Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2005 13:31:13 EDT From: RitchChristopher@cs.com Subject: briarwood:the-clayton-clan-12 All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and explicit language, please exit now. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> "BRIARWOOD" aka "Whence Cometh My Help" R.S.V. A dramatic saga by Ritch Christopher * * * * literary enhancement by Les Martin <><><><><> BOOK TWO Chapter Thirteen <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> By the time Alex had finished his story, there were tears in his father's eyes. Walter brought Alex's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Alex, I am so sorry all that happened. But you've got to believe me--- NOTHING is EVER bad enough to take your life over. Couldn't you have trusted me enough to wait until I got home and discuss it?" "No, Dad. I was too embarrassed. I'd rather've died than face you and let you know what I'd done." "Alex, it's not all that bad. Some people live their lives in a normal way, doing that sort of thing every night." "Yeah, but I'm not like them...at least I hope I'm not...Dad, when can I go home?" "I think you can be discharged in a little while. They're still running a few tests." "What kind of tests...venereal disease...HIV?" "No, I don't think that was necessary since it was just Ted. The doctors just want to make sure all the toxins are gone. They'll need to monitor your liver a few months as a precaution." "Hepatitis?" "No, Alex. When a person takes too much Darvocet, or any narcotic, for that matter, there's always a chance of damage to your liver. So you just let me know if you have any irregularities in your bowel movements and we can contact the doctor about it." "Dad...How much does Jeff know?" "I really haven't told him anything except they had pumped your stomach for possible food poisoning." "And Ted...or his dad?" "I called Bruce and told him you were in the hospital. Since you told me about Ted, I'm glad I didn't know any more to tell him. I will talk to Bruce and he in turn'll talk to Ted." "Dad, do you have to?" "Alex, Bruce and I have been like brothers for over thirty years...just like Ted and you, and I feel I can talk to Bruce about anything." "Then can I ask you something?" "Of course, son. What is it?" "Did you and Uncle Bruce ever do anything like what Ted and I did?" "I could evade that question or I could lie about it, but since you know I've never lied to you...I'll have to say 'yes' in response to your inquiry." "You mean you did things to each other?" "Alex, all boys experiment with each other when they're kids...best friends...cousins...brothers..." "Brothers? Do you think I've done anything like that with Jeff?" "No...but if you had...it wouldn't've shocked me." "And Dad?...About that tape." "I think we should leave that topic for another discussion. I should be angry with you for prying through my things...but under the circumstances, I'll forget about it this time." "I'm sorry, Dad. If I hadn't found that tape and Ted hadn't got so turned on watching it...maybe nothing would've ever happened." "At least not then...It might have happened sooner or later..." "Why do you say that?" "Alex, it's a part of a boy's rite of passage into manhood." "You mean Jeff will go through it too?" "Probably...and since you made it through...without successfully killing yourself...maybe you can prepare Jeff for it so he won't go through the same guilt feelings you had." "But Dad, all I could think about was 'What would Mother think?' and wondering if she could see me?" "Your mother would have understood. She was very open-minded about such things." "But do you think I ought to pray and ask God for forgiveness? I mean, I heard the preacher say that doing things like that could cause you to go to Hell." "I think he only said that because he had probably done some 'boy things', too, when he was young...Alex, Alex, Alex, I'll keep saying it over and over...what you and Ted did was perfectly normal. I'm just sorry I've avoided talking with you about it." "Well, there's no mention in the Bible about boys doing things like that." "The Bible talks about how David loved Jonathan and David went into a deep depression when his son, Absalom, was killed by getting his hair tangled in a tree branch while he was riding on his horse." "You mean David and Jonathan were boyfriends?" "It's possible. Did you ever wonder why there's a blank space in the history of Jesus? We know nothing about him from the time he was twelve in the temple until he was thirty years old, when he started his ministry...Nothing about his adolescence or coming of age." "I'd never thought of that." "There's a lot you've never thought about...and a lot of things we've never talked about...but it's not too late. Now I'll go to the nurses' desk and see about getting you discharged and we'll go home." "Thanks, Dad." <><><><><><><><> When Alex and his dad arrived home, Jeff met them at the front door. Jeff looked at Alex, but it seemed Jeff was seeing his brother from afar, maybe from a new angle. The three Claytons had a light dinner and Alex told his dad and