Snow and Shadow
Chapter 1




*****


“I’ll take good care of him.”

“You fucking better.”

“I just said that I would,” Brian pointed trying not to add, “You bitch.”

Melanie glared at her old nemesis.  “Like we can trust you.”

“He’s my son.  Of course I’ll look after him.”

“And I’ll be there to help,” Justin added.

“Great!” Melanie said sarcastically.

“It will be fine, Mel,” Lindsay said trying to restore harmony.

“I don’t know why the fuck I ever agreed to this,” Melanie griped.

“Mel, it’s decided.  Brian and Justin have flown up here to take Gus snowboarding.  He’s going.”  That earned Lindsay a big glare from Melanie.

“I’m ready, Daddy,” Gus said coming out of his bedroom.  He was dragging his backpack which looked very heavy.

“What have you got in there, Sonny Boy?” Brian asked as he picked it up and handed it to Justin.

“My books,” Gus said.  “I need them.”

“You need them?” Brian asked with a raised brow.

“He loves his books,” Lindsay said with a gentle smile.  “He can read most of them himself, even though he’s only in first grade.  Did you bring some of the thicker ones for your father to read to you?”

“Yep,” Gus replied nodding his head.

“You like reading?” Brian asked.

“Yep,” Gus said.

“You’re a man of few words, I see,” Brian chuckled.

“Yep,” Gus agreed.

“Make sure you read to him before bed.  It helps him sleep,” Melanie advised sternly.

“Wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise,” Brian said sarcastically, as he headed for the door where Gus’ suitcase was already placed.

“And call us when you get there,” Melanie demanded.  “I want to know that Gus made it safely.”

“While Justin and I are lying in a pile of wreckage somewhere,” Brian retorted.

“Brian!” Lindsay admonished.  “Just look after Gus and we’ll be happy.  You have a good time, lambskin,” Lindsay said as she squatted down to hug Gus and kiss his cheek.  “You be a big boy for your daddy.”

“I am a big boy,” Gus declared.  “I’m six.”

“Let’s go,” Justin said when Brian picked up Gus’ suitcase.  “We’ll call when we get there.”

“You better,” Melanie felt compelled to add.  “Bye, Gus, have fun.”  She hugged her son.

“Bye, Mama, Mommy.”

And with that they made their escape to the SUV that Brian had rented to take them to Vermont.  He and Justin had flown up to Toronto from Pittsburgh, but they were going to Vermont for snowboarding.  Justin had rented them a chalet near one of the main ski areas in Vermont.  The trip there would take several hours, but the roads were clear and the weather was good.

When they reached the border to cross into the United States a few hours later, snowflakes had started to fall.  Thank goodness Melanie had arranged all the required paperwork so that Gus could travel with his father.  Otherwise there might have been trouble.  The taciturn border guard checked the papers carefully, but finally let them through.  It was snowing harder as they passed into Vermont.

Brian estimated they had about another hour before they would arrive at their destination.  He hoped the snow wouldn’t get too thick, since he didn’t know the roads at all.  He concentrated on his driving as Justin and Gus babbled.

“Nice snow, Daddy,” Gus said.

“Yeah,” was Brian’s curt reply.

“Good for snowboarding.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Is something wrong, Daddy?”

Justin gave Brian a squeeze on the thigh to tell him not to let on that anything was out of order.

“I just need to concentrate on my driving, Gus,” Brian replied.  Justin gave him a gentle smile of approval.

“’Kay, Daddy,” Gus said and then proceeded to be very quiet.

“This is the closest town to where we’re staying,” Justin said after a long while.  “We should stop and get food and anything else we might need.”

“I just want to get out of this weather,” Brian snapped.  The snow was coming down thicker than ever.

“There’s a supermarket.  Pull in,” Justin ordered pointing to a store on his side of the road.

Brian pulled the SUV into the parking lot.  When he got out, he looked at the wet snow caked in the wheel wells.  He kicked it out with his boot while Justin helped Gus out of his booster seat.  Thank the gods, the SUV seemed to have a good set of tires, Brian thought as he followed Justin and Gus into the store.

They spent about fifteen minutes power shopping in the supermarket.  They stocked up on every food they thought they might like, knowing that they could be snowed in if the storm continued.  When they left, they had more than enough food and supplies for the three days they would be there, and Brian’s wallet was a couple hundred dollars lighter.

Back on the road, Justin got out his instructions to find the chalet.  The snow seemed to be even heavier and reading street signs was more and more difficult as darkness was falling.  On the outskirts of the town they found the road they wanted and headed into almost total darkness.  There were no street lights anymore.

“Fuck!  This is getting impossible,” Brian griped as the wiper blades were caking with ice and he could barely see where he was going.  “How much farther?”

“Turn here,” Justin ordered as he saw the sign he had been looking for.

Brian managed to get the car turned onto the road Justin indicated, and he did it without sliding into the ditch.

“First driveway on your left,” Justin stated.

Brian peered ahead praying he would be able to see the driveway in the dark and snow.  Suddenly he saw what he thought was the desired driveway.  He yanked the steering wheel to the left and felt the big SUV slide out of control.  Remembering what he knew about skids, he took his foot off the gas and turned the steering wheel in the direction they were sliding.  He felt those good tires grip, and with a sigh of relief he straightened the vehicle and headed up the drive.

A light burned brightly above the front door, but otherwise the chalet was in darkness.  It looked rather foreboding in the thick snow.  Brian wished there were lights flooding from all the windows.

