementary logic!"
"You knew a kid was getting' beat and you did NOTHING???" Ben was almost purple with fury. "How could ya Ethan?"
The former CIA Agent hung his head in shame. "I guess I was just too damn well trained for my own good," he finally said softly. "The Exotic Affairs Division is taught not to engage unless absolutely necessary and, in this case, it wasn't! I'm sorry that I didn't tell you Ben but you had no relationship with the kid. I didn't know your Son knew about you so I didn't blow my cover!" He looked at Ben with sad eyes. "I suppose you want me to leave now? I'll be out by the end of the week!"
"NO!" the young man exclaimed as he jumped up. "I don't want to be responsible for ruining another family! My Dad loves you--I've seen that much on his Social Media posts! You shouldn't break up over a stupid mistake!"
Ben looked at Ethan and gave him a rueful smile. "Th' boy's a Dover through `n through!" he said. "Kid, ya got a lot o' common sense their boyo!" Then he turned his full attention to Hay. "Show me what they did t' ya Son..." he said softly.
Jay removed the dirty t-shirt he was wearing then turned his back so the men could see lines of scars old and new on his back. "Billy-Joe used to make me shape-change to hide how bad he beat me," he said. "After a while I just did it every time someone hurt me..."
"Well Son, NOBODY'S gonna hurt ya again boyo!" Ben promised. "I'll see t' that!"
Ben watched in open-mouthed astonishment as the boy morphed again in front of his eyes. The kid's features shifted to become a mix of his and Ethan's with hair that was a sandy brown but his eyes were still "Dover" blue. Jay had Ben's strong chin and generally square face but he had Ethan's turned-up nose, ears with attached lobes and hairline. He looked like he could have been born of the two men.
"Do ya need t' go t' th' ER Son?" Ben asked gently.
"No Sir--um--Dad..." the young man replied. "When I shift, I can fix some small wounds so I don't hurt..."
"I guess that's why I ain't screamin' in pain," Catfish commented.
"Prob'ly right," the big Texan agreed. "Well Son, if y'r gonna live with us we hafta set some rules an' do it pronto! After dinner we'll sit down an' write up a Contract! You'll know what's expected o' ya, what ya c'n expect as a r'ward f'r followin' th' rules an' what punishments there will be f'r disobeyin'! Is that acceptable?"
"Yes Sir," Jay said solemnly. "But you won't hit me?"
"Son NOBODY will physically punish ya as long as y'r under my roof!" Ben promised him. "We'll start with losin' y'r allowance, progress t' extra unpaid chores an' loss o' privileges. If it comes down t' it' I'll take th' door off y'r room and all but two changes o' clothes! But nobody will hit ya again or I'll by God know why!"
"Cap'n Ben is a good guy," Catfish told the kid. "He took me off the street when he dint hafta an' lets me stay here even though I'm doin' better now."
"Catfish, y'r fam'ly," Ben told him. "Just like Jay!"
"You're going to need some legal papers if you intend to keep Jay," Ethan, ever practical, said. "Much as I hate to say it, you're going to have to contact his erstwhile parents..."
"Don't bother contacting my Dad--um--my other Dad..." the boy said. "Once he knocked up his Chippie he forgot about me!"
"Ya got a cell phone?" Ben asked. Jay silently handed it over after unlocking the screen. The big man did some quick checking. "There's a `Parental Track' app," he observed, "but it ain't been used in a while! Fuck!"
"Guess my Mom didn't care that I left..." Jay said, slumping a bit.
Ben dialed the home number. He also turned the speaker on so the other's could hear. "Where are you, you little shit?" came an angry female voice.
"That's a fine way t' greet y'r Son who's been missin' f'r three days!" Ben snapped. "Howdy La Donna...."
"Who is this?" The woman was still angry.
"Ben Dover."
"So. my fag Son ran away to his fag Dad?" Now she was derisive.
"Sticks n' stones, darlin'," the Texan drawled. "Here's how this is gonna go down! I'll be servin' ya an' that worthless piece o' shit Billy-Joe with custody papers. You'll sign em an' that'll be th' end o' that. I'll make sure ya have Jay's E-Mail an' social media pages so ya c'n check up on `im but otherwise you're DONE parentin'! We clear on that?"
"It's going to cost you if you want a replacement Son," La Donna said. There was a clear air of calculation in her tone. "Otherwise I might have to report him as kidnapped..."
"You don't wanna do that, darlin'!" Ben said, his voice and manner cold as ice. "I KNOW what y'all did t' that boy! I SAW what ya did! Make it necessary an EVERYTHING comes out in open court! Ya prepared f'r that?"