Jeff that he would like to go to his room and rest. Alex's mind was still spinning as lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to put together all the pieces of all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. About 10:00 PM, Alex heard a light tap on his door. It was Jeff. "Alex? Do you mind if I come in?" "No, come on in...I was just lying here, thinking." "Could you tell me anything about what happened?...Was it something you ate at school that made you sick and pass out while you were trying to vomit?" "I don't know...it might have been those fish sticks they served in the cafeteria." "Boy, I'm glad I had the meat loaf. Do you feel all right now?" "Much better." "How do they pump your stomach? Do they use something like a vacuum cleaner?" "Sorta...only the hose is smaller...so it can fit down your throat." "Gee, that sounds horrible." "It was, Jeff, believe me...I'm just glad you found me in the bathroom when you did. Otherwise, we might not be having this conversation. You saved my life...Did you know that?" "No, but I'm glad I did." "Jeff...since Mother died, we've grown up side by side but we've never really been close. We never talk and tell each other things...Why is that, do you suppose?" "I don't know." "Do you ever have things you wanna talk about or things you want to know the answers to, but don't know who to ask?" "Yeah...sometimes." "Do you ever talk to Dad about any of these things?" "Not really." "Well, starting now. I want us to be closer. Anything you're wondering about or any problem you may have...you bring it to me and we'll try to solve it together...and if we can't, we'll go to Dad, together." "Thanks, Alex." Jeff's big brother started to look like...well, a real big brother...something Jeff realized he'd always wanted. "Jeff, has Dad ever talked to you about sex?" "Gosh, no...There have been things I wanted to ask him about, but I never had the nerve." "Things like what?...Come on...we can start now...NO secrets...Let's not hide our thoughts...we're brothers and we can tell each other anything...Now, what kind of things did you want to know about?" "Oh, I heard some girls at school talking about "the curse" or "time of the month" and when I found out it was something called menstruation, I looked it up in the encyclopedia and it still didn't make sense." "Okay, that's one thing...What else?" "I wondered why I always wake up with my penis hard...and why I sometimes wake up and have this white sticky stuff all over my stomach and on my sheets." "I can answer that one. I read about it. It's called a nocturnal emission." "What the heck is that?. The only 'nocturnal' I know about is an owl. So don't try to tell me I wake up with owl shit on my stomach!" "You clown! When a guy starts going through puberty, you know starts getting to be a man, he starts growing hair on different parts of his body and his glands start maturing and you get these sexual ideas in your head and it's like sneezing. When your nose gets filled up with snot, it tickles and your body want to get rid of the nasal fluid...and well...you sneeze. You have no control over it. It just happens. The same things happen in your sex glands. During the night sometimes, your body builds up a fluid in your balls and your dick can't stop it from wanting to come out...and so, while you're asleep...your dick kind of sneezes." "No wonder it wakes me up! Why doesn't it ever sneeze when you're awake?" "When you're awake, you have to make it want to sneeze. You know, like sniffing black pepper. You whiff it and then you sneeze." "Well, can I make my penis sneeze when I want it to?" "Sure. It's called masturbation...or jerking off...or beating off...Do you know what I'm talking about?" "No. But it sounds dumb." "All right...sometimes when you're watching a sexy scene in a movie or you see a picture of a naked woman, do you feel your dick getting hard?" "Yeah." "Well, if you take your dick, or maybe I should call it your penis, in your hand while it's hard and rub it...it sneezes...or as they say in the medical books...it ejaculates...it has an orgasm, or in our terms, it's called cumming." "Wow! You mean if I just rub it, it'll sneeze?" "Yes, if you rub it long enough" "Do you make yours sneeze?" "Sometimes...but I don't call it sneezing. I masturbate and reach a climax." "Good gosh! How often do you do it?" "Nearly every night. I find it's a way to relieve tension in my body and when I ejaculate, I relax all over." "Can you do it whenever you want to?" "Pretty much." "I might try that when I go to bed." "If you succeed, don't feel guilty about it. It's a normal thing. Dad told me so." "Darn! You've talked to Dad about this?" "Yes." "Heck, he's never said one word to me about it." "Maybe he thought you were too young," "Too young? Alex, my penis has been getting hard way since before I became a teenager...Will you promise not to laugh if I tell you something?" "I told you that from now on we wouldn't keep secrets from each other." "Well, all this talking about sex and stuff has made me hard. I'm hard right now." "Well, then you shouldn't have any problem when you go to your room. You've already got a head start." "I...uh...think I'm ready to go to bed...now." Alex smiled at Jeff and said, "All right, little brother, go on to bed and have a good time...and let me know how things turn out." Jeff ran to his bedroom and shut the door. Alex lay there amused at his and Jeff's first man-to-man conversation. His dad was right. It did seem normal to talk about such things...especially to his own brother...Maybe that's all Ted was trying to do yesterday...teach him about things Alex had wondered about. Suddenly Alex wondered why he got so angry and upset? He had to apologize to Ted, but Alex knew he couldn't if Ted found out about his overdosing. Also, why was his dad so evasive about the tape with the father and son having sex. Could Ted have been telling the truth about his 'Uncle' Bruce and his dad? Walter was so eager to console Alex, trying to make him believe that everything Ted and he had done was okay. It was like his dad was giving his approval to do it again. Dad's attitude was certainly not what Alex had expected. Alex was NOT going to masturbate tonight. He had taken one of those little pink pills and that's all he would need to relax himself tonight...although he did put his hand on his penis and gave it a quiet rub before falling asleep. It must have been 1:00 AM when Alex felt someone waking him. "Hey, Alex!" whispered Jeff, excitedly, "I did it." "What?" "I menstruated!" "You did WHAT?" "I went to bed and my penis was still hard like it was when I left you...and I took all my clothes off and started rubbing it and I grabbed it in my hand and started pumping it up and down and I started shaking all over and I broke out in chill bumps and I thought I was gonna pee in the bed...but I didn't...that white stuff shot out of my penis and got all over me and made a real mess in the bed...and Alex, I menstruated for the first time." Alex didn't want to embarrass him by laughing but he was ready to burst out loud. "Jeff, you didn't menstruate...You masturbated." "Well, whatever...I did it any way...and oh man, did it feel good!" "I'm happy for you, little buddy." "Heck, when I think of what I've been missing...I never would have known if you hadn't told me. That's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me!" "Well, be careful...it can become a habit." "How long do I have to wait until I can do it again?" "Weeks...months...maybe a year..." "You're bullshitting me! Now tell me the truth...How long till I can do it again?" "I've heard with some guys, it only takes a minute or two...and they can do it again." "Oh, man...I wanna try and see if I can do it again, right now. Do you mind if I get in the bed with you?" "Oh, no! I don't want your white stuff all over MY sheets." "Well, then, let me go to the clothes hamper and get an old dirty towel or something I can spread out to keep from messing up your bed." "Jeff, I don't think this is a good idea." "Why not? I'm just taking you at your word...NO SECRETS!!!...Isn't that what you made me promise?" "Yes, I suppose." "Well, I want to share the biggest secret of my life with you!" "Oh, all right...go get your dirty towel." Alex thought, 'Dear God, I hope Dad is asleep and didn't wake up to see Jeff running down the hall stark naked toward the clothes hamper! This time DAD would put me in the hospital if he thought I was repeating Ted's and my actions with my kid brother'. Jeff was back in a flash. "Can we turn on a light?" he asked. "Yeah, but not a bright one...that three way bulb on the lamp beside the bed is only 25 watts on the first click. Don't click it up any higher. Twenty-five watts should be enough to see what all you want to see." When Jeff turned around to get back in bed, Alex realized he had paid no attention to how much his little brother had matured. He'd never even noticed him being naked before. When you grow up with someone and see them every day, you don't notice changes taking place...especially since Alex had never been curious about the male anatomy...in particular his own flesh and blood. But this little guy was not so little in the penis department. Alex was older by two years and Jeff had already matched his older brother in length. Jeff's legs, arms, and chest had become more muscular...more than Alex's...but then Jeff worked out with the school wrestling team, while Alex kept his nose in books. "All right, Alex, if I'm gonna be naked...you have to take all your clothes off too....NO SECRETS!...Remember?" Alex didn't know why he was embarrassed. Jeff and he had seen each other's naked bodies for fifteen years...and now suddenly, Alex hesitated taking off his shorts in front of Jeff. This nervous trepidation was causing Alex's penis to become aroused. He couldn't show himself this way to his brother...but Jeff was already naked and hard, and proud of showing Alex his prize package. "Alex, you're hard too...and your thing...it's about the same size as mine...Here, come over closer to me and let's put them together and measure." Thoughts ran through Alex's head at a swift pace, 'Jesus! Could this be happening? If this had happened yesterday with Ted I would have foregone the pills and jumped into the path of the nearest oncoming truck. Am I actually offering my penis to my brother for ridicule?' If Jeff's was larger, Alex would never hear the end of it. But it was too late to withdraw. The contest had begun. Jeff put his penis on top of Alex's as their erections reached toward each other's patch of pubic hair. "I dunno, Alex...I can't tell. I think they're both the same size...Whaddya think?" "They look the same size to me, Jeff." "As long as yours is on top of mine, let me see if I can masturbate them together....see how that feels..." Jeff began stroking their organs together, one on top of the other, while using only one hand. "You put 'em together like this and I bet we could get in the Guinness Book of World Records by having the biggest penis...Does this feel as good to you as it does to me?" Jeff said, proudly. "I guess...just don't get too carried away and make a mess all over me AND the bed." "Why not? I remember when we were just little kids, you stuck both of our thumbs with one of Mother's sewing needles and made 'em bleed and pressed them together so that we would be blood brothers." "And now is it your wish that we become 'cum' brothers?" "Something like that, but we don't have to bleed or anything like that...no needles or knives...just our 'man weapons'!" "Good God, Jeff, I think I've turned you into a monster or a sex maniac." "Good gosh, Alex, I've only jacumated one time in my whole life." "That's 'e-jac-u-lated', Jeff." Jeff just looked up, then continued with the double jerk-off. "Hey, can I touch you down there too?" Jeff was indicating Alex's scrotum. "Do you think I could stop you?" "No, but I wanted to ask you first." With his free hand, Jeff reached down and cupped Alex's sac. "Oh, man, this feels so funny having my hand full of balls and I can't feel them because they're not mine...Here, you take your hand and feel mine, too." Alex couldn't believe he was experiencing tonight practically the same things that almost cost him his life yesterday. What was different this time? Why wasn't he feeling shame or guilt? Was it because the doctor and his dad had rid him of his fears? Something had happened...and something WAS happening... "Alex, do you think we could time it just right and ejaculate at the same time? That would be so much fun if we could." "I don't know, Jeff. I took a tranquilizer at bedtime and I'm not sure if I can reach a climax." "Well, try any way...okay?" "I'll do the best I can," Alex was wrong. He could feel a his testicles welling up. But he had no way of holding off until he knew he was ready. Alex had to stall for time, some way. "Jeff, I wanna show you something. But I want you to turn the light off first." "Okay...what is it?" "Just shut up and close your eyes." "You mean there's more than this?" "I said to shut up." The three-way bulb had to go through a complete cycle from 25 to 100 to 150 watts, filling the room with ugly light...and once again, it was black...pitch black. Alex had fixed his room so that no light could intrude, shortly after his Mother's death, so he could sleep more soundly. And in that moment of darkness, when no one could see him, Alex felt an urge to try what he had seen the father and son doing on the video, only he felt better doing it with his willing brother than his best friend Ted. Alex knelt on his knees and nervously attempted his first try at oral sex. Yesterday, even the thought of this had been disgusting to him...but now, it seemed like the right thing to do. "Oh, my lord, Alex...what are you doing? Is that your mouth?" Alex ignored him and kept working his brother's organ. Alex couldn't believe he was actually enjoying this. He wanted his brother in this obscene way. Jeff had always looked up to Alex and Alex could do no wrong in his little brother's eyes. Alex guessed it felt right because Jeff not only trusted him with his newly found private life, but Jeff loved Alex...and that seemed right too. It was only a couple of seconds more till Jeff reached the second orgasm of his life. Alex took his brother's liquid love because he wanted a part of Jeff to be inside him forever, flowing through his veins and pumping in and out of his heart. Jeff cried out and his body became tense as he held his breath until the thrill was finally over. "How was that, sport?" "Alex, my gosh, where did you learn to do that?" "I told you...I read a lot." "They tell you in books how to do that?" "Yeah, they got movies too. that show you just what to do!" "You've seen movies of guys doing that?" "Yeah...if you behave...maybe I'll borrow one some time and show it to you." "You mean they have tapes like that at Blockbuster?" "No, probably not at 'BB', but I know where to find one." "Then I'll behave and be extra nice to you." "Okay." "Want me to start now?" "Start what?" "Being extra nice to you." "What do you have in mind?" "Let me do to you what you just did to me." "Oh, no!" "Please...Alex, it feels so good! I want to see if I can do it. Remember?...NO SECRETS!...Let me show you!" "Oh God, I wish I had never talked to you about 'no secrets'!" Jeff dropped to his knees and did