Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 14:09:48 EST
From: Aterovis@aol.com
Subject: All Lost Things - Chapter 2

Chapter two of All Lost Things served up for your reading pleasure. If
you're just tuning in for the first time you may want to read "Reap the
Whirlwind" and "Bleeding Hearts". Check out my website and drop me a line.

http://bleedinghearts.nav.to

Email: Aterovis@aol.com

Chapter 2

	It was the wee hours of the morning before we finally left the
hospital, and then only after promising Will that we would return the next
day. We had all got to catch a glimpse of the baby as the nurse held him up
to a window. He was incredibly tiny but so perfect. I don't think I'd ever
seen a baby that young before.

	The biggest surprise of the evening came when the nurse told Will
that he had been listed as the father on the birth certificate. That meant
that the baby was definitely his. It seemed like Caitlin really was still
trying to look out for the baby's best interest in her way. Her trial still
hadn't been held but she was most likely looking at a minimum of life in
prison without parole and she would never be able to raise the baby
herself.

	The baby in question still didn't have a name when we left. He
didn't have to go nameless for too long though, he was newly christened
when we arrived the next day, Darin Joseph Keegan. Will was holding him in
the nursery feeding him a bottle when we got there. We watched through the
large window until a nurse came and gently took the sleeping bundle from
his arms and laid him in a bed. Will was all grins as he met us in the
waiting room.

	"Can you believe that?" he said, "That baby is mine. My son. It's
so hard to believe. He's so beautiful."

	"We saw your mom on the way up," Asher said, "She said you'd named
him Darin Joseph."

	"Do you like it? Darin means precious gift," he said eagerly.

	"It's appropriate," I said. It was impossible not to grin back at
him. It was the happiest I'd seen him in months, since Aidan died.

	"It's a great name," Asher added.

	"He's doing really well, eating right and he's so good. They said
if he's still doing this well tomorrow he could go home in the afternoon. I
know you've been here a lot but do you think you could drive us home? Mom
has to work and I don't want to drive."

	I looked at Asher who was grinned and nodded back. "Sure," I said,
"How is Caitlin doing?"

	Will's face darkened and I instantly regretted the question. "I
don't know. I didn't ask," he said brusquely.

	"Will, I'm sorry..." I started to apologize but I was cut off by
the approach of a uniformed police officer.

	"Will Keegan?" he asked the three of us in general.

	"I'm Will Keegan," Will said uncertainly.

	"Ms. Stuart has asked to speak to you. I was sent to find you."

	Will blanched and his knees seemed to buckle slightly. I reached
out a supporting hand to his elbow.

	"Why?" Asher spoke up since Will seemed to be speechless.

	"I don't rightly know, sir, seeing as how I'm pretty much just the
errand boy," the young officer said with a lopsided grin. His easygoing
manner seemed to put Will at ease somewhat, or maybe he just recovered
himself.

	"Do I have to see her?" he asked the cop, and then to us, "I
haven't seen her since..."

	"No, you don't have to do anything. Is that what you want me to
tell them?"

	"You know, Will," I said quickly, "it might not be such a bad
idea." That received me almost identical amazed and somewhat dirty looks
from both Asher and Will so I hurried on to explain, "It could be closure
for you."

	Will thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. "There are some
things I need to say to her," he said softly, "Will you go with me?"

	Asher shook his head emphatically but I said yes. I have to admit
that besides being moral support for Will, part of me just wanted to see
Caitlin again; to see if I could see what I had missed before. Some sign
that inside her lay a murderer, someone who could kill four people in
cold-blood.

	We followed the officer down the hall and then through a set of
swinging door where another police officer stood guard. He nodded at our
guide as we passed. He led us down another hall to a door where yet another
officer was stationed. He spoke for a minute with this officer who made a
few jotted notes on a clipboard and then he opened the door to the room for
us.

	Will took a deep breath and clutched my arm in a vise-like
grip. Memories of a night a few months ago flooded back to me. Will had
held on to me in a similar way as he prepared himself to enter a hospital
room that night too, except the room had held his dying father that
night. Today he would face the person who had killed his best friend and
his lover.

	Will nodded, almost to himself, and stepped forward. Inside the
room was one more guard, this one a female officer. In the center of the
room Caitlin lay propped up in a hospital bed. I would have never
recognized her if I hadn't known who it was. Her long blonde hair had been
cut off in an unflattering masculine style. Her face was pale and round
with the added weight from her pregnancy. She wasn't wearing any make-up
and her eyes seemed different somehow, almost empty, or maybe it was just
my imagination.