“How the fuck do we get into this place?” Brian asked as he brought the SUV to a stop near the front door.

“The key is in a lock box.  I have the combination.”

“You better,” Brian griped, as he got out.  “Come on, Gus, let’s get you inside.  I hope there’s heat.”

“Me too,” Justin said.

“There better be heat!” Brian exclaimed at Justin’s comment.  He wondered what the fuck they had gotten themselves into.  This was far from his idea of a vacation.  He helped Gus out of the vehicle while Justin went to find the key.

After turning up the heat inside the chalet, Justin and Brian made several trips to the SUV to get their luggage and the groceries they had purchased.  Lights now blazed from most of the windows as they brought in the last of the supplies.

“Christ, I’m frozen,” Brian said as he took off his jacket and rubbed his arms.  “Why aren’t we staying at a five star hotel where a bellboy would be looking after our luggage and a chef would be cooking our meals?”

“Because we’re going to have a nice family vacation together,” Justin explained patiently.

“We could have had a nice family vacation on a Caribbean beach.”

“Don’t you want to be here with me, Daddy?” Gus asked from his spot on the sofa where they had told him to stay.  He looked slightly forlorn.

“Of course I do, Sonny Boy,” Brian said, immediately sorry for his harsh words.  “We’re going to get snowed in together, and it will be a fucking blast.”

“That’s good,” Gus replied with a happy smile.

Justin stifled a laugh, and continued unpacking the food.  He had most of the perishable things in the refrigerator already, and was just finishing up the canned and boxed goods they had bought.

“Why don’t you make a fire, Brian?” Justin asked.  “That will seem … cozy.”

“Just what I wanted on my vacation.  Cozy!”

“You should call Mel and Lindz too.”

“Any other jobs?” Brian asked sarcastically.

“I’ll let you know.”

“I bet you will.”

Brian looked at the fireplace.  There were already some logs in it and what looked like kindling lying under them.  He realized he knew next to nothing about building a fire.  Then he saw a paper up on the mantel.  It was coated in plastic and entitled, “Using the Fireplace.”  It informed him that the fire was all laid and ready to go.  Matches were on the mantel, and the flue was set properly.  The paper strongly advised not playing with the flue.

Brian struck a match and soon the fire was blazing warmly.  Gus clapped his hands when he witnessed his father’s success.

“Thank you, Sonny Boy,” Brian said taking a bow.  “You know you have to stay well back from the fireplace?”

“Yes, Daddy.  Fire is hot.  It can burn you.”

“Have you been teaching him how to make your PSA’s?” Brian asked Justin.

Justin snorted.  “When have I seen Gus to teach him anything?”

Brian looked thoughtful at that.  Justin knew Brian was thinking about all the months that went by between the times he got to see his son.  It made both of them sad.

“I learned about fire in school, Daddy,” Gus explained.  “We went to the fire station.”

“Did you now?  And what did you learn at the fire station?”

“The firemen are nice.  I got to sit in the fire truck.  It was fun.  I want to be a fireman when I grow up,” Gus stated definitively.

“Is that a fact?” Brian asked with a gentle smile.  At one point in his childhood, Brian had wanted to be a fireman too.

“Yep.  I could show little kids all the right things to do if there’s a fire.”

“And do you know what to do if there’s a fire?” Justin asked as he was getting some dinner ready.

“Yep.”

“What?”

“You get down on the floor where the air’s good,” Gus explained.  “And then you crawl outside.”

“Very good, Sonny Boy,” Brian said proudly.  “Let’s hope we don’t have to practice that.”

“I could do it,” Gus stated.

“I know you could, but we don’t want to be caught in a fire in the middle of a blizzard.”  Brian walked to the sliding doors that opened onto a deck at the side of the chalet.  “It’s fucking snowing even harder,” he informed them.  “Oh, and I think there’s a hot tub out there,” Brian said, peering out the door.

“We won’t be using it tonight,” Justin laughed as he stuck dinner in the oven.

“I’m going to check it out,” Brian said as he clicked all the locks to open the sliding door.

Gus ran over to see what his father was doing.  “Can we go out there?” he asked.

Brian slid the door open a bit and got a blast of snow and cold air.  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he said, quickly closing the door and locking it.  “Maybe tomorrow when the snow stops.”

“’Kay, Daddy,” Gus agreed.

Brian liked the sound of his son’s agreement.  Maybe this vacation would be what they all needed.  He missed seeing Gus except for a weekend here and there when he could get up to Toronto.  And that didn’t happen often enough – not by a long shot.  It was nice to have time alone with Gus and Justin, and no Lindsay hovering or Melanie griping.  Thank the gods, Vermont was nowhere near Toronto.

Snow and Shadow
Chapter 2



“Read me a story?” Gus requested.  He was sitting on the sofa in the chalet while Justin was setting the table for dinner.  Brian had successfully gotten the fire started in the fireplace, and it blazed cheerily.

“It’s not bedtime.  We haven’t even had dinner,” Brian told his son.  He remembered that Gus’ mothers had said he needed to be read to before bed.

“I know, but I like stories all the time,” Gus declared.

“Have we got time?” Brian asked Justin.

“Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“Then a story it is, Sonny Boy,” Brian said ruffling his son’s hair.

“Yay!” Gus yelled running to his backpack and pulling out all the books.  He finally selected one that he handed to his father.

“Winnie the Pooh?” Brian asked.

