Unspoken

Part of the Reunion Series

by Rebel Yell

Part One

Maggie smiled as she helped herd her grandchildren through the front doors of the Eagle Point Resort. Just after Christmas, the whole town of Aspen was covered in white, not surprisingly, and with the decorations up for the holidays, it was just perfectly picturesque. This resort Ezra owned was somewhat larger than she had expected. Certainly the young man had no need of his paycheck from the government, if he owned such a place as this, even only part of it. She couldn’t help but wonder why he continued on at his job, considering the dangers. But, no matter the reason, she was here to enjoy the vacation, with her entire family. She and her daughters’ and their families had arrived today, and Mike, Linda and their kids would be flying in tomorrow. Chris hadn’t been entirely clear on the plans for the two ‘hosts’ of the event, since as of Dec. 21 when she‘d confirmed everything last, Ezra had still been undercover. She’d tried to call on Christmas, but there was no answer, just the answering machine, with an only somewhat more polite recording than previously. Concerned, she’d finally tried Buck’s cell phone, only to get his voicemail as well. She didn’t dare try the number Ezra had given her for his own cell phone, not knowing where he was. Finally, early yesterday she’d gotten a call from Buck, returning her message. Chris and Ezra were alive and already on their way to Aspen. He’d not said too much, but Maggie assumed that she hadn’t been able to reach anyone because they were busy at a bust. On Christmas of all days. Criminals had no respect, evidently.

“ Do you have reservations?” the desk clerk asked, receiving an affirmative nod.

“ Yes.”

“ Last name?”

“ Larabee.” Maggie replied, without thinking. The girl at the desk frowned, looking at the computer screen.

“ I’m sorry, but we don’t have any reservations under Larabee.”

“ It’s probably under Standish then.” Maggie corrected, realizing that if Ezra owned the hotel, he’d probably have put the reservations under his own name. Without even looking at the computer screen, the girl nodded.

“ One moment please.” She dialed something quickly on the phone, and spoke quietly into it. Maggie couldn’t hear exactly what she said, but it was obvious that she was relaying their arrival to someone. A few moments later, a door behind her opened, and a familiar and yet unknown man strode through the door. Something about him just seemed to remind Maggie of someone.

“ You must be Mrs. Larabee.” The man said, extending his hand to Maggie, who smiled at a familiar southern accent. Yes, that was who he reminded her of, Ezra. It must be one of his partners. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m David Standish, Ezra’s cousin.”

“ Well, it’s very nice to finally meet some of Ezra’s family.”

“ Is this all of your party?” David gestured to the large group, but Maggie shook her head.

“ My oldest son and his family will be arriving from Florida tomorrow.”

“ I see. Welcome to Eagle Point Resort. We have 271 luxury rooms, 51 single and 220 double, as well as twelve suites. You’ll be staying in the East Wing, on the second floor, rooms 201 through 208. Ezra’s arranged transportation for you about town, although you’ll have to speak to him about the exact arrangements I’m afraid. James and Eric will show you to your rooms, if you’ll kindly allow them your luggage?” David gestured to two bellhops, who began expertly placing the large amount of luggage on the two racks.

“ I don’t suppose you’ve seen my son or Ezra?”

“ Chris is in the pool, I believe, it’s just through those doors and past the exercise rooms. My cousin has asked not to be disturbed for the afternoon.”

“ Thank you, Mr. Standish.”

“ If you have any questions or problems, and Ezra isn’t available, you can call the desk and I’ll do my best to assist, although I myself will be leaving town on the 31st. After that our regular manager will be back.”

“ I’m sure we won’t, but thank you for the offer.” Maggie smiled, and waited while the man disappeared back into his office. He seemed nice enough, if very professional and business-like.

“ Would you girls mind finding the rooms? I’m going to go find Chris.”

“ Sure, Mom.” Kelly replied for the group, and then they were off towards the elevator.

Part Two

Maggie walked through the doors Mr. Standish had indicated, and glanced at the impressive amounts of weights and exercise equipment she passed. She was no less impressed by the indoor pool, which was clearly Olympic sized, complete with two water-slides, three diving boards and several lanes for serious swimmers. There was also a shallow ‘kiddie’ pool, as well as four separate hot tubs spread around the exterior of the room. A few people lounged around the edges, and the shallow end of the main pool was occupied by a group of children, but Maggie found her son just rising from one of the lanes. Walking over, she was unsurprised that she didn’t sneak up on Chris.

“ Hey, Mom.” Chris smiled, happy to see that everyone, or at least the main bulk, had arrived on time.

“ Christopher.” Maggie refrained from hugging her tired-looking son, as he was still dripping wet from the pool. “ This is quite impressive.”

“ Yep. I guess Ezra and his cousins went in on it together.”

“ Yes, we met Mr. Standish already.”

“ David, interesting man…don’t call him Dave, by the way. Ezra says he hates it. Hell, the man damn near took my head off when he heard me call Ezra ‘Ez’.”

“ How is Ezra? Mr. Standish informed us that he didn’t want to be disturbed? How did the case go?”

“ Don’t ask.” Chris replied, but answered the questions anyway. “ Ezra’s exhausted, it took a bit longer than expected. Can’t really go into details, but let’s just say that Ezra spent Christmas in the hospital. Buck told me later that you were looking for me. Sorry I missed you.”

“ Yes, well, I was concerned when I couldn’t reach you or Buck.”

“ How was the trip out?”

“ Not too bad. It seemed longer with the children.”

“ Usually does. You guys settled in?”

“ Your sisters are taking care of that. I wanted to come see how you were first. You sounded…stressed when we talked last Sunday.”

“ Ezra was still undercover, so yeah, I was stressed. I’m fine now, Mom. Just tired, and since Travis was nice enough to give the whole team two weeks off, it wasn’t exactly suspicious for both of us to disappear for the time.”

“ How’s that working?” Maggie’s biggest concern was that Chris and Ezra would be outted at work, and the ramifications of that. More than once since she’d learned of their relationship, she’s wished heartily that her son had fallen in love with someone who at least didn’t work for him.

“ Well enough, I guess. I think Travis knows, but doesn’t have proof so he’s ignoring it. He’s taken to giving the whole team time off after a case. I’m not complaining, and neither is anybody else. It may not be a problem much longer.”

“ Why is that?” Maggie asked, trying not to let her surprise and concern sound in her voice. Considering the look Chris sent her, she must have failed.

“ Ezra’s requesting a leave of absence, effective immediately. We’ve discussed him leaving the ATF completely, actually. He’s so damn tired, Mom. I can’t keep ordering him to go under, not when it takes this much out of him, and he doesn’t have time to recharge between cases. Not as his lover, or his boss.”

“ I’ll admit I’d be relieved, to be honest. I don’t like the dangers of his job, Christopher. Because they endanger the happiness you’ve finally regained, for one thing. But also because I worry about Ezra himself too now. He’s a very endearing young man.”

“ Yeah, that he is.” Chris agreed, smiling as he thought of the beautiful man he’d left passed out on their bed upstairs. It was high time he went up and checked on his lover, anyway.

“ And I know my son well enough to know that look. I’ll head upstairs, then, and leave you to go find that young man.”

“ Thanks, Mom.”

“ Will you two be joining us for dinner?”

“ Ezra’s made reservations for eight in the restaurant here for everyone. We’ll be down just before that, I’d say.”

“ I’ll pass that along.” Maggie left the pool area, and back towards the elevators. She was happy to hear that Ezra and Chris would be remaining the entire time they were in Aspen. Both, she would wager, could greatly use the vacation.

Part Three

Chris took the stairs up two flights, wrapped in one of the complimentary robes the resort offered. While the pool room was kept to a beautiful 80 degrees, even in the middle of winter like now, the rest of the hotel was more than ten degrees cooler, and the halls were cool on wet skin. He was unsurprised to slip into their room to find that the thermostat had been turned up again, and it was pleasantly warm. Dropping the robe near the door, he proceeded through the sitting room into the bedroom. The blond halted in the doorway, staring at the king-sized bed, or rather the man spread on top of the king-sized bed.

