Date: 24 May 00 01:52:53
From: rimshot@planetaccess.com
Subject: The truth about Caymen 12

I realize that it sucks to end with cliff hangers, but that's okay.  I'm
taking a short break from Caymen to do Tango and Taz, which I will post
shortly.  Caymen's not done, and I will come back to it soon.

Dan
Rimshot@planetaccess.com

The truth about Caymen 12:


	Merit felt the blood rush to his face, and his pulse raced.  He ran
up the steps to the dock intent to put himself between Caymen and his half
brother, Darius.  "What the hell are you doing here?"  He snarled, Caymen's
arm stopping him from moving any further.  "You should've learned your
lesson last time."

	"How theatrical."  Darius sneered.  He looked at Caymen and smiled
sarcastically.  "Really, dear brother, I would've thought your taste
would've improved in the last year."  Merit tried to get past Caymen to
take Darius' throat out, eliciting a laugh from Darius.  "Relax, killer,
and you might live to see tomorrow."

	Caymen was not smiling.  He was in fact very calm considering the
emotions that boiled in his mind.  Darius' smart-ass comments to Merit
caused something to snap, and Caymen lifted his hand, inhaled, and directed
his mind at his brother.  Darius slammed against the small shed that housed
the scuba gear, his eyes wide with shock.  Caymen smiled slightly.

	"My tastes were excellent to begin with, and if you can't behave,
Dare, I'll turn him loose."  Caymen lowered his arm and crossed it with the
other across his chest.  "Now, why are you here, and I would be goddamned
careful about your answer.  Merit is a lot fucking nicer than I am today."
Behind him, Cay heard Cody and Randy walk up.

	Darius brushed at his printed tropical shirt and cargo shorts,
eyeing Caymen differently than he had intended to.  "Actually, I would like
to go over that in private with you.  I don't care to have an audience."

	"That's a first."  Caymen turned at met his protectors each with
his eyes to theirs.  "Go up to the house and tell Grandma we have a guest
that may stay for lunch, please."  Merit narrowed his eyes and looked past
Caymen.  Raw hatred churned his stomach.  Caymen opened the link just
briefly, and Merit relaxed slightly and nodded.  They filed off the dock;
shooting glances back as they went.

	"Well, you certainly have them trained, don't you?"  Darius said
quietly.

	Caymen wheeled around and locked eyes with Darius.  "I wasn't
bullshitting you, Dare.  You're down to five minutes to explain why you're
here."

	"You may have tinkered a bit with those nifty powers, Caymen, but I
wouldn't push your luck."  Darius stood away from the wall he had been
leaning on, anger entering his voice.  "I have as much right to be here as
you do, maybe more, and I seriously doubt your ability to make me leave."

	Caymen blinked, and Darius landed against the wall near where he
had hit the first time.  "I guess you're to damned dumb to take my word for
it."  He said, advancing towards Darius.  "I decided I didn't like what you
did to me, Dare, my favorite cousin, best friend, and brother I always
wanted."  Caymen's voice oddly contained little mockery.  "I felt betrayed
by you, Dare.  I loved you."  Caymen lifted his hand, and Darius bent over
with an oof, as though he'd been punched in the stomach.

	"Caymen wait!"  Darius wheezed, holding up his hand.  "It wasn't my
fault."  He watched Caymen's hand come up, and it was like a cinder block
hit him in the head.  Darius landed near the door of the little shack,
clinging to the doorframe.  "Cay, I COULDN"T STOP!  HE WAS CONTROLING ME!"

	Caymen lowered his hand.  "If you're going to tell me it was all
Marrin, That's shit, buddy."  He watched as Dare pulled himself up and
worked his jaw.  "I don't believe in mind control, and you don't either, so
how 'bout you just get back in that little boat, and go to hell, okay?"

	"Caymen, listen to me.  Marrin knew I was really Andrew's son.  He
was going to use me to take over all of the family interests when your
dad,.....our dad died."  His voice trailed off.  He sat on a bench and put
his elbows on his knees.  "I was on drugs, Cay.  He found out, and gave me
anything I wanted.  After awhile, he started telling me how you were going
to inherit everything, and how it should be me.  I started to believe him."

