God's in 7th Heaven, All's Right with the World

By Cypher

Chapter Seventeen: Lunch Date, Dinner Conversation, and Late Night Talks

"I wish I could go with you."

Terry kissed Simon's forehead. "I wish it were you instead, too."

Simon sighed and looked at the apple he had grabbed. Terry had arrived shortly after the third week of school, slightly later than expected, but there had been complications with Jordon's move to Tokyo that Terry had to deal with. By that time, he had been grounded by his parents for his little dating service, something Terry still didn't know about.

In fact, all Terry knew was that Simon had needed a shoulder to cry on. The night before Terry had returned, Simon helped a girl, Claire, deliver a baby and leave it anonymously at a hospital. It had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do, and though he knew it was the right thing to do, part of him had wanted to keep that baby, to raise it with the Camdens to give it some sort of a life.

Only he couldn't do that. His parents would never agree to take care of a baby, nor would they leave him alone until they found out the truth and somehow meddled in Claire's family life, destroying the very secret she had been keeping from her parents. So he had, after some self reflection, brought the child to the hospital. Despite doing the right thing, it weighed heavily on his heart.

The next day, Simon stopped by Terry's house on his way home from school, despite his parents' order of restriction, and confessed what he'd done for Claire, how he felt.

"I just don't know if I did the right thing."

Terry rubbed Simon's back, rocking the teen slightly. "You did more than what most people would do. You saved a life, gave that child a real chance to survive. Do you know how many abandoned babies there are in New York? My mother once did an article on it, and it's not a nice number. If the people there had the courage to do what you did, maybe the world would be better." He stroked Simon's hair. "You did the right thing."

"Then why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so...so..." Simon sniffed and hugged Terry tighter, trying to gain comfort from his boyfriend as he searched for the word to place his feeling.

"Helpless? Guilty?"

Simon nodded and rested his head on Terry's shoulder.

"Because you have a big heart, Simon. Because you offered to shoulder a great responsibility without wanting anything in return. It's because you're compassionate. It's one trait that attracts me to you. You could be starving, and if you saw a starving child, you'd offer any food you had to it rather than end your own starvation." Terry pulled Simon back. "You did the right thing, Simon. You have to take some comfort in that fact."

Simon nodded and wiped his eyes. "I take some...but-"

"But there's still those feelings." Terry sighed. "Simon, I know you love me, and I know how much comfort I give you, but I can't fulfill you entirely. Your family fills your soul in ways I can't. This may be a burden you need lifted by them, or if you don't trust them with this secret, then another person may be your answer. I don't know, Simon. But you should think it over."

Simon rested against Terry. He didn't like that Terry didn't have the answer, but he understood Terry's reasoning. "Thank you. I'm glad your back. I love you."

"I love you too, Simon. And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. This year is about you and me. I promised that before I left, and I intend to keep it." Terry patted Simon's shoulder. "You should get home."

Simon wiped his eyes again and kissed Terry briefly. "Stop by soon."

"I'll plan a wonderful dinner for the end of your restriction." Terry grinned. "Just don't get grounded again."

Simon slapped Terry's arm. "Smart alec."

Terry had kept Claire's secret, as Simon expected, but his return was not unnoticed by the rest of the family. Lucy, above the others, noticed how Simon seemed to perk up. From there she deduced that Terry had returned, and invited him over.

He was received warmly, and though he didn't have any gifts, much to the disappointment of Ruthie, he was greeted with hugs and smiles by the entire Camden clan. Kevin and Ben weren't too sure about him yet, but that wasn't surprising, as they hadn't officially met him.

Terry, however, didn't stay long. He had meetings to attend with his teachers, and a few conferences with his business manager to work out a shooting schedule for the rest of the school year. Before he left, however, Lucy talked him into going out for lunch that Saturday.

It was now Saturday, and Simon was in the kitchen getting his own lunch and taking one of the few opportunities he had outside of school to talk with Terry. "So where are you two going?"

"No place special." Terry leaned on the counter and watched Simon. "Probably Pete's or the Pool Hall or something. I can't wait till we can go out. Talking with you was nice, but it doesn't beat a date."

Simon nodded. He had called Terry about every other day, sometimes for a few minutes to say hi, and sometimes for hours talking about what had happened at school or with Jordon's move. "I can't wait either."

"We just have to wait until your restriction ends. By the by, why are you on restriction?"

