Culture Aftershock

by jtrue

A sequel to Culture Shock. Emmett McCarty's Emirati partner Nasir has a new job and a green card, but will their lives together be as easy as they think? And what will happen to Seth and Garrett? SLASH LEMONS MA

5. Chapter 5

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Okay, kids, I've been trying for several days to get this published. I will make every effort to get the next chapter out this next weekend, but as I am in the final stages of preparing for a cross country move, I cannot say for sure when I will get chapter 7 out. Be assured, it won't be long.

Thank you, Miss Liz, for the dusting. And the brainstorming. Thank you, Miss Maureen, for all the help with the little ones.

Anyone who has not read the incredible Equal & Opposite, or is not now reading the brilliance that is Errors & Omissions should go do so right now. Links to both stories are in my profile.

WARNING:

This story is intended for an adult audience! There is crude speech, hate speech and adult sexual subject matter of a homosexual nature. If you are under 18 stop reading now!

AU/AH/OC

All characters from Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just take them out and play with them.

---

Chapter 5: Curse of the Green Fairy

It was the pain that woke Nasir the following morning. He lifted his head and found that daylight streamed into the room through the open curtains, though he was entirely unable to focus his eyes on anything. The act of lifting his head drove the spikes further into his temples.

"Ahh," Nasir squeezed his eyes shut and found that even that hurt. As awareness slowly came to him, he discovered that he was laying on a warm, bare back. A distinctly male back. One that he could immediately tell was not the right size. It was abundantly clear that he had been sleeping with his face on this bare back by how wet it was. "Oh, Garrett," Nasir mumbled as he wiped his drool from his best friend's back with his hand.

"Nmm?" Garrett groaned. Both men were on the very edge of the big bed. Garrett lay on his stomach with his arm hanging entirely over the side of the bed. Nasir was mostly on top of him.

"I am sorry, I," Nasir stopped abruptly. His eyes went wide and his mouth filled with saliva as a powerful wave of nausea hit him like a brick. "Oh!" Nasir scrambled over Garrett's back to fall on the floor.

"What?" Garrett lifted his head in time to see, through squinted and bleary eyes, a naked Arab run into the bathroom. "Uhhh," Garrett grabbed his head with both hands as he rolled onto his back. He couldn't remember when his head had ever pounded like this. The sound of Nasir's heaves did not make him feel any better.

Garrett lay still and rubbed his temples gently while he listened to his best friend be sick in the bathroom. He knew he should get up to offer what help he could, but his body did not want to move. Garrett finally, slowly, reached for the bedside phone and touched the button for room service. "Yes," Garrett cleared his gravelly throat. "I would like a bucket of ice, two large bottles of Evian, two large orange juices, a pot of very strong coffee, two orders of dry wheat toast and a crock of honey, please. As quickly as possible, please. Thank you," he reached to replace the handset and moaned again from the pain so little effort caused.

---

Emmett woke first that drizzly Saturday morning. He gave a great stretch and yawn in his best friend's bed. The mass of black hair on the pillow beside his did not move.

"Good morning, Sweetie," Emmett reached over to rub Seth's back on top of the covers. He still got no response.

"Hey, Seth, you under there?" Emmett moved his hand to the great tangle of hair. He gently rubbed Seth's head until finally the smaller man responded.

"Ummm," Seth moaned in protest. Anyone who knew Seth Clearwater knew he was not a morning person. On the weekends, once Garrett awoke, he would hold Seth to his chest and let him wake up slowly in his own time. Garrett could have gotten up and left his husband to sleep all those weekend and holiday mornings, but he knew Seth did not like to wake up alone. And Garrett felt that any time holding the man he loved, was time well spent.

This morning Seth slowly lifted his head and turned his face toward Emmett. "What do you want?" he whined.

"To tell you good morning," Emmett smiled. He found it very amusing that he could barely see Seth's face through his mop of hair. "C'mere," Emmett pulled Seth into his arms. Seth settled his head on Emmett's big, bare chest and Emmett held his face to the top of the smaller man's head. "Thank you," Emmett whispered.

"For what?" Seth mumbled.

"You know for what," Emmett answered. "For this. I don't know what I would do without you, Seth."

"I don't know what I would do either," Seth sighed. He reached his hands up around Emmett's broad shoulders. "You're my big teddy bear brother."

"We both miss our guys, huh?" Emmett rubbed the dark bare back in his arms.

"Yeah, but mine's coming home today," Seth lifted his head as a thought struck him. "Hey, why didn't they wake us up?"

"Oh," Emmett furrowed his brow. "I don't know. That isn't like either of them," he reached his long arm to pick up his phone from the bedside table. He held Seth with one arm while he touched the screen to call his partner's phone and put the cell to his ear. Emmett ended the call when Nasir did not pick up. "Huh. Went to voicemail."

"Let me try Garrett," Seth crawled off of Emmett and across the bed to his side to snatch up his own cell.

---

Garrett lifted his head and winced at the pain it caused, when he heard Nasir's cell ring with what he knew was Emmett's ring tone. All of the clothing that they had both worn last night lay strewn about the floor. Whether the ring came from Nasir's jacket or jeans, he could not be sure. And he could not muster the energy to get up and answer it. The chirp of a missed call sounded and blessed silence returned. Save for Nasir's heave. And then his own cell ringing. Fortunately, Garrett's cell lay on the bedside table close at hand. Unfortunately, the sound went straight through his head. This spurred Garrett into the little action required to grab is cell and silence it by answering.

"Hi, Sweetness," Garrett greeted with closed eyes and his free hand on his forehead.

In Seattle, Seth sat on his bed with his legs folded. Emmett lay beside him propped up on one elbow, paying close attention. Seth turned to Emmett with a look that conveyed both concern and amusement.

"Uh, oh. Hi, Honey. Are you okay?" Seth knew his husband's voice well and already knew the answer to that question.

"Not at all," Garrett confirmed. "What I wouldn't give to cuddle you right now. You always make me feel better."

"You don't feel good?" Seth knew the answer to that question too.

"I feel terrible," Garrett answered.

"Did you catch it from a bottle, Honey?" Seth wanted more than anything to cradle Garrett's head in his lap at that moment.

"A particularly vicious bottle from which I shall never drink again," Garrett swore.

"Is Nasir there? Emmy tried to call him," Seth enquired.

"I heard his phone ring, but I couldn't manage to rouse myself to get it," Garrett stated.

"Why didn't he answer it?" Seth asked.

"Nasir is indisposed at the moment," Garrett gave the diplomatic answer.

"Nasir's throwing up," Seth conveyed to Emmett.

"Oh, no," Emmett was immediately concerned for his partner. "My poor baby."

"How drunk did you guys get last night?" Seth asked.

"Sufficiently that I don't recall it. I have no idea how we got back to the hotel. I'm sure we owe Jasper an apology. We must have made fools of ourselves," Garrett revealed.

"Ha," Seth laughed. "They can't even remember anything. Call Jasper, Emmy," Seth instructed.

---

Jasper wore a pair of sleep pants and nothing else. His hair was unkempt from sleep, but he didn't care. There was no one there with him to see it this morning. He sat on one of the two bar height chairs at the tall bistro table in his kitchen. It was a small kitchen by most standards, but an apartment with a kitchen large enough to accommodate a table of any size, was a rare luxury in Manhattan. Jasper sipped coffee from his favorite big mug and flipped through the newspaper on this lazy Saturday morning. His cell sat on the table beside his mug, and when it rang he picked it right up. It wasn't the call he had been hoping for, but one he would enjoy taking none the less.

"Hey, Em. Your men sure can party," Jasper greeted.

"Hey, Sugar. That's what Seth is learning on the other line right now. Sounds like they're hung over as all hell. I think they even blacked out," Emmett informed.

"I'm not surprised!" Jasper laughed.

"What did you guys do last night?" Emmett asked.

"I met Garrett and Nasir at their hotel for dinner. That's a great restaurant there, just by the way. You gotta get Nasir to take you there if you can come out. Anyway, afterwards I took them to this absinthe bar I know way downtown. And let me tell you, they took to it like ducks to water," Jasper conveyed.

"You took them to an absinthe bar? I didn't even know there was such a thing," Emmett admitted.

"Did you get drunk on absinthe, Honey?" Seth asked his husband.

"For the first, and very last time," Garrett pledged.

"I'm sorry," Seth looked to Emmett. "Did they misbehave?"

"So what all went on last night?" Emmett enquired into his phone.

"Nasir gets chatty when he drinks," Jasper answered. "He regaled me with stories from snow to sand and back again. I heard all about the hot tub at your condo in Telluride. Hey, I meant to say, I really like him, Emmett. I think he's a great guy and he's perfect for you. He loves you a lot. Anyone who hears him talk about you can see it."

"That's sweet, Jasper. I think he's perfect for me too. What else happened?" Emmett prodded.

"Well, as the night wore on they both got to feelin' no pain, that's for sure. Did you know Nasir has a picture of you in the shower on his phone?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," Emmett chuckled. "Showed it to you, did he?"

"He showed everyone, the waitress, the people at the next table, even the door girl," Jasper answered.

"Nasi's showing pictures of my bare butt around Manhattan," Emmett informed.

"Was Nasir showing naughty pictures of Emmy around last night?" Seth asked Garrett.

"What? Oh, he might have been," Garrett tried to remember through the thick haze.

"Did you guys enjoy the pictures we sent you last night?" Seth asked suggestively. "And please tell me you didn't share those."

"You sent us pictures?" Garrett did not remember.

"Emmy sent you one of me and I sent one of Emmy to Nasir," Seth informed. "Didn't you get them?"

"Let me look," Garrett moved the phone away from his ear to look through his messages.

"I do have a message from Emmett," Garrett spoke toward his phone as he called it up.

Seth waiting patiently for his husband to get home

was accompanied by the shot of Seth's spread, dark, bare butt in the air.

"Oh, Seth! You make my mouth water!" Garrett reached down under the sheet to take hold of his growing cock. "I do hope it was Emmett who took this," he voiced his afterthought.

"He was busy. I asked Sylvia to pop over. She wasn't doing anything," Seth was nonchalant. Garrett and Emmett both chuckled at that.

"I hope they didn't show around the pictures Seth and I sent last night," Emmett expressed to Jasper.

"Oh!" Jasper laughed. "No, they only showed me, but probably because we were in the limo on the way back by then. I hope you guys don't mind me seeing them."

"I certainly don't care. It's nothing you haven't seen before," Emmett gave a shrug.

"Well, it's more of Seth than I ever saw before," Jasper corrected.

"You know Seth's not shy," Emmett smiled.

"And let me tell you how much they loved those shots you sent," Jasper continued. "I thought an orgy was gonna break out in the back of the limo. Nasir even wanted to send you back a shot of his dick. He said something about having just what that picture called for."

"Yes he does," Emmett confirmed. "Did you see it? My man's hot all over."

"Did Nasir pull out his dick last night?" Seth asked his husband.

"Did he? I don't remember," Garrett was sincere.

"No," Jasper answered Emmett's question. "He was laughing so hard he never got past his zipper. I doubt very much that he could have gotten it up anyway, he was so many sheets to the wind. Then he wanted to stand up through the moon roof on the way back uptown, which I convinced them was a bad idea."

"Garrett wanted to do that too?" Emmett asked.

"I think that was Nasir's idea. Garrett petty much just laughed himself all the way back to the hotel," Jasper clarified.

"This is not an unopened message. I must have seen this last night, but I have no memory of it," Garrett thought out loud. "Did you send Nasir a similar shot of Emmett?"

"Yep," Seth confirmed.

"I hope we kept these to ourselves," Garrett agreed.

"I can tell from Emmy's conversation with Jasper that you showed him," Seth informed.

"Just him," Emmett relayed.

"No one else," Seth passed along.

"Oh dear," Garrett sighed.

"You were both most enthused from what I gather," Seth smiled.

"What Jasper must think of us. Please pass on my most abject apology. Nasir would send the same if he were not busy being sick," Garrett expressed. "I should call Jasper myself."

"I don't think that's necessary, Honey," Seth looked over at Emmett. "Garrett wants to apologize."

"Hey, Garrett and Nasi want to apologize for being so out of control," Emmett relayed.

"They have nothing to apologize for," Jasper countered. "They were just blowing off steam. Everybody needs to cut loose once in a while. They were safe with me the whole time."

"Well, thanks for looking out for them," Emmett expressed.

"They're good guys and great fun. I had a blast with them," Jasper stated. "Tell them the next time I say to take it easy on the absinthe, listen. They know now, the green fairy'll bite 'em in the ass."

"If I were there, I'd bite his ass," Emmett smiled at the thought of Nasir's furry bare butt.

"Yeah, but that's a bite he would like," Jasper pointed out the difference.

"Well, thanks for the four one one, Sugar. Hey, you talk to Edward today?" Emmett asked.

"He must be at work right now. I'm sure I'll hear from him later," Jasper stated.

"I know you will. Thanks again and talk to you soon," Emmett smiled.

"You too, Em. Bye," Jasper expressed.

Emmett ended the call and dropped his cell on the bed. "Is Nasi still getting sick? I want to talk to my baby."

"Is Nasir still embracing the porcelain wishing well?" Seth asked into his phone.

"I don't hear him, but he hasn't come back out," Garrett looked in the direction of the bathroom from where he still lay in bed. "I should go check on him."

"Tell him to call Emmy just as soon as he's up to it," Seth instructed.

"I will. I love you, Seth. I'm sorry we misbehaved last night," Garrett felt the need to apologize to his husband as well.

"You didn't misbehave, Honey. You guys just got drunk with a friend and had a good time. Maybe too good a time, but that's all it was," Seth was not upset or angry in the slightest.

"I feel like I let you down," Garrett confessed.

"Don't feel like that, Gar. You have nothing to apologize for or feel bad about. Really," Seth assured. "Rent a boy for the night, then we have a problem."

"You need never worry about that. No other man on this Earth can compare to you," Garrett stated.

"That's exactly how I feel too, Honey. And I love you too. Water, orange juice, coffee, Advil and get back in bed for a while," Seth instructed.

"I have already ordered those exact things from room service. I wish you were here with me. Nothing can make me feel better than touching you," Garrett expressed.

"Believe me, we both wish we were there. Come home to me. Emmy already sent you a picture of how I'm waiting for you," Seth teased.

"I sure hope I feel better by the time I get home," Garrett wished with closed eyes as he rubbed his forehead.

"You don't have to climb straight into me as soon as you clear the door, as much as I would love that. We'll just lay down and cuddle for a while, for however long it takes, if you don't feel good. My butt will wait for you," Seth offered.

"You are most understanding, my beautiful, little husband. I am confident the coffee and chemicals will do their job by the time I get home," Garrett mustered a smile.

"What time are you coming home? You should maybe take a later flight. Don't leave Nasir like that," Seth advised.

"No, my poor baby," Emmett hugged himself.

"I wouldn't leave him like that. I should go check on him. I haven't heard him in a while," Garrett looked in the direction of the bathroom.

"Okay, go do that, Honey. I love you. Text me when you know when you'll be home," Seth directed.

"I will. I love you too, Sweetness. Bye," Garrett was loathe to hang up. Just Seth's voice was a balm.

"Bye, Gar," Seth ended the call and hung up.

"God, Seth, I hate thinking about Nasi sick in New York," Emmett put his hands on the top of his head.

"He brought this on himself. They both did," Seth pointed out.

"It doesn't matter why he's sick," Emmett stated. "He just is, and I want to take care of him."

"He'll call you when he feels better and then you'll both feel better," Seth laid down toward Emmett and leaned his head against the bigger man's ribs.

"Yeah," Emmett admitted with a sigh.

"What should we do today?" Seth wondered aloud.

"Do you have to work on your article?" Emmett asked.

"At some point, but I can do that while you drive. I can't wait to see Dane's pictures too," Seth expressed.

"Where am I driving us?" Emmett enquired further.

"Wherever it is we decide to go. We'll be ladies who lunch today. Where would we like to go? Oh, hey, we could even drive out to the mountain and pester Edward. If it weren't rainy, we could take your convertible," Seth outlined.

"If the sun comes out, let's do that," Emmett agreed.

"Is there a nice restaurant on Edward's mountain?" Seth asked.

"I doubt it," Emmett shook his head.

"Well, I mean, it doesn't have to be a nice restaurant. A burger joint will do. A bar and grill. You know," Seth was easy.

'There must be something," Emmett imagined.

"As long as it has a beer and wine license," Seth amended.

"I'm not even sure how to get there," Emmett admitted.

"Can you read a map?" Seth asked with attitude.

"I can read you, you little bitch," Emmett grabbed Seth by his side and poked his fingers into his best friend's ribs to tickle him.

"Wah!" Seth cried out as he grabbed hold of Emmett's wrists and stuck his legs straight up in the air.

---

Garrett laid in the peaceful quiet after he hung up with his husband for a long moment. "Nasir," he called. When there was no reply, Garrett lifted his head. "Oh," he was instantly sorry he did so and closed his eyes as he gently laid his pounding head back down.

Then came the knock on the door and the muffled, "Room service."

"Please just come in," Garrett called. It was a safe bet that their butler with his master key was the one doing the knocking.

"Room service, Mr. Thompson," came with the second knock.

"For the love of God, please just come in," Garrett called again. Much to his relief, the door then did open.

"Mr. Thompson, Mr. al Qasimi?" the butler called from the now open door.

"Yes, Carlton, please just come in," Garrett called back.

