Author's Note: Well this is the FINAL chapter of Hey Baby. I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad about that. This series certainly took on a life or its own, considering the original chapter was supposed to be a standalone! Many thanks to Mandi, for beta'ing and her and Rene for prodding me to write faster! There is a NC-17 version of this if anyone would like it. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
Oh, and I posted a songfic a few weeks ago "Don't Need the Sun to Shine" and didn't get one review. Sniffles The best way to get me to write faster period is to give me feedback! ;-)
Edited to add: Another songfic where the lyrcis have been removed. The song it was is listed above.
Thank You For Loving Me
Tommy sighed, letting his fingers stray absently over the warm skin beneath him. He never wanted to move. He could be content laying there, reveling in the sensation of smooth skin against his own and listening to his lover breathing, for the rest of his life...
"I have to go to Toronto..."
"What?" Tommy jerked up, away from his lover, his chest feeling painfully tight.
Jason wasn't having any of it. He followed Tommy, planting a firm kiss on his lips and using his lover's surprise to slip his tongue through his open mouth before he could say anything else. He kissed him almost playfully, leaving Tommy more confused than concerned.
"I have to go to Toronto for a conference, in a little over a month, for about two weeks," Jason told him, relaxing back against the pillows and raising an eyebrow at Tommy. "Aren't I supposed to be the one who freaks out over stuff like that?"
Tommy snorted as he flopped onto the bed beside Jason. Jason was not the same as before but Tommy was as deeply in love with the man he had become as he had been with the boy he had first fallen for. It had been seven months since Jason had stopping seeing Dr. Gamin and more than a year and a half since he had used any of the medication that had been prescribed for his panic attacks.
Tommy was glad they did not have to worry about the medication any more. The first time Jason had needed to use it had been a mess. Tommy had arrived home one day to find Jason sprawled on the couch, nearly unconscious. Jason had tried to speak but his words had been slurred and incoherent. Tommy concentrated on keeping him conscious while he called an ambulance, thinking Jason had overdosed.
It wasn't until they got to the hospital that everything was cleared up. As they were preparing to pump Jason's stomach one of the nurses noticed there were only two pills missing from the bottle which Tommy had brought along. A quick call to Dr. Gamin revealed that Jason was perfectly safe, he had taken the maximum dosage when he really only needed half that.
Most of his panic attacks had warranted one pill, only rarely did he need to take two. One left him calmer, if a bit dazed, drowsy and not trusting himself to drive home. Two meant Tommy fretted for days afterwards, saying this time he had been there, or Jason had had the sense to call him before he passed out in their bed or on the sofa, but what if he next time he wasn't reachable? Jason knew, if that were the case, he would be fine, if a little groggy and disoriented when he came to but he let Tommy worry over him a little more than usual, knowing he would do the same thing.
"Hey," Jason's voice broke through Tommy's thoughts. He had shifted to his side and was looking at him with a slight hesitance. "I have to ask you something."
"Yeah?"
"Come with me to Toronto," Jason requested.
"I'm not sure I can get the time off work. I've already booked off for Trini and Billy's wedding. That would mean I'm taking three weeks off of the next two months, I'm not sure I can swing it." Tommy sighed. "I'd like to but..."
"Just for a week, or less even if you can't manage a week but... It's important," Jason interrupted awkwardly.
"Okay." Tommy paused for a moment and looked at his lover. Jason was nervous but was resolved about whatever this was. "Why is me going to Toronto so important to you?"
Jason sighed and shifted so he could bury his head against Tommy's shoulder. "Do you know what they've decided there? What legislature the Canadian government has passed?"
"No," Tommy admitted, gently stroking the dark head resting against him.
For a moment Jason was silent. He lifted his head just enough to look at Tommy and his voice trembled a little but his eyes were certain. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've never been so complete as I am when I'm just like this with you, not doing anything special just... being. I have never been so sure of anything as I am of what we have, our love. Even when I was a mess, when I was crumbling and ready... ready to let go of everything I clung to that. I never want to be without you again."
"Jase..." Tommy felt moisture start to collect in his eyes.
"I... Tommy, I'm asking you to marry me," Jason finished, his voice finally steady.
It took a moment for Tommy to process what Jason had just said, just, literally, proposed. In those few seconds of electric silence Jason started to ramble.
"I know it's silly. I don't even think it would be recognized as a marriage here but... it will be somewhere and it'll be legal somewhere and it's so close. I know it's not the first place to legalize gay marriages but we can get married there, and no one can say anything to stop us. I know we basically already have a marriage but... I don't know... This just seems right somehow and..."
"Yes," Tommy said.
"...and I want you to know, for certain, that I'm not running away again, ever. I... What?" Jason looked shocked as Tommy's answer managed to get through his mind. "Oh. I... Oh."
Tommy laughed and reached up, drawing Jason's mouth against his and kissing him soundly. Jason still looked shocked when they parted. Tommy wrapped his arms tightly around his love, pulling him close and peppering his face with laughing kisses. "Yes. You're a fool and I love you and of course I'll marry you. I would have asked you only I didn't know we could. I've actually thought about suggesting we take a trip to Vermont."
"Really?" Jason asked, feeling rather giddy. "When?"
"Right after I found you. Then when I moved in with you. Then when we moved into this apartment. It just never seemed right." Tommy smirked, running a teasing hand down Jason's chest. "Besides, as I recall we tended to do other things on those nights..."
"Oh?" Jason grinned. "Care to refresh my memory?"
"Again?" Tommy asked with a raised eyebrow before breaking into laughter. "You're insatiable."
"Yes, but it's fun to try!" Jason replied cheekily, drawing Tommy's lips to his own as hands began to wander.
It was a warm autumn day. It could not be called hot or cold but there was a slight bite of chill in the air. The leaves were coloured, giving the feel of a stationary fireworks display in red, orange and yellow, and the air was tinged with the sharp tang of pumpkin.
They were dressed casually, slacks and button down shirts but nothing too fancy. The few people they had invited to watch the event were dressed similarly. Bob and Brad, Billy, Jason's counterpart from the Toronto office who had arranged everything, her two friends manning cameras and the minister's wife made up the guest list.
Billy's attendance had been somewhat of a fluke. He had been in Toronto doing a guest lecture at Ryerson as a favour to a friend. They had only asked him to come the night before, knowing if they had done otherwise they would have had a busload of people from Angel Grove there as well. It wasn't that they didn't want their friends there but they didn't want to inconvenience anyone and this... Tommy didn't know how to put it into words. It just worked for them, the way they were doing this.
They stood facing each other. Tommy noticed that Jason's hands were shaking and quietly reached the small distance between them to reach them. He squeezed gently, once, seeing Jason smile in response.
Tommy knew very well he may have been shaking himself if he had not been focussing on Jason. There were just so many thoughts and feelings crowding in his body he felt a rush not unlike morphing pumping through him. He managed to stay still by watching Jason, watching him calm and settle as the minister began speaking.
He was really glad that the ceremony was being video taped because he got so caught up in watching his love, watching relief, happiness and a wide smile blossom on his face as their eyes met. He would, reflecting later, say that he did catch the really important parts anyway…
"Jason Lee Scott do you take Thomas James Oliver to be your lawfully wedded Husband. Do you take him, with all his faults and strengths, and offer yourself with all your faults and strengths? Do you promise to help him when he needs help and turn to him when you need help? Do you vow to love him and care for him, for as long as you both shall love?"
"I do," Jason responded without hesitation.
"And do you, Thomas James Oliver take Jason Lee Scott to be your lawfully wedded Husband. Do you take him, with all his faults and strengths, and offer yourself with all your faults and strengths? Do you promise to help him when he needs help and turn to him when you need help? Do you vow to love him and care for him, for as long as you both shall love?" The minister asked, turning to him.
"I do," Tommy answered effortlessly, grinning in response to the smile that spread across Jason's face.
"Then by the powers vested in me by the United church of Canada I pronounce you married. You may kiss," The minister proclaimed.
Tommy didn't know if he or Jason leaned forward or if they both moved together but their lips met tenderly, a promise of what was yet to come, of years and years to come. They were smiling as they kissed, sealing their vows, and vaguely realized the few attendees were applauding quietly.
When they broke apart and turned to the small crowd the minister announced, "I now introduce to you Thomas and Jason Oliver-Scott."
Jason's grin outshined a thousand watt bulb and Tommy knew his would be just the same as Billy hugged them both tightly, honoured to be the first to congratulate them even if he was a bit peeved they'd kept this a secret.
"You do realize the girls are going to kill you both?" He told them, smiling in spite of himself. "And if you think for one minute you're going to get out of sharing our wedding reception you've got another thing coming."
"Bill..." Jason began to protest.
"It's either that or the gang will get together to throw one just for you. You're not getting out of it," Billy chuckled. "Now, I think we need to toast this."
A bottle of champagne that Billy had brought and hidden appeared from behind a bush. Constance, the minister's wife, disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a cake, an ice cream cake leaving the others with trying to figure out why the newlyweds laughed at that, adorned with two hastily found grooms. It had been a last minute thing, even she admitted they were lucky it didn't have happy birthday written on it.
They had only just cut the cake, Jason smearing a dab of ice cream on Tommy's nose and quirking an eyebrow at him, when they heard a honk and Bob and Brad disappeared only to return with a small fest of Chinese food. None of it had been planned, most arranged at the last minute but everyone had been happy to stay.
They all stayed later than anyone had expected. As the sun set one member of the little party when around lighting the torches normally used to keep away mosquitoes and plugged in the white Christmas lights someone had twined around the deck for a birthday party months ago. The minister brought a portable cd player out after going inside to take off his collar and they danced barefoot in the grass until their feet felt slightly numb just because they could.
Danny and Mandi, who came as a favour to record the event and stayed for the after party, videotaped and snapped pictures until they both ran out of film, eating and helping to finish off the champagne and two bottles of wine Constance had produced later in the evening. Mandi even ran off for ten minutes to buy two more rolls of film from the nearby corner store.
They all left around the same time, Jason and Tommy both thanking everyone profusely as they left, grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't a surprise to find a chilled bottle of wine, they had both seen Billy sneak away to make the call to the hotel, when they arrived back at their room. It was consumed between kisses and... other activities.
