Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

 

 

Cory glanced over at Sean with a grin. "You were not kidding about making me chill, were you? That was mean, not letting me drive."

Sean giggled. "I wanna get there in one piece, bro! Besides, you have to admit you're startin' to stress out again. We ain't really had any quiet time since we left; not in private anyways." Just then Sean made the left turn in preparation for crossing the Cooper River Bridge. "Holy Smoke!!! Look at that sucker!" Sean exclaimed.

Cory looked in front of them. "DUDE! You think they coulda made it any steeper? That's gotta be at least thirty degrees!" Cory's eyes got wide at the view as they reached the top of the first hill. "Man! This is awesome!"

The car was silent as they crossed the bridge; Sean concentrating on not swerving due to crosswinds and Cory in awe at the panoramic view of Charleston Harbor that he was getting. Once across the bridge, Sean headed to a public parking area near the Battery. Once parked, him and Cory got out and walked towards the park. Both boys came to a stop at their first sight of Rainbow Row.

"Whoa!" Cory muttered. "I remember in school they said Charleston was serious about historic places; I wasn't expecting THIS though!"

Sean nodded. "Man, Cor; I know I was kinda bored lookin' at the old houses in Des Moines, but those are something else! It feels like we're standing here with the people who built them! Look at those colors dude; on a new house they'd look sick, but on these they are BAD! Even the pink one!"

Cory couldn't help but giggle as a thought crossed his mind. "You know, there ain't no way the owner of that one's straight!"

Sean giggled as he put an arm over Cory's shoulder. "You got that right, bro!"

Cory put his arm around Sean's waist. The boys wandered over to one of the old Civil War cannons on the park's perimeter, then looked around the area as they leaned against the relic. A sense of peace fell over them both as they took in the view; oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss, couples walking hand-in-hand along the sea wall, and the panoramic view of Charleston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.

As the ocean breeze softly rearranged their hair, the two boys began to relax finally. "Babe, we gotta come over here sometime for sunrise; it's gotta look awesome!" Sean whispered contentedly.

"Any time you want, teddy bear." Cory replied as he pulled Sean in closer. "I'd love to share that with you, it's gotta be almost as special as you are."

Sean purred as he leaned into Cory's embrace. "Can we just stay here forever, Cor?"

Cory leaned around to give Sean a loving kiss. "Don't tempt me, love. If it wasn't for our boys I'd take you up on the offer."

They sat like that for almost an hour, absorbing the peaceful atmosphere and recharging by just holding the most important person in their lives. As the sun began to set, they wordlessly headed over to the seawall and stared out over the Atlantic. They were so absorbed in the whitecaps in the distance that they didn't even notice they had company until they heard a voice.

"Hey guys, y'all better find your folks; curfew is comin' up quick." a young voice said, interrupting their thoughts.

Cory turned to see a well-dressed youth of about thirteen standing off to the side. "Thanks dude, but I don't think we gotta worry; diplomatic immunity has it's good side sometimes. I'm Cory, and this is Sean."

"Hey guys, I'm JR. Diplomatic huh? What your parents do??"

Cory giggled as he fished out his ID. "Mom works for the Federation, but that don't mean nothin' compared to me. This'll blow your mind!"

JR took one look at the ID Cory was showing him and his eyes bugged out. "DUDE! NO WAY! This thing says your a Vulcan Patriarch! You don't look like no Vulcan!"

Cory smiled. "You can't forge that; and even if the police argue with it being real, this one they can't say anything about." Cory then flipped to his other ID.

JR had to flip his long dirty blond hair out of his face to make sure he was seeing right. "Whoa! Are you REALLY a Starfleet officer?"

Cory smiled. "Yep; I'm the second youngest commissioned officer in Starfleet history; Sean's the youngest. Me being Patriarch is a long story; some things happened which affected Ambassador Sarek's family that involved us, and an old Vulcan Statute came into play that created the Clan which I head."

JR smiled back. "Mom and Dad ain't gonna believe this! I wish I could hang here for a while with y'all, but if I ain't in by curfew and get caught I'll be starin' at my bedroom door for a year!" He glanced between Cory and Sean a couple of times, then added "Are y'all brothers or a couple?"

Sean answered softly. "Actually both. Mom adopted Cory when he was a little kid, but now we're not only a couple, but we have kids we've adopted that are at the division headquarters on Sullivan's Island."

JR shook his head in wonder. "Y'all are too much. It's cool that you're a couple; but how'd y'all get kids?" He paused for a second, then continued in a shocked voice. "Wait a cotton-pickin minute! There ain't no Vulcan Headquarters of no sorts anywhere near here!"

"Another long story!" Cory giggled. "Whadda you say I call your parents and get their okay for you to stay out? I'll just extend my immunity to you, and we can drop you off on our way back."

JR giggled. "Yeah, like they're really gonna believe you!"

"What's your full name, dude - I bet they do after they hear the operator!" Cory shot back with a grin.

"James Robert Legette. How ya' going to pull this off?"

Sean stepped over to JR's side. "Just stay quiet and watch dude; this gets good!"

Cory took out his communicator. "Patriarch Short to Clan Headquarters."

"Clan Headquarters, this is Aaron. How's it going Cory?"

"Hey bro; it's going okay. I need you to do something for me. Official business, please contact the residence of James Robert Legette. I need to speak with his parents."

"One second lil' bro. Okay, I have landline or terminal access; which would you prefer?"

"Let's go with the terminal; voice only since we are patching through the communicator."

"Got it; hold on and I'll patch you through. I'll keep you tied in while I make introductions."

 

Judge Donald Legette's residence:

Donald was watching the late news, and glanced at his watch. He looked over at his wife and commented "You know, Margret, I think we better remind JR about the curfew again; he's starting to cut things a little too close."

