The Fox in the Hen House

Chapter 3

 

 

  

Peter positioned himself strategically behind Debbie and Carl.  He wasn't ready to be out front.  He wasn't sure he could deal with so many people all around him.  He was used to being alone.  He liked being alone.  He nodded to people who spoke directly to him, but most spoke to Debbie.  He and Carl seemed to have that in common with regards to Debbie - it was easier to let her do all the talking.

Gradually everyone welcomed Peter and then moved away to talk with other people or to head home.  Most recognized that Peter was overwhelmed by so many people and didn't want to put any more pressure on the boy than he was already feeling.

Glen and Alex had been about to leave when Debbie barged in, so they were the first to go.  Alex winked at Debbie to tell her that he was available if Peter needed him, or if she needed him for that matter.  George and Rachael followed them out.

Ben realized that he hadn't seen Michael for a while.  He started looking for his husband in the kitchen, the living room and finally outside in the backyard.  Michael was nowhere to be found.  He quickly thanked the hosts for the food and headed home.  Obviously Michael had not taken the introduction of Peter Chang well.

Justin had decided to make up plates for Debbie, Carl and Peter so that they could hang around for a bit and let Peter get acclimatized now that the group was smaller.  The lane would be his home now, and it was important to make him feel welcome and wanted.  Justin set the plates on the big table in the sun porch and motioned for the newly formed family to come and get it.

Emmett and Drew approached as this new family group sat down at the table.

"We're taking off," Emmett said, "but I just wanted to tell Peter that my adopted son Richie and his friend Candy will be here next week.  Richie's not much older than you are, Peter, so maybe you'd like to meet him?"

Peter nodded knowing that like so many promises made to him about meeting people and finding friends, this one would probably be a bust too.  It was nice of this guy to offer, but Peter knew that this Richie would likely decide that he didn't need a new friend, especially after Richie got to know him.  Peter felt that he wasn't friend material, which was proven to him over and over again when he met new people.

"Good night all!" Emmett gushed before he and Drew made their exit.

"Don't mind Emmett," Debbie cautioned her new foster son.  "He's very ... energetic."

"Or several other descriptors that I can think of," Brian said as he set down a tray containing a pot of coffee and a teapot with enough mugs for everybody.  John and Bobby joined them at the table, along with Patrick.  Justin came in with a pitcher of juice and glasses on another tray.  Bree carried a couple of cans of soda in case that was what this new kid wanted.

When they were all settled at the table with their drinks and food, there was suddenly an uncomfortable silence.

"In case we haven't said it before," Justin began, "welcome to Edna's Treasures Lane, Peter."

Peter looked up from the chicken he was eating.  "That's a weird name for a road," he commented.

Justin smiled.  Mentioning the name of the lane was usually a good icebreaker and it had worked once again.  John and Brian proceeded to fill Peter in on who Edna was and why the lane was named after her.  Peter seemed really interested in the story. Maybe he liked the adventure that went along with meeting Edna.

When the tale of Edna was finished, Justin offered pie.  There was still a pie and a half left from the barbeque.

"I like cherry," Bree said knowingly.  "I'd recommend it."  She looked expectantly at Peter to see if he would take her recommendation.

"Sure, cherry sounds good," Peter agreed.  Bree gave him a warm smile in reply to this answer.

Justin doled out the pie making sure Debbie and her family got regular sized pieces while he cut smaller ones for everyone else.  Even though everyone had already had pie, there was always room for more, as Glen had said.

Bree helped her Daddy hand out the pie.  When she gave a piece to Patrick she whispered something in his ear.  Patrick took the pie and his drink and went to Bree's small worktable that was against the windows on one side of the porch.

Bree then handed Peter his cherry pie.  She studied him for a moment making him blush under her scrutiny.  "Peter, come and sit with us over here," Bree said to the young man.  She took her small piece of pie and glass of juice and joined Patrick at the other table.

Peter looked at Debbie.  "Go on," Debbie said gently patting Peter's hand.  "It's never good to refuse invitations."

"Unless it's an invitation to jump off a cliff," Brian snarked.

Peter gave Brian an incredulous look and then shrugged.  He took his pie and his soda over to join Patrick and Bree.  The adults watched with concern before starting to talk once again.

"She will be gentle with him, won't she?" Debbie whispered.

"Bree would never hurt a wounded animal," Brian observed.

