THURSDAY, JUNE 4

On propped pillows, Christian held Michael as they gazed at the Paris city lights. The Eiffel Tower was bathed in yellow-orange spots to give it a golden glow. During the first five minutes of every hour, small white spotlights covering the tower randomly flash. The resulting effect caused the tower to sparkle. But there was a special treat at 1:00 am.

"It's almost one, should we get the others?" asked Christian. Michael nodded and crawled out of bed naked. Not bothering to dress, Christian went to wake up the group in Lukas' room and Michael went to get Matthew. Quietly, the boys slipped out the doors from the bedrooms to the terrace, only Matthew had bothered to slip a pair of gym shorts over his manhood. They gathered at the southwest corner of the terrace and waited. At the top of the hour, the golden spotlights went dark and for the next 10 minutes, the tower was only lit by the sparkling lights.

When the spectacle was over, they headed back to their beds only to freeze when they heard a noise. Fearing they'd been caught, they listened intensely and waited to see what would happen next. They heard a moan that piqued their curiosity. Tip toeing around the corner of the penthouse, they got an eyeful. Zach crouched naked on the sofa cushions clutching the back of the piece of furniture. Lars stood behind Zack gently making love to his fiancé. From the side, the boys had full view of each man's cock and balls as they swayed with Lars' sawing in and out of Zach's ass. Lost in their own world, the men would never have heard the boys. Grabbing Zach's chest, he pulled Zach upright so they could kiss while they fucked.

"That's so hot!" whispered Scott. Five pairs of eyes turned his way. Each of the other boys had growing doubts about Scott's proclamations of being straight, but "gay for play". Despite all the reasons they should go back to their rooms, no one moved from the shadow that masked their presence. Rather than leave, eyes darted from the live pornographic scene before them, and the growing erections around them; even the one hidden under gym shorts.

Zach broke the kiss. "I don't think I can be quiet anymore. Let's go inside so we don't wake the boys." The boys thought that comment was funny but were careful not to give away their whereabouts. Walking hand-in-hand, Lars led Zach into the lit master bedroom. The wall of glass provided the boys a clear view of Zach and Lars. The men pulled the covers off the bed before meeting in the middle.

Lukas moved closer to get a better look.

"What are you doing?" asked Simon in a loud whisper.

"They can't see outside with the lights on. Just ask Michael and Christian."

Simon and Scott looked at the younger boys who simply to confirmed Lukas' point. They all moved forward to get a better look.

Interest in what was happening inside eventually started to wane as interest in what could be happening outside waxed.

Michael was peering over the back of a chaise lounge, with Christian over his shoulder. The heat from Christian's body distracted Michael from the clinic his father was putting on drilling Zach hard and fast with the younger man's ankles shoved back by his ears. When Christian adjusted his position, his hard cock bounced off Michael's bottom. Michael took that as an invitation and completely lost interest in the activities indoors. Rolling onto his back, he slid down the lounge until he could wrap his lips around Christian's leaky, pink glans.

Christian moaned but couldn't peel his eyes from Lars and Zach. Neither of the two boys had cared to watch porn, but Michael's life experiences provided him with a sexual education porn could never deliver. Christian's experiences were much more limited. Even while dating Michael, the boys had often kept to themselves or smaller groups. What he witnessed in the master bedroom of the Belle Etoile Penthouse Suite was a graduate workshop in adult gay male love, sex, and passion.

Soon, even the sex show couldn't distract Christian from Michael's expert ministrations. The blonde's eyes rolled back in his head when Michael took him down to his sparse, almost transparent pubes. Christian moved to join Michael, but the younger boy motioned for Christian to lie down as he stood. Throwing a leg over his boyfriend's hips. Christian watched as Michael spit into his hand then reached around back to lube his ass. With a bit of maneuvering, Michael managed to line things up so he could slip Christian into his hot, anal cavity.

Christian closed his eyes and slowly groaned, "Oh shit." When he opened his eyes, the bright moonlight cast Michael's body in silhouette as the bottom boy leaned forward with the huge tool up his butt.

Once his rectum adjusted to the welcomed intruder, Michael used his powerful legs to ride up and down the full-length of what Christian provided. The two boys became vocal as they rutted in an effort to get off. Christian's thrusts to meet Michael's movements caused the boys to grunt every time Christian bottomed out. To help himself along, Michael fisted his fat four inches.

Scott kneeled on a sofa resting his arms on the back as he watched his brother having sex with Lars. Simon's attention turned from the window show to the hot, naked teen beside him. Curiosity about Scott's recent activities inspired Simon to do a bit of investigating of his own. He wanted to see just what all Scott was really up for. Oblivious to what Simon was doing, Scott was unaware when Simon moved behind him until Simon put his hand square in the middle of Scott's lower back. With his knees he worked Scott's knees apart, allowing Simon to move in between.

Feeling Simon's hands caressing his back, Scott rested his forehead on his arms and closed his eyes. It felt good to have Simon's hands exploring his body on the open terrace under the late-night Paris sky. Turning his attention to Scott's ass, Simon massaged and parted Scott's glutes. The moonlight allowed Simon to see what he was doing. Grabbing his leaking cock by the base, Simon smeared the precum directly on and around Scott's virgin hole. This wasn't the time or place for popping Scott's cherry. Simon also considered that his large cock might not be the best choice for doing that deed, but he was certainly going to see if Scott would be game. Simon massaged Scott's hole with his glans while Scott hummed in pleasure. It wasn't long before Simon felt the boy's hole start to relax. Upping the ante, Simon dropped to his knees and tasted the precum he'd rubbed into Scott's skin. Underneath, Scott felt Simon pull back his foreskin with a thumb and index finger before grasping Scott's slick glans within his fist. Twisting his hand around Scott's sensitive glans while tonguing Scott's hole, Simon took Scott places the straight boy had never been. Scott's body twitched and shivered at the new sensations.

From a nearby armchair, Matthew's attention was drawn from his best friend and father to his little brother's activities. Matthew was straight, but all of the sex around him was having its effect. Without his boxer briefs or a jock, his gym shorts were hopeless at hiding his massive erection. Movement caught in the corner of his eye drew his attention. He found that he wasn't the only one watching the others on the terrace. His eyes met Lukas'.

Lukas wanted Matthew since the day the teen arrived in East Harbor. Running into a half-dressed (or even naked) Matthew at home, or showering at the gym, only teased Lukas. His older brother was masculine, muscular, and had the biggest dick Lukas had ever seen in real life. He approached Matthew and the older boy's tented shorts.

Matthew watched Lukas approach and straddle his right thigh. Lukas' naked ass settled just below the hem of his shorts. He stole a quick look at Lukas' equipment drooling on the black material.

Lukas ran his right hand up Matthew's other thigh stopping after dragging the hem of the shorts up several inches. "Since you and April have been...uh...spending so much time together, I bet it's been hard being away from her for so long." With each word, Lukas had leaned closer and closer to Matthew's face. By Matthew's ear Lukas gently blew his hot breath into Matthew's ear. With a quick movement of his hand, he had Matthew's cock by the base. "Everyone else is busy, let's go to your room." Lukas got up and headed to the door to Matthew's room. He didn't even bother to look back to see if the older teen followed.

Matthew rose and looked to his brothers. Michael had his head thrown back groaning Christian's name and flailing away at his hard cock. Simon was polishing Scott's knob with one hand while pounding two fingers of the other hand in and out of Scott's ass. Scott managed to say, "Oh shit, I'm..." before he emptied his balls into Simon's hand. After Matthew turned to catch up to Lukas, Simon took the handful of cum and fed it into Scott's hole along with a third finger.

Entering the bedroom, it took a moment for Matthew's eyes to adjust to the dark. Even so, he knew exactly where Lukas was. A pair of hands gingerly pulled his shorts down and a warm mouth found his cock.

"Ohhh...fuck you are good," groaned Matthew.

Pulling free from Matthew's dick, Lukas said, "If you think I'm good, you should let Michael get a hold of this sometime." It had been a long time since he'd experienced Michael's skilled mouth. Maybe...

Lukas used his hand and mouth to prep Matthew for what he'd wanted for months. He rose to his feet and spit in his hand. Lukas jumped up on the bed and rolled to the middle. Pulling one leg up, he reached down with the other and lubed his ass. Matthew was in position and ready when Lukas pulled his other leg back.

Matthew moved into his favorite position with April. On his knees, he grabbed Lukas' legs and draped them over his hips. Lining up his cock, Matthew slowly slid it into Lukas' excited hole.

"Whoa," cried Lukas, pointing his toes and scrunching his eyes. It had been a while since someone had stretched him down there. Matthew grabbed Lukas hips and rotated them left and right to help work his cock up the boy's chute. With only a couple of inches to go, Matthew lifted Lukas, so they were face to face. Gravity forced Matthew deeper into Lukas than anyone had ever gone before.

"Fuck your cock is big," groaned Lukas as the pain subsided leaving him with a feeling of being full and a delightful pressure on his prostate.

"Fuck your ass is tight," moaned Matthew, wondering why he'd brushed off the prior advances of Lukas and his friends. Using both arms, Matthew pulled Lukas tight, so they were chest to chest. Lukas' stiff member was helplessly pinned between their abs. Lukas latched his arms around Matthew's neck, ready for whatever Matthew had in store.

A combination of lifting Lukas with his arms and arching his back, while working his glutes and abs to draw back and thrust his hips, Matthew created a pleasing fucking motion while rubbing Lukas' erection across Matthew's rippled abs. As Matthew picked up speed, the mattress springs aided in their coupling.

Lukas felt like a rag doll. The power and strength of Matthew's chiseled physique was like an aphrodisiac to Lukas. The strong arms held him tightly. The muscular shoulders were perfect for Lukas to hold onto. The powerful chest pressed against his own. Assuredly Lukas determined that this was the difference between being fucked by a boy with a man-sized dick and being fucked by a man. He liked being fucked by a man. He liked being fucked by a man very much.

The heat of the moment brought both to critical mass quickly. The swelling of Matthew's cock moments before his climax provided the additional pressure against Lukas prostate necessary to send him over the edge. They gasped and groaned through powerful orgasms until the bouncing slowed to a stop.

