"Stop!"
Sam woke up, looking around to see the guy sitting on another mattress with his pants down, trying to pull Jackson down on top of him. Jackson was struggling against him, pushing against him to get away.
"Hey!" Sam yelled, jumping up.
The guy pulled the gun out of nowhere, pointing it at him. Sam put his hands up, looking at Jackson. The guy roughly pushed him toward Sam. Jackson ran to him, hugging him. Sam wrapped his arms around him, whispering to him,
"Don't watch, try to think of something else." Sam steered him off to the other corner.
Sam watched as he lay on the mattress turning toward the wall.
"Whore, get over here."
Sam sighed and walked over to the guy. He stood there in front of him, and he pulled Sam down.
"Fight me, the little brat will pay."
Sam nodded. He pushed Sam onto his back and tied his hands above his head. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled down his pants and underwear. Then he stood and stripped himself and crawled on top of him. Sam looked away as the guy entered him savagely. He stared over at Jackson who peaked across, and as soon as they locked eyes, Jackson turned away facing the wall again. The guy's breath was hot on his neck, and Sam was frozen just laying there until the guy was coming inside him. The guy pulled out, taking his cock in his hand and jerking him off roughly. When the guy finally got up and left the room, Sam sat up, pulling his underwear and pants up, buttoning his shirt before he walked over to Jackson. He crouched down beside him.
"Jackson."
Jackson turned and sat up, hugging him. Jackson tucked his face into his neck and they lay there, Sam comforting him, until a single shot rang outside the door.
Outside Michael, Jesse, and Fi pulled up to the warehouse.
"You think this is the place?" Jesse asked.
"It better be," Michael said, as he plied the door open.
Michael and Fi took one side while Jesse took the other. As they searched the building, they heard a door open and followed the sound. They came to a door as someone was walking out. Fi ran up behind him, pointing the Glock at his head.
"Drop it."
The guy went to turn and Fi dropped him, the shot ringing out. Michael and Jesse came up behind her and took the keys from the body and opened the door.
Sam jumped at the gunshot, pulling Jackson behind him and watching the door. The door opened and Sam sighed in relief as Fi ran to him; she dropped to his side, pulling him into a hug. Sam relaxed into the hug, as Michael and Jesse looked at the young boy behind him. Jackson backed away toward the wall and Sam leaned back, looking at him.
"Buddy, these are my friends I told you about." Sam held a hand out to him.
Jackson ran to him and Sam picked him up as he tucked his face into Sam's neck. Michael and Fi looked at each other, as Sam looked at them.
"Let's get out of here," Sam said.
They led both of them out to the Charger. Sam set Jackson down and got in and Jackson followed as fast as he could. He climbed into Sam's lap as Fi climbed in the back too. Jackson rested his head on his chest. Not five minutes later, both Sam and Jackson were asleep. The other three were quiet until they got home. Once they pulled up in front of Sam's house, Fi gently woke Sam up. Fi got out, and Sam handed her Jackson and got out. As they walked up to the front door, Leo opened the door, rushing to Sam. Leo wrapped his arms around him, as Sam relaxed into him. Sam stepped back, but still in his arms, as something connected with his leg. Looking down, he smiled at Jackson.
Sam crouched down at his level, looking up at Leo, Leo's smile held a mix of affection and curiosity. Before he could say anything Sam said,
"Jackson, this is Leo, he's my partner."
Leo crouched down."Hi Jackson, nice to meet you."
Jackson turned toward Sam, burying his face in Sam's neck. Sam kissed his head, looking at Leo smiling sadly.
"It's been a rough couple of days."
Leo nodded, an understanding look in his eyes. They all stepped into the house together, with Leo quietly waiting to hear the story behind Jackson's presence. Once inside, Fi sat with Jackson, while Sam and Leo went to the kitchen.
"What happened?" Leo asked.
Sam shifted back and forth, then sat at the table as Leo stood.
"I was walking to Carlito's when this van pulled up behind me and some guys grabbed me and threw me in. As soon as my back hit the floor, they shoved over my head. They took us to a storage unit and I got an understanding of what was going on. A guy came in… he was going to hurt Jackson so I convinced him to hurt me instead."
Leo sat beside him; he flinched as Leo wrapped an arm around him.
"Sam, you don't have to tell me everything if you're not ready, I just want to help you."
"He was only a kid, Leo. And I couldn't… I couldn't let him go through that, couldn't let him break him like they tried to break me." He choked on the words, his throat raw as he continued.
"So I told him I'd do whatever he wanted, just to leave Jackson out of it."
Leo's hand trembled slightly as he reached for Sam's, his fingers curling around Sam's tightly.
"You shouldn't have had to make that choice at all," he said, his voice low and thick with sorrow.