	"When did you find out you weren't his son?"  Caymen asked,
interested but leery.

	"About a year after Andrew died.  I was fourteen."  Darius ran his
hand through his hair and sighed.  "My mother was on one of her world
famous drunks.  She told me to piss off my fath...Marrin.  It worked.  He
backhanded her through a plate glass window.  She never felt a thing.  It
took twenty seven stitches to close her arm."

	"Darius," Caymen said quietly, "I want to believe you more than
anything, you know that?  I really do..."

	"Cay, please.  Just listen, okay?  Those summer trips to see you
and dad were the reason I lived.  I would start counting hours until I got
to go.  I loved you, too.  I did."  Tears formed in Darius' eyes, and he
swallowed hard.  "But after Andrew died, Marrin was less inclined to let me
go.  I rebelled against him, trying alcohol and marijuana, but I found a
true friend in cocaine.  It made me feel ten feet tall and invincible.  No
one mattered but me."  His face screwed in to a tortured grimace as he
spoke.  "Marrin found out about it, and I know two of the guys I met were
set ups.  He was supplying me through them, and controlling me through
them.  I craved power because of him, and I had to defeat you, to satisfy
both of us."

	"You put on a helluva show just now."  Caymen said.  "I don't know
what to believe."

	"I'm not asking for absolution, Cay, I just wanted you to know what
happened.  Believe what you want."  Darius sounded tired and resigned.

	Caymen's mind raced a hundred miles an hour.  This Darius sounded
like the old Dare, and he desperately wanted to believe that.  On the other
hand, it was the older but wiser Caymen that had practiced his mental arts
for the last several months, not wanting to alarm anyone, but wanting to be
ready for the inevitable.  He pulled his wet suit the rest of the way off
and tossed it into the shed.

	"I think you ought to talk to Deidre.  If anyone can tell you're
full of shit, it's her."  Caymen held out his hand to help Darius standup,
then leaned in very close and whispered in his ear.  "But I warn you, dear
brother, if you hurt anyone here, I will fuck you up, and that's a promise.
Do you understand me?"

	Darius nodded, then smiled a little.  "You're so dramatic."

	"Just remember, Dare.  Remember what I said."

	As they walked up to the house, Caymen couldn't help but chuckle.
Cody and Rick were still in their swimming suits, sprawled on the wicker
furniture, puffing cigars.  They looked like opposite sides of the same
coin.  Randy was just coming out of the house carrying drinks as they
walked up the steps.  "Guys, this is my brother Dare.  He'll be staying
with us tonight, and possibly longer."

	Darius shook hands with each of them and accepted the offer of a
glass of coke.  Rick offered a cigar, and Caymen was surprised when he took
one, said thanks, and then smelled it.  "Ah, Michelleo Goldo.  Damned good
stuff."

	"You like cigars?"  Caymen asked, wrinkling his nose.

	"Certain ones, yes.  These are very decent blends."  Darius allowed
Rick to light it, then leaned back in his chair puffing.  Caymen shook his
head and went to the door. "Haven't you tried one, Cay?  They really are
good."

	"No thanks.  They smell like a mossy forest fire.  I'm gonna
change.  Be right back."  Caymen sprinted up the stairs and found Merit in
their room.  He closed the door and pealed of his Speedo, tossing it
towards the bathroom.  Merit's face was dark and un readable, and he barely
reacted when Caymen leapt on the bed and began kissing his neck and chest.

	"Wow, you must be dead."  Caymen leaned up and sat next to Merit.
"Usually if I jump on you naked, you go into a lust filled frenzy."

	"Is he still here?"  Merit asked, knowing the answer.  Caymen
nodded, and Merit sighed.  "Why?"

	"I'm not sure.  He seems like the old Darius I knew before.  I told
him that he needed to talk with Grandma before he could stay.  He has a
sort of logical story about his behavior, and I want to believe him, but
she'll know if he's lying."  Caymen stood up and pulled on a pair of nylon
jogging shorts and a loose tank top.  "I at least want to talk to him,
Merit, and try to make sense of what he did.  If you don't want to be
around him, I understand."