Lukas tossed his sweaty bangs from his face then used his hand to brush the sweat and hair from Matthew's face. Their eyes met, and then their lips.

Out on the terrace, Michael rested on top of Christian. The two had electrifying orgasms that seemed to sap the last ounces of strength from their young bodies. Christian was losing his battle against sleep while Michael was deep in thought. He was feeling shame and confusion over what just happened.

As Michael worked his way to his orgasm, he opened his eyes and watched his "dads" in their bedroom. He witnessed Lars pulling out and jerking his load out all over Zach's body. With each of Lars' shots, it was as if Michael could feel the searing hot cum splatter on his body. Flashes of the men who'd used him flickered through his mind's eye. There were men who got off on unloading on the boy's body and times when Michael found it a huge turn on. Before he could vanquish those thoughts and memories from his head, Michael found himself in the throes of one of the most intense orgasms of his young life. It was as if every orgasm his abusers had denied him all burst forth.

Christian cried out in pain when Michael's anal muscles clamped down on his manhood. The next moment he scrunched his face and turned away in surprise when Michael's first two shots hit him in the face - a new shooting distance record for the younger boy, doubling his previous record. The whirlwind of emotions Christian experienced was capped off when his body gave up his load into Michael's body catching the teen completely off guard. It was intense. In the end, both boys collapsed in exhaustion.

That's when Michael sought comfort from Christian as he lay there on top of his boyfriend. He wanted Christian to hold him and to tell him everything was alright, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Christian what just happened.

Simon knew Scott was close to a second orgasm. The "straight boy" was taking three-fingers with ease and enjoying Simon toying with his prostate. He pulled his fingers and examined Scott's gaping hole in the moonlight. Once again, Simon contemplated working his dick in there and taking Scott for his inaugural ride. Then an evil grin spread across his face. Finding a spot that was shadowed from the moonlight but clearly visible from Lars and Zach's room, he dragged Scott over and pushed him down to his knees.

"I want you to jack yourself off while you suck me. Then we'll go to bed," whispered Simon.

On his knees facing Simon, Scott started off with a slow pace, working his cock as he watched Simon doing the same thing directly in front of his face. Stepping forward a bit, Simon, who had yet to get off this evening, rubbed his leaking glans around Scott's mouth and face.

"Open," ordered Simon. "Now, you'll want to get us off quickly. If your brother and Lars decide to go to sleep before we're finished, they'll turn off the light and see you out here on your knees jerking yourself off while sucking my dick." In reality, Simon hoped that the shadow would shield them from Lars and Zach's view, but he'd prefer to get off and get to bed before he found out for sure.

Simon fed Scott lines about how humiliating it would be to be caught in the act. He also planted and repeated the idea in Scott's head that when Scott finally brought Simon to an orgasm, it would be the feeling of Simon's cum that would trigger Scott's next orgasm.

The longer Simon filled Scott's mind with these thoughts, the harder Scott worked on his and Simon's stiff cocks. Simon understood that he was taking some level of perverse pleasure in humiliating and using Scott in this way. He wondered if he was as accepting of Scott's relationship with Lukas as he said he was.

Simon placed his hand on the back of Scott's head and set the tempo, all Scott could do was jerk off faster. "I'm going to cum," whispered Simon. "Are you ready? Are you almost there? Shit this is gonna be a huge load. Oh man, they're crawling under the covers. He's reaching... oh damn, they turned off the lights. They could be watching."

Simon stepped back pulling free of Scott's mouth and jerked his cock furiously. "Open your mouth and close your eyes." Scott's arm sped up then he felt them. Powerful bursts of Simon's cum painting his face and chest. Some made it into Scott's open mouth and the kneeling boy was disappointed by Simon's poor aim. Just as Simon predicted, the hot cum splattering and running down Scott's body triggered Scott's own orgasm.

If Zach and Lars had cared to look outside, they would have clearly seen the two boys standing under the eave of the penthouse, their pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Instead, they turned out the lights and faced each other for some pillow-talk before going to sleep.

"Fuck that was a good orgasm," said Simon panting. He leaned against the wall in fear of falling over.

Coming down from his orgasm, Scott was shocked and drained. Being his second orgasm in short order, he was surprised at how hard he just came; so hard his balls ached. Releasing his manhood, he smeared the cum running down his chest and stomach. Feeling something on his face, he naturally licked his lips tasting Simon's cum.

Simon pushed off the wall and said, "Let's get cleaned up and get to bed." Michael and Christian took that as their cue to do the same.

Scott got up and followed the other three, wiping the dripping cum from his face.

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A late, casual, buffet style breakfast was catered on the terrace. The traffic through the Belle Etoile woke the sleeping men and boys. When they dragged themselves out of bed, they found Carol, Lore, and Isaac outside enjoying the morning sun and delicious food.

Last to join were Matthew and Lukas. Scott and Simon were curious that the two spent the night together. Michael had his suspicions about what happened since Lukas seemed to be walking with a hitch in his step. After Lukas made fun of Michael after Michael's sleepover with Lewis, Michael had plans to turn the tables. The best thing was, Matthew looked relaxed and happy. So, whatever happened, it was a good thing in Michael's book.

The breakfast was spread out on the dining table, so everyone made their plates and spread out around the terrace finding seats with a view to enjoy, or family members to visit with. Lore and Isaac sought out Matthew.

The teen greeted both giving Lore a kiss on the cheek. That close, the smell of sex was evident, and she knew there had not been any girls around. 'Curiouser and curiouser,' she thought. She knew about the other boys because Lars had filled them in before arriving in Herning on the outside chance Isaac and Lore preferred Lars and the family to stay in a hotel instead of the farmhouse. But she and Isaac remembered when Lars was a boy and all he'd gotten up to and thought he'd gotten away with.

After engaging Matthew in some small talk, they asked if they could spend the day together.

"Me?" asked Matthew. Used to putting his brothers' needs before his own, he often considered himself one of the adults looking after the boys, not of himself being one of the boys.

"Of course," said Lore. "You are one of our grandsons and we love you. We want to spend the day with you to get to know you better."

Matthew smiled. "Sure. Okay."

"We have a good part of the day before we'll have to head to your soundcheck. What would you like to do today?" asked Isaac.

"I don't know," said Matthew. "I was planning on just hanging around and to see what the other guys wanted to do."

"Well, your grandmother and I wanted to go look at the sculptures over at the Lourve. Would you join us? We'd love to have you." Matthew was quick to accept.

The other conversations around the terrace ended up on the same topic, what to do before the evening's show. They regretted not having more time in Paris. With only this day, they decided they would all spend it at the Louvre and save the other sites for their next visit.

It was a beautiful walk to the museum. They walked to the corner of Rue de Castiglione and Rue de Rivoli and crossed to the Tuileries Gardens. Through the gates, the walked down the short staircase into the lush gardens that once were the royal grounds where the young princes Louis the XIII and Louis the XV once played. At the center of the park there was a grand walkway. To their right at the end of the park was a giant Ferris wheel. To the left, the walkway led directly to the front steps of the Louvre. The Musée du Louvre was once the Palais du Louvre. Construction started as a fortress ordered to be built by King Phillip II of France before heading off to the crusades. For centuries thereafter, the rulers of France added and edited the Louvre to suit their needs and tastes.

The gardens inspired leisure and relaxation. The family strolled through the park without the need to hurry. They knew there would be other visits to Paris. Today was a day to take joy in the experience, not see as much as they could in one day. Christian and Scott took photos, particularly things to post on social media. With the band standing by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Christian had the boys shoot a video for their French fans. Matthew, who'd been taking French as his foreign language at school, was voted to be the spokesperson. All the boys shouted "Salut Paris!" before Matthew said, "Nous avons hâte de vous voir à l'Accor ce soir! Nous t'aimons! (We're looking forward to seeing you at the Accor tonight! We love you!)"

In the museum, the group split up. Matthew went with his grandparents to see the statues and sculptures. It was time for Matthew to have some one-on-one time with his new grandparents. Michael wanted to go with them, but Lars directed Michael in another direction. Lars suggested that Michael join him on a tour of the building's architecture. When he explained they offered access to the original medieval building unearthed under the current structure, Michael was excited. That left Carol and Zach with the other four boys. They made plans to see the most famous pieces but agreed to spend time exploring anything they found interesting. The groups agreed to meet back at the hotel to prepare for the show and headed off in their own directions.

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"I think we are a hit in Paris," said Simon setting his drink on the table and taking a seat at the terrace dining table to relax and unwind after their show at the Accor.

"I think it's just Matthew," teased Christian. "Anytime he said anything in French, the girls screamed their heads off."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Matthew, brushing off the ribbing the others had been dishing out since they stepped on stage. He tried to change the subject. "Did you hear how many people sang along with 'Lost and Found'?"

"Our little brother the songwriter," joked Lukas.

"Yeah," Michael teased back, "maybe you guys are just holding me back."

"Oh no," said Matthew, "we're creating a monster."

The boys failed to remember that "Lost and Found" dropped as a single the day before. DJs and journalists were ending their stories about the tour with mentions of the song's release, driving people to Spotify and other music sites to download the song. The chorus was also hitting Instagram and Tiktok as the music for content creators. It was particularly popular with teens as a love song, dedicating their lip sync and dance video to someone special.

Laughter filled the night air about Le Meurice. Tonight, was the first time the boys joined Panic! for the final song of their encore. To do so, the boys had to be at the venue for the entire show and got back to the hotel later than usual. It also meant that the boys were still hyped up having just walked off the stage with over 20,000 cheering fans just minutes earlier.

As the boys wound down and the adrenaline wore off, the exhaustion from their late-night activities the previous night caught up to them. As sleep overtook them, they wandered off to bed for a peaceful night's sleep.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 5

Breakfast was served on the road as they left Paris. It was the best way to let the boys sleep in a bit and get to London in good time. It also didn't hurt that Carol loved the hotel's pastry chef's creations. The boys were loaded into one bus and the adults took the other as they headed to England.

But before they arrived in Coquelles to enter the Chunnel, Carol planned a couple of stops. The first occurred not long after breakfast was finished, and the boys had settled in for the long drive.

