Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 00:28:01 PDT
From: tchaikovsky@hotmail.com
Subject: Eric's Gift Part 2

This story contains explicit sexual content of a gay nature. If this is
illegal to view in your area because; you are under the age of 18, viewing
material on gay sex is prohibited in your area, or viewing any kind of
material that has to do with sex, then leave this page now, and do not
return. You have been warned.

The names in the following story are purely fictional. They do not resemble
any person living or dead.

This author gives permission for this story to be redistributed, but only
under certain conditions. These conditions are the following:

1) A person wants to keep the story for his/her recreational enjoyment
only.

2) No person shall charge a fee for viewing this story without reimbursing
fully, the author.

3) A person wants to give freely, this story to a friend, relative, or
aquantance, must do so without charging any fees without the reimbursing
the author.

Copyright 1998 Jade Falcon Entertainment Ltd.


This is the second story in the Eric's Gift series. I hope to do many
more. I feel that it deserves more than to be shoved aside and
forgotten. I'd like to thank every one of you who sent in comments on my
other one. I received over 200 responses. I hope to get more this time
*grin*. You can catch me on dalnet, on IRC, under the nick Zak_Kebron,
Capt_Kebron, or when I'm in the gay channels my nick is
Borg_Collective. I'd love to speak with you.
 
***This is set within the ten years from the ending of the last story.***

				Eric's Gift
			 Is There Love Out There?
			      By Jade Falcon
				
				 Chapter 1
			     Mom Says Goodbye

	I walked out of the hospital numbly. The last 24 hours a blur. I
knew this time would come. But I didn't know it would be so soon. I had
been preparing myself for this since I had heard that she had cancer. Her
last words were the only thing that I remembered clearly. She gave me the
look that I saw on Eric when he told me he was going to die. It tore my
heart up. "John... honny. I can't see you. Are you there?" she had asked in
a raspy voice.

"I'm here mom can you feel me holding your hand?" I replied to her, my
voice cracking.

"Yes, now I can. Oh John.... I love you so much. I was always proud of
you. You've had so much hurt in your life. And you've taken it so well. I
can't hold on anymore John. I've tried my hardest.... but I'm just to
tired. To tired to hold on.....", her voice trailed off.

Tears rolled down my face as I replied to her, "It's alright mom. You can
let go. I'll be fine. Everything will be alright mom." I couldn't speak
anymore because I was crying so hard.

"I know honny.... I know". She turned her head away from me and I heard a
large exhale. And then nothing. Her chest no longer moved. Her heart beat
still. I knew she was gone before the heart monitor began warbling it's
protest at losing her pulse. Fairly knowledgeable about the machines, I
reached over and clicked off it's loud beeping. I remembered it from when
Eric died, and shuddered.

				 Chapter 2
				  Healing

	I continued the short distance to my car as I replayed our last
conversation. The tears had not stopped flowing since I last heard her
voice. I idly wondered if I could drive home in my condition. Stacey had
offered to be there with me, but I felt that she should be at home with her
newborn. Besides, she didn't like hospitals any more then I did. The reason
is quite self evident; everyone I had ever known who was in the hospital
died. My father, Eric, and now my mother. I wondered to myself if the pain
would ever end.

	I unlocked the passenger side door and put the clear plastic bag in
and then shut it. I walked around and got into the drivers seat and started
the engine. I lay my head on the steering wheel for a moment, hoping that
the tears would stop flowing. They didn't. I put the car into gear anyway
and headed home. It was a short distance, but seemed an eternity to me.

	I walked into my large 3 bedroom house. I didn't bother to check
the messages on my machine, there was no point; I wasn't going to answer
them anyway. I walked strait into my bedroom and my heart stopped. I
couldn't believe it.. No, it's not him. I froze. My eyes all puffy and red,
were stuck looking at the figure sitting on the end of my bed.

"Eric", I finally croaked silently. He stood up and walked over to me and
put his hands on my shoulders. "Oh my god. Eric.." My tears renewed their
flow as I looked in the sweet face of my long dead boyfriend.