“Yep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.”  Brian wasn’t at all sure about Gus’ choice, but he thought he might as well give it a try.  He opened the book and sat down on the sofa.  Gus curled up against him and stared at the first page.

“Ready, Daddy,” Gus said when Brian didn’t start to read.

Brian began to read about the first adventure of the plodding little bear.  He enjoyed saying, “Oh, bother” whenever it came up.  Using a soft but exaggerated voice, he spoke the words as he imagined Winnie would say them.  Gus giggled at his efforts.  That encouraged Brian to do more.  He squealed like Piglet and sounded slow and poky as Eeyore.  Gus giggled more as Brian read about the Hundred Acre Wood.  Justin came over and sat down on the sofa to listen too.

When Brian got to the end of the first little adventure, he was greeted with enthusiastic applause from his audience.  He smiled and bowed his head in acknowledgement.

“You did good, Daddy,” Gus told his father.  Brian basked in his son’s approval, even while he tried to appear totally nonchalant about his efforts.

“I should get you to read to me,” Justin declared with a chuckle.

“I think you’re old enough to read for yourself.”

“But it’s much more entertaining when you do it,” Justin laughed.  “Dinner should be ready soon,” he said, just before the timer on the oven started binging.

Sitting around the table in the chalet, the little family chatted about the trip and what they wanted to do.  They enjoyed Justin’s chicken and veggies.  Gus ate everything on his plate.

“Justin, are we going snowboarding tomorrow?” Gus asked.

“I don’t know, Gus.  That was the plan, but with all this snow, we may be stuck here.”

Gus pouted.  “I want to learn to snowboard.”

“Gus, no whining,” Brian said.  “We will do what we can, and if we can’t go snowboarding then we’ll find something else to do.  Okay?”

“Yes, Daddy.  Sorry.”

“Good.  Now I think we should unpack and get ourselves organized,” Brian suggested.

“I want to sleep up there,” Gus said pointing to the open loft above them.

“Are you sure?” Brian asked with a frown.  “You won’t walk in your sleep?”

“I don’t do that,” Gus protested.

“Okay, but you better not fall down those stairs or your mothers will skin me alive.”

Gus giggled.  “They couldn’t skin you, Daddy.  You’re bigger than they are.”

“That may be true, but there’s two of them, and one of them is Melanie.”

“Oh!” Gus said with a frown and a worried look.

“Don’t worry, Gus.  Just don’t fall down the stairs,” Brian said, seeing the look on his son’s face.  “Let’s go upstairs and get you into your pajamas.”

“We were apposed to call mommy,” Gus said, remembering what his mother had said.

“Shit!” Justin gasped.

“Fuck!” Brian added.

“Call right now, Brian.  They’ll be having a fit,” Justin warned.

“I will,” Brian replied taking out his cell phone.  “Fuck!  I can’t get a signal here.”

“There’s a land line over there,” Justin said pointing to a phone next to the sofa.

Brian picked up the receiver and tried to dial the familiar number.  Justin carried Gus’ bag up to the loft.

“They must have long distance calls blocked on this phone,” Brian griped.  “Where is my fucking phone card?”

“Hurry up, Daddy, I don’t want Mama to be mad,” Gus said with a worried expression.

“I’m sure she already is,” Brian muttered.

Finally he punched in all the numbers and was connected.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Brian said into the phone.  “I know…We got here fine…We had dinner…The snow’s heavy…Can hardly see outside…Gus is fine…Do you want to talk to him?  Gus,” Brian said holding the phone out to his son.

The look of relief on his face was palpable to Justin as he came down the stairs.  Brian had escaped talking to Melanie.

Gus took the phone from his father.  “Hi, Mommy…We’re here…It’s a nice place, and Justin made us dinner.  Okay…Hi, Mama…Love you too…We haven’t seen much but the chalet is good and Daddy read me a story…Okay, Mama.”  Gus held the phone out to Brian.  “She wants to talk to you.”

Brian grimaced and looked like he was about to refuse to talk on the offending instrument.  Finally he sighed and took the phone.  He knew she was going to ream his ass for not calling sooner, and he was totally right about that as Melanie lit into him.  He didn’t even bother to object; he just let her rant, holding the phone away from his ear.

“We’ll call you tomorrow,” Brian said when she finally stopped screeching at him.  He promptly hung up.  He rubbed his hand over his face.  That woman was such a bitch.

“She was mad?” Justin asked gently.

Brian raised an eyebrow.  “You need to ask?”

“Sleepy, Daddy,” Gus said sitting on the sofa.

“Right, we were going to get you into your pajamas.”

“Need a bath,” Gus said finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

“How about we do that in the morning?” Brian asked.  “We wouldn’t want you to fall asleep in the tub.”

“’Kay, daddy,” Gus agreed.  “Read me some more Winnie?” Gus asked as Brian took his hand and led his son up the stairs to the loft.

Justin smiled as he watched them disappear into the loft.  Then he went to clean up the kitchen.  He could hear Brian start to read the story, doing the voices of the characters once again.  Justin thought maybe this trip was the best thing they had done for quite awhile.

Not long after, Brian came back down the stairs.

“Is he asleep?” Justin asked.

“Barely got into the story and he was out like a light.”

“He had an exciting day,” Justin said with a smile.  “He’s a great kid.”

“Yeah,” Brian agreed.  Justin noted how Brian’s face changed, became softer and gentler when he thought about Gus.  “Are you ready for bed?” Brian asked.

“Bed?  It’s only eight o’clock.  I’m not sleepy.”

