With twigs and broken branches piled awkwardly in his arms, Mark clumsily staggered toward where Brady had set up the fire pit. "Is this enough?" Mark asked hopefully. "I think I've got bark permanently lodged in my hands," he added with a frown.

Brady, who had just hung their food from a nearby branch, turned and looked at Mark's massive pile of wood and felt his jaw drop. "Jesus, Mark!" he said through a giggle. "We're not building a dam!"

"What?" Mark stepped back from his pile and admired his work: standing three feet high in the middle, with a five foot radius. "I thought you said we needed a lot."

"Yeah - but not half the forest," teased Brady.

Mark looked annoyed and raised an eyebrow. "So... what? You want me to put it back?"

"No," Brady shook his head, "it's fine. We just won't have to go wood-searching for a while."

Stepping away from his collection, Mark walked toward the lake. "So we're all done, right? No more working?"

Brady nodded. "Yup. We're all set."

"So... we're free now?"

Brady nodded again. "Yup."

"So..." Looking up at the bag hanging from the tree, Mark felt his stomach growl. "Where's my lunch?"

Kneeling in the centre of her bedroom, surrounded by boxes and hundreds of scattered papers, Natalie frantically tore through old receipts and records. "Why can't I remember where this damn place is!?" she yelled in frustration, as Brittany approached the door.

"I've got the supplies you asked for in the car," announced Brittany. "I take it you haven't had any luck?"

Natalie shook her head, feeling a tear glide down her cheek and fall from her chin. "I've been there a thousand times, several times a year..." Natalie felt as if her throat had just been clogged by a ball of crumpled sandpaper. "It's where my husband..."

"Natalie, if you've been there so much, I'm sure you'll be able to find it. We just need to get going," said Brittany, in an attempt to rescue Natalie from a break-down.

"You're right," realized Natalie, through a long, hard sigh as she ran her hands back through her hair. "I can see it in my head. I just can't think of any names."

"Well let's get going. We're wasting daylight," said Brittany, already turning and walking toward the front door. "Peter and James are already waiting in the car."

"Ugh," groaned Mark, lying flat on his back and resting his head on Brady's leg. "Those were the worst hotdogs I've ever ate."

"What!?" Brady replied immediately. "They were not!"

Mark chuckled and rolled onto his side. "Sure they were. They hurt my tummy." "That's not my fault," said Brady. "You should have stopped after three, or at least taken your time."

"Nuh-uh! I was taking my time!" protested Mark. "I waited all day for food! You even promised me we'd go to the restaurant again before we started walking here."

"Oh," remembered Brady. "I forgot about that - sorry."

"Anyway... How about that swim?" suggested Mark, who was already climbing to his feet.

"What? You just ate - you'll get the cramps," warned Brady.

"Will not! That's a lie! Old-wives' tale, even!" Mark reached down and grabbed Brady by the wrists. "Come on, lazy! Let's get nekked!"

"What!?" said Brady in a squeaky, high-pitched tone. "Naked?"

Mark nodded. "Yup. We're skinnying-the-dip!"

"But..." Brady tried to protest, but Mark was already tugging at his shirt. "Stop!" he pleaded in embarrassment. "What if someone comes?"

Mark raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, grinning, "Nuh-uh. You said this place was super-secret. That means that it's private!" he explained. "Besides, what are you worried about? Not even the animals come here anymore!"

Brady, however, was not convinced and continued to resist, which only encouraged Mark to try harder.

"Quit being so bloody difficult!" demanded Mark, who was hunched over Brady, trying to pull off his shirt. "Resistance is futile!"

In a desperate attempt to escape, Brady grabbed Mark by the wrists and leaned back as fast as he could. As a result, the two immediately toppled to the ground, with Mark lying on top of Brady. "Get off!" begged Brady, trying his best not to laugh.

Mark stared down at Brady, quietly and without a smile on his face. His hands were tangled behind Brady's back, against the ground and wrapped tightly by the cloth of his shirt. The grip that Brady had on his wrists soon loosened, but Mark didn't move a muscle. "You know what?" he finally said but still did not move.

"What?" asked Brady, closing his eyes tight and turning his head to the side, afraid of what Mark was going to do next.

"I love you."