	"Will," she said, ignoring me. Her voice, at least, was the same,
low and slightly husky. "You came. I didn't think you would."

	"I wouldn't have if Killian hadn't thought I should," he said. His
voice was surprisingly strong. Mentioning my name forced her to acknowledge
my presence. She did so with a small nod.

	"I'm glad you did. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was..."

	"Save it, Caitlin," Will cut her off angrily, "Save it for the
courtroom where it might do some good. I'm not interested in how sorry you
are. Sorry won't bring Aidan back to me. Sorry won't give us back the life
you stole from us. The only reason I'm in here is to say I hope you rot in
hell. The only thing you've ever done right is when you gave me the baby."

	"The baby!" Caitlin latched onto this last word as a huge tear
rolled down her already splotchy face. "Take care of the baby, please,
Will. The baby is all I ever cared about. I don't even care what happens to
me. You're right; I deserve to rot in hell. But please take care of my
baby. Your baby now."

	"You don't have to worry about that. I'll raise that baby as if he
were my own," he said in a softer tone.

	She managed a watery smile. I was marveling at how sick she must be
to have been able to kill four people when her face suddenly changed and
hardened in way that was absolutely chilling. "You'd better take care of
him Will Keegan or you'll pay. I'll make sure you pay."

	Goosebumps jumped up on my skin at the sudden transformation. The
cop who had led us to the room motioned to us that it was time to leave and
we gladly fled the room.

	I hugged Will back out in the hall but he shook me off.

	"I need some time alone," he said and walked briskly away down the
hall. I wandered off on my own to find Asher. We waited for a while in the
waiting room next to the nursery but eventually, when he still hadn't shown
up, we left.

	I had told Asher what had happened in Caitlin's room while we
waited for Will, but we really didn't talk about it until we were in the
car.

	"I can't believe she threatened Will right there in front of two
cops," Asher said.

	"She nuts," I said without taking my eyes off the road. "That's all
there is to it. She's freaking crazy. It's not like she'll really be able
to do anything anyway. I'm sure she's going to be locked up for the rest of
her life. She killed four people."

	"And would have killed Will too if Aidan hadn't distracted her,"
Asher added.

	I nodded with a small sigh. I hadn't known Aidan all that well even
though he was my cousin. I'd only met him a couple times before he moved
down here to go to college, and even then we only saw him a few times
before this whole murder thing started. I'd liked him, though, as had
everyone who knew him. Asher was much closer to Will than I had been to
Aidan though, so in many ways the murders had hit him harder than they had
me. I sometimes worried that I was becoming hardened to death after being
surrounded by it so much in the last few years. I never mentioned my fear
to Asher, though; he had enough to deal with without worrying about me.

	We drove to Asher house and I followed him inside. Both of our
families were used to seeing us together by now and had easily accepted our
relationship. I think Asher's mom thought of me as her fourth son. Besides
Asher, there was his older sister Bethany, who had just shown up on her
parents doorstep six months pregnant, Marcus who had just got home from
college and six-year-old Jamie, who had been adopted when his parents
killed themselves in the wake of their oldest son's killing spree. It was
quite a full house and I suspected that was what had really spurred Asher
into this whole idea of us moving in with each other.

	Jamie plowed into me full force as soon as I was through the door,
wrapping himself around my knees and hanging on for dear life. It was a
familiar routine and was the equivalent to being rushed by a midget.

	"Killian's here! Killian's here!" he announced gleefully to the
rest of the household. He'd always liked me ever since I played Star Wars
with him the first time I met him. He was an amazing little kid
really. He'd lost his entire family in one way or another and yet he was
still so happy and well adjusted.

	"Sure Killian's here, don't pay any attention to Asher. I just live
here," Asher teased.

	"I know you live here," Jamie said patiently, "that's why it's not
exciting."

	"He's got a point," I said with a grin as I allowed myself to be
drug off down the hall.

	"What's that supposed to mean?" Asher asked as he followed.

	"Well living with someone does tend to take away some of the magic
in a relationship."

	Asher frowned but we were distracted Bethany's sudden
appearance. She was only six months pregnant, and refused to say who the
father was, but she was already huge. She tended to loom these days
whenever she made an entrance.

	"You'll never believe who called today," she said to Asher.

	"Who?" he said impatiently. It seemed he wasn't in the mood for
guessing games.

	"Aunt Judy!" Jamie yelled as he hopped up and down.

	"You couldn't let me tell him that?" Bethany said. She ruffled
Jamie's hair, which everyone knew he despised, and he ran off to comb it,
which was the desired effect.

