Please Call First

by Merry Amelie (MerryAmelie@aol.com)

Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance
Rating: PG
Summary: Ian's mother pays an unexpected visit.
Series: 1) Wedding Gifts 2) A Symposium on Love 3) Dinner and a Movie 4) Please Call First
Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
For my friend and beta, Alex

Jo Prentice knocked on her son's door at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning two weeks after Ian and Quinn's first date. She planned on asking Ian to accompany her to a book fair at a library a few towns over.

Much to Jo's surprise, the door was answered by a tall young man she'd never seen before. "Hi," she said, a bit uncertainly.

"Hello, ma'am."

She liked the man's polite formality. "I'm Ian's mother, Jo."

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm his friend, Quinn Masterson." He ushered her inside.

Jo looked more closely at him. The stranger was comfortably dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved green cotton shirt. As he led her toward the couch, she noticed that his hair was damp and that he was barefoot. She factored in these details while staring at the sofa.

The couch was in its usual state with a neat pile of books in the center. Jo doubted it had been used overnight. There were no sheets or blankets nearby. That left only the bed for them to share. She didn't believe that two men would bunk together casually.

Ian came out of the bedroom. Hair still wet from a shower, he too wore jeans. "Hi, Mom," he said as he hugged her and sat between them on the sofa. "I see you've met Quinn. He's a friend of mine who teaches at Luke." Jo and Quinn smiled at each other.

"Luke is an excellent university. Have you been there long?"

"I've taught for four years, and am an associate professor now." Quinn felt as if he were proving himself to a prospective mother-in-law, which he would welcome if he could be sure of her positive intent.

Ian said, "I'm glad you think so highly of Luke, Mom. I've applied there for a tenure-track position. If I'm accepted, I'll start in January."

Weighing the prospect of tenure against proximity to Ian, the former won, helped by a mother's bragging rights. Jo wondered about Quinn and Ian's relationship, though; how close were they for Ian to rearrange his life this way?

Aloud, she said, "That sounds ideal for you, Ian. The extra hour's drive won't stop us from visiting you."

"Nor the reverse," Ian said, pressing his mother's hand.

They continued to chat, the men pleasantly surprised by the congenial atmosphere. This was the first time they'd talked with a relative together.

"Are both of you interested in going to the Danton Library book fair with me?"

Quinn said, "My apologies, Mrs. Prentice, but I have some errands to run."

Quinn left them in the apartment parking lot, with a strong shake to Jo's hand, and a cuff on the shoulder for Ian. Mother and son decided to take Ian's car to the fair.

"Quinn seems like a nice young man," Jo said innocuously.

Ian smiled to himself, prepared for her attempts to ferret out information. "He is, Mom."

"I don't suppose he has a girlfriend with a sister?" Jo tried to make her question a joke.

"There's no girlfriend, Mom, which makes the sister an interesting philosophical conundrum." Ian matched her jocular tone. He'd been through these sparring matches before, but could see that he'd better hone his technique now that he finally had a serious relationship to protect.

When they arrived at the library, Ian headed straight for the Loeb's Classics, Everyman's, and Modern Library section, while she went to the biographies one table over. Jo watched him as he read; her son was a handsome young man possessed of a natural ease and charm that made him a pleasure to be around. Was he really still alone?

Ever since Jo had met Quinn, she had been worrying over this question. She was glad that she'd had the chance to observe them together for a little while. Her instincts told her that Ian had behaved differently around Quinn than with his other friends. He sat a little closer and brushed against him more. Of course, she reflected wryly, that could have been the three-to-a-couch seating arrangements.

Specific little details began to taunt Jo. Both men's hair had been damp when she'd arrived. Her mind conjured up images of the two fresh from a shared shower this morning. Quinn had disappeared into the bedroom to retrieve his socks and shoes. Jo had been sitting at a vantage point to see part of Ian's bed through the open door, and had noted that it was a mess and that two pillows peeked out amid twisted sheets. All of her impressions formed the tiles of a mosaic which she was reluctant to piece together.

Jo was surprised that she had never considered the possibility of her son being gay before. After all, he was a twenty-five year old bachelor who hadn't dated as much over the years as his father had in high school alone.

Jo Prentice was the New York-bred daughter of Scottish immigrants. She had inherited a tacit code of behavior from her parents: people everywhere were the same, and discrimination of any kind was a dirty word. Jo prided herself upon being cosmopolitan and free of prejudice; however, she was coming to realize that this stance was easy to maintain in the abstract, but when it came to her own child things seemed a bit different.

Jo shared the dream of most parents, that one day she'd have grandchildren. Ian, she was coming to realize, did not look promising on the reproductive front. Her older son Monty had married Kathy five years ago, and they were typical young Manhattanites: consumed by their jobs and happily childless so far. At least Jo felt that she still had a chance with these two.

But what to make of Quinn and Ian? Quinn seemed like a fine strapping lad to Jo. He had a good career, had helped Ian possibly land a tenure-track job, and was quite the respectful young man. Jo would have to try to get used to the idea of them together, and then decide what to do about the rest of the family.

Of course, her speculation was premature; Ian hadn't actually said anything to her, and all she had to go on was her instincts and the observations of this morning. Her husband Keith would dismiss her conjectures out of hand, but she felt a mother's certainty that Ian and Quinn were a couple.

Jo's reverie was interrupted when Ian tapped her on the shoulder, laden with books and ready to leave. He put them on the back seat, then drove his mother to the apartment so she could pick up her car. A relieved Ian noticed that Quinn hadn't returned from his expedition yet; surely his mother would have noticed the THX in the lot.

Ian transferred Jo's books to her car, then turned for a hug.

"Goodbye, Ian." She kept her tone determinedly casual as she added, "And be sure to give my regards to Quinn."

They exchanged waves as Jo drove off. Ian was putting his books away when he heard the key in the door.

Quinn came into the living room with a smile and a kiss for Ian. "Did you have a good time with your mother, lad?"

"Yes, but I think we're going to have to make a decision on how to handle our relatives. My mom's pretty sharp and I could tell by her questions that she's already wondering about you and me. She had the look on her face that she gets when she wants to examine the fauna at close range." Ian could feel Quinn's rumble of laughter as he hugged him close.

Quinn tugged him down to the rug in front of the bookcase where they sat cross-legged, their knees touching. He said, "I've already thought this through for my side of it, and I'd prefer to keep our relationship to ourselves for now. We can't avoid our folks speculating about us, not if we want them to get used to seeing us together as friends, but that doesn't mean we owe anyone explanations either."

Ian nodded. "I'm not eager to tell my family yet. Whatever we do, we've got to stick together."

Quinn reached over to stroke Ian's cheek. "My loyal lad."

Ian basked in the caress and in the deep emotion he heard in Quinn's voice. He rose to his knees and kissed Quinn sweetly. "The one thing we can do soon," Ian said between kisses, "is to train our parents to call ahead."

End.