"Oh dear," Carlton appeared in the dressing room. He could see into the bathroom, while from the bedroom Garrett could not. "Do you need assistance, Mr. al Qasimi?" Carlton asked. Nasir did not even open his eyes in answer, but raised one hand in a weak gesture and dropped it again. Carlton retrieved one of the hotel robes from the walk in closet, took it into the bathroom and draped it over the naked Arab. Nasir sat on the floor and rested the side of his face on the rim of the toilet bowl. He still didn't open his eyes. Carlton walked back out to the doorway of the suite where the room service waiter waited with his cart.

"Shall I serve in the bedroom, Mr. Thompson?" Carlton reappeared in the dressing room with large tray in his hands.

"Yes, please," Garrett answered from bed. "Is my friend?" Garrett pointed.

"I think he'll be fine, sir. Just as soon as we get some coffee and juice into him," Carlton set the large tray down on the ottoman before the big wing chair. He put some ice in a glass, opened one of the Evian bottles, poured into the glass and brought the icewater to Garrett's bedside table. "When I saw your order, I took the liberty of bringing a small bottle of Advil," Carlton produced it from his pocket and set it beside the glass.

"I have a bottle in my bag, but it's nice to not have to look for it. Thank you, Carlton," Garrett was grateful.

"Would you like me to pour some coffee now as well, sir?" Carlton asked.

"Oh, no," Garrett answered. "I'll get it in a minute. That's all for now. Thank you."

"Very good, sir. I do hope you both feel better. If there is anything else I can do, please ring," Carlton walked out of the suite and shut the door behind him.

In the ensuing silence, Garrett looked at the inviting glass of water and desperately needed pain reliever not more than two feet from him. With a groan, he fought himself up into a sitting position and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked up as Nasir came crawling on hands and knees out of the bathroom. The robe didn't make it and slid off unnoticed and forgotten on the floor in the dressing room. Nasir hung his head and did not look up as he crawled into the bedroom. Garrett just watched him as he reached the bed and turned to sit on the floor. Nasir leaned back against the bed next to where his best friend sat on it and buried his face in his hands.

"You look like I feel, my friend," Garrett put a hand on Nasir's bare shoulder.

"Garrett, I am dying," Nasir mumbled. Garrett patted Nasir's shoulder and then reached for the Advil bottle. He poured some out into his hand and popped them in his mouth. He poured more and nudged Nasir while he took a drink of the icewater.

Nasir lifted his head to see why Garrett had nudged him and was very happy to see the little pills. "Oh, inshallah!" Nasir gladly took the much needed pills and drank them down with delightfully cool water that soothed his raw throat, from the offered glass. He handed the glass back as Garrett's hand returned to his shoulder. Nasir rubbed his face. "I do not want absinthe ever again, Garrett."

"It certainly is the type of thing that goes down easy and sneaks up on you," Garrett agreed. "Everything in moderation, I suppose. Though, right now, I wouldn't like to ever drink it again either."

"I feel like the camel rode me," Nasir moved his fingers to his temples. "Do you remember getting back here?"

"No," Garrett shook his head.

Nasir turned his head to confirm his suspicion. "Why are we naked?"

"That's how we fell into bed, I imagine," Garrett took a guess.

"I think I woke up on top of you," Nasir recalled.

"I just remember you crawling over me," Garrett stated.

"I was sleeping on your back. I think I drooled on you. I don't drool," Nasir was dismayed.

"Well, no harm done, my friend," Garrett patted Nasir's shoulder again and rose to his unsteady feet. "Oh, dear," Garrett took a moment, with his hand on the top of Nasir's head to steady himself. Then he headed for the ottoman.

"What time is your flight?" Nasir asked from where he remained on the floor at the side of the bed.

"It was, in about an hour and a half," Garrett poured two cups of coffee. "We had a date to go see your New York home this morning, and I don't think either of us is up to setting foot outside that door just right now. I'll take a later flight. Come have some toast and juice and coffee."

Nasir looked in the direction of where Garrett stood and could not muster the strength to stand. He crawled around the bed and sat again on the floor beside the ottoman. Garrett seated himself in the wing chair as he dribbled honey onto their toast. They sipped coffee and juice, forced themselves to drink as much water as they could stomach and nibbled toast. When they were done, Nasir stretched out on the floor and Garrett relaxed in the big chair, both still naked.

---

They got themselves together and got on the road quickly, as they knew they had quite a drive. Emmett took a few minutes to speak to his partner when Nasir finally called from the East Coast. Both men expressed their love for each other and it tore Emmett up that he could not be of more comfort to his ailing and aching lover. They did not talk long as Nasir and Garrett both were heading back to bed.

Emmett and Seth both wore denim shorts on their drive. Emmett also wore a light blue tank top that matched his eyes while Seth had on a short sleeved, form fitting white crew neck shirt and a black leather vest. Emmett drove them south out of the city on the I-5. They then took State Road 516, the same road that would take them to Edward's house. In Kent, they turned south again on State Road 167. The further they got from Seattle, the clearer the sky became. In Puyallup Emmett pulled over to put down the maroon rag top on the slate gray Maserati Grancabrio. Seth's hair whipped about his head as they took State Road 161 south out of Puyallup. Civilization began to melt away quickly once they passed the Pierce County Thun Field airstrip. Seth paid little attention to the view on the first part of their journey as he worked on his article on his laptop. He laughed and clapped at the pictures Dane sent, especially the one of the four of them hanging all over Emmett.

"I can't wait to show this one to Nasir," Seth commented.

"I can't wait to model that for him," Emmett countered.

"Us or the jock?" Seth snickered.

"Smartass," Emmett smiled from behind his Louis Vuitton aviator sunglasses. Seth wore a pair of small Matrix style sunglasses. He closed his laptop and set it down on the floor of the front seat.

Seth looked around at the wilderness. "Oh, Felicia, where the fuck are we?" he recited one of his favorite lines from Priscilla.

"We're just coming up on Eatonville. It's not that much further now," Emmett answered. They were forced to slow down as they entered the little town. Emmett even had to stop at the light at Center Street. Ten miles south of Eatonville, State Road 161 ended at the National Park Highway. This was another two lane road like 161 was, and Emmett turned left toward Edward's park. There were signs, but they did not need them as the ever growing mountain loomed above them.

As they traveled now directly toward the mountain, the road angled ever upward.

"This mountain is huge up close," Emmett commented as he accelerated to pass a pickup truck hauling an enormous fifth wheeler.

"God, that thing is bigger than my parents' house!" Seth turned to look back at the long and tall travel trailer as they blew past. He settled back into his seat and looked ahead. "I know what you mean. I didn't know Rainier was so big," Seth looked around as they drove past Adler Lake and on into the Snoqualmie National Forest, of which Edward's park was only a small part. The trees seemed somehow to grow thicker and darker the further into them they drove.

"I don't know about you, but I think it's kinda spooky up here," Seth commented.

"Watch out for bears!" Emmett teased.

"You watch out for bears. If we hit a bear in this thing, we'll total it," Seth warned.

"The car or the bear?" Emmett could not resist.

"Ha! Both," Seth clarified.

"I doubt we'll run across a bear standing in the middle of the road," Emmett dismissed.

"It's like the forest is oppressive somehow. Where I come from there are as many trees for miles and miles as there are here in ten fucking feet!" Seth exclaimed.

"I'll protect you from the big, bad trees," Emmett smiled as they drove on.

Thirteen miles further, just past the wide spot in the road that was the village of Nisqually, they came to the main gate of Mt. Rainier National Park. It seemed to take the giant motor home pulling a jeep at the gate ahead of them forever to negotiate entrance.

"Welcome to Mt. Rainier National Park. Fifteen dollars for the vehicle, please," the young lady in what they knew to be a volunteer uniform greeted cheerfully when they pulled up. She had long blonde hair in a thick braid half way down her back.

"Sure," Emmett pulled out his wallet.

"Something tells me you boys aren't here to go camping," she smiled.

"You can tell, huh?" Emmett handed over the cash.

"Did the Maserati give it away?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, that was one of the signs," She handed over their pass, map and pamphlets. "This pass is good for unlimited entrance to the park for the next seven days. Where are you boys headed today?"

"We'd love to surprise Edward Cullen for lunch. Do you know him?" Seth asked.

"I've met Ranger Cullen. Nice guy. Handsome guy. Doesn't play for my team, but I suspect you knew that. One of you his boyfriend?" she smiled.

"Ha! No," Seth laughed.

"Just old friends that he would never suspect would turn up on his mountain," Emmett answered.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you where he might be or what he might be doing today," she gave a shrug. "If you head right on up this road, the first place you'll come to is Longmire. The National Park Lodge is a great place for lunch. The Ranger might be able to meet you there, never know."

"Thank you," Emmett smiled. Seth gave a wave as they pulled away from the gate into the park. Emmett placed their pass on the dashboard as they very quickly caught up with the lumbering motor home. Six ponderously slow miles further, they turned into the driveway of the lodge. Emmett parked with other vehicles in the small parking lot.

"There. Wow. That only took three hours, Sweetie," Emmett observed.

"Let's not waste time. That motor home drove me to drink," Seth opened his door and got out.

"I'm just gonna put the top up," Emmett said and did so. He put the widows up, shut off the car, got out and locked it up.

The lodge was a two story timber building that looked to have been there a long time. A big porch that seemed to circle the entire structure was four steps up from the stone path. They climbed these steps and walked into the building. Through the small lobby was a dinning room with simple wooden chairs and bare, wood grain laminate tables. Just inside was a tiny bar that had room for only six stools. Fortunately, all of them were available and they took two.

"What can I getcha, boys," an older bartender with slicked back gray hair in a flannel shirt asked.

"Heineken," Seth ordered.

"Spaten?" Emmett tried.

"Nope," the bartender shook his head.

"Beck's?" Emmett tried again.

"Closest you're gonna get is Heineken, pal," the bartender advised.

"Then that's what I'll have. Bottles are fine," Emmett advised.

"Eleven dollars," the barman placed their frosty cold bottles before them.

"Will you open us a tab? And can we see menus?" Emmett requested. "We're hoping to meet a friend here."

"Sure thing," the bartender set menus on the bar beside their bottles. Then walked to the other end of the bar to the service station to fill a waitress' order.

"I wish Edward had mentioned that you can't get good beer up here," Emmett complained.

"Excuse me? What is that in your hand?" Seth countered.

"This, Seth, is a Heineken," Emmett held up his bottle and placed his index finger on the label. "And it makes me wish I could have a good beer."

"You wouldn't know a good beer if I poured one over you," Seth took a swig.

"I'm German, so I think mine is the opinion we will be taking on what is, and what is not, good beer," Emmett declared.

"You're only half German," Seth gave a dismissive wave.

"The half that drinks beer," Emmett countered.

"Drink your beer and shut up. I'm gonna call Edward," Seth pulled out his cell. "I hope there's reception up here," he scrolled to Edward's number and put his phone to his ear. "Damn, it went right to voicemail. Cullen, you better listen to your messages soon. Emmy and I thought we would surprise you. You'll never guess where we are, so I'm gonna tell you. We're at the National Park Lodge in Lillihammer."

"Longmire," Emmett corrected with a chuckle.

"Longmire, whatever. Anyway, we're at the bar, enjoying a delicious cold beer and want very much for you to join us, so get your butt over here pronto. Kisses," Seth commanded and ended the call.

"I hope he gets that," Emmett expressed.

"I do too," Seth picked up his menu. "I wonder what's good here."

Ten minutes later, Seth tried again, and again immediately reached Edward's voicemail. "Shit. I'll be right back," he slid off his barstool and walked out into the lobby. "Hi," Seth walked up to the front desk.

"Can I help you, sir?" the smiling young Asian woman behind the desk asked.

"I sure hope so. I'm trying to get in touch with a Ranger, a particular Ranger, Edward Cullen," Seth put his hands on the edge of the front desk. "Do you know how I might go about doing that?"

"I really don't, no," she shook her head. "He could be anywhere in the park."

"What about Ranger Donovan, Roger Donovan?" Seth tried another route.

"Well, now, Ranger Donovan you might find at the ranger station in Paradise. That's where his office is. I'll jot down the number for you and you can try there," she offered.

"That would be great. Thank you," Seth smiled. He tipped her when she handed him the paper and headed back to the bar.

"Find him?" Emmett asked as Seth climbed back up onto his stool.

"Workin' on it," Seth keyed in the number of the ranger station into his cell.

"Mt. Rainier Ranger Station, Paradise. Ranger Billings," a male voice answered.

"Ranger Donovan, please," Seth requested.

"He's out. Can I help you, sir?" Billings asked.

"I'm actually a friend of Edward Cullen and I'm looking for either of them. How can I reach either one of them?" Seth asked.

"I can put you through to Ranger Donovan's cell. Hold on," Billings offered.

"Thank you," Seth looked to Emmett. "I think I'm gonna get Roger."

"Donovan," Roger's voice came on the line after only two rings.

"Is this the Lord High Ranger of Rainier?" Seth asked.

"This is he," Roger answered with a chuckle. He was pretty sure he knew the voice.

"Hi, Roger. Seth Clearwater," the smile on Seth's face was clear in his voice.

"I thought that was you, Seth," it was equally clear in Roger's. "How can the Lord High Ranger, and I love that by the way, serve you today?"

"Emmy and I have ventured far from our own lands into your domain, Sir Ranger. We're at the teeny weeny bar in the National Park Lodge and we can't reach Edward. We came to surprise him and we would love it if he could come have a beer with us," Seth explained.

"Ah, crappy timing I'm afraid, Seth," Roger informed. "Edward is leading an interpretive hike today."

"An interprawhatza?" Seth asked.

"An interpretive hike," Roger repeated with a chuckle. "He is teaching his hikers about the history and ecology of my domain, to foster stewardship of our park's natural resources. He's way up at the fire lookout platform at Gobbler's Knob by now."

"Sorry, where?" Seth was sure he did not hear that correctly. It was just too easy.

"Gobbler's Knob," Roger's amusement was clear in his voice. He could see it coming.

"Don't talk dirty to me," Seth teased. "So there's no way to reach him?"

"I can reach him by radio," Roger stated.

"How can I call his radio?" Seth asked.

Roger paused before he gave the simple and obvious answer. "With another radio."

"And where do I get one of those?" Seth pressed on.

"You don't. They're not for socializing. He's in the middle of his program. I won't disturb him unless it's an emergency," Roger grew serious.

"I have very little beer left in my bottle," Seth held it up to look. "Does that count?"

"No," Roger answered with a chuckle.

"Well, then, I suppose you'll have to do. Get your hot, straight ass over here so us two knob gobblers won't have made this trip up here for nothing," Seth commanded.

"Sorry, Seth," Roger laughed. "I'm over in Sunrise with my lead Climbing Ranger this afternoon."

"I'd like to climb a Ranger. Bring him too," Seth instructed.

"He's not that kinda Ranger either, Seth," Roger chuckled.

"Obviously, I don't care. All either of you have to do is hold still," Seth countered.

"Sorry," Roger expressed.

"I won't take no for an answer," Seth threatened.

"Did you notice the mountain when you drove in?" Roger asked.

"It was hard to miss," Seth confirmed.

"Sunrise is on the other side of that mountain from where you are," Roger informed.

"Don't you have a helicopter?" Seth used an incredulous tone.

"That's not for socializing either," Roger answered. "What kind of stewardship of our environment would I be demonstrating if I used fossil fuels and carbon emissions to have a beer with friends?"

"I suppose, when you put it like that," Seth capitulated.

"If I were in my office in Paradise, I would be there in five minutes, Seth," Roger assured.

"Your office is in Paradise? So Yvonne takes you to work?" Seth could not resist again.

"That's a different paradise," Roger enjoyed the thought. "Give me a rain check, Seth. Next time you boys come up, first round's on me."

"We'll take you up on that. Have fun climbing your rangers and give Edward shit when you see him," Seth bid.

"I'll tell him you said so," Roger agreed.

"Give Yvonne and the kids a hug from us," Seth continued.

"I'll give my wife more than that," Roger's smile came through.

"Not from me!" Seth laughed.

"See you, Seth. Hi to Emmett," Roger finished.

"Bye," Seth ended the call. In the time Seth had been on the phone, his best friend had reduced the label on his beer bottle to a hundred tiny shreds on the bar. "There's a cure for that, you know," Seth pointed.

"My husband to be's dick?" Emmett took a swig.

"That would be the best medicine, but, failing that, an in depth conversation with your husband to be, on that very subject, over the phone, would suffice," Seth prescribed.

"I told you I'm saving it for him," Emmett picked up a little shred of label and ripped it in half.

"I don't know how either of you can concentrate on anything," Seth shook his head. He looked around the dinning room. "Well, this was a bust."

"Not necessarily, Sweetie," Emmett held up his menu and pointed. "Where else can you find buffalo on the menu?"

"Oh, I love buffalo," Seth picked up his own menu. "Split the buffalo quesadilla with me."

"I might have a bite. I'm not so big on buffalo as you are," Emmett crinkled his nose.

"Well, I love it," Seth stated again.

"I know you do. It's in your blood," Emmett teased.

"Please, my people invented buffalo. Oh, look, they make a sloppy joe with venison! Mmm," Seth smacked his lips.

"And that's definitely too gamey for me. I think I'll have the pot roast sandwich," Emmett nodded to himself.

"Well, we couldn't have gotten food like this in the city, so I guess this wasn't a total loss," Seth mused. "Damn long way to come though."

"Hey, wanna ambush Maggie and Rosalie on the way home?" Emmett suggested. "We can hang with them and play with the kids 'till it's time to pick up Garrett."

"That's brilliant, Emmy," Seth was all for that idea. He signaled the barman for another round and to place their orders.

---

"We were wondering when you would be joining us, Nasir. May I call you Nasir?" the yenta with the big hair and glasses to match put her hand on his arm as they rode up in the elevator.

"You may," Nasir confirmed with a small smile. He stood beside Garrett, both of them hiding bloodshot eyes behind sunglasses. They wore the same suit jackets and jeans they had worn with Jasper the night before, as Carlton had retrieved them from where they had been strewn on the floor and pressed them back to perfection.

"And you must call me Gloria," she gushed. She was in her sixties and wore a dress much too formal for the time of day with great, gaudy wooden jewelry in animal shapes. "It's nice to have more young professionals in the building. We're all professionals here. Do I understand your family is in construction overseas?"

"They are. I am not," Nasir stated. "I am an executive with Loews."

"Oh, I see. And your wife? What does she do?" Gloria pried.

"I do not have a wife, nor will I ever," Nasir was clear.

"Oh, how silly of me," she reached to put a hand on Garrett's arm as well. "You're not the only gay couple in the building. You have to meet Duane and Rodney on twelve. Duane's an attorney. He handles everything for the association. We're in good hands. Here we are," Gloria announced as the elevator reached the top floor. "You have all of the top floor and nearly half of the sixteenth," she informed as they stepped out into a small vestibule. There was a small French style chair in the corner and a narrow console table beneath a wall sconce.

"This is actually a common area, but a lot of people like to dress up the outside of their homes a little bit. The association doesn't mind," Gloria produced keys and opened the big front door. She walked in and gestured for Nasir and Garrett to join her. Garrett followed Nasir into a spacious entry hall with a round table nestled into the half moon shape of a dramatic, curved, descending staircase on the far side. To their left, through very wide white pocket doors, was a very spacious dinning room. To their right, through the same size pocket doors of dark wood was an even bigger living room.

"Wow," Garrett was immediately impressed.

"Wow," Nasir echoed.

"I'll leave you kids to explore," Gloria smiled. "Your keys are here on the table," she set them down. "Make sure you give Vlad your names and the names of anyone you want him to let up without calling."

"Vlad is the doorman we met downstairs?" Garrett asked.

"That's him. He can be a bit severe, but he's a good guy and he watches out for us. I left my number here as well, in case you needed anything at all. I'm just down on nine," Gloria paused to smile at them.

"Thank you, Gloria," Garrett dismissed her. "Come, Darling, let's explore our new home," he took Nasir's hand. Nasir had to suppress a giggle as Gloria saw herself out. Hand in hand they walked into the living room. There was a large wood burning fireplace and it appeared that the entire home was already furnished, much to Nasir's disappointment. The penthouse was decorated in a middle eastern royal style. The predominant colors were dark blue and gold, with some vibrant red thrown in, mostly in the way of pillows.

"Garrett, look!" Nasir let go of his best friend's hand and crossed to the far end of the living room where French doors opened onto a huge terrace, that they soon discovered wrapped around three sides of this floor. "Look at this outdoor space! It is like yours!"

"It's bigger than mine," Garrett contradicted.

"Emmett will love this!" Nasir's eyes were wide. There were lounge chairs, a wrought iron picnic table and benches, planters with trees that looked like they needed attending. The doors on the far side were locked, so they were forced to retrace their steps and go back inside through the living room. The dinning room, with ample room for the table that comfortably seated twelve, they discovered, also had a wood burning fireplace and two sets of French doors out onto the terrace. Through the dinning room they found the light and airy breakfast room, with a round glass table that could seat six nestled in a bay with three sides of windows looking out onto the terrace. Beyond that was the kitchen.

"Garrett, Emmett will love this kitchen! It is twice the size of ours!" Nasir enthused.

"Twice the size of your other one," Garrett corrected with a hand on his best friend's shoulder. The huge side by side fridge was paneled to match the cabinetry. There was an island with a six burner gas cook top, two ovens set in the wall and a giant white farm sink.

"What is around that corner there?" Nasir pointed. Garrett was closer and went to investigate.

"A maid's room, I would guess," Garrett announced. By time he had investigated, Nasir had joined him. There was a full bath and bedroom with a twin bed, side table and tiny dresser in it, both quite small and plain.

"Where is the bedroom?" Nasir wondered.

"My guess would be down those stairs. And I imagine there's more than one," Garrett gestured back through the kitchen.

"Let us see," Nasir led the way back through the breakfast room and formal dinning room into the entry hall. They proceeded down the wide, curving stairs to a smaller, lower hall. A large master bedroom had corner views onto Park Avenue and 78th Street. It was decorated again in dark blue and gold. The low king sized bed had a very gaudy gold leaf looking headboard.

"Garrett, this has to go," Nasir stated.

"You and Emmett will make it your own," Garrett said casually as he strolled through the closets into the master bath. "His and his sinks in here," he called back. There was also an oversized garden whirlpool tub and a slate stone and clear glass shower.

"The bathroom I like," Nasir poked his head in. They both turned and headed back into the bedroom.

"More than ample closet space," Garrett observed.

"Another fireplace," Nasir bent down. "Oh, it goes through!"

"A double sided fireplace, nice," Garrett noted the door set into the same wall. He opened it and walked through into a good sized study. The walls were covered with bookshelves of rich, dark wood. A big desk and chair dominated the room.

"A study and library, with it's own full bath," Garrett noted.

"It will be perfect when I put two new desks in here face to face," Nasir outlined as he looked around. "This is bigger than ours at home."

"Than your other home," Garrett corrected again. They walked out into the hallway and proceeded down to another big bedroom that was much more tastefully done. It featured a king bed, night tables with matching lamps, a long dresser and a chest of drawers. A large flat screen television was mounted on the wall opposite the bed. This room as well had an ensuite, well appointed, full bath.

"You could elect to sleep in here," Garrett suggested.

"No," Nasir shook his head. "This is the Thompson and Clearwater suite."

"Ah," Garrett laughed softly. "We will take you up on that."

"Though, there is no butler to press our clothes," Nasir pointed out as he led the way back toward the stairs.

"Then perhaps we should make a point of not getting so drunk we are unable to hang them up," Garrett was full of useful suggestions.

"That is a good plan, Garrett," Nasir agreed. They returned to the lower hall and climbed the steps back up to the main living area and top floor of the prewar building.

"Nasir," Garrett put his hand on his best friend's shoulder as they stopped in the spacious entry hall, "I don't think you need me to tell you that your portfolio just increased substantially."

"I guess it did," Nasir nodded.

"At some point we should discuss a mortgage and putting that money to work elsewhere," Garrett was ever the financial manager.

"Yes, but we need to get you to the airport," Nasir picked up his keys and headed for the door. "And we need to give the doorman our names and Emmett and Sethy and Jasper and Edward and whoever else who might visit us here," he led the way out to the elevator and touched the call button. "And make it very clear, never, ever any other al Qasimi."

"Indeed," Garrett agreed.

---

There were times when a mother just needed a break. A reprieve from the noise and chaos. A few minutes of quiet. This was one of those times. There were two places in Maggie and Rosalie's home that were designated as adult only space. Their sons had free reign over the rest of the house, within reason, and were free to make as big a mess as they wanted while they were playing, so long as they picked up after themselves at the end of the day. An act which still required frequent, but gentle reminding. Maggie sat in one of the two adult only areas, their spacious living room with the white brick fireplace, gleaming dark hardwood floors and her most precious, and equally gleaming, grand piano. The grand piano that had been a gift from the brother she loved and cherished. She thought of him every time she played. It was nearly impossible now to remember how she felt about him back when they were just kids in Forks. Maggie payed softly on her beloved piano to sooth her nerves. The giant instrument was placed in the living room so that her back, as she sat at the keys, was to the corner windows. Even on overcast days there was enough light for her to read the sheets of music. When she needed to read them, that is. This accomplished pianist, in a spicy orange crepe dress that flowed to her ankles from a fitted bodice with simple straps over her shoulders, knew more pieces of music by heart than she could count.

It was not that Maggie and Rosalie did not allow their children in these rooms at all. They made it very clear that these were not play areas. No toys were allowed, no running, no roughhousing. The first was the living room and the second was Rosalie's home office. Their rambling four bedroom ranch style home had an attached in-law suite with it's own outside entrance on the other side of the garage. They lived in one of the older, established neighborhoods in Kent, very conveniently located right at the I-5 exit. The entrance to their neighborhood was the very first turn off the exit. One turn after that, down five blocks and on a quiet cul de sac with good sized lots and large, mature trees, was their home.

