Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 19:19:46 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: Flights of Angels-Chapter 17 Flights of Angels-Chapter 17 By Eff Del When we are young and for the first time; look upon the world and perceive its many faults and frailties, we are heartsick and outraged. The goodness that is essentially within our nature drives us to attempt to mend the flaws and shore up the fragilities. In this pursuit we use as a guide, our own acquired perception. More often than not, we are saddened to recognize that the world doesn't respond to our efforts and immediately struggle to achieve our ideal. As we gain sagacity through experience and maturity...and if we are lucky, we come realize that our actions have actually resulted in change. To our surprise however, we have not changed the world, but rather; we have gradually changed ourselves. In order to recognize the good in things, it is necessary that we actually expect to find them before we even start to look. There was no doubting the fact that the boy from the Vista Verde Sporting Club was an experienced boxer. He stood outside the ring calmly as his coach methodically checked his gloves, mouthpiece and head protection. Although I was watching from the other side of the ring, I judged him to be just a bit taller than Jack but he looked more solid and stocky. I guessed from his physique that he had about a five to ten pound weight advantage. Although both boys were statistically well matched, physically, this boy presented a more intimidating package at first glance. We'd sat through five previous bouts; all younger, smaller kids and now Jack was about to enter the ring for his first actual fight. While he didn't actually look nervous, he did seem to lack the slight air of cockiness that was so much a part of his wonderful personality. `Serious' I'd thought to myself...he looks very serious. I wondered privately if he was really intimidated over the knowledge that the boy he was facing had not yet lost a fight. That just didn't seem like Jack to me. While I wasn't really worried for him, I couldn't help but wonder none the less.. I was certain that we all made an interesting routing section huddled together at ringside. There almost wasn't room for everyone from Joyous Gaurde who'd wanted to come watch our boy engage in his first combat. Eventually, we'd sorted it out though, and besides Jack and Sean, John, Doc Swaim. Walter, Richard, Chris, Taylor and I had actually fit into the limo quite comfortably. Jack had heeded my instructions and (to his surprise I suspect) had actually taken a good two hour nap after the little incident that had occurred between him and Sean. He'd come down from his room just in time for lunch and he was looking and acting like "our Jack" again though I noticed he was going out of his way to be nice to Sean. For his part, Sean was actually a bit clingy to the older boy. I knew the cruel words that they'd exchanged had hurt terribly but I also knew that their closeness and affection for each other were more than strong enough to heal those wounds. It was something they would work out between them and required no further intervention from me or any other adult. As it came closer to the time we must leave for Deer Run, Jack became more and more pensive and for the last half hour, Walter and Richard had taken him aside and were talking to him privately. As we all walked out to the limo, he certainly seemed calmer and for the entire ride out to the club, he'd laughed and joked with us. When we'd reached the club and it came time for him to leave us and head down to the locker room though, he'd turned and asked; "Uncle Eric, do you think you and Walter could come with me...to help me get set up right?" I felt something tug at my heart and in a half choking voice I turned to John and asked him if he'd watch over Sean and stake out some seats for us. "You bet Eric," he'd replied. "Come on Seano, let's grab some seats at ringside." As we walked down the long hall to the locker room, Jack took each of our hands. He didn't say anything he just walked between us. I glanced over at Walter. His eyes were glistening from what I suspected were unshed tears. I thought back to that horrible day when I'd found him rocking my blanked wrapped comatose little boy under the tower and I'd seen the tears pour down his face. Ever since then, I'd experienced frequent memories from my childhood. On the surface, Walter had always seemed so formal, so straight forward...so much like a rock but I also recollected the horrible week after the accident. Walter had cried then and he'd never attempted to hide those tears. The changes came after...after my family was entombed beneath the marble. I had become a drunken mindless wreck and Walter had become an efficient machine. Recently this year, I'd begun recalling that the Walter of my childhood was actually a warm funny caring man that I always had felt safe and comfortable around. His confession of sorts about how much the boys meant to him had reinforced those memories. I wondered for the first time just how deeply the deaths of my family and my own subsequent failure as a human being had hurt him. How much pain had he