Author: Kristbethke

**Enjoy a little snippet out of Dan and Vincent’s life.  They are settling in well together, but that doesn’t mean the physical distance between them doesn’t take it’s toll.**

I’d had a lot of men in my life.  Some for just a night.  Some for longer.  One I’d even had for six years, before he decided he wanted to live the life of a celibate monk.  And I’d always been content with that, enjoying my boyfriend of the moment, until life pulled us apart.  I didn’t need to promise forever.  I didn’t need a companion.  That’s why I got a dog, and Valentine was my biggest love anyway.

Until Dan.

The first time I saw him, I was taken aback by just how gorgeous he was.  Big, brawny, beautiful, he pushed every one of my buttons.  I also knew he was straight, so I never allowed myself to even entertain the thought of having him.  Until that day in the conference room, when his inattention had landed him in hot water.  I’d called him in to ream him out because that never happened on my set.  But he’d pushed back, and when he kissed me, I was lost.  From that moment on, he was mine, even if it took us both some time to realize it.  When it got to the point where I was done playing games, ready for forever, I was fairly certain he was ready too.  Didn’t matter if he wasn’t, because I wasn’t letting him go.  Fortunately, when I’d put myself on the line, he’d been right there with me.

I tried to show him these days how much he meant to me.  But I knew he was feeling the separation.  After spending New Year’s together, Dan had to head back to Seattle to start filming.  And since I was still painstakingly editing the film I was trying to produce, I was taking a hiatus from directing and living full time in the house in Oak Harbor.  Dan hadn’t said it out loud, but I knew he wanted me to come back to Seattle with him.  At least for a bit.  But I’d purposefully ignored the hints, and he’d headed back to the mainland.  And I’d barely heard from him since.

It wasn’t like Dan to completely shut me out.  We argued like any normal couple.  There were things we were going to disagree about.  It was inevitable.  And there were times when it carried over, and Dan gave me the silent treatment.  But only when we were in the same house.  When we were apart, both of us made the effort to stay connected.  So the sporadic phone calls were starting to get concerning.  Especially since I hadn’t heard from since last night.  I’d left him three messages, and he hadn’t bothered to acknowledge one all day.  I was equal parts angry and worried, and I was going to chew him out once I finally got a hold of him.

I called him yet again, my fingers drumming impatiently on my thigh.  He answered on the second ring.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, his voice ragged like he’d been gargling gravel.  “Every time I thought I’d get a break today, that little fucker interrupted and I just now got home.”

He sounded wrecked, and my anger started dissipating.  I tried for soothing.  “What happened?”

“Avery fucking Lang, that’s what happened.”  I heard a thump that sounded suspiciously like a fist into the wall.  “He’s so fucking full of himself and this is the third fucking time this season he’s been in to direct.  Since someone decided to take a few months off, we’ve had to make do with directors we don’t usually have to deal with too often.  But oh no.  Lang is taking every episode he can, and running us fucking ragged in the mean time.  We went over by four fucking hours today, because he had us doing, and I’m not even joking, a hundred and seventeen takes of the same fucking scene.  I just now got home and walked in the door.  I swear to God, that man is on a goddamn ego trip and I fucking hate working with him.”

He took a deep breath, and I knew his rant was over.  “So you had a pretty bad day huh?”

“The worst,” Dan said, with a small chuckle.  Then he gave a soft sigh. “Wish you were here.”

“I am.”

There was a beat of silence, and then an incredulous snort.  “What?”

“Come into the bedroom.”

I heard him running, and then he burst through the doorway before stopping dead and staring at me.  I turned off my phone and tossed it on the bedside table.  Dan continued to stare.  I stood up and opened my arms.  It broke the spell, and he was suddenly there, gathering me into his arms and pressing my face against his neck.  I loved that he was bigger than I was, but that he let me have control over him.  I kissed him long and hard, until he was panting and then I pulled back to give him a soft smile.

“Strip and get on the bed,” I commanded quietly.

