Disclaimer: I do not own Brothers and Sisters nor do I own any of the books, movies, food brands or songs mentioned.
Warning: See chapter 1
A/N: So have you heard the rumor that last season's episode about Sarah's was in for the Walker family? ABC may be cancelling yet another one of my favorite shows. But not to worry I will complete this story no matter what. I am also getting ideas for the next part of the story. If you're on Twitter follow me (at symbol) sissouthernink.
Chapter 7: Together
Saul was having the time of his life. He was in love. And this time he knew it was love. Russell was so wonderful to him and they shared something so special. Saul was surprised at how fast he fell for Russell. In most relationships, people might debunk his feelings as infatuation, puppy love. But Saul was a grown man and an older man at that; there wasn't time in his life for infatuation. Everything he felt was real.
They would spend time at the beach, going to dinner and lots of time listening to music. Russell sincerely cared for Saul. He couldn't describe everything he was feeling but it wasn't like anything he'd felt before. As far as he was concerned, Saul was it for him. He didn't need to search for anyone else. Even if they never married or had a commitment ceremony, Russell felt that, he could live the rest of his life with Saul.
Saul's health was improving. He was approved to drink alcohol in moderation again. He was from a wine family; Saul was very happy about this development. Saul was tolerating his medicine much better and he was beginning to gain some of the weight he'd lost when first diagnosed. Dr. Berry, his HIV counselor, was a great help concerning his mental state.
A variety of emotions are experienced when patients are first diagnosed. Depression and guilt are the most common ones; Saul felt both of these. Dr. Berry had given him some tools to use so he could deal with them better; Justin has given him some relaxation techniques to keep down anxiety. The other thing that was keeping him happy and sane was a man named Dr. Russell K. Daniels.
"Why don't you come over Saturday since you're off? Maybe we can swim."
"I'd love to."
Saul arrived around noon but to the gentlemen's disappointment, it was raining. They walked to the indoor patio and stared longingly at the pool.
"I really wanted to swim today." Saul said.
"Me too but I can't have you getting sick on me. There is a good side though; it's cooling off a bit. We can sit here and watch the rain."
"I had a friend who used to say that there were only two good things to do in the rain."
"Oh yeah, what're those?"
"Sleep and sex." They both laughed.
"Come on, I've got some snacks and wine."
"Yay wine!"
"I have a nice white wine chilling on the patio here. I hope it meets your approval."
"I'm sure it will."
"There's cheese, fruit, crackers. We've got music playing and love."
"What else do we need?" They walked out hand-in-hand further onto the patio and Saul saw what seemed like mattresses. They were covered in white sheets and laid out on raised wooden platforms in Zen fashion. There were colorful lounging pillows and blankets that looked liked scarves. First Russell led him to two white chaise lounges, between them a table with a bucket full of ice and a wine bottle nestled in it. Russell poured them each a glass.
"To a love-filled wonderful afternoon." He said.
"Here, here." Saul replied. They took a celebratory sip then Russell sat down, patting the space in front of him as an invitation for Saul to sit with him. "So, tell me how mattresses on a patio work." Russell laughed.
"Uh, they're not really mattresses. Well, they are but I prefer to call them lounge spaces. My family stretches out on them when we spend time out here. We just lean back and relax."
"It seems very Zen."
"You could say that. I've been out here when the weather is that right crispness in fall with some Billie Holiday playing over the speakers and have had the best naps ever."
"They do look comfortable."
"We can stretch out on them if you want." Russell leaned forward and kissed Saul. "We can do whatever we want out here."
"No one will see?" Saul asked looking around to imagine what the neighbors could possibly see.
"Nope. Special windows, high fences and non-nosy neighbors make it easy."
"So what did you have in mind?" Saul asked with a shy smile on his face. Russell shrugged, pulled Saul closer and nibbled on his neck. "Oh….I see."
"I would love more of what we shared the last time." Russell implied.
"Mmm, so would I." They kissed passionately until the need to air forced the apart. Saul took another sip of his wine. "Speaking of that… I wanted to ask you about the scar I saw on the tip of your lovely penis. Did you have surgery of some sort?"
"Ahhhh, you could say that. It's the remnant of my piercing." Saul nearly choked on a grape.
"What?" Russell just smiled and nodded as he drank. "You…you had a Prince Albert?"
"Yep."
"A Prince Albert! What? When?" Saul made a painful face. "How?"
"I got it back in the 80s. The boyfriend I had at the time had a tongue piercing. And I thought it would be fun."
"But how?"