his best to repeat Alex's ministrations that Jeff had just enjoyed. Jeff was smart and a quick learner because in the excitement of Jeff's reciprocation, Alex's orgasm came quicker than Jeff's. The room was still pitch dark, but Jeff looked up at his brother and proclaimed, "Now, you're inside my body and I am inside yours for all times." It was an extreme bond of brotherhood they had formed or perhaps just another step in their 'rite of passage' as Walter had called it. "Okay, little brother...beddy-bye...it's time you went and got in your own bed." "Not tonight. Dad told me to look in on you to see if you were all right and, if you would let me, I was to crawl in bed and sleep with you. For some strange reason, he said he didn't want you spending the night by yourself...so I'm just doing what dad told me to do." "Okay...you can sleep with me, but we're not doing anything else tonight...got it?" "Got it...but can we sleep naked together?" "I suppose...we know longer have anything to hide from each other." Jeff got into Alex's bed and snuggled his back closely to Alex's front. Alex suddenly felt a stir in his private parts and turned over immediately with his back to Jeff's back. 'Getting to know your brother' had gone far enough for one night! Alex had no intention of exploring other phases of male sexuality, especially with his own brother. Alex decided he would be in the bathroom searching for another bottle of pills...and so would Jeff. Luckily, they both soon fell asleep back-to-back, but aware of a change in both their lives. . <><><><><><><> At breakfast the next morning, Jeff had the glow of a new bride on the morning after 'the night before'. He would look at Alex, turn red, and giggle when he thought that Walter wasn't looking at him. Alex avoided Jeff's glances at all costs. Walter would never approve of what they had done...Or would he?...Was this some master plan of their dad's to rid Alex of his guilt or was it a way for Alex to initiate his brother into the throes of pubescent manhood? Dad soon broke the tension in the room by asking... "You boys have anything planned this weekend?" "I do, Dad," Jeff spoke up, "I'm suppose to spend Friday and Saturday nights at Earl Freeman's. His dad got us tickets to the WWF wrestling match on Friday and then we were going to see that new Tom Cruise space movie Saturday night." "What did you have in mind, Dad?" Alex asked. "I was talking to Bruce this morning and he wanted to know if we wanted to pack up his Winnebago and go trout fishing this weekend...just us guys. If Jeff already has plans, it would just be you, me, Bruce and Ted, It might make you feel better to get out in the open woods," "I don't know, Dad...I mean...well...you know...Ted?...and all?..." "That's one of the reasons I wanted to go off together and clear the air, We haven't had an all-guy outlet in a long time." "Are you having problems with Ted, Alex?" Jeff asked. "Not really...we...we...sorta asked the same girl out...to...to go to the school dance....and she decided to go with me...and he's kinda pissed." Dad raised an eyebrow as Alex lied to Jeff but then he spoke up. "Then that's more than all the reason why we should go off together...you guys can talk things out and get things back to normal." "Yeah, Alex, best friends shouldn't keep 'no secrets' from each other. You oughta tell each other everything...the way you and I do," Jeff said with a smile. "Jeff, when did you become so philosophical?" Walter asked. "I guess it just sorta runs in this family," Jeff said, authoritatively. "How about it, son, do you think you're up to going on a fishing trip?...Remember, Bruce and I will be there to referee if you and Ted should come to blows." "Dad, I have no reason to fight Ted." "Good...then it's settled. I'll call Bruce and tell him to gas up the Baygo." "Jeff, are you sure you don't want to change your plans and come with us?" "And miss seeing Lorelei and Chanteuse wrestle each other? Dad. they've both got boobs out to here...and when they wrestle they don't wear bras or anything up top and when they get to sweatin' you can see their nipples trying to break through their bathing suits." "Alex, was that your brother just talking?...Is he the younger son I have raised?...Where, oh where did I go wrong?" Walter exclaimed in an overly dramatic tone. "Dad, maybe one of those promoters will see Jeff and sign him up with the WWF and we won't ever have to see him again...except when he comes home on tours." "That's not a bad idea...He could make millions and support all of us!" After the laughter stopped, Walter sat there looking at his two boys. "I don't want to get maudlin, but I am so happy to have the two sons that I have. I've never had to worry about you smoking or drinking or doing drugs. For this I thank you...and for many, many more reasons, I love you both. Your mother would be so proud...just as I am." "We love you too, Dad...and you've always been there for us...both of us." "I like to sit here and just look at you two. You get along so well. And today...you're getting along TOO well...Did you guys have a talk or something last night...or should