Saving an Angel

by Jason Finigan

This story is set in an alternate reality, and assumes the technology and capabilities of this reality's 23rd century are present in modern-day society.

Portions of this story contain copyrighted characters from other authors. Fictional organizations, situations, and characters from "Out of the Past" are copyright © by Dark Star and are used with permission. Clan Short is copyright © 2004-2008 CSU Productions; all rights reserved

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2007-2008 by Jason Finigan, all rights reserved. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com.

From the last chapter:

"Well, there is one idea I had in mind if you're up to it, and if Simon is willing of course. I'd like your opinion on this as well, David," Ryan said.

"I'm all ears," Craig said.

"Same here," David said, curious as to why Ryan would ask for his opinion.

"What would the two of you say if I asked Simon and Terry to babysit for us some times?" Ryan asked.

"I'd say you'd have some very happy boys on your hands," Craig said.

"Definitely," David added.

Chapter 16

It was really cool to be sitting down with Simon, and his boyfriend, Terry, and his sister, and her friend coloring. It was almost like Simon and I had never been apart. It was so cool. I couldn't stop from smiling, and looking over at him. At the other table, Ryan was talking with Simon's and Terry's families. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't care much. I had Simon back.

The picture in front of me was a nice park scene. It had a couple of kids in it flying a kite. I'd already filled in the colours for the kite and trees, but I needed to colour in the sky. Looking around the table, I saw that there was a blue crayon in front of Simon.

"Can you pass the blue for me, Simon?" I asked him. Simon had been paying attention to his parents' conversation, and it was funny to see him jump a little at my request.

"Sure, here you go," Simon said, handing me the crayon I had requested.

"Thanks," I said. It was so fun to have Simon back. I could tell from the look on his face that he felt the same way. He was never one to treat me like a kid, and I loved him for that. He was like my best friend, and always listened to what I had to say. Sometimes he got a little goofy which made me laugh. I think he liked making me laugh, and I certainly didn't mind it either.

While I was colouring away, trying to fill in all the sky parts in the picture, I saw that Terry and his sister were having just as much fun colouring as I was. It wasn't hard to see that the two of them got along really well, kind of like me and Greg and Adam did. I don't think we ever fought or had an argument once, though I was sure it'd happen one day. But I didn't mind. Everyone has disagreements every once and a while. Even my Mom and I sometimes argued. No matter what though, I always knew I loved my Mom, and she loved me, and later on in the day she'd give me a great big hug for no apparent reason what-so-ever.

I just finished with the sky in the picture, and had put down my crayon when I noticed Simon reaching over to give his boyfriend a quick hug. Terry looked a little startled at first, but he never did pull away. You had to be a fool not to be able to see the love these two guys shared.

"What's that for?" I heard Terry whisper to Simon.

"For being you. And for being my boyfriend," Simon replied.

"If we weren't in the mall right now, I'd give you a big hug and kiss," Terry said, smiling over at his boyfriend. It was so cute too, since when Simon had said that, I could see Terry's face get all red.

"I'll take a rain check?" Simon suggested.

"Count on it, my love," I heard Terry whisper back, and reached over to hold onto Simon's hand briefly before letting it go. Terry's sister at that moment was trying to get her brother's attention, and pointing over at the red crayon that was also in front of Simon

"Well, boys," Simon's father said, standing up from the table the adults were sitting at. "Time for us to get going. We still have a few more things to look at before we head back home."

"Okay, Dad," Simon said, looking a little sad.

Sam's mother had already closed the colouring book, and was in the process of getting all the crayons gathered up. Reluctantly, I started to gather up the crayons I was using, some of which ended up falling onto the floor because I was trying to pick up too many at a time. I guess Simon thought it was funny every time the same crayon would get away from me, and fall onto the floor, and honestly, it was kind of funny now that I think about it. Greg and Adam were helping, and they also were dropping their share of crayons. Eventually we got them all put away though, dropping them into the same bag she had placed the colouring book in.

"Well, Kyle. I guess this is it. It was really nice to be able to see you again. And I am really happy that you found a new family who loves you,"Simon said to me.