It was not until quite a while later that they lay curled together in a nest of blankets. Tommy was idly stroking the broad back as Jason lay half on top of him, his head over his heart. They were just happy, just glad to wallow in that sweet moment before facing the world again the next day.
"I cannot believe you didn't invite me to your wedding!"
Tommy grimaced, "Kim, we didn't invite anyone..."
"You invited Billy!" She declared, hands on her hips, giving him a look that would put the worst demons to shame.
"That was a fluke. He was in Toronto at the tim..." Tommy protested.
"I don't care. I invited you to my wedding! I expected you to return the favour!" Kim replied, shaking her finger at him.
"You didn't have to go to another country to get married," Tommy reminded her.
"That's no excuse! I would have found a way to get to Toronto and you know it! Don't!" She warned, seeing Tommy open his mouth to try and defend himself again. "Stop while you're behind. I'm not going to change my mind about this. You owe me big time mister!"
With that she turned sharply and marched away, presumably to corner Trini and "help" her with some details for the next day. Tommy stood, shaking his head, wondering why on earth she hadn't been made leader of the Rangers at some point; she could be such a tyrant when she had to be.
"As clichéd as it may be, I told you so," Billy chimed in, coming to stand beside his friend.
"I know, I know," Tommy sighed and then gave a little laugh. "She did congratulate us first though."
"I suppose that means she will, eventually, forgive you for not including her," Billy commented.
"Yeah." Tommy shook his head. "You'd think I'd excluded her from her own wedding!"
"I think to Kim any wedding that occurs within our family counts as one of her weddings. You will not be able to convince her it is not," Billy replied. He cleared his throat once, then looked at Tommy seriously. "I just wanted you to know that Trini and I both appreciate you and Jason coming. I know you do not enjoy returning to Angel Grove and that you would for us... Thank you."
"Billy, we wouldn't think of missing it, not even if you decided to get married on the moon," Tommy told him.
Billy grinned wryly, "Then you know why Kim is mad at you for not inviting her."
Tommy looked startled for a moment, his face slowly breaking into a grin. He shook his head, "Oh boy. We're going to be paying for that for awhile..."
I never knew I had a dream
Until that dream was you
When I look into your eyes
The sky's a different blue
Cross my heart
I wear no disguise
If I tried, you'd make believe
That you believed my lies
It was not the first time Jason had been back to Angel Grove, just the first time he'd really ventured outside the safety of friends' homes without being surrounded by them. They drove any ill-wishers away when he and Tommy visited by making sure they were always surrounded by a crowd of people who were allies.
He had not had any problems related to that since once during a hometown visit, he had actually been surprised when a few people he had known had offered him apologies for one thing or another they had done before he had left. That did not mean he felt secure or safe there. He could not help but feel slightly paranoid when, for whatever reason, he was not surrounded by his friends.
So going to the grocery store, even though the owner had been one of the few to not hate him after he came out, was nerve wracking but someone had to pick up the trays and everyone else was busy with some wedding detail. It would have been fine; he went early on a Saturday, if not for the person he met in the parking lot.
He had never expected to see her again and was surprised at how much it hurt. He was just glad Tommy was awake when he got back to Billy and Trini's home, and that they didn't mind them sneaking off for a bit to sort it out.
Whenever he could be, Tommy was there when Jason had a panic attack, no matter how mild, and tried twice as hard whenever Jason needed to take his medication because of an attack. Unless Jason was really bad, they liked to find a couch. Tommy sat, Jason's head in his lap, and stroked the dark hair gently while Jason calmed down, talked to him and quite often dozed for awhile.
It was a habit that stuck, and whenever one of them was upset they tended to sit like that. It gave them both a feeling of comfort and they retreated to the basement when Jason returned from the store, confused and upset, to try and figure out what they were going to do.
Jason, however, had had time to think about it in the car ride home. He already knew what he was going to do, what he had to do. He just needed Tommy close for awhile, and he to tell his husband what he was going to do.
"I'm going to go," Jason said, after laying there for awhile, concentrating on the feel of Tommy's fingers combing through his hair.
Tommy was surprised at that and of how steady Jason sounded. "You sure?"
"I need to know," Jason answered. "I have to know what they want. If there's a chance they'll accept me..."
"I know," Tommy paused and then let out a loud sigh. "I just don't want to see you hurt again."
"I have to take the chance. You know I do. You would do the same thing if it were your family," Jason turned, looking up at Tommy. "I have to go."
"I know but I can't help but worry. I love you, I hate knowing they could hurt you, and I know just how much it could hurt you too." Tommy touched his cheek gently; Jason was nervous, he could tell, but not as much as Tommy would have thought he would be.
"Don't worry, come with me," Jason said.
"What?"
"She asked me to bring you as well. Actually, she said to bring my young man with me." A ghost of a smile flickered across Jason's face. "I was so surprised I didn't really register it at the time, or what it could mean."
Tommy returned the tiny smile. "Yeah. This might actually be okay."
"And if it's not I'll live. It'll hurt but..." Jason shrugged and caught Tommy's hand, kissing his palm and nuzzling his cheek against it. "We've been through worse."
