Re-United - 7. Chapter 7

The day started and ended with the same theme from different sources. In between, we had work to do. After breakfast, Scott, Billy, Josh, and I spent three hours in a helicopter with the real estate agent, flying over large tracts of undeveloped land, searching for the perfect spot for our project. David was right; the second listing was ideal. Due to their locations, it happened to be the last one we looked at, and on the first flyover, we all agreed.

On the way back to the farm, the agent called the owners, and as soon lunch was over, Tommy had us in the Denali on our way to meet with them. They happily took us around on a combination of ATVs, and after a two-hour tour, we signed a purchase agreement, giving us just under twelve hundred acres as a home for our plans. With that in hand, James used his contacts, and we had our building permits before the end of the day.

When we walked into the house, Brian asked if he could talk to me in the office. I had shared what Jenny told me with Scott and Billy in the shower, so they both gave me a look as we headed in to talk. I sat in one of the overstuffed chairs and pointed at the other for Brian while Scott and Billy took the sofa.

Brian didn’t hesitate. “How did you feel about Scott the first time you met him?”

I sat back and considered my options before I spoke. I decided to let him lead. “Why do you ask?”

He looked around as if making sure we were alone. “Promise you won’t laugh?” I smiled and nodded. “I can’t get Jenny out of my head.”

Billy tried a joke. “Well, she is hot. I’ve thought about her—”

Brian jumped up and snarled, “Don’t you dare talk about her like that.”

Billy immediately backed down, “I’m sorry, Brian. I was just joking, dude.”

Brian sat down, dejected. “See what I mean?” He sheepishly looked at Billy. “I’m sorry, too. Not like I’d stand a chance against you anyway.”

I was so proud of Billy when he leaned over and took Brian’s hand. “First, I shouldn’t have said what I did, and I’m really sorry that I hurt you. Second, I would never hurt you, no matter what you did to me. Are we good?” Brian nodded and mumbled something that sounded like ‘yeah.’ “OK, now, explain what you mean.”

Brian took a few breaths and said, “I spent most of the day just talking with her while she took care of Charlie. Jake’s mad at me 'cause I wouldn’t play pool with the other guys, and Chris said I was being an ass when I got mad at them for swimming naked with her around.”

I knew there was more, so I waited. I was right.

“She told me about her other lives and the husband she had, er, has? I don’t totally understand how it works with you guys, but she said they’re just friends. Anyway, I don’t care about her past; I care about her future.” He glanced at Billy, “And I’m not just thinking about her that way. I mean, yeah, it’s crossed my mind, but she’s hot. But that’s not it. I just feel… I don’t know, am I crazy, Greg?”

“I can’t answer that, bro. What exactly are you asking me for?”

He lifted his eyes to mine and understood the varied meanings of my question. “I don’t know, Greg. Not that, not now, at least.” He sighed. “I mean, I know you guys are soulmates or something, and I wanted to know if maybe that’s why I’m so fucked up.”

“And if it is? What then?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Well, I mean, no matter what, I’d like to get to know her before I did something like that, but if we are, then yeah, I’d want you to…” He shrugged. “You know… make me like you.”

“Do you think that’s why Greg changed, Brian?” Scott asked.

“No. I know he fell and all, but…” He looked me in the eye and said, “You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t have done it if he asked you.”

Before I could reply, Scott did. “But I never would have asked him, Brian. Never. The day he woke up changed, I told him I would have been happy to share one lifetime with him, then pass on when he did, and I meant it. Did Jenny suggest you should change?”

“Oh, no, she didn’t talk about anything like that. I don’t even know if she’s interested in me. It’s just…” Brian jumped up and started pacing. We waited. “The minute you found out he’s a vampire, you would have asked him to change you, Greg. Admit it.”

I thought about it for a minute. The truth is, I’d considered this question several times in the past week, and I knew the answer, but I didn’t want him to doubt my reply. “I can’t answer that, Brian, because that’s not how it happened for me. I can say I would have waited, say I would have gotten more information, but I can’t be sure. I can say I would have jumped right in, but I still can’t be sure. But what I would have done doesn’t matter. What do you want to do? That’s the issue.”