"John.. how I've missed you so." He took me into his arms and guided me
over to the bed where we both sat down. I looked into his eyes. He looked
as young as he did when I last saw him alive. "You've grown up John" he
said with a sad smile. I still sat there in a stunned silence. I wanted to
ask him so many questions; but all I could do was stand there.

"John.... I'm here for a special reason. One that means the world to me:
You John. You've let yourself go. You closed yourself off from the
world. You won't allow anyone to love you."  "B... But." I finally managed
to get out, "I couldn't love anyone the way I loved you Eric. When you
died... I felt my world crashing down around me. I never could love
another. I am too afraid of being hurt. Dammit Eric. You were the one I
loved. How come you had to die!!" I let lose my anger and hurt at him
leaving. Something that I've kept bottled up. "I loved you more then life
itself! And you were ripped away from me! You said we would be together
always dammit!!  Why did you die Eric.. why.... why did you leave me..." I
slumped to the floor and pulled myself into a fetal position in a fit of
sobs.

He knelt down and held me while I let lose years of pent of sadness and
outrage.

"John.. believe me. God knows I didn't want to leave you. I loved you too.
But sometimes things happen.... that accident; it wasn't your fault. It
wasn't anyone's fault. It was just my time." He had tears in his eyes as he
whispered this to me. "John. You mustn't close yourself off like this. You
have to open yourself up. Let someone get close. In time, the emotional
wounds will heal, just as the physical ones did, but only if you let
them. And remember: I'm always with you John. I'll always be up there", he
pointed upwards, " watching over you. And then we will be together again.
Someday. I love you, John. Never forget that--" his last words seemed to
fade out and I looked up.

And he was gone. Again.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! ERIC!!! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!!! EEEEERIIIIIICCCCCCCC!!
GOD PLEASE!!! NO!!! ERIC COME BACK!! PLEASE!! PLEAAAAAAAAASSSEEEEEE!!!! NOT
AGAIN!! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!! NOT AGAAAAAAAIN!!!", I cried out until my
lungs hurt. I heard a knock on my front door. I laid on the floor still
sobbing uncontrollably. I heard the door open and footfalls heading toward
my room. They stopped at my open bedroom door then I heard them rapidly
approach me

"John!!! What's wrong?" it was Derek, Stacey's husband. He was kneeling
over me. I continued to sob. I didn't stop. He got scared and called the
ambulance. I cried and cried. My years of sadness and loss coming in a
torrent. I could hardly breath, yet I cried more. The next thing I felt is
being lifted up in the air. Derek is beside me as I was wheeled into the
ambulance. I feel consciousness slipping away from me from the lack of
oxygen. I fell Derek's hand grasp mine as I sliped into nothingness.

				   * * *

	I woke up four hours later with Derek and Stacey standing above
me. Stacey was cradling her newborn. They both had looks of deep concern on
their faces.

"John, hon... are you alright? What happened?" Stacey asked me.

If I had any tears left to cry, they would have been flowing. "Stacey.. oh
my God. I saw him. He talked to me."

"Saw who, John?" Derek asked. Stacey was starting to tear up and turned away
so that her husband wouldn't see her.

"Eric.." She whispered quietly. I nodded to Derek, who looked at Stacey in
puzzlement.

"Who is Eric?" he queried her softly.

"Eric... Eric was my little brother. And... and.. John's boyfriend.", she
said through choked sobs. Derek looked down at me. I looked toward Stacey
and said;

"He left me again Stac.. dammit all to hell. He left me. My God.. Oh my
God. He left me again.. again.." My voice trailed off as whatever they were
giving me took effect, and I once again, fell into nothingness.

	I woke up again, this time it was at night. I looked over at the
window and it was dark. The lights in my room were off, and the hallways
lights were dim. Derek was sitting in the corner flipping through the TV
stations quietly. He turned to me when I began stirring.

"John, hey. How you feeling?" he asked me while moving beside my bed.

"Like I was hit with a bloody Mack truck. What time is it?" I asked.

"It's 9:30. You've been out like a light since about 11:30. in the
morning. You should go back to sleep John. We talked to the doctor. He said
you had a major stress attack. It almost gave you a heart attack. And
that's pretty bad considering your only 24, John. Anyway, they're gonna go
ahead and release you tomorrow morning, providing that the tests that they
took come back alright." this entire time he was holding my hand. Something
I found very comforting, and a little puzzling.