"Peter's not an animal!" Debbie declared, her eyes shooting fire.

"Whoa!" Brian said holding his hand up in surrender.  "I just meant that she would be gentle because she senses that Peter needs healing."

"Oh ... well ... I guess he does," Debbie conceded.

"We're all going to have to help that young man, and I don't think it's going to be easy," John stated.

They all nodded and glanced over at the three young people sitting at Bree's table.

Peter picked away at the pie.  He ate small bites enjoying the delicious cherries and the flaky crust.  He never got dessert when he lived with his father, certainly nothing homemade.  He realized that Bree and Patrick were surreptitiously watching him.  That he didn't like.  He continued to direct all his attention to the pie, hoping they would stop looking at him.

"Do you like the cherry pie?" Bree finally asked.

"Yeah, it's good."

"It's my favorite."

"I can see why."

"Auntie Rachel made it.  She makes the best pies," Bree informed Peter.

"Yeah, she's the best," Patrick agreed.

Peter went back to staring at his plate.  It was now mostly empty with just a few crumbs of his pie remaining.  He shoved them around the plate.

Bree looked at Patrick and gave a small shrug.  It wasn't easy getting this guy to talk.  She looked imploringly at Patrick willing him to speak up.

"Do you like sports?" Patrick asked.

Peter shrugged.  "I'm no good at sports."

"I love baseball," Patrick said.  "Maybe we could toss a ball around sometime."

"I'd probably just drop it," Peter mumbled.

"You need to practise," Bree said confidently.

"Do you play baseball too?" Patrick asked.

"Patrick tried to teach me, but I wasn't very good at it."

"That will probably be my fate too," Peter grumbled.

"Bree's a really good soccer player," Patrick stated.  Bree smiled at him.  "Maybe she could teach you that ... if you're interested."

"I won't be good at that either," Peter said softly.

"You won't be good at anything if you don't try," Bree informed him.  She didn't like this defeatist attitude and she wasn't going to put up with it.

Patrick saw that Bree was getting angry.  He quickly spoke up.  "What are you interested in?  It doesn't have to be sports."

"I like your father's buildings," Peter said hesitantly.

"Yeah, he said that you were going to work with him this summer."

"I am."

"You'll get lots of joe jobs," Patrick chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked looking scared.

"He'll have you carrying stuff and going for coffee and all kinds of things."

"How do you know?"

"Been there, done that," Patrick laughed.

"You interned with your father?" Peter asked.

"Yep."

"And he made you do all the ... menial crap?"

"Yep."

"Shit!  So what will he make me do, if he treated his son that way?"

"He'll make you do exactly the same kind of stuff," Patrick said bluntly.  "And it wasn't so bad.  It taught me a lot about responsibility and following orders, and being part of a team.  I think it was good for me."

"I've never been part of a team," Peter admitted.

"And then he would teach me things about architecture and what he was building.  I'm sure he'll do the same with you."

"So ... it wasn't really bad?"

"No, it was good actually."

Bree had listened to all this.  She realized that Peter didn't think much of himself, and he thought even less of other people.  He expected the worst from everyone.  She wondered what kind of life he must have had in order to become like that.  She hoped they could get him to feel better about himself.

"Would you like to spend some time with Patrick and me this summer?" Bree asked.

"Really?"

"That's what I asked you," Bree said.

"Nobody ever wants to spend time with me."

"You may find things are a little different around here," Patrick supplied.

"But you have to meet us halfway," Bree added.  "We would like to spend some time with you, but only if you give us a chance."

"I guess I can do that," Peter said softly.  He could hardly believe they had asked him that.

"Peter, I think we better be heading home," Carl said as he stood up from the table.  "You finished with your pie?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

"It's great to have you here," Bobby said to the boy.  "I hope you'll learn to like it."

Peter nodded, but didn't answer.  Everything was happening so fast.  He wasn't sure about anything.

"You take tomorrow to get settled in," John said.  "We'll start work the following day.  Meet me here at the cottage at eight in the morning."

"Eight?" Peter asked.  "That's early."

"We usually start at seven.  I'm giving you a break for the first day."

Carl chuckled and Debbie elbowed him in the ribs.  "What?" he asked feigning innocence.

"Let's go, kiddo," Debbie said leading them to the door.

"I hope you'll like it here," Brian said trying to give his seal of approval to this new arrangement.  He hoped it was going to work for all of them.

