Brian's Aunt and Uncle discover his new hobby, bringing strong emotions to the surface. What will their reactions be?

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One Week Later...

Brian sat in the seat of Dale's sulky, shaking his head. "I just don't get it," he murmured in shock. "I didn't even come close to you this time!" He looked down at True Blue, who turned his head and stared back at him with his dark, luminous eyes like some innocent man wrongly accused of a crime.

Justin grinned back at him with what Brian considered a decidely cocky expression on his face. "Well, as they say, you win some...you lose some."

Brian's mouth hung open, too stunned to utter a complete sentence. "But..."

Justin smiled. All vestiges of his previous fall had disappeared, and for once in quite a while he felt more like himself. All his injuries had healed, and his father was now working regularly, which had taken quite a load from his shoulders. And to top it off, he and his brother were getting along better, and Billy was confident that at last all the men connected with the gambling ring who were responsible for Dale's death and his own injuries had been rounded up and confined. And as if THAT weren't enough, he had a gorgeous boy in love with him. A boy who was presently staring at him in disbelief. "Brian, I've trained for years to get where I am. You're good," he had to admit. "But that first time was a fluke. Plus, I wasn't at my best then."

"Humph," was the indignant reply as Justin covered his mouth to try and keep from laughing. "Well, THAT's a fucking shot to my ego," he muttered. Justin finally couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Hey, I find no humor in this, Farm Boy! You just beat my ass by at least four or five lengths!"

Justin deftly hopped down from his own sulky seat to walk over to his opponent, his helmet clutched in his hand. "Well, I suppose I could offer you a consolation prize for being such a good sport," he offered helpfully, a twinkle in his eye.

Brian couldn't be too irritated over his poor showing as he gazed over at the sparkling, blue eyes. Besides, getting a 'consolation prize' from his beautiful lover didn't sound too bad, even if he DID have to eat crow. "What sort of consolation prize?" he couldn't help asking with a lift of his eyebrow.

"Come down here, and I'll give you a clue," was the saucy response as Justin dropped his helmet down onto the ground with a soft thud.

Brian grinned as he climbed down from the sulky, placing his helmet on the seat as he faced the younger boy. "You have helmet hair," he told Justin as he ruffled his hair affectionately and smiled. "Now, what was that about a consolation prize?"

Justin grinned back at him as he placed his hands on Brian's shoulders. "Well, we can start with this." Standing on tiptoe, he pressed his lips to Brian's as Brian slid his arms around the other boy's back to press them closer together. The restless shuffling of True Blue nearby - who was still attached to the sulky - was briefly ignored while the two continued to kiss; it was as if they had been apart for weeks, rather than for just a few hours while both boys had had to complete some chores earlier around their respective farms. As soon as they had finished, however, Brian had hurried over to the stables to meet up with Justin and undergo some more practice racing, something his aunt and uncle still were not aware of.

"Hmm...I think I can accept being a loser, if I get that sort of consolation prize," Brian murmured a little breathlessly as they finally broke apart. He smiled at his younger lover. "I'm ready to go again," he told Justin, his eyes shining enthusiastically. "I have tons of stamina."

Justin blushed at the insinuation, pointedly ignoring what Brian probably meant as he replied, "Brian...I don't think this is the best place to...you know..."

"Not that!" Brian replied with a laugh. "I mean do some more practicing. I don't care HOW much more experience you have; I plan on whipping your ass again." For emphasis, he reached around and smacked Justin on his butt.

"Hey!" Justin growled in mock indignation. "I have to sit on that!"

Brian leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You can sit on me anytime...and ride something else."

Justin turned an even deeper shade of red at the thought; that was one position they hadn't tried yet, but it wasn't that he hadn't thought about it in his dreams. "Brian..." he murmured in embarrassment, knowing how the older boy adored making him blush. "I didn't mean sex," he told him softly. "I was talking about going back out on the track. The horses need to cool down. Sorry, but that's all for today, Speed Racer."