“ Comfortable, baby?”

“ Actually, quite.” Ezra replied, grinning. He reached his hands over his head, and stretched his entire body, both to loosen sleepy muscles and to earn THAT look from his lover. He relaxed back into the mound of pillows behind him, and gave his best ‘come-hither’ smile.

“ You look it.” Chris replied, drinking in the sight of his beautiful naked lover, before obeying that silent look Ezra was shooting him and crossing the room. He dropped his swim trunks on the floor, and sat on the edge of the bed, well away from the younger man. He didn’t bother to try to suppress his own smile, as he watched Ezra pout slightly at the distance. The longer their relationship went on, the more Chris saw, and appreciated, the times when Ezra would utterly relax and allow his more playful side to reign.

“ You feeling better?” Chris asked, referring to the complete exhaustion that had taken over Ezra for the last few days. The southerner had done little but sleep and eat since he’d gotten out of the hospital.

“ Much. I would have slept better with you here, though.”

“ You seemed pretty dead to the world when I left. Didn’t figure you’d miss me.”

“ I always miss you, beloved.” Ezra replied, and Chris finally obeyed the unspoken plea in emerald eyes, and slid across the bed to lay beside his firecracker. Ezra sighed, and curled himself around the taller man, nuzzling his face into the juncture of shoulder and neck. “I love you, Chris.”

“ I love, adore and occasionally worship, you, Ezra.” Chris slid his arm around the lithe form, brushing lightly down a smooth back before settling in for soft touches along his ass.

“ Hmmm.” Ezra murmured lightly, enjoying the very light strokes across his ass. “ I do enjoy being worshipped.”

“ Cheeky.” Chris chuckled, but added some weight to the movements of his hand, actually petting a beautiful ass, and was rewarded when he felt the beginning twitches of arousal against his thigh. He brought his other hand up to run through soft brown hair, before running his fingertips around the shell of the available ear.

“ Chris.” Ezra’s complaint had no real feeling behind it, and both men knew it. “No fair playing with my ears.”

“ All’s fair in love, baby.” Chris answered, increasing the movements of both his hands.

Part Four

The fingers on Ezra’s ear dipped behind it, to brush repeatedly against the sensitive spot there that Chris loved to exploit, knowing Ezra all but melted when it was properly attended to. Aside from the utter limpness of the body against him, Chris was informed that his plan was working to perfect form when those small twitches quickly became a much more obvious swell against his thigh. He leaned forward, kissing along what he could reach of Ezra’s jaw, before replacing his fingers with his lips and tongue. Ezra shifted his position, making it easier for Chris to capitalize on the sensitive nerves there. Grinning to himself, Chris wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller man, pressing the southerner’s rapidly growing erection into his right thigh. He doubled his efforts on this one spot, reveling in the whimpers wrung from his lover.

“Chris, please.” Ezra murmured near his own ear, but Chris continued exactly what he was doing. He’d been wanting to try this for some months now. “Beloved. O Dio.” Ezra began to thrust against his thigh, but Chris held his hips still. They had the time to play, and the blond had the inclination. Part of him was surprised, and yet part of him had been expecting it, when he felt pre-cum begin to leak from the tip of the younger man’s cock. He sucked hard enough behind that ear to leave a mark, not bothering to care about it showing tomorrow, since his family knew about them, and it was nearly covered anyway between hair and ear.

“ Chris, please.” Ezra wasn’t sure what he was asking for, as he desperately wanted Chris to stop his attentions to the region of his ear, and move onto other more…demanding anatomy, and yet had absolutely no desire for Chris to ever stop kissing that same spot behind his ear. He was embarrassingly close to coming, just from this. It made him feel like a teenager again.

“Want me to stop?” Chris asked, the words brushing across the damp skin and Ezra shuddered.

“ No.” The southerner admitted, and Chris resumed his previous attentions. Chris did his best to hold Ezra’s body still, but the younger man was fit, despite the weight loss from the recent case, and some of his squirming was rewarded with wondrous friction against the taut thigh between his legs.

“ You could come just from me doing this, couldn’t you?” Chris whispered softly, and Ezra groaned an incoherent agreement. “Good.” Chris sucked once more behind that spot, and felt familiar tremors begin in Ezra’s body. One hand took over holding the southerner still, while the other moved up to begin stimulating the matching spot behind the other ear, although the angle was somewhat harder to negotiate. Ezra mumbled rapid Italian, but Chris ignored whatever he was saying, and concentrated on what he was doing.

“ CHRIS!” Ezra shouted, as his body found release under the knowing efforts of his lover. Every muscle in his body went taut, then relaxed at once, leaving him limp against Chris. A large part of him struggled to believe that his orgasm had come from someone licking behind his ear, not matter how skillfully it was done. And Chris was definitely skillful. He felt his lover shift beneath him, a muscular thigh brushing against his still erect cock, and someone might as well have touched a live wire to his skin.

“ Ahhhhhh.” Chris was surprised at the unusual little cry from his firecracker. It wasn’t unusual for Ezra to stay hard, or at least mostly hard, for awhile after his orgasm, or for him to continue right on if they were still involved in their love-making, but the blond couldn’t recall that noise before. Experimentally, he shifted his leg again, to brush against his lover’s cock more forcefully.

Part Five

“ Sweet Jesus.” Ezra cried, the nerves firing at once, sending an acutely painful pleasure shooting up his spine. He’d been sensitive after coming before, but never like this.

Chris grinned, and rolled Ezra onto his back, before straddling the lithe form below him. Leaning in for an open-mouthed kiss that brought their tongues together in an intricate dance they both knew well, Chris slid his hand down toned abs to brush through the wiry hair at the base of Ezra’s erection. Abandoning that, he wrapped his hand around the younger man’s cock solidly, but pulled back when Ezra nearly bucked them both off the bed.

“ CHRIS!” Head thrown back, eyes still glazed, Chris would have sworn from all the physical symptoms that Ezra was coming, except for the most obvious physical sign in men. Releasing the nearly rock-hard arousal, Chris thrust his own erection against the younger man’s earning a somewhat quieter little shout, and another mighty buck.

“ Don’t stop.” Ezra begged, experiencing a high unlike anything he’d done before. This was adrenaline, terror, bliss, pain, exertion and release all wrapped into the most intense feeling he could imagine. He was ecstatic when Chris obeyed, and continued to rock their bodies together. Suddenly, the southerner was seized with the need to experience this feeling with Chris inside him, brushing across his prostate and stretching him beautifully…just the idea was bringing him closer to another orgasm.

“ Inside me, please. Please, now.” Ezra begged, and while Chris wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with his lover, he was more than happy to comply. Ezra still looked like he was coming constantly, his face flushed and his eyes dilated to nearly pure black as he squirmed beneath him, searching bodily for more friction. The older man wasted no time as he prepared his lover swiftly, and slicked his erection before sliding into exquisite tight heat. He thrust lightly twice, before altering his angle to brush across the prostate with his movements. Ezra screamed, literally screamed, which shocked him into stillness for a moment, half expecting someone to appear at their door looking for the murder victim. Then his firecracker was moving for him, as much as possible from his position anyway, and Chris began to thrust once more, leaning in to silence Ezra’s shouts with a prolonged kiss. From inside, the blond could feel Ezra’s muscles contracting spasmodically, reflected in the taut outlines visible from the outside. Ezra’s back bowed in what looked to be a painfully high arch, pushing Chris up as well, as he screamed out another orgasm, more fluid splashing both their lower abdomens. Chris had only to thrust into the gripping muscles a few more times himself before he was spent as well, albeit much more quietly. All-but collapsing onto his young lover, Chris was somewhat relieved to feel the cock beneath him softening. This old man wasn’t quite as young as he used to be, and needed a bit of breather between his rounds these days. At least a few minutes. Maybe ten, Chris grinned contentedly to himself. That sounded like more than enough. Managing to grab one of Ezra’s little wet-naps from the bedside table, he wiped his own belly, before moving to the man below him. Ezra’s breathing hitched harshly when Chris methodically wiped along his length, removing the sticky remains of his climaxes.