“Who said anything about sleeping?” Brian asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Justin laughed.  “In that case…”


*****


“Oh yeah!  Right there!” Justin groaned as Brian pounded into him.  “Gonna come!”

“Go for it,” Brian gasped as he felt his own orgasm overtake him.  He collapsed atop his partner, both of them breathing heavily.  He kissed Justin’s shoulder before pulling out as gently as he could.

“We should fuck in a snowstorm more often,” Justin managed to say as Brian rolled away.

“You think snow made a difference?”

“Something did.”

Brian frowned.  “Are you saying we’re getting … predictable?”

Justin chuckled as he turned onto his back.  “No, I’m just saying that new experiences create … new experiences.”

“How profound, Einstein!”  Brian tossed the condom into the wastebasket.

“Did you hear something?”

“Sounds like the wind,” Brian said sitting up.

“But it doesn’t sound right.”

“Yeah,” Brian replied.  “I’m going to check on Gus.”  He got up and pulled on some sweatpants.  Unlocking the bedroom door, he disappeared into the main part of the chalet.

A few seconds later, Justin heard a “Fuck!”  He immediately leapt out of bed, pulled on some clothes and ran after Brian.  “What is it?” he called.

“The patio door is open,” Brian said looking at a mound of snow on the living room floor.  “You don’t suppose…  Gus!” he yelled out into the storm.  “Gus!”  The wind and snow forced his words back at him.  If Gus was out there, he probably wouldn’t hear anything.

“Oh my God,” Justin gasped.  “He wouldn’t…”

“Gus!” Brian screamed at the top of his lungs.  Panic was evident in his voice.  Brian didn’t know whether to charge out into the storm in his bare feet, or go get dressed first.  He had to find Gus.  “Gus!” he yelled one more time.

“I’m up here, Daddy,” a little voice said.

Brian looked up and saw Gus staring back at him from between the spindles of the railing across the loft.

“Gus!” Brian shouted and ran up the stairs at breakneck speed.  “Fuck, Gus,” he moaned as he fell to his knees and pulled his son into a fierce hug.  “Are you okay?  Why didn’t you answer me?”

“I’m fine, Daddy,” Gus whispered.

“Brian…” Justin said gently.  “Don’t crush him.”

Brian released his hold – a little.  “Gus, do you know how the door got open down there?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Tell me.”

Just then a little cry was heard from the bed.  Justin walked over and found a little gray kitten curled up under the covers Gus had thrown back when he got out of bed.

“I think this may explain why Gus opened the door.”  Justin picked up the kitten and held it near his cheek.  The kitten reached over and licked his face.

“It could be rabid,” Brian said.  “Did it bite you or scratch you?” Brian asked Gus checking him over.

“No, Daddy, Shadow was cold out there.  He was crying, so I let him in,” Gus said.

“Shadow?”

“I named him Shadow ‘cause he’s gray.”

“You shouldn’t have opened that door.  That cat might have been wild or sick or he might have hurt you,” Brian said forcefully.

“But he didn’t, Daddy.  Shadow’s only little.  He was scared and cold.”

“He must be someone’s pet, Brian,” Justin said.  “He’s very friendly.”  Shadow was lying on Justin’s shoulder licking his paw.

“I couldn’t get the door closed, Daddy,” Gus explained.  “It got snow all in the way.”

“I saw that.”

“I managed to shove the snow out of the way,” Justin noted.  “The door is closed now.”

“Thanks,” Brian said with a sigh of relief.  His heart rate was returning to normal.  He had imagined Gus lost in the blizzard with no way to find him.  He had never been so scared in all his life.  Well, maybe one other time, when that bat was swinging towards Justin’s head and there was no way he could stop it.  He shuddered.  “Don’t ever open that door again unless we’re with you.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, Daddy, but if the house was on fire, I would open it to get out,” Gus explained.

“Well, yeah, in that case.”

“And if you broke your leg and needed help, I would open it to get help.”

“Well, maybe…”

“And if…”

“Okay, okay,” Brian interrupted before Gus could present another disaster scenario.  “Only in emergencies.”

“’Kay, Daddy.”

“What are we going to do with Shadow?” Brian asked, wanting to put the animal back outside, but knowing that was not going to happen.

“He can sleep with me,” Gus volunteered.

“He might have fleas,” Brian posited.

“I think he’s someone’s pet,” Justin said.  “And he’s not scratching like he has fleas.”  Justin still held the kitten in his arms.

“Shadow’s good, Daddy.”

Brian shook his head.  He really didn’t want to have to deal with a kitten, but he knew they couldn’t put the animal back out in the storm.  “Okay,” he said.  “We keep … Shadow here tonight and he can sleep with you, Gus.”

“Yay!”

Brian smiled at his son’s reaction.  “But tomorrow we try to find out who he belongs to and return him to … his family.”

“Okay, daddy,” Gus replied with a big smile.  He took the kitten from Justin and jumped up on the bed.  “Tuck me and Shadow in,” he ordered.

The two men looked at each other and smiled, before they did as instructed.

Snow and Shadow
Chapter 3



Justin rolled over and reached for Brian.  The bed was empty.  He sat up rubbing his eyes and wondering where his partner had gone.  He noted that light streamed in through the bedroom window.  They hadn’t bothered to close the drapes with the storm raging outside.  But there didn’t seem to be any snow falling now.  The sun shone in brightly.