"I can't sleep now. I've been sleeping all day." I noticed my stomach
growling a little. Derek did to and grinned at me, "I'll go ask the nurse
if she can find something for you to eat." I nodded and he left the room. I
let out a large sigh and looked at my hand. It was still warm from Derek's
hand. I wondered why he was holding my hand. 'Oh well', I thought, and
shrugged it off.

	I finally did eat something, and the nurse gave me some medication
to help me sleep. Derek was holding my hand the entire time.

	The doctor confirmed what Derek said. It was a major stress attack.
He said that my heart was going so fast when I was brought in here that he
had to give me medicine to slow it down or I would have a heart attack. I
made an appointment with a psychologist, and took two weeks off from the
office. They knew that my mother had just recently died, and even though
that wasn't the full reason, my boss gave me the 2 weeks.

				   * * *

I walked through the brown doors and into a large empty waiting room. I
signed in and was soon called into the back. The door the receptionist led
me through was labeled; Dr. Will Juddily, Psychologist. I chose him because
he had excellent credentials, and was one of the few that didn't try to
change gay men into strait men. The petite receptionist told the large man
behind the desk my name, and then set my file down on his desk, and walked
out.

The doctor looked at me and smiled warmly. "Hello John. How are ya t'day?"
he queried me. I was astonished at his use of 'ya' and 't'day' as opposed
to 'you' and 'today'.

"I'm alright, I guess, Doc" I replied to him, wringing my hands together.

"Are you nervous?"

"Uhmm, well yea a little".

"That's alright. Now why have you come to see me John?"

Silence.

"John. To help you. I need to know what is wrong. And for me to know that,
you must tell me."

"O..Ok. Well... uhmm...about 7 years ago.. I had this friend. A very close
friend-"

"Was he your lover?"

"Well... yeah. And he... he uhm. Well see there was this accident that we
were in. We were hurt pretty bad. And Eric..." my mind went numb. It was
too hard to talk so I just sat there. The tears once again streaming down
my face. The doctor looked at me sympathetically and pushed a box of
tissues toward me and said "John.. Tell me what happened to Eric."

I wiped the tears off my face and cheeks, only for them to come right back.
"He--he died doc. And, before he--uhmm--died, I saw him. He talked to me.
Told me that he would have to go now."

"Come on John. That's right. Let it all out." he said in a quiet voice to
me.

"And I just recently lost my mother to cancer. I drove home from the
hospital.. and in my room.... in my room he was sitting on my bed. He told
me that I had grown up. And, then he left. DAMMIT!!! HE FUCKING LEFT ME
AGAIN! IF HE REALLY LOVED ME HE WOULDN'T LEAVE ME!!" I was practically
screaming this out. It must have startled the doctor because he jumped
back, but quickly regained his composure.

"John, you have alot of repressed anger and sadness at from losing Eric. I
believe that is why you had the stress attack last week. I want to start
seeing you once a week." He walked around the desk and sat near to me. "We
can work through this John. In time, the emotional wounds will heal" I
tensed up as I heard the familiar phrase. He seemed not to notice, "I know
how it feels to lose someone. My wife died two years ago in a fire. And
after a while, I got over her death, and began dating again. And now, I am
married to a beautiful woman, and have 2 children."

I wondered why he told me this. I figured later on, that he was trying to
identify with me.  "But doc, it's been 7 years. And I still live in a big
house by myself. I haven't dated at all. I just don't know what to do
anymore."

"John.. you know, there are alot of things that happen in the world. That
you can't do a thing about... not a damned thing. And losing Eric, whether
you admit it or not, was one of those things. You have to work past the
anger and hurt, and go on with life. You've spent enough time mourning him
John. It's time to let go."

"But I don't want to let him go. He's the only one I've ever loved before".

"John. I want you to do something for me. When you get home, I want you to
take all the things that remind you of Eric. And put them in a room. And
before you turn to walk out the door. I want you to tell Eric that you love
him, but you must go on with your life. Can you do that for me John?"