“ Ah, damn.” Ezra muttered, as this time it was somewhat more painful than pleasurable, but the contact still made his cock twitch. While that part of his anatomy might be ready for another go, his lungs and heart were demanding a short break. For just a second during his last peak, Ezra would have sworn his heart had stopped entirely. What a way to go, though, he mused. That was a plan, for when Chris and he were both ancient and ready to go. Sex themselves to death. Definitely a plan. He could just see his family’s reaction. Oh, David would have a heart attack himself. All the more reason to do it.

“ How are you feeling, baby?” Chris asked, settling himself beside the younger man.

“ Tired again. You exhaust me, beloved.”

“ I think you’re getting old, Ezra.” Chris joked, having spent the entire time since Ezra’s last birthday teasing him about getting ready to turn thirty. Chris himself had just turned forty-one, but it was still entertaining to tease his firecracker.

“ I AM getting old, beloved. I never pictured myself at thirty like this.” Ezra sighed, remembering all his old dreams. He’d horded them, guarded them carefully lest they be snatched away or merely punctured by cold reality, but he’d still had dreams.

“ I didn’t imagine over-forty being like this either.” Chris mused, but he was smiling. “I certainly never pictured myself with a beautiful lover who wasn’t even thirty yet.”

“ Adam would have been eleven in a few weeks.” Ezra’s comment abruptly tore the smile from Chris’ face.

Part Six

He’d known that of course, just as he’d struggled through the five year anniversary over the summer, with Ezra’s help naturally, as well as the rest of the team. It was hard to reconcile the five year old who’d died, though, with the eleven year old he’d be now. His nephew Justin was only six weeks older than Adam, and Chris couldn’t quite imagine his little boy that size. And yet, more than once he’d wondered what it would have been like, to see his son grow to be a man.

“ I know.” Chris managed, pulling the smaller man closer to his chest. “ The baby was due January 30. He’d be five. Sarah was so sure already it was another boy. She insisted that we didn’t even need to pick a girl’s name, just a boy. Ethan Henry. Her father’s name, Henry.”

“ I like it. Ethan Henry Larabee. A strong name, for a strong boy, no doubt.” Ezra snuggled into the chest, finding comfort there, as well as giving it.

“ Yeah. Her idea. She let me win on Adam, so…”

“ In my family, or at least so I’ve been told, the mother names the daughters, and the father names the sons.”

“ Kinda sexist, there. Sarah would have slapped me for suggesting it.”

“ Yes, well, my family tends to be buried in old traditions.”

“ So, your Dad had a thing for unusual biblical names? Where’d he get Ezra?”

“ My great-grandfather, I’ll have you know, was named Ezra.”

“ Ah. Tradition.” Chris nodded. He was damn glad he hadn’t been named after his own great-grandfather. Abraham would have been a bit much for him to carry. “So, where did you see yourself at thirty?”

“ When I was still at boarding school, mostly I pictured myself in one place. Finding someone wonderful to love me. I guess I got that part.” Ezra smiled again, kissing Chris’ chest affectionately.

“ And later?”

“ After Uncle Jay found me, there was…pressure to work for the family, get married, carry on the name. So, suddenly, my dreams became more specific. Although really, I’d always wanted children. I could do so much better for them, you know?”

“ Yeah, I know.” Chris nodded, although he’d honestly hoped to do AS good with Adam, as his own parents had with him. But it was easy to see why Ezra wanted to do more for his kids than Maude had done for him. “You’d be a great father, baby.”

“ Thank you.”

“ Do you ever worry about it? Carrying on the name, having kids? I know your family is ancient or something like that.”

“ Yes, the Standishes have been in Carolina for over 300 years. But, I have two male cousins who bear the name, and they both have two sons so I don’t concern myself too much with that. Uncle Jay has his heirs. As for having children of my own…it might be nice. But its not worth the sacrifice.” Chris was shocked at that, and pulled away from the younger man. Ezra adored children, and to hear him say that was completely out of character.

“ Kids are more than worth ANY sacrifice.” Adam had been worth anything and everything, even the pain of losing him.

“ You misunderstand, beloved. If I were married, yes I’d want children. But,” Ezra grasped his chin firmly, forcing their eyes to meet to convey the seriousness of what he was saying. “I’m not married. I’m in love with a beautiful, wonderful and amazing man and I am NOT willing to give that up to go chasing after possibilities. Hell, Chris, even if I did get married, who is to say we’d ever have children?”

“ But you might. Are you sure you want to give that up?” Suddenly, it was very important that Chris was sure about this himself. He was older now…he’d never have kids of his own. He’d dealt with that, after Adam died. He had been a father once, but never again. Ezra was so young. Did Chris have the right to hold him back from the joys of fatherhood?

“ Yes, and it’s MY choice, Christopher James. I chose you, and I have never once regretted it, nor do I ever expect to. You know, my father wanted a whole houseful of kids, like he’d grown up in. At least five, according to Uncle Jay. He married my mother three years before I was born, and to my knowledge she didn’t use birth control a day in her life. In ten years of unprotected sex, I was the only pregnancy, and I really don‘t want to consider all the possibilities for half-siblings over my mother‘s ensuing four marriages. Grandmother told me that the doctors later said I was something of a miracle. Mother is essentially sterile. My father accepted that, and he was married to a woman for God’s sake. I love YOU, Chris. I want to live the rest of my life with YOU, not searching for some mystical woman who may or may not even exist, to have kids that may well never come anyway!” Ezra finally broke their eye contact, laying his cheek back against the warm and muscular chest beneath him. “It’s not worth sacrificing THIS, to chase after the possibility of children. I have everything I could ever want with you. And when I die, some of my cousins get a bit richer, instead of handing it to sons. So what? It’s just money, it doesn’t care whose account it sits in.”

Part Seven

“ I still think you’d make a wonderful father.” Chris smiled this time, believing his statement, but knowing that Ezra had made up his mind. And he was certainly not going to complain about keeping the second love of his life. If Ezra did leave, he wasn’t sure how much of his heart or soul would remain.

“ And I thank you for the compliment, beloved.” Ezra sighed, getting comfortable entwined with the taller man once more. “Should I call David to see if your family has arrived?”

“ No need. Mom found me in the pool. Everyone but Mike is here.”

“ Tomorrow, right?” Ezra yawned, truly exhausted once more. This last case had kept him insanely busy, going weeks on the absolute minimum of sleep and food, to see it concluded before Christmas. And he’d be damned if he spent Christmas day as some lowlife criminal, when he could be with his family, his lover.

“ Yeah, he gets in tomorrow.”

“ Mmmm. Everyone else’s ski lessons start tomorrow. Unless you want to join them, we have the day to ourselves.” Ezra’s accent deepened, as he began to lightly doze while still carrying on the conversation.

“ I’m a level five skier, I think I’ll be okay.”

“ You really should take lessons on a new mountain.” Ezra murmured into Chris’ chest, and action which for some reason the blond found mildly ticklish.

“ I’ve been on all of them but the Highlands before. It’s been awhile, but Buck and I came out here three years ago for a vacation, brought JD and Vin. Finally found something that damn Texan can’t do for shit.”

“ Vin can’t ski?”

“ Nope. Even with lessons, he’s just plain horrible. JD says he’s better at snowboarding though. Enough to stay standing, anyway. How about you?”

“ Mmmmm. Me what?” Ezra’s voice was now more of a mumble, as he was edging ever closer to sleep.

