SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Michael was giddy with excitement. He just knew Mrs. King's matching service could find someone special for the adults in his life. When Simon had questioned Michael's confidence in his scheme to get their parents hooked up, Michael replied, "Your plan worked."

"Touché," said Simon. He knew his lil' bro was referring to all of Simon's planning and scheming to make the Homecoming Dance a romantic evening -- an evening that resulted in the two couples making it official.

Michael started setting up first thing in the morning, before the other two boys were even up -- well, at least so he thought. Simon and Lukas were taking advantage of their privacy for some slow, one-on-one lovemaking that they haven't had many chances to do since they'd become a couple. When Lukas arrived later to help Michael set up, he was just as happy and giddy as Michael since he'd gotten a double injection from Simon that morning. Simon, on the other hand, joined them pretty mellow and a bit worn out when he arrived to help.

The doorbell rang and Carol went to answer it but somehow Michael, out of no where, beat her to the door.

"Hello, Mrs. King! I'm so glad you are here. I'm getting the stage area set up for the band. We have a great set ready for tonight, we're gonna be really good tonight. I think you're gonna love it. I had an idea about lighting the tables. Since it is a little cloudy today, we're gonna need extra light from the very beginning. I was thinking..."

Michael had taken Janette King's hand to lead her to the back yard. Janette looked over at Carol who could hardly contain her laughter.

"Good luck," said Carol.

Janette rolled her eyes but gave a big smile. Michael had actually been a huge help, even if a little over eager at times. When they got to the backyard, Janette interjected.

"Michael, those are all great ideas, but I need to open the gate to let the gentlemen in. They have the tables. They need to get started so where ready for tonight," explained Janette.

"I'm on it," said Michael. He ran over and opened the gate and instructed the men to where the tables would go.

Janette had tables and chairs set up for the participants and the tables for the catering. Her lighting team was there to augment the mood lighting Carol and Lars already had so the seating areas would be well lit, including some table top lights to enable people to see each other's faces while sitting at the tables.

She had a small sound system set up so she could facilitate the evening and had tables for name tags and other items she'd need to make the evening productive from a match making business standpoint.

The plan was for everyone to arrive midafternoon and to enjoy some music and hors d'oeuvres before the speed dating portion of the evening. After speed dating, there were more hors d'oeuvres and music while Janette reviewed the participants' interests and reset the tables to seat four and she assigned seating so people interested in knowing each other better would be seated together. After dinner, the band would play their set to create an informal environment for the men and women to continue to visit and get to know each other.

Janette's crew had things set just as two of her evening helpers arrived. Her husband dropped off her son Jordan and Gavin. They would be runners and provide support for Janette throughout the evening. Jordan had helped his mom many times and didn't mind since it was the family business, but he was getting to the age where it was starting to seem like a chore. Tonight, however, would be different. He and Gavin volunteered so they could be present to see their friends play later. They figured they had two choices. If they went as friends of the band, they'd have hung out in the family room "backstage" and had a good time. But Jordan told Gavin about how good the caterers were. If they helped with the event, they'd get to each the food and watch the band from out front which would be more fun than sitting behind Lukas and not really being able to see the show.

"Hi mom," Jordan said, giving his mom a side hug. He didn't want to give his mom a "little kid" hug in front of his friend. "We're ready to work."

She put them on the task of hanging decorations and setting out the name tags and putting the numbers on each table so everyone would know which table to go to during the speed dating.

Carol and Lars stayed out of the way. They stood at the sink in the Meijer kitchen and sipped coffee while they watched their backyards being transformed.

"Are you looking forward to this evening?" asked Lars. His tone indicating that he really didn't care about attending the match making event. Carol took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Maybe Michael is right," she contemplated. "Maybe we've both been single too long. You haven't had a serious relationship since coming to the US and I married my work after Stephen died."

"Yeah, maybe you are right," Lars agreed. "Either way, this idea was born out of love and good intentions. I'm not going to spoil it for Michael. Even though this will not be a productive evening for me."