Hours later, standing on the front steps of the house Tommy could not help but worry about what this would do to his husband. To have a glimmer of hope and then to have it snatched away... It just seemed so unnecessarily cruel, and they had been through enough!
"Hey." Jason nudged Tommy gently before finding his hand and clasping it tightly, "it'll be fine. No matter what happens in there, it'll be fine."
Tommy smiled. "I know. Let's just get it over with, okay?"
Jason nodded, took a deep breath, and knocked on the blue door. Tommy watched him carefully out of the corner of his eye; he'd gotten to be very good at that. Jason was calm. He was ready for this, whatever came from it he was ready to either start letting these people back into his life or go back to his other family, the family that would never let him go again.
They heard noise on the other side of the door for a second before it swung open and they were quickly drawn inside. There was a little cry of joy and Jason had to let go of Tommy's hand as his grandmother hugged him like she would never let him go.
Tommy thought the only reason she did let go was because Jason's grandfather appeared and wrapped his arms around his wayward grandson. He didn't have much time to process that, though, because the little old lady he'd only met a few times before had moved onto him. He automatically hugged her back, surprised but very glad.
Finally releasing Jason, his grandfather smiled at him, his dark eyes damp. "Thank you. Thank you for coming back to us."
"Come, we've got a lot to talk about." Jason saw his grandmother glance at the matching rings they now wore. She caught his eye and grinned.
Jason felt Tommy's hand on the small of his back, checking to see if he was okay. It was a habit from when he would have been likely to freak out, one that Tommy had not been able to shake after it was no longer really needed. Jason smiled when that hand moved to his own as they followed his grandparents into the living room.
Audrey indicated that Jason and her son-in-law -- she was counting him as such, Jason wouldn't exchange rings with just anyone -- should sit on the couch. She had hoped they would come today, but would not have blamed them if they had not shown up. She knew what her son had done to Jason; she could not even get her son to acknowledge Jason existed.
It meant she and Joseph had not spoken to their son for the past year, unable to stand it any longer. Running into Jason at the grocery store had been simple luck, and as much as she would have liked to simply have grabbed him and hauled him home then, Audrey could see how surprised he was and how much hurt lurked behind those dark eyes, so much like his grandfather's.
But here he was, sitting in front of them, looking as giddily dazed as she felt.
"Thank you for coming," Audrey said her voice a bit watery. "I wasn't sure you would."
"I've missed you both. I had to see if there was still something here for me," Jason paused. "I wasn't sure there would be though."
"Jason, you're our grandson, we love you. We're not going to stop loving you because the person you want to spend your life with is another man." Audrey looked at her husband, they had had some misgivings about this when they first heard but they had gotten over it quickly. What was more important was they had no longer been able to find Jason when they arrived home from spending six months in Barbados with Joseph's brother Colin, who wasn't doing so well.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," Jason told them. "I never thought... After what happened with mom and dad and everyone else here I just assumed you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me either. I... You talked to my parents, right?"
Audrey nodded reluctantly, "We did, sweetie."
"And?" Jason asked.
Joseph sighed, "We're sorry, Jason. We have tried to talk to them but..." He trailed off, how did you tell someone their parents would have nothing to do with him?
"It's okay, really." Jason's voice was resigned. He had come to the realization that he could no longer hope to reconcile with his parents. It took too much out of him to keep wanting that. "Knowing you still care about me is more than I had expected or even hoped for."
"You can always count on us, if you didn't know what then, know it now," Audrey said firmly. "We wanted to contact you sooner but by the time we knew you were having problems you were gone. No one, it seemed, knew where you were."
"No one knew where I was for quite awhile. I didn't tell anyone I was leaving, not even..." Jason glanced at his husband briefly, feeling Tommy squeeze his hand in support. "Not even the people I knew cared about me. By the time I left was having some problems. I was just lucky Tommy found me and was persistent enough to get through to me and start to help me."
"Jason gives me too much credit," Tommy put in, watching the grandparents carefully, "and I needed him and much as he needed me."
"I'm just glad you were there for him," Audrey said. "Do you... Are you still having problems?"
"No, or at least, nothing really out of the ordinary. I was..." Jason paused, not sure how to tell his grandparents what had happened. "I was assaulted by co-workers when they found out I was gay. It... That was very hard to get through. I had some problems with crowds and certain words for quite some time after that. I haven't for awhile but I tend to try and avoid situations that would remind me too strongly about what happened."
Tommy felt a familiar anger, not as fierce as it had once been but still there, at the mention of the assault. Jason was trying to downplay it for his grandparents' sake, but he knew just how much his husband had suffered trying to move beyond what had happened to him before he left Angel Grove and what had happened in his office.
He knew what it was like to watch Jason battle through his fears and also knew what it was like to see terror overwhelm him... He automatically thought back to the worst panic attack Jason had had, remembering what it was like to have to watch his love go through that.
It had only been a few days since Tommy had left Angel Grove. He had moved in with Jason, into the little apartment he had first found him in, but they had started looking for a new place, a new start. There were too many bad memories in the little place and though Tommy would miss the bathroom, he liked that bathroom; he knew it was for the best.