Brian grinned. "Oh...that." He pressed their bodies closer, making Justin's breath hitch as their denim-clad cocks brushed together. He was hard merely from Brian's touch, and the sound of his deep, silky voice. After all, he was only a teenager, and his hormones were raging...especially around this particular boy. "But now that you mention it..."

"Brian!" Justin placed his palm against Brian's chest to give him a little more room. "We can't do that here out in the open."

"There's always the silo...or the swimming hole."

Justin laughed. "You don't give up, do you?" He shook his head in amusement as Brian rolled his lips under playfully. "Did you not listen to anything I said? Come on, let's unhook the horses. With your new hobby comes the responsibility, too."

The other boy sighed. "I knew there was a down side," he lamented as he followed Justin over to True Blue to unhitch him from the sulky; both boys separated the horse from the apparatus, and then repeated the same procedure with Headstrong. "At least the view is good," Brian commented, as he and True Blue followed along behind Justin and his horse toward the front of the stables, the other boy's ass tantalizingly outlined in his tight jeans as he walked.

Justin giggled as he waited for Brian to catch up. "I'm glad you can see the positive side of things," he teased him back.

As they began to lead the horses around to the front, Brian stopped in his tracks, his previous joviality transforming into an anxious expression.

"What?" Justin asked with concern; his eyes followed Brian's to see what he was observing. His eyes grew wide as he realized the cause of the older boy's anxiety. "Uh, oh. Looks like that conversation you were avoiding can't be avoided any longer."

Brian's uncle was standing near the edge of his property, a hoe in his hand and a scowl on his face. He stood there, staring at them from underneath his faded ball cap, before he finally turned around and resumed his hoeing as if nothing unordinary had occurred.

"Damn," Brian muttered. "Looks like I waited a little too long to tell them what I've been doing in my spare time." He exhaled an apprehensive breath, and rubbed his head nervously. Despite all the headway he and his aunt and uncle had made lately regarding their relationship, anything having to do with Dale was still a touchy subject.

"You think he saw what you were doing?" Justin asked.

"I'd lay odds on it," he told Justin tersely as he watched his uncle walk over to stow the gardening utensil in the back of his small trailer before he hopped up on his old tractor and started it up. After a few seconds, it began to proceed back toward the Walkers' barn.

"I'll take True Blue back to the stables...but then I guess I'd better go face the music, so to speak." He sighed, threading his fingers through his damp hair to fluff it back out. "I guess I knew it was inevitable he would see me." He patted True Blue's neck as if he were trying to calm himself instead of the horse. "Come on, fella," he softly urged the horse as the two boys slowly walked their horses back to the front of the stable.

A few minutes later, they stood facing each other directly outside the open stable doors. "Want me to go with you?" Justin offered. "I can tell him it was my idea. It was, after all."

Brian shook his head. "Thanks. But no, you didn't make me fix up Dale's sulky and learn how to use it. That was my idea. And it was a damn good one, too," he told his lover. He smiled at him tenderly. "I fucking love it." He glanced over toward the side of the stables, figuring he knew what was waiting on the other side of the fence. "Well, if they kick me out, at least I'll be able to afford to stay somewhere else now, thanks to my uncle."

"Don't even say that!" Justin exclaimed with alarm. "They won't do that; they love you. They want you to stay, remember? So don't go jumping to conclusions." He paused for a moment, swallowing hard at the thought of being separated from the boy he cared so deeply about. "Besides, I don't know what I would do if you weren't close by." He averted his gaze, suddenly feeling vulnerable and awkward. It somehow made him a little uncomfortable to verbalize just how much having Brian so near meant to him. Until Brian had come to live with his aunt and uncle, Justin hadn't really known what being in love and having someone to care about and protect you was all about. Well, not in the romantic sense, anyway.

