Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part IV.
Cooper and Grace had finished their breakfast and the former had just begun to stack the plates in the dishwasher, when Josh and Scott appeared in the kitchen, hand in hand, smiling broadly. "Ah, young love," remarked Cooper as he saw their clasped hands, "Still sweet and innocent…"
"I am certain that both of the boys have more sense than to rush headlong down the road to debauchery, CJ," said Grace as the pair blushed, "and all the more credit to them for that. There is all the time in the world for them to take the next step. I admire them for the fact that in this world where everyone is in such a rush, they have decided to wait."
"Me too, trust me. I know that Blaine did when it came to Kurt, and their bond was all the stronger for that decision in the end. Sex is wonderful, but only when you are certain that you are ready."
"And now you have really mortified them, Cooper!" scolded Grace, as the two young men could not even meet either of them in the eye. "Sit down boys, and I will get our resident relationship expert to get you both some breakfast, and an apology." Cooper nodded, and hastened to get something ready for them.
"It is alright really," Josh said quietly. "We know that he is only saying it because he cares. Elliott says much the same kind of things at times. It appears to be something that big brothers are programmed to do…"
"Not just big brothers - Nick and Jeff had to endure the same kind of comments from my grandfather," said Grace, thinking back to that turbulent weekend when Niff had become a reality. "If that wasn't bad enough, he actually proceeded to go out and buy them supplies…"
Josh and Scott just looked at each other, and then burst out laughing at the level of embarrassment that would come from having a man of that age going out and buying two teenagers aids for sex.
"He was quite right too," said Cooper, as he returned to the table carrying toast and a selection of cereals. "I had to do exactly the same for Blaine when I realised he and Kurt had taken that step. Admittedly, he did then proceed to get his own back by telling me that he and Kurt both needed magnums, and that he would prefer a different flavour of lube…" He stopped as he saw Grace face palm, and the two boys started to laugh riotously.
Their laughter was being echoed from the doorway, where Seth and Roderick now stood. "That sounds like the Blaine I knew," Seth said once the laughter had died down. "Wes taught him how to hit back; he taught all of us how to do it…" Cooper motioned to the two new arrivals to take a seat at the table, and went off to make more toast. Grace joined him as he waited for the bread to brown. He couldn't help but smile at the sight before him, as the four young men chatted away, their happy conversation creating a buzz in the room.
"I can imagine the two of us standing her in two decades or so, whilst our own sons sit and eat," said Grace, and that statement made Cooper pause and look at her. "Maybe the two of us having kids isn't as far off as I used to imagine, CJ. I find being a mother figure far more rewarding than I ever could have imagined, and now I find myself wanting some children of my own. I'm not saying that I want one this year, but maybe not that far in the future…"
"Whenever you are ready, my darling. I can't wait to become a daddy either," Cooper responded, though in his heart he knew that if that happy event came tomorrow, he would be ecstatic.
An hour later, and Grace was alone in the house. Cooper had left to get ready for his afternoon show, which was a complete sell out. Roderick, after thanking them for their hospitality, had headed off to the library to do some reading for an essay. Seth also had one to start, and he had headed back to Bushwick, hoping that his two roommates were not still totally loved up, but he sent them a warning text, just to be sure. As for Josh and Scott, they had headed out to do a little exploring on their own. Both had visited the city before on numerous occasions with their respective families, although for Josh the visits had been fewer, and in the last few years he had spent most of the time looking for a glimpse of Elliott. Now of course he was a resident in the city, and although he was still trying to navigate the city himself, he could act as a guide of sorts.
