The shuttle trip to the ski lodge in Stowe, Vermont had been a real thrill for all four teens. It was their very first time to travel by plane and was a great beginning to a trip that they had been breathlessly waiting for. Brian and Justin had spared no expense to give their young wards and their friends a holiday they would never forget. They had been worried over how Gus and JR would handle their first Christmas without Mel and Linds. The resiliency of youth still amazed the grown men.



JR had been the only one to openly express her guilt over looking forward to Christmas day. Justin had caught her crying in her pillow on the night of Christmas Eve and asked permission to enter her room. The poor girl tried valiantly to slow her tears and welcomed Justin in. The moment he sat on her bed, she threw her arms around his middle and buried her head in his chest. Justin began stroking her hair and whispering soothing words of comfort. After several minutes she had calmed enough to be able to speak. Justin had sat her up and quietly asked her what was on her mind. She had expressed her guilt, but Justin made it clear to the saddened child that his own memory of her mothers included the knowledge that they would want the children to remember them with love and then go on happily with their own lives. By the time Justin had left JR's room, she had calmed considerably because of his promise that the whole family would make the trek in the morning to the cemetery to visit the mausoleum that held the bodies of the two wives. It was a beautiful building designed to hold a number of people eventually and had been purchased by Brian some years before in order to ensure that he and Justin would be together for all time.



Gus had actually expressed his sorrow over his feelings of the loss of his moms to Jason. It was obvious to Jason that Gus didn't want to burden his dads with his pain, so Jason made it a point to inform Brian of how Gus was actually feeling. He sensed that his friend needed the comfort of his family. Brian had been greatly impressed by Jason's behaviour. It reminded him a lot of the way that Justin had always been able to perceive what Brian was actually feeling and needing, even in their earliest years together. He thought again about how lucky his son had been to find such a good friend in Jason.Brian had pulled Gus aside on Christmas Eve and let him know that he and Justin had decided to make a trip to the cemetery to visit Mel and Linds on Christmas Day and honor their memory. He asked his son if he wanted to join the three of them. The relief was clear as it washed over Gus' face. He had broken his 'I'm too old to hug Daddy' rule and thrown his arms around his father. That night both teens were able to get to sleep much quicker than they had thought they would just knowing that their mothers had not been forgotten.



The visit to the mausoleum had been emotionally draining but they had all left the crypt feeling a sense of comfort that was badly needed on this holiday morning. Both teens stood before the ornate, yet tasteful plaques that stood side by side in the wall and read the beautiful words that Brian and Justin had ordered to be engraved for their beloved friends. The older men stood back and reflected on the many years that they had known the women and all the ups and downs of their relationships. Justin remembered how they had been the first two friends of Brian’s to welcome him into the fold with open arms and how they had refused to let him pull away from them when he had broken up with Brian after the Fiddler Fiasco. Brian remembered how Linds had been the first female friend he had made in his youthful days of college and how the friendship had lasted even after she had fallen in love with a woman who didn't really care for his charms. He remembered how hard it had been to gain Mel's respect, but once he had it they had become fast friends.The teens had finally felt ready to enjoy their Christmas day, as they knew their mothers would want them to. They had been thrilled with the generous gifts from Brian and Justin that they opened once they got home from the cemetery. They had then gone to the Novotny/Bruckner house and had another big payday with lots of packages to lug home from there...plus a huge bag of Christmas cookies made by their own sweet Gram. They had already received cards from Heather and Angie and a few other close friends from Toronto and even gotten a few nice things from their Auntie Em and Uncles Ted and Blake. They had been invited to the Tyler house for the evening as a thank you for the trip that they had invited Jason and Gidget on. By the time they hit the sack on Christmas night, the teens were too exhausted to keep their eyes open for a single minute.



Brian and Justin had stood in the doorway of each of their rooms with their arms around each other and enjoyed a quiet moment of satisfaction that their first Christmas as a family had turned out to be a success. The change in their lives in just a few short months was something they could have never predicted, but they were content. As they closed the second door and began to move down the long hall leading to their own bedroom, they stopped and turned to each other.



"Merry Christmas, Brian," Justin whispered to his husband.



"Merry Christmas back at ya, Sunshine," Brian whispered back.



Brian enfolded his beloved in his arms and reached down to place a soft tender kiss on his welcoming lips. Within seconds the heat started to rise between the lovers and Brian quickly escorted Justin to the privacy of their bedroom in order to bestow his favorite gift on his husband and receive his gift in return.



