This story is fiction. It depicts, sometimes explicitly, sex between teenage boys, between boys and men, and between boys and females, both teenage and adult. If you find such things offensive, or reading such things is illegal where you live, please read no further.

Friday morning dawned bright and cheerful. It was one of those days in Nova Scotia that are so special they defy description. Nova Scotia gets a lot of rain and fog, and the winters are long and cold. But in June, when the clouds roll away, the sky is as blue and clear, the green of the fields and forests as vivid as anything any painter could create on canvas. This was one of those days; a perfect day for Dan's plan: to take Jerry fishing.

Dan's father had modified the plan somewhat. He had decided that they would spend Friday and Saturday nights in a tent, in the woods. Charlie had protested, saying they had to get on the road to get everything done that needed doing. Dan had shut him up, saying that it was "necessary." Charlie knew something was up but he had no idea what; but he conceded anyway because it had been a long time since he'd been camping, and he had missed it. So the four of them had packed their gear in the Lincoln and were soon on their way, singing and laughing all the way. It was only an hour's drive to their destination, but it was an hour filled with merriment.

Jerry stood watching in amazement as Charlie, Dan and Clarke busied themselves making camp. They gathered rocks and made a fireplace; they chose a level spot near the river, cleared away all the brush, rocks, and protruding roots, then pitched the tent, driving the stakes in just the right places, and soon had the tent up and their gear stowed inside. "That's incredible!" he remarked. "Where in the world did y'all learn to do all that?"

"Lots of different places," Dan replied. "We were in Scouts when we were younger, Dad used to bring us here when we were younger, and we even came by ourselves a few times."

"Well, I'm impressed," Jerry commented. "Looks like y'all could live here indefinitely if you had to."

"It might get a little rough in the winter," Charlie admitted. "But once the warm weather arrives it'd be a piece of cake."

Jerry continued to be amazed as they got ready to do some fishing. Charlie and Dan knew how to set up their rods and reels, tie hooks on their lines, put the right size sinkers on, and finally bait their hooks. These are all things that come pretty naturally to most boys, especially those who have grown up in a rural setting; but to Jerry they were totally alien. He watched with awe as his two companions got themselves ready, then helped Jerry, showing him patiently all the intricacies of fishing. They explained bait fishing, fly fishing and casting, and using artificial lures. They admitted that they weren't that good in the art of fishing, but to Jerry they were giants!

To everyone's surprise and delight, the first in the group to feel a sharp tug on his line was Jerry. "I think I've snagged my hook," he announced when he felt his line go tight.

"That's no snag," Dan said as he saw the tip of Jerry's rod bend, "that's a fish! And it looks like a good one! Give it a quick tug like I showed ya, Jer, to set the hook."

Jerry was very excited as he began to land his catch, but no more so than his companions. "Keep your line tight," Clarke instructed, "but not too tight. He's gonna fight you, but you'll win long as you don't let the line go slack. I've set the drag on your reel so if he wants to take off, the reel will let out line for him."

Jerry did let the line go slack, but his three coaches were by his side now and were quick to correct his mistakes. Jerry wasn't responding to instructions any more; he was far too excited. Eventually he landed a beautiful sixteen inch trout, the largest they would catch on this trip. "Good one, Jer!" they all exclaimed as Jerry held it up proudly for the customary picture.

By 6 pm the four had caught several trout, and of course they decided to cook them for their evening meal. "Can't waste a mess of fish like that." Clarke commented.

"Mess?" Jerry questioned, "I thought they were pretty nice looking fish."

"That's what we call 'em," Charlie explained, "a MESS of fish. It's just an expression."

"Now I've heard everything!" Jerry exclaimed. "You even got to learn a new language to be a fisherman."

"Where's Charlie gone?" Jerry enquired when he noticed that Charlie had suddenly disappeared.

"Gone to get firewood," Dan answered. "Fires are his specialty. I expect we should go get some too." They did, but of course Jerry had no idea what was good firewood and what wasn't. Dan patiently showed him how some of the bottom branches of pine and spruce trees were dead and therefore dry; that "green" wood, branches that had leaves or other signs of life, would be wet and therefore not burn well. He showed him how some wood on the ground was okay, but large limbs that had been on the ground for a long time were partly rotten, or at least wet, and therefore difficult to burn. "It's like everything else in nature," Dan explained. "There are lots of resources available to you when you're in the woods, but you have to know what's useful and what isn't."