Flopping back into his chair, he groaned, “I have no fucking idea.”

Taking a risk, I said, “OK. You need to know a few things so you can know what you’re considering.” Brian sat up and focused on me. “Earlier this morning, Jenny came to check on Charlie and walked in on us in bed.” He nodded, so I emphasized, “In bed, Brian.”

“Oh, um, ok?”

“This house, our house, is clothing optional during times we don’t expect visitors, Brian,” Scott said. “I grew up that way, and Greg agrees. We talked to Jenny about this, and she’s fine with that.”

“What Scott’s trying to say is she has no problem with us, and she’s likely to see us like that often. Are you going to be ok with that?”

“Well, you’re gay, so it’s different,” he said, trying to deflect.

“I’m not,” Billy flatly stated.

“And neither are Josh nor Chris. You were out of line giving them grief for doing exactly what we told them they could do, something you did just a few nights ago,” I said.

“Yeah, but what if they, um, you know… pop wood?”

“Like you did at Greg’s house?” Scott asked.

Brian took a second, then remembered. “Um…” He let out a big sigh. “I guess I have to learn to accept it?”

I shook my head. “No. If she’s interested, and it’s going to bother you, we can find another nanny so she’s not in this house—”

“NO! Er, sorry, no, Greg. No matter how I feel, that’s for her to decide if she’s comfortable around it or not. I can’t ask her to give up her job.”

Billy surprised me with his next question. “If she was a human, would you be in here right now? Asking all of this?”

Brian seemed stunned as he sat back and thought about it. “Ah… no, I guess not.”

“What would you do?”

Brian smiled and nodded. “I would tell her how I feel, and if she felt the same, I’d take some time and get to know her better.” I could see the lights coming on in his head. “I’d want to finish college before we talked about doing more than dating.”

“So do that,” Scott said. "After college, you’ll be twenty-two? She’ll seem twenty-five. That’s not too old for a young man, is it?”

Brian laughed at the irony. “Three years is a lot better than the reality, huh?”

I nodded and smiled at him. “You know our friends, so you know you’re going to hear a lot of ‘cougar’ jokes, right? Can you handle that? Or do I need to tell them to knock it off?”

“They’d ignore you and do it anyway. I sure would,” Brian said with a smirk. “They’ll lay off when they see it’s genuine.”

I touched his hand and softly said, “I notice you said when, not if.”

He looked at me, surprised. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He searched my face, then asked, “You’ll do it? When it comes to that?”

“When you’re ready, yes, I will. For now, maybe you should find out how she feels and get to know her better? There’s no rush.” I smirked and added, “Just don’t die when I’m not around, or all bets are off.”

“Asshole,” he muttered as he stood and reached to hug me.

Embracing him, I kissed his cheek. “I love you, Brian. You’re one of my brothers. I need you to be sure on this, ok?”

He nodded and whispered, “I’m sure that I love you too, bro. Beyond that, I guess I’ll find out.”

There was a knock, and Scott and I exchanged an eye-roll while Billy smirked and said, “Come in, Jenny.”

Brian was ready to panic but held it in as Jenny came in with Charlie in her arms. “I thought he’d enjoy a fresh meal, if you don’t mind, Greg?”

I smiled and took my son. Brian surprised me by asking, “If you have some time, how about going for a swim, Jenny?”

“Um, sure, I’ll go change.”

My jaw hit the floor when he said, “We usually just swim naked unless that would bother you?” He paused, then said, “I might, um…”

“I don’t laugh about erections, Brian, it’s fine.” I knew what she was going to say when I saw the smirk. “Except Billy’s. When he gets one, I’ve got to watch that he doesn’t pass out.”

I was thrilled when Brian was able to joke, “Yeah, I saw it the other night in the pool and almost called to report a stray sea monster.”

We were still laughing as they headed for the pool. I focused and heard a wolf whistle, then Brian, saying, “Knock it off. That’s not how you treat a lady.”

There was no more drama from the pool, and I smiled as I sliced my thumb and fed my son. Scott and Billy decided to join the others in the pool, and once they were gone, I sat staring into the red eyes of my cute little angel. For the first time, I felt the gentle tug of his mind as he searched mine. On impulse, I tried to gently push my mind into his, searching for any primitive thought process. What I found rocked me to my core.