	"I don't want him around you, Caymen!"  Merit said harshly.  "I
haven't forgotten what he tried to do to you, and I don't forgive that
easily."

	"I don't either."  Caymen sat back on the bed and ran his fingers
through Merit's rapidly sun bleaching hair.  "But if what he said is true,
then I want my brother back.  If it's not, then he saved me the trouble of
hunting his ass down, and I have all the help I need finishing him off,
don't I?"

	Merit smiled slightly and met Caymen's eyes.  "Like there was any
doubt, right?"

	"Right."  Caymen stood up and pulled Merit's suit off, tossing it
after his own.  "Now put on some clothes, and let's go down and find out
what's going on."

	They descended the stairs hand in hand, a united front against any
would be attackers, real or imagined.  They could hear laughter as the
approached the doors, and Caymen groaned ass he heard Darius' voice
finishing a story.  He knew he shouldn't have left them alone.  Dare was a
real charmer.

	"....and then when the car pulled away, Caymen stood up, looked
around, and race like his life was ending back to the tree house."  Dare
finished, putting the cigar in his mouth for effect.

	"Is that true?"  Randy giggled.  "Did you really paint the
neighbor's dog green, Caymen?"

	"I hated that dog."  Caymen's face colored as he sat down, shooting
a withering glance at his brother.  "And, yes, I really painted it green.
Mrs. Christensen still has no idea who did it, and I told Grandma it was
Dare."  Merit sat down next to him on the couch.

	"Well, the little beast had it coming if you ask me.  It hated
Baggy, and Baggy hated it."  Darius stroked the head of the affore
mentioned cat, which was sitting in his lap.  Caymen could pick up no fear,
no negative feeling from her at all, even though his heart skipped a beat
when he first noticed her there.

	"I like your accent.  It's cool."  Cody said to Dare, then got a
light smack in the head from his father.  "What?"  He said defensively.
"It is cool!"

	"Your social graces are those of a red neck, Cody."  Rick shook his
head.  Cody grinned widely and nodded his head.  "There's got to be a
recessive gene in our family.  That's all I can say."

	"Well I did provide the bullet, Pop."  Cody said smartly, then
leapt over the back of the couch and took off running, followed closely by
Rick.  They wound through the yard in a race they were used to, Cody
stopping and dodging, and Rick feinting and twisting.  Cody stopped one to
many times, and Rick caught him around the chest.  They went down on the
grass, and Cody's pleas for his dad to stop tickling him could be heard for
miles around.

	"I wish my dad was like that."  Randy said quietly.

	"Ours was."  Dare responded, watching the wrestling match.

	Caymen looked at his brother, and a lump came to his throat.  They
had always had good times with Andrew, who liked to laugh, wrestle, hike,
play practical jokes, and spend his time with them.  Darius didn't get near
the time with Andre that Caymen did, and without meaning to, he felt pity.
"You mentioned that things had changed after you left us last time.  What
did you mean, Dare?"

	Well, it's a rather involved story."  Darius was embarrassed, and
he blushed.  "I got a little psychotic when I realized what I'd done, and
to whom, and I tried to kill myself."  He held out his arms, palms up, and
displayed several long scars running from his wrists up his arms.

	"Holy shit."  Merit whispered, then quickly looked up into Darius'
eyes.  Randy flinched, then looked at Caymen.

	"When they found me, I was about gone.  I spent nearly three months
in a psychiatric ward in London.  After that, Dad....., Marrin had me
committed."  Darius' eyes went red and teared up.  "He told me that I had
failed him, and that I could rot there.  I believed him, so I sort of made
myself, well, crazy."

	Caymen tentatively reached out for Darius' mind, not wanting to get
trapped, but needing to feel that special link with his brother again.
Their minds touched, and overwhelming gratitude washed back at him from
Dare.  It was like Caymen was trying to fill a bottomless pit as he sent
wave after wave of condolence, support, friendship, and finally love.

	Dare smiled, and the tears flowed down his face.  He sobbed and
leaned forward, feeling Caymen's arms go around him.  "Oh, god, I thought
you were lost to me!"  He buried his face in Caymen's lap.  "Please forgive
me, Cay.  You're all I have in the world."