"The guy we went to was a doctor. He was a piercing specialist; practically unheard of back then. Anyway, I had two options; be put to sleep or get an epidural. I didn't want to be out of it and not know what was going in. This was my penis we're talking about here so I opted for the epidural. It numbed me from the waist down and I was able to see what was going on."
"How do you recover from something like that?"
"No sex for two weeks while it healed."
"Wow. So when did you take it out?"
"About seven years ago. I didn't need it anymore. He was long gone from my life. It no longer held the same appeal for me, so I had it taken out."
"It doesn't affect anything?"
"Well, you've seen evidence of that twice. I would love to show you again." He whispered, taking their wine glasses and setting them back on the table. Then pulling Saul into a kiss, he made his intentions known. "I want to make love to you, Saul. I want to be able to make your body and heart feel something indescribable." Their tongues touched and Saul felt serious electricity. His fingers held onto Russell's shirt as the ecstasy began. "So what to you say to an afternoon of sharing kisses and caresses?" Russell nibbled on Saul's neck, gently sucking on his Adam's Apple, enjoying the vibration of the moan that followed.
"Is that all we'll share?" Saul barely whispered as he heart was skipping beats.
"No, I want to share more. But if that's all you want, that's as far as we'll go." Russell's lips travelled to the base of Saul's neck and he unbuttoned the shirt so he could go further. Making his way to the left nipple made his lover whimper. "I want to give myself to you…" He finished unbuttoning the shirt and kissed his way down to Saul's chest to his stomach. "I wanna show how much I love you, how good I wanna make you feel." Saul's fingers played in Russell's soft curly hair as his lips made their way to the other nipple.
Saul has some serious thinking to do and not a lot of time to do it in. He had not been with another man for quite a few years. He definitely hadn't had any kind of intimacy between being diagnosed and meeting Russell. A small amount of fear began to creep in. What ifs started seeping in. They had managed to be careful during mutual masturbation and oral sex, but this could be full on intercourse. Couple that with the fact that Saul felt a little inexperienced as it had been so long, and he was scared.
"Umm…Russell…I don't know about this." Russell looked up and saw the fear on Saul's face. He took Saul's hands in his and kissed them for reassurance, just as he did in the restaurant on their first date.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm…just not sure. I mean I haven't been with a man in so long and no one since my diagnosis. How can we make sure you don't get this? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you."
"Saul, sweetheart. I wouldn't go in my classroom unprepared to teach and I wouldn't be unprepared with us either. I've talked with my doctor; she gave me some great product recommendations. She gave me some safety rules. I even got a manicure yesterday," he said showing Saul his fingers, "just to make sure that I wouldn't have any hangnails. I was careful not to cut myself today while shaving."
"You've thought this out haven't you?"
"Yes I have. And I know what I'm getting into. I love you Saul; your status does not change that for me. We'll be as careful as we can be. Let's not let negativity ruin this for us."
"But what if-"
"We'll handle any what ifs, if and when they come along." Saul sighed; he could see that wasn't going to win this argument. He and Dr. Berry had discussed that maybe someday he would want to have a physical relationship again and how to deal with it. He was really nervous. "Now what do you say?" Those beautiful caring brown eyes of Russell's smiled a reassuring smile that Saul couldn't resist.
"Ok. But if something makes me uncomfortable…"
"Just tell me and I'll stop. Better yet, tell me what you do like." Russell replied as he removed Saul's glasses, then he removed Saul's unbuttoned shirt.
"Oh, Russell, it's been so long, I don't even remember."
"You remember what you like," has said kissing the naked chest in front of him, "you remember what makes you melt."
"Hmmm, what you're doing right now feels pretty good."
"See…" Russell said nodding. Then he stood up from the chaise and held out his hands for Saul to join him. He pulled the older man closer to him, letting his hands surround his waist and making gentle circles at the small of Saul's back. Saul began to hum with pleasure. His lips sought Russell's and he was soon lost in the kiss.
"I love you," Saul whispered.
"And I absolutely adore you." Russell's hands now cupped Saul's but putting them both in a position to feel the other's growing hardness. Russell tugged at Saul's belt and began to loosen it. "Now how about you show me where you were going to get that tattoo you thought about getting so long ago." Saul laughed as he kicked off his shoes and let his pants drop to the patio floor. He let his boxers drop then stepped out of them. Russell's mouth seemed to water. "Wow…" he whispered.
"I'm kinda skinny an-"
"You're beautiful." Russell whispered, kissing his lips.
"It doesn't look like I have a lot of-"
"You have enough of everything for me."
"Russell, I'm being ser-"
"So am I, sexy." Russell then pulled his own shirt over his head, presenting his muscles to his lover. He untied his lounge pants, letting them and his underwear drop at the same time. Saul's hands immediately when to Russell's chest, relishing the feel of them. "Come with me," he said pulling Saul over to one of the lounge spaces. He sat down and motioned for Saul to straddle him and sit on his lap.
"I haven't done this in so long. This used to be my favorite position."
"Hmm, never pictured you as a top."
"Not necessarily a top; I just liked to ride."
"Ah, I see. We'll see if it still is your favorite."
Saul placed his hands on either side of Russell's face and continued the kisses. As their tongues played, Saul couldn't stop his body from undulating at the pleasure. Russell's hands slowly caressed Saul's back and hips. Every so often, his fingers would travel to Saul's entrance and gently finger it causing him to moan into Russell's mouth. Russell reclined on a few of the pillows behind causing Saul to lean forward to continue the kisses. Saul's lips found their way down Russell's chin, then to his neck then the middle of his chest where he tenderly sucked the skin. The next stop was Russell's nipples. Russell moaned as he felt his lover's tongue slowly swipe across it followed by his lips.
Saul tasted both nipples and happily moved down to between Russell's legs, kissing and licking every inch of skin. Russell knew what was coming next but he vowed not to let it end that way. A breathless moan escaped from Russell's mouth when he felt Saul's tongue play with the tip of his penis. Then Saul took him whole in his mouth and Russell tried not to buck his hips, but it was useless. It felt too good. After a few minutes of tasting, Russell managed to get Saul to stop.
"What's the matter babe?" Saul asked as he looked up.
"Absolutely nothing."
"I don't mind finishing." Russell chuckled.
"I know but I have something else in mind." He reached under the pillow and found the lubricant he'd purchased. Squeezing some in his hand, he warmed it and began to stroke Saul's penis while kissing him. Saul closed his eyes and welcomed every single sensation he was feeling. After a few minutes, those fingers headed between Saul's legs and Russell began to prepare him. The older man dropped his head to his lover's chest, breathless as those fingers lovingly and tenderly entered.
"Russell…" was all Saul could whisper. "Ohhh…this feels so good…" Russell watched carefully to make sure that Saul wasn't uncomfortable. All indications proved that Saul loved it. The soft whimpers and moans were more music to Russell's ears than the love songs he had playing through the speakers.
"Think you can take one more?" Russell asked and Saul nodded. When the third finger inserted he could feel Saul's limbs tremble in excitement, trying to hold back an orgasm. "It's ok if you want to come now baby; I don't mind." Russell urged.
"No, I want to wait and feel you inside me." They kissed again and Russell could tell that Saul was ready. He reached under the pillow again and pulled out the box of condoms. He opened them and Saul helped him put the condom on. He wanted to make sure it was a good fit and there were no holes. Then he warmed a little lube in his hands and lubed Russell's covered penis.
"When you're ready baby, ride away." Russell held his penis steady, waiting for his lover to mount him. Saul slowly and cautiously eased himself down Russell's shaft, wincing as he did. Saul was hurting but he was determined to take Russell in as far as he could go. "Take your time baby, relax." Saul did and managed to sit completely on Russell's penis.
"Wow…you're really thick you know that?" Russell smiled, resting his hands on Saul's back as he leaned forward for a kiss.
"You're really tight and it feels so good." Russell spread his legs farther apart so he could have better footing for thrusting upward. He loosely held onto Saul's hips, prepared for whatever. He could feel Saul's muscles contract as he was trying to get used to the feel of him. Russell caressed Saul's stomach to calm him, to help him relax.
"I'm ok, you can move now." Russell slowly pulled out a little and thrust back in the same amount, loving what he was feeling. He was careful with what he was doing making sure Saul was comfortable. After a few minutes, Saul couldn't take it; he was hurting. His moans weren't entirely pleasurable ones. This was once his favorite position, but something had changed over the years and it hurt too much to continue. Noticing it, Russell stopped and before Saul could complain, Russell pulled completely out. He then patted the space next to him, indicating that he thought Saul should lie down on his back. As he did so, he felt Russell's kisses all over his body.
"Is this the spot, for the tattoo?" He asked placing a soft kiss on his right hip.
"Yes," he replied giggling a little. "Russell, you didn't have to stop. I just needed a little more time to adjust."
"Shhh…," Russell replied kissing his kips, "We've both been without for a long time and we just may have to work our way up to that position. Let's try something else first."
"I don't want you to loose your erection waiting for me to be ready."
"Are you kidding me? I have a very sexy, naked man underneath me; my erection's not going anywhere yet." Russell grabbed the lube and added little more to Saul's entrance. Maybe there wasn't enough before. He lubed the condom a little more as well. Saul's legs were spread open, waiting for Russell. He eased in and Saul immediately felt a difference. Maybe it was the lube, maybe it was the angle, maybe both. Whatever it was, it was ten times better now.
"Oh….my… god…"
"Much better isn't it?" Saul could only nod. The slow, gentle stokes of Russell's hips brought sweet moans from Saul's heart. The backs of Saul's thighs were propped by the front of Russell's and were close to being around Russell's waist. Saul fisted the sheets for a little bit before he decided to hold on to Russell's waist and eventually holding onto his back as if he was holding on for dear life.
Their kisses in between whimpers, words and moans ranged from passionate to pecks. Russell found that licking Saul's nipples while thrusting seemed to make him open up more. A few times their eyes met and the intensity drove the passion even more. Russell lifted Saul's hips a little, thrusting deeper into his lover, making his body tremble from the sensations. Sweat dampened both of their foreheads and made Russell's back a little slippery; his curly hair stuck to his forehead in places. Soon Russell could feel that his body was ready to come. He began to stroke Saul's penis, matching his thrusts. The sounds of skin slapping against skin seemed to bounce off the walls of the indoor patio.
"More…more…" Saul cried. Suddenly both sets of strokes took over Saul's body and his orgasm began to spread as a gentle fire throughout. He had never felt that sensation before. Ever. Thrusting his hips up to meet Russell's hand caused Russell to swipe his thumb across the head of his penis. That was all it took for Saul to erupt. His body shook, almost convulsed, and then pulled Russell into his orgasm as well. He couldn't hold back seeing his older lover nearly loose his mind from pleasure.
"Saul…baby….mmm….coming…" His final hip thrusts had his back all into it and Saul calling his name. Or trying to.
"Russ…R…Russelllllllllll…" Their bodies had finally given all they could. Panting and sweaty, Russell kissed Saul's hand then placed it over his rapidly beating heart. The smile on Saul's face was priceless.
Sex between two gay men could always be messy with lubricants, ejaculated semen and the occasional bowel accident. Russell and Saul had different circumstances. Russell wanted Saul to know that when they made love things would always be safe for the two of them.
"Russell, I can clean myself."
"I know but can you indulge me?" Russell had special wipes he used to cleanse them both. He was very careful in disposing of the condom, after making sure there weren't any holes in it. Lastly, he had made sure his hands and nails were clean from preparing Saul. After the cleaning, he brought Saul a fresh, cool glass of wine, his glasses and the snack tray.
"You spoil me too much."
"I don't see it that way." Saul propped himself up on his elbow and asked:
"You don't? Well then how do you see it?"
"Sharing with the man I love." Russell lay next to Saul and covered them with the blanket. "This is awesome."
"You're awesome." Saul replied with a kiss.
"No, you are. Looking all sexy and beautiful in front of me."
"You make me blush Russell."
"Maybe so, but it's true. I love you and you are beautiful." His words were followed by a soft kiss. "I love you so much."
"I love you too. See you're making me blush again!" Saul said laughing.
The lovers spent the next thirty minutes or so feeding each other, singing and kissing. Today Saul couldn't get enough of Russell's kisses. Each one felt so new and special. Soon Russell's lips found their way back to Saul's collarbone, kissing and nibbling at the flesh there. Kisses were everywhere- on lips, fingers, thighs, necks. Before long passionate whispers became passionate moans as they started making love again. This time their climaxes lulled them to sleep. They barely had a chance to clean up before eyelids began to droop. Saul nestled himself against Russell's chest as he felt Russell's arms and the blanket surround him. What could be better than falling asleep on my patio with the love of my life in my arms with the sound of a gentle rain in the background? Russell thought. Not much else I'm guessing.
The low rumble of thunder brought Saul out of his dream. He actually thought it might have been a part of it but no. He was still next to Russell on his patio. He could see darker clouds far off in the distance. He yawned and stretched as much as he could without waking Russell.
"I guess we should go in before it really starts to storm out here." Saul looked at his lover.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough. Come on, we'll take everything in. You grab the snacks and wine. I'll grab the sheets and our clothes." They got up, each wrapping a blanket around their waists as they would have wrapped a towel after showering. Russell spent a few minutes closing the screen doors to the patio, just in case the winds were really bad.
Before showering, Russell checked the weather report. They had about four hours before the biggest part of the rainstorm would reach them.
"Looks like the storm will be bad." Saul said. "I don't know if I want to drive home in all that rain."