The bus slowed down and pulled off the D15B into the town of Gisors. It was a charming French town. The area only had about 13,000 inhabitants, but being the largest town in the area, the downtown business district was large and bustling. Turning down a smaller street, the boys watched the people going about their daily business.

"Oh! Look at that!" said Scott looking at the windows on the right side of the bus. Lukas moved to the other side of the bus and caught a glimpse before the view was blocked by another building.

Christian moved to that side of the bus. "Whoa! That building is old. Those are arrowslits."

The busses passed a gate separating two sides of the building and parked. The boys were at the bus door waiting for it to open then rumbled down the steps to check out the building.

When Christian got a better look, he said, "I don't think this is a building. I looks more like a curtainwall."

Lukas wasn't familiar with that term. "Is that what they call the big wall surrounding a castle to protect it?"

"Yeah," confirmed Christian as he took off after Michael. Michael was already at the wall running his hand over stones set in place hundreds of years earlier.

"Boys," called Carol, "this way." The boys followed Carol to the gate they'd passed entering the parking lot. "This is Château de Gisors. Let's go have a look."

It was only a shell of a building, the wooden floors and stairs that would have divided the tower into living spaces having disappeared years ago. But the history the boys read about the building brought it to life. Construction began in 1095 by the English. By 1158, it had fallen into the hands of the French who placed the Knights Templars in charge of the building. It also proved to be the final prison for the last Grand Master of the Order in 1314.

The boys, especially Michael and Christian found it fascinating how you could still see each of the progressive expansions of the castle. From the original tower on a small but steep hill in the center, to the final expansive curtainwall, the garrison expanded as the armies it was expected to protect and house grew larger and larger.

The next stop on their trip was Château d'Hardelot, another 13th century castle about an hour south of Calais. Unlike the last stop, this building remined Michael of something from a Disney movie. The castle, after outliving his military use, became a grand home for the wealthy. Now a museum, the building lives on in its 19th century grandeur.

Between stops, any leftovers from breakfast were devoured and now the boys were hungry for lunch. They made one last stop in France for a late lunch and one last sight to see. The busses drove right into the heart of Calais pulling up to the Calais' town hall.

When the bus door opened, Isaac was waiting for Matthew. "Come with me, please," he said. Matthew followed.

The other boys marveled at the hotel with its massive clock tower with the amber clockfaces.

"That's weird," said Simon. "That building doesn't look like it belongs here."

It was true, Calais sat right at the junction of British, French, and Flemish cultures. The hotel was of a neo-Flemish architectural design, standing out from the French architecture the boys have been exposed to for the last few days.

Isaac turned back and called for the other boys to join too. They turned on their heels and hurried to catch up. Isaac took the boys to the edge of the city park where a statue of six figures overlooked the park. The figures were Les Bourgeois de Calais, six prominent citizens who were taken captive by England's King Edward III. After a year-long siege of Calais and starvation setting in, Edward offered to spare the city and its citizens in exchange for six of the city's leaders, the Burghers--six wealthy, influential citizens.

"Wait, is this?" asked Matthew. "This is a Rodin."

"Yes," said Isaac. He impressed himself with his ability to use his phone and Google to learn about things on this journey. He proved it wasn't just the boys who could do that. "It's one of his original casts. It's the one Rodin sent here, for the people he intended to have it. But the best part is, unlike at the Louvre, you can touch this one. Go ahead."

Matthew stepped up and caressed the casts. Climbing up on the pedestal, he was able to stand among the six figures. With these figures, Rodin captured the moment the men were led away expecting to be executed. It was a moment of defeat and heroic self-sacrifice. The pain, suffering, relief, and fear were all there in the expression and posture of each statue. Reaching up to the larger-than-life figures, Matthew felt every groove and ridge of their faces. The emotions intended by Rodin were felt not just by Matthew's hands, but by his whole being.

What Isaac and the boys witnessed was a near religious experience for Matthew. It was something so personal to him that he rarely let the others see this side of him. Only April, had seen it and it was when he was working on his sculptures in art class.

When Matthew climbed down, Isaac hugged the boy. "Son, you have the body of an athlete, the heart of a lover, and the soul of an artist. Don't ever give one of them up. They are what make you who you are, and that is something incredible." Isaac knew what he was doing. He intended this to be the moment Matthew gave himself permission to rejoice in the things that he loved and to celebrate who he was in toto. It was something he'd had to do with Lars more than once, especially when he was struggling with his identity.

Busses loaded, they headed over to the coast to have dinner at Au Côte d'Argent, or in English, At the Silver Coast, a seafood restaurant on the beach overlooking the English Channel. Scott was excited to see the beach, but he wasn't thrilled with the idea of a seafood restaurant. His spirits brightened when he saw that they had steak as an alternative.

Carol ordered desserts to go. They would be in the Chunnel for over an hour and the excitement of all that would wear off quickly. Food would be a great distraction, at least for a little while.

Walking out to the bus, Michael found Carol. "Mom?" he asked. "May we go to the beach for a little bit?" He really wanted to stand in the sand and used his most polite manners and threw in a dose of "puppy dog eyes" for added effect. Since he used those sparingly, they were still effective with Carol and Lars unless they'd made a joint decision in advance. In the cases where the parental team had an organized front, Carol and Lars were undefeated.

When they got to the bus, Carol asked the others. "Would you like to take a half hour and walk on the beach before we head to London?"

"Yeah, could we?" answered Lukas. The others agreed.

"Sounds good to me too," said Lore.

After dropping off the desserts in the busses, Carol joined everyone else on the Calais Beach (Plage de Calais). The weather reminded Carol of Denmark. It was in the mid-60s and you could feel the humidity from being close to a large body of water. To the right, the beach was interrupted by the city's port which included a shipyard and a ferry to Dover, England. To the left, the beach curved along the coast for a good eight or nine miles. Carol watched the boys goof off, pushing and shoving as they headed to the water.

When they got to the impacted sand, Michael and Christian continued to the water while the other four decided to go for a run down the beach. Seeing Michael and Christian taking their shoes off, Carol laughed. "I don't think those two understand how cold that water is," she said to Lars and Zach, pointing to the boys preparing to wade into the surf.

She was partly correct. The boys were giggling because they knew it was going to be cold. That was the fun in it. What they didn't expect was the average surface temperature of the English Channel this time of the year was colder than the coldest the winter waters ever measured on the beaches of southern California.

On the count of three Michael and Christian raced to see who could stay in the water the longest. They ran into the surf and their shrill squeals could be heard up and down the beach. Even the locals and other tourists laughed at the antics of the boys. They quickly raced out of the surf and headed for drier sand. Leaving their shoes behind, they decided to walk hand in hand down the beach, safely out of the reach of the crashing waves.

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The fresh air and exercise was perfect in preparation for the three hours it would take to get to London. One benefit in their favor, they would gain an hour crossing to a new time zone.

The sun was setting, and the city lights were on as they got to the heart of London. It was too late to do anything, and the boys had shows the next two days. It would not leave much time to for sightseeing. Instead of going to the hotel and sitting around, they took a bus tour of some of the city's sights. Coming from the southeast, they passed the London Eye Ferris wheel. Crossing Westminster Bridge they passed the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. Buckingham Palace was next then a pass by Kensington Palace (though they really couldn't see much of anything).

Circling back around to the east, they drove through London's downtown, the Tower of London, and then through White Chapel (famous for the White Chapel murders), and onto their hotel in Greenwich.

Unlike the other shows, The O2 in London was owned by a hotel chain which, of course, had one of their properties attached to the venue. Hotel rooms were part of the compensation for the bands, so they stayed at the InterContinental London. It didn't offer the views of their prior lodgings, or the history, but it was comfortable and had several restaurants. And of course, the boys were famished by the time they checked in.

Crossing the hotel lobby to the Market Brasserie, the boys were accosted by a dozen or so of their fans. The teens were in town with their parents for the show and staying in the hotel. The families had traveled together from Birmingham to see At the Majestic. Their requests for autographs or to hang out, proclamations of having all their music or being their biggest fan, came at the boys in rapid fire. The kids didn't understand how this was coming across to the boys, but the jostling of the fans caused them to bump into others and ultimately, knock into the boys.

Feeling crowded and unable to fulfil the barrage of requests coming at them, the boys struggled to stay pleasant and friendly. After a long day of traveling and sightseeing, they were tired and hungry.

When Lars heard Michael cry out, "Hey! Stop it!", he knew to put an end to it. He approached the parents of the teen fans and asked them assist in excusing the boys for dinner. The parents understood the request from another parent. They stepped in to help bring the "love fest" to an end.

While Lars and the family waited for the restaurant to make room for a party of eleven, the hotel's security approached and asked to meet with Lars and Carol after dinner to arrange for protection of the boys and their privacy.

"We apologize for that incident in the lobby," he said. "We typically have security details in place before high-profile guests arrive. It is my understanding this is new for you. We would be happy to make recommendations."

This was new. Even though they had seen some signs suggesting an incident like this was coming, it still caught them off guard. Lars accepted the offer to meet with security after their meal.

The menu looked like something they'd be ordering from back home at one of the more expensive restaurants. Besides the menu being in English, it had familiar dishes: Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini, Pan-Fried Sea Trout, Fish and Chips (of course), BBQ Chicken and Ribs, and Burgers!

No two family members ordered the same dish and surprisingly enough, no one ordered a hamburger. Perhaps it was the culinary adventure they had with the dinner on the terrace at Le Meurice, this also seemed to be a night that some of the boys decided to try new things. Lars, having grown up in Europe, was happy to order the Roasted Rump of Lamb. It was a large portion, so he was happy to let Zach and Michael try some. Lukas ordered Fish and Chips and somehow coaxed Scott into trying some smothered in tartar sauce. He not only liked it Scott was also willing to try vinegar on a French fry. Of course, in addition to the vinegar, he had to have ketchup on it too.

When it came to dessert, the selections seemed foreign but deliciously intriguing. The boys chose between the Blood Orange and Yuzu Tart or the Sticky Date and Fig Pudding. The adults tended to stick to the Mascarpone and Coffee Delice, Black Forest Crémeux, or Lemon Sorbet.

