Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2017 00:35:27 +0000 (UTC)
From: Snowblind94 <snowblind94@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Jared II -23

Disclaimer: All characters depicted are above 18 years of age. The
following contains scenes of explicit scenes involving male sex and in a
variety of consensual activities. But, if you're looking for non-stop sex
then this isn't the story for you.  If any of this content is offensive to
you or illegal to access in your geography, please do not proceed any
further.  The characters are entirely fictitious and are not based on
anyone who has or is still living.

This story may not be copied or posted to any other websites without
explicit written permission from the author.  Nifty is a free site but
needs your donations to keep alive.  Donate what you can to help them out.

 If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at
snowblind94@yahoo.ca

***************************

Jared the Paramedic - Volume II Chapter 23 - Portents


Jared's cell phone rang.  Being in the passenger seat of the ambulance, he
answered it as soon as he realized it was Rob calling.

"Hey Rob, what's up?" asked Jared.

"Jared, the Chief Superintendent called a few minutes ago and asked for a
meeting today with you and me about some potential problems coming up which
may affect us."

"Did he say what, Rob?"

"He didn't specify very much but he asked if we had the intention to order
bullet proof/knife proof vests like the ambulances in other cities have
done."

"Rob, we suspected this day would come when we had to discuss it, but now I
am really wondering what is going on to bring that up."

"Like I said, Jared, he didn't say much.  Can you guys pick up a couple of
lunch trays I ordered and bring them in for this meeting?"

"I take it the Chief is on his way fairly quickly to discuss this?"

"Yes he is, Jared.  The Chief is very concerned for us.  By the way, I
ordered from Gus's location around the corner so I'd know your sidekick
would eat his vegetables."

Jared laughed and looked at Liam.

"What did he say about me?" asked Liam.

"Drive to Gus's to pick up some food and then we have a meeting to go to."

"I'll go to any meeting where there is free food," laughed Liam.

"We know," replied Jared. "Anything else, Rob?"

"Nope, we'll get to see what he has to say pretty soon, I guess," replied
Rob as they both ended the call.

They brought the food into the meeting room by Rob's office.  Rob and the
Chief Superintendent were already there.

"Is there anything left to eat if Liam was holding the food?" asked the
Chief.

Liam made sure the door to the room was closed before he stuck his tongue
out at the man, which got a laugh in reply.  They shook hands and dug into
the food.

"Gentlemen, we may have a problem coming to town.  There is a gang who are
sniffing around and trying to move into the drug market in town.  It's not
a big market, but I guess they want it."

Rob looked up from his salad and asked, "Drugs like what?"

"Good question, Rob.  According to intelligence from other cities, these
guys come in and pass out fentanyl instead of heroin or oxy, or fentanyl
laced cocaine to current users.  They start rumors about the quality of
drugs on the street as the body count rises and move in with a safe source
for users, stealing the customers.  They also begin to make the dealers and
anyone not associated with them disappear or found dead."

Liam had stopped eating as Chief John had been explaining the situation.
"You mean they kill the people using the drugs intentionally?"

"Absolutely Liam, it creates problems for the current gangs, terrifies the
users and disrupts the money flow for the gangs in the area making it
easier for them to take over."

"But they're intentionally killing people?"

Jared leaned over and took one of Liam's hands into his.  "Yes, Liam, that
is exactly what they do. Human life has no value to them and it doesn't
matter the age, gender or ethnicity of the person, either."

Liam looked back at Jared and asked, "How do you know about these gangs?"

"I had some dealing with them both on the reserve and on the streets here.
The leaders are very aware of my position and that we serve as well as
protect the ill or injured without favoritism."

Chief Superintendent John quickly added, "Jared, I know for a fact they are
aware of that.  We have had some 'summits' with the gang leaders from time
to time to discuss important matters.  One meeting I brought up the
ambulances to discuss them as 'hands off' by all and the only questions
asked was if Jared was still around.  When I said yes, every gang
immediately held up their hands to vote 'hands off.'"

Jared smiled at John.

Rob spoke up, "I hate it when he gives me that smile, Chief.  I could just
throw a tomato at him for that smirk. But, I have learned there is one
thing worse than that smirk."

"And that would be what, Rob?" asked John.

"When they both do it.  Jared has been teaching Liam some bad habits,"
replied Rob.

"Oh God help us," answered John.  "Not two of them now."

Liam and Jared were sitting across the table smiling and fluttering their
eyelids at Rob and John.  The Chief Superintendent took a moment to weigh
his options, and tossed his bun at Jared's forehead, but it was
intercepted.  Jared stuck his tongue out.

"So, what I am worried about is this new group has no commitment to you
guys, and they have been known to be very violent, even to EMS.  There has
been a history of them associated with knifing medics who help their
targets.  They may have even been behind some of snipers on the east coast
who took out police, EMS as well as firefighters at incidents they caused."

"Which is why you asked if we had vests for our crews.  Well, we do.  Every
person has one issued to them and they carry them in the unit in case of
emergency," replied Rob.

"We've never needed them, Rob," answered Jared.  "But from what John is
saying, we are facing a real potential problem which directly affects our
employees."

"Jared, can you fill me in some more on this drug, Fentanyl?" asked John as
he picked up his pen to make notes.

"Actually John, Liam is the drug specialist and I'll let him fill us in,"
replied Jared.