Brian moved a little closer until he could place his hands on Justin's upper arms, causing Justin to slowly meet his gaze. "You know, that's exactly how I'm going to feel when you go off to Vanderbilt next year."

"That's months from now," Justin pointed out softly. But it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about the same thing himself - many times. He didn't even want to think about it. The thought of being separated from Brian almost made him not want to pursue his dream after all. But in the end, he knew he couldn't do that, and that Brian wouldn't want him to, either; his racing was part of his method for accomplishing his ultimate goal. He never wanted to be a full-time sulky driver, no matter how good he may be. No, his goal was far away from here...TOO far. He sighed at the thought, pressing his lips firmly together and telling himself that he would not become some weepy, little child. But it was hard to ignore the lump in his throat that felt like someone had a knife pressed to his skin. "Let's not think about that right now," he murmured.

Brian stared into the sad face before he finally nodded in agreement. "Okay. But we will have to one day." He leaned in to give Justin a gentle kiss before he pulled back from him. "I'll see you later."

"How later? Tonight?" he asked hopefully.

Brian smiled. "If I can...want me to borrow Checkers or a pair of your shoes to wake you up?"

Justin smiled back at him in remembrance. "No...just watch your aim if it's after midnight." Memories of small rock pebbles landing inside his room - and a shoe zooming past his feet - came to mind.

"I always watch my aim," he told his lover, who blushed in reaction. With Brian, almost everything seemed to have sexual overtones. "Wish me luck."

"You know I do...but I'm sure you won't need it." Justin tried to sound confident, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. Brian nodded as he turned and slowly shuffled off toward his aunt and uncle's farm. Justin watched him go until he was out of sight before - with a wiping of his hands on his jeans - he headed back toward the house.

Ten Minutes Later...Walker Farm

Sarah glanced up from her place on the back porch swing as she observed her husband walking purposefully toward her after parking his tractor in the barn; by his rigid gait - and the look of quiet determination on his face - she could tell he was obviously perturbed about something. "Will? What's going on?" she asked quietly as he approached. "I thought you were going to be out at the blackberry bushes doing some weeding until supper."

"I was," he told her tersely as he walked up to join her. He noticed the crocheted blanket she had been working on for the past several days was almost completed as he told her, "I just saw our nephew doing something I never believed I would see."

Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Will could barely believe it, even still. "He's driving, Sarah."

"Driving? I thought his license was revoked in court."

"I don't mean that kind of driving, Missy," Will growled a little more sharply than he had intended, making Sarah place her crochet project down on her lap and peer over at him in concern. "I just saw him over at the Taylor farm."

Sarah smiled. "That's not unusual. He's always over there whenever he's done with his chores here." Both of them knew the reason for it, also.

"It's not who he was with, or where he was," Will told her. "It's what he was doing." He took a deep breath before blowing it out to reveal, "He's driving a sulky, Sarah. And I just checked out back. Not only is he driving a sulky, our Mr. Jack of all Trades has found a way to fix up our son's old sulky...because it's gone."

Sarah's heart accelerated at the surprising news. She fought to calm herself as she replied softly, "Dale's?" Her husband nodded, his lips pressed together into a tight line. "You're not happy about it," she stated quietly.

Will snorted at her understatement. "Of course I'm not!" His eyes flashed. "I won't allow it, Sarah!"

"Will...I'd be lying if I said it doesn't worry me. But it's not our choice to make. Brian is old enough to make his own decisions."

"Are you crazy, woman? Our boy was killed using that sulky! And now you're going to let our nephew risk the same thing?"

"William, don't use that tone of voice with me," Sarah rebuffed him quietly, her eyes flashing. She seldom raised her voice at her husband, but the tone in which she spoke instantly told him he was crossing a line.

"I'm sorry, Missy," he replied gruffly, taking his cap off his head and wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his cotton shirt sleeve. "It's just that..."

"It's just you care about him...and you don't want anything to happen to him."

"Of course I don't! But...why? Why would he do it?"

"I can't answer that, William. We'll have to ask him." She glanced up then, noticing the subject of their conversation shuffling toward them, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Looks like you're about to get your chance," she told him. She cocked her head toward the dirt road leading from the Taylor farm. Noticing the firm set of her husband's jaw, she reached over to grasp his sleeve to get his attention. "Listen to what he has to say, William," she told him softly. "Don't prejudge him or overreact. Trust him. And trust that he knows what he's doing."

Will's eyes bored into his nephew's, watching as Brian hesitated briefly when he noticed both him and Sarah sitting on the back porch before he continued toward them. He observed him quietly reach to unlatch the back gate, taking time to close it firmly before heading toward them.

"Supper will be ready soon, Brian," his aunt told him by way of greeting, her hands occupied once more with her crochet work. She did it partly due to a need to keep busy, but also as a way to calm herself. "I have a pot roast in the crock pot that should be ready soon. I hope you brought your appetite home with you."

Brian nodded as he stole a glance at his sullen-looking uncle. "Yes, Ma'am. Sounds good." He nervously shifted back and forth on his feet, waiting for the shoe to drop that he knew was coming. He didn't have long to wait.

"I saw you, Brian," Will stated it in such a quiet voice that it made Brian initially wonder if he had really heard him say it. "I saw what you were doing. Why? What were you thinking? Did you think you could keep it a secret from us?" The more Will spoke, the louder his voice became, until Sarah felt the need to intercede.

"Will..." Reaching over to grip his arm, she was taken aback when her husband pulled his arm away from her.

"No, I want an answer from him, Sarah." He turned to his nephew, who was silently standing a few feet away, his hand gripping one of the porch's square, wooden posts. "What gave you the right, Brian?"

"I..." Shit. Brian was finding this harder than he thought it would be. Normally the only person he sometimes had problems speaking to was Justin, and it was usually when he felt the need to say something mushy to him, or voice his emotions aloud. He still found it somewhat hard to express his feelings to him, but he was getting better at it, and he knew how much it meant to Justin. He wasn't sure that his improved comfort zone, however, was going to help in this particular situation.

"Yeah, I moved it," he finally admitted. There wasn't any point in trying to lie about it; it was obvious now anyway. "I found it several weeks ago by accident, and I repaired it so it could be used again." He paused, brushing his free hand through his hair. No matter what happened, he wasn't going to throw Justin under the proverbial bus. "It was just sitting there, being unused. And Justin offered to show me how to drive it with True Blue, who seemed to take a liking to me. I didn't think you really cared what happened to it at this point." As soon as he said that last part, however, he knew it had been a mistake; that apparatus symbolized much more than just a contraption of metal and rubber. It was written all over his uncle's flushed face.

"We didn't care what happened to it?" Will retorted. "Our son was KILLED in that sulky! And the same thing could happen to you! You don't know what you're doing. Why are you even doing it? Your uncle's estate..."

Brian looked at him in disbelief. "What the...? That has nothing to do with that, Uncle Will! You think I'm doing it because I have these grand delusions about making money from it like Justin does?"

"No, we don't," Sarah interjected, knowing full well her husband's motive. "That's not the reason, Brian," she told him softly. "Come over here and sit down next to us." She was afraid for a moment that her nephew would refuse. But after a brief pause, she heard him let out a deep breath before walking over and plopping down onto their rattan wicker rocker, his body language abundantly broadcasting his distress. She attempted a half-smile of reassurance at Brian before she explained, "Will doesn't care about the money. I think you know that."

"I didn't say that," Brian countered. He knew these people lived modestly, and couldn't care less about their financial circumstances. That didn't mean that he did not intend to help them out at some point, however, unbeknownst to them. While the money from his uncle's estate would certainly make his life a lot easier - and his aunt and uncle's - as well as perhaps provide him with options in his life that he never thought he would have, basically it wasn't going to change how he lived, either. "I know he doesn't." He risked a glance over at his uncle, whose lips were pressed tightly together in agitation.

Sarah reached over and took Brian's hand as she continued. "Will and I both care about you," she began as her husband stared silently back at her.

"I know that," Brian told her softly.

She nodded in satisfaction as she got to the crux of their conversation. "Good. Well, then, I think you can figure out the real reason why your uncle is so upset; why we're both concerned."

Brian swallowed before nodding back at her, his previous anger dissipated. "Dale," was the one-word response.

Sarah nodded; her son's name and the reminder of his death still difficult for her to handle. But inexplicably it seemed even harder for her husband. It always had been, however. "Yes," she replied. "What made you decide to do it, Brian?" Her voice held no accusation or judgment in it as she waited for her nephew's reason.

Brian sighed. He did care a great deal about both his aunt and uncle. He had come to respect how hard-working and honest they were, and they had always treated him fairly and respectfully, despite his previous brush with the law and the two of them unexpectedly being given the responsibility of caring for him. He would never intentionally hurt them. So why hadn't he thought about that when he was racing around the track at top speed with Justin? Probably because he was too absorbed in the rush he had received from it. "I...Ju..." he stammered uncharacteristically. No, he was not going to incriminate him...

"I did discover the sulky a few weeks ago," he began again. At least that much was true... "And Justin mentioned how much Dale's horse seemed to be bonding with me. I thought that maybe True Blue was missing his old racing days, so I asked him if he would be willing to show me how to drive the sulky. After taking a look at it, I knew it wouldn't take much to fix it up. It was mainly just the wheel." He berated himself as he noticed his uncle actually flinch at the word 'wheel.' How thoughtless could he be?

He remembered the adrenalin high he had felt being True Blue's driver; it was almost as if the two of them had melded together into one sleek racing machine, with his body an extension of the horse's. And even though Justin had thoroughly surpassed him this last time, he had still experienced the same thrill he had felt the first time. Was it worth it now, though?

"And how did it make you feel?" Sarah asked him, placing her hands back in her lap as she peered over at him intently like his personal therapist.

"When I was driving the sulky?"

She nodded.

"Honestly?"

Will listened to the conversation quietly, wanting to know the same answers. "Yes, of course," his aunt verified. "You can tell us anything, Brian; as long as it's the truth."

Brian nodded as he let out a deep breath. "Okay. It felt...amazing. I felt free; almost like I was part of the horse! The adrenalin rush was nothing like I had ever felt before!" The longer Brian spoke, the more animated his voice became. He smiled. "And I found out I was good at it; the first time I drove True Blue...the first time...I actually beat Justin and Headstrong! Can you believe that?" He laughed then. "But it was short-lived. As soon as Justin got his strength back, he left me in the dust." He grinned as his aunt smiled back at him then. "But I didn't care. It was the most incredible experience! Justin was right..."

"Right about what?" Sarah inquired.

Uh, oh...He had promised himself that he wouldn't involve Justin. But it was too late now. Perhaps it was for the best, anyway, because he found that he didn't want to lie to his aunt and uncle. Lies only turned into more lies; he had found that out the hard way, as had Jared and that Kesterson kid. He sighed in resignation as he admitted, "It was actually Justin's idea to teach me how to drive. He only suggested it because he knew I was kind of missing some from my old life." Before his aunt and uncle could misunderstand, he quickly added, "I don't mean city life." He paused for a moment before explaining, "There're a lot of things I like about living here. I just occasionally miss the...excitement." That was the only word he could think of to explain his 'need for speed' sometimes.

His noticed his aunt and uncle exchanging a look and some silent message as Will nodded back at his wife. He was surprised to see a half-smile on his uncle's face. "What?" he asked curiously, his previous anxiety about discussing the subject forgotten.