Even after all that food, the boys insisted upon stopping by the hotel's lobby store for snacks. Security posted someone by the door to allow the boys to shop in peace.

On their way up to their rooms, Michael was reading about the hotel. "Mom! They have a spa! You should treat yourself. It says it's complementary for guests. And they have a jacuzzi and a steam room and an indoor pool." He handed the brochure to Carol.

She looked it over. "You know, there's no age limit. Who wants to head down to the spa?"

After everyone changed, Isaac, Lars and Zach went to the Fitness room to work out and get some cardio in. Scott, Matthew, and Simon hit the pool. Michael and Lukas joined Lore and Carol and headed to the spa. Michael saw they did foot baths and foot reflexology. He assumed if it was anything like getting a foot massage, he wanted it. Then he could go swimming or use the hot tub. Lukas wanted to be pampered. He wanted a body scrub and wrap. Christian was conflicted. He wanted to do everything but having some stranger touching his body weirded him out a bit. When the spa said they could only take four at a time for the body wraps, he left them to the others and joined the boys in the pool.

The four going to the spa decided to all get the same thing. After the foot bath, reflexology, and pedicure, they each enjoyed the body scrub and wrap. Michael and Lukas learned one thing this evening. They loved being pampered.

Whether relaxing in the spa, or getting a workout in the fitness room and pool, as each member of the family was ready to retire for the evening, they headed up to their room to turn in. Two shows in two days would be tiring, but nothing they couldn't handle. Each boy had his own feelings about the end of the tour.

Simon felt the momentum this tour gave the band. They were on their way and the excited fans in the lobby was just the beginning. Bigger stages, more cheering fans, and longer tours. The fire in his belly burned brightly.

Matthew was glad it was about over. He loved playing shows back home with his friends there but playing for huge crowds of nameless individuals felt impersonal and unfulfilling. Maybe he would grow to like it, but he wasn't in a hurry to get there. He had things waiting for him back home that he couldn't wait to get back to: April, baseball, and his art.

Lukas saw how performing brought Simon to life. Carol had told him about Stephen's love of performing and how she saw that in Simon. Lukas had seen it too, but it had gone to a whole new level in Europe. Where would this go? Lukas had no idea. No one did. But where did he want it to go? It was fun, but Lukas could never see himself touring all the time. Music would always be in his life, but he didn't see it as being his life. Shows were fun. A short tour like this has been thrilling. But he missed home. He missed his friends. He missed lacrosse. He missed his daily schedule. He missed just being with his brothers. He feared that the band getting big, demands for shows and new music, and whatever else would come with all of that, would take the fun out of it.

Michael was having the time of his life. Getting to spend time with his family and to see the world was better than anything he could have ever imagined. The cherry on top was Christian was with him. Part of him didn't want this to end. However, he was also excited to go with Christian to visit his family. To have some quiet time with his beau. But there was something else in the back of his mind. The crowd coming right up on him and his brothers in the lobby was not something he enjoyed. He always thought he'd always be gracious and give autographs and take selfies if people asked. But tonight, he felt threatened. They were right on top of them. Reaching over him to get to someone behind him. Bumping into him and knocking him into other people. Someone even gabbed his arm and pulled. If this was fame, Michael reasoned, he wasn't sure he wanted anything to do with it.

----------------------     

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

The boys arrived at the NMN2 radio studios for an interview. Brandon and his band were fulfilling similar duties with other media outlets.

As far as interviews go, this one was no different from the others. The questions may be changing since the band's first interview months earlier, but they were meatball questions to create content for radio. Michael talked about being the youngest and learning so many instruments. Lukas was asked about his sponsorship by SJC Custom Drums and his songwriting. Typical topics for Simon were his father and how Stephen had gotten the boys started in music and his background with classical string instruments. And Matthew, he got another question about his being the voice singing "He's the One for Me" and he was asked about how he and Michael got into music.

"Well, for Michael and me it was very similar to the deal with Simon's father Stephen. Our father played music as a hobby. So naturally, hanging around our father and all of his instruments, we started to learn to play so we could jam together."

"Did he teach you both multiple instruments?" The interviewer motioned to the producer and to the phone. Then he nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, but it was more informal than that. If we were interested in learning something, he would teach us and then we'd go off and learn other things ourselves. So, picking up other instruments for us was just based on our interest."

"That's really cool. So, we've got a surprise for you boys right here on the phone." He pressed a button to put the phone on speaker and to broadcast the voice over the airwaves. "You're on the NMN2 with our special guests, At the Majestic."

There was an awkwardly long pause as the boys and the presenter looked at each other. Then someone on the line cleared their voice and said, "Umm...did you say At the Majestic? The boys?"

Lukas was clueless to what was going on, but when he saw the look in Matthew and Michael's faces, he had a good guess. He turned to Zach and said, "Get dad, NOW!"

Matthew took his headphones off and started to get up to leave the interview when Michael grabbed his arm and shook his head "no".

Bruce Grant didn't know what was going on. He'd been notified he was to be interviewed and he assumed it was with another government agency wanting to know the inner workings of the criminal elements he worked with. When the DJ announced he was on the phone with the boys, he didn't know what to think and wasn't even sure it was real. "Boys are you there? Matthew? Michael?" he asked.

Lars and Isaac entered the booth with Zach as Michael answered. "I know your listeners must be confused by what's going on so let me fill them in. Your favorite alt rock radio station NMN2 has brought in a group of minors ranging from ages 11 to 16 and invited a convicted criminal to join them on the air from prison. Additionally, this convict has a restraining order preventing him from contacting the boys. A restraining order he is currently breaking." Everyone was too stunned or too curious to see where this would go. Though it may have been the intelligent, legal, and moral thing to do, the NMN2 employees in the control room failed to take the show the off the air or end the call.

Michael took a breath and continued. "The man your presenters brought on the air was so desperate to have sex with his 10-year-old son that he arranged to have that boy repeatedly kidnapped and raped. He was so desperate; he wore a mask in order to hide his identity from his son while he participated in the commission of those crimes. He wouldn't even defend his son when the boy was kidnapped to be sold overseas for sex trafficking. So why would you, or anyone, bring him onto the show to speak to us?"

Michael turning the tables on the presenter was unexpected and the man was not prepared. When the producer gathered his wits, he ended the call, the interview, and pulled the presenter from the room before having the band escorted to their bus.

Carol checked her phone as the boys boarded the bus. "You're back early." The look on their faces told her something happened.

Lore and Carol were sitting across the table from each other. Matthew slid in next to his grandmother so his little brother could sit next to their mom. Michael walked on to the bus looking straight ahead so the radio station employees could not see it. There was no way he was going to let them see him mad or upset. His face was red from trying to maintain his composure. Lars sat him next to Carol and directed Christian to sit next to Matthew. Lars joined his youngest and put his arm around him.

As soon as the bus door closed, Michael broke down sobbing in frustration and pain. Matthew started crying too for much the same reasons as Michael, but mostly he cried because Michael hurt. Lore pulled Matthew into a hug while Lars and Carol tried to comfort Michael. Christian wiped tears from his face feeling completely helpless.

"It's going to be okay, Michael. I'm so proud of the way you handled the situation," said Lars.

Michael wiggled away from Lars and turned to Carol. Hugging her tightly, Michael whispered, "I miss my mom so much."

Carol and Lore looked to Lars who simply shook his head, "not now". There was time for what happened later. There would be time to worry about getting the boys ready for the night's show. Right now, it was time to let the boys feel their anger and pain. In the back of the bus, they could hear the other boys using pillows to muffle their cries of anger. Zach was encouraging them to let their anger out. Lars turned his attention from Michael in Carol's arms to Christian. He held out his arms and Christian welcomed the comfort as he experienced a rage that he never felt before.

Before the bus even had time to depart for the hotel, a call was made from a beautiful, white, detached Italianate Villa on Holland Park in Kensington. The caller requested a team of lawyers to "sue the pants off" the radio station and anyone who participated in the stunt just pulled on the boys. When the call ended, the boy turned to his security detail and said, "We need to get to The O2. Now."

His driver held up the car keys and replied, "I'm ready. Let's go."

When the bus pulled up to the hotel, people were starting to gather outside to show support for Michael and Matthew. They weren't shouting the band's name or holding up signs with their trademark "@" symbol. They were protesting the radio station. People were there supporting male survivors by wearing blue ribbons or holding up banners and signs.

There were cheers of support as the boys walked into the hotel, Michael leading the way, tears flowing. The boys not crying looked rough, but they held their heads up high and let the world see the toll the stunt had taken on them. Hotel security kept the supporters in their designated area allowing the boys to enter the hotel without incident.

"Michael!"

The boy looked up and smiled, "Alejandro!" The boys hugged in excitement. It had been too long since the friends had seen each other in person. "You didn't tell me you were coming!"

"Well, abuela wanted me to stay home to prepare for entrance exams, but she gave me the weekend off. I'm still working on getting a little more time to hang out with you guys."

The other boys gathered around and welcomed Alejandro, including a special hug from Christian. Alejandro's presence was very welcome in light of what just happened. Particularly because of his bond with Michael. Christian studied Alejandro's face for a moment and said, "You were listening to the radio show, weren't you?"

Michael looked at Alejandro expectantly. Alejandro turned to make eye contact with Michael and put an arm around Christian's shoulder. "Let's just say, our lawyers should already be on the case. If I have anything to say in it, you'll own that radio station and more when this is over."

"Thank you," said Michael, giving Alejandro another hug. "I don't care, really. I'm just so happy you are here." Arm in arm, the three friends followed everyone else to their hotel rooms to decompress.

Before entering their rooms, Lore asked Matthew, "Are you going to be up for the show tonight?"

"I think so," said Matthew, "if Michael is. And I think he will take it as a personal defeat if we don't go on stage tonight. And if Michael goes, we'll all be there to support him."

"I knew you would," said Lore happy with how much the boys loved and supported each other, but she was unsatisfied with her question going unanswered. "But what about you?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said.

"Well, if you were home and something was bothering you, what do you to do to...um...how do you say it in English? Get your head back in the game?"