“ How well do you ski? Or snowboard?”

“ I’m passable at boarding. I’m not quite a level 9 skier I suppose. Mother was engaged to a Swiss banker when I was eight, and he insisted I learn to ski proficiently. Not that he or Mother spent more than twenty minutes in my company that Christmas break, but it wouldn‘t do for the future step-son of any respectable Swiss-German to not ski.”

“ Nice.” Chris whispered, laying a gentle kiss on the top of a chestnut head. It was amazing to him how much living the younger man had fit into his years, and even more amazing that his firecracker had emerged from those years with any semblance of a soul. Chris believed Maude loved Ezra, but he was beginning to get the impression that the woman was frightened of her son, and had done her best to ‘fix’ him to fit her plans. Thank God Ezra was too stubborn, even for Maude Standish. Ezra sighed, and between one breath and the next, the southerner was asleep.

Part Eight

“Ezra.” Chris lightly nudged the younger man, looking at the clock. It was nearly seven-thirty, they had a half hour before they needed to be downstairs to meet his family for dinner. “ Time to get up, Baby.”

“ Hmmmm. I’m always up around you.” Ezra mumbled, rolling onto his back and displaying the beginnings of an erection.

“ We have reservations downstairs in half an hour.” Chris sat on the edge of the bed, looking into sleepy, half-open green eyes. There were few things Chris enjoyed more than watching his lover come awake. “Unless you want to go down as you are, I suggest you get up and get ready.”

“ Not hungry.” Ezra turned into the pillow, and snuggled into the blankets.

“ You need to eat, baby. You’re too skinny.”

“ Am not.”

“ Then how come I can count the vertebrae in your spine? And all your ribs?” Chris sighed, knowing that Ezra needed to eat, but given the choice between food and sleep the southerner would take sleep every time. “Come on, up’n at ‘em.”

“ Don’t wanna.” Ezra complained, but Chris poked at his side until the younger man turned over finally. “Chris. Come back to bed.”

“ Dinner time, Ezra. Let’s go.”

“ Will they really miss us?”

“ I think so.” Chris nodded, confident that his family would indeed notice they were missing.

“ What’s in it for me?”

“ My everlasting thanks?”

“ Nope, not enough.”

“ Eternal adoration?”

“ Still not enough.” Ezra replied, closing his eyes once more. Chris smiled, and leaned in to drop a kiss on his lover’s lips. He let his right hand wind a path up Ezra’s body, over the sheets.

“ Consider that a down payment on your reward then.”

“ Really?” Ezra was suddenly very awake, and smiling up at him. “Am I to assume that after dinner we will retire back to our suite to entertain ourselves for the balance of the night?”

Part Nine

“ Whatever you want, baby.”

“ I’ll hold you to that, Christopher.” Ezra sat up, and pressed their lips together once more. It was, for them, a chaste kiss, and Chris pulled away a few moments later.

“ We really do need to head downstairs relatively soon.”

“ I’ll get dressed.” Ezra replied, slipping from the bed, and walking across the room towards the closet, disappearing into it. Chris shook his head, slightly disappointed to be covering his beautiful firecracker. They’d arrived at the resort yesterday, and the first thing Ezra had done was remove his clothes and tumble into the king-sized bed. That he’d actually fallen asleep right away was a testament to his exhaustion. The younger man hadn’t been dressed since, and Chris had not complained a bit. The staff here was very discreet, considering this WAS their boss, or one of the bosses anyway, and Ezra tipped well enough to earn any secrecy not already obtained by virtue of his position.

“ Chris, where did you put my ties?”

“ I didn’t pack any.” Chris admitted, without the least bit of shame. This was a vacation, which meant he hadn’t packed a single suit, tie or any other uncomfortable clothing.

“ Christopher James, you told me you packed everything I would need.” Ezra appeared from the closet, looking upset. “If we are going to attend evening repast with your ENTIRE family, I need to be appropriately attired, and now I discover that not only did you not bring a single solitary suit, out of the many in our closet at home, but you did not even deign to bring a tie. I simply can not be seen by your family dressed like, like….”

“ Like the rest of us?” Chris smiled, and shook his head. “ Ezra, my family won’t be offended. And they won’t be dressed up. Besides, you look amazing in anything. And nothing.” Ezra blushed, which only extended Chris’ smile. It was true, Ezra could make simple jeans and t-shirt look like it was the most expensive clothing ever made. And naked…well thoughts like that weren’t going to get them downstairs any quicker.

“ Fine, but I really would rather-”

“ I know, but I’d rather you dressed comfortably. Now hurry up, or we’ll be late.”

“ Yes, yes. I can not believe you let me sleep this late. I really should have showered, considering our afternoon activities, and my hair is completely uncooperative. I look like I just woke up after spending the entire day having mad sex.” Ezra disappeared back into the closet, his complaints making Chris struggle not to laugh. Despite his protestations, the older man had no doubt that had he woken Ezra with more time before they were due downstairs, his firecracker would have initiated other activities to make them late.

“ Well…”

“Don’t even say it, Christopher.” A chestnut head appeared from the closet, smiling despite the tone of voice. A moment later, his entire body came into the bedroom, wearing the most formal clothing Chris had brought, a pair of pin-striped black pants and a gray silk shirt that perfectly matched the stripe of the pants. It was far nicer than everything else in the closet, and the blond wouldn’t have brought the outfit, if Ezra didn’t look so damn edible in it. Although the lost weight affected the fit of the clothing somewhat, you could still see the play of muscles beneath the thin silk, and the pants hugged his ass in all the right places. Yes, all in all, it was one of Chris’ favorite looks.

“ This is hopeless.” Ezra sighed, after attempting to tame his hair unsuccessfully for a few minutes. His hair had grown while he was on this last case, and the curls he abhorred were evident in the lengthened strands. He would need to get it cut, soon. He looked like some boy-band reject as it was. Surely his concierge would know someplace to get a good haircut in Aspen.

“ You look absolutely,” Chris slipped behind him, kissing a smooth neck, “perfectly breathtaking.”

“ You are biased.” Ezra argued, but smiled again anyway. “It’s a good thing I shaved before you came upstairs earlier.”

“ Did you? I would have never noticed.”

“ Chris.” Ezra turned around, and kissed him lightly. “You shouldn’t make fun of my facial hair-”

“ Lack-there-of.”

“ Whatever. I may actually become offended one of these days.”

“ Does it bother you?” Chris asked, turning him back around to face the mirror, before running his finger up Ezra’s neck to wear the jaw met his ear.

“ Not since I was nineteen and resigned myself to having a “baby face” for the rest of my life.” Ezra replied, tilting his head, intending to lean back onto Chris’ shoulder. He stopped, catching sight of a dark bruise behind his ear.

“ Chris, what did you do? I can’t see your family like this.”

“ What? That little thing? No one will even notice.”

“ Chris, your family doesn’t want proof of our bedroom activities.”

“ Maybe not ‘want’, but they ought to expect some. Hell, if I can survive my sisters’ pregnancies, more solid proof of sex than that little mark, I think they’ll be okay with a hickey. Now, we need to go downstairs, baby. It’s eight o’clock.”

Part Ten

When the two lovers entered the restaurant, it was to find the rest of the Larabee family waiting with varying degrees of patience, for their arrival. The kids were of course impatient, while their parents at least appeared to be waiting politely. Chris felt his lover straighten his spine, just as if he was walking into a conference room full of their superiors at work. Then, the older man reasoned, it wasn’t really so different. For most of his family, this was only their second face-to-face meeting with Ezra.

“ Maggie, you look as beautiful as always.” Ezra greeted warmly, kissing her cheek before she hugged him tightly.

