Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 11:51:28 -0500 From: fsw99 Subject: Chapter 65 - The End of One Big Happy Family Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to me at fsw99@mindspring.com. Chapter Sixty Five "We have to keep touring. We aren't just doing this for ourselves. We are helping gay kids all over the country with the publicity we are generating. We can't let them down. The Gay Free Zone club is catching on nationwide. We can't stop that from happening," Isaiah added. "I agree," Robbie said. "Me, too," Ed added, looking at Phill. "I do, too, I guess." Phill paused, then said, "There is just one complication. I don't love Robbie any more. I love someone else." Jason and I just stared at him with our mouths open. Then we looked around at the three others. Ed was blushing. Robbie and Isaiah were looking at each other, but didn't seem shocked at all. Robbie finally looked over at Phill, and Phill said, "I'm sorry, Robbie. But I know this isn't much of a surprise. After all, we have been talking about breaking up for a couple of weeks. I don't know how it happened, but I fell in love with Ed. I'm sorry, Isaiah. Neither of us knew how to tell either of you, but I guess this is as good a way as any." "Both of us could kind of see it coming, so we aren't surprised. Robbie and I think we might love each other, too," Isaiah said. "What the Hell is going on here?" I asked, shocked. "This isn't a car lot, where you trade in your old model for a new one." "We know, Stan. Isaiah and I are going to take it really slow. Both of us are used to sleeping with someone, so we want to share a room together. If we decide we want have sex together, it will be after we get to know each other better. We have been friends for a long time, but we want to get lots closer before we decide anything," Robbie said. I turned to Phill and Ed. "What about you two?" "We are the same way. I don't know what it is about Ed, but I really do love him. Both of us will quit the band if anything gets in the way of us being together. We really want to get married before we have sex. We want to make a lifetime commitment to each other," Phill said. "Is that what you want too, Ed?" I asked. "Yes, Dad, it is. I thought I really loved Isaiah, but we just kind of got tired of each other. When Phill and I first started talking about all of our troubles, I felt I could tell him anything. I have never felt like that with anyone, even Isaiah. We didn't fall in love immediately, it was more gradual, but I do know that I love him, and want to be with him for the rest of my life," Ed answered. "OK, you know I don't try to run any of your lives, this has just shocked me, you know?" I said. "We all understand. That is why none of us wanted to tell anyone. But, you asked, so I thought this was as good a time as any. I guess we had better tell the others as well," Phill said. "You had, if you are planning to start sleeping together. I don't think you could exactly keep this a secret for very long. Someone else seeing you coming out of your room together in the morning might start to ask questions very quickly. Are all four of you sure about this?" I asked. "Yes," all four answered. "OK, I guess two of you might as well go and get packed and move into the other room. I will call the rest of the boys and have a meeting before you get finished. Then, you come in and we will all discuss it, OK?" I asked. SHIT!!! I hated this, but what could I do????? Nothing!!! It was their lives. If this is what they had all decided, I had to support them, whether I wanted too or not. They all left, and I looked to Jason for support. He seemed to understand immediately, and came over and gave me a hug. We just held each other for a long time, then I went to call the boys to come to our room. I knew this was going to be hard. All the guys took it better than I did. They all seemed to know it was coming. I wondered why Jason and I didn't see it, like they did. They were relieved that the four boys had paired up once again, and would not be on their own. Nothing with the band would change, and they thought that life would continue on as before. I guess I am a romantic. I believe in falling in love and staying together forever. I took it harder than anyone else. Everything worked out fine. Better than before, even. There were no more fights. Phill, Robbie, Ed, and Isaiah, if anything, became closer friends. They were all happy. They liked the relationship that they were in lots better. Why didn't I think everything was better? I should be happy for them, right? I knew everything doesn't stay the same forever. But, for some reason, I just felt like something special had been changed, and I wasn't sure that it had been changed for the better. But, it had been changed forever, so I had better get used to the idea. (Sorry, guys!!! And one girl!! Hehehe I know this change was confusing, but it is IMPORTANT!! More to come on the real reason soon!!! Sorry!!! Have to keep reading to find out!!!) *************************** The tour was a smashing success. We sold out everywhere within an hour. The magic of Ticket Master!!! Our CD had gone to number one in the country. So had `Coming To Get You` as a single. We were already underway with contract negotiations for another tour for Europe, where the CD was also selling extremely well. We were also thinking of a tour next year as headliners. We would miss ZZ Top, but it was time to move on. Maybe Matt and Mike could find us another young group that could back us up. We needed a break, though. We had only two more concert dates, and would be home for at least two months. Jimmy and Brian wanted to spend some time finishing writing the music for the next CD. They had written some during the time on the road, but with school work and fatigue, they really hadn't gotten a lot done. The second CD is really the key to whether a band will have lasting success or not, and we all knew it. WE had a real highlight during the last concert performance. We had done like Billy Gibbons had asked, and learned `Free Bird`, by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Billy always played the end solo, and got a big kick out of it. ZZ Top and Skynyrd were old friends, and had toured together more than once. (Hehehehe Saw them together last year. 6th row!!! ZZ Top blew the new Skynyrd band AWAY!! My son caught a cap worn my one of the Skynyrd guitarists on stage, and still has it. Goldberg hat, if you can believe that!!! Skynyrd is my favorite band of all time. Have seen them 12 times. 3rd row for the first live recording. 1st row for the reunion tour live recording. That should give you a BIG hint where I live if you are a Skynyrd fan!!! They SUCK now!!! They were really GREAT once, before the plane crash. They were about to be the next super-group!!! Long time ago. Sorry, I am OLD!!! hehhehe) Gary Rossington is the lead guitar player for Skynyrd. He came down for our last concert appearance of the tour and played the lead solo during the slow beginning before the main solo that Billy was playing. Gary came in towards the end, and jammed with Billy as the song reached it's conclusion. The house was really rocking at the end. We used that to close the show. Nothing we could have played would have improved that ending. ZZ Top wouldn't come out for a while, either. The crowd wasn't ready for anything else right now. (See ZZ Top backing up Deep Purple earlier!!! hehehe) (Soapbox time!! Rossington is a GREAT guitarist!!! Top 5 of all time to me!!! This is my DAMN STORY, and I will tell you what I think!! Hehehehehe!!!! Top 5!!!! #1 Got to be Jimi Hendrix!! Any man who can play a guitar behind his head, and with his teeth, has to be #1. I just hate he is a Brit!!! For you, Phill!!! #2 Duane Almond Right before his death, he was better than Hendrix. Buy `Live at Filmore East`!!! Lots of critics say this is the best live CD of all time!!! Never tried to play behind his head or with his teeth, though!!! That impresses me, for some reason. Hehehehe #3 Rossington. He has more range, and different styles than anyone alive!!! #4 Angus, from AC/DC. Maybe, he should be higher. I have never seen anyone continue to play with one hand like he can. He is unbelievable! They are an older band, but sounded just as good as their records this year. Unlike Skynyrd!!!! #5 Billy Gibbons. He has unlimited range on his solos. All he needed was a bass player like Dusty Hill to keep up with him to make the big time. #6 I know, top 5, right? Eric Clapton. Real name is Eric Clap!!!! Another Brit!!! I would change that last name, too, if I was him. He can really play, when he wants to. He mostly does slow stuff now. Waste of talent!!! Sorry for the interruption in the story!!! Think of this as a commercial!!! Better than buy this brand of dog food!!! hehehehehe) The last concert was in Los Angeles, so we were already home. Of course, we had no place to go. Nate's family was in my old house. I had started construction of a new house, but it wasn't ready yet. 15 acres in the mountains way above LA. It cost me a fortune!!! Good thing my most recent book was really selling well. The house was nearly finished, but still had about 2 weeks before we could finally move in. We had rented a house temporarily before we could move in. It wasn't very big, but Tim and Tom moved back home to be with their parents. Phill and Ed also spent a lot of nights there with them. Robbie and Isaiah spent lots of nights with each of their parents. Isaiah's Mom had decided to move her mother down with them here, so she never moved. Brian and Nate had to tell their parents that they were also gay, and we all had them over to my temporary house to discuss what had happened. Both sets of parents took the news really well, and acted more like they had another new son than anything else. Everyone was relieved. Especially Nate, who looked like he would have a permanent skin tone of BLUSH!!! Keith, Mark, Alex, Martin, Matt and Mike had attended the last concert. After we all had time to relax and come down from the tour high, we all got together at my rented house for a cook out. I wondered if Keith and his cousins would even eat a hamburger off my grill. This wasn't exactly what they were used to, but what the Hell, they were guests in my house, and they would eat what I served!! (Hey, guys, you do eat hamburgers like REAL teenagers, don't you??? - hehehe) They did eat, and actually came back for seconds. Matt and Mike ate at least three huge hamburgers each. How they ate that much and still stayed skinny was beyond me. Everyone seemed really stuffed when we were finally finished. We all gathered in the small den. It was really difficult, with the number of people in the room. It was kind of funny seeing Keith, Mark, Martin, and Alex sitting on the floor next to Matt and Mike. I knew they weren't exactly used to this, but they took it well. We had boys sitting on the floor all over the den. We all explained what we had been through on the tour, and the change with Phill, Ed, Isaiah, and Robbie. The other six looked pretty shocked. Phill tried to explain. "I know this seems really strange. None of us thought this would happen, but it did. Ed and I haven't even done anything yet. We are saving ourselves until we get married. We want to do it soon. We know we really love each other. It is really hard to explain. We just feel something deep inside. We want to be together for the rest of our lives." Keith got a little spark in his eyes as a thought hit his head. "When are you going to get married?" "We haven't decided. We want Stan to perform the ceremony. He is going to buy our rings this week. That we have settled on. Where and when we haven't," Phill replied. "You know how you used to get so mad at me when I tried to do something nice for you? If you would let me do one more thing for you, I think I can solve the whole issue. You know all of us are out of class after next week for the summer, don't you?" Keith asked. "Yeah," Phill answered warily. "Well, I have a really good idea about where you should get married. Will you let me do one more thing for you without yelling at me?" Keith asked, smiling. "I guess so," Phill answered, still not sure. "OK, let me tell you what I have in mind," Keith said, smiling and nodding to his cousins. They already knew what he was thinking. They had already talked about visiting their Grandfather when school was finished. ****************************** We were all excited about the trip. None of us had ever been anywhere like where we were going. Packing was pretty simple, and we all combined into as few bags as we could get away with. It was finally time to leave for the airport, and we happily pilled into the two vehicles and drove off. Keith, Mark, Alex, Martin, Matt and Mike all met us at the airport. Our passports were examined and our luggage scanned, then loaded into the Ericson's private jet. It didn't take but a few minutes for us to get authorization for take off, and we were all in the air, headed for Nassau in the Bahamas. We were all excited, and didn't mind the long plane ride. It didn't seem like as long as it actually was, and we were cleared for landing. We all got off the plane and went through customs and then our luggage was loaded onto Keith's, Mark's and Alex's Grandfather's boat. It would take us about 45 minutes by boat to reach the Ericson's private island. Keith had called him and asked if he minded if they brought guests with him. He explained about Phill and Ed wanting to get married, and how he knew of a place in the center of the small island that would be perfect for the ceremony. His Grandfather, being a romantic, had agreed quickly. Keith, Mark, and Alex had agreed to come back later in the summer to stay with him again, and he had agreed for them to have time to spend with their guests instead of him on this trip. We all came in and met Keith's Grandfather. He was extremely nice and gracious to us. He seemed grateful to have so many guests in his house. Living on a small island can be lonely, I guess. Beautiful, but lonely. We were all shown to our rooms. There wasn't a huge staff here like at Alex's, and we were much more at home immediately. We all changed into bathing suits, and met at the beach. Phill and Ed had waited a long time for this, and didn't want to wait any longer. They wanted to be married RIGHT NOW!!! When everyone was together, we walked to a spot out of site from the house, and everyone stripped off their bathing suits. Phill and Ed wanted a nude