Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:01:51 -0600 From: Jason Gordon Subject: A Light in the Darkness, Chapter 2 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a companion story to "Things that Go Bump." The story lines are related and the characters will occasionally interact. The stories begin at roughly the same time. A Light in the Darkness, Chapter 2 "Promise" "Chase?" "Yeah, mom?" Chase was all smiles and acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Are you sure?" Chase turned to his mother with a frown. "You never suspected? Matt knew ages ago.... I figured I should tell you while you can still handle being surprised.... Can't have your blood pressure get up when you're pregnant...." "You told Matt?" "This morning.... But I didn't have to, he already guessed...." "Chase, what's this all...." A moment of comprehension dawned on her face, and she sat down. "Are you sure, sure? I mean, you can't even...." "I don't have to see to know who I like.... But I know what feels right, I know who I'm comfortable with, who I want to share my time with.... I like boys, mom, and it's okay...." "Your life was going to be so difficult anyway.... I just don't want you to have the extra suffering...." "Would I suffer less if I pretend to be someone I'm not, living with someone I don't love?" Sarah took her son in her arms. "You're right.... It's just ... hard.... So, William?" "I'm falling for him pretty hard...." Sarah smiled at the look on her son's face as he said the words. "He's pretty cute, huh?" "Way," Chase said in his surfer accent. His mother laughed, but then said seriously, "Maybe he should have his own room...." "Mom! No! Please?" Her son begged. "I ... I promise we'll ... be good?" "Well, at least you didn't hide it, but don't make promises you can't keep...." Looking at the door, she called, "William?" He opened the door and walked in quickly. "Yes?" "Do you mind sharing a room with my son now that you know he's ... gay?" William walked over at put his arm around the boy, kissing his cheek. The woman nodded. "Promise me that you two will ... " She sighed. " ... be careful of each others' feelings...." With that, she stood and walked to the door. "William, Chase may be a young man, but he's still my little boy...." William hugged Chase close and nodded. "What a day!" William said when she was gone. "You could have warned me...." Chase laughed, and said, "But then I wouldn't have had to apologize...." With that, he pushed William back onto the bed and laid down next to him, kissing the boy deeply as he rubbed his chest. William moaned, and when Chase pulled away, he asked, almost shyly, "Would you mind ... my shoulders are really tight.... I guess I'm still tense...." "Sit up," Chase commanded, and he crawled behind William and started rubbing his tight shoulders. After almost twenty minutes they were just starting to relax, and William groaned with the pleasure of it. After a few more moments, Chase said, "It's getting late.... We could get ready for bed...." William unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it in the corner, then stood to strip his pants off. He turned to find Chase already stripped down to some very tight blue briefs. His cock, nearly six inches and fairly thick, looked rather larger on his slight body, and the tight material outlined it superbly. William crawled into bed, and said, "You are ... amazing...." Chase ran his hand down William's defined pecs and abs, lightly brushing over the front of his boxers and grazing the end of William's six-and-a-half inches. Chase rolled over on top of William, positioning himself between the bigger boys legs, so their penises pressed together. The boys kissed and Chase licked William's nipples, teasing the boy, feeling his cock spasm. "I'm going to make a mess if you don't stop...." Chase smiled and began rhythmically humping, until he felt the warm wetness accompanying William's grunts. Then he rolled off, pulled down his briefs, and began jacking feverishly. Unexpectedly, he felt a big soft hand pushing his own away. A few jerks of the unfamiliar hand and he shot four shots of cum up his chest and into his pubic hair. Some got on William's hand, and he put it in his mouth.... Different.... William took his boxers off and used them to wipe himself off. Then he gently wiped his lover clean, and got some fresh boxers. "Why bother," Chase said, and he thought about it and tossed them back. Why not? "I didn't want to tempt you in your sleep," William joked. As he crawled under the covers, Chase cuddled into him, giving his butt a playful squeeze and resting his head on the boy's chest. As William stroked the silky skin on his back, Chase gradually fell asleep on him. Once Chase was deep asleep, William extracted himself and grabbed a book from his bag and read over some of the spells he'd need the next day to enchant the shed. About an hour later, he turned out the reading light and went to sleep. When Chase woke up for school in the morning, he felt a strong arm around his chest, and felt the big warm body behind him. With a contented sigh, he pressed himself back into the hard body and felt the boy's harder cock rub against his ass. Smiling, he began to move so that William's penis was sliding up and down the crack of his ass. Chase's whole body shivered as it rubbed against his hole. Suddenly, he felt the arm around him tighten, and William began to move on his own, and in a minute or so, Chase felt the hot cum shooting up his back. "Good morning," Chase said, giggling. William smacked his behind, and laughed, "Good morning, beautiful.... Let me clean you up." Grabbing last night's dirty boxers he again wiped the boy clean. "Now, roll over onto your back and let me take care of you...." Chase gasped when he felt the boys hand wrap firmly around his penis and stroke it slowly until he was rock hard. Then the hand was gone and he was confused, until he felt the hot, wet mouth take first the head, then most of his penis. "Oh, God, William," he groaned softly. "Oh, ohhh yeah...." William wasn't sure what to do, but he was learning fast from Chase's moans. "William, I'm going to," he began, but William squeezed his hand and bobbed his head a few more times, finally feeling Chase's spasms and tasting the boy's cum. Chase grasped at his shoulders desperately, pulling him up on top of him. The boy kissed him deeply and passionately. "That was ... amazing...." "I'm glad you liked it...." The boy kissed him again and then laughed. "I've got to get ready for school," he said, grabbing a robe and some clothes and heading to the bathroom to get ready. William laid in the bed, thinking about Chase -- he'd miss him during the day.... It almost made him wish he could go to school.... Almost.... William was a self-starter, and learned better on his own, from books, from the computer, and by practice; school was very hard for him. "So what are you doing today," Chase asked as he came back in the room, dressed in his school's uniform, navy pants and white shirt, grabbing his blazer with school crest from the closet. "My God, that's sexy," William said, getting up and coming up behind him, wrapping his arms around the boy. "Glad you think so," he said, turning around and standing on his tiptoes and to give the boy a peck on the lips. "Now get dressed and come and have some breakfast with me...." William pulled on some gym shorts and a t-shirt, and followed Chase downstairs. "So what are you doing today," Chase repeated. "Well, when my shed comes, I'm going to get my lab set up.... And I guess I'll get back to my studies.... I also need to see if someone can take me down to get a new computer...." "Steve