Justin smiled to himself.  He and Brian had fucked long and hard into the night with the wind howling outside and Gus and Shadow sleeping up in the loft.  They had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Justin shifted on the bed and felt the familiar burn in his ass.  He was going to have to sit gingerly today after the workout his bottom had received.

He got out of bed and headed for the shower wondering if that was where Brian was.  When he found the bathroom empty, he climbed in the shower deciding that he needed to wash off the smell of sex before he faced Gus.

A little while later Justin came out of the bedroom, dressed and freshly showered.  The sight he saw when he entered the main room of the chalet made him stop and grin.  Brian and Gus were sitting cross legged on the carpet in front of the fireplace where a fire burned cheerfully.  They were playing some kind of board game by the looks of it, both of them engrossed in the game.  In the middle of Brian’s legs was Shadow curled into a little ball and sleeping happily.

“Five, Daddy,” Gus said as he threw the die.  He counted five on the board.

“Uh oh,” Brian reacted.

“Poop,” Gus said.

“Slither on down the snake, Sonny Boy,” Brian ordered watching gleefully as Gus took his board piece and slid part way down the board.

“I don’t like them snakes,” Gus declared.

“You don’t like those snakes,” Brian corrected.

“That’s what I said, Daddy.”

Brian chuckled.  “Nobody likes the snakes.”

“What are you two doing?” Justin asked as he joined them.

“Playing Snakes and Ladders,” Gus informed him.  “You slept a looooong time, Justin.”

“I had quite a workout last night,” Justin said with a wink at Brian.

“Do tell,” Brian said with a smirk.

“I don’t think that would be wise,” Justin replied with a smirk of his own.

“Be careful how you sit.”

“I will,” Justin laughed.

“You two are weird,” Gus interrupted.  “Daddy, it’s your turn.”

“Right.”

“Did you guys have some breakfast?” Justin asked.

“There’s coffee made and we had cereal,” Brian said as he rolled the die.  “Ah, two, I’m going up the ladder to the top.”

“Not fair, Daddy,” Gus objected.

“And why is it not fair?” Brian wanted to know as he positioned his man only a few spaces from the finish line.

“’Cause I’m way down here,” Gus pouted, pointing to his man now near the bottom of the board.

“Them’s the breaks, Sonny Boy,” Brian said as he handed Gus the die.

Gus glowered at his father and then threw the die.  This time he landed at the bottom of a ladder and rose much closer to his father’s position at the top.  “I’m going to catch you,” Gus boasted.

“Wanna bet?”  Brian threw the die and sure enough he got what he needed to win the game.  He pumped his arm in victory.

“Let’s play something else,” Gus said quickly not liking to lose.

“Where did you find the game?” Justin asked pointing to the board with his cereal spoon.  He sat down on the sofa munching on his Cheerios.

“There’s a bunch of them in that basket,” Brian said indicating a large woven container in one corner.

“I see Shadow has found his spot,” Justin observed.

Brian snorted.  “What can I say?  Animals love me.”

Justin snorted in reply.  “Yeah, that’s why you have so many pets.”

“Just you.”

Justin stuck out his tongue at Brian, before asking, “Did you see that it’s stopped snowing.”

“I did notice that.  However, we seem to be snowed in.  There’s a huge drift across the driveway.  It will take all day to dig it out.”

“Shit!  I didn’t come up here to shovel snow.”

“Me either.  That’s why I’m playing games with Gus.”

“I’ll help you shovel, Daddy,” Gus volunteered.

Brian heaved a sigh.  “I guess we should do something about it, if we want to go snowboarding.”

“Let me finish my cereal and I’ll help,” Justin said.

“Me too,” Gus added.

“Put the game away, Gus.  I’m going to see if there’s a shovel outside the front door,” Brian replied.

While Brian went to look for shovels, Gus packed up the board game and Justin ate the rest of his Cheerios.


*****


“Hey, Sunshine,” Brian called.  As Justin turned around he got hit full on with a shovelful of the soft, fluffy snow.

“You…!” Justin sputtered as he wiped the snow off his face.

“No fair, Daddy,” Gus yelled, just before he got hit with a shovelful too.

“Let’s get him, Gus,” Justin called and they both attacked, throwing as much snow at Brian as they could.

Brian dodged and sent his own snow back at them.  Shadow who had come outside with them darted out of the way, running under a bush from where he could watch safely.

After throwing shovelful after shovelful of snow at each other, until they were out of breath and exhausted, they collapsed side by side in a mound of snow in front of the chalet.  They lay there gasping, trying to get their breath.  Shadow ventured out from under his bush and ran over to Gus.  He licked the little boy’s face.  Gus held the kitten against his chest.

“Do you give?” Justin asked Brian, gulping for air as he spoke.

“Never!” Brian declared.

“Give, Daddy!  Justin and me won.”

“Did not!” Brian retorted.

“Do we have to bury you to prove that we won?” Justin teased inching closer to Brian.

“Then you’ll have to shovel the rest of the driveway by yourselves,” Brian snarked.

“We can do it,” Gus replied with a giggle.  He shoved Shadow inside his jacket where the kitten would be warm.

“What’s that noise?” Brian asked sitting up.

They all sat up then, and saw a pickup truck with a snowplow on the front coming up the driveway to the chalet.

“Yay!” Justin yelled.  “No more shoveling.”

“Even to bury me?” Brian asked pinning Justin back on the ground.

“How about you bury yourself in me?” Justin whispered against Brian’s ear.