"Thanks, Simon," I said. I didn't want him to go. Tears were beginning to build up in my eyes, but I didn't care. Pretty soon I was openly crying. Not loudly, but anyone who looked at me would know that I was not a very happy boy.

I couldn't take it any more, and I looked up at Simon, and held up my arms to him, just like I used to do when I was younger and wanted him to carry me. At that moment, all I wanted was for him to pick me up and hold me like he used to. I felt as I was being lifted up, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, holding onto him for dear life, my tears flowing down my face and landing on his shoulder which my head rested on. Simon was crying too. He was saying how much he loved me over and over again, and it made me just hold onto him even more tightly.

"I love you too, Simon," I told him. I knew it couldn't last though, and as I felt him start to lower me back down to the ground, I let go of him, letting my feet touch the ground. I didn't want to let him go though, and I made sure that I was at least holding his hand. "Am I going to get to see you again?" I asked him.

"I don't know, Kyle. But I'd like that very much," Simon told me, and I could tell that he really meant it.

"Well you just might get that chance," Ryan's voice said from behind us.

"Excuse me?" Simon asked.

"Simon, Terry. I'd like to ask you both something. I've already talked to your parents, and they've agreed. Would it be possible that you could babysit for Jason and me?" Ryan asked.

You should have seen the look on Simon's face when Ryan asked him that, and before Ryan had even finished talking, Simon yelled out a loud, "Yes!"

"Well, I think that's one vote in favor," Ryan said, smiling over at Simon's parents, and dramatically wiggling his finger in his ear as if to restore his hearing.

"Can I?" Terry asked, looking over at his parents.

"This is up to you Terry. Ryan suggested asking the both of you, since you are so close. I know Simon has babysit before, but you haven't. Are you sure you're up to it?" his father asked him.

"Yeah, I am. And what I don't know, Simon can teach me," Terry said, his face absolutely beaming with joy.

"Great, it's settled then," Ryan said.

"You hear that buddy?" Simon asked me. "I'm going to come babysit you again!"

"You are? For real?" I asked him, my eyes wide in bewilderment, since I still couldn't believe what was being said.

"Mhmm. That's what your father said," Simon confirmed for me.

"Daddy, Simon's going to babysit me?" I asked Ryan.

"Yes he is. And your brothers as well. And Terry is going to help him," Ryan said, nodding his head at the same time.

"Cooooool!" I exclaimed excitedly, finally accepting what was being said. Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped back into Simon's arms. He almost lost his balance when I did that, but he didn't fall or anything. But I was so happy that we could have both fallen to the ground and I'd still be happy.

"When?" Simon asked, looking back over at Ryan.

"Well, we'll discuss arrangements in the next day or two. There are a few things that I want to take care of, and once that's done, I'd like to sit down with you and Terry and work something out. Do you have another job that you are working at?" he asked me.

"Well, I just got a job as the head lifeguard at Nelson Park," Simon told him.

"Congratulations. That is definitely a very good job."

"Yeah, and Simon told me he was going to help me get my First Aid Certification so I could apply for a job there as well. I don't have a job at the moment, though," Terry said.

"Don't worry, Terry. To get hired as a head lifeguard means Simon knows what he's doing. You couldn't learn from a better person to qualify for your First Aid. I can see both you boys are going to be very happy this summer. Jason and I won't ask you to babysit when you have to work at the pool. Just bring your schedules to us, and we'll see what arrangements can be made. Oh, and by the way. My Uncle will also be looking after the children when you two won't be able to."

"Cool. Thank you Mr. Hunter," Simon said, which was echoed by Terry.

"You're very welcome boys. Now we need to get going ourselves. There's lots my boys and I have to do today before dinner," Ryan said.

"Okay, well, looks like I'll see you soon, Kyle," Simon said, giving me another hug.

"Yep. Bye for now, Simon. Luv you."

"Love you too, squirt," Simon said before letting me go.

"Bye, Terry. You be good to Simon. He's my bestest friend," I said seriously to Terry.

"Don't you worry, Kyle. I'll make sure I take good care of him. After all, I wouldn't be a good boyfriend to him if I didn't, now would I?" Terry said, smiling down at me.