"No one should have put you in that position, forced you to sacrifice yourself like that."
"It doesn't matter what the sacrifice is to me. What matters is that Jackson's safe. That he didn't have to live with… with what I lived through," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur.
There was a moment of silence before Leo finally asked,
"But what about you, Sam? Can I help you live with it?"
"Help me live with it?" he echoed, his voice low and bitter.
"I don't think anyone can, Leo." He rubbed at his temple, a shadow falling over his face.
You're not asking, Sam. I'm offering," he said, his tone quiet but firm.
"I'm going to shower, help Fi watch him please," Sam said, as he stood.
Leo stood as he did, as Sam turned toward the hallway.
"Hey," Leo whispered.
Sam turned toward him, and he wrapped his arms around him. Leo held Sam a little tighter, his breath warm against Sam's ear.
"I love you," he whispered, voice filled with a fierce tenderness.
"I love you too."
Leo lingered a moment longer, holding Sam as if he could shield him from the weight of the world. His hands ran gently along Sam's back, grounding him, offering silent reassurance. When they finally parted, Sam felt lighter, the tension in his shoulders melting away just a little. Leo gave him a small, steadying smile.
"Go take care of yourself for a bit. Fi and I have got things covered here."
The words hung in the air, filling the quiet space with a new kind of warmth—a quiet promise that, maybe, he didn't have to carry everything alone. As Sam pulled back, he gave Leo a small, grateful smile, and before turning to leave, he leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Leo's lips—a silent promise, a thank you, and a reassurance all at once. Leo's hand gently brushed Sam's cheek as they parted, his gaze full of understanding and warmth.
Sam turned toward the hallway, going to the bathroom. He stripped off, getting into the hot shower. He scrubbed his skin until it was blood red. He got out, putting on a clean T-shirt and shorts. He went back out to the living room to check on Jackson, But he didn't see him anywhere.
"He's in there Sam," Leo said.
Sam turned to see Leo beside the guest room. He walked over and Leo caught him, hugging him.
"Are you okay with this?"
Sam melted into him, burying his face into his neck."Where did Mikey and Fi go?"
"Home, said they would be back in the morning to check on you two."
Sam nodded.
"Let's go to bed," Leo said, as they broke apart.
"You go on, I'm going to check on him."
He was about to protest when Sam grabbed his wrist, pulling him toward him, resting his forehead against his.
"I'm okay, I just need to see for myself."
Leo pulled back, looking at him, sighing as he pressed a kiss to his forehead before going to the bedroom. Sam went into what he guessed was Jackson's room now, and Jackson was awake, looking around.
"Buddy."
Jackson lit up, smiling as Sam sat on the edge of the bed. Sam looked around the room.
"Do you like it?"
"Never had my own room or slept in an actual bed," Jackson whispered.
"Well tomorrow, we'll go shopping for some stuff."
"Really? You're not going to find an adoption place?"
"We will, but you're staying with me no matter what."
Jackson nodded and sat up hugging him. Sam smiled, hugging him back.
"Lay down, no one is going to hurt you again."
"Promise?" Jackson asked, as he laid back.
"Promise."
As he laid back he whispered,
"Who's Leo?"
Sam smiled.
"Someone that's very special to me."
Jackson smiled, feeling safe, and fell asleep. Sam stood and went to their room. He walked in, seeing Leo sitting at the end of the bed, waiting for him. He sat beside him as he laid his head on his shoulder as he kissed his head. Neither moved for a while, before Leo got up, going to pull the sheets down. Both laid down gently on the bed. And Leo reached for him, his hands tugging on his shirt, wanting him close. Sam smiled warmly as he settled in. Leo's fingers traced small circles on his chest, his breath warm against his skin.
"Don't ever leave me again," Leo whispered, resting his head on his shoulder.
Sam smiled and kissed the top of his head, pulling him in even tighter. Leo's hand slowed its tracing on his chest.
"What do you know about Jackson? Do we need to look for parents?" he asked.
"He said he was in foster care and his social workers were behind the kidnapping. I just interrupted it."
"You interrupted it? You said you were walking to Carlito's.."
"I was, but on the way out of the park I saw Jackson being taken. I didn't think they saw me so I carried on walking, but they followed me and grabbed me too."
"That must have been traumatic, especially how you protected Jackson. If there's any way I can help you get over it, you just have to ask."
"I'm okay, really. I promise. It's not just about what happened, it's about how we handle it together. And right now, I'm here with you."
Sam laid back down, resting his head gently on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him. Leo watched as Sam's breathing evened out and he fell back asleep, finding comfort in the intimate, quiet moment they shared. He wrapped an arm around Sam, and soon both of them were sound asleep.