“ Not looking too bad yourself.” Maggie released the young man, and repeated the gesture with her son. Both men looked tired, but healthy enough. She pulled back from Chris, and let the rest of the family greet each other. Or rather, they all greeted Chris, and seemed completely awkward around Ezra. The children, reading the mood of the adults with ease, held back as well. Chris noticed the tension quickly, and slipped an arm around Ezra’s thin waist in support and solidarity. Anything that might have been said was precluded by the arrival of a hostess. She immediately led the large party to the private dining area in the rear of the restaurant, which hosted its own private dance floor, as well as a private access to the kitchen for their wait staff. The family settled itself with only minor chaos, and with perfect timing the waitresses appeared to take their beverage orders.

The first fifteen minutes were spent quickly, reading over the menu, and assisting the younger children in doing so, but after all the orders were taken, that left another tense silence over the table. Usually, the family descended into a maelstrom of conversations, but Chris could tell that they were all waiting for he and Ezra to make the proverbial first move. Just as Chris was about to give in and make small talk with his own family, a small voice piped up from across the table.

“ Ezra?”

“ Yes, Miss Alexis?”

“ Are you sick? Mom said earlier you were sleeping, and you look skinny, and Grandma said you‘d been in the hospital. Nick was like that when…when he was sick.” Chris took a deep breath, remembering that long year and a half, not long before Adam and Sarah were killed, that his nephew had fought through leukemia. He’d told Ezra in passing about it, and he desperately hoped the southerner remembered.

Part Eleven

“ No, I’m not sick, Miss Alexis. At least, not in the way you mean. I simply worked a bit too hard, and too long, on our last case. I’ll probably be feeling completely better in just a few days.” Ezra replied, not wanting to go into too much detail concerning this latest case. Not only was it not polite dinner conversation, but it was no type of conversation for children.

“ That’s good. We were worried.” Ezra smiled, seeing the children relax noticeably after being assured of his good health. Well, passable health, according to Nathan. Something else was clearly on the mind of the adults, though, and the undercover agent had some suspicions about what that was. For Chris’ sake, he’d ignore it, however. If possible.

“ Did you get to arrest anyone?” Justin asked, sounding excited at the possibility.

“ I rarely arrest anyone, personally.” Ezra admitted, “ Your uncle however, did get to arrest a few men.”

“ But, I thought you helped catch the gun runners too?” Justin’s older brother, Rob, also looked excited to hear about their latest bust.

“ I do. My job is to make sure that the suspects, the people who are breaking the law, are someplace where Chris and our teammates can arrest them, and I also gather evidence against those suspects.”

“ You mean you’re an undercover agent? Really?” Even sixteen-year old Megan was in awe at that revelation. None of their parents had ever told them exactly what their uncle, let alone his lover, really did for a living. Only that Uncle Chris worked for the ATF, and arrested people who sold illegal guns, or alcohol and stuff.

“ Is that like James Bond? Do you get lots of cool gadgets? And the car?” Justin piped in again, and Ezra laughed lightly.

“ No. No gadgets. I don’t have the sort of budget that Her Majesty has evidently given Mr. Bond.”

“ You DO have a nice car.” Chris smiled, thinking of Ezra’s brand new convertible in the garage at home. Evidently, his previous Jaguar had been getting ‘old’, and so Ezra had purchased a new one a few months ago. His firecracker had steadfastly refused to allow him to go car shopping with him, and similarly refused to reveal how much the vehicle had cost. Chris had only been teasing, but he had tread once more on the invisible line Ezra drew around his personal finances. It was beginning to concern Chris that his lover was so damn private about his money.

“ What kind?” Brian, their resident “gear-head”, was now more than interested in the conversation.

“ A 2004 Jaguar XKR Convertible. Despite Chris insistence that he liked my old car, I purchased a new vehicle just before going on this last case.”

“That’s got a 4.2 liter V8, with 390 horses, right? Fully independent suspension on all four wheels, 2.8 turns from lock to lock, with speed sensitive rack and pinion steering? Did you get the radar controlled cruise control? How about the 0-60? How fast is she?”

“ I have not had the chance to fully put her through her paces, but yes, I have every possible amenity included.”

“ Doesn’t seem very practical for living in the mountains in Colorado.” Rich commented, thinking about the sports car buried in a couple feet of snow.

“ Chris’ truck has a plough, if it snows heavily, and once the road is clear, I really don’t have much trouble.”

“ I bet it handles like a dream. You didn’t bring it with you here, did you?”

“ No.” Chris laughed, seeing his nephews’ excitement. And, to be honest, Mike and Dave both seemed rather excited to see the Jag as well. “ We brought my truck. Ezra’s in no shape to drive any distance, and believe it or not, he won’t let me drive the Jag.”

“ Hmph. That’s merely because you insist on driving it as if you were still in that behemoth of a vehicle you own.”

“ Truck’s useful.” Chris shrugged, not annoyed in the least at the disparagement of his truck. Ezra might complain about its size, and God knew the southerner could barely drive it safely as it was about twice the size of his Jaguar, but the same firecracker had more than once enjoyed the extended cab in ways that were physically impossible in the Jag.

“ What kind of car did you have before?” Brian continued, prompting Nicole to hold up a hand from her spot further down the table.

“ Do we HAVE to talk about cars? If we let him start, he’ll never shut up.”

“ I never said you had to listen.” Brian told his sister, who just shrugged and turned to the cousins sitting near her. The table dissolved into several discussions, and Chris sat back to enjoy it. At least the tension didn’t last too long. Hopefully, it was done for the trip. The blonde had no desire to deal with this kind of thing at every meal for the entire week.

Part Twelve

It was nearing eleven o’clock before the Larabee family finally called an end to the evening. Once the initial tension had been broken, or at least passed over for now, dinner progressed well, and then they had utilized the dance floor, and their own private speaker system, to keep not only the younger generation entertained, but most of the adults as well. Chris had danced mostly with his mother and sisters, as both Dave and Rich hated dancing, while Ezra sat out every one of the faster paced songs. He had been induced to join the whole family, even Rich, in a hilarious rendition of the Chicken Dance, and Chris had whispered in the younger man’s ear that he looked damn sexy even while dancing ridiculously. He hadn’t been lying either, the older man could easily recall just HOW good his lover looked wiggling his ass in those pants. Ezra had never done the Chicken Dance before, and Chris almost wished the rest of their teammates could have witnessed it. Of course, then they would have seen their fearless leader right next to him, looking even more ridiculous, no doubt.

“ May I have a dance?” Ezra had managed to open the door to their suite while Chris was lost in thought, and tugged the older man inside, and wrapped muscular arms around his waist.

“ No music.” Chris commented, but didn’t pull away. They’d danced together only once this evening, not really wanting to make anyone uncomfortable, and it felt good to have his beautiful man back in his arms. A moment later though, Ezra pulled back, smiling.

“ I believe it can be arranged.” He stepped over to a cupboard next to the entertainment center, and opened it to reveal the stereo. He flipped it on, and Chris smiled, recognizing one of Ezra’ favorite songs. He held his arms open, and Ezra pressed their bodies close together and for the first few bars of the song they danced slowly. As the tempo picked up, they increased their own pace, and once more Chris was glad that Ezra preferred to dance together in private. He didn’t really want to share this part of his firecracker with anyone else.

If there ever was a perfect night, this just might be the one

For telling you the way I feel, and just how real we’ve become

If I’m anxious and a little uptight

It’s because I wanna ask you this right

If I never stop loving you, will you never start wanting me to?

Say you won’t and that’s what I’ll do,

For forever with a heart so true

If you’ll start and end every day

Forever never wanting me to go away

All I’m ever gonna always do

Is never stop loving you.

Chris’ smile faded slightly, thinking about why this was one of Ezra’s favorite songs. It said so much about his beautiful, sensitive lover that he felt this represented his own feelings for Chris. The younger man had confided that piece of information back when he’d first officially moved into the ranch, near two years ago now, but it still stung Chris that he’d ever feel he had to ask someone that. Somewhere in the blond’s subconscious, it had been ingrained since childhood that love meant forever. And he’d spent the last two years, and would happily spend the rest of his life, convincing Ezra of the exact same thing.