Brian chuckled and licked Justin’s lips which were cold and frosty, yet warm at the same time.  “Later, Sunshine.”

The truck shoved its load of snow to the other side of the drive, and then backed up.  Justin, Gus and Brian stood up and waved at the driver.  The truck pulled up near them and stopped.  A man got out.

“I’m Paul Jacoby,” the man said shaking hands.  “I own three of the chalets up here, including this one.  Hope you found everything satisfactory.”

“Brian Kinney.  We didn’t know you’d be here to plow the driveway, so we were shoveling,” Brian explained.

“Isn’t it hard to shovel from a horizontal position?” Paul asked with a spark of humor in his voice.

“You saw us?” Justin asked, to which Paul nodded.  “I’m Justin Taylor.  I rented the chalet.”

“Right, nice to meet you all.”

“I’m Gus,” Gus said holding out his hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Gus.”

Shadow took that moment to meow from inside Gus’ coat.

“Is that a kitten I hear?” Paul asked.

“Yeah,” Gus said pulling Shadow out of his coat.  “Shadow came to the door last night and I let him in.”

Paul laughed.  “Shadow?  That’s actually one of the kittens from the latest litter my cat had.  Somehow she wandered away yesterday before the storm got too bad.  We looked for her, but then the snow got too heavy.  I’m glad she’s okay.”  Paul rubbed Shadow’s head.  “We’ve been letting the kittens out with their mother so we don’t need to use a litterbox.  Oh, and she’s a girl,” Paul added pointing to the kitten.

“She is?” Gus asked looking strangely at the animal.

“She is,” Paul affirmed.

“I guess you’ll be wanting to take her home with you,” Brian said.

“Daaad,” Gus said with a frown.

“I see you’ve gotten attached to this little one,” Paul said scratching the kitten behind the ears.  “The kittens have just been weaned.  I’ll be looking for a home for them.  Perhaps…”

“I don’t think so,” Brian said quickly.  “We have to go back into Canada.”

“Please, Daddy,” Gus begged.

“No, Gus.  They won’t let the cat across the border.  And your mothers would kill me.”

Gus looked forlorn.

“Perhaps Gus would like to keep Shadow here with him … until you leave,” Paul suggested.

“Please, Daddy.”

Brian wavered.  He wanted his son to have a good trip, but he knew Gus was getting very attached to the kitten.

“Pleeeze,” Gus begged.

“Okay, but we can’t take him home with us.  Do you understand that?”

“Okay,” Gus agreed, happy to have some more time with his new friend.

“I’ll bring over some food for the kitten,” Paul said as he walked around his truck to get back in.  “I’ll finish your driveway first.”

“Are the ski resorts open?” Justin asked.

“They’re grooming the runs.  Not much in the way of skiing today.  Some of the roads to the resorts aren’t too great either.  I’d wait until tomorrow,” Paul advised.  “The skiing should be great then.”

“Thanks,” Justin said as Paul got back into his truck and started it up.  “I guess we should probably wait till tomorrow before hitting the slopes.”

“We can play some more games,” Gus suggested.

“You just want to beat me at Snakes and Ladders,” Brian laughed.

“Yep,” Gus replied with a nod of his head.

“Then let’s get to it,” Brian said dragging his shovel towards the house.

Gus and Justin followed him.


*****


Later that evening, Gus and Shadow had been fed and were sound asleep in the loft.  Justin and Brian had just had a very satisfying bout of fucking.  They were lying side by side in the big bed in their bedroom.

“How many times did Gus beat you at Snakes and Ladders?” Justin asked with a mischievous glimmer in his eye.

“It’s five to two in his favor,” Brian griped.
Justin chuckled.  “Be brave.  You’ll likely get another crack at the Snakes and Ladders championship before we leave.”

Brian snorted.  “We both beat you at Parcheesi.”

“I just had a run of bad luck,” Justin replied.

“Yeah, right.”

“What are we going to do about Shadow?  I know Gus is getting attached to him … her,” Justin said.

“I know.  That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Maybe if we’re out skiing tomorrow, he’ll forget about the kitten.”

“We can always hope…”

“I don’t want Gus to be sad,” Justin said.

“Me either.”  Brian rolled atop his lover.  But right now, I don’t want to think about it.”

And neither of them did for the rest of the night.

Snow and Shadow
Chapter 4



The next day the trio spent the morning at the closest ski resort.  They rented equipment for each of them, and the guys took lessons when Gus did.  There were lots of falls and laughter and a few successful runs down the hills.  Nobody broke anything or did serious damage to any body parts.

By the early part of the afternoon they were all getting tired.  They decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and that turning in their rental equipment made more sense than risking life and limb by pushing for one too many runs.

They sat in the restaurant at the resort for awhile, had a late lunch and a couple of drinks.  Gus really approved of their chocolate milk.  They were all hungry from their workout on the slopes. Soon it was time to go home, back to the chalet.

Gus was getting worried that Shadow had been alone too long at the chalet.  They had closed the kitten up in the front entrance to the chalet where it was warm, but restricted access to the rest of the house.  They didn’t want her getting into any trouble while they were gone.

As they pulled up to the chalet, Gus was out of his booster seat and at the front door before either Justin or Brian were able to undo their seatbelts.

“Easy, Sonny Boy,” Brian said as Gus was dancing with anticipation of seeing the kitten once again.  Justin unlocked the door as quickly as he could.