 

*****

 

"Michael!" Ben called as he entered the log cabin.   There was no answer.  "Michael, for god sakes, I've been looking all over for you.  Are you here?"

"Upstairs," Michael grudgingly replied.

Ben ran up the stairs to find Michael pacing in their bedroom.

"How could she?" Michael demanded as Ben entered the room.

"How could she what?"

"Get another son without telling me!" Michael almost screamed.

"Debbie and Carl have lives of their own.  This has nothing to do with you," Ben said reasonably.

"How can you say that?  I'm her son.  She ... it's like she's replacing me," Michael whined.

"Michael, she's not replacing you.  Be reasonable."

"Reasonable?  Don't be ridiculous.  How can I be reasonable about a totally unreasonable situation?"

"Calm down, please."

"I'm going to ... to ... to..."

"You obviously don't know what to do, and neither do I.  We should sleep on this, and then think about what to do in the morning," Ben said hopefully.

"You expect me to sleep?  How can I possibly sleep?  We should go back to Pittsburgh.  Maybe this is all a bad dream."

"You can say that again," Ben mumbled.

"What am I going to do?" Michael said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Things will look clearer in the morning," Ben said hopefully.

"No they won't."

"We could at least get ready for bed.  Take a shower," Ben said rubbing Michael's back.

Michael shook his head, but he leaned against his husband.  He wanted to beat the crap out of that kid, and then he would start on Debbie and Carl.  It was going to be a long sleepless night, so he might as well take a shower and try to wash away some of the anger and hurt.  Brian was building homes for strangers and his mother adopted a kid, all without him knowing.  Nobody told him anything anymore.  His life was going to crap, and it seemed like it was just going to get worse.

 

*****

 

“So what do you think?” Glen asked as he levered himself onto the bed.  He began to undress as did Alex.

“What do I think?  I think that if it wasn’t for the fact that this entire family is incredibly perceptive, that kid would have rabbited all the way to Pittsburgh,” Alex replied.

“Assuming the kid knows how to get to Pittsburgh, you’re right.”  Glen paused as he wiggled his way out of his jeans then he said, “I’ve been snooping.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Alex snarked which Glen ignored.  Glen counted to himself, 3-2-1.    “So what did you find out?”  Glen hid the smug grin on his face; Alex was so predictable.

“This family has a history of taking in strays and turning out wonderful human beings. And it all began with Debbie and Brian.  She provided a safe and loving environment when he was a troubled teenager.  She also gave Justin a safe haven when it all went south for him when he was bashed.”

“She’s a real earth mother,” Alex commented.

“Yes she is.  And apparently she took in Emmett when he found himself temporarily homeless.”

“And?”

“Well, Ben and Michael took Hunter off the streets then eventually adopted him.  Brian helped to turn the life around of a kid named Curtis and was instrumental in getting him adopted.  Then there’s Emmett and Drew who fostered a kid named Richie when his own parents kicked him out of their home because they couldn’t handle his lifestyle.  And Lindsay took in a teen named Candy when her own mother died.  Not to mention someone named Lacy that Brian and Justin helped to get off the street.”

“Wait a minute, didn’t we discuss Lacy.”

“Possibly.”

“She owns the Liberty Diner, and holy crap, I think Brian gave her the startup money.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me, and I suspect there’s probably more lost sheep that Brian, John, and Hunter saved connected with the Kemp Center and the Farm.”

“How the hell did you find out all this stuff?”

“It helps that I’m cute and very persuasive.”

“Yeah, yeah, and I thought I was the psychiatrist,” Alex said scrubbing at his face as he got into bed.

“I have an idea,” Glen said after a while.

“This ought to be good,” Alex murmured. 

Glen lightly popped Alex in the arm.  “Tomorrow we go take that tour of our new dream home.  We bring the kid with us to take notes.”

“Take notes?”

“Hey, who’s the Mister Susie Homemaker in this relationship whose personal mantra is a place for everything and everything in its place?”

“I like things tidy, so sue me,” Alex said while trying to decide whether he should be insulted or not.

“Tidy?  Tidy?  I’ve known dust bunnies to flee in abject fear when you take out the vacuum.”

“You know, exaggeration isn’t a very attractive trait.”

“You love me anyway,” Glen said as he made a kissy face at Alex.

“Yes I do; now back to your plan.”  Alex reciprocated by making his own kissy face at Glen.