"You ready to go?" Jason asked as he pulled his jacket on.
"Yeah. You sure you're ready?" Tommy looked at Jason intently.
"I think so. You won't mind if... if we have to leave?" Jason asked hesitantly.
Tommy wrapped an arm around Jason's shoulders, drawing him into a brief hug. "I won't mind at all. I'm just happy you want to try going. If we miss part of the movie that's fine. We can always try going again or get it when it comes out on video."
Jason sighed, nodding. He thought he could handle this; it wasn't that big a deal. Dr. Gamin had suggested he and Tommy should start going out, just doing little things, where they knew there would be crowds to help Jason get comfortable in them again. Going to the movies, and a movie that had been out for awhile already, wasn't much but it was a start.
It seemed, Tommy thought as Jason stayed close to him as they made their way to the lobby, that the idea of being in any type of crowd scared Jason almost as much as being in the crowd. If they could get past that apprehension of what was to come it might make things easier for him.
The elevator doors opened with a mechanical ping and Tommy started though, only to stop short when Jason's hand shot out, clutching his arm. Tommy looked at his lover, confused, to find his face had gone deathly pale, his eyes wide in fear. He followed the dark gaze across the lobby, to the man who was just walking through the front doors, where someone was working on repairing the lock.
Tommy took a step back, recognizing the other man, and pressed the door close button quickly. The man had spotted them by now, was coming forward, but the elevator doors closed before he could get across the lobby. Tommy didn't know how he was there. How he had gotten their address or how he had gotten out of jail, but knew he had to get them safe inside their apartment fast and call the police.
Jason's hand was still clutching his arm so tightly it was painful. He was rigid, sweating, and looked like he might fall over at any second. Tommy looked at him and swallowed hard. This was not good.
Tommy had to half guide half drag Jason to their apartment; he was rooted to the spot with fear. He fumbled anxiously with his keys. He didn't know if the man had their address or had anything with him, he just needed to get Jason safe. Then he could call the police and deal with his own fears.
Finally the lock clicked open and he nearly pushed Jason inside. His lover didn't even respond to it, letting Tommy guide him into the living room, onto the couch, after he had securely locked the door, worried enough to push a coffee table and two chairs against it so it really could not be opened.
He grabbed the cordless phone and sat next to Jason, pulling his lover against him and stroking the dark hair gently as he dialled. Jason tensed, staying rigid beside him for a few moments before seeming to go boneless against him with a soft sound between a wail and a moan as the trembling started.
Tommy tried to comfort him, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear while he fumbled for Jason's medication, still in his coat pocket.
"911, how may I help you?"
Tommy opened his mouth to speak when the banging began. Tommy's eyes widened, realized who it would be.
Jason froze for a moment; Tommy could see the stark terror on his face before he bolted. He nearly crashed into the bathroom door before stumbling to the toilet, his whole body heaving as he retched.
"Hello?"
"I need the police. There's a guy at my door and he's trying to break in. He's assaulted my boyfriend once before, I don't know how he got our address or how he got out of jail," Tommy told the woman on the other end as he went after Jason.
"He's at your door?" The woman asked.
"Yes." Tommy knelt beside Jason, feeling the trembles that coursed through his body before Jason jerked away from his touch, hitting his elbow hard on the bathtub, his eyes wild and glassy.
"Is someone with you?" The woman asked.
"Yes, my boyfriend." Tommy watched as Jason tried to scramble backwards and wedge himself into the tiny space between the bathtub and toilet, his fears driving him completely. "He's having a panic attack. He's had them since he was first assaulted a few weeks ago. This one is pretty bad."
"Can you keep him calm until the police and paramedics get there?"
"I don't know. He's pretty much out of it right now. I'm trying to calm him down but..." Tommy felt helpless. He couldn't even get Jason to take his medication when he was this far gone, huddled as far away from him as he could, shaking and moaning softly.
"Have you helped him through an attack before?" The woman questioned. "Do you want me to talk you through it?"
"No, I know what I'm doing; I just can't get through to him. He won't let me get close," Tommy replied. "I need to be able to talk to him."
"Okay, leave the phone on, I want you to give me updates on what's happening but concentrate on helping him." The woman said. "The police should be on their way. What's your name so I can let them know?"
"Tommy Oliver," he replied.
"Okay, Tommy, you concentrate on your boyfriend, let me worry about getting the police and paramedics there to help," the woman told him.
Tommy put the phone down beside the sink, sliding a little closer to his trembling lover. He stopped when Jason flinched, trying to claw his way further into the space between the tub and toilet. He kept his hands where Jason could see him, making sure to stay on Jason's level.
"It's okay Jase, it's just me. It's Tommy. I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay," he said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I need you to calm down so I can help. Can you calm down for me, Jase?"
Jason moaned softly, making no sign he heard Tommy except for not flinching when his lover inched a tiny bit closer.
"Shhhhh. It's okay, Jason, it's okay. I'll help you, you just need to calm down a little, okay? Shhh. Let me help you." Tommy kept talking quietly, repeating the same words over and over again, trying to get through to Jason, slowly moving closer to him.