"You sound a lot like our son did," Sarah explained softly. "He used to crave that, too. He always said that racing gave him an outlet; a way to take him someplace else." She smiled wistfully at the memory. "He told us that he only felt free when he was racing. True Blue was born on our farm to one of our gentlest mares; how he became such a spirited one we'll never know. But from the time he was born, he didn't want to be controlled or ruled. We thought he would never be tamed or broken. But for some reason, Dale took a liking to him when he just a little boy, and despite our instructions to him not to go near him, he would still sneak out and head over to our stables to visit with him. The next thing we knew, he was riding him! We eventually decided that our son and that horse could not be separated, and that they had this connection that no one else had. True Blue could only be controlled by Dale...until you came along."

Brian listened raptly to his aunt, hearing the sentimentality in her voice; even his uncle had what appeared to be tears in his eyes. He nodded. "I think Dale and I might have been good friends if he was here today."

Sarah swallowed hard, her own eyes glistening. "I know you would have," she whispered, smiling through her tears.

Brian took a moment to absorb what his aunt was telling him before he replied, "I guess I understand a little more about why you would be so set on me not racing." He paused, feeling a stab of disappointment as he told them, "I'll go bring the sulky back over here...unless you would prefer I do something else with it. I'm sure Justin would let me keep..."

"No," was the quiet interjection from his uncle as Brian peered over at him in confusion. "No," Will repeated a little louder as he cleared his throat. "Maybe the best thing you can do to honor our son is to continue his legacy," he told him as Sarah stared at him in surprise.

"What?" Brian asked, needing to make sure he was certain of his uncle's wishes. "You want me to keep training with him?"

His uncle paused before slowly nodding. "Yes," he finally responded as Sarah reached over to squeeze his hand, knowing how difficult this was for him. "I want everyone to know that the Walkers don't give up, and we don't back down. We get up and we keep going, no matter what." For once, there was definite resolve in Will Walker's voice; something that Sarah hadn't heard in a long time.

Brian shook his head in disbelief. "You sure about that, Uncle Will?" he asked quietly.

Will nodded. "Yes, boy, I'm sure. As long as you give it your best when you do it. And don't let it interfere with your chores here, either. Don't forget, you're still a part of this household." He took a deep breath. "Now go wash up before I change my mind. Supper's waiting," he told him gruffly.

Brian nodded after a few seconds, glancing over at his aunt, who nodded back at him in reassurance. "Go ahead, Brian; your uncle and I will be in directly."

The couple watched as Brian rose to his feet and headed to the back door; it softly banged as he entered the house, leaving them alone.

Will sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. Sarah noticed the tired creases around his eyes, wondering when they had become so pronounced. To her, though, he would always be the handsomest man she had ever met. "Why did you change your mind, William?" she asked him, their shoulders touching as they sat on the swing.

"I already told you the reason why," he replied, his voice just above a whisper. He gazed straight ahead, watching as the stalks of corn swayed slowly in the warm breeze. "It's the best way."

"The best way to what?"

"The best way to not forget him. To look fear in the face and triumph over it." He turned to look at his wife as he took her hand, realizing how wise she was. "How did I get so lucky to find you, Missy?" he asked her, gripping her hand tightly as if he were afraid to let it go. "Do you know how much...I love you?"

Sarah's face lit up with pleasure, her lips forming a delighted smile. Her husband never had been the romantic type, although he used to express his affection for her more when they were a lot younger. After Dale had died, he had never verbalized his feelings for her aloud ever again. To hear it now, then, was a special, much cherished surprise. "I love you, too, Will. So much."

One side of his mouth quirked up tenderly as he leaned in to press his lips to her; they were warm and slightly chapped, a tribute to how hard he worked every day. They pulled back after a few moments to look into each other's eyes; Sarah tucked some of her husband's hair behind his ear. "Let's go in," she told him, standing up, her hand still gripped in Will's. "It's time for our family to eat."

Will nodded as he allowed her to pull him up to stand beside her. Sliding his arm around her waist, the two headed toward the house to join their nephew.