Written by J.P.G.

{Jacob Finding His Way is partly fictional. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws, a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story can't be distributed in any way, shape or form without the author's expressed written consent.}

Story Written by: J.P.G.

Edited By: Ed

Edited By: Trevor Johnson

Edited By: Jack

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/

Chapter 80

Harold was finishing his last case when a sea of people rushed into his courtroom. He started slamming his gavel on his desk to get order, but there were way too many people in the room talking at the same time, no one heard the slamming of the gavel. One of Harold's bailiffs whistled and that got everyone's attention.

They quieted down and stepped out of the way as several FBI agents brought in the chief-of-police. Harold sat back down in his seat stunned seeing Chief Carnes in handcuffs. He waited until the courtroom was completely quiet. Even after everyone quieted down, he did not start the proceedings until either they took a seat or went to the wall, out of the way from the lanes to the exits.

"Ladies and gentleman I will have order in my courtroom at all times. I don't care who you are and who you work for, if you speak out of place, you will be held in contempt and removed from my court." Everyone just looked at Harold as he went through the rules. Once he was done, he turned his attention to Chief Carnes.

"Now why are you bringing Chief Carnes before me in handcuffs? Another judge issued out his arrest warrants; he should be brought before that judge."

"Yes, normally that is the procedure, but in this matter, you have history with the chief-of-police. Just last week you held the accused in contempt of court. In other words your honor, you are the only judge in this city that is not afraid of this man and the office in which he holds."

Harold turned to his bailiff and asked him to get the presiding judge that issued the warrants on the phone for him. A few minutes later, the bailiff handed Harold the phone with the judge on the line. They talked for a few minutes before Harold handed the phone back to bailiff and turned his attention back to the FBI agents.

"I don't like how you went about doing this. You should have followed procedure, which means you should have gone to the court that issued the arrest warrants and asked for the case to be transferred to my courtroom. However, what is done is done. I got the case transferred to my court."

"Thank you your honor I appreciate you doing this. Just like you, we did not want to be pulled into this, but if it were left up to his police force, he would be in the free, getting away with what he did. Therefore, we were pulled in to make sure he is arrested and goes to court where all those that breaks the law go.

That is where you come in sir. All the other judges in this district know the chief-of-police too well and will not do what is right in this case, except you. Hell, many of them went to school together and play golf with each other on Sunday. There is no way they are going to lock each other up even if the proof is there."

"Sir, I understand what you are saying, but that has nothing to do with this court and why you are here before me. All that matters right now is setting bail for Chief Carnes and setting up his future court dates. So let's move on, read the charges so Chief Carnes can plea to them and I can set his bail."

Just then, the door swung open and the Mayor walked in. Everyone turned their attention to the Mayor as he made his way to Chief Carnes side. Not asking for permission to speak, he started to, which made Harold very angry.

"Your honor let's not waste each other's time here dealing with this matter. You know as well as I do this man has served this community with honor and dignity for well over twenty years, eight of those as the elected chief-of-police. The people of this county keep giving him the position and that should speak volumes.

In addition, what should speak volumes here is what time of the year it is, political season. These charges are false. They were brought against the chief-of-police to bring him down in the polls. They can't do it honestly, so they are doing what ever they have to do in order to unseat him."

"Mayor Richardson, with all due respect, I do not walk into your office and tell you how to do your job, do not walk into my courtroom and tell me how to do mine. If I were to follow what you are asking, you want me to skip over the arraignment, the preliminary hearings, and the trial and get straight to the verdict. Then you want me to throw out the case. Sir, I will not do that, and what you asking me to do is just plain wrong.

Just like me, you took an oath to uphold the laws of this community. Nowhere in that oath had it said you could break the oath if a friend or family member is in trouble. So why don't you take a seat in the gallery or at the defense table and let me do my job."

Mayor Richardson was not used to being talked to the way Harold talked to him. Reluctantly, he turned around and sat down at the defense table. Once he was seated, Harold turned his attention back to Chief Carnes. He had his bailiff start to read charges, but the chief interrupted the bailiff when he waived the reading, but not the plea.

"I understand what I am being charged with and I plead not guilty. At the same time, I would also like to tell the court that this is all wrong. I did not do what I am being charged with. It is a political witch hunt and I am the one they are hunting."

"Chief Carnes this is neither the time nor the place for those kinds of speeches. I understand that you are elected by the voters of this city and you will have to go to them to try to explain what you feel is going on here. However, right now all I needed from you is a guilty or not guilty plea; I got a not guilty plea, so we can move on."

"Sir with all due respect, we can't move on since I don't have an attorney present."

"You have a right to an attorney, but there is not a need for an attorney for a bail hearing. I am not hearing testimony or looking at evidence at this point. That is going to happen in the next court hearing, which I will give you plenty of time before that to either, get you your own attorney or the courts will appoint you one.

For now I am setting a ten million dollar bail, which you can either pay out by cash or bond." Harold turned to his secretary and handed her a file. She took it and handed him another. He opened it and quickly read through to make sure he was in the right to do what he knew he had to do next dealing with Chief Carnes.

"As you know Chief Carnes you have a right to a trial by a jury of your peers. However, I have to execute the laws that are on the books right now, which means I have to remove you from your position as the chief-of-police of this county." The mayor jumped up from his seat and objected to what Harold was about to do.

"Mayor Richardson one more outburst like that, you will be bunking with your chief-of-police for the night. You sit down and not say another word." Harold did not go any further until the mayor took his seat. Once he did, he turned his attention back to Chief Carnes. For the first time since he has met this guy, he sees fear in his eyes.

"According to the city and state laws, if an elected official is charged with a felony, he or she must be removed from office, with pay until the charges are resolved. Basically, what that means is that you still have the elected position that the people elected you to because no one can take you from that position but the people unless you break the law.

You are being charged with a crime and you will get your day in court, but until then, you cannot wear that badge and run the police force in this city. I also must tell you if you are found guilty, you will never be able to hold the position you are holding now or any other elected position for that matter. You need one outcome and one outcome only, a not guilty verdict. Until that happens, you can no longer represent yourself as a law enforcement agent of this county or any other county. You cannot carry a gun or wear a badge. If you do any of that, you will be charged with another crime. Do you understand everything I am telling you Mr. Carnes?"

Mr. Carnes shook his head as he looked down at his chest. "Bailiffs please remove the badge, rank and gun holster from Mr. Carnes. Once you do that, take him into custody and move him to the county jail. Place him in protective custody until either he makes bail or he is moved to our other facility."

The bailiffs did as they were told and removed Mr. Carnes badge, gun holster, but when they reached to take the rank, Carnes stopped them. Harold saw what was going on, but did not say anything at first. He waited to see what Carnes would do next. It took him a few minutes, but Carnes took off his rank and handed it to the bailiffs.