When they returned to the campsite Charlie had just finished setting the fire. He had constructed what looked like a tiny teepee out of small twigs and sticks, with a pile of birch bark in the middle. He struck a match and lit the bark; soon there as a small fire burning. As it grew he added another layer of larger sticks, still in the triangular form of a teepee over the smaller one, and soon there was a raging fire in the middle of the circle of rocks they'd prepared. "They don't call me 'one-match' for nuthin'!" He exclaimed proudly.

"What's the difference?" Jerry wanted to know. "If the first match doesn't work, just use another one."

"That's ok here with all of us here," Clarke explained, "but what about if you get lost in the woods? You've got a waterproof container holding maybe 24 matches, and that's gotta last you till you're found or you find your way out. If it takes 4 matches to get a fire going, you can only light 6 fires; if you can do it with one, you get 24 fires. Quite a difference, don't you think?"

The evening meal of fresh caught trout, fried over an open campfire in a cast iron pan, with eggs and English muffins, and hot Canadian tea to wash it down, was to Jerry the absolute best meal he'd ever had! He declared that he'd had two hundred dollar meals that tasted no better. Then to his astonishment Charlie and Dan took some water from the river, added some coarse sand and scrubbed, and soon had the pan spotless. Then they repeated the action with the tin plates and cutlery. Soon everything was cleaned and stowed, and they sat around the fire as the darkness came, swapping stories, jokes, and generally catching up on each other's lives since the boys had left last fall. Eventually they got out the marshmallows and Jerry tasted them toasted for the first time. He'd heard about toasting marshmallows, but had begun to think it was one of those culture legends that wasn't really done. But they assured him that if he spent any time in Truro he'd have plenty of opportunity to toast his own mallows.

"Man, that was some fish you caught Jer!" Charlie commented. "No fair, the tenderfoot catching the biggest fish his first time out."

"No big deal," Jerry said, "It was the ONLY one I caught."

"You'd a caught three more if you'd only calm down a bit." Dan pointed out.

"Give him a break, Danny," his father ordered. "You don't remember how excited you were the first time you caught a fish."

"Yah I guess," Dan admitted. "But I was only four."

"We all have different experience in different things," Clarke lectured, "and it's pretty tough to be an expert at fishing if you've never fished before."

Of course that discussion brought on a new topic, and the next hour or so was filled with various fish stories, many of which were centered around Dan, Charlie, and Dan's father and the many fishing trips they'd shared. Jerry again began feeling an ache in his heart, envious of the life they'd shared; the many things they'd had and done together and now took for granted. These were things he was experiencing for the very first time. He compared this with his life on the streets. He had often referred to the streets as a 'jungle,' but now he realized that his life had been so much worse! But like street life, the forest could be your friend or your enemy, depending upon whether or not you learned the rules and lived by them. But here the rewards were so much greater!

When everyone began to quiet down, the fresh air having taken its toll on the campers who were now ready for bed, Dan and his father suddenly disappeared. "Where'd they go?" Jerry wondered.

"I have no idea," Charlie said. "But I suppose they still have a lot of catching up to do. You know, one o' those father and son things."

"He really adores his dad, doesn't he?" Jerry really didn't know about such things, but he could guess.

"Yeah, but it's mutual. They both think the other is just about the best thing to ever happen to the earth."

"I think I agree," Jerry reflected, "on both counts."

Jerry lay back on his back, the heat of the fire, the fresh air, and the exertion of the day's events combining to make him very sleepy and equally as content. He opened his eyes and stared up into the night sky. "WOW!" He exclaimed, "I never dreamed there were so many stars! And it feels like I could almost reach up and touch them!"

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "I love watching the stars out here. The sky is always so much clearer in the woods where there's no light to mess up your view."

"You really love it here, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, man! This is the greatest!"

"I tend to agree, Charlie. It's so... so peaceful!"

"You won't think it's so peaceful if a bear smells them fish," Dan exclaimed as he and his father rejoined them at the campfire.