Finally he was beside Jason, not touching him, waiting for Jason to make that move, and still talking softly to him. Jason was still trembling, still terrified, but there was more awareness in his eyes. He very slowly, very hesitantly, reached out for Tommy, making sure he wasn't going to suddenly turn on him before letting his boyfriend gently wrap his arms around the shaking body.
In a few moments Jason was clinging to Tommy, to safety, his face pressed against his lover's neck as he sobbed, unable to stop. Tommy shushed him gently, keeping one arm around him while trying to negotiate the pill bottle cap with the other.
It seemed to take forever to get the cap off but he finally did with a soft pop. He carefully coaxed Jason back, putting the pills against his lips. Jason swallowed them automatically, desperate to not be out of control anymore, not even waiting for water, before plastering himself against Tommy again.
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay," Tommy murmured, stroking his hair and the back of his neck gently, waiting for the pills to take affect.
They did quickly enough, Tommy could feel Jason's body losing its tension and settling against his as he picked up the phone. He gingerly got Jason to his feet, shouldering most of his weight, and led him to their bedroom. Jason shook a little more, still hearing the banging on the door, but trusted Tommy to take care of him.
Tommy got Jason to lay down on the bed but the only way to get him to remain there was to stay with him. If he tried to get up Jason would try to follow him despite the fact the medication was making it harder and harder for him to do anything but relax and drift off.
Tommy had no intention of leaving Jason's side, knowing his lover was still panicky. He leaned against the headboard, letting Jason settle against him though the lean body still trembled almost violently.
Running his fingers through Jason's mussed hair, Tommy picked up the phone again, "Hello?"
"How are you doing, Tommy?" the woman asked.
"Better, I got him to calm down enough to take his medication," Tommy told her, trying to concentrate on Jason's hair beneath his fingers instead of the pounding and yelling at the door, noting the tremors beginning to ease up.
"What about you? Are you okay?" the woman pressed.
"I'll be fine once the police get here," Tommy answered.
"They're coming, don't worry. Is the man still at the door? I can hear the banging. Do you know if he's armed?"
"He's still there. He hasn't stopped yet. I don't know if he's armed. When he attacked my boyfriend he had a stolen knife on him." Tommy's voice rose slightly in anger. "What I want to know is how this fuck got out of jail!"
Jason picked up on the harsh tone and stirred in his half aware state, whimpering softly. Tommy immediately sought to comfort him, letting his fingers play over the broad shoulders gently, whispering until the tremors began to lessen again.
"Are you still with me, Tommy?" the woman's voice asked after a few moments.
"Yeah," he replied, still trying to calm Jason. His lover seemed to relax more, sinking further into the medication's hold.
"The police are on their way. I want you to stay on the phone with me until they get there," the woman told him. "How's your boyfriend doing?"
"The medication has kicked in, I think." Tommy looked down at Jason. His eyes were closed, the tremors finally having ceased, and his face looked almost relaxed. Almost, Tommy's all too observant eye could pick up the panic flushed cheeks, still fading, and the silvery tear trails that were drying on the damp cheeks. "He's okay."
"Good, you just stay with him, the police..."
Tommy didn't hear the rest of her sentence. There was suddenly more shouting in the hallway and the banging at the door stopped. He heard someone attempt to run down the hall then the sounds of a scuffle before someone hit the wall with a loud thud. There were a short paused before the voice that had been screaming at the door started cursing loudly.
A few minutes passed and then there was a light knock at the door followed be a new voice calling, "Sir? It's the police, please unlock the door."
"The cops are here," Tommy told the woman. "Thank you... I don't know your name."
"It's Rene," she said. "Take care now, I hope this all works out okay."
The phone on the other end cut off with a click and Tommy carefully slipped off the bed. Jason didn't stir.
The knock at the door came again. "Sir? Are you alright? Can you answer me?"
"I'm fine," Tommy replied as he pulled away the furniture and looked through the peep hole. Two paramedics and two police officers stood on the other side of the door.
He opened the door and stood back, letting them in. The paramedic looked at him critically, "Are you alright? We were told someone was having a panic attack over the dispatch."
Tommy nodded, "My boyfriend. He's in the bedroom. I gave him two of these," Tommy handed over the pill bottle, "Dr. Kris Gamin prescribed them. This isn't the first time this has happened but it's the worst I've seen so far."
"Okay. I'm going to check on him, make sure he's alright," the paramedic said.
"Try not to wake him. I don't think he'll react well to seeing a strange person after that," Tommy advised. "It's hard enough when it's just me."
It was nearly an hour before the police left, having thoroughly questioned Tommy on everything he knew about what went on that afternoon. They would have liked to have questioned Jason too but he was well and truly out of it. The paramedics told them he would not be okay for questioning until probably the next day. They left without a fuss.
When they were gone Tommy returned to where Jason was drifting in a drug induced slumber. Tommy grabbed a quilt from the hall cupboard, one he had brought when he removed the last of Jason's things from storage, and gently tucked it around his lover. He stood beside the bed for a few moments, just looking at Jason.
He crawled into bed beside him, carefully drawing the prone body against his, knowing Jason was too deeply asleep to wake up if an explosion went off outside their window. He buried his head against his unresponsive lover's neck and cried, silently, until he too fell asleep...
"So, what are these rings about?"
Audrey's voice broke through Tommy's memories. That, along with a squeeze of the hand clasping his, brought him back to the present. Jason shot him a worried look before turning his attention back to his grandmother.
"What rings?" Joseph asked, clueless as to what his wife was talking about.
"The ones they're wearing on their wedding fingers," Audrey replied.
"Oh, well, we got married about a month ago," Jason told them.
Joseph's eyebrows climbed skyward, "Oh?"
"Yeah, it's legal in Ontario now and I had a business conference to go to so," Jason shrugged. "It was something we both wanted to do. The ceremony wasn't very big but it meant a lot to us."
"The rings were actually an after thought. We had ordered them just before the wedding and picked them up when we got back." Tommy couldn't help but quirk a tiny grin remembering how they had exchanged those rings.
"Why did you need to wait to pick them up?" Joseph wondered aloud.
Jason smiled, and glanced at his husband again, "We had them inscribed."
Audrey elbowed Joseph before he could ask what the inscription was. He looked at her oddly but before he could comment Audrey spoke again, "Next time something like this happens we expect to be included."
They couldn't help it, they had to laugh. That was the same thing they had been hearing from their other family since they arrived!
Tommy settled back into Jason's arms, having retrieved his empty glass of what had been rum and coke from a very giggly Kat. The Australian hardly ever drank and the few glasses of champagne and wine she had had during the course of the reception had gone straight to her head. Most of the former Rangers felt a bit tipsy, having had to toast one too many times, at what had become a joint reception, or something like that at least.
Tommy was feeling the effects of one drink too many himself. He wasn't drunk, just a glass over his limit, well, a glass and a half when the glass Kat had stolen half way through was counted. He wasn't planning on having anymore. For one thing, the bar was closed, which was why Kat had stolen his drink in the first place!
Jason, he knew, had had a little champagne when the toasts were being done but that was probably it. Jason didn't like drinking, or more precisely, didn't like not being in full command of his senses. Besides, he was pretty sure Trini had only had a glass of champagne and a glass of wine. He wasn't sure if Billy had had too much... No, Billy's face was a bit flushed and he didn't think it was because Trini was sitting on his lap. Zack... He remembered that Zack didn't drink at all, he just couldn't remember why at the moment.
It was only the former Rangers left, sitting around Billy and Trini's back yard where the reception had been held. All the other guests and caterers, and the bar unfortunately, had cleared away, the family, Morphin' to Zeo, closing ranks for awhile.
The wedding had gone off with only one hitch; it had rained for awhile in the morning. But after the short shower it had become a beautiful day and by the time the reception had rolled around the grass in the backyard was dry. Most of guests had been a bit surprised to find out they were also celebrating Jason and Tommy's wedding but no one raised a word of protest, except for some good natured grumbling about the length of the speeches, and proceeded to have one hell of a party.
The last to leave were the other Rangers, some drunker than Kat. Tommy distinctly remembered seeing Cassie and TJ helping get Justin into a cab. They, being an extended part of the family, had insisted on staying to hear all the details of Jason and Tommy's wedding and also taken a surplus of ridiculous pictures, including Kat falling out of her chair.
Now it was just them once more and as soon as the last guest outside their circle had left Kim pointed a finger at Tommy, put down her wine glass and said, "I'm still mad at you?"
"You are?" Tommy stifled a giggle, placing his rescued, but empty glass on a chair.
"Yes... I think I am. Why am I mad at them?" Kim asked, looking at her husband to remind her.
"They didn't invite you to their wedding," Rocky reminded her, taking the still half full wine glass out of her hand and tipping it into the grass when she turned back to them.
"That's right! You didn't invite me to your wedding!" Kim shook her finger at them. "Bad boys. I invited you to mine!"
Adam was giggling so hard he fell out of his chair which only made him laugh harder. Tanya shot Rocky a dirty look, "Did you have to spike all of his drinks?"
"How often do I get a chance to get frog boy drunk?" Rocky replied with a grin of his own.
Tanya had to turn her head to hide her own smile and Rocky proceeded to make faces behind her. Kat guffawed, rolling around on the grass until she could stop laughing, having never gotten up after Tommy snatched his empty glass back.
Tommy had someone gotten involved in what seemed like a staring contest with Billy. Finally he blinked, then scowled, and demanded, "What?"
Billy blinked, "I cannot tell you how glad I was to see you let your hair lengthen again because, quite frankly, when you had it short it looked like someone had stuck a deceased hedgehog on your scalp."
Kat and Adam howled with laughter and Kim would have fallen off her chair if Rocky hadn't had his arms around her waist. Jason laughed so hard he almost started to cry, finally managing to gasp out, "I don't know what's funnier, that Billy still uses technobabble when he's drunk or that that is exactly what I thought the first time I saw that haircut!"
Tommy attempted to look offended, especially since Jason was laughing so hard he had to get off him but after a few minutes he started laughing too, remembering how much he had regretted that haircut.
