Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:09:36 +0000 (UTC)
From: Albert Collins <albert.c87@yahoo.com>
Subject: You were there - part 45

Disclaimer: This is a romantic love story about love between young
adolescent boys. There are some explicit sex scenes in the story but they
are not the main focus of the story.

So if you are looking for a story with a lot of explicit sex action, you
are in the wrong place.

If you like to read a sappy romantic tory with occasional kinky sex
scenes, then please sit back and enjoy!


My apologies for the delay with posting Ch 45. I am especially busy at
the moment in real life and it's been difficult to find time for writing.
The coming month is likely to continue to be similar, but I'll try to be
a bit more disciplined.

Thanks again to all those who wrote with comments, encouragement and
feedback!

Of course, as usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome!
albert.c87@yahoo.com

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

You were there -- Part 45


Diego, Luke, Wade and Frank gathered in Frank's office. Frank sat behind
his desk while Luke and Diego sat next to each other on the chairs in
front of Frank's table.

Wade, wearing his customary grey suit, was standing next to the window
and gazing outside.
Luke fidgeted nervously.

"Well," Wade turned around to face the boys, "I am glad to see you're
looking good, Diego, kid. Seem to have put on a few pounds. Maybe even
grew half an inch. And I like the haircut!"

"Um, thanks, Mr Wade, it's nice to see you too," Diego replied politely.

"Luke, boy, you're looking good too," Wade remarked. "You both boys are."

"Thanks, Mr Wade," Luke answered. "And you look ... Well you sorta look
like you."

"Thanks, Luke," Wade cracked a small enigmatic smile and he noticed that
Frank rolled his eyes a bit.

"So, Diego," Wade addressed Diego, "how is the choir thing going?"

"It's been going well, thanks, Mr Wade," Diego replied. "Oh, sorry, you
know about the choir?"

"Of course I know," Wade smiled a little wider. "I've been keeping my eye
on you."

"Whadya mean, Mr Wade?" Luke interjected. "You've been spying on us?"

"Well, not spying, exactly," Wade chuckled. "I don't have people follow
you around all the time if that's what you mean, Luke.  But Diego's
safety is still my responsibility. That means that yours is too. You are
both very important to me and I need be certain that you are not in
danger. Of course I make sure to know what's going on with you boys."

"We can take care of ourselves," Luke responded sounding slightly
defensive. "Diego knows Capoeira, and I'm really tough and can take a guy
twice my size. I'm not just bragging."

"I'm sure you can," Wide allowed with a smile. "But you and Diego are
still kids. There are things that you might not notice or not recognize
as dangerous. And if you start doing something rush yourselves, I need to
know about that too."

"I'm sorry, Mr Wade, I was gonna tell you about the choir," Diego started
saying.

"That's okay, kid," Wade waved him off, "like I said, I knew. I'm not mad
at you on that score. I think it's good that you're stretching yourself a
little."

"Yeah, that's what I've been telling him!" Luke agreed enthusiastically.
"We weren't sure that you would approve, though."

"Well, I do," Wade nodded slightly.

"So ...," Luke looked at Wade expectantly.

There was a long pause as Wade glanced around the room and locked his
fingers.

"Tell me, Diego," Wade started slowly. "You're a smart kid. How much do
you really know about your family? You must have noticed as your were
growing up that something seemed strange, right?"

"Well," Diego considered, "at first, when I was really little, I didn't
care. The only thing I knew was that we were really happy and I didn't
care about anything else. But later, yeah, I started noticing some
things."

"Like what?" Luke followed up.

"Like all the other kids I knew, they had aunts and uncles and cousins
and grandparents," Diego explained. "But not me. It was just me, my mom
and dad and then Alyssa, when she was born. Nobody else. So I started
asking my parents questions."

"And what did they say?" Wade queried.