Scott was a big comic fan, and Josh had done his research in advance. Their first port of call was a big comic store near Grand Central station, where Scott was immediately in seventh heaven. As he looked through the comics, pointing things out to Josh, the latter suddenly felt a little uneasiness. There was something that was off somewhere; out in the streets of the city that the comics often referred to as Gotham, there lurked a villain. He pondered calling Elliott for a moment, just to see that he was ok, but he dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. Beats would have arrived by now, and his call would be an unwelcome interruption. As Scott chose his comics, and as Josh picked up one he had reluctantly put back as an acceptable extra gift, he put all thoughts of misery and pain out of his mind. Today was the day that the world at large celebrated the glories of love, and he could not poison his own special day with thoughts of hate. The comics bought, and his gift earning him a very public kiss, they headed in the direction of the big stores on Fifth Avenue for some window shopping. After all, they didn't want to waste a moment of the time they had left together before a reluctant Scott would have to board his bus home to New Jersey.
Far above the world below, where two high school seniors in the throes of first love were admiring the latest fashions in the stores, two angels were spending some quality time alone together in their New York loft. Both Blaine and Kurt had been out on collections the night before - not thankfully star-crossed lovers for either of them, but older people, who had lost their partners many years before, and who where now to be reunited with them on the most romantic of days. It had made the hearts of the young married couple light as they had witnessed the joy in their faces, the positive glow of happiness as they saw those special people again. They had received profuse thanks, which in itself was not unusual in those circumstances, but this time it seemed all the more genuine and warm. Kurt's final collection had been some time after Blaine's, and by the time he had returned home, his husband had been curled up in bed, fast asleep. Kurt had slipped in gently behind him in their bed, and although he had not woken, Blaine's body had instinctively grown closer to his, its shape moving to fit with his. They had woken up in the usual tangle of limbs, and had stayed like that for a while, despite of the lateness of the hour. They had no duties after all until later, excepting some emergency, and so they had not rushed to get up; they had time to snuggle and just enjoy the proximity of the other. They knew where Wes had been planning to go, and they also knew that Finn was on duty, at his own request. Today was one of the hardest for Kurt's stepbrother, and if he kept himself busy, then he had no time to dwell on his single status, something that might never be resolved now if the fates were unkind to him.
They had finally climbed out of bed to share a shower, and were finally sitting and drinking their morning coffee after a healthy breakfast for Kurt, and one of bacon and pancakes for Blaine, when the latter suddenly felt something that made him tense up. He felt a tingle in his spine at the spot where the base of his wings emerged, and he was at once uneasy; he knew that it meant that one of his charges was in danger. He tried his best to concentrate, freezing in place as he tried to work out which one of them it was. The fact that he was now staring blankly into space, coffee cup in mid-air was noticed by Kurt, who regarded him with curiosity; then, just as he was about to speak, he was overcome by the same feelings. He too had a premonition that all was not well for his charges in the earthly realm….
Blaine's eyes suddenly went wide, and his face paled. He had seen it now; the danger that was present, and who was about to be hit by it. Worse, he was powerless to do anything to prevent it. He looked across at Kurt, tears forming in his eyes, and saw that his husband was in the same state - that much was inevitable given that he knew who else was at risk. "It's happening; we all knew that it would, but today, of all days…" said Blaine quietly.
"At least they are alone. No Josh…" replied Kurt. Blaine nodded, and reached over to take Kurt's hand, grateful that the young man in question was safely out of the immediate danger zone. It did not however, calm their natural anxiety for the welfare of Beats and Elliott…
At that moment, the two young men in question were wrapped up in each others arms below the rumpled covers on Elliott's bed. It had been loving, slow, kind; now in the afterglow of happiness from their first time as a couple, they stared into each others eyes, sharing small tender kisses. "You ok, Nate? After all, that was all new to you," asked Elliott softly.
"More than ok, Ell. I was just so worried that I would hurt you, or get something wrong, or…"
Beats paused as Elliott chuckled. "Trust me when I say that you were more than perfect. I have never felt so connected to anyone as I do to you right now - and, of course, the day is not over yet…"
"No, it isn't," replied Beats, "and there is something that we didn't do yet; something that I want to try. Seeing you fall apart when I… I want to experience that. I want that level of connection…"
"You don't have to. The first time can be uncomfortable…"
"No. I want it. I am sure that you will be kind and gentle, and I want you to."
