THE ICE KING

Chapter 8

Sweet Dreams

         Afterwards, Justin couldn't even remember what happened. Well, not really.

         One minute he was looking up, waiting for Jason to come down. There was a strange glint, a flash.  And then Jason was falling and screaming.

         Without thinking about it, Justin launched himself toward Jason. He remembered to position himself a ways out from the tower as Jason fell out and down. There was a sickening moment where he wasn't sure if he was in the right spot, if he could get to the right spot. All he could do was watch as the youth's form grow bigger and bigger by the second.

         And then he caught him! Well, more like caught him/Jason fell on him and he was there breaking his fall. Both of them were propelled down and backward and they were rolled together in the mostundignified way. Justin had a fleeting wish that he was a bit taller and wider like Brian or Rage or both. Brian/Rage wouldn't have flubbed it up but caught him with ease in a cradling position...

         And then they were sliding and smashing against the opposite wall of the alley. There was the slight noise of the rope falling, falling, coiling untidily on the ground. And then there was silence. Dead silence.

         Jason just lay there, relishing the feeling of the touch of another human being who didn't want to kill him for a few seconds. His eyes were tight shut. Somehow, he'd gotten turned around and one arm was around a slim, masculine waist and the other was over a shoulder and around a neck. He was amazed that he was alive.

         Justin lay there with the teen on top of him, stunned. He could feel that he had struck his head on the wall they had been driven against. The wind was knocked out of him. He could feel Jason trembling slightly in his arms. He struggled for breath and then breath found him and he was sucking in huge lungfuls of cold air that seared his lungs. He reached behind him, and felt his head. There was no broken skin, thank God, but he could already feel a goose egg beginning to form.

         Finally, he looked down at the younger but not so smaller teenager who still clung to him as if he were a life preserver. Then, with some amusement, Justin realized that might very well be the case. He reached down and stroked the hair of the head that was buried in his chest. It was buttery blond just like his own.

         "Jason? Jason, are you all right?"

         Too blue eyes fluttered and opened. Jason shyly looked up at him and smiled shyly and then a trifle embarrassed.

         "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. I can't believe it but I'm OK. Are-are you all right?"

         "Yes. Aside from a bump on the head, I'm fine. But I think we should get out of here as quickly as possible. The second those two...those two discover we're still alive, they'll be after us. And I want to be out of the cold and this overgrown maze before they find us."

         "Are we going home? Are you going to take me home?" Jason asked in pathetic eagerness. Awkwardly, he got off Justin and got up. Justin groaned as the teen inadvertently kneed him in the groin.

         "Sorry."

         "No problem," Justin gasped. "I'd like to take you home, Jason, but I do not know the way from here. I only know the way back to my inn. Would you like to come back there for the night? It's safe and warm and secure and then I can take you back first thing in the morning."

         "I know the way. But...oh God! There's no way there without going straight past the police station! We'd practically be walking right into their arms! Yes! Yes, we'll have to go to your place! But I'll need to get to a phone as soon as possible!"

         "No problem! Let's go!" And with that, they were off, two young men, a small boy with a yellow knapsack and two blackbirds who flew ahead, reminding them in the way they ought to go.

JGJGJGJGJGJGJGJG

A while later...

         "Hello?...Hello, Helga? It's me, Jason! I'm safe! I'm OK! Let me talk to Mother!...What!?...She's with who??" In horror, he turned to Justin and mouthed: "It's THEM!" Turning back to the phone, he said, "OK, listen Helga! You must do exactly as I say! You are all in terrible danger! The kidnappers...it's them!! Stockwell and Rickert! I want you to go back in there and tell them you just heard from me and that I told you I was leaving town....southwards. Don't let on that you know it's them! Whatever they tell you, do not believe it!...No! Don't let on!...They're extremely dangerous!...Do what I say, OK? OK! I'll see you all tomorrow! Bye, Helga!"

         He hung up.

         "There! Let's hope they take the bait!"

         "Let's go upstairs and see!" cried Justin.

         They gave the Behrs a last hug and sprinted upstairs. They were all overjoyed to see Jason was safe. They had warned them all to not let on that Jason was here or even that the turret room was in use and they had readily agreed. Justin had paid Harry Jr. to bring up some firewood so they were set for that as well. However, Jason did not breathe easy until Justin had slammed and locked the strange, medieval door and locked it with the silver key.

         Around and around, up and up, they all ran into their safe turret room. Jack and Jacques were waiting for them. They moved aside as Justin and Jason rushed to the window.

         "There they go!" Justin said pointing to the gates of The Palace.

         "I wanna see! I wanna see!" yelled Gus, jumping up and down. He'd shucked his Elmo pack and jacket as soon as they'd got in. Then he came to the window but his nose only came to the windowsill. He tried jumping but it was no use.

         Justin reached down but Gus said, "No! I want Jason to do it!" He reached up. "Jason?? Pick me up??"

         Jason's face was one of beatific joy. He asked Justin with a look and Justin nodded. Jason scooped up Gus and held him in his arms and hugged him close pointed outward. He showed him the window.

         "There they are! See! They are headed down the main street now."

         "I see them! I see them! They're coming closer!"

         "Too close!" Jason shuddered. He moved away from the window. "Close the window, Justin! Close it and shut the curtains!"

         "Don't worry Jason! Those bad men won't hurt you any more! I'll pertect you!" Gus said.

         Justin smiled a secret smile and swallowed his laughter as he pulled the windows shut and closed the curtains against the deepening night.

         "Little man," Jason said, "Of that I have no doubt!  Give me a kiss?"

         Gus threw his little arms around his neck and kissed his cheek soundly.

         And Jason hugged him back hard. He began to shake. Justin came over to the bed and enfolded into the group hug. They stayed like that, a triune being, for a long time.

JGJGJGJGJGJGJGJGJGJG

A short time later...

         A brisk fire was burning in the pot bellied stove. It radiated warmth into the round and now cozy turret room.

         The ravens had been let out for the night. They had introduced themselves formally to Jason at last and he was so astonished you could have knocked him over with a feather. When he asked why they didn't talk to him sooner, they replied, "You were under enough trauma, Jason. We didn't want you thinking you were going crazy to boot."

         "I - I wouldn't...Well, maybe at first," Jason conceded. "But I would have loved the company. However, he bore them no real ill will and relished the joy of being able to talk to his friends at last.

         After they let the ravens out, Justin had again closed and locked the windows and drawn the curtains against the now dark night.

         Justin made more soup from the ill fated camping trip that, indeed, seemed like far, far away and a long, long time ago now. Then, along with provisions that the Behrs had sent up they had a picnic on the floor with sandwiches made with crusty bread, spicy meat, Swiss cheese and tomatoes and soup. They even put Ian's rose in a cup as a centerpiece. The rose had been folded and folded again and mashed completely flat in transit. It looked like a waxy, pressed flower. But as soon as Justin had lifted it out, true to Ian's word, the folds had straightened and the petals had unfurled and it was as fresh as if it had been picked yesterday.  

         "What do you suppose Stockwell and Rickert are eating right about now?" Jason asked at one point, and they all chuckled to think of those men alone in the dark, punished for their wickedness, at least for one night.

         "How long do you think it will take before they realize they've been hoodwinked and come back?" Jason asked, a little more seriously.

         "I don't know, Jason. But don't worry. We'll get you past them and home, no matter what!"

         "Ahh, yes!" Jason said, the cynic in him rising, "To collect the prize!"

         "I won't deny it," Justin said, "I am counting on that snowmobile. But I did not do this for wealth alone. Did you know I asked your mother for only half of the money that she offered? And that amount I will most likely use for Gus' education."

         "But Jason," he continued, "Even if there was no reward at all, I still would have come after you. The instant the ravens told me about you, I started planning on how to contact you."

         "Really??" Jason asked.

         "Really." Justin said firmly.

         "Oh, thank you, Justin! Thank you for that, so much!"

         And Jason launched himself impetuously into Justin's arms and hugged him fiercely. Then, suddenly, he pulled away and apologized, his face red, "Oh! I'm sorry! I forget that most men don't like to be touched like that! Sometimes I feel...well, I feel too much, you know?"

         "Jason! You don't have to worry. I also...feel that way towards men. You can hug me. But you should know, I am married, so that's all we can do. The whole reason I'm here is to rescue my husband."

         "I understand," Jason said, enfolding himself into Justin again, "It just feels so good to be held by another person again, you know?"

         "I do," Justin said, thinking of Brian and how good it would feel to have him back and back in his right mind once again. "You know, you remind me of me when I was your age."

         "I do?" the smaller teen asked. "How?" They all repositioned slightly and suddenly Justin found himself with his back against the end of one of the beds, and Jason pressed up against him with his back against his chest. Justin enfolded him around the chest. Not to be excluded, Gus crawled after them and Jason found himself full of little boy with his back against his chest. So he enfolded Gus. Happy, full, and secure, Gus snuggled sideways slightly, wrapped Jason's arms in his own and soon fell asleep.

         "Well, you look a great deal like me," Justin said, in a smooth monotonic voice, to lull Gus to sleep, "Especially when I was your age. You're mature beyond your years. You want and need intimacy over a quick - romp. You want to...and correct me if I'm wrong...wait for...the one...before you give it up."

         "I do," Jason said, "Did you wait...for the one?"

         "I almost didn't. I waited till I was 17, a little older than you. One night, I felt that I could endure being a child no longer. I needed to make myself a man. I was going to give it away but when I got out of the suburbs and downtown to Liberty Avenue, I felt at a crossroads. I couldn't go home but at the same time I couldn't just go with just anybody...especially somebody who would take...anybody. Ironically, that's just who I ended up with. I was under a streetlight and I looked up just as Brian was looking over at me. Our eyes locked and I knew...I knew then, I'd been compelled from my home to meet this man. I knew that he was the one. Little did I know that it would take so long to convince him of the same thing."

         "Do you think it will be the same with me?" Jason asked.

         "No. In fact, I hope not. I hope when you're ready, you'll have a much easier go of it."

         "But will I know?"

         "Yes," Justin said kindly, "I think you'll know."

         Jason stroked Gus' hair softly and sighed, "Thank God for you both," he sighed, "I never thought I'd hold a sweet child in my arms like this ever again." He turned and gave Justin a sweet, chaste kiss, "Or feel loved and safe and held by a friendly person. Rickert..." he shuddered, "...wanted to touch me always, touched me non-stop with his eyes but he was incapable of love. Thank you Justin. Thank you."

         "Try not to think about it," Justin said. But Jason was already asleep.

         He should wake them. He should put them all to bed. And he would. But everything felt so comfortable, so right.

         His eyes flickered.

         The only thing missing was Brian's chest against his back. He should wake them. But this...this felt so good.

         Justin's eyes drooped.

         The fire was so warm. Jason and Gus' heaviness felt so good.

         His eyes flickered. They drooped again.

         In a few minutes. He'd wait a few more minutes.

          His head lolled.

         Three men slept.

JGJGJGJGJGJGJGJGJG

         "NO!! NOOO!!! Get offa me!! GET OFF!

         Justin sat bolt upright in his bedroll. Jason was thrashing around in his bed.

         "I WON'T!! I WON'T SIT! GET OFFA MEEEE!!! MMMMMMMPPPH!" Jason stiffened and struggled to breathe.

         "Jason!! Jason, wake up!! You're dreaming!" Justin sat on the edge of the bed and shook his shoulders.

         "NOOOO! DON'T TOUCH!!! DON'T TOUCH ME!!! NOT ALLOWED!! HE SAID! HE SAID! DON'T TOUCH MEEEEEEE!!!" Jason found his arms and fought Justin for more than a few seconds his voice ending in a wail.

         "Jason! Jason! Wake up! Wake up! You're safe! It's just a nightmare!"

         Jason's eyes snapped open and he awoke suddenly. He sucked in a huge breath. He was panicked and unfocussed for a few seconds. Then he realized where he was and grabbed Justin in a crushing, life preserver hug.

         "Papa? Is Jas'n all right?" asked a little voice sleepily.

         "Yes sweetheart, he just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

         "But Papa, you said the only way to get back to sleep after a bad dream is with a good night kiss. I wanna help."

         In spite of the night terror, Jason pulled back from Justin's shoulder and shared a small amused smile.

         "Gus!! Go back to sleep now! Mind me now!"

         Gus folded his arms stubbornly. Nuh, uh! I hafta give Jas'n a good night kiss!"

         It was much later. The night was deep and dark and there were still many hours till dawn. Justin had awoken a few hours after they had fallen asleep with a crick in his neck and a numb ass. Gently, he had awoken Jason and together, both very sleepy had undressed Gus and then put on his Cookie Monster jammies. Gus never roused past a state of semi-consciousness. They put him to bed in one of the beds where he had fallen asleep again as soon as his head touched the pillow. Justin then guided Jason to the other bed. Jason half-heartedly objected to taking the bed but Justin overrode him and before he could try to object again, Jason was asleep. Justin slept between them on the floor in his bedroll.

         Now, Jason said, "Gus, I need to use the bathroom first. If you're still awake when I get back, you can give me a good-night kiss. OK?"

         "OK."

         Jason went and used the facilities and splashed some water on his face. He gripped the sides of the sink with both hands and waited for them to stop shaking. They wouldn't. So he just washed off the cold sweat and took some deep breaths while he waited for the phantom fingers of Rickert to stop touching his face, arms, his neck, his...his...down there. Jason shuddered.

         So when a hand touched his shoulder for real he leaped a foot and bit back a scream. He whirled.

         It was Justin.

         "I - I looked through the door. I didn't hear anything for a while and I got worried. Is everything OK? I'm - I'm sorry...I shouldn't have come in. I should've knocked...I - I should've..."

         "Nothing is OK..." Jason whispered in a shuddering voice. He covered his face with his hands. His body quaked with silent sobs.

         Justin enfolded him into a hug. "Things will get better. I promise."

         "What if they don't?"

         "You were with those monsters for three weeks. It's going to take some time. But they will, I promise. I'll help you."

         "Thanks Justin. You already are. I'm sorry for being a weepy little queer."

         "Hey! Don't you EVER call yourself anything like that again! That only makes it OK when other people do it to you! Where did you hear that anyway?"

         "My dad," Jason said shamefacedly, "That and a lot more. That's why I was striking out on my own just before...just before..."

         "You don't have to say it. They'll pay, Jason. We're going to make them pay. I promise. Now, how about you help me get a certain little boy off to dreamland again?"

         "I think I can do that." Jason schooled his features into a calm expression and made his way back to bed.

         He laid down and laid on his hands so they wouldn't shake. "Oh Gus! I'm ready!"

         And Gus toddled over and hoisted himself onto the bed. He lay beside Jason and stroked his cheek with his little hand.

         "Do you feel better Jason?" asked the mini man.

         "I do, thank you Gus," Jason said.

         "Then you'll only have sweet dreams from now on?"

         "I can't promise you that but I promise I'll try."

         "Well, when I give you your goodnight kiss, you'll only have sweet dreams tonight. Those are the rules."

         "The rules?"

         "A hero's kiss can wake a person up but they also can put a person to sleep and give them good dreams. I'm a hero now."

         Jason raised an eyebrow. "You are?"

         "I helped rescue you. I did. I helped." A solid declaration.

         "My little man," Jason said in adoration, "You did. You absolutely did. You are. You're my little hero."

         "Nuh uh! I'm a big boy!"

         "You are! But you're going to get even bigger, right?"

         "Right."

         "Well, I know a secret," Jason lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

         "What?" Gus whispered back

         I know what makes little heroes grow up to be big, strong heroes."

         "You do? What?"

         "Getting lots of sleep every night."

         "Really?

         "Yup."

         "Oh my Gosh! Well, I'd better give you your kiss and get back to bed!" And Gus leaned over and gave him a resounding smack of a kiss on his cheek.

         "Thank you Gus! I think it's working...Yes, I can feel it! A wonderful dream...waiting for me...Waiting...Thank...you......Gus." Jason's eyes fluttered and he "fell asleep". Somehow he managed to not laugh as he heard a boyish giggle as Gus watched his hero's kiss work its magic.

         "OK, Gus, back to bed," Justin said.

         "OK, Papa!" Jason felt a small body slide away from him and heard feet across the floor. He felt the light dim against his eyelids and knew that Justin had turned down the lamps. He feigned sleep for a few more minutes until he heard Justin say with amusement, "All clear."

         Jason cracked open his lids and then opened them all the way when he saw indeed that Gus was fast asleep.

         "That was fast."

         "As soon as his head hit the pillow." Justin said in amusement.

         "I wasn't kidding, you know. He is my hero. And...so are you," he finished in a rush, his face turning beet red.

         Justin turned off the rest of the lights and came to sit on his bedside. "Oh Jason, Jason! Beware of hero worship, especially with me. I'm just an ordinary guy. And I cannot be anything more than your mentor. I am not the One."

         "I know! I know! I'm not looking for that! I swear! But could you...could you just stay with me until I fall asleep again?"

         "Sure. Care to talk about it?"

         "Oh, I was just reliving some of it. But it really got out of control. You see, Stockwell wasn't allowing Rickert to touch me while he was up for election. Once it was over, in a few days, then he could do whatever he wanted. But in my dream the restraints were gone and Rickert started to touch me. I could feel it. I still feel it. I can't get rid of it." Jason brought his hands out from underneath the covers and showed Justin how they were shaking. "Would you lie down with me until I fall asleep?" Seeing Justin's questioning face, he hurried on, "Just to hold me. I expect nothing else, I promise. I just want to feel something real, you know? So I stop feeling the phantoms. God, listen to me! I sound as juvenile as Gus!"

         "I understand completely. I will stay with you, Jason." Justin lay down on top of the covers and spooned Jason and held him.

         "I remember," he said, "A few years back I was bashed. After I awoke from the coma I had post traumatic stress just like you. I had trouble with crowds. I saw a red stain that gave me vision of blood. I had flashbacks. Nightmares."

         "But you got better. How?" Jason asked with a yawn.

         "Loved ones who would touch me and hold me. Like this. They didn't push. Just loved. And lots of psychiatric therapy." They both chuckled. "But I got through it. And so will you, Jason. I promise."

         Justin could feel the teen's trembling subside.

         "I remember," he began again, "I was afraid of the crowds. Brian held my hand and held me close if anyone bumped me.  It was scary but he grounded me, kept me safe, warm and safe. Then he..." He kept talking low and monotonic and soon it had the desired effect. Jason's breathing became slow and even.

         He was asleep.

TBC