"Not much, really," Diego frowned a bit. "They said that my grandparents
died before I was born. That it was a sad story and they'd tell me some
day, when I was older. And that I shouldn't talk about it."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured," Wade scratched his chin.
"That's the sort of thing we would have told them to say. Go ahead,
Diego."

"I wasn't a sneaky or nosy kid," Diego continued. "And I could tell that
they really didn't like to talk about it. But I also knew it was really
weird. I remember I saw my parents' passports once. They said that my dad
was born in New York and my mom was born in Miami. I asked them about it.
I think I was around eight. That was one of the few times my dad snapped
at me."

"Yes, I see," Wade repeated pensively, "I see ..."

"So I left it alone," Diego carried on. "Didn't wanna upset them. But I
still knew that something wasn't quite right. And then there were a few
other things."

"What you told me about earlier?" Luke interjected.

"Yeah," Diego confirmed. "See, Mr Wade, I also knew that my mom and dad,
they were scared of something. Sometimes they'd lock the door to their
room and whisper something there. I could tell they weren't fighting, you
know, by the way they looked at each other and at me and Alyssa. I could
see they were real scared."

"Was that it? Or was there more?" Wade inquired.

"Probably there was more," Diego considered. "I mean I knew it was weird
that they never talked about where they were from. No stories about them
growing up, nothing. Luke knows that I really hate secrets and I felt
right away that this was some kind of a secret. Figured there was a good
reason for it and they'd tell me when they were ready."

Diego paused for a moment.

"Also, of course I knew that we were Hispanics," Diego continued. "Plus
both mom and dad spoke with a bit of an accent. But the thing is, they
still only spoke English at home. The only Spanish I knew I learned at
school. Except maybe I think they sometimes would speak Spanish to each
other in their room when they thought we couldn't hear them."

"Wow, Diego, you sure were a trusting kid," Luke commented. "If it was
me, I'd probably turned the house upside down looking for clues. And
decided that my parents were spies or secret agents or something."

"Maybe," Diego replied, "and maybe they were. But I really didn't care. I
just knew that we were happy, that my parents loved me and that I loved
them. I didn't want to lose that."

"Yes, I see," Wade said slowly as he scratched his chin again. "I see.
Yeah, that all kinda makes sense."

"Look, Mr Wade," Luke interjected, "I'm guessing you know all this stuff
already, right? Aren't you supposed to be explaining something to us?"

"Yes, you're right, Luke," Wade combed his bald head with his palm.
"Guess it's just a habit. I'm much better at asking questions than
answering them. But in this case I really need to make an exception."

Wade slowly sat on a chair by the wall in front of Frank's table. He
exchanged knowing glances with Frank and looked at Diego earnestly,
before continuing: "Diego, your dad was not born in New York, and your
mom was not born in Miami. They were both born in Colombia, near the city
called Buenaventura."

"Diego, dude, you're Colombian?!" Luke exclaimed, standing up.

"Luke, please!" Frank reproached.

"Oh, sorry, Mr Frank," Luke apologized as he sat down again.

"Anyway," Wade resumed, "they were both from poor rural families but had
nice jobs in the city. Your dad, Diego, was a clerk for an accounting
firm and your mom was a singer at a nightclub. They met, fell in love and
got married. You probably got your mom's voice, Diego, although I hear
that your dad was also into music."

"Yeah," Diego confirmed. "Dad loved music. He was the one who taught me
the piano and the guitar. And he and mom really liked singing together.
Sometimes I think that's how they fell in love."

"Perhaps," Wade mused. "Your dad was quite an unusual guy, from what I
know. He came from a poor village and of course could not get a college
education or anything like that. So he kinda educated himself. Learned
about music. Read lots and lots of books."

"Yeah, dad sure loved to read," Diego chuckled softly. "There were books
he read like a hundred times. Like 'The Three Musketeers.' And when I
started liking it too we almost had to fight for it sometimes."

"Your dad sounds really cool, Diego, dude," Luke interjected approvingly.
"And 'The Three Musketeers' rocks!"

