This Story is intended for a mature audience only. Redistribution without permission is forbidden. This is a work of fiction for artistic enjoyment, feedback welcome. Vlad885 (at) hotmail (dot) com
"It's ok honey" Emmett consoled as his old friend paced the lawyer's waiting room.
It had been almost two weeks since Mark was snatched from him and only now was he getting in to see his lawyer. He knew the man was fitting him in over the Christmas holidays but he was still stressed at the lack of information. Finally Bernie appeared in the doorway and waved them in.
"Thanks for seeing us Bernie" Emmett said as they all sat down.
"So what's the story?" Ted blurted wanting to get right down to business. He appreciated Emmett being there but he knew the man would waste their time chatting if he wasn't direct.
"Well guys I'll lay it out for you but there's a lot of information I'm not privy to" Bernie began.
"What ever you know," Ted urged him on.
"Mark is being held as a material witness to the sexual assault of himself and another boy allegedly by a Blaine Brannon," Bernie reported.
"Blaine" Ted muttered through is clenched teeth.
"You had suspicions?" Bernie asked
"I should have" Ted replied.
"Now since I don't represent either the victim or the accused I can't get access to much information" Bernie advised
"Don't you represent Mark?" Emmett asked
"No, Mark isn't charged with anything and his welfare is now the duty of children's services" Bernie explained.
"He has no legal standing?" Ted quizzed
"He's not in jail Ted, he's being protected. I could look into an advocate for him but for the most part they side with children's services on the majority of issues" The lawyer advised.
"Protected from who, I assume Blaine's been arrested?" Ted asked.
"Yes, Blaine is in jail but the police consider you a potential suspect Ted. The other alleged victim is at home with his mother." Bernie advised.
"Me?" Ted was stunned to hear that he was in any way accused.
"Again, I don't have access to any evidence but the police and children's services consider you a serious enough threat to get a judge to sign the custody order. Now we can go to court and challenge it but the police investigation and the children's services enquiry will have to be completed first anyway. Now if the police decide to charge you Ted then I'll have to refer you to a criminal lawyer" Bernie advised.
"Charge me with what?" Ted snapped
"I don't know Ted, all I can assume is that it would be related to Blaine's alleged assault on Mark." Bernie replied
"I can't believe this" Ted said holding his head in his hands.
"How can they just take Mark away if Ted's not charged with anything?" Emmett asked.
"They have the authority to protect Mark against a potential threat Emmett. Even if you're not charged Ted children's services could still ask for permanent custody of Mark. They don't need the same level of proof for criminal activity to consider you an unfit parent," Bernie explained.
"So what can we do? Can we get visits with him at least?" Ted said pushing the conversation forward.
"I think we wait for now. Once the police investigation is over then we'll see what children's services wants to do. If they want to keep him then we go to court. As for visits I'll ask for supervised visitation but it's at their discretion so don't get your hopes up," Bernie explained.
"Ok, so what are the scenarios here" Ted asked ever the analyst.
"Well, best case Blaine pleads guilty and clears you. They would likely have to just give Mark back at that point. Having said that I'm sure Blaine's lawyer will want to push for the best deal they can before doing so. Worst case it goes to trial and Mark has to testify. Now I want to be clear with you two, this isn't something that's going to get fixed soon. Realistically it's going to be months at least, if they go to trial more than a year for sure" Bernie reported.
"A year!" Emmett reacted.
"So we just have to wait," Ted snapped impatiently.
"Yes for now we wait, once the situation becomes clearer then we can act. There is a scenario I want you to consider in the mean time. The court might consider a petition from Mark's relatives for temporary custody," Bernie suggested.
"The Edwards" Ted said flatly.
"They may of course not want to give Mark up when this is all over but at least he'd be with them and out of the system" Bernie continued.
"I could take him," Emmett suggested.
"Sorry Emm, it would have to be someone close to Mark but not to Ted. A relative is ideal, I think that's our only option" Bernie explained.
"I don't trust them," Ted advised.
"We do need to think about what's best for Mark and once he turns sixteen he can do what he wants. They won't be able to keep him after that" Bernie noted.
"Thanks Bernie, let me know if you get any other information" Ted said in closing
"It's not going to be quick Ted so please don't get your hopes up. One more thing, don't talk to the media, they won't be friendly to the cause of a gay father and his allegedly sexually assaulted son." Bernie replied.
Emmett and Ted walked back towards the Pet shop. Ted wasn't planning to get back to work today he'd already taken personal time off knowing he was seeing Bernie.
"Don't worry Ted it's going to be all right" Emmett consoled his old friend.
"I don't know Emm, I think I've lost him" Ted replied despondently.
"It's not your fault Ted, we'll get him back" Emmett encouraged.
"It is my fault Emm, I'm the one who got him involved with that guy" Ted challenged
"How were you to know, you're a good father," Emmett continued
"Hardly, I should have been more attentive. The kid accused me of bed hopping and what do I do? I take him on a cruise so I can get laid! He's beating kids up at school and apparently he's became a junior slut on his own! I'm no role model here Emm" Ted completed his tirade.
"Mark's a smart confident young man Ted, but he's a teenager, he's going to experiment he's going to make mistakes. We'll get him back Ted" Emmett said more forcefully than Ted had heard him in a long time.
***
Mark thought he looked stupid in the tracksuit they'd given him to wear. He wasn't the only one in the silly blue outfit. It seemed standard issue for those arriving without luggage. The place was ok but there were a lot of locked doors and not much to do really. They couldn't leave so the only activities were video games and TV, aside from his hour a day in what was likely the gym back when the place was a school of some sort.
Mark moved into a smaller room a couple of days after arriving. It was explained that kids move out the facility frequently and that the bunk bed room was just a temporary place. The room itself wasn't bad, it was bare except for the two beds and dresser but it was clean. Mark had the room all to himself right now but he knew that the other bed would be filled at some point.
Mark walked down the hall to the TV room to dull the boredom. He pressed the button on the wall to indicate his desire to enter and a staff member triggered the magnetic lock to release. He was supposed to go see the police again tomorrow, that would at least be some change but he found their constant questions to be both boring and frustrating. He was beginning to worry about his father and what he might be going through. He had asked to call him but was told that he wasn't allowed to contact anyone. It seemed the response to almost every question he asked was `ask your social worker' but he hadn't seen one of those since the day he arrived.
After getting bored Mark left the TV room and went back to his bedroom. He discovered another teen had moved in while he was away. A dark haired boy of mixed race was lying on the other bed.
"Hi, I'm Mark" He greeted
The teen laughed at the formal introduction. Mark thought the dark skinned male was perhaps 15 or 16.
"What you in for?" The boy returned.
"They took me from my dad, they want me to say he abused me" Mark replied.
"Yeah they expect me to rat on my homies," His roommate reported.
"What are those cuts on your wrists?" Mark asked out of concern.
The unnamed teen laughed again. "Cops put the handcuffs on real tight, figure you'll talk quicker. They'll do that to you too, they got all kinda stuff they do"
Mark was suddenly scared. He'd always tough the police were constrained by specific rules but who would report them, surely not other cops. At this point Mark considered himself like a prisoner of war, he would give no information to the enemy.
Mark was tired and climbed under the covers but he wasn't relaxed enough with the strange boy in the room to actually sleep. He watched intently as the older teen stripped down for bed. Mark wondered if the rumors about black people having bigger dicks were true. While this boy was obviously not fully black Mark was still curious. The teen got into bed just as the lights went out automatically, as they did every night at 10. Mark lay still as he thought about his upcoming police interrogation. He wondered what tactics they might use. Mark figured that telling them anything would be a mistake, once they got into it, they would twist his words and find a way to blame Ted. If what they said was true that Blaine had told them everything then why would they need him to say anything, he wondered.
***
Ted arrived at a café a couple of days before new years. He looked around and found the man he was there to see.
"Thanks for seeing me professor" Ted greeted as he sat down.
"I'm glad to be of some help" Jason's uncle replied
"We're you able to find anything out?" Ted pressed.
"Yes, most of its about Blaine I'm afraid. There's not much online information with Children's services. Blaine is charged with sexually assaulting Mark and another boy, making and distributing child pornography," Professor Beech advised.
"Oh my god, it just gets worse" Ted lamented.
"Well you see that's the problem right there. In one of the videos Mark called your name out, that's why the cops are so interested in getting Mark or Blaine to turn on you." The man explained.
"I was never there during any of that stuff," Ted pleaded.
"They don't know that, there could other movies they haven't found. So they'll work on Mark until he breaks, they've had him in for questioning twice now. I think the investigators are getting frustrated with him. The notes say things like `uncooperative, purposely difficult and unlikely to testify'. Mark probably doesn't get that if he turns on Blaine then you could likely be cleared as there's currently no evidence against you." The professor advised.
"And there won't be" Ted interrupted.
"Unless Blaine says something to help himself by hurting you" The man replied.
"Will Mark be charged with anything?" Ted wondered.
"I doubt it, they want him to testify, once they charge him with obstruction or assaulting the other boy then he'd be unavailable for that. If they give up on him testifying then maybe they'd try and charge him but they really want Blaine," The professor replied.
"Do you know where Mark is?" Ted asked.
"Yes, he's in a holding facility they use for kids in protective custody. They use it mostly for material witnesses, like gang snitches. They won't keep him there much longer though. I expect they'll send him to a group home in another city, that way he won't be able to just come back to you but can still go to school and such. When Mark contacts you, ask him where he is, even the name of his school would be enough"
"Won't you know?" Ted interrupted
"No once he's out of the police system I won't have any info on that. You also need to tell him not to run away. If he does we won't be able to help him and once they find him, it will be back to a closed facility. If he does show up at your place call the police right away, you don't want to be charged" Professor Beech advised.
"Is there any way we can help him?" Ted asked
"Well there's not much we can do, we can't snatch him he'd be missed and it's not like he can just come back and live with you I'm sure someone would come looking. As strange as this sounds, our best way to help Mark is to help Blaine. If he pleads guilty or should the video evidence go missing then Mark might not have to testify then they wouldn't need him anymore" The former spy explained as he sipped on his coffee.
"Then I'd just have to deal with Children's services" Ted lamented.
"They won't care at that point. If Mark isn't saying you abused him then they'll be happy to get rid of another mouth to feed. You'll just have to put up with unannounced visits by social workers for a while" The professor said putting a different spin on things compared to Ted's lawyer.
"So I guess I just wait. Thanks for everything professor" Ted closed.
Ted went home thinking about what the professor had said and he decided that he couldn't just sit around and wait, he needed to make some effort to help Mark. He picked up the phone and made a call.
"Mr. Edwards, Ted Taylor" Ted greeted.
"Ted, we were surprised when Mark didn't call us at Christmas, I hope everything is alright?" The man asked
"No actually it's not, Mark needs your help Bill" Ted said before advising the man of the recent events.
***
Mark felt the cock enter him as he lay in the grass on the hot August afternoon. Tom was so gentle with him as he slowly began to fuck. He felt his friend's weight as he eased down on him. The two fourteen year olds had made friends shortly after Mark had arrived at the Edwards. Tom went to the public school while Mark attended the Catholic school, so they weren't classmates but were neighbours. Mark was pushing hard to be allowed to attend the same high school as Tom next year so they could be together more often. Mark began to moan as Tom had reached the depth and speed required to please him. Tom was typically a silent sex partner except for his heavy breathing. He would usually respond to Mark's noises by slowing and extending their joy but in the middle of the day it was just too risky to take their time. The forest area around the houses provided the boys with numerous hiding places to practice their fun. Tom was close as his speed increased, slapping against Mark's ass. Mark grabbed his own cock and pulled knowing it wouldn't be long for his friend. As Mark reached his orgasm Tom reacted with his own as the freckled boy's ass tightened.
They cleaned up and collected their dirt bikes for the ride out of the forest. Mark enjoyed the freedom that the machine had given him. While he couldn't go on the roads, the green space provided endless trails and connected to Tom's house.
Mark stopped his dirt bike on the hill over looking the house.
"That's my dad's truck" Mark said pointing to the Lexus SUV below them.
"I thought you weren't allowed to see him," The blond boy quizzed.
Mark continued on and rode up to the house with his riding partner in tow. He pulled his safety gear off quickly as he approached the deck at the back of the house. He saw Ted standing by the railing and stopped.
"Are you allowed to talk to me?" Mark asked as he climbed the steps.
"No but I can hug you" Ted said jovially. His presence should have been enough for the smart boy to realize that he was indeed allowed to visit him. Mark crushed himself into his dad holding tightly. Ted noticed immediately that Mark had grown since the last time he'd seen him, eight months ago. Boys change so much during adolescence that Ted was suddenly despondent over the lost time. The man remained relatively the same in appearance but the boy was growing up fast. The plan had worked though, Mark had only spent a few weeks in captivity before coming to live with the Edwards. The investigations were over and Blaine had finally decided to make a deal.
Mark broke the hug only when Emmett appeared from within the house.
"Oh Marky" Emmett greeted as he too was hugged.
Mark turned back to his ignored friend and introduced them all. "Tom, these are my two dads, Ted and Emmett"
"Good to meet you Tom" Ted said with a manly handshake.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Emmett asked softly.
Mark nodded his head, "But he's not out yet so don't say anything"
"I bet that would drive Bill nuts," Emmett suggested
"Bill's lightened up a lot, I set em straight when I got here" Mark said.
"I bet you did" Emmett gushed, knowing Mark.
"So I am coming home now?" Mark asked hopefully
"You are home, Bill and Mary have been keeping me updated on your progress." Ted advised.
"We'll come visit all the time" Emmett reassured.
"Thanks for the dirt bike" Mark said to his dad, "I know Bill doesn't have the money to buy me all the stuff he has" He continued seeing the scowl on Ted's face. Not much got by the teen any more.
"Eventually I hope you can come visit us," Ted said as he reached to hold hands with Emmett. "Emm and I are together again"
"You guys live together? What about Tyler" Mark quizzed
"He's 19 and knows everything," Emmett said rolling his eyes.
"He's out on his own now Mark" Ted reported.
"Am I ever going to come home, to live I mean" Mark asked not accepting Ted's redefinition of home.
"It's not up to us Mark, just be happy here with Bill and Mary. Emm and I will just be your gay uncles for now" Ted advised.
Mark
hugged them both, putting an arm round each. "You'll always be my
dads," he proclaimed.
The end
I'd like to thank the readers that made it this far especially those that have written to me. Specifically I want to thank Bob, Cal and Peter for their support throughout the writing process.
My stories on nifty:
Adult / Youth
- Stray puppy
- The secret keeper
- Summer Breeze
- Marks two Dads
- The Angry boy
College
- Jason secret Agent
Adult friends
- The coffee shop boy
SF/Fantasy
- The Martian