	"Aunt Judy called?" Asher said as he dropped onto the sofa. I sat
next to him and Bethany lowered herself carefully into a chair. We teased
her that she would need a crane by the time she was full term.

	Judy was Asher's aunt on his father's side. She lived in California
with her two sons, Dash and Jake. Jake had lived here until a year and a
half ago. Jamie's real parents, who were actually Jake's aunt and uncle,
had raised him. Confused yet? Don't feel bad. It still confuses me
sometimes too. Judy was a quite an interesting person. She was some sort of
psychic, or at least it seemed that way, although she hated the term and
would never say it about herself. She had a creepy way of knowing things
that she had no real way of knowing.

	"Yes, and she had some big news."

	"Bigger than your news?"

	She stuck her tongue out at him and continued, "Her and Jake are
moving back."

	"Back here? What about Dash?"

	"Yes, back here. And Dash is staying there. He's in school and he's
lived there all his life. Jake is apparently missing the area, and us too,
and so Aunt Judy has decided to move."

	"Wow," I said. Judy had always intimidated me a bit. When I'd first
met her she'd changed looks about as often as most people changed their
underwear, and her uncanny ability to know things had unsettled me. We'd
had more than one encounter that left me with the willies. She'd saved
Asher's and my life though, and Jake's too. I wondered if she was as
strange as she'd always been.

	"What is she going to do?"

	"Well, apparently she has her own business now, she's doing
interior design. You know, going into someone's house and redecorating? She
has some weird hook but I forget what it is. She's planning on doing that
here too."

	"That sounds like fun!" Asher exclaimed. "I wonder if she'll need
any help."

	"Yeah, that sounds like a pretty fruity job," Bethany said with a
sly grin. It was Asher's turn to stick his tongue out at her. "Seriously,
though," she went on, "you should ask her. I'm sure she'll need some help."

	Asher's mom entered the room and surveyed the three of us sprawled
across the furniture. "It's moments like this that make me so proud to be a
mother," she said, sarcasm warming her voice.

	"What do you need, Mom?" Bethany asked as she struggled to stand
up.

	"No, no. Don't bother lumbering to your feet," she said and waved
her back down, "I just wanted to tell Asher that Aunt Judy was moving here
and get a report on the new baby." Asher's mom, Deb, and Will's dad were
brother and sister, which made Will Deb's nephew.

	"Well, Beth just dished the dirt on Aunt Judy," Asher told his mom,
"and the baby is doing great. Will named him Darin Joseph. Darin means
precious something."

	"Gift," I supplied.

	"Yeah, precious gift. I haven't seen Will this happy since Uncle
Lowell and Aidan died."

	"Good, we could use some good news around here for a change."

	"Ahem," Bethany said with a pointed look at her round belly.

	"While a baby is always good news, I would have preferred that
tidbit came with a daddy attached."

	"We've been through all this, Mother," Bethany sighed. He
expression clearly said that she wished she hadn't brought her attention to
it now.

	"Don't mother me," Deb said with a grin, "You know we're here for
you. I just wish I could say the same for the father, that's all. Oh, and
Asher, some boy called here for you today."

	I perked up and looked quizzically at Asher, who was looking rather
blank.

	"Who was it?" he asked.

	"He wouldn't leave a name. He said he'd call back. Dinner will be
ready in about an hour."

	"Where's Marcus?" Asher asked Bethany after his mother had left.

	"He's out looking for a summer job," she said.

	"Come on, let's go check my email," he said and we left the
room. Usually Asher had a room to himself but when Marcus was home he had
to share. The room held two twin beds and a desk, a couple dressers and a
desk with a PC sitting atop it. The walls sported a Savage Garden poster on
one side (Asher's) and a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster on the other
(Marcus'). Asher headed straight for the computer while I flopped onto his
bed.

	"So, you have guys calling you often?" I asked playfully while he
signed on.

	"Only when I think you're not going to be around," he answered in
kind, "Actually I have no idea who it could be."

	"Sure," I teased.

	"And what was that crack about a relationship losing it's magic
when you move in together all about?"

	"I was just kidding around," I said defensively.

	"It didn't sound like it to me. Is there something you're not
telling me, Killian?"

	"What do you mean?"

	The computer shouted, "Welcome" and "You've got mail," but it
failed to distract Asher's attention.

	"I mean it's obvious something is bothering you about us moving in
together. I want you to tell me what it is."

	"Nothing is bothering me. I'm just a little nervous is all."

	"Nervous about what? We've been dating for over a year. We've been
best friends for most of our lives. We love each other. What more do you
want?"