Wade cracked a small smile at Luke's comment and continued: "Your mom,
Diego, was an unusual woman too. Very beautiful, they say. Well, I think
we can see it from Luke's picture ... They also say she had a really
amazing voice. Could really put the public under the spell when she sang.
Apparently the locals around that nightclub in Buenaventura still
remember her."

"Well, that explains a few things," Luke interrupted again. "I think
Diego takes after his mom in that department. Probably in his looks too."

Diego blushed and looked down.

"Luke, please," Frank chided. "Mr Wade is trying to tell us something."

"Oh, sorry, Mr Wade," Luke piped down.

"That's okay, kid," Wade chuckled, "and perhaps you are right. Although
Diego's dad was also a good-looking guy."

Diego blushed harder.

"Anyway, Diego," Wade added, "the trouble was, even though your mom was
popular at her club, the patrons there were still poor. Neither she nor
your dad were making much money. And your dad really thought that your
mom deserved much better. Especially as they were thinking about starting
a family."

"Yeah, I know, dad always fussed over mom a lot," Diego replied. "And she
always hated it."

"You dad really loved your mom," Wade commented. "But sometimes that can
lead to trouble. Anyway, back in Columbia, your parents, although they
had jobs, they were still pretty poor. And as you might have heard, the
biggest business in those parts is the drug cartels."

"Oh," Diego looked up and frowned slightly.

"Yeah," Wade shook his head. "And I guess your father was what you'd call
recruited by one of the local cartel bosses. A young up-and-comer called
'Don Carlito'. A really ruthless and vicious character who quickly made a
name for himself in that organization. Your father became sort of an
accountant for the financial side of Don Carlito's ... operation."

"Oh," Diego repeated as he looked down.

"You mustn't judge your father too harshly, Diego,"  Wade spoke quietly.
"He and his family lived surrounded by poverty and desperation. There
wasn't much hope there, not much prospect for better life. Most people
had to think in terms of survival, not in terms of the law."

"I understand," Diego replied softly.

"Turns out your dad was a damn good accountant," Wade chuckled. "We still
don't quite understand what he did, exactly, but within a year he doubled
Don Carlito organization's income just by instituting proper bookkeeping.
The boss was ecstatic."

"Yeah, dad was always good with numbers," Diego raised his head and
smiled weakly.

"That he was," Wade agreed. "Still, there was a price to pay for working
for Don Carlito. Your dad saw all the blood that was being spilled, knew
about all the lives that were being taken. Knew who was being paid for
taking them and how much. Made him sick to his stomach. He realized that
he made a terrible mistake."

"But it was too late, wasn't it?" Luke spoke again.

"Well, yes and no," Wade turned to Luke. "Of course, he couldn't fix what
he'd done already but he could still do something. He knew that the
Colombian police was weak and corrupt. So Diego's dad went to the
Americans. Gave us all the information he had on Don Carlito. Copies of
all of his books and ledgers."

"Wow," Luke commented. "That was ballsy."

"Yes, it was," Wade concurred, "but also very dangerous. The American DEA
started arranging to get Diego's dad and mom out of Columbia, to bring
them here."

"Yeah, but what about my other family?" Diego spoke up. "Were my
grandparents still alive? And maybe some other relatives?"

"See, Diego, that's what made it so difficult," Wade combed his head
again. "Both of your dad's parents were still alive, and grandma on your
mom's side too. Your mom had two brothers, and your dad had a brother and
two sisters. They were all grown up and living with the families of their
own."

"Wow!" Luke uttered in wonder. "Did they know?"

"You mean that Diego's dad was working for Don Carlito?" Wade clarified.
"Apparently not. At least he hadn't told them. As far as they knew, he
just had a fancy bank job in the city that paid really well. Although I
daresay they must have suspected something, from the kind of money he was
sending them. In those parts that usually means only one thing."