	Merit swallowed hard and met Caymen's eyes.  Caymen was crying,
too.  It was hard to decide if Darius was playing them for fools, or if
this was genuine.  He wanted to be on his guard to protect Caymen, to keep
it from happening again, and it would have been easier to just assume this
was some elaborate hoax on Darius' part.  It didn't feel like it, though.
He caught Randy's eye and motioned with his head.  They got up and left to
give some privacy.

	By dinnertime, Caymen seemed himself again, although Merit was
still being watchful.  Deidre had returned from the market with Lila, and
they were barbequing steaks on a large patio at the side of the house.
Rick and Deidre sat at the table and talked of some business or another,
and Randy and Cody tossed a Frisbee with Darius.

	Caymen took a drink of iced tea and set it down, watching.  His
emotions were at war, and it made him very quiet.  He tried to enter into a
conversation with merit about the boat they were renting for tomorrow, but
they both knew that his heart wasn't in it.  They played chess instead,
enjoying the quiet, and giving them each time to think.

	After dinner, Deidre and Darius disappeared into the house.  After
an hour, Cody and Randy laughed quietly, then said their goodnights and
headed for their room.  Rick went into the library and typed away on his
laptop, leaving Merit and Caymen sitting silently on the porch holding
hands.

	At almost eleven, Merit saw someone walking down the path to the
guesthouse and elbowed Caymen.  "Isn't that him?"  He asked, pointing.

	"Looks like it.  I better go find Grandma."  Caymen went to stand
up, but was caught by Merit and kissed.  "Thanks, I needed that."

	Merit smiled and put his hand on Caymen's butt as he stood up.
"I'll be upstairs."

	Caymen nodded and went into the house.  Deidre was in the small
parlor next to her room on the phone.  She motioned Cay into a chair and
finished the call.  "Thank you, Tammic.  I understand.  We'll see you in
two days."

	Caymen waited for her to sit down before he said anything.  She
looked very tired, and he felt concerned for her.

	"Don't be, lad.  I'm fine."  She read his mind easily.  "I suppose
you saw Darius on his way out."

	"What did you think?"

	"I know why he did what he did, Caymen, and I know what was behind
it.  I won't share his personal details with you, as that wouldn't be
proper, but I will tell you this.  There but for the grace of god goes
you."  Deidre took her grandson's hands in her own and looked intently into
his eyes.  "Caymen, that could have been you so easily that it scares me.
Your father and I brought you to the states precisely for that reason."

	"What happened?"  Caymen asked, uncomfortable with her intensity.
"This sounds like a soap opera."

	"Exactly what he said happened, but worse.  Marrin convinced him
that he was insane, and locked him in that awful place for six months.
Some doctor took a liking to him, and started working with him, or he would
still be there."  Deidre put her hand on her chest.  "It makes my heart
weep, Cay."

	Caymen blinked.  She only very rarely called him Cay, which she
considered a bastardization of his proper name.  "So what do I do, Grandma?
I have a hard time trusting him."

	"I don't suggest that you should, but I do suggest that you be open
to the idea.  It may be a long time before you want to be his cousin again,
or his brother, but I think you've already decided to be his friend, am I
right?"  Caymen nodded slightly, and she continued.  "He hid nothing from
me, Caymen, nothing.  The only thing that he wants is to go back to a
happier time, and to have family, specifically you.  I didn't feel any
deception."

	"It's hard, Grandma."

	"And who said it wouldn't be, son?"  Deidre wrapped her arms around
her treasure, her Caymen.  "You are the grandest of them all, Caymen
McCandles.  You have the room in you heart, and good judgment.  Follow what
is says.  It won't steer you wrong."

	After kissing her goodnight, Caymen went to his room and opened the
door.  Merit was reading a book, and baggy slept on the bed next to him.
Merit looked up and raised his eyebrows in a question, and Caymen opened
the link between them, assuring him that all was well.

	After a quick shower, Caymen gathered up their dirty clothes and
tidied the room in his nightly habit, then stretched out on the bed.  It
was so quiet, and he had almost drifted off when there was a knock on the
door.

	Cody poked his head in the door.  "Can I.....can we ask you guys
something?"