"I'll tell them he's a Skindancer and those bruises are fake!" There was an obvious layer of panic under the bravado.
"I don't think so La Donna..." Ben shifted back to cold and contemptuous.
"They'll believe me!"
"Yes, they will darlin'..." Ben gave his head a sad shake. "Yeah, they'll b'lieve ya--but so will that asshole y'r shackin' up with an' his buddies in th' `True Sons'! I wouldn't wanna be you if that happens..."
"God DAMN you!" The venom was clear in La Donna's voice. "You fucking get EVERYTHING!"
"Yeah, darlin'." And now there was a touch of genuine pity in the Texans' voice, "I got ever'thin'--an' all it cost me was m' wife, my second-born Son an' m' unborn daughter! You GAVE yours away! Those papers will be arrivin' soon as I c'n have em drawn up and ya both will sign em! Then ya c'n be done with Jay. He's my responsibility now!"
Ben ended the call then handed the phone back to Jay. "So--what IS the story of my conception?" he asked. "Was my Mom cheatin' with you?"
"He's a Dover to the core!" Ethan commented to Catfish. "None of them know anything about subtlety!"
"You wanna know Son? Here's MY version o' th' story..." the big Texan said. "Billy-Joe Du Bois an' me were in th' same class at th' Police Academy. La Donna had somehow managed t' become friends with my then-girlfriend Robyn Sutherland; I thought th' friendship was a might one-sided since my Little Bird always seemed t' be doin' one favor `r another f'r y'r Mom..."
"She's good at that..." Jay commented. "She has a real knack for coming across a poor little lost lamb in need of protection from the big bad world!"
Ben nodded; that was pretty much his opinion of La Donna Du Bois. "Billy-Joe `n' La Donna had been married f'r a couple o' years an' been tryin' t' have a kid--but it wasn't takin'..."
"Likely because their genes weren't compatible owing to your Mom being a Skindancer," Ethan put in.
"So, one day out o' th' blue, Robyn comes t' me with an outrageous request!" the big man went on. "She told me that since La Donna an' Billy-Joe couldn't have a kid they like t' borrow' some baby gravy'! Well, needless t' say I was purty damned surprised they'd ask an' even more s'rprised that m' Little Bird `ud actually agree t' somethin' like that--I'd just asked her t' marry me, ya see..."
"Did she know you were Gay?" Jay asked.
Ben nodded. "I told her ever'thin' b'fore I gave Robyn th' ring," he told the group. "I couldn't go into a marriage with a secret like that hangin' over our heads; I also told her I'd honor my vows an' be faithful unto death--which I was..."
"Um--OK then...." Jay said. "So, my Mom maneuvered your girlfriend into you sleeping with her?"
"Nope!" Ben said. "She suggested that when th' three of em finally beat me down so I'd make th' donation'. I was havin' none o' that; we went th' Turkey-Baster route!"
"And it worked on the first try!" Ethan said. "That's a sure sign of your genetic compatibility!"
"My Little Bird' wasn't a complete idiot," the big man went on. "She had papers drawn up, all nice n' legal-like that named me as a Sperm Donor' an' NOT th' Father'; I still have those papers. One o' th' stipulations in that document was that NOBODY ud speak about y'r birth an' I'd never be acknowledged as anythin' more n Godfather; they couldn't sign fast enough..."
"So how come you didn't stay in my life?" Jay asked.
"Once your Momma was well-along in her pregnancy. she picked a fight with Robyn an' th' friendship' ended..." Ben said. "Next thing I know Billy-Joe up an' quits th' force an' they move God-knows-where! Honestly, I was r'lieved t' see em go--more fool me!"
"Do you want me to go too--Dad...?" There was a definite forlorn note in the kid's voice and Ben could see Catfish was hurting from the strong emotion Jay was projecting.
The big man came over and wrapped his newly-rediscovered Son in his arms. "If ya want me t' be y'r Dad, I'm happy t' have another Son," he said, his voice taking on a bit of a rough edge. "Y'r a Dover born n' bred, however ya got here, so that makes ya fam'ly! I can't make up f'r all th' time we lost r what y'r former parents did t' ya--but I can damn sure promise it won't happen under this roof!"
"You try y'r best t' be a good Son `n' I'll try m' best t' be a proper father..."
"OK Dad!" Jay hugged Ben hard and Catfish smiled. No doubt there would be hard times to come but with love and determination Ben felt they could eventually find their footing.
END CHAPTER SIX