As she was about to reply, the terminal in Donald's home office began signaling a priority message alert. Donald jumped up and hurried into the room, hitting the 'answer' button before he was even fully seated. "This is Judge Legette; how may I help you?" he replied as he noticed the unfamiliar crest in the originating terminal section of the screen.

As Aaron's image appeared on the screen, he replied. "This is Clan Short of Vulcan Headquarters, Aaron Carter speaking. I have an official call holding from Patriarch Short of Clan Short of Vulcan for the parents of James Robert Legette. Due to Patriarch Short's location, video feed is not possible at this time. May I have your permission to connect the call?"

Donald's first thought was that it was a prank call until he noticed the 'level fifteen encryption' notice in the corner of his screen. Considering the fact that the highest he had ever seen before was 'level eight', he decided that the call was legitimate. "Proceed with the connection Mr. Carter."

The screen switched from the picture of Aaron to a round crest with a green background. The center of the crest and the borders were filled with unfamiliar symbols. A young voice came on the line. "Greetings Judge Legette. I am Patriarch Cory Short of Clan Short of the family of Sarek of the house of Surak of the planet Vulcan. I am in the presence of your offspring James and have a request for you to consider."

Donald thought back to the recent notices he had received regarding the actions of the Clan in other states; he began to worry when he realized that communication from the Patriarch was one thing a parent did NOT want to have. "Greetings Patriarch Short; is there a problem regarding JR?"

"You have no need to be concerned, Judge Legette. James has been quite beneficial in his instructions as to the customs of the Charleston area. With your permission, I would like to request that he be allowed to remain with my party past your local curfew so that he may continue to enlighten us as to the highlights of this extremely interesting city. I would naturally provide suitable transportation to your residence upon completion of this evening's visit for James."

Donald relaxed as he finally realized the purpose of the call. "I would consider it an honor, Patriarch Short. Your reputation precedes you; may myself and my wife have the honor of meeting yourself and your party when you drop off JR?"

"I find that option to be acceptable, Judge Legette. I will ensure Headquarters contacts you as my party departs the location that you refer to as 'The Battery'. Live long and prosper, Judge Legette."

"Live long and prosper, Patriarch Short." Donald replied as he reached out to end the call. He sat there for a full two minutes before he finally got up and headed to the kitchen. "Margret; you remember me talking about Clan Short?"

She turned to look at her husband. "Of course; you went on and on about how great it is that someone's finally taking a stand for abused children. Why?"

Donald smiled. "Because I just finished talking to the Clan Patriarch. It seems our son has decided to become a tour guide; at this moment he is at the Battery with Patriarch Short and his party, from what I understood he's acting as the 'welcome wagon' for our fair city. They are going to call just before they leave to bring JR home."

"Are you sure that this is not a prank and that our son is okay?" she shot back.

"Positive. Pranksters and criminals don't have access to level fifteen encryption for communications; in fact as far as I know the Federation only goes up to level ten. I'm trying to figure out where I've seen the communications officer who called before connecting me to Patriarch Short though; his name was Aaron Carter, and his face looked familiar."

Margret looked at Donald in shock. "You really need to pay more attention to our son's music tastes!" She reached into JR's book bag that was laying by the door and pulled out a CD case. "Is this the same face?"

Donald took one look and chuckled. "That's him; JR's gonna freak when he hears I talked to him!"

Margret smiled. "That he is. If Aaron is involved I'll believe it; he's too famous to be calling a judge as a prank or for anything illegal. Don't just stand there; we've got to get the house ready for a diplomatic visit!"

"Yes dear!" Donald chuckled as she rushed past him and headed for the utility room.

 

The Battery:

JR's jaw dropped as he watched Cory talk to his father. Once the call was complete, he asked in awe "How the heck did you do that? I was sure Dad was gonna freak at me bein' with strangers after hours!"

Cory giggled as he put his communicator away. "Your Dad being a judge helped; he's heard about some of the stuff we've done so he had no problems with you being our 'tour guide' of sorts. Sean's the Clan Historian; pick a spot on the wall here and he'll fill you in on everything, then you'll understand better."

JR listened in awe for the next thirty minutes as Sean covered the forming and accomplishments of the Clan. As Sean finished, JR whispered just loud enough to hear "Dang, I wish you guys woulda been around these parts 'bout six months ago."

Cory looked over and saw the tears forming in JR's eyes reflecting off of the moonlight. "You wanna tell us about it?"

JR nodded, then softly began telling the story. "I useta' have a friend, Jeremy. 'Bout six months ago, his dad caught him and one of our friends messin' 'round. He kicked Jeremy outta the house while our friend was still there. I found out about it the next day. As soon as I told Dad about it, Jeremy's parents were put in jail; but nobody heard anything from Jeremy. Almost two months later, the police found him when they were checking an old warehouse for squatters. He'd got his hands on some prescription junk his mom was on for depression; the cops think he snuck back into the house to get it. He took the whole bottle and OD'd on it. That's kinda why I'm here; we used to come down here all the time to talk. I knew that he was gay, and I was going to ask him to be my boyfriend the next time we came here. That next time never happened, but I still come here to think about what it coulda been like. I've thought about goin' over the wall here to join him; but somethin' stops me."

Before either Cory or Sean could respond, the normal sounds of an oceanside city faded to silence; even the waves hitting the seawall were suddenly quiet. As the three boys turned towards the park in wonder, their attention was grasped by two golden glows appearing in the center of the park.

Cory smiled as he realized what was happening. "C'mon JR; I want you to meet our big brother."

JR followed along in shock as he watched two golden angels appear in front of him. The boys took a seat on a nearby bench as Mikey waved them towards it.

Once they were seated, Mikey spoke. "Hello JR; I'm Saint Mikey of Urbandale, Protector of Gay and Abandoned Youth. Next to me is the Angel Davie; you might say he's my right-hand Angel. I'm glad you listened to your heart and came out here tonight; not only because you got to meet my brothers, but also so that I can help you with the guilt you have been feeling. I had you sit down for a reason; what you are about to have happen is real no matter what your mind tries to tell you."

