Ben frowned as he watched Justin wandering almost listlessly around the Sultan's elaborate floral garden, the hunched shoulders displaying how broken and devastated the young man truly felt right now. This wasn't his place to interfere, and he doubted the Sultan would approve of him doing so, but if he could stop this separation that neither man truly wanted - shouldn't he at least make the attempt? He moved forward, his footsteps uncertain, an uncomfortable feeling of being intrusive assailing him.

"Good morning, Justin. The gardens are beautiful... aren't they?" Ben asked, both of them knowing that the young man was seeing anything but the vast beauty of the Sultan's land.

"Yeah..." Justin whispered in a hollow voice. "I will miss this spectacular view... and the aroma is unlike any combination of flowers I have ever breathed in."

Ben smiled. "The Sultan is very particular in his tastes. He only accepts the highest quality."

"Well, he is spoiled for certain." Justin couldn't keep the scowl from his face. It was such that was a large part of why he had to leave Brian's beautiful island... and the man himself.

"I can't dispute that... however, there is much more to him than typically meets the eye." Ben knew he would be viewed as playing devil's advocate here, but if it garnered results, that was all that truly mattered.

"Now that I'm leaving, I guess I'll have to take your word for that. Although, I can't say I've seen many glimpses of a softer man beneath..."

Ben sighed. Justin wasn't making the lead-in to this discussion very easy. "I hate to sound like an old cliche, but I will anyway. Don't always judge a book by its cover. You might be surprised at what you could find."

A soft sigh escaped, along with a shrugging of his shoulders. "Perhaps so."

"Will you sit with me for a moment?" Ben asked, his hand pointing in the direction of a bench in the middle of the floral garden. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to the boy, he just knew these two stubborn men needed an intervention. Losing Michael had taught him a great lesson. In the end, Michael had betrayed their love... perhaps he had all along, but he now understood more fully the value of love. Whether his master admitted it or not, he was in love with this young man. Time could fix anything that stood between them. Now... it was just a matter of convincing Justin of that.

Sitting next to the larger man, Justin looked up at him quizzically. "Is everything alright with the Sultan... his son??"

"Oh yes, Justin... most certainly." He shuddered at that horrid thought. Nothing would disturb him more than either one of them being in danger. "I wanted to talk about your departure. I believe you are leaving this morning."

Justin swallowed the lump deeply lodged in his throat. He had tossed and turned all night in the Sultan's large bed. The fact that Brian had left him alone in it on his last night still filled him with anguish. All night he envisioned Brian in the harem... possessing one of the others - or even all of them. That was why he couldn't stay here. That reality tore his heart into shreds. "Yeah, in about an hour."

"I see..." Ben answered, the disappointment clear in his voice. "As much as I was opposed to how you came to be here... I'm very sorry to see you go." Ben turned to look at Justin with an assessing gaze. " I get the feeling you have your own sorrow over that decision..."

"Well, since my arrival here, I've learned that what's best for me might not be what I most want. I'll adapt to the loss, and I'm sure he will too." Justin sadly looked out into the gardens, knowing he would cherish the memory of this beautiful land... slightly fearful that someday he might forget one simple detail.

"The fact that you view it as a loss means that your heart wants you to stay. Perhaps you should listen to that... and not worry so much about other details."

Justin sighed again... this time with a greater sadness present. "I wish I could, Ben. But I can't go through each day wondering if the Sultan will choose another man that night. I- I just love him too much. I c-couldn't bear that..."

Ben's heart went out to the young man; in fact, it went out to both of them. This seemed like an impossible situation, but he knew it wasn't. One of them would have to compromise more than the other. Right now, it didn't appear that either man was ready to do that. "Are you saying that you expect exclusivity? That's a big jump for a man that has held a harem all of his adult life... and something that is a custom for our people."

"I do accept that we come from different worlds... with varied customs, but a harem is too much for me to endure. I just can't do it." Justin thought for a moment about what he was asking, still unable to see how he was being unreasonable. He knew that Brian felt that he was being so... and now, he sensed Ben felt the same. Perhaps it was the difference in their cultures. He now realized that life had situations where no compromise could be met. This seemed to be one of those times.

