Mental Games - 33. Holiday Cheer

When Adam got back to Baltimore after returning from visiting Mike, he was dying to know how Chris had made out. The problem was, he didn't know how to do that. He checked online for more details about the arrest, but that just gave the basic information about the foster parents and what they were accused of doing, but it didn't give any specifics about what had happened to the children. Adam was pretty sure the State Police wouldn't have any specific information on the children, because the Department of Social Services (DSS) would have handled taking care of that. He also knew DSS wouldn't be likely to share the information with him, even if they had been open at the time. In that case, what was Adam going to do?

The situation bothered Adam all night long and he continued trying to think of ways he could find out about Chris. He considered sending an email to Travis to find out what he knew, but since he doubted Travis would be aware of anything, he set that thought aside. Who would know what happened to Chris and be willing to share that information with him?

On Monday, after a very restless night's rest, Adam went to all of his classes. When he got back to his room later, he checked his email accounts and discovered he had an email from Travis. As he clicked to open it, he hoped it contained some answers.

'Hi. I don't know for sure what Chris' problem was or what he told you about it, but the place he was living got raided by the cops. They said the people Chris was staying with was involved with some sex stuff with kids, so that's prolly what was bothering Chris. I hope they didn't make him do that stuff too. Nobody is left at the house now and all the kids were taken to other places, so I don't know where Chris is. Do you know? He wasn't in school today, so he might be going to another school too, but I don't know for sure. If you find out where he is, will you write back and tell me? Travis'

Well that wasn't a lot of help and didn't tell Adam much more than he already knew. The only thing Adam learned was that Chris wasn't in school, so he may have been moved to a new foster home in another school district. If that were the case, then Adam might have trouble finding out what happened to him.

After Adam thought about this problem for a little while longer, he had an idea, so he decided to see if it would work. He called DSS and asked to speak to the case worker responsible for the children that had been removed from the home involved in the child pornography ring. He claimed to be a federal agent and wanted to speak with the children about what they had been forced to do and what they knew about the pictures and videos that had been taken. Using his unique power of persuasion, Adam was given the information and discovered that Chris was now living in a much better section of Baltimore and had been placed with a much nicer family. Adam then called the number he had been given for the new foster home and managed to convince the foster mother to let him speak with Chris.

"Hello," the timid voice answered, once he was called to the phone.

"Chris, this is the guy you told about your problem," Adam introduced himself. "How are you doing?"

"Better and thank you for helping," Chris answered.

"I was glad I was able to do that for you and I'm happy to know you're in a much better home now," Adam assured him. "Are you going to a new school too?"

"Yeah, it's a lot nicer one," Chris answered.

"Travis is kind of wondering what happened to you, so do you still remember how to get a hold of him?" Adam asked. "He'd really like to hear from you."

"But now he'll know what they did to me and the things they made me do too," Chris answered, sounding slightly panicked. "I don't want to talk to Travis, cuz then he'll just ask me about that stuff."

"He's not worried about any of those things. He just wants to know that you're all right," Adam confirmed. "He really likes you and thinks of you as his friend, so he won't care about what happened, as long as you are ok. He just wants to know where you are and that you're in a better place. You really should get in touch with him, because he definitely cares about you and is very worried about how you are making out. That's why he got in touch with me in the first place."

"Yeah, ok. Maybe you're right," Chris replied. "I guess I can call him after I finish talking to you."

"That's a good idea and Travis can give you the information you'll need to contact me," Adam suggested. "I'd like you to keep in touch with me too, because I want to make sure that you're doing ok too. Will you promise to do that for me?"

"Yeah, I will, because I owe you for getting me out of that place and away from mo... those people," Chris confessed, as he obviously made a conscious decision that he wasn't going to refer to his former foster parents as mom and dad any longer.

"Good and I'm glad you're in a better place now," Adam told him. "Just be sure to keep in contact with me."

Now that he was convinced Chris was doing all right and would keep in touch with him, Adam stopped worrying about the kid and was able to concentrate on his studies. It had been a difficult semester, but now that it was drawing to a close, Adam was getting ready to return home for Christmas break. He only had one more final to take and then he would be able to leave right after that, but Mike wasn't going to be finished with his exams for four more days.

After thinking about it for a while, Adam decided to go to Georgetown and stay with Mike during that time anyway. He knew he'd have to entertain himself though, since Mike would still be studying and taking finals, but that didn't bother him since they had done this before. Adam was becoming very familiar with the D.C. area and would be able to find plenty to do until Mike was ready to leave too.

Mike was happy to see Adam again, but after a very passionate greeting he forced himself to ignore Adam for the most part, so he could study and get ready for his last few tests. While Mike was doing that, Adam wandered around the campus and drove to different places nearby to keep from getting bored. Finally, Mike took his last exam and they were now free to take off.