Simon took a bite out of his apple. I can't tell him, not like this. I want to be able to get him to understand why I did it. "Oh, just some stupid thing I pulled at school."

"Mmhmm. You know, I'm going to pry it out of you, even if I have to play bad cop to get it."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "And how do you play bad cop?"

"Kiss you until you give in."

Simon blushed and took another bite of his fruit. I just had to ask.

"It's a tactic my mother picked up for when she needs to pry information from unwilling male informants." Terry smirked. "Learned from the best."

Simon coughed and looked at the stairs. How much longer will you be, Luce?

~*()*~

"So exactly who is he?"

Lucy smoothed out her jacket and grabbed her purse. "He's just a friend, Kevin."

"I've done some checking. He's a male model."

Lucy shrugged. "I know."

"Is he an ex-boyfriend?"

Lucy laughed. If only he knew. "Kevin, he wouldn't date me if I was the last woman on Earth."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Yet he'll take you out to lunch."

"It's just lunch, Kevin. Sheesh." She put her hands on her hips. "Besides, you hang around with Roxanne all day. If I want to have lunch with a gorgeous guy for a couple hours, so what? Don't you trust me?"

"As you once put it, I trust you. I'm not so sure about him, though."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Terry is one of my dearest friends."

"And another thing, why do I have to call him Dax and you call him Terry?"

Lucy looked at her watch. "It's a familiarity thing, alright. Look, he's probably downstairs waiting for me. Can we continue this later? And don't you have to patrol the promenade with your partner?"

Kevin shook his head. "This isn't over, Luce."

"Believe me, it is." Lucy left her room and headed down the stairs. She emerged in the kitchen in the middle of an awkward silence between Simon and Terry. "Am I interrupting something?"

Simon swallowed the piece of food in his mouth and shook his head.

"Nothing at all." Terry walked over and hugged Lucy. "Ohh, it's good to see you again."

Kevin stepped out from the stairwell, spotting Lucy and Terry immediately.

Terry saw Kevin and grinned. Well, well. Looks like she managed to hook him after all. "We'd better get going. I'm starving."

"Right." She nodded at Kevin, then Simon. "We'll be back soon." She headed out the back door with Terry.

Simon sighed, wanting so much to be in Lucy's place right now.

"Do you know about this guy?"

Simon glanced at Kevin. "Well...he's a friend of mine. And of the family."

Kevin waited for more information. "That's it?"

"Yeah."

Kevin grunted and headed out the door for his noon patrol.

~*()*~

"So why is he on restriction?"

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

Terry shook his head and sipped some of his soda. He and Lucy had opted for Pete's Pizza and had snagged an outside table. "No, so?"

"Well, he started an escort service, basically. He took girls out for money. But don't be too angry at him. It was just an idea he got from a one time job where a girl asked to make out with him to make her boyfriend jealous and offered money for his services."

Terry sat there a moment, then cracked a smile and chuckled. "Oi, that's rich."

Lucy tilted her head. "That wasn't quite the response I expected."

"Lucy, I trust Simon. I know how he is, and that he'd never turn away from me. But what he did," Terry shook his head, still smiling, "pure genius, in many ways."

"How so?"

"Think about it, Luce. Who better to run an escort service than a guy who knows he'll never fall for his clients?"

Lucy thought about it a moment, then smiled as well. "I see your point."

"He must've made a bundle, and this certainly explains his lack of calls last week." Terry leaned back in his chair. "Oh, that's just rich. I would've liked to have seen Eric's face when he found out."

"I think we all would've, but were too scared to."

Terry nodded, then looked up as the waiter approached. "So, what should we get?"
~*()*~

"I can't believe that you, Kevin Kinkirk, would stoop this low."

Kevin glanced at a couple walking by, then looked over at his partner, Roxanne. "What are you talking about?"

"This is the third time we've passed Pete's Pizza. If you're so nervous about that guy with Lucy, why don't you just join them."

"I'm not nervous. I trust Lucy."

"Just not him." Roxanne crossed her arms. "You're acting just like Lucy."

"No I'm not. Unlike Lucy, I checked this guy out."

Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "You checked him out?" Roxanne looked across the street at the pizza parlor, looking over the young man sitting across from Lucy. "Other than the fact that he's cute, what'd you find out?"

"He's a male model, eighteen, and that's it."

"That's it?"

