********

Twelve.


The following morning, after Justin fucked Brian once more for good measure and then sent the Surrogate on his way, the Mis’l made his way to his wife’s chambers for a breakfast confab. Over their bacon and eggs they caught each other up on everything that had happened over the preceding few weeks. Daphne was angered all over again when she heard the full description of what Dom’l Alexander had done to Brian. Justin didn’t tell her what had happened after the assault or what had occurred the night before in his rooms, of course. In turn, Daphne told him how horrible Hobbs had been all week and the way he kept fanning the flames of the Estate’s rumor mill. It was no wonder Tch’fl Craig had been on the warpath when Justin got home considering all the stuff Hobbs had been spouting. It was pretty clear that the rumors about Justin and Daphne’s merry band of Surrogates - both founded and unfounded - were getting nastier. Something would have to be done about the overreaching Dom’l, although they couldn’t agree on what.

Finally, Daphne waded into the pressing issue of Craig’s threats. They had less than a month till their three month window was up and neither of them wanted the boys sent away. Strangely enough, Daph was almost more frantic over that possibility than Justin. Justin didn’t know what more he could do though. The only way he could think of to keep Brian safe and with him was to get the Surrogate pregnant, which not only didn’t appear to be working, but which also relegated the man to the status of brood mare, something he knew bothered Brian. What else could he do, though? Justin was so frustrated.

“We have to do something, Jus. I don’t want to lose Troiyes. Or Brian. We’re a family now. We need to stick together,” Daphne insisted.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what else to do, Daph. It’s not like I haven’t tried to get them breeding. If you’ve got any suggestions, I’m all ears.”

“I don't know. Dominion knows, if I had any idea how to get pregnant, I would already have my babies and we wouldn’t be here,” Daphne grumbled testily. “You should ask someone who already knows how to get pregnant.” Then the Mis’la paused and it was like one of those metaphorical light bulbs turned on in her crafty little brain. “Hey, didn’t you say Brian had produced offspring before?”

“Yeah. At least, that’s what the merchant told me. He’s never said anything about it though.”

“So, let's ask him. Maybe he’ll know what we’re doing wrong,” Daphne bounced out of her chair and onto her feet, reenergized now that she had an idea. “In fact, we should get all three of them in on this discussion. Surrogates are trained in this stuff, right? I’m sure one of them will know something helpful.”

Ten minutes later, Daphne had their whole brood assembled in her room and had started to explain matters to them.

“So, you understand why it is that I’ve been trying so diligently to get all of you breeding?” Justin asked, looking directly at Brian the whole time. “It’s not that we don’t value you beyond your ability to produce offspring. It’s the exact opposite, in fact. We WANT you to stay for as long as possible. We just don’t know any other way to do it.”

Brian held Justin’s gaze for several seconds, communicating without words, before finally sighing and looking away. Justin wasn’t sure what he’d seen in the hazel eyes during that moment. Brian still seemed sad more than anything. Was he still upset over what happened back in the Southerly Dominions?

“I think you’ve already done it,” Troiyes spoke up then, interrupting Justin’s thoughts.

“What?” both Justin and Daphne said at the same time.

“I think all three of us are breeding already. I hadn’t said anything because I wasn’t sure,” Troiyes explained with a smile, “but I’ve been noticing the first signs of pregnancy for a couple weeks now. And Brian here has been puking his guts out for weeks - it started back before you left on your trip even - he’s just been hiding it.”

“Is this true, Brian?” Justin questioned the male, who still wouldn’t look at him. “Why would you hide this from us?”

Brian remained stubbornly mute, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze and his eyes boring a hole into the carpet.

“This is excellent! I’m so happy,” Daphne’s exuberance broke through Justin’s attempts to figure Brian out. “Now Tch’fl Craig won’t be able to split us up. But we need to have you boys tested to be sure, and those home tests aren’t very accurate for males, so I think we’re going to have to call in a medic. Let’s hope you’re right, Troiyes.”

********

There was much celebratory fucking in the Mis’l’s chambers that night. Justin and Daphne were relieved that their scheme seemed to have worked. Both Rosie and Troiyes seemed happy and hopeful about their pregnancies. The only one of the group who wasn’t really happy was Brian; he continued to be subdued and aloof and never seemed to get into the spirit of the fun the rest of them were enjoying. It wasn’t till Justin had finally kicked Daphne and the other two out for the night, and had Brian alone with him in his bed, that he finally got the real story.

Justin was curled up in his usual spot at Brian’s side, head on the Surrogate’s broad shoulder and one hand resting protectively over the man’s abdomen. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

It took almost a full minute before the reticent Surrogate finally answered, and when he did, the man’s voice was wistful and suffused with a gloomy longing that made Justin sad just listening to him. “I was hoping it wasn’t true.”

“Why? I don’t understand,” Justin asked, taking this response as a personal rejection at first. “You don’t want to be pregnant? Don’t you want to stay . . . ?” He had almost added ‘with me’ but managed to bite his tongue at the last minute.

“This will be my fifth time breeding, you know?” Brian replied in a seeming non-sequitur.

“Wow.” Justin’s hand caressed the Surrogate’s still-flat belly. “You’d never know to look at you.”

Brian continued with his story, not bothering to respond to Justin’s comment. “The first time was when I was still out in the real world. I had let some trick fuck me - a rarity back then, I can assure you - and didn’t think anything more about it until a couple months later when I started getting sick all the time. That was how I first found out I have the Mpreg mutation. But I was young and stupid, not to mention struggling just to survive from day to day, and I didn’t have the money for a good medic. I didn’t take care of myself . . . and I lost it.”

“I’m sorry, Brian.”

Brian shrugged off the sympathy and carried on. “The first assignment I had as a Surrogate went pretty smoothly. I was breeding right away and the pregnancy wasn’t too hard. Nine months later, I popped right on schedule. It was a boy . . .” You could hear the break in the big man’s voice and he sighed deeply before he spoke again. “He was so beautiful. So perfect. The medics made the mistake of letting me hold him and after that I just didn’t want to give him back. I fought them when they tried to take the baby away from me. They had to tranquilize me to get me to stop.” Then Brian’s voice became hard again and his face went blank. “The master ordered me to be lashed as punishment, hence the marks on my back.”

Justin didn’t know what to say. He’d never really thought about how the Surrogates would feel after they’d given birth. He had just assumed that they knew what they were getting into and treated it just like any other job. Now that he knew Brian, though, he could see how it would be difficult for someone to give up their baby. He could tell how much Brian regretted that moment.

“My next time, the Master was this big wig with multiple Surrogates . . . like you,” Brian darted a glance sideways at Justin but didn’t stop his narrative. “It took a few months before I was breeding that time, but the guy wasn’t as diligent as you, I suppose. He was also as old as dirt and had a tough time getting it up even when he wanted to. But, anyway, I was a couple months along already when his favorite announced he was knocked up too. And, since the Master didn’t need more than one heir, he had my pregnancy terminated.”

“Which brings me to Hugo, my last Master before you.” Brian’s voice was now more of a snarl than anything else. “Hugo was a regular bastard. I don’t think he cared about getting offspring at all. He just wanted a convenient ass on hand at all times. He also liked to take his bad moods out on his Surrogates . . . I was more than five months along when he beat me so bad I lost that one too.”

“Damnation . . .” Justin thought he knew the guy Brian was talking about. He wasn’t well thought of even among the Dominion, but now that Justin had heard Brian’s story, he would be making a point of steering even further clear of Mis’l Hugo. Which didn’t help Brian at all, though.

“Which brings me to now,” Brian concluded. “So, tell me, Justin . . . why should I be happy to have to go through this all over again?”

“I’m not like those others, Brian,” Justin tried to reassure him.

“I know,” Brian replied without any real conviction to his tone. “But it doesn’t really change anything, does it. I’m still a Surrogate and I won’t have any say in this pregnancy either.”

He was right, of course, and they both knew it. And even though Justin cared for him and wanted to protect Brian, that would only last until the end of this pregnancy. After that, the Surrogacy contract would end and Brian would have to return to Sapperstein. The baby would, of course, stay with Justin and Daphne. And that would be that. Even assuming that Craig could be persuaded to allow Justin to take on another male Surrogate - something that was not likely at all - convention said that it wasn’t proper to keep the same Surrogate for a second breeding. So, at best, Brian’s time under Justin’s protection would only last another seven months or so, after which they’d probably never see each other again. And there was absolutely nothing Justin could do about it.

The only thing that Justin could give Brian was now; this one moment in time. And he could give the man the small fraction of control that was within Justin’s power to give. So, after leaving a small kiss on the melancholy Surrogate’s crushed-cranberry lips, Justin rolled away from the other man, offering himself and his ass up to Brian’s control.

Brian accepted the unspoken offering with alacrity. He pulled Justin’s body back so he was spooning the smaller Mis’l, and forcefully slid inside without benefit of anything more than a cursory preparation. Justin didn’t mind; he relished the moment of pain, acknowledging at least to himself that it was only a fraction of the pain Brian had endured over his lifetime.

But gradually, the hard, fast, drilling pace abated as Brian’s anguish was siphoned off. Before long it turned into something altogether different. It was slow and intense, gentle, their bodies meshing as if they were puzzle pieces crafted by a jigsaw. Brian’s long, lean legs curled around Justin’s form like the perfect big spoon. Justin reached back with his left hand, trying to pull Brian even closer. Brian, who was propped on his right elbow to give himself more leverage, reached out with his own left hand to hold the younger man’s hips steady, their arms crossing familiarly over Justin’s flank. He rocked in and out slowly, lazily, both of them enjoying the slow build up and the anticipation of what was to come. When he could no longer stand not being able to see his lover, Justin twisted his shoulders upwards and reached across his body to pull Brian down into a passion-filled kiss that seemed to last forever, their bodies connected in a human moebius strip of constant touch.

The final release, when it came, was like a calm, gentle summer rain, washing over them both with a quiet but gut-clenching intensity that left them both gasping. Afterwards, neither of them wanted to move. Justin loved feeling Brian still inside him, their bodies cooled by evaporating sweat and Brian’s arms still around him. It was so comforting, in fact, that he quickly dropped off to sleep.

The last thing he heard while he was still conscious was Brian’s voice whispering next to his ear, obviously still caught up in their prior conversation. “I just wish I could somehow escape this life . . . I wish I could keep one of my babies.”

********

It didn’t take long for the medic whom Daphne called in the next day to confirm that both the boys were, indeed, breeding. He did both the regular pregnancy tests as well as ultrasounds on all three of the Surrogates. It turned out that Brian actually had the earliest due date - he had obviously been hiding his condition for quite a while, but Justin didn’t comment on that fact. Troiyes seemed pleased with himself and said he was looking forward to this first pregnancy. Rosie seemed excited to have company. Brian said nothing.

Daph, meanwhile, was over the moon at the good news. She was so excited, she kept kissing all of them and raving over the prospect of having THREE babies. Justin shook his head affectionately at his wild wife and was quietly glad they’d have lots of help from nannies and maids to take care of them all; he could foresee that his life was going to get very complicated in just a few more months. He was also rather pleased with himself - although he tried not to act smug about it - impressed with his own virility and relieved that the problems he and Daph seemed to have conceiving weren’t all his fault.

As soon as the medic was done with them, the Surrogates were sent off to rest their prego selves while the Mis’l and Mis’la discussed how they wanted to announce their news. Daphne was sure that this would finally satisfy Tch’fl Craig and hopefully get the overbearing man off their backs. She was also happy that their little family of five wouldn’t be torn apart. Justin had to remind her that she shouldn’t get too used to that arrangement though, because as soon as the babies were born the Surrogates would be dismissed and forced to leave. That thought dampened both their moods.

“Maybe, after the babies are born and Craig has his heirs, he’ll be less uptight and we can talk him into keeping them on as staff or something?” Daph pondered, looking at Justin hopefully.

Justin knew his father though; Craig would never budge on this. He would never, EVER, in a million years, let Justin keep the male Surrogates on in any capacity. He’d been itching to get rid of the two males from day one. Justin didn’t think Craig would let even the female Surrogate stay on. He would spout off some bullshit about it not being considered proper and how other Domain Lords would look down on their house for such improprieties, etc. Craig was all about appearances and maintaining the necessary distance between the classes. He wasn’t going to change now.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath on that front, Daph,” Justin warned. “I don’t think even three adorable babies are going to soften our Tch’fl up that much.”

Daphne was clearly disappointed but, since there was nothing either of them could do about it, there wasn’t much more to be said. All they could do was enjoy the short time they would have together and try to prepare themselves for the inevitable separation they knew was coming. Not that Justin knew how he would do that. The thought of losing Brian . . . Well it hurt too much to think about it, so he just didn’t.

“Wish me luck,” Justin joked half-heartedly as he prepared himself to venture into the lion's den and make their big announcement.

Daphne gave him a fortifying kiss and then stood back to watch as Justin walked down the hall towards his father’s office.

“Justin, what brings you here this afternoon?” Craig asked coldly as soon as Justin sat in the chair across from the Tch’fl’s desk.

They hadn’t spoken since Justin’s return from the Southerly factory trip and the big blow-out argument that had followed. The few times they’d even seen each other, Craig had turned and walked away from Justin without a word. Justin had thought it wise not to call his father out on the man’s childish behavior and simply enjoy the peace of not having to deal with the man. But that arrangement couldn’t last forever, so Justin was happy to have this good news to offer up as an olive branch and thereby break the awkward silence.

“I’ve got good news for you, Father,” Justin offered. “We had a medic in this morning to see to the Surrogates and I’m happy to confirm that all three of them are already breeding. So, it looks like you’ll have the heirs you’ve been waiting for in only a few month’s time.”

“All three of them?” Craig seemed surprised by that fact.

“Yes. All three of them. The first, one of the males, is due in just over six months,” Justin clarified, wondering if that fact would persuade the Tch’fl to be more sympathetic towards Brian.

“Well, that’s excellent news, son. I’m proud of you. Can’t believe you managed to knock all three of them up so fast. Good work, that. You’ve obviously been taking your duties seriously,” Craig offered up a rare morsel of praise with a beaming smile for his son. “Of course, we don’t need three offspring. An heir and a spare is good enough, right?” Craig laughed at his own, uncouth joke. “So, as soon as they’re far enough along to determine the get’s gender, we can terminate any females and send those Surrogates on their way. That shouldn’t be long, should it? A couple months, tops? I’ll have the Dom’l schedule a medic consultation for the proper time and make sure whoever they send can do the necessary procedures right then.”

“What? But . . .” Justin was speechless at this heartless, and completely unforeseen, declaration. “Father, Daphne and I want all three of these offspring. We don’t want to terminate any of the pregnancies. Daphne is already planning out the nursery and picking names. She’s more than happy with the prospect of having three babies. We wouldn’t have taken on three Surrogates if we weren’t prepared to accept all the potential offspring.”

“Nonsense. The last thing we need around here is a horde of snot-nosed brats invading the Estate. I’m running a Domain, not a child-care center, Justin. An heir and a spare is all anyone needs. If your wife wants more than that, tell her to get her frigid pussy working and have them herself.”

“Please, Father. Don’t . . .” Justin began, not above begging at this point.

“Enough, Justin. I’m not going to discuss this further. I’ve already told you my decision on this matter and as long as I’m still the Tch’fl of this Domain, what I say goes. If you don’t like it, that’s tough,” Craig declared, standing up so that his words were bolstered by his intimidating physical presence.

Justin sat there, gaping wordlessly, as he watched the spiteful man who had sired him gloating over his heartless pronouncement. How could this man be so insensitive and callous? It was difficult for Justin to believe he was actually related to such a cruel and vindictive ogre. When it became obvious that Craig was actually getting a thrill out of Justin’s distress, as evidenced by the way Craig’s smile grew the longer Justin remained sitting there, the disillusioned Mis’l got calmly to his feet, turned, and walked out without another word.

When Justin got back to his own chambers, he was momentarily at a loss as to what to do next. They only had two months. Two months. Then Craig would ruthlessly tear apart their happiness and at least one of their group would be forced to leave. And there was nothing Justin could do to stop him.

He couldn’t bear to tell Daphne; she would only rail at the inevitable and try to think up some way to fix things, which Justin knew in his heart were unfixable. It would be more merciful to leave her in ignorance for the time being. There would be leisure enough to mourn when the time came. The same went for the Surrogates, even if Justin could have mustered the courage to tell them. After hearing Brian’s story, he knew this would come as a particularly cruel blow. There was no way in Hellation that Justin could tell Brian that there was a chance this baby too would have to be aborted. Again and again Justin kept coming back to the aggravating fact that he was impotent to do anything about it. He couldn’t protect Brian, or the others, and he couldn’t prevent Craig’s maniacal plans.

All he COULD do was spend as much time as possible with the man he was coming to feel so deeply about.

As soon as Justin reached this sad conclusion he immediately jumped up, ran to the door of his chamber, and ordered the first page he saw to summon Brian to attend him. The moment the tall, svelte male entered the chamber, Justin practically attacked him, pressing Brian against the wall just inside the doorway, desperately devouring his lips, reaching under the heavy red fabric of the Surrogate’s robe, and running his hands over every inch of skin he could reach. The next thing he knew, Justin had the male on his bed and was pistoning into him, claiming him, trying to impress himself on every cell of this man’s being. The mood was apparently infectious, as Brian was soon giving back as good as he was getting, arching up to receive every single thrust.

Justin didn’t even realize he was chanting, “Mine, mine, mine . . .” under his breath the whole time, until the very end when he screamed out the affirmation, “MINE!” at the top of his lungs as he filled the Surrogate with his very essence.

********