I thought for a moment. I could do it. Couldn't I? "Yeah... I suppose" I
muttered.

"Good." he replied looking at his watch. "It looks like our time is up. I
want you to come see me at this time next week." And with that, I rose out
of my chair, and walked out the door.

				   * * *

	I boxed up all of the things I had kept over the years that had
been Eric's. His school jacket, alot of his clothes, everything, save for a
picture by my bed. One that I always kept there. I picked up the picture as
I sat on my bed and looked at him.

"You were so serious, Eric. Never smiling in your pictures." I looked at
his handsome face and sighed. Oddly, there were no tears when I said
this. I picked up the box and brought it to one of the spare rooms. I set
it down on the bed and ran the doctor's words in my head.

"Goodbye Eric. I love you, and always will. But.. it's time I got on with
my life. And stopped living in the past. I will miss you baby." And with
that, I walked out of the room and shut the door.

				 Chapter 3
			 Is There Love Out There?

	I began seeing the psychologist once a week. The sessions lasted
for 6 months, at which time I ended them. I felt that I had truly said
goodbye to Eric. I went back to work and even began to go to parties. All
of my guy friends know that I am gay, and were never bothered by it. They
said that it didn't matter if I was gay, that they still liked me. I fealt
so much better. They even tried to set me up a couple of times. Both times,
it fizzled out. I sometimes got the feeling that the emotional scars that I
have, were preventing anyone from really getting close to me.

	I finally did meet this guy, his name was Seth, he was two years
younger then me, 22. I had no idea if he was gay or straight, but he was a
trainee at the computer repair center, where I worked. We had many of the
same interests and quickly became good friends. After a time, we became
great friends. He was about 6'2, with dusty blond hair, and lovely green
eyes. He was, I would say, about 140 pounds. And was as muscular as all
hell. I quickly developed an interest in 'that way' for him. He knew about
my past, and that I was gay. Something I tell all my trainees. I feel that
starting out in the open was the best way. None of them had been bothered
by it yet. Not as far as I could tell anyway. Well, one day, Seth and I
were doing some major overhaul on this mainframe computer for Children's
Hospital, down in Seattle. When out of the blue Seth asks me,

"Hey, John. When did you know you were gay?" The question floored me. I
dropped the screwdriver I was holding and looked at him.

"Well, Seth, it was when I was about 17. I had told myself for a long time
that I wasn't. But I was just denying the truth."

"Oh." He said with a look that said 'I wanna know more'.

"Why do you ask?" I queried him with a puzzled smile.

"Oh nuthin. Just wondering." was his reply. I shook my head and finished
installing the memory upgrade I was doing. All the while he was looking
over at me. And then he did something totally unexpected. Actually, it
almost made me shit my pants. I moved my head around to get the new hard
drive we were installing. His face was close to mine, and the next thing I
know, he presses his lips to mine. I immediately backed up and pulled away
from him.

"Seth. What the fuck was that?" I asked, still astonished.

"I thought you wanted me, John."

"Seth, I'm your boss for God's sake. And besides, since when are you
interested in men?!" I asked, practically yelling.

He looked up at me and said, "It's because of him isn't it. Eric. You won't
be with me because of him."  His face was a mass of confusion and
rejection.

Where the hell did that come from? "You shut the fuck up now! Get out of
here!", I screamed at him.

"No! Dammit John. He's dead!! Why can't you let go if him?"

The next thing I saw was myself running toward Seth and my fist flying
forward and connecting with his eye. I punched him again, this time in the
stomach, and stepped away. My face was a mask of rage. I could hardly
control myself. I decided that it would be wise to get the fuck out of
Dodge. I moved toward the back area and grabbed my coat. Seth was doubled
up on the floor crying. I looked back at him and then ran out to my car. I
started the ignition and squealed the tires as I pulled out of the parking
lot.

	I went down the street to an abandoned field and turned in there. I
shut off the engine and laid my head in my hands and wept. I did want him
-- in the worst way. And he was right. I had to let go of Eric.