JR muttered in awe. "A SAINT! You mean to tell me y'all's brother is a SAINT!"

Davie giggled. "Relax JR; Mikey is really cool. We're gonna help you answer a couple of questions you have; but ya' gotta relax so you don't pass out. This is my first time of being visible without Mikey helping; when He told me about what is about to happen, I had to come and help out."

JR looked closer at the young angel in front of him; the twelve year old looked vaguely familiar. "Okay. Hey, just a second; ain't you ...."

Davie smiled as he interrupted. "Yes, I'm the kid that was abducted and they put out a nationwide search for a while back. My little bro lives on Sullivan's Island now; he just became one of the newest members of Clan Short. I kinda figured you might recognize me, since your dad puts any missing kids pictures up where you and your Mom can see them just in case. Someone's anxious to talk to you, JR; are you ready?"

JR smiled. "Somehow I bet I ain't gotta choice, do I? Go ahead."

Davie turned to Mikey. "If you want, I can handle this while you take care of business with Cory and Sean, bro."

Mikey nodded. "Good idea, squirt! C'mon guys, JR's gonna need a little privacy."

Cory and Sean got up and followed Mikey to the spot on the seawall where they had been standing earlier. "Don't worry about JR." Mikey commented as they reached the wall. "Jeremy's love for JR kept him tied to this area; in fact that is the only reason JR did not go through with his attempts to join Jeremy. The two of them are working things out now with Davie's help, so he will be just fine. Jeremy has been watching over JR since the day he died, and will continue to for a long time."

Cory grinned. "And I thought you sent us here to relax!"

"Actually I did; JR was just an extra bonus. You two are both pushing yourselves too hard; you needed to get away. The other reason I wanted you here is to show you something you have to see to believe. Let me know when you are ready."

Sean glanced at Cory, who just nodded. "Go ahead bro."

Mikey grinned. "Okay, what you are about to see is the reason it got so quiet; I had to shift you guys to another plane to show it to you. In normal time, by the time we are done only about a minute will have passed for you; but this is the easiest way for you to see what you've done without knowing it."

As the boys watched, the seemingly empty park was suddenly filled with people. It was obvious that they were from various time periods from their clothes. Just in front of the boys were a group of three men; one in colonial dress, one in a top hat, and one in a business suit. They turned their attention to the boys as Sean muttered an awestruck 'Whoa!'.

The ghostly image in colonial garb turned to Cory. "Patriarch Short; it is an honour to meet you. I am Captain John Babcock; First Charles Towne Artillery. I have been chosen by my compatriots to welcome your Clan to our fair city and to offer you our support in the protection of it's youth."

Cory was in total shock. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain; but ... umm ... nothing personal, but you are ghosts; how can you help?"

The Captain smiled. "You are a smart lad; even when surprised you still think. Our help would be mainly like the way young Jeremy dissuaded young JR from going over the wall so many times; we can 'push' people in the right direction. Unfortunately, once they reach adulthood most people are too cynical to listen to us anymore; but guiding youth to seek out your help is fairly easy."

Cory nodded. "That makes sense. In that case, I'll accept your offer of support. Give my thanks to everyone ahead of time; I have a sneaky suspicion this area is gonna get busy with kids real soon once the word gets out."

The Captain grinned. "Our grapevine is better than yours; by the time you get home the word will be out throughout the spirit realm. Once the hospital is open expect to get busy!"

Cory chuckled. "Thanks, Captain; we can use all the help we can get."

"My pleasure sir; thank you for restoring honour to our fair city. I must take my leave now; God bless you and your family."

"Thank you." Cory replied as the Captain turned and walked with his companions back into the park. "Mikey, I'll have to admit, this time you really surprised me bro!"

Mikey giggled. "Any time bro; whatever I can do to keep you two nuts from overworking yourselves."

As Mikey was about to continue, a figure popped into existence right next to him. Just as Sean and Cory tried to focus in on the boy, he popped back out of view.

"Who, or what, was that?" Sean asked.

Mikey paused as if thinking before replying. "Umm, that was a Plane Shifter; he must have slipped up and went the wrong direction."

Both Cory and Sean looked at Mikey suspiciously; but when he did not give any further details they just shook their heads.

"Whatever, bro." Cory replied. "You got any more surprises?"

Mikey grinned and shook his head. "No, I think you've had enough for a day. Let's go see how Davie is doing on his first assignment."

Sean and Cory followed Mikey back to where Davie was standing. "Hows it going?" Mikey asked.

Davie nodded seriously. "I think it's going pretty good. JR understands now why Jeremy killed himself; it was part of the tragedy that was not made public. Jeremy had broke in that first night to get some of his stuff; he was planning on going to JR's to ask for help. His father caught him and raped him to 'teach him a lesson'; Jeremy was so ashamed of what was done to him that he raided the medicine cabinet when he had recovered enough to move the next morning. The rest you guys already know. Jeremy's spirit has been stuck here since he died; his worry about JR has kept him here. When we go back through the Gates, I'd like to petition Saint Peter for Jeremy to come Home and take his rightful place as JR's Guardian Angel; that is if it is okay with you Mikey."

Mikey nodded with a grin. "Good idea Davie; considering Jeremy's actions since his death I think there will be no problem. Should we warn him about being selective in those he wishes to be Guardian of?"

Davie giggled. "No way, dude! If my little bro starts taking after these two we might need more help!"

Cory interrupted their banter. "Umm, guys; you mind filling us in on what you two are up to? Last I heard Davie had to have your help to be visible, bro. Now he suddenly has the same glow as you; the only difference is that his wings are still white. What's up?"

Mikey grinned. "Davie made the same choice I did; he chose to protect his family no matter how big it got. Now that our families are merging, it only made sense to make him my assistant. Saint Peter agreed with my request, so now Davie is basically just short of a full Saint. He is able to be visible to our families and can guide any kid in need; miracles are still my territory though."

Cory and Sean stepped over at the same time and pulled Davie into a three-way hug. "Congratulations Bro, welcome to the family." Cory said.

Davie smiled as he returned the hug. "Thanks for letting me become a part of it guys."

As the hug broke, JR and Jeremy stood up with their hands clasped and joined them. JR spoke as they came to a stop. "Thanks for bringing Jeremy to me Saint Mikey. I know he's with me now, but will I ever get to see him again?"

Mikey smiled. "When you are in need, either Davie or myself can arrange it. Right now, we need to escort Jeremy to the Pearly Gates so that he can get his wings to keep up with you. After that, if something really good happens or something happens that makes it so you need extra support we'll help him be visible as he is there for you."

JR twisted around and gave Jeremy a tight hug. "I love you, Jere. I promise that I'll never try that again. Go get your wings babe; make me even more proud of you than I am now."

Jeremy leaned in and gave JR a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you too, Jimmy. Remember what I told ya'; you still have a big spot open to love someone who is still alive. I'll always have a special place that nobody will replace, but it will make me sad if you don't find someone to fill that other part of your heart."

JR sniffled. "Okay, I guess. At least now I know I'm not gonna lose you again."

Mikey glanced at Davie, who nodded with a small smile. The two angels walked up on either side of JR and Jeremy and simultaneously wrapped their wings around the boys. The park was suddenly filled with a bright golden glow; so bright that both Cory and Sean had to shield their eyes.

As the glow settled, JR asked in awe. "Whoa! What was that!!"

Mikey smiled as him and Davie stepped back. "We just gave you two a special gift; one that is extremely rare. Now no matter where either of you are, you can speak to each other in your minds. JR, all you have to do is concentrate on Jeremy and he will hear you. When it's more than he can handle, Jeremy knows how to contact me or Davie. My brothers are going to introduce you to a kid named Kyle pretty soon; he'll fill you in on the details of how to use it."

"Kewl!" JR and Jeremy exclaimed in chorus. "Thanks!"

Both boys gave Mikey a hug, then went as a pair to Davie. "Thanks for helping me be with Jimmy." Jeremy said as he hugged Davie.

"No problem, bro." Davie replied. "You earned the right to see him. I'm glad we could do it for you."

As Jeremy stepped back, JR stepped up and also gave Davie a hug. "Thanks Davie. Now I know why Jere left me; it makes me sad to know what happened, but now I know he's safe and still with me even though I can't see him. Maybe now I can help keep someone else from goin' through what he went through."

Davie smiled. "That's a good plan, JR. I think you will get quite a few opportunities to help others; no matter how hard it looks help them in Jeremy's memory and you will get any assistance you need. It's time for us to go; go ahead and give Jeremy one more hug then you guys get back to where you were standing. It might freak people out to see you suddenly move from the seawall to the center of the park! As far as everyone else goes, about a minute has passed in real time while you guys were here."

JR happily complied with the excuse to give Jeremy one more hug. Once they finally separated, Cory, Sean and JR returned to the spot they had been standing in when this all started. Mikey guided them so that they were as close as possible, then him, Davie and Jeremy said goodbye one last time before fading out.

As the sounds of a normal city resumed; JR shook his head. "Dudes, I just had the weirdest daydream!"

Cory giggled at their new friend. "That wasn't a daydream bro; it really happened. You feel better now?"

JR looked at Cory in shock, then suddenly grinned. "Yeah, I do! Guess what; Jere got his wings!!"

Cory and Sean smiled as they reached over and pulled JR into a three-way hug. "That's awesome!" Sean replied. "Now he can watch you properly."

The three boys lazily leaned on the seawall arm-in-arm as they relaxed and JR filled them in on the sights and layout of the Charleston area. They were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't even hear the patrol car come up behind them and come to a stop.

The officer in the car watched the boys for a minute. Since it was obvious that they were absorbed in conversation and not causing trouble, he decided to give them a break. "Hey kids; it's past curfew! You guys need a ride home?"

The three boys jumped at the officer's interruption. They turned to face him; Cory glanced down and read the officer's name badge. "Good evening Corporal Jackson. If you will allow it, I believe retrieval of my identification will explain our presence here at this hour."

Cory's polite and formal response had it's desired effect on Corporal Jackson. "That would be fine, go ahead."

Cory reached into his pocket and retrieved his ID. He opened it to his Clan ID and offered it to the officer.

Corporal Jackson glanced at the card, expecting a junior high ID card. He froze in shock when he read the printing on the ID in front of him. After a few seconds, he recovered and offered the holder back to Cory. "My apologies Patriarch Short; I was not aware that you were in the area. If there is any way the city of Charleston may be of assistance to you please let us know."

Cory smiled as he put his ID away. "No apology necessary, sir. I'm happy to see that you are enforcing your laws to protect youths. There is one thing you can do for me though; the Clan now has a divisional office on the point on Sullivan's Island. Could you possibly get word out that youths in danger can now be referred there for assistance when normal procedures are too slow or not in the youth's best interests? Oh, you might want to warn the rest of the force that if they see a white late model Trans Am driving around with one of us behind the wheel, don't panic. Sean and I both have valid drivers licenses, but we understand if we are pulled over to check them."

Corporal Jackson smiled back. "So that's what those two shuttles are about! That was a pretty impressive rooster tail from the last one to come in; tell the pilot he put on one heck of a show!"

"Thank you Sir." Sean answered through a very deep blush.

Cory giggled as he put an arm over Sean's shoulder. "Corporal Jackson, meet our Clan Historian and resident Kamikaze Pilot Sean Short."

Corporal Jackson chucked as Sean elbowed Cory in the ribs for his comment. He noticed the third boy trying to hide behind Sean and Cory. "You can come out JR; these guys saved your butt. You're making friends with some pretty important people nowadays!"

JR shyly came up front. "Hi Will. Dad gave the okay for me to stay out here with them, really!"

Cory giggled at JR's attempt to cover his tracks. "I guess you know each other, huh? You're supposed to be our tour guide; you wanna introduce us properly?"

JR blushed. "Will already knows y'all's names! We just kinda .. umm ... run into each other once in a while."

Will chuckled as he let JR off the hook and strung him on a new one. "Since I'll probably be working with you guys a lot, you can go ahead and call me Will too. If you consider multiple violations of curfew 'running into each other' I guess you can call JR's statement correct; let's just say I don't have to ask him where he lives, and usually have a cup of coffee waiting for me when I drop him off!"

"BUSSTTEEEEDDDD!!!!!!!" Cory and Sean exclaimed in unison.

Will laughed as JR blushed all the way down to his toes. "Would there be a problem with me making a courtesy call to the new division office?"

Cory stifled his giggles to reply. "No problem, Will. You might wanna wait until tomorrow though; things are a little bit nuts there tonight."

Will smiled. "I'll take you up on that then. I better get going and finish the patrol. It's been an honor meeting you Cory; I'll make sure word gets out."

Cory smiled as he shook Will's hand. "Thanks; from what I've seen so far here, I have a feeling that Charleston is about to make a very positive name for itself."

The boys watched as Will pulled away. Cory looked at his watch and giggled. "You know, we'd better be getting you home JR. I don't think your dad would be too happy if you stayed out all night."

JR smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Were you serious about giving me a ride back?"

"You bet!" Cory replied. "How far away do you live?"

"I'm just over in Wando Woods." JR replied with a giggle. You know where that's at?"

Sean shook his head. "Is it hard to find?"

"Naw; you just hop on 26, get off on Dorchester heading west, then it's just a couple of minutes. I think it's about 20 miles by road."

"How do you get here every time you visit?" Cory asked in surprise.

"Taxi, dude!" JR giggled. "For some reason I never have to worry about a ride home though!"

Cory smiled as he put Sean under one arm and JR under the other. "We'll see if you can manage to get us there without us getting lost!"

 

Sean pulled the Trans Am into the driveway of a well-manicured suburban home. "Looks like show time, Cor!" he giggled as the front door of the house opened while he was shutting the car down.

Cory just grinned as he opened his door and let JR out of the back seat. "Better have your license out or we're gonna have one tee'd off judge on our hands" Cory whispered just loud enough for Sean to hear.

Sean nodded and dug out his wallet before climbing out of the car. They followed JR up to the front door where the Judge was waiting.

As soon as they reached the doorway, JR began the introductions. "Dad, this is Patriarch Cory Short of Clan Short of Vulcan. He is accompanied by the Clan Historian, Sean Short. Guys, this is my dad; Judge Donald Legette. Oh, Dad, Sean does have a driver's license, you might wanna look at it before you say anything."

Donald glanced at his son in shock, then accepted the ID case Sean had extended to him. When he saw the active duty Starfleet ID directly above the license he barely glanced at it before handing the holder back to Sean. "Welcome to our home, Patriarch Short. Will you be honoring us with your presence for a short time?"

Cory nodded his head seriously. "It would be an honor, Judge Legette."

Donald escorted them into the house, and introduced them to his wife Margret. Once introductions were completed, Cory asked "With all due respect, your Honor, would you be opposed to our continuing conversations being on a less formal basis? Myself and Mr. Short are in the process of unwinding after a stressful off-planet excursion."

"By all means, Patr ... Cory. I'm uncomfortable with having to be so formal in my own home myself. You can just call me Donald."

"You can call me Margret." JR's mom replied as she handed out sodas to the boys. "Not to be rude, but ain't you a little young to be a Patriarch?"

Cory and Sean both giggled as JR rolled his eyes and moaned "MOM!"

Cory was still smiling as he replied. "Actually, Vulcans look at performance more than age. Between JR and Donald, I'm pretty sure they could fill you in. Some of the things that brought on my appointment to this position are not what I'd like to discuss in a pleasant conversation."

Margret started to respond before Donald cut her off. "Unfortunately, he's right hon. I'm not sure how much JR knows, but the information I have is not pretty. Don't let their age fool you; I know for a fact that the FBI took them on and lost big time. Not to change the subject Cory, but what brought you guys here?"

Even the adults chuckled as JR quipped "A shuttle with a REALLY BIG rooster tail!"

Donald replied through his chuckles "Not exactly what I meant, rugrat! I'd like to meet that pilot sometime though, from the pictures on the news I'd say he's definitely got some skill."

"Awww Mann!" Sean moaned as he sunk into the chair. "Not AGAIN!"

Donald gave Cory a puzzled look. "What?"

Cory calmed his laughter enough to respond. "You're looking at the pilot right now; he's the one that's trying to hide in your chair cushions. We are actually opening a Division on Sullivan's Island; the rooster tail was a result of coming in fast due to a medical emergency onboard. Fortunately we got here in time and everything's okay."

Donald smiled at Sean's attempts to hide. "Relax Sean; that little bit of showboating could turn into a good thing. You have people's attention now; once word gets out that it was you guys coming in with a medical emergency to your new divisional headquarters you'll find that a lot of people take notice and respond accordingly."

Cory smiled. "You've got a point Donald. I'll have to work something up in the morning. I will say I'm impressed with everyone I've met so far here; Will was extremely courteous."

Donald chuckled. "Ahh, you met JR's nightly taxi driver I see. You do realize you made him miss out on his coffee tonight?"

Cory grinned back. "Yeah, but we gave him an invitation to visit the compound tomorrow. Before I forget, that extends to you and your family as well. Things are still a little crazy with getting set up, but we have a lot of our members there right now to help out. Besides, I think you might like to meet Sean and I's sons."

Donald froze with his coffee halfway to his mouth. Margret just smiled. "At least I know JR is going to have a positive influence if the rest of the boys are like you."

Donald set his coffee down. "I can infer by your comment that you are a couple; may I ask how relationships are handled in your group?"

Cory quickly replied. "Most of the Clan members either are in a stable relationship with someone or are looking for the right someone to be with. There are only two odd pairings; one of our members is boyfriends with a set of twins, and one other is Antonio, he is committed to a boy who appears older than him but is actually younger. Antonio has a genetic trait which makes him age at a quarter of normal; even though there is an appearance of molestation we have determined that they are actually a real couple with real love and have agreed to the pairing. Fooling around on your partner is discouraged strongly; as is forcing yourself on another."

Donald nodded. "In that case, I would have to agree with my wife; your group will be a positive influence on our son. It's not that often that a parent finds out that their son has a positive place to learn how to address their sexuality."

JR was silently watching the conversation; blushing furiously and trying to make himself as small as possible. Donald noticed his son's distress and attempted to calm him. "Relax son; your Mom and I figured out you were gay just before Jeremy disappeared. We were just waiting for you to tell us."

"I thought you'd get mad." JR whimpered as he tried to sink deeper in the chair.

Donald stood up and lifted JR into his arms. "Why would I be mad? You're my little boy who is becoming a man. I could never be mad at my only son for something he has no control over. I've worried about how you would be treated, but now I think you've got friends who will help watch out for you. I'm proud of you son, no matter what the good Lord has determined your path to be."

JR melted into his dad's arms, sobbing his relief as his mom came up behind him and sandwiched him in a hug. Once he was calmed down, they separated and set him back in his chair.

Sean and Cory both had small smiles on their faces. "Thank you for allowing us to see that." Sean said softly. "It's been a long time since we've seen parents react the way they should when they find out their son is gay."

Donald looked over at JR and replied softly. "It's you I owe my thanks to. I don't know what all happened tonight; in fact unless JR wishes to tell me I'm not going to ask. Something good happened though, I can see it in his eyes. What ever you did, I'm eternally grateful; if you ever need ANYTHING at all just give me a call."

Cory glanced over at JR. "Like you said, it is up to JR if he wants to tell you anything. Just know that he helped in his own way tonight, and that it goes both ways; any time you need the assistance of Clan Short you will have it, no questions asked."

Donald nodded. "I can accept that. JR, if you want the three of you can go visit in your room for a little bit."

JR got up and gave his dad a hug. "Thanks Dad. You're really okay with me being gay, ain't you?"

Donald gave JR a big squeeze. "You better believe it, rugrat. I'm sure you've got a couple of questions for Sean and Cory you don't want us to hear; head on into your room while they are still fresh in your head."

A few minutes later, JR had finished showing off his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and said seriously "I wanna believe them so bad, but I'm afraid they just said that stuff 'cuz y'all were here."

Sean sat down next to JR and put an arm over his shoulder. "Relax dude; Cor and I have seen a lot of reactions, including parents trying to hide what they really feel. Trust me; they are for real. If you wanna make sure, just ask Jeremy; he'll know right away."

Cory signaled to Sean that he'd be right back, and slipped out the door as JR started concentrating.

A few seconds later, JR grinned. "Jeremy told me to stop worrying so much, everything's okay."

Out in the kitchen, Cory was talking to JR's parents. "I'm guessing that JR is an Aaron Carter fan from the looks of his bedroom walls. Will is planning on visiting anyways; is there any way you can contact him and all four of you come over tomorrow about lunchtime. I think I can give him a surprise he won't forget."

Donald chuckled. "Not a problem: Will is on speed dial for the nights that JR heads to the Battery. There's a reason he always gets a ride home; after the first few times I made sure Will knew he was there before JR actually got to the Battery. In fact, Will called me tonight to make sure I knew he was with you. JR don't know it, but he's been watched every trip out there the last few months."

Cory smiled. "I won't tell him! Oh, give him some extra attention for a while; he's really insecure about you accepting him. I need to get back up there before I'm missed; is tomorrow at noon okay?"

Donald nodded his head. "You can count on it; I'd really like to meet your family. Thanks for the heads-up; we'll make sure he knows he's still loved."

Cory nodded his head with a grin as he headed back to the bedroom. As soon as he was in the door, he asked "Hey JR; have you got any of Aaron's CDs?"

"DUHH!" JR giggled. "I've got all of them! Why?"

Cory giggled. "Bring a couple with you tomorrow; your Dad and Mom are bringing you over to the compound to visit!"

"KEWL!" JR exclaimed. "Thanks Cory, you're awesome!"

A half hour later, Sean and Cory said their goodbyes and headed back to the compound. Once they were back out on Dorchester Road, Cory pulled out his communicator. "Patriarch Short to Clan Headquarters."

"Headquarters, David speaking. What's up Cory?"

"Hey David, is that airhead brother of mine nearby?"

David chuckled. "Yeah, he's just getting ready to crash. One second."

A few seconds later, Aaron came on the line. "Wazzup bro?"

"Hey Aaron. You think you can be up here before noon tomorrow? That JR guy that I had you connect me for earlier is coming over, and he is a huge fan of yours."

"You are evil bro; let me guess, you didn't tell him about me - did you? Not a problem; about ten okay?"

"That'll work. I gotta go; Sean's driving and I need both hands to hold on. See ya tomorrow bro!"

Aaron laughed. "That's cold bro! See ya tomorrow!"

Cory giggled as Sean flipped him the bird while he put his communicator away. "I owed ya that one for the 'thrill ride' crack earlier bro!"

Sean giggled in reply. "Okay, I'll give you that one. Let's get home; I'm starving."

 

Sean and Cory opened the door and walked into a silent house. "Umm, Sean; Did you pull in the right driveway?" Cory snickered.

Danny and Caleb were sitting at the kitchen table, obviously still working. Danny looked at Caleb and smiled. "Dude, didn't I tell you to lock the door." he said as both began to snicker.

Caleb giggled his reply. "I thought you did it dude; now all the bums are sneaking in!"

"Bite me, Caleb!" Cory chuckled as they walked over to the table. "Is there any food around, we're starved!"

"Hmmm..." Danny said as if giving the question serious thought. "You might be able to scrape some cheese out of one of those." he said as he pointed to the tower of empty boxes in the corner.

Sean looked to where Danny was pointing and gasped. Sitting in the corner was a pile of pizza boxes reaching to the ceiling. "DUDE! What did y'all do, roll a Domino's semi that was driving by?"

"Nah, but I know one Domino's franchise that can have our business anytime now." Danny said with a giggle.

"Yeah!" Caleb added. "Their drivers are pretty tough. Not too many injuries after the gang attacked without mercy." Caleb giggled as Danny almost choked on his coffee.

"Just kidding guys, there are two pizzas in the oven with your names written on the boxes. Deej told me what you guys usually get." Danny said, getting a pouting look from Caleb for giving up the goods so easily.

"You are soo weak bro. You could have gotten an easy hour out of making them search that pile for scraps." Caleb managed to get out before Sean reached over and dummy slapped him in the back of the head.

"Keep it up Caleb!" Cory giggled as him and Sean headed for the stove. "If you ain't careful, the most advanced computer you'll be able to get near is a C-64!"

"A what?" Caleb scrunched up his nose and looked at Danny, who had obviously gotten the joke judging at how hard he was laughing.

"Commodore 64 dude. It's like one of the earliest systems that were made available to the public. You know, back in the day when not every house could even afford to have a computer." Danny giggled out as Caleb appeared to be deep in thought.

"Ok, but you guys will have to learn how to access the Vulcan network with it. cause I will replace all of our terminals with them." Caleb said with a dead serious stare.

"Oh my God!" Cory exclaimed as he opened the oven and looked inside. He managed to get both pizza boxes out of the oven and onto the stove top before both he and Sean collapsed on the floor in laughter. As soon as he recovered enough to read again, Cory read the notes on the boxes out loud. "You touch, you die." "Daddys pissa - I ponce if u eat" "Radioactive - authorized persons only" "~^_| - {~^" "Diplomatic Property Of Clan Short" "Warning - fingers amputated for eating Pop's Pizza!"

Cory showed his box to Danny. "Hey bro; any idea what these scribbles are?"

Danny looked and burst out laughing as he tried to read the scribbles beneath "Radioactive - authorized persons only. That's why Joey was looking for something to write with." he said as he looked closer at the scribbles. "No clue, does the Clan have someone who can translate Juvenile Android markings?"

Cory chuckled as he sat down. "Did we miss anything while we were gone? How's the guys downstairs doing?"

As Cory and Sean dug in, Danny began his report.

Danny sat back and took a sip from his almost empty coffee before replying "Well, Austin is coming along at an incredible rate, I think he will actually gain consciousness sometime tomorrow morning. Marc suffered minor damage due to overload, but his system is doing a great job repairing the damage. He should be up and around by morning too. Your Mom, Doc. Austin, Matt and Jerry's parents have been at Jerry's house all night. I'm thinking Mary is handling this much better since Teri stepped in but we won't know till we see them. I guess the adults are staying there tonight. All equipment is in place and ready for installation once Caleb and I figure out the routing and how to make it all function and take the place of the systems they are replacing. We have major plans and are working well on it together. He's been one heck of a partner on this project." he said with a smile. Caleb pretended to not be paying attention; but his blushing gave him away. "Otherwise, our two groups are gettin along better than I could have ever believed possible. Your kids are the best I have ever encountered. Full of surprises too."

Sean was between pieces and replied, since Cory's mouth was full of about half a slice of pizza. "Sounds good. I'm afraid to ask what the surprises are though."

"Nothing serious bro. I had a great time today though. How was your break tonight? You guys actually look rested." Danny commented with a smile as he watched Cory pretty much devour another slice.

Cory swallowed his mouthful and then replied. "It went really good. Sean and I got in some quality cuddle time, made a new friend, talked to some ghosts, met a cool police officer and judge, and just generally chilled. Oh, we found out Davie got promoted."

Danny and Caleb both stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at Cory. After looking at each other and shrugging their shoulders in confusion Caleb responded. "Um... Danny. You wouldn't have a drug test kit layin round, would ya?"

Danny giggled and looked at Cory who was in the process of cramming another poor slice of pizza towards it's quick demise, before putting down the PADD he was working on. "Quality Cuddle Time, Good! The rest of that... Um... What???" he got out before all four broke out in giggles and Sean spit pizza down the front of himself; gaining another round of laughs.

Once Sean had cleaned up, he clarified Cory's quick reply. "We had a visit from Mikey and Davie while we were there. We had met a kid named JR while we were watching the reflection of the sunset on the ocean. Mikey and Davie brought along a friend of his that died recently; while Davie was working with JR and Jeremy, Mikey introduced us to some local ghosts. It looks like we're gonna get some help from them, they are gonna guide kids to us. Once that was all done, a cop which kinda looks out for JR came up since we were out past curfew. We talked to him for a while; in fact he's coming by tomorrow to meet the rest of the gang. I think he's gonna be a big help for you guys. We took JR home; his Dad is a SC Superior Court judge and is really cool. Goofball here started a conversation that outed JR to his parents; we actually got to see parents responding the way they should all respond. They are coming over too - Judge Legette has offered any assistance which may be needed to the Clan; in return if he asks for help give it to him."

"That's awesome. You know we will be available to him if he ever needs us to be." Danny said with a smile. "I'm not so sure about the ghost thing but, since Mikey and Davie are involved, somehow it doesn't surprise me." Danny added giving Caleb a smile.

"What's this about Davie getting a promotion?" Caleb asked, getting a curious nod from Danny.

Since Sean had returned to stuffing his face, Cory replied while holding the last piece of his pizza in his hand. "Davie is now Mikey's assistant. He can appear without Mikey's help, and is able to do all but the real major stuff. He's got the same glow as Mikey has, about the only difference is his wings are white instead of gold like Mikey's."

"Oh wow." Caleb answered with a smile. "I bet he's excited."

"Yeah." Danny added. "Mikey really could use an assistant. From what I've seen he is a very busy Saint."

"Yeah he is." Caleb continued as he held his PADD to Danny. "Here, how does that look. I figured out how to bridge information across the network to both systems without one terminating the other." He said as Danny took the PADD and looked it over, nodding his head the entire time.

"Told you that wiring wouldn't work." Danny said with a grin earning an 'UP YOURS' glare from Caleb.

"Yeah, but you also said that they would share communication and look where that led us." Caleb replied as both started to giggle.

"Ok, you win. That did kinda add an extra hour worth of work." Danny replied.

"Makes us even then, cause my bright idea to make all systems handle all formats added even more time." Caleb said with a smile.

Cory held up his hand. "Okay you two; it's getting too late to work. Pack it all up for the night and start fresh tomorrow." Cory giggled as he added "That's an order."

Danny looked up from his PADD and powered it down quickly. "Yes sir." He replied with a smile as Caleb did the same and rubbed his eyes.

"Sleep, need sleep" Caleb said as he stood up from his chair.

"Bathroom, need bathroom." Danny chimed in as he rushed to the restroom.

"Hey, I had to go." Caleb whined as Danny closed the door.

"You snooze you loose bro." Danny replied with an evil laugh as Caleb looked back at Sean and Cory before shooting them an evil grin and trying the doorknob.

"Hey now!" Danny yelped as Caleb joined him laughing hysterically.

"You forgot to lock the door, I still win." Caleb said as both started to laugh.

Cory and Sean giggled as they waited in line. "Just like home!" Sean quipped as Danny and Caleb exited and he followed Cory through the door.

Once they were done, Sean and Cory met back up with Danny and Caleb. "Let's see if they left us any space!" Cory commented as he led the way. The boys came to a stop as they reached the end of the hall and looked into the living room.

"No walking space in here!" Sean commented. "Turn around, looks like we gotta get ready for bed in the kitchen."

Back in the kitchen, Danny followed the boys lead figuring they were stripping to their underwear until Sean, Cory and Caleb dropped their shorts and noticed Danny was frozen with a shocked expression. "You all sleep that way? Together?"

"Yeah dude, saves on laundry!" Cory replied with a giggle. "It ain't nothing, we're all boys."

Danny smiled and realized he was right. "Yur right bro, just kinda surprised me a little" Danny said with a laugh. "When in Rome..." he said as he dropped his underwear and tossed them on the chair.

Cory gave a low whistle. "Nice bod, bro! You're cute ALL over!"

Sean reached over and slapped the back of Cory's head playfully. "Hands off, babe. You're taken!"

Caleb snickered as he openly stared at Danny. "That is so unreal. I would never believe you're an android."

The now blushing Danny focused on Caleb more than Sean and Cory, attempting to get the blushing under control as he replied; "Yeah, it's real easy for me to forget sometimes too. Marc did one heck of a job bringing me back." Danny said as he shot Cory a grin. "Taken? Too bad bro. You're not so bad in the bod department yourself." he said as he got the blush he was aiming for and raised his hand to high five Caleb. "One for one dude." he got out with a giggle.

Sean giggled at the display. "Okay, I think that y'all are getting silly from lack of sleep. Let's hit the sack guys!" Sean led the way back down the hall and into the edge of the living room. As he stood looking over the group of boys, Sean noticed a little brown and black furball laying on a pillow between Timmy and Ricky. "Hey Danny; what's that with Timmy?"

Danny giggled as he scanned the whole room before realizing what was curled up on the pillow Timmy and Ricky and Joey had found a way to share. "Um, Ricky and Joey?" he got out as he continued to pretend to look for an open spot before getting a playful jab in the ribs from Sean.

"That little ball of fur, goofball!" Sean replied in mock anger, trying not to giggle.

"Oh that. Yeah I did mention earlier about a couple of surprises. That would be one of them." He said as Caleb found Noah and waved the boys over.

"Huge open spot guys!" Caleb said. "The furball is cool. He really likes cheese pizza." he added before snuggling up to his boyfriend, not giving Sean a chance to respond.

Cory had worked his way over to the young boys, and smiled when the furball looked up at him sleepily. "Awww, it's a baby raccoon! Worry about it tomorrow hun; I'm sure Timmy will explain it. C'mon, the kids saved us our usual spot. You too Danny, they left room for three."

They had all snuggled into place when Cory felt Danny sit up behind him and sigh after a few seconds. "What's wrong bro?" Cory asked with concern as he rolled to see Danny and reached out for his hand.

Danny smiled and gave Cory's hand a squeeze. "Absolutely nothing. Everything just feels so right today. Kinda like our small family just got a whole lot bigger." he said as he rested his head on his pillow. "Just have a lot to be thankful for."

Cory smiled as he laid back down and pulled on Danny's hand until Danny was snuggled against his back. "Your family is huge now bro, and we all love you. Goodnight brother; I'm proud to have you as family."

Danny couldn't help but let a tear escape as he accepted Cory's lead and snuggled up close reaching across to rub Sean's shoulder. "I love you guys too, I couldn't have wished for a better family."