works from home," Sarah said as she came into the room, putting on her earrings. She was looking very professional in her navy skirt suit and heels. "Just tell him to forward the phone to his cell and get off his ass!" "Hey!" Steve said, standing with mussed hair in his robe in front of the coffee pot. "Just because we don't all have to go to the corporate jungle to earn our keep, you don't have to hate on us!" "What do you do," William asked the adults. "Brunhilda is a corporate fat-cat," Steve said with a laugh, as his wife tossed a hand towel in his face. "I'm a scientist," Sarah said with a little fire, "who doesn't get to spend much time in the lab anymore. I'm the VP for development at a small pharmaceutical company...." "I'm just a troubleshooter," Steve added. Chase laughed, but didn't say anything. "What, Chase?" "Troubleshooter? Dad's a business adviser.... He helps keep small companies in business when they hit trouble spots...." Steve shrugged and sat down with his cereal next to the boys. "I guess you and I are men of leisure, William...." The boy laughed as mother and son gave made disapproving faces and quickly ate their breakfast. Shortly, Matt burst through the door. "Come on! The bus is a block away." Chase threw his bag over his shoulder, gave his mom and dad pecks on the cheek and William a peck on the lips before hurrying after Matt. He knew the driver would give him a minute but he didn't want to abuse the fact. Sarah soon left, and Steve and William sat alone. William disappeared upstairs and returned with two books. "What are you up to?" "Well, I'm putting some notes together -- when the building arrives, I'm going to turn it into a professional magical workshop.... I'm just trying to figure out what all I'll need, and what's top priority. And, I'm trying to keep up with my school work.... Not that I plan on going back to school in any case...." "No," Steve asked, surprised, "not even when all this is sorted out?" "No.... I'll take all the tests, but I just don't see the need for it.... I've got important things to do...." Steve laughed and nodded, "I'm sorry that you've had to grow up too fast.... If you have the chance to enjoy life a little now, you should take it...." "I never particularly enjoyed school, anyway.... Let me learn about things in my own way, great.... Make me read boring texts and vomit it back and I suck...." "Well, I can't say I agree, but it sounds like you've thought it out.... But promise me that when its safe, you'll at least let us show you around Chase's school. It's pretty good and they encourage individual learning...." "Alright.... I'll check it out...." "Good man," Steve said, patting the boy on the shoulder as he walked toward his office to grab the phone.... William worked at the table for a couple of solid hours, mostly reading a history of the Crusades he'd taken from his father's shelf before ... the explosion, but also occasionally noting a spell he needed to remember as it came to him. Around lunch time, the doorbell rang and Steve explained to the delivery crew where he wanted the building and unlocked the side gate so they could back their truck in, and then he and William had a sandwich and watched the men work in the back yard. When it was in place, they inspected it for damage and Steve signed the work order. When the men had left, he locked the gate and said, "Now why don't we go check on that computer...." William reinstated his glamour and they headed for the local Best Buy. After a quick browse, William settled on a high-powered HP laptop, with a big screen, a big hard drive and a lot of memory. It was the most expensive one they had in stock, but William meant for it to last. While the software was being set up, the guys browsed the store, Steve picked up some movies and William got a cd. When they got home, it was only about two, so William tossed his computer on the bed and grabbed his bag of magical implements and his wand and headed out into the back yard. William took a bottle of ink and a pen from the bag and set the rest in the grass. Dipping the pen in the enchanted ink, he began drawing symbols on and above the doors and windows of the structure. As he completed each sigil, it would glow red and become quite invisible. He had just finished the last drawing when he heard the back door of the house open and looked to see Chase and Matt standing there. "Whatcha doing," Matt said. Looking at the implement in his hand, he said, "Just a little touch-up on the paint...." "So what is that for?" "One of my hobbies is ... chemistry, and well, I've got plenty of time.... But it's not exactly good for in the house...." He threw his bag inside the building and started walking toward the boys, still in uniform. Noticing the casual way Matt stood at Chase's elbow, his tie loosened, his hair carefully ruffled, William noticed for the first time how cute he was.... The boys talked for a little while, but soon Matt had to go, and William wanted to get a little more work done. "Do you mind, I need to do a little more work to secure my lab, and there are a few other things I want to do...." Chase smiled. "I'll go ahead and do my homework.... I'll call you for dinner...." "Thanks, sweetheart," William said, putting his arms around the boy and leaning in to kiss his neck softly. "You don't mind me calling you that?" "No," Chase whispered, burying his face in the boy's chest. Chase turned to go to his room and work on his computer, and William gave him a swift pat on the behind, bringing a smile to the boy's face. William walked down to his shed and took out his wand, and got between the building and the corner of the fence where he wouldn't be seen, and began the complex incantations he had chosen to protect his space from detection and intrusion. Many of these he had performed recently to protect himself in the forest, but the process still took nearly two hours. Then he stepped inside. The building was well-designed, with shelves on the walls and hook-ups for power. These he would not need for a while, but the shelves were useful. He began taking magical items and potions ingredients from his bag and placing them on his shelves, taking stock of what he would need. He had a cauldron, but it was small, a "travel" size, about one quart. He had a very nice mortar and pestle carved from stove from the quarries from which the rocks of Stonehenge had been taken. He had nearly two-hundred jars and vials of herbs, spices, and other biological material, and a set of books from his family's magical library, including the most powerful book his family owned -- in it, the knowledge of their entire library, as well as any books it would ever share a shelf with, would be replicated. Then there was a portfolio full of loose papers, family trees and instructions for processes invented by members of his own family, as well as photographs and sketches. He sorted the documents -- he kept the photos and family stuff with him, but left the spell and other notes with the books. For now they'd be safe on the shelf, until he finished his transformation of the building. He unpacked a series of other instruments and implements, including a set of knives and daggers, cloaks, capes, cups and chalices, candles and candlesticks, and so many other things. Soon, he heard the sweet voice calling his name, and he stepped outside, pointing his wand at the door and really locking it. He approached the house carrying his portfolio, and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder as they walked inside. He saw Sarah look at them and smile, and he felt a little better. "How's the work coming," Steve asked. "Actually, it's coming along