	"Yeah, come in."  Merit put his book down and pulled himself up in
the bed.  Caymen did the same.  They watched as Cody and Randy walked in in
their robes, both looking somewhat embarrassed.  "What's up?"

	"We were wondering, um,well,...We.."  Cody looked at Randy, and
then looked at Caymen, clearly having a hard time with what he wanted to
say.

	"What's the matter?"  Caymen asked.

	"Oh, nothing's wrong.  Please don't think this is stupid, but I, we
sort of wondered if you could give us some advice."  Cody finished, and
Randy nodded.

	"What sort of advice?"  Merit set Baggy on the floor and patted the
mattress, offering them a place to sit down.  They climbed up on the bed.

	"We want some ideas on things we can do, you know, together."
Randy said.

	"You mean sex?"  Caymen laughed, then instantly clapped his hand
over his mouth, sorry he had said it.  Cody blushed deep red and nodded his
head.  "What kind of things are you talking about?"

	"We don't have any experience!"  Randy moaned.  "Listening to you
guys is like torture.  You go at it all night, and we're done in like three
minutes."

	Merit laughed out loud, unable to stop himself, and was soon joined
by Caymen.  "It takes awhile to learn what to do and what not to do.
That's the best part, actually.  It took Caymen and I months to learn what
we liked."

	"But we don't even know what to try."  Cody put his hand on his
forehead.  "Last night I fell on the floor twice."

	"Well what are you doing?  It's not supposed to be a contact
sport."  Merit shook his head.

	Caymen smiled a devilish grin at Merit, and then spoke in mock
seriousness.  "Why don't you demonstrate on Merit what you're doing, and
I'll give pointers."  He stifled a laugh as Merit's eyes went wide.  "That
way, you can learn something and then try it on each other."

	"Uh, would you guys mind?  That'd really help."  Cody said quietly.

	"Not at all."  Merit glanced at him, then back at Caymen.  "In
fact, you can practice on Caymen, and we'll help you."  He smiled a wolf's
smile, showing his teeth in a sarcastic leer.

	Randy moved up on the bed towards Merit, twisting his foot in the
process.  Merit grimaced, slid his leg over, and caught Randy by the
shoulders.  "First off, dump the robe before you bust my other foot, 'kay?"
Randy smiled sheepishly and took off his robe and dropped it on the floor.
"Now, are you just attacking me, or are we supposed to be making love?"

	"Making love."

	"Then, what are you going to do to start?  Do you know what
foreplay is?"

	"Not really."

	Merit sighed and smiled.  "Tell you what.  How 'bout if Caymen and
I work on you two first, then you show us what you learned.  Lay down."
Randy did what he was told, and Caymen had Cody take off his robe and do
the same.

	"The whole idea is to built anticipation.  That way it lasts for
awhile."  Caymen started putting little kisses on Cody's foot, causing him
to jump.  He worked around each foot, up each calf and shin, slowly working
his way up each leg to the knee.

	"Damn, I had no idea that you could do that to someone."  Cody
moaned.

	Merit stretched out next to Randy and began moving the tip of his
tongue up Randy's arm and chest, around his ear, and under his jaw.  With
his hand, he gently traced patterns on the other's thigh.

	Oooooh, shit.  That's cool!"  Randy squeaked, trying not to squirm.

	Caymen had Cody roll over, and began with the kisses on the back of
his legs, his ass, and his back.  Merit did the same to Randy, and he and
Cody had both started to moan softly.  Cody rolled back over, his hard on
waving in the air, and kissed Caymen hard, putting his hands on Caymen's
cheeks.  Caymen pushed him gently back down and began rubbing his chest and
licking his nipples.

	Randy squealed as Merit gave his dick a gentle squeeze.  They
kissed, slowly and passionately, and Merit slid his finger inside Randy.
"OH MY GOD."  Randy grunted, pushing his hips towards Merit's hand.  He
arched his back, lifting his ass off the bed, and gripped hard on Merit's
finger.

	Fluids had begun to seep out of Cody as Caymen used his tongue to
do circles around the base of Cody's cock.  It took a second, but he
realized that Cody had shaved his pubic hair off, and that the skin was so
smooth, it had to have been just to night.  He ran his tongue up the under
side, feeling Cody shiver.