"Wow," Luke repeated, giving Diego a worried look, "wow."

"Right," Wade turned to Diego again. "So the situation was really
complicated and really dangerous. The Americans were willing to work out
some kind of a deal with your dad regarding his family but it was going
to take time. And he was planning to travel back to his home village to
visit his parents to talk to them. But then something happened."

"Somebody snitched him out?" Luke guessed.

"In a manner of speaking," Wade replied. "Or maybe they got careless.
Either way, Don Carlito got wind of what was going on somehow and your
dad's cover, Diego, was blown. I don't know the details about what
happened but we had to extract them - I mean him and your mom - real
quick right then. I heard it was a real ... James Bond type operation."

Wade paused and chuckled lightly. "Anyway, we did get them out and bring
them to the U.S. Settled them in San Diego, gave them new identities.
Found your father a new job at a bank."

"But that wasn't the end of it, was it?" Diego gave Wade a watchful look.


"No, it wasn't," Wade sighed. "Don Carlito's operation took quite a
beating as a result of the information your dad gave to Americans. But it
survived. And Don Carlito wasn't a guy to take this kind of a punch lying
down. There were other consequences."

"You mean, for my family?" Diego said quietly.

"I'm afraid so," Wade confirmed. "Don Carlito went after you mom and
dad's families. Killed everybody he could find. Your grandparents, your
aunts and uncles, your cousins. It was terrible."

"How many?" Diego inquired softly.

"Well ...," Wade hesitated.

"How many?" Diego repeated, lifting his face and looking at Wade with
anguish filled eyes.

"Twenty three," Wade replied. "The best we could find out, twenty three."

"No!" Luke recoiled in horror.

He stood up, walked behind Diego's chair and hugged Diego wordlessly.

Diego slowly shook his head and looked down, as he held on to Luke's
hand: "So, now I am really the only one left ..."

He was strangely quiet. Luke shot Frank a worried glance and hugged Diego
harder.

"Ah, well, I was coming to that," Wade responded. "Anyway, even after all
those awful killings Don Carlito wasn't satisfied. What he really wanted
was to take revenge on your dad, Diego, and he swore to do anything he
could to find him. That's why your parents continued to live in fear."

"And he did find them, find us, I mean, right?" Diego looked up at Wade
again, his eyes now filling with tears. "That car crash ..."

"It was no accident," Wade finished his sentence. "The brakes and the
transmission line were sabotaged. We found who did that, and it was Don
Carlito's men."

"So that's why we've been keeping Diego under wraps," Luke commented. "To
keep this Carlito guy and his goons away from Diego? To make them think
he's dead?"

"Yes, exactly," Wade confirmed. "And as far as we know, it's been
working."

"So what changed?" Luke queried. "Why are you here now? You said there's
been a 'development'?"

"Indeed," Wade acknowledged, "I did say that and there's been one. See,
this Don Carlito is just the head of one of the cartel factions. A fairly
new guy and not the most popular one, particularly with the older, more
experienced captains. He quickly made a lot of enemies in his own
business. Turns out that a little while ago those enemies took him and
his entire faction out."

"What?!" Luke looked up at Wade in astonishment. "Are you freaking
serious?"

"Yep," Wade assured. "Apparently it was quite a massacre. Carlito is dead
and all of his lieutenants with him. The whole bloody operation went down
in flames. The cartels themselves mopped up what the DEA and the
Colombian government couldn't."

"Wow," Luke uttered slowly. "The fu... The crazy bastard Carlito is dead.
And all his goons with him. I'm glad."

He shifted his gaze from Wade to Frank and back, and Frank nodded
silently.
Luke leaned down and gave Diego a gentle kiss. Diego looked up and
reached for Luke's face with his fingers gratefully.

"He's dead? Those people, who killed my family, they are all dead?" Diego
spoke softly raising his glance at Frank and Wade.

"Apparently so, Diego, yes," Frank replied in Wade's turn. "They can't
hurt you anymore."