Brian almost wished that the kitten had disappeared back into the snow, much like it had arrived.  He knew it was going to be very hard to tear Gus away from her when it was time to leave.  He heard Gus call the kitten’s name, and for a split second he thought his wish had come true.  Then they heard a tiny meow.

“There you are,” Gus said.  He scooped Shadow up from the pile of Gus’ dirty clothes they had laid down on the floor for her.

Brian felt himself let out a breath of relief.  He was getting attached to that damn cat too.
“Time for a nap, Sonny Boy,” Brian said.

“I’m not tired, Daddy,” Gus protested.

“Well, I am,” Brian said decisively.

“Can Shadow come with me?” Gus asked.

“I thought that would be how it would shake down,” Brian agreed.
Gus and Shadow tromped up the stairs to the loft.  Brian and Justin headed for their bedroom.

“Did you want to … you know?” Justin asked with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows.

“No,” was Brian’s curt reply.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not a thing,” Brian said as he flopped back onto the bed.

“Talk to me, Brian.”

“I … I hurt everywhere,” Brian admitted after a long pause.  “Every muscle is screaming at me.  Between the shoveling and the skiing [comma] I’m a mess.”

“Take off your clothes and I’ll give you a massage,” Justin said.

“You don’t have to.  I’ll be all right.”

“Do as you’re told.  I’m going to take care of my man.”  Justin disappeared into the bathroom.

While Justin was doing whatever in the bathroom, Brian sat up and started removing his clothes.  By the time he was naked Justin had returned with a bottle of something he had found.

“I saw this when we arrived.  It’s a scented oil,” Justin explained.  “Should do the trick.”

“Then, maybe I’ll be able to do the trick,” Brian mumbled as he lay down on his stomach and shoved the pillow under his chin.

Justin chuckled.  He had long since graduated from the designation of trick or stalker or fuckee.  He knew he was much more than any of those things to Brian, even though Brian didn’t often call him boyfriend or partner or lover.  He was all those things.  When they decided not to marry, things had been a little strained between them, but now that he was back in Pittsburgh, Justin knew that was where he wanted to be.  It was where Brian wanted him to be too.

Justin squirted some oil on Brian’s back.  He climbed onto the bed and straddled Brian’s hips.  He started a slow methodical massage of all the muscles in Brian’s shoulders and back.  After a bit he heard Brian let out a long sigh.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“You have very talented … fingers.”
“Among other things,” Justin chuckled.

“Do you think Gus is going to be devastated when we have to leave Shadow here?” Brian asked after a pause.

“He’s not going to be happy,” Justin admitted.

“I wish there was something we could do.”

“I could check online and see what the regulations are about taking cats across the border,” Justin suggested.

“Even if we can, Gus’ mothers will have a fucking fit.”

“True.”

“So what are we going to do?”

Justin smiled to himself.  He liked being included in the decision making, especially when it involved Gus.  “Let me check what the regulations are first, and then we’ll deal with the moms if we have to.”

“’Kay,” Brian said sleepily, sounding a lot like Gus.

“Take a nap, big guy.  I’ll go check on the computer.”

Brian’s soft wheeze told Justin that he was already asleep.


*****


“Gus, are you going to be able to leave Shadow here when we go home tomorrow?” Brian asked as they sat around the table for dinner at the chalet.

Gus stared at his father.  He didn’t know how to answer that question.  He knew what he was supposed to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.  “I don’t know, Daddy.  I love Shadow.”

“I know you do,” Brian said gently.  “What will your mothers say if we take him back with us?”

“Back?  Shadow can come with us?” Gus asked hopefully.

“I checked online, Gus,” Justin explained.  “There doesn’t seem to be much of a problem taking Shadow across the border since I doubt he’s three months old.”

“Really?” Gus asked his face alight with relief.
“But your mothers probably will have a fit if we bring a cat home with us,” Brian warned his son.

“They said I could get a pet,” Gus said.

“Are you sure about that?  When did they say you could?” Brian asked skeptically.

“I told them I wanted a dog, and they said I could get one soon.”

“But this is a cat.”

“I know, but it’s a pet,” Gus said.  “I want Shadow.”

“You’re telling the truth?” Brian asked sounding somewhat skeptical.

“It’s the truth, Daddy.  I don’t lie,” Gus said innocently.

Justin heard so much of Brian in Gus’ words.  Considering how much they had been apart, it was a wonder Gus would take on his father’s characteristics.  It was also a testament to the power and influence of Brian Kinney.  “Should we call Lindsay and Mel?” Justin asked Brian.

Brian thought for a minute.  “I think it would be lovely to surprise them, don’t you?” he asked with a grin.

“You are evil,” Justin chuckled.

“Yes I am.”

“And enjoying every minute of it,” Justin chuckled.

“Can we play some more games?” Gus asked as he finished cleaning his plate.

“I think that could be arranged,” Brian agreed.  “Do you want to go snowboarding tomorrow morning before we leave?” Brian asked.  “We missed a whole day because of the snowstorm.”

“Yes!” was the emphatic answer from both Gus and Justin.

“Then let’s get a couple games of Parcheesi in, and then we’ll hit the sack so we can get up early.”

Justin and Gus nodded enthusiastically.


*****


When Gus and Shadow were sound asleep, Brian decided they should call the owner of the kitten and make sure it was all right that they take her with them the next day.

Justin made the call, and quickly arranged everything.  Paul said he would bring them some more kitten food for the trip home.  They decided they would meet with him at the chalet around eleven the next morning, after snowboarding.  With that all settled, Brian decided it was time to take Justin to bed.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Justin asked as they undressed.  “I thought you were stiff.”