"Bear?" Jerry questioned. "There's bears in these woods?"

"Sure," Charlie agreed, catching on immediately to Dan's joke. "There's lots of 'em. And if they smell that fish they'll come in here in the night and trash our whole camp, eat all our supplies and maybe one of us."

Another discussion started; one in which Dan and Charlie teased Jerry mercilessly about all the wild animals they had to fear. "But it's so peaceful!" he protested. "You mean there's really that much danger?"

"Naw," Charlie laughed, "not really. Chances are with a little luck the wind will be wrong and they won't smell us."

"But what if they do? Do we have a gun or anything?"

"Nope. If a bear shows up all I can say is run as hard as you can."

"Run? Run where?"

"Anywhere the bear isn't," Clarke added dryly, joining in on the fun.

It took the campers quite a while to get Jerry calmed down after they'd tired of their fun at his expense. They assured him that there were indeed the odd bear in the woods, but they were almost never seen, they being more afraid of humans than humans were of them. By that time the three tired boys were ready for sleep. "You go ahead," Clarke suggested, "I'm gonna make sure the fire's out and go for a little walk. I'll be back in a while."

"Your dad sure is a great guy!" Jerry commented when the three of them were all in their sleeping bags.

"Yeah," Dan agreed. "You enjoying your first camping trip?"

"You got it, Danny. This is really living! You're giving me more and more to miss when I have to go back. I'm so happy for you, you've got a great life here."

"Uh-huh," Charlie agreed. "This is a pretty special place. Guess we didn't know how great it was till we left."

"I don't think you have to miss us at all, Jer," Dan announced. "I was talking with my dad tonight, and he also did some checking at the school. Jerry, Dad wants to adopt you. He wants you to be a part of our family. No social workers, no temporary status, no conditions. He wants you to be my brother. Legally!"

"Adopt me? Dan, I'm twenty years old! You don't adopt someone that's twenty years old!"

"The age of adulthood in Canada is twenty-one. And even after that there is provision in the law for someone to adopt someone else. Dad wants to be your father, Jer! And this isn't something I talked him into, he came up with the idea on his own! All I did was to tell him the same story you told me."

"Is that why you and he took off tonight?" Charlie asked, "to talk about adoption?"

"Yeah. You know how Dad is. He has a lot of trouble talking about things like that. But he really likes you Jer, and he says it's just a terrible shame that you've missed so much. He said it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you've got a helluva brain and can go far, and you're brimming over with love to give someone, and he wants to make you a part of our family."

Jerry lay in his sleeping bag for a long time, not saying a word. His mind was racing a million miles a second, reviewing the past three weeks, then the past eight months, then the previous fifteen years. Now he knew what was so special about his companions. Now he knew that their upbringing, the environment they'd lived in for most of their lives, was more valuable than all the Lincolns, fine clothes, parties, than he would ever see in Daytona Beach, Florida, or anywhere else for that matter. But it was too late for him, wasn't it? Life, at least this part of life, had passed him by, hadn't it? He was too set in his ways now, right? Or was he?

As he lay there, listening to the utter silence of the night forest, he imagined himself calling Mr. Edwards "Dad." It sounded good, he had to admit. He saw himself bringing home a good report card and watching the reaction. He knew it would be the kind of reaction that would encourage him to even greater goals. He remembered his first report card and how it had caused so much trouble. He knew that would never have happened in this family. But that chance was gone too! How could he, a twenty-year-old, go back to school in the ninth grade? Wouldn't he look ridiculous? Would he even be allowed? After all, this was Canada, a foreign country! Not that he was considered a first class citizen in his own country, but at least he was a citizen.

"It just wouldn't work." Jerry said after a long pause.

"I think it would if you wanted it to," Charlie suggested. "Sure, it'd be hard, but think of it: You can make a completely clean start. Dan and I have to face all our friends and admit that our glamorous lifestyle wasn't so great after all. They don't know you at all, don't know your background. You don't have to backtrack, but just tell the truth: that you're an orphan who's been adopted by Dan's parents."

"But it's been so long! I've tried before and I was always disappointed. I dunno how long it would be before I could trust again."

