The Fox in the Hen House

Chapter 2

Michael drove his car through the big gate at the end of Edna's Treasures Lane.  He heard it close behind him.

"Feels like the rest of the world is locked out," he said to Ben who sat in the front seat with him.

"I'm looking forward to peace and quiet.  This term at the university seemed to be months longer than usual," Ben said with a weary sigh.

"Maybe you should cut back on your work load," Michael suggested as they pulled up to the large log cabin on the lane.

"I already have."

"How?  When?" Michael asked in surprise.

"Only one course over the next six weeks - instead of two," Ben said with a smile as Michael opened the car door.

"So what does that actually mean?"

"I'll only be working one day a week over the whole summer."

"That's great," Michael said opening the trunk of the car.  "You'll only have to go into Pittsburgh once a week."

"Correct," Ben said with emphasis as he levered his large frame out of the car.  "We can actually relax and enjoy the lane."

"That will be great," Michael said pulling his suitcase out of the car.  "Let's get settled in."

"I'll get the groceries we brought, while you bring in the suitcases."

"Deal," Michael said.

They went into the cabin and started getting things put away. 

"I think there's one more duffle bag in the car," Michael said as he headed outside.  He returned in a flash without any bag.  "Ben!" he called.

"Michael, what's wrong," Ben asked coming out of the kitchen.  He didn't like the sound of Michael's voice.  It sounded very strange.

"There...there's a stranger wandering the lane," he stammered.

"What?"

"You heard me," Michael said.  "I need to call Brian."

"Why don't we just go outside and see what's going on," Ben suggested.  "We don't need to bother Brian."

"But...but there shouldn't be any strangers out here.  They could be dangerous."

"I very much doubt that, Michael," Ben replied trying to suppress a smile at the farfetched ideas his husband seemed to come up with.  "Come on."  Ben headed out the door.  Michael followed close behind.

"There he is," Michael said pointing up the lane.

"It's someone in a wheelchair," Ben observed, "and ... he looks familiar."

"What do you mean familiar?" Michael demanded.

"I think I recognize him," Ben said.

"But..."

"Come on," Ben said heading up the lane.

"Wait!" Michael called after him, but as Ben kept walking, Michael felt compelled to follow.

"How could you think someone in a wheelchair was dangerous?" Ben asked before they got too close to the person in the wheelchair.

"But I don’t know him!" Michael protested.

Ben shook his head at Michael's ego-centric response.  "Glen!" Ben called out raising his arm in a wave.

"Well, if it isn't the hunky Professor Ben," Glen called back with a big grin, holding out his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked as he took it.

"I'm here with my partner," Glen replied.

"Okay," Ben said, "but why?"

"Glen, this is the only hat I could find," Alex said bending the brim of the hat he held, trying to straighten it out.   As he came out of the B&B, he was absorbed in his work on the hat.  "Oh!  Who do we have here?" he asked as he looked up and realized Glen was not alone.

"Alex, let me introduce you to Ben Bruckner.  He's a professor at Carnegie-Mellon," Glen said.

"Hello," Alex said handing the hat to his partner and holding out his hand for Ben to shake.

Ben shook the hand.  "Nice to meet you," he said.  "Glen said he had a partner.  You're the psychiatrist, aren’t you?"  Ben and Alex exchanged a knowing look.  “Didn’t we meet at Brian’s wedding?”

"That's right.  Um, how do you know Glen?"

"Oh, we go to the same gym.  I often spot for Glen when he's lifting, and he does so for me," Ben said with a warm smile at Glen.

"And then we go for protein shakes and a gabfest," Glen said with a laugh.  "That's when we get a chance to talk."

Michael was fuming.  He was standing off to the side, and it was like he was invisible.  Nobody even noticed him.  Finally he cleared his throat loudly, hoping Ben would introduce him to these strangers, even if he hoped to never see them again.

"Oh, I’m sorry, Michael," Ben said with a chuckle, "I almost forgot you were there."

"Thanks!" Michael replied petulantly.

"This is Glen from the gym in Pittsburgh and his partner, Alex, was it?" Ben said.

"Nice to meet you, again," Alex said extending his hand.

Michael did not take it.  He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the two men.  "What are you doing here?" he demanded.  "This is private property."

"Charming," Glen said.  "Tell him, Alex."

"John and Brian built us a cottage over in the meadow," Alex explained.  "They're putting the finishing touches on it, so we're staying in this fine structure until it's ready."  Alex pointed over his shoulder at the B & B.

"A...a...cottage?" Michael choked out.  "That's impossible!"

"Michael, enough," Ben said.