On the drive to Adam's house, Adam told Mike what he'd found out about Chris and Mike seemed pleased by what he heard. "Adam to the rescue again, but I'm glad you were able to help that kid. I'm sure he'll be doing a lot better from here on out."

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping too," Adam agreed.

"Wow! I'm amazed!" Mike said next as he looked at his boyfriend. Adam, however, was confused by Mike's response.

"Why? What the hell are you talking about?" Adam wanted to know.

"I'm just surprised that you didn't bitch at me this time when I said 'Adam to the rescue', like you usually do," Mike pointed out, as he watched Adam's reaction.

"I guess I must be getting used to your sick sense of humor and weird way of looking at things," Adam quipped back, as he made a face at Mike.

"Still, it's progress," Mike teased, as he playfully punched Adam in the arm.

When they finally reached Adam's house, they discovered Mike's parents were already there too. They knew this before even going inside, because they spotted Dave's car parked in the driveway. The boys were in a hurry to see everyone again, so they decided to leave everything they'd brought with them in the car and hurried into the house.

"It's about time," Judy scolded when she saw the boys. Mike and Adam had expected a little better reception than this, so their faces took on the appearance of being hurt, although most of it was fake.

"What? Did you want us to break the speed limit getting here?" Adam shot back, looking her in the eye.

"No, we just thought you'd be here earlier," she stated, and then she smiled to let them know she was happy to see them.

"My last class didn't end until 2:00 and then I had to go back to my room to get my stuff," Mike explained. "We left just as soon as we could and only stopped for gas on the way back."

"And we're all happy to see you," Rita chimed in, letting the boys know it wasn't a problem.

Then, they all sat down and chatted for a while, as they told each other their news. The boys began by telling their parents about how they thought they had done on their studies and finals, and then Mike told them about his internship.

"Are you still going to be able to live on campus while you're doing this?" Dave followed, since he wanted to know how Mike was going to make out after he returned.

"Yeah, the same professor made sure that I was cleared to keep my room. He convinced someone in housing that this was considered a part of my academic program, so I was still technically a student," Mike answered with a grin.

"And how far is your room from where you'll be working as an intern?" George followed, since he was thinking about the commute.

"It's a couple of miles, but I'll be able to use public transportation to get back and forth," Mike advised him.

"No, you won't have to!" Adam cut in very forcefully. "I'll let you drop me off in Baltimore and then you can take the car back to D.C. with you and use it to get around."

"Are you sure?" Mike followed, looking puzzled.

"Yeah, I can survive one semester without a car," Adam answered. "It's going to be a rough semester for me with the courses I'm taking, so maybe it will be better this way, because I won't be tempted to just take off and do other stuff." Mike gave him a strange look, so Adam felt they would probably be discussing this in more depth later.

After Mike had shared his good news, Dave and Judy announced that they had been able to collect enough in donations this year so the Mission would be able to serve better meals on both holidays. The others were thrilled after hearing this news and couldn't wait to help serve again.

In return, Rita and George told everyone about how much they'd collected. They also told the boys they had collected quite a bit of cash, which they hadn't given to the shelter because they weren't sure if the boys might want to do something special with it instead. Adam assured them that he was glad they had thought ahead and not just handed the money over to the shelter, because they would use the cash to provide gifts for the homeless. Then, Adam quickly called the shelter's director and asked him how many children and adults he expected for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner, based on those currently staying at the shelter. Once he was told that information, he and Mike started to make plans.

After unloading the car and taking their things up to Adam's room, Mike asked Adam a question. "When you offered to let me use your car, did you realize that means you won't have one to help anyone who contacts you?"

"Yes, I considered that too, so you can just put up a notice on the Baltimore site that says I'm temporarily unable to honor requests," Adam advised him. "I can walk to help anyone at Johns Hopkins, but I'm not sure I will be able to help anyone during my residency, so you might eventually have to do the same thing to both sites for a while."

"Are you sure this is the way you want it?" Mike followed, and Adam merely shook his head in response.

"I'm just going to be too busy to do anything else," he finally admitted.

The two families had dinner together at the house a short time later, and during the meal the boys announced they would be running some errands early the next morning, but they promised they would be finished in time to serve the meals at the shelter. Then, the boys went upstairs to make sure they still had their outfits from a couple of years before.

The next morning, after having breakfast with their parents, Adam and Mike set out to do some last minute shopping. They were gone until well after lunchtime before they returned to the house and both boys looked frazzled after having to deal with the crowds of shoppers while they'd been out. After they'd cleaned up and changed though, they were eager to get to the shelter to serve the meal.