"It's like he has no past. Everything about him lies in school records, which date back to last year, and the modeling service. There's nothing else that I can find."

"A man of mystery." Roxanne grinned. "Holds potential."

"Don't even think about it." Kevin glanced down the street and kept walking.

Roxanne followed. "What? I can date whoever I want. And he's not too young."

"There's just...something not right about him. He's hiding something."

"From the Camdens? I doubt it."

Kevin shook his head. "No, the Camdens know, it's just everyone else who's in the dark. But I intend to find out what it is."

Roxanne looked up at the sky. "Kinkirk, you've lost your mind."
~*()*~

"So why can't we be together?"

Simon rubbed a hand over his face. He'd been refusing Cecilia's calls since the night Claire had had her baby, but apparently the family was tired of her calling due to his lack of response. His mother had run out of excuses for Simon to not accept the call, Lucy was too focused on Kevin at the moment to bother creating a lie, and the others, well, they had their own lives as well.

"Simon?"

"I'm on restriction, Cecilia, in case you forgot. You're the one who turned me in, after all. What makes you think I'd even want to go out with you?"

"You can't tell me you didn't feel the attraction I felt."

Simon hung his head. "No, I didn't. I'm not interested, Cecilia. So stop calling."

"Simon, I'm going to need a better explanation than that. A guy like you isn't just uninterested."

This is getting out of hand. "I'm involved with someone, and I have no interest in ending it."

"I've checked around. You don't have a girlfriend, either at school or outside of it. Lying-"

"I'm not lying! I'm gay, okay? That's why I'm not interested! I'm gay and happily dating the man of my dreams now would you leave me alone?!"

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Simon winced as he realized what he had said in the heat of the moment. Damn it! Here I am walking on tip toes keeping my orientation a secret from Kevin and I go and blab it to a classmate! "Cecilia?"

"You'd better be kidding, Simon."

Simon bit his lip. If I say I was, she'll keep pestering me. But if I say I wasn't... He looked at his bedside table, where he kept two pictures. One was of his family, the other, the one he was staring at, was of Terry. Terry and I can't keep quiet forever. "Cecilia, I'm not kidding. It's...a secret I've been keeping for a while."

Silence was his answer, but Simon knew she was still there. He could hear her breathing.

"I wouldn't mind just being friends, really. But I'm not interested in you. And...it'd mean a lot if you could keep this quiet for now. I want to come out in my own time."

There was a pause, then Cecilia finally spoke. "Who is it?"

"You won't tell anyone?"

"If you tell me who it is."

Simon took a deep breath, debating between telling the truth and making up a nonexistent person. Terry wouldn't want me to lie, though. "Dax."

"I see. For now, Simon, your secret is safe. But don't think you're off the hook yet."

"Cecilia-" But it was too late. She had hung up. Lying back on his bed, Simon closed his eyes. I can't believe I just did that. Terry shouldn't be angry at me, but if she tells, our last years at high school are going to be hell.

~*()*~

"So how was your move into Jordon's girlfriend's house?"

Terry sighed. "Unfortunately, not good. On our flight over, Sakura got in a car accident."

Lucy leaned forward. "Is she okay? She didn't-"

"No, no, she was fine when we arrived, but you know how near-death experiences make you look over your life, right? Well, she decided that Jordon wasn't for her."

Lucy winced. "Ouch. How'd Jordon take it?"

"Eh, not so bad at first. It wasn't until we were at a hotel a couple days later that he broke down. It was somewhat pathetic, even. But being the good, devoted brother I was, I helped him through it."

"Aniki no baka! Stop being so clingy and pull yourself back together, damnit! You've still got to find a job, apartment, and get ready for school and I'm leaving in less than a month! Stop sucking your thumb! Baka!"

"You're a great brother."

Terry smiled and sipped his drink. "Well, I've had years of practice in helping him. Actually, I was able to get him an apartment near the university that wasn't too much out of his price range, and was near the laboratory he found a job at." He smirked. "It was also two doors down from Kouhaku."

"Kouhaku?"

"Oh yeah, you never met her. She's a friend of mine. We met in the modeling business and she's going to Tokyo U as well. Different major, though."

"Cool. So they're going to commute together?"

Terry chuckled. "Something like that. After that he and I hung out a bit, visiting some friends, going to our old stomping grounds, even visiting some ruins near Kyoto. It was great." He put his hands behind his head. "I could tell you about what we did for hours."

