Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 20:04:50 -0500
From: rhaven <rhavenlo@rhavenlore.com>
Subject: Beyond the Pale Chapter Eight

This story contains Man/Boy situations. This is a work of pure fiction,
words on a page, nothing more than fictional fancy.
The phrase `Beyond the Pale' is used to describe people that live an
unusual life... doesn't that depict us all?
If you like this story please check out www.rhavenlore.com for more.

Beyond the Pale
By Rhaven

CHAPTER EIGHT
Mason crawled out of bed; the night storm had passed, allowing the
morning sun to shine brightly on the new day. He staggered out of the
room and down the stairs. Mason wasn't surprised to wake up without
Victor. In the midst of his nightmares, he was aware of Victor getting
out of bed.
He smelled the breakfast before he saw it. Mason walked into the
kitchen to find Victor burning scrambled eggs.
"Good morning!" Victor said cheerfully, suddenly stopping and staring
blankly down at Mason. "You're wearing pajamas?"
Mason looked down at himself to make sure he had everything buttoned
correctly. "Yes, sir."
Victor looked confused, but returned to his eggs. "I hope you're
hungry, I've got eggs and bacon almost ready."
Mason sat down at the table and waited for Victor. The nightmare had
journeyed from his dreams to his waking mind. He could still hear
Victor's haunting laughter echoing through his mind.
"You're not feeling well are you?" Victor said as he placed a plate in
front of Mason. "Don't lie, I can tell."
Mason didn't have anything to say, so he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Nothing but rest for you today, young man." Victor felt of Mason's
forehead and frowned. "You don't have a fever, are you sick to your
stomach?"
"No."
Victor sat down and stared at his plate. After several minutes of no
one eating and deafening quiet, Victor pushed his plate away from him
and said. "It's about last night, isn't it?"
Mason shrugged his shoulders again.
"I--I don't know what to say." Victor stuttered, rubbing his forehead
with his hand. "I'm so sorry Mason... I'm so sorry."
Seeing Victor so miserable, broke Mason's heart, he didn't want to cry,
but the tears started flowing, no matter how hard he tried to stop them.
"All I can do is promise it will never happen again, Mason." Victor
said unable to look up at Mason. "I'll understand if you don't want..."
Victor cleared his throat loudly. "I guess you should know that I've
asked to become your legal guardian... but if you're uncomfortable living
with me, I'll understand."
Mason watched as Victor quickly stood. "I can't make excuses for what I
did; it was wrong... so fucking wrong. I betrayed your trust and that's
unforgivable."
Mason frowned, no longer crying, he was trying to figure out why Victor
was overreacting to what had happened last night. After Victor's long
apology, Mason wasn't sure that it was that big of a deal. All Victor
had done was say `go to sleep', maybe he didn't feel well or maybe he
was really sleepy. Mason couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?" Victor said sounding insulted by the laughter.
"It's not a problem." Mason said smiling. It suddenly hit Mason; Victor
was going to be his legal guardian. It sounded important, but he wasn't
sure exactly what that meant.
"What do you have to do when you're my legal guardian?"
Victor shook his head, stunned by Mason's simple question. "Don't you
understand Mason? I... I violated you last night. I touched you
inappropriately."
"What..." Mason spat, puzzled by what Victor had just said. "What are you
talking about?"
"Oh my God, Mason. I'm a monster don't you know that? What I did last
night was wrong!" Victor yelled.
"Why? What was wrong about last night? Was it something I did?" Mason
yelled back, he was feeling the panic swell up in his throat.
"Jesus, it's not your fault, Mason. All I can promise is that I will
never touch you again. God as my witness, I'll never touch you again.
Please don't hate me."
"What are you talking about?" Mason screamed, standing up so quickly
his chair crashed to the floor. "You didn't do anything wrong! You're
being stupid... STUPID!"
Victor sighed, and took a deep calming breath before speaking again. "I
know this is all confusing, you want to please me, make me happy. You
just don't understand how wrong I was last night. You shouldn't have to
endure my sick fantasies."
"I don't understand? Don't you... don't you love me anymore?" Mason
staggered back, gasping for breath. "Why are you saying all this? Why
are you doing this to me?"
"I took advantage of your love for me Mason, it won't happen again."
Victor whispered.
"Stop saying that! Stop it! You didn't do anything wrong... how could I
live without your touch?" Mason's voice broke as his tears started
again. The thought of Victor never touching him again terrified him.
Wouldn't that make Victor just like his grandfather? Mason turned away
from Victor and ran to the front door. He couldn't breath inside the
cabin, he had to find air. He wasn't sure where he was running to, he
just needed to get away from Victor. Nothing made sense, he loved the
way Victor had touched him. He needed Victor to touch him. He wanted
Victor to touch him more and to touch Victor more.
"Why is this happening to me?" Mason cried, finally stopping and
leaning against a tree. Ahead of him, Mason saw the dirt trail leading
to the field. He needed to see the sun, to know that there was still
warmth in the world somewhere. Once he stepped in the clearing, he fell
into the soft grass, exhausted from the powerful emotions.
"We make a strange pair, don't we?" Victor said sitting down next to
Mason. "Tell me what to do Mason. I don't know anymore, it seems every
move I make is wrong."
Mason sat up and looked up into the cloudless sky. "Can't we just be
happy?"
"If only it was that simple." Victor said with a short sad chuckle.
Mason yanked a handful of grass out of the ground. "Why can't it be? I
... I love you. I love being naked with you."
Victor moaned somberly and shook his head. "Mason, you're just a kid...
you don't understand what I've done, it's just not right."
"I understand I love you." Mason said as he started crying. "I
understand that you didn't do anything wrong... I touched you, does that
make me evil? I touched you..."
Victor lowered his head and sighed. "You touched me... you're touched my
heart. I've spent my whole life preparing to take over my father's
business. The more I trained the more I knew it wasn't the life I
wanted. However, I never said anything, I couldn't disappoint my
father... everything was for my father. I don't want to walk in his
shadow anymore."
Victor put his arm around Mason.
"Don't be your father... be Victor." Mason said.
"I don't know who Victor is." Victor whispered. Mason smiled weakly, he
had the answer, he may only be a kid, but he knew what to do, what to
say.
"I know who Victor is, I've seen him." Mason stood and looked down at
Victor. "He's that person who loves watching movies, who's an expert in
tickle attacks and snuggle time. He's the best back rubber ever and a
great singer. He gives the softest kisses and wonderful caresses.
Victor reads to me and likes my comic books." Mason continued talking,
though Victor was looking down, unable to look at him. "Victor is the
man I love and he loves me. He protects me, cares for me, and makes me
feel good. I know who Victor is, you're Victor, not your dad or a
monster... you're Victor."
Mason stood there quietly, waiting for Victor to say something. Slowly
Victor stood up and looked towards the sky. He closed his eyes and
inhaled slowly, breathing as if it was his first time. "That's what you
see when you look at me, even after I touched you?"
"I'm not a stupid little baby, Victor. I want to take baths with you, I
want to sleep with you and I don't want to wear pajamas." Mason tugged
at his pajama top disgustedly. Finally, Victor smiled and laughed
joyfully, filling the woods with the gentle sound.
"And I want to be with you, for every step I take, for every tear, for
every laugh, I want you to be there with me. I want you to be happy, to
feel safe, and to have the best life possible." Victor held out his
arms, Mason rushed to him, and they hugged.
"You've given me the best life ever." Mason whispered.
"How did I get so lucky having you in my life?" Victor asked laughing.
"Because of an oak tree." Mason said happily, rubbing his face into
Victor's chest. "We're both weird, that's why we belong together."
"Weird huh? Well, weird boy, why don't we head back to the cabin and
eat breakfast."
"Can we just have cereal?"
"What's wrong with my scrambled eggs?" Victor said acting insulted, but
his grin betrayed his true feelings.
Mason pulled off his pajama top and threw it to the ground.
Victor stopped walking and looked down at the discarded top. "Are you
going to leave that there?"
"I'm not going to wear them again." Mason giggled and started pulling
off the pajama bottoms. "Besides that, I look stupid in them."
Victor held onto Mason's arm as he pulled off the pajamas. "It was odd
seeing you wearing them. I... prefer you naked."
"That's because I'm so sexy looking." Mason laughed and started running
to the cabin.
"Hey! Slow down... oh what the hell." Victor raced after the boy, letting
him out run him to the cabin, both laughing, smiling with the knowledge
that this was a beginning of a grand adventure.

 Someday, a lone hiker will brush away years of fallen leafs to uncover
weather worn pajamas. Perhaps he will hold them up and ponder on their
origin, imagining the child that once wore them. Will he hear the
laughter, see the glowing smile on the boy's face, can he envision the
love filled life of the boy. Possibly the hiker will lovingly fold up
the forgotten pajamas, placing them sympathetically back on the ground
in solemn silence and respect, sensing the beauty connected to the
tattered clothes.
To go beyond the pale, to follow your heart, there is no other quest so
grand. Love after all, knows no boundaries. Love gives us breath and
life, love saves us all.
The question to ask is, do we find love or does love find us? Is it as
simple as an oak tree or as complicated as overcoming a tarnished soul?

The End