"Tell me, Justin - how often has the Sultan availed himself of his other slaves since you arrived? I'd surmise that number to be extremely low..."

"I don't know what he does when he isn't with me. He even left me last night." Justin felt a stabbing pain pressing into his chest. "For all I know, he went to one of them then..."

"Well, let me clear a couple of things up for you, Justin. One, when he hasn't been with you, he has been attending to his business matters. Don't forget he is an important man... a ruler actually. And I happen to know my master slept in his office last night." He smiled at Justin's gasp of surprise. "So... even when the opportunity was present for him to enjoy the company of his other slaves - he did not. What does that tell you?"

Justin snorted, unwilling to read too much into the announcement, although inwardly he rejoiced at the news. "It tells me he wasn't in the mood after the time we spent in his bedroom."

Ben grunted. "You don't believe that any more than I do. The Sultan is always ‘in the mood' as you so eloquently phrase it. The truth of the matter is clear to anyone that can see. The Sultan has reached the point where he only wants you. He has changed tremendously since your arrival... and I think you know that too. If you only gave him some time to reach his decisions on his own, I think he would change things to where you were the only one."

"I- I'm not sure I can take that chance, Ben." God... how he wished he could. Could it truly be that simple? Did he just need to give Brian more time? He shook his head. No. He had to abide by his decision. He couldn't sit here and watch Brian with his other men. It was a pain he found to be unbearable.

Ben stood to his feet, feeling he had meddled enough... and certain he had given the blond enough to think about. "Just think about what I've said. If you keep an open mind, I think you could come to a different conclusion. Also... consider this - will you be any happier away from him and undoubtedly missing him, than staying here and finding out if he could end up committing only to you? The best way to make that happen is by being a constant in his life."

"I'll think about what you've said... but I can't make any promises." Justin's mind was racing nearly as quickly as his heart. He didn't know what to think, or even less - what to do. The time was short now. He had thought his decision was the only one he could make... but now he wasn't so sure.

Smiling down at the young man, more hopeful than he had been when he had first come upon him, Ben told him, "Whatever you decide to do, it's been a pleasure knowing you, Justin Taylor. I wish you joy and happiness in your life."

"Thank you, Ben." Justin smiled up at Ben, continuing to see all the positive things that resided in Brian's land... all of a sudden uncertain if he could leave it all behind. "Despite the oddity of my arrival here, I will always cherish it."

"Well, obviously I hope you will stay... in whatever capacity you decide. I am committed to my master's happiness and safety. I know him well enough to realize you are a large part of the former. And now... I must get back to my duties. If you need anything before you depart, please feel free to call me."

Nodding, Justin stood to his feet, hating the time he had to wait... knowing the longer it took, the harder it would be to leave. "Uhhh, could you tell me where the Sultan is right now? Will I be seeing him before I leave for the airport?"

"I don't think so, Justin. He stated he would be in his office all morning. At the moment, he is in a meeting with Brandon." Noticing Justin's crestfallen face, Ben repeated, "Again... I said meeting. Brandon requested it, and I think it was of great importance."

"I see..." Justin whispered. "Well, if you speak to him, could you ask him if I could see him? I'd really like another chance to say goodbye to him."

Ben smiled. These were the most promising words to come from the boy's mouth yet. A meeting with the Sultan meant one thing to him - Justin wanted his master to say something to change his mind. Now, if he could only get his Sultan to take a gentler approach with the boy, they each might end this day with more promise than it had begun. For the moment, he would see a flicker of hope where all had been hopeless. "I'll make sure he knows."

Justin watched as Ben walked away, not a doubt in his mind he would go directly to the Sultan. Was he making the right decision? Could he handle a one-on-one meeting with the man he loved a mere hour before his departure? He would know one thing for certain before he left. If Brian didn't come to him, then, the Sultan truly didn't care enough to stop him. But if he did, was there a compromise to be found? More than anything, he hoped the latter to be true.

For his heart and mind agreed on a couple of things. First and foremost, he loved the controlling Sultan... and in addition to that - he didn't want to leave this island. It was his greatest hope that their extraordinary relationship didn't end in that manner.

TBC