	Randy was also shaven, and Merit glanced at Caymen and shook his
head with a smile.  Caymen kept his hair trimmed, but he couldn't imagine
him without it.  Randy and Cody must have decided together that they wanted
to try this.  Matching motions with his fingers, he put his mouth over
Randy and started to suck.  Randy groaned so loudly he almost laughed, glad
that Rick and Deidre were on the first floor on the other side of the
house.

	Caymen put his mouth over Cody, and moved very slowly, not wanting
to go to fast.  Cody trashed from side to side, pumping his hips and trying
to increase the rhythm.  Caymen decided it was time, and quit trying to
control Cody.  He used his hand to help, and with Cody humping faster, he
came.

	"Aaaagh!"  He cried, emptying his load into Caymen's mouth.  He
couldn't stop his hips from moving, and he spread his arms, trying to stop.
His stomach knotted, causing him to lean up in a crunch, and he squeezed
his eyes shut and shuddered.  He was almost crying when he finished, and
Caymen cradled him in his arms.  It had been so intense; he had no idea
what they'd missed out on.  They watched as Merit finished up on Randy.

	Randy arched hard, driving himself into the back of Merit's throat
and exploded.  Merit caught him in the air and held him, feeling each
contraction.  There was a surprising amount of fluid, and Merit barely
contained it.  Randy sagged in his arms, exhausted.

	"We've been missing a lot."  Cody mumbled into Caymen's chest.
"We've just been getting' off, you know?"

	"Yeah, I seem to remember that."  Merit smiled and looked at
Caymen.  His eyes twinkled.

	"Why don't you guys go get us some cokes from the kitchen."  Caymen
patted Cody's stomach.  They got up, not moving to fast, and put on their
robes.  Caymen barely had time to stretch out by Merit before they where
back.  He accepted a coke from Randy and popped the top, then damned near
spilled it when he felt a tongue on the bottom of his foot.  "Whoa!"  He
gasped.

	"Pay backs a bitch. Don't move."  Cody grinned at him like the
Cheshire cat, then went back to work on his feet.  He heard a hiss, and
glanced over to see Merit getting similar treatment.  He smiled as Randy
licked in one motion from Merit's ankle to his groin, knowing what that
kind of thing did to him.  A bit mischievously, Caymen opened a link
between all four of them, then slid around so that he could go to work on
Cody again.  It was going to be a long night.

	Caymen woke up at a little past seven and untangled himself from
the pile.  Merit was on the bottom with Randy draped over him, and Cody
wrapped around them both.  It was apparent that Cody was still inside
Randy, and Caymen shook his head, wondering how Randy's ass was going to
feel.  There was dried evidence of their free for all caked on everyone,
and he wrinkled his nose at the musky sour smell.  A shower was definitely
called for.

	He dressed in a clean Speedo, the purple one that matched Merit's,
and a loose tank top.  Baggy met him at the door, and he scooped her up to
his shoulder and trotted down the stairs.  Grandma was at the table on the
porch, her tea and biscuits barely being served by a pretty young girl,
Lila's grandniece.

	"Good morning, boy.  Did you sleep well?"  Deidre carefully spread
just the right amount of honey on half a biscuit.  Caymen kissed her cheek
and sat down with a cup of coffee from the buffet cart.

	"I did, although we were up all night."  Caymen sipped the coffee.

	"Why, dear?  Was everything alright?"  Deidre's voice filtered with
concern, and she stopped what she was doing for a second.

	"It was nothing, Grandma.  Just Guy stuff.  You wouldn't
understand."  Caymen winked at her, then stood up to get some fruit.  The
door opened, and Rick walked out, waving good morning to them.  He clapped
his hands together and rubbed them, clearly excited.

	"I just got off the phone with Harbor Lines, and the boat I rented
will be here in an hour."  He picked up a plate and fixed his breakfast
while talking to Caymen.  "I thought we'd head over to the other island.
There's a nature preserve over there that your family has endowed.  I
thought it would be a neat start off.  There are one or two other things,
but I think there's one you'd really like according to Merit.  Something
that we have in common."