I say...early this morning?" "No, Dad, I fell asleep around ten last night," Alex lied. "I thought I heard noises coming from your room around one-thirty this morning. I looked in on Jeff to see if he was all right...but it was funny...he wasn't sleeping in his bed...Where were you, Jeff?" "I, uh, did like you told me...I went in and slept with Alex." "And what were those strange noises that I heard?" "I don't know, Dad. I was asleep so it must've been Jeff farting." "Well, if that's what it was, no wonder it woke me up...Hurry up,Jeff, you'll be late for school, and if anyone asks where Alex is, just tell them he's had an upset stomach. I've already called the school secretary and told her he would be absent for a couple of days, under doctor's orders...Now scat!!" Jeff ran out the backdoor, letting the screen slam as he went. Walter left for work about an half hour later. Alex went into the living room to watch morning TV. He clicked from channel to channel, seeing bits and hearing blurbs from "Mr., Rogers", "Live with Regis". "The Rosie Show". and several boring court shows, but one in particular..."Judge Joe Brown" with this extremely good looking policeman whom they called Anthony. Alex's eyes zeroed in on the cop and Alex looked at the freshly ironed uniform covering what appeared to be an over-developed chest and blue eyes and deep dimples like Brad Pitt or Eddie Cibrian on "Third Watch". He kept waiting for the camera to take another shot of the hunky policeman. Then Alex went over and threw in a blank tape in the VCR to capture his image. Then he thought, "What the fuck am I doing? I had my first homosexual experience just two days ago and it upset set me so much, I wound up in the emergency room? Why was a 'policeman' suddenly turning me on?" Alex watched the rest of the show and let "The Price Is Right" continue while hitting the "stop" button on the VCR. He was still disturbed by his new feelings. He went over to the computer and started surfing the web. He clicked on 'Encyclopedia'; looked up the word, 'homosexual' and saw the preferred synonym was 'gay'. He wondered why? So he entered the word 'gay' on Google search and up popped thousands of sites to visit...a lot of them were free. An hour later, Alex had increased his vocabulary knowledge by 'twinks', 'hunks', 'studs', and had seen pictures he still couldn't believe. There were photos of guys about his age and some even younger. What bothered him even more is that, as he kept probing into this 'twilight' world, his penis was getting more erect with each web page. He decided he'd better settle on a good one and masturbate before he shot in his pajamas....Which one?...There were thousands to choose from. A resurgence of guilt hit him and he suddenly wondered if being turned on by pictures of naked guys was a sign that HE was gay? Alex had never done anything like that before. Sure, he had looked at dirty pictures while jacking off, but they were always girls or naked women, but these photos were strictly male. His curiosity was perked even more, by wondering if there were any more gay tapes in his dad's closet. Maybe if he was careful and remembered to put everything back in its proper place, he could get away with it and his dad would never know. He hurried to his dad's closet and rummaged through Walter's private stash, seeing nothing unfamiliar. Then he noticed an old suitcase his dad had had since his college days. It was hidden in the back of the closet underneath some blankets and shoes. Alex untriggered the locks to reveal a hidden treasure. It was filled with men's muscle magazines, pornographic pictures and paperback books. There were rubbers inside and a jar of Vaseline and a rubber replica of a huge penis...with balls and everything. His hands shook with his discovery. First, it was a turn-on just to look at all this male debris and, secondly, he was nervous, wondering how all this stuff came into his dad's possession. Was his dad gay? Had Walter had an affair with 'Uncle' Bruce? Did Mom know? Is he STILL gay? Alex's head was spinning with unanswered questions. He couldn't let his dad know that he had uncovered the hidden treasure chest filled with secrets. Alex couldn't let Walter know he suspected his dad of homosexual acts. Alex was faced with a dilemma----he really couldn't let Walter know anything, but Alex knew he would have to find out some other way, Then the light bulb turned on over his head. THE CAMPING TRIP!!! Walter had planned all this with Uncle Bruce!! But why? Was this part of Ted's and Alex's education? In many ways, Alex was relieved that Jeff had other plans. But what did his dad and Ted's have in store for them this weekend? His heart was pounding in his chest in anticipation--and fear. Alex quickly slammed the old suitcase shut, locked it, and made sure that everything appeared to be untouched. When he was satisfied, Alex closed the closet and went back into the living room and then replayed the tape he had recorded of Anthony the cop. God! Was Anthony ever sexy! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> (To be continued in "Briarwood" BOOK TWO-chapter fourteen)