"My folks know that, Jer," Dan said. "And they're willing to give it an honest try. All they ask is that you try too. I know you don't know them like I do, but I think you already know enough to know they won't let you down. If they want you as their son, they want you! Period! No conditions, no holds barred! They'll stand behind you, just like they've stood behind me, even when I didn't trust them!"

It took Jerry a long time to go to sleep that night. Dan and Charlie drifted off into a deep peaceful sleep while Jerry lay there, perfectly still, thinking of all the possibilities. He could see the happiness and contentment in Danny's eyes; so much so that he was glad Dan was staying here. This was truly his home. Home! He realized that he had never really known the meaning of that word until now. Home had always been to him just a place to sleep and eat; now that he was experiencing it first hand he knew it was so much more!

Even Charlie seemed so content. Jerry knew that he'd be happier if he could get along with his father, but in absence of that he seemed perfectly comfortable calling the Edwards family his. Could Jerry make that adjustment? Would he get restless and want to move on in a few months? Could he abide by the rules? Obviously there'd be rules, and Jerry was used to making the rules, not obeying someone else's. He had been on his own so long; his whole life one might say. The few times he had let his guard down he'd been hurt terribly. Did he have the strength to trust again?

Sunday afternoon the fishing trip was cut short. They had suddenly realized that they'd got their dates mixed up, and summer school was starting Monday morning! A week from tomorrow! There was a lot of work to do in the next few weeks, and a lot of it had to be done in less than one week. Suddenly, it seemed, what had been a fantastic weekend of fishing, relaxing, communing with nature, had lost its attraction. Jerry had talked with Clarke and had decided to accept his offer; Jerry was going to be Dan's big brother, a thought that blew both their minds. He would have a new home, new parents, even a new nationality! There was much to be done, many details to iron out, arrangements to be made. And of course everyone was anxious to tell Mom Edwards because they all knew that she'd be thrilled out of her mind.

"It's too late for me to get into summer school," Jerry observed as they drove home, "so I'll just drive back to Daytona and get things out of the house and put it up for sale, close down the business, and say good-bye to everyone."

"I'd like to go too," Charlie protested. "There's people I'd like to see once more, and of course there's Jane. Oh yeah, and the Mustang!"

"You can't," Dan reminded him, "You've got school starting a week from tomorrow. You're not gonna miss that are ya?"

"Of course he isn't!" Dad Edwards announced. "And Jerry, I suggest you fly back. You can use Charlie's Mustang in Daytona, and you can ship whatever you want back here after disposing of everything else."

"That's a good idea." Jerry agreed, "but I can bring most of our things back in the Lincoln. I might have to get a trailer, but I know someone who can help me with that."

"That's a long hard drive alone," Dad said, "I think it's time I pulled rank on you as your father and told you to leave the car and fly."

"Besides," Dan grinned, "if you fly we can hold the Lincoln here for ransom in case you change your mind."

"No danger," Jerry answered. "It took me a while to make up my mind, but you should know by now that once I do, it's for good."

As soon as the fishermen were home again in the Edwards home, they put the telephone through its paces. They had flight reservations to make, Jerry called Mark, his friend and lawyer, and several others that he knew would help him close up his affairs. By eleven Sunday night Jerry had got arrangements under way, his townhouse would be listed for sale Monday morning, and he would be leaving next Monday for Daytona. Hopefully within two weeks he'd be back, and to stay. But now it was bedtime, and two pretty happy boys had definite plans for their new brother.

Before they knew it, their last week of vacation had flown by, and it was Sunday night again. Tomorrow they resumed their hectic lives, only with a difference. Dan and Charlie were to start summer school, Jerry was to fly back to Daytona. Everyone in the house, it seemed, was totally wired. No one wanted to go to bed and end the day, but they all needed their rest. At ten they finally said their good-night's and headed to bed.

By midnight the house was quiet, and Dan knew his parents were asleep. Quietly he and Charlie got out of bed, crept down the hall in their briefs to Jerry's room, and softly knocked on the door. When there was no response they carefully opened the door and stepped into the room. Jerry was lying on the bed, still fully dressed, sleeping soundly. His face was streaked with tears, and he was still sobbing softly in his sleep.

"Jer?" Dan whispered, "Jer, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he replied sleepily. "Everything's so right it just kinda got the best of me."