"Wait, so what does that mean now?" Luke wondered. "For Diego, I mean?"

"Well," Wade replied, "there's nobody left to carry out Don Carlito's
vendetta, at least not as far as we can tell. I figure it means that
Diego can relax a bit. Stop keeping his head down as much as he had been
up to now. And in a couple of years, if everything goes well, maybe even
resume his former identity. Assuming you want to, Diego, of course."

"I ...," Diego started speaking and stopped.

"That's certainly something that can wait and that Diego doesn't have to
decide on right now," Frank suggested. "Right, Wade?"

"Absolutely," Wade agreed. "No need to rush things. But there's something
else. Diego, when you said that you're the last of your family, well,
that's not quite true."

"What?" Diego stared at Wade blankly.

"You actually have some second cousins here in America," Wade explained.
"They live in Minneapolis and in Houston. It's probably not yet safe to
tell them about you. But if you like, a bit later I can give you a bit of
information about them. Some names and pictures. With the understanding,
of course, that you would not try to contract them on your own."

"Wow, Diego, dude, that's really something!" Luke shook Diego's shoulder
excitedly but Diego didn't respond.

"Of course, all of that can wait too," Frank commented. "No need to make
any decisions about that now either."

Diego nodded slightly in agreement.

"And I guess we don't need to wear these anymore, right, Mr Wade?" Luke
pulled put the turtle pendant from underneath his t-shirt, and Diego
slowly did the same.

"Ah, the emergency beacons I gave you," Wade noted. "Well, how about I
leave that decision up to you boys? I'd sleep a lot better knowing that
you still got them, at least somewhere close to you. But it'll be your
choice."

"Guess we'll have to talk it over," Luke put the pendant back under his
t-shirt.

"Good deal, kid," Wade approved.

Frank, who had kept mostly quiet until now, spoke up: "Well, that has
been a bundle of news, no doubt about it. I'm real sorry about what
happened to your family, Diego, but what matters is what happens to you
next. And from what Wade just told us it looks like you're much safer
now. That's a good thing."

Frank paused for a moment as he smiled at Diego and Luke amiably.

"We'll talk more about this stuff later ...," he continued. "Thankfully,
today is Friday and you don't have school tomorrow. Do you want to skip
dinner tonight? I can tell the other kids to lay off with the questions
for a while, give you a bit space, if you like."

Luke prepared to answer but Diego spoke first: "No, thanks, Mr Frank, I
think we'll be good. Please don't say anything to the guys. It'd just
make them more curious."

Frank raised an eyebrow slightly: "Well, if you're sure ..."

"Yes, we're sure," Luke confirmed decisively.

"Very good, then," Frank smiled. "I'll see you boys at dinner. And I just
got a DVD set of the last season of Babylon 5 for our library. I think
you boys might like it."

"I see your geeky tastes haven't changed, Frank, buddy," Wade joked.

"And so it begins," Frank responded enigmatically.

Diego and Luke said their goodbyes to Wade and Frank and left Frank's
office.

"Let's go down to the pier," Luke suggested. "It's nice and quiet there
now. We can talk."

Diego nodded silently.

Luke tugged Diego's elbow gently: "Diego, dude, really, you sure about
the dinner? I'm not that hungry and we can get something from the fridge
now ..."

"I'm okay, Luke, I promise," Diego replied with a small smile. "I can
handle the dinner. Thanks."

He gave Luke a quick peck on the cheek and caressed Luke's face with his
palm

"Okay," Luke still regarded him a little suspiciously but then smiled
brightly. "Okay."

The boys continued down the hill holding hands.

When Luke and Diego reached the pier by the pond's shore at the bottom of
the hill, they were glad to discover that it was deserted  and they were
the only ones there. Luke had been worried that the twins might already
be fishing and that they may have to go somewhere else to talk.