Liam's face became very serious.  "Fentanyl is some of the nastiest stuff
to get onto the streets.  It's sometimes in slow-release patches and the
junkies usually chew them to work the drug out of the gauze strip.  If it's
a pill, they can crush it to smoke, snort or inject it very easily. It's
odourless, tasteless, and basically colourless so it can be mixed in with
other drugs easily.  The real scary thing is the druggies may not even know
they are getting ready to do fentanyl and may have thought they were using
heroin or oxycodone so they are preparing doses thinking it is a much less
powerful drug. Until a couple of moments ago, I didn't know this was being
done on purpose but fentanyl is so much more powerful and toxic to a human
that in higher doses it kills the average opiate user the first time.  It
can be cut into other substances as an additive as well and does not appear
to be any different than the other opiates.  Even handling the drug is very
dangerous and it is easily absorbed through the skin.  The little layer of
moisture on the skin is enough to moisten some of the drug and it is
rapidly absorbed and metabolized.  Nasty, nasty stuff."

Liam waited for a moment before continuing.  "There are concerns about EMS
and even morgue attendants coming into contact with the residue on the skin
of the victim or even non-metabolized drug in the blood.  Carfentanil is
showing up now in some cities and it's even more powerful of a drug.  The
ambulance personnel, police and anyone dealing with a person on this drug
needs to use a CSA/NIOSH P100 with organic vapour canisters to be safe.
Even the vapours from the mucosa of the mouth is enough to transfer to
someone in close proximity with a potentially fatal outcome.

The Chief had been making notes while Liam spoke.  "Thanks Liam, for that
information."

Liam thought for a moment, "That woman the other day Troy and I checked out
behind the garbage bin, the two officers on the scene said there has been a
few of them dying and two were suspected to be fentanyl overdoses."

John stopped writing and looked at Liam, "I'll follow up on that because
the problem may be already here more than I realized."

Rob spoke up, "I'll issue orders that everyone is to start wearing their
flack vests and we'll start having shift meetings at shift-passover time to
talk about the gangs, drugs and what to look for and how to stay safe."

"I'll make a point of having a cup of coffee with some of the leaders of
the gangs.  Been a while since we visited and it may be time to drop in on
them," said Jared.

John looked up from his note pad directly at Jared and asked, "If I was to
say that was a bad idea - you would still do it anyways, wouldn't you?"

Jared smiled, "Yes.  I have no fear of them."

John looked at him long and hard, "They seem to have a very healthy respect
- borderline fear - of you Jared.  I don't support your plan but be careful
as you ignore common sense and my recommendations not to go."

"We'll keep that in mind, John," replied Jared.

Liam's head spun to look at Jared.  "We?  We?  You got mice in your pocket
or what? What's this we shit?"

Jared didn't even flinch as he slapped the back of Liam's head.

"When do we leave, soulmate," said Liam with a smirk.

"If you're nice for once Liam, you won't have to ride in the trunk when we
go somewhere."

"You promise, dad?" He turned to the Chief and Rob, "You see how I'm
treated when you're not here?  He puts the cute guy in the trunk..."

Liam didn't get to finish as Rob slapped the back of head.  "I've always
wanted to do that since I met you Liam, and it felt fantastic."

The Chief leaned over the table with his arm outstretched, "Can I try?"

Laim grabbed Jared tightly and said, "Dad, they're being mean to your cute
son."

"He's definitely in the trunk on the way home tonight," replied Jared with
a smile.

The Chief Superintendent smiled and said, "My husband once told me the sign
of true unconditional love is demonstrated by locking your significant
other and your dog in the trunk of car.  Then drive around the city for an
hour and when you open the trunk take note of who is happy to see you.
It's the dog!"

Jared, Rob and he Chief all laughed while Liam exaggerated a pout with his
arms crossed.

"John, with Liam you just have to yell squirrel, cheesecake or Melanie and
he would forget he was even in there," replied Jared.

"That's not true," huffed Liam.  "Well, maybe for the squirrel it is."  He
thought for a moment and then added, "and saying cheesecake gets me
sidetracked so maybe that's true, too."

"Go on, Liam," encouraged Jared.

He pouted more, "And when you say Melanie I immediately go into fight or
flight... you guys are all bastards. Ok, maybe all three are true but there
is another."

"Oh, what's that?" asked Jared.

Liam stuck his tongue out at Jared, "PHHHHHHHHFFFFFFFFFFFFT."

The radio warbled for them to respond to call.

"Thank god," said Rob.  "If this had gone on much longer, it would have
even got even more juvenile."

As Liam was running out the door to the unit with Jared behind him, he
said, "You can kiss my shiny metal..." A slap hitting solid flesh and a
yelp was heard from Liam.

"Ouch, that wasn't a kiss."

"There's more where that came from, now get in there and drive before you
get a licking."

"Yes, dad."

John and Rob didn't hear anything else as the big diesel motor started, but
it didn't matter.  They were already laughing too hard to care what was
being said anyways.  It took a couple of minutes for them to stop laughing,
but after filling their coffee cups again the two men sat to finish the
conversation.

"Rob, the information we're getting through national police sources is last
night there were 9 overdoses called in for emergency services within 20
minutes."

"My god John, that would decimate my on-duty crews and still leave half of
the calls in a delayed action status.  Where did this happen?"