nicely.... The spells are very difficult, but I practiced them in the woods to protect myself, so I'm very familiar with them. I was just going through my supply of materials, and I think I'll need to go back to the forest soon and collect some specimens...." "Specimens," Sarah asked, hesitantly, causing William to laugh. "Herbs, fungi, and in the spring, flowers and fruits ... and insects.... There are a few things that are less pleasant, but nothing sinister.... Also, I was thinking of planting a little herb garden around the shed.... It'll look good and provide me with a steady supply.... For the kitchen too...." "Of course," Sarah said with a laugh, before asking, "Why insects," fairly certain she didn't want to know. "Some insects have properties and components that are necessary for some potions, but for my purposes, insects make very good surveillance...." Chase laughed, "You're going to use them as bugs?" "Exactly! We invented that term.... I'll use them to watch my building and the outside of the house from a distance...." "Extraordinary," Sarah proclaimed, fidgeting in her seat and pushing food around her plate. "You're nervous about tomorrow," William finally asked, and the woman smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't be.... I know everything will work out!" "I just don't want to get my hopes up...." "I've heard of some pretty amazing things they're doing, so unless you've been cursed by some powerful black magic or Steve's been fixed, I can't imagine it won't work! There is one thing ... well, two...." Now all eyes were on the boy, demanding explanation. "There are two risks, one is common to all fertility treatments -- the risk of multiples...." "Oh, twins," Chase exclaimed. "Or octuplets," Steve responded, drawing the smile from his son's face. "Oh! Yeah...." "What's the other?" "If they have to go beyond the human means to treat you, your babies will have been ... exposed ... to magic at their very conception.... Not unlike all magical beings...." "Ahhh," Steve said, thoughtfully. "What," Sarah demanded. "My little brothers and sisters might be wizards," Chase mused. "Perhaps.... It's hard to say, since your parents aren't magical. Some of them might be full-fledged wizards. It happens to some naturally born children.... But in any case, you can expect them to have various kinds of psychic or other abilities...." "I ... I guess we're lucky to have you here, then," Sarah said, her desire to have children overcoming whatever concerns the news might have raised. "You'll be a good brother," Chase said, happily. Steve and Sarah raised their eyebrows at William but said nothing and Chase appeared oblivious to the response his comment had raised. Soon they all finished dinner, and Steve said, "I got some movies today, you guys want to watch one with us?" "Sure," Chase said, and William shrugged. William helped Steve with the dishes, and then they all went to the living room and sat around the big TV. Steve and Sarah sat on the couch, and William sat in the big armchair, which left Chase with a decision. He could sit on the loveseat by himself. Instead, he walked over to William and sat on his lap, sideways, with his head on William's shoulder. "Would you be more comfortable on the loveseat," William whispered in his ear while Steve started the movie, and Chase shook his head, no. Instead, the boy cuddled and held him tight. About half-way through the movie, William had a very sudden urge to go to the bathroom, so he stood up with Chase in his arms and sat the boy down, running to the bathroom. When he returned, he took Chase's hand and led him over to the loveseat. William laid down, and Chase curled in next to him, wrapping William's arm around him for security. By the time the movie was over, both boys had fallen asleep. Sarah looked at the boys and sighed. "I wish...." "Sarah," Steve warned. Giving Steve a hard look, the woman said, "... I had a camera...." "Sorry, dear," Steve said, and grabbed the digital camera for his wife. She took the picture of the boys cuddled together sleeping, and then Steve woke them, shaking their shoulders. "Boys! Run up to bed or you'll be sore in the morning...." Groggily, both boys got to their feet and made their way upstairs. They barely were awake enough to strip and crawl beneath the covers, but as he was drifting off to sleep, William felt Chase cuddle up beside him, hand on his chest and smooth leg draped over William's. And it was Chase's hard penis poking him in the side that woke William in the middle of the night. Chase's beautiful face wore a look of ecstasy. Must be having a nice dream, William thought. He pulled away from the boy and made his way beneath the sheets, taking Chase's penis in his mouth, running his tongue along its soft underside. Chase moan brought a smile to the corners of his mouth, and as the boy gradually woke, he felt Chase's hands rubbing his shoulders and the back of his head. "I'm cumming," Chase announced in a loud whisper, making William thank his lucky stars the boy's parents' bedroom was downstairs on the other side of the house. He tasted Chase's sweet cum and shared it with him in a deep kiss. With a big grin, Chase pushed William onto his back and got between his leg, teasing his way down William's torso with his tongue. Taking the big boy's penis in his hand, Chase licked his lightly hairy balls, sucking them one at a time into his mouth. Then he teased the sensitive skin behind William's balls, going so far as to graze William's hole with his tongue. The boy moaned so passionately, Chase went to work with his tongue, teasing the tight whole, probing it playfully, all while slowly stroking his cock. William's moans were becoming urgent, and he was whispering, almost incoherently, "Oh, Chase, oh yeah.... Please, fuck me.... Oh yeah, do it...." Chase smiled to himself at the thought of topping the big, strong masculine boy, but now was not the time, so he quickly took the boy in his mouth and sucked him hard for a minute longer, until he felt the big penis throb in his mouth, firing thick streams of cum into his mouth and onto his face as he was forced to back off. When William looked down and saw his face streaked with his white cum, he giggled. "That's so hot," he whispered to Chase, reaching for his t-shirt to wipe the boy's face. The boys made our feverishly for a few minutes, until they got really sleepy again. As they cuddled up to fall asleep, though, Chase whispered, "What was really hot ... was how you begged me to fuck you when I was licking your butt...." "I did not," William said, blushing. Chase put on an ecstatic face and mimicked the bigger boy's deep voice and the begging tone it had taken: "Oh, Chase, oh yeah.... Please, fuck me.... Oh yeah, do it...." William laughed, and said, "Alright, so maybe I did.... And it would have been wonderful.... But I want to wait and try to make it special, somehow...." Chase nodded and kissed the boy on the shoulder. "Maybe, for your birthday...." William smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe.... Now let's go to sleep before I get hard again...." Now it was Chase's turn to wiggle his eyebrows. "Midnight snack?" William smiled, hugging the boy close, and soon they were back to sleep. Chase woke up very early the next morning from having gone to sleep so early, so he got up and showered, letting William sleep in. When he returned and dressed, he sat down at the desk, and logged on to his computer, putting one hand on the Braille readout. He checked his email and answered a few from friends, some from the camp he attended in the summer for blind teens. He decided to tell some of his closest friends that he had