Lucy decided it was time for a change of subject. "Mary's dating a guy dad's age."

Terry looked at Lucy and leaned forward. "I have no brother. Spill."

Lucy laughed.

Terry chuckled a bit. "So? Details. This must've caused quite the uproar, and I missed it. Damn."

"Quite the uproar is a big understatement. It's over now, but for a while it was kinda creepy."

"I don't doubt it. Though I'm one to talk, being the homosexual child of a set of similar parents."

"Too true, too true."

"What about this Kevin fellow and his brother? How has he been working out?"

Lucy frowned. "Pretty good, except earlier in the week Ben found and read my diary."

"He didn't."

Lucy nodded. "And then he not only made fun of me about it, he told Kevin!"

"If my mother were here, she'd say something along the lines of 'he must pay' and then plot some fiendish plot to embarrass him." Terry examined his drink. "I think we're glad she's not here at the moment."

"Oh, he'll pay. Eventually. For now I let Ben deal with Ruthie."

"That's got to be painful." Terry crossed his arms on the table. "But other than his brother being a jerk, have you found anything you dislike about Kevin?"

Lucy's smiled returned. "Not really, no. He's a great guy, not to mention really cute."

"Simon's cuter."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "The problem is, I'm not entirely sure he's right for me."

Terry raised an eyebrow. "He turns his life around for you, and you're not even sure he's the one?"

Lucy looked a bit sheepish. "I just want to make sure that whoever I marry is Mr. Right and perfect for me. Like Matt and Sarah. Mom and dad."

"Me and Simon."

Lucy nodded. "Exactly. I want to make sure we're a perfect fit, not a temporary one."

Terry lifted his glass. "I commend you on being so cautious. I have a feeling, though, Kevin's the one for you. You just need to train him a bit."

Lucy laughed and raised her own glass. "Thanks."

Terry set his glass down and glanced around the restaurant, taking in the look and feel of it. Tokyo is so different. I'm still so used to the big town mindset that I feel slightly awkward every time I return here.

"Cecilia, can I help you with something?"

Terry blinked and looked at the edge of the table. A blond girl, maybe as tall as Terry's chest, was standing there, a purse over one shoulder and a serious look on her face. So this is the Cecilia Lucy told me about. I guess a normal guy would get jealous over a girl like her.

"Excuse me, are you Dax?"

Dax blinked. "Yes."

"The Dax that Simon is currently dating?"

Lucy shot Terry a worried look, while Terry lowered his voice, though keeping it even. "Yes."

Cecilia slapped him, hard enough that his head turned to the side. Then she spun on her heals and walked off.

Lucy looked around the suddenly silent restaurant, giving the other patrons a weak smile.

Terry gently felt over his stinging cheek, then met the looks of the other restaurant occupants. "Eh heh. Old girlfriend."

Accepting his lame lie, the other people went back to their own meals and conversations, though every now and then they glanced over.

Lucy, however, grabbed some ice out her water glass and wrapped it in a napkin. "Let me look at that."

Terry leaned forward and pulled his hand away. "It's not that bad. It didn't draw any blood."

Lucy gently dabbed the glowing areas of his cheek with the cold compress. "I don't understand it. I know she's not really an ex-girlfriend, but why would she be hostile? You obviously trust her enough to tell her the truth about you and Simon."

Terry took the cold napkin from Lucy's hand and held it to his face. "Except I didn't. Something tells me she found out, and wanted to date Simon herself."

Lucy glanced at the entrance to the restaurant. "You don't think she'd go and tell the whole school, do you?"

"I don't know." Terry opened and shut his mouth, double checking his jawbone. "I'm hoping not. I'll try talking with her, but we'll probably find out on Monday."

Lucy sighed and pulled out her wallet. "I'll get the check. You should go home and put some real ice on that."

"Right. I'll call Simon later, find out if he knows anything." Terry sighed and looked around the restaurant. It was only a matter of time. Simon and I have been preparing the community to accept homosexuals, but I don't know if they're ready yet, especially the teenagers. If this is any indication, though, our time is about up, if not gone already. He followed Lucy as she stood and headed for the door. Simon's not going to like it, but it's time we told his extended family. And then, the community.

~*()*~

"Whoa. That was one nasty slap."

"I can't believe Lucy just...helped him afterward."