born for us? I felt a twinge of shame at my own selfishness but also realized that I couldn't undo the past...we all could do nothing more than live for the present. Out of the blue, I heard my father's voice telling me as he often had; "Eric, the best thing that you can do when it's raining...is to let it rain." I remembered the first time he'd said that me, I'd shaken my head in puzzlement but as I'd grown older, I'd recognized the simple truth that statement represented. We stayed with Jack in the locker room while the boy stripped and changed for the match. I know that Walter's reaction to his nudity was very different from mine. I saw his beauty and raw sexiness while Walter no doubt saw his youth and his fitness. After Jack had donned cup and jock, trunks socks and shoes we sat together on the bench. It was the coaching staff's responsibility to tape his hands and lace his gloves but we had the privilege of sitting with him for a short while. Walter had draped the robe over the boy's shoulders to fend off the chill of the locker room. We didn't say much...just a few small little jokes that the boy laughed nervously at and then we heard a voice; "Ok Jack, come on it's time to get you taped and gloved." This was of course, our cue to leave. As we stood and I was turning, Walter bent down so that he was eye to eye with our boy. "Jack, lots of times before Eric's dad and I would go out on one of our adventures, he'd slap me on the back and say; "Do your best and then...relax." I felt a twinge in my very soul. I remembered countless times my father had said that very thing to Kyle and me. It was the best advice I'd ever been given...why hadn't I thought to say that to Jack? I supposed I still had a lot to learn. It struck me though, that twice this afternoon in a very short span of time, I'd been presented with my father's wisdom...so long forgotten. Was there a reason these words were coming to me now? Was my Dad guiding me still...showing me the right path again? I hope in some way that this might be true. Jack stood up and he hugged us both. With nothing further to say, we turned to leave. I looked back just before heading out the door and he was looking at me with his wonderful half grin. He couldn't wave because by now, one of the coaches was taping his hands and so, instead, he comically waggled his eyebrows. Once again, my heart surged and I knew how much I loved this boy. ***************************************************** The gym at Deer Run had been converted into a proper boxing arena and I was frankly surprised by how professional it looked. Our family hadn't ever really been interested in amateur boxing and so, we'd never attended any of these contests before. Since Jack's involvement I'd learned that amateur boxing was a long held and cherished tradition for the Deer Run Club. John had grabbed us great seats which of course came as no surprise. As Jack's fight approached, Sean sat at my right wiggling and bouncing on his chair so much that I was almost tempted to pull him over onto my lap just to hold him still. Jack's coach; "Sal" Salvatore was earnestly talking to him as they entered the ring. Sal was a former Golden Gloves winner who had also fought on a semi-professional level in order to help pay his way through college. Though neither Kyle nor I had ever had any interest in boxing when we were young, I knew Sal and respected his personal skill as well as his caring coaching methods. Ignoring my bouncing little boy for a moment, I turned to my left to look at Walter and Richard. I knew that both men had been taking Jack aside most afternoons and with Sal's complete approval, had been giving him private coaching. I knew both of these men were certifiably deadly in a hand to hand combat situation but I didn't know how much they knew about actual boxing. Despite those minor misgivings, I trusted Walter completely and I knew he'd never lead Jack astray. His affection for the boy was entirely too obvious. As for Richard, it constantly amazed me how quickly he was becoming a younger version of his mentor. Sal had sat me down and patiently explained how amateur fights in Jack's age group worked. The fight would consist of three two minute rounds with a one minute rest period in between. Seated at ringside were five judges; all supposedly neutral. Each held a mechanical tally counter in each hand; one for the "red corner" and one for the "blue corner". Today, Jack was designated in the "blue corner". These fights were pretty quick and scoring was very subjective; each judge would click to count each "scoring blow" landed by either fighter. Sal also told me that despite the way the rules were written, judges would often add "extra" clicks when they thought they were deserved especially in cases of particular aggressiveness. A "scoring blow" or "clear punch" was one that landed above the opponent's beltline to the body or head at the front or side. Blows below the beltline or to the back were deemed foul and resulted in loss of points and even possible disqualification of the offending fighter. Clear punches were counted regardless of any perception of impact upon the opponent. All punches must be made with the knuckles which were clearly marked on