Brady felt as if everything inside of him had just shattered into a million warm and tingly little pieces. It hurt more than anything he had ever experienced but, at the same time, was the most incredible feeling. As much as he wanted to reply, he couldn't. It was like his throat had been permanently clogged by all of those tiny shards, and for a moment he feared something was literally wrong with him.

Unable to reply, Brady reached his arms up and wrapped them around Mark's shoulders and pulled him down against his chest. When their bodies touched, Brady could immediately feel Mark's heart beating against his own, and just as fast. Before he realized it, he had turned his head and pressed his lips against Mark's.

The moist but firm feel of Mark's tongue touched against his own, like he was nervous or unsure of what he was doing, which reminded Brady of their first kiss. Of course, this time things were different. There was no resistance, no strange sense of fear or apprehension. This time everything seemed right.

Finally managing to free his hands, Mark slid his fingers up the back of Brady's neck and laced them through his hair. He could feel Brady's hands travelling down his back, toward his shorts, which sent shivers up his spine and back down to the tips of his toes. Once Brady's fingertips reached the waistband of his shorts, though Mark had expected them to stop there, they slid directly underneath the fabric the spread across his behind and gently squeezed.

The smooth, warmth of Mark's skin below his hands caused Brady's mind to race, and his lips responded by moving to Mark's neck. The moment they touched the skin, just above the shoulder, Mark exhaled with a whimper and hugged Brady tighter, while pressing his hips downward. In response, Brady's hips pushed up and circled, grinding in a slow, gentle motion. Between them, he could feel Mark's hard, heated length above his own as it desperately fought for attention.

Sliding his hands from the silky-smooth skin of his behind and down to his hips, Brady pried his fingers underneath, toward Mark's centre. The unmoving air was thick and moist around his fingers and becoming hotter by the second. Mark's lips were sliding along Brady's cheek, toward his ear, which caused the muscles in Brady's neck and back to become tense.

"Brady," Mark whispered so softly that Brady barely heard him. "Brady," he whispered again, slightly louder.

"What?" replied Brady, through a muffled voice, as his lips continued to pinch at Mark's neck.

Just then, Mark pushed himself up onto his knees and then stood up. "Let's go swimming."

"What?!" whimpered Brady. "Now?"

Mark grinned and nodded. "Yup. Come on, let's go!" he shouted and slid off his shirt, already running toward the lake.

"For real?!" Brady looked down at himself and stared at the bulge in his shorts, "but..." But it was too late. By the time Brady had climbed to his feet, Mark was already attempting to run into the water. "What are you doing?!"

Jumping away from the water, Mark turned his head to face Brady, still grinning. "I'm trying to get past this cold spot!" replied Mark, jumping back as the water rolled closer to his toes. "But it keeps moving!"

"What? The water?"

"No! The bloody cold spot!" replied Mark. "The first part I stepped in was fine, but then it disappeared."

Brady's eyebrow involuntarily rose. "So... okay, what's your plan then?"

Mark just shrugged in reply and tiptoed closer to the water. "Are you coming, or what?"

"Well, I thought I was for a moment there," chuckled Brady. "But I guess we'll go swimming instead."

"We're going camping?!" James asked in confusion as he was ushered into the back of the SUV, next to Natalie. "But what about Mark and Brady?"

Peter opened the driver's side door and climbed inside. "We're not going camping, we're..."

"Then why do we have a tent?!" shouted James, twisting around and pointing at the bag behind him. "I'm not dumb, you know!"

Brittany turned and looked back at James, from the passenger's seat. "We're going to go look for your brother, James, and we brought the tent in case we don't find them before the sun goes down."

James looked even more confused than he did before. "But I thought you weren't supposed to leave town?"

All three of the adults looked at each other, equally confused. "What?" Brittany asked.

"You got arrested! You're not supposed to leave town!" explained James, who was worried that his mother would go back to prison.

Natalie couldn't help herself and laughed. "No, silly. The nice policeman let your mommy go. She's not in any trouble."

"Then..." James's right eyebrow lifted as he stared at his mother then lowered as his left eyebrow took its place when he looked over at his dad. "Never mind."

"So, where to, Natalie?" Brittany interrupted.

Taking a moment to think, Natalie fastened her seat belt. "Drive north, to Black Creek Drive. It'll turn into Highway 400, and then we just follow it up toward Sudbury."

"Really?" replied Peter. "That sounds far too easy."

Natalie smiled. "Yeah, that's why my husband liked it, too. He never got lost."