"Nope!" I agreed, giggling. I then decided to give Terry a big hug, trying to put as much feeling into it as I could. I wanted him to know that I liked him like I liked Simon. When he returned my hug, it gave me a really warm feeling inside, and I could tell that he liked me too.

Letting him go, I joined Greg and Adam who were standing next to Ryan and Jason. We were just about to leave then when Adam all of a sudden ran from us and jumped up into Simon's arms. For a second, I thought that Simon wouldn't see him in time, but thankfully he did, catching Adam just in time.

"Whoah, there little guy," Simon said to the little boy who was now holding onto him very tightly.

I could only guess that Adam said that he loved Simon, because the next thing I heard was Simon speaking to Adam. "I love you too, Adam. You be good for your brothers and your Dads, okay?"

"Okay," he said, letting go of Simon and sliding back down to the ground. He then turned to Terry, and raised his arms to him, obviously wanting to be picked up. Terry bent forward to pick up the little boy, and Adam held onto him in a tight hug. I watched as Adam whispered something into Terry's ear, and saw his smile get even bigger. Soon, Adam let Terry go, and once again slid back down to the ground, then joined Greg and me.

What surprised me next was when Greg left us, and gave Simon and Terry a hug as well. I don't think he said anything, but I could tell that he was still feeling them out. With all that Greg had been through in his short life, I knew it would take him time to get used to Simon and Terry. And I knew I'd help him the best I could.

When Greg came back, he reached over with his hand, and took a hold of mine, holding it firmly. Before we left the food court, I caught Greg looking back at Simon and Terry, and giving them a small smile. Maybe it wouldn't take so long for him to get used to them after all.

"So what's next, Daddy?" I asked Ryan as were on our way out the door.

"Well, I think there are a couple computers that need to be picked up, and knowing Greg and Adam, they're going to want them set up right away, so we have to get a couple of desks as well."

"Cool," I replied simply.

In almost no time, we had arrived at the same computer store we'd been to to pick up my computer. Nigel wasn't in the store at the time, so Ryan went up to the desk to talk to the same woman who was there before.

"Good afternoon, Chantalle," Ryan said, getting her attention. "I'm here to pick up the computers I had ordered."

"Ryan, it's nice to see you," Chantalle said, looking up from her paperwork. "Let me just call one of the employees to get them for you." Ryan nodded his head, and waited as she placed the call to someone in the back room. Adam and Greg were walking around the store, looking at all the neat computer stuff that this store had in it. I thought it was so cool when I saw a whole bunch of monitors were turned on, and they were showing a TV broadcast of some news report.

Just then, I heard Ryan's cell phone go off, startling him a bit.

"Hello, Ryan Hunter," Ryan said into the phone. "I know, we're running a little behind here... I'm just at the computer store, and I shouldn't be more than a few minutes longer, Uncle... Okay, then. Let Anna know we'll be right over. Bye for now, Uncle." Ryan hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket. At that moment, a couple of younger looking workers came out of the back room, both carrying some boxes in their arms.

"Here you go," Chantalle said. "You have the receipt we gave you the other day?"

"Thank you, yes, I have it," Ryan confirmed for her. "Alright, boys. We need to get going. We're running a little behind, and Mis. Jacobs will be at the house shortly." With that, he led everyone back out of the store, the two employees following after us. Ryan popped the trunk open, and the two guys carefully placed the boxes into it. Once Ryan had closed the door, he ushered us all inside, then climbed in himself, started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Aren't we going to get the desks, Daddy?" I asked Ryan.

"Not right now, Son. We're running a little behind, and have to get home now. Miss Jacobs is going to be at the house soon. We need to get home before she gets there."

"You didn't forget that she's bringing someone with her, did you Kyle?" Jason asked me. At first I was a little puzzled by his question, then all of a sudden I remembered that she had told us that Adam's brother, Tommy, was going to be coming over.

"Oh cool! Adam, Miss Jacobs is bringing Tommy over to see you!" I told Adam excitedly.

"Really? He's coming over now?" Adam asked, his eyes growing wide with excitement.

"Yep, that he is, little buddy," Jason said, turning slightly in his seat to look back at us.

