Summer House – 6

Author: Elsarose
Plot bunny and collaborator: Judy Uhrich

“Get your fucking feet off the furniture.” Brian growled. The men jumped to their feet to face him.

“Where’s Taylor?” one of them asked. 

“None of your fucking business, you freak.” Brian pulled open his door. “Get out of my house.” He was startled when the doorbell behind him rang. “Now what?” he ripped open the door only to find his parents standing there with another woman. “Come on in folks and join the party.” He stood back to usher them in.

“I’m Mrs. Andrews from Social Services. Mr. And Mrs. Kinney have a temporary custody order for the two minor children at this residence.” The other woman began. 

“There are no children here.” Brian huffed, his face white with fury and fear that the kids would be taken from him. 

“Mr. Brian Kinney?” she asked, handing him a blue envelope containing the official papers. “I think you’ll find everything in order. You, of course, are free to seek legal counsel.”

“Look bitch, the kids aren’t here and you can be damn sure I’ll be seeking legal counsel. In fact, I already have.” He threw the papers down on the coffee table. “You and you.” He pointed to the men who wanted Justin. “Get the fuck out of my house. Mother and father dearest, fuck off. You aren’t going to get Claire’s children.”

“Where are the children?” His mother moved to search the house.

“Out mother.” Brian’s teeth were clenched; he couldn’t believe the nerve of these people. He was glad he’d listened to Luke and made sure Justin and the boys had moved to the summer house. It was going to be a long time before he’d feel safe having them home.

“I will not leave my grandchildren one more night in this house of sin.” She flared. “Jack, do something.” 

“What do you want me to do? I don’t need any more brats to raise. It’s all your idea woman, not mine.” Jack turned and stomped off outside. 

Brian smirked at the social worker. “Jack Kinney is a wonderful parental influence. I have the scars to prove it.” He turned once again to the men who were watching open mouthed. “As for you two, Justin turns eighteen soon. He is no longer subject to his father’s abuse. Until then, he is under my protection. You might let that asshole you work for know that.”

“See here Kinney, it’s a father’s right to chastise his child.”

“See here asshole.” Brian grabbed the speaker by the front of his shirt, lifting him up on his toes. “Touch Justin and you’re going to pay, and pay dearly. Taylor won’t be able to help you.” He dragged the man to the door and tossed him through it. “Next time you come around, your ass is going down to the police station. Ask Taylor if he’d really like all his country club friends know how he’s been brutalizing his son for the past 6 months. Because believe me, if it goes to court, they’ll know in Technicolor what kind of an asshole Craig Taylor is.”

“Do you see what kind of animal my son is.” Joan demanded of the social worker. “How can I have him be with my two darling grandsons.”

“From what I can tell Mrs. Kinney, your son is defending another young man. I have to ask myself what these brutes were doing in Mr. Kinney’s home. I assume they weren’t here with an invitation.” She turned to Brian and handed him her business card. “Perhaps you should come into my office where we can discuss this situation. Please call and make an appointment. Until then, I’m not going to invoke the order for custody. I will want to talk to the boys as well.”

“I’ll call later.” Brian replied. “Now mother dearest, fuck off.” He held the door opened once again, inviting everyone to leave. He watched his mother walk to the car, her arms waving as she discussed heatedly something with both the social worker and her husband. Brian could only shake his head before he slammed the door. Thank gawd Justin and the boys were at the summer house.

For the first five minutes after everyone left, Brian stood with his forehead pressed against the closed door. Only when he recovered his breathing and managed to get his temper under control, did he move away. He could see signs of a search had been made in the living room. He knew that he’d find the same thing in the other rooms. Craig Taylor’s men were professional. It’s too bad for them that they’d underestimated their adversary. 

He knew that there was nothing in the house that would point to the location of Bear’s summer house, or his own for that matter. When he’d moved into Claire’s place, he’d kept all of his personal papers at his apartment. It seemed simpler than moving in completely when he wasn’t sure how long they were going to stay. And truthfully, his own place was a refuge he needed on occasion. The kids were great and so was Justin, but they drained him when combined with the stress of his construction business. There were times when he needed the peace and quiet of his uncluttered loft apartment.

Brian picked up a few of his things. He didn’t need to pack a lot for the next few days. He had clothes at his cabin in the woods, as he liked to think of his place near Bear’s. He found himself slightly nervous. He’d invited Justin to stay with him. Even Bear had never stayed over. In fact, Bear hadn’t seen the latest additions to his home. It was a labor of love, this home he’d been building. For some reason he felt at peace and secure so far away from most humanity. It reminded him a lot of Jenna’s house, the small house he used as a safe haven as he grew up. Built under a canopy of trees like it was. 

And there was Justin, his soon to be eighteen blond bombshell, that had swept into his life filling all the empty spaces. It made no sense why someone Justin’s age would be interested in him, let alone have a mad wild crush on him. Or for that matter ,why he couldn’t spend an hour in the day without thinking of Justin at least once.

Before Brian left the house, he opened his phone and hit the numbers for Luke. “Hey, I’m heading out now. Is there someone watching the place?” 

“Only one car, Brian. My guys followed the others back to their homes. We’ll do an end run and keep him busy while you leave. Say hi to Justin and Bear for me. Oh, and Brian, watch yourself,” he laughed. “You’re falling for someone and falling hard. Make sure you can still get up.” 

Brian hung up the phone to Luke’s laughter. He couldn’t really deny Luke’s words, despite the fact that they were hard to admit to himself. Age after all, was only a number, or at least that was what he was trying to tell himself these days. 

He checked the house once again to make sure it was locked, set the alarm and left. From the commotion up the street, he knew that Luke’s men had the watcher under control. It wouldn’t take him long to leave the city.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brian spent an extra half hour driving to the lake where the summer house was located. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He wasn’t going to take any chances with the safety of his family. 

He turned down the long winding road that led to the property he owned, and immediately relaxed. There was something about the whole area that put him at ease. It had always been that way, even when he was a teen and Bear had brought him out here to camp. It was like another world. The kids and Justin were down by the lake. He could see Justin talking with animation as the two kids soaked up his words. It was apparent that all three of them were happy.

Bear stepped out of his small house, waved at Brian and called the boys. “Dinner is ready.”

Everyone turned and that’s when Justin saw Brian. If ever he had any doubts about Justin’s feelings for him, they were instantly gone when he watched the blond’s face light up with joy. 
“Hey Angel, having fun?” Brian grinned, resisting the urge to run to meet Justin like some cheesy movie. 

“Hi Uncle Brian.” John and Peter called as they ran toward Bear and their dinner. 

“Hey kids.” Brian smiled and waved, reaching Justin he allowed himself to be enveloped in a hug, enjoying the smell of the outdoors on Justin’s hair when it tickled his nose. “Angel, you smell great.” He spoke softly, the words for Justin only. “Don’t worry Angel, I’ve taken care of things back home. We’re all safe for a few days and we’ll deal with the rest of our lives later.”

“That sounds kind of cryptic not to mention ominous.” Justin looked up at Brian. “Bear has dinner ready, we’re having hot dogs.”

“I hope you’re joking.” Brian snorted. “I don’t eat hot dogs.”

“You will tonight, the kids picked out dinner. But if it makes you feel better, they’re some kind of fancy hot dog and he’s made a salad as well.” 

“I’ll eat the salad.” Brian laughed. “We have to upgrade our dinners. Just because we’re at the lake doesn’t mean we’re going to eat crap.”

“Ewwwwe, the visual.” Justin joked. “I can’t wait to see your place.” He changed the subject. All the time he’d been waiting for Brian to arrive, he could barely hold himself back from finding the house his want to be lover was building.

“You’ll have to be patient. Dinner first and then I want to talk to Bear.”

“I think I’d like to talk to my grandmother and Molly.”

“You’ve always had access to the phone. Nothing is stopping you from using it.” They reached Bear’s summer house. Brian held the door open for Justin.

Through dinner, Brian watched Justin; he could tell his young friend had made the decision to talk to his grandmother. It hadn’t just been a whim. He wondered what the old lady was like. Was she anything like her pig of a son?

Peter and John were firmly ensconced in front of the television, watching a movie. Brian and Bear were seated at the kitchen table discussing the day’s events and what the next plan of attack was going to be. 

Justin girded himself and took the telephone to the front porch. It was time to talk to his grandmother and tell her what had happened with his life. He curled up against pillows on the porch swing and quickly punched in his grandmother’s number.

Inside Bear looked at Brian. “He’s talking to his grandmother?” It was more a question than anything else. 

“Today frightened him enough to deal with his father by evoking the wrath of his grandmother. It was one thing for his father to be a threat to himself. And quite another for it to affect John and Peter. Justin feels responsible for those two.” Brian’s eyes were focused on the silhouette of Justin that showed through the darkening window.  He could tell by the way the boy held himself that his talk was filled with emotion.

“From what I remember of Craig’s mother, she is no doubt horrified with what her son has done. She controls the purse strings as far as the company is concerned. It would be about time for her to do something with her son.” Bear’s eyes were pain filled. “I wonder if it’s too late to get my Jenna back.” 

“I guess that’s something we should find out.” Brian placed his hand over Bear’s. “I used to think things like that were impossible, but since I’ve met Justin, I’ve come to realize that nothing is impossible.”

He was about to get up and go to Justin when the man in question walked in. “Brian, I’m tired. Can I go to bed now?” 

Brian could see that Justin was an emotional mess, exhaustion showed, both mental and physical on every inch of him. “I think that can be arranged.” He stood up only to have Justin melt into his embrace. Brian turned to Bear. “I’ll show Justin where we’re sleeping and come back to say goodnight to the kids.”

Bear nodded his agreement and watched as the two men left. 

“It’s really dark outside.” Justin ventured when they stepped off the porch. Brian’s arm was around Justin’s shoulder. “Good thing the stars are out.”

“I don’t need a lot of light to see where we’re going.” Brian had heard the tremor of fear in Justin’s voice when he’d been faced with the almost absolute darkness of a lake side night.

“Is it far?” Justin asked, seeing evil in the shadows. He moved closer to Brian, if that was possible.

“It’s not far, but it is about a quarter of a mile. The trail through the woods is good or we can walk along the shore of the lake if you’d rather.”

“The lake would be nice.” Justin wasn’t sure he could face the woods. He remembered his father and his friends, dressed in camo gear, crawling around on their estate practicing for what ever they were up to. It had always terrorized him as a child.

“The lake it is.” Brian led them away from the thick forest canopy and down to the sandy lakeshore. “The moon and stars reflect off the water. Do you notice how your eyes are already adjusting to the little bit of light and allowing you to see more?” 

“Yeah.” Justin shivered when a cool breeze found them. “I can see a bit better.” He still held onto Brian, afraid to move too far away in case he couldn’t find him. “Do you ever swim in the lake at night?” 

“I used to when I was younger. I didn’t feel the cold the same way I do now.” He huffed a laugh. 

“I bet you’re a great swimmer.” Justin sighed. “My grandmother was really upset that I hadn’t talked to her. Molly told her everything, even stuff I wasn’t sure had really happened. I was out of it a lot. My grandmother said she’s looking after things and on my birthday, my dad was going to get a big surprise.”

“Your grandmother is a rather strong woman. She knows what to do about righting a few wrongs.” 

“You’ve talked to her?” Justin asked.

“Yes, I had to let her know you were safe. I did tell her that you would talk to her eventually and clear up anything she wanted to know. I also wanted to make sure Molly was safe. Your grandmother assured me that she was.”

“You must think I’m a pathetic little kid. I can’t even look after my sister, let along myself.” Justin kicked at a fallen piece of wood.

“I think you’ve done remarkably well considering the circumstance. Molly too, she was very brave getting you out of that place.” Brian stopped walking, his arm still around Justin’s shoulder. “Justin, you did the best you could. You are terrific with the boys and you’ve made what could have been a painful few months for them into something tolerable.”

“I only did what anyone would do.” Justin was embarrassed with the praise. “I like them, they kind of remind me of Molly and myself before our dad turned weird. I don’t want John and Peter to have to deal with the same shit as we had to. I mean their parents dying kind of sucks, and they’ll never get over losing them so young. But you and Bear and even me, can make it so they remember the happy times when they grow up. It’ll help them develop properly.” He shrugged. “Or I hope so.” 

“I think that the three of us will see that John and Peter have a good childhood.” Brian kissed Justin on the nose. “And Bear and I will see that you do as well.” 

“Brian, I’m almost eighteen, hardly a kid.” Justin wanted Brian to be very sure of that fact. “In fact, I’d say I was mentally as old as you are, there isn’t much I can do about the physical part. Though sexually, I’m probably in better shape than you. I am in my peak years after all.” He grinned up at Brian while wiggling suggestively closer.”

“You’re a brat, that’s one thing I know for sure.” Brian wasn’t trying too hard to get away from the bundle of sexual energy in his arms. “I thought you wanted to escape to my place to recoup from your phone call with your grandmother.”

“I do, this was just a reminder for you.” Justin rested his head on Brian’s chest for a moment before taking his hand and turning back toward what had to Brian’s house. The shadowed building showed at the top of a gentle rise from the water’s edge. 

Brian wasn’t sure what to say. He began. “Justin...”

“Don’t talk....” Justin sighed. “Let’s just go to your place. I really am tired of all this crap. Bear told me your place was a refuge for you. I want the same for me.”

“You’ll get it, Angel.” Brian secured Justin’s arm under his and they began to walk again. “The moonlight is amazing over the lake water.” 

“It is nice.” Justin shrugged. “My grandmother is going to see my father tomorrow. She’s going with her lawyers. Molly is staying at Grandmother’s estate. She says she loves the school there. She has a cat and a horse.” He looked at Brian. “Everything turns out so strange. I mean, you start your life thinking one thing and bam, things change.”

“That’s the way life is.” Brian steered him away from the lake. “We have to take these stairs.” 

“Cool, little lights.” 

“They’re solar puck lights. They don’t give off enough light to actually pollute the environment, but when you’re close enough, you can see where you’re going.”

“I like them.” Justin held tight to Brian’s hand as they made their way up the wooden steps to Brian’s house. “Why does Bear call his place a summer house and you call your place a house?” 

“Because Bear only comes here in the summer. It’s something he’s always wanted so I built it for him. I plan on coming to my place year round.”

Justin sighed, he hoped he’d be able to come to Brian’s place with him. “My grandmother said that after my birthday, I can go back to school. I can challenge the exams and get credit for the time I missed.”

“Will you be satisfied with the grades you’ll received?” Brian asked. “Because challenging the exams means you won’t have the advantage of classes and teachers.”

“Brian, that isn’t going to be a problem. Not that I’m overconfident, but I’ve never stopped studying. Daphne gave me copies of all the tests that she’s had. So I know what’s been happening in class. Being able to challenge the exams means I won’t have lost a year. It’s bad enough that I’m still in high school and you.... well you aren’t. If I don’t at least get into university, it would be just too weird when we.... fuck.”

“Definitely too weird.” Brian huffed. “We’re here.” 

“Carry me.” 

“Not on your life, Angel.” Brian laughed. “We are not married not now, not ever. Fags don’t marry.”

“But you can’t dismiss the idea completely.” Justin grinned and batted his eye lashes at Brian.

“Yes I can.” Brian laughed. He opened the door for Justin. “In or out, Angel.”

“In.” Justin jumped over the threshold, landing almost on Brian’s feet.

“Careful.” Brian grabbed Justin with both hands. Justin leaned into him, forcing Brian to wrap his arms around him. “What the heck are you doing, Angel?” Brian’s voice was soft. 

“Something was outside. It scared me.” Justin’s voice wobbled. He was feeling foolish especially after asking to be carried. 

“There’s nothing out there that’s interested in blond boys.” Brian closed the door behind Justin with his foot, reaching over to flick the lock. “But just in case, we’re now locked in. Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”

“Don’t turn any lights on. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

“Angel, Bear and the boys are the only ones who know.” 

But Justin was sure he’d heard whispers close by in the shadows of the trees. He was afraid his father or his father’s friends had found him. 

Brian had heard the same noises, but what Justin didn’t know was that Luke and his men were guarding the area. And that they had plans for Craig Taylor and his gang of merry men. Plans that would provide them all with lots to think about as they walked out of the mountain forests of Pennsylvania, where Luke planned on taking them in his helicopter once they were all rounded up. Luke figured it should take them the better part of a week to find civilization. By then Justin would have turned eighteen and his grandmother’s plan for Craig’s comeuppance would be in full force.

He knew that she also planned on having Bear at Justin’s eighteenth birthday celebration. It was time Bear and his daughter were reunited.

But that was for later, for now Brian wanted to put Justin safely in his bed. It wasn’t the time for them to consummate their new relationship, but it would be soon. For now they would both have to be content with holding one another, learning each other’s fears and joys and taking the time to really get to know what made them smile or their hearts flutter. No longer would fear and angst be part of what they talked about. 

In silence they undressed, washed and prepared for bed. In silence they climbed into the large bed that lay so the first morning light would show the lake in all of its splendor. The predators outside their door were being removed. Bear and the children, part of the life that Brian and Justin would share, were in bed for the night.

Justin moved so that his head rested on Brian’s chest. Brian breathed deeply, taking in the scent of freshly washed boy in his arms. Their eyes closed, breathing together, they settled in for the night. Their first night in Brian’s haven, but not the last night. Justin was almost asleep when he said. “I think that this is our summer house.” His word were slurred with sleep, but Brian could detect the smile in them.

“Oh.”

“It’s a house that makes us feel safe. You can feel the sun on your skin and the warmth of the summer breezes. You can hear song birds and see butterflies. All I have to do is close my eyes to know the house is filled with hope and dreams and love. A summer house.” Justin wiggled closer. “Can you feel it?” he asked.

“I do Angel, I do.” Brian whispered. And for the first time since he’d built the house or been in Bear’s house, did Brian truly know what a summer house was. 

November 1st, 2007