Mark screamed and jumped back, away from the water. "This is impossible! My toes are already turning blue!" he shouted angrily, staring down at his feet.

"Quit being such a wimp," Brady teased. "I thought that was meant to be my thing."

"Yeah, but..." Just as Mark was about to give up, Brady pushed him into the water. "HEY!" he shouted in protest. "NO!"

A large, loud splash of water flew into the air and fell back down over Mark. "There," said Brady. "Is that better?"

"No!" Mark replied, lying on his belly in the shallow water. "I think I've lost my nuts, permanently, and it's all your fault!"

"Aww, I'm sorry," Brady lied, stepping into the water and discovering that it really was incredibly cold, but attempted to appear unaffected.

Mark reached and grabbed Brady by the legs. "You will be!" he shouted and pulled Brady down to the ice-cold water and quickly crawled over top of him. "How do you like it?!"

Although Brady's lower region had just disappeared, he grinned and reached for Mark's arms. "A lot."

Mark looked surprised and exceedingly disappointed. "That's no fair!" he yelled. "You're supposed to be screaming and begging for mercy!"

"I guess you're just gonna have to try harder, huh?" replied Brady, immediately regretting his choice of words.

Mark jumped up to his feet and stood over Brady's head. "Harder, huh?" he said behind a devious grin. "I'll give you harder!"

Before Brady could reply, Mark had grabbed him by the wrists and was pulling him into deeper waters. His legs immediately began to kick can thrash about, but Mark's grip was too tight, and he couldn't break free. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm trying harder!" replied Mark as he attempted to maintain his balance, while still holding onto Brady's arms.

"Let me go! Stop!"

"Nuh-uh!" Mark chuckled, "my balls are gone forever, and now justice must be served!"

Just then, Mark lost his footing and fell back into the water. Brady didn't hesitate to react, and quickly turned himself over and stood up. "Ha!" he shouted. "That's what you get!"

Mark spun himself around and attempted to run away, but the water proved to be impossibly heavy, and he was caught by Brady in seconds. "Nooo!" shouted Mark, sinking down into the water. "Let me go!"

"But..." Brady turned Mark around and pulled him closer.

Out of nowhere, Mark's eyes rolled upward as he hummed in pleasure. The water surrounding Brady suddenly became oddly warm, just as several bubbles burst through the surface of the water, directly behind Mark.

"Oh, God!" Brady grumbled. "Did you just fart?!"

Mark nodded happily. "Yup. Peed, too," he said with a massive grin on this face.

"Geeze! That's gross!" Brady cried and attempted to back away.

"Hey! Don't leave!" Mark insisted. "Just enjoy it for what it is."

"It's pee!" Brady pointed out, while trying to prevent himself from laughing.

"Yes! But it's my pee."

Brady's eyebrow rose. "And, that's supposed to mean something?"

"Yup," Mark replied with a nod. "It means that you love me so much that you wouldn't abandon me and my pee."

"Yeah-no, it's just not working for me," decided Brady. "Can we move to a... cooler spot?"

"Nope. You can either love me here, or leave me forever."

Without a thought, Brady turned around and began to wade back toward land.

"Hey!" shouted Mark. "That's not fair! Come back!"

Brady shook his head without looking back. "Nope. I've made my decision."

"What?!" Mark replied in disbelief. "You'd leave me for that?!"

Suddenly, Brady turned back around and waited for Mark to catch up. "Nope. But it got us away from the yucky."

"It wasn't yucky," Mark frowned, "it was a token of my undying love for you."

"Yeah... ew."

Mark gasped and stepped away from Brady, again. "Ew?! You think I'm 'ew'! You're a meanie!"

"Am not!" Brady protested.

"Then let me see your doodle!"

"My what?"

"Your doodle," repeated Mark. "Let me see it."

"What? Right now?"

Mark nodded. "Right this instant."

"Here?"

Mark nodded again.

"In the water?"

Mark grinned happily. "Yup."

"The water that is up to our waists?"

"Uh," Mark thought out loud. "Well, maybe we could go just a little closer to shore," he decided, already following in behind Brady.

Just as the water lowered to their mid-thighs, Brady spun around, grabbed the sides of Mark's shorts, and yanked them down.

In surprise, Mark shrieked and jumped back, staring down at himself. "Hey! That's cheating!"

"No it's not," Brady replied simply. "I'm being concerned for your health. You can't wear those clothes anymore; they're all dirty."

"Fine!" shouted Mark, struggling to step out of his shorts. "But that means your shorts are just as dirty!"

Brady shook his head. "Nope."

"Yeah, they are!" Mark balled his shorts up in his hands and tossed them toward the tent. "Now take 'em off!"

"Make me," Brady challenged.

With that, Mark jumped at Brady and grabbed him by the shoulders, so that he couldn't get away. "Oh, I'm gonna make you, all right!" he warned, and jumped at Brady.

Feeling Mark's hands tightly gripping against his shorts, Brady panicked and fell back into the shallow water, taking Mark down with him. A loud, hissing splash flew into the air and crashed down over top of them as Mark chuckled happily, while still trying to claim Brady's shorts.

"Hey!" yelled Brady, struggling to keep his head above the water. "That's not fair!"

"Sure it is," replied Mark as he tightened his grip on Brady's shorts, stood up, and spun Brady around. "Now come on! Give 'em to me!"

"No!" Brady yelled with a giggle as he desperately tried to keep his shorts on. "Cut it out! I'm getting dirt in my..."

Just then, the two heard the sound of thread giving way, and as Mark's right hand went one way, Brady's left went the other. "Oh, shi..." Mark hummed guiltily, "my bad."

Mark let go of Brady's shorts and helped him stand up. The tear had started at the seam of waistband and travelled inward several inches. "Aw, man," whined Brady, looking down at himself. "I liked these shorts."

"Well," Mark reached forward and poked his finger in the hole. "I think they look better this way," he said with a grin and wiggled his fingers inside, against Brady's underwear.

"You think, huh?" Brady replied and then shivered, as Mark's fingers slowly slid down and grazed against his centre. "Maybe we should match," he suggested.

With that said, Mark wrapped his fingers around Brady's length, which, in response, immediately began to stiffen, as he gently massaged it with his thumb. "I think," started Mark as he removed his hand, "we should just get rid of these things."

Without waiting for a reply, Mark moved closer and placed his hands against Brady's waist then gently slid his shorts and underwear downward. When the wet clothing made it halfway down Brady's legs, Mark stopped to admire what he had done. However, before he could do anything more, Brady grabbed him by the hips and pulled him into a hug.

The moment their skin met, Mark could already feel Brady's erection twitching against his own, separated only by his wet, blue briefs. Brady wrapped his arms around Mark and placed the tips of his fingers against Mark's back and slowly trailed them downward, toward the waistband of his underwear. When he felt the elastic, Brady slid his fingers underneath and pushed his hands down, cupping them over Mark's behind.

Feeling Brady's hands making contact with the bare skin of his buttocks, Mark pushed his groin forward, into Brady's, and tightened his grip around his waist and began to slowly back up.

"What are you doing?" asked Brady, afraid that Mark was going to wander off again.

Mark didn't reply. Instead, he just smiled and continued to step backward, into shallower water. By the time the lake's surface was barely touching their ankles, Mark spun Brady around and leaned forward, silently instructing him to lie down. Of course, because Brady's shorts were still awkwardly positioned at his knees, when he attempted to lower himself down, the resistance of his wet clothing caused him to clumsily fall. Brady instinctively tightened his grip on Mark, and the two fell down into the water, with a loud, hard splash.

"Way to go," Mark teased, as he pushed himself up with his arms to sit on Brady's stomach.

"Hey!" protested Brady, rubbing the water away from his eyes. "That was your fault."

With a grin on his face, Mark reached behind his back and wrapped his right hand around Brady's length. "I'm sorry," he apologized, as he gave it a squeeze. "How can I make it up to you?"

Brady's eyes looked up toward his brow as he pretended to think. "Umm, well..."

"Well?"

"Well..." Brady reached for Mark's underwear and gave the elastic a quick tug, then let it snap against his abdomen. "You could always get rid of these."

Mark looked down at himself and smiled, "Oh yeah?"

"Yup," replied Brady, with a grin on his face, as he trailed his pointer finger from Mark's bellybutton, down to the stiff length between his legs.

Leaning forward and dipping his hands into the water, about a foot above Brady's head, Mark straightened out his body and held himself up over top of him. "Or you could do it."