Power Realtor Rosalie Hale sometimes wheeled and dealed from here. Couriers from her office picked up and dropped off what could not be faxed or emailed. Her broker made concessions for her that were not made for others. Rosalie made her own hours. She more than earned every perk she had. Her office was also not a place for play, or noise, or a mess. For their part, Liam and Owen didn't mind. When the weather kept them inside, their rooms and the big family room off the kitchen gave them plenty of space to spread out. Toys were often strewn from wall to wall. Their parents let them make all the mess they wanted. They believed that kids had to be allowed to be kids. Liam and Owen were just given boundaries, and in child friendly zones allowed to be themselves. The only other rule was that they had to pick up and put away their toys at the end of the day when it was time for bed. And at that time a favorite television program would often find all four of them tucked into Maggie and Rosalie's big bed to watch it. Liam and Owen didn't last long like that and were soon carried to their own beds in their own rooms. Rosalie always made a point of carrying Liam, as their first born son was just naturally bigger and heavier. After the kids were put to bed for the night, one of Rosalie's very favorite things was to build a fire in the living room fire place. When Maggie saw her spouse doing that, she would pour two big glasses of red wine and prepare a small plate of cheeses and berries. Both women cherished their quiet time with each other, snuggling on the the living room sofa, feet up on the big ottoman, in front of the fire. It was not at all uncommon for these adult times to lead to adult activities that did not always make it back to their bedroom.

Rosalie had no showings on this particular Saturday afternoon and watched her rambunctious sons play with big Tonka fire trucks in the family room, while she sliced an apple in the kitchen. It brought a smile to her face to hear her wife play, as much after all these years as ever it did. Rosalie could tell exactly how Maggie felt and just where precisely she was in her journey of decompression, by what she played and how she played it. Rosalie wore form fitting white capri pants with a bold red silk chiffon blouse with half sleeves. The tie bust only served to accentuate her ample breasts, which she knew was just how here wife liked it. Rosalie's long blonde tresses lay over her shoulders. Even relaxing at home, she wore shoes with a heel. Rosalie set out some peanut butter and caramel to go with the apple. The gentle music told her that her partner's nerves were nearly soothed, and therefore so were hers.

Maggie's attention was taken, though her deft fingers did not falter, by the car she could see from her place in the windows, pull into her driveway. It was not a vehicle she recognized, and looked like some expensive European sports car. She halted her hands on the keys.

"Rosie, are you expecting a client here?" Maggie called. She tried to keep her tone neutral, but her wife well knew that she did not like to be taken by surprise by visiting clients. Though Rosalie almost never forgot to tell her, it had happened.

"No," Rosalie walked into the living room and to the front door to look through the leaded glass panes as their unexpected visitors climbed out of the car. "Oh, it's not a client, it's our guys," Rosalie opened the front door and leaned on it as Emmett and Seth walked up from the driveway. "Two of 'em anyway."

"Hi, Roses," Emmett stepped into the doorway and enfolded her in his strong arms.

"How's my groom?" Rosalie asked as she hugged him back.

"Hangin' in there. Missing my man," Emmett let her go with a shrug.

"Hi, Amazon," Seth casually walked past them with a wave.

"Come right in, Pipsqueak," Rosalie could not help her smile. She loved trading barbs with Seth.

"Oh, Rosie, don't call him that," Maggie crossed the living room from the piano to give Seth a hug. "Hi, Seth. What brings you guys by?"

"We need to pick Garrett up at the airport in about three hours, so we thought we'd stop on the way. You get the pleasure of our company in the meantime," Seth explained.

"On the way from where?" Rosalie asked as she shut the door. "You can't have been at Edward's, he's at work."

"We were at Edward's all right," Emmett contradicted.

"Edward's mountain," Seth explained. "We drove all the way there to have lunch with him only to find out he was at some knob gobbling place with a bunch of hikers."

"A knob gobbling place? One of your old hang outs, I take it?" Rosalie smirked.

"Har de har," Seth deadpanned.

"Are you sure that's what he was doing?" Maggie gave a frown. She knew as well as anyone that there was only one man on her brother's mind.

"Hiking?" Seth asked innocently.

"You should have looked up Roger," Rosalie advised.

"We tried," Emmett stated.

"He said he was busy climbing other rangers someplace," Seth filled in.

"I'm pretty sure you have at least some of those facts wrong," Rosalie was dubious.

"Where are the kids? I hear them," Emmett asked.

"They don't know you're here. They're in their own little world," Maggie explained.

"Boys, company," Rosalie called.

"The lungs on this one," Seth cocked his thumb at Rosalie and shook his head.

Tow headed Liam, followed closely by his bronze haired little brother, walked around the corner from the family room. Curiosity gave way to elation as soon as they saw who it was.

"Uncle Emmett! Uncle Seth!" Liam led the charge into the men's arms. Emmett snatched Liam up effortlessly and made a great roar into the boy's neck as he lifted him up. Liam laughed and squealed with delight. Seth knelt down as Owen ran to him and wrapped the smaller child in his arms.

"Come play with us, uncle Emmett, uncle Seth," Liam urged as soon as Emmett set him down.

"Well, why do you think we're here?" Emmett spread his arms.

"C'mon!" Liam grabbed Emmett's big hand and pulled with all his might.

"Okay, take it easy," Maggie cautioned her older son to tone it down.

"Hey!" Liam looked at Seth and was struck with what he thought was a brilliant idea. "Can we play cowboys and Indians?"

"We talked about that, Liam," Maggie began.

"Uncle Seth is Native American. It's not right to call him an Indian," Rosalie took up.

"I wasn't calling him an Indian, Mom," Liam defended.

"Uncle Justin calls me an Injun," Seth pointed out with a chuckle.

"Injun?" Owen was not sure he heard that right.

"Is that the same as Indian?" Liam asked.

"And I had better never hear that word come out of your mouth, either of you," Rosalie commanded. The law giver parent pointed at each of her sons for emphasis. "That is not a nice word."

"Uncle Justin is just being cute when he says that," Seth excused.

"Can I be cute?" Liam asked.

"Not with that word, Liam, not ever," Rosalie was firm and final.

"You're so cute anyway, I can't even stand you," Seth put his arm around Liam's shoulders. "But your moms are right. No matter how you meant it, it wouldn't do for someone your age to call someone my age a name like that."

"Okay," Liam nodded.

"And we can play cowboys and Indians, and Owen and I are gonna scalp you two pale faces!" Seth took Owen's hand.

"They can try, right, Liam?" Emmett boasted.

"I'm gonna go get our hats and guns!" Liam raced off in the direction of his bedroom.

"Hey, do you guys still have your feathers that I gave you at uncle Edward's house?" Seth asked the remaining child.

"They sure do. After what you told them, those feathers are sacred objects," Maggie pointed at the curio cabinet in the living room. It was filled with precious and fragile little trinkets. The feathers they had earned that day from their War Chief were precious to them, and for the first time Liam and Owen wanted something placed in that cabinet that they could not go into, in the room where they were not allowed to play, for safe keeping.

"As are my people's Eagle feathers," Seth nodded approvingly. "I know just what to do with them. May I?"

In answer, Maggie got them out of the cabinet. "Liam, Owen and uncle Seth are going to use your feathers. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Liam shouted back.

"I'm gonna have to think of a new name for you, Little Chief. I can't very well use the last one," Emmett smiled.

"Oh, yeah," Seth laughed. "I'm not prepared to go there just yet."

"What?" Owen astutely latched onto the fact that there was something he was not supposed to know.

"I'm afraid to ask," Rosalie furrowed her brow.

"I'll tell you later," Emmett assured.

Liam ran back into the living room with two small toy guns on each hip in a holster belt and a red cowboy hat on his head. He carried the same for Emmett.

"We need rifles," Seth declared.

"You get rifles?" Liam was amazed.

"My people stole rifles from your people and that's what we used to repel the invaders!" Seth explained.

"Yeah, inwaders!" Owen pointed at his big brother. He didn't know what it meant, but he liked the sound of it.

"Uncle Emmett, the playset in the back yard can be our fort!" Liam entire face lit up at this prospect.

"That's fine. A fort won't protect you," Seth was confident.

"Nah, they'll never take our fort," Emmett boasted.

"Yeah, they'll never take our fort," Liam agreed.

"You boys have those toy muskets you absolutely had to have," Maggie reminded. "Seth and Owen can used those."

"I know where they are. I'll go get them," Liam set off for his bedroom again.

Seth laughed as Emmett looked at the child sized holster belt and hat in his hands. "You could put that around one leg maybe."

"I might just," Emmett nodded.

"I just cut some apple when you guys pulled up. C'mon in the kitchen before you go to war," Rosalie bid.

"I won't say no to that," Emmett followed through from the living room. "Oh, wow, girls!"

"This is nice," Seth put his hand on the sparkling deep green and flecked with gold granite countertop.

"We haven't been here since you redid the kitchen. I love the granite. New cabinets and all new appliances too?" Emmett asked.

"All Jenn-Air," Rosalie ran her hand along the edge of the range. "Normally I'm opposed, and I always advise against, a home improvement project that costs more than the resulting increase in the home's net worth, but in this case," she gave a shrug.

"We needed it and we wanted it," Maggie agreed.

"That harvest gold counertop just had to go. I can't believe we lived with it for as long as we did," Rosalie took back up.

"We thought about a new place there for a while, and we actually looked a little bit, but we like it here," Maggie stated.

"I agree, Freckles. We're very comfortable here. We like the neighborhood. We have nice neighbors. We have good schools here," Rosalie outlined. "We decided we're not going anywhere, so it was time to make some improvements."

"Our bathroom will be next," Maggie informed.

"All the bathrooms will be next. Well, one at a time, that is. We got by for a short while there with the kitchen out of commission. We can't do that with no bathrooms," Rosalie shook her head.

"The deli counter was very good to us," Maggie smiled.

"Well, you've done a hell of job. This kitchen is beautiful," Emmett complimented as he snatched up a piece of apple and took a bite.

"It really is," Seth agreed.

"It's not as big as yours, Seth, but it's really nice now. It's perfect for us," Maggie put her arm around her wife.

"So, what's for dinner?" Seth asked.

"I was going to make pork chops, but I don't have enough now," Maggie put a hand to her chin while she thought.

"Don't worry about that, Maggie," Emmett assured. "We invaded without warning. We'll get mickey dees for everyone, or whatever we want."

"The boys won't mind that," Rosalie declared.

"We'll get you to eat, won't we?" Maggie asked her younger son with a smile.

"I found them," Liam dragged the two Minute Man muskets around the corner into the family room, as if everyone had been concerned with what took him so long.

"These are prefect, Liam," Seth took the long fake guns.

"C'mon, you guys," Liam headed for the door to the back patio.

"Hold up. We gotta get dressed. Do you have any masking tape?" Seth asked. In answer Rosalie opened a nearby drawer and produced a roll. She set it on the counter with the question of what he wanted it for clear on her face.

"Perfect," Seth took it and pulled a long strip. He circled Owen's head twice to make a headband out of it and stuck the bottom tip of the feather between them so it would stand up at the back of the child's head. Then he did the same for himself. "There," Seth declared. He looked up at Emmett. "Put your hat on."

Emmett just smiled and tried. The little red cowboy hat was entirely too small for his adult head. The chin cords all the way open allowed just enough room to slip under his jaw. Emmett gave a silly grin once he was wedged into the tiny hat. He looked ridiculous and he knew it.

"I gotta get pictures of this," Maggie walked off in search of her phone. Emmett then bent over, and while Liam found nothing amusing about Emmett's hat, laughed his tiny ass off when his big uncle strapped the little belt with the two pistols to his right thigh.

"Freckles, wait till you get a load of this now," Rosalie called.

"Mom, hurry!," Liam called. He was certainly not averse to posing for a picture, but didn't want to waste a lot of time doing it.

"I'm right here," Maggie walked back into the room. "Oh, look at this. Okay, let me get a picture of my cowboys first," she directed. Liam stood proudly beside Emmett for his mother to take their picture.

"Now my Native Americans. Stand against this wall so we can be sure to see your feathers," Maggie instructed.

"Lean the rifles right here and fold your arms with attitude," Seth coached. "Like this," he demonstrated by folding his arms across his chest and setting his jaw in determined and defiant manner.

"Perfect, Owen," Maggie smiled as her smaller son emulated his uncle perfectly.

"Now let's go defend our fort!" Liam grabbed the doorknob and fought the door open.

"What should we name our fort?" Emmett asked his fellow frontier settler.

"How about Fort Little Bighorn?" Seth suggested with a smirk.

"I'll be your lieutenant, General," Emmett put a hand on Liam's back.

"I'm a General, Mom!" Liam was thrilled.

"General Custer," Rosalie chuckled.

"Let's go!" Liam led the charge out the door.

"What's your name, Little Chief?" Rosalie asked.

Seth waited until Owen and Emmett had followed Liam out the door. "Last week I was Little Chief Big Dick," he smiled proudly.

"That's just charming," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"But not today. That's just not a discussion I'm prepared to have yet," Seth stated.

"Yes, please," Maggie agreed. "We had to hear all about Edward's great big pee-pee after he taught Liam how to go standing up."

"Ha! I'm sorry I missed that," Seth found that very amusing.

"I'm sure a gay man would find a discussion about a penis, by lesbians who can't express our distaste for it to our sons, very funny," Rosalie stated.

"If and when the day should come that you need to call on someone who not only will express a taste for it, but outright enthusiasm, you know where to turn," Seth assured.

"We'll be sure to look you right up," Rosalie scoffed.

"Today, I guess I'm Tasunke Witko," Seth mused aloud.

"Who?" Rosalie had never heard that name.

"That's how you say Crazy Horse in my language. He was the Oglala Chief at Little Bighorn," Seth explained.

"Uncle Seth!" Owen appeared in the doorway with balled little fist.

"And you can be Two Moons," Seth pointed at Owen, "the great Chief of the Cheyenne, who fought the United States 7th Cavalry, er, I mean, fort, at Little Bighorn beside my people."

"How do you say Two Moons in Cheyenne?" Rosalie asked.

"How should I know? I don't speak Cheyenne," Seth gave a shrug. He turned to Owen. "Let's we allow them a minute to get settled in, my fellow Chief. Gives them a false sense of security," he put his hand on Owen's back as they walked together out into the backyard.

Rosalie appeared in the doorway behind them. "Can you close the door behind you? Were you raised in a tipi?" she called after Seth and her younger son.

"Aren't you squaws coming out?" Seth called back.

"Yeah, we're coming out," Rosalie admitted.

"Okay, but please remember squaws should be seen and not heard," Seth called back. He looked down at Owen. "Squaws, huh?"

"Yeah," Owen nodded with a world weary sigh.

"That little shit," Rosalie cursed.

"Don't egg him on, Rosie. Want an iced tea, with peaches, the way you like it?" Maggie asked.

"You are the best mother and wife, you know that?" Rosalie slipped her arms around Maggi's waist.

"Well, so are you, not incidentally," Maggie kissed her spouse gently and lovingly on her lips, then pulled away to get the tea out of the fridge.

Out in the big, fullly fenced backyard, Liam and Owen had a tree house swing set made entirely of cedar. The first level was an open club house with a climbing ladder on one side and a straight slide on the other. This section had a striped canvas roof. An uncovered bridge connected this to a fully enclosed 'tree house' which was the highest part of the set at eight feet off the ground. This tree house had two cute little open shuttered windows on each side and a corkscrew slide off the end. It had a solid gabled cedar roof complete with a little chimney. On the other end, off the club house, branched the long bar that supported two sling swings and a plastic horse glider. Beneath the tree house were monkey bars, a tire swing and even a small trapeze. Beneath the club house was a bulit-in picnic table.

Liam raced to the bars and quickly ascended up into the club house. "Hurry up, Lieutanta. The Indians are coming!"

"We have to get the women and children inside to safety, General!" Emmett grabbed the bars to follow Liam. "I hope I can fit up in this thing."

"The women and kids are all safe!" Liam declared. He sat down on the connecting bridge to give Emmett room as the big man climbed up into the club house. There was actually six feet of inside standing height, so Emmett could nearly stand up, though he couldn't see out unless he leaned out the side over the swings.

"I see 'em, General!" Emmett cried.

"Draw!" Liam shouted and pulled his guns. Emmett did the same from his leg holsters, the toys absurdly small in his big hands.

Owen stood with his fellow Chief on the grass just one step off the patio. "We gottsa takes the fort!" he declared with great enthusiasm and raised his rifle.

"Oh we will," Seth was confident. "First, my fellow Chief, let's just walk around them," he set off. Owen was close at his side.

"We want to engage in a little psychological warfare, first," Seth explained. "We want to circle them. Let them see they are surrounded. We want to impress upon them the hopelessness of their situation."

"Yeah! Hopeness!" Owen shouted toward the fort.

"Open fire!" Liam shouted and leveled his guns.

"I think they're too far away still, General," Emmett advised. "They're circling us!"

"They won't get away with that!" Liam made shooting noises as he pulled the triggers of his pistols. "What are you waiting for? Shoot 'em!"

"Wait till they get closer, General. We're wasting ammo," Emmett was ever mindful of their logistics.

"We have all the ammo we want. It's pretend," Liam was pragmatic.

"Okay, I can't argue with that," Emmett gave in. He pointed his little guns and was only able to get the tips of his fingers on the triggers. Emmett as closely approximated Liam's shooting sounds as he was able.

"They're shooting at us!" Owen was alarmed.

"Let them waste their ammunition. We're well out of range. We won't even act concerned and it'll make them crazy," Seth strategized. He altered his course to grab a lawn chair and dragged it along for a while before leaving it right where he wanted it.

"Whas that for?" Owen asked.

"Topography. We need things to take cover behind when we attack," Seth explained.

Forgotten behind them, Maggie and Rosalie walked out onto the covered patio and took seats at the table in the shade. They each held a glass of sweetened tea with peach slices in it.

"Check this out," Rosalie smiled. "Only Seth would make them wait and wonder what he's doing."

"It's cute," Maggie took her wife's hand.

When Seth had led Owen on three quarters of a rotation, he stopped. "Okay, Two Moons, get ready. We're gonna run in and shoot at them, then run back to safety, and we're gonna hoop and holler while we do. Okay?"

"Okay," Owen raised his rifle again and gave a firm nod. Seth made a high pitched cry that was easy for Owen to emulate as they dashed toward a surprised Liam and Emmett. The attacking Indians both fell to one knee, made a pow noise as they took their shot, and ran back.

"They're attacking!" Liam shouted.

"They're not, General. They're faking us out!" Emmett cried. "They want us to think they're attacking. What'll we do, General?" he asked with an edge of panic in his voice.

"We'll shoot 'em!" Liam opened fire again.

"Oh for Christ's sake. What was that?" Rosalie wondered aloud.

"I don't know. That was kinda cute though," Maggie sipped her tea.

"Kids will play, I suppose," Rosalie smiled.

"It's sweet how they play with the boys. You think this is what it would have been like for us if we lived back then?" Maggie mused.

"First of all, if we lived back then, we would have hated it. We would have to have had husbands. How fun would that be? And secondly, watching the battle from the sidelines, for women, would look more like reading about it in a newspaper in our salons in Manhattan or someplace. If our husbands let us read the newspaper, that is," Rosalie gave a grim, however accurate view.

"Maybe we lived next door to each other, we could be together when our husbands went off to work," Maggie was ever the romantic. "I wouldn't need the newspaper as long as I had you. Maybe they went on long business trips abroad and we didn't miss them at all."

"You are painting a much prettier picture," Rosalie smiled at her partner.

"Maybe we were together in a previous life. This might not be our first go round," Maggie imagined.

"I like the thought of that," Rosalie nodded. "I'm trying to picture my hot, Irish, probably immigrant, woman in a big, heavy, long dress I'd want to tear off of you. You know you're making me want to take you inside right now."

"Plenty of time for that later, Rosie, after the kids are asleep," Maggie squeezed her wife's hand.

"I'll hold you to it," Rosalie threatened.

"I'll hold you down on it," Maggie countered.

"Oh, that's a date, Freckles," Rosalie lifted her wife's hand to kiss it.

Out on the lawn Seth and Owen circled around to their strategically placed lawn chair. They crouched behind it and slowly edged it closer to the fort. At Seth's signal, they leaned out from both sides and opened fire with all barrels.

Emmett, for all his bravery, took one in the chest, and down he went. "General, I'm hit!" he clutched at his heart.

"Okay, you're dead. You have to be somebody else," Liam's compassion knew no bounds.

"Okay, I'm your Major now," Emmett jumped back up and opened fire again.

Seth raised his fist from behind the cover of his lawn chair. "We're coming for you, George Armstrong Custer! The Sioux and Cheyenne Nations are coming for you and every man who stands with you! And your women and children too!" he shouted his pledge.

Owen jumped out from behind his side of the chair and raised his little fist toward the swingset. "Yeah!" he wasn't sure what all his uncle had said, but he liked the sound of it. Far behind him, his mothers burst out laughing.

"Why are we not videotaping this?" Maggie looked to her partner.

"I know. We should have," Rosalie agreed.

This sort of play and banter went on for close to another hour when Crazy Horse and Two Moons ran down Emmett's fifth incarnation of Union Officer. Emmett ran slow enough that not only Seth, but Owen could overtake him. Seth jumped on Emmett's back and down he went. Seth sat on Emmett's upper back while the bigger man lay with his face in the lawn. Seth pretended to scalp him while Owen jumped and hollered all around them. Seth howled and tapped his mouth as he held up his imaginary scalp.

"Now, my fellow Chief, for those few who remain in the fort," Seth stood up from vanquished Emmett.

"Whadda we do?" Owen asked.

"We'll burn it!" Seth and Owen both bounced their way back to the swingset. Emmett rolled over on his side and propped himself up on one elbow while he watched Custer, trapped up in the highest part of his fort, while those below pretended to set it ablaze.

"Hey, you guys, who's getting hungry?" Emmett called. He was completely ignored until he added, "Who wants Mickey Dee's?" Emmett found he suddenly had the undivided attention of two little men.

Liam flew down from the tree house section via the corkscrew slide. He landed on his feet and froze in place with a wide, expectant expression. "McDonald's?"

"Yeah," Emmett sat up. "You guys can come with us if you want," he offered.

"Yay!" Liam ran to where Emmett sat in the grass and dove at him.

"Oof!" Emmett laughed as he went over backwards with the bigger of the two boys on top of him. Owen came running as fast as his little legs would carry him and joined his brother.

"Well, isn't this a fine thing," Seth put his hands on his narrow hips and shook his head. He turned and walked toward the patio. "The mere mention of a happy meal and we embrace our oppressors like brothers," he complained.

"Seems to me there's some red on white brotherly love going on in the Clearwater Thompson household," Rosalie smiled.

"It's a little more than brotherly," Seth amended. He turned and looked back at the pile of man and boys in the lawn. "Owen, I mean Two Moons, and I must both be Two Spirit holy men to embrace the white soldiers quite so warmly," he commented. And that thought made him wonder. Seth narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as he watched Liam and Owen sit on his big best friend. He gave up after a long moment. It was just too early to divine such a thing, even for him.

"If either of our sons turns out like their mothers, they will be safe in this house," Rosalie stated firmly.

"Oh, please," Seth turned back to them. "We all know that."

"Peach tea?" Maggie offered as she held up her glass.

"Got anything stronger?" Seth asked.

"How about a snakebite? I might be persuaded to indulge myself," Maggie offered with a grin.

"Got any real beer?" Seth pressed.

"We keep Blue Moon and Moosehead in the downstairs fridge with the Guiness and the Strongbow, for Edward and Jason," Rosalie listed.

"I have to remember to bring beer with me the next time we stop by. I guess I'll try a Moosehead. I think that's what Melinda's father drinks," Seth thought back.

"I'll get it, Freckles," Rosalie gave her wife a kiss on the lips before she rose. "Hey, Emmett, Guiness, Strongbow, Moosehead?" she asked the big man who carried one of her laughing children under his arm and the other over his shoulder as he walked up to the patio.

"A Moosehead, I think," Emmett stepped onto the patio and set Liam and Owen down on their feet, one at a time.

"Be right back," Rosalie headed into the house.

"Mom, can we have McDonald's?" Liam followed after Rosalie.

"Sure we can," Rosalie smiled down on her older son. "Help mom carry up drinks for everyone from downstairs."

"Okay, Mom," Liam was only too happy to help.

"Maggie, I know you guys have a line around the block, but if anything ever happened to you two, we would take them in a heartbeat," Emmett stated.

"I know you guys would," Maggie smiled. "The boys love you and so do we, but you'd have to get in line behind both Edward and Jason, and my parents, and Rosie's."

"We got a whole list of people to knock off, Emmy," Seth spoke casually as he sat down at the table. "I mean, have unfortunate and tragic accidents."

"They would go to Edward before anyone. He loves them like his own," Maggie stated. And then she thought better of saying that quite the way she did. Emmett and Seth both let it go. None of them had ever spoken of or acknowledged what they all knew to be true.

"So, who's hungry?" Emmett rubbed his hands together.

"Me!" Owen jumped up and down were he stood. "I want McDono's."

"I asked them if they wanted to go with us. Is that okay?" Emmett asked.

"Sure," Maggie didn't care. "Take the minivan so you don't have to wrestle with the car seats. They keys are on the hook in the kitchen by the door to the garage there. Just put my seat back where you found it."

"Oh, I forgot about the car seats. Some dad I would make," Emmett chastised himself.

"Well, typically you start out with a baby. And it would be pretty hard to forget something like that for a person who can't walk or open his own car door," Maggie pointed out.

"I don't think about car seats, 'cause Seth's a whole inch too tall," Emmett teased.

"I'm gonna read you like a cheap dictionary," Seth warned.

"C'mon, Owen," Maggie rose. "Let's get your feather off and put away so you can go with your uncles."

"Oh, yeah," Seth pulled his own masking tape feather headdress off. "This just felt so natural, I forgot I had it on!"

"It's a crow feather," Emmett pointed out.

"It's a feather, is the point," Seth carefully extracted the feather from the tape that held it.

"Okay, well, let's go. Our time is running out," Emmett reminded.

"I am extremely aware of what time it is," Seth rose and headed into the house with Owen close behind.

"Hey, Maggie, you want we should maybe take the scenic route, drive around the block a couple of times?" Emmett asked quietly.

"Oh, that's sweet, Em, but no. We'll have all the time we need later when we put these two to bed," Maggie rubbed Emmett's bare arm. "And thanks to you two, they'll be plenty worn out to go to bed when we tell them to, if not before."

"Glad we could help," Emmett smiled and followed her into the house.

Emmett took the wheel of Maggie's Honda Odyssey and, once they had the full order down, drove Seth, Liam and Owen to the drive through. Emmett did make a point of putting Maggie's seat back where he found it when they got back. They all ate outside on the patio in the fading light before Emmett and Seth had to leave for SeaTac. Garrett's Delta Airlines Boeing 757 was actually due in on time, and Seth would absolutely be there waiting for his husband with his best friend at his side.