"Everything's not right yet," Dan grinned. "But if Charlie'll help me get those clothes off you, we'll darn soon make it right."

Dan and Charlie had developed a routine for pleasing Jerry. He was something of a father figure to them, and even though they were home now and had a father, their regard for Jerry hadn't changed. He was still the eldest; he was still the one who had rescued them from God only knows what; he was still the one they admired about as much as any human being. They would insist that he lie still while they pleasured him; first one then the other would suck him to orgasm while the one not so engaged would run his hands and lips all over Jerry's body. The combination always sent Jerry into overload with ecstacy.

It was Charlie's turn tonight to start with the sucking, and he had a special treat for their victim. He and Dan had been practicing deep throating and had it pretty well perfected; now to show Jerry what they'd been up to. Jerry, being housed in a separate room for the past month, had been somewhat deprived in the sex department. But tonight, it seemed, he would be repaid for his celibacy as he felt his manhood slide deeper and deeper into Charlie's throat until he thought he would have a stroke.

Meanwhile Dan busied himself nibbling Jerry's ears, his nipples, his neck, and every few seconds giving him a deep, wet, penetrating kiss. He also warned when he felt Jerry's breathing intensify, so that Charlie could pull off and not let the climax come too soon. There were numerous "I love you's" from all three, and tonight Jerry refused to be still as he captured Dan's upright member, then maneuvered himself and Dan so that he could get it in his mouth. Soon, none of the three had any self control at all and they let the orgasm come. First Jerry, filling Charlie's throat with volley after volley of his love nectar; then Dan exploded in Jerry's mouth, and seconds later Charlie was spurting too, even though he'd not been touched. But Dan was quick to realize what was happening, and not to be left out, quickly covered Charlie's exploding member with his mouth and swallowed what he found there.

When it was over, and far too soon for any of them, they lay together on the bed, caressing slowly and gently with fingers, lips, even feet. "I'm so glad you're gonna be my brother," Dan whispered.

"No more glad than I am," Jerry answered.

"You just gotta hurry and get things done up and get back to us," Charlie pointed out.

"With what I just had waiting here for me," Jerry said, "you just watch! I'll be back in a couple weeks."

"That long?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, maybe longer. And tonight we got to get some sleep. You guys have school in the morning. But before y'all go, would you do something for me? Please?"

"Anything tonight, Jer," They both answered. "Just name it."

"I... I'd like it if you'd fuck me. Both of y'all. I don't know why, but it's important to me."

"Jer," Dan protested, "you never do that! Why now? We don't want to hurt you."

"That's just the problem," Jerry answered, "I never do. I think it's time, don't you?"

"But... why now? Can't it wait till we help you prepare a little?"

"No, it can't, Dan. I don't know why, I can't explain it, but it's important that I feel you inside me tonight. Please?"

Ever since their first time, Dan and Charlie had been doing anal sex on a fairly regular basis, but Jerry never joined in. He said he had done it for clients and didn't like it. He didn't like the risks associated with it, and he had heard that too much anal sex would stretch the sphincter muscles so that they would simply fall open if he were ever unconscious, such as in some sort of surgery. This, he'd said many times, he could not tolerate. Now, it seemed, all of those principles had gone out the window.

"It's ok," Jerry said. "If you don't want to. I just thought..."

"We want to and always have," Charlie said, "we just thought you didn't like it."

"It's important, Charlie. Like I said, I dunno why, but it is."

They did invade Jerry that night. Not knowing any other way to decide, they flipped a coin to see who would go first, and Charlie won. First he got Jerry on his stomach with a pillow under his mid section. He had Dan slobber over his instrument while he tongued and thoroughly wet Jerry's chute. As Jerry felt himself being invaded by Charlie's tongue, he caught his breath with sheer ecstacy, and he knew he'd been missing out on something really special for the past few months. There was a pause, then he felt Charlie's favorite toy knocking at his back door, he followed Dan's instructions and concentrated on relaxing. "Think of yourself as a camera iris," Dan said, "and just concentrate on opening it up." Jerry did, and suddenly he felt Charlie enter. There was a sharp bolt of pain, and he grunted loudly. Charlie stopped.