"Mr. Carnes I never wanted to see this day, no matter what you may think. We all make mistakes, but I had hoped all your mistakes were dealt with last week, but now I can see we were just scratching the surface. If you make bail, you will be under house arrest because I will not have you running across the border where you cannot be brought back to stand trial for the charges you are being charged with."

"I would never run, and more so from something I didn't do." Carnes looked straight at Harold. "One other thing before I go. I am afraid I am not going to get a fair trial in your courtroom because of our past. The very first thing I am going to have my attorney do when I get him is to have him request you to excuse yourself from this case. That way I can and will get a fair trial in this city."

"You and your attorney can make that request, but I am going to deny it. I can be fair and just dealing with your case. Anyone that comes into my courtroom gets a fair trial, no matter what my personal views are on what they are charged with. That will hold true to you and there is nothing in our past that requires me to step down from this case."

Harold looked over at his bailiffs and nodded to them as he pounded his gavel adjourning his court. Carnes was taken out of the courtroom first in handcuffs with several bailiffs, and FBI agents at his side. The mayor tried to talk with Harold as he made his way to his chambers, but Harold would not let him put in a word edgewise.

"Mayor Richardson, you don't have any business here and if you value your career, you better get as far away from this case and that man as you can. Even if what you say is true, he is done in politics in this city. The majority of the voters will never trust him again and it will not be just because of what he has been charged with. All of his past and dirty laundry will come out in trial and that ensures his defeat in the public eyes."

The mayor had no idea what Harold was talking about and when he tried to get Harold to explain, he got nothing. Harold bid him goodnight and walked into his chambers. He knew Carnes was a bad person, but he never thought that he was as bad as what he was being charged with. Now he can see this person is what he feared since he dealt with him last week. He is a very dishonest person who does not care who he steps on to get what he wants in life.

As Harold was sitting in his chambers trying to figure out if he made a mistake giving the benefit of the doubt to Chief Carnes the week before, Jacob, Dewayne and Nancy were stunned on who walked in on them as they were talking. Jacob knew the person standing before them, but Nancy had no idea until she got a clearer view.

Before Jacob or the others could say anything, Derrick spoke. "That is something you don't have to do. I came down to speak with you Jacob, but I can see you have already started to take action." The look on his face was a look of hurt that sent shivers through Jacob's body as he gathered his thoughts.

"Please understand why I did what I did Derrick without talking to you first on it. The private investigator I told you about talked with your mother to get her DNA to make sure you are who he thought you were before coming to me. Out of respect to her, I felt I owed it to her to call her up and tell her what came out of that test."

Derrick stood there looking at Jacob, refusing to look over at his mother. He was afraid if he did, the past that he has been trying to keep buried inside him will come to surface and if that happens, he would not be able to control his emotions. Since Jacob had told him, what he found out, more and more of those years that he blocked away came back.

"I know this is weird and very uncomfortable for you Derrick." Jacob started to walk towards him, but he took a couple steps back. Jacob stopped because he didn't want Derrick to run out of the hotel. "Look I was not planning to spring this on you. I was going to sit down, talk with you first, and see how you felt on meeting your mother. If you were against it, I wouldn't have pushed it."

Stepping back a couple of steps in order to try to make Derrick more comfortable, Jacob continued to explain what was going on. "Your mother came a long way to reconnect with you and your sister, but she understands it is going to be a long process. She didn't expect it to happen overnight."

"My mother is at home and has been there since I could remember. This woman that is standing here is not my mother or my sister's mother." Derrick pointed his finger at Nancy, yelling at Jacob. Jacob could see in his face and hear in his voice that he was getting very angry at what was being said.

"Hold on Derrick, I am sorry for the way I just worded what I said. You are right, your mother is at home and has been there since you were eleven, Nancy here was there before that, but at this point that is neither here or there. Why don't we all just settle down and take seat and try to talk to each other in normal voices?"

At first, it looked like Derrick was going to high tail it out of there, but after a few minutes he settled down. He slowly made his way around to the couches and sat down in one as far away from Nancy as he could, but still close enough to hear what was being said. Jacob sat down when he saw Derrick settle into his seat.

"Derrick, you and I grew up together and I know right now you don't want to remember those years. The reason I am saying that is that I know you as well as you know me. Yes, I know you have changed some through the last six years, but not enough that I do not know my best friend.

I know you so well I was able to go to you yesterday and tell you what I told you because I knew how to talk with you. We both know how to settle each other down and make each other laugh. We both know how to get each other to react to something a certain way. I wish you would allow yourself to remember that, but I understand if you don't."

Looking up at Jacob, all the memories Derrick blocked away started to flood back into his mind. Times of them laughing, throwing snowballs at each other, other friends, and the pranks they pulled at school. Some of the memories put a smile on his face and some of them made him feel sad, but he was not fighting them anymore.

The more he let the memories float back in, the more he remembered his life with his real mother. At that point, he looked over at Nancy for the first time and knew without a doubt that she was his real mother. She looks the same as she does in his memories, except a little older, with white hair that she did not have before.

"Jacob what am I supposed to do with all this?" Derrick turned away from his mother and looked at Jacob. "I know now that everything you told me last night is true, but I don't want to hurt my parents at home. There is no way they were part of kidnapping my sister and me. They are just not those kinds of people."

"Not once did I say that to you Derrick and I will never assume that about your parents. I see it in your eyes, how you talk about them, they are very loving and caring, which is hard to get from adopted parents. You and your sister got very lucky when they came in and adopted you two.

With that said, I think what you need to do first is talk with Nancy. Nothing deep, just sit down together and talk, get to know each other again. If you don't want to do it tonight, that's fine. You pick the time and place when you want it to happen and whom you want there, and it will happen. After that we will talk and decide what your next step should be, okay?" Jacob looked at Derrick, shaking his head.

"Okay I will talk with her, but not tonight. I just came down here to tell you to place a call to her to see if she wanted to meet my sister and me. Now that doesn't need to be done since she is already here." Derrick looked over at Nancy. "I know you came a long way and you probably want to talk with my sister and me, but not tonight. I am sorry, but you have to give us time to digest everything that Jacob told me first."

"I understand and I will never push you or your sister to do anything that you are not ready to do yet." Nancy leaned forward in her seat. She really wanted to touch her son, but held back. There was no doubt in her mind if she reached out and tried, he would jump up, run out, and she will never get a chance to talk to him again.

"Jacob has given me a room here for as long as I need it, so there is no big hurry on either side. Take your time and I will be here when ever you are ready."

Derrick nodded his head as he got up from his seat. Jacob, Dewayne and Nancy stood up at the same time and waited to see what Derrick was going to do. The thing he did next, stunned everyone. He walked over to Nancy, and she thought the most she was going to get is a handshake, so she extended her hand, but she was wrong.

He wrapped his big arms around her, making her fall apart. Just moments ago, she wanted to reach out and just touch him, but here he is hugging her for the first time in six years. Something she has dreamed and hoped forever since he and his sister was taken from her home on that ugly night. Her nightmare is over and she has her son in her arms again.