"He's her friend." Roxanne placed her hands on her hips. "Kinkirk, you do realize you sound just like Lucy, right? Jealous, suspicious, crazy-"

"I think I have a right to be about this guy. No history, an obvious flirt-"

Roxanne waved her finger at him. "Just because he's a model and looks great doesn't mean he's a flirt."

"I just don't trust him. Especially around Lucy."

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "You've been with Lucy way too long. You even sound like her." She grabbed his jacket and dragged him away from the restaurant. "Let's move it. We still have to finish patrolling."

Kevin pulled his jacket free and walked after his partner, throwing back a quick glance at the restaurant as Terry and Lucy got into her car, before focusing on his job.
~*()*~

Lucy found Simon lying on his bed when she got home, obviously upset. Checking to make sure Kevin and Ben weren't around, she shut the door behind her and sat on his bed. "Hey."

Simon remained silent, an arm over his eyes.

Lucy pushed forward. "We had a nice lunch."

"I told Cecilia Terry and I were gay and now she's going to ruin everything for us at school."

Lucy blinked. "Okay. Why did you tell her?"

Simon lifted his arm and looked at her with blue eyes. "She's been calling constantly and she just bugged me to the point where," he sighed, "where it slipped out."

Lucy rubbed Simon's other arm, which was loose at his side. "Maybe she won't tell the school. Maybe she'll keep it a secret."

"She said that, but I don't believe it." He looked at the pictures on his bed table again. "And I'm worried Terry will be upset."

I doubt he'll be too upset. He wasn't that angry after what happened. "Well, I'm sure he'll understand. Actually, Cecilia paid us a visit at Pete's."

Simon lifted his head, his brow furrowed. "She what?"

"She came in and, well, slapped Terry."

"She what?!" Simon sat up fully. "I can't believe she'd...she'd..." Simon closed his eyes. "I guess I can believe she'd do that. But in front of you and everyone at Pete's?"

Lucy nodded. "On the plus side, Terry got us out of it by saying she was an ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, great." Simon lay back down, this time on his side and propping his head up with his hand. "I'm so stupid! I let someone like her rile me to the point where I tell my biggest secret? What if it had been the Colonel? I'd be in an even situation!" He shook his head. "What is it Terry calls his brother? Baka? That's what I feel like."

"You're not a," Lucy frowned a moment, trying to remember what the word meant. "An idiot, Simon. It could've happened to any of us."

"But I can't just tell anybody the truth. The family took it hard. I haven't even told the Kinkirks at your and Terry's request." The fingers on his free hand twitched slightly.

Lucy pushed her hair behind her ear. "You know what I think it is?"

Simon looked at her. "What?"

"You've been keeping the truth from the world for almost a year, and it's starting to take a toll on you. Camdens aren't good at keeping secrets, and even worse at lying. You've been lying for about nine months straight. Not even Ruthie can accomplish that."

Simon sat back up, reaching for his guitar. "That makes sense...but I have to keep the lie up-"

"Until Terry goes to college? Until you leave for college? Simon, it's time to give up the lie." Lucy looked at her watch. "Terry'll probably call. Talk to him about coming out. Completely. His lying to us was hurting him. Now your lying to the community is hurting you."

Simon plunked one of the strings absently and nodded. "Alright. Thanks Luce."

"Any time. And now, I have to go work on an essay for school. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"Yeah."

Lucy smiled and left.

Simon sat there, strumming the strings of his instrument. Terry had been helping him learn to play since he had received it as a gift, and Simon even invested some of his own money to pay for a couple lessons while Terry was gone. He found that when he wasn't sure what to say, or when he didn't want to talk to anybody and just wanted to think, the music from the stringed instrument helped. Like Terry and his flute. He glanced at the phone. He wasn't supposed to make calls while on restriction, but Lucy was right: Terry would call, and he'd be waiting.

~*()*~

"Terry, I'm sorry."

Terry shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Simon. You've told me what happened, and anyone in your position could've let the truth slip."

"You wouldn't have."

"Stop being so hard on yourself. I'm not perfect. I've had years of hiding the real me from the public eye. You've barely had any time. I'm not angry or upset. It's just something that happened." Terry checked his face in the mirror. Still a bit red. "It did make me think, though."

"Me too."

"Then you go first."

Simon shifted the phone to his other ear. He only had a few minutes before his parents' cutoff time for this call. "We should come out. To my family, to the community, to everyone. It's killing me to keep this secret. I stink at lying, and Cecilia cornered me. Other people are bound to do the same."