	"What's that?"  Caymen set his plate on the table and turned back
to Rick.  The older man reached into his pocket and pulled out a D-ring and
smiled.  "You're shittin' me!"  Caymen's face lit up like a child's.  "We
get to go climbing?  Rick, you're a god!"  He threw his arms around Rick's
neck, nearly spilling the plate.

	"My, we're definitely Brady Bunch this morning."  Merit grumbled as
he came out onto the porch.  He squinted at the sun and put his sunglasses
on before pouring a cup of coffee.

	"Rick is taking me climbing today.  Wanna come?"  Caymen sat down
beside Merit.

	"Do I really get to vote, or are you just humoring me?"

	"Come on, Merit.  We've gone several times in Logan.  You always
enjoyed it."  Caymen dug into his cantaloupe chunks.

	"See," Merit asked Rick, who had taken his seat across from them,
"He was humoring me."

	"You look like seven miles of bad road this morning, oh nephew
mine.  Didn't you sleep well?"

	"Yeah, but not very long."

	"Ah."  Rick nodded, then glanced at Caymen.  "Caymen seems well
rested."

	"Caymen wasn't on the bottom of the pile."

	Rick tilted his head to the side, and was going to ask for
clarification, but was interrupted by Cody and Randy bursting through the
doors.  "I was wondering where you two were.  The boat will be here soon."
There was a chorus of cools from the two, and Rick watched them fix their
plates.  Cody piled his so high it looked like it would fall over, and
Randy had a lot of food compared to what he usually ate.  Cody dug in
ravenously.  Rick shook his head, amazed at what that kid could eat.

	Caymen couldn't help but notice that Randy was having a hard time
sitting, and he felt bad for him.  Randy looked up and mistook the glance.
"My ass is sore."  He whispered.  Merit coughed and sputtered, causing hot
coffee to come out of his nose.  Rick and Cody's jaws dropped at the same
time, and Deidre blushed but ignored it.  Caymen roared with laughter.

	A horn sounded from the cove at the base of the yard.  Everyone but
Deidre jumped up and ran across the grass.  The long sleek boat eased into
the small dock and powered down, then gently bumped up.  Caymen was
surprised but not to surprised when Darius stood up at the wheel and
climbed out.

	"That ferry at six o'clock was awful, but this little baby was an
absolute blast to drive."  Darius was clearly very excited as he tossed the
keys to Rick.  "The petrol in the tank behind the shed is fine, Rick.  I
asked the tech man."

	"Good.  Top it off, then, and we'll pack and go."  Rick turned and
headed for the house, followed by Cody and Merit.  Randy followed Dare over
to the fuel tank and stretched out the line to the boat.

	"How did you talk Rick into sending you to pick up the boat?"
Caymen asked.  He watched Randy open the gas tank and put the nozzle in,
and then started the little pump.

	"Um, well, he actually suggested that you and I go and sent my up
to see if you were awake since you're generally an early riser, but you
were...still asleep."  Darius smiled, then looked away.

	Caymen blinked, realizing what he'd just heard.  He looked at
Randy, who looked back in horror, and blushed deep red.  "You...were up
there...this morning..."

	"Uh, yes." Darius confirmed.  "For what it's worth, it looked like
fun."

	"Oh, shit."  Randy mumbled and leaned heavily on the boat.

	"Randy don't!"  Caymen jumped to catch him, but Randy's motions
pushed the boat away from the dock, and with his arms pin wheeling, he went
into the water.  He surface quickly, sputtering and swearing, and Caymen
leaned down and pulled him out and onto the dock.  "It's not tied off."
Caymen offered, trying not to laugh.  Darius couldn't help it, and turned
away shaking.

	"It's not tied off.  No shit, it's not tied off, Caymen! You don't
even need fabulous mind powers to figure that out, do you?"  He stomped up
the dock towards the house, muttering and squishing.  "Not tied off.  Some
goddamned special talent that took...."

	Caymen glanced at Darius, and they started laughing.  Tears rolled
down their cheeks.  Caymen gasped for breath, finally feeling the giggles
subside.  Rick walked out onto the dock carrying a cooler full of
sandwiches, snacks, and pop.