"Delta, British Columbia, Canada.  They are part of the Greater Vancouver
area, and have a population of around 110,000.  They pulled in responders
from the neighbouring cities to assist."

Rob sat their stunned.

"The drug has killed 433 in 7 months in that province followed by Alberta
at 153.  The entry point into Canada is through Vancouver from China.  It's
being refined there and made into fentanyl tablets, powder and fake
OxyContin tablets.  Other fakes are being made as well but that's the big
one.  This drug is different.  Oxycodone is 1.5 times stronger than
morphine, fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent. The big problem which
has been proven in Delta is that the dealers aren't telling buyers that
their product contains fentanyl. Instead, they're often passing it off as
OxyContin.  As you know, that is a type of slow-release prescription people
crush and snort for a quicker high. The 'fake Oxy' pills are designed to
look the same as prescription OxyContin pills in every way."

Rob thought for a moment, absorbing the information.  "But OxyContin hasn't
been prescribed or available as a pill for years because of the potential
for something like this to happen.  It's now available only as a slow
release transdermal patch or a pill called OxyNeo."

"The pills haven't been available for years but the buyers believe the
dealers when they tell them it's just Oxy.  There have been 16 and
17-year-old kids across the country buying it, thinking it was Oxy and
ending up dead."

Rob exhaled in a long, audible breath.  "I guess desperation for the
addict, cheap prices and uncontrolled sourcing all come together and we get
these deaths as the result."

"The worse part is at least with the opiates like heroin or morphine they
needed the right poppies to begin the entire process.  Fentanyl is a
semi-synthetic or totally synthetically produced opioid and it can be done
anywhere and produced in massive quantities."

Rob thought aloud, "I need to get a hold of medical control to find out
about Narcan or Naloxone effectiveness and if we can distribute it like
they are in the other provinces.  It's amazing John that a few years ago we
had to fight to use drugs like Narcan in a prehospital setting, now they
hand it out to anyone who can ask for it."

John stood up, "I hear you Rob, and I know first hand the politics
potentially involved in modernization or change. Look at me, a gay
policeman who runs one of the largest police detachments in the west.
Would have never happened 20 years ago."

Rob stood and they shook hands, "Personally John, I'm the fortunate one
because of the changes made.  I get to work with you, Jared and his side
kicks."

John smiled, "You forgot someone."

"I have tried many, many times to forget Liam..."  Both the men laughed as
they headed out of the meeting rooms.

*******************************

The next day, Liam walked into the classroom of Primary Care Paramedics.
He had been asked to cover the class for a couple of days while the
instructor was away on her honeymoon. He stood just inside the door and
looked at the people in the classroom, taking in the first impressions.
The class appeared to be twenty students, and they looked to be in ages of
18-25 years old, mostly on the younger end of the scale.  Liam also noticed
there were only two girls in the class, and they both seemed to be more
interested in their smartphones than anything going on around them.  With
twenty in the room, the usual dropout rate by the end of the class for this
profession is 20-30% of the students, or around 6-7 of them.

Liam moved to the lectern and put his book bag down on the desk next to it.
Liam stood there at 6'1", deeply tanned skin, crystal clear blue eyes, and
neatly trimmed blonde hair.  He was wearing a bright green golf shirt which
clung to his lean body and blue jeans which accentuated his bubble butt and
package.  The soft denim of the pants clung to his muscular, long legs.
The shirt he was wearing had two buttons undone, showing more tanned skin
and a thin gold necklace around his neck on which hung a gold charm of an
eagle.  The symbolism of the charm is lost on everyone but his family.
More people asked why a blond haired, blue eyed man wore a charm usually
associated with natives, and he just usually shrugged his shoulders and
said, "It looked cool."

Liam turned the projector and computer on as the students settled down and
talking ceased.  "Good morning everyone, my name is Liam and I will be
covering for the week while Patty is off on her honeymoon."  He looked at
the students and immediately began to feel their emotions and insecurities
being projected.  There were two along the one side of the classroom which
he could not sense anything from passively.  They appeared to be just as
interested in him, and he could sense something weak trying to connect with
him.

One student on the left spoke up, "You look pretty young for a teacher," he
said.

Liam's head snapped to the left and quickly replied, "You look pretty old
for nursery school games of trying to guess my age."  Liam walked over to
him and looked at the young man sitting in his desk.  He was a nice looking
young man, but he had the attitude of a rich kid who had always been the
winning jock.

The young man looked back at Liam.  "I don't know what you are talking
about," he smirked.

Liam looked at the young man for a moment.  He then pulled out his smart
phone and sent a text message.  "What would your name be?"

"Beau Richard Thomas Ayers; Not Beauregard or anything gay, just Beau."

"Ok Beau, so why are you taking this course?"

"How come you're asking me and none of them?"

Liam smiled at the young man.  "The answer to your first question is
because as the instructor I can ask questions like that.  The answer to the
second part of your question is you were the first chosen because you are
sitting in the front row seat, at the most immediate stage left position of
the classroom."

"Whatever.  My dad sent me to school here."

Liam was not sensing positive or friendly vibrations off this student.  In
fact, he was sensing an increasing potential for physical action from him,
and this was confirmed by his tensing muscles.  Liam observed his hands
beginning to clench and unclench; his breathing was becoming more rapid and
shallow, and his pupils were becoming more constricted and fixating on
Liam.  Liam was watching the young man and the white powder residue which
was visible in his nostrils.