"You ok?" he asked. Jerry nodded. "Want me to stop?"

"If you do I'll never forgive you. Please keep going." Charlie did; slowly, carefully, he entered another inch, then withdrew to the tip, then an inch and a half forward. He did this about three times and Jerry started to relax again, enjoying the feeling of fullness. "Do it, Charlie!" he ordered, "all the way." Charlie did. In what seemed like only minutes Charlie shuddered and filled Jerry with his sperm. Jerry was moaning loudly, thinking nothing he had ever experienced had felt so good, until he felt himself being pumped full of love juice. "Ohhhhhhh! OHHH MANNNNNN!" he moaned. And then Charlie was silent, still, and lying limply on Jerry's back.

"Your turn!" Jerry said to Dan after he had rested a few minutes. Charlie was still inside him, but he'd gone completely limp.

"You sure about this?" Dan asked again.

"Uh-huh. Only this time I want to be on my back."

"You don't want to rest a while?"

"I already did. Go ahead, Danny. I want..."

"I know," Dan grinned. "You're in heat."

"Yuppirs. More than ever before."

"I dunno about this, Jer. Why the sudden change?"

"I don't know, Dan, but I want you, NOW! Please?"

Dan did enter Jerry, and they both had a wild ride. After that Dan wanted Jerry inside him, so Jerry consented. Meanwhile Charlie, exhausted and totally content, was losing interest in their play and getting really sleepy. The other two took the unintentional hint and settled down for sleep. They all had a big day tomorrow, much bigger than any one of them could have predicted.

"You guys are entering a whole new world," Jerry lectured as they lay in bed on their last night of freedom.

"New?" Dan questioned, "It's the world we came from."

"Yeah, but the rules have all changed. You're no longer good friends, you're lovers! You're gonna get a lot of ribbing, a lot of criticism. People around you, your friends, other students, will all be watching you for any outward signs of what they already know is the truth. In Florida we chose our friends, and most of them were either gay themselves or gay friendly. But now you're going back to the straight world, and you can't ever forget that."

"So what are you saying?" Charlie asked. "You saying this is a bad move?"

"It's a necessary move," Jerry answered, "and in the long run it's gonna be best for y'all. But you have to be aware of who you are and where you are. You have to be better than anyone else at whatever you do just to break even. You have to show them that you CAN love another male and still perform normally in society. You have to learn not to get depressed when they tease you, and they WILL tease you! You have to learn to behave in the shower rooms at school, and ignore all the chiding you'll get if you get caught so much as glancing at any of the guys. In a way I don't envy you, but I suppose I'll be facing the same thing in the fall, if I get back here in time."

"Why wouldn't you get back in time?" Charlie demanded. "What's gonna stop you? You startin' to change your mind?"

"Nothing I know of," Jerry said. "And I'm certainly not gonna change my mind. I'm looking forward to having a real life for a change."

"Well, don't worry about us," Charlie said. "We can handle anything they throw at us. And it's a great chance to find out who our real friends are."

The boys fell silent after one final hug. Jerry lay there thinking how much his two companions had changed in only a few months. That they had met at all was due to the sheer terror and panic at having been caught in a compromising position, and now they were headed directly back to that same environment, expecting a lot of unpleasantness, but fully confident that they could deal with it. Maybe a short stint on the streets isn't such a bad thing, he reflected, and then he drifted off to a deep sleep.

Monday morning gave the Edwards' a small taste of the nightmare they were about to live every day: living with three teenage boys, all trying to get ready for the day's activities, all late and falling all over each other getting in and out of the bathroom. Fortunately Dad had taken the day off to drive Jerry to Halifax International Airport. Schedules simply did not allow for Dan and Charlie to see Jerry off at the airport, so they said their good-byes at the house at 7 am, then the two students walked to school while Jerry stood on the front steps watching them. "There go two of the most courageous guys I've ever known!" he commented to Mom Edwards.

"You won't get any argument from me," she replied.

Next: Dan and Charlie eat a little humble pie and return to the school they'd left eight months ago. Jerry gets a few surprises when he arrives back in Daytona.

If you like this story, or for that matter if you don't, please let me know by writing to charlieje@mindspring.com