“ Something wrong?” Ezra asked, as the song came to an end, and he looked up into familiar eyes.

“ Nothing.” Chris replied, smiling lasciviously at the next song that came on. His firecracker had planned this part of the evening at least. The younger man knew EXACTLY what this song always made Chris think of.

“ What was I s’posed to do, standing there looking at you…”

Part Thirteen

Chris sung lightly along, pulling Ezra back to his chest, and bringing their lips together hungrily. In a moment, their tongues were sliding against each other inside Ezra’s mouth, as hands mapped out familiar territory once more. The blond slid one hand down his lover’s back, letting it rest firmly on a tight ass. His other hand slid between their bodies, and began freeing the buttons on the other man’s shirt. It was slightly more difficult with one hand, than two, and so he wasn’t at all surprised when Ezra had his shirt unbuttoned first and was running soft hands across his abs and up his chest. They broke apart for breath, and his firecracker dove in to drop open-mouthed kiss on any and all exposed skin. Despite the distraction, Chris finished unbuttoning the silk shirt, and slid the garment from strong shoulders to pool on the floor. Ezra evidently took that as his cue to do the same, and Chris’ black shirt had quickly been dropped to the floor as well.

“ Oh, shit, Ezra.” Chris groaned, feeling a heavy hand rubbing the erection pressing against his zipper. The smaller man paid no attention, and continued his ministrations to Chris’ body. A few minutes later, Chris was determined to return the sentiments, and threaded his fingers through chestnut hair in order to pull Ezra’s lips up to meet his own. As their tongues dueled once more, they brought their pelvises together, thrusting in time with the kiss.

“ Bedroom?” Ezra managed, as they pulled apart again.

“ Take you right here.” Chris replied, pressing their erections together once more.

“ Ahhhh, Chris.” Ezra gasped, and nodded. The door automatically locked, and it wasn’t like anyone was going to disturb them anyway. Chris occasionally got the urge to be mildly exhibitive with sex, and as long as it stayed mild (in other words they’d not ever actually be caught), Ezra thoroughly enjoyed going along. He was rewarded for his compliance by the feel of a callused hand slipping into recently unbuttoned pants, and expertly finding the whole in his boxers.

Chris smiled as he watched emerald eyes nearly roll back to pure white as he grasped Ezra’s erection and gave several firm tugs. The younger man groaned, a sound that only encouraged Chris further. Guiding them the several feet to the sofa, he pushed his southern firebrand down into the plush cushions, and laying his own body across the strong man beneath him before initiating another deep kiss. He felt Ezra unbuttoning and unzipping his own pants, and then soft hands were inside his boxers, and Chris broke the kiss to groan loudly at the exquisite feeling. A moment later he regained himself, and quickly pushed Ezra’s hand away from his cock, so he could push both his pants and boxers down past his thighs. Sighing, he slid from the form beneath him, to drop the remainder of his clothing to the floor, and then helped Ezra add his clothes to the pile. Finally, Chris laid back on top of his lover, raining kisses across a strong, broad chest.

Ezra wasn’t in a particularly patient mood tonight, and let the ministrations continue for only a few minutes before he interrupted them with a small shove to the lean chest beneath him, smiling at the surprised face that shot up to meet his eyes.

“ Now, beloved.”

“ Ezra-” Chris began to re-think his earlier idea, and thinking they should head for the bedroom. Not only was the sofa far more narrow, but they were short a very vital ingredient for what they both wanted.

“ Here.” Ezra handed a small tube to his lover, retrieving it from where he had stashed it earlier beneath the couch. He’d had a suspicion that Chris would want to christen the sofa at least once while they were here. Wrapping his legs around the blond’s waist, Ezra silently encouraged his lover to hurry. He was obliged, and not quite soon enough for the southerner’s taste, Chris was buried inside his body. They thrust together rapidly, neither one particularly interested in an endurance trial tonight. Ezra found his release an instant before Chris filled him with familiar warm spurts, and the two lovers collapsed together. Maybe after they caught their breath they’d head for the king-sized bed in the other room, or maybe they’d just stay here, pressed as close as possible together. Ezra, despite the promise of a backache in the morning, was voting for the second option. He was really far too tired to want to move, and besides, he was particularly enjoying the feel of his chest next to Chris’.

Part Fourteen

“ Baby, we should head for the bed.”

“ I’m comfortable.” Ezra lied, well, partially anyway. He enjoyed the press of their bodies, but currently Chris was literally on top of him. Despite being lean, Chris was also six foot tall, and was not particularly light.

“ No, you’re not. And neither am I, to be honest.” Chris replied, dropping a chaste kiss on barely open lips. “ You’re bony.”

“ I’m fine, Chris.” Ezra reassured, hearing the concern in the playful words. The blond stood, and Ezra followed his example. They came together for a few more light kisses, before Ezra led the way back to the bedroom. The southerner promptly claimed the very middle of the bed, earning a chuckle from his lover.

“ Taking your half out of the middle?”

“ Maybe. Come here, beloved.” Chris obeyed, sliding into familiar arms with a contented sigh. Settling his head back into the pillows, Chris smiled when he felt his firecracker nuzzling into his chest, clearly intending to forego pillows in favor of Chris himself.

“ I missed this.” Ezra placed a light kiss on the chest beneath him, smiling lightly when he felt a familiar hand thread through his hair repeatedly in a soothing motion.

“ So did I.” Chris admitted.

“ Chris…I don’t think I should invite your family to see us anymore.”

“ Why not? Yeah, it was tense at first, but everyone got over it. Give them time, baby, I know they’ll adore you. Mom already does. And the kids.”

“ The kids are confused.” Ezra sighed, not wanting to ruin whatever illusions his lover was holding to. “ They like me, yes, but they also see that their parents don’t.”

“ That’s not true. Kelly adores you, and I think the other girls aren’t so far behind. And Dave and Tom don’t dislike you. Rich…well, Rich is a bit of an asshole. I’m told every family has one.”

“Some more than one.” Ezra agreed. “ It’s not just Rich, Chris. I thought, last Christmas, that it would be okay, but it’s not. Your mother is wonderful, but she can’t order people to like me. Tolerate me, I suppose she can. I…I don’t want to be tolerated, Chris. Maybe once, I would have considered that a blessing. Now, you’ve spoiled me, beloved. I want them to love me, like they obviously care for each other.”

“ What’re you saying, Ezra?”

“ I’m saying I don’t think I should impose myself on your family any longer. I don’t want to ruin your relationship with them. No, Chris. I always wanted brothers and sisters. You don’t get to sacrifice them for something as foolish as bringing me along to family functions.”

“ That’s all well and good, my little martyr,” Chris smiled at the offended huff that earned, “but Mom wouldn’t allow you to fall on your sword any more than I will. She’d have BOTH our asses if you try that shit. Trust me, they’ll get used to it. Give them a chance. Last year we had some tense moments too, and you seemed to enjoy yourself.”

“ I did.” Ezra sighed again, not sure how to explain, so he went silent. Last year, he had been a novelty, a test of their tolerance. None, except Rich, had been willing to confront their own feelings enough to risk realizing they might not be as tolerant as they liked to think. Now that it was clearly a permanent thing, his presence in the family, they would be forced to deal with it on a deeper level. And the likelihood that more than one of the Larabee family deep-down shared Rich’s feelings was far too high for Ezra’s comfort.

Part Fifteen

To Chris’ pleasure, there had been no serious crisis over the week he and Ezra had spent with his family. New Year’s Eve had passed relatively uneventfully, although Chris did not miss the slightly uncomfortable looks garnered when his New Year kiss with Ezra went slightly longer than the others occurring at midnight. They’d had enough scotch and champagne, between the two of them, that they had momentarily forgotten they were in the middle of a party that the resort set up for all the guests, and were drawing stares. It seemed only a few others beside his family had noticed, though, and since nothing had come of it, he was unconcerned. If Rich seemed to be actively avoiding Ezra like the southerner had the plague, well, at least it kept him from saying anything Chris would have to punch him for.