I was suddenly looking at myself through his eyes. As he, er we, examined the face before us, my beast decided to join the party. He’s looking at us. Yes, he is. Oddly, I felt Charlie’s mood shift as he realized there was a second voice. He sees us! BOTH of us! It would seem so, yes. I saw and felt the tears rolling down my face. We’re crying again. Why? Because we’re happy. At least I am, aren’t you? His reply was barely a whisper. I am. At that moment, Charlie smiled for the first time. A tear dripped onto his face as I smiled back.

I carefully stood and carried my smiling son to the pool, where Jenny was roughhousing with all of my friends. I watched Brian as Chris grabbed her and tried to dunk her. I knew everything would be fine when she casually picked him up and tossed him ten feet, and Brian’s only reaction was a long, loud laugh, followed by a comment about Chris being bested by a girl. His laughter quickly stopped as she turned on him, closing the distance and wrapping her arms around his body. His blush told me what was happening to his body under the water. We were both shocked when she gave him a quick kiss before tossing him the same way she had tossed Chris. As his body cleared the water, my suspicions were confirmed. Poor guy had popped wood.

Just then, Jenny noticed me standing back from the edge of the pool and took a few strokes to reach the side, then jumped onto the deck. There was a whistle, and I was shocked to see that it was Brian doing the whistling. I was even more shocked when Jenny wiggled her butt and flipped him off.

“Why aren’t you joining us, Greg?” she asked as she reached for Charlie.

“I don’t want to risk dropping him in the pool,” I said lamely. Her laugh told me I was wrong, so I tried, “And that water’s too cold for him, right?”

Jenny shook her head and laughed. “Stop thinking he’s human,” she scolded. “First off, he might be a day or two too young, but it’s likely that he’ll instinctively flip himself in the water. If he doesn’t, there are four vampires and four humans who would die to save him. There’s zero chance of that boy drowning. And as to the cold, have you felt hot or cold since you were changed?” She smirked at me and held Charlie over the water. “Now, strip, or we test my theory.”

Everyone in the pool moved in our direction. Billy and Scott were under Charlie in less than a second. Looking down at them, Jenny grinned. “Point proven?”

I nodded and dropped my pants to my ankles. I stopped, smirked, and looked pointedly at her groin. “I can’t see them, but you have some amazingly huge balls.”

Without a pause, she looked down and said, “Yours aren’t so bad either, but I’ve seen better.”

I stepped out of my pants and lunged forward, snatching Charlie from her, quickly covering his face, and falling into the pool. When we surfaced, his smile told me all I needed to know. We all spent the next hour taking turns with Charlie as the ball in an odd game of keep-away. Our game was brought to a sudden screeching halt when Mary came out, stuck two fingers in her mouth, and let out a whistle that could be heard in Pittsburgh.

“Alright, ye lot, out o' the pool, get dressed, and get to the table. Dinner's ready.”

When Jenny started to head inside naked, Billy moved to stop her. I held up my hand, smirked, and shook my head. He was still giggling as I put Charlie in a carrier behind my chair and we sat down to eat. Unfortunately, Jenny’s not stupid. She noticed that she was the only one naked and quickly ran to put on her clothes.

Mary came in carrying a platter, glanced around, and laughed. “Thought ye lads would play a bit of a prank on her, did ye?” She gave Brian an evil glare and added, “Is that how ye plan on treatin’ yer mate?”

Everyone turned to stare at Brian as he did his best attempt at shrinking to the size of an acorn. “Grandma!” Billy scolded. “That’s their business, not yours.”

Mary waved her hand, shooing her grandson, and said, “Well, I ain’t blind, even if all o’ ye are. Look at how the lad looks at her.”

Billy took a breath to scold her again when Brian spoke up. “She’s right. I’m… um… I think I’m in love.”

Mary glared at Billy and gave a sharp nod as if to say, ‘See? I told you!’

Jenny said, “But the two of us need time and space to explore things. You’ll do that, right guys? For your brother?”