Adam was dressed in the Santa suit again and Mike was dressed as an elf. After everyone had been feed, the boys lined up at the exit and passed out gifts to those staying at the shelter. It was the same gift as the last time they'd done this, a Visa gift card and a bus pass, but everyone was pleased to receive this thoughtful present and thanked the boys repeatedly.

When they returned to the house later, the families enjoyed their own meal and everyone was in a terrific, upbeat mood for the rest of the night. As they were settling down in the living room after they were done eating, all four parents told the boys how impressed they were with how much Mike and Adam had been able to accomplish at the last minute. Mike and Adam, however, just brushed it off by saying they had a lot of help and some good contacts. But then they also mentioned that they had another surprise planned for the next day.

The boys were in such a great mood when they went to Adam's room that they made love to each other again. It was a very passionate, as well as a highly energetic encounter this time, because the spirit of the evening had ensured that they would both have very powerful and satisfying orgasms. Then, they spooned together and fell asleep.

When they got up the next morning, they exchanged presents with their parents first, before having a big breakfast together. After that, they all watched the parade on television, before getting ready to go back to the shelter. To their parents' surprise, Mike and Adam dressed up in the same outfits they had worn the previous evening, which made the others wonder if this had anything to do with the other surprise they had mentioned.

"I understood why you wore those things last night, but why are you doing it again today?" George asked, looking at them strangely.

"We had enough money left over so we could buy some toys for the kids too," Adam stated, looking pleased. "We're going to give those out today and felt Santa and his helper should pass them out." Their parents merely smiled and nodded their heads in agreement, since they knew this was important for the boys too.

Adam had placed all the toys in a laundry bag so it looked like he was carrying Santa's pack when he took it with him. Once everyone at the shelter had been fed, Adam called the kids to come up to the front of the cafeteria and then he let them select one of the toys he and Mike had purchased. They all cost about the same, but there were a variety of items for them to choose from and no one was limited to selecting a gift deemed appropriate for their sex. Adam and Mike had even purchased more toys then they would need, since they didn't want any of the children to get stuck with whatever was left and then not appreciate or enjoy it.

The boys had thought ahead and planned to return the left over items before they went to spend time with Mike's family, so they could get their money back, since they had purchased the extra toys with their own funds. The children were thrilled as they picked out the item they wanted, but not only were the kids smiling, but their parents were beaming too. It gave Adam and Mike another great feeling as they watched the children clutch those gifts, as they took them back to show their parents.

After going home and having Christmas dinner together, the families spent the rest of the day and part of the next participating in various activities with each other. Before it got too late on the second day, Mike's parents got ready to go home, because they had to work the following day. Mike and Adam told Dave and Judy that they would join them in a couple of days and then spend the remainder of their vacation with them.

Adam's parents had to work in between too, but that gave Mike and Adam an opportunity to return the toys they hadn't needed and do a few other things as well. They spent every night with George and Rita though, and enjoyed each other's company. The last night the boys were there was somewhat emotional, especially for Rita, but it wasn't too bad, since they knew they would all be together again in a few days. George and Rita were going to join them at Mike's house to celebrate the New Year, so that seemed to calm down the situation and made Adam's mother feel better, since it was affecting her more than anyone else.

When the boys finally made the long drive to Mike's house, they arrived before Mike's parents got home from work. The boys immediately took their things up to Mike's room and got settled in before Dave and Judy got home. After greeting everyone warmly, the boys went out to help Judy prepare dinner, since they knew she would probably be tired after working all day. To their surprise, she had some chicken marinating in the fridge, so she just took that out and put it in the oven, while the boys helped her get everything else set.

During dinner, Dave announced that they were going to spend New Year's Eve at his club again. He felt since it had worked out so well the last time that he thought they'd all enjoy doing it again, including Rita and George. The boys agreed it sounded like fun and they looked forward to going to the club with them.

After dinner, Dave and Judy announced they had another surprise for Mike. "Your mother and I have both taken tomorrow off, because we want to take you shopping so we can buy you three new suits," Dave announced as he looked at Mike's shocked expression.

"You're going to need them for your internship," Judy quickly added, "and with the two you already own, you can wear a different suit every day. We'll also pick out some dress shirts and ties for you too, so you'll look professional when you show up there."

"Are you sure you can afford to do this?" Mike asked, as he gazed from one to the other.

"Yes, that's not a problem, but we'd do this even if we had to put it on our credit cards and then pay it off a little at a time," Dave responded. "We want to make sure you get a good start with your career."

"Thanks! I've been wondering how I was going to handle dressing up to do this," Mike admitted.