"Trini, your wedding was so beautiful. Your dress was beautiful and the flowers were beautiful and I want my wedding to be that beautiful!" Kat sat up and flung her arms out every time she said beautiful, finally falling back onto the grass when she flung them too far on the last one.
"I hope she remembers we're already married in the morning!" Zack said with a smile.
Kat rolled over, grinned at him, and proceeded to crawl towards him, only getting half way because Kim decided to throw a shoe at her before collapsing out of Rocky's lap in another fit of giggles.
"And people say I'm the rowdy one in the family!" Rocky grinned hugely before looking at Tanya, "I guess I shouldn't have spiked everyone's drinks so often, huh? How'd you manage to avoid it?"
Tanya rolled her eyes, "Simple. I never drink anything I see you near. I remember Christmas last year thank you very much!"
"Rocky, what did I tell you about spiking people's drinks at my wedding?" Trini asked, her grin ruining her attempt to be threatening.
"Wait until the speeches are finished, not too much and not the people who don't drink," Rocky replied. "And I didn't! I only did about two each; just enough to get people a little smashed after they'd had their own drinks. I didn't put anything in any of Kim's drinks."
He paused, frowning, as Kim got to her feet and went over to sit on Adam's stomach. When Adam gave an oof of protest she patted his head and looked around for her wine glass. "Actually, someone, I don't know who, tried to spike my drink. They didn't do the best job, I tasted it right away."
Tanya caught Trini's eye and mouthed, "dammit" but Rocky caught it and gaped at her. "You!"
"Oh, you think you're the only one who can pull a prank," Tanya muttered. "But you spiked Adam's more than twice because I didn't at all, just yours Kim's and Kat's."
"I can't believe you tried to spike my drink!" Rocky exclaimed.
"You didn't drink it, what does it matter?" Zack asked with a grin. He knew Rocky just didn't want to be challenged to another prank war. They had been the last two to have one and it had gotten to the point neither of them could get through a day without having something stain their clothing.
"And you spiked my drink so turnabout is fair play! Plus you spiked Adam's!" Tanya shot back, more amused at Rocky's reaction than angry.
"Well, you're the only one who spiked Kim's," Rocky grimaced, "and we both know who she'll blame it on."
Tanya grinned, "Oh yeah!"
A shoe suddenly came flying at Rocky's head. He caught it before it hit him, staring incredulously as his wife who shook her finger at him, "No fighting! S'not allowed!"
Kat giggled, throwing a handful of grass at Kim, who retaliated by attempting to tackle her but just falling on her instead. Kat picked herself up and stumbled back to a chair.
Rocky looked at Tanya. "Why'd you spike Kat's drink? I know I didn't put that much in hers."
Tanya laughed, "She's just a really funny drunk."
Kat let out a squawk as her chair tipped and she tumbled backwards, legs sticking straight in the air. Everyone, no matter how much alcohol they had consumed, burst out laughing.
"Ooookay, I think everyone it's time I got my wife home," Zack said, as he helped Kat back to her wobbly feet. He glanced around at Kim and Adam, both of their spouses trying to get them up to go as well. "You think this is the reason the Morphing powers made it nearly impossible to get drunk?"
"How drunk are you, really?" Jason asked as he and Tommy made their way to the guest bedroom of Trini and Billy's rather large house.
"Not very." Tommy saw Jason's 'oh really?" look. "I know when Rocky is going to spike my drink, Jase, and unlike Kat I don't believe him when he says he hasn't while grinning that grin. If I tasted alcohol I gave mine to various people, though I wouldn't have given them to Kat if I had known Tanya and Rocky were getting her. I'm about a glass over what I'd usually have."
Jason grinned, closing the door behind them as they entered the bedroom, "Yeah, Billy didn't drink anything Rocky had spiked either."
Tommy frowned, turned to look at his husband as he removed his shirt, "But..."
Jason chuckled, removing the tie that had been hanging around his neck, undone, "He's wanted to say that to you for awhile."
"My hair wasn't that bad," Tommy muttered.
"Yes it was," Jason smiled, watching appreciatively as Tommy stripped to his boxers while doing the same himself, "but we loved you anyway."
Tommy rolled his eyes, "Everyone's a critic when it comes to my hair."
Jason laughed softly and Tommy glanced over at him as he attempted to take off his socks, hopping around on one foot before giving up and sitting on the bed. Tommy chuckled and decided to lose the boxers as well. "I thought I was the one who had had too much to drink?"
"You were... mmmm..." Jason's teasing was cut off as Tommy pressed moist lips against his, taking advantage of the slightly parted mouth.
The teasing stopped, giving way to more pleasurable actitivies. When they were both sated they lay side by side, panting softly.
Grinning like a fool Tommy leaned over and kissed his husband. He pulled Jason against him, sighing softly in contentment as his husband settled half on top of him, his weight warm and his head resting over his heart.
Tommy pulled the covers up around them and snaked an arm around Jason's back, the other stroking the soft hair at the back of his neck. Jason titled his head, pressing a kiss against his collar bone before sighing and closing his eyes with a whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too," Tommy said softly, dropping a kiss on the dark head and settling to sleep, entwined with his husband, his beloved.