	"This is a pretty big step, Ash."

	"Look, if it's bothering you that much we won't do it."

	"Ash, will you listen to me. I'm not saying I don't want to live
with you. I do. I'm just saying it'll take a while for me to get used to
the idea."

	"How long? A week? A month? A year?"

	"I don't know. I'll be ready by the time we find an apartment."

	"Promise?"

	"Yes, I promise." I stood up and bent over Asher for what started
off as a quick kiss but quickly heated up. We were still in a lip-lock when
Marcus entered the room.

	"Geez guys! Get a room!" he yelled good-naturedly.

 	"We did. We're in my room," Asher shot back.

	"My room too for the next couple months."

	"Well, we're looking for one of our own," I added.

	That caught his attention. "You're what?"

	"I, uh, hadn't really told my family yet, Killian," Asher said
sheepishly.

	"Oops," I mumbled.

	"Killian and I are looking for an apartment closer to school,"
Asher explained, "but don't tell Mom and Dad yet, ok?"

	"Why not? I'd think they'd be thrilled to get one of us out of the
house once and for all."

	"I just don't want them to get all involved with it. I'd rather
have it all lined up and figured out before I tell them."

	He shrugged, "Whatever. It's your life."

	Asher rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer. He clicked
on his mailbox and his mail popped up on the screen.

	Marcus and I chatted while Asher read his mail, until Asher
interrupted.

	"Kill, do you remember that guy I was talking to whose dad was
abusing him?"

	"Because he was gay?"

	"Well it got worse after his dad found out."

	"Yeah, I remember you talking to me about him. You met in the XY
chat room, right?"

	"Yeah, his name is Caleb. He sent me a letter. I think maybe he's
the one who called me."

	I looked over his shoulder at the letter he was pointing to.

	It read, "Asher, thanks for talking to me. It's meant a lot. My dad
beat me up again last night and this time the social services people are
hanging around. They asked me if I want to go to a group home while they
figure out whether or not to charge my dad with child abuse. I don't know
what the big question is. He's been beating the shit out of me for years
and all the neighbors and half my teachers know. So anyway, I might not be
online for a while. I just wanted to let you know. I have your phone number
in my wallet so if I can get to a phone I'll try calling you. Later,
Caleb."

	"How old is he?" I asked when he'd finished reading it.

	"I think he's 15, or 16 maybe. Somewhere around that."

	"Where's he from?"

	"Near here somewhere. I can't remember exactly but I know he's on
the Shore."

	We lived in a small town on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland,
often referred to by locals as the Shore. It was also called the Delmarva
Peninsula because the area of land between the Chesapeake Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean was made up of all of Delaware, part of Maryland, and two
counties of Virginia. The entire Shore, which is mostly made up of flat
farmland or wetlands, much of it intersected by rivers and creeks, is only
about 200 miles long and 45 miles wide at its widest point, narrowing to
less than 5 miles in places in Virginia. So if Caleb lived on somewhere on
the Shore, chances were he was relatively nearby, which explained the phone
call.

	 "I wonder why he was calling," I mused aloud.

	"He probably just needs someone to talk to," Asher said, "I get the
impression that he doesn't have a lot of friends. He must be lonely."

	"Poor kid."

	"Yeah."

	"I need a job," Marcus moaned from his bed.

	"Me too," I agreed.

	"Me three," Asher added.

	"I thought you were going to work for your Aunt Judy," I said.

	"Aunt Judy? What you guys are moving to California?" Marcus said as
he sat up. "Mom's gonna really freak about that."

	"We're not moving to California, you dolt," Asher said with a
laugh, "Aunt Judy's moving back here with Jake. She called today. She has
some sort of interior design business and she might need some help."

	"Sounds perfect for you," Marcus grinned.

	"Now you sound like Bethany."

	"What?" he protested with an innocent expression, "I'm just saying
you have excellent tastes."

	With a mock growl Asher hurled himself across the room, catching
Marcus in a tackle, and the two of them tumbled backwards on his bed. I
jumped in for the fun of it and the three of tried to throw each other off
the bed until Deb called up and threatened to ground all of us if we didn't
cut it out. The three of us lay panting side by side on the bed for a
minute before Asher started giggling.

	"What's so funny?" Marcus demanded.

	Asher couldn't answer at first for laughing, but he finally
managed, "I think that was my first threesome."

	Marcus leaped off the bed in one fluid motion as the two of us
burst into laughter. He left the room shaking his head and mumbling
something about how no one at school would believe him. I rolled over on
top on Asher and we started kissing, all the tension and arguments from
earlier forgotten for now.