Luke and Diego put down their schoolbags, took off their shoes and sat
next to each other on the wooden deck, dangling their bare feet above the
water.

Luke gave Diego a cautious glance and wrapped his arm around Diego's
shoulder.

They watched the still dark surface of the water in silence for a few
minutes.

Suddenly the water bubbled and a large snapping turtle slowly swam
nearby.

"Maybe he's hurrying home to have dinner," Luke joked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe," Diego replied softly, his gaze still fixed on the water.

"So, Diego, babe," Luke started as he gently kneaded the back of Diego's
neck. "What Wade told us, that was some pretty heavy stuff. I think you
gotta let it out. Don't be like me. Don't keep it inside. Just let it
out. Let your stupid boyfriend help. Whadya say, Diego, babe?"

Luke smiled bashfully and leaned his head against Diego's.

"I just ...," Diego sighed, turned to Luke and buried his face in Luke's
chest.

Luke took Diego in his arms and embraced him tenderly. He tried to
envelop his body around Diego as a warm cocoon, almost using his arms as
a pair of wings, as Diego wept quietly. Just as the evening Diego first
arrived to Green Oaks, Luke willed all of his soul to help Diego, to love
and protect him. Only this time it was different. Luke held Diego as a
child, a friend and a lover. He knew that Diego trusted him. And he knew
that this time Diego's tears were tears of sadness and not of terrible
unquenched raw pain as during their first meeting.

"Just let it out, Diego, babe," Luke cooed lovingly. "Just let it all
out. I've got you, my sweet elf-boy. I've got you."

Luke gently rubbed Diego's back, neck and shoulders and kissed the top of
his head. Diego gradually stopped crying, lifted his face and looked up
at Luke with his huge brown eyes, giving him the tiniest of smiles. Luke
leaned down and kissed away the tears from Diego's delicate elfin cheeks.

"Feeling better?" Luke asked softly.

"Yes, thank you," Diego sniffled back. "Sorry for being such a baby ..."

"Hey, you've got noting to apologize for, nothing at all," Luke kissed
Diego on the lips and hugged him tighter. "You just found out that you
lost your entire family back there."

"Yeah," Diego sighed slowly. "I mean I knew that my grandparents were
dead but I don't know if I ever really believed it. I kinda had this
secret fantasy that they were still living somewhere. With a whole bunch
of my cousins and aunts and uncles. And that I'll get to meet them
someday. But now I know it isn't true. But it's more than that ..."

"Whadaya mean? What more is there?" Luke asked.

"Well," Diego hesitated and looked away. "I didn't know that it's all ...
kinda my dad's fault ..."

Diego gave Luke a quick furtive glance and looked away again.

"Come one, Diego, that's bullshit!" Luke spoke with a hint of anger in
his voice.

"Sorry, man, but you really shouldn't blame your dad," he continued more
calmly, taking Diego's hand. "Diego, you dad was a good guy. Trust me, I
know.
He was just trying to get out from a river of shit, to get something
better for your mom and for himself. If it was me, I might have done the
same thing."

"But," Diego started to protest.

"No buts about it, elf-boy," Luke countered. "Look, yeah, your dad made a
big mistake. But then he figured it out and tried to fix it. And it might
have worked out. It was a really shitty thing that it didn't.  But what
happened then wasn't your dad's fault. It was that psycho fucker Don
Carlito you should be mad at. And now he finally got what was coming to
him."

"I don't know, Luke," Diego sighed sadly. "I always thought my dad was a
hero, but now ... Maybe what happened to us ... that car crash ... maybe
we deserved it somehow. And maybe I should have died with them too. I
don't even know if I deserved to be born ..."

"Shit, Diego, don't say stuff like that, don't you even think it!" Luke's
anger bubbled up again. "Of course you deserved to be born. And your
family deserved to live. It's that fucking bastard Carlito who deserved
to die. And heroes, Diego, I think they mostly only exist in movies. I've
seen lotsa shit in life already but not too many heroes. Just people.
Mostly doing pretty stupid stuff."