George and Rita showed up just after noon on December 31st, and after greeting everyone, they decided to go to the room they'd be using and take a nap, since they were tired from the trip. Everyone else was fine with this and told them they'd wake them up in time to get ready to serve dinner at the Mission. After that, they would come back to the house and change, before going out to dinner and then heading over to the club.

As they were getting everything set up at the Mission, the staff and director all gave Dave and Judy a great many pats on the back and multiple words of thanks for collecting so much money to help out. This made everyone feel good, including Mike and Adam, since they had played a part in this too. Dinner at the Mission went very well, and once everyone that showed up had been fed, the Bermans and Washburns rushed back to the house so they could wash up and change before heading out again.

Dave had made reservations at the same restaurant they had eaten at the last time George and Rita were there and they had another wonderful meal. Then, they went over to the club and Dave took everyone around so he could introduce them to his other friends. When they finished doing that, they all sat at a table together and enjoyed the rest of the night.

Everyone spent plenty of time on the dance floor throughout the evening. Mike and Adam spent a good deal of time dancing with each other, but they also danced a few times with their mothers too, whenever they could pry George and Dave away from their wives. Once again, no one at the club had any problems with the boys being together and many people even stopped to compliment them and let Mike and Adam know that they still remembered them from the last time they were there.

To their surprise, Mike and Adam noticed some late arrivals to the party, and one of those couples was also gay. After Mike and Adam went over to introduce themselves, they and the other couple were thrilled to have some kindred spirits they could get to know and chat with.

"You must be the two guys my uncle told me about," one of the other pair announced. "You're the reason why he told me that I should bring my partner here tonight, because he explained that no one had seemed to be bothered when you guys were here the last time."

"That's very true," Mike responded. "They were all very welcoming and no one said anything when Adam and I danced with each other or even when we kissed at midnight."

"That's great to know and it's nice to be able to go places where we're not looked at as freaks or screamed at and told we're going to hell," the other boy responded.

"Yes, it is a wonderful change," Adam agreed. "We usually can only do things like this at LGBT functions or in gay friendly establishments near our campuses."

As the night wore on, everyone that was there put on the party hats that had been provided and grabbed the noisemakers before going outside to participate in the final countdown to midnight. Then, as the countdown reached zero, fireworks were set off to welcome in the New Year. It was a fun and rewarding night, and both families had a really great time.

When they got back to the house after leaving the club, the boys set off some fireworks of their own, but this time the fireworks happened in bed. The colorful lights were also exploding in Mike and Adam's brains, as the boys each enjoyed a mind-blowing orgasm of their own, thanks to their lover. It was a great way to start the New Year and another precious memory the boys would fondly be able to recall when they were older.

The next day they all watched the parades on television, followed by a slew of football games. This was only interrupted when they went back to serve the next meal at the Mission. Both families were mildly surprised to see that there seemed to be even more people showing up today than had been there the previous night, but there was still plenty of food to go around. Before they left after the meal had been served, the staff thanked them again, but this time many of the other people there thanked them as well. This happened after the director announced to everyone that the Bermans had collected the donations that had provided the exceptional meal they had just eaten, as well as the one from the previous night.

When they returned home again afterward, the men went into the living room to watch more football games, while Judy and Rita opted to fix dinner. The boys came out to lend their mothers a hand with the meal, which was served during halftime of one of the games. As soon as George and Dave had finished stuffing themselves, they rushed back to the living room so they could watch the rest of the game. The boys, on the other hand, spent a little more time with the women. After helping them clear off the table and clean up the mess from dinner, they chatted for a while, before they all went in to join the men. They only took a short break for dessert later, during halftime of the next game, and then they watched the rest of that game and the next before going to bed.

Mike and Adam got up early the next morning so they could say goodbye to Adam's parents, because George and Rita were heading home. The boys thanked them for coming to celebrate the New Year with them and then they kissed and hugged Rita, before shaking hands with George. After they had driven away, the boys spent the rest of the morning packing up their belongings and then they carried everything outside and loaded it into the car.

They would have to leave in a little while, because Adam's classes would be starting up again the following day and Mike would be starting his internship. After they'd finished putting the last of their belongings in the car, the boys went inside and had lunch with Mike's parents, before they said goodbye to them. Mike and Adam hugged and kissed Judy first, before they shook hands with Dave, and then they got in the car and set out for Baltimore.

On the drive back, Mike and Adam talked about how pleased they were with the way things had gone over the holiday. Mike also stated his surprise about what his parents had done when they bought him the suits and other items for the internship, but he also thanked Adam for letting him use the car.

"You'll need it more than I will, so it was a no-brainer. Just think of it as 'Adam to the rescue again'," he replied, while watching for Mike's reaction. They both had a good laugh over how Adam had turned Mike's words against him, and then they joked about it all the way to Baltimore.