"True, but maybe you do need the practice of enjoying social situations and getting to know people," Carol pointed out. She knew she was right, and so did Lars. "I'm going to go get ready. Even if I don't think I'm ready to put myself out there, I'm going to look my best and fully participate because I'm certain I'll be under the watchful eyes of one precocious 11-year-old boy."

The both laughed and went their separate ways to get ready for the evening.

Zach and Garrett arrived a bit later in their matching suits. This would be the first show were Courage Game would look like a five-piece band. The boys finished setting up and began playing right on time. Lukas kept the sound board behind him so he could control the band's volume without messing up the mix. After all, they were to be setting the mood. They wouldn't be the "main attraction" until later in the evening.

Michael looked out into the crowd. There were 20 men and 20 women enjoying the open bar and catering that arrived at the last minute, so the food was hot and delicious. He saw Carol and Lars and was happy they weren't just talking to each other. Scanning the crowd, he found his mother standing with Janette King and talking with two gentlemen. Michael smiled. Things were going as planned. He was also excited because his mother hadn't heard the band since the talent show and tonight their set was more about musicianship than rocking a bunch of teenagers.

Taking his idea for their intro from the album, Michael spoke into the mic, "We've got the groove so fasten your seat belts and enjoy." The crowd, seeing a bunch of kids set up to play didn't think much of it. Some, who'd been to other Janette King events, thought she'd lowered her standards by having a kid band play at an adult singles event. Lukas started the song by laying a tight, metronome-precise drum line to establish the foundation for the band to build the rest of the song no. Then Simon joined in with the funky bass line followed a few measures later by Zach and Garrett on guitar. The crowd stopped talking and focused on the band. Michael laid the keyboards over the rest of the band and started singing. No one in the crowd knew "20th Century" by Brad, some even thinking it was an original by the boys on stage. Courage Game became a conversation starter as the attendees visited with the other singles at the party. The three proud parents had no problem bragging about their boys in the band.

After their 15-minute jam version of "20th Century" the boys switched over to their long version of "Raise Love" which features a dirty lead guitar line played by Zach while Garrett played rhythm. Some of the crowd started dancing and Michael enjoyed the fact that the adults were getting into their music. After much apprehension over Michael's song selections, the boys had enjoyed playing these two songs as much, if not more, than any other songs they performed.

Watching the crowd, Michael saw his mom, Lars, and Carol enjoying themselves. Dancing, getting to know new people, and bragging about the boys. Then Michael kept his attention one person. The individual stared intently or continuously glanced in the same direction. There was obvious interest in someone. Michael followed the eyes to find the object of desire, but couldn't tell if the interest was mutual.

Michael almost stopped playing when he had his "ah ha" moment. Things began to fall into place. This was one of those moments where Michael's brain shuffled and reorganized huge amounts of data, recalling and connecting facts into a picture or story that others did not see. That's why he was so good with math and science. His brain could jump ahead and predict theories before his teacher introduced the concept in class. In this moment, everything made sense. It was a puzzle he didn't know to solve even though he had all the pieces. Michael smiled to himself, the evening may be a success he hoped for after all.

The boys finished and it was time for Janette to take over with her structured speed dating.

"Welcome everyone, thank you for coming to our holiday Singles Mingle," greeted a jovial Janette. The band was better than she expected and the crowd had responded. The boys created an evening of high, positive energy that helps everyone present their best self and perfect for match making. "I know you're enjoying the music of Courage Game. Thank you, boys!" The crowd applauded enthusiastically.

"Don't worry, they're also our entertainment tonight after dinner." The applause grew for the boys and they smiled and waved as they got drinks and retired "back stage" to eat and prepare for their set later. "It's time to make sure everyone has met. Men find a black chair and ladies a white chair. It's time for speed dating."