	"What the hell did I do that for, God?  He only wanted to be with
me!" I said to no one but myself. I decided that an apology would seriously
be in order here. So I started up the engine and headed back toward the
office building. As I pulled in, I noticed that Seth's brown Ford Custom
was not in the parking lot. Since I knew where he lived, I headed there as
fast as I could go.

	Upon arriving at his apartment complex, I noticed that his truck
was in his assigned parking space. Steeling myself for the apology I knew I
had to make, I went up the stairs and stood outside his door. I knocked
three times. He came to the door with no shirt on. He had a large black
eye, which was swollen shut, and a huge bruise on his stomach where I had
punched him.

"What the fuck do you want, John?" He asked coolly.

"Seth... I'm sorry. Oh god I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

He looked reluctant but moved out of the way and motioned for me to come
in. I followed him in and he tripped on the edge of his carpet.

"Oh shit" I said as I helped him up. Damn his skin felt good. He turned and
looked at me. I looked into his eyes. I leaned forward a bit until my lips
connected with his. I kissed him passionately, and he kissed me in
return. Our tongues explored eachother's mouth. He moved us over to a couch
where we sat down. I moved my hands up and down his shirtless back.

"Seth... oh god I want you so bad", I moaned. His response was to move his
hand down to my crotch and give it a squeeze. I moaned even louder. He fell
back on the couch pulling me with him. I kissed down his neck and all the
way down his smooth chest to his stomach. I looked up at him and saw him
smile. I zipped his pants down and watched in ecstasy as his 7 inch uncut
cock poked out between his underwear. I stuck my tongue out and licked all
the way up and down the shaft and circled the head. He moaned his approval
at my ministrations. After much licking and teasing I popped his dick in my
mouth and went to work.

"Ohhhhhhhh shit John.. Oh my god. That feels so good. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm ohhh
that feels great!"

	I moved my lips up and down his shaft until his dick was almost out
of my mouth, then I went down again; sucking like a mad man.

"Oh Ohhh John... I'm gonna cum...... oh yeah hmmmmmmm ohhh
uhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I'M CUMMING!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!
JOHN!!! OHHHHhH I'M CUMMING!!!" he screamed. I sucked even harder and was
soon rewarded with a mouthful of his creamy cum. I swallowed some of it,
but kept the rest in my mouth.

	I pulled my pants off, and his the rest of the way. I flipped him
over to that he was leaning over the front of the couch. He knew what I was
going to do because he said, "Be gentle with me John. I've never done it
before." I just nodded and stuck my face in between his buttcheeks and
began using the cum in my mouth to lubricate is virgin hole. I then got
behind him and used the remaining cum to lubricate my throbbing 8
incher. Feeling that I was ready enough, I brought my dick to just the tip
of his hole and teased him with it. I rubbed it along his hole and up and
down his crack.

"Ohhh god. That feels good" he moaned. "Come on John... fuck me you
handsome stud." He groaned at me.

"Alright. It might hurt a little at first Seth, but it will feel good in a
moment. You ready?" He nodded his head. I put the tip of my dick up to his
tight hole and gave a little push. I met some resistance so I backed out
and said, "Seth, push like you are taking a crap. It will go in easier that
way" I once again stuck the tip in and I felt his anal muscles contract an
expand. My dick slipped in ever so slowly.

"Seth, are you all right baby? Do you want me to stop?"

My response was a low moan that seemed to say 'if you stop I'll kill you'.

	So I pushed another 3 inches in. And kept doing that until I felt
my pubic hair touching his asscheeks. I stayed that way for a moment to
allow his assmuscles to get better used to having a dick in there. Pretty
soon I felt them loosen and began my fuck motions. I pumped my dick in and
out. He gave a moan every time I moved out.

	I could feel the cum boiling in my balls and making ready to
escape. So I warned him; "Seth, I'm gonna cum baby... ohhh yeah... I'm
gonna cum up your tight ass" I said breathlessly

"Do it. Cum in me John. I wanna feel your hot cum pumped into my ass" he
cried

	That was about all I needed. I pumped three or four more times and
then I orgasmed harder than I ever have, spraying his insides with my hot
sticky juices.

"NNNNNNNUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I cried as my cum erupted from my
dick. I pumped three or four times until my orgasm subsided. I pulled my
dick out and pulled him to me. I turned him around and held him to my chest
and kissed him deeply.

