Giving Thanks
by KatBear
Title: Giving Thanks
Author: KatBear (katbear@cox.net)
Archive: MA
Category: AR
Rating: NC17 for explicit sexual activity
Pairing: Q/O (Quilan Finn/Ben Kennan)
Feedback: Appreciated.
Thanks: To the beta readers who made this a better story (Merry Amelie, Bonny Magret, Temve). All mistakes are my own.
Summary: Ben and Qui's first Thanksgiving in their new home.
Warnings: If male-male sex bothers you, you shouldn’t be here.
Spoilers: None, alternate reality set in 21st century Earth in fictional part of the western U.S. (Wyoming)
Notes: 1. The primary setting is not based on any actual specific real location or persons but is a composite of possible geography, town features, transplanted state university, etc. 2. The federal agencies mentioned are real but liberties have been taken with some policies, practices and job duties. 3. This is the eighth story in the Master's Voice series.
Master's Voice
MV 2 - Honeymoon
MV 3 - First Session
MV 4 - Morning Blues
MV 5 – Relocation
MV 6 – Snow Falls
MV 7 - Attentions
MV 8 - Giving Thanks
Disclaimer: The boys belong to George Lucas, I'm just playing with them.
Ben climbed down from the bus, giving a brief word of thanks and a 'happy Thanksgiving' to the driver. He pulled up the hood on his jacket and hunched his shoulders against the cold, pausing for a moment to stare resentfully at the perfectly dry asphalt which he could no longer use after the accident during the first big snowfall of the winter that had hit in early November. He sighed and decided to walk the mile and a half to his home rather than call and request a ride. Ben passed the time on his hike thinking about the progress of the repairs on his beloved motorcycle, Myrna, while his boots crunched on the occasional frozen snow that had spilled down from the mounds left by the snowplows.
Almost a half-mile into his journey, the sound of a grumbling pickup truck wheezing up the road behind him made Ben smile; he halted and waited as the old truck pulled to a stop.
"Hey, stranger! Would you be wanting a lift?"
"Yes, sir, that would be pisser. Thanks." Ben grinned and got in the passenger side. "Good to see you."
"And 'tis lovely to be seeing you, too," replied Qui. He slid a hand across the seat to squeeze Ben's thigh, then they held hands for a moment. "How was your day?"
"Pretty quiet, so I got caught up studying for my safety instructor test." Ben was content to simply sit in silence for the rest of the short trip. He sat up straight as they reached the house. "I've never seen that little sedan parked out front, so I guess our first visitors must be here."
"Aye, looks like it." Qui concentrated on backing into the carport, then shut the engine off. The chill quickly entered as the heater also died. "Come on, it'll be warm inside." Qui and Ben went in through the front door.
The kitchen was indeed much warmer and the aromas were tantalizing. The two men stopped by the stove as Qui gave their landlady a friendly peck on the cheek.
"Good evening, ma'am," said Ben. "Have the students arrived?"
"The two young ladies are here. Rafa is upstairs showing them their rooms." Jane stirred the bigger of two pots, took a taste and nodded. "Expecting the young gentlemen anytime; once they're here I'll put the rolls in the oven." She set her spoon down and turned to face them. "Are you set downstairs?"
"We're good, thanks." Qui glanced at Ben. "We'll be back after we wash up if you need help with anything."
"We've got plenty of hands the next few days to help with the chores, so don't worry about it."
Ben led the way to the basement. Qui shut and locked the door behind them, then wandered over to toss his jacket on top of the rollaway bed folded up against the wall next to the fireplace. He stood looking at the sheets and blankets that peeked from its edges.
"Look, if you believe I'm being paranoid, just say so, dammit." Ben stood in front of the door to their bedroom, arms crossed across his chest.
"No, I don't think that you're being paranoid," replied Qui mildly. "It's a reasonable precaution in case one of them asks to take a shower down here. After all, if Rafa is willing to share her bathroom if necessary, it would seem remarkably rude of us not to make the same offer. I doubt anyone will ask since the guest bathrooms on the first and second floor both have shower stalls, but I told you it's not a problem having this other bed here." Qui grinned slyly as he walked across the room. "Actually, I'm thinking maybe we should keep it so I'll have someplace else to sleep on those nights you kick too much."
"I do not kick," said Ben firmly. "I am merely trying to preserve a tiny piece of the bed for myself when you spread out and hog the space AND the covers."
"Now, now, you've got to admit that doesn't happen very often, especially when it's cold and I want to cuddle with you to share warmth." Qui gathered Ben into his arms and kissed him. "And it definitely never happens after you've worn me out with your insatiable appetite for sex." He quickly kissed him again, smothering Ben's laugh.
Ben tried to tighten his embrace and deepen the kiss, only to find himself frustrated when Qui pulled back.
"Can't be overdoing it, boy," said the ranger softly. He ran a fingertip along Ben's lips. "Don't want to be meeting our guests looking all debauched, now do we?"
"Damn, it's gonna be a long four days," muttered Ben petulantly.
"Hey, it'll be over before you know it." Qui grinned. "Let's finish here and go on up."
Ben wrinkled his nose. "Just you wait until I have you all to myself again..."
Qui put away his gun and equipment belt and exchanged his uniform top for a sweatshirt. After quick stops in the bathroom, both men went to the kitchen.
"Ah, there you are, just in time," said Jane. "First off, this is Ling-si Teo and Delena Nichols." She turned to two young women, one a demure Oriental and the other a tall African-American. "Ling-si, Delena, this is Quilan Finn and Ben Kennan, my downstairs boarders." She waited a moment as everybody shook hands, then continued, "I figured it would be more comfortable if we use the big table in the dining room, so if you boys will put in a couple of leaves and spread the tablecloth, the girls can start laying out the place settings."
"Happy to oblige, ma'am," said Qui with a bow. He and Ben quickly took care of the request, putting the soft brown cotton tablecloth over the mahogany surface, then pitched in to help put together settings for nine people.
A loud knock drew Ben to the front door. When he opened it, he was sucked into a hearty handshake.
"Hi, Jeremy Telgar, I brought the guys from school, how ya doing?" came the stream of words from a young man in a bright red jacket. Black hair flopped nearly down into shining black eyes.
"Hey, Ben Kennan, pleased to meet you." Ben turned to lead the way to the living room. "Let's get your stuff dropped off and then we can get ready to eat."
"Thanks. Come on, guys, you're gonna love it here."
Jane came in as backpacks and bags of laundry were being deposited on the various sleeper sofas. "Jeremy! Welcome back!" She was swept up in a vigorous hug, then laughed as she recovered her breath. "It's good to see you again. Who have you brought for us this year?"
Ben watched from the doorway as Jeremy marshaled his troops for presentation, smiling a little at the young man's brash confidence and brilliant grin. He was interested but wary in seeing how the openly gay college student interacted with others.
"First up, this is Derrick Krebs," a hand waved to a young man with brown hair and eyes, "he's a junior and runs with me on the university cross country team." Jeremy turned next to a big, rawboned youngster. "This is Albert Dunning, freshman with no clue yet, but thinks he wants to play club rugby in the spring." Jeremy looked around, shook his head. "Hey, come on out here, Misha." He pulled forward a tall, thin student who had been hiding behind the others. "Hope you don't mind, Mrs. Brandon, but I dragged another vic- I mean volunteer, along. Poor Misha is definitely in need of a good feeding up."
The pale young man pushed his light blond hair back as he straightened to his full six-foot two height. One hand nervously played with the straps of the old leather pack he still held as he made a formal bow. "Mikhail Petrovich Kuznetsov, ma'am. I do not wish to impose, please. If it is a burden, I can find a ride back to the school."
"Don't be silly, dear, there's always room for one more." Jane smiled warmly as she stepped closer. "Did this scamp explain how we celebrate this holiday when he talked you into coming?"
"Yes, ma'am. It will be an honor to assist with helping those less fortunate." He added earnestly, "I am a very hard worker, and I brought my sleeping bag. I don't mind sleeping wherever there is a spare place on the floor."
"Relax, son, I'm sure you'll do fine, and you don't need to be so formal." Jane arched an eyebrow at Jeremy as she took the newcomer's hand. "And I'll not hear of you sleeping on that hard floor. Since you got dragooned into duty, so to speak, you can have a nice spot here next to the fireplace." She ignored Jeremy's fake grimace. "Both of these big armchairs pull out into single sleepers, so you'll be right comfortable. And that's quite a mouthful you've got for a name – is there something a bit shorter we could call you?"
"Yes, ma'am, Misha is fine, thank you very much." Misha bobbed his head, then put his bag on the chair.
"Misha is a nice name," replied Jane. "Supper will be ready shortly, so let's all head for the dining room."
The younger people deferred to Jane and Qui for the seats at each end of the table. Ben found himself sitting next to Qui with Ling-si Teo to his right and Jeremy Telgar directly across from him. He put a large helping of salad in a bowl and poured dressing over it.
"The large pot is chicken stew and the smaller is vegetable stew with soy protein. There's plenty to go around and for leftovers, so feel free to dig in," Jane announced. "I know Jeremy doesn't much care for red meat, but does anybody else have some particular druthers or allergies?"
"Just a shellfish allergy," said Albert Dunning, "oysters, mussels, that sort of thing. Most kinds of fish are okay, though."
"That'll be easy enough to work with, Albert," Jane replied.
"Al, please, if you would. The only people who call me Albert are my mom or dad when I'm in trouble."
"Al it is, then," said Jane with a smile.
"I prefer vegetarian, but I will eat just about anything, so please don't make a special effort on my account, Mrs. Brandon," said Ling-si. "And judging by the smells so far, I suspect everything you fix will be very good."
"I can attest to that," Jeremy interjected. "She's a wizard in the kitchen, absolutely amazing, and she'll take great care of us, don't you worry about that."
"I'm sure I'll be getting my money's worth of work tomorrow, so you'd best be eating hearty tonight, young man," Jane said, her eyes twinkling.
Jeremy laughed as the group began helping themselves to the offerings. Once initial hunger had been sated, conversations turned to offering more information about themselves. Both Jeremy and Derrick were juniors and ran cross-country and track; Jeremy was majoring in criminal justice and planned to go to law school, while Derrick was going to be a pharmacist. Al was still sorting out what college was all about, but was leaning toward architecture or art, that last information coming out a bit sheepishly when he admitted his football-playing brothers teased him about his drawings. Delena was a senior in the music performance program, and Ling-si was a junior majoring in math.
"I'm afraid I'm sort of like Al. I'm a first year also, so I'm mostly just getting a lot of the mandatory classes out of the way, although I'm starting to think about wildlife management or something to do with forestry as a major," said Rafa. She turned to Misha, who had been silent as he worked his way through two helpings of stew. "What are you studying, Misha?"
The young man started a little as if he wasn't used to being part of a conversation. "Um, computer science, doing work-study," he said softly.
"Do you know Tommy Diaz?" Ben asked. "I met him at UPA and he seemed really good with the computer systems."
"I think everybody must know Tommy Diaz," a hint of a wistful smile finally lit Misha's face. "He is brilliant. I was fortunate to be allowed to join one of his senior projects when they needed someone to help with the network part." He shook his head. "I wish I could be that good someday, with the machines and with the people."
"Hey, dude, don't sell yourself short," retorted Jeremy. "I heard that you already know more about networks than half the people in the whole program, and you had a bunch of some kind of certificates before you even became a freshman this fall. And you're really good at helping us dunces in the computer lab."
Misha blushed as he ducked his head. "I've been very lucky. In high school I got to work for a company that designed and installed networks and computers, and my school also had special programs for certifications." He shrugged.
Ben smiled as Jane deftly diverted Jeremy with a question about the university GLBT club – his black eyes lit up as he launched into what was clearly one of his favorite subjects. Jeremy started with his election as vice-president of the club and then detailed his plans for new activities to continue the fight for equal rights. Ben let his gaze slide briefly to his left, careful not to let it linger on his secret lover, as the meal wound down.
After the cleanup and dishes were finished, Jane asked if their visitors would like to have a fire in the living room with dessert. The enthusiastic response made her smile.
"Okay, okay. Ben, would you show the boys where the firewood is and help them get started? And Rafa, if you're going out to the barn to check on Cel, would you mind making sure the dogs and cats we're boarding are bedded down for the night, then bring Dexy and Delilah in for me?"
"You have animals?" A big smile broke out on Misha's face, the first true sign of unabashed joy since he had arrived. "Can I help?"
"Yes, Celesta is my horse, Dexy and Delilah are Jane's dogs and we have some animals we're boarding," replied Rafa. "It's pretty cold out - are you sure you'd like to help?"
"Yes, please, very much," Misha said. "I can't have any animals because my guardian's daughter has allergies, and I miss them a lot."
"Why don't you two take care of our four-legged friends, Ben can help with the fire, and the rest of you can work on fixing dessert?" suggested Jane. She shooed the various teams on their way with an indulgent smile.
Replete with chocolate fudge cake and ice cream, Ben leaned back in his corner of a sofa. The crackling fire added a mellow glow to the room and he listened lazily as Jane finished describing the activities planned for the next day.
"I can help with any of the work, but I brought my keyboard and guitar since I need to practice for a juried session in a few weeks," said Delena. "As a performance major, I know a lot of different types of music, and I wouldn't mind playing if you think people would be interested."
"That would be lovely, especially during the main serving times, and I think we have some others who play also, so you might have some company. Now then, since most of the food and such is already at the American Legion Hall or will be brought by others, two cars should be enough for us. Most folks will be getting there around nine to get started," said Jane. She turned to look at Qui. "What time do you need to leave for work in the morning?"
"I should head out by seven-thirty," Qui replied. "Tomorrow there's an eight o'clock meeting before we go out on patrol."
"I'll plan on having breakfast on the table by seven, then." Jane raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Jeremy. "That is, if you young'uns think you can drag yourselves out of bed that early."
Derrick laughed and poked Jeremy in the side. "She knows all about you, dude." He rolled his eyes. "You should see him when we have morning practice runs with the team. Had to literally drag him out of bed a couple of times, and coach was totally pissed off."
"It's not my fault I'm a night owl," said Jeremy. He waved a hand as he grinned. "It's in my genes, or that biorhythm stuff or something."
Ben smiled at the byplay; he heartily agreed that early mornings were not a civilized time to be out of bed.
"Seven would be excellent," said Ling-si. "I love getting up early – it's the perfect time to do Tai Chi when the world is just coming to life in the transition from night to day."
"I've been learning Tai Chi at the university this semester, and I'm enjoying it a lot even though it still seems very awkward," said Rafa. "Have you been doing it long?"
"Since I was about six. I learned from my grandfather," replied Ling-si. "He was a soldier in Taiwan before he emigrated to this country. He always said that nobody wants peace more than a soldier, and he taught Tai Chi to our entire family to ensure we learned harmony with ourselves and our environment."
"Aye, that's a good thought, and family is a good way to learn." Qui nodded thoughtfully, one of his relatively few contributions to the conversation so far.
"You've been doing Tai Chi a long time, too, haven't you? I've seen that beautiful sword," said Rafa, "and you've been teaching Ben, right?"
"You are a sifu, a teacher?" asked Ling-si respectfully.
"Only to Ben," shrugged Qui. "It's taken me many years to develop a decent proficiency, but it has become an important part of my life and I enjoy it a great deal."
"I'm afraid I nagged Qui into teaching me after I saw him doing a routine at his old place. He looked so fantastic and happy that I just had to learn it," said Ben. "I'm still not very good at it, but it's only been about six months or so. In any event, it worked out well when he had to move a few months ago and decided to come here in October."
"It only took one of Jane's meals to make up my mind that 'twould be a wonderful place to live," teased Qui, "even if it meant putting up with sharing a bathroom with Mr. Kennan."
Ben snorted and wrinkled his nose.
"Would you be interested in doing a routine together if you have time?" asked Ling-si.
"I was going to try to fit in a session or two anyway the next few days." Qui raised one eyebrow, gave a half-smile. "Say, if we did just a simple, easy Yang 24 routine, would you two also be interested? Ben? Rafa?"
"Are you sure you wouldn't mind? I'm still working on several of the movements," said Rafa.
"We can keep it very basic, and practice is always good no matter the skill level," added Ling-si.
"When?" asked Ben.
"Tell you what, we can try it at six in the morning. If everybody likes it, we can do it again Friday or Saturday," said Qui. "There's plenty of room in the barn."
"Six?" groaned Ben. "I'm a night person like Jeremy and was planning on sleeping in as long as I could since I don't have to go to work."
"Do you good to be getting your lazy arse out of bed for a change, boyo," chaffed Qui with a grin. "Besides, 'twill be a great way to give you some energy to start the day."
Dexy raised her head and whoofed loudly as if agreeing with Qui. Everybody laughed, including Misha, who had planted himself in front of the fireplace between the two Rottweilers, an arm around each.
"I think that decides it," chuckled Rafa. "Six it is."
The discussion turned to more general topics about the university and town. Qui left a few minutes later, pleading work to be done. Ben waited another half hour to make his own exit to try to call his sister in Boston before the hour got too late.
As he approached the door at the foot of the stairs, Ben heard an unmistakable voice. He entered their basement home and found Qui had set up the rollaway bed near the fireplace; his lover was sprawled across it with several open books and a pad of paper, glasses perched on his nose as he muttered to himself. Ben closed and locked the door.
"Hey, I thought I'd see if I can't call Maureen tonight instead of tomorrow. It's likely to be pretty busy with all the church and family stuff on Thanksgiving itself," said Ben. He hesitated as Qui grunted a vague answer and kept on making notes. "Um... you really planning to sleep out here at night? I didn't mean for things to go that far when the door is locked."
"Well, 'tis remarkably comfortable and would certainly prevent any misunderstandings if somebody does come down here. Jane's got some sort of extra padding in this thing that makes it very soft, and it's nice and roomy so I'm thinking this might indeed be a great place to sleep the next few nights." Qui looked up and started to grin, but Ben's forlorn expression made him stop. He quickly pulled off his glasses and stood up to embrace his mate. "'Twas a joke, Ben," he murmured, "just a silly joke."
"Sorry, I over-reacted." Ben clung tightly. "It's just that I love you so much... and I thought..."
"It's alright, Ben." Qui rubbed his hand up and down Ben's back for a moment, then carefully picked him up and laid him down on the rollaway. He lay down beside his mate and kissed him until Ben relaxed.
"Damn, I feel stupid," Ben muttered. "I shouldn't be so fucking sensitive about things."
"Don't be worrying about it." Qui ran his thumb along Ben's cheek. "I need to remember that we're still learning to know each other and you don't always understand when I'm having you on."
"I still feel stupid." Ben rolled up on his side, then spit out a curse when he felt a sharp edge poking him in the ribs. He pulled a hardcover book out from underneath him. "You really were working on something?"
"Aye. Apparently the live readings we did at the UPA fundraiser were very popular, so Sandy asked us if we'd do a set of Christmas story readings. She hasn't decided yet if we're going to record it or go live." Qui sat up, looked around, found his glasses and the other books. "I've been picking out a couple of possibilities so Sandy can set the final list and I can start practicing."
"Oh. That'll be good." Ben brightened a bit. "Maybe I'll get to run the board again when you're reading. That was pisser."
"I'm sure you will. Tell you what, why don't you call your sister and then let's get some sleep so we can be up early." Qui smiled and tapped Ben's leg. "Together."
"Okay, sounds like a plan."
Ben went into the bedroom and pulled his cell phone from its charger on his desk. He knew his sister was also a night owl and highly likely to still be up despite the time difference. He smiled when Maureen answered on the third ring, and settled in for a long chat.
"Damn, it's fucking cold out here," Ben grumbled as he followed Qui from the house. They both wore sweats with a jacket on top.
"Stop fussing, it's good for you," Qui replied. "Thought I'd never get your arse out of that bed. Worse than trying to pry a wildcat out of a cage for the vet."
"Hmph." Ben grunted and hurried his steps. "Ahhh, that's much better," he sighed once they were inside the relatively cozy warmth of the big barn.
Qui just shook his head as he tossed his jacket over a bale of hay. From various cages a trio of dachshunds barked at them, a golden retriever glanced up briefly from its food bowl and two tabby cats ignored them. "Good morning," he called as Rafa came out of Cel's empty stall.
"Good morning," Rafa answered. "We're just finishing." She gestured to where Misha stood at the end of the barn holding the Appaloosa's rope and rubbing her face. Cel neighed and tugged Misha along when Rafa went back in the stall with a bucket of grain. Rafa stopped in the doorway and scolded the young mare. "No! Bad girl, I told you to stay." Cel tossed her head a few times, but when Rafa stood firm she whickered softly and backed up a step. Rafa waited a moment longer, then smiled and took the rope to lead her charge into the stall.
"She is so beautiful," said Misha as Rafa came back out and closed the lower half door.
"She is, but she's also spirited and sometimes very stubborn," replied Rafa. "After you set rules, you must not let her get away with things she knows are wrong."
"You sound like my mother," said Ling-si as she joined them. She smiled as she continued, "She is always after my married sisters not to spoil the little ones."
"Animals and children are a lot alike in many ways," said Qui. "They'll push the boundaries a long ways if you let them."
"Speaking of boundaries, it's after six o'clock and breakfast will be ready at seven," grumbled Ben. He yawned widely.
"You mustn't mind him; I don't think he's actually alive until after eight in the morning," Qui said with a grin. "He does have a point, though. I'd like to do some stretches before we start, if that's okay with everybody."
Rafa took a moment to thank Misha for helping with the morning chores as Ling-si quietly asked Qui to take the lead. He nodded as the other three formed a loose line in front of him and then started them on the first slow stretch. Misha lingered near the door for a moment before slipping out.
Forty minutes later the final graceful movement was completed, the group more or less together.
"Nice job, everybody," said Qui. "I don't get very many opportunities to do this with others, and I really enjoyed it."
"Thanks for going slowly. I think I messed up several of the stances," said Rafa ruefully.
"You did quite well for only just learning," Ling-si replied encouragingly. "If you like, on Friday I can help you with some of those."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. We've got the final exam coming up in a few weeks and the extra practice will be great."
Qui and Ben followed behind the two young women as they headed back to the house. "You're coming along well on the basic movements, Ben," said Qui softly. "Would you like to have a formal session this weekend to get back to work on the details?"
"Sure, that would be good." Ben hesitated a moment before continuing. "You were right, I do feel better and ready to start the day."
"Thanks. Eventually we'll get you so well-trained you can do it in your sleep," replied Qui with a poke to Ben's ribs. "Maybe then I can just pick you up from your bed and prop you up for a morning routine instead of having to listen to all that moaning and groaning."
Ben let the distance from Rafa and Ling-si widen before he whispered, "You just wait a few days and we'll see who's moaning in the morning."
Qui just laughed and punched Ben's arm lightly and whispered back, "You can try, boyo." He started to trot ahead, calling over his shoulder, "Dibs on first shower, sluggard."
A little before nine Jane and her crew in pulled into the parking lot of the American Legion Hall where the event was being hosted. There were already many cars, trucks, SUVs and several vans emblazoned with logos of local churches and a small bus with the Legion symbol. After the morning Tai Chi session and a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal, fruit and toast, Ben was feeling eager to get started. He helped carry in boxes of pies to the large kitchen facility, then joined the other volunteers milling about in the large main hall.
"Alright, everybody, if I could have your attention!" boomed the amplified voice from the small stage at one end of the hall. "Gather around over here, please!"
Ben listened to the various introductions, the discussion of the schedule and the various work assignments. He recognized a number of faces, mostly from Jane's church – Reverend Charles Jenkins and his assistant pastor Boris Mercado, Liz and Linda, and several of the people who had helped Qui move. The various team leaders gathered their workers and dispersed to their tasks.
A momentary feeling of déjà vu swept over Ben as he looked around. Maureen had confirmed that his family was doing the usual Thanksgiving things, church and charity events followed by the obligatory gathering at Grandmother Lanahan's mansion. His father had always grumbled that they already gave plenty of money to the church, but supporting her church and her many charities was one of the few issues on which his mother absolutely refused to budge, so she and her children spent the morning at services and various shelters before returning home to get ready for their own feast. Ben suspected that his father didn't mind the gathering at his mother-in-law's place nearly as much as he claimed, since business leaders and friends usually greatly outnumbered the relatively few remaining family members there. Ben wondered for a moment about the perennially frosty relationship between his father and his grandmother, which nobody ever discussed, a relationship which Maureen said had turned from frost to pure ice during this last year. He knew that Thanksgiving would be carried out in its full formal suit-and-tie splendor, however, regardless of any individual feelings of the participants. That was simply the 'proper way to do things'. Ben shrugged and swept those memories into a back corner; his own version of charity work and his new family's upcoming repast made him feel much warmer and happier.
Liz McCormack had been assigned as the floor manager. In addition to Ben, most of the university students and several of the Legionnaires were on her crew and all of them willingly set to work moving and setting up tables and chairs as she coached them on her floor plan for the dining and serving areas, occasionally waving her cane to point out where something should go. An hour later they had moved on to placing paper tablecloths, flower centerpieces, wall decorations and all the food-serving equipment before taking a break.
"Looking good, Ben." Liz patted Ben's arm as she passed by. "Ten more minutes, everybody, then we've got lots more to do to help in the kitchen."
Ben looked up as a young man trailed in after a small group, swiveling his head as if looking for someone. Ben got up and approached him.
"Hey, Josh, how ya doing?" Ben offered his hand. "Just wanted to thank you again for helping me out the other day with my motorcycle."
"No problem, Ben." Josh shook hands. "Just doing what was right. Dad says you've got to look out for other people and things'll work out for you, too."
"He seems to be quite a man," said Ben.
"He is. I realize it's pretty obvious that he doesn't always speak very good English, and, well, maybe he talks a lot more than a lot of people like..." Josh shrugged, obviously well used to how most people seemed to react after even one exposure, "but he's a good man and the greatest father you could ask for." He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice, his eyes shining. "I've got a big surprise for him today and I think he'll – " Josh looked up. "That's my mom, she's going to help me with the surprise. Gotta go."
"Sure. Thanks again." Ben waved as the young man hurried over to an older woman in jeans and a flannel shirt. Her face lit up in a smile as Josh pulled some papers from his shirt pocket and put them down on one of the tables. She appeared to read through them, then signed and handed them back. Ben thought she looked a little wistful and sad as she touched a hand to Josh's face.
Another group of men came in, pulling off heavy coats, all of them with baseball caps bearing the Legion emblem. Ben watched as Josh and his mother intercepted the burly figure of Hank Jorgens. The young man drew himself to his full height, squared his shoulders, spoke several words, then grinned and handed the newly signed papers to his father. Hank read for a minute, then slowly looked up. He seemed a bit stunned but his expression quickly changed to incredible joy as he grabbed his son in a huge bear hug and began pounding on his back. When he finally let go, he grabbed Josh's hand and pulled him toward the small stage.
Brief, piercing feedback jolted the air as Hank grabbed the microphone and thumbed it on. His big booming voice filled the hall, the amplification almost a redundancy.
"Everybody gather around! I got somethin' I got to tell ya!" Hank waved his arm. "Come on! You folks in the kitchen, too! And 'specially all our Legion guys!"
People quickly filtered into the hall as Hank continued his exhortation. Ben stood near the fringe and waited, curious as to what the big announcement was.
"What's going on?" asked Jane quietly as she came up behind Ben.
"I don't know, ma'am," Ben replied.
"Okay, I got somethin' real important to say. Today I am the happiest and proudest man in this here place," announced Hank, his face beaming. He pulled Josh to his side. "A lot of ya know my son Josh. He's a senior at Malleck High, a hell of a wrestler and baseball player. Today my boy..." Hank pulled Josh a little closer. "I should rightly say, my young man, brought me his papers to sign for that there delayed enlistment program. Soon's he gets outta high school in the spring, he's gonna go off to boot camp for the United States Army."
There was a round of applause as Hank shoved the microphone into Josh's hand. "Thanks, everybody," said Josh. "I want you to know that it wasn't really that hard a decision. I signed up to be an airborne ranger because I want to serve my country and be the best damned infantry soldier in the Army," he turned his head to look at Hank, held up his father's beefy hand in his, "like my father was. I just hope I can live up to his example and be a good soldier and a good man."
Ben felt his throat suddenly tighten as another round of applause swept the room. He carefully made his way to a nearby hallway as Hank started his son on a tour of the hall to shake hands, afraid to reveal the pain and anger that stabbed unexpectedly at his heart. Hank Jorgen's obvious pride in his son and his son's pride in his father brought home to him how much he would never have with his own father, how much he had never truly had to start with, no matter how hard he tried. Ben found a small sunlit conference room and went in, closing the door behind him. He released his emotions by slamming the wall with the side of his fist, then drew a shuddering breath as he rested his forehead against that same wall.
The door clicked closed behind him, but Ben didn't open his eyes until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Ben? Are you alright?" asked Jane softly.
Ben took a deep breath, swallowed. "Sorry. I'm not sure what happened out there."
"I've got a real good idea what went on. Turn around, Ben." Jane waited until Ben faced her. "I know you haven't liked to talk about it much, but it's not your fault there's bad feelings between you and your father."
Ben nodded and looked down. "He... I wanted so much to make my father feel like Hank Jorgens must feel about his son... it's just never going to happen. What I saw out there... I guess it hit pretty hard."
"That's a lot of hurt you've been carrying around, son, and it's going to take time to keep working through it." Jane enveloped Ben in a hug. "In the meantime, you've got a new family out here, and you've got a good man who loves you something fierce. We're all here to help you get on with life."
For a long moment Ben let the warmth of Jane's embrace melt some of his pain. "Thanks." Ben tightened his hug briefly, then let his arms drop. "You're right. I've got a new life and good friends. I just need to remember that more often."
"It's alright, Ben. We'll be here when you need us." Jane switched to a brisker tone. "Now there's work to do. After this next big push for the prep work, there will be a lunch break to make sure we get all of our folks fed before we start sending out vans to pick up people from shelters and senior homes, so are you going to be alright with helping?"
"Yes, ma'am, I'll be fine," said Ben. "Working will be good... it'll help keep my mind off other things."
"Good, let's get to it." One last pat to his shoulder and Jane was leading the way back to the others.
Ben was feeling pleasantly tired as he drowsed in the back seat of Rafa's Subaru, sitting between Ling-si and Delena while they headed home in the early evening darkness. It had turned out to be a long but rewarding day of hard work between preparing and serving food, then the cleanup. There had been long lines of walk-in people in addition to those who had been brought in by van and bus, their clothes often old or worn but tidy; the volunteers cheerfully kept the food coming and tried their best to make it a welcoming, family event. Several church people had brought instruments in addition to Delena and they took turns performing various types of music singly and together, including an elderly gentleman from the Legion who had whipped out his pocket harmonica and kept the children laughing with a series of comic tunes and jokes. Ben's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the cell phone in his pocket.
"Hello?" Ben said after he fumbled the device open.
"Ben, it's Qui."
"Hey, how's it going? Things went great at the Legion Hall and we're just heading back now. What time will you be home?"
"That's why I called, Ben. We've had an emergency come up and I don't know when I'll be able to get away. Please tell Jane not to wait up or hold any food for me."
"You're okay, though, right?" asked Ben anxiously.
"I'm fine – there was an accident with a truck overturning on one of the main roads through the Keo and there's been a fair bit of fuel spilled. We're short-handed because of the holiday and I need to stay on and help with the cleanup and traffic control. Looks like it will be taking quite a while so don't worry if I don't make it back until tomorrow."
"Alright. I'll let Jane know." Ben bit back the 'love you' he had been about to utter and tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Thanks for calling."
"Gotta go now. Take care."
Ben looked at the silent phone for a moment before putting it away. He had been looking forward to seeing Qui and the unexpected news put a damper on his feelings.
"What do you need to let me know?" asked Jane as she turned from the front passenger seat.
"That was Qui. There's been a traffic accident out in the forest, something about a truck and a fuel spill. He doesn't know when he'll be able to get away so he asked you not to wait up or hold any food."
"That was right thoughtful of him," said Jane. "It'll be soup and grilled sandwiches tonight anyway, so if he does make it home it'll be easy enough to put something together. Thanks for passing that on."
Later that evening the household occupants dispersed after the dinner cleanup. Jeremy, Derrick and Al were in the family room watching what remained of the holiday football games, Jane was upstairs, Ling-si, Delena and Rafa had lit a fire in the living room, and were talking while Misha had secured his spot in front of the fireplace with Dexy and Delilah. Ben stayed in the living room for a little while talking to Ling-si about some of the math professors at the university, and all three young women offered to help with the admission process or scholarship information after Rafa mentioned that Ben was planning on going back to school after he qualified for in-state tuition rates. A little after nine-thirty, Ben excused himself to head downstairs, planning on turning in early since he had to work in the morning.
Once in his room, Ben dropped into his chair and let his head rest on his hands, elbows propped on his desk. He was tired and unsettled; he felt good about the work they had done, but his feelings were still jangled by the unexpected reminder of his poor relations with his father and he was disappointed about Qui's unplanned absence. He glanced at his journal, but didn't have the energy to write. He sat motionless, time unheeded. Finally, a thump and laughter from above drifting down the stairs stirred him from his lethargy. He looked at the clock and realized it was ten o'clock. Ben sighed, then rose to brush his teeth, close his doors and go to bed for a restless sleep.
As Ben climbed down from the bus, he was surprised to see a blue Subaru waiting for him.
"Hey, thanks Rafa, but you didn't have to pick me up," said Ben as he climbed in the back seat next to Delena. Ling-si was sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Not a problem," Rafa replied as she pulled into the road. "We had to make a run into town, this stop was on the way back and we only had to wait a few minutes."
"While we've got you captive, Qui said he'd be interested in another Tai Chi routine tomorrow morning with us," said Ling-si. "You want to join in, Ben?"
"Well, I don't have to work tomorrow, so what time were you looking at? I hope it's not another uncivilized early start."
"No, we were thinking more like eight," replied Ling-si. "We figured it would probably be a late breakfast tomorrow since we're eating dinner later than usual tonight."
"Eight!" Ben gave a long mock groan before shaking his head and grinning. "Well, I guess that last session was kind of nice, so I suppose I could make it." He thought for a moment. "Does that mean Qui is home now?"
"I saw him come in around noon," offered Delena. "I got to say, I don't usually go for older men, but oh sugar, he does look hot in that uniform. Not to mention that lovely voice."
"I think we can save that topic for a private conversation without boring Ben," said Ling-si with a raised eyebrow.
Ben just nodded, wisely keeping his own thoughts on the lovely voice and hotness of a certain ranger to himself. He caught sight of Rafa's face in the rear-view mirror, and it was clear from her half-smile that she was aware of his probable thoughts.
"Anyway, he joined us for lunch. That was when we talked about Tai Chi," continued Ling-si. "I think he went to get some sleep after that."
"Thanks for letting me know," Ben replied. "I'll make sure I'm quiet when I go down."
Ben stopped in the kitchen first to suitably admire the heavenly aromas and ask after Liz and Linda, and was told they would not be joining them as they had gone out of town to visit Linda's parents. Ben paused at the head of the stairs to remove his boots, then carried them down as he tried to step softly. He carefully opened the door, just as carefully closed and locked it. When he turned around, he was faced by sleepy blue eyes under tousled brown hair as Qui leaned up on his elbows on the rollaway bed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," said Ben. He caught his lower lip a moment before continuing. "I hope you really didn't mind sleeping out here."
"Aaugh, time to be up anyway and I already told you it's a bloody comfortable bed. In any event, 'tis a lovely sight to be waking up to." Qui yawned, then gestured. "Bring that sexy arse over here, boy."
Ben grinned as he dropped his boots and sauntered over. He paused at the edge of the bed, let his tongue peek from the corner of his mouth.
"Get down here," Qui growled. He reached up, the sheet sliding away to reveal the lean body clad only in a pair of grey boxer briefs. One paw snagged Ben's belt and his victim went down willingly into the long arms for their first kiss of the day.
Both men sighed as the long kiss finally ended. "Missed you," said Ben softly.
"And I missed you, too, but there was work needed doing." Qui ran a thumb slowly along Ben's cheek. "How did things go yesterday at the Legion Hall?"
"Good. Everybody worked hard, the food was fantastic, there were a lot of people who came and you could tell they truly appreciated it... a real pisser event. You would have liked it."
Qui leaned up on one elbow, watching Ben's distant expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't get home last night." He put a finger under Ben's chin and lifted it. "Seems like there's something else on your mind. Is that the only thing wrong?"
A long moment passed before Ben answered. "It was a good day and we helped a lot of people. I just had a sort of bad moment. You remember those guys I told you about who helped me get Myrna back to the garage after the accident?"
"Aye... father and son, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. At the Hall, Josh came in and asked his father, Hank, to sign his enlistment papers for the Army. Josh got up and told everybody he signed up because he wanted to be a soldier and a good man like his dad, and you could tell Hank was so damned proud of his son he was practically exploding." Ben had to stop and swallow. "Looking at them..."
Qui gathered Ben into his arms and held him close, one hand rubbing his back. "It's alright, Ben, I understand." He kissed the top of his lover's head. "I'm here whenever you want to talk about it."
Ben held on tight until he could regain control of his emotions. "Thanks," he murmured into Qui's chest. "Jane reminded me that I have a new family here, and someone who loves me, so it wasn't so bad." Ben lifted his head to kiss Qui.
Lips joined together in a soft, lingering kiss as Qui rolled over to lie atop Ben. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on Ben's forehead. "I do love you, Ben Kennan," he whispered.
"And I love you," Ben whispered back. He smiled at the gentle warmth above him as a tingle gathered in his groin. "As Jane would say, I love you something fierce. I wish – " A knock on the door interrupted them, and Ben gave a soft "Damn."
Another knock, then Rafa's voice. "Hey guys, dinner will be ready in half an hour."
Qui rolled off and Ben stood up and went to the door. He unlocked it and stuck his head through.
"Hi, I didn't know if Qui was up yet so I thought I'd better be the one to come check," said Rafa. She dropped her voice to a murmur, "You know, just to be on the safe side."
Ben knew exactly what she was talking about and had a momentary pang about hiding their relationship. "Thanks. Qui just woke up a few minutes ago. Appreciate the heads up. Smells great, even down here, and I'd hate to miss anything."
"No problem. Don't worry about the setup; we've got plenty of help." Rafa smiled and headed back up the stairs.
A few hours later the entire group was gathered in the living room with a crackling fire going. Jane had masterminded another fantastic meal on her family china with a full set of candles; the table had been loaded with turkey, ham, five kinds of vegetables, two types of unusual stuffings, hot homemade rolls with butter and honey, sparkling wine and dessert offerings of two different pies and vanilla ice cream.
"That was absolutely incredible, Mrs. Brandon," said Jeremy as he lolled on one of the sofas. "I think even Misha got enough to eat."
"It was very, very good," Misha acknowledged. He was ensconced in his now familiar spot in front of the fireplace where Dexy and Delilah seemed to have adopted him as their own.
There was a general round of praise and sated groans from over-full stomachs, with a gracious response from Jane.
"I think maybe a nice, quiet evening is just the ticket," said Delena. "I can always use the practice, so anyone mind if I play my guitar?"
Heads nodded as assent was murmured.
Delena pulled her instrument from its case and spent a few minutes tuning. She started off with some slow ballads, then for the next hour did a mix of folk, pop and gospel music, encouraging people to sing along if they knew the words. She had a nice, clear voice and an easy style; the time flew by until they finished with everyone joining in on several verses of Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore.
Ben joined in the various words of thanks and appreciation as Delena put away her guitar. There was almost another hour of desultory conversation before there was a tacit agreement to disperse; the women wandered upstairs and Ben and Qui went downstairs to leave the living room to the young men from the university.
"Mmmmm, feels wonderful," murmured Ben as he snuggled into his mate's side in their bed. He pulled up for a kiss, then reluctantly settled back with his head pillowed on Qui's arm, deliberately willing his physical desires to subside. "I really wish we could do more, but we both tend to get kind of loud, so it's probably not a good idea. I know I'm being overly cautious, but it's just..." Guilt stabbed at Ben as he turned his face away, pursing his lips. "I'm sorry."
"Ben, listen to me." Qui leaned up on his side and put a hand on Ben's chin to gently nudge his gaze back. "Intimacy is an important part of our relationship, but you don't need to apologize if you don't want to, don't feel like it or don't think it's a good time." He ran his thumb along Ben's cheek as he continued softly, "I understand why you don't want to risk getting caught. We agreed we want to wait and decide together on when's the best time to come out, and I still think that's the right thing to do. I love you, and that won't change."
"Qui..." Ben's throat tightened as he turned and burrowed into his lover's chest. "God, I love you so much."
They held each other until sleep slowly claimed them.
Ben was the last one into the kitchen, having let Qui take a shower first after their joint informal Tai Chi session. Jeremy had taken over the toaster, holding forth on the art involved in making the perfect slice as he added two more to a large stack. Ling-si and Delena were trying not to laugh as they gathered crockery to take to the dining room, while Al and Derrick were carrying boxes of cold cereal, plates of fruit and a big steaming pot of oatmeal. Ben stuck his head in the dining room to see what else was needed, but Jane waved him on in. As soon as everyone was seated, they began passing food, Misha looking around before carefully taking the smallest from one of the two big pans of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. They had barely begun eating when Qui's cell phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. Ben's insides flinched a little at the sound, hoping Qui wasn't being called back to work.
A few minutes later, Qui came back, phone still in his hand. "Jane, if I can persuade Ben to drive, could we borrow your truck for a few hours after breakfast? One of the people at the Keo station is retiring and moving back to the family farm in Georgia – he wants to get rid of a fair bit of stuff instead of having to move it. There's some office things I wanted to get for the WCC, a lot of cold weather clothes your church can have, and some exercise and cold weather gear for me. I was thinking with two trucks it wouldn't take as long."
"Why, that's right nice of you, Mr. Finn," said Jane. "Of course you can borrow the truck. Anything you're willing to pass along to the church, you can just leave that in the back and I'll drop it off when we go to services tomorrow."
"Ben, how about it?"
"No problem." Ben grinned. "We'll see if we can't get you finished up in no time."
"Thanks, both of you." Qui spoke into the phone for a moment, then closed it. "Okay, any time after ten is fine, so there's no rush."
"Is the WCC the wildlife place?" asked Misha. "I would be happy to help. I've never seen it."
"Yeah, we'd be more'n happy to lend a hand, too," said Jeremy. He smiled brightly. "It's always nice to be able to put off doing homework by doing a good deed."
After breakfast, they piled into the two trucks. Al and Misha went with Qui; Ben had Jeremy and Derrick with him. At the large ranch-style house across town, Qui chatted for a few minutes with a heavily tanned man, his face lined and hair almost completely gray. Ben overheard a few snippets of the conversation, enough to understand that the man's wife had gone ahead to Georgia to join his parents on a large farm, he had a son who had just graduated from college and a daughter still at the University of Georgia, and that all of the said family members were very happy with the change of climate. Qui wrote out a check, they shook hands and Qui put his crew to work.
"Damn, are you sure this is really all of it?" grunted Ben as he tightened a rope over the load of desks, chairs, filing cabinets, folding tables, and boxes in the back of Qui's truck. After Qui periodically chatted him up and he realized how much of his offering was going to charities, the man had kept coming up with 'just another little something somebody else might get some use out of' or another box that was 'just one less thing to move'. Ben finished tying off the rope and wiped his forehead.
"A little honest work'll be doing you good, boyo," ribbed Qui as he fastened another rope. "But yes, that should be the last of it." He turned around. "That finishes both loads. If some of you want to go back to Jane's with Ben, I'll take this lot out to the WCC."
"I would like to go with you to the WCC, please," said Misha.
"Hell, let's all just go. That way it won't take long to unload, and anybody that wants to see the place can stay," suggested Ben.
Qui looked around to make sure everyone was in agreement, then nodded. "Sounds like a plan and I surely do appreciate the help. Let's be on our way."
A few hours later the group arrived back home after getting an appreciative reception at the WCC and an enthusiastic tour by the director, Dr. Joan Spangler. They had even gotten to touch some of the tamer animals who were permanent residents of the Center. Misha was still beaming as he followed the others into the kitchen.
"Lunch will be in about a half hour, boys," was Jane's greeting. "Soup and sandwich – we'll be putting out fresh bread and fixings on the table here and soup's on the warmer in the dining room."
"Sounds wonderful, Jane, thanks," said Qui. "We can get the rest of my stuff offloaded by then. The stuff for the church we'll be leaving on your truck. There's ten boxes, mostly clothes but also some boots, books, cookware, a portable vacuum, a 13-inch television with a VHS player in it and some old VHS tapes, mostly family movies. There's also a pair of small snowshoes I put in the garage in case you or Rafa need them later."
"Lordy, that's quite a haul!" Jane came over and hugged Qui. "There's a lot of folks will be grateful for your help!"
"Aw, tweren't all that much," said Qui. "Mel was happy to get rid of most of it so he wouldn't have to pay to move it."
"I'll take your word for it," Jane replied with a knowing smile. "You'd best be scooting if you want to unload the rest before we eat."
The work crew made very short work of hauling Qui's take down the stairs. Ben looked admiringly at the results as he waited his turn to use the bathroom. Two pairs of cross-country skis and poles, two more pairs of snowshoes, an exercise bike, a folding treadmill, a set of free weights, and miscellaneous winter gear had joined their weight machine in its corner.
"Jesus, we could practically set up our own gym in here," Ben said as Qui came out.
"It was a good deal on some top equipment, and it will make it easier to work out during bad weather," said Qui. "The skis and one set of those snowshoes are already your size so I won't have to cut down a set for you. That'll save me a fair bit of effort."
"Sounds like you're planning to make me work my ass off this winter." Ben wrinkled his nose in mock disgust.
"Gotta be keeping that lovely arse in good shape, boyo." Qui grinned, then lightly punched Ben's arm before heading for the stairs. "C'mon, let's get some of that good food before it's gone."
Ben laughed and followed his mate.
The afternoon passed quickly as textbooks and laptop computers sprouted on the tables in the kitchen and dining room. Ben brought his own laptop up when Rafa, Delena and Ling-si roped him into a skull session on University 101 – ways to improve his application, scholarships, how to leverage his previous academics and work experience to get the maximum course credit before starting, basic course requirements, all the various obvious and not-so-obvious costs. Delena in particular had a lot of insights into this particular admission department; she had also transferred in as a junior when her favorite professor and mentor had changed schools. They didn't have network access, but swapped around a flash drive as the three women pulled files from their various computers, while Ben kept a running record of their hints and tips.
"Wow, this will help a lot," said Ben as he closed his laptop. "I really appreciate all this."
"Glad to be of service," said Delena. She smiled sympathetically. "I know how tough it is to try to transfer, especially when that wasn't in your original plans."
"Getting the in-state rates will help a lot, but it's still going to be difficult trying to work full-time and take courses," said Ling-si quietly. "Look at the requirements for the engineering program you want and make sure you push to get credit for every possible course you can, including those AP tests you passed in high school. It will save you time and money."
"Thanks, I'll remember that." Ben stood and stretched. "What can I do to repay you, ladies?"
"You've already helped me more than enough with that awful calculus class," said Rafa with a shudder. "Of course, there's always the final to study for," she added with a sly wiggle of one eyebrow.
"You've got it," replied Ben with a grin.
"Just pay it forward, sugar, and help somebody else when you can." Delena picked up her computer, then tousled Ben's hair. "Gotta go practice now, so you be good."
"And I've got another hundred pages to read before Monday's English lit class," added Ling-si. "I'd better see how much I can get in before we need to start getting dinner ready. See you later." She nodded and followed Delena out.
"There's still an hour of daylight, so I think I'll exercise Cel and then take care of the boarders," said Rafa. "I'd better ask Misha if he wants to help or he'll look sad the rest of the night. He really seems to love the animals."
Ben followed as Rafa stopped in the dining room to talk to the gangly young man, watching as Misha's eyes lit up and he abruptly stood. When Jeremy yelped about the problem on his computer, Misha leaned over the keyboard, his fingers flying for a few moments.
"That should take care of things after you reboot it," Misha said and left to follow Rafa, leaving Jeremy staring wonderingly at his screen.
Ben smiled as he turned away to head downstairs to seek out his sifu for the promised formal Tai Chi teaching session.
Dinner was a do-it-yourself Mexican-American buffet affair, after much chopping and preparing of ingredients for burritos and tacos, with a bowl of salad and big pots of Spanish rice and refried beans. Al got the lion's share of stirring for dessert after his dumfounded exclamation upon being informed that making pudding from scratch did not mean using the cook-and-serve box instead of the box of instant. Jane kept her crew of helpers moving efficiently through all the prep work and then the cleanup after the leisurely meal. Afterward they all adjourned to the living room for their last fire of the visit, settling into their various places.
"It always seems to take a lot longer to clean up after meals when I'm home," remarked Derrick as he snagged one of the single chairs near the fireplace. Rafa had already beaten him to the other singleton and Misha was stretched out on the floor with the dogs. "How do you manage to do that, Mrs. Brandon?"
"It's no big secret," said Jane with a small shrug. Her knitting needles gently clicked. "My mother always insisted on cleaning as you go, so there wasn't all that much left to clean by the time folks got done eating. That sort of habit just sticks with you."
"You could probably teach efficiency management at the school," Jeremy put in.
Qui shook his head. "We could surely use some of that efficiency at our headquarters in DC," he said.
"Federal government bureaucrats?" Jeremy grinned at Qui's sour nod. "Hey, since you do work for the feds, do you mind if I ask how the people where you work feel about the bills in Congress for gay rights?"
"I didn't know there were such things. Seems like they're always arguing about a ton of bills that never go anywhere, so I've never paid much attention to that stuff." Qui sat up a bit straighter at his end of a sofa. "What are they blathering on about this time?"
Ben listened avidly, trying to keep his interest from being obvious, as Jeremy explained the efforts in the House and Senate to extend benefits to the partners of gay federal employees. Although he and Qui had not discussed the details of their future together, he felt certain this was one subject his mate would want to explore.
"Sounds like maybe they are getting serious about such things," said Qui thoughtfully. "To answer your earlier question, though, I'm thinking that's kind of a mixed bag where I work. A lot of the people on the forest side tend to be more liberal, so they'd probably support most anything to do with gay rights. The people in the law enforcement unit..." Qui sucked on a front tooth a moment. "More toward the conservative side, but the ones I consider my friends are good people who would likely be willing to support the idea of a person's private life being just that, or at least not make a big fuss about it." He shrugged. "I guess you'd say they're pretty much live and let live as long as you're pulling your weight on the job."
Although Qui was looking directly at Jeremy, Ben felt Qui's last words were for his benefit. He felt a disquieting thunk in his gut as he suddenly realized that his anxiety about coming out had been centered almost entirely on himself and the problems he thought he would encounter. Ben knew that Qui supported his desire to stay closeted, but he had carelessly assumed that his mate was still simply sorting out his own thoughts and feelings, and didn't yet truly understand the consequences of being openly together with another man. He lost track of the conversation for a moment as he reflected on this new insight. When he heard his name, Ben shelved his thoughts for future consideration.
"Hey, Ben, you want to play?" asked Jeremy.
"Sure, what're we playing?" replied Ben.
"We let the two freshmen choose – Rafa wants board games and Al wants Pictionary, so we thought we'd play a round of Sorry and Scrabble, then some Pictionary."
"Sounds like fun. I'm in."
For the next two hours the room resounded with increasingly frequent laughter as everybody got caught up in the games. Ling-si took a hard-fought, cut-throat game of Sorry against Jeremy, Derrick and Al, while the Scrabblers produced ever more inventive words. At the end of the first hour, they split into two teams of men against women, with Al volunteering to join the women to even the numbers. Filling page after page of butcher paper, the attempted drawings led to wild guesses and lots of hilarity. Al's talent with quick, spare lines finally made the difference as the women ended up winning handily.
"Goodness, I don't believe I've had that much fun in ages," said Jane as she wiped her eyes.
"That was great," enthused Jeremy, "although I still think Al is a ringer."
"Jealousy will get you no extra points," rejoined Al as he cleaned up the used paper.
Everybody joined in to finish cleaning up while Jane made a big pot of cocoa. They reconvened in the living room for cocoa and some-mores, toasting marshmallows in the fireplace for the filling. Conversation was pleasant but quiet as the evening wound down.
Ling-si nudged Jeremy, who nodded, then cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Brandon?" said Jeremy.
"Yes?"
"We'd like to thank you for your hospitality. For those of us who couldn't go home for various reasons, you've made this a real family occasion and we all appreciate it very much." Jeremy waved a hand around as all of the college visitors nodded. "We'll clean up after ourselves in the morning, wash the sheets and all that, of course, but we'd like to do something more for you."
"That's right nice of you, but you've already done plenty," replied Jane. "You worked hard helping out on Thanksgiving, you've pitched in with chores and you've livened things up around here." She shook her head with a smile. "You're all good people and I've enjoyed having you here. You don't need to be doing anything more."
"But we really want to do something before we go back tomorrow," insisted Jeremy.
"Yes, we've eaten a lot of your food, used your washing machine, burned your firewood..." said Derrick.
"What about clearing up some old tasks, or chopping more wood?" asked Al.
"We do have a couple of those smaller dead trees that Rafa and Cel dragged down from the back the other day. Some of that could be chopped now to put out for seasoning," said Qui. He gave a small grin. "I wouldn't mind showing a few people what needs doing and making sure nobody cuts a foot off."
"And I wouldn't mind helping to clean out the animal pens and Cel's stall, and taking things out for the compost heap," offered Misha softly.
"Well, I suppose all the floors could use a good cleaning, been meaning to get to that," said Jane hesitantly.
"It's settled then," said Jeremy firmly. "We'll sort out who's going to do what and we'll take care of things after breakfast."
"Well... alright then." Jane capitulated graciously. "We'll have a nice meal first thing in the morning to get you started and see how it goes."
Ben slowly moved toward wakefulness. An insistent pressure at his groin nudged hard, but he refused to open his eyes yet. The mattress next to him dipped as a pair of lips caressed his.
"Morning, sleepyhead," drawled Qui. He lightly ran a thumb over his mate's cheek.
"Ummmhmmmm." Ben pushed the covers away, blindly reached up and pulled Qui down for a long kiss. His morning erection was almost painfully hard as it jabbed against smooth denim. He broke the kiss and blinked. "You've got clothes on," he said, tone quite aggrieved.
"Aye, well, pants anyway." Qui lightly kissed Ben's forehead. "Woke up early and did some exercises, but I thought you'd be wanting to sleep in a bit more before breakfast." He sat up on the side of the bed and looked down. "Looks like you're losing your battle for celibacy, boyo." Qui grinned.
"If I thought that your kissing me while you jack me off would keep me from yelling I'd be sorely tempted." Ben sighed miserably as he looked up at the ceiling; footsteps and a faint voice could be heard in the living room almost directly above them.
"Probably take a lot more than that to keep you quiet," replied Qui with a leer.
"Don't tempt me, you –"
Footsteps thundering on the stairs stopped any further words. A fist hammered on the door as a cheery voice called out, "Hey, you guys up? Food's gonna be on the table in ten minutes!"
"Sounds like Al beat Rafa in getting down here. That's way too cheerful to be Jeremy at this time of the morning." Qui stood up and slipped on a clean t-shirt.
"Jesus Christ," sputtered Ben. He grabbed a belt loop on Qui's jeans and hissed, "You! After they're gone! In bed, dammit!"
"I'll think about it," teased Qui as he detached Ben's fingers and headed for the bedroom door. "See you upstairs."
Ben buried his head in a pillow and groaned as he heard the outer door open, then close. "Damn, this is going to be a long day!"
Despite Ben's premonition, the day actually moved along quickly. After a bountiful breakfast of oatmeal, French toast, eggs and fruit, the tasks for the morning were sorted out. Rafa took Misha out to the barn and showed him what needed to be done to clean out all the various animal pens and cages to spiff them up for new boarders and some general cleanup for the barn. Delena opted to start the laundry and was then going to join Ling-si and Derrick in cleaning the bathrooms and other rooms they had used before they all started in on sweeping, mopping and polishing other floors on the first and second level. Qui took Al, Jeremy and Ben outside; after reviewing safety rules and sharpening axes, he set Al and Jeremy to splitting wood while he showed Ben how to use his small chainsaw to section the dead trees into more manageable chunks for the splitters, and promised to show them all how to properly stack the wood after it was cut. Everyone continued working when Jane and Rafa headed off to church for a few hours.
By twelve o'clock a considerable amount of work had been accomplished and everyone was more than ready for the lunch of freshly baked pot pies, rolls and salad that Jane was laying out. Rafa had gone out to help Misha finish the barn, laundry had been neatly put away, rooms and floors were gleaming, and a considerable quantity of fresh firewood was laid away to be seasoned for use later.
After lunch cleanup was completed, the students packed their bags and loaded them into their cars. Jane added generous packages of sandwiches and desserts.
They all gathered outside for final farewells, Jane thanking them for their hard work and each of the visitors expressing their appreciation with words and a hug. After a last wistful pat of the dogs, even Misha had his attempt at a solemn handshake turned into a warm embrace; he was still blushing when Rafa patted his shoulder as he climbed in the back of Jeremy's car.
"Such nice young folks," sighed Jane as they waved good-bye.
"Aye, it's nice to know there are a lot of good people in the world," said Qui. He waited a moment until the cars were out of sight, then draped an arm around Ben and smiled. "All sorts of good people."
Ben snuggled in close, his arm around Qui's waist. "Would you like to go have a little 'us' time in the basement? You could always read some of those stories you've been looking at for UPA to me," he purred suggestively.
"We're supposed to be getting more snow this week, so I'm thinking this would be an excellent opportunity to teach you how to use the snowshoes and a wee bit of starting on the cross country skis before the stuff hits us," said Qui.
"Huh? Why can't we do that later?"
"I'd feel a lot better if we start getting you ready now," said Qui firmly. "There's still plenty of snow up at the back end to practice on." He put two fingers on Ben's pouting lips. "And if you work at doing it right, after dinner I'll be more than happy to spend some time just with you. Fair enough?"
Ben's eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously. He managed to a get a lick in as Qui removed his fingers, earning himself a quick buss on the tip of his nose.
"Alright, you go get started on educating the boy," said Jane with a chuckle. "Dinner will be a bit early tonight." She and Rafa smiled at each other as they turned to go inside.
Ben sat at the small table in the basement, turning a card over and over in his fingers, his eyes half-closed. He was thinking about his experiences with Jane's visitors; he had enjoyed the company but was beginning to wonder if he had been a little too obsessed with not letting his relationship with Qui be discovered. He had decided to ask Qui to set aside some time to discuss the issue, but tonight he was more concerned with relieving the ache of their self-imposed celibacy. Ben looked up as the bathroom door opened.
"Is it safe to come out without being jumped?" joked Qui.
"Probably not," growled Ben. He sat back in his chair, legs spread wide, curling his bare toes. "I already locked the door, so don't plan on trying to escape. I intend to thoroughly claim my reward for all that work you made me do this afternoon."
"I'm all aquiver," said Qui as he walked over behind Ben and wrapped his arms around him. "Please be gentle when you ravish me." He leaned down to nuzzle just behind Ben's ear.
Ben laughed and twisted his head for a kiss. He reached up, forgetting about the card still in his hand.
"Here now, what's this?" Qui grabbed the card as he rubbed at the spot on his forehead where a sharp corner had jabbed him. He looked closely at the text. "Jeremy Tilgar?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Um, about that..." Ben shifted in his seat. "Jeremy stopped me in the hallway when they were getting ready to leave. He was perfectly polite..." Ben blushed a little. "He told me that I was really hot and seemed like an open-minded sort of guy. He then said that if I ever decided I wanted to experiment to give him a call, and he'd be more than happy to let me try whatever I wanted."
"Experiment?" Qui looked at Ben for a moment, then began laughing.
"Hey, it's not that damned funny!" barked Ben. "I almost had a heart attack when I thought he had somehow outed me."
"My poor Ben," murmured Qui. He soothed his mate's feelings by rubbing his shoulders and kissing his neck.
Ben stood up, facing Qui, and held his hands. "We do need to talk sometime about this coming out business, what it would mean to each of us, and if or when we might want to do that."
"Agreed." Qui leaned forward until his forehead touched Ben's. "I understand that it's important and we will be talking - that's a promise. But not tonight."
"Not tonight," sighed Ben in agreement. "Need you tonight... want to make love."
"Mmmmhhmmmm." Qui gathered his mate into his arms for a long, lingering kiss.
Ben melted into the kiss. He slipped his hands under Qui's t-shirt, gasping a little at the skin to skin contact when Qui lifted both of their shirts. Ben could already feel himself beginning to harden and pushed closer. He ground his crotch into the fullness he felt rising to greet him as denim slithered against denim.
"Somebody's awfully eager," murmured Qui as he kissed his way along Ben's jaw.
"Got a lot of time to make up for." Ben moaned as Qui nibbled his ear and dipped his tongue inside.
"Then let's not waste more time standing around out here."
"Hey!" yelped Ben as Qui grabbed him around the waist and slung him over one shoulder.
"Mind your head, boyo!" Qui called out as he carried his squirming mate into the bedroom. He tossed Ben onto the bed and grinned. "Let's get to the ravishing."
Ben laughed as Qui pounced. They wrestled around, hands roaming, lips kissing whenever a patch of skin presented itself. Qui managed to divest Ben of his clothes first, sliding off the bed to yank his jeans and underwear off over his feet.
"By all the saints, now isn't that a grand thing to behold." Qui tossed aside Ben's clothes and stood staring at his mate's rampant erection, chest moving as he sucked in air, his tongue peeking out to tickle one corner of his mouth.
Ben swallowed hard as he lay motionless on his back. The lust-deepened blue eyes seemed to draw him in, sending sparks down his spine to further harden his already aching penis.
"So tell me, boy, what do you think I should be after doing about your little problem?" asked Qui softly.
"It's not little, you're overdressed, and you need to get your ass down here so I can fuck it," ground out Ben.
"I've got a better idea for the first round." Qui let a smile slowly stretch his lips. "I can get you off without either of us touching a cock. What do you think about that?"
For a moment Ben simply stared, then grinned as he caught the reference to 'first round'. He leered and replied, "Alright, you're on. Give it your best shot."
Qui gave a small chuckle as he pulled lube and hand towels from the night stand and put them on the bed. He straightened and very slowly took off his jeans, then his boxer briefs.
"Jesus..." Ben's breathing quickened during the impromptu strip show, watching as Qui touched himself, his lover's fingertips wandering up his belly, tweaking his nipples, being sucked on one at a time, then Qui's tongue making slow circles. His own hands started toward his cock.
"Ah ah, no touching, boy!" admonished Qui as he lightly slapped one of Ben's hands.
"Yes, sir," said Ben, only half in jest. He swallowed again as Qui stretched out on the bed beside him and started kissing him, softly, slowly, across Ben's face, down his neck, suckling each nub for several delicious moments.
"On your side," urged Qui, "and just enjoy the ride." He partially spooned behind Ben, carefully avoiding contact with his lower body, then began touching Ben, his hands roaming up and down while he recited dirty limericks into his ear.
Ben groaned as the combination of magic touch and lyrical voice set his pulse racing. As the tantalizing torture continued, he had to grab the sheets hard to keep from stroking his cock. His heart hammered and he felt sweat sliding down his temples; his hips bucked as large hands fondled his flanks and moved lower to caress his rear.
"So you're liking that, are you?" whispered Qui between two particularly filthy verses.
Rendered speechless, Ben could only moan louder. He jumped when a slick finger trailed along the crack of his ass, then tried to hump air as the finger breached his tight opening.
"I've got just the thing to finish you off, boy." Qui pushed in further as he launched into another limerick.
"There was a young man from Dublin Whose love life was very troublin'."
Ben shoved back desperately on the finger as it raked across his prostate, moaning again.
"'Till he met a sweet boy A real hot sex toy."
Again and again the finger rubbed the sweet spot, sending lightning into Ben's gut and tightening his balls.
"They spent days exercisin' his javel'n."
One last pass and Ben erupted, his back arching as he screamed out his orgasm, his hips jerking, until he collapsed with a final spasm.
A few minutes later Ben drifted back to awareness of his surroundings, lingering in the warm erotic afterglow. Qui had already cleaned him up and was leaning on one elbow looking down at him.
"Good?" asked Qui, one eyebrow lifted.
"Mmmm, nice, very nice." Ben floated a bit more, then blinked, remembering parts of what Qui had been saying. "What was that shit about exercising his javelin?"
"Ah, afraid that last verse was spur-of-the-moment," admitted Qui with a sheepish half-smile. "That hot arse of yours is kind of distracting and by then there wasn't much blood left going to the brain."
Ben laughed when he looked down to see that his mate was indeed sporting quite an impressive erection. Ben turned on his side to face Qui, his own penis already showing renewed interest. "Let's see if we can't do something about that then, shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, Ben pulled Qui's head down for a long buss.
They engaged in a leisurely battle, first with lips, then tongues invading, exploring and dueling. Ben felt himself hardening again as he moved close, electric slide of skin on skin shooting sparks through his body. He pulled back when he felt Qui beginning to rut against him.
"My turn," said Ben. He pushed Qui over onto his back.
Despite a disappointed groan, Qui relinquished the lead to his younger lover. Ben took full advantage of the opportunity.
For several minutes Ben used his mouth and fingers to wring pleasured moans from his mate. He feathered kisses across his face and chest, sucked hard at the base of his throat and brought each nipple to tender hardness as he alternately nibbled, licked, bit and licked some more. Ben stroked his tongue across Qui's belly, blowing into his navel. He used his hands to caress Qui's flanks, thighs and back up to his chest. By the time he stretched himself out along Qui and pulled his head down for a kiss, Ben's cock was full and eager again.
"Jaysus," gasped Qui when Ben suddenly pulled him over sideways and pushed his crotch against Qui's straining organ.
"Like that, do ya, old man?" teased Ben, shifting his hips to waggle his cock against Qui's.
"Bloody hell, yes," Qui groaned as he thrust back.
Ben laughed and shifted into high gear. He felt Qui's hands grab his rear to mold them together; Ben put one hand around Qui's head and kissed him hard while with his other hand he seized as much as he could of the two cocks slithering against each other and held them close. He began pistoning his hips, drinking in Qui's groans through their locked mouths. He drove hard, their sweat-slicked bodies crashing together, thrusts becoming more frantic. Hot lust goaded them on relentlessly; their chests heaved for air as Ben held the kiss, his hand squeezing the iron-hard cocks. Together they were swept upward to a fiery crest. They hung poised for an impossible eternity, then exploded in ecstasy.
"Sweet Jesus..." Ben still panted as he lay next to his lover. He sucked in three deep breaths, blew out the last in a long sigh. He looked at Qui, then reached up to sweep aside a trickle of sweat threatening to fall into his open mouth.
Qui blinked, turned his head. He captured Ben's hand and gently kissed his palm.
"You alright?" asked Ben, returning the favor by softly kissing Qui's shoulder.
"Oh yeah," breathed Qui. "More than alright." He gave a little laugh. "Fantastic, actually."
"Good," Ben mumbled. He floated in a dreamy haze while Qui wiped off the worst of the aftermath, barely noticing when his mate pulled up the covers. Almost absently, he snuggled into Qui's side.
"Love you," whispered Qui as he kissed Ben's head.
"Love you forever," Ben murmured, drifting off to the comforting beat of Qui's heart.
finis
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