During that part of the evening, the ladies pick a table and the men move from table to table. Janette's method of speed dating was one their participants really enjoyed. She created a question bank and changed up which questions were used each event. The men and women each had a set list of questions to ask, but the questions were different for each round. The key was to make sure the participants never had to worry about what to say. She found participants looked forward to find out what questions they'd ask the next round. Each person would take notes and then provide Janette with a list of the people they found interesting.

During the speed dating, the boys crashed on the couches and arm chairs in the family room.

"Man, that was some awesomeness," said Lukas. Since the band started, Lukas had transformed as a musician. In just a short period of time, he'd gone from simply learning songs from CDs to really enjoying performing live and working on musicianship. He helped arrange the songs and both Garrett and Zach commented that Lukas was better than any drummer they'd ever played with in LA and probably more than half the drummers with recording contracts.

"Yeah," said Zach, "that was really cool to jam in front of an audience instead of simply being a human jukebox."

"You aren't kidding," added Garrett, "we planned on being the background music for the hors d'oeuvres but we ended up being the center of attention."

"Oh yeah, people were really enjoying the music, and someone in particular was really enjoying Zach's guitar playing," mentioned Michael with a smirk on his face.

"What's so funny," asked Gavin, wondering as everyone else what Michael meant by that comment.

Michael snuggled into Gavin a bit tighter, "Oh... nothing." He realized he'd opened a can of worms but didn't feel like it was his job to spill them, or the beans. He'd have to talk to Lukas first.

"I have to go to the bathroom," said Michael as he hopped up. He grabbed Lukas by the hand and pried him away from Simon. "Com'on."

Lukas gave Simon a look and then shrugged his shoulders before Michael dragged him out the door and down the hall. He led Lukas to the upstairs bathroom so they would have more privacy.

"What was that all about?" asked Lukas. "I doubt you have to go to the bathroom."

"True," said Michael, "but I needed to ask you something in private."

Lukas couldn't imagine what Michael would need to talk about that he couldn't say in front of the rest of their bandmates. "Well, okay... ask."

Michael hesitated and then when he got up their courage to ask, he just blurted out, "Is your dad gay?"

"What?"

"Is your dad gay?"

"Of course not. If he was, I wouldn't be here. Duh!"

"That's not really the case, is it?" asked Michael.

"Yes..." Lukas began to refute Michael's assertion, but then realized that Michael was right. "Well... I guess I could have been adopted, but my dad is my biological father."

"Of course, but that doesn't mean he's not gay."

Lukas was thoughtful for a minute before he responded. "Well, no, he could have been gay and tried to be straight with my mother. Do you think that is why they split up?" Lukas hadn't been all that interested in learning about his absent mother. His life was full of joy and caring adults, so he really didn't understand what he was missing if anything.

"What was your mother's name?" asked Michael.

"Well, her name was Jan," said Lukas.

"How do you know that?"

"Duh! I heard my grandparents mention Jan to dad before when they were talking about his past relationship and his need to start dating again since he broke up with Jan."

"Lukas, Jan, in Denmark, is both a boy and girl's name," pointed out Michael.

"But that doesn't explain me being born," said Lukas. Michael's connections were beginning to put cracks in Lukas self-made family history. Lukas was getting a bit upset with Michael.

"If Jan is a man, then your father could have hired a surrogate so they could have a baby," explained Michael.

"Why are you bringing this up? What does this have to do with you?" Lukas' outburst was unexpected. This conversation wasn't going the way Michael envisioned it. He'd expected Lukas to be logical and follow what he was trying to say. Instead, Lukas was clinging to his family mythology. Michael misunderstood how important a boy's family history was tied so closely to his identity, even a boy that seemed to not need a detailed understanding of his own.

"I'm sorry," said Michael, "really, I didn't mean to upset you." He gave Lukas a hug and Lukas hugged him back.

"Why are you asking about this?" asked Lukas. "You have something to say but you aren't saying it."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I got carried away with the why and never really said the what," Michael said as he gave a little laugh. "I think your dad has found someone he's interested in."