“I am,” Brian said looking down.

Justin chuckled.  “Stupid question!  You’re always up.”

“Your massage and that little nap fixed me right up.”

“No shit,” Justin laughed.

“No shit,” Brian echoed as he wrapped his arms around Justin and swung him off the floor.

“You so love me,” Justin said feeling his heart soar.  He loved a playful Brian.  “This has been the best vacation.”

“Even though it started with a snowstorm?”

“That got you to read Winnie the Pooh with all those maaarvelous voices.”

Brian made a face.  “That story does not leave Vermont.”

“Goes without saying,” Justin agreed with a knowing nod.  He knew when to keep his mouth shut.  As much as Brian’s friends would enjoy hearing about big, bad Brian reading Winnie the Pooh, the whole story meant too much to Justin for him to ruin it by telling those who would undoubtedly make fun of it.

Brian tumbled his lover back onto the bed.  He spread himself along Justin’s length.  “It has been a good vacation, hasn’t it?”

Justin nodded looking into Brian’s beautiful and expressive eyes.  He believed he could see joy there.  Joy at being with his son, at being with Justin and doing things they all enjoyed.

“I love you,” Justin whispered.

“I love you right back,” Brian said meaning every word, and finding it easier to say than he ever thought possible.

Justin grinned before pulling Brian’s head down for a hot and passionate kiss.  Justin’s tongue probed every part of Brian’s mouth, tasting all the familiar spots. Finally, breathless, Justin ended the kiss.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard,” Brian said with lust in his eyes.

“No you’re not,” Justin replied.

“What?”

“I said, you’re not.”

“But…”

“You’re going to make slow, passionate love to me for hours.  We’re both going to be so fucking hard we’ll be ready to explode.  But you’re not going to come until I tell you I’m ready.”

“Is that right?”

Justin nodded with a knowing smirk on his face.  Brian proceeded to fulfill everything that Justin had described.


*****


The next morning, they were up early and on the slopes.  They didn’t take more lessons this time, just enjoyed sliding down the easier hills on their rented snowboards.  Gus had quickly picked up the sport and wanted to know when they could go again.  Both men smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm, and mentally started calculating when they could get away again.

They returned to the chalet and quickly packed their clothes, then loaded the suitcases into the car.  Paul arrived with cat food and a letter from the local vet who had checked out the kittens when they were born.  It proved that Shadow was under three months old.  That would simplify things at the border.

They left just after eleven for the long trip back to Toronto.  Gus took some of his dirty clothes and made a little bed for Shadow next to him in the back seat.  The weather was good, cold but no snow.  They made good time to the border and crossed without incident.  The paper Paul had brought them seemed to facilitate taking the kitten across.

Gus had been holding his breath fearful that the policemen at the border, as he chose to think of them, wouldn't let Shadow go home with him.
He was very happy when they were through security.

“Shadow’s really happy that’s over with, Daddy,” Gus said as they drove away.

“I’m happy it’s over with too,” Brian replied.

“Make that three,” Justin said heaving a sigh.

“Now all we have to do is face the cwazy wesbians.”

“Who’s that, Daddy?” Gus asked curious about the strange words his father had uttered.

“Um, nobody, Gus.  Never mind.”

Justin stifled a laugh and they drove on in silence.

They made good time and pulled into the outskirts of Toronto just after seven in the evening.  It was already dark but again no snow.  Brian advised Gus to tuck Shadow into his backpack with the clothes the kitten had been lying on.  That way they could reveal the newest member of the family when they were ready.

They pulled up in front of the house.  Before they could unload Gus’ luggage his mothers ran out of the house and smothered the little boy with kisses.

“We missed you so much, lambskin,” Lindsay said with tears in her eyes.

“I’m glad your father was able to bring you back in one piece,” Melanie stated with a glare for Brian.

Brian chose to ignore Melanie’s jibe.  He pulled Gus’ suitcase out of the back of the SUV.  It was quite heavy with all Gus’ books now in there so that Shadow could reside in the backpack for the time being.  Lindsay and Mel walked their son up to the house and entered, with Brian carrying the suitcase and Justin following.  Brian set the suitcase down inside the front door.

“So what did you do while you were away, sweetheart?” Lindsay asked her son.

“We went snowboarding and Daddy read me stories and we played Parcheesi and Snakes and Ladders and we shoveled snow and threw snow at each other and we had lots of food and I slept in a loft and I found a kitten and here she is…”  Gus stopped talking long enough to pull Shadow out of his backpack.  The kitten immediately licked his face.

Lindsay’s mouth dropped open, as did Melanie’s.

“Good night, Sonny Boy,” Brian called as he headed for the car as fast as his feet would carry him.  Justin was close on his heels.

As he started the car, Brian heard, “Kinney!  Get your ass back here.”


*****


As they waited for their flight to Pittsburgh some time later, Brian’s cell phone rang.  With a grimace he answered it.  It was Lindsay.

“I won’t take much of your time.  I just wanted to let you know that Gus had a great time.  He can’t stop talking about all the wonderful things you did together.  Thank you for making him so happy.  And Shadow is adorable.  Mel has almost forgiven you.  Talk to you soon.”

Lindsay cut the connection and Justin looked questioningly at Brian.

“I think Shadow has a new home,” Brian said with that patented Kinney smirk.

All Justin could do was grin as he remembered all the wonderful memories they had created in Vermont.