"I've hardly begun!  These guys are lying.  Brian wouldn't do something like that without consulting me," Michael declared.

"I assure you..." Alex began.

"I don't want your assurances.  I'm going to talk to Brian."

"Michael, calm down," Ben pleaded.  "Nobody's lying to you."

"You don't know that!" Michael declared.

"Sorry about this, Glen, Alex," Ben said.  "Michael, let's go back to the cabin.  We can settle this later."

"I'm going to find Brian," Michael stated starting to walk toward the conjoined cottages.

"I said to come back to our place.  We can discuss this there."

Michael glared at his husband.  It wasn't often that Ben used that tone of voice with him, but he had learned that he better listen when Ben actually was provoked.  "Okay," Michael agreed.

Ben nodded.  "I'll talk to you later," Ben said to the two men.  "Uh, welcome to the lane?" Ben said with embarrassment as he took Michael's elbow and steered him towards their cabin.

"You don't need to speak to them again," Michael mumbled.  "Brian will kick their asses out when he finds out that they're here."

"Michael, give it a rest."

"Who do they think they are?" Michael demanded looking back over his shoulder at the two men in the lane.

"They're exactly who they said they are."

"I don't believe a word they said."

"Michael, be reasonable.  If Brian invited them here to live then they have every right to be here.  If they weren’t invited they wouldn’t be here at all," Ben said reasonably.

"Brian didn't invite them."

"You don't know that."

"I know Brian.  He's my best friend and he wouldn't invite strangers to live here without asking me first."

Ben shrugged and let out a sigh.  When Michael got like this there was no point in arguing with him.  They'd have to go talk to Brian after they got settled in.  Until then Ben decided that he would just be quiet.  Sometimes it was easier that way.

"Stupid jerks," Michael muttered.  "Brian will toss them out on their ear."

Ben just kept walking.

*****

"What the fuck was that?" Glen asked as he and Alex watched Ben and Michael walk away.

"Damned if I know."

"Do you think we've made a big mistake saying we'd come out here?"

"Brian wanted us to come, and ... it is a lovely spot."

"But the neighbors are nut jobs," Glen stated.

"Just one.  Ben seemed nice."

"Ben is a good guy.  We get along really well, but Michael is certifiable."

Alex shook his head.  "I think he's just very possessive of his friendship with Brian."

"Did Brian tell you that in therapy?"

"You know I can't answer that," Alex said.  “But it’s no great secret if you’ve ever had a meal at the Liberty Diner.  Brian and his friends were regulars there, including Michael.”

Glen stared at his partner.  "If this is going to be a big hassle for everyone, us being here, then I say fuck it!  We don't need that.  Let's just walk away."

"I really love it here, and once our cottage is finished, we'll be over in the meadow so we won't have to deal with Michael."

"And he won't be trying to kill us with his x-ray vision," Glen added.

Alex chuckled.  "We'd already be dead if he had that power."

"I know."

"Why don't we let things simmer down before we make a hasty decision."

"Spoken like a true psychiatrist," Glen noted.  "I say we kill him and be done with it."

Alex laughed out loud.  "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

"Oh, and what's that reason?"

"Comic relief."

"Then I hope you don't ever stop laughing."

"Never," Alex declared leaning over to give his partner a soft kiss.

"Do you still want to go for a walk, or should we go inside and find better things to do?" Glen asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"I opt for the indoors."

"Me too," Glen agreed.

"And there won't be any chance of running into our neighbor in there."

"Absolutely."

They made their way into the B&B for a more pleasant time than they just had.

*****

As Michael and Ben continued to put away their belongings Ben took the time to inspect the cabin.  Ben found himself alone in one of the upper bedrooms used for guests.  He took the opportunity to give Brian the head’s up.

“Hey, you made it.  Is the cabin all right?” Brian said into his phone.

“Yes, so far.  I’m still checking out the rooms.”

“Call John if you see anything wonky.”

“Wonky?”

“You know what I mean,” Brian snarked.  He was hanging out with Bree’s soccer team a little too much lately.

“Yes, I do but that wasn’t why I called.  We just met Glen and Alex.”

“Oh yeah.  Their cottage is almost ready for occupation,” Brian said proudly.

 “That’s the problem,” Ben hastily said.

“Start making sense, Professor; after all you are the sane one around here,” Brian growled.

“Michael doesn’t believe that you built them a cottage without consulting him first,” Ben confessed.

“Oh for the love of fuck!  You know I love Michael but sometimes he can be a fucking…”

“Brian,” Ben said in a tone that Brian understood.  Ben was one of the very few outside of his immediate family that could take that tone with Brian and still stay living.