"Come on baby. I'm shot. Wanna get some shut eye?", I queried.

"Yeah.. ohh god that felt good John. I'm so tired. Let's go to my room." he
replied. So I followed him into his room and watched as he fell onto the
bed. I crawled in beside him and lay next to him. He moved over and laid
his head on my chest. He put his arms around me and soon I heard soft
snoring. I felt a tear begin to fall down my cheek. I began to cry
softly. Except, this time; they were not tears of sadness, or loss. They
were tears of joy, and happiness. I had finally found someone.

I felt his head move and he looked up at me. "John.. What's wrong honny?
Why are you crying?" he asked with concern in his voice.

I looked down at him and smiled through my tears. "Thought you were asleep.
I don't know, I just don't know.. Please don't ever leave me Seth. I
couldn't take it", I sobbed.

"Oh John", he said moving up beside me, but still holding me. "I'll never
leave you. I love you so much John" He said holding me tighter. This time I
put my head on his chest and softly cried myself to sleep, while he stroked
my hair and whispered soothing words to me.

				 Chapter 4
				 Moving On

	I awoke to find myself on Seth's bare chest. I replayed his vow
over and over in my head. 'Am I ready to say I love you to another
person?', I thought. 'In time I suppose'. He stirred under me and I looked
up to find him looking down at me. I smiled and kissed his chest and then
moved up and kissed him on the lips.

"Mornin' hon."

"Good Morning", I replied, "Sleep well?"

"Mmmm hmmm. Like a log. You sure were restless in the night John. You must
have moved about fifteen dozen times. And you kept wrapping your arms so
tight around me, like you were gonna lose me or something. What were you
dreamin about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothin." I said halfheartedly. "Wanna go get some breakfast?"

He looked at me in puzzlement for a second then smiled. "Sure. Let's grab a
shower and go to Drummen's. They have excellent waffles."

I laughed and seperated myself from him. I walked toward his bathroom and
turned, "You wanna take a shower together babe?" I asked him.

"Sure. Let me go get some towels and clean clothes."

"Ok.. I'll be getting the water ready." He walked out of the room. I headed
toward the master bathroom, pulled back the shower curtain, and turned the
water on. Since it was a cool morning, as they usualy are in Washington, I
turned the warm water on fairly high. I was bent down to put the non-slip
mat on the bottom of the shower and I fealt two hands grab hold of my hips
and pull me back. I could feel Seth's hard doik poking at my balls
underneath.

"Mmmm. I wish we had time babe. But we gotta get a shower and go to work."
I said.

"I know." He giggled. I climbed in the shower and helped him in. I took the
soap and lathered up a wash cloth.

"Turn around hon. Let me get your back" I told me. He turned around and I
washed him. Starting from his muscular neck, and down to his ass. I parted
his cheeks and saw his hole. It was slightly red from the pounding I had
given it yesterday. I washed it gingerly and then finished up with his
legs. I told him to turn around. He did, and I washed his chest and penis.
I concentrated good underneath his balls and then finished with his feet.

"Thanks, honny" He said. He told me to turn around and he washed me up
too. We rinsed off and then dried eachother. We walked out of the room and
he cornered me by the closet. Still naked, he pressed his body in to
mine. He looked in my eyes and then kissed me passinately. I returned the
kiss, and once again, out tongues explored eachother's mouth. I was just
about to pull away when I heard a deep voice.

"What the FUCK is going on here?" said the voice. Seth pulled quickly away
and looked.

"D..Dddd...Dad. What are you doing here?" Seth stuttered. What I saw
standing before me was a man, about 5'11" and as big as a frekin house. His
muscles rippled under his shirt.

"Answer me first, young man" he growled.

"Th-hi-i-is i-is, uhmm-- This is John. My boyfriend."

Seth's father stepped forward untill he was about two feet away. "Are you a
fuckin queer? Huh, is my son a faggot?" his last question was directed at
me. I decided to keep quiet. I am a blackbelt in Tai Quan Do, and I could
easily have taken him down. But I didn't want to inflame the situation.