met someone, though he didn't yet come out to them. Chase walked over to the bed and felt for William very gently. His hand came to rest on the boy's muscular bicep. He gently leaned in, using the arm as his guide, and kissed William on the cheek, softly rubbing his arm, and left, closing the door softly behind him. Downstairs, his parents were having their coffee and planning when to meet to go to the doctor together. "Everything alright," Steve asked, seeing the boy come downstairs alone. "William's still asleep ... I didn't want to wake him...." "William spent weeks in the forest alone and nearly sleepless.... It'll take a long time before he's fully rested," Steve mused. Chase nodded and sat down to eat a bite, before heading out to meet Matt. Sarah walked out to talk to the boys before driving to work. Steve went to his office to take care of his morning's work. By ten, he'd still not heard William stir, so he went and got dressed in business casual for the doctor's visit, then walked up the stairs. William was sprawled out on the bed, exposing most of his sleek, tan body. Quietly Steve approached the bed and pulled the covers up over the boy before shaking his shoulder. "William? William, it's time to get up...." William groaned and looked up to see Steve looking very amused. "Looks like you're catching up on lost sleep...." William groaned and stretched and started to get out of bed until he remembered he was naked. Trying not to look embarrassed, William said, "I'll be down in a minute," and waited for the man to leave. When he was alone, he pulled on a pair of light knit shorts and a t-shirt, and went downstairs to eat some cereal before getting ready. As he sat to eat, Steve sat down next to him. "What time is your appointment," William asked. "1, but I'm meeting Sarah at 12...." "Chase is very excited," William said, but when the man raised his eyebrows, William blushed and said, exasperated, "about the possibility of a sibling...." "He's also very excited about you being a big brother," the man said. William sighed and shrugged. "Look, I...." "William, chill," the man said, laughing. "I know how you feel about my son.... You put enough money in his name to cover him for life, and you look at him like he's your life.... And Chase is a very passionate boy, he loves very deeply.... If I give you a hard time, it's in fun...." William blushed again, at the man's words and at his own overreaction. "Besides, who would I be to question the word of an angel?" Changing subjects somewhat, William asked, "When is Chase's birthday?" "Two weeks from yesterday...." "Are you having a party for him?" "Yeah, Sunday, the day before his birthday...." William nodded. He had almost two weeks to figure out what to do for his boyfriend, but he already had an idea. He just hoped it wouldn't kill him. Before long, Steve got ready to go and William asked, "Can I keep the card for today, I want to order some things online for my lab...." The man dug in his wallet and pulled out the Visa debit card that drew on Chase's account. "Just print out the receipts for my records," the man said, and before William asked, the man added, "Just do the shopping on my computer until you get yours set up with a printer...." "Thanks, dad," the boy said as the man handed him the card, and they both fell silent and still. "I," the boy began, tears welling up in his eyes, and Steve put his arms around the boy. "I'm sorry, William, for all that you are going through.... I hope you know, we're all going to be here for you...." The boy nodded, and sighed through light sobs. "You are a lot like him...." "Thank you," Steve said, taking the liberty of kissing William on the head. Then holding him by the shoulders, he said, "I have to go, now, but you have our cell phone numbers if you need us.... I'm sorry, but...." "Go!" William said, laughing off his last tears.... "Your wife has been waiting about fifteen years, so I wouldn't be late if I were you...." Before the man could turn to go, William gave him a hug and then waved him off. Once he was alone, William sat down and tried to read, but he was too restless, so he went to the computer and ordered a large stainless steel table and bench for his lab, as well as set ups for a couple of Bunsen burners. Then he splurged and ordered a very expensive, top-of-the-line home weight machine. All this would be delivered within the week. Still restless, he ran upstairs and put on his tennis shoes and grabbed his wand, which he slipped into the tight waistband of his briefs, and put his standard glamour on to shift his appearance. He stepped out onto the front porch after leaving a note, and locked the door with his wand. Then he took off for a run. He remembered passing a park on the way to the Best Buy, so he followed the path they had taken, jogging through the large residential area. After nearly two miles, he came to a large, grassy park, with big oak trees and the occasional picnic table, so he veered off into it, and ran on its trails. Occasionally, he'd pass someone walking, an older couple, or stay-at-home moms, more than a few of the latter openly admiring the jockish figure on the boy. He popped into the public restroom to relieve himself, and there was a man at the second urinal. As William began to relieve himself, William noticed that the man was staring at his penis and rubbing his own hard cock. The man must have been Steve's age, but out of shape and generally creepy. As William finished and hurriedly sorted himself and started away, the man grabbed his ass, winking, and called after him, "Come back and play sometime!" Now William was worse off emotionally than before, and he took off at a dead heat, but his muscles were tiring quickly, as he had not had a lot of regular exercise in weeks. He was just getting into a shopping area when he got a sharp cramp in his left leg that put him on the pavement, grasping at his leg in pain. "Are you all right, young man," a voice called out to him a few minutes later as he sat on the sidewalk. "I'm afraid I pushed myself a little too hard and got a cramp.... I'll be fine...." He looked up and saw and older gentleman in a tweed jacket leaning on a cane. "Come on, let me help you inside. Rest a while, call someone if you need to...." William was going to refuse, but he looked at the sign reading 5th Avenue Synagogue. Safe enough. William struggled to his feet, the older man took his left arm and led him to the door, pushing the button on the intercom. "How may I help you?" "Irma, dear, its Rabbi Roth.... Buzz me in...." A loud buzz and the door unlocked, and the rabbi lead William into through the office into his own and sat him in a comfortable chair. A woman followed them, William was guessing Irma. "Irma, be a dear and get the boy a soda.... I found the poor lad sitting on the sidewalk in pain...." He heard a refrigerator open in the outer office and soon Irma was back with a Coca-Cola. "Thank you," William said, and the rabbi excused her. Pulling a chair nearer the boy, the man held out his hand, "Sam Roth...." "William ... err ... Abernathy.... Nice to meet you, sir...." "So, why don't you tell me how you ended up on our sidewalk?" "Well, I was running...." "That's not at all what I meant, William.... Of course, you know that.... Why aren't you in school today if you're well enough to be running?" "I've recently come to town because of family troubles ... and school isn't at the top of my list of priorities...." "Education is very important...." "Oh, I'm getting that.... I was just reading a history of the Crusades...." "Oh," the old man said, with a grin. Leaning back, he grabbed a book from his shelf, "Not this one?" The