"So you didn't want to take this class is what you are saying?" asked Liam.
As he was speaking, two people from the college came through the door and
stood just inside of it, looking at Liam with questioning gazes.

Liam leaned forward with both hands on the desk and looked deeply into
Beau's eyes.  "We need to step outside into the hallway for a moment,
Beau."  They all moved out through the door, with Liam pulling it shut
behind him.

One of the two people from the college was the Dean of Academic Affairs.
"Are you are aware of the College's Drug and Alcohol Policy?" the Dean
asked of Beau.

"Yeah, what's it got to do with me?"

"You have white powder just inside the openings of your nares.  To me, I
would make an educated guess it was cocaine," stated Liam.

"I had a donut down in the cafeteria, it must be from that," replied Beau
as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

Liam spoke up, "Your physiological reactions are all text book, Beau.  I
think you may need some help for your addiction."

Beau stared at Liam with hatred in his eyes.  "You have no clue who you are
dealing with."

Liam looked back at Beau with compassion in his eyes.  "You are wrong Beau;
I know exactly who I am dealing with.  Someone who needs help to get back
on the path of life he is intended to walk on to reach his full potential.
Let me assure you of something Beau; you have no clue who you are dealing
with."

Beau moved one of his hands up and wrapped it around Liam's bicep.  Liam
reached over and put his hand on top of Beau's gently.  Beau was about to
say something when Liam moved his index finger to briefly tap the back of
the young man's hand.  He wasn't sure, but Beau thought Liam's eyes had
flashed white or something.

"Beau, tell us about the cocaine."

The two people from the college had stepped in close to help Liam as Beau
had grabbed him.  They were shocked by his answer.

"Yeah, I like cocaine, lots of it.  My allowance pays for it and daddy can
even buy this shit hole school if he wanted."

Liam smiled at him, "Just you or do you share your cocaine?"

Beau smiled back at Liam as he released the grip he had on the instructor's
bicep.  "It's no good alone; I shared it with Mandy and Teresa, too."  Beau
lowered his voice. "They both put out at lunch when they get cocaine in the
morning.  With a little coke, I can do both of them."  He laughed at his
statement.  "It doesn't hurt you what we do."

The Dean stepped forward.  "I've heard enough.  He turned to the man with
him and said, "Get the two women from class and we'll take all three to the
office for a discussion."

"What the fuck?" Beau said. "This isn't over and this is not the end!"

Liam just smiled at him.  "Probably not Beau, even though it should be."

After they had all left, Liam went back into the classroom and sat on the
desk at the front of the room, facing the class.  He had everyone move up
to the front three rows as a group and not scattered all over the room.  He
had each of the students introduce themselves by name, where they came
from, and what they wanted in life.  He also had them each tell a funny
story about themselves.

It took about 20 minutes to get through everyone.  The two young men Liam
had noticed earlier looked a happier now, but they were still pretty
reserved.  They were both from the same town, graduated together, grew up
together and were in the city together now.  Liam was watching their aura's
dance with each other as they each spoke, and looked to each other as if
asking for permission to speak.  Liam had caught their names as Alex and
Kyle, and they were both well-spoken and very polite.  The rest of the day
passed quickly for Liam and the students as they began to learn the theory
about fluid therapies and IV treatments.

*******************************

That night, Gus had just finished locking up his restaurant not far from
the college when he noticed a car idling in the corner of the parking lot
near the back.  If he hadn't heard the motor running, he wouldn't have even
noticed it after a long day of work.  He was tired, but the car had caught
his interest.  He threw the last garbage bags he had dragged out and into
the bin at the back.  He flipped the big lid back over to cover the garbage
from being shredded by the numerous raccoons that lived in the area.  The
rain had been gently falling for the last couple of hours and Gus noticed
there were no tracks in the light gravel around the car which indicated
whoever it was had been parked there for a while.

Gus walked to his own car and climbed in.  He had remote started it so it
was nice and warm inside.  He backed up slowly, looked at the licence plate
writing it down, and departed the parking lot.  He watched the other
vehicle in the rear view mirror as he was leaving.  As Gus turned onto the
street he decided to go around the block and slowly come back towards the
restaurant and park where he could watch it from a distance. Gus pulled
into a closed gas station a short distance from his building and parked,
turning off his headlights.  Gus had a good view from that angle where he
could watch the most of the back of the building as well as the one side
and front.  He could only see the front of the suspicious car from the
front wheels forward.  Gus's first thought was his business was being
targeted for a break-in.

It didn't take long before two people walked into his sight and headed
directly for the back of the building.  Gus got his cell phone out and was
ready to call 911 when he saw them head straight to the dumpster, and
quietly raise the lid.  The one person helped the other into the dumpster
and he or she disappeared from his line of sight.  Gus put his phone on the
passenger seat, continuing to watch.

He saw the head of the person in the dumpster reappear, and then handed out
a couple of things Gus recognized as his restaurant's pizza boxes.  The
person outside took the boxes and stood while the other person crawled out
of the dumpster, and closed the lid.  The two of them opened the lid of the
pizza box as they were walking back to the car, appearing to be excited
about their discovery from their body movements.  They disappeared from
sight.

Gus knew what the two people had taken was probably the last two pizzas of
the evening he had just thrown out.  A phone order had come into the
restaurant, but no one had picked them up by the time he had closed.  This
happened about once a week and was normal for his business, and part of the
risk of being in the food industry.  Although the restaurant didn't waste
food, there was always enough in the last couple of garbage bags thrown out
at the end of the night for someone to eat a meal if they wanted it.

Gus continued watching when he saw the headlights of the suspicious car
switch on, and it pulled into his line of sight soon after.  It drove
through the parking lot, turning on the street and disappeared from view.
If it was just food they wanted from the dumpster, Gus didn't have a
problem with it.  In fact, he was concerned of someone having to dumpster
dive to find food just to survive.  Gus drove from his observation spot at
the gas station, down the street past his restaurant, and headed home for
the night.

Gus is 39 years old and of Greek ancestry complete with the Mediterranean
skin colour.  He stands 5'10" and 180 lbs, built like a line backer with
broad muscular shoulders, hairy solid defined chest with a reasonably flat
abdomen.  He owned a dozen Greek restaurants in six cities and they gave
him a very comfortable income; actually he could sit back and just coast if
he wanted.  That wasn't in his nature; his father had taught him the ethic
of working hard, loving those around him and giving back to the community.
He had lost his parents a few years ago in an apartment fire from smoke
inhalation, leaving him the sole owner of the restaurants his father and he
had built up.

His husband John was a police officer, actually the Chief Superintendent in
charge of the large city and an even larger rural area around it.  They had
been together as a couple since they were both 20, which would now make it
19 years of happy marital partnership.  John was also 39, and this year was
going to be a big one for the two men as they both turned 40 and it would
be their 20th anniversary.  Their birthdays were only two weeks apart so as
a compromise, they held a large party in Gus's restaurant, alternating each
year on each of their birthday dates, but they were really celebrating them
both concurrently.

John was of Norwegian descent, complete with blonde hair, blue eyes and the
build of Viking.  He stood 5'11", 175 lbs with broad shoulders and a blonde
hairy chest.  Gus loved John's chest, especially his nipples, narrow
waistline and big male appendage.  They were both versatile in the bedroom.

Gus got home and was met at the door by his husband.  They embraced each
other and gently kissed.  When John asked why Gus was later than usual, he
explained that he had been watching the restaurant.  He gave John the
licence plate Gus had seen on the suspicious car.  John called the dispatch
center and soon had the information on the car and the owner.  The owner,
if he was the driver, had no criminal past they were aware of on the
system.

John looked at Gus and asked him, "What do you want to do about this?"

"I don't know yet.  If they are just getting food, that's fine.  But if
they need the food to survive with no other options, I'm concerned about
them."

"Why did I know you were going to say that, Gus," John replied with a big
smile.

"I think I will watch over the next couple of nights and see what happens
after close up.  If they keep doing it, maybe I will try and talk to them."

"If they do and you want to talk with them, I want to be there with you,"
said John.

"Why did I know you were going to say that, John," Gus replied with a big
smile on his face.

"We know what each other are going to say because we have been together for
almost 20 years, and we know each other very well.  Not to mention I love
you and would never let you do something so dangerous without me being
there."

"I love you too, John," Gus replied as he leaned in for a kiss.

They headed off to bed and made love slowly.  John was topping Gus tonight
with them both very happy by the end of it.  They fell asleep, curled
together.

*******************************

Liam and Jared were out for a run through the nearby park when Liam's cell
phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello," said Liam cheerfully.

There was a moment of silence on the phone before a voice said,
"Liam... its Chad.  I'm at a loss to explain how I know your phone number
or why I even called you."

Without hesitating, Liam replied, "That's easy, Chad.  I told you that you
could call any time you wanted to talk or you needed help."

The voice at the other end quivered a bit. "Are you busy?"

"I'm just on run with Jared, but never too busy to listen to someone.
Jared has a great ear, too."

"Where are you guys running?"

"We're in the park along the river near the old railway bridge."

"Can we join you for a run?  It might not be a bad idea to do a good run."

"Eric is with you I take it?"

The silence was deafening for a moment before he replied, "You should've
been a cop, Liam.  Yes, he's here and we have a problem.  We both thought
of calling you at the same time too, without even talking about it first.
Now you know who's here with me - Liam, you should've been a cop."

"You're both welcome to come for a run, although Jared's older and getting
slow..." He didn't even get to finish when Jared slapped Liam's ass.  The
running shorts offered no protection whatsoever to the delicate globe of
Liam's ass.  Even Chad heard the slap and started to laugh.

Liam cried out but regained control, "I stand corrected, Chad."  He started
to run up the trail as he continued, "Come on down Chad, we'll be down here
somewhere.  Just look for a young cute guy panicking while being chased by
an older, but cute guy."

Approximately 15 minutes later, the four men met near the large fountain.
Chad and Eric were stretching as Jared and Liam ran up to them.  The men
all shook hands.

"You guys aren't worn out yet?" asked Chad.

Jared smiled at the man, "I can run for hours.  Its something I love to do
and Liam is so hyperactive I need to burn the energy off somehow.  He's
bouncing off the walls in the apartment like a kid on sugar if I don't take
him for run."

"Hey!" squawked Liam.  "I resemble that remark."

"So you two live together?" asked Eric quietly.

Liam smiled and lowered his voice to a whisper, "Yea we do," like it was a
state secret, or not to be heard in public.

Jared smacked Liam's ass again which caused him to bounce on his tippy
toes.

"I thought you guys were a riot at work, now I know it's even worse off
duty," laughed Chad.

"Liam, SQUIRREL," yelled Jared.  Liam stopped and started to look around.
The other men lost it in laughter.

They had been running a leisurely pace for 20 minutes when they took a
break to stretch.

"You guys are in better shape and have more endurance than I had
estimated," said Eric as he stretched his ham strings.

"We enjoy running long distances together.  It's not the speed that counts,
it's the completion of the journey," replied Jared as he sat on the ground
stretching.  "I enjoy the time to just think or sort out my thoughts while
I'm running."

"At one time I was thinking about participating in some of the marathons,"
added Liam. "But they weren't long enough for me."

Eric and Chad laughed at the comment.

Chad looked at Liam and Jared, "You're serious about them not being long
enough?"

Jared smirked, "Partially... we just enjoy running; the competition isn't
important."

"I knew you two were in good shape but I had no clue how good," said
Eric. "None of the crews look like the old typical paramedic anymore now
that Tim and his buddies are gone."

"Healthy mind, healthy body.  The reverse is also very true," said Jared.

Eric is 25 years old with brown hair and hazel eyes.  His hair is short on
the sides, and longer on the top which is also combed backwards.  He is
clean shaven with light facial hair.  He stands 5'11", 220 lbs with a broad
chest.  He isn't over muscled on the chest or abdomen, but everything he
has was tough and solid.  He had sparse light brown around his areoles and
again at his belly button stretching downwards in a defined yet trimmed
treasure trail. His waist was a solid 34" with a little bit of extra.  His
package was noticeable through the running shorts as was his round yet
solid ass cheeks.  The running shorts hugged his body and as he ran, the
bounce of his package and quivering of his butt were a sensual movement.
His legs were very defined with dark hair on the lower part only.  Eric
obviously enjoys being outdoors with his skin being well and evenly tanned
darkly.  Currently, he is single with no attachment to anyone.

Chad is 26 years old and married since he was 20. His wife works in the
retail sector, and one real clear understanding they have is no children.
He stands 6'1", 180 lbs, dark brown hair which is in a style similar to
Eric's hair which complimented his dark brown eyes.  His beard and
moustache are clean shaven, but leave a distinct beard line.  Chad is tall,
lean and with solid body.  His chest is covered in dark curly hair which is
shaped like a V down to his belly button.  His legs are not only well
developed but tanned and covered in more hair.  His package is outlined in
his running shorts as well as his bubble butt.  Chad is naturally
attractive with a beautiful smile and twinkling eyes.  He doesn't know what
he wants in life and while he doesn't really love his wife, he does like
her.

"To feel the wind and air going past you when you're running is amazing.
It only gets better when you fly high above the trees of the forest and
riding the currents of air," explained Liam.

"You do hang gliding?" asked Eric.

Liam smiled, "A form of hang gliding, but pretty cool."

"Lets' finish the run over to our apartment for some cool water," suggested
Jared.

"Although I have been enjoying the run, we will be sure to invite you guys
to more, or our self-defense classes too. We can also discuss your out of
the blue phone call," said Liam.

Eric and Chad briefly looked at each other and then to Liam.  Chad spoke,
"That would be great to join you guys in activities like this. I've been
enjoying it."

"So have I," said Eric.  "Did you say self-defense classes?"

"Jesse and I lead the group in some classes.  It's nothing official but
good exercise and spot among ourselves.  The members of our family all join
in when they're not working and about 10-20 other people who joined through
the LGBT Drop in Centre."

"What program are you guys teaching?" asked Chad who was very interested.

"Jesse is Tie Kwan Do and I'm Aikido.  Sometimes it gets interesting when
we play around on the mats," said Jared.

Liam spoke up now, "There is no personal competition allowed.  I mean we
spar and practice combat but the class is about improving or learning about
yourself - not just to win.  Confidence and discipline are the goals, and
some good physical activity."

The men finished their run, and after going through their cool down
stretches they went up to the apartment. Liam grabbed some towels for
everyone to mop their sweat while Jared grabbed some water bottles.  The
men sat down at the kitchen table.

"Why don't we make some tea before we get going.  Are you guys comfortable
dressed like that or can we find you some sweats to wear?" asked Jared.

"I'm good but I could use a bathroom break," replied Chad.

"I'm good too expect for the bathroom," said Eric.

When the men all sat back down at the table, Jared had his tea pot full of
water and was adding various herbs to the water.  The two men were
fascinated as Jared explained the herbs he was using.  They were astounded
when they learned Jared and Liam gathered the herbs themselves and dried
them in the traditional ways.  Liam came back to the table with four slices
of chocolate cheesecake.

"Liam, I am absolutely impressed you are sharing your cheesecake with our
guests," said Jared with a big smile.

Liam stuck his tongue out at Jared.  Liam's gesture caused Chad and Eric to
start laughing.

"So what can we help you with, guys?" asked Liam directly.

Chad and Eric looked at each other for a moment, and then Chad spoke.
"I've asked my wife for a divorce."

"Chad, it is truly unfortunate when love in a relationship disappears,"
said Jared carefully.

"I just couldn't live the lie any more, pretending to love her.  Don't get
me wrong, I did love her at one time and I'm sure she loved me too." Chad
choked up a bit.  "I hope we'll remain civil because she is a truly
wonderful lady.  When we talked about it this morning she was actually
quite accepting.  She asked me if I had been seeing anyone and I was able
to answer her very honestly that I would not dishonour her that way.  After
a moment, she replied she had known it for a while and she had not
dishonoured me either.  Now that we were separating, she had met someone
she did want to get to know more."  Chad had a tear leak out his left eye
and it rolled down his cheek, dropping onto the table.

Eric reached over and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder for
reassurance.

Liam allowed a controlled silence at the table, waiting for Chad to
continue.  Jared picked up on the technique Liam was using and after a
moment asked, "I must be honest Chad, both you and your wife's sense of
honour with the commitment to each other is admirable and a rarity in this
day and time.  At one time you two must have been very strongly linked to
maintain that type of commitment."

Chad looked up at Jared to see if he was being sarcastic.  "Thank you for
your words, Jared."

"Chad," started Liam.  "You are a man of extreme honour and ideals and I
bow my head in respect to you.  Is there someone you are interested in?"

Chad grasped his hands together on the table tightly enough to turn the
skin white.  "Yes there is, but...  it would never be a reality with that
person for so many reasons."

Liam was watching him closely, and noted Chad had said person - not woman,
lady, or any of the references used to acknowledge a female. "Chad, what is
your biggest barrier to achieving what you want."

Chad thought for a moment and finally said, "A couple of things, the big
ones are being unsure of what to do and the risk involved."

"Chad, let me tell you about how I met Liam, my boyfriend" said Jared.  "It
was a dark and stormy night..."

After Jared finished explaining how they met, Liam continued the story.
"We worked together, became friends and love came easy between us."  Liam
reached out to Jared's hand on the table and grasped it gently.

"We have never had to force love, it came naturally, honestly and developed
the way it should," added Jared as he returned the hand grasp.

Liam smiled at his boyfriend as he spoke. "Love is one of the greatest
gifts given to people to share, and the most wonderful thing to experience
in its full force."

Eric hesitated for a moment, "Can I ask you guys a personal question?"

"Anything," replied Liam.

"Well," Eric hesitated while he thought of the best way to ask the question
on his mind.  "How did you know when you were gay?"

Jared smiled, "Let me answer it first with a question and then we can
discuss our answers."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," said Eric.

Chad added, "It was a pretty personal question to ask, Eric."

"You two can ask us any questions which pop into your minds.  If it's
something we don't know, we'll tell you that and we can work together to
find the answer.  If it's something we don't want to answer, we will tell
you that with no loss of respect for asking.  If it is something we are not
allowed to answer, we'll tell you that too," replied Liam.

Chad's one eyebrow raised. "If you're not allowed to answer?"

Without any hesitation Jared spoke, "We all have things we are not allowed
to talk about.  I'm not talking about the things we choose not to talk
about, but things which we have been directed not to speak about.  You as
police officers would have the same constraints on some things."

Eric thought for a moment, "When you put it that way, I understand what you
mean."

"Eric, you asked how did we know we were gay," Liam said.  "Let's talk
about it from another angle, without a label."

Eric and Chad both had confused looks on their faces.

Liam smiled at the two men.  "What is love?"

Eric thought and then said, "An emotional attachment between two people."

Liam looked at Chad, "Your opinion?"

"Yeah, an emotional attachment between two people but also commitment,
devotion and respect."

"You're both right, and more" said Jared.

"Where does love come from?" asked Liam.

"The heart, it's something you feel deep inside of you, a connection -
wait, more than a connection.  Its something you feel when you need to be
with someone," said Chad.

"Its like a hidden force connecting you to someone on so many levels of
emotion," added Eric.

"Love is a gift we humans have been given.  There are many types of love,
and all of them gifts to make our lives better in some way.  These are
gifts given to us freely, for us to use, but they have been subjugated by
man made rules. Rules of who can marry, where they can get married, or how
they get married and even who does it.  That's not what the Creator
intended," explained Jared.

"The Creator?" asked Eric.

"I guess the simplest way to explain the Creator is you probably call him
by the name God," replied Liam.  "We know him by many names from the many
different faiths but we choose to call him Nimanitôm, the Creator of
all."

"You guys are religious?" asked Chad. "That's not what I expected from a
couple of gay guys.  I may've made a mistake coming here." He started to
get up.  Eric was getting up too.

"We're not here to push anything on you guys, after all - you came to us
for a chat," said Liam evenly.

"You're right, I'm sorry.  I was brought up in a strict Ukrainian Orthodox
Catholic family and do not really have the best memories of a church," said
Chad as he sat down again.

"We went sometimes as a family but it fell off as we became teenagers.  It
was a more liberal church," said Eric.

"I have a quote for you two to think about," said Liam.  "Religion is for
people who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have
already been there."

"You will both be happy to know we are very spiritual and we try to live
our lives on some very simple concepts," said Jared quickly. "As members of
a tribe, and medicine men we believe in four basic presumptions for us to
understand who we are and how we fit in.  The first presumption is
everything on our earth is alive, and the second is everything on this
earth has purpose."

Liam continued, "The third is everything on this earth is connected and the
fourth is everything on this earth is to be embraced.  All four are very
simple concepts, and given to us to live our lives."