"Really?" said Lukas. He expected his father the be the least likely to meet someone at this event. He would have bet Megan to be the most likely to meet someone, Carol a distant second and Lars didn't even register as a possibility in his mind.

"Yes, I saw him staring with that silly look people get on their face when they see someone they really like or are falling in love with," said Michael. "This look runs in the family. It's the same look you give Simon."

Lukas knew that Michael was being honest and if he was right, this was serious. "Who?"

"Zach."

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After circling the block a few times, they lucked out when a neighbor moved their car opening up a parking spot. With all of the guests for the Singles Mingle, they were pleased to be able to park closer than expected. The white cleaning van backed into the spot just a couple houses down from the Novak residence. Scanning the neighborhood, the driver spotted Officer McNally sitting in an unmarked vehicle, watching for unwelcome visitors.

"We've got a pig," the large man said. "You got this?"

"Yeah, no problem Rick," said his partner sitting in the back wearing a black suit and tie. The sliding door on the side of the van opened and Alec stepped out of the van.

"Blue car, left side, about 6 cars past the house."

"Got it," I'll be right back.

Alec went around behind the van and crossed the street. Though he tried to look nonchalant, the tall handsome Russian in a black suit stood out in the East Harbor residential neighborhood on a Saturday evening. Officer McNally was fully aware of the van and the man walking his way. The officer was in plain clothes and had volunteered to watch after the boys until the mess at the high school was cleaned up. He considered calling in the van, but when the man in a suit approached, he figured they couldn't mean any harm, otherwise, they wouldn't engage the police.

McNally lowered the passenger side window. "Good evening, officer," greeted Alec, using his best English to hide his accent.

"Hi," said McNally, taking the hand that was offered and shook it. "McNally. What brought you guys out tonight?"

"Same as you I suspect," said Alec in an attempt to not reveal too much or to slip up. He wanted the officer to lead the conversation and he would just play along with it so the officer wouldn't suspect anything.

"Yeah, some damn perv has it in for one of my friend's son," said McNally.

Alec got part of the information he needed, this was a local officer, "Yes, we thought we'd come down and give you some support."

"You must work with Sandra Kowalczyk," said McNally, again, providing Alec with more information. "You FBI guys sure do dress nice. I don't think I'd like having to wear a suit all the time."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm agent Smith," said Alec, taking on the persona of an FBI agent, "and these suits aren't too bad. You get used to it."

"Well, if there is anything I can do to support you guys, let me know," offered McNally.

"Thanks, we will," said Alec as he tried to figure out how to leverage McNally for their own purposes. "Hey, maybe you can. We hurried down here from the Los Angeles office and we're pretty hungry. Is there a place around here to get a burger or something?"

"Yeah, there is. The Maple Street Café is just down the street. They make great milkshakes too," said McNally, thinking about those burgers was making him hungry too.

"Those sound good," said Alec, playing up to McNally. "Which way to the restaurant?"

"You know what, I'll call in our order and pick it up," offered McNally. "I'm hungry too."

"Hey, that would be a huge help," replied Alec with a huge smile on his face. "Let me ask my partner what he wants. Hang on."

Alec walked back to the van and Rick rolled down the window. "Our friendly Officer McNally is watching the boys, but has offered to help his fellow law enforcement officers out by running to a burger joint to pick us all up something to eat."

"You have to be fucking kidding me," said Rick.

"I know," laughed Alec. "I'm going to have him pick us up cheese burgers and milkshakes. As soon as he leaves, you run down to the Grant residence and I'll take these two houses. Get the layout and check out the back yards. Do the usual with unlocking windows and such. Let's try to get in and out so we're gone before he gets back."

"Got it," said Rick, turning off the van. He climbed in the back to prepare as Alec walked back to the friendly officer.

"Thank you so much, Officer McNally," said Alec, being certain to use the officer's name. "We'd love to have a cheeseburger with everything and a milkshake -- chocolate for me, vanilla for my partner."

"They come with fries, but I recommend the onion rings, they are fantastic," said McNally.

"Sound good, we'll both get the onion rings. Here's sixty bucks, will that cover it? Consider your dinner on the Bureau for helping us out," offered Alec.

"Thank you," said McNally. "Anything to help out."

"We truly appreciate it. We'll hold down the fort until you get back."

"Thanks! They're pretty fast, I'll be back in about 20 minutes."

"No problem, we're here for the evening," assured Alec. He stepped back from the car to allow McNally to proceed to the Maple Street Café. Rick stepped out of the van and headed down the street to 697 Maple while Alec headed up the side walk to the Meijer's residence.

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The boys enjoyed the buffet and were careful to hydrate in preparation for their next set.

"Damn," said Lukas, checking in the refrigerator at Simon's house. "Simon, don't you guys have any red Gatorade?"

"Sorry honey," Simon had taken to calling Lukas by pet names, trying different ones on for size. "Mom said they were out when she went to the store."

"I want some too," said Michael. "I'll run home and get some." Michael still referred to Lars' house as home even after his mother returned. He popped out the back door and entered Lars' house and headed to the kitchen.

"Damn, we don't have any cold here either," said Michael. He shut the door to the refrigerator and kneeled on the floor. They kept the extra sports drinks in the cabinet under the breakfast bar.

Michael opened the door and started to pulled out a case of red Gatorades when he heard the front door open. Leaning to his left, he peered through the legs of the stools and the breakfast bar and the chairs at the kitchen table. He saw a man's legs walk around the corner into the front room and coming towards the dining room. Michael was going to greet the guest, thinking the man was there for the Singles Mingle, but something about the way he was walking made the boy pause.

Though the man wore black dress shoes and dress pants, he was walking slowly, quietly, like he didn't want to be heard. Michael's blood ran cold. He wanted to get a better look, but he didn't want to be seen. Watching which way the man went, Michael crawled the opposite direction. That way, if the man entered the kitchen area, Michael could circle the bar the opposite direction. He hoped the man would go towards Lar's bedroom so he could sneak out the back door to safety. Instead, the man went towards the hallway towards Lukas' bedroom. Michael scurried to a position where he could see the man.

The boy had to suppress his fear. He didn't know the man's name, but he knew he worked for the man with the funny accent. When Alec stuck his head in Lukas' bedroom, Michael made a dash for the family room and slipped into the closet, pulling the blankets and comforter over his body so it would hide the light from his phone. He called Lars but no one answered. With the dinner conversation, he realized Lars might not even pull his phone out to see who was calling.

A creak of the floor let Michael know Alec was close by. He switched to iMessage.

Michael: 911

Gavin: Out of red Gatorade too?

Michael: They are here -- call police.

Gavin: Who?

Michael: The men who hurt me

"OH FUCK!" exclaimed Gavin. The other boys looked at their friend starting to freak out and wondered what was going on. Gavin called his dad on speed dial.

"Dad! Get here quick!"

"Whoa, slow down. What's..."

"Michael is at Lars' house. He just sent me a text saying the men who hurt him are there at Lars' house. Get here now!" Gavin was in full panic mode and starting to cry.

"Where are you boys?"

"In the studio."

"Get outside with all the adults and tell Lars what's happening."

"Okay."

The other four heard what Gavin said to his father and where frozen in fear and shock.

"We've got to get out of here," said Gavin. "Through there, go!" The boys exited through the stage area to the swimming pool. He told the boys to stay by the catering area along the back of the yard and he went to find Lars.

"Excuse me," Gavin said to the others at the dining table. He leaned in and whispered into Lars' ear.

"I'm sorry, excuse me," said Lars. The man immediately got up and walked away from the table to Janette. "Gavin, wait with the others."

"Janette, we have an emergency. Make sure no one enters either house to use the bathrooms or leaves. Keep them entertained and eating. There will not be any show after dinner is over."

"What's..."

"I don't have time to explain, but the police will be here shortly. I'm sorry."

Lars then went to fill Carol in so the two of them could prepare Megan for the news.

Megan was having a wonderful dinner. The other lady at her table was very interesting. She was a restaurateur who was looking to buy some real estate for a new location in the East Harbor area. One of the gentlemen was a CEO and the other was a financial planner. The four of them were having a splendid dinner when Carol and Lars approached to retrieve Megan. Taking her to the far corner of the backyard, the told her the news.

"Megan, you have to remain calm," said Carol.

Lars turned the group so Megan's back was to the crowd. Lars' phone lit up. It was Lukas -- they were in contact with Michael. "We got a text message from Michael. He's in my house hiding in the family room closet. He says one of the men involved in his kidnapping and abuse is also in the house."

Megan about fainted. She gasped for air. If felt like a pair of icy hands wrapped themselves around her throat and chest.

"He's alright and well-hidden," assured Lars. "Gavin called his father who is coordinating everything. We just need to keep everyone in the backyard and wait for the police to secure the premises."

Carol held Megan as she tried to wrap her mind around these events. She didn't want to believe Brian's assertion that the boys may be in danger or the FBI profiler's "feeling" about who the perpetrator could be. Now, it turned out to be true, but it was a different danger than they expected.

"Okay, okay, I'm alright," said Megan, feeling like she was able to breathe again. "Let's join the boys and see what Michael is texting."

As they made their way across the yard to be with the other band members and their friends, sirens could be heard coming from blocks away. Then a squeal of tires which they later learned was Rick and Alec leaving before the police arrived.

The singles at the mingle were starting to realize something was going on and Janette picked up her mic. "Hi everyone. I'm sorry for the disruption. None of you are in any danger. Please continue dinner and we'll have desert ready in a couple minutes."

The police closed off both ends of Maple Street cutting off the block where the Meijer and Novak houses are located. Brian, barely waiting for backup, was the first to enter the Meijer house. He figured he if acted quickly, he could surprise the intruder. If they waited, the man would have time to bunker down and prepare.

On the way to the house, he got a call from Gavin saying they knew where Michael was and filled him in so he could find the closet when the police entered the house.

With a quick sweep of the property, the found no one in the house. Brian sent the other officers to search the Novak house and he texted Gavin that Michael was safe and he was going to retrieve him now.

Brian entered the family room and called out to the boy, "Michael? It's me, Detective Parker. Can I open the closet door?"

He didn't hear anything so he reached for the door and turned the knob slowly and opened the door. The closest was quiet. If he hadn't already known Michael was there and under the blankets, he wouldn't have even thought to look. Getting down on his hands and knees, Brian crawled to the back of the closet and pulled the blankets off the young boy. Michael was huddled in the corner with is knees pulled tight to his body so he was as small as could be; his iPhone clutched white-knuckled in his hand. The boy had his eyes clinched shut as he shook in fear. Carefully, Brian reached out and stroked the boy's hair. With the contact of Brian's hand, Michael opened his eyes to see Gavin's father. In relief, he burst out crying. Brian moved up beside the scared boy and just held him as he cried.

With no word from his father, Gavin couldn't stand it any longer. He rushed into the house and went directly to the closet where Michael was hiding. What he found was sad, yet heart-warming. Michael had been scared out of his mind but Gavin saw his father being the protector just as he did for Gavin when he was little and scared of a storm or a monster in his closet. Gavin remembered how safe he felt in the man's arms when he felt small in such a big world. That was the father he loved so much, the father that he would put up against anyone's dad as the best there is. Gavin sighed in relief and crawled into the closet to join the two most important males in his life. He gave his father a hug.

"Gavin, you stay here with Michael, I need to go check on everything else," said Brian. He gave Michael a kiss on the head and then let Gavin take his place comforting the boy.

Heading back out the front door, Officer McNally came walking up with a bag of burgers and a tray of milkshakes.

"Hey Brian! What's going on?" asked the officer.

"Where the fuck have you been?" demanded Brian. He'd never talked to a fellow officer like this before, but now seemed like a good time to start.

"I ran down to the Café to grab dinner for Agent Smith, his partner, and myself," explained McNally, immediately realizing how stupid that sounded. "Oh shit, they weren't agents, were they?"

"No, they weren't," was all Brian said through gritted teeth.

What he didn't say was Officer McNally just allowed participants in an international child sex trafficking ring case the houses where one of their victims lived and the houses where other boys that would be prime targets also live. He didn't cuss the officer out for letting these criminals know the local police are watching these boys and that the FBI is aware of their activities. McNally allowed the men to destroy the safety Michael and the other boys felt. If Michael hadn't been fast thinking, who knew what could have happened. The one thing Brian was fully aware of this - if those men got ahold of Michael again, Michael would either be sold and quickly shipped out of the country, or he'd be found dead if they found him at all.

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It was a restless night for everyone. Michael, Gavin, Lukas and Simon all stripped and crawled into Lukas' bed. Since the boys slept wrapped around their boyfriends, or whoever else they were cuddled up to, the bed was plenty big enough for all four, each lost in their own thoughts.

Michael's mind was flooded with memories of his abuse and the "what ifs" if he'd been found tonight.

Gavin's heart ached. Michael had worked so hard to shed his fear and overcome the trauma. Now Michael was more scared than he'd ever seen the boy.

Simon held Lukas tight with the fear of Lukas being taken from him by those men.

Lukas' mind was all over the place but most frequently coming back to the same topic - his own fear of being taken by those men. It could easily have been him going next door and running into that man. Would he have been as smart as Michael to avoid being caught? He felt the weight of Michael's own fear and it pained him to see his friend scared again. Of everyone, Lukas had seen Michael grow from the sad, scared boy that arrived in East Harbor in September, to the confident soccer MVP, musician and student that everyone loved and admired.

But Lukas' mind was also plagued by the things Michael said earlier. He'd never really concerned himself with his life back in Denmark. He was only an infant when they came to the states and his life had been ideal. He was happy and didn't bother to care about things that were outside is day-to-day life, like his family history. Now, after Michael had put so many questions into his head, Lukas was confused and questioned everything.

In the Meijer kitchen, Zach and Garrett stayed up with Carol, Megan and Lars and discussed how to keep the boys safe and sheltered as much as possible for the danger they were in. Megan and Carol ended up heading home to sleep while Garrett and Zach crashed on the sectional.

No one slept well. Lukas kept waking up and checking his phone to see what time it was. Then he'd lay there and dwell on everything until he fell back to sleep. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. It was daybreak and the ambient light from the rising sun allowed him to make out his sleeping friends. Of everything on his mind, there was one thing he could do something about. He eased his way out of bed, trying not to wake anyone. Finding his footing on the floor, Lukas walked naked out his bedroom door and across the house to his father's room. The door was shut so he did what he always does, he knocked then opened the door.

His dad was sleeping on his side with is back to the door. "Dad?" called out Lukas in the dimly lit room.

Lars rolled onto his back, "What is it Jitterbug?"

On the other side of Lars, Zach lifted his head from the pillow.

"Oh, well, I guess that answered my question," said Lukas, shocked, but not as badly as he would have been if Michael hadn't gotten him to think about his father's sexuality.

"And just for the record," stated Lukas directing his comments to Zach. "I'm NOT going to call you mom."

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Lars instructed Lukas to meet them in the kitchen after putting some clothes on. The little blonde made his way back to his bedroom and put on some shorts and a tee. He looked at his lover sleeping peacefully and thought about waking him up then decided that he needed some one-on-one time with his father. Returning to the kitchen, Zach and Lars were both in boxers. Zach was making coffee and Lars had his arm around Zach's waist.

"Thank you," said Lars, then he gave Zach a kiss behind the ear.

"Get a room," said Lukas, teasing his father.

"We did, but you still interrupted us," said Lars with a look that mildly told Lukas he should have known better.

"Oh, yeah," laughed Lukas. He noticed that he was already pretty comfortable with this new situation. If his dad was going to be in a relationship, it was good that it was someone he knew and liked. The fact that his dad was gay explained a lot when it came to his acceptance of his relationship with Simon.

With two cups of coffee, Zach walked over to the table where Lukas sat and Lars joined them. Lars sat at the end of the table, Lukas and Zach on either side.

"I guess we should talk," said Lars. Lukas laughed at the understatement. "Where to start?"

Lukas knew where he wanted his father to start. "Start with Jan and Denmark."

"You know about Jan?" asked Lars.

"I know grandma and grandpa were concerned about you since you and Jan broke up. I assumed Jan was my mom's name, but now I don't know. Is Jan a man or a woman?"

"Jan was my husband," said Lars.

"Oh," said Lukas. His brain was working at lightning speed to rewrite his personal history in this new context.

"Jan and I became boyfriends in middle school. His family was from Germany and moved to our town when he was eleven. He had straight black hair and dark brown eyes and I fell in love with him immediately. I thought our love would last forever," said Lars.

"We went off to university together, he studied business, I studied psychology. We got married and wanted to start a family so we hired a surrogate and decided that I would be the father of our first child, and he would be the father of your brother or sister."

"It sounded like a good plan in theory, but Jan never took to parenthood. Worse, while I was finishing up by Ph.D. studies, he resented me for continuing school and the need for him to pick up some of the slack because of my busy schedule."

"Though we were married and he agreed that we should have a child, he was already starting to cheat on me." The hurt Lars experience years ago seemed fresh as the pain rose to the surface for Lukas and Zach to see.

"You were about four months when I was accepted into my post-doctoral program here in California. Jan and I were planning on coming together, but at the last minute, he decided he was going to stay in Denmark. I was crushed and pressed him to explain why. That's when he told me he didn't want to be a father and I needed to either let someone else raise you, or end our marriage."

"I'm sorry Lukas, it's just been so painful all these years, it's been hard for me to talk about it. Me, a psychologist, of all people I should know better." He reached over and held Lukas hand and Zach moved his chair closer so he could rub Lar's back.

"Lukas, even though I was hurt by Jan and sad about how things turned out between me and him, I've never once regretted raising you. You are the best son anyone could ever wish for and I love my Jitterbug with all my heart."

Lukas got up and sat on his dad's lap and gave him a hug. He was in eighth grade but wasn't too old to admit that he needed his father's love.

The three of them sat there like that for a while, just letting things set in. Zach hadn't heard the story about Jan either. The only person in the US that knew was Carol, and she was leaving it to Lars to share his own story.

Lukas got up and returned to his seat.

"So, Zach, why didn't you ever tell us you were gay?" asked Lukas.

"I don't know," replied Zach. "I guess because you never asked."

"Fair enough," said Lukas before he turned to his father. "Is this the first time you've dated since we came to the US?"

"Oh, no," said Lars, "just the first time it's gotten serious."

"You guys are getting serious?" asked Lukas. "How long have you been seeing each other?"

"A couple months," said Zach. "Your father is why I moved back to East Harbor."

Lukas had one more question. "Dad, are you happy?"

"Yes, I am happy," said Lars. "I've always been happy. Zach is just like the icing on a wonderful cake."

Lukas, now that his curiosity was sated, began to get sleepy. He got up and gave his father a hug. "I love you dad. I'm glad you are happy."

Then he moved over to give Zach a hug. "It's great having you in the band and as a friend, but I'm really happy you make my dad happy. Thanks bro."

"Your welcome, Lukas," said Zach, getting a bit emotional by the whole morning.

Lukas headed back to bed where he crawled in between Michael and Simon, slipped back under the covers and fell quickly to sleep.