the boys' gloves by a white strip. Unlike boxing matches at higher levels of the sport, these fights were short and fast paced giving the fighters little or no time to actually show off their skill or endurance. They were essentially punching contests and unless the fight was stopped by the referee or ended in a knock out (which were very rare) or a TKO (much more common) the fighter whose punch tally as scored by the judges came out the highest, was the winner. Sal had also explained to me that he trained his kids to throw long obvious, easily noticed blows because, since the judges were all seated together, close in punches could often be obstructed from their view and therefore not counted. Judges were not supposed to count blows that they actually didn't see. As the referee called both boys to the center for their instructions, we all leaned forward in our seats. This was going to be an anxious twelve minutes or so. I was personally relieved to note that now they were standing together, the other boy didn't seem that much bigger than Jack after all. In fact, viewed close together, they looked to both be physically well matched. At the bell, both boys closed without any circling or stalking. They both knew time was short and so, they got right to it. The other boy threw the first punch; a jab which Jack deflected on his forearm but which some of the judges undoubtedly scored as a blow nonetheless. Jack countered with a quick right that actually whistled just past the other boy's head. I thought to myself that it was close enough that I wouldn't be surprised if Jack hadn't picked up points on it despite the fact that it was a clean miss. Both boys settled into a rapid exchange of body blows seeming to be trading punch for punch. Despite my best efforts, I quickly lost count but I did notice that Jack was being far more careful about blocking the other boy's punches. This was not necessarily a good thing because Sal had explained that being subjective; the judging often favored the boy who appeared to be the more aggressive fighter. Suddenly the boy from the red corner landed a stunning left just below Jack's rib cage. This brought my little Rufus straight up with an audible grunt and he staggered back three steps. I could see the look of surprise on his face. The referee seemed like he was about to move in but Jack shook his head briskly, regained his poise and quickly closed with his opponent landing a flurry of fast right and left jabs into the other boy's body forcing him to back up rapidly just as the bell ended the round. Sean was on his feet jumping up and down with excitement. "Jack's doin' good ain't he guys? He's doing great huh?" I yielded to my original idea and grabbed the little boy and pulled him up onto my lap wrapping my arms around him. "Calm down little tiger cub." I spoke softly into his ear. "That was only the first round." He twisted his head to look up at me. "Kay, Dad but its sure excitin' huh?" Richard leaned over and said to us; "He was being too cautious for a lot of that round but I think he's remembering what we taught him now." Walter nodded in agreement but added; "That kid really rang Jack's clock with that shot to the solar plexus but, in fight like this it should only count as one blow." Richard added; "Yeah but Jackie was really coming on towards the end there." I'd been so engrossed in their conversation and with trying to calm Sean down that I realized with a surge of guilt that I hadn't looked towards Jack's corner. I hoped that he was so busy listening to his coach that he hadn't had time to look for our reaction. Glancing quickly over I caught his eye and waved a thumbs up at him. He smiled at me just as the bell rang >From the very start of the second round, it was obvious that Sal had said something to Jack because he came out aggressively with much less emphasis on blocking and more on throwing punches. After an initial flurry of traded blows, the other boy threw another left like he had the first round but Jack wasn't going to be caught a second time. He saw it coming and deflected it with his left hand while countering with a right of his own into the kid's chest. It was a hard punch and Jack quickly followed it with a left into the same area and then a right and another left. All of these were powerful punches and the other boy grunted loudly as each one landed. The other boy was driven backward towards the ropes. Richard was bouncing up and down almost as badly as Sean had been. "Attaboy Jackie! Attaboy! That's the way to land them!" he turned to Walter with a smile. "That makes up for his lack of aggression last round." Jack had the other boy against the ropes now and was landing a series of punishing body blows but his back was to the judges and I remembered what Sal had told me. Since his body was obstructing the judges' view it was likely many of these punches were not counting. "Back off Rufus! Back off!" Sal shouted. Somehow it just seemed natural that his coach was using his nickname...Jack WAS Rufus to almost everybody and nicknames after all were a long standing part of boxing. The boy must have heard his coach and realized what he meant because he danced backwards to the center of the ring waiting for his