"Funny enough, I was thinking along the same lines. But not too quickly. Eric has one more sermon on acceptance, then we should tell your extended family first. They have a right to know before the general populace."

Simon nodded. "Alright."

"You should tell them in person, if possible. Is there any time your family's going to come and visit?"

Simon looked at his calendar. "Thanksgiving."

Terry nodded. "Perfect. I have no plans."

"Jordon isn't coming home?"

"He's saving up for Christmas. I was thinking of spending some time at a food kitchen, or maybe go with one of the companies I model for to kick off their Christmas food drive. But Thanksgiving day and the day after, nobody works."

"Alright. We'll tell them then." Simon looked at the door, hearing footsteps approaching. "I've got to go, now."

"Okay. Love you, and see you Monday."

"Bye." Simon hung up the phone.

Terry hung up as well, holding onto the phone a moment. He pulled out the student directory for the high school and flipped through it. First, though, let's handle this situation, so we can come out at our own pace.

~*()*~

Terry stood as Cecilia approached the table at the Dairy Shack, smiling slightly and bowing his head. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me."

"I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here to find out the whole truth."

Terry nodded. "Fair enough." He waived to the seat across from him and sat down. "I'm guessing your father also had a say in it?"

"Whatever you said convinced him I'd better come." She sat and crossed her arms.

"I may not be mom, but I inherited some of her persuasive talents." Terry folded his hands together. "Want anything to eat? I'll buy."

"I'm not hungry, thanks."

Terry shrugged in agreement. Time to cut it with the formalities. "Alright, that was fun. Let's hear what you're really thinking."

"Very well. I think you're one of the lowest, most disgusting men alive, and if I had my way I'd tell the whole town so they'd force you out."

"And I think you're a manipulative and selfish brat who should be more open-minded and accept no as an answer." Terry ran a hand through his hair. "Feel better?"

"Oh yeah." Cecilia looked around the restaurant. "Why here?"

"It's the one place Simon and I haven't gone to. Yet. And I don't think it'd be appropriate for us to appear at Pete's after your little demonstration earlier today."

"Wise move."

Terry waited a few minutes. "So are you going to tell anyone?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Terry took a deep breath. "May I then appeal to your compassion? Simon and I want to inform everyone in our own time. Probably by the end of the year. If you let it out now, it could ruin the rest of his time in high school."

"And your time."

"I can take care of myself, and frankly, I can graduate high school without attending one. I'll just go to a junior college, or have my sensei come out of retirement for a few months." Terry locked his golden eyes with Cecilia's. "I don't care how my high school year ends, but I want his to be as pleasant as possible, even with him coming out. We're going to try and do it smoothly, but we both know that it's going to be rocky for a while."

"And what about me? What do I get for keeping this secret?"

"Simon doesn't mind being your friend. You'd also have both our gratitude."

"That's it?" Cecilia tapped her fingers on the table.

"Don't try blackmail on me. I've dealt with it before, and believe me, I can blow you out of the water. I can get your father's named smeared across the newspapers so badly he won't be able to step out of his home." Terry sat straighter. "I'd rather it didn't come to that. You seem, deep down, like a nice person."

"That may be, but I don't want to be friends with you. Or with any gay man."

"Then how about a truce. We won't bother you, you don't bother us. Or tell anyone the truth."

"What if I don't bother you but still tell the truth? That you and Simon are gay? What would you do?" Cecilia smirked. "Attack me?"

"In a sense. Do you know how much weight a model's word carries? Especially when he starts a rumor about, oh, a person being a lesbian."

Cecilia's smirk vanished and she frowned. "You wouldn't dare."

"You hurt Simon in any way, and you'll find I can be just as cruel as you. I love him, and I won't let you or anyone hurt him with lies or the truth. We'll come out when we're ready."

Cecilia's shoulders slumped. "Fine. You ignore me, I'll ignore you. And I won't tell anyone."

Terry nodded. "Good. And remember, I have ears everywhere. I'll be making sure you keep silent."

Cecilia grumbled and stood, gathering her purse.

"Oh, and Cecilia?"

Cecilia looked at him.

Terry rubbed his cheek. "No hard feelings about earlier."

Cecilia shook her head and left.

Terry sat there, pondering what he'd done. That was low even for me. Mom would be proud, but Simon and the Camdens might not be. I'll definitely have to tell him what I did at some point. Maybe after he's off restriction.

~*()*~

Simon looked up from Beowulf and paused his CD player. A moment later, he heard the knock again. "Come in?"

Kevin opened the door. "Hey, mind if I come in?"

Simon shrugged marked his place in the book. "Not really. What's up?"

Kevin sat in the desk chair and faced Simon. "I want to know what the big secret about Terry is."

"Dax. To you he's Dax."

"I don't really care what he wants me to call him. I want to know what he's hiding."

Simon bristled slightly. Even though he didn't totally understand Terry's reasons for differing formalities, he and everyone he knew followed it. "To you, he's Dax. When you get to know him better, maybe you can call him Terry. And there's no secret."

"Not among you Camdens. You know it. Lucy knows it. Even Robbie knows it. Ben and I are the only ones left out of the loop, and I am going to be a part of this family. I think I have a right to know any secrets I'm marrying into."

Simon crossed his arms. "With an attitude like that, you're going to find out squat. Terry'll tell you when, and whenever, he's ready to." Or I'll tell you when I'm sure you won't break it off with Lucy.

Kevin crossed his own arms. "I'm a policeman, Simon. It's my duty to ensure nothing illegal is going on."

Who does this guy think he is? "If something illegal was going on, you can be sure I'd be the first to tell you." Simon picked up Beowulf again. "If you don't mind, I've got English Lit to work on."

"I do mind, and I want an answer. Now."

Simon scoffed. "You're not Matt! You're not even family! I don't have to tell you anything I don't want to." Simon nodded to the door. "You can go."

"I'm not going until I have some answers."

"Then go ask Lucy. She knows everything Simon does."

Simon and Kevin both turned towards the door, where Robbie was standing with a dictionary. Simon, who was beginning feel nervous about Kevin's questioning, felt relieved to see the adopted Camden family member in his room.

"Don't you ever knock, Robbie?"

"I told Simon I'd be right back. He was listening to music, so I figured he wouldn't hear me knock." Robbie walked over and set the dictionary by Simon's leg. "Thanks."

"No prob." Simon gave Robbie a quick, pleading glance. Get this guy outta here.

Robbie got the message and headed for the door. "Kevin, if you really want to know the secret, I'll tell you."

Kevin gave Robbie a dubious look. "Why would you tell me?"

"One, I'm not a true Camden, and two, it's not that big a deal to me. Now leave Simon alone. He's trying to work on his homework."

Kevin faced Simon again.

Simon, however, had grabbed his earphones and plugged back into his CD player, picking up where he had left off in his book.

Kevin stood. "This better be good."

Robbie headed towards his room. "It's no big deal, really." He went in and sat at the desk, where he was working on his own essay for microeconomics.

Kevin leaned against the door frame. "Well? I'm listening."

"Terry just helped Simon and the family through a rough time in their lives. Simon was feeling a bit down, and Terry brought him out of the depression."

Kevin waited. "That's it?"

"Hey, if you were part of this family, would you want the fact that your kid was depressed to leak out? It was devastating enough when the truth leaked out about Mary's behavior."

Kevin shook his head and left.

Robbie waited a few minutes, then got up and glanced down the hall. He's gone. He went over to Simon's room and went back in.

Simon looked up, worried for a moment that Kevin had returned. He relaxed, though, when he saw it was Robbie, and removed his earphones. "Thanks, man. I don't know if I could've held out much longer. What'd you tell him, anyway?"

"That you were in a depression and Terry helped you out of it." Robbie scratched his head. "It's the partial truth."

Simon looked down at his book again. "A partial truth is still a lie. And I think he knows that was a lie."

"It got rid of him, though."

"True."

Robbie watched Simon. "He has to know sometime. Lucy plans on marrying him."

Simon sighed. "I know, I know. And when we're ready, we'll tell him. It's just, right now's not a good time."

Robbie ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know. Well, I've got to get back to my homework."

"Me too. Thanks again."

"No problem."

Kevin, standing in the twins' room, narrowed his eyes. So he was lying. They'll tell me when they're ready? I'm going to be Lucy's husband. I have a right to know now. He leaned away from the connecting doors and headed for the door to the hall. There's only one answer if the Camdens won't tell me. I'll have to corner this Terry.

~*()*~

"He's going to trap and ask you eventually."

"Hai, hai." Terry flipped through his latest magazine of Farscape, or more accurately, his brother's latest magazine of Farscape. There are some perks to him leaving after all.

"Don't think I can't hear you going through my stuff over the phone."

Terry wrinkled his nose at the speakerphone. "What're you going to do about it, baka? You're in Japan."

Jordon grumbled. "Just forward it when you're done."

"Will do, will do. You know, we haven't heard from Uncle Ben in a while."

"He's been a busy Godfather. And you know the only reason he agreed was because he was mom's old flame."

"But he sent us cards."

"Sent you cards. He hardly noticed me."

"You were too serious. I got all the jokes he told." Terry tossed the magazine onto the desk and crossed his arms. "Do you think I was out of line with Cecilia?"

"How many ways can I say yes?"

"Seriously, aniki."

"Seriously?" Jordon thought a moment. "You weren't as bad as mom, but were worse than me."

Terry rubbed his eyes. "That's helpful."

"I wouldn't have threatened her, or even confronted her."

"You wouldn't have been in my position in the first place." Terry stretched and removed his shirt, tossing it into a basket with other dirty laundry. "Mom would've gone straight for the threatening. At least I pleaded with her first."

"Yes, I am grateful for that." Jordon sighed as a thump was heard in the background. "I'll be right back. Someone's at the door."

"You didn't order pizza again, did you?"

Terry got no response, but an instant later he learned it wasn't the pizza delivery person who had knocked.

"Terry! You little sneak! I still can't believe you stuck him two doors down from me!"

"Hey, Amber."

"Don't you hey me! And stop stripping!"

Terry paused in undoing his jeans and stared at the phone. "You're half a world away. What do you care?"

"It's rude! And I'm gonna bug you for what you did every way I can!"

Terry pinched the bridge of his nose, then continued undressing. "And here I thought you'd be happy."

"Baka!"

Jordon spoke up at that point. "It's nice that the word wasn't directed at me, for once."

"Baka." Terry sat down and pulled off his pants. "Look, Kouhaku, I was having a very serious discussion with aniki. Can you call me tomorrow or something?"

"Can't. Working. But what's the conversation about?"

Terry heard Jordon quickly fill Amber in. "What he just told you."

"Well, you were in line, in my opinion. Hell, if I had been there-"

"Enough said." Terry knew his friend enough that he didn't want to know what she would have done. "I'm just wondering if Simon will think it's okay."

"I'm sure he will. He's a nice guy."

"And he does love you, ototou. After his initial shock, I'm sure he'll realize it was for the best."

"You could just not tell him, you know. I never tell my boyfriends half of what I do."

Terry rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. That's how you can date up to three men at once. And I'm not going to not tell him. I love Simon, and that means no secrets. Coming out is a very sensitive issue. Secrets there could cause real problems."

"Fine, fine. Well, I'm gonna steal your brother. It's karaoke couples at the bar two blocks down. Ja ne!"

"Um, Kouhaku, I really don't want to-"

"Sayonara, aniki." Terry hung up and climbed into his bed. Glad to see those two are getting along. And they're right, I guess. I just need to find the right time to tell them. And Kevin. And the extended family. He closed his eyes. This is going to be one rough end of the year.

~*()*~
~*()*~
~*()*~

Aniki no baka: idiot older brother

Baka: idiot

Hai: yes

Kouhaku: amber

Ototou: younger brother

Aniki: older brother

Ja ne: later, bye

Sayonara: good-bye

Author's Prattle: As promised, here's chapter seventeen. I sacrificed my bio reports (I'm going to try and get them done tomorrow) to get it out. I have a Lab Practical and another exam in two weeks, so writing will be slower as I approach that time. Also, my birthday is next weekend (wai!), and as such, I won't be doing much writing (except maybe at work). I've figured it takes about three to four hours to write a chapter, and unfortunately, it's rare I can do it all at once. However, be grateful for my Macroeconomics class, as I get an hour to write while the teacher drones on about supply and demand or some such. And yes, I am kinda anti-Cecilia, but I tried to justify my writing her out of the script, and I do like Kevin and his attitude will improve, it's just that in the beginning, well, he was a jerk. Also, I don't own Farscape (and I'm upset their ending it a season early!), but it's a great science fiction series from SciFi, though a bit mature compared to 7th Heaven. I also don't own Beowulf, and I almost read it, but chose Jane Eyre instead (was that the wrong thing to do). Any who, feedback and reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading!