Just Together

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. It makes no claims to the true personality or sexuality of anyone involved. You already know if you shouldn't be reading this. NOTE: New email: jmstories@gmail.com

------------------ Just Together by jm_stories ------------------

Chapter XXXII

*** [ 12/8/02, Sunday ]

I was up later than usual Sunday morning. Knowing I was just going to disappear, Michael stayed in bed. Still half-asleep, I carried my large cup of coffee down the stairs to continue working on the recording studio. Half-way down I heard a dog bark and soon ran into Chad.

"Hey man. Just on the way to see you," Chad greeted.

"Hey. You're here early. You just get into town?"

"Drove all night. For the past two days, actually. This is Joe," he said, introducing the large dog next to him. "Don't worry. He's very friendly."

He released his hold on Joe, who immediately ran over to me and sniffed around. I waited until he'd decided I was okay before patting him on the head.

"So what did you need me for this morning? Sorry, but I can't help you move in. I've got things to get done."

"No, that's fine. I brought a friend. I just need to pick up my keys."

"Oh. Right. Follow me," I said and headed back upstairs.

"It's a good thing I didn't bring a moving truck. I would have never gotten here with all the snow," Chad said.

"I thought you were moving in?"

"Yea, but it'll be cheaper and easier just to go out and buy furniture here rather than drive from LA with it."

"Yea. Did you want to stay in the guest room tonight so you have a bed?"

"No thanks. We brought sleeping bags and an air mattress. It'll be fine for tonight. I might go out shopping today, but I need a nap first."

"I don't doubt it if you drove from LA. Straight through?"

"Almost. We stopped in Vegas for a day and lost some money, but drove straight through after that," Chad said and waited at the doorway with Joe instead of coming into the apartment.

I grabbed the envelope with his keys and codes from my production table and walked back out, handing it to him.

"The manual for the security system is on the kitchen counter. It's really easy to set a new code if you want to. I'm pretty sure it's not armed right now," I said.

"Great. Thanks," he said and we started back down the stairs.

"So who'd you bring to help and where is he?"

"Jared Padalecki. He's down in the coffee house getting us breakfast."

"Okay. I'll probably be in the basement for the next couple hours if you need me for anything. Don't tell Michael, though."

"The only thing I need right now is something to eat and then a bed for a couple hours. What are you doing in the basement that Michael can't know about?"

"Building his Christmas present: a recording studio," I said as we reached his floor and continued down.

"Damn. A bit extravagant?"

"He bought this building last year. You tell me," I smirked.

"Ah," Chad laughed. "Who else has moved in so far?"

"Charlie and Ian. Randy is supposed to be moving in this weekend, too."

"Justin?"

"He'll be here for the interview tonight, but he hasn't told me anything about moving in. I know he's been busy with a ton of promo crap."

"Right. What time is the interview tonight?"

"Nine."

"I should be awake by then, but if you don't see me can you come knock on my door or something?"

"I'll just call down."

"I haven't had the phone turned on yet and I never hear my cell when I'm asleep."

"Building-wide communications system, remember?" I reminded.

"Oh, right. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I guess I'll figure it out. It'll probably make more sense when I'm awake."

"Probably. The manual is also on the counter and I can walk you through it when you're awake. See you later," I said and left him at the door to the coffee house while I continued down to the basement.

A couple hours later I had everything primed and cleaned up before going back upstairs. Michael was lounging in front of the TV with a pile of scripts and Scott was sitting at the kitchen counter typing a paper. I went straight to the shower and then joined Michael on the sofa.

"You're done early with whatever mysterious project you're working on," Michael said as I sat down next to him.

"Yep. Almost done," I smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Find anything good?" I asked about the scripts.

"There's this one called 'The Village' that looks pretty good," he said and dug through the pile to hand me the script. "When am I going to find out what you've been working on?"

"Eventually," I dismissed. "You're not wanted for a lead in this?"

"Not wanted at all. The leads are already cast. These are things Carolyn thinks I'd be interested in being a part of in some capacity. I don't have to be the lead in everything."

"No, but it doesn't make sense to leave home to be an extra. As long as you have lines I'm okay," I smirked.

"What if it's a silent movie?"

"Then you have to be on screen for at least 5% of the movie."

"All these rules... You haven't seen Chad or Randy yet, have you?"

"Chad, yes. Randy, no. Chad was just getting in when I left. He brought a friend and his dog. I assume they're probably still sleeping. He said they drove straight through from Vegas."

"Who'd he bring? Josh again?"

"No. Jared something. I haven't met him yet, just the dog."

"What's the dog's name? What kind of dog?" Michael asked.

"His name's Joe. He looks like shepherd mixed with wolf or something. Big dog. He was friendly, though. Probably a good watch dog."

"Oh, we need to go shopping for something for dinner tonight. Any ideas on what to make for...eleven people?"

I thought for a moment. "Um, how about a big pot of Oktober Revolution Chili and cornbread? Good for a cold, snowy day."

"And easy to feed a bunch of people with," Michael agreed. "We should probably go soon. As soon as the sun goes down the roads are going to be ice again."

"Then let's go. Do we need anything else?" I asked as we went to get dressed for outside.

"I don't think so. We've got enough regular food, just nothing to make a single large dinner. We could probably get some more bread, though."

"Anything you need from the grocery, Scott?" I asked as we passed him.

"Huh? Oh. Um... I don't think so," Scott said.

"Okay. We're going to get stuff for dinner. If Randy shows up while we're gone his keys and code information are in an envelope on my production table."

"Oh, right. Everyone is coming to interview Shawn and Aaron tonight. That's still happening, isn't it?"

"As far as we know."

Michael and I got bundled up and went to the grocery, returning with enough supplies for a double batch of chili, several batches of cornbread and a couple packs of beer -- just in case. The only regular bread the store had left on this Sunday afternoon just after a blizzard was nasty-ass white bread. We decided to wait on that.

When we got home I started the chili while Michael worked on the cornbread.

//// Oktober Revolution Chili ////

1. Cut in half, remove seeds and roast in broiler for 10-15 minutes. Place in paper bag and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Peel & chop:

2 Red bell peppers

2 Haba–ero peppers

1 Anaheim pepper

1 Jalape–o pepper

1. Saute in skillet:

3 tbl olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic

1 Red onion

1 White onion

Dash of salt & black pepper

50 ml vodka

1. When onions become transparent, add:

Chopped roasted peppers from step 1

Dash of salt & black pepper

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp dried cilantro

1. Combine in large pot:

1 lg & 1 reg can diced tomatoes

2 cans Pinto beans, rinsed

2 tbl oregano

1 tbl white sugar

1 tbl unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Salt & black pepper

50 ml vodka

Add contents of skillet and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Serve with cornbread and cold beer.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Everything was ready by seven, which left two hours to wait. Randy still hadn't called, though, and everyone else was strangely missing as well. It was 8PM before we got a call from Aaron and Shawn. Their plane had been delayed, but they were at JFK and would be here as soon as they could catch a cab. Justin called a few minutes after that to let us know he was at his hotel and would be here as soon as he could. When I asked him why he was staying at a hotel he said he arrived in his tour bus and was very public right now. I understood.

Still no word from Randy.

Michael and I went down to get Charlie, Chad and Ian at a quarter 'till. Ian had forgotten all about it and was ready for bed in flannel pajamas with a cup of hot cocoa in his hand. Leaving him to get dressed, Michael went to Chad's and I went to Charlie's.

It took a minute before Charlie opened the door and walked back to the bare living room, dropping down in front of the TV.

"What are you here for?" Charlie asked.

"Dinner with everyone to interview Aaron and Shawn? Ring a bell?"

"Oh. Right. Eh, I'm not up to it. I introduced them, anyway, so I really don't need to be there," he said and laid back against a small pile of pillows.

"Have you just been sitting in front of the TV all day feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Past couple days, actually. Now go away. You're breaking the monotony."

"You're right. I am. Get your ass up and take a shower and get dressed. You're coming to dinner."

"No, I'm not," he said casually and ignored me for the TV.

"It's not a request. Consider this an intervention," I said and pulled the plug on the TV.

"Piss off, mate. I was watching that."

"And now you're not. Get up and get your smelly ass in the shower. Now."

"Or what?" He asked.

"Or I'll drag you into it and give you a very cold shower. You know I'm not going to let you wallow, so make it easier on yourself."

"Fine," Charlie grumbled after a few moments and cursed me under his breath as we went to the bathroom.

"You have a half-hour to get showered, dressed and upstairs. Don't make me come back down for you or I'll give you an ass kicking you won't easily forget," I warned.

Charlie just flipped me off and closed the bathroom door. You can't dramatically slam a pocket door.

"What's up?" Michael asked as he walked in.

"He's depressed about Kate and didn't want to come. He's in the shower now. What about Chad and Jared?"

"They were just waking up and are going to get cleaned up before coming upstairs."

"Looks like we'll be eating at ten."

"Probably. I wonder what's up with Randy," I said and headed upstairs.

"I'll try calling him. At this rate we should just make it dinner tomorrow night."

"Except Justin would be gone. He's leaving in the morning, last I heard."

"Right. Maybe this is a sign that Aaron and Shawn shouldn't live here."

"Yes, of course, because everything went so smoothly when we got together," I teased.

"Isolated case," he shrugged and went to get the phone to call Randy. "He's not answering," Michael said after calling.

"Then he'll just have to deal with whatever choice everyone else makes."

"Works for me. That must be Aaron and Shawn," he said as the door buzzer went off.

I was closer and hit the camera button. It was Justin.

"Hey! Let me in!" Justin yelled at the camera.

"You don't need to yell and you have a code to get in," I said back and pushed the button to open the door. He flipped me off and walked in.

"He probably forgot it," Michael said.

"Probably," I said and buzzed open the second door as Justin got to it.

"I guess I should get out the bowls and stuff," Michael said. "Did you see where Scott went?"

"No. Probably in his room. He'll come out if he wants to eat with everyone. I'd bet he's getting cleaned up for Shawn."

"I'd take the same bet," Michael said as the phone rang. "Hey man. Where the hell are you?...Oh, shit. You're okay? All fixed now?...Okay, don't kill yourself. Get here when you can... Okay. Later."

"Randy?" I asked.

"Yea. He's driving and slid off the road out in the middle of nowhere. He had to flag down someone to give him a ride to the next town and get a tow truck to pull him out. No cell reception out there. He said he'd be here in four hours or so."

"He wasn't hurt?"

"No, and the car wasn't, either. He just hit a patch of ice, slid off the road and couldn't get any traction to get out of the ditch."

"I'm here!" Justin called out as he walked in.

"Stop! Take off your shoes," Michael yelled.

"Where is everyone?" Justin asked as he did so.

"Still on the way. Randy won't be here until late, if at all. Everyone else is getting ready. How'd you get here so quickly from Manhattan? The cabs are still running really slow," I said.

"I snuck out and took the train. I've got a car picking me up at 2AM. We'll be done by then, right?"

"With everything that would hold you up. Food is on the counter; beer in the fridge."

"Great. What's for dinner?"

"Chili and cornbread."

"Vegetarian, I assume?"

"Yea. It's good."

"Good for you that I'll be gone by the time I get gassy from the beans," Justin smirked and went over to check everything out.

"Why do you think we waited until everyone had their own place before making chili?" Michael said.

"Oh yea. The halls look good. I like that rubber stuff. Oh. Wait. My place is ready now. Can I see it while we're waiting?"

I walked over to the production table and grabbed the envelope with his keys and codes. "It's all yours," I said as I handed him the envelope.

"Cool," he smiled and ran out.

"I'm gonna start now. I'm starving. You want a beer?" Michael asked me.

"Yea. I'll try the Old Fezziwig."

"That's probably better for desert."

"Then an Oktoberfest."

"Good choice," Michael smiled and handed me the bottle he'd already opened.

"Hey. Where is everyone?" Ian asked as he walked in -- now dressed but wearing slippers.

"Justin is checking out his place. Everyone else is on the way. Have a beer and help yourself to dinner," I said.

"I already had dinner, but I'll have a beer. What have you got?"

"Try this and let us know if it's any good," Michael said and handed Ian an Old Fezziwig.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Ian asked cautiously.

"Nothing. We just haven't tried it before and it says it's Christmasy beer with all kinds of sweet flavors. Not good for drinking with dinner, but it sounded interesting. You can be our guinea pig," Michael said.

"Lucky me," Ian groaned and took a sip. "It's different. A bit sweet. It's not bad. Oh, you made cornbread?" He said and walked over to it and grabbed a piece. "I love homemade cornbread," he mumbled with a full mouth.

"We've got plenty. Take a plate of it and have a seat."

Scott walked out of his room looking as fresh as if it were 10AM and not 10PM.

"Shawn and Aaron here yet?" He asked.

"Not yet."

"Damn. My place kicks ass. Now all I gotta do is get some furniture," Justin said as he walked back in. "Hey, Ian."

Ian raised his beer in salute and took a drink to wash down the cornbread.

Chad and Jared walked in behind Justin.

"Fooooodd," Chad moaned. "Need fooooodd."

"Help yourself. Introductions would be good first, though," I said.

"Oh yea. Everyone, this is Jared. Jared this is Jonah, Michael, Scott, Ian and Justin. Let's eat," Chad said quickly.

"Hey. I guess I'll sort that out later. Food does sound good," Jared said and followed Chad to the counter.

"I'm going to check on Charlie," I said and headed down. I ran into him coming up the stairs.

"What? I said I'd be there," he huffed when he saw me.

"Just checking," I said and pulled him into a hug. He was stiff at first, and then relaxed. "Why didn't you say something or come downstairs instead of hiding out?"

"You've got stuff to do and I didn't feel like company. Don't worry about me. I'll get over it."

"I'll worry if I want. Now come join everyone. You've had enough alone time."

"I'll be alone if I want," Charlie grumbled as he followed me.

"You can be alone again tomorrow, if that's what you really want."

"You can be an insensitive cunt, you know that? My wife just left me."

I stopped before we walked into the apartment and turned to him. "It wasn't a surprise, and if forcing you to get back to the world of the living makes me a cunt, then so be it. If you want someone who doesn't care you'll have to go back to LA."

"It's not that. I just want some time to wallow. I need some time."

"And you also need your friends. Now come on," I said and put my arm around him and pulled him into the apartment.

"Hey, Charlie. That's Jared," Chad called out.

Charlie just gave a weak smile.

"Fix yourself a bowl of chili and I'll get you a beer," I said to Charlie as the door buzzer went off. I changed direction and let Shawn and Aaron in.

Fairly soon everyone, minus Randy, had food and drink.

"Not bad for vegetarian chili. A bit hot, though," Justin said and shoved a piece of cornbread into his mouth.

"Wus," Chad teased. "It's just right."

"It's too hot," Aaron said with tears in his eyes and took a drink of his beer.

"I guess we know who likes spicy food," Michael commented.

"I like spicy food," Justin protested. "I just prefer sweet chili. I got a three at the Tai place didn't I?"

"I got a six," Chad smiled.

"Yea, and you were bright red, drenched in sweat and could only eat half of it," Michael said.

"And complaining the next day that it came out just as hot," I added.

"Ugh. Yea, don't remind me," Chad shuddered as everyone laughed.

"So let the questioning begin," I announced.

"Either of you have a drug habit?" Ian asked.

"Weed on occasion, but not a habit," Aaron answered.

"Same here," Shawn agreed.

"Like to have huge drunken parties with hookers?" Charlie asked.

"This conversation sounds familiar," Chad laughed.

"I don't like to have them, but I like to attend them," Aaron smiled. "Know of any?"

"Attending is fine. So not interested in hookers," Shawn said.

"You already know that you can't have any media here?" Justin asked.

"Yea. Wouldn't want that, anyway," Shawn said. "And no one even knows who Aaron is," he added with a teasing smirk. "They think he's me gone fat and out of shape."

"Thanks to my scrawny baby brother," Aaron shot back. "At least he's useful for getting me the girls who think I'm him."

"He's a whole minute older, and pretending he's me is really the only way he'll ever get a girl," Shawn smirked.

"You two seem to get along pretty well," Chad said. "Have you always lived together? What about your other place?"

"We don't always live together, but we do share all our places so far," Shawn said.

"It's a twin thing," Aaron shrugged.

"What other places do you own?" Justin asked.

"We've got an apartment in Toronto and one in LA," Aaron answered.

"Why do you want one in New York? Are you even going to be here very often?" Ian asked before shoving another piece of cornbread into his mouth.

"One or the other of us is here fairly often. At least a couple times a year," Aaron said.

"And I know I'd be here more often if I had a safe place instead of having to stay at a hotel. According to Charlie the place is safe and private. I think it's a great opportunity. I didn't even know about Prospect Park until I visited here the first time," Shawn said.

"It's just a park," Aaron shrugged. "But it's still nice not to have neighbors looking in your windows and it's a shit load cheaper than any place along Central Park."

"You've looked at those?" Justin asked.

"Just online. They're all crazy expensive -- especially with the maintenance."

"Right. What is the maintenance here?" Shawn asked.

"We're not sure what it'll end up being once all the apartments are full, but until the tax abatement expires you should probably figure around $700," I said.

"That includes heat, air, water, sewer, trash, internet, security and basic digital cable," Michael added.

"Basically you just have to pay electric and phone."

"Seriously? That's cheap as hell if it includes all that," Aaron said.

"I put in high-efficiency everything," I said. "The only wild card will be to see what utilities end up being. The radiant floor heat is very efficient and comfortable, so with just us paying the heating bill so far it hasn't been bad. The air conditioning chiller is for all the apartments, so it's huge and more efficient than the average house unit."

"Can we control the heat and air from our apartment?"

"Of course."

"If we haven't been here we still have to pay to heat and cool the place?" Aaron asked.

"Yes. You'd have to pay to heat it, at least, anyway," Michael said.

"When we put in all the systems we decided that it'd be better to have a consistent climate control for the building than to have a separate system for each apartment. It makes things cheaper for everyone," I explained.

"But then you have one point of failure," Ian pointed out.

"Mostly. Heat and hot water is by floor and on the back-up power. Air conditioning is the only huge point of failure. Well, that and if the power goes out, the gas goes out and the back-up generator dies. I think there are probably other things to worry about at that point," I said.

"I think it kicks ass," Justin said. "I can just show up and everything is ready to go. I don't have to warm the place up or cool it down or have stuff turned on or off."

"You should still set your heat and air to the Away setting when you're not here," Michael said.

"What does that do? I haven't had a chance to read the ton of manuals yet," Chad asked.

"It sets the heat on 60¡F and the air on 85¡F," I answered. "All the inner floors will probably never get that cold, anyway, but at least your empty place won't be calling for heat."

"Makes sense," Shawn nodded. "How much will it go up after the tax abatement is over? How long does that last?"

"A minimum of five years, and probably 15," Michael said. "You should probably plan on it going up three or four-hundred dollars at that point -- but who knows what will be happening with everything in ten years."

"True. So what's up with you, man?" Aaron asked Charlie. "Where's your woman?"

"She's not my woman anymore, and probably shagging some tosspot back in LA," Charlie sighed and got up to get himself another beer.

"Shit. Sorry man. When did this happen?" Aaron asked.

"She split a couple days ago. I don't know how long she's been shagging the tosspot."

"You and Kate broke up? For good?" Justin asked.

"Yes, we broke up for good. It that difficult for you to understand?" Charlie snapped.

"Sorry," Justin cringed.

"Just... I don't want to talk about it," Charlie sighed before taking a long drink from his bottle.

"Moving on, are you two still interested in buying in?" I asked Aaron and Shawn.

"Uh, yea. Still interested," Shawn said carefully. The mood had been brought down considerably.

"Same here," Aaron agreed.

"Any objections?" Michael asked. Everyone said "no" or shook their head.

"Then welcome to the Marpitt," I said. "I can have papers drawn up next week. Just let me know when you want to sign and pay."

"Just sometime before the end of the year. How soon can you have the papers ready? It'd be great if we can do it while we're in town the next couple days," Shawn said.

"I can probably have the contract on Monday. It really depends on your bank."

"We already have that sorted out. It'll just take a phone call to set up someone to join us at the closing," Aaron said.

"Great. Then if everything goes okay this'll all be wrapped up by the end of the week," I said.

"Anyone want more chili?" Michael asked.

Michael took care of the contracts with Aaron and Shawn on Monday. By Thursday it was theirs.

I painted the studio on Monday and then took The Beast -- as we had come to name the StepVan Michael bought -- to Home Depot for carpet, counter and supplies for a storage bench for the studio. The carpet didn't matter so I bought two remnants and rented a kicker so I could just install it myself. I only got the storage bench cut and ready to assemble before quitting for the night.

Over the next couple days I got the counter in, bench installed and poly'ed, the carpet down and all the finishing touches. It was completely done by the end of the week.

I also had to do walk-throughs with different banks for each of the owners now that everything was done to the point people could move in. The cabinets for Randy's bookcase/entertainment center came in on the 20th. I started installing them right away, but it took two days with all the cabinet pieces and trim -- much more detail work than the kitchen cabinets.

Furniture slowly arrived for some of the tenants, but most were living with a bed, a chair and a TV. Odd how they'd have a TV before anything else.

*** [ 12/24/02, Tuesday ]

"You're up early," I said to Michael before going to the bathroom.

"I've got things happening here today. You need to go to the grocery for a couple hours," he said when I joined him in the kitchen.

"A couple hours? Why?"

"I have some things being delivered. I'll call when it's okay to come back."

"Something big?" I teased.

"Yes," he said giving me a quick kiss. "Now go away."

"You could have done this earlier when there was someone still in town. Is it okay if I get dressed first? It is kinda cold out."

"Get dressed and go. You have 15 minutes."

"You could have woken me up earlier."

"I just got the call. Now go. You're stalling."

"Okay. Okay. I'm going." I quickly got dressed and went downstairs. Michael handed me my coat, a grocery list and pushed me out the door.

When I got home there was a huge wrapped box about the size of a pool table right where we were planning to eventually put a pool table. Not to spoil his "surprise", I just gave him a grin and ignored it. He helped bring in the groceries and we spent the rest of the day making cookies and a couple pies.

*** [ 12/25/02, Wednesday, Xmas ]

I woke to the feeling of Michael sitting on my erection.

"Merry Christmas," Michael said softly as he started gently rocking back and forth.

"Merry Christmas. This is a new way to wake up."

"You like?"

"Very much," I smiled and started rubbing his woody. He soon became fully erect.

"I didn't think this through. I really want to go do presents."

"You're not going to stop yet, but I'll help speed it up," I said and stroked his erection faster.

"So can I open the elephant in the room?" I asked Michael with a grin as I turned on the coffee pot.

"Elephant?"

"The huge thing I'm supposed to ignore?"

"Oh, right. Yea, well now you know why I didn't have it delivered until yesterday. Go ahead. Where's my elephant?"

"You'll have to wait until after the coffee is done," I teased and went over to the elephant. I lifted the box off the top -- or tried to, anyway. It was composed of several large pieces of cardboard taped together with wrapping paper taped to that. As soon as I lifted one corner it all kinda fell apart and collapsed to one side. I gave Michael a look and he just shrugged. It was a nice Brunswick 8' table in mahogany with ball & claw legs and black felt. Underneath were a couple boxes that I assume had all the accessories.

"Very nice. Thank you," I said and gave him a kiss.

"You're welcome. There's a pool cue rack in one of those boxes underneath. It's wall mounted, so you'll have to put it up somewhere. Now mine?"

"We'll have to get dressed first."

"It's outside?"

"No, it's in the building."

"'Building' being the operative word," he hinted.

I shrugged and went to get our coffee as it finished. Michael ran to our room and returned dressed a few minutes later with clothes for me. I took the hint and got dressed.

"You'll need to bring your guitar. The electric," I said as I grabbed the key.

"Uh, okay," Michael said and gave me a strange look as he went to grab his guitar from the stand behind the piano. "Hey, where's my amp?"

"Don't worry about it. Grab your guitar and let's go," I smiled and grabbed a couple cookies to take with us.

We opted for the elevator and took it all the way to the basement. When we got to the room the studio was in I handed Michael the key.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked with a grin.

"Open the door and find out."

He did. I flipped on the lights and saw his grin get wider.

"You built a fuckin' recording studio. Damn. You rock," he laughed and pulled me into a deep kiss, barely avoiding dumping hot coffee over both of us.

"You're welcome. No equipment, but you should be able to play as loud as you want without scaring anyone."

"That's fine," he said and looked around the control booth before opening the doors to the studio. "There's my amp."

"Yep. Figured you'd want to try it right away."

"You don't mind?"

"No, of course not. Why do you think I brought the amp down?"

"Sneaky."

"Like you didn't have at least some idea. You knew I was building something and that it was in the building."

"Maybe," he grinned and pulled one of the doors closed behind him. He only played for a few minutes before coming back out.

"How well can you hear it?" He asked.

"Just barely."

"Can you go play so I can hear? I also want to see if it can be heard in the theater. Did you check that?"

"I didn't check it yet," I said and went into the studio, shutting both doors behind me. He'd left the amp on so I just picked up the guitar and started strumming. Michael grinned in the window and gestured that he was going to go up to the theater. He returned a few minutes later and I shut down.

"So?" I asked as I walked out of the studio.

"Can't hear it at all. You must have a ton of insulation in here."

"Quite a bit, and it's also isolated from the building. The only air in there is from this room. You have to turn on the fan in there to push it in and suck it out. There wasn't really any remotely affordable way to tie it in to the HVAC. You have to manually open the outside vent," I said and pointed to the vent in the studio that exhausted out into the alley.

"How noisy is it?"

"Not too bad. You wouldn't want it on while recording, but you'd never notice it if you were just down here playing."

"Now I need to get some recording equipment. It'd kick ass to get a 1" 24-track reel-to-reel. Keep your eyes open for one. Let's go back upstairs and get something to eat," Michael said.

"Why not go digital? Disk based recording is great when it comes to editing and mixing."

"Yea, but analog tracking sounds so much better."

"Not if you can't get any tape for it. I read a story last week on slashdot that said Ampex, who's the only one still making it, is going to stop in 2004."

"I'll just have to stock up."

"Okay. How soon do you want to start making phone calls?"

"After breakfast."

"Color me confused. Why did you get me plane tickets to New York for Christmas?" Jonny asked.

"That's your Christmas present. You get to be here for our big New Year's Eve bash."

"Oh. That's cool, I guess. Who's going to be there?"

"Everyone, pretty much. It's gonna be huge."

"And the second ticket is for whoever I want to bring?"

"Yep. Adam?"

"No. He's still at his grandparents. I'll let you know."

"Okay. Let me know by Friday so I can have the name put on the ticket."

*** [ Friday, 12/27/02 ]

"Hey, it's me. I know who I'm bringing with me now," Jonny said as I answered my mobile.

"Okay. Just a sec. I need to write it down... Okay. Shoot."

"Riley Archer."

"Riley?"

"Yea."

"You're together again?"

"Yea. Why do you say it like that?"

"'Cause I can't keep up with whether you two are together or not."

"Ha. Ha. We're not that bad. We've only broken up twice, and the second time doesn't really count 'cause we really weren't dating for real."

"How can you not date for real?"

"Because we never said we were dating. Duh. We were just hanging out together and having sex."

"Slut," I teased.

"Whatever. So that's it. I'm bringing Riley. You're gonna let us sleep together, right?"

"You'll be in the same room. I don't want to know anything other than that. Plausible deniability."

Jonny laughed. "Good answer. Okay. I gotta got. See you on the 30th. Laters."

*** [ Monday, 12/30/02 ]

"Do you have the lighting set yet?" Michael asked me as we were having a late lunch.

"Not yet. I've been busy pulling out rows of seats for the tables. I'll get to it this afternoon. What time does the first band get here for sound check?" I asked.

"Seven. Are you going to have enough time?"

"I don't know. Probably if I had some help. What are you doing?"

"Can't. I'm still making phone calls and then I'm going to get furniture for the other guest room."

"We have to do everything last minute, don't we?" I smirked.

"Apparently. It's not like we've been sitting around doing nothing, though," Michael said and set his empty plate in the sink before going to the bathroom. Then the phone rang.

"Marpitt Sanitarium," I answered.

"Um, sorry. Wrong number," the guy, a Brit, apparently, stuttered.

"Maybe not. Who are you trying to reach?"

"Um... Jonah Mars or Michael Pitt?"

"This is the place. I'm Jonah."

"Oh, okay. This is Davie Fairbanks. I'm a friend of..."

"Charlie's. Yea, I know. He mentioned you were interested in one of the apartments. When did you want to see it?" I interrupted.

"Anytime soon, but the thing is, have you seen Charlie around? I'm at the airport and he was supposed to pick me up, but he's not here. I'd just take a taxi, but he didn't give me the address, and I wouldn't be able to get in even if I did have the address since I can't get ahold of him."

"When did you last talk to him?"

"Um, a couple weeks ago."

"Ah. Well, as far as I know he's still in the UK. He spent Christmas with his folks. He's not supposed to be back until tomorrow afternoon."

"Bollocks," he signed.

"That's Charlie. Anyway, don't worry about it. Got a pen and some paper?"

"Just a sec... Okay."

"150 Ocean Avenue. Brooklyn. Just take a cab. Bring your stuff into the coffee house and ask for Jonah. We'll take care of bitch-slapping Charlie later."

"Thanks, mate. I appreciate it. I'm on my way. Cheers," he said and hung up.

"I take it that wasn't for tomorrow night?" Michael asked me as I hung up the phone.

"No. Davie Fairbanks: the guy Charlie said was interested in 3C."

"You're not going to show it today, are you? We'll never get done in time."

"No. He fell victim to Charlie's lack of details and is here a day before Charlie gets back. I gave him the address and he'll probably be crashing with us," I said.

"Should I just get bunk beds for the other guest room as well? I mean, seriously, we should just fill the room with bunk beds," Michael sighed.

"I don't care. Whatever you think is best. Maybe just cover the floor in futons and pillows," I said and dropped my plate in the sink.

"Don't tempt me. Do you know when Scott is supposed to be back so I can take his truck?"

"Sometime today," I shrugged. "You could just take The Beast."

"Maybe. The heater doesn't work worth shit."

"Whichever. I'm off to brighten the world," I smirked and gave him a quick kiss before running downstairs to hang lights. I stopped in at the coffee house and let them know I was expecting a Brit and they should just send him into the theater when he got there.

As luck would have it, I was in a harness geling the back of house lights when Davie arrived. It was my bright idea to have a track to hang a harness from so you could slide along the back of house electric without having to move rows of seats to get the ladder in or having to move the ladder. It worked well, but it also meant that it took longer to get up and down.

"Hello?"

"Up here."

"Oh, hello. I'm looking for Jonah Mars."

"Not anymore. Davie?"

"That's me."

"I'll be down in a few minutes. Have a seat and relax," I said and finished dropping in gels across the row before pulling myself back to the isle to unclip and climb down the ladder.

"Hey, man," I smiled as I walked up to him to shake his hand. Charlie was right. He is cute, or rather, sexy.

"Hey," he said and stood up to shake my hand. "Sorry about imposing. I just..."

"Don't worry about it. Grab your bags and follow me," I said and lead the way over the stage to the elevator. "It's a bit of a madhouse here right now. We're having a big New Year's event and everything is behind. How was your flight? You flew in from London?"

"Yea. It was okay, minus the security and customs. It's gotten ridiculous."

"Yea, I know. Welcome to the United Police-State's of America," I smirked and he chuckled.

"Seems to be coming to that."

"Unfortunately," I said and hit the button for the top floor. "Are you tired? Need to take a nap?"

"Nah. I'm fine. A cup of coffee would be wicked, though."

"That can be arranged. I'll let you get settled and cleaned up and then you can come down and get something at the coffee house. If you're up to it I could use some help hanging lights."

"I don't really know much about it."

"All that matters is that you can follow directions and aren't afraid of heights."

"Guess I'm qualified," he smiled.

"Okay. Here we are," I said and led the way into my apartment. Michael was on the phone and pacing as he argued with someone. I mouthed who Davie was to Michael and lead Davie to the guest room with the bunk beds.

"Take whichever bunk you want. Bathroom is over there. Towels are in the cabinet. That's Michael on the phone. When you're done just take the stairs down to the first floor. There's a back entrance into the coffee house so you don't have to walk outside. Anything you need before I head back?"

"Uh, no. Thanks, mate."

"No prob. Later," I said and rushed back down, but not before giving Michael a quick kiss on the cheek.

I was back in the back-of-house harness focussing when Davie reappeared with a large cup of coffee.

"Monkey ready for duty, sir," he smirked.

"Oh, hey. Um, I've got this right now, but if you could go up on stage and stand down-down-left."

"I'm on it," he smiled and ran up to stand in the correct spot. It's nice that he knows his stage directions. "Want me to walk back and forth?"

"Not right now, thanks." I brought up the light using the wireless remote -- gotta love a new lighting system -- and focussed it where he stood before moving on.

"That's quite a little system you've got going there," Davie commented.

"What is?" I asked.

"Harness on a track. Remote control for the lights hanging down. A bit more efficient than most houses I've worked in."

"I'm a lighting designer first, so I had a little fun," I shrugged. "So you're interested in getting a place in New York?"

"Yea. My business partners and I have been talking about it for a while. We're over here fairly often. I don't know if we're ready to buy anything yet, but it doesn't hurt to look," Davie said.

"So you're basically looking for corporate suite? Down-center, please."

"Uh, yea, basically," he said as he moved over. "We're not corporate by any means, but it would be the business that buys it and all three of us would be able to use it when in town."

"To conduct business here, or to just have a place to stay?"

"Bit of both. Would that be a problem?"

"Could be. The security of the building is important and the privacy of the other owners as well. I don't think anyone wants lots of random people in the private space."

"What's the private space?" Davie asked.

"It's everything above the door you went through on the second floor. The first and second floors are public space, for the most part. Past that you need a code or key to get in and it records who and when," I explained.

"Oh. I'm not sure it'll work, then. I wish Charlie would have explained that to me before I wasted everyones' time."

"You'll have trouble finding any unsecured building in New York that is safe. If you wanted a place to conduct business as well as live you'd probably have to get a house or a buy a building."

"That's what you did, eh?"

"Yep."

"What time does Jonny's plane get in?" Michael asked as he sat down next to me during sound check. I was also setting scenes.

"What?" I asked, pulling my attention from the light board.

"Jonny. What time does his plane get in?"

"Shit. I forgot all about him. He gets in at 8:50."

"It's 9:15 now. Want me to go get him?"

"Thanks," I said and gave him a quick kiss.

"You just get here?" I asked Jonny as he walked into the theater. It was a little after eleven and we were just finishing up.

"A few minutes ago. Our plane was late. It sucked. We sat on the plane forever before we took off," he said and gave me a hug.

"Snow?"

"No. Security crap. There were Arabs on the plane and someone freaked out about it."

"Michael and Riley upstairs?"

"Yea. I was just checking on how much longer you were going to be."

"We're done. I'll be up as soon as everyone clears out and I lock up."

"Okay. Is everyone getting in tomorrow?"

"Pretty much. You and Riley will probably end up sharing a bed -- not that you'll have any problem with that," I said.

"Doesn't matter. We'd be doing it anyway and we can't do anything if there's someone else in the room -- unless it's Justin. Then I'd do something just to see if we could make him horny enough to jack off," Jonny smiled.

"It won't be him. All the apartments are done so he'll be in his own place."

"Who will it be? There were a couple suitcases already in the room."

"Tonight it'll be Davie Fairbanks."

"Who's that? Where's he at?"

"Last I saw him he was in the coffee house reading. He was in 'Metrosexuality'. You told me you'd seen that."

"Yea. Which character did he play? I don't remember the names of the actors."

"I don't know. I haven't seen it. He's sexy. Brown hair. Decent build."

"Black or white?"

"White."

"Hmm. Was he one of the leads? The only lead guy with dark hair who was white was really skinny and tall."

"Ask me again and I still won't know," I said. "If he wasn't upstairs he's probably still in the coffee house. Be your usual gregarious self and find him. He's probably the only Brit."

"I'm too tired to be gregarious. So who all is going to be here?"

"All the tenants..."

"Who are all the tenants? I only know about Charlie, Justin, Randy and Ian."

"Um, Chad and Aaron & Shawn."

"And they are...?"

"Actors. Chad was on DC and 'Gilmore Girls' and did some Lone Ranger thing. Shawn played Iceman in 'X-Men'."

"Really? He's cute. Is Aaron his boyfriend?"

"I hope not. Aaron is his twin brother," I laughed.

"Oh. Is he gay?"

"Didn't you come here with your boyfriend? You shouldn't be looking."

Jonny just gave me a look.

"Forget about him. We're holding out for him and Scott to get together."

"Scott's gay?"

"He's still in the 'undecided' category, but the way those two sit and stare longingly at each other...it's only a matter of time."

"How long ago did they meet?"

"Just before Thanksgiving, I think. I don't remember. The past year is just a long blur."

"He still in the closet?"

"Pretty much. He prefers to keep his relationships to himself. Talking about it makes him uncomfortable for some reason," I shrugged.

"Okay. Who else?"

"A couple 'NSYNC guys may show up. A couple people from DC. Gus might show up. Matt said he'd probably be here. There'll be a ton of people you don't know. Lots of people from the arts community and the entertainment industry."

"Who are Gus and Matt?"

"Gus Van Sant. He's a director. Matt Damon."

"Why is Matt Damon coming?" Jonny asked.

"He's on the Board of Directors for the theater."

"Oh, right."

"Please don't hit on anyone or fawn over them at the party."

"I won't."

"Jonny?" Some guy called out from the doorway.

"Over here," Jonny said and waved him over. "This is Riley," he said and put his arm around Riley's waist. "This is Jonah."

"Nice to finally meet you, Riley," I said and shook his hand. He was a cute kid, of course. I'd expect nothing less from Jonny.

"Hey. I like your place. Thanks for letting me come," Riley said.

"Jonny's the only one responsible for you coming," I smirked.

"I'd better be," Jonny mock threatened.

-=-=-=-=-=- Jonny -=-=-=-=-=-

"Damn. You were right. Jonah is hot," Riley whispered to me as we went upstairs while Jonah locked up.

"Um, excuse you. Boyfriend right here," I said.

"Give it up. You know I'm all about you," he smiled and gave me a quick kiss.

"When's Justin getting in?" I asked.

"Um, he should probably be here now," Michael answered. "I think he said he was getting in around midnight."

"Why didn't he stop by to say hi?"

"Probably 'cause it's after midnight."

"So? He should know you guys would still be up. I'm gonna go say hi."

"Why don't you wait until morning? If he wanted company he would have come over," Jonah said.

"He just got here. He can't be in bed already," I said and headed over to Justin's apartment, ignoring Jonah. Riley followed me.

"I can't believe I'm about to meet Justin Timberlake," Riley whispered to me as we walked up to Justin's door.

"Don't get freaky. Okay? Just be really cool," I warned.

"I'll try."

I could hear banging around as I knocked on Justin's door so I knew he was there. The door opened a few seconds later, but it wasn't Justin. It was Cameron Diaz.

"Hi. You must be Jonah and Michael," Cameron smiled.

"Um, uh, no. We're Jonny and Riley. Is Justin here?" I asked. Justin never mentioned he was dating Cameron Diaz. They must have just started dating.

"Oh. Um, just a second," she said and closed the door. A few seconds later the door opened again.

"Jonny!" Justin practically yelled and pulled me into a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here. How are you?"

"I'm great. When did you start dating Cameron Diaz?" I asked.

"A while ago. Keep quiet about it," he said as he pulled back.

"Mum's the word," I smiled.

"So come on in. We were just trying to get things put away. Who's your friend?"

"Riley. Justin," I introduced.

"This is the Riley you've been dating?"

"That's me," Riley smiled.

"Nice to finally meet you," Justin said and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Come on in."

Justin's apartment looked empty and plain, except for a bunch of furniture still in plastic in the middle of the room.

"You're actually just in time to help unpack and move furniture," Justin said. "Cam, this is Jonny and Riley. Guys, this is Cam," he introduced and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Jonny is that kid from Chicago. Remember? I told you about him."

"Oh. Okay. Yea, I remember. Nice to meet you, Jonny," Cameron, or "Cam", smiled and shook my hand.

"You, too. Riley is my boyfriend."

"You two are just too cute together," she smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

"Now give me a hand getting the bed up to the loft," Justin said to me. "Why are you here? It seems like an odd time to be visiting."

"Jonah and Michael's idea of a Christmas present. They flew me and Riley up for the party tonight."

"I'll go up to the loft and you two can hand stuff up," Justin said and climbed the ships ladder to the loft.

"Why didn't you just get stairs? It'd be a lot easier," I said.

"The ladder takes up less room and it's cooler."

"Except when carrying stuff."

"Only have to move in once."

"What about your bags and clothes and stuff?" I asked and handed up a board for the bed.

"You didn't help...? No, I guess you were gone by then. There's a dumbwaiter. The shelves in the corner go up and down."

"Sounds like something Jonah would do."

"Is everyone still up next door?" Justin asked.

"Jonah and Michael were still up when we came over. Davie is already in bed. I think Scott is supposed to be here pretty soon."

"Who's Davie?"

"A friend of Charlie's. He's interested in the last apartment. He seems cool."

"And he's really sexy," Riley added softly as he helped me lift the mattress.

"Yea. And he's really sexy," I repeated, louder.

"What would you expect with Charlie?" Justin smirked.

I thought about making a comment, and then noticed Cam sitting on the kitchen counter watching us.

"You should have had all this done before you got here so Cam wouldn't have to wait," I said.

"No. That's okay. I'm fine," Cam said.

"Sorry. You want to go meet Jonah and Michael now so you can talk to them while I'm putting the bed together?" Justin asked.

"It's a bit late. Shouldn't we wait until morning?"

"Whoa. Cool ceiling," Riley said. It was like strips of mirror with tiny recessed lights in about a four-foot grid.

"Thanks," Justin said.

"Yea, really. It's totally swank. Why don't Jonah and Michael have this kinda of ceiling? Does anyone else have the same?" I asked.

"I don't know if anyone else got the same. I saw it in some magazine. It's probably too expensive for Jonah and Michael. They've also got a ton more ceiling than I do," Justin said.

"So? It'd look cool in their place. Are you sure you know how to put this together?"

"I'm sure I can figure it out," Justin huffed. "I'm not a complete idiot."

"I never said you were a complete idiot," I smirked.

"Ha ha," he groaned. "Besides, now that you're here I can have you do it. Hand up the next piece."

"Do you even have any tools here?" I asked and ducked out of the way as Riley handed up another long board.

"I don't need any. It came with some little wrench to tighten the screws."

"It says you'll also need a phillips screwdriver and a hammer," Cam said as she looked over the directions.

"Could you go get those from Jonah?" Justin asked me.

"Yea, okay," I said and went next door. "Where are your tools, Jonah?" I called out.

"What?"

"Where are your tools? Justin needs a screwdriver and a hammer to put together his bed. Oh, and you'll never guess who he brought with him."

"Cameron Diaz. I already know," Jonah yawned as he came down the stairs from the living room loft. "All my tools are down in the tool cage in the shop."

"You don't have any up here? Isn't it a pain to have to run down there every time you need a screwdriver?"

"I've been in construction mode. They're all on a cart that I can move from room to room. Once everything is done I'll probably keep the basics up here," he said and grabbed his keys. "Come on."

We took the freight elevator down to the shop to get the tools. When we got back upstairs Jonah said they were going to bed and to remember to lock the door when we went to bed.

"Got 'em," I announced as I walked back into Justin's place.

"Took you long enough."

"They were downstairs. You're welcome, diva," I shot back.

"Drama queen," Justin smirked.

I laughed. "Next to you I'm barely a princess."

"I'm not saying a word," Cam smiled.

"Ha! Even your girlfriend thinks you're a drama queen," I laughed.

"Yea, whatever. Get your ass up here and put my bed together."

"Sorry, man. I've got a boyfriend right now. You can't have my ass," I smirked as I climbed the ladder.

"Like I'd want your ass."

"I think he's got a cute ass," Cam said.

"Thanks," I smiled at her and then gave Justin a "so there" look.

"Hey. Stay away from my woman," Justin said to me. "And you, stay away from Jonny. He'll sleep with anyone he can, male or female," he said to Cam.

"It was only that one girl, and I've only had sex with three guys," I defended.

"Three? Me. Pasha. Who's the third?" Riley asked.

"You don't know everything," I smiled in avoidance and tried not to look at Justin. "Let's put this thing together."

Justin was sure to knock a rail of the bed against my shin for my slip-up.

-=-=-=-=-=- Jonah -=-=-=-=-=-

*** [ 12/31/02 ]

"I'm here! The party can start!" Charlie yelled as he walked in.

"Shut up, man. It's too early to be yelling," I said and took a drink of my coffee.

"I know. Just checking in before I go take a nap."

"You're checked in. How was xmas with the 'rents?" I asked.

"Strange," Charlie groaned. "Nice billiards table, by the way. You get this for Christmas?"

"Yea. Michael bought it."

"I figured that. You're too cheap," he teased.

"Blow me. I thought you weren't getting in until this afternoon."

"Got an earlier flight so I'd have time to take a nap so I'm awake tonight," Charlie said as Davie stumbled out of his bedroom. "Davie! Oi! What are you doing here?"

"You're a right bastard," Davie said. "You invite me into town and aren't even home."

"What? I said for New Year's."

"You said a day or two before."

"Details," Charlie dismissed. "And it is a day before the new year. You never called me back to let me know when you'd be in."

"I left a message on your mobile."

"Ah, right. Well, my mobile here doesn't work in the UK. It all worked out. How'd you like the place? You see it yet?"

"No, I didn't see it. Can I get a cup of coffee?" Davie asked me.

"Help yourself. Cups are in the cabinet above the pot."

"Thanks. And anyway, it's not going to work out. I need a place I can conduct business in. That's not really going to work here."

"Why not?"

"Because I need to be able to have people get to me easily and not worry about building security. Jonah said that building security was such that having lots of random people through would be a problem."

"Oh, right. Oh well, at least you're in New York for the New Year's party. You're coming to that, right?"

"Maybe for a little while. I've got three other parties I'm invited to."

"Damn, mate. Social butterfly, eh?"

"Piss off. I'm sure you have several to attend," Davie said and sat down at the kitchen counter.

"Back in LA, yea, but I'm here. Anyway, I'll see you later. I need to take a nap now," Charlie said and left quickly.

"Was it something I said?" Davie asked me.

"You know that he and Kate split up, right?"

"No. When did that happen?"

"Beginning of the month."

"Still a bit sensitive about it, huh? Do you know what happened?"

"I know a few things, but not everything. It's going to take some time."

"Mornin'," Michael mumbled as he came down the steps. "Was that Charlie I heard being loud?"

"Yea. Just checking in before he crashes. Morning."

"Do we have anything else to do to prepare today?"

"Not until Ozzie's closes at six."

"Good," Michael called out from the bathroom. "The food will be here at eight and the servers at 8:30."

"Yea. I remember," I said and got Michael a cup of coffee.

"How many people are going to be here tonight?" Davie asked me.

"If everyone shows up, probably around 150 or so. Lots of arts community people. Most will stay for only an hour or three before going to the next party."

"Yea. That's my plan. I've got three I have to make an appearance at tonight."

"Are you coming back here?" I asked Davie as I handed Michael his coffee.

"Thanks," Michael said.

"Eventually," Davie said. "No idea what time, though."

"I'll give you a temporary code to get into the building. Then you can at least get in and beat on Charlie's door before passing out in the hallway."

"It'd be the same thing if you're staying with Charlie. He doesn't have any furniture yet except for his bed and a TV," Michael said.

"Oh, right. Then I guess you'll have to beat on the door here if you want a bed."

"Maybe I'll just find someone to hook up with. Don't worry about me. I'll try to stay away until afternoon. I'd rather not have another night of listening to two kids trying to be quiet while knobbing each other," Davie smirked.

Michael and I laughed.

"Not that successful at being quiet, huh?" Michael laughed.

"The moaning: yes. The slurping and panting: no."

"You should have just told them to take it somewhere else," I said.

"I considered it, but they were done pretty quickly."

"If I didn't know they'd enjoy it, I'd suggest wanking and staring next time they do it," Michael said.

"Yea. That can't lead to anything good. Jonny would turn on the lights and insist on a show," I added.

"What would I do?" Jonny asked as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Nevermind," Michael said.

Jonny shrugged and went to the bathroom. Riley followed a minute later.

"What are you going to do now that everything is done?" Charlie asked, almost yelling to be heard above the noise of the party.

"Ah, if only that were true. I still have several bookcases to install, at least as far as the apartments are concerned," I said.

"It's not going to take that long. That's minor. You need to get back into making theatre instead of buildings."

"I know. I know. I'm already planning my first show. 'Equus'."

"Really? That's great. When are you doing it?"

"Rehearsals in March. Run April and May."

"Too bad. I can't do it. What's the show, again?"

"Hey, guys," Chad said as he dropped down into a chair at our table.

"Hey," I said to Chad. "It's called 'Equus'. You haven't heard of it?" I answered Charlie.

"No. What's..." Charlie started.

"That's a great play. Is it playing here?" Chad interrupted.

"Yea. I'm directing it this spring."

"Cool. Have you cast it yet?"

"Nope. I'm just starting the planning."

"When does it run?"

"Rehearsals in March. Run April and May," I repeated.

"Can you let me know when auditions are? I'd really love to do that show," Chad said.

"Can do. I'm guessing that you'd want to audition for the part of Alan?"

"Definitely."

"That's nice. Now can someone tell me what the show is about?" Charlie demanded.

"It's about a kid who blinds a bunch of horses with a spike. It all takes place in a mental hospital with flashbacks," Chad explained.

"It's about more than that, but that's the basic plot. Alan, the kid who blinds the horses, is pretty messed up in the head. Dysart, his shrink, is questioning if he's doing any good before he meets Alan. The whole show is a tug-of-war between Dysart pulling Alan towards sanity, and Alan pulling Dysart into his world. It's pretty demanding on the all the actors, both physically and emotionally -- especially the role of Alan," I explained further.

"So 'Equus' refers to the horses he blinds?" Charlie asked.

"Kinda. It's the name Alan gives to the horse god he creates in his head. Equus is Latin for horse. Like I said, the kid is pretty messed in the head. You need to read it."

"Or watch the movie. It was pretty good," Chad said.

"Yea, but don't plan on the play being like the movie. The lines and story are the same, but the production is radically different."

"You should ask Shawn to audition. Give him a reason to be in town so he and Scott can get to know each other," Charlie said.

"He's welcome to audition, but I really can't see Shawn in that role."

"Why's that?"

"Just a feeling. The age of his look is right, but he seems too soft spoken, good guy and relaxed. Alan has to be like a horse in the gates ready to start a race. Tensed and ready to burst at any moment."

"Nice way of putting it," Chad said.

"Thanks."

"He's always eloquent when he's drunk. Even more so when I am," Charlie smirked.

"I'm not drunk yet, but I'm working on it. It would be easier if you'd go get me another drink," I smiled.

"When did I become your bitch?" Charlie asked.

I leaned over and gave him a deep kiss. "You've always been my bitch. Now go get me a drink."

"Woo-hoo," Chad laughed. "Damn. Being Jonah's bitch has some benefits."

"Too bad for you. That position is already filled," Charlie said to Chad and stuck his tongue out before getting up to go get us some more drinks. It was only fair since I got our last round.

"You two are so weird together. I'm never sure if you're joking or actually in love," Chad said.

"They're in love, but I got him first," Michael said as he dropped into my lap and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Yep. Lucky you," I teased and kissed his neck while squeezing him tight. He laughed and complained that it tickled as he broke away and took the chair next to me.

"The bitch is back," Charlie announced and set the drinks down on the table.

"You're the bitch," Michael said.

"And don't you forget it," Charlie shot back.

"It's already been clearly established that Charlie is Jonah's bitch," Chad explained to Michael.

"Oh, yea. That kinda bitch. Okay. I'm off to mingle again," Michael said and gave me another quick kiss before disappearing into the crowd, only to reappear a few seconds later.

"It's 11:40. Just so you know," he said to me and disappeared again.

"Time for me to get back to work," I said and stood up.

"Doing what?" Charlie asked.

"Pulling out the Champagne and noise makers. Come on, you can help me pass them out."

"You bought real Champagne?"

"Okay. No. We bought sparkling white wine. Close enough. If anyone here can actually taste the difference, they should have brought their own."

"Hey. Relax. It doesn't matter to me. I don't like Champagne, anyway."

"Okay. Come on, Chad. You can help pass things out, too."

"Oh? Am I your bitch now, too?"

"There can be only one," I said, a la "Highlander". Charlie stuck his tongue out at him.

"Fine. Be that way," Chad pouted melodramatically and folded his arms while leaning back in his chair.

"Damn actors," I muttered as I walked over to Chad. I tipped his chair back more and kissed him hard as his arms flailed trying to keep his balance. As soon as he started kissing back, I pulled away and tipped him back up. "Now. Follow me."

"I can't believe you fell for that," Charlie said.

"I don't have time to play it any other way. Come on," I said and squeezed my way back to the storage room. I gave Charlie and Chad, each, a box of confetti poppers and sent them off to distribute while I carried the case of sparkling white wine to the servers at the bar. It was significantly cheaper for us to buy the alcohol for the servers than to have it all catered.

"So are you playing for both teams now?" Charlie teased Chad.

"No. I'm just a slut -- non-practicing," Chad said.

"You'll have to watch that around Jonah. He'll change that."

"Sure. I'll have to talk with Michael if you want a threesome," I smiled.

"Piss on that. Make it a foursome," Charlie said.

"Sorry, Charlie. I'm not that drunk," Chad said.

"How much more would it take?" Charlie grinned.

"Someone is a horny drunk," Chad laughed.

"Charlie's horny all the time. It's just that when he's drunk he'll hit on anyone."

"Piss off. I do not!" Charlie complained.

"Justin," I whispered into his ear before ripping open the box and handing it over.

"Yea, well, that was just that one person. Turned out pretty good, too, now didn't it? Got a couple months of two shags a night from that one, I did."

"Must be nice," Chad sighed dramatically.

"It sounded like it. Now go distribute those before midnight," I said and sent them off again.

"Two times a night. Think about it," Charlie yelled to Chad as he walked away passing out confetti poppers.

"Hey! It's almost midnight," Jonny yelled as he stumbled up with Riley.

"I know. Go help Charlie and Chad pass out confetti poppers."

They disappeared into the crowd and a people starting grabbing glasses of sparkling white wine off the counter to be ready to toast in the new year. I helped fill glasses until Michael joined me at about a minute 'till.

The new year was rung in with the man I love in our own theater and home surrounded by friends. I can't imagine it getting any better.

-=-=-=-=-=- Jonny -=-=-=-=-=-

"Just a sec. I've got an idea," I said to Riley as I saw Justin walk back into the theater.

"What's up?"

"Nothing yet. I'll let you know. Can you get us some more wine?"

"Okay," he said and went to the front.

I walked over to Justin and casually stood beside him as he talked to some people. The conversation moved on and I leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"You know, we could fuck again. You'd get your wish. You could fuck Cam while I'm fucking you and Riley is fucking me."

Justin jumped and looked at me with a drunken stare for a moment.

"As much fun as that sounds, I've grown very attached to my balls. Jonah promised to castrate me if it happened again," he finally whispered back.

"You've got your own place now. He'll never know," I counter offered.

He looked at Cam and then back at me. "Nah. Better not. Now go away and stop trying to get me in trouble."

"Your loss," I grinned as I smacked his ass and met up with Riley who was walking back into the theater. He handed me a glass of wine.

"So can I know now?" He asked.

"Nevermind. It didn't work out."

"What didn't work out?"

"Just what I was thinking. Wanna go make out on stage?" I grinned.

"Exhibitionist," Riley accused. "How about in the dressing rooms in front of the mirror. There's no one down there."

"Let's go," I said and we climbed up on stage and went back to the back stairs to the dressing rooms. The lights were on, but it was empty. I dropped down on a sofa and Riley sat beside me, tossing one leg over mine.

"What were you thinking about upstairs?" Riley asked again.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter now."

"Don't do that. You hate when I do that to you. Just tell me. Please?"

"Fine. I'll tell you if you swear not to ever tell anyone else ever, and also not to get weird about it."

"Yea, okay, I promise. What? I'm really curious now."

"Okay," I said and looked around to make sure we were alone. "You're the only person I've told this to. Not even Adam or Gareth know about it."

"Sounds good. Go on."

"Okay. You know this past summer when I was here?"

"Yea."

"I hooked up with Justin and fucked him silly," I whispered.

Riley's eyes got huge. "You did not."

"Yea, I did. We'd played around a little before that, but the night before he left I convinced him to do it again. I fucked him right in the middle of the stage and then again in the dock."

"Damn."

"I know. And when I was fucking him on the dock he said he'd really like to be fucking some girl while I fucked him. He's got Cam now so I went to remind him of that. We could have had a four-some."

"No way?! He said no?"

"Yea. He was walking pretty funny the next day and Jonah figured it out and threatened Justin with castration if it happened again. He's more afraid of Jonah than horny right now."

"Damn. And you haven't told anyone? How'd you, of all people, keep it a secret?"

"It wasn't easy. You're the only one I've told. It can't get out for obvious reasons. You're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"No. I promised. I can't believe it, though. That's the third guy you were talking about, wasn't it?"

"Yea. I fucked up on that. I didn't think you'd think about who."

"How was he? Is he better than me?" Riley asked.

"No, he's not better than you. He's got a really muscular ass, though, and really tight."

"Is he hung?"

"Like a baby," I laughed.

"No way. Serious?"

"No. He's bigger than that, but we're both much bigger than he is. Adam has seen him and can attest to that."

"Adam did it with you?"

"What? Hell no. He's just seen Justin naked and boned up. That was also last summer. We were painting in the theater and Justin pulled Jonah's shorts down while he was painting up on the scaffolding. Jonah got him back by putting these bondage cuffs on him, hanging him from the center of the stage and pulling his shorts down. It was hillarious and so tempting to see him there helpless and boned up. If there wasn't anyone else in the theater I would have fucked him then."

"Damn. I wish I would have been here. We could have totally had a three-way."

"Nah. It wouldn't have happened. It was just the right time and circumstance that I got him to open up like that. If you'd been here I never would have jacked off with him on the roof and that was what eventually lead to us fucking."

"Now it's going to lead to us fucking?" Riley asked hopefully and slid his hand up my thigh.

"Supplies are up in our room, but we could do other things."

"For now," he grinned and started unbuttoning my pants.

-=-=-=-=-=- Jonah -=-=-=-=-=-

It took about an hour for things to start to clear out -- though most were heading to other parties. By 2AM it was down to me, Michael, Scott, Shawn, Charlie, Chad, Jonny, Riley, Justin and Cam. Everyone else living or staying here had other parties they were attending. I locked up and we moved upstairs to our place.

"Let's play strip billiards!" Charlie called out as we walked in.

"What are the rules?" Michael asked.

"Just billiards, but when you lose a game you have to take something off."

"Cool game," Michael smiled. "Who's first?"

"I'll play Chad," Charlie said.

"What?" Chad asked. He was quite drunk.

"You're playing strip pool with Charlie," I said to him and went to get a bottle of wine from the pantry.

"No. Is everyone playing?" Chad asked.

"Sure. I'll play," Cam said.

"Then I'm in," Justin followed.

"We'll play, too," Jonny said, volunteering Riley and getting a nasty look for it. A long kiss was all it took to defuse that argument.

"Have you been drinking wine all night?" Michael asked me as I opened the bottle.

"Yea. Time for something better than the swill we bought for the crowds," I smirked.

"I've been drinking beer. Do you think it'd be safe to switch to wine without getting sick?"

"I don't know. Probably not. There are a few beers in the fridge."

"Yea... I'm gonna go down and bring up a case."

"Do you need help?"

"Nah. I've got it. Be right back," Michael said and left.

I poured myself a glass of wine and went over to stand near Jonny and Riley to watch the game. Everyone was quite drunk and it was apparent the pool games would be more who lost first, rather than who won.

"So how do you like your Christmas gift now?" I asked Jonny.

"It's all good now," Jonny smiled stupidly and gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."

"Yea, thanks," Riley said and also gave me a quick kiss, blushing and giving Jonny a look after.

"How much have you two had to drink tonight?" I asked, but not severely.

"Um, we've had a bottle of wine between us and part of another bottle, I think," Jonny said and looked to Riley for confirmation.

"Yea, and we had one glass of that nasty white wine."

"Oh, yea. That, too. How can anyone drink that shit?" Jonny continued.

"Some people like it. I don't," I said and went to turn on the sound system. Seating options were still limited so I pulled the piano bench out to the pool area and grabbed the flip-n-fuck from the living room. A few of the dining area chairs and everyone had a place to sit if they wanted.

By the time Michael got back with the case of beer, Charlie and Chad were both shirtless. Most grabbed a new beer and Michael joined me on the piano bench.

"Great night, huh?" He asked me softly.

"Perfect," I smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"And strip pool. I'm glad Charlie thought of that."

"I'm sure it wasn't purely altruistic on his part. He's been trying to get into Chad's pants since the sixth drink."

Michael laughed. "I can understand why Kate left him. He can't make up his mind."

"Must be hell being bi."

"Though it keeps things interesting," Michael said as Chad dropped his pants.

"This is so cool," Jonny said as he dropped down onto the flip-n-fuck, pulling Riley with him. They both had another glass of wine.

"That's your last drink," I said to them.

"Okay."

The games progressed and soon Charlie was in his underwear, and then Chad was naked. Cam went in next. She'd obviously played a lot of pool while drunk. Charlie was soon naked, followed by Justin, Shawn, Jonny and Riley. When Scott came up her run ended -- though she stopped when she was down to just panties and left with Justin. Scott had Michael naked before I finally got to play. Since Scott was down to just his underwear, I only lost my shirt before Scott was naked.

It was just before 7AM. Riley and Jonny were snuggled together sleeping naked on the flip-n-fuck. Shawn was slouched in a dining room chair and barely awake. Chad was passed out on the sofa in the living room loft. Michael was asleep in the living room loft lying on the floor where he was watching the final pool game through the railing.

"Guess it's just us," I said to Scott.

"Just you now. You're the only one still clothed."

"Yea, I feel naked by comparison," I said and stripped the rest of the way.

"And there's no one awake to notice. I'm going to bed," Scott said.

Shawn stood up and stretched, catching Scott's eye. "Yea, I should be getting to bed, too."

Scott stood in front of him, one hand covering himself. "Um, goodnight. See you in the morning?"

"More like afternoon unless I'm sleeping with you," Shawn smiled.

"Um, better not," Scott choked out, and then gave Shawn a quick kiss on the lips before retreating to the bathroom.

"Wow. You're breaking through," I said to Shawn.

"Um, yea. I'll see you tomorrow sometime," Shawn said softly and left carrying his clothes.

I threw a blanket over Jonny and Riley before going up to get Michael. There I found Charlie lying next to Chad and letting his hand freely explore the passed out Chad.

"That's not a smart idea," I said and squatted down next to him. He jumped back, startled.

"It's not..."

"Just don't do it. Go back to your place and wank or sleep it off."

"Are you sure we couldn't...?" Charlie suggested and slid his hand between by legs.

"Not tonight. Go home, man," I said and pulled him up. "You don't want to do anything stupid."

"Yea, okay," he mumbled.

After both of us stumbled down the stairs I rerouted him to an empty bunk bed and left him there. I grabbed another blanket and and laid it over Chad. It wasn't too difficult to wake Michael enough to get him to our bed.

*** [ 1/1/03 ]

Needless to say, no one was up early. I woke around 12:30 to nature's call. Michael was still sound asleep. After visiting the bathroom I made a pot of coffee and had a bananna and a piece of day-old baguette for breakfast while waiting for it.

Jonny and Riley were still on the flip-n-fuck, but no longer covered. Jonny was holding Riley and Riley was erect. I had little doubt that Jonny was, too. They did make a cute couple, despite their on/off history. Chad was still on the sofa, though now lying down.

The coffee house was going to reopen at five and needed to be cleaned before then. I poured myself a large cup of coffee, wrote a note to let everyone know where I was, and went down to start cleaning.

It was a mess, to say the least. I hauled out several bags of garbage before Michael showed up, also with a cup of coffee.

"Mornin'," he said and gave me a quick kiss. "We made quite a mess."

"Yea. Can you start vacuuming?"

"Yea. All this confetti is going to make our shopvac expload," he smiled.

"It would be a pretty explosion," I said as I started clearing our stuff away from the bar area. "You should probably sweep up the big stuff first."

"How much booze do we have left over?"

"There're two bottles of wine and one of champagne. I didn't see any of the bottled beer."

"I brought up the last of it this morning. The kegs empty?" Michael asked as he lifted one. "This still has a little in it."

"I think I'll pass. It's too early to start drinking."

"Ugh. I don't even want to think about drinking for at least a week. I was just wondering how close we were to guessing the right amount."

"I think people drank the amount of alcohol we had. Was anyone else up when you came down?"

"Chad was and went back to his apartment. Jonny and Riley were boned up bare. I'm sure they'll be waking soon. Did everyone else go home?"

"Shawn did. Charlie ended up in a bunk bed," I said.

"I'm surprized he didn't get Chad in bed."

"Yea, well, Chad was passed out and I stopped Charlie from a drunken mistake."

"Ah. Good. I don't think that would have turned out the same way as with Justin."

"Neither do I," I said and carried a box of our stuff back to the elevator as Michael started the shopvac.

It took another hour for us to get everything cleaned up and looking spotless for Ozzie's to open in a couple hours. We cleaned up the trash in the theater, but the rest could wait for later. Jonny and Riley were up and dressed when we got upstairs.

"Morning, boys. Hungover?" I said loudly as we walked in. They were both sitting at the kitchen counter drinking coffee.

"Shut up, asshole," Jonny grumbled. "I'm not that hungover. Not anywhere near as bad as that night we saw Bright Eyes."

"And you, Riley?" I asked.

"Um, not too bad, I guess. I don't feel all that good, though."

"Have you seen Charlie?" Michael asked.

"Yea. He went back to his place. I think his hangover is worse," Jonny said.

"Not surprised," I said and handed a couple bananas to Jonny and Riley before getting everyone a glass of orange juice.

"I don't think I can eat right now, thanks," Riley said.

"Eat it anyway."

"It'll help," Michael said. "Good thing you're not flying back today. Flying with a hangover sucks."

"I'm sure. Uncle Joe probably knows we were drinking, though Mr. Archer would have a fit."

"They both know," I said. "I talked with Uncle Joe before I sent you the tickets. He knew that even if I didn't let you drink that you'd probably find a way to sneak some. Just like at Thanksgiving, it was okay for this special occasion as long as I kept you two safe."

"Oh great. Now I'm going to get the third degree when I get home. He'll do the whole daddy-best-friend thing," Riley groaned.

"Better than being kicked in the head," Michael shrugged. "We are going to sloth the rest of the day, right?" He asked me.

"Sounds good to me. We'll fix the theater tomorrow."

"Wait. How did Mr. Archer know then? You didn't know I was bringing Riley yet," Jonny asked.

"Do you really think Riley's father would have let him come with you without talking to Uncle Joe first?" I said.

"Probably not."

"And you know Uncle Joe would tell him everything."

"Yea, I know. It's both good and bad. I can't get away with anything, but they let me do more. Does he know we're sleeping together here?"

"Probably. I told him you'd have separate beds, though I'm sure he realizes you'd end up in one."

"They let you come. Don't worry about it," Michael said. "Let's take a shower," he said to me.

Scott grunted something as he stumbled into the kitchen and straight for the coffee.

"How are you feeling, Scott?" Michael asked.

"Like I've sprinted around Brooklyn while curling two cinder blocks. I don't feel sick, but everything aches. I think I'm going to veg all day," he said and slowly sat at the kitchen counter.

"You and everyone else. We should invite Shawn up here to veg with us. They don't have any furniture yet, do they?" I said.

"I think he said they brought air mattresses to sleep on and clothes. That's it."

"You should go out with him tomorrow to buy furniture. You can take your truck," Michael suggested. "If he likes Ikea you can probably fit everything into one trip."

"Yea, maybe," Scott mumbled and laid his head on the counter.

"You should go get Shawn so he can snuggle with you in front of the TV," Jonny said to Scott.

"Huh?" Scott asked and turned his head slightly to look at him.

"You can snuggle in front of the TV. Why didn't you just ask him to stay the night?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Shawn... You know, the really cute guy you hung out with all night... It's totally obvious he wants to get with you and you want to get with him," Jonny said with a slight teasing in his voice.

"Go away," Scott groaned and put his head back down.

"I've tried that. It doesn't work," I teased Jonny.

"Nope. And you can blow me," Jonny shot back.

"I thought I already had in your wet dreams."

"Yea. Even there you weren't very good at it."

