Disclaimer:

This story is a fantasy of my own creation. The characters are not real; they were born of my imagination. If a consensual relationship between two of-age males bothers you, then do not read further. If you are under the legal age in your area, stop reading now. Any similarities between a character and a real person, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any actions the reader takes as a result of reading this story are not the responsibility of the author.

You may not reproduce, post, or distribute this story in any way without the author's expressed written permission. You may print out one copy or save one copy of this story for your own viewing and entertainment. By reading further, you implicitly are agreeing to the above guidelines.

Many thanks go to Jason for volunteering his time and expertise to edit this story. Comments from readers are encouraged. Cody and I appreciate your constructive criticism and remarks. Please send your comments to:

tannerandrobert@yahoo.com and/or trickbabyiii@aol.com

(All flamers will be ignored!)

Enjoy --

This story is dedicated in loving memory to Steven Simmons of Sidney, Australia, who, without question (according to him), was T&R's biggest fan. Steven died on May 19, 2002, at age 21, from complications associated with childhood onset diabetes.

Cast of Characters

(appearing in this episode)

Robert Chaise Worthington, III - 16-yr. old, one of the two central characters

Justice Dorothy Worthington - Justice of State Supreme Court and mother to Robert, Tanner, and Kyle

Dr. Robert Worthington, II - Doctor and College professor and father to Robert, Tanner, and Kyle

Tanner David Kingston - half-brother to Robert, the other central character

Kyle Kingston - Tanner's brother

Hank - criminal in prison

Max - brother to Hank, criminal also

Aggie - fellow criminal along with Max

Sean Andersen - 16-yr old teenager living in Virginia

The Story

Deja Vu

Max

"Aggie, you and Gene grab the kid and put him in the box. And, make sure he's still out. I don't want no shit going on while we're gettin' him in the box and burying it. After that, I don't give a shit."

"He's still out cold, MAX,  but I'll give him one more whiff of this stuff. He won't be waking up `til we're long outa here and he's six feet under," Gene said.

"Ok, now let's lower this crate into the ground... good ... that's got it. Aggie, start shoveling the dirt back in while Gene and and check to make sure we're not leaving any evidence or shit. The sooner we get outa here, the better I'm gonna feel."

...Chapter Twenty-five

University Hospital, Suite 220, Tuesday, noontime

Luis

Bob and Dorothy stood at the head of Kyle’s bed; Bob’s left arm was around Dorothy’s waist while his right hand was caressing Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle was sitting up in bed, rage literally pouring from his eyes, but his dad’s stroking his shoulder had a kind of calming effect on him.

Dorothy was physically in the room, but God knows where her mind was or exactly what she was thinking. She kissed Deter and I when we came in the room but she was not the same woman that kissed us good-bye on the way to our class reunion. Her heart was broken; we all knew it. Every man in that room wanted to put it back together again; and, every man in that room had the exact same sense of helplessness because we knew there was nothing we could do or say that would ever make this all right.

Bob continued the conversation …

“ …so as yet we have not heard additional information from the authorities. We still don’t know anything -- who or why this was done.”

Dorothy picked up the line of thought, “Deter, Luis, how did you find out about this? It’s not on the news yet.”

I was happy to hear her speak, to know she was still with us.

I began to answer, “As you know, Luis and I attended my high school class reunion near Richmond this past weekend. Normally we use what we call the back entrance to the farm; but, today, for some reason, we decided to come down your street. That’s when we noticed the police cars in front of the house. We stopped to see what was going on? After all, you guys are like family to us.”

Luis continued with explanation, “Jacob met us at the door and explained what was going on. We dropped off our clothes at the house, then called you and immediately came up here.”

Dorothy, with tears in her eyes, tried to respond, but was again flooded with the memory of her missing son. She turned into Bob’s chest and cried softly.

Deter and I were at her side in an instant with our arms around her letting her know we were there for her. She turned, hugged us back, and spoke, “Guys, we appreciate your concern and love. You are family to us, and we know how much you love Robert and him you.”

She forced a smile to her face but as the more time passed the more she slowly died from not knowing where her son was.

Sean (near Franklin, Virginia)

“I appreciate your coming down here with me, Walker; we’ll have time to finish cutting Granny’s grass before it gets too dark.”

Walker agreed to come with me to see what the van had been up to down here by the river. I don’t know why it gave me such an eerie feeling, but when we got to the end of the tire tracks, my stomach almost turned.

I looked at Walker as he reflected the look that I was probably giving him. Something was buried, and from the looks of the fresh dirt and mound, it was buried not too long ago.

“Maybe it was their dog,” Walker said, trying not to think the worst.

Almost at the same time we noticed the pipe sticking up out of the ground. “OOOH GOD,” I said as I went on my knees and started digging.

Walker, followed suit and we both began digging furiously.

“Hello!? Is someone down there?” I said as I tapped on the pipe.

Walker responded. “You don’t think someone’s really buried under here, do ya?” His questioning what we both felt didn’t stop him from digging any faster.

It started faint at first, “Walker, man, be still.

He quit digging. “What?… why?”

“Dude, I hear something – like a groan.” The moaning got louder, like someone waking up from a bad dream. “Shit, there IS something buried here and still alive!”

“Dude, Boy Scouts don’t fuckin’ train you for this shit!”

“Listen, you drive back to the house and get some shovels and I’ll use my cell phone and call 911. I’m gonna do some more digging with my hands and also try to communicate with whoever’s down there.”

Walker was sprinting back to the house before he even heard my last command. I swear I had never seen a living being run that fast in my life.

“HELLO HELLO; can you hear me? We’re getting help. You’ll be outta there soon. You understand?”

No response! ‘Walker, You hurry the hell up and get back here soon.’

I-95 south of Richmond

News reporter aboard helicopter

Reporter: As you viewers can see, traffic is backed up for five or six miles in either direction. Highway patrol officials state that traffic should begin moving again in about an hour.

Meanwhile, officials on the ground report that a white van traveling north was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler that crossed over the median.

Let’s go to Ched Maxwell there on the ground.

Ched Maxwell: Thanks, Hanson. Officials here at the scene report that the three white male occupants were most likely killed upon impact. As you can see, the van is just one mass of twisted metal.. Rescue personnel are still using the “jaws-of-life” to tear away the body frame so that medical personnel can extricate the bodies from what’s left of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the driver of the transport truck has been medi-vaced to a nearby hospital. He appears to be in stable condition.

Release of the identification of the victims is being withheld until the next-of-kin have been notified.

And now back to Hanson Williams, aboard the News33Skychopper.

Hanson Williams: Thank you, Ched. We’ll keep you viewers updated on this news story as additional information is made available. Now back to our studios in Richmond.

Sean (outside Franklin, VA)

I watched as the rescue squad personnel quickly began digging. With 6 guys going at it, it would not take long to reach whoever was down there. I just hoped it would be in time!

Just then, Walker pointed to the sky as two helicopters approached, one rigged as an “air ambulance” and the other with FBI markings on the sides.

From what one of the rescue guys told me, the victim’s medical condition would be evaluated on the spot by a “trauma” doc trained in emergency medicine and then the patient would be flown to University Hospital in the chopper. The FBI officials would cordon off the scene and begin their investigation.

By the time the choppers had landed, the rescue personnel had raised the coffin-like box and were opening it. They reluctantly allowed me to observe firsthand. I gasped as I saw a young man my age bound at his feet and a strip of duct tape over his mouth. He looked familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on where I’d seen him before. He was awake but very groggy and probably not aware of really what was going on. Thank God, I thought!

Squinting his eyes from the afternoon sun, he tried to focus on his surroundings. A look of confusion swept his face as tears streamed down his cheeks. The doctor took over, issuing orders to those around him, to the chopper pilot and to whoever was on the receiving end of his 2-way radio.

“Grady, I think we’ve found our boy; he’s Robert Worthington, that’s for sure. He looks ok on the outside – nothing visibly broken and no sign of external bleeding. However, he appears to have been drugged and is still under its influence.”

The doctor gently removed the duct tape, felt the young man’s pulse, took his blood pressure and reported it to whoever Grady was. The EMS personnel assisted by beginning several IV’s under the doc’s directions and began to prepare the patient for the helicopter ride to the hospital.

Keying his mic again, the doctor said, “Grady, notify Bob and Dorothy Worthington. Tell them that my initial examination indicates that he’s ok, but we’ll know more, of course, once we get him to UH. … OK, thanks. We’re on our way. Out.”

As the chopper rose into the air, a hand rested on my shoulder. I turned to be greeted by one of the FBI agents. He shook hands with me as he spoke.

“I’m Special Agent Robinson and you are?” he asked in a friendly manner.

“Hi, I’m Sean Andersen.”

“You’re the one who called this in, right?” Agent Robinson continued.

“That’s right, sir. Walker Treadwell and I. Walker’s my friend here who keeps my grandmother’s grass cut and the yard picked when I’m not around. He was with me when we found him.”

As we talked I told him about seeing the white van several times in the past 2 days and that my curiosity finally got the best of me. I mean, it’s rare to see any vehicle driving down here on the old logging roads near the river. I explained to him that I finished some errands for my granny and asked Walker to come with me once I explained what I had seen.

I answered some more questions, as did Walker. I also explained that I did not live here in the Franklin area, but that Walker did. I was just down visiting my granny for a few days. I gave him my address and phone number back in Charlottesville. Agent Robinson said that he would be in touch with me in a few days.

Just as we were leaving, one of the EMS personnel come over to us and said that he had overheard my telling Agent Robinson about a white van. He told us about a wreck involving a white van on the interstate just about an hour away had been reported over several of their communications channels. Agent Robinson and I looked at each other as he headed towards the chopper.

After getting permission from his superiors and my parents via phone, I flew to the accident site with Agent Robinson and identified the van as the one I saw in the woods. Investigating officers informed us that they found several shovels and picks with fresh dirt still clogged on them. Agent Robinson gathered samples and placed them in his briefcase. It was disclosed later that these dirt samples tied the van and the passengers to the site where Robert had been buried.

University Hospital, Kyle’s room

Dr. Worthington

“WHAT?? WHERE?? Thank you for calling, Grady. We appreciate your personal interest in helping us…YES … please call me when the chopper arrives. OK, much obliged! I’ll see you shortly.”

Dorothy was crying and holding Tanner in her arms as she wiped tears from his cheeks. He was just getting over the shock, but his heart was broken to pieces. Kyle seemed to be the only one in the room who noticed the smile spread across my face.

“Dad?” he asked as his expression lifted.

I nodded my head yes slightly and gave him a wink.

“HOLY SHIT, THANK YOU GOD!!” He shouted as he sprang from the bed into my arms.

“What’s all this about?” Katy said as she entered the room.

Tanner and Dot looked up and notice the excited expression on Kyle’s and my face. Kyle sprang from the bed, wrapped his arms around her and spun her around.

“What’s going on?” Dot asked, a confused look emanating from her face.

“Tanner, Dorothy, that was Grady Phillips. They’ve found OUR BOY!”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!” Katy asked as she glanced at me then at Kyle.

The grin on his face answered all the questions she didn’t ask. He pulled her close and planted the best toe-curling kiss on her surprised lips.

“Bob?” Dorothy questioned as the reality that Robert was going to be ok set in. In an almost unconscious maternal way, she hugged Tanner even tighter and kissed him lightly on his forehead as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

“Dad?” Tanner asked almost as if he didn’t believe what he had just heard.

I walked over and put both of my hands on his shoulders. He looked into my eyes with an expression that looked as if he still did not quite comprehend.

“They found your little brother. He’s ok! They’re bringing him here shortly.”

If I ever wondered what it felt like to be lifted, spun around and kissed on the mouth by an energetic teenager, Tanner’s reaction answered all those questions and then some in that moment. His expression went from that of deep emotional despair to one of a man who had just won the lottery.

Tanner put me down and proceeded to dip Dorothy as if at the end of a ballroom dance. As he pulled her back to a standing position, he planted one on her as well.

She gave Tanner a bewildered look, then glanced at me as she and I broke into hysterics.

“DUDE!!” Kyle shouted as he released Katy.

“DUDE!!” Tanner cried equally excited as he made his way to the other side of the room to high-five his little brother. They hugged and cried a little -- happy that their little brother would be coming home soon.

“What’s going on here?” Kurt asked as he made it to the room.

“I think they’ve all finally lost it,” Katy joked before she filled him in on their best friend’s situation.

After Katy finished telling her brother what she knew about Robert's rescue, Kurt found himself in the same state as everyone else in the room -- crying, kissing, and hugging everyone in sight.

“Grady Phillips is Chief of Emergency Medicine here at UH. He reports that Robert appears to be stable; his vital signs are ok, and he’s reacting well to the meds he was given to counter the so-called knock-out drugs. Dr. James, the on-board flight surgeon, says he responding to questions and is back in touch with reality, so to speak.”

“Thank God they found him when they did! I don’t want to even think about the alternatives. Who would do such a thing, to anyone, let alone a teenager?” Dorothy said obviously still shaken by the fact that Robert was taken from her.

The ringing of the phone interrupted the moment. It was Grady informing me that the chopper would be landing in about 10 minutes. Tanner was gone so fast I could barely remember the door opening and shutting behind him. The rest of the group was hot on his heels, obviously going to the roof to meet Robert once he got off the chopper. I walked over to Dorothy, kissed her lightly, took her hand. We walked out of the room heading to the emergency room, anxious to see our Robert.

-- end of Chapter 25 --