boy nodded, and the man smiled approvingly. "So, these family problems...." "Rabbi, to tell you the truth, I'm in a dangerous situation, and I don't know what I ought to tell you.... "Well, that's honesty I can appreciate.... But I'm just an old rabbi, and I can keep a confidence...." "My house was bombed, and my parents are dead.... Everyone, including my family, thinks I'm dead, and I'm in hiding...." The rabbi tilted his head to the left and stared deep into the boy's eyes. "William ... Jennings?" The boy stood quickly and put too much weight on his leg, doubling over in excruciating pain. His hand flew automatically to his wand, but the words froze on his lips when he saw the smile on the man's face. "I'm sorry to startle you.... I read about your ... tragedy in the papers.... And truth be told, I know a little more than that.... Put that away...." William lowered his wand but kept it in his lap. "I don't blame you.... Dear boy.... Your father, Alex, and I once served on a committee for the Society of Magic together...." "Jewish wizards?" For some reason, the thought brought a laugh to William, and the rabbi joined him. "No, dear boy.... Well, in a manner of speaking, yes.... As you may know, our tradition takes a dim view of magic, but that's because the magic our founders encountered was based on blood and death, and the manipulation of dark spirits. Practitioners of magic, like humankind in general, come from every world view. So, while Judaism prohibits sorcery, it does allow for a kind of mysticism. We practice a kind of mystical magic, very different from your own outwardly but based on quite the same principles. The Society of Magic has representatives and leaders of every school of magic, and its leaders represent us to the Shadow Council.... Perhaps your father talked about his days in the Society, on the Council?" "No, never...." "Hmmm.... Well, in any case, I suppose you are right to stay out of school, at least for now. But you really shouldn't be seen in public, either...." "I'm not.... This form is a glamour...." "Good show, young man! And I suppose I shouldn't offer you a ride home.... I don't suppose I can depend on your immediate trust." "I suppose not," William said, smiling. "But I'd like to talk with you about some things I've found in my family papers...." "I'd welcome it! As you can imagine, I don't often meet others like myself in Richmond...." William nodded and smiled. The man held up a hand and stepped behind his desk, pulling out a small book. "Let me show you this, before you go, however...." The cover was fine leather, with gilded characters foreign to William. He took the book from the man's hand and opened it, finding more of the characters, but, intriguingly, a number of diagrams of sigils and amulets, talismans, etc. "This is familiar," William mused. "Hebrew?" "Yes, it was a gift from your father, purchased in a little bookstore in Krakow, Poland.... Look in the back...." William turned to the end of the book and found two wallet-sized photographs -- one of his father in his late teens standing next to the much younger rabbi, and the other was a family picture of his father and mother, with William as a baby. William nodded, closing the book and handing it back to the man. "Your father was a great man.... I was older than his father, but we became very good friends...." Reaching into his pocket, he handed the boy his card, with his numbers, home and office, and email. "Please let me know what I can do...." "Thank you, Rabbi," William said, standing uneasily and taking the man's hand. The leg was painful but it would support him, and he hobbled to the door. On his way out, he was sure to thank Irma. He thought of the strange coincidence as he walked slowly back toward the house. It occurred to him that Sarah and Steve would be a while, but that Chase would get home before he got back at this pace and that Chase would not be able to read his note. He hobbled slightly faster, and when he reached the park, he stopped to find a stick that would support his weight. He soon found one to suit his purpose, and seeing a nearby willow tree, he collected a small limb he could use to carve a new wand. With the stick, he made better time, but when he arrived home, he found the door unlocked and inside Matt and Chase were arguing over what to do. Chase was telling Matt they should call someone, when William walked through the door. "William?" "Yes, he's home!" "Chase, I'm sorry! I left a note, but I never thought you'd beat me home...." Chase frowned toward Matt. "Did you look for a note?" Matt looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Chase...." "I was so worried," Chase said. When he hugged William, he felt the boy wince. "Are you alright?" "I went for a run to get out and to get some exercise, but I overdid it and got a bad cramp in my leg.... I had gone so far, and I had to rest before I came back.... But I met an interesting fellow," he said, telling about the old rabbi, except the magic parts in Matt's presence. Chase turned to Matt and said, "Thanks for coming over, but I'm going to help William with his leg, and...." "And what?" "Well, I don't know how much you want to watch me massage my boyfriend's leg...." "Oh, yeah! You guys have fun," Matt said, laughing, and let himself out with a wave. "Now, you! Lay down on the couch and I'll be right back...." William did as he was told, and Chase returned with a muscle cream. "Where's the cramp?" William guided his hand to the place on the back of his thigh. "Roll, over, then...." William did as he was told, and Chase began applying the cream to the area with a firm massage, working his finger into the knotted flesh until he felt the muscles begin to relax. As the tension melted, William's whole body relaxed and a few moments after Chase stopped massaging and moved so that William's head was cradled in his lap, William fell asleep. Chase turned on the TV with low volume and sat there until his parents came home, running his fingers through the boy's thick hair, occasionally stroking his cheek. Sarah made her way to the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes, but Steve stopped and whispered, "What's wrong?" "Why, what do you mean?" "I smell the cream...." Chase smiled. "William went for a run and pushed himself too hard...." Steve nodded, figuring he knew what that was about, and followed his wife to the bedroom. Then Chase slipped out from under William and quietly knocked on the bedroom door. "Just a sec.... Come on in," his mother answered, and Chase came in and sat on the bed. "SO!?!" "So, what?" "MOM!" Smiling, Sarah sat next to her son. "The doctor doesn't think anything is physically wrong, based on his 'special' exams of us, but he gave us a month's supply of a ... potion or medicine or whatever, and told us to get to work...." "Ewww!" "How did you think it was going to work," she said with a laugh. "I was hoping it would have something to do with lab coats and turkey basters!" "Well, he thinks we can do it the old fashioned way with his potion...." Chase gave her a big hug, and then gave one to his dad, and they both thought he looked like he'd explode. When William appeared groggily in the doorway and asked, "How'd it go," Chase ran into his arms and squeezed him tight. "Soon, soon, soon!" "Don't get ahead of yourself, Chase," his father warned. "But the doctor is very hopeful that we could see a result soon...." "That's wonderful," William said, flashing a brilliant, if sleepy smile. "Why don't we go out for dinner," Sarah suggested. "I don't feel at all like cooking...." Everyone agreed, and though no one said it, it was to be something of a celebration. "Casual or