“As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, we go through each room.  We have the kid jot down notes as we nitpick through the cottage for things to change, paint, and personalize.  Then we find out if we can hire the kid to do the work, under John’s guidance of course.”

“Of course.  And this is your plan.”

“You don’t like it?”

“Well, I expected something with more enthusiasm,” Alex stated.  “Something complex with plans within plans.”

“You’re quoting Dune?”  Glen gave Alex an incredulous look.  Alex shrugged.  “I’m too tired to be creative.  I’m not used to all this fresh air.  Where’s all the exhaust fumes and smog?  My lungs can’t take inhaling air that’s not laden with pollutants.”

“Are you sure you want to live out here?”

“Yes, I’m sure, and quit asking me that.  I’m just bitching because…”

“You’re tired, I get that.  Babe, all kidding aside, do you need to see a doctor?” Alex asked with concern.

“You are a doctor,” Glen snarked as he reached out to hold Alex’s hand.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes I do, and I saw my doctor just before we left Pittsburgh.”

“Please tell me it’s nothing serious,” Alex said as he cuddled close drawing Glen into his arms.

“I’m a little anemic, that’s all.  You know I have to watch what I eat and keep to the schedule,” Glen said with a deep sigh.

“I know, Babe, I know.”

“My doctor actually approves of our little retreat out here.  He recommends plenty of sun and sticking to my diet and regime.  I’ve been cheating a little.”

“And I haven’t been helping by accepting Brian’s dinner invitations.”

“Oh please, like I can’t say no.  And if you haven’t noticed I do watch what I eat when we accept Brian’s invitations.  I’m a big boy, Alex.  I take full responsibility for my actions.”

“Okay, okay.  I’ll shut up now.  But I love you so much that it hurts sometimes,” Alex whispered.  “I’d die if anything happened to you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me, especially with you as my personal watchdog.  Speaking about watchdogs, do those wolves have full run of every home out here?”  Alex chuckled as he tightened his grip on Glen.  Beau and his family had been taking advantage of the doggie door that had been installed into the back door of the B&B.  The boys had been instructed to keep bowls of water around and each home on the lane had a supply of John approved dog treats.

“As far as I know those dogs do have full reign of the lane and some of the surrounding countryside.  So get used to it.”

“Yes, sir,” Glen said with a yawn.

“Sleep, no arguments.”  Alex peppered Glen’s cheek with light kisses.

“No arguments.  And I love you too, doc.”

The boys snuggled and drifted asleep.

 

*****

 

“So what do you think?” Brian asked as he gently ran a soapy puff over Justin’s creamy white shoulders.  The boys were taking a leisurely shower before bed.

“About what?”

“Debbie’s latest project.”

“Peter is not a project,” Justin scolded. 

Unrepentant, Brian’s hand made lazy circles with the puff as he it moved down Justin’s back.  “I stand corrected,” Brian quipped.

“You certainly do,” Justin teased well aware of Brian’s stand up condition poking his ass.  Justin turned, taking the puff out of Brian’s hand.  He kissed Brian’s lips then began to run the puff down Brian’s chest.

 “And I think if there’s anyone who can provide a loving home to that boy it’s Debbie.”

“That she can.”

“Be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” Brian replied with innocent eyes.

“Sure you are.  If Debbie could get through your thick skull, she can certainly get through to Peter,” Justin said looking up with his own innocent blue eyes.  That remark got him a smack to his still pert rear.

Justin dropped the puff then leaned up on his toes to kiss Brian.  “Take me to bed,” Justin commanded.

“Bossy bottom,” Brian said as he reached around Justin to turn off the water after they had rinsed off. 

They dried themselves with soft fluffy towels then went to bed.

 

*****

 

“I think we need another shower,” Brian murmured against Justin’s lips when they finally came up for air.

“I like the way you smell,” Justin whispered as he nibbled his husband’s lips.

“You’re so weird,” Brian said with a grin as they continued to kiss.

“Do you think Peter will be okay?” Justin asked with genuine concern.

“I’m sure he will be.  Debbie will see to it.  I think Bree has plans for him.  And then there’s the Silver Fox.  I have no doubt Alex will be involved whether he likes it or not.  Now are we done talking about the kid?”

“I think so, why?” Justin asked.

Brian arched a brow, grinned then slowly rolled onto his belly.

“Yee haw!” Justin quietly crowed.

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