Brady stared up at Mark's face and let his eyes travel down his body, all the way down to his underwear. He then reached up with both of his hands and trailed his fingers down Mark's sides, until they made contact with the wet fabric. Without hesitation, Brady slid his thumbs underneath the waistband and slowly guided them downward. When Mark noticed that Brady couldn't reach any further, he raised his hips higher into the air, to allow Brady to continue. Once Brady's hands were at Mark's ankles, Mark lifted one foot at a time and stepped out of his briefs and then tossed them into the grass.

Just as Mark was about to sit back down on Brady's stomach, Brady grabbed the sides of his legs and guided him down to sit on his chest. Placing his hands on Mark's hips, Brady lifted his head and kissed Mark's thigh, only inches from his centre. The contact caused Mark to shiver, and his erection twitched and slapped against the wet skin of his abdomen.

With a smile on his face, Brady slid his hand down Mark's hip and circled inward, toward the standing length in front of him, and wrapped his hand around it. Giving it a slow, gentle stroke, he pointed it forward and moved his head forward, until his bottom lip just barely grazed against it.

Mark gasped in surprise, and his hips involuntarily thrust forward, in an attempt to continue the feeling. Seeing this, Brady giggled and moved his hand back and forth along Mark's length. As he pulled back, he watched Mark's foreskin as it stretched out over the head of his penis, which would always increase its size and deepen its colour. Following this, a small, clear drop of liquid formed at the very tip of Mark's erection and slowly rolled downward, toward Brady's thumb.

Without a thought, Brady moved his thumb and placed it down on top of the slick liquid and curiously rubbed it in a circular motion. In response to this, Mark moved forward and positioned himself so close to Brady's face that he could feel the cool breath from his nostrils tickling the top of his pleading length.

Brady slid his hand back to the base of Mark's erection and pursed his lips, as he moved his head closer. When Mark felt the soft, moist skin of Brady's lips touch the very tip of his penis, he held his breath and waited for him to continue. Brady, however, didn't move from there. Instead, he just pressed them against the head and remained still, allowing Mark's slippery liquid to slowly coat his lips.

In frustration, Mark's length twitched, and his hips rocked forward, attempting to encourage Brady's lips to part. At the same time, Brady moved his left hand up Mark's thigh and around his waist, until it reached his behind. Spreading out his fingers, Brady gently squeezed Mark's buttock and pushed inward, causing Mark's centre to slide forward, breaking the seal of Brady's lips. Mark immediately felt the heat of Brady's tongue against the tip of erection, which triggered his throat to become dry and caused him to exhale in a croak-like breath. Undisturbed by this, Brady moved his other hand around Mark and squeezed both hands against either cheek.

Mark remained still as Brady's tongue pressed against his tip, moving in a slow, circular motion. In addition, he could feel Brady's hands massaging his behind, as they slowly inched closer to his centre. With every squeeze, a wave of shivers would surge across his skin, which soon caused his hips to rock back and forth.

As Brady's fingertips made their way closer to Mark's hidden centre, his mind began to race with anticipation. He could almost feel the tension building inside Mark, as his hips began to push his length deeper into his mouth, and Brady feared that Mark's endurance was about to end. Unable to supress that thought, Brady moved his finger forward, as close to the soft, untouched skin as he dared.

Mark felt different there. It was softer and smoother than any other part of him, almost like a balloon that had been filled with warm water. And although Brady desperately wanted to explore it more closely, he couldn't seem to work up the nerve.

Without warning, Mark's hips began to move faster, pushing his length deeper into Brady's mouth. He could hear Mark's throat whistling in a faint whimper as his hands pressed down against the side of Brady's head, while slowly weaving his fingers through his hair; until, suddenly, he entire body became tense, and his muscles seemed to quiver and spasm.

Brady could feel something soaking the back of his mouth, near his throat, followed by a strong, salty taste that was quickly consuming each and every one of his taste buds. Out of reflex, he began to choke and immediately released Mark's erection from his mouth and backed away. As a result, a few, final drops of semen splashed against Brady's face, right below his eye.

"Holy shit!" Mark said, while still trying to recover. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay..." Brady attempted to sit up as he wiped his face, just as Mark began to laugh. "Hey! That's not funny."

"Yeah, it is," chuckled Mark. "But I'm still sorry."

"Uh-huh," replied Brady, rolling his eyes. "I'll get you back. Don't worry."

Mark rolled off of Brady and sat down next to him. "Well, umm..." Mark suddenly grinned. "How about I make it up to you, instead?"