	"What happened to Randy?"  He set the cooler in the boat as they
explained.  "I kinda wish I'd seen that.  That's classic."  Merit arrived
and had with him a large canvas duffle bag.  Rick took it and held it up
for Caymen.  "Lines, rings, and harnesses."  He set it in the boat.  "You
might want to grab some pants to put on over your suit, though.  Your skin
will rub raw."  Caymen sprinted for the house.

	Everyone was waiting on the dock when he got back.  He tossed
Darius a tank top and Merit's purple Speedo.  "Sorry, it's the only one
that's clean and not in use."  Darius looked at the suit, noticed it
matched Caymen's, and laughed.

	"It'll be fine.  Thanks."

	"I don't loan you clothes out."  Merit smirked, climbing into the
boat.

	"That's not enough fabric to be clothes."  Caymen kissed him on the
nose after hopping down in.  They helped put the gear and cooler in the
little cabin under the nose of the boat, and Darius went inside to change
into the suit.  Caymen handed him the clothes for climbing, and he set them
on a short bunk.

	"Cody, you think you can drive this better than my truck?"  Rick
asked his son, gesturing at the steering wheel.  While Cody was learning to
drive, he had backed his father's new truck into a tree stump.  It was on
old family joke.

	"Yeah!"  Cody's eyes lit up, and he climbed into the seat and
scanned the gauges and controls.  He worked the throttle levers, and Rick
showed him what gauge did what.  They started the engine, which purred with
a deep throaty rumble.  "God, that's cool."  Cody reached up around his
dad's neck and kissed him on the cheek.  Thanks, Pop."

	Everyone sat down, and Rick helped Cody back the boat away from the
dock and turn around.  Darius appeared from the cabin and sat in the seat
across from Cody, just in time to see the expression of wild joy go past
his eyes.  Cody pushed the throttle forward, and the nose of the boat came
up.

	"Jumpin' jesus!"  Merit hollered over the scream of the engines.
"Trust Rick to find the only boat powered by twin V-10s."  Caymen laughed
and held his arms up in the breeze, thrilled by the feeling of speed.  He
pulled off his tank top and tossed it into the cabin.  The morning sun felt
wonderful.

	At a safe distance out, Darius volunteered to be the first water
skier, followed closely by Cody.  Since there were two tie-offs, Rick
allowed them both in at the same time and took over driving.  Caymen and
Merit tried it, but had little success.  Merit was able to get the hang of
it, and Caymen took the wheel so Rick could ski with his nephew.

	They ate lunch as they headed west towards the island of Little
Cayman.  Randy took a turn driving, and with a nod from Rick, opened up the
throttles.  The long heavy boat surged through the waves at top speed.
Caymen and Rick went through their equipment and double-checked everything,
and Caymen could feel anticipation burning through him.  He hadn't realized
how much he'd missed climbing.

	As they neared the island, Rick took the wheel and found a nice
quiet beach surrounded by cliffs.  He looked at Caymen, who nodded, and
turned the bow towards the sand.  "You guys can take the boat out a little
bit while Cay and I are on the rocks, but I want to be able to see you
whenever I turn around, got it?"  Everyone nodded.  "Good.  Cody, why don't
you put the cooler in the cabin so the suns not on it."

	"Got it."  Cody picked it up and stepped down the small steps.
Randy stood up to follow.  A loud bang caused the boat to pitch violently
to the right, fling him into the cabin.  The boat swung violently to the
right again, throwing Caymen into the doorframe, and with a shout of
surprise, Merit collided with Dare, sending them both over the side.  Rick
hauled back on the throttles, trying to get control of the boat as it
lurched out of control.

	Cody stuck his head out of the cabin, his eyes wide.  "Dad, we got
water coming in!  A lot of it!"  Rick cursed as the boat shuddered again.
One of the engines choked and quit, causing the boat to swing back around
to the left.  The bow ground across something in the water again, and Rick
pointed it towards the sandy beach and killed the start switch.  They
coasted the last few yards towards the beach, but he knew they wouldn't
make it.  The boat came to rest and settled into the water, sinking.