Everyone nodded, but of course, Jake is Jake. “We might pop off with the occasional cougar joke. I mean, you are a few years older than him, aren’t you?”

Jenny smirked. “Only if you consider two hundred and forty-five ‘a few.’”

Brian reached over and pulled her close so he could kiss her cheek. “That’s my cougar.”

With that, my friends and I told them we’d give them any support they needed, and everyone fell into a discussion of our project and the next steps. Josh asked about getting some heavy equipment to start clearing the land, and Scott and I told him of our conversations with his dad when David had said it would be more efficient to hire a contractor who had the equipment already. Not happy with that, Josh called David, and we were shocked when David said we should purchase the same combination he planned on buying: a dump truck, an excavator, and a mid-sized skid steer loader. When I heard that, I simply nodded at Josh, knowing I had just given him the okay to buy a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of toys; his grin confirmed my belief.

When I asked who would operate them, Josh pointed at his brother and himself. “We will, of course.”

Jake quickly said, “I have camp in two weeks, remember?”

Josh looked perplexed as he said, “Sorry, I forgot. I guess I can work alone.”

I was about to tell him about the husband of our incoming marshal when Brian asked, “Is there room for mistakes while I learn?”

Josh nodded and smiled. “Sure, bro. We’ll be weeks before there’s any fine work. And if you’re not up to it by then, I can handle it while you do other things.”

I thought for a second, then asked, “David? It sounds like you haven’t bought yours yet. Can you get by without it until Labor Day?”

“Sure, Greg, and I like where you’re going with that; I agree. But hey, I need to run; call me later if you need to?”

After telling his dad they would be home tomorrow, Josh disconnected the call and looked at me, waiting.

I shrugged. “Seriously? You don’t see it?”

Jake punched his brother’s shoulder. “Duh, he’s going to buy two sets, then take the one down home when we’re done here.”

I turned to Scott, saying, “I always said Jake’s the smart one.”

“You’ve never said I’m smart!” Jake shouted before he realized I’d trapped him. He glared at me. “One day, Fowler; one day, you’re mine.”

Brian quipped, “I thought you only wanted his nights?”

“After seeing Billy, I’d think Jake would be chasing him,” Jenny tossed into the fray.

Jake and Billy both glared at her as she did her best innocent child impression.

“Not like I could catch him if I tried; I’ve seen Greg and Scott run,” Jake complained.

Jenny turned to me, shocked. “They’ve seen your beast?”

I pursed my lips and raised an eyebrow. “Well, not entirely. They’ve seen our vampire form, but only Chris has seen my beast.” Of course, this caused some shouts. I raised my voice and said, “But he had to be enthralled so he wouldn’t run away.”

Brian turned to Jenny and asked, “Could I see your vampire?”

She quickly turned to me, looking as trapped as she was. “Um, Greg?”

“That’s entirely your choice, Jenny. I’m not Jake,” I deadpanned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jake shouted.

“It means he’s not stupid, doofus, now shut up,” Chris said.

I noticed something, and I thought I knew what her fear was, aside from the obvious one of him being turned off by her form. “Would it help if we all shifted and showed them together?”

She gave a slight nod, so I stood, picked up Charlie, and headed for the pool deck. Once there, I handed Charlie to Jake and stripped off my clothes. The other vampires followed my example, and the humans, not knowing why we were doing it, also stripped. Jake had handed Charlie back so he could undress, and as I looked down at his little face, I wondered what his reaction would be when he saw his daddy become a monster. I didn’t dwell on it long but smoothly shifted into my vampire form, paying close attention to my fingernails as they grew mere inches from my son.

As my eyes moved from my son to our gathered group, I noticed the fact that I was the only one in vampire form, and I was suddenly feeling intense pain all over my body. It took me another few seconds to realize why; the fucking sun was still up.

I quickly shifted back to human, covered Charlie’s mouth and nose, and jumped into the cool water of the swimming pool. When we surfaced, Scott and Billy were at my side, and as Billy took Charlie and passed him to Jenny, Scott picked me out of the water and leaped onto the deck, cradling me in his arms. My human friends instinctively knew what I needed, and every one of them held out their wrists, offering me the healing fluid that flowed in their veins. Scott rushed past them and took me into the shadows of the family room, shouting for James as he ran.

Seconds later, James put his wrist to my mouth, and I unashamedly bit and fed, looking up into his eyes like a child who had just touched a hot stove. His grin said it all as his blood flowed into me and did its magic, healing my burns in a matter of moments. After I licked his wounded wrist, I looked up to see all my friends looking on in concern. As I stood and sheepishly looked around a second time, I felt their concerns melting away, slowly being replaced by another emotion. As it spread, I knew I was in trouble.

Chris confirmed it when he spoke. “It seems we were wrong, Greg. You ARE as dumb as Jake.”

I flipped him off, then said, “Everyone out to the pool; everyone except my mates and Jenny.”

Everyone froze, and I realized what I had said. Billy stepped up to me and asked, “Really?”

I glanced at Scott and saw his slight nod, then turned back to Billy. “I don’t know, Billy. You tell me.”

I saw and sensed at least a dozen emotions flash across his mind in the few seconds he hesitated. When he reached up and pulled me down into a kiss, I had part of an answer. “We’ll need to talk, but I’m not saying no,” he said, giving me the other part.

He then turned to the crowd and said, “You heard him. Outside, now!”

I quickly turned to James and stopped him. “Um… I’m sorry about that, James. I, uh, got distracted and kinda forgot about the sun.”

His eyes examined my entire body in just a few seconds; then he smirked. “Did ya learn anything?”

I returned his smirk. “Yeah, sunlight fuckin’ hurts.”

He slapped the back of my head and said, “Good, maybe you’ll remember next time, dumbass.”

I jumped back and rubbed my head. “Hey! Is that any way to talk to a baron?” I whined.

I knew it was coming. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” Quick as lightning, he slapped the back of my head again and said, “Maybe you’ll remember next time, My Lord Baron dumbass.”

I raised an eyebrow and asked, “I deserved that, huh?”

Billy and Scott both slapped the back of my head and said, “Yup!” as James turned and headed back to his bedroom.

I turned to Scott and quietly asked, “Is that what you went through when you carried me from the barn?” He looked down and gave a slight nod. I wrapped my arms around him and crushed him to me, saying, “Don’t you ever tell me you didn’t risk your life for me. That had to be pure hell. And don’t you ever do it—”

He pushed me away and shouted, “Don’t you dare tell me not to do it again, Greg Fowler. I won’t listen, and you know it, so don’t waste your breath. You’d do it for me without a thought; we both know that.” He paused for a breath and pointed an angry finger at me. “Well, you’re no better than I am buddy. I’ll risk my life for you every fucking time, without a second’s hesitation, so don’t even try to pretend I won’t.”

His words cut me but the tears that were streaming down his face were ripping my heart out. I reached for him, and he didn’t hesitate; he rushed into my arms. As I held him, I kissed his forehead and murmured, “I’m sorry, honey. You’re right. I would do the same thing, and you’d yell at me for doing it, right?” I felt his nod and smiled.

I looked up at Billy and he just glared and shook his head. “Same goes for me, arsehole, so don’t even fucking try it.”

I smiled and gave him a nod; opening my arms to invite him into our hug. When he joined us, I felt complete once again.

Behind us, Jenny gave a soft cough and said, “If that’s what you three call foreplay, I might ask to stick around for the main event.”

Her humor was the perfect ending to our stress, and we turned as one and flipped her off. I reached for Charlie, but Scott grabbed him first. “You can’t feed him right now, babe; you’re still healing.” I didn’t argue.

Instead, I squatted down in front of Jenny’s chair and asked her, “I never considered Charlie being resistant to the weather like I am. How strong is he?”

She shrugged. “Put him in the fridge overnight and find out.”

“He’d suffocate!” I exclaimed.

Slowly shaking her head, she replied, “Nope. He only needs two or three breaths an hour; there’s more than enough air in there.” She looked at me and grinned. “No one’s told you anything, have they?”

I turned to Scott and Billy to find them avoiding my eyes. “No, they haven’t,” I said. “But someone’s going to tell me now.”

Jenny laughed as Billy said, “It’s not new to us, Greg. Would you remember to tell a new human that he needs to breathe? Or would you forget because it’s as…” He grinned. “As natural as breathing to you.”

I took in a long, slow breath through my nose, then blew it out hard. “OK, I get it. So, I get to stumble through and learn by trial and error. I can do that.” I turned back to Jenny and asked, “Just how much do I need to breathe?”

“You’re an athlete, so I’d guess…” she looked my body over, considering, “Less than once an hour?”

“Bullshit,” I said.

“No, that sounds about right, babe,” Scott said as held a feeding Charlie.

Billy’s reply shocked me. It also challenged me, so I did what he said. I tried it. I ran to the pool and jumped in. When I hit the bottom, my natural buoyancy tried to pull me to the surface, so I slowly paddled in reverse, keeping myself planted on the bottom. I can only tell you what happened on the surface because everyone told me; I was too busy keeping my ass firmly on the bottom of the pool.

My jump into the pool had surprised everyone. They weren’t looking toward the house and I emerged and was making a huge splash before they saw me. After a minute of me not surfacing, they started to get antsy. After two, they were looking at each other, trying to decide if I was pranking them or not. Around the three-minute mark, Scott, Billy, and Jenny came out and explained what was going on. This was lucky for my little learning experiment because Jake and Brian were seconds away from diving in to pull me from the bottom.

Every five minutes for the next hundred, the humans looked at Scott or Billy for reassurance that I was ok. They didn’t need to ask anything; Scott and Billy calmly sitting there holding Charlie spoke volumes. When I finally surfaced after almost two hours, I was a believer. As I leaped to the deck, I noticed that the sun was down. It was now time for the main event.

I took Charlie from Scott and called for everyone to gather around. I told the vampires to shift when I counted three.

One…

Two…

Three…

I shifted, and as I looked around, there was only one thing to realize this time. I stepped over to Jenny and looked at her.

“You didn’t shift,” I calmly said.

“No, I… I’m scared,” she admitted.

“Trust me, Jenny. I’ve been in his shoes. Shift.”

She looked down and asked, “Is that an order, My Lord?”

I shook my head and said, “No. It’s advice from a friend. If you trust me like I trust you, you’ll shift.”

She looked up and met my eyes. I saw her strength waver for a second, then saw her ears growing and fangs dropping. I glanced at Brian in time to see his eyes light up and his mouth twist into an amazed smile as he mumbled, “Beautiful.”

Jenny quickly turned to him and asked, “Really?”

I smirked. “If you doubt it, Jenny, look down.”

They both looked down to see Brian had instantly grown hard, with a drop of his excitement starting to drip from his tip. They both took a step back; him from embarrassment and her from caution, knowing that his sexual arousal could be a trigger to her beast.

I reached out to hand Charlie to her, saying, “Now, full beast.”

She pulled away, saying, “No, Greg, we might hurt him.”

I followed her and pushed Charlie into her arms as I said, “If I believed that, you wouldn’t be around him for even one second. You’d cut your own arms off before you hurt my son; we all know that.”

I hadn’t seen anyone cry in vampire form until that moment. I was amazed as a drop of blood slowly made its way down her cheek. She nodded, took another step back, and shifted to full beast. It was at that moment that I realized I had forgotten one issue.

The moment she shifted; the very second Brian saw his fated mate in her beast form, his body betrayed him. His already straining erection erupted, spraying Jenny with five jets of his most intimate bodily fluid. When she smelled that scent from her mate, her beast fought for control; for the ability to consummate their bond. My instincts saved us because her eyes went from Brian to the tiny baby in her hands, and I saw her gain control. She was shaking and gnashing her fangs, but she held firm, gently cradling my son in her claws.

Brian somehow understood the danger and, contrary to common sense, slowly reached up to caress her face. “You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined, honey. If I had any doubts, they’re gone.” When he turned to face me, she turned as well, her eyes begging me to say no when he bowed his head and said, “I’m ready to be changed whenever you’re willing, My Lord.”

p style="text-align:center;"> Posted Dec 24, 2023 and since I can't hang mistletoe for you on here, I thought I'd hang a cliff...