wedding, and everyone had agreed. I was kind of self conscious, but everyone else seemed to take it pretty well. OK, Jason and I were self conscious. He still had problems showering in the gym. But, he was constantly losing weight, which was good!! Maybe he would get over his shyness soon. Martin, Tim, and Tom all eyed each other immediately. They had become big friends on the plane, and now looked like they had even more plans in the future. As we all walked off towards the center of the island, they all held hands, with Martin in the middle. Phill and Ed held hands as they walked. Jason and I did too, as I carried a package in my other hand. Phill carried a basket in his right hand. Ed carried a cooler in his left. All of this had been planned out well in advance by Keith. Keith and his cousins had played this game on this island before. Phill's basket had blankets, some sun screen, and a new tube of KY Jelly. Ed's cooler had drinks and plenty of fresh sandwiches. The weather here is warm at night, and they were planning to sleep out under the stars. We hiked thru the jungle slowly. We all had on sandals and nothing else, so you couldn't exactly burst through all the foliage. The island wasn't huge, so we quickly got to our location. The mountain that had formed in the center of the island wasn't large, nothing like the Na Poli cliffs on Kauai in Hawaii. But, it did have a nice waterfall that came down into a crystal clear pool. There was a natural cave directly behind it, and Keith had decided that this would be a perfect place for the wedding ceremony. And he was right. We all ducked under the waterfall, each of us getting a little wet. We left the cooler, basket, and our sandals outside. We were all totally naked now. Keith, Mark, and Alex had all brought lots of candles and a lighter. Also a camera to take pictures of the wedding. Phill and Ed walked near the waterfall and turned and faced us. They had asked me to marry them, so I faced them and started. I had planed on making this as simple as I could. I wasn't exactly a preacher. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to unite Phill and Ed in Holy Matrimony. Phill, do you take Ed to be your husband, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness or in health?" "I do," he said. "Ed, do you take Phill to be your husband, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness or in health? Remember, this counts mental illness," I kidded. "Hey, this is my wedding," Phill complained. He hadn't thought my comment was funny at a time like this. I guess he was right. "I do," Ed said. I handed each a silver wedding ring from the box I had carried with me. "Phill, place this ring on Ed's left hand and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed." Phill did, and said "With this ring, I thee wed." "Ed, if you will do the same for Phill, please. With this ring, I thee wed." "With this ring, I thee wed," Ed said. "I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may both kiss your husband," I said. They did, and we all showered them with rice that Isaiah had carried with him. We all then walked out of the cave, through the waterfall, and put our sandals back on. Not much was said. Nothing needed to be said. We had all watched something really beautiful and special. We made out way to the beach. We turned left. Phill and Ed turned right. We all turned around just as they were about to round the bend of the island. They were holding hands and running very fast for their honeymoon destination. We wouldn't see them again until after lunch the next day. (Phill and Ed really are married. I married them in a 3 way chat room on September 5th. The words in the story are as close to what I really said as I can remember, even the crack about mental illness. Phill really didn't like that comment, and did say what I reported in the story. The ring scene I made up. I did buy them matching wedding rings and had them mailed to Phill, but they have not been able to get together yet so they can each begin to wear them. Phill's is inscribed "Ed and Phill 9/5/00". Ed's is inscribed "Phill and Ed 9/5/00". They really love each other, but are having a little trouble right now. I am trying to help, but don't know how good a job I am doing. I think I just made things worse, because they broke up on 10/30. I talked to Phill about taking out this part and keeping him with Robbie, but I just can't do it. I really hope you two get back together soon, and writing this extra paragraph is my way of apologizing if I did ANYTHING that hurt your chances of staying together. Yeah, you live a long way apart, but if you really love each other like I think you do, you can work out any problems you might have. And, I will stay out of it like I promised. Guys, I love you and always will! - Stan) Comments can be sent to me at fsw99@mindspring.com.