"Then you must be spectacular, Riley," Michael said. "I know for a fact that Jonah gives great head."

"Thanks, babe," I smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"Do you want to be a third party judge, Scott?" Jonny asked.

"No thanks," he mumbled and went to the bathroom with his coffee.

"Take it easy on Scott," I said to Jonny. "People come out in their own time."

"Yea, right. He never gave me a choice," Riley snorted.

"I never made you scream that you wanted to lick me all over at a crowded party," Jonny smirked.

"Yea you did. You were being so sexy I couldn't help myself," Riley smiled.

Jonny gave him a quick kiss for that.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Michael teased.

"I agree. Jonny being sexy? That's just...ewww," I added.

"Good. Keep thinking that," Riley said.

"What? You should be defending me," Jonny complained.

"Why? I'd rather have other guys not realize you're sexy. Less competition," Riley smiled.

"Doesn't matter. I'm perfectly capable of resisting Jonny, no matter how much he begs."

"Unlike some people who should be able to," Michael casually threw out.

"I'm not complaining. He was a good fuck," Jonny smiled broadly.

"You're talking about Justin?" Riley asked.

"How many people have you told?" I asked Jonny.

"Just Riley, and just last night."

"Good. Don't spread it around."

"I know. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not. I won't be the one going to jail," I said.

"Neither would I," Michael said. "Let's take a shower."

"Scott's in there."

"We have two showers. He'll probably be done by the time we're done."

"Let's go, then."

It wasn't until around four that Shawn wandered in. Michael and I were lounged on the sofa with him asleep and me barely awake. Scott was asleep on the flip-n-fuck and Jonny and Riley were wrapped in a blanket on the floor watching some movie.

"Afternoon, all," Shawn said as he walked up to the living room loft.

"Hey," I greeted softly. "Recovering?"

"On the way. You guys have the right idea -- though you need more furniture," he said as he looked for a place to sit down.

"I know. After all the apartments are sold."

"Just cuddle up next to Scott. He won't mind," Jonny snickered.

"He does seem to be the only one without someone to hold, but I don't think we're close enough yet to be as close as I'd have to be to fit on the flip-n-fuck," Shawn said and sat on the floor near Scott.

"Your loss," Jonny shrugged.

"Anything planned for today?" I asked Shawn.

"Nope. Just relaxing. Do you guys want to go out to eat later or order a pizza or something?"

"Probably order a pizza later after everyone is up and mostly recovered."

"You were planning on people coming over today?"

"No. It just seems to happen. Ian lives here full time, so he probably won't be by, but all the part-timers will."

"Yea, I can understand that. I don't have anything in my place yet. I need to get furniture and dishes and stuff."

"Scott can take you to Ikea tomorrow and get everything in his truck," Jonny said.

"Yea, maybe," Shawn yawned and laid back, using the edge of the flip-n-fuck as a pillow.

I woke as I felt Michael get up.

"I'm gonna order pizza for dinner," he yawned. "Should we see if anyone else wants to join us?"

"I don't care," I said and stretched. "What time is it?"

Michael grabbed his mobile off the end table. "A little after seven. When did Shawn come up?"

"Around four," I said and looked to see that Shawn was still here, but sound asleep and awkwardly cuddled to Scott's arm. Jonny and Riley were both asleep.

"We need more furniture. We only have one apartment left. I think we can afford it."

"Yea. I know," I yawned. "Let's start looking for some."

"Good. I already found some. I was just waiting for you to relax about the cost."

"How expensive?"

"Not that bad. I found a modern style leather sectional. It's only $1800. The same place also has this cool super long leather sofa that would be perfect for down by the pool table," Michael said as he walked downstairs.

"A big sofa down there will be a pain to walk around. I'd prefer something smaller that we can roll out of the way when it's not needed. Maybe a long padded bench or something that people can set their drinks on as well."

"Yea. That could work. Buy or build?"

"I don't know. I've got a vague idea of what I want it to be, but I haven't seen anything like it -- not that I've looked specifically for it," I said.

"Yea, okay, so you're going to end up building it. That's fine now that you have some time."

"Once I get all the bookcases and such finished. If Randy's is anything to go by, they're going to take longer than the kitchen cabinets took."

"I can help with a few of them," Scott yawned. "When did Shawn get here?"

"A couple hours ago. Michael's ordering pizza for dinner," I said.

"Yea, I heard. I'm feeling like I could eat, even."

"Can someone go around and see who's joining us?" Michael called out.

"Yea. I'll go," I said and headed down. Justin and Cam didn't answer the door. Charlie was still too hung-over to think about food. Ian had a girl with him and was otherwise occupied. Randy didn't answer. I didn't check if Aaron was back, but Chad thought pizza a wonderful idea.

Dinner was calm and eaten in front of the TV to a "Six Feet Under" marathon. Davie got back around nine and went straight to bed.

*** [ 1/2/03 ]

I walked into the guest room to wake the kids and then put on a pot of coffee.

"Why are you waking us up so early?" Jonny mumbled as he sat down at the counter with Riley.

"It's ten o'clock. That's hardly early. Anyway, you're helping clean the theater and putting the seats back."

"Oh joy," he deadpanned.

"It'll go faster with your help and you guys fly out tonight."

"It sucks we can't stay another night. It's been nice to be able to sleep together," Riley said.

"Amongst other things," Jonny smiled and wagged his eye brows.

"Yea, yea. You'll have to go back to sneaking it when the 'rents aren't there," Michael said as he joined us.

"I know. It's horrible. Especially now that we've got all these images," Jonny said.

"What images?" I asked.

"Of naked guys. Duh. Strip pool after the party. I think I could name everyone by order of size."

"Easily," Riley agreed. "Though some might be growers instead of showers."

"Justin was easily the smallest -- though Chad was pretty close. I think it's funny that the two sex symbols are the least hung," Jonny said.

"Yea. And then Shawn, I think," Riley continued.

"Yea, I think. And then you, me, Michael, Charlie, Jonah and ending with the monster cock of Scott," Jonny smiled.

"Yea. I wonder how big he gets when hard?"

"I don't know. It's gotta be at least 8". Probably biggger than that."

Michael and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

After breakfast we gave the theater a thorough cleaning and put back all the seats. It went much faster with help, though it did take a couple hours. The banquet tables and chairs were rolled out to the dock for the rental company to pick up tomorrow and we went upstairs for a late lunch.

"Where are you going now?" Jonny asked me after lunch.

"Just to check the security recorders," I said as I walked out into the hall and down to the security closet. Jonny followed.

"For what? Did something get stolen?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I just need to check the old files and clear them once a month. Usually it's just hours of people coming and going."

"That's gotta be boring as hell to wade through a month, even at fast forward."

"It only records when it senses motion, so it goes pretty quickly," I said and opened up the locked closet. "Haven't found anything really interesting yet."

"How many cameras are there?"

"A dozen."

"Do you just delete them?"

"If it's just the people who live here coming and going, yea. If it has strangers going where they normally shouldn't be then I back it up." I logged in to the system, brought up the first camera and fast forwarded through basic stuff. It was deleted. It wasn't until I got to the dressing room camera that things got interesting. "Hmm. What's this?" I smirked and set it for normal playback.

"Oh shit," Jonny mumbled, seeing himself blowing Riley on the screen.

"Does it get any better?" I teased.

"Can I get a copy of that?" Jonny asked and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"No. I don't think so. If someone found it it would be considered child pornography. Do you want to watch this with Riley before I delete it?"

"Uh, yea. Just a sec," he said and ran back to the apartment.

I jumped the file back to where they started to get undressed and paused it. A moment later Jonny was back with Riley in tow. Riley's eyes got huge as he saw himself on the monitor.

"Hit the space bar to start and stop it. Don't touch anything else. Call me when it's over," I smiled and went back into the apartment.

"What was that all about?" Michael asked.

"Camera caught them in the dressing room. They're gonna watch it before I delete it."

"Cool. Any good?"

"They seemed to be enjoying themselves. We're better, of course.

"Of course. If they do anything in the hall while watching themselves it'll be on camera, too."

"Vicious cycle," I laughed. "I won't show them that one, and they haven't been drinking so I think they'll probably wait until it's over and then go to their room for a while."

"I must be getting old then, 'cause the only thing I want to do is snuggle up in front of the TV and sleep the rest of the day -- after a shower, though," Michael said.

"Then we're both getting old, 'cause that sounds good to me," I said. "After I finish with the security cams, though. Well, after we take them to the airport as well."

"Right. Let's shower first. They're going to take a while with their private porno. It'll be fine."

*** [ 1/4/03, Saturday ]

"You know what really sucks? There were over a hundred people here for New Year's, several of them naked, and I still didn't get laid," Charlie complained as we were playing pool. Scott was out somewhere with Shawn.

"You just separated from your wife. You're still married. What did you expect?" Michael said.

"I don't know. Something. Anything... We could have even had another 3-way."

"With everyone here? I don't think so," I said.

"Besides, I was promised a porn video I can take with me the next time I'm out of town," Michael grinned.

"Sounds good. I'm up for it. Now?" Charlie smiled.

"Sure. I've got a camera. Scott's away. I'm away again on the 12th. Perfect," Michael said.

"We're not shooting it here. We don't know when Scott will be back," I said.

"My place is fine," Charlie said.

"I'll get the camera. Let's go," Michael said and ran up to the storage room.

"Wait. You really want to record something? What if someone sees it?" I asked.

"Can't you put a password on the DVD or something?" Charlie asked.

"Um, I don't think so. If I put it on Michael's laptop then I can password protect the file, but I don't know how you'd lock a DVD."

"For the DVD copy just put some crap show that no one will watch in the first chapter. No one will leave it in long enough to find the good stuff," Michael said as he came back with the camera and tripod.

"Okay. Well...at least this time we know we'll be taped," I said and followed them down to Charlie's place.

Comments welcomed and encouraged. Note: new email. jmstories@gmail.com. Please put the story title in the subject line or my spam filter will eat it. I usually reply when the next chapter comes out. Yes, I know I'm slow.