*******************************************



Now the plane was touching down and all the vacationers aboard were eagerly gathering belongings and preparing to disembark. The excitement in the four teens was palpable. They jostled each other good naturedly in their eagerness to get the show on the road. Everyone stepped off the small plane and breathed deeply of the crisp fresh country air of a wintry Vermont. They could see their shuttle bus clearly marked with the name of their destination…The Village Green at Stowe...waiting for them at the terminal. The other passengers who shared their plane headed for the bus with the Kinney/Taylor party following close behind.



The shuttle bus had them at their destination in no time since the resort was in the heart of the 19th century village. Brian made quick work of signing everyone in and they were directed to their private townhouse. Brian had spared no expense for this trip and had reserved the finest accommodations available. The next four days promised to be unforgettable.



As Brian unlocked the door to their temporary home, everyone let out a gasp at the luxury they saw. A thorough inspection revealed a condo with a beautifully appointed master bedroom complete with king size bed, another smaller bedroom with twin beds, a loft bedroom with more twin beds, a large well appointed kitchen with a separate dining room, and the crowning glory...a comfortably furnished living room with a white stone fireplace begging to be lit. The boys called dibs loudly for the loft and the girls ran squealing to claim their own private bedroom.



Brian and Justin had put up their luggage in the master bedroom and settled in on the large red velvet sofa in the living room. The fireplace was lit by gas so a roaring fire was already warming the room. Brian leaned against the overstuffed armrest with his long leg stretched out along the back of the sofa. Justin had settled himself with his back resting against Brian's chest and his legs up. Brian brought his other leg up to rest along Justin’s and he wrapped his arms around his lover. For a moment, the two men revelled in the feeling of being close and connected. Then the sound of loud girlish laughter and teenage feet running down a set of stairs reminded them that they were not alone.



Brian sighed deeply, kissed the top of Justin's silky blond head, and whispered in his ear, "Later!"



"Later!" Justin sighed back.



***********************************************



The next few days were a whirl of activity. Everyone except Brian tried their hand at skiing, some more successfully than others. The kids indulged in snowboarding while Brian and Justin stuck to a snowshoeing trail. There was the romantic sleigh ride at night for Brian and Justin that led to a particularly hot and heavy evening on the floor in front of the fireplace for the older men while the younger ones had taken a supervised night skiing excursion. The girls spent a lot of time in the many exciting shops that the quaint town had to offer while Brian joined them on a couple of occasions. A snowmobile tour provided by an outdoor adventure company had been fun for the entire group on the third day. Late evenings were spent in front of the fireplace or in bedrooms reliving all the excitement that had been crammed into such a short period of time.



Much too quickly the final full day of the trip had arrived. Brian and Justin had decided to spend the day at the fully equipped spa the resort provided. Brian was in particular need of a good massage after all the activities he'd indulged in. The girls were in desperate need of one final trip to the shops in town so Brian arranged an escort (he didn't dare call the woman a babysitter), that the hotel provided for just such occasions. Jason and Gus had made arrangements to participate in a mountain biking excursion. Gus was in awe of the beauty of the mountains and had stopped several times during their stay to sketch the scenery in the notebook he always carried in his backpack. He also had a number of sketches of Jason against the backdrop of the mountain but he kept those to himself.



The day started out wonderfully, with everyone heading off to their individual destinations. JR and Gidget groaned at the idea of having a chaperone but stopped the complaints rapidly when Brian gave them the choice of a chaperone or staying close by at the lodge. The boys went off for the starting point of the biking trail.



There were at least two dozen other folks joining Gus and Jason for the biking adventure. There were four or five families with several younger children, the youngest looking to be about eleven or twelve. The rest were either couples or a couple of individual women and one lone man. The boys were assigned their mountain bikes and everyone mounted up. The air was clear and there was a slight breeze that blew away their frosty breaths as they exhaled. Soon the group was well on their way up the mountain side.



The young men could have easily taken a lead in the line of bikers if they had wanted to but Gus deliberately slowed down so that they could lag behind a little. He was in no hurry for this last special event to be over. He had been having the best time of his life with Jason beside him. He was more thankful than ever that he had met the young wrestler. Jason was strong and kind and made him laugh more than anyone had ever done before in his life. He already knew in his heart that this was a friendship that would last a lifetime.