Brian sighed then pinched the bridge of his nose.  He felt a very painful headache coming on.

“Okay, give me the short version.”  Ben relayed the pertinent events.  “Glen and Alex must think we’re a bunch of crazy people,” Brian grumbled.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed.  “So how do we fix this?”

“You handle your stubborn husband and I’ll see how soon we can move the guys into their cabin.  That will keep them out of sight while Michael gets used to the idea.  In the meantime carefully look over your cabin then let me or John know what needs to be done.  The cabin’s been vacant for several months.”

“Will do,” Ben said.

“Barbeque tonight?”

“We’ll be there, I hope,” Ben replied as he hung up the phone.

“Shit,” Brian grumbled to himself.

“Who was that?” Justin asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Ben.  They just got here.”

“And?  Is something wrong with the cabin?”

“Not so far.  Ben’s inspecting it now, but Michael just found out about Alex and Glen.”

“And he’s not happy about having new neighbors,” Justin said following Brian’s train of thought. 

Brian nodded.  “He’s under the impression that I should have consulted him before inviting them to live here.”  Brian rolled his eyes.

“He presumes a lot, doesn’t he,” Justin stated as he wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist.  The years have gone by but some things never changed and Michael was one of them.

The boys relished in each other’s support as they hugged closer.

“What are we going to do?” Justin asked softly as he turned his head to look up at Brian, resting his chin on Brian’s chest.

“We are going to have another lane barbeque tonight.  Emmett and Drew are coming to stay for a few days.  Debbie and Carl are settling Peter in.  We might as well get Michael acclimated all at once.  If Ben can’t handle Michael…”

“Debbie will,” Justin said finishing Brian’s sentence.  “You should warn Debbie and Emmett first,” Justin suggested.  Brian nodded then went to make the calls.

*****

“If I keep eating like this, I’m going to weigh a ton!” Glen exclaimed as he patted his very full belly.  “Will you still love me when you need a forklift to get me in and out of my chair?” he asked Alex.

Alex paused seemingly contemplating the question.

“Well?” Glen impatiently asked.

“Yeah, you know I will,” Alex said with a loving smile as he leaned over to peck at Glen’s lips.

“Aw, true love,” Emmett gushed.

“Gag,” Brian grumbled as he placed more food on the table.  While the adults groaned, needing some digesting time, the kids dug in.

“Pay no attention to Brian, we never do,” Emmett said with a wave of his hand.  Brian responded by sticking out his tongue at Emmett.  “He hates PDA.”

“Unless he’s the one doing it,” Ben added making the family laugh.

“Oh do tell!” Glen begged, mischievously waggling his eyes.

“Well, you know Babylon,” Emmett began.  “Of course you do…”

As Emmett was filling in his new neighbors on some of Brian’s exploits as the stud, the subject of Emmett’s discourse had the kids helping to bring in some of the dirty dishes.  Bobby grabbed several glasses and followed them inside.

“Where’s Debbie and Carl?” Bobby asked as they rinsed off the dishes then stacked the dishwasher.  “I thought they were coming to dinner.”

“She called earlier,” Brian replied.  “Apparently Debbie didn’t like the state of Peter’s clothing.  And then she decided that Peter needed a laptop.  She and Carl took Peter shopping in the Pitts.”

“Seriously?” Bobby asked.  “Can she afford all of that?”

“Yes,” Brian nodded.  “Mr. Chang’s initial check was a good one.  They’ll be all right.”

“If not I’m sure Debbie’s fairy godfather will find a way to subsidize the check,” Bobby said giving Brian a poignant look.  Brian just shrugged his shoulders as he put on a pot of coffee and the kettle for tea.

“You know, my old man and I never got along but I can’t remember never having clothes.  Somehow old Joanie managed to put clothes on our backs and food on the table.  I know she scrimped and counted pennies but somehow she managed,” Brian said with a faraway look in his eyes.  Bobby laid a gentle hand on Brian’s arm.  “I’m fine.  I still miss her but it doesn’t hurt quite as much,” Brian admitted.  “I guess all that money I paid the shrink was worth it.”  Bobby smiled at him. 

“Do you think it’s safe to go back outside?” Bobby asked.

“What you really mean, has Emmie Lou finished spilling the beans about me,” Brian groused.

“I believe your beans are already public knowledge,” Bobby chuckled as he grabbed a tray of pastries and pies then walked out to the sun porch where the family had gathered.

Glen smirked at Brian as he walked past to place a tray of coffee cups on the table. 