fancy," Steve asked. "Fancy," Chase answered. William smiled and the two boys went upstairs to get ready. William needed a shower, while Chase decided to change from his slacks and blazer into a navy suit with a cream shirt, which he was able to identify on his own by the color-coding label system on his hangers. William walked into the room in his towel and said, "God, you're beautiful...." Chase turned to him and smiled, and William dropped his towel to help straighten Chase's tie. In return, Chase planted a finger in the middle of his chest and dragged it down his tight abs to his pubes and wrapped his fingers around the hardening cock, giving it three quick jerks. Then he said, "Now, get ready!" "Tease!" William pulled on his blue dress pants and a cream shirt to match his Chase, but skipped the jacket as the shirt hugged his form flatteringly. When they were ready, the boys walked downstairs together and presented themselves to Chase's appreciative parents. "You guys look great," Sarah exclaimed. William blushed and Chase thanked his mother. "Let me get a picture," she said, retrieving the camera. "Stand by the fireplace...." When she had her pictures, William changed his appearance, and they all piled into the SUV and drove into town to a little French restaurant Sarah liked. William thought the place was great, and ordered some of his favorite dishes from his family's trips to France. They really were enjoying themselves and desert was on order when two girls from Chase's school came by their table. "Hi, Chase," the brunette said, "It's Natalie Hall, from school, and Marjory Tate." So Marjory must be the blond, William thought. Then he noticed how tight-lipped Chase's smile was. "Hi, Natalie, Marjory," he answered, remaining seated, which again surprised William, since he was usually so polite. "These are my parents, Steve and Sarah, and this is my friend, William...." "Hi, William," Natalie said in her syrupy voice. "Are you just visiting, or are you staying for a while?" "It's looking like I'll be staying for a while, Chase's family has been kind enough to let me stay with them while my family is away...." "Well, you should get Chase to bring you to the dance next month if you're still here.... I'm sure a lot of the girls would like to meet you...." With that, the girls waved and walked off, giggling, and William looked down to see Chase's white-knuckled grip on the arms of his chair. Discreetly, William reached beneath the tablecloth and put his hand on Chase's inner thigh and began stroking it with his fingers, until he saw a smile creep back into the boy's face and he released his grip on the chair. "I hate those girls," Chase said to no one in particular. "Honey," Sarah said, but Chase cut her off. "No, they're popular and mean.... They've made fun of me for years.... They used to put things in my way to make me stumble until they got caught, put signs on my back.... If Matt didn't go everywhere with me.... And now they make fun of him, ask him about his boyfriend...." William took his hand, still hidden, and said, "I'll go to that dance WITH YOU if you want...." "I don't know if coming out would make my life any better, William," Chase said with a laugh. "Well, I could go and play a few tricks in return.... Or I could glamour the hottest babe in the world and get a dress...." Chase giggled, and asked, "You'd do that for me...." "I'd do anything for you, sweetheart." Chase leaned over, nearly forgetting where he was, but stopped at the last minute and just squeezed William's hand. "Well, I'd for one prefer you didn't return evil for evil," Sarah said, "but if you'd like to go together, we would support you...." "I'd love to go out, but I understand if you think it would make life at school too hard...." William said. Chase smiled at him, and made an easy decision, leaning in to kiss William, who put his hand on the boys face and returned his kiss with passion. Then, with a wicked grin, Chase said, "Now tell me what Natalie's and Marjory's faces look like...." William laughed and said, "Well, some kind of mix between, 'Oh my God, it's a ghost,' and 'Oh my God, the hot blond just killed my cat'...." "Excellent," Chase said. "But, they're both on their cell phones, and the parents look fit to be tied...." "I figured it would be easier than coming out -- I don't even have to say anything this way, and now we can go to the dance together and you won't have to wear a dress, unless you want to...." They all chuckled a little, but then they noticed that Natalie's parents were actually coming over. The severe looking couple stopped short and waited for the adults to acknowledge them, but neither Sarah nor Steve did. So Natalie's father cleared his throat. Steve looked over at him casually, raising his eyebrows. "It's one thing to have the misfortune of having a gay son," the man began, sounding mighty self-righteous, "but it's quite another thing having him flaunt his sin in public. This is a family restaurant...." Steve, not paying the man enough respect to stand, or even to turn and look at him, smiled at his son and said, "Well, we are a family, and I think they make a rather handsome couple...." "It's no wonder you have such iniquity spring up under your roof," the man replied. Sarah looked furious; how dare these people speak about her sweet boy like this. She nearly stood, but William beat her to it. Slowly and casually he stepped around the table, holding his head high and his shoulders back. "Mr. Hall," he said with an almost sinister smile, that made the man take an involuntary step back, "I don't know any purer soul than Chase.... But sin is a dragon that lurks by the way, waiting to devour...." He pronounced sin so that the s hissed. Waving his hand in front of the man, William's face darkened. "What a hypocrite! You adulterer.... Who is she? Your secretary? Your coworker? Or is it a he? Your boss, perhaps?" William turned his back on the man, and resumed his seat, taking Chase's hand in his own. The couple, the man flustered and the woman furious, turned and stormed off, each shooting the boy nervous glances. "Hall is cheating on his wife," Steve asked, laughing. "I don't know," William said, laughing, "I'm no mind-reader. Actually, the way he looked at me, the good money says he has a man or boy on the side...." "So, did you do something, curse him or something," Sarah asked. "Well, no, and yes," William said, again laughing. "Nothing magic! But I put a bug in his wife's ear, and he's going to be paranoid now.... That's a combination that spells self-fulfilling prophecy...." Everyone laughed then, paying only self-congratulatory notice to the glares they were receiving from the dysfunctional table across the room. When they arrived home, Matt was sitting on the front porch. "Jesus, Chase, what did you do?" "What are you talking about?" "Don't give me that.... I just got like ten phone calls asking me if it's true.... Being a good friend, I say I don't know...." "I kissed William in front of Natalie Hall and her lap-dog Marjory...." Matt put his hands on his head, and said, "Tomorrow's going to be a shit-storm...." "Maybe.... But I feel very free all of a sudden...." "Well, I'm going to have to get caught having sex with a girl in a broom-closet if I'm going to make it out alive, socially," Matt exclaimed, storming off. "See you tomorrow!" "I'd shoot you a bird, but if you shoot a blind kid a bird, does anybody see it," Matt said, shooting the bird anyway. "You did it anyway, didn't you," Chase asked, laughing and knowing the answer. Upstairs, William asked Chase if he thought Matt would really be alright. "Matt just rolls with the punches...." "I'm just worried those might not be metaphorical punches anymore.... I mean, you're mostly protected, who wants to be the guy who beat up the blind kid...." "I guess you're right.... What should I do?" "I don't know.... Maybe it will go differently than expected...." "You never know," Chase said, with a grin. The boys undressed and crawled into bed and soon fell asleep. William woke up early the next morning and climbed out of bed and showered. He pulled out his book, looking for something to help Matt, but he found nothing, so he ran outside in the yard with spoon full of honey and spread it on a tree branch. After he ate his cereal, he found a couple of bugs flying around the honey and a few with their legs stuck in it. First he stunned them, then he enchanted them to do his bidding. He had six, so he assigned three each to follow Matt and Chase at a distance of no more than fifteen and no less than five feet. Just as he was releasing the bugs, he heard Chase call from the house, "William?" "I'm out in the yard, sweetheart...." "Alright, I'm going to run," Chase said, and William ran up to him for a hug and kiss. "Be careful today.... And tell Matt to do the same...." "Alright," Chase said. "See you at home." When the boy was gone, William went back down to his shed and unlocked the mystic locks, letting himself inside, and went to work on his expansion of the inside, creating a trans-dimensional doorway. He did this by drawing a door in chalk on a bare wall, and then copying a complex series of sigils on the doorway. Then he knocked on the door with his wand three times. Suddenly, the door no longer looked like chalk but like a real door. Opening the door, he stepped out into black, open space. With his wand, he traced out the space he wanted to claim, and walls appeared when he said the incantation. Now he had an additional room, perhaps 20 by 40, that he could use for practicing dangerous spells or, as he planned to do, to set up his weight machine. With a few more spells, the room was lit and the walls were decorated a little. Then, on one wall, he traced a slightly smaller door, a safe, and used similar spells to create a large, private, and unbreakable safe to keep his most prized possessions. The door would only open if he placed his hand on its face and pronounced an incantation is his own voice. Taking a break, he closed his eyes, and saw that Chase and Matt were together and that all looked relatively calm. The boys were in class. William walked up to the house for lunch and made himself a sandwich, before returning to work. Around two, there was a knock at the door of the shed. Steve stood outside, and William called for him to come in. Steve looked around at all the jars on the shelves, picking a few up to peer inside. "I see you ordered a stainless steel workstation with gas hookups for your Bunsen burners.... We can't run gas lines, so we'll need to buy you a gas canister to go out here.... And what's this," Steve asked about the door, seemingly to nowhere. When Steve opened it, there was nothing on the other side. William laughed. "Can I show you," the boy asked, and the man nodded. William knocked on the door with his wand and turned the knob. "Come on...." William led Steve into the room. "My goodness, no wonder you only wanted a small building," the man said. "I take it this is where you're setting up your exercise equipment...." "Yes!" William said happily. "Very nice," Steve said, and he was about to say something when William got a little weak in the knees. He closed his eye; one of his bugs had caught a conversation between three of the jocks. They were going to ambush Matt after school before the buses.... "School, now," William said, taking off at a run to the car, and Steve was a few steps behind. When they arrived at the school, there was a crowd already gathering in the parking lot. There were no teachers nearby, so William jumped from the still-moving car. When he arrived at the closed circle of students, he shouted but no one would let him through, so with a burst of energy, he knocked the children aside and walked into the circle where Matt was on his knees. William thanked God the boy wasn't badly hurt. "What the fuck do you think you're doing," William yelled at the three boys, tossing his jacket onto the ground. Chase, where was Chase? He was waiting on the bus.... The boys had gotten separated.... "Who the hell are you," the alpha-jock demanded, looking more than a little amused. William was an athlete but he lacked the bulk of any of these guys. William heard the crowd around him whispering. "He's the boy from last night," a girl's voice called, and the whispers intensified. William's face grew dark, and he spoke with a deadly softness, "You two, you can walk away now, if you want to save yourselves.... Surely your boss can take care of himself...." "Ain't nobody our boss...." "Are you afraid to take on one kid by yourself," William taunted. "It took three of you to take care of Matt, so I think you're going to need reinforcements." The crowd was hushed now. No one talked to these guys like that. William walked over to Matt and helped him to his feet. "What are you doing, they're going to kill you...." Even as Matt said it, William knew the two goons were rushing him from behind. "Go! Get out of here," he said to Matt. Concentrating on his foot, William brought a sharp magical force to bear as he rounded on the boys, kicking the first one square in the chest, laying him on his back. Then, rising, he drove the base of his palm into the second boy's sternum, doubling him over in pain. With unnatural calm, he walked between his attackers toward their leader, who stood four or five inches taller than him. "You can't go after my boyfriend, because he's blind, so you beat up his straight friends? Well, I'm here, I'm queer, what are you going to do about it?" He was pleased when he heard nervous giggling in the audience at his adaptation of the gay rights mantra. The boy looked pissed, and he took a clumsy punch. Like lightening, William grabbed his fist and spun around behind him, driving a foot into the back of the ballplayer's knee, driving him to his knees. William kept constant pressure on his arm, kept it near breaking. "If you, or any of your friends come after my friends again, you'll never play football again," William announced, then leaned over and whispered, "And if you ever dream of hurting Chase, they'll never find your fucking foot, you Neanderthal...." Then in a swift change of direction, he jerked the boy's arm down and out, dislocating it with a sickening noise. "Something to remember me by," he said, walking away from the three boys and helping Matt to Steve's SUV. Steve had already found the bus and gotten Chase, so they drove off. "Are you okay, William," Steve asked. "Yeah, no one even touched me," he said, darkly. "Are you okay, Matt?" "Bloody nose, bruised rib," he grumbled. "It's been worse...." "What happened," Chase asked, sadly. "I dropped my bag on the way to the bus, and one of those goons grabbed my arm and dragged me out the back exit.... A lot of kids must have known something was going down, because it was a big crowd.... How'd you get here so fast?" "Intuition.... I thought something might happen at the end of school, and when we saw the crowd, I knew where to go...." "How did you stop it," Chase asked, and Matt laughed. "He kicked their asses," Matt proclaimed. "I mean, really. I think they'll have to use the second string quarterback for the first few games.... On the bright side, I don't think anyone's going to bother us any time soon...." "I'm so sorry," Chase said, his voice breaking. "I shouldn't have been selfish...." Matt