"Well, ok then, if you are sure…but we will need to get some more lube," said Elliott. "I will nip out to the drugstore, and grab some. It will take me five minutes, tops."
"Better idea. You just lie there, relax, recover and build up your strength, and I will go and get it. I should start being more prepared for these situations from now on anyway." After a few minutes more kissing, Beats pulled on some clothes, and with a final kiss, ran out to the store. As he opened the door to the street, he passed an older man that was standing there with a tool bag, waiting to get in. Indeed, as Beats went out, he almost pushed him out of his way in his haste to enter.
Beats could only shake his head at the rudeness of the man, before he hurried off on his way down the street to the local branch of Duane Reed. He was regretting the decision he had made to only put on enough clothes to be decent as he walked along, as there was a decided chill in the air. He shivered, and pondered heading back to grab his discarded jumper - and it was then that he noticed that the car across the street he had seen on his way there was now empty. It was then that he realised that the rude man that had pushed past him so abruptly had been the man that had been sitting in the car before; he recognised the tatty old jacket now. The car now occupied his mind for some reason and he stopped to take a better look. He noticed the New Jersey licence plates, which were not that unusual in the city. Something compelled him to cross the street to take a better look; a voice in his head that he recognised but could not for the life of him place was telling him to go over and inspect it. It was just an ordinary old car after all, battered by age and use, with a handful of stickers in the rear window - The Republican Party; the NRA; I Love Bergenfield….
That was the trigger in his brain; that was what made him see the man's face in his mind's eye, and made him realise that it was an older, worn out version of Josh…
Beats turned and raced back across the street, ignoring the horns of the cars blaring and the shouted obscenities as he thundered back along the sidewalk. As he ran he grabbed his key, pulled it out and had it ready to place in the lock the moment that he reached the door. Then he was in, and charging up the stairs two at a time, praying that he was not too late…
Elliott had been smiling with utter contentment when Beats had kissed him on the cheek before heading to the door, closing it behind him. Normally when he was alone in his apartment these days, he had taken to putting on the deadbolt, just in case he received an unwanted visitor, but today, as he stretched out in bed feeling a good ache, he did not. It turned out that Beats was not just an attentive and considerate boyfriend, but for someone of limited experience, an excellent lover. As he lay there content, he thought for a moment that he heard the tread of heavy footsteps on the stairs, but he dismissed it as just one of his fellow residents. He decided on a whim to get up and make some coffee; Beats would be cold after his trip to the store no doubt, given that he had only thrown on his jeans and a T-shirt to run his errand, and it was February in New York… The coffee would warm him up before they took that next step. He might have been so confident and sure he wanted to go there, but Elliott wanted to make sure that he was ready before they proceeded. He got up, threw his robe back on, and headed into his tiny kitchen to put the percolator on.
He had just done so when he heard the knock on the door. It had only been a couple of minutes, but in his blissful state, Elliott decided that it had to be Beats back, having forgotten his key in his haste to leave. He made his way towards the door, shaking his head, trying to think of a suitable response to his Nate as he did so. It was as he was about to place his hand on the handle that he heard a thump, and the whole door shook in its frame. He realised to his horror that someone was trying to break his door down and that it could be only one person. As he heard the sound of steps approaching again he flinched; the door lurched, and he heard a cracking noise. His first instinct was to ram in the deadbolts, but it was too late for that now. He hurried away from the door, and grabbed his phone from the table. Again he thought of hiding, heading to the bathroom and locking the door, but that would only delay the inevitable, and leave him stuck in a dead end. So he returned to the bedroom, and after a moment's consideration, dialled a number with his speed dial. As a crash came from the hallway as the door caved in, he threw his phone under the bed, and waited for whatever fate life had in store for him…
At the Spotlight Diner, Dani was taking an order to the table of a particularly trying customer when her phone began to vibrate in her apron pocket. She handed the food to the customer with her best smile, before taking the phone out of her pocket as she walked away. On the screen was one word - Starchild - and that made her curious from the start. She knew that Beats had been coming to see him, and what they had planned, so why on earth was he calling her? Surely it hadn't all gone wrong? Worse still, had she just been called in error? She shook her head, and bracing herself to hear something she really didn't want to, answered the call.