“What are you staring at?” Brian growled.

“You must have been magnificent,” Glen commented with a sigh.

“What do you mean, must have been?” Brian grumbled. 

Glen laughed.  “You still are and we both know it.  I also know that you are hopelessly in love with Justin,” Glen added.  Brian winked.  “You and I are a lot alike.”

“In what way?”

“We both played the game.  My legs may not work but other parts of me do.  And after I got used to this chair I took advantage of it.  You’d be surprised how hot some men think my chair is.  We used our assets to get what we wanted.”

“What makes you think I ever stopped?” Brian snarked.

“A man after my own heart!” Glen gushed.  Brian snorted.

“Glen, didn’t I tell you to behave yourself?” Alex pronounced as he walked over.  “Brian, I should have warned you about this guy.  He has an ego about the size of Texas.  But I assure you, he’s harmless.”   

“Alex, you wound me,” Glen said with an exaggerated pout as he placed his hand on his chest.

“You have my sympathies,” Brian said to Alex.  “Coffee?” Brian offered with a straight face.  Alex snickered as Glen feigned offense.

“He’s got your number,” Alex said to Glen.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Glen said with determination as he rolled toward the table to get some dessert.

“I thought you were full?” Alex asked.

“I always have room for pie!” Glen boasted.

“Auntie Emm, will you be staying for a while?” Bree asked Emmett as she snuck her way into his lap.  He was lounging on a softly cushioned rattan chair with his feet resting on an ottoman.

“Only for a few days this time but we’ll be back for the summer.”

“The whole summer?” Bree asked with a sunny smile.

“Yes, Princess Bree, the whole summer.  My Drewsie and I need a real vacation.  What good is owning a beautiful cottage on this lovely lane if we don’t use it?  Right, sweetheart?”

“Right, Auntie Emm,” Bree said as she threw her arms around him.

“And guess what?”

“What?” Bree asked with wide violet blue eyes.

“Richie and Candy will be staying for a couple weeks too,” Emm said with a big smile.

“Yay!”  Bree clapped as she hugged her Auntie Emm tighter.

“She’s beautiful,” Glen said to Brian as he handed Glen a few napkins.  They were across the room watching the exchange between Emmett and Bree.

“Just like her daddy,” Brian said with love in his voice.

“You’re a lucky man.”

“Yes, I am.”  Brian caught Justin’s eye and exchanged a look.  “You and Alex ever considered having children?”

“Briefly but then we decided against it.  We’re not parent material,” Glen admitted honestly.  “You two, on the other hand are great parents.  I was told you have a son.”

“Yes, Gus; he works at Kinnetik.  His mother owns the Bloom Gallery in Pittsburgh.”

“I know the gallery well.  Justin is a featured artist.”  Glen paused for a moment.  “All silliness aside, you and Justin have created something wonderful here.”

“We work hard at it.”

“I can see that.  I promise Alex and I will be good neighbors,” Glen said as he held out his hand.  Brian shook it without hesitation.  “Besides, we’d be fools to give up on all the eye candy around here,” Glen said with a wink.  Brian barked out a laugh.  “You and John are enough to supply me with wet dreams for months.  Add Ben and Drew…”  Glen fanned himself with a napkin.

“Does your husband know that you’re lusting after all of us?”

“Absolutely.  I keep telling him that I may be married but that doesn’t stop me from admiring the view.”

“I see Alex has his hands full with you,” Brian commented.

“Yes, I do,” Alex interjected as he walked over.  “And it’s time to take the love of my life to bed.”

“My he-man,” Glen teased Alex then he turned toward Brian.  “Thank you, Brian, for a lovely evening.  I’m glad we did this,” Glen said indicating the lane and their new cottage.  “And you guys can cook for me as much as you like!”

“Watch it, you’re going to have to race up and down the lane several times to work off those calories,” Alex said.

“I can think of better ways of working off the extra calories,” Glen retorted making the men laugh.

Just then Debbie came rushing into the sun porch.

“Oh good, you’re all here!” Debbie loudly declared.

“Hi, Debbie,” Justin said as he gave the woman a kiss.  “You missed dinner but we have plenty to make you a nice basket.”

“Thank you, Sunshine; that’ll be fan-fucking-tastic!  We were in such a rush to get out of the city that we didn’t stop for dinner.”  She turned toward the hall as Carl and a nervous looking young man entered the porch. 

“But before you do I’d like to introduce you all to our foster son, Peter Chang!”

As the family moved toward Peter, Michael stood back, first in shock then growing very angry.  No one noticed as he slid out the porch door.

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