Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind.
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
This story has taken on a life of its own. From its inception a year ago, I had only thought it would last ten chapters maximum. As you can see, it has grown tremendously. Mostly due to readers emailing me and telling me they've enjoyed it or have received help due to certain issues addressed. I've enjoyed writing this story but it would not have been written without men and women reading it and telling me they've enjoyed it. I do hope that you continue to enjoy each new chapter as our hero lives and grows.
I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks.
authorjames2002@yahoo.com
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Chapter 19 Back Into the Swing of Things
Lance and I slept in after our late night the previous night. It felt good to be close to him in such an intimate way again. Even though I knew Christian loved me and I loved Christian, what Lance and I had was beyond comparison. It seemed so natural, so right, and so...perfect. And what happened with Justin, well, that was purely lustful and physical. Now I felt bad about it. I will have to talk with Justin about it some time.
I awoke first and found Lance cuddled up beside me. Quite the different position when I first came here. I was the one cuddling up to him. I guess after what happened with Paul, Lance needed to feel secure. I can understand that. I always felt that need of security. It was as if it was lacking in some parts of my life, I guess.
I lay as still and as long as I could, but Mother Nature wouldn't have me lying still too much longer. I wiggled my way out, went into the bathroom and relieved myself. When I came out, Lance was still asleep.
'Poor guy,' I thought. 'He's been through so much recently. I wish I could make it all up to him.'
I crawled back into bed and lay next to him for a few minutes. Then my mind began to wander. I got up, showered and dressed. Lance still had some of my old clothes. I guess he couldn't stand to part with them. That was sweet. Plus, I didn't have to walk around naked, although I don't think Lance would have a problem with that, with the exception of some of the scars on my body from the explosion. Not as serious as my face, though both were slowly getting better.
I went downstairs feeling hungry so I made a bowl of fruit and went out on the patio to eat breakfast. As I sat there, I looked into the pool. My mind flashed back to Paul when I was electrocuting him. He screamed in pain. His energy was sapped from the electricity, so much so he couldn't swim. And I didn't care. Deep inside of me, there was almost a pleasure at his suffering.
"Good morning," Lance said as he came outside in his robe. His hair was a little messy from being wet in the shower.
"Good morning," I replied and I pulled him over on my lap. He sat on my lap and we cuddled for a bit. "How did you sleep last night?"
"If it is at all possible, better than the night before, and it is all because you were by my side."
"You are adorable, you know that?" I kissed him on the nose.
"That's what I keep hearing from my female fans." His tone was one of poking-fun.
"Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"Never," Lance replied with a bit more serious tone. I knew he wasn't joking with that statement.
Lance leaned his head against my shoulder and we sat listening to the sound of the birds and wind rustling the trees. After a moment of silence, Lance said, "Last night was wonderful. It felt so right, because it was with you."
"I know what you mean."
Lance pulled his head away from my shoulder and looked up at me. I looked deep into my eyes and in that split second I felt it and he felt it. We belonged together, forever. I smiled at him and he smiled back and we went back to cuddling.
"Are you doing better since last night?" I asked.
"Yes. I know what a woman goes through when she's raped. It isn't pleasant. Thank goodness that I can't get pregnant. I wouldn't want to carry Paul's child around."
His statement made me think of something.
"Do you want to have children?" I asked.
"Sure, eventually. I like children."
"Do you want to have your own?"
"Since I can't get pregnant and you can't get pregnant, I don't think we could have our own. Although there would be lots of fun in trying."
"I mean by a surrogate mother."
"Oh. I don't know. It would depend. There aren't many women I would want to bear my children. Maybe Jessica."
I ignored his suggestion of Jessica. Maybe someday she and I would be okay with each other like we were before. "Have you thought about adoption?"
"Not really. Is it possible to adopt children?"
"Not in this state. But it may be possible to adopt elsewhere. I think the laws are binding in the adoption wherever the child is from."
"Adoption is a possibility, then. Although if we were to get older children, there would be lots of emotional baggage coming along."
"I know. I never really thought of having babies, though. There are so many couples getting babies. They have to wait, sometimes. There are many more children and teenagers that have no one in their lives because no one wants a teenager or younger child. That makes me sad."
"I know. It bothers me, too. But your dream can help with that."
"My...dream?"
"Remember the idea for the teen center?"
"Yeah," I said. "But the building blew up and construction never started on the other building."
"Well, that's where you are wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"I started the construction after you left. Even after you died, I planned on completing the project. Your idea is a brave one, a worthy one. It was a legacy I wanted to continue in your name."
"You are truly amazing," I replied kissing him yet again.
"Do you want to see it?" Lance asked.
"Definitely."
Lance got up and went upstairs to get dressed. I smiled at the fact that even in death, a part of me continued. I would go on in spirit and ideal if this body didn't.
When Lance came downstairs we climbed in the SUV with him behind the wheel.
"Have you seen Robert Lakewind or Ryan Brookdale?"
"They have come by often to check on the center's progress. You could say they want this to succeed as much as we do."
We pulled onto the site and climbed out. The foundation and basement were completed and the frame was up alongside the interior framing. In one area, the wall was being built and some bricks were already in place.
"Things have moved rather rapidly," I stated.
"I've had several crews working on different aspects of it. Once the foundation was done, everything else was a go."
Lance and I walked to the construction where he introduced me to the men and women in charge. They told us the projected time for completion would be another four or five months depending on the weather. Lance thanked him and on we went.
"This will be the foyer. A large fountain is on order to be placed inside. I've looked into security measures, too. There are a few security systems that I've considered, but now that you are back, we can go over everything."
"Sounds good to me."
I followed Lance into the trailer sitting nearby and he showed me the plans. I was impressed at how everything had come together in three months. Lance showed me the interior designs, fountain, tiling, and security doors he ordered.
"I even thought this space would be perfect for your office. And this one beside it would be great for me."
"You?" I asked.
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"Not really. I'm just wondering about the group."
"Oh, well, the group won't last forever. Some have already expressed interest to go their own way and do their own thing. Everyone needs something to fall back on. The center is what I want to do."
"Right by my side," I added putting my hand on top of his.
Lance and I spent the day together at the site. As evening came, we headed back to the house. JC called and wanted to come over and visit for a while and we both told him to come over.
When he showed up, JC hugged both Lance and I and we went to the living room and sat.
"Did you go to the doctor's today?" JC asked Lance.
"I had to go last night. The police detective told me it would be best to get it over with quickly."
"Did the doctor say anything?"
"There was some damage done, obviously. He gave me some instructions on what to do and sent me home."
"That must have been scary for you."
"It was. But Eric was close by and that made all the difference."
JC smiled at me.
"It is good to see you happy, Lance. Something we haven't seen for almost three months. And its good to see you here, Eric. We've missed you."
"I've missed everyone, as well. Life seemed so empty without Lance."
I noticed the sun had gone down and deep inside I felt there was something I had to do.
"Lance, would it be okay if I went on a short patrol tonight?" I asked.
The look in his eye gave me his answer. He didn't want me to leave.
"Eric, are you sure you want to start that up so soon? I just got you back. Plus, after going to the hospital last night."
"If you want, Lance," JC said, "I could stay here with you until Eric gets back."
"I should patrol a little, just to see what is going on in town. Last night, there were two vampires in the hospital. There are probably more."
"If you really think it is necessary. I really don't want you to go, especially since it was Batman getting called away that caused me to lose you. But this is part of who you are. I know I can't keep you from doing it."
"I love you, Lance. I won't be out too long, maybe three hours or so. I need to get back into the swing of things."
Lance nodded and smiled hesitantly. I leaned over and kissed him. Then, I headed upstairs and changed into my bat-suit. When I came down, Lance and JC looked up at me. I could see the look in their eyes. Lance in some ways did not like the suit, did not like Batman. It was Batman who caused him to lose Eric for so long. The resentment was evident.
JC on the other hand was frightened by the darker suit. I could understand it. When I put it on, I was frightened, too. I felt the power that came from being behind the mask. I felt the power of fear rush through me. This was, no doubt, the feelings Alan had after becoming the Scarecrow. He was afraid of what the future held and being the Scarecrow gave him some strength. Unfortunately, his actions were wrong. But, I could actually see his reasoning. For the first time since dealing with Alan, I could see his reasoning. I was returning to being the man I was before Macai.
I pulled off my mask and approached Lance. He looked into my eyes and I pulled him close to me.
"I love you, always. Nothing will change that. I promise."
"Come back to me."
"Always, I said. Not even death can keep me from you."
I released my embrace on Lance and kissed him. I turned to JC and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for staying with him. I will be back in a few hours."
JC nodded and I went out the back. I decided my first stop should be Justin's. I need to get what happened out of the way.
Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Justin's apartment. The balcony door was open though the apartment was dark. Silently I slipped in and listened for any sounds of burglary going on. There was a noise coming from the bedroom.
'Great,' I thought, 'just great. I show up again and find a boy band celebrity in bed making time with someone. My timing is impeccable.'
I walked to the door just be sure and peeked through the crack. Justin lay on the bed naked like he was the night I stayed with him. This time, however, he was waiting for what happened to happen again. He thought it was some type of mystical event and, obviously, was hoping it would happen again. I had to assure him it would not.
I pushed the door open and stood in the doorway.
"Holy shit!" Justin said nearly falling out of the bed. "You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?"
"I came to tell you, what happened the other night, what you are trying to make happen tonight, wasn't some supernatural orgy. It was me."
"You?" he said questioningly at first. Then his mouth turned into a seductive smirk. "It was you, huh? Want to try it again?"
"No. I'm with Lance now. I shouldn't have done it before, either. My heart did not belong to you."
"But it was still nice. And we were both single and consenting, obviously. That was so amazing. I never had an orgasm like that before."
"And you won't experience one from me again, Justin." I was determined to get my point across no matter how much his nakedness and willingness tempted me. Did I still love Justin? Don't know. Was I still attracted to him? Definitely. But love would override attraction; it had to, especially after what happened with him.
"Aw, that's no way to be. What if I ask Lance for a threesome? What about then?"
"Gosh, Justin, is that all you think about? Sex?"
"It's on my mind a lot if that is what you are wondering. Is that so bad?"
"There are more important things in this world besides sex. Love is of the utmost importance. You shouldn't treat it like you do."
"I can love," Justin replied getting a little defensive. "I did love. But..."
"I know. When you first come out, you feel like a kid in a candy store. There are so many things that were once 'off limits' that are now available. Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want someone else to get hurt. There are many crazies in this world, too many for my taste."
"I appreciate that, Eric. Batman, I mean. You are a real stand-up guy. Anyone would be lucky to have you. You and Lance deserve each other."
"You'll find someone, Justin. I know you will."
Justin came up to me and hugged me. I embraced him tightly, turned and then walked to the balcony. Down below I saw my motorcycle that I hadn't used in a few days. 'Hmm,' I thought, 'it could be Batman's motorcycle.'
I jumped into the air and controlled my descent down. It wasn't so far down that it put a strain on me, but down far enough it worked my mutation well. I landed by the motorcycle and climbed on. The gas tank was full and everything was in working order. I turned the key, cranked the handle and hit the clutch. The engine came to life between my legs and soon I was off and riding down the road heading toward downtown Orlando.
As I drove through the streets, I kept close to the shadows. No one noticed me, thank goodness. I was able to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. After all, that was my job as Batman.
I was rewarded in ten minutes as I neared a small shop. A car sat out front with the motor running. It was too late for any businesses to be open, unless they were adult theater or video stores or bars or clubs. The store happened to be a small antique shop.
Several men in ski masks came out the door muttering something excitedly. I revved the motorcycle and pulled up on the sidewalk, shooting toward the thieves.
"What the..." one exclaimed as I neared them.
The thieves scattered as I barreled between them. I turned the motorcycle and headed back toward them. I came close to one and kicked him in the chest, slamming him up against the running car.
The thieves took advantage of me passing and climbed into their car. The driver put it in gear and took off down the road. I turned the motorcycle and pursued. Two men rolled down the back windows and stuck part of their bodies out and open fire. I swerved from side to side as the bullets came past me. They weren't going to play fair.
I pulled out a bat and threw it at the car. The bat embedded into the trunk of the car and protruded. The two thieves fired again. To my amazement, two objects flew into their hands as the car entered an intersection, and they dropped their guns. As I passed the intersection, Robin and Nightwing joined me on either side on their own respective motorcycles.
"What happened to you?" Nightwing asked. "Your suit is all dark!"
"And when did you get back?" asked Robin.
"We have some thieves to catch. Can we talk later?" I asked.
"Not a problem," Nightwing said with a grin.
The three of us revved our motorcycles and headed after the car full of thieves.
To Be Continued...