The boys had begun to fall further and further behind when Gus came to a complete stop. Jason slowed down and stopped, looking back at his friend. He turned the bike around and walked the few feet to where Gus was standing, watching the retreating backs of the other people in their group.



"What's up? Why'd you stop?" he asked Gus.



Gus pointed over to the left where their was a large gap in the tree line. The view of the side of the mountain and an adjoining range was breathtaking.



"I've got to get closer to the edge. I have to make a quick sketch of this. I might never see anything like this again. I won't be long...I promise. We can catch up with them. You know they'll be stopping soon for a break. Pleeeease, Jase," Gus pleaded in his most winning way.



If he had been a girl he would have probably batted his eyelashes.Jason felt nervous as the group slowly faded from sight but it was impossible to say no to Gus when he was looking at him like that. 'If Gus only knew the hold he had on him,' Jason thought to himself. 'The little fucker would probably use his powers even more.' That last thought brought a big smile to Jason's face that went unnoticed by Gus, who was already wrapped up in getting out his sketchpad and pencil. The boys laid their bikes on the side of trail and moved into the trees. Gus spent the next twenty minutes sketching a rough draft of the magnificent view and then quickly put his supplies away.



Jason led the way as the teens remounted their bikes and started moving quickly up the trail. They had only gone a few yards when Jason was startled by a large white rabbit darting across their path. The sudden movement caused the dark haired teen to lose control of his steering and he began to wobble towards the edge of the trail. He didn't see the rocks at the edge until it was too late and his wheel struck one of the larger ones head on. He had been going just fast enough to cause him to flip over the handle bars and land flat on his back.



It took Gus less than a second to jump from his bike and run to his fallen friend. Terror gripped the boys heart when he realized that Jason was unconscious. He was sure the teen had broken something, even though he had landed in a deep pile of snow. He was too frightened to think straight but his Red Cross training from school kicked in and he knew not to move his friend. He checked for breathing and could tell it was steady, which was a huge relief. As he sat there on his knees leaning over his best friend, with his face only inches away from Jason’s, he felt an uncontrollable urge like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life. Without even thinking, he leaned in and placed his lips on the still lips of his friend. He lingered for several seconds because it felt so unbelievably right and good.



Suddenly he realized what he was doing and started to pull away. As he did, he looked down into Jason's face and saw the dark brown eyes looking back at him. Gus froze. Neither boy moved a muscle for what seemed an eternity. Then slowly, Jason reached up and put his hand on Gus' neck...pulling his face back down to join their lips together again. Time stood still. The kiss was soft and sweet and gentle. Neither boy had much experience in kissing which made the lingering kiss even sweeter.



Just as suddenly, Jason released his hold on Gus and the taller boy fell back on his bottom. Jason started to sit up, when Gus jumped forward, hand out to stop him.



"Don't!" he warned. "You can't be sure where you're hurt."



Jason continued sitting up and felt himself all over. "Nope, no broken bones," he told Gus. "But I've got one hell of a headache," he said, feeling the back of his head.



Gus reached out and felt in the same area of Jason's head, his fingers becoming entangled with his friends. He pulled his hand away swiftly in confusion. Jason grabbed the hand before Gus could move too far away. The boys became frozen in place again, each staring into the other's eyes as if trying to draw out the truth behind them. This time Gus broke the spell.



"Why, Jase...why did you kiss me?"



"Why did you kiss me first, Gee?" Jason questioned back.



"I don't know. I just had to, that's all. I thought you were really hurt bad and...and...and I just had to."



"I just had to too."



Before Gus could say any more, they heard the sound of their guide calling out their names. They pulled their hands apart as if they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Gus yelled, "Over here " and heard the sound of running footsteps on the dirt trail.



A cursory exam by the trained guide showed nothing more serious than a bump on the head but he ordered Jason to stay down while calling for a mountain rescue team. A half hour later the teen was laying on the exam table of the local hospital. By the time the doctor had completed his exam and declared the young man to be fit and ready to be released with the admonition to keep an eye on him for signs of a concussion, the whole family had gathered together to bring Jason back to the condo.



Jason had to endure a lot of mothering from his little sister and fussing over by Justin, but it was the unusual quiet of Gus that concerned him the most. He had always been able to read Gus' moods but he was at a loss to tell what his friend was thinking now. The gang of four went out to one of the nicest restaurants in town for their last dinner in Stowe. There was a slight tinge of melancholy hanging over the group at the thought of having to leave in the morning so both men put Gus' silence down to that combined with a sense of guilt over Jason's accident. Jason was the only one who knew that there was more to the story.