opponent to follow. The other boy was a true gamer though, and he came out with gloves flying and landed a short flurry of punches onto Jack's body before throwing a surprisingly fast left jab at Jack's face landing hard and centered. Jack backed up three steps and we saw that blood was coming from his nose. "Rufus!" Sean screamed from my lap and tried to leap forward. I had to fight to hold him back... the red haired boy heard him and looked in our direction. I couldn't tell if his expression was one of shock, surprise or pain. The referee was in the center of the two almost immediately. He pointed to a neutral corner and indicated the other boy should go there while he looked at Jack. He said something to the boy who shook his head vehemently. I leaned over to Walter and Richard. "Will he stop the fight?" "I don't think so." Said Walter "but of course in these fights, if he's going to err, he's always going to err on the side of safety." Obviously the referee was satisfied that Jack's bloody nose was not incapacitating because he signaled the other boy to the center and restarted the fight. If Jack was hurt or bothered by the blood, he didn't show it because he closed and just like the last round he began a series of fast body blows on the other boy almost backing him into the ropes before the round ended. "He handled that situation very well." Walter said to us "I have no idea at this point how the scoring is going but I think because of the nose bleed and the referee stoppage, the other kid may be slightly ahead. Jack wasted a lot of points by blocking the judges' view when he had the kid against the ropes." "I agree" Richard said "He needs a really aggressive round. He can do it...he should do it. I can't believe how cool he is out there. You'd never know this is his first fight. I hope he remembers what we taught him Walt." Despite everything, I couldn't help but smile. In my entire life I had never heard anyone call Walter; "Walt" but it was also obvious how close those two had become. Walter leaned over and made certain that I was listening: "Mark my words...that other boy lost the fight the first time he backed away from Jack's punches. Jack knows he can beat him and after that nosebleed, he knows he can take the worst that kid can deliver. Look at his face guys...that's a face to be afraid of." Just as he spoke, the bell rang. As the third and final round began, it was obvious that the other boy also felt that he was ahead on points and he began throwing a series of punches that while not very robust, were probably all scoring points. Jack on the other hand was not dealing in flurries but rather was throwing a series a slower but more deliberate jabs. Richard was beside himself. He was grabbing Walter's shoulder and saying; "He remembers Walt! He knows just what to do!" He leaned across Walter and said to Sean and me; "Watch him now just watch him! That other kid doesn't know what he's in for!" Almost on cue, Jack landed a startling punch to the other boy's ribs followed by a hard drive to the stomach and then an immediate shot to the jaw and like a rock, the boy was down on his ass. It was almost comical because he'd dropped straight into a sitting position. He got up almost immediately but the referee sent Jack to a neutral corner and this time moved in to question the other boy. Sean was going crazy and Richard and Walter were almost as bad. Richard shouted; "Well THAT makes up for the fuckin' bloody nose!...OOPS! Sorry Sean...I shouldn't use words like that." In the spirit of things, my little boy reached over and patted the man's arm. "Don't worry Richard...I heard that word lots of times!" If I wasn't so very excited myself, I probably would have said something to the boy but by then, the referee was satisfied the other boy was ok and had restarted the round. My eyes were riveted on my red headed wonder. I'd never seen him like this. He suddenly was all business and determination and from what I could tell; he was in complete control. My analytical mind told me that I was watching the Jack who managed to put up with the pain of being fucked and abused , who had handled the loss of his charge...his follow boy...who had made up his mid to handle whatever was dealt to him and to survive it all. This was an opponent the like of which the other boy had never faced before. Jack moved in and the other boy threw a sporadic set of halfhearted body blows before Jack; almost machine like, began a series of strong jabs to the boy's body driving him back towards the ropes once more. With almost lightning like speed, he began punishing the boy's midriff. I noticed with satisfaction that this time Jack had almost clinically shepherded his opponent into the ropes at an angle that couldn't obstruct the judges' view. Jack's blows were fast and furious and the other boy's face was fixed in a look of pure bewilderment. His sturdy looking legs slowly gave out from under him and he sagged against the ropes. When he no longer even raised his arms to deflect the punishment Jack was delivering, the referee was between them in an instant. He sent Jack to a neutral corner again and began counting. Walter leaned over and said; "Standing eight count but that kid isn't going to make it." He was right because suddenly the referee was indicating the fight was over and that Jack was the winner. We went nuts but while we were all jumping and shouting like a pack of fools, Jack had walked across the ring and had wrapped his arms around his beaten opponent and was speaking into his ear while he hugged him. I smiled and thought to myself; "That boy is one class act. No wonder I love him so much." **************************************************** We'd all celebrated over burgers and accoutrements at Deegan's and I wondered privately if any of us was going to stop smiling least of all our red haired hero. Sean wouldn't leave his side and the look of adoration he gave the boy spoke wonders. Jack had always been his hero and once again the feisty red head had come through. As I watched, I realized that aside from Jack himself, only Doc Swaim and I understood everything the boy had come through to get this far. I thought to myself that Jack often acted and spoke younger than he was...as did Sean but it was important to consider the unique and strange circumstances they'd been brought up under. Jack, despite his youth and seeming childish innocence was actually a young man who had been closer to the gates of hell than most adults would ever come and he had endured and prospered. I simply adored him for everything that he was. Everybody admired the medal he'd won and I mentioned that for now at least, he and Sean could share the same trophy area. "If the two of you keep up like I expect you're going to though, I'm going to have to add a whole new wing to the house just to hold your awards." *********************************************************************** I made certain that everyone's drink was good before I sat down. It had been quite a project to get the boy's calmed down enough to shower and head up to bed but somehow I'd managed. I'd asked everyone to gather in the parlor; a room we hardly used because it's so formal but the seating is comfortable and we could talk privately. Indicating the well-stocked wet bar by the wall, I informed them that I'd made the first drinks and that after that, they were all on their own excepting Martha of course. This drew good natured chuckles from almost everyone. I looked around at the faces of the people that I trusted so much; people that I considered family rather than employees. Walter, Uncle Phil, John and Martha as well as the Professor all sat smiling at me. They didn't know why I wanted to talk to them but everyone's mood was happy...even Martha's although she had strongly proclaimed that she didn't approve of fighting and didn't know why we'd encourage our Jack to be involved in such brutality. None the less she had a cake waiting for us when we'd returned from his triumph. "Well friends, I know most of us are involved in a major undertaking that's going to begin on Monday. Although only you are flying down there Uncle Phil, we're all directly or indirectly involved so I hope you don't think I'm crazy to be bringing this up now...but...I just don't think it's something that can wait. You see, it's been in the back of my mind almost from the beginning but just recently, I can't get it out of my head. I think I've made up my mind but before I move any further, I'd like all of your opinions because I am so close to you." I had their attention now and so I decided to just let it out. "Of course, I need to talk to Sean privately on the subject first, but if his reaction is what I think it is going to be...well...I'm going to adopt Jack...if he'll agree to it." The room was suddenly a happy chaos as they were all on their feet talking at once and swarming me with happy agreement. Doc Swaim was smiling from ear to ear and Martha was in tears. She assured me they were happy tears. Uncle Phil just pumped my hand and didn't say anything. "I knew it! I just knew you'd do the right thing Eric! This is great!" John exclaimed and Walter just smiled enigmatically and said; "If I though you weren't going to do it...well, we'd have had words. Those two boys need to be together...they need to be brothers and Eric...they both deserve a great father...they both deserve you." This was met by universal acclaim and statements of agreement and I felt tears welling in my eyes. We all sat and talked for another hour before I excused myself to head up to bed wondering what I had done to deserve my life to be so full and so wonderful. As I walked into my bedroom, I wasn't very surprised to find them both side by side, sound asleep in my bed. Happy times are as good a reason for closeness as are sad times I thought to myself. I undressed quietly and pulled the covers back in order to figure out where I was going to fit in among tonight's pile of gorgeous happy boy parts. In the low light of the room my eyes were transfixed upon their two stunning young bodies transformed into works of art by the enchantment of sleep. Sean was an exquisite little vision of boyhood. I loved this little boy so much it hurt every time I thought about it. Jack on the other hand, was adolescence in perfection...a boy poised on the verge of leaping into young man-hood and I knew now that I'd loved him from the first moment I'd met him. They were each beautiful to behold and my heart ached out of pure love and I was so grateful for the strange and divergent circumstances that had brought us together. I slowly worked my way in between them and though sleeping, they unconsciously slid apart to make room. Once I'd settled in, they both instinctively moved back in to cuddle against me. Although I had no intentions of waking them, I noticed with a grin that my dick had gotten rock hard. I smiled and wondered if there was going to be time for Chris and me to share a bed at least one night before they all flew down to Houston. I reached out on both sides and softly ran my fingertips along both soft smooth boy bodies and in their slumber they both instinctively nudged closer against me. Almost in unison they each threw an arm and a leg across my body. I smiled and though that they were so like brothers in almost every way. Then, for the third time today, I heard my father's words. This time though, they were not special words of wisdom, they were simple words that heds spoken to me hundreds of times; "Good night Eric. You did very well today." I closed my eyes to blink away the salty hot tear that had formed. "Thanks Dad." I whispered. Sleep caught me quickly. *********************************************************************** It was a strangely dark and blustery morning for this time of year when the three of us woke up the next morning. It was Sean who woke Jack and me and typically, it was Jack who was the hardest to get out of bed. On mornings when it was the three of us in the shower, we'd modified the Shower Music Game. Jack had admitted the first time he'd experienced it that he was out of his league and so he became designated the song selector. The three of us were huddled in the shower as Jack's chosen song filled the area. Sean jumped up and down literally as soon as the introductory music began. "Touch the Wind! It's called "Touch the Wind" only I don't know who is singing it." "Aha! Gotcha little man!" I exclaimed with glee as I reached down and smacked his wonderful little ass. "Actually, it's called "Eres Tu" which means; It is You and it's a recording by a group called Mocedades...but you're right Sean, in America it was called "Touch the Wind" so I guess for the first time ever, we have a shower music tie. That means Jack has to kiss us both!" The lovely red head feigned distress as he moaned; "Aw Jeeze! Do I have to?" and in an instant we were wrapped around each other in a stew of flesh and water. We finally broke apart and began the pleasurable task of soaping each other down. As the music continued, Sean suddenly stepped apart and with amazing youthful gusto sang; "Como una promesa eres tu, eres tu Como una maanana de verano Como una sonrisa eres tu, eres tu Asi, asi eres tu." I smiled as he sang but also wondered yet again at his almost encyclopedic knowledge but I had him here because the one thing Sean seemed to be completely ignorant of was other languages. I grabbed him and raised him up to my chest and sang back at him in the English translation; "Just like a promise...it is you it is you. Just like a morning in the summer. Like a smile,,,it is you...it is you. It is, it is...it is you" With a gleaming smile he pulled himself close to me and kissed me. "Eric...Dad...you're so much fun! Alla time I just love you so much!" Jack was in on the hug instantly and I thought to myself that I could die right here and be happy. Out of the shower and drying each other off, I noticed that Jack had a small mouse under his left eye. I pointed it out to him and he grinned up at me and said" "I may have a bruise but I also have a medal. Uncle Eric that kid may have had a lot of matches but he didn't know anything about fighting." I couldn't help it...I grabbed the boy and hugged him until I was afraid I might break his ribs and then finally I whispered; "That's the truth my wonderful Jack...that's the truth." I broke away and as we walked into my room, I gathered them once again into my arms. "Guys, you didn't know it when you woke up, but this is going to be a special day. Go get dressed and after breakfast, Sean, you and I have a meeting in my study. Jack, I know you've got school stuff to work on so you can do that in your room. You and I will meet later OK?" Both of their faces were rigid with apprehension. Like a jackass I'd frightened them again and it was Sean who spoke. "D-dad...you haven't changed your mind have you? You're not gonna send us back to the NEST are you?" I heaved a sigh and pulled them both into me. "No no, you silly! How long is it going to take before you understand that there's no back to the NEST for either of you? We've just got something important to talk about OK?" "K-kay" they both answered almost in unison. I slapped two gorgeous naked asses and they scampered out of the room. Breakfast was great as usual although it was obvious to me that Martha was just busting to say something. Loving as she was though, she would never let her emotions overrule her professionalism. Despite that Jack got extra attention even though he probably didn't notice it. When we'd finished and Martha had received her hugs, Jack stood before me and with apprehension in his eyes said rather