His face fell, and he took a step back.  “Vincent, I’m sorry but I just don’t think…I mean right now…later I’ll–”

I cut him off with a hard kiss.  “I’m not going to fuck your beautiful ass right now.  We’ll save that for the morning.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel better.  Strip and get on the bed.”

He did, all the while shooting me curious glances.  Once he was face down, I slid out of my clothes quickly and then grabbed the bottle of warming lube from the bedside table and straddled his ass.  My dick perked up, because I had my gorgeous boyfriend underneath me, but I was old enough to ignore it.  Instead, I spread some of the slick stuff between my palms, and then started at his lower back, rubbing and pressing hard to work out the tight knots.  After a few minutes, Dan breathed out a harsh breath.  And then his groans and grunts filled the air as I massaged all the tension out of his back and shoulders until he was a pile of content goo below me.

I kissed his nape, and then bit his shoulder lightly, before I rolled off him.

“Feel better?” I whispered.

“Mmmm.  Yes,” he mumurmed.  One of those dark brown eyes cracked open.  “You’re the awesomest boyfriend ever.”

I smirked.  “I really am.  I’ll order us some pizza, and we’ll eat.  Then we’ll see how your ass feels about greeting my cock properly.”

Dan’s chuckle was low and wicked.  But all he said was “Pizza isn’t very heart healthy.”

“Maybe not.  But sex is excellent exercise.”  I grinned, and then added, a little more seriously, “You always take care of my heart.”

His smile was beautiful and sweet.  “Love you too.”

Yeah, I knew he did.

**Dan and Vincent have stopped by to show what happens next!  You can find buy links in the book tab, if you haven’t read their story yet. Of course, you can probably enjoy this story anyway whether you’ve read Something Like Peace or not :D**

The house in Oak Harbor was one of my favorite places in the world. Filming had kept me busy, so even though I was close, I hadn’t seen Vincent in weeks. I was anxious for the break in shooting, and even more eager to see my boyfriend.

The phone, a toy, and Vincent’s commanding voice only went so far.

The moment I crossed over Deception Pass bridge, I started to relax as the peace suffused my body. It was always better on the island, and I knew I wasn’t far from the west beach and Vincent’s home. By the time I pulled into the driveway, the tension that had been coiling in my muscles for weeks was gone. I grabbed my duffle and practically sprinted onto the porch. I used my key in the lock, and called for Vincent the moment I stepped into the house.

I was answered with complete silence. There wasn’t even a bark.  No Vincent. No Valentine.

I took a deep breath and tried to ward off any panic. Maybe they were out for a walk. I ignored that part of my brain telling me that Valentine was very particular and regular as clockwork, and that this wasn’t the usual time for his walk. I stamped down the fear and headed straight for the office at the back of the house.

And nearly wept with relief when I saw Vincent completly absorbed at his computer, working on the movie.

His headphones were on and he didn’t even notice me. He was completely engrossed with what was on the screen. He’d been working on the film for months, editing and producing himself. He’d even collaborated with an old friend to score it. Talking With Ghosts was still months away from completion, but he was making progress.

I didn’t care how long it took. He looked better than he ever had. A healthy glow seemed to permeate his skin, and he was happier and smiling more than he ever had. Even the stressors he experienced were less and easily dealt with. Vincent was in a good, healthy place and that made me happier than anything in the world.

Carefully I backed out of the room. I wanted hugs and kisses, more if I were honest, but I knew we had time. We’d spent Christmas apart and with our respective families, because we both felt it was best. We’d only truly been together for a couple of months. But even though I’d rushed back to be with him the moment he returned to Oak Harbor, we had a couple of weeks before I needed to return to set. I’d still be getting my kiss at midnight.

I found Valentine on the sun porch, and he, at least, was thrilled to see me. Dog kisses couldn’t replace human ones, but they were welcome nonetheless.

I wasn’t even aware I’d fallen asleep on the wicker lounge until a very human body covered my own, and warm, passionate kisses stole me from sleep. I was hugging Vincent to me before I was even fully awake.

“How long have you been here?” He asked, kissing along my jaw to my ear. I was prepared for the nip on the lobe, but I couldn’t stop the shiver.

“No idea,” I answered. I arched my chin back to give him better access. “A while.”

Suddenly, Vincent grabbed my wrists and pinned them beside my head. He ground his hips against me, and I writhed in his hold. I loved it when he got like this.

“Next time you interrupt.” It was a commanded and I agreed fast.

Vincent grinned wolffishly, then kissed me long and hard. I was panting by the time he pulled back, and when he stood and held out his hand, I was quick to take it. I wanted him more now than I ever had before, and it was easy to follow him to the bedroom that I now thought of as ours.

Later, pleasantly sore and sated, wrapped around Vincent’s warm body, I remembered to look at the clock. We still had about an hour to go, but I thought I could say it anyway.

I kissed the nape of his neck then whispeeeed into his skin, “Happy new year, sweetheart.”

Vincent grunted and rolled over, and I saw the quirk to his lips. But all he said was “I love you.”

It was all I needed to hear.

**From Andrew and Garrett–and especially me–Happy Holidays!**

I woke to the warmth of his body wrapped around mine, his lips on my skin, and his breath in my ear.  I grinned even before I opened my eyes, and Andrew’s answering chuckle warmed the pit of my stomach.  He tucked his thigh between mine, pressing hard on my balls, and hugged me tightly.

“Merry Christmas, Garrett,” he whispered in my ear.  He bit at the lobe, and I sucked in a fast breath.  “Our first Christmas together.  I think we should start a special tradition.”

Considering what was poking into the small of my back, I thought I knew what he had in mind.  I pushed my ass back into the cradle of his pelvis. “Oh, yes, please.”

Andrew’s laugh was joyous, with just a wicked edge.  He kissed my neck, sucking hard for a second, and then he was gone.  The sudden chill of his absence was a shock, and my eyes popped open.  When I looked over my shoulder, he wasn’t rummaging through my bag where I’d packed the lube just in case, despite him telling me there wouldn’t be any sexy times while we were staying in my parents house.  I’d been optimistic anyway, and he knew me well enough to know I’d have packed it.  But instead of him retrieving it like I expected, he was pulling a small square beautifully wrapped package out of his own case.  I watched his shoulders lift as he took a deep breath, and then he smiled beautifully, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I sat up, and returned his grin, even though I wasn’t sure what was going on.  “What’s this?” I asked softly.

“Open it,” he commanded.  He looked relaxed, even excited, so I eagerly took the present he held out.

I didn’t waste time being careful.  It was nicely wrapped, but I was of the first belief that wrapping paper was made to be ripped and recycled.  I tossed it on the bed between us, and then lifted the lid on the box inside.  My breath caught.  I lifted the crystal star up, and let it sparkle in the morning light streaming through the window.  It had a tiny plaque on top proclaiming the year.  It was, if I wasn’t mistaken, the Swarovski ornament and it was absolutely breathtaking.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured.  I couldn’t tear my gaze away from it.

“I’m glad you like it,”Andrew said.  He reached out and took my free hand, squeezing my fingers.  I turned my attention from the star to my boyfriend, and he grinned.  “I know how much the tree and decorations mean to you this time of year.  I thought that a special ornament could mark each of our years together.  For the rest of our lives.”

I loved the sound of that, but I was so choked up, I could do nothing but nod.  I dropped my gaze, and carefully put the crystal star away so that it could make the journey home.  When I was done, I leaned to set the box on the nightstand, and then I threw myself into Andrew’s arms and hugged him tightly.

“Merry Christmas, babe,” I managed whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you too.  Merry Christmas.”

**Special edition!!!  So we have Andrew and Garrett back to tell us what happened next.  But also, they are doing double duty, to also wish our dear Alder a lovely, wonderful, happy birthday!  Happy birthday, dear, and I hope it’s filled with awesome.  This one was your request, and I hope you enjoy it.  I hope everyone enjoys it!**

It was unseasonably warm, and Garrett had spent most of the five hour drive dodging other cars and bitching about the fact it was going to be a green Christmas.  For him, the snow on the ground and rooftops made Christmas feel more like Christmas.  I couldn’t exactly blame him, but since I’d spent much of my life in the South, I’d never had snowy Christmases to begin with.  That was a thing for the movies, and it wasn’t until I’d moved here that I’d experienced snow at all.  But I’d made soothing noises, and even pointed out that the holiday spirit wasn’t dependent on snow.  He’d grudgingly agreed, but I knew he hadn’t been happy about it.

When we finally turned onto his street, the sun was just beginning to set, so all the lights decorating the houses were beginning to shine.  We drove for blocks, until he began to slow.  And then I saw the split ranch that was familiar from some pictures.  Only it was decorated to the hilt.  Lights along the roof line and candles in the windows.  A wreath on the door.  Animatronic deer in the front yard, next to a huge Alder tree that had also been draped in lights.  There was a blow up snowman, a sign that proclaimed Happy Holidays, and plastic candy canes lining the walkway up to the front porch.  It was, in all honesty, just this side of tacky.  Anything more would have tipped it over.  But the way Garrett’s face lit up when he saw it made me appreciate it more than I normally would have.

“Come on,” he urged, practically giddy as he climbed out of the car.  I followed him at a more sedate pace and made it to the porch just as the door opened revealing his mother and father.  The hugs were tight and his mother got teary.  But after the greetings were complete, Garrett turned to me.

The introductions were stilted and awkward.  At least, I was.  I held myself stiff in his mother’s quick hug and his father did little more than grunt and shake my hand.  We were shepherded into the house, and things went from bad to worse as we were forced to make small talk. Dinner was downright uncomfortable. I knew it was me.  It was my fault things were strange, but I couldn’t seem to loosen up and relax.  Garrett talked a mile a minute to try to make things easier, but while we all talked to Garrett, we didn’t talk to each other.

It wasn’t that late when Garrett finally made our excuses, saying it had been a long day of driving, and we headed up to bed.  I was surprised that his parents were allowing us to share a room.  Mine certainly never would have, even if we’d been a het couple.  But his parents had just wished us a good night, reminded us that we were going out to get the tree in the morning, and we headed upstairs.

Garrett shut the door behind us, and immediately threw himself into my arms.  He hugged me tightly, and kissed the side of my neck.

“It’s okay, Andrew,” he murmured, his lips against my skin.  “You can relax and enjoy yourself.  My mom and dad are not going to say or do anything bad, and when my brother and his kids get here tomorrow, they’ll be focused entirely on them.”

“I’ll try,” I said.  I meant it too.  It wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew the bulk of the weirdness had been my doing.

“That’s all I ask.” He kissed me softly, and then pulled away.  He opened his suitcase and pulled out our toiletry bag.  “I’m going to use the bathroom.  I’ll leave the stuff in there for you.”

He was gone before I could say thank you, so instead I changed into the silk paisley print pajamas he’d bought me.  Normally, I slept naked or maybe in my boxers.  But I would feel uncomfortable doing that in his parents house, so Garrett’s solution had been to buy us ridiculous pajamas.  I loved the way the fabric felt against my skin, but I still felt silly wearing them.  I laid out his pair–a rich emerald green that matched his eyes–and when he returned he gave me a grateful smile.  I also saw the way lust darkened his eyes, and I beat a hasty retreat across the hall to the bathroom.

I was not fucking him in his parents house.

I took in the quaint beach themed bathroom while I brushed my teeth.  There were little vials of sand and starfish on the shelves, seashell shaped soap in the holder on the sink, and curling waves on the wallpaper boarder. It seemed out of place in this landlocked mountain town, but I figured maybe that’s why it was decorated that way to begin with. I spit, rinsed, and straightened, wiping my mouth on the towel.  When I turned, I noticed the spider in the corner of the shower.

I eyeballed the thing for a long moment.  It was fairly big, and if Garrett saw it in the morning, he’d have a panic attack.  Not that I had any love for the arachnids.  I’d read a spooky book when I was young where a spider crawled across a sleeping child’s face.  It was supposed to add ambiance to the story, and it had, but I’d never been able to get the image out of my head.  If I knew there was a spider in the house, I’d never be able to sleep.

I looked around, and saw a magazine curled up and tucked next to the toilet.  I grabbed it, and the glass, and climbed up onto the edge of the tub.  I reached, balanced precariously, and nearly fell and bashed my head against the tiled wall.  With a bit more stretching, the spider obligingly went into the glass, and I covered it with the magazine. Another near death experience as I attempted to climb down, and then I had both feet solidly on the floor.  I took a few deep breaths to steady myself.  And then I quickly descended the stairs, walked around the corner into the kitchen, and straight out the back door to let the spider go.

When I turned back to the door and grasped the handle, I realized to my horror that it had locked behind me.  I bit back the groan.  I didn’t have my phone, so I couldn’t let Garrett know what happened.  I was going to have to knock and hope that someone would hear me.  At the very least, Garrett would come looking eventually.

I raised my knuckles but before I could rap, the door swung open to reveal Garrett’s formidable father.  The man blinked, surprised.

“Andrew?”

I held up the glass and magazine, like that explained things.  “I was liberating a spider, sir. I didn’t want Garrett to see it.”

Garrett Sr. laughed.  “Well, you certainly do love my son, if you’re removing spiders from the house.”  He stepped back and gestured with his arm.  “And you can stop with the sir shit.  We aren’t that formal around here.  Call me Gary.”

I nodded as I walked inside, shivering a little as the warmth hit me.  “Thank you.  I, um, I’m sorry.  About earlier.”

Gary just waved his hand.  “Garrett told us a little about what happened to you.  I know this can’t be easy for you.  But that you’re willing to try, that you’re here because of Garrett?  Well.  That tells me all I need to know about how much you care for my son, and that’s the only thing that matters to me.  Treat him well, and you won’t ever have a problem with me or his mom.”

The blunt and sincere way he said it left no doubt of his sincerity.  Just hearing it made a weight lift from my shoulders.  I suddenly felt sure that nothing bad was going to happen, that Garrett was truly accepted by his parents.  And if I could learn to relax, then maybe they would learn to like me too.

“I’ll never hurt him if I can help it,” I said, offering my own honesty.  “I love him more than I thought it was possible to love another human being.”

“Good,” his father said with a single nod.  “That’s how it should be.  Now you better get to bed.  We have an early start tomorrow.  Sometimes it takes hours to find the perfect tree.”

“Hours?” I echoed, even as he steered me toward the stairs.

“Hours,” he confirmed.  And then he grinned.  “It’s always worth it though.”

I nodded dumbly and ascended the stairs.  I was still a little shell shocked by the whole conversation when I entered the bedroom.  Garrett was sitting up in bed, a book in his lap, and his frown was concerned when he saw me.  “Everything all right, babe?”

I took a second to answer, really thinking about the question.  I felt the smile stretching my lips before I was even aware I was going to grin. “Oh yeah.  Everything’s perfect.”

He squinted at me.  “You sure?”

I’m sure he was wary of my sudden about face.  I nodded, and climbed into bed to curl myself around him.  “I’m sure.  This is going to be a great Christmas.”

He tensed for just a second, and then relaxed, breathing out a contented sigh as he snuggled in.  “Yeah.  It sure is.”

**Let’s take a pause in the ramp up to the release of Something Like Peace, and visit with Garrett and Andrew once again as they get ready to visit with Garrett’s family.  (You can catch up with part 1 and part 2 if you need to.)  Enjoy!**

I was not a coward.

I’d jumped off 40 foot cliffs with nothing but a bungee cord attached to my ankle. I’d gone deep sea diving and not even flinched when the stingrays swarmed.  Hell, I drove in upstate New York in the middle of winter, for fuck’s sake. So it was no fear holding me back.  It was not fear that caused the hard knot in my stomach.  It was dread that filled me with trepidation.  And maybe a little bit of nerves.  And possibly worry.

But certainly not fear.

I loved Garrett with everything I had, and he’d made my world brighter from the moment I met him.  Things had been bleak since my parents disowned me, since I’d lost that loving support of my siblings.  I hadn’t known how they’d react when I gave them the news about my sexuality, but I’d been hoping for the best.  They’d never said anything negative in my presence, so I had reason to hope.  To have that crushed had killed a part of me.  And though I’d survived, and even thrived, in the years since, it still hurt.  Garrett claimed to have his family’s support and love, but I also knew I was the first serious boyfriend he’d had.  We were making a life together, one we were working at making last, and I knew that could change everything.  Knowing your son was gay was one thing; actually seeing him settled with another man was something else entirely.  I never wanted Garrett to face the kind of rejection I’d had to face.  And it seemed especially cruel to subject him to that at the holidays.

Christmas had never been a big deal in my house to begin with, but when I’d been kicked out and abandoned it meant even less.  I didn’t hate the holidays; I just didn’t see much point of celebrating them on my own.  And if Garrett was to be believed, I’d turned jaded.

I pushed that thought from my mind, not wanting to dwell on the things we’d hurled at each other during our fight.  We’d wanted to be hurtful, and we’d both succeeded.  I felt like a piece of me had been ripped off when he’d driven away and had instantly started planning ways to make it up to him.  When he’d texted, I’d replied, even as I worked to bring all his decorations out of storage.  I knew it would be the only thing that would make him forgive me.  Well, that and agreeing to spending the holidays with his family.  Whom I had never met.

He’d begged me to clear my schedule, and since I had nothing pending, I’d cashed in a few favors, passed out the work that couldn’t be left, and taken the week off.  My boss was just ecstatic that, for once, she wouldn’t have to pay out all of my vacation time come the end of the year.  Garrett had already requested the week off and had been anticipating his vacation for months.  I wanted it to be everything he wanted, and I even tried to be excited when he talked about it.  We were leaving in the morning, and the drive would take us five or six hours depending on traffic and weather.

Beside me, Garrett slept peacefully, his face smooth and his lush lips parted slightly.  He breathed heavily, not quite a snore, and I lay there watching him.  I couldn’t sleep myself.  I was too ramped up, agitated.  Nervous, really.  My mind would not shut off.  There were so many things that could go wrong, and I wanted so badly for Garrett to have the holiday he deserved.

I slid out of bed carefully so I didn’t disturb him, and then padded on nearly silent feet into the living room.  The dark specter of the tree seemed ominous, and I fumbled around until I could get the tree plugged in.  The light was blinding for a second, but then my eyes adjusted.  The colors bounced off each other and the shiny ornaments, making the whole tree seem to glow.  It really was lovely.  I sat on the end of the couch and leaned my head back, turning to the side to so I could just stare at the tree.

Suddenly I had a lapful of warm, sleepy boyfriend.  I automatically reached up to steady him so he didn’t fall, and Garrett snuggled right in.  He was only wearing his boxers, and he shivered in the cooler air.  I wrapped him up tightly, and grabbed the afghan from the back of the couch.

“Whatcha doin up?” Garrett asked, then gave a jaw cracking yawn.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I answered simply.  It was the bare bones truth.  “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Tree lights always wake me.  I think it’s ingrained from my childhood.”  Garrett snorted out a tiny laugh as he snuggled in deeper.  “Turn your brain off, Andrew.  Everything is going to be fine.  We’re going to have a great time at my parents’.  It’s gonna be an awesome holiday.”

I wanted to believe that so badly.  For his sake.  “Tree is really gorgeous,” I said, changing the subject.

He was quiet for a moment, and then let out a soft sigh.  “It is.  And you didn’t want to put one up at all.”

I laughed and hugged him closer.  “You know I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.”  He went quiet again, and I was content to hold him and stare at the sparkling lights.  Then he turned his head and kissed my neck.  “It’s going to be a Christmas to remember.”

I nodded.  There was no doubt about that.  The question was, would be remembering good times?  Or bad?  I stared at the tree and sent up a fervent Christmas wish it would be the former.

We’d find out tomorrow, when we got to our destination, if my wish would come true.