"If I was back home, I'd get my modeling clay out or my drawing pads."

Lore stopped and Matthew turned to face her. "Maybe there is someone you could talk to? Maybe make a call?"

He knew Lore was suggesting he call April to have a talk. However, he knew that if he called April to explain what happened today, he'd have to tell her about what happened between him and his little brother that spawned the entire situation. Just the thought of talking to April about his days back in Oregon brought all of his nightmares flooding back. "Yeah," agreed Matthew, "but this is kinda personal family stuff."

"And you think not talking to April about it will keep her in the dark?" Matthew didn't answer and that was enough for Lore. "Matthew, what happened on the radio today will be out there for the world to hear. You know that. Don't you think that will spark her curiosity? It's all out there if you look. It's not hard to find." She moved closer to confide in an uneasy Matthew. "I even know about the stuff between you and Michael."

Matthew was mortified. "Dad told you?!"

"No," she confessed, "but when Lars told me he was getting permanent custody of Michael, I used Google. I'm sure April can do that too."

He broke out into a cold sweat.

"It will be easier to hear it from you than to discover it from the news or online. Or worse yet, hear it from other kids who are being nosy."

Matthew knew his grandmother was right and it frustrated him. He'd been putting off this conversation with April and if he was completely honest, he'd pushed it so far back in his mind, he'd stopped thinking about it. Things were going so well, he hoped it wasn't going to be necessary. Looking at his grandmother, he nodded and said, "You're right grandma. Thank you." He gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and entered his room.

He kicked off his shoes and dropped onto the bed. Propping up some pillows, he got comfortable and stared at his phone.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Relief was what Matthew felt. Someone was giving him an excuse to not call April at the moment. He hopped up and opened the door. Michael stepped in and grabbed Matthew into a hug. There were some things, no matter how close they were to their brothers and partners, that only the two of them could understand.

"Hey little man," he said returning Michael's hug and shutting the door. "Are you feeling a bit better?"

"Yeah," he said letting go of Matthew. Drying his eyes, he added, "Hearing dad's voice was a fucking surprise."

Matthew laughed sarcastically, "Yeah, you can say that again. What the fuck were they thinking?"

"They wanted us to freak out on the air." Michael's face scrunched up. "I don't remember much of what I said. I didn't say anything stupid, did I?"

"No, you kinda rocked it back there," said Matthew cracking a bit of a smile.

Michael hardly acknowledged Matthew's answer. "If the media has been covering the tour as much as everyone says they are, this shit is gonna to be all over the news."

"Yeah, that's what grandma said," Matthew mumbled.

"I know."

Matthew looked at Michael.

"I was coming over to talk to you and when I opened the door, I heard what farmor said. She's right, you know. If the tour is getting all this press coverage, then this shit is sure to be all over the news. So, I guess the big question is, are you going to call April now?"

"I don't want to have that conversation. This is what I've been dreading since the first time I went out with April. What do I tell her? How do I tell her? She's going to think I'm some sort of perv and never talk to me again." Matthew paced the room fretting over what to do and worse yet, what the possible outcomes could be.

Michael got in front of Matthew forcing the older boy to stop and give his attention to his little brother. "First of all, why do you think she doesn't know? I mean, all the rumors and shit that happened back when they tried to kidnap me and Lewis and when mom died, almost everyone at school heard a lot of stuff. I don't know if they knew what was true and what wasn't, but they found the news articles about us. I know because I heard people talking. Whether she knows or not, I think I should be on the call with you."

Matthew looked skeptical, so Michael added, "If anyone can corroborate your story, it's me."

"You and your big words," kidded Matthew. After more convincing, Michael slipped out to tell Alejandro and Christian what he was doing.

Before entering his hotel room, Michael greeted Alejandro's security detail. "Hi Jacob!"

"Good to see you, Michael." Jacob found it terribly boring standing in the hallway and only half able to hear what was going on inside. He also understood the optics of his leaving a hotel room with a handful of young, teen, gay boys; especially if there were paparazzi around.

When Michael entered his room, the excitement was obvious. "Holy crappoli!" said Alejandro swiping up with his thumb on his phone. "Have you seen the comments on Instagram?"

Scott crawled over the bed to look over Alejandro's shoulder. "Over 20,000 comments? What?"

Christian called out, "Scott, here's my iPad. Can you start liking the comments on Insta? I'm trying to track Twitter and make a meme that we can post for people to share in solidarity."

"How is it blowing up that much already?" asked Michael with a bit of trepidation. He walked over and put his arm around Christian's shoulder. The blonde sat at the room's desk working diligently on his laptop.

"Oh yeah," confirmed Christian. "The Twitterverse has come to your defense. People are slamming the radio station and blowing up the band's feed with support. I'm going to create a meme that we'll post all over the band's social media and let others share and like to make it go viral. I think it will unify the messaging and make it easier for people to identify your supporters."

"I knew there was a reason I love you so much," joked Michael giving Christian a kiss on the cheek. "Matthew's going to call April and I'm going to hang out with him. I'll be back."

The boys all acknowledged Michael before he headed back to Matthew's room. Matthew let him in, and the teen looked more worried than ever. "Matthew, you've known you were gonna have this conversation at some point. Let's go ahead and call her now. I'm here from you." He gave Matthew a hug. They sat on the bed with Michael cuddling up to his big bro so he could be on the screen too.

"Hey Siri, Facetime April," said Matthew.

"Hey," answered April, groggy from being waken. The eight-hour time difference meant it was still early in East Harbor. Seeing the stricken look on Matthew's face and Michael's puffy red eyes, it was obvious something was going on. "Oh, no. What happened? Is everyone alright?"

Matthew nodded and fought back tears. He couldn't stand to lose April. The pain of simply thinking of that possibility had kept him from talking to her about his life before East Harbor. Now he felt like his back was against a wall and a gun to his head. He never imagined having to come clean about his family like this.

"Everyone is fine," he started, "but we just did a radio interview and they kinda threw us a curveball and we aren't sure what's going to happen next. The dude...he...they had a surprise for us. It was a phone call from our father."

There was an audible gasp from April. Even if she didn't know about what happened back in Oregon, she was fully aware of what had happened in East Harbor and that the boys' father had gone to prison. The events surrounding it also flashed in her mind. The kidnapping, their mother's murder, the sex trafficking syndicate, the rumors about Michael and Matthew, and the shooting at the theater.

"But, why?" she asked.

Michael answered, "I think they wanted to get one of us to breakdown on the air. You know how some people like to create drama."

"What did he say to you?" she asked.

"Nothing really," said Matthew. "Things got shut down pretty quickly."

Michael knew Matthew was trying to find an out from this conversation, so he elbowed the teen in the ribs.

Matthew continued. "So, the interview got shut down and our dad didn't get to say much, but the media is all over this and the radio station is being sued so that will keep this in the news for a while." Matthew took a breath before continuing. "What I'm really upset about is what the tabloids will dredge up while covering all of this. You know how everyone wants to get an angle no one else is taking."

They discussed the series of events that landed Bruce Grant in jail while correcting the facts or filling in the gaps for April. There was a pause in the telling. Michael urged, "Go on, tell her the rest."

Matthew swallowed hard. "Well...uh...the way the coach was able to control me and Michael through all of this was because he was blackmailing us. Our father told him that Michael and I were having sex with each other."

There was a moment of silence that gave Matthew's mind the space to run rampant with horrible reactions he could expect from April with that revelation.

"So, he was blackmailing you? And your dad was behind it all?" she asked.

Both boys nodded before Michael added, "He convinced us that Matthew would go to jail or something so neither of us would tell."

"How did you even survive all that? How could anyone be so cruel to you two?" At this point, April could no longer hold back her own tears. "I don't understand why you are telling me this now."

Matthew's brain snatched hold of her statement and twisted it as a weapon against the teen. "I'm sorry. Are you mad? Please don't break up with me."

"No, I mean, Matthew, I already knew. That's why I was asking why you were telling me now," she explained. "I heard the rumors around school and got online and did some investigating. To be honest, it kinda freaked me out at first. But I talked to my dad, and he told me it wasn't uncommon for boys to mess around with each other, including with their own brothers. Then after I saw you two together and saw how much Michael adores you, I knew there couldn't have been anything vicious or evil in your intent or actions. That's when I knew I wanted to go out with you. I knew you must be someone really special if you could inspire such love and loyalty after all the crap that happened to you two."

Michael elbowed Matthew again, "Breathe."

Matthew exhaled and relaxed. "You already knew?"

"Yeah."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" asked Matthew.

"I guess I thought you were going to tell me something else, something I didn't know."

"Oh," said Matthew. "So, we're okay?"

"Yeah, of course," said April. "As long as you're not screwing around with any other girls, I don't care."

Matthew's face went white thinking about what he'd done with Lukas the other night while Michael burst out laughing.

"That's a look of guilt if I've ever seen one," laughed April.

"But, I haven't. I mean, I..."

Michael laughed harder and April just teased him. She said, "So you don't think I know the difference between making love and having sex? Besides, everyone around school's heard the rumors about the wild gay sex parties that go on at your place. At Christian's birthday party, I not only know those rumors are true, I also got a chance to see how hungry all those little gay boys are for your dick. I'd be crazy to think you'd be successful at fighting them off."

At this point, Michael was rolling around on the bed laughing. April even smiled at how tickled Matthew's little brother found this conversation. Matthew was flustered. April decided to let him off the hook. "Look," she said, "let's talk more about this when you're home. When do you have to leave for the show tonight?"

Matthew glanced at time. "We have to be at our sound check in about 45 minutes, but we aren't in a hurry. Our hotel is attached to the arena, so we don't even have to drive anywhere to get there."

Michael bounced over to get back on camera. He waved at April and said, "Bye April! I'm gonna go shower and get ready to go! Love you!"

"Love you too, Michael," she shouted back as he disappeared from the screen. "Have a great show!"

When the door slammed shut, their attention turned back to each other. Matthew smiled and wiped his eyes again. "You know, I don't think I could love you any more than I already do."

"I love you to, Matthew. I'm sorry about what happened today. I'm glad we had this talk; I just wish we could have had it in person."

"Me too. I've known I needed to clear the air about what happened back home. You deserve to know the truth about all of it."

She smiled at the thought of getting one last jab in. "If I deserve to know the truth about all of it, then tell me, it was Lukas, wasn't it?"

"What? How?"

April laughed. "It's alright, Matthew. I figured if anything was going on, it would be with him. He drools when you walk by and I suspect he's the only one that would go after what he wants."

Defeated, Matthew admitted it. "First, let me say I valiantly held out until a couple nights ago in Paris. I feel kinda guilty though."

"Why?" asked April.

"I think he was into me, but I was thinking about you. I feel like I used him."

"Matthew," said April trying to sooth her boyfriend's soul, "I don't think that matters. You both got what you wanted out of the experience, and no one was hurt. I'm just glad you aren't out there getting banged by groupies every night."

"I hope you know I would never do that."

"I do," she said. "I also know you wouldn't do it with your brothers and their friends unless you had love in your heart for them too. You're a really incredible person, Matthew. I'm so lucky."

"I better get ready to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun tonight, Matthew."

----------------------     

The boys were able to get to the dressing rooms and soundcheck through private corridors. By missing the lobby and stage entrance, they didn't see the crowds outside the hotel and venue.

News crews were covering the protesters. Some were angrily protesting the radio station and tabloid journalism in general. Others were supporting the boys and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Ticket holders also came early to see the spectacle. At different times, the crowd broke out into singing. They seemed to be most energetic while they sang "Betrayal". As the show grew closer, the crowds grew more energetic and larger. The bobby, the London police, called for backup fearing a potential riot.

At the request of the local authorities, The O2 opened the doors early to admit the concert goers. The goal for the police was to shrink the crowd outside the venue. What they succeeded in doing was making room for more protesters and others without tickets.

The chaos outside was live streamed by dozens of individuals across a handful of social media platforms. Christian and Scott were inside the dressing room tracking it all online. Michael and Alejandro snuck out to the backstage area to watch the audience partying and cheering before the show. Returning to the dressing rooms, they gave the others a report.

"Oh man," said Alejandro bouncing with excitement, "this place is going nuts!"

"They're like, moshing and yelling and acting all crazy," added Michael. "I wonder what they'll do once we're on stage." The minutes flew by and before they knew it, it was time for the boys to go on stage.

Running out to their gear up for the opening number, they knew from the atmosphere of The O2 that tonight was different. The boys' hearts raced with excitement. Zach wondered if this is what it is like to be a headliner like Green Day or the Foo Fighters. In their own ways, each band member had to get ready physically and mentally, and fast.

Over the speakers the announcement boomed, "Welcome to the Majestic!" The lights on the backscreen flashed and the marquee lit the stage.

If the boys were still down from the events of the day, over 20,000 audience members screaming at the top of their lungs washed it all away. Lukas started the drum riff and the lights came up.

Michael, beaming ear to ear, raised his microphone and shouted, "What the fuck is up, London?" Insanity ensued. Even the fans there to see Panic! at the Disco were invested in the boys after hearing news reports and the craziness before the show.

Instead of starting the song right away, Michael felt the need to address the crowd. Lukas continued to play while Michael spoke. "I know you all heard about the shit that went down today and to be honest, I think each of us wondered if we'd be able to go on tonight. But you know what? We can feel your love and support and it fills me with joy. Let's just forget all that shit and party!"

Michael timed it just right and Matthew entered with the guitar riff as the crowd cheered. Michael raced back and forth across the stage getting the audience involved and dancing. With a look to Simon, the bass joined the rest of the band and Michael started to sing.

And with that, the events of the day were forgotten, at least for a while.

----------------------     

It was the end of the show when Brandon Urie, the lead singer of Panic! at the Disco introduced At the Majestic and the boys joined him on stage for the mashup of "High Hopes" and "Hey Look Ma, I Made It". The crowd cheered for the boys again as they ran on the stage and gave Brandon bro hugs and fist bumps.

"You know," said Brandon, "I don't recall having ever played second fiddle to the opening act." The audience laughed and cheered for the boys. "You know I have a foundation for creating safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth and I think today only illuminated why these places are necessary."

While Brandon was talking, Michael waved for Alejandro to come on stage. Alejandro was confused and hesitant, but a shove from Scott caused him to stumble into the lights. Once there, he decided to go ahead and join Michael. Michael put his arm around Alejandro's shoulder. "And Brandon," Michael said, "I'd like to introduce to you my friend Alejandro Diaz. In August, Alejandro will be launching a foundation in Los Angeles to house and support homeless youth, particularly our LGBTQAI+ friends. We're going to be playing a fundraising concert and I hope you'll consider hopping over from Vegas to join us."

Brandon reached out a hand to Alejandro, and they shook hands. "We'll have to see if the dates for our US tour work out, but if we are on the west coast and not playing that night, we'd be happy to help you out."

Alejandro grinned from ear-to-ear. In many ways, he was still Trey and couldn't believe someone like Brandon Urie would shake his hand, let alone want to help him. But what Brandon saw was a fit, good-looking teen wearing five- to six-thousand dollars' worth of Gucci, Versace, and jewelry. Brandon saw a boy who obviously came from money and the fundraiser was certain to be an impressive affair. He figured his own Highest Hopes Foundation could benefit from connecting with the power and money attending Alejandro's fundraiser.

The music started and Lukas motioned Christian and Scott to join them on stage. The two ran out and joined the others as they performed the final songs of the show. Longer than previous shows, the bands stayed on stage and waved to the crowd. No one, not the bands or the audience, wanted the show to end. The stage crew had other ideas. The lights when down and the bands and their friends were escorted from the stage.

Brandon stopped them and asked, "How are you guys holding up?" Each of the boys simply nodded and essentially said they were "okay". "I'm glad. You kicked ass tonight and I'm really proud I got to share the stage with you tonight." The boys took that complement with a large dose of humility and gratitude. "Tomorrow night's the last night of the tour. I'm expecting the crowd to be even more insane tomorrow. When you come out on stage tomorrow night, be prepared to play a song before we do the mashup." Michael made a suggestion and Brandon and the other guys agreed.

The boys wrapped up their conversation with Brandon and his band. As the boys walked away, Michael looked over his shoulder and gave Brandon a smile. "Thank you!" he mouthed with a wave.

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The herd of boys was noisy heading back to their hotel room. They miraculously tapped into some unknown source of energy and were practically bouncing off the walls. The three rooms the boys occupied were across the hall from the three rooms the adults were staying in. To keep the boys from disturbing other guests, Carol had the boys congregate in the middle room which happened to be Lukas and Simon's. The boys ordered room service and started to unwind from the day. Alejandro wanted to stay with the boys, so Matthew offered Jacob his room since it was closest to the elevator.

The boys were chatting and munching while the TV played some unwatched show when there was a knock at the door. Alejandro expected it to be Jacob, so he popped up and peaked through the peephole just as his security detail had instructed. "It's your grandpa," he said unlocking and opening the door.

"Hey boys," greeted Isaac, "your grandmother and I are going to bed and I wanted to stop by and say 'goodnight'." He found a place to perch on the bed next to Lukas and cuddled his grandson.

"Thanks for stopping by grandpa," said Lukas. "I'm so glad you were here to see tonight's show."

"I am too," he said. "Sir Elton would have been proud to play a show like that." The boys laughed but understood what a high complement that was coming from Isaac. "I know today's been a rollercoaster. I'm here for you boys. Are you doing okay?" Michael got up and went to his grandfather for a hug. He loved the large man's hugs; they were safe, comforting hugs full of love.

Isaac felt his youngest grandson relax into his body. Having a grandson in each arm, Isaac couldn't be happier. He looked around the room at the group of teens (and tween) assembled. Their stories, their character, their work ethic, and their personalities...you couldn't ask for a better bunch of boys. Even Alejandro, whom he just met, lived up to every story he'd heard about the boy. It fed his soul to be around them, all of them, his boys, and their kinetic energy. But it was getting late, and this was their moment. A time for them to enjoy their youth and their success.

He turned and gave Lukas a kiss on the crown of his head and then to his right to kiss Michael's forehead. He gave a light swat to Michael butt and the boy released him from his hug. Isaac rose and walked around the room the wish each boy goodnight with a hug. Before walking out the door, he turned and said, "We couldn't be prouder of you boys. We love you. Good night."

As the night wore on, the boys started to tire. With Jacob in Matthew's room, there were seven boys and two beds. Since they needed so many rooms, the hotel gave them standard rooms instead of suites. The boys enjoyed the view of the city, but other than the bed, there was only an armchair and a desk chair; neither an option for sleeping.

Lukas ended up between Simon and Scott and in the other room, the four boys that included Matthew could not find a way to make the bed work. "I'll go sleep with Jacob," offered Alejandro. Michael didn't like that solution since he missed his friend so much. However, he quickly realized that if anyone was to spend the night in the third room with Jacob, it only made sense that it would be Alejandro.

Michael loved snuggling in between Christian and Matthew and drifted off to sleep before he could even wonder how things were working out for his best friend.

With the spare card key Matthew kept, he opened the door to the room where Jacob slept. Trained to be ever alert when on duty, Jacob practically jumped out of the bed. "Who's there?"

"It's me," said Alejandro quietly. He closed the door leaving the room lit only by the city lights streaming through the open curtains. The boy unbuttoned his shirt as he walked to the windows watching the bustling city. Laying his shirt neatly on the back of the armchair, he sat down to untie his shoes.

Jacob watched Alejandro undress and his emotions swirled. He'd crossed the line when he was Carlos' detail. The boy had been a bit older than Alejandro and he had been a lot younger. He'd never desired sex with a young teen, at least not since he was a young teen, but Carlos was aggressive, and worldly, and knew what he wanted. Their affair, if you could call it that, had yet to end, but he rarely saw Carlos once the boy asked him to protect his little cousin. Was this why Carlos insisted he take this assignment? Did Carlos want him to love Alejandro the way he loved Carlos?

Alejandro stood and dropped his jeans and kicked them off. Down to only his white boxer briefs, he moved to the side of the bed facing Jacob. The boy had fantasized about being in bed with Jacob and those fantasies only grew stronger the more experience he had in bed with Carlos. There was something about being in bed with a man that made Alejandro's pulse race and his erection never ending. He paused and gazed at Jacob. The man was resting on his elbow, the covers only hiding his body from the waist down.

Backlit by the light coming through the window, Alejandro's expression was hidden by a black mask. Jacob didn't know what to make of the situation and he questioned if he was ready to take things there with such a young boy. "You shouldn't be in here," he stated weakly.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen Jacob without a shirt on. When they were alone, just the two of them, they dropped the client/employee crap. Jacob was more like a big brother, even when Elena and Alejandro's tutors were around. They'd swum together, surfed, worked out, and many other things that offered Alejandro the opportunity to see Jacob less than fully clothed. But this moment was different. This was no longer him slipping into the room to join Jacob in sleep. There was an electricity in the air that had the boy stiff and achy under his Calvin Kleins. The two looked at each other expectantly as the seconds passed. Or did time stand still? It's hard to say. In either case, the seconds seemed like hours until Alejandro dropped his CKs and joined Jacob under the covers.

"Alejandro..."

"I don't have any clothes to change into, so I thought I should save my underwear for tomorrow." He turned onto his side facing Jacob, the shadow from the city lights continued to mask his face leaving Jacob in the dark as to the boy's intentions. The boy moved closer. Close enough that the two could feel the heat radiating from the other's body.

Alejandro reached out and gently traced the scar across Jacob's left pec with his index finger. When Jacob didn't move away, he placed his hand flat on the man's chest and searched for his left nipple. The eraser-like nub dragged across his palm before he gave it a pinch.

A gasp escaped Jacob's lips. Was it the pinch that elicited the gasp, or was it the realization of what Alejandro desired?

Jacob pulled the covers up to their necks then reached his muscular arm over the boy's smaller body and pulled Alejandro close. This time Alejandro gasped as Jacob's erect manhood pressed against his own leaking stiffy. The man was equally naked and equally needy. The man's paw slid down his back then cupped and kneaded his ass, their pelvic areas grinding against each other.

Alejandro's eyes closed as he felt the man manipulate his body. They opened when he felt Jacob's lips against his own. As their shyness evaporated, the passion of their kiss grew. A couple brushes of Jacob's fingertips across Alejandro's sweaty hole inspired the boy to throw his top leg over Jacob's hip to give the man better access. The pad of a finger ran circles around the wrinkled flesh drawing moans from Alejandro. To return the pleasure, he reached down with both hands and caressed the man's cock. Finding a comfortable angle and grip, Alejandro worked to bring the man to the same conclusion he was rapidly racing towards.

Fearing the imminent destruction of the sheets, Jacob tossed the covers off and rolled onto his back bringing the boy to rest on top of him. Fingers removed from his boy hole, Alejandro sat up straddling Jacob's thighs and jerked the man's cock faster. "Oh God, Alejandro," cried Jacob before he jettisoned several volleys of cum across his chiseled torso. Alejandro didn't move while he waited for Jacob to recover. He held the man with both hands as the firmness waned.

Jacob was quick to recover. How could he not with a needy, erect boy sitting on his legs? Dumping Alejandro onto the mattress, he spread the boy's legs the used his hand to gather as much of his cum as he could. Reaching between the boy's splayed legs, he used his fingers to feed his cum into the boy's ass, gathering more when he was satisfied with his work with the first batch.

Manly fingers rubbing and slipping into his hole drove Alejandro crazy. It reminded him of Michael's hard pole when his friend fucked him. Once Jacob had wiped what he could from his body, the fingers took on a different mission. First one, then two, dove in deeply, to the last knuckle, and rubbed around inside Alejandro's anal canal. Finding the boy's prostate, Jacob attacked it with his fingers and attacked Alejandro's lips with his own. The fingers never settled in one place for long and their frantic manipulation of Alejandro's hole and love button sent shivers up and down the boy's body.

They continued snogging and before Alejandro knew it, Jacob had added a third finger, twisting his wrist to work all three fingers into Alejandro, he stretched the boy's hole well beyond anything the boy had experienced. Keeping the fingers forcefully embedded into Alejandro's ass, Jacob wiggled them, so they repeatedly tapped on the boy's prostate. Alejandro closed his legs and squeezed Jacob's arm between his thighs and held onto the man's neck with both arms even tighter than before. With a muffled grunt, the boy's ass clamped on Jacob's fingers. Pressing the pads of his fingers against the boy's prostate, he proceeded to massage the prostate throughout the duration of Alejandro's orgasm.

Alejandro was still on his back when Jacob returned from the bathroom. He hadn't even noticed the man slip his fingers from his abused hole or get out of bed. A warm washcloth cleaned the boy's cooling cum from his body before it was returned to the bathroom. Jacob pulled the covers up over their bodies and held Alejandro close as they fell to sleep.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 7

Jacob and Alejandro were the last to make it down to breakfast. Per the recommendation of security, the group ate a catered, buffet style meal in one of the hotel's small conference rooms. Since Matthew didn't want to disturb the occupants in his room to shower and dress before breakfast, the boys managed to talk Carol and Lars into letting them eat breakfast before they got ready for the day.

If the meal had been any later, they'd have had to call it brunch, but in any case, the variety of juices, eggs, breakfast meats, fresh fruits and pastries made for a delightful dining experience to help the gang wake up and prepare for the day. What they didn't know was that there was no preparing for what lay ahead.

The boys visited over breakfast and Alejandro shared his idea for heading to his London home to hang out and play some video games. Jacob reminded Alejandro that behind his London home was Holland Park, a beautiful, historic park in case they'd like to run or work out on the park's outdoor fitness equipment.

"Where's your house? I haven't heard of Holland Park before," asked Michael. Alejandro looked to Jacob to help him explain. He hadn't been to London that often, so he really didn't know his way around.

Jacob explained, "Holland Park is in Kensington, about a mile west of Kensington Palace. To the north of Holland Park there is a Holland Park housing development where the Diaz family has a home. In and around the neighborhood are the Embassies of Greece, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Turkmenistan."

The boys tried to process it all. There was no place like this in southern California. No place where you could live by a handful of foreign embassies, let alone a mile from a palace and royalty.

Other plans were tossed around. The London Tower, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Making of Harry Potter experience, were all possibilities, though they only had limited time before the evening's soundcheck.

The door to the conference room opened and the cacophony of noise from outside the hotel flooded the room. It caught everyone's attention and heads turned. Brandon walked in and greeted the boys and their family. The boys rose and met Brandon halfway before walking with him back to the tables. "I hope you don't have too many plans for today. I've been wanting to get some time in the studio since I've been on tour. I just got a call that I can have the studio all day and thought you guys would like to come and record a song."

The boys were full of questions and Brandon listened until he heard the question he wanted to answer. "Ah! Glad you asked. We'll be recording at Abbey Road Studios today."

Any other location would have bored the non-band members, but Abbey Road inspired excitement in every member of the entourage. While they chatted about who would get the studio when, one of the hotel's concierges escorted a rather stuffy British gentleman into the conference room. The man was led to the table where Lars and Carol were seated. The boys snickered at the man's stilted walk and posture. Bowing slightly to the adults at the table, the man stood and retrieved a card from the breast pocket of his jacket.

A hush fell over the room when the gentleman between to speak. "Pardon my interruption kind sirs and ladies. But I have a most urgent matter." He lifted the note and read, "Her Royal Highness, the Queen, has invited you to Buckingham Palace to join Her Majesty for high tea at 3:00pm."

The man waited for a reply, but everyone was too shocked to speak. The concierge politely stated, "I'm certain they would be honored to join the Queen. You don't have any prior engagements, do you Mr. Meijer?"

"Uh, no, no prior engagements," stated Lars. He still couldn't believe the invitation.

"Ah, wonderful," the man said, "please be at the Palace by 2:00. We will prepare you with the proper etiquette for meeting Her Majesty to ensure there are no major faux pas during your visit." The man turned and exited the conference room.

The concierge waited until the man left before offering further explanation. "Apparently, the Queen is mortified by the behavior of the men running the radio station yesterday. We believe she is inviting you to the Palace to personally apologize to you on behalf of the British people."

They coordinated the trip to Abbey Road Studios with Brandon then headed up to their rooms to get ready for their big day. Jacob and Alejandro ran home to get ready for the day. Abbey Road was much closer to Holland Park than Greenwich, where The O2 was located and they wanted to be prepared to see the Queen.

When Jacob and Alejandro arrived at Abbey Road, the boys were just starting a tour of the studio. Learning the history of the studio beyond The Beatles. To learn about the many other famous artists that passed through those halls and hit records in those studios was a humbling experience. The converted house was purchased in 1928 by the Gramophone Company to be the world's first purpose-built recording studio. Since then, the studio had collected vintage and antique recording equipment representing nearly all of the over century-long history of the industry. The tour went quickly because there wasn't much time. In no time, the sound engineer giving the boys the tour delivered them to the famed Studio Two, where The Beatles recorded The White Album.

"So, what did you think?" shouted Brandon across the large room.

"It was cool!" shouted Lukas heading to the drum kit being set up by Tony.

"Didn't we see pictures of you in the hallway out there?" asked Simon.

"Yeah," admitted Brandon. "I love recording in this studio. We've been here a few times over the last decade or so. It's my favorite place to record."

When Lukas approached Tony, the drum tech explained why he was setting up a vintage Sonor drum kit. "I know this isn't an SJC kit, but I think you'll enjoy playing a vintage kit. This kit is from the 60's. What do you think?" Tony tapped on the different drums so Lukas could hear.

The producer Panic! at the Disco planned to work with approached Lukas. "Aren't you boys the ones who play that song 'Lost and Found'?" he asked offering his hand to shake.

Lukas was surprised. He wasn't used to the band being recognized for their music. He shook the man's hand and replied, "Yeah, we are. How do you know 'Lost and Found'?"

"It's all over the radio and my daughter plays it all the time. It's catchy as hell," said the man with a grin.