Before she could speak, she heard the sound of a door slamming, then Elliott saying in a calm collected tone "Hello, father. You didn't need to break…" His voice was cut off as she heard a thump, and the sound of flesh meeting flesh in a violent blow…
Dani ran across the diner then, pushing past the other staff at the counter to get to the office and grab the phone. She dialled 911, and made a frantic request to the operator to send assistance to Elliott's place as fast as they could. Then she slumped into the chair behind the desk, knowing all that she could do now was hope and pray that the police reached him before it was too late. She realised that she was crying, and that the line had now gone dead on her phone. That was bad, but it was better than potentially hearing… No, he wasn't going to leave them all, not now; not when he was happier than she had ever known him. He was strong, and he would survive this. He had to… Then another thought occurred to her. Where was Beats? He had been due first thing. Was he getting the same treatment as Elliott, or worse? And then there was the whole question of Josh - how would the events she imagined unfolding affect him? After all, if Elliott did end up being badly hurt, then his little brother would blame himself, and that was not good…
Elliott did not know if Dani had answered his call; if she had even heard anything, and if she had, had she called for help. She had been his obvious first choice for aid; he knew that she would not come running, as Beats would have done. He didn't want to put anyone else at risk. As his father had approached, he was transported back to his last moments in his childhood home in New Jersey, when his father had watched over him as he grabbed a few things from his old room before he was banished from their lives. His dad was older now, and angrier. He wanted it over with; he did not want to delay the inevitable moment; if he did, then there was more chance that he would still be here, in the apartment, when his Nate returned to him.
He knew that the punch was coming before he even opened his mouth to speak, but it did not make it any less painful; he still fell backwards, the side of his head stinging from the blow to the jaw that had stopped his speech. He could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth as his father loomed over him. "You disgusting piece of shit! You deviant! You have crossed me, and you are going to pay. I should have killed you when I had the chance. My mistake the night you told us you were sick was letting you live. You brought shame upon the family, and sowed the seed of corruption in your brother's head. He wouldn't be the way that he was if you had not corrupted him." He stopped, and spat in Elliott's face. "I am only going to ask you this once, and you will answer me. Where is he?"
Elliott shook his head, and said "Not here. I moved him to safety. I knew that you would come, and you are not going to destroy him."
He had barely finished speaking when his breath was taken away as his father forced his knee hard into his crotch. "Wrong answer, scum! He is coming away with me today, to get help. To be cured. To forget you and that boy. It won't be hard for him to do that, because I will deal with his faggot friend later - and as for you, this is your last day on earth. Today is the day that you die, and I am going to be the one that ends your pathetic existence. Better yet, the way I do it, the cops will see it as a hate crime…"
Beats had felt himself flagging as he reached the top of the steps in Elliott's block, having run up them two at a time. When he saw the door open, and the lock broken, his heart began to pound in his chest. He knew that he should call the cops, let them deal with it, and his hand reached for his phone - and then he realised that any kind of delay now could be the difference between life and death…
His energy back, he ran into the apartment as quietly as he could. He could hear an unfamiliar voice, its tone low and threatening; he heard Elliott speak briefly, before his voice was silenced and swiftly replaced with a groan of agony. By this time he was at the door to the bedroom, where only a few minutes before he had left his happy boyfriend basking in the afterglow - and now the sight before his eyes made his heart ache. Elliott was lying on the bed, curled up in pain, a livid red mark on one side of his face. His view was nearly obscured by the form of a man that had given up his duty as a father to love and protect his child. A child that he was now threatening to kill…
Beats knew at once what Wes would have done if he had ever walked in on one of his flock being threatened in that way. It was a risky strategy, but he could not stand idly by and watch as the man he adored was destroyed. As Mr Gilbert pulled his arm back, as if he was about to aim a fresh blow at his son, Beats closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then leapt at the back of the man….