"Oh, cool. Tommy!" Adam said, a huge smile plastered on his face. "I can't wait to see him again."

"Well, I for one can't wait to see your older brother, Adam," Ryan said.

"Hey, maybe he'll be able to move in with us," Greg said, speaking up suddenly.

"Well, he has another foster family, and they're coming with Tommy. So we'll see what happens there, okay?" Ryan said.

"Okay, Daddy. I just want to see him. I miss him so much," Adam said.

"Don't worry. You'll see him soon enough," Jason said, then leaned over to Ryan. "I hope Tommy will be able to move in with us as well. It would mean so much to Adam."

"I know. We'll just have to find out what Tommy's foster parents have to say," Ryan replied.

After that, no one really said anything else. Greg and I were sitting beside Adam, with our arms around him. I don't think anything could have ruined his happiness at that moment. He was going to get to see the brother he thought he lost. It wasn't hard to imagine what Adam was feeling then. Meeting Simon at the mall made me so very happy. He was like the big brother I never had, and I was just thankful that I was going to get to spend time with him again. Adam, on the other hand, did have a big brother, and now he was going to get to see him real soon.

Pretty soon, Ryan parked the car in the driveway. No sooner had the car stopped, when Adam undid his seatbelt, and started to try and get out of the car past Greg.

"Whoa, slow down there, Adam. Just let me get out of the car first," Greg said, releasing his own seat belt. Once Greg had opened the door, he quickly got out. Adam, rushed past him and up to the front door of the house. The door wasn't locked, and I watched as he opened it, and stepped inside.

"You don't think he's too excited to be seeing his brother do you, Dad?" I asked Ryan, as I climbed out of the car.

"What ever would give you that idea, Kyle?" Ryan asked, laughing. "Well, we'd better follow after him. There's no telling what kind of damage that little tornado can do in there." The four of us followed after Adam, laughing at Ryan's little joke. Once inside, we were greeted by Darren who was carrying Adam in his arms.

"Lose something?" he asked Ryan.

"I see you caught the little tornado," Ryan said, smiling at Adam.

"Mhmm. By the way, Anna told me to tell you that they're bringing Stan and Paula with them instead of letting Stan babysit his sister."

"Do we have enough to feed everyone?" Ryan asked.

"More than plenty, Ryan," Darren said. Then he turned his attention to Greg and me, "okay boys. You'll need to get in the shower and get on some good clothes before they get here." As he said that, he let Adam back down to the ground, and together the three of us practically ran up the stairs.

I went straight to my room, and started to take off my clothes, leaving on my underwear. I then went to the closet and took out a towel before heading into the bathroom. I saw Greg coming up behind me, clad only in his boxer shorts, and towel in hand. Adam was still probably getting ready for his shower, which meant that Greg and I could finally have a shower together. He didn't say anything to me, but simply closed the bathroom door, and placed his towel on the counter top by the sink. I lay mine down on top of his, and turned on the water in the tub. Once it was the temperature I wanted it to be, I started the shower running and turned to face Greg. Already he had stripped off his boxers, and was standing naked in front of me. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. He was so gorgeous. Everything from his beautiful eyes, right down to his cute little toes, I loved. Stepping up to him, I let my eyes wander up and down his body, before looking him right in the eyes.

"You are so beautiful, Babe," I whispered, and let my lips touch his, giving him a very loving kiss right there in the bathroom.

"So are you, Babe," he replied. Then with a grin said, "But fair is fair." I felt his fingers brush against my waist, just above the elastic rim of my underwear. Ever so slowly, he pulled them down with his fingers, until I was as naked as he was. Now it was his turn to let his eyes wander. Taking his hand in mine, I led him into the bathtub.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, with towels wrapped around our waists, Greg and I left the bathroom, the both of us feeling clean and refreshed. But more than that, we were both practically glowing. The first shower we had together as boyfriends, and I knew without a doubt that we would be sharing many more of them in the future.

Adam was just getting out of his room, his cute naked body making his way to the bathroom, towel in hand.

"You guys take forever," he complained, but I knew he was only teasing us by the smile he had on his face.