"You're a hero, Luke," Diego chuckled softly as he stroked Luke's cheek.

"What?" Luke grinned back.

"You're a hero," Diego repeated and kissed Luke tenderly. "I knew it from
the day I met you."

"Well, you sure know how to leave me speechless," Luke grinned wider and
kissed Diego back.

"So what does this all mean?" Diego asked more earnestly.

"I donno, Diego, babe," Lukę shrugged with a smile.

"But somebody up there," Luke's finger pointed upwards, "surely likes
you. You might call it god, I call it fate, it doesn't matter. I think it
means that you're really special. That you're alive for a reason. That
you came here and met me for a reason. And maybe that reason, Diego, is
that you gotta be happy. Maybe that's what you owe your mom and dad and
your little sis."

"Oh, you and your theories," Diego smiled affectionately as he hugged
Luke and cuddled closer to him. "But I sorta like this one."

"But you know, Luke," Diego lifted his face gazed at Luke thoughtfully.
"I'm thinking that maybe now ... I should tell you what my name was."

"No, Diego, wait," Luke's voice changed as he gazed back in Diego's eyes
intently. "I know you kinda have a thing about names and I sorta do too.
But see, I'm still not ready to share you with that boy that was there
before Diego."

Lukę swallowed hard and Diego saw tears welling in Luke's beautiful green
eyes. "I know it's selfish and stupid but I just can't help it. I'm just
so fucking scared. Scared that if you tell me that name then ... I'll
lose you, lose my Diego somehow. I couldn't take it, Diego, I just
couldn't!"

"You know that's not gonna happen, right?" Diego replied gently.

"My mind knows it, Diego," Luke chuckled, "but my heart is frozen with
fright. Stupid, stupid heart!"
Luke managed a weak guilty smile as he looked back at Diego, with several
dewy teardrops glistening at the tips of his eyelashes.

"Well, we're just gonna have to wait until your heart changes it's mind,"
Diego lightly wiped off Luke's tears with his finger.

"Thanks, babe, thanks," Luke took Diego in his arms again and exhaled
with relief. "Hey, you just made a funny! And you're usually not that
funny."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Diego mock-pouted. "I was just being nice to you and
that's the thanks I get?"

"Sorry, Diego, babe," Luke continued hugging Diego and stroked the back
of his head. "Yeah, you were being super sweet, and of course I love
that. But you're usually so serious. I love it when you make a joke."

"I have my moments," Diego whispered in Luke's chest.

"Yeah, you sure do, elfy," Luke inhaled and savored Diego's scent. "But
you know, what Wade told us, it's really good news, right? I mean, we
don't have to worry about that fucking killer Carlito anymore. You're
safe now, Diego, babe! You're safe!"

"Yeah," Diego chuckled softly in Luke's chest. "Except maybe from Shanna
and Courtney at school, right?"

"Well, today is Friday, and we'll worry about them on Monday," Luke
declared brightly. "Today we celebrate!"

"Maybe tomorrow we celebrate," Diego suggested. "How about today we
rest?"

"Sounds good too!" Luke chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds good too!"

They got up, put their shoes back on and headed back to their cottage.

Thankfully, the dinner passed fairly uneventfully. Ritchie seemed to be
feeling guilty about having inadvertently outed Luke and Diego at lunch
to Sam and he kept pretty quiet and mostly left the boys alone. For once,
Luke felt really grateful to Ritchie. He didn't think that he could
manage both Wade's news and the Courtney-Shanna situation at the same
time.

After the meal all the boys congregated in the common room, playing with
Roxie, as became their custom.
Roxie seemed to sense that something out of the ordinary was going on.
She typically tried to settle in Luke's lap but that evening  she quickly
proceeded to jump into Diego's hands and meowed until Diego started
stroking her back.


In a little while Ritchie got the DVD of the fifth season of Babylon 5,
that Frank brought in earlier that day, and started playing the first
episode.
As usual, Diego cuddled in Luke's lap on a chair further back as the kids
gathered around the TV and turned down the lights.

One of the scenes showed Sheridan stop by G'Kar's quarters.

"'Yes? Cap-- That is, Mr. President, you're up late.'
'You know, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being called Mr.
President.'
'I understand completely. Did I ever tell you that I was not born with
the name G'Kar?'
'No, you didn't.'
'It is tradition on my world to give newborn Narns temporary names for
the first 10 years of their lives. The practice came out of the reality
that life on Narn is very hard and in the past many of us died quite
young. When we reach 10 we choose which of our many beliefs we want to
follow: G'Quan, G'Lan, Na'Kili, others. And from that we pick our true
name. Well, perhaps the name we call you now is your true name.'"

Luke felt Diego shift a little uncomfortably in his lap.

"You okay, babe?" Luke whispered in Diego's ear, kissing his cheek
softly.

"Yeah, I'm good," Diego relaxed back into Luke's arms. "It's all good."

"So what did you think?" Luke inquired when the movie ended and the
lights came back on. "Mr Frank is a big fan of this show."

"It's pretty good," Diego considered. "The cgi effects look kinda cheap
but I don't particularly care. I really like the love story between
Sheridan and Delenn. With him being human and her Minbari. And her being
willing to change for him so that they can have a kid. That's amazing."

"Yeah, Sheridan and Delenn are cool," Luke agreed. "It's a pity that they
didn't show their kid in the series, he's just mentioned there. In fact,
one thing that kinda sucks about this show is that it hardly has any kids
in it. Just grown-ups."

"There was a kid in this episode," Diego replied softly. "His name was
Simon. He was killed because of his special gift. Because he was a
telepath."

Diego's eyelashes fluttered rapidly as he gave Luke a doleful look.

"Diego, you know, that's never going to happen, right?" Luke gazed back
at him earnestly. "I won't ever let it happen. Ever."

"Yes, I know," Diego replied quietly as he cuddled closer to Luke. "I
know."


When Luke and Diego got back to their room, they undressed quickly and
silently.
Luke removed both his and Diego's turtle necklaces and put them on the
night table next to his bed.
Luke smiled at Diego and kissed the spot on Diego's chest where the
necklace had hung.
Diego smiled back shyly and stroked Luke's short brown locks.

They turned off the lights and got naked together in Luke's bed. The boys
lay facing each other. They did not make love and just cuddled quietly,
tenderly, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies.
As Luke held Diego, pressing their chests close, sensing Diego's
heartbeat, Luke desperately wished, hoped, almost prayed that things
would get better now, that Diego would feel happier, more at peace. He so
wanted his elf-boy to be happy.

--

He opened the heavy wooden door of a clock shop. Inside the air was
slightly stale. The there were clocks of all shapes and sizes everywhere.
Large grandfather's clocks along the walls, sighing gently. Intricately
shaped cuckoo clocks hanging on the walls. Fine mantle clocks sitting
along the shelves and on the glass tables. Smaller watches on display
under clear glass panels. Soft sound of ticking everywhere. Sounds of
footsteps. A young woman in her twenties came out to greet him.

"How can I help you, young Sir?"

"Sorry, I ...," he looked around in confusion.

"You were expecting somebody else? Perhaps an old man?" she smiled
mildly.

"Umm," he hesitated.

"That's okay," she chuckled. "I understand. But not all of us timekeepers
are old. Can I help you with something in particular?"

"I am not sure...," he hesitated again. "I am looking for something ...
Hey, they all show different time!"
He gestured at the clocks.

"Yes, of course," she replied matter-of-factly.

"But how do you know what time it is?"

She eyed him wistfully for a few moments.

"For you, my young friend, it might be time to move on. Yes, I'm sure of
it."

*****