The producer asked for the other boys to join before sharing his idea. "I know Brandon offered you some time to record and I was wondering if you were open to a suggestion."

The boys nodded and listened. AJ was a great sound engineer and producer, but this was the first time they worked with a producer they didn't know and with the pedigree this man possessed.

"I had these vintage instruments brought out with the thought that you'd record 'Lost and Found' this morning. The song already has the feel of a 60s rock song, but today I thought we'd record it on vintage instruments using all equipment from the 60s, so it has an authentic 60s vibe."

It sounded like fun. The boys hurriedly warmed up. They didn't want to impose on their guest's time and got right to work. Christian had his portable tripod in his backpack and set it up to record the boys playing in the famed Studio Two. Scott and Alejandro hadn't been around the boys when they were in studio. Invited into the control room, they listened and watched.

After a few takes, the producer congratulated the boys. "Honestly, I didn't know what to think when Brandon said he was bringing you in. Even a lot of the well-known acts are highly produced and require a lot of takes to get things right. You boys are pros and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to work with you."

The boys thanked the man and started to put their instruments away. But Michael stepped up to his mic and asked, "Can I record one more song? We don't have to do lots of takes, it's just for me."

Everyone agreed, curious to see what Michael would do. He walked over and grabbed an acoustic guitar. It didn't have any electronics, so they set up a second mic to pick up the guitar. He strummed the guitar and tuned it by ear before saying, "Ready."

Christian moved his camera, so it featured Michael standing at the mic and hit record. The other members of At the Majestic, and Brandon and his band, were sitting around on couches and armchairs enjoying the show and preparing for their time recording.

The large studio added a slightly haunting sound to the Michael's guitar and voice, but the emotions he poured into the vocals were captured. After playing the song each night of the tour, Michael wanted to capture this moment, their trip to Europe, and being eleven and in love.

As many times as he'd sung the song since the night he serenaded Christian from the front lawn of 697 Maple Street, he'd never recorded "Thinking Out Loud".

When he finished the first take, he let the guitar fade before thanking everyone for letting him record the song. The round of applause that followed was also recorded before the producer stopped and saved that moment in time for posterity.

Outside the studio, the boys were excited and nervous. They were heading back to the hotel for lunch and then to change into their nice clothes for meeting the Queen.

"Wait! Wait! I've got an idea!!" said Christian.

He took the boys to the corner and filled them in. "This is the crosswalk The Beatles were crossing on the cover of 'Abbey Road'. I wanna get a pic of you guys crossing the road."

Dodging the odd car, accommodating tourists, working around giggle fits and laughter, the boys walked back and forth across the crosswalk dozens of time, having fun the entire time. They changed the order they lined up, walked across barefoot, one time with Michael walking on his hands, goofing off making faces, group photos with their friends standing in the middle of the street. They even got the adults involved with the photo op.

"Are people starting to stop and watch?" asked Jacob. Zach looked around and noticed people pointing and some teens looking very excited. Dozens of people had cameras out filming the boys doing their thing.

Jacob brought the situation to Lars and Carol's attention and Zach wrangled the boys to wrap up and be prepared to sign some autographs. The tour bus was around the corner, and they headed that way, smiling and nodding at those taking photos. The tourists were waiting for someone to be the first to approach the boys and finally, a teen girl ran up to them and asked to take a selfie with the band. That burst the dam and people approached from all directions asking for selfies. Just as Jacob was about to step in to control the situation, Isaac, with his booming voice, got the attention of everyone. He had the fans line up while Carol and Lars were handed phones and cameras with which to take photos of the band with their fans. Christian, Scott, and Alejandro were even asked to join in the photos.

In the first photos the boys simply stood there. As time went on, they started throwing peace signs, cheeky smiles, goofy poses, and all sorts of different things to make people laugh and have fun.

Jacob was the most familiar with the city and its traffic. He interrupted the affair. "We're going to have to get going, folks," he said with his Irish accent. "The boys have to get ready. They on their way to meet the Queen!" That impressed everyone. They called out and said their goodbyes to the boys as they boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel.

Arriving at Buckingham Palace was intimidating. The grandeur of the building, the splendor of the rooms, the history witnessed by these walls, even for non-Brits, the honor of meeting the Queen was indescribable. The boys and adults sat quietly as a man had them practice the protocol and ran through the lists things they could do (a very short list) and the things they were not to do (a very long list). The hour spent preparing them to meet the Queen only succeeded in making them more nervous.

They were lined up and escorted to the semi-State room to meet Her Majesty. As they walked in, the Queen greeted them by name and shook their hand. She was smaller and frailer than Michael expected, but he realized he knew her more from historical videos and watching The Crown, than what he knew about her today.

Once everyone had been greeted, the Queen turned and took the hand of one of the boys. "Alejandro, I'm so happy you've been found. Your grandmother was devastated when you went missing."

Alejandro's mouth dropped open. When he gained his composure, he said, "Thank you...uh...your Majesty."

"You're such a handsome boy," she continued. "Just like your father. Please tell Elena I expect a visit the next time she is in London."

The Queen walked over to the spread of tea-time foods and the others followed as protocol. Michael ended up right next to the Queen in line as he eyed the different finger sandwiches. Not thinking about protocol, Michael asked, "Which are your favorites?"

The Queen turned and whispered to Michael, "The cream cheese and smoked salmon sandwiches. And I'm quite partial to the mini scones with a dab of clotted cream and strawberry preserves." Michael flashed her his trademark smile and dimples and made sure to sample each along with the cucumber sandwiches on rye and some cookies, or biscuits as the Brits would say.

The lady at the hotel was correct, they were invited to the Palace so the queen could apologize. She expressed how she was mortified someone would pull a stunt like that on anyone, especially on children.

She then turned the conversation to another topic. "As you may know I studied constitutional history and law. I heard that there are a couple other scholars of history in this room; particularly on democracies of the world."

Christian and Michael both blushed when she mentioned their school project. "Yes, your Majesty," answered Christian. "Michael and I did our honors Social Studies project together on the threats to democracy around the world."

"That is a very important topic," she said. "Would you please tell me more?"

The boys enthusiastically told her about their research, showed her photos of the booth and the different multimedia items they had built, and explained their findings.

"You boys are quite intelligent. It will take you, and many more like you to preserve and protect democracy. I may be getting old, but I am happy that there are young people such as yourselves to lead the world into the future."

Leaving the semi-State room, Michael and Christian stood a little taller and held their head a little higher, from the complement paid to them by Queen Elizabeth II. It was truly a day they would never forget, and they still had one last event that day, the last show of the tour.

The bus slowed to a crawl on its approach to their hotel at The O2. It was still 30 minutes before their soundcheck and the crowd surrounding the hotel and entrance to the concert venue were larger than the day before. Riot police were trying to control the mob while sightseers were milling around to see the protests. Crews from US and British news agencies were reporting on the events. During the day, the story about what happened at NMN2 exploded throughout the day. The morning started with the British government announcing the beginning of an investigation to determine if NMN2 should retain their license from OfCom. Then, the attorneys filing the lawsuit on behalf of the boys also held a press conference to rile the public to their cause. They announced they were suing NMN Media, the parent company of the radio station, for 500 million pounds. That was nearly 600 million US dollars for a company that only has about 75 million dollars in annual revenue. In a message the lawyers relayed to Carol and Majestic Enterprises, they should begin considerations on what to do with the company once ownership was transferred.

The bus could go no further. Security and the police coordinated to make a path for the boys to get to the hotel entrance. Intimidated, the group departed the bus to the shouts and cheers from the crowd. Though it was all in support of the boys, the protestors jostled for position to see the boys and shout their support creating a loud and chaotic atmosphere. The men lining the path looked as though they could be knocked down at any moment and the boys would be washed away in a flood of bodies. Any fun or excitement generated by the crowd vanished. They walked quickly, then ran to get into the safety of the hotel lobby.

A quick change and they were on their way to the stage for their soundcheck. There, they were informed they were cutting the soundchecks and practices short for both bands in order to open the doors early again. The boys were all business and were finished quickly. They greeted Brandon and the gang when they passed walking off stage. Before retiring to the green room, they met with the stage crew to give them notes for the instruments they'd need during Panic!'s encore.

As predicted, the crowd was even wilder for their final night in London, but the boys were more prepared. Tonight, when the announcement welcomed the crowd to the Majestic, Lukas hit the drum riff and Michael spoke to the crowd.

"What's up London?!" he shouted. The crowd roared back. "For our first visit to your beautiful city, we sure created a scene, didn't we?" The crowd laughed and cheered again. "By the way, the Queen says, 'Hi!'" The crowd went wild, and Matthew jumped in to start the song.

The band was on fire and the crowd responded. It was the last night and they'd agreed before the show to leave everything on the stage. They did save a little for the evening's final encore with their new friends, Brandon Urie and Panic! at the Disco.

When Brandon invited the boys back on stage during the final encore, they ran out on stage with instruments and took a quick bow. Tonight, the bands were going to play together. They cleared center stage and Michael adjusted his microphone. The crowd quieted down until they heard Michael open the song with the unforgettable guitar riff of "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters.

Not using a pedal to get the reverb on the original, it created a quiet, almost subdued melody. Michael added to that feeling with his understated vocals. It was almost like he was talking to the audience instead of singing. When the song got to the end of the first verse, the drum interlude introduced the rest of both bands on guitars as Michael belted out the transition to the chorus: "And I wonder, When I sing along with you." He motioned for the crowd to join him in singing a chorus that couldn't express what he felt better:

If everything could ever be this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I'll ever ask of you
You've got to promise not to stop when I say when
She sang

Michael put his guitar down and picked up his mic. As Brandon sang the next verse, Michael went around the stage and gave everyone a hug, wiping tears from his face. He was sad to see the tour end, he felt joy for their fans and new friends, he felt the love for his brothers and his friends, and more than anything, he felt alive. He ran off stage and returned with Scott, Alejandro, and Christian. Bringing them to the center of the stage, he hugged them, saving Christian for last. With Christian, he shared a kiss then mouthed, "I love you."

When the music ended after the mashup, the two bands traded hugs and laughter. With final waves to the audience, they walked off together.