Amazingly, Brian evidently felt like defying his father, because he had spent more time in Ezra’s presence than any of the others, besides Chris of course. While it pleased him to see his lover actually bonding with some of his family, it was also a sharp reminder that there were less years separating Brian and Ezra, than Chris and Ezra. It was, in fact, the oldest of his nieces and nephews that seemed determined to include Ezra in every activity they undertook. And after the first couple days, Ezra had recovered his usual amount of energy and thus was able to join them. They’d been to several bars and clubs, celebrating Brian’s recent ascent to legal age, and the southerner had clearly enjoyed himself. All in all, it was turning out to be a wonderful vacation. Unfortunately, vacations had to end, and this morning his family would be heading back to their respective homes. He had just finished his first couple cups of coffee with his mother, and stepped into the lobby of the resort to enter the middle of a conversation.

“ I refuse to discuss this in the lobby.” Ezra stated, and gestured to the closed restaurant area. Rich, who was clearly upset to judge by his expression, nodded and stepped through the door which was being held open by an employee, who earned a grateful if tight smile from Ezra. Unsurprisingly, the two men were followed by most of the family.

Part Sixteen

“ You were saying?”

“ I don’t care if you own the whole god-damned state of Colorado, you know?” Rich was barely controlling his voice.

“ I really do not care if you are impressed by my financial state or not, Mr. Davidson. And whatever I may or may not own really has no bearing on this conversation, does it?”

“ I told you before to stay away from my son. He doesn’t need to associate with people like you.”

“ I’ll assume you are referring to my involvement with your brother-in-law. And I give you the same answer I gave previously. Your son is well past the age of consent, and I am not responsible for his decisions.”

“ Age of consent? What the hell did you do to him, that he needs to consent to?”

“ I would remove your hands from my person.” Ezra commented calmly, and the only thing that kept Chris in place was the presence of both Tom and Dave between him and Rich. And the fact that Ezra could easily handle Rich.

“ Dad-”

“ Shut up, Brian. I told you to stay away from him. It’s bad enough, him and Chris at all, they don’t need to expose the rest of us.” Rich shot back at his son, who shrugged at his uncle. Chris nodded, knowing that Brian hadn’t intended any of this. Rich turned his attention back towards Ezra. “You’re right. God knows what the hell I’d catch from touching you. Or what you’ve already given Chris.”

“ Richard.” Maggie spoke up, as she gestured for the older grandkids to take the younger children from the room. Brian stayed, feeling this involved him, but the rest left.

“ No, Maggie. I let you shut me up too many times over the past year. This sort of immorality is like a rotten apple, it spreads to all the rest. Maybe not in the exact form, but it still teaches that immorality is okay.”

“ Like you’ve got room to talk.” Mike broke in, “ You forget we went to high school together, Rich. You want to get into immorality? Do I get to mention Leslie Franklin?”

“ Let’s not dredge up the past, Mike.” Linda broke in, although she clearly agreed with her husband nonetheless.

“ I learned from that.” Rich insisted, “I learned a hard lesson. And I’ve told both Brian and Nicole about it, so they don’t repeat my mistakes. Just like I’ve told them about the ‘relationship’ between Chris and the little faggot. Say what you want, Chris, but you wouldn’t be living as you are now if it wasn’t for your faithful bottom here.”

“ It’s MY life, Rich.” Chris growled, but allowed Tom to keep him in place.

“ Not when you bring HIM into OUR lives. You want to keep the boy toy on the side, I don’t give a fuck, but don’t force him on your family.”

“ Rich, SHUT UP!” Kelly’s voice carried over whatever her brother-in-law said as he continued his diatribe. He stopped short, shocked by the normally quiet one’s outburst.

“ We’re ALL damn tired of this, Rich. And for the record, I don’t want you telling my children any more of this shit either.” Everyone stared at her in surprise. She sighed, and met Ezra’s gaze. “You think I’m completely ignorant of my kids, Ezra?”

“ I had asked Ashley not to repeat it.” He admitted, and Chris’ eyes widened as he realized something had been going on that Ezra did not tell him about.

Part Seventeen

“ She’s six. She repeats everything. And if she doesn’t, her eight-year old sister certainly does.” Kelly shook her head, sadly. “You should have come to me right away.”

“ It’s not important. The young ladies’ and I sorted the situation to our mutual comfort.”

“ You want to let the rest of us in on the conversation?” Tom asked, looking to a somewhat guilty-looking Dave. Chris buried a fist in his brother-in-law’s shirt, knowing that look.

“ What’d you do?”

“ Chris…I love you like a brother, you know that. But if you want to explain to my kids why they shouldn’t spread it about that they have TWO ‘uncles’ in Denver now, go for it.” Dave’s voice rose as he spoke. “ I DID nothing. I ignored the situation. Which was probably wrong, but you know what? I’m struggling with this myself. My boys are eleven and thirteen. I have no idea how to talk to them about it.”

“ What happened?” Tom insisted once more, looking back to Kelly.

“ Somehow, my daughters have gotten into the habit of calling Ezra their ‘Auntie Em’.” Kelly replied, and everyone caught Ezra’s flinch at the term. “Among other less savory opinions they have begun repeating.”

“ Dave?” Chris looked to the man he’d long considered not only a friend, but a brother.

“ I never realized they had heard, let alone repeated it.”

“ You started this?” Kelly looked shocked, as she glared at her husband.

“ No. But I didn’t stop it either, did I, Rich?” Dave sighed again. “I should have made it clear I thought it was wrong, but…damn it, it’s one thing to say ‘gays are okay’ when its in someone else’s life! I can’t even imagine enjoying…I can’t ‘get’ it.”

“ We don’t have to ‘get’ it.” Mike argued, stepping in between Rich and Ezra. “I sure as hell don’t. What I DO ‘get’ is that Chris is my brother. And he loves Ezra so much he’s dopey about it. Same way he got with Sarah. That’s all I need to ‘get’. Sarah was my sister, and Ezra’s my little brother now too.”

“ I’m your sister as much as Chris is your brother.” Cindy spoke up, standing beside her husband. “Rich and I are part of this family too.”

“ You’re right.” Ezra spoke up, immediately receiving everyone’s attention.

“ What do you know about family? You’ll never have one.” Rich spat, and Chris had him pinned to the nearest wall in an instant.

“ That was uncalled for, you son of a bitch.”

Part Eighteen

“ Christopher!” Maggie stepped up next to them, brushing Ezra’s shoulder in comfort as she passed. “Christopher, Richard, we need to discuss this like ADULTS.”

“ Chris.” Ezra’s voice was quiet, but Chris released his hold on his brother-in-law.

“ You’re right, Mr. Davidson, I will never have children. But even faggots have family. And if a clan full of strict cradle-Catholics from the Deep South can live with me…well it shouldn’t be impossible for just about anyone. Of course, they had help. They knew what it was like to live without me in their lives, and didn’t like it. So, they manage to love me despite my proclivities. If all y’all want to lose Chris over this, that’s up to you. I’m asking you each to consider carefully before you throw away something like family.”

“ We lost Chris on August 30, 1998.” Erin spoke up, having been silent thus far. “We got him back after you entered his life Ezra. And being damn selfish, I’m not losing another brother. Not by MY choice at least.”

“ Me either.” Mike agreed, throwing a friendly arm across Ezra’s shoulder. “Hell, I’m gaining a brother by the looks of things.”

“ What about the rest of you?” Chris asked, looking around at his family. Rich still looked at Ezra like he was everything wrong in the world, but Maggie moved to stand on Ezra’s other side, the one not occupied by her elder son.