That night the dads retired to their bedroom to enjoy one last romantic night together and the girls went back to their room in order to ooh and aah over all the goodies that they had been able to purchase thanks to DB's generosity. Jason and Gus trudged up the steps to their second floor loft. Not a word passed between the boys as they readied themselves for bed. Ten minutes later they lay in their side by side twin beds with Gus turning off the lamp between them.



Ordinarily, they would have spent the next several hours reliving their fabulous day but they lay on their separate beds without uttering a sound. Neither boy could sleep. Finally the silence was broken.



"Gee? We need to talk. We can't leave things like they are."



"I know, Jase. But I don't know what to say," came the reply.



Jason sat up and flipped the three way lamp on dim. He faced Gus' bed.



"Then I'll start . Gee, I kissed you because I think I'm in love with you...NO, I kissed you, because I AM in love with you. I've known it for a while now, but I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't know how you'd feel. I know all your parents are gay but that didn't mean you yourself would be able to accept the affections of someone who is gay. I wanted to say something, but....but I was afraid to." Jason stopped and waited for a response. It took several minutes. Just as Jason was sure he'd made a big mistake and that he'd just lost his best friend he saw Gus swing his legs over the side of the bed and sit up.



"I don't really understand what's going on in my head, Jase, ‘cause I've never felt anything like this before. All I do know for sure is that you mean more to me than any one I know...except for my family. And Jase...I WANTED to kiss you too. AND it honestly felt right."



Gus had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Jason moved quickly from his own bed to sit beside his friend. He put his hands on Gus' shoulders and drew him to his chest. As their faces got closer, Gus bent his face to the side and allowed Jason's mouth to meet with his. The same sweet tentative kiss began between the two teens but this time there was a bit more urgency to it. Jason began to move his lips against Gus' with more force and Gus responded by parting his lips ever so slightly. The sudden feel of the tip of Jason's tongue against the part in his lips caused the taller boy to pull his head back, but in that moment he also knew that it had felt stimulating and he realized he wanted to experience that feeling again.



This time it was Gus who was the aggressor as he swooped down for another taste of Jason's full rich lips. The fire between the two young men was growing steadily with each passing minute. Before they even realized what was happening to them, they had begun to savor the delicious tastes of each other’s mouths as their tongues took on a life of their own.



Gus fell back on his bed, pulling Jason down on top of him, with their lips firmly attached to one another. Completely without conscious thought, they began to grind their crotches together, relishing the feel of their hardening young cocks against each other. Both boys had certainly had their share of late night five finger exercises, but this time was different. They knew that they had never felt such passion and longing before. Soon the overwhelming need to see and touch the other boys cock could be denied no longer. They broke from their lip lock long enough to sit up and scoot their jockeys down their legs. No sooner were the underpants laying on the floor when the new lovers had stretched back out laying side by side and face to face. Words had become completely unnecessary. They lowered their hands down to the other boy’s rock hard cock and wrapped their fingers around the prize. They began to manipulate the shafts with up and down strokes. They stared into each others eyes and watched as the lust darkened the pupils. The mere sight spurred them on to stronger efforts to bring the other to climax. Soon their breaths were coming in short staccato bursts and their eyes closed with the intense pleasure that they were giving each other.



Soft moans began to pour from Gus, spurring Jason into planting his mouth firmly over Gus' to try and stifle the noise. Their lips parted again and both boys began to moan into each other. Their bodies began quaking and in that instant they felt the hot liquid pour out and onto their stomachs and hands. They continued to kiss as their bodies released several more smaller spurts of pleasure, until they were finally drained. They continued laying together for some time, basking in the afterglow, until the cool air signalled the need to clean up. They got up, almost afraid to look at each other, and proceeded to strip Gus' bed of the sheets and blanket. They threw the bundle in a corner and used the towels from their earlier shower to wipe themselves clean. When they had finished, the teens got back into Jason's bed and wrapped their arms around each other. They had never felt more tired and sleep was what they needed now. They would deal with this strange new thing in their lives tomorrow. For now they were just happy to feel at home in their mutual embrace. The knowledge that their lives had just become a lot more complicated was set aside for now, but they both knew that nothing would ever be the same for the two of them after this...their first night together as more than just friends.



To be continued...........................