"Don't worry, buddy. Lots of hot water left for you," Ryan assured him. We both went to my room, and closed the door.

"That was amazing!" I exclaimed once we were alone. I grabbed a hold of him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I know," Greg said. "I really love you, Kyle."

"I love you too, Greg. Promise me we'll always be together."

"Always, my love," Greg promised. He then pressed his lips up against mine, and kissed me; a long loving kiss that neither of us was in a hurry to end. I could feel his arms wrap around me, and his body press up against mine.

A knock on my bedroom door startled us and made us separate from one another. Walking to the door, I opened it a bit to see Jason standing there in the hallway.

"Your Dad says you boys had better hurry. Miss Jacobs and Tommy and Tommy's foster family have arrived. Do you know where Greg is?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's with me, Pop," I answered him.

"As much as I hate having to disturb you too love birds, we can't keep company waiting," Jason said.

"We'll be right down, Pop. Adam just got in the shower."

"Okay then." With that, he left, and headed back down the stairs. I closed the door again, and turned to Greg who was standing there with a goofy grin on his face.

"What?" I asked him.

"I guess we took longer than we thought," he replied.

"Mhmm," I answered. "But it was worth it. Come on. Let's get dressed and go see Tommy."

"Okay. I need to go to my room for my good clothes," he said, giving me a quick kiss and left my room to go get changed.

Walking to my closet, I grabbed one of my good shirts that Ryan had bought for me and put it on. From my dresser, I dug out a clean pair of underwear and some socks, putting them on as well. Finally, found a good pair of jeans that went well with my shirt. Slipping the pants on, I tucked my shirt in, and made sure I was presentable. The pants were a little lose around my waist, so I grabbed a belt and put that on as well, making sure it was just tight enough to keep my pants up.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I had to admit I looked sharp. Ryan really knew how to pick out good clothes for me. The shirt I had picked was a light tan short-sleeve shirt with faint darker lines running from side to side and top to bottom. My jeans were a brown colour which really went well with the shirt, and my belt was black, and had a silver buckle. The only thing I needed to do now was to comb my hair, and I opened my bedroom door, and headed for the bathroom. Adam had finished with his shower by then, so I walked in, and used my hand to clear away the steam that had built up on the mirror. Picking up my hairbrush, I brushed my hair until it looked just the way I wanted it to, then I went out into the hallway.

Greg had just stepped out of the room, and I came to a complete halt. Standing there, I couldn't help but stare at him, and I mean really stare. Greg had put on this beautiful light blue shirt, which almost looked like mine, except for the colour, and was wearing black slacks. He also had put on a belt, and his hair was already done, his short brown hair brushed back in a way that made him look like it was spiked. He had even put on a bit of hair gel which made his overall look absolutely stunning.

"Oh wow, you boys look absolutely handsome!" Ryan's voice said from the top of the stairs, making both Greg and I turn towards him, blushing from embarrassment.

"Thanks, Daddy," I finally said, recovering enough to find my voice.

"Where's your little brother?" he asked.

"I guess in his room getting changed," Greg answered. "Do you want me to look in on him?"

"Yes, please do," Ryan said. Greg went over to Adam's room and knocked on his door before opening the it. All of a sudden we could hear Greg's laughter in the room, which was followed by Greg walking back out, still laughing, but trying hard to stop.

"Dad, I think you might want to help Adam out," he said.

Ryan went into the room, and I followed after him. What I saw in there was so funny, I too had to laugh just like Greg had, but upon seeing Adam's upset look, I forced myself to stop. Adam somehow had managed to get both his legs down one leg of his pants, and was having difficulties getting it back out again. His shirt was done up, but the buttons were done up in such a way that one side of his shirt hung lower than the other.

Adam started to sob a bit, and I saw tears forming in his eyes; I could see that he was really upset. I decided I had to help the little guy as I knew how important it was for him to look good for his brother. While Ryan was helping him with his pants, I did what I could to comfort him, and calm him down.

"Hey, little guy. It's okay. You're going to look real nice for your brother," I told him.

"Yeah but he's here already, and I want to see him so bad," Adam cried.