“ Richard, I love all my children, by blood and otherwise, but right now you are sorely tempting the limits of that love. If you force me to choose…”

“ What about your grandchildren? He’s not going to give you any.”

“ Oh, don’t you dare!” Cindy whirled on her husband, and Chris knew he had won this battle, if not yet the war. “I may not be comfortable with Ezra either, but he WAS right about one thing. Our children are grown, and even if they weren’t I wouldn’t allow you to use them in some sort of attempt to manipulate my family.”

“ I don’t want them exposed to-”

“ Oh, get your head out of your ass, Dad.” Nicole spoke from the doorway. Rich looked fit to explode, while the other adults just appeared shocked. “Brian’s best friend, you know Jake, been around the house for twenty years? He’s as queer as a three dollar bill. Um, no offense guys.” Chris smiled, and shook his head.

“ What?”

“ Yeah. Everyone else has known for a couple years now. If HE hasn’t made Brian gay, I don’t think Ezra is going to.”

“ I…Jake is gay?”

“ Yeah, he is.” Brian appeared behind his sister. “I was going to tell you, but how you reacted to Ezra…Jake’s not as tough-skinned as Ezra. If you can’t accept him, either of them…it’ll be tough, Dad. But I’m not giving up either of my friends.”

“ On that note, our ride to the airport is here. Can this little drama wait until the reunion?” Nicole asked, and suddenly almost everyone was laughing. Rich still looked shell-shocked, but the tension was mostly gone from the room.

Part Nineteen

“I owe you an apology, Ezra. Both of you actually.” Dave extended his hand to the southerner, who took it with a small smile.

“ No, you don’t. You have wonderful children. They are a credit to you and your wife.”

“ My wife more than myself I think some days.”

“ I doubt that.” Ezra replied, and then Dave had moved to talk to Chris, leaving Ezra facing Kelly.

“ You should have told me.”

“ It wasn’t that important. I did not wish to hasten an argument such as this.”

“ Did it hurt?”

“ Pardon?”

“ Did it hurt when Ashley and Jessi called you Auntie Em?” Kelly asked, and caught his chin in the exact way Chris did when forcing him to meet a light green gaze. “Don’t lie.”

“ They did not intend harm.”

“ That’s not an answer. Did it hurt?”

“ Yes.”

“ Then it WAS important. I want to know if my children are hurting someone’s feelings. Especially someone I care about.”

“ You barely know me.” Ezra protested, as he was pulled into a hug.

“ I know my brother smiles again. I’ll see you in the summer.” Kelly was gone, and after a handshake from Tom, Ezra found himself once again facing one of the Larabee sisters. Erin pulled him into a long hug, and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“ Take care of my brother. God knows he can’t take care of himself for shit.”

“ I will. Oh, I wanted you to have this.” He handed her a small pamphlet, and she raised her eyebrows.

“ Judith S. Standish Pediatric Cancer Fund? Are you asking for donations?”

“ Judith was my cousin…I don’t remember her, she died of leukemia when she was fourteen. My family set up the Fund afterwards. In case you know anyone like Nick, the Fund helps families pay for the best care for their child, as well as supporting research at places like St. Jude‘s. We had money. Not everyone does. It didn‘t save Judith, but maybe our money, and other people‘s of course, can do some good yet.”

“ Thank you. I’ll keep it, in case.” Erin smiled, and tucked the pamphlet into her purse, before moving on to say goodbye to her brother.

“ ‘Bye, Ezra. See you in the summer.” Linda and Mike both got in quick hugs, and headed for the lobby as well, leaving Cindy and Maggie to say their goodbyes. It somehow did not surprise Ezra at all that Richard had not bothered.

“ You adore my baby brother, don’t you?” Cindy asked, and Ezra realized Chris wasn’t the only one in his family that could unnerve someone with a look.

“ With all my heart.” Ezra answered in complete honesty. “ I thought I was fine before him, but now…I can’t contemplate living without him.”

“ I’m still not sure I like you.”

“ I’m not asking for like…not yet. I can live with being tolerated.”

“ I think I can manage that. As for my husband…if he can’t behave he’ll be left at home with the puppies. Just…don’t hurt him.”

“ Nothing this side of the grave could induce me to do so.”

“ Goodbye.”

“ Goodbye.” Ezra watched her go, oddly content with her tolerance. He had thought tolerance would be a bad thing, but at least it wasn’t blatant hatred. He turned back to face Maggie, who was smiling grimly.

“ That went about as well as can be expected. Rich is stubborn. I can just about guarantee he won’t see the light about you, Ezra.”

“ Maybe he’s the only one who has. I DID corrupt your son, Mrs. Larabee.”

“ Yes, and you also have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell me. As adorable as you are, dear, I highly doubt you could have changed Chris from heterosexual to…flexible or whatever the term is now.”

“ Bisexual, Mom.” Chris supplied, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “ And I’m not so sure. His ass IS very tempting.”

“ Chris.” Ezra blushed, as Maggie laughed.

“ Yes, it is.” She agreed, only laughing harder when the southerner’s blush deepened mightily.

“ Take care of each other. I’ll call when I’m home.”

“ Thanks, Mom, and we will.” Chris hugged her, and Maggie wrapped her arms around Ezra quickly before hurrying towards the lobby. Those planes didn’t wait.

Part Twenty

“ Want to head back upstairs? It‘s already been a long morning.” Chris asked, wrapping his own arms around his lover.

“ I thought we were going skiing today. And we have reservations at Donatelli’s for seven-thirty.”

“ We can ski tomorrow. And the next day. We’re not due back in Denver until Friday.”

“ And what do you recommend we do for the balance of our day?”

“ I can think of a few things.” Chris replied, dropping kisses along a smooth neck, and then along a freshly-shaven jaw. Finally, he reached Ezra’s lips, and kissed him soundly, leaving no doubt what his proposal might be.

“ Chris. We can’t spend ALL day in bed when we’re on vacation. We can do that in Denver.”

“ Except that here, we both fit in the bathtub. And, we have room service. And, if we go back to Denver, we WON’T spend all day in bed, because we’ll have a house full of teammates.” The blond never stopped raining kisses on Ezra’s face and neck, even dipping once or twice behind the southerner’s ears for good measure.

“ All good points.” Ezra agreed. “But…Chris, that’s not fair. Would you desist…mmm. That feels good.”

“ Upstairs?”

“ You can’t get your way by kissing my neck every time.”

“ Really? How about if I kiss other places?” Chris teased, letting his hands wander down, one grasping a firm ass and pulling their bodies together, the other cradling the bulge in the front of Ezra’s pants while he returned to Ezra’s mouth and plundered it mercilessly. When he had to break the union for breath, Ezra’s lips chased his and initiated another kiss that left them gasping for air.

“ I insist on keeping our reservation at Donatelli’s.”

“ Fine. Upstairs.” Chris grabbed his hand, and led his firecracker towards the elevator, and had soon pushed him inside. He was surprised when Ezra pressed their chests together, and continued kissing him. Ezra was usually a bit more discreet than that. Of course, he did own the place, and it WAS late enough that nearly all the guests were already out skiing.

“ I always wanted to do that.” Ezra breathed, as the elevator doors opened to their floor.

“ Kiss me?”

“ I do always want to kiss you, but particularly in an elevator. There’s just something about foreplay in the elevator, that I always wanted to try it.”

“ You never mentioned it before.”

“ Oh, I want to keep a couple surprises for the later years of our love, Christopher.” Ezra pulled him into their suite, and firmly shut the door behind them. He was already stripping his clothes as he walked towards the bathroom. “I believe you mentioned a joint bath?”

“ I did.” Chris agreed, removing his own clothes as he followed his southerner deeper into the suite. It would be a most rewarding and exhaustive, if not overly restful day.

The End
Continues in Life Out There