"Well faggot, I don't know where you got that bruise. But your gonna get a
matching one" And with that he reared back to punch Seth. I instantly
sprang forward and did a roundhouse to his solar plexus. It knocked the
wind out of him and he fell back against the wall.

"Don't you ever even LOOK like your going to hit him. Or so help me god. I
will break your fucking legs. You got that?" I said in a cool and even
voice. He stood up and headed toward the door.

"Fine. I'll leave you to your faggot boyfriend." he said in a shaky voice.
I snarled at him and he walked faster. Soon I heard the door slam. I turned
toward Seth to see him crying. I went over to him and held him in my
arms. He buried his head in the crook of my neck and sobbed.

"Seth? Are you alright honny. Did he hurt you?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Nnn....nno. I'm alright." He replied back through the sobs. I held him
tightly to me. I pulled him over to the bed and sat him down with me. I
kept holding him until his sobbing had subsided.

"Come on Seth. I'll call work and tell them that we can't make it in
today. Then we'll go over to my place for a couple of days. Let things cool
down here. Eh?"

He nodded his head. We walked out of his apartment and over to my car. I
opened the passenger side door and helped him in. His stomach was still
sore, and his eye had turned a dark shade of green, signifying that it was
healing. And it was no longer swollen shut. I walked quickly around and
unlocked my door and climbed in. The minute I was in, Seth leaned toward me
and put his arms around me. I held him for a moment and then started the
engine. I pulled out of his complex parking lot and headed for home.

				   * * *

	Once we arrived at my house I got Seth inside and called work to
tell them that we wouldn't be in today. By this time it was nearly noon,
and I was really tired from the previous night's activities. Seth told me
that he was to.

"You wanna go lie down for a while Seth? You may feel better." He nodded at
my question and I brought him back down the hall and into my room. He sat
on my bed as I pulled his shoes and socks off. He leaned over and picked up
the picture of Eric that I kept there.

"Is this him John?" He asked me, his eyes still puffy from crying.

I nodded. "Yeah. That's Eric. He was 17 in that picture. One of the few I
have of him."

"He looks so dang serious. Was he always like that?"

"Yeah"

"Am I making you uncomfortable asking you this John?"

"No... well, maybe a little."

"Sorry."

"It's alright", I said as I finished pulling his socks off as he put the
picture back. "How are you doing? You ok now hon?" I asked him.

"No.. I'm still shocked. See, my dad hates gay people. I don't know why,
but he does. And now--", he paused as he began sobbing again. "Now, he
hates me. Because I am gay."

"Hon... Seth. It's not your fault your gay, alright? It's just who you are.
Come on now. Let's lay down at get some sleep" I said, as I finshed taking
me own socks and shoes off. I lay down on the bed and pull him with me. I
wrapped my arms around him and held him close to me. I thought for a
moment, 'I'm ready to do this. It's time I say this'.

"Seth, honny. I love you", I said kissing him on the back of the neck.

"I love you to John." And with that, we fell asleep.

				   * * *

	I woke up two hours later. I seperated myself slowly from Seth. I
turned and looked at the picture of Eric, something I did ever morning. And
I was floored. My jaw dropped.

In the picture, the same one that Seth was looking at, and the same one
that I looked at every morning when I got up, and every night I went to
bed. The picture of Eric ...

... was smiling.


				  The End


Send all comments, nagative or positive, to tchaikovsky@hotmail.com. Once
again, contructive critisizm is gladly welcome. And thanks for reading my
story.

Should I continue the Eric's Gift Series? It's up to you to decide. Tell me
your opinion: tchaikovsky@hotmail.com

<<<<<RETRACTION>>>>> In the last story, I said that Truly, Madly, Deeply,
was fron Sound Garden. I apologize to all of you, the group is Savage
Garden. I do that all the time. But I shouldn't, since they are one of my
favorite group's. *shrugs* I didn't notice the mistake until I had already
submitted the story (doesn't say alot for my proofreading skills
eh?). Anyway, thanks to everyone to reminded me.

"Dream not of today" - Night Blessing of the Yaschell


Copyright 1998 Jade Falcon Entertainment Ltd.