"I would like to reserve judgement on the spirituality vs religion theory
until we learn more," said Chad.

"No problem at all, we're not here to preach or convert," Jared stated
clearly.  "Please remember, we have been given knowledge, the ability to
learn, the freedom of choice and a variety of truths to live by.  One of
them is respect."

"Any person who wishes to be respected must treat others with respect,"
added Liam.  "Your words 'that's not what I expected from a couple of gay
guys' are words made defensively, but are offensive in our home.  What did
you expect from a couple of gay guys?"

Chad and Eric both looked at the table top while trying to figure out what
to say.  Finally, Eric spoke, "I apologise to both of you and I have no
excuse for what I said."

Both Jared and Liam smiled.  "We accept your apology," Liam said.

"As simple as that?" Chad asked.

"Eric, we respect you and you made a mistake.  You apologised and we accept
your sincere words," said Jared.  "To carry on after accepting your apology
would be disrespectful so let's move on."

Chad's eyes fixed on Jared and then Liam, trying to find any deception in
their body language in spite of their words.  "You guys really are as
intelligent, humble and honest as I've heard stories about.  I know Frank
is absolutely your biggest fan, and that means a lot to me."

Liam smiled as he said, "I appreciate your comments, and we love Frank as
an older brother or special friend.  His son is a member of our tribe along
with many other strays or people who needed a family.  We help when we can,
that's all we do."

"Chad, let's do a demonstration on the power of thought," said Jared.
"Liam, would you grab two quarters, or maybe make it easier - two loonies
for us."

Liam was back in a moment with them.  "I took them from your change jar, I
need my loonies."

"That's ok, Liam.  I took them from you earlier today and put them in my
change jar."

"You are such a bitch, but I love you anyway."  Chad and Eric were smirking
at the comments being exchanged.

Jared passed the two coins over to Eric and Chad.  "You two are big, tough,
masculine, muscular, anal retentive, testosterone reeking cops. I want you
to each bend the coin I gave you."

Both Chad and Eric laughed.

"Are you even going to try?" asked Liam.

Both of them gave it a half hearted attempt with the result they expected,
nothing happened.

Liam was chuckling, "Put some effort into it.  Concentrate and try."  Again
both men laughed as they tried with a bit more effort.

Jared and Liam took the coins from the two men.  They held them down near
the table and lowered their heads.

Jared spoke, "Everything on this earth is connected and is to be embraced.
The most solid of objects can be bent to be useful at any time.  Even the
most rigid of a person because of their behavior or their thinking may bend
to meet the needs of the situation."

Both Jared's and Liam's eyes flashed for a moment as they both bent the
coins they were holding in half.

"Holy fuck," burst from Chad's lips.

"What the hell," Eric stammered.

"It's a fucking trick," said Chad looking at Liam and Jared.

Liam smiled. "If it's a trick, straighten them out," he said as he handed
the coin to Eric.  Jared handed his to Chad.  This time they both
concentrated and tried their best to straighten out the coins with no luck.

Jared and Liam took the coins back and once again held them down low to the
table.  Their eyes flashed and both bent the coins almost straight.  They
handed them back to the men across the table.

Jared spoke, "Now that we have your undivided attention, there is a Tribal
piece of wisdom you should know.  'Don't be afraid to start over.  It's a
new chance to create what you want and enjoy what you deserve.'  You and
your wife divorcing or going your separate ways is a crossroads.  It is the
starting over point again, and the point to choose your path. Eric is
already there, waiting for something to happen before he makes his choice.
You two have a lot of strength together."

Chad and Eric sat looking at Jared and Liam stunned at what they had seen
and the words said to them.

"I'd like you to keep the coins as a reminder about what we've shared with
you tonight. Keep them to remember everything can be molded or bent
positively if it has to be," said Liam.

The two men had finished their tea and had moved to near the door.  Jared
reached out and placed the palm of his hand on Eric and Chad's chests.
"You now have the protection of the bear on you.  If you need us, call our
names - we will come to you."

Both men jumped slightly as an electrical charge they thought of as static
was felt by both of them on their chests at the same time.

Chad locked eyes with Jared for a moment, "I don't understand why - but I
believe what you're saying.  Thank you."

Eric was watching the reaction of his friend closely, and feeling the same
way although he didn't say it aloud.  "You guys running tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, we do a self-defense workout at the LGBT Drop in Centre and you
two are more than welcome to join us," said Jared.

Both quickly said, "I'll be there."

Chad and Eric were walking back to their apartments, both still in awe of
the evening and what they were feeling.

"Eric, I feel different after talking with them.  I mean, we didn't do a
lot of heavy talking or anything."

"I feel the same way, like a fog is getting ready to lift."

"When I was sitting there and rubbing that coin they gave me I felt good.
The more I rubbed it with my thumb and finger the more positive I felt."

"Ok, so I'm not nuts.  I did too but I thought it was my imagination."

Chad laughed, "You are nuts, but you also did feel it - we both did." Chad
punched him in the shoulder.

"You're the one who is fucking nuts," replied Eric as he backhanded Chad's
flat stomach with his hand before he took off running up the street.

Just before Chad began to chase Eric up the street, he thought to himself,
"Maybe it is worth the risk."

*******************************

Editor's Note:
Happy New Year! See? Short break. =)