"You don't have to. You're my boyfriend, you are always welcome here. Spend the night with me."
"Russell are you sure?" Russell laughed.
"We just consummated our relationship, of course I'm sure! Now, come shower with me so we can make out under the water." They both laughed. After showering, Russell gave Saul from lounge pants and a t-shirt to wear and sleep in. Saul laughed at how long the pants were. He also wasn't used to wearing extra-large t-shirts either. Russell found him some unworn house shoes that his nieces and nephews had given him. He seemed to get two pair every single Christmas.
While they were in the kitchen deciding on what to eat, Russell made sure a lights out kit was handy. Once dinner was done, the two washed dishes and continued to talk. Russell liked how domestic they seemed together, as if Saul just belonged there with him. Russell made it up in his mind that he would get a set of keys made for his love. When he told Saul that he was welcome there, he meant it.
They spent some time watching TV; most of the local channels were covering the impending weather-, which they would check on every so often. The winds and the rumbling thunder were picking up.
"Did you ever count the storm's arrival?" Saul asked.
"Arrival? What do you mean?"
"Like in 'Swiss Family Robinson'. Surely you've seen the movie?" Russell thought about it.
"I don't think so."
"No? You should. Anyway, the parents taught the kids to count in between the rolls of thunder to see how close the storm was. The fewer the number, the closer the storm. My mother used to do that with us when we were little and afraid of the storm."
"No, I've never heard of it. Now, I have sung 'My Favorite Things' from time to time, especially when I was alone and scared."
"I think we all have." Just then, the lights flickered. They both looked up and around at the lights. "Where's the kit?"
"Right here behind us."
"Do you think they'll go out?"
"I don't know. Then wind sounds like it's really picking up." The lights flickered again and went out.
"Well, there we are." Russell reached into the kit and grabbed a flameless candle. At least they could see each other.
"Kind of romantic isn't it?" Russell asked. "The lightening actually looks kind of pretty."
"Uh, pretty scary. I don't like the shadows from the trees." Saul said.
They continued talking and counting the storm's arrival until the eye of it was right over Santa Monica. Saul kind of burrowed into Russell's side from the huge peals of thunder. After a while, the lovers were too uneasy from the storm to talk so Russell cranked up the radio in the kit. One of the local radio stations had interrupted their regular programming to do the weather updates. After checking on it, Russell put it on his school's jazz station. And sure enough, after listening for a few minutes the student DJ played "My Favorite Things" from the "The Sound of Music".
After about three hours in the dark, the lights came back on and the storm had moved on. Both men were extremely happy. While they were putting the kit away and getting ready for bed, Russell received a phone call.
"Hello?"
"Hey Russell, it's Bob Trapper. Everything ok on your end?" Bob was the president of their neighborhood association.
"Yes, the lights just came back on. My boyfriend's here with me and we're good. And you?"
"We're good. I'm just calling everyone first to see if there are any emergencies and secondly to let everyone know that the tree in Mrs. Winter's yard is blocking the way onto the cove."
"The big oak tree?"
"Yeah, that one."
"That's a shame; it was one beautiful tree."
"I know. I'm hoping there are no emergencies because no one can get to us over that tree right now. It almost crushed the Campbell's garage. Looks like it missed it by about six feet. I've already called my brother to see if he can help us tomorrow. So they will here as early as they can. He'll give us the bill after they're done."
"So it will be taken out of our fees?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, I'll agree to that. Thanks for checking on us Bob."
"Alright Russell, you guys have a good night."
"Thanks." Russell hung up the phone and before he could tell Saul what was going on, his phone rang. It was Kevin.
"Uncle Saul where are you?"
"I'm with Russell. I didn't want to drive home through the rain, so he invited me to spend the night. The lights just came back on. Why?"
"Mrs. Karr called me when she didn't get an answer at your apartment. The lights were out and they were checking on everyone. And they think there is a flood in the basement that might be affecting one of the elevators."
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll call her and let her know I'm ok. Don't worry about me Kevin; I'm in good hands here."
"You sure?" Saul looked over at Russell and smiled.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Twenty minutes later found the couple settling in bed for the night. There was just a light drizzle of rain outside which was going to make for a much quieter night. Saul had taken his meds and was ready for bed. He laid his glasses on the nightstand and watched as Russell climbed into bed next to him. He turned off the lights and they snuggled close together. Russell's arms enveloped Saul from behind in the spoon position. He kissed the back of Saul's neck. Saul couldn't stop his smile.
"I'm so glad you're here with me. Good night my darling."
"Good night my sweet."