Derrick held on to her as he did the last time he gave her a hug, the night she went out on her date. He did not want her to leave, and she tried to console him by telling him that everything was going to be all right, but boy was she wrong. All of their lives were turned upside down that night, and the world that they once knew was gone.

Jacob and Dewayne turned away to give them some privacy. At the same time, they did not want to leave them alone completely because they had no idea if Derrick was doing this because they were in the room. As they stood with their backs to Derrick and Nancy, they heard voices coming from outside.

Nancy and Derrick broke their hug just as Al and several other people walked in. Nancy turned away because she did not want anyone to see that she is crying. At the same time, Derrick rushed out of the hotel, saying goodbye to everyone because he also did not want anyone to see that he was crying.

Al stood there trying to make sense out of what was going on, but gave up. He looked over at Jacob and asked him to join him and the others that walked in with him in the restaurant. Jacob nodded his head, but before leaving the lobby, he made sure Nancy was okay. Once he felt that she could be left alone, he and Dewayne made their way to the restaurant. When they walked in, Al and his guests were sitting at the table talking.

Jacob's grandfather looked over at him and smiled. "Good you are here, come on over I want you to meet Mrs. Walker and her son Johnny." Jacob already has seen Johnny around school with Josh and his group, but he did not know who he was. One day he was not there and the next day he was.

"Mrs. Walker and Johnny this is my grandson Jacob and his boyfriend Dewayne." Jacob and Dewayne shook the Walker's hands before taking a seat at the table. "Jacob here is the one that is going to own the new house that is being built. So really it is going to be him that does the hiring for any position that needs to be hired."

Jacob smiled at Mrs. Walker and then looked at his grandfather. "I am sorry grandpa, but I am a little lost here. Do we need to hire someone to do something at the house?"

"We already spoke about this Jacob the other day. Since Francesca's sisters went back home and her mother is too old to be of any help to her, we need to hire someone to help her around when you guys move into the new house. There are too many of you for her to be the only one cleaning and cooking at the house. She's going to need help."

"Oh yeah, I remember now!" Jacob moved around in his seat, trying to get comfortable, but could not. "With the amount of work that has to be done at the house, it's way too much for one person and at times I think maybe too much for two." Jacob turned and looked at Mrs. Walker before he continued.

"Mrs. Walker you need to understand from the get go what you are getting yourself into. There is not going to be any real adult at the main house once my grandfather moves to Austin. Yes, Francesca's house is going to be connected to the main one, but it is on the other side. In addition, my mother and father will be living on the property, but their place is also not going to be connected to the main house. It is going to be about a football field in length away, that goes with the house you, and your family will be living in if you take the job.

The reason I say if, is that you will be cleaning a house that has ten guys living there. Most of them are couples, which mean we are gay. I hope that does not bother you, because I know many people look down at us for who we are. In fact we had an issue with one of them earlier today."

"Jacob I don't care if the guys or girls in the house are gay, straight, sleeps with animals or has no preference at all. As long as everyone shows everyone, the same respect they want returned to them, I am fine. Now as far as the amount of young men in the house, that really does not matter as well. There is no way you guys can beat the things I had to clean up in the jobs I did before moving up here."

Jacob liked her response. "Okay then, let's talk about what you will be doing if again you accept the job." Jacob went through what Francesca does throughout the day. To make sure he did not forget anything, he called out Francesca and she covered a few things that he had missed before returning to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

"I must make a couple things clear before we continue. The house is not going to be ready for a couple of months. They just got their permits today, which means tomorrow is going to be the construction crew's actual full day of work. They are promising me that the house will be done in two months, but at the same time I don't want to rush them because I want the job to get done right. I do not want three or six years down the line to have to call in another construction crew to fix things that are falling apart.

What that means to you is that if you take the job you will start working here. You will have a place to stay and everything like you would have in your own home. The only difference though is the amount of people here. It is a shelter that my ex-boyfriend is running and there are quite a few more guys living here besides my group."

Mrs. Walker looked over at Al for some guidance, but he was looking at his grandson. He did not even know that she was looking for help. After a minute or so trying to get some help, she turned her attention back to Jacob, thinking about what he had just said. She thought that she was not going to start the job until they move into the new house, but by the sounds of it, Jacob wants her to start as soon as she could.

"I have no problem what so ever on what you are saying except for one thing and that is the start date. I understood through Mr. Serna here that I was not going to start the job until the house was complete and you all moved in there. Now with what you are saying, you want me to start as soon as I can and that I really do not have a problem with either really. What I mean is that doing the job for those that live in your house fine, but not for this entire hotel and everyone in it."

Jacob smiled, throwing Mrs. Walker off balance. "You misunderstood me Mrs. Walker. Yes, I do want you start as soon as you can, but you will not be doing the entire hotel, even Francesca doesn't do that. Just like her, you will be only responsible for the floor that we are on and that is all."

Mrs. Walker settled back in her seat, took a breath of relief hearing what she just heard from Jacob. "If that is the case, I have no problem starting when ever you would like me to. Now as far as moving in here, I will have to talk that over with my husband. He might not like me and his kids living in a hotel."

"I understand and what ever makes you and your family comfortable I will go along with. If you don't have any more questions, we can conclude this meeting." Mrs. Walker and Johnny stood up. "Tomorrow in the evening around five stop at the main office downtown and fill out the employment paperwork. Once you do that, we'll talk about when you will start here and what your living arrangements are going to be."

Jacob extended his hand and Mrs. Walker shook it and then Johnny. She and Al spoke a few more minutes before Jacob and Dewayne walked her out to her car. As she got in to leave, Jacob confirmed with her once again about the time and then thanked her for taking the job. They shook once more before she shut her door and drove off.

Meanwhile Derrick arrived home, but stayed in his car in the driveway of his house. He had so many things going through his mind at the moment; he did not think he was going to be able to walk in without saying something to his parents that he was going to regret afterwards. He wanted to talk to them, but he knew he had to settle down.

Once he got control of his thoughts, He got out of his car, grabbed his books and walked in. As he passed the living room, he saw his parents in their chairs watching their normal series on television that they always watch. Debating rather or not to bother them, he decided to. He needed answers and he knew he could not go another night without them.

He walked in, but stopped halfway between the door and the chairs that his parents were sitting in, not saying a word. He started to rethink his decision, but just as he was about to turn around and leave, his father saw him through the reflection on the television when it went to commercial. He turned around and asked Derrick if everything was all right.

Derrick's father has noticed the last day or so his son has not been the same. He did not say anything to him because he figured that if Derrick needed to talk, he would come to him, like now. Therefore, when he saw his son standing there behind him and his wife, he knew the moment has come for them to talk.

"Derrick come on in, have a seat and talk with us." Derrick's father muted the TV. "It looks like you have the weight of the whole world on your shoulders, so please unload. That is what your mother and I are here for."