"Don't worry. Dad will help you out, and make sure you look good. Then we can go meet your bother together, okay?" I said.

"Okay," he said, wiping away the tears that had fallen already.

Pretty soon, Ryan had Adam all fixed up. His shirt was more colourful than Greg's and mine, but it still made him look really sharp. I knew his brother was going to be impressed with how Adam was doing.

Together, the four of us made our way downstairs and into the living room, where everyone was talking with one another. The first thing I saw was an older couple, I'd guess in their forties, sitting with a young girl, and two older teenage boys. One of them looked very much like Adam, and I figured he must have been Adam's brother. They had the same brown hair, and blue eyes. The only way I could tell them apart really was the fact that this other boy was taller, and looked like he was quite athletic. He looked really good to me, but I saw that there was something in his eyes that made him look sad.

"Tommy!" Adam yelled from behind me, and rushed past me, practically jumping up into his brother's arms who had stood up as soon as he saw Adam.

"Adam! Oh God, I have missed you so much!" Tommy cried, holding onto his brother.

"I missed you too, Tommy," Adam cried. Together the two of them just stood there, completely oblivious to anyone else in the room. Everyone was smiling, and I even saw a couple people had tears in their eyes. Seeing the love these two brothers had for each other was a very special thing to see, and I could feel my own eyes getting moist. I reached over and held onto Greg's hand.

Somehow Tommy had managed to guide his brother back to the couch Tommy had been sitting in, and together they sat down, with Adam clinging to Tommy as close as he could. They were still crying, but I think they were more happy than anything else. How anyone could be anything but happy for these two brothers was beyond me, but happy they were, and that's all I wanted for my new little brother.

"Gerard, Tina, these are my foster sons, Kyle and Greg. That little one over there with Tommy is his brother, Adam," I heard Ryan say. "Boys, this is Mister and Misses Sandford and their other two children Paula, and Stan."

"Hi," Greg and I said shyly.

"You are a very lucky young man, Ryan," Gerard said, standing up. "How are you Kyle?" he asked me, holding out his hand.

"Fine, thanks. And you?" I asked politely, shaking his hand.

"Oh my, so polite!" Tina exclaimed.

"They all are," Ryan said proudly.

"I'm doing very well thank you, Kyle," Gerard said, answering me, obviously shocked at how I had addressed him..

"And how are you, Greg?" Gerard said.

"I'm okay, thanks, Mr. Sandford," Greg replied, also shaking his hand.

"You boys are very cute," Tina said, coming over to us.

"Thanks, Mrs. Sandord," I said, blushing slightly from her comment.

"Would you object to a hug?" she asked us. I just smiled and shook my head letting her know I'd love one, which is exactly what I received. The way she hugged me reminded me so much of how my mom used to hug me, and I just melted into it, wanting as much as I could get. "What's wrong little one?" she asked me. I didn't answer; I couldn't. I just didn't want the way this felt to ever end.

"Your mom?" Ryan asked, squatting next to me, and looking into my eyes. I nodded my head, not trusting my voice to say anything. "It's okay Tina. I think Kyle is just missing his mother. She died in a fire when Kyle was eight."

"Oh how terrible. I'm so sorry, Kyle," she whispered. After a couple minutes I managed to stop crying, letting her go, and just looked up at her.

"I'm sorry," I said, embarrassed that I had cried like that in front of her.

"Don't be sorry, Kyle. I can't imagine what it's been like for you to not have your mother. I can tell you loved her very much," Tina said.

"I do," I said.

"I'm glad you have a family now that loves you," she told me, and I knew she meant it. "And how about you, Greg; hug?" Greg didn't answer her, instead put his arms around her and held onto her. She hugged him back for a bit, before he let go, and smiled shyly up at her. "You boys are very special. I can see why your father loves you so much," she said.

"They certainly captured all of our hearts," Ryan said, looking over at Jason who was standing beside him.

"The same thing for us," Tina said. When we saw Stan, he was living in a group home, and we could tell he was very unhappy. We just couldn't leave him there and applied to become his foster parents. He's been with us ever since," Tina said.

"Paula was a little different. She is actually the daughter of my cousin. Unfortunately my cousin was killed in a car accident and Paula's father had no interest in raising a child. So we decided to foster her too. We hope to adopt them as soon as the CAS gives us the okay," Gerard said.

"That had to have been especially hard on both of them," Jason said, looking over at the two who were now sitting beside each other.

"It was, but they're loved, and we make sure they know that if they have any problems at all, they can come to us. No matter what it might be," Tina said.

"What if they were gay?" I asked suddenly.

"Kyle, that's not a question we should be asking," Ryan said.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down.

"No, that's quite alright. It's a valid question, Ryan," Gerard said. "Kyle, all I can tell you that whether a person is gay or not doesn't matter to us. And if any of our children should happen to be gay, we'd love them just the same."

"Why do you ask, honey?" Tina asked me.

"Cause I heard what Adam's dad did to him and Tommy, and I didn't want them to get hurt," I replied.

"Well that's a very kind of you, Kyle. I'm sure your dad has told you that some people can't accept people for who they are. There's a lot of people who have a lot of hatred in their hearts,"

"Well, why do they? Why can't they just let people be happy?" I asked.

"I don't know, Son," Ryan told me. "But just remember that there are a lot more good people in this world than there are bad, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," I said. "So you don't mind that Greg's my boyfriend?"

"Oh my!" Tina said, surprised. "You two are just so cute! I think you're perfect for each other," she said, gathering the two of us up in a brief hug.

"That was a very brave thing you just did, Kyle," Gerard said after Tina had let us go. "I think there are a lot of people who could learn from you. Oh, and congratulations. I hope you two are really happy together."

"We are," Greg said, smiling at me and once again holding onto my hand. "He's the best boyfriend I could ever want."

"Kyle, why don't you and Greg go sit with Stan and Paula," Jason suggested.

"Okay, Pop," I said, and together Greg and I walked over to the couch that Stan and Paula were sitting in.

"Hey, Adam, you okay there, buddy?" Greg asked, looking over at Adam, who still had his arms wrapped around his brother.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Guys, you have no idea how much I've missed my little Adam," Tommy told us.

"He's a really special little guy," Greg said. "From the first moment he came into the group home, I knew I had to protect him. I guess you could say he became my little brother that day. I love him a lot."

"It's not hard to," Tommy said.

"Definitely," Greg replied. "So Stan, how are you liking having another brother?"

"Really cool," Stan replied. "I mean, before it was just me and my new parents, and then Paula was here. She's pretty cool too, but sometimes a guy needs a brother to hang with, you know?"

"Yep. I know," Greg said, laughing with Stan.

"Oh, pooh. You just wanted someone else to play those games with because I kept beating you," Paula said, which caused us to laugh again.

"I let you win, Sis," Stan said.

"Sure, that's why you kept trying to tickle me when I was winning," she replied back.

"Busted, Dude!" I laughed.

"Okay, so I admit. She's pretty good at the games."

"Which one's your favorite?" Adam asked, suddenly interested.

"I love to play racing games. We have a GameCube, and I love playing Mario Kart," she said.

"Oh cool!" Adam said, excitedly. "We have that game, but we play it on the Wii."

"You guys have a Wii?" Stan asked, his eyes opening wide with surprise.

"Uh huh. Kyle and Greg and I have one," Adam said. "Dad even is getting us the Mario Kart game too."

"Oh wow! You guys are so lucky!" Stan said.

"Hey, maybe you guys could come over some time and play it when we get it," I suggested.

"That'd be really neat! We'd have to ask our parents though," Stan replied.

"I'm sure they'll let you," I said, looking over at Ryan and Jason who were busy talking to Stan's and Paula's and Tommy's parents along with Darren and Anna.

"If they let you guys come over again, that'll mean that Tommy and Adam can still see each other," I pointed out.

"I'd like that very much," Tommy said.

"Me too," Adam said, snuggling close to his brother.

"Hey, Adam. Why don't you show Tommy your room, and all the things Dad, got you," I suggested.

"Okay," Adam said, happily, and jumped off his brother's lap, tugging him by his hand. "Come on, Tommy. You can see my new bed, and bear, and everything!"

"We'll be back in a bit guys," Tommy said as he was being led out of the room.

"Where are you two off too?" Ryan asked Adam.

"I have to show him my room and stuff," Adam said.

"Okay then. But don't take too long. We'll be having dinner soon," Ryan said.

"Okay, Daddy," Adam said before he and Tommy disappeared up the stairs.

"It's going to tear them apart when we have to leave," Gerard said sadly.

"I know," Ryan agreed. "That's one of the reason we need to figure out what we're going to do after today."

"Tommy has just got settled in. He and Stan and Paula really do get along well. I don't want to hurt any of them by splitting them up," Tina said.

"I know. That's a problem. Tommy was apparently a big part of Adam's life. To have them not be able to see each other again would kill both of them. From what Anna has told me, Tommy was having a tough time not knowing where Adam was," Ryan said.

"Every night he practically cried himself to sleep. There wasn't anything we could do except be there for him if he came to us," Tina said.

"Did you know about Adam before?" Jason asked.

"No, nothing was said about him. It took Tommy a few days to get comfortable with us before he told us anything. I think he said more to Stan than he did to us, honestly," Gerard said.

"One night, he was having a nightmare, and he called out Adam's name, and that's pretty much how we found out about him. It was the first time he really opened up to us, and told us the whole story about his brother and living with their father. Honestly it was all I could do to keep myself from wanting to strangle that man myself," Tina said. "How could a man do that to a child?"

"Unfortunately, I know their father. He used to be an employee of mine," Ryan said. "Now he's trying to get custody of Adam back."

"How awful!" Tina exclaimed.

"Does he have a case?" Gerard asked.

"We're fairly confident that his application will be rejected, but that all depends on who we happen to draw for a judge," Ryan said.

"We're thinking that he's going to try and use the fact that Ryan is gay against him," Jason said. "If the judge is one who frowns upon homosexuals, then we might have a difficult time convincing the judge that Adam would do better with us, than with a father who would abuse his son. We also found it odd that he's wanting to get Adam back, but not Tommy."

"Maybe not. Not if Tommy's father doesn't want to have anything to do with Tommy because he thinks Tommy's gay," Gerard said.

"That's possible," Ryan said.

"In any case, we can't let him get custody of Adam," Darren said. "That wee one has found a place in my heart, in all of our hearts."

"So back to our original problem. How can we make sure that Adam and Tommy can see each other often?"

"'Scuse me, Daddy?" I said, trying to get Ryan's attention.

"Yes, Kyle, what is it?" Ryan asked, looking down at me.

"Couldn't Tommy live with us?" I asked him. "Then he could be with Adam, and he could still see Stan and Paula, and Mr. Sandford, and Mrs. Sadford."

"It's not as simple as that though, Kyle," Ryan said. "He's a part of their family now. It wouldn't be fair to him or them to make him move again."

"But, he's a part of our family too," I said.

"He's right, you know," Gerard said. "Before he came to us, Tommy had Adam, who is his biological brother."

"There is the matter of his status as your foster son, however," Anna said. "Legally, you are his guardians."

"And we don't want to lose him either," Tina said. "He's become just as much a part of our family as our other two have."

"Daddy, ummm...." I started, thinking of something suddenly, but not knowing how I should tell them about it. Honestly, I don't even know what made me think of it, but it made perfect sense to me and was surprised that no one else had thought of it.

"What is it, Kyle?" Jason asked me.

"Ummm... well, it's kinda stupid," I said, now unsure as to whether they'd actually listen to my idea.

"No, Son. Whatever it is, we want to hear it," Ryan said.

"Well, I was thinking that about what I was talking about with Stan and Paula and Tommy and Adam, and well... what if Tommy and them didn't have to leave?"

"Didn't have to leave?" Ryan asked. "How do you mean?"

"Well, what if they all moved in with us?"

Editor's Notes:

Kyle is one smart young man, isn't he? Now if only the adults are as smart as he is, maybe things could work out happily for everyone. It certainly was nice that Kyle got to see Simon again, and that Simon and Terry will be sitting for them. I am really hoping everything works out nicely for everyone. Please hurry up with the next chapter, Jay!!!

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher