Marco couldn't believe that he was actually home! He stepped on his tiptoes trying to see past the many people in front of him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his parents. And then there they were. His ma was standing on her tiptoes to try to see him, too. His papa was just standing there beside her, but he had a very excited look on his face, as he often did. Sometimes he thought his papa had the most expressive face in the world.

His ma had not spotted him yet, but he couldn't stay on his toes and walk so he opted for walking. He felt Cam squeeze his hand and looked up at his friend with a smile.

"So your mom or your dad?" Cam asked, grinning down at Marco.

"They're both here," Marco answered with a little laugh. "And…Aaron or Derek?" he asked, with a little roll of his eyes. He liked Cameron a lot, but he had totally different ideas about romance. He subscribed to much the same theory as Dylan did. Maybe he should introduce the two of them.

"Would you believe Aaron, Derek, and Martin?" Cam asked giving Marco a devilish grin.

Marco gave him what he hoped was a sufficient enough 'you are so disturbed' look.

"What? Hey, maybe it's not for you, but…it's not like they don't know about each other." He laughed when Marco still looked really doubtful. "You should think about joining us sometime," he gave Marco a wink. And laughed harder as Marco's eyes widen a little. His laughter is infectious, though, and Marco found himself laughing, too.

"A world of no," Marco answered, still shaking his head. Cam was a cool new friend, but there was no way Marco would ever think of going out with him. Or his boyfriends. Like ever. For one, he was a couple years older than Dylan, even. For another, Marco really didn't think he'd deal well 'sharing' with the rest of his boyfriends. It was definitely better that they all knew about each other, but…that just wasn't Marco's idea of a relationship. "But thanks."

"Anytime. Call me. I mean it. C'mere."

Marco dropped his bag as Cam suddenly grabbed him up off the ground. He hugged Marco tight and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Marco become aware that someone else was standing right behind him. When Cam let him go, he glanced back over his shoulder.

And found himself staring into his papa's over expressive face.

Which was not smiling anymore.

Not even a little.

He looked really upset.

Marco stared back at him, swallowing hard.

"You must be Mr. Del Rossi!" Cam greeted him, oblivious to any possible problem. He practically grabbed Mr. Del Rossi's hand and shook it. "I can't even begin to tell you what an asset Marco's been this summer. I really hope he comes back next year. He really encouraged a lot of people to want to learn more AIDS prevention, and was quite innovative with ways to draw more people in."

Marco cringed inwardly as Cam continued praising him to his papa. While he appreciated the kind words, he feared that his papa wouldn't see it the same way at all. He hadn't exactly told his dad what it was that he was doing on this trip. But Cam kept right on talking, completely unaware of the rage that Marco can see growing in his papa's eyes. "You must be so proud of your son."

There was a brief moment after Cam finally stopped talking where Marco swore that the earth stood still. He waited for his papa to explode. Instead, a big smile flashed across his face. It wasn't a good smile, but to one who didn't know him, it might pass for one. Which apparently it did.

"We always were proud of Marco," Mr. Del Rossi said. Marco didn't miss the past tense. Cam either did, or assumed it to mean that it hadn't taken Marco being part of the AIDS project to make his father proud.

Marco found himself enveloped once again in a tight Cam-hug and closed his eyes as Cameron kissed his cheek again, then worse, another kiss was planted…on his lips. In front of his papa. "Well, you take care, Sweetie," Cameron said, tenderly brushing the hair out of Marco's eyes. "I'm going to miss you. You better call me. You still have my number, right?"

Marco nodded mutely, unable to speak as his eyes stayed frozen on his papa's fake smile. He felt his eyes growing wet, but it wasn't for the reason that Cameron assumed a moment later.

"Oh, baby, don't cry. We'll still see each other! I'm only an hour drive away. And remember my offer! There's always room for one more on my dance card," he teased Marco, trying to get the younger boy to smile. He didn't notice that the smile Marco offered him was completely false.

And then Cam was gone, leaving Marco alone to face his papa.

For a moment, Marco and his papa just looked at each other silently. Then his father silently picked up Marco's bag and started walking away. Marco saw him pass right by his ma, who stayed back the entire time. He could see now that her cheeks were streaked with tears. She knew as well as Marco did that this was not going to go well at all.