Slowly Derrick walked over to the couch and sat down. Never before has he felt this uncomfortable with his parents as he is feeling at that moment. Sweating with a dry mouth, Derrick tried to begin the conversation, but no words were leaving his mouth. He knows what he wants to say, but he cannot get the words from his brain to come out.

Finally after what seemed to be eternity, Derrick spoke. "Um, I found out something the other night that at first I didn't believe, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it is real. Then from where I just came from, I know it is true. I have a question for you mom and dad, and I want you to be honest with me. Don't lie thinking that is what I want to hear or that you want to save me from getting hurt because I am already hurting and the only way it will begin to go away is if you tell me the truth."

Derrick's father looked at his wife and back at Derrick. "Not once have we lied to you when you have come to us with a question or a problem. What ever it is, we will tell you the truth, I promise you." Derrick's mother agreed with what her husband said.

"As you guys know I met a guy that I like." Mr. and Mrs. Rawson nodded their heads. "Well I really like this guy and I want to make a go with him. Therefore, when he asked me to meet his friends, I did. He has a great group of friends; one of them is a very rich kid, believe it or not. You would not know it by looking at him, but he is.

Anyway, I met his friends and we chatted a while before I left. After meeting me, the kid who I said is rich; well he started thinking a lot about a friend he use know back in Cheyenne, Wyoming." Just as the words left his mouth, his parent's expressions changed from concern to fear. "A friend he grew up with, but when they were eleven, his friend and his sister was kidnapped and at the same time his friend's older sister was killed.

He could not stop thinking about that, so he hired a private investigator to find his friend. When he did that, he did not think it would ever come back here to El Paso as it did. Mom, dad..." Derrick leaned forward with a serious look on his face. "I need to know the truth here, where did you get my sister and me. You already told me that we were adopted, but was that a lie and were you the ones that did that ugly thing?"

Stunned on how his son asked the question, but did not blame him for it, Mr. Rawson spoke. "You know us Derrick and you know we will always tell you the truth. Not once have we lied to you when you have had a question about your past, and we do not plan to start now that you have these questions.

Let me start out by saying that we had nothing to do with what happened to that poor family in Cheyenne. When it happened, it hit the national news, which your mother and I felt bad for that mother on what happened to her kids. No parent, I do not care how the parent is, deserves to go through what she went through when she lost her kids.

At the time, we did not have you kids. We were still trying to conceive, but shortly after what happened in Cheyenne, we decided to adopt. One reason was that. We did not want any kid to grow up without a family so we registered with all adoption agencies in town, but weren't getting anywhere. The wait for a newborn baby was years, and that was something we did not have.

A friend of mine told me about the adoption agency where we got you two from. Therefore, we went down and registered. Two days later, we got a call that they had a newborn baby, not a year old yet that needed a home, but there was a problem. We thought the problem was she was sick or something, but it was not that, it was you.

They had been trying to place you and your sister for a couple weeks already and no one wanted a thirteen-year boy. All they wanted was the baby, but what we understood, your family did not want to break you apart. They wanted you two to stay together in the same home. Your mother and I jumped at it! We would be getting a baby girl, but her brother at the same time. We would be getting a family in one deal.

Shortly after bringing you home, we knew something was up, but at first did not think it was, what we later assumed was the truth. You were quiet and shut off to the whole world. No matter how hard we tried to get you to open up, you would not. Instead, you would go running to a dark corner in the room or try to get to the basement at the old house, which confused us a lot.

Then what made us really see that we were lied to is when we took you for your first check up with our family doctor. The very first thing the doctor found was that you did not need glasses, and more than likely you never needed them in the first place. That got us thinking something was up, but then when your hair started to grow and we saw that your hair was dyed. Your hair color was actually a mixture of red and blonde as you can see over the years it turned completely dark-blonde.

Once we saw that, your mother and I started to look into the adoption agency. As we were doing that, the county went in and closed them down. When we found out why they were closed down, we started to worry because we thought you two were going to be taken from us at any moment. The adoption agency was closed because the majority of the babies were stolen from other states.

Every knock on the door spooked us. Again, we thought that knock was the one that was going to take you two away from us. Then the knock did come about two weeks after they shut down that agency. Two women from the state were on our doorstep asking us for your adoption paperwork.

We did not refuse, we pulled it out, and as they were looking over the paperwork, they checked you out to make sure you were okay. They also took pictures of you so they could post them to see if you two were kidnapped like many of the other babies. That day we thought they were going to take you away, but they did not. They left you with us with one thing clear. If you were kidnapped and the real parents did come forward, and can prove they were the real parents; we would have to give you up without a fight. We agreed reluctantly, but prayed every night that wouldn't happen."

Derrick could not believe his parents knew something was strange about the whole thing, but never did a thing about it, except pray that his real parents did not come forward. He thought more of his parents, but not anymore. They can no longer tell him to do what is right, since they did not do that when they should have with him and his sister.

"If you knew earlier on something didn't smell good, why didn't you look more into it? Why didn't you tell those people from the state what you were thinking? Why did you make me think the dreams and thoughts I was getting about my life before you was nothing but dreams and my imagination. You made me think I was crazy or something like that by sending me to a therapist for years."

Mrs. Rawson got up from her seat, walked over to Derrick, and knelt down at his side. She grabbed his hands with tears rolling down her face. "We were wrong Derrick for not doing the right thing back then, but we loved you guys so much, we didn't want to lose you. We still love you so much that it hurts. You and your sister may not be our blood, but you will always be our kids. We will always give up everything we have, including our lives, so you don't have to."

It was taking a lot out of Derrick to hold back what he was feeling. One part was angry and wanted to go off completely on his parents. The other part understood what they were going through and why they did what they did. Who knows if the tables were turned, he doesn't know if he would have done anything different then they did."

"A question keeps bouncing around in my head that I need to ask. When you found out that I did not need glasses and that my hair was colored, why did not you do anything more than just look into the agency. What I mean is, did you guys think even once that my sister and I were those kids that were kidnapped from Cheyenne?"

Mr. Rawson feared this day and that question. He had too many restless nights thinking on this, hoping it would never come up, but here it is. The day has come that he and his wife need to come clean on what they thought back when they first adopted.

"When we started to see all those things and much more, yes, we thought that maybe you and your sister were those kids. I went down to Cheyenne a few weeks after we saw the doctor that found out that you didn't need glasses, to see if I could get an actual picture of you. I met Nancy and she was more than willing to show me a picture of both of you. The poor woman was still in shock and could not stop crying for more than five minutes at a time. My heart broke seeing that.

I stood there looking at the pictures that she handed me of you at your birthday parties and with your friends. She even gave me a copy of the pictures." Mr. Rawson got up and walked over to his filing cabinet that he kept locked all the time. He opened it and pulled out a locked box, which needed another key. After unlocking it, he pulled out an envelope, walked back over, and handed it to Derrick.

"After looking at the pictures, I was surer than ever that you and your sister were her kids that were kidnapped. The only thing that kept me from acting on my hunch is your ages. We had birth certificates that put you two years older than her boy and a couple months younger than her baby daughter. I know I was wrong there grasping at straws like that with those pictures you are looking at before me at the time."

Derrick saw him in a different light; a light his mind was trying to tell him existed. The first pictures were of him at his birthday parties, but the others were of him, his older sister and younger sister. He never knew he had an older sister, but had seen her face in his dreams that he was told were not real. Then the final pictures were of him and his friends, and all of them had Jacob in them. There was no doubt it was Jacob because he had not changed much throughout the years.

"Son, it bothered me and your mother on what we did. Although we did not do the kidnapping, it haunted us that your mother was dying inside every day that you were missing. A few years after I went down and saw your mother for the first time, we had enough of the haunted images of your mother hurting.

You were sixteen at the time, I mean fourteen when we packed up the car and headed down to Cheyenne. You wondered why we were doing the trip. We told you that we were going to visit family, do you remember that?" Derrick looked at his father and nodding his head. "Anyways we drove into Cheyenne and got a room. After showering, we headed down to your mother's house, but all we found was a boarded up home."

"I remember and you told me that it was my aunts and uncles house."

"Yes and do you remember that we went knocking on doors to see if the neighbors knew where your aunt and uncle went." Derrick shook his head. "No one knew. All they knew is that she moved out soon after what happened in that house and no one had lived there since.

We never gave up looking for her, but unlike your friend, we did not have the money to hire a private investigator. All we had we spent, but after a while we gave up. She moved away and did not want to be found, at least we thought until now. Your friend found her and now we are at the day your mother and I have dreaded, so what do you want to do?"

Derrick sat back in the couch, still with his mother kneeled down on the floor in front of him. He went through the pictures once more before saying another word. He really did not know what to say except things needed to be corrected, but how he threw out there for his parents to help him figure out.

They discussed it for well over an hour, but at the end, they were no closer to an answer than they were when they first started talking about it. "One thing is for sure Derrick, we need to meet your mother again. We need to sit down with her and tell her how sorry we are about what happened to her and what we later knew."

"I agree, but I don't think it should happen any time soon. First, I'd better get to know her and see what her plans are. For now we just go along as we always have and maybe when it is all over and done, things will work out." Derrick cracked a smile for the first time since he walked in the door. "All we can do is hope for that."

Mr. and Mrs. Rawson agreed with Derrick and dropped their request to meet Nancy. They talked a little more, not about what they have been talking about, before Derrick headed up to bed. As he got ready for the next day, he started to call himself Ralph to see how it sounded. After a while of doing that, he went back to calling himself Derrick.

The next morning Jacob was woken up with a knock on their room door. He thought at first it was a dream, but the knock got louder and louder, until it brought him out of his dreams. Pulling himself out of bed, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants before answering the door. He did not want anyone except Dewayne to see what he has between his legs.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to see his grandfather standing there already dressed, ready to go. He invited him into the room as he walked back in and woke up Dewayne. Holding up the covers so his grandfather did not see what was for his eyes only, Dewayne put on a pair of shorts. Once he was presentable, Jacob dropped the covers and Dewayne joined him on the bed.

"Boys as you know I am heading back to Austin this morning, which I really don't want to do. Not with all that is going on down here." Al spoke softly, but in a concerned voice as he paced around the room. "However, after talking with Harold last night and finding out that Mr. Carnes is no longer the chief-of-police, I am a little more comfortable leaving here today. Moreover, he has a ten million dollar bail that I do not see him posting.

Now there are a few things I would like to go over with you boys. Even though Carnes is out of the picture that does not mean that he cannot reach out and touch you guys or the company. I have already alerted Jackson and he is ready for anything. You guys be careful and don't do anything to empower him to get you guys."

At the same time, Jacob and Dewayne looked at Al as if he was out of his mind. "I know I didn't have to say that, but I couldn't help myself. I will always worry about you boys and my family no matter where I am. Just be you and nothing will happen. If something does, Jacob you have my cell that I will have on me at all times."

"I know grandpa and don't worry so much about us down here. The job you are taking on is going to take up all your time as it is, you do not need anything that happens down here to add on top of that. Plus as you said, Mr. Carnes is pretty much out of the picture and he has been the one causing us problems down here lately."

Al liked what he was hearing. He wanted to say more to Jacob, but knew there was no need. He got up and bid Jacob goodbye and then Dewayne. Before leaving the room, he and Virginia went back and hugged the boys. They did not want to let go, but they heard voices and footsteps coming their way.

Reluctantly they broke their hug, wiped away the tears and walked out of the room. As they were leaving, Alex and Matt were arriving. Both Alex and Matt said good morning to them as they stepped aside to let them past. Al and Virginia returned the greeting. As they were leaving, they popped their heads back in the room to tell Jacob that they loved him and not to worry.

Neither Alex nor Matt asked what was going on; they stood at the side in the hall. They waited until Al and Virginia got into the elevator before stepping into the room. When they walked in, Jacob looked up from the floor and put a smile on his face, which Alex knew was a fake one. He can see that his friend is hurting and does not know why.

Not knowing the real answer to the question, he wanted to ask, Alex decided not to ask it. Whenever he is not for sure of the answer, he stays away from the subject. In this case he knew it had something to do with Jacob's grandfather that has him the way he is, but what exactly, he was not about to get into. Instead, he tried to make Jacob laugh, which took a little longer than normal, but he got there.

Once he was sure that Jacob was in a good mood, Alex went into the real reason why he and Matt were there. He got straight to the point, the double date he wanted Jacob and Dewayne to join Matt and him on that evening.

He saw no hesitation on Jacob or Dewayne so he went on explaining what he wanted to do. He started to explain about the club, but to his surprise Jacob had already heard about it, which was good so he did not have to spend a lot of time trying to sell the club to the two.

Jacob made sure Dewayne was okay with the double date. Once he saw that he was, he told Alex they were on board for it. Then Jacob surprised Alex again when he recommended that they eat at Chico Tacos, a restaurant he does not like at all. Alex tried to tease Jacob about it, but when Jacob came back on why he had no problem eating there, Alex understood. It was the first place that Jacob and Dewayne ate together before they started going out and Jacob said he would never forget that night.

They all agreed to not really plan out the night. Instead, they were going to go with the flow and see where the night takes them. Once they agreed on that, they headed out to breakfast. They chatted a little more about the night, but once the door opened to the elevator on the first floor, they stopped talking about it and joined the others.

While the guys were eating breakfast, Al, Virginia and Tony were heading to the Village Inn. Al wanted some private time with his son before heading to Austin, so he decided to take him out for breakfast. Tony was surprised on Al asking, but he as well wanted to spend a little alone time with his father before he left.

When they arrived at Village Inn, they were quickly seated and their drink orders taken. After looking over the menus and choosing what they wanted, they gave their order to the server when she came back with the drinks. Once she left, Al started the conversation with Tony and his wife.

"Son I know I haven't spent a lot of time with you since I've been back and here I am already going again. I wish I had spent more time with you and I promise I will get better at that in the future. For now, I want you to know that we love you and that no matter what is going on up there, you will always be my number one thought."

Tony had no idea how to respond to what Al just said. He has been bounced around from home to home a lot in the last couple of years; no one has really shown him the love that Al and Virginia are showing him at that moment. Really, he has never been shown the love and acceptance in his life that he has been getting from Al, Virginia, Jacob, his friends and the rest of the family since he was adopted into the family.

"It's going to be hard for you to get a hold of me if you ever need to when I am in the office. So just like Jacob, I have gotten you a cell phone." Al looked over at Virginia and she pulled the cell phone out of her purse. "I know the thing is big, but please carry it at all times. My number and Jacob's number are programmed in your phone so all you have to do is hit speed dial button to get either of us."

Tony took the phone and looked at it before putting it to the side. "I really don't know what to say about all this dad, except thank you. I know this is costing you a lot of money and if you want, I can pay for my phone with the money that I am making at the seven elevens." Tony looked at Al with his puppy dog eyes.

"There is no need for that Tony. You save your money and spend it on the things you want to buy yourself. I have your other money invested and it is making a very big return, so you do not have to worry about college, it is paid for. So you take the money you are getting with your stores and spend it on yourself and your girlfriend."

The mention of a girlfriend made Tony embarrassed. Looking for a girlfriend has not even crossed his mind. It is not that he is gay or something like that, because he is not. It is because of his classes and the fact that he is only thirteen years old. Girls at this time are not high on his list of things he needs to get.

They sat there eating their breakfast, talking about everything from school to Tony's private life, at least what Tony was willing to talk about to them. When they finished breakfast, they left, but the whole ride to school was silent. All of them were feeling the same thing; they did not want anyone to leave. At the same time, they knew it had to happen.

When they arrived at El Paso High, the first bell had not rung yet, giving them a few minutes to say goodbye. Once again Al told Tony to call him whenever he needed to, no matter what time of the day it is. Tony agreed as he got out of the car, but did not leave. Al and Virginia got out of the car and walked around to meet Tony in the rear. There they said their goodbyes, hugged, and just like earlier in the morning with Jacob, no one wanted to break the hug.

The ringing of the first bell left them no choice but to break the hug. Tony said goodbye once more to his parents as he walked to the main building. Al and Virginia stood watching their youngest son walk away, and were barely able to hold it together. No matter what people may say, in their minds, Tony is their son and they will love him as such.

For being a Friday, it flew by faster than the guys thought it would. Before they knew it, they were eating lunch, and then that was over. Fourth period flew by as fast as the first three periods, but when Jacob walked into fifth period ROTC, he got an ugly feeling in the pit of his stomach when he saw Joey standing there.

Before he could ask Joey why he was there, Colonel Pigeon walked out and waved both of them into his office. Jacob dropped off his backpack on the desk in the outer office before they walked in. Right away Colonel Pigeon asked them to take a seat as he shut the office door, made his way to his desk, and sat down.

"Good afternoon gentleman, it is good to see you both together once again." Colonel Pigeon spoke in a commanding voice as he shuffled paperwork on his desk. "You guys started in my unit in your freshman year and now I have both you once again in my unit your junior year, and hopefully that will stay to your senior year."

Just then the door opened and Colonel May walked in. Colonel Pigeon looked up and once he saw it was Colonel May, he got up from his desk, followed by Jacob and Joey. Just like Colonel Pigeon before, Colonel May quickly put them at ease and asked them to take their seats. Jacob was trying to figure out what was going on, but could not read either of the colonel's faces.

"Hello gentleman, I hope everyone is well." Jacob and Joey nodded their heads, forcing a smile. "Good to hear that! I am going to make this quick since I have a lot to do today and I am sure Colonel Pigeon also has a lot to do." Colonel Pigeon looked up at his boss and nodded.

"Since I am the one that has the final say on officer promotions, I was brought into this situation here with you two. Both of you are cadet lieutenant colonel's, which makes it a problem because we normally have only one per battalion, that person being the battalion commander. However, with you transferring back Joey there are two of you.

Since you were promoted to that rank before you transferred in, we can't and won't take the rank from you, but at the same time we can't take the current ranking battalion commander of this unit out like it has been requested." Everyone looked at Colonel Pigeon, who was looking at his boss.

"It isn't fair to Jacob to remove him from the position that he has earned and held for most of the school year. Just as it would not have been fair to you Joey for me to take the rank from you that you earned. Therefore, Joey, what I am going to do is have Colonel Pigeon here place you as the XO of the unit, and move everyone else down in the battalion staff. The lowest ranking officer of the battalion staff will ultimately lose his or her position, but not the rank. They will be put in company formation with the same rank they have now.

As far as next year goes, Jacob will come in as the battalion commander and you will stay as the battalion XO. Again, you will not lose your rank. However, I am changing who is allowed to go before the brigade board for promotion to the brigade. Since both of you are lieutenant colonel's, I am going to allow for this time only, this battalion to send two cadets to that promotion board. That is just fair and I won't have it any other way."

Jacob breathed a little more easier when Colonel May made it clear how things were going to happen from this day forward with both him and Joey there. He could not believe that Colonel Pigeon still went to Colonel May to remove him. It really did not surprise him, but still stunned him. At the same time, he could not help but wonder if Joey was aware of Colonel Pigeon doing that and did not object to it.

"Like I said, I need to make this fast because I need to get going." Colonel May looked at Pigeon. "That is settled and I hope no problems arise from this point on dealing with who is going to do what." Colonel Pigeon made it clear that there will be no problems. "Good then gentlemen, you all have a nice day and see you in a month for your DAI inspection."

Colonel May turned and left the office, leaving Jacob, Joey and Colonel Pigeon standing at attention. Once he was gone, Colonel Pigeon tried to explain why he did what he did, but Jacob did not want to hear it. He stood there and listened to it, because he had no other choice, but once he and Joey were excused, he got out of the office as if it was on fire. Joey tried to talk with Jacob once they walked out, but the company commander came up, and Jacob took that opportunity to get away from him.

It was not that Colonel Pigeon went to Colonel May, to have the flip-flop that got Jacob angry. It was not, that he was put on the spot that got him angry. It was not, that he thinks Joey knew all about the meeting that got him angry. No, none of those really bothered him as much as when Colonel Pigeon informed Jacob that he had Joey's schedule changed to his schedule starting next week. He now has to see Joey and Caleb in every one of his classes, something he was not yet ready for.

Jacob decided to put it to the back of his head figuring it was just his imagination getting away from him. The rest of the period, Joey was busy being briefed by the current XO, who is going to be the promotion and demotion officer from this point on. Therefore, Jacob did not have to dodge him. When the bell rang, Jacob was one of the first out the door, which stunned everyone since he is normally the last to leave the building.

Sixth period dragged on, but once it was over, Jacob could not be happier. He wanted to get through his workday and then onto the double date. It is the double date that he is looking forward to, and cannot wait for it. Mainly because he has never gone to a club with Dewayne or even Joey and he wants to share that experience with Dewayne.

The workday went smoothly for Jacob. He sat with Mrs. Walker as she filled out her employment paperwork. While she was doing that, she asked Jacob if his offer was still there for her and her two kids to move into the hotel, which it was. That made them both happy when she took Jacob up on the offer. By the time she was done filling out her paperwork, everything was settled on when she was going to start working and when she was going to move in.

Dewayne went up to get Jacob right at eight so where they would not be late for the double date. He as well was looking forward to tonight, being with Jacob. Something he never thought Jacob would have agreed to, so when he did, Dewayne was surprised, but at the same time excited. Now it is just hours away.

When he walked into Jacob's office, he made Jacob stop what he was working on. Jacob of course had no problem doing so. As he gathered his paperwork from his desk, Ana walked in. She needed to speak with Jacob, but it was not important, so Jacob asked her to see him on Monday. Seeing that, Dewayne could not be happier. He loved seeing his boyfriend putting work second and him first.

All the way down to the lobby and the ride home, Dewayne and Jacob talked about what they wanted to do on their date later in the evening. They decided they were going to make every minute count because they do not know when they were going to be able to go out on a date and enjoy themselves again. However, when they walked into the hotel, their plans were almost destroyed when they were pulled into a whirlwind of trouble.

Ashton appeared again, making everyone's lives miserable at the hotel. Alex's head of security was worried about the dating thing. He was recommending for it to be cancelled, but Jacob settled him down. They discussed what they needed to do to make the hotel safe, but they pretty much had things ready to go on that front.

Before Jacob and Dewayne walked into the hotel, Alex's head of security and Jackson talked with Joey about the changes they wanted to do at the hotel. Joey not only did not object to the changes, he welcomed them. The only thing left was who was going to pay for it, which Jacob volunteered to do.

Once all that was settled, they went out to the lobby, calling everyone to them. Knowing he did not have a lot of time, Jacob went over what was going on. Then he went over the changes that were going to be put in place because of what had happened. No one minded, and really did not have questions, which Jacob liked.

After adjourning the meeting, Alex and Jacob talked about the date. Just like Jacob, Alex was worried that the date might have been cancelled, but was happy to hear it was not. They went over how the date was going to unfold with the heightened security, and then went up to change and get ready.

Before they knew it, they were on their way to the east side of town to Grand Central Station, a new club that had five clubs in one. One of the clubs is for gays, and that is the one the boys wanted to visit. It was not hard to find since it was right off one of the main streets on the east side, Lee Trevino.

When they arrived, Jacob liked the fact the parking was not as bad as he thought it might have been. After finding a parking spot, they headed in, popping their heads into the clubs as they looked for the club they wanted. They checked several clubs before finding the one for gays, but once they did, they did not waste any time, and headed in.

The first thing they did once they got into the club was to get drinks and then find a table to sit at. Since they were stamped underage, they had to get cokes, which that did not bother any of them. None of them have tasted beer yet, and had no plans on trying one on the night they must be as alert as they could.

At first, they just sat there, but it was not long before Alex and Matt got up to dance. Jacob and Dewayne sat there watching their friends on the dance floor, dancing to a slow romantic song. Jacob wanted to be out there. He just had not mustered enough courage to do so. After a couple of songs had played, he gathered the courage to get out there.

Not wanting to lose the courage he mustered up, he got up, pulled Dewayne to his feet. They walked out to the dance floor and joined Alex and Matt. The first minute or so, Jacob was like a brick wall, but he loosened up after that. Once he did, he and Dewayne enjoyed themselves and could not keep their hands off each other.

It did not take long for the two couples to own that little part of the dance floor. Those that were not dancing, and some that were, watched the two couples. They could tell that they were couples who loved each other with all their heart. Not just because they were on the dance floor together, but by the way they were with each other on that dance floor.

When the music was upbeat, they enjoyed each other. None of them tried to be the man and lead, they shared that with their partner. Then when the music was slow, they held each other in their arms, showing the love that they had for each other. Love that every other couple in that club that was watching wished they had. There was no doubt it was true love between these boys, and they wanted a taste of it.

The guys took a short break before going back on the dance floor. When they did get back on the dance floor, Jacob and Dewayne only danced a few songs, and then Jacob pulled Dewayne off the floor. At first, Dewayne did not know why, but when they walked out of the club and started looking in the others, he worked it out. He figured that Jacob wanted to explore this place and maybe have some fun doing it.

When they reached the last club, they could not believe their eyes, or ears. There was a person on a stage singing, or at least trying to sing. By the time she reached the middle of the song, she was booed off the stage and the DJ started to play soft rock. By then, Jacob and Dewayne had gotten something to drink and found a table.

They knew that they could not dance in this club since it was not a gay club. All those on the dance floor were male and female couples, not same sex couples. There is no way they were about to dance on that floor for fear that they will get their butts kicked. That bothered Dewayne a little. He thought that he and Jacob were having fun in the other club, dancing. Little did he know Jacob had something up his sleeve.

Several other guys and girls tried to get up on the stage and sing a song, but they were booed off the stage as well. Only one made it through the entire song, but did not get much applause when he was done. Jacob was getting nervous as he saw how rough the crowd was in here, he was rethinking what he planned to do.

Then he remembered what Josh told him at school when he went and asked for his help. Ignore those out in the audience and only think of the one you love. Gathering all his strength, Jacob got up and walked over to the DJ. Dewayne had no idea that he had left, and that is what Jacob wanted.

The lights in the club were turned off when the song the DJ was playing ended. Seconds later, the DJ's voice came over the intercom informing everyone another person wanted to take a shot at singing. Those in the club at first wanted the DJ to keep playing music for them to dance to, but knew that they had to give who ever wanted to sing a chance.

The lights were not turned on right away, but whoever was on the stage started to play the guitar. Dewayne looked over to where Jacob was at, but did not find him there. Just as he looked back on the stage, the spot light was turned on and there was Jacob sitting there with a guitar starting to sing. Dewayne could not believe what he was seeing.

The song Jacob started to sing was a song that he and Josh worked on together that Josh recorded on his first CD. It was a song of how he felt when he first met Dewayne, where they were at the time and how things changed for him when they got together. He truly believes that he would not be as strong as he is today if he had never met Dewayne when he did. At a time, he was hurting so much that he thought his life was over.

I've seen the storm clouds in your past
But rest assured 'cause you are safe
at home at last
I rescued you, you rescued me
And we're right where we should be
when we're together

 

Jacob did not look at anyone else in the club except Dewayne. He sat there on the stage looking him straight in the eye and Dewayne could see the emotion in Jacob's eyes. Every word he was singing was from his heart. He threw down all the barriers he had built not to show his emotions in public on how he felt about Dewayne. He just laid it all out for the entire whole world to see the love he has for Dewayne.


I know the questions in your mind
But go ahead and ask me one more time
You'll find the answer's still the same
It won't change from day to day
for worse or better

Will I promise to be your best friend
And am I here until the end
Can I be sure I have been waiting for you
And did I say my love is true
Baby I will, I am, I can, I have, I do

 

By this point Dewayne could not hide any longer how much Jacob's singing is touching him. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away before anyone could see that he was brought to tears, but as the song went on, he could not hide it any longer. The tears were coming down in a steady stream.

I know the time will disappear
But this love we're building on will always be here
No way that this is sinking sand
On this solid rock we'll stand forever

Will I promise to be your best friend
And am I here until the end
Can I be sure I have been waiting for you
And did I say my love is true
Baby I will, I am, I can, I have, I do

 

At this point, there was not a dry eye in the club. They all knew whom the guy on the stage was singing to and didn't care. Everyone that was there with a date, no matter if they were just a girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse, they grabbed hold of the others hand and held it tight. They wanted to bottle the love Jacob was showing and singing to Dewayne and take it home.


Baby I will, I am, I can, I have
Oh, I will, I am, I can, I have
Baby I will, I am, I can, I have, I do

 

The final verse did it! The emotion they saw Jacob put in it and show to his boyfriend, they could not hold it together. No matter if, you were a guy or a girl, the song ripped through their shields and they had tears in their eyes just like Jacob and Dewayne. Jacob was barely able to get through the last line of the song, because he wanted to just get off the stage, grab a hold of Dewayne, and never let him go.

When the song ended, everyone rose to their feet and started to applaud. Jacob was the first one of the night to get a standing ovation and he soaked it in. He took a couple of bows and then got off the stage. The spotlight followed him as he walked over to Dewayne. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug a first, and then he leaned in and kissed him right there in front of everyone in the club.

Not only those that were in the club did not take offense to two guys kissing, their applause got even louder. Guys and girls started to root and chant for Jacob and Dewayne to kiss longer, but it all ended when the DJ put on a song. The chanting and applause died down as most of them made their way to the dance floor.

Jacob and Dewayne did not break their hug or kiss until the first song the DJ put on ended. When they finally did, they sat down and just held hands looking out at those on the dance floor. Dewayne really wanted to tell Jacob how much the singing meant to him, but his thoughts did not make it from his mind to his tongue. They just sat there, holding hands, looking out to the dance floor.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back one and all to another filled chapter of "Jacob Finding His Way". I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I didn't bore you with some of the repeats I did in this story that was in "Beneath the Mask" and "Regrets and Heartaches". I enjoyed this chapter a lot because I moved it finally where I wanted some of the characters to go.

I know some of you might be mad with me because the way I started the chapter, sorry. I rather wanted you to sweat and wonder a little longer on the cliffhanger from the last chapter. I hope none of you guys jumped over to see the conclusion of the cliff hanger. However, if you did, I hope you went back to read the beginning.

The beginning of the chapter is very important because it was pretty much the end of Chief Carnes career. Harold not only gave Carnes a huge bond, making it almost impossible to bail out on, but as well ended his career. I wonder how many of you applauded Harold for what he did when you read the beginning.

Well what a surprise on how things unfolded, at the hotel from the last chapter. Many of you guessed right on who was it that walked in, but I wonder if you thought the conversation was going to go the way, it did. I'm glad that it did. Now because it did go that way, it paved the road for the future conversations that will happen.

Finally, I brought back in the Walker's in this story. For those that do not know who the Walker's are, you need to go back to "Shadow of My Father" to find out. Pretty much for now on Mrs. Walker and her two children will be in this story. Don't get me wrong, they will appear in "Shadow", but mostly they are going to be in this story.

We all learned a lot with the conversation Derrick had with his adopted parents when he got home. Buy they knew for a while who Derrick was, but didn't do a thing. They didn't kidnap him and his sister, but they should have told him the truth a lot sooner. In addition, they should have kept looking for Nancy. They admitted they knew how Nancy was feeling and they didn't wish that on anyone. I wonder what is going to happen from this point on. Just like you guys, I wonder if Derrick is going to start using Ralph, or stay Derrick. Will he and his sister move in with Nancy? There will be a lot more, but for the answers, you need to come back and read the future chapters.

Al took some time and talked to Jacob and Dewayne before he and Virginia left to Austin. Man there is a lot of love in that family. Then Al and Virginia took Tony out to breakfast and spent time with him there. Tony did not want his parents to leave, just like Jacob, but knew there was no other choice in the matter.

I really don't know what to say about the ROTC and how things were handled once again there. Just like Jacob, I wonder if Joey knew about the whole thing, and was going along with it. In other words, was he willing to back stab Jacob in order to get his position? I don't know because what happened in fifty of "Beneath the Mask", Joey has shown he still has some growing up to do.

The ending of the chapter I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried to stay away from repeating what I wrote in fifty of "Beneath". You all already knew that Jacob had sung to Dewayne, but you were not in the club in "Beneath", as you were in this chapter while he did sing. I hope you enjoyed and you drop me your thoughts on what you think about this plot and if Jacob should go further in singing like Josh.

I must give credit where credit is due. The song used in this chapter was by that great Canadian country singer Paul Brandt. `I Do' was one of his first singles on his first CD that was excellent. I hope you love his voice as much as I do and go out and buy his up coming new CD that I understand is going to hit the stores worldwide very soon.

As always, I can go on and on about the open plots in the story! If I do that, I can actually write several more chapters. So many plots can take a turn at anytime. You might think it is going to go one way, but is lands up going another. Do not miss anything, or you will be kicking yourself for it.

There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Stick around and keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacob@jacobmillertex.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

Jacob (the author) may sound rough and tough at times, but when you read a chapter like this one he comes through as a sentimental old softy. Of course, I'm one of those from way back and tears were rolling down my cheeks as I read the last part of the chapter when Jacob was singing to Dewayne.

I could feel the love coming all the way over the ocean to Australia. I also love Paul Brandt one of my favorite country artists from way back and Jacob's right that by the time you read this chapter a brand new album will be out his first for four years, along with a boxed set of all his past hits and included in the package is some DVD's as well. Enough of the big sell back to the chapter.

At last, the chief looks like being on the way out finally. More tears of course as Al and Virginia head for Austin leaving Jacob and Dewayne to manage things on their own and poor Tony at thirteen, that brought out more tears from me.

Derrick, another traumatized young man, having problems coming to terms with his lost six years. How will all that turn out?

There is so much happening at the moment. Jacob gets very worried when the number of readers drops for whatever reason and if you think his stories, or mine for that matter aren't interesting you anymore then for goodness sake talk to us let us know what we are doing wrong so that we can look at rectifying things. We both love writing, but only if you love reading. Let us know how we are doing.

Hugs Trevor

trevor@jacobmillertex.com