tentatively; "See you later then Eric?" I hugged his neck and said with a smile; "Yep, see you later Jack." He turned and walked toward the elevator as I guided Sean down the hall to my study. Sean was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner grouping sipping on his orange juice while I took more time than was actually required to fix my coffee. For some reason this morning, I'd decided to drink it with cream and a dash of sugar rather than my usual black. Satisfied with my unfamiliar concoction, I sat across from him, took a sip and smiled. The coffee was disgusting. Too lukewarm and way too sweet but I decided to ignore it and continue. "So, Sean...we've never had the chance to talk about this. How do you feel about having Jack here at Joyous Gaurde?" He didn't pause a second. "Dad I love having Rufus...I mean Jack here. I love him so much an' the three of us doin' things is...well...it's wonderful Dad." Nodding my head, I decided to just go for it. "Sean, you remember when I told you that I wanted to make our relationship permanent and legal in the eyes of the law...when I asked you to let me adopt you and make you my son?" He was looking at me intently. "Course I do Dad...why? Is somethin' wrong?" "I hope not Sean but...what if I said those same things to Jack? What if I asked him to be my son? What if I asked him to be your brother what would you th..." He was on me in a split second arms thrown around my neck and it was like he was trying to get closer to me than flesh would allow. "Ohhhhh! Oh Dad! Oh Dad I love you so much! Do you mean it? Oh, I'm sorry ...'course you mean it! Oh Dad...Jack would be my real brother right? Oh Dad...oh Dad...I'm soooo happy...Dad I LOVE you soooo much! Honest Dad...we're gonna' be the best family that ever was!" We stayed in a tight embrace for a long time and finally I lightly pushed him away from me and said quietly; "Well little man, since it seems to be alright with you, I'm going to go upstairs and talk to Jack about it. If you'd like to come up, you may but you've got to stay in your room until I call you...or, you can stay down here. What would you prefer?" "I'll wait upstairs...Kay?" "Sure but it may be a long time Sean remember that." "I can wait...I sure can wait!" I held out my hand and together we walked to the elevator. We walked down the hall together and then without a word he went into his room while I approached the door to Jack's. Since bringing him to the house we'd renovated Jack's room and it truly reflected his personality. He'd left the door open and so I walked in. He was curled on his bed in a tight ball sleeping soundly. I suspected that the past day had been quite a strain on the kid. Though he was sixteen years old, emotionally he was probably more like a fourteen year old. Though he tried so hard to be big...he was in many ways just a little boy still. As I moved to wake him, I noticed his computer screen. It was an image of a very sexy naked young girl. Though I felt a twang of guilt I none the less walked over and examined his browsing history. I was amused to discover it to be quite intermixed with academic sites, his beloved marine biology sites as well as a large number of porn sites. To my surprise though I don't know why, the bulk of these were very hetero sexually oriented. I smiled to myself...obviously my little Rufus was either straight or BI. That pretty well figured and I absently wondered about Sean though it probably was too soon to tell about him. I closed the screen so that it didn't provide an unimportant diversion. Hopefully he wouldn't remember leaving the site open. I gently nudged the sleeping boy's shoulder. He awoke with a cute silly yawn and grin combination upon his beautiful face. "H-hey Uncle Eric...did I oversleep? I was working on my project an then I..." I pulled him up into a sitting position and said: "No silly...boys rest when they need to rest so that they can be boys." I slowly ran my fingertips down his back and he smiled at me looking very contented. "Jack, I think you know that I love you. I also think that you love me and we both know how you and Sean feel about each other." His almost magical green eyes were fixed upon mine with a slight hint of apprehension.. "Yesterday Jack, when you both had that silly but nasty argument and Sean said to you that you were still an orphan. That hurt you didn't it Jack?" His jade green eyes never left my face but he nodded solemnly. "Jack, when Sean and I first met, we were both orphans. We had nobody, no family but we found each other and together we became a family. Family is the most important bond that people can have. As my ward Jack, you are my responsibility to care for and watch over and I know you call me `uncle' and it makes it feel more official but Jack, Sean was right when he said that I'm not your REAL uncle." His eyes were still fixed upon mine but they were moistening up. He was sensing something sad and terrible about to happen. "Jack, I've got to tell you that I don't want to be your real uncle." His lower lip was trembling and I could see he was swallowing hard trying to be brave for the bad news about to be delivered...he was trying to be Jack plain and simple. I reached over and stroked