reached over and took his friend's hand, squeezing. "Wanting to be yourself is public isn't selfish.... The people who want you to hide are selfish.... Besides, I got a date with Amy Roebuck on Friday...." "What," Chase asked with a laugh. "How did you land a date with your dream-girl?" "Well, when William helped me up and I hobbled off, she helped keep me on my feet.... William let everybody know I was straight, and she said she thought I was brave to stand by my friends and pretty cute, so...." "Wow," Chase said. "I know, definitely worth a beating...." "Tell me, it really isn't that bad, is it?" "Chase, it's okay really," Matt said, laughing. "I mean, he's definitely no me," William said with a laugh, "but he's still basically reasonable to look at...." Matt swatted him on the back of the head at that. "Boys, now listen up.... Today was really close, and if wasn't for William, who knows. From here on out, take your cell phones with you. Keep them on vibrate and text me at the first sign of trouble.... Understand?" The boys agreed readily, and when the car stopped they piled upstairs to Chase's room. William couldn't help himself and gave Matt a hug and repeated his apologies. "Alright, alright," Matt said after a few minutes, "you've had your feel...." William laughed, and Chase snorted. William asked them about their day and how things had gone otherwise. Actually, it turned out that a few people were really supportive, aside from the mean girls and jocks, who had always been against them. A number of moderately popular people had joined them for lunch, and things had seemed to be coming up roses until the incident with the jocks. "Well, even some of the jocks were nice to us.... Some of the swimmers, and some of the baseball players.... Even a guy from the basketball team sat with us at lunchtime. Turns out, his big brother was gay," Chase went on at length. "And don't forget," Matt added, "I got a date with Amy.... That'll definitely raise my social currency...." The boys laughed, and pretty soon it was time for Matt to go. Chase got to his homework and William walked down to his shed. Steve followed him out. "William, I don't normally condone that kind of ... but ... thank you.... I don't believe you had many choices...." The boy nodded. "Do you think it's safe at school for them? Chase is so damn positive, it's hard to tell...." "It sounds like they made a lot of friends, actually, and I think most of their enemies will be pretty wary of my ... response.... In any case, as soon as it can be arranged, I'll be there with them...." William's look of hard determination sent the message. "I was hoping you'd say that," the man said with a smile and walked back toward the house. William entered the building, and grabbed a book from the shelf. He had to work on his present for Chase -- he had less than two weeks, and it would be a very difficult thing to finish.... He only emerged when he heard Chase call him up for dinner, and afterward, Chase still had homework to attend to, so William went back to his building's inner room and sat on the bare floor, placing his arms parallel to the ground, and chanted, "I call upon the great power of the earth, to grant me from your bounty a small token," over and over until his mind was clear of all other intentions. Suddenly a hulking figure rose up in front of him with a booming voice, "For what you ask, a price must be paid!" William reached to his left and picked up a dagger. Holding his left hand palm up, he drew the blade across his hand. Making a fist, the first drops of blood struck the earth. After the blood had flowed for over a minute, the voice announced, "Very well!" And with an explosion, he was gone. But in the dirt, where blood had pooled, there was now a golden metal swirled with black. William collected the metal and placed it into a black velvet bag, then he walked to his vault and place his hands on the door, pronouncing the incantation. The huge door swung open, and William sat it on a shelf. There was precious little of this substance, sometimes called angelic gold, in existence, and to the few who knew of it, it was more valuable than the most perfect of diamonds. He shut the vault behind him, and made his way out to the shed, locking each successive door until he stood beneath the moonlight. As he came into the house, he found Sarah looking over some papers. "Sarah, could I get some bandage, please. I had a little accident and cut my hand...." The woman grabbed her first aid kit and got some bandage and peroxide. Holding his hand over the sink, Sarah said, "I'm sorry.... This is going to hurt...." William cried out when the cold liquid started bubbling in his wound. Then Sarah wiped the wound dry and bandaged it up. "You'll be fine! Remarkably clean cut...." "I cut myself on one of my tools...." "Do be careful," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and giving him a pat, before he plodded up stairs. Entering his shared room, he asked, "How's the work coming?" "Nearly finished with my paper.... It's not due til next week, but I was on a roll...." "Very good!" William put his hand on Chase's shoulder, and Chase felt the bandage. "What happened?!" "I cut myself -- no big deal...." Chase stood and kissed him on the cheek. Then he stripped down, but before he could walk over to bed, William wrapped his arms around his naked body, running his hands across his smooth chest and abdomen. He whispered, "I love you...." Chase turned to face him and wrapped his arm around the boy, laying his head against his chest. "I love you too...." William slipped his clothes off, and the boys crawled under the covers, cuddling close. "So, how do you think it'll go tomorrow," Chase asked, running his fingers through the light, soft hair on William's lower abdomen. "That feels good.... Tomorrow?" "With your uncle X, silly?" "Oh, yeah.... I think he'll flip, and he'll probably be pissed that I didn't call him, or that your dad didn't...." "He'll get over it when he sees you're okay...." William nodded and stroked Chase's lower back. Gradually, they fell into a deep sleep together. In his sleep, Chase dreamed of a familiar room, where he found Gideon waiting for him. "Hello, Chase...." "Gideon!" "How are you?" "I feel bad about what happened today with Matt.... He doesn't deserve to get hurt just because he's my friend...." "I'm sorry about that, it couldn't be avoided.... And some good will come of it, trust me.... Don't feel bad...." "I can't help it.... Until William came along, he was the only person my age I could trust...." "Part of what you'll find soon enough is that there are people you can trust. Follow your heart, trust your instincts.... You'll know whose intentions are good most of the time, and you'll have William for the rest...." Chase's smile was infectious, even for Gideon, and he ruffled the boy's hair. "Gideon ... I know I shouldn't ask, but ... could I see him, just once...." Gideon's face fell and he turned away from the boy; because of his condition, the only face the boy knew by sight was Gideon's, because the boy could see in his dreams. Gideon felt ashamed to have to deny the boy, given the secret which bound the two of them more closely than most guardians to their charges. In any case, Gideon was no typical guardian. "I'm sorry, Chase, but I am forbidden.... It is very difficult for me because of my ... affection for you...." He reached out and touched the boy's cheek in his dream, leaning in and whispering, "But I swear this to you.... I promise that one day, you shall see his face...." Gideon withdrew his hand and the room trembled, as Chase's eyes snapped open, full of tears of happiness and confusion.