his cheek and gently ran my thumb over his eyes to stop the half shed tears from falling, "Jack, I love you far too much to be your Uncle. You mean too much to me Jack...So ...forgive me if I make this quick and simple...Jack, I want you to be my son. What do you think?" The red headed boy sat there staring at me with his eyes wide and his mouth opened. "Jack" I finally said "what do you think?" The kid just sat there almost trembling before he finally blinked his eyes and answered almost tearfully. "E-Eric Really? Really you want me to be a REAL part of this family ...a real part? Honestly... truly... really Eric?" I pulled him to me as tightly as I could. I felt him melt against me and his young body shuddered as he gave way to his tears.. "Jack" I whispered into his ear "I love you...I've loved you since the first time I saw you. I want you to be my son and frankly I think you are already Sean's brother. Together, I think we three orphans might just make the greatest family that ever was." He looked at me with those magical green eyes and then suddenly threw himself into my arms, We hugged for a long time before I finally broke free and said that there was someone else we needed to talk to. Their rooms were of course just across the hall. I walked him to the door with my arm draped over his shoulder and knocked. "Who's there?" Sean's voice sounded teasingly from inside. "Your father and...your brother little man. Open up." The door flew open and Sean flew straight at Jack. I barely had time to take my arm away before the little torpedo knocked the older boy backwards and into the wall. He slid down the wall and onto his butt with Sean right on top of him. "Brother!" Sean was laughing as he grabbed Jack by his ears and pulled his face up for a kiss. "Brother...MY brother Jack! Boy what a family we got now! What a family we got! I love you both so much. Jack Jack...you're the best big brother in the entire world!" I decided to intercede. "Don't you guys think that there are some people down stairs who might want to hear this news?" Sean was up on his feet in a flash and I reached my hand down to Jack. Smiling I softly said; "Let me help you up...son." He hadn't stopped crying but he was smiling as well. He hugged Sean tightly to his side and wiped a forearm across his face before turning to me. "C-can I call you `Dad' now?" I smiled and kissed the top of his head while I squeezed his shoulder. "I guess we'd both better get used to that eh?" "YEAH!" Sean was dancing around flashing the mother of all `Sean smiles'. As we headed down the hall to the staircase, he slipped in-between us and grabbed a hand from me and one from Jack. "I gedda be in the middle because I'm the youngest one in the family!" "Absolutely little man." I smiled "Let's introduce all of our friends to the new improved Tucker Family." Of course, everyone was waiting for us down stairs and as we came into sight, everyone broke into a round of applause. Poor Jack was smiling and crying at the same time. He stumbled on the last step and Walter moved to catch him. They were instantly entwined in a bear hug. Jacks shoulders heaved while Walter whispered encouragement soothingly. Martha had prepared a wonderful celebratory dinner we all shared. Even with all of us together, we still looked lost in the big dining room but I realized that it had been may years since those walls resounded with such happiness and glee. In the back of my mind, I knew that there were still questions I needed to ask Jack. There was something hidden deeply...something that had motivated the ugly quarrel with Sean. Of course, we were also just a couple of days away from the "Battle of Houston" as the Commodore had begun calling it. Uncle Phil had already gotten our legal people involved in putting Jack's adoption into motion, They'd estimated two weeks...having oodles of money really helped grease the wheels of the legal system. I was standing with my arm around Martha. She'd had a few glasses of wine and was beaming at the boys; her face almost as red as a tomato. The boys were still sitting at the big table involved in a very animated conversation with Tip and Chris. I realized that those two along with Doc Swaim, the Commodore, Doctor Scott, Ricky and Uncle Phil would be flying out in two days. Joyous Gaurde was suddenly going to feel empty I thought. So much seemed to be happening all at once. I though it over and then bent over and gave Martha a big kiss on the cheek. "Oh well," I thought to myself "The best thing you can do when it's raining...is to let it rain...right Dad?" (To be continued) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for all of the kind notes and for all of your patience. Although this chapter came a bit quicker, you'll notice I still haven't gotten everyone down to Houston yet. That WILL happen next chapter. As I was writing I decided that Jack needed to have a good boxing round...the kid deserved it eh? On a personal note, I'm still very tired but I'm spending more and more time out of bed so that's a good thing. Thanks again! -Eff Nolitimere156@gmail.com And PLEASE everyone, consider a contribution to help keep NIFTY going. Go here: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html