Author: Kristbethke

**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.

**As promised, here’s the second episode in Garrett and Andrew’s continuing saga.  Let’s join them as they finish decorating the tree.  Oh and also?  NSFW!!**

“Tell me about this one.”

I chuckled but didn’t turn from where I was hanging an intricate glass snowflake on one of the upper branches. “Not every one has a story,” I said gently.  I loved that Andrew was asking.  He’d really done his best to get into the spirit of decorating the tree.  Mostly that entailed him unwrapping ornaments and handing them to me to hang on the tree.  And once I told him the stories surrounding the first couple of ornaments, he’d asked after each one.

“I bet this one does though,” he said, and I heard the amusement in his tone.  I turned to see which one he had, and a grin broke out on my face.

My name spelled out in polymer clay, each letter a different color of the rainbow.  The G was a little fatter than the rest of the letters, and the last T was a bit off kilter.  The ribbon hanging  between the two R’s was tattered but still strong, yellowed with age and no longer the pristine white it had once been.  I took it reverently from Andrew’s fingers and turned to place it gently on the tree, front and center, in it’s usual place of honor.

“My mom made me that one,” I said, tracing the letters with a finger.  “I was ten.  She was trying to let me know it was okay to tell them who I was.”

Andrew’s arms  slid around my waist, and he pressed a kiss on my temple even as he snugged me back against his chest.  “Do you get your love of Christmas from her?”

I blinked.  Not the question I’d been expecting.  But I knew Andrew was still working on being comfortable with a family that was so accepting.  It was a foreign concept, one he had no first hand knowledge of, and I had to be patient while he made peace with it.  I settled back against him and answered him.

“Actually, no.  Mom likes the holidays just fine.  But my utter love of all things Christmas came from my dad.”

Andrew let out a startled laugh, and I could tell what he was thinking even before he spoke.  “Stoic, grumpy Garrett Senior loves Christmas?”

I turned my head far enough so I could see his face, and then gave him a huge grin.  “Oh yeah.  Not that he says it out loud or anything.  But Dad’s the one that taught me decorating the tree so early, decorating everything that stands still actually.  Dad’s the one that will be playing Christmas music from now until Christmas Day.  And don’t even get me started on his movie collection.”

Andrew was completely nonplussed.  It was all over his face. I did my best to rein in my mirth.  I didn’t want him to think I was laughing at him.  Instead, I pulled out of his embrace, then took his hand and tugged him back a few steps so that we could see the entire tree.  I let out a deep, content sigh.  It was beautiful, and I loved the way it looked in the corner of our small but cozy living room.

“Looks pretty damn good,” Andrew murmured.  He slid his hand up over my shoulder and into my hair, and I all but melted.  It was gorgeous, and I was so happy.  But what made it so beautiful, what made this tree so special, was that we had done it together.

“You know,” I began, turning into him until I could straddle his thigh.  I bit my lip as I looked up at him through my lashes. “I’ve always had this fantasy.”

He sucked in a harsh breath through his nose, and I watched as his pupils dilated, the black swallowing up the brown.  He grabbed onto my waist and pulled me in closer.  “Is that so?” he asked, his voice dipping lower.  I fought a shiver.  “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

There were about a dozen things I could have said.  I could have made the words sweet and flowery.  Made it seem like it was a celebration or a necessity.  But I couldn’t think when he was looking at me like that, so I went with the bald truth.  “I’ve always wanted to get fucked on the floor, next to a lit up Christmas tree, by the man I love.”

Like magic, I was naked, and an equally naked Andrew was biting at my lips at the same time he was trying to guide me down to lay on the rug by the tree.  It was a more difficult task than he envisioned, I think, because I had to shoo him off to get lube in order to get the job done.  He ran, and when he returned, I was spread out and wanting, my knees drawn up and showing everything off.  Andrew’s moan was deep and heartfelt. He pounced, his kisses devouring and powerful, even as he pushed slick fingers into my body.  I wasn’t usually a passive lover, but all I could do was spread my knees wider and take it.  I loved it when he got growly and aggressive, but it was made even better by the sparkling multi-colored and white lights on the gorgeous tree.

But the tree couldn’t hold my interest for long.  Not with Andrew methodically fingering my hole, making me whimper and whine and damn near beg for it to be his cock instead.  Finally, he took pity on me, and moved between my legs, hooking one arm underneath my knee and positioning us just right.  I felt the head of his dick bump against my hole, then push ever so slightly without breaching me.  I whined in the back of my throat, and Andrew gripped my hair in his fist, then tugged and turned my head so I could see nothing but the tree.

With one long, forceful thrust, he slid into my body and I just howled.

Andrew’s rhythm was solid and quick right from the start.  Every time I tried to turn my head to look at him, he tightened his grip on my hair.  I scrambled for purchase, my fingers digging into his shoulders, arms, and hips.  Anything I could get a hold of.  Andrew knew how to play my body, and he knew all the best spots.  He could have me whining and begging for hours, drawing out our pleasure, until I nearly exploded with my release.  That didn’t seem to be his goal tonight.  Instead, he went right for the angle he knew would drive me wild, and that coupled with the hair pulling and the tree, I was ready to come embarrassingly fast.  I tried to hold it back, but Andrew grabbed onto my cock with a sure grip, rubbed his thumb on my frenulum at the same time he thrust in hard and growled at me.

I was a goner.

My entire body contracted as I came, shooting spurt after spurt of cum all over his hand and both our stomachs.  I was helpless as the orgasm racked my body, but as soon as I had my wits back, I squeezed my ass muscles at the same time I wiggled my hips.  Andrew had been close already, and that was enough to throw him over.  I held him as he shook and came, and then pulled him on top of me so he would stay in my ass when he was done.

I kissed his sweaty hair, his ear, his neck.  He nuzzled and kissed right back.  When he started to go soft, he reached down and touched my hole as he slid out so he could feel his cum on my skin.  It was something he’d done ever since the first time we’d gone bare; the night he’d moved in.  I spread my legs as far as they would go so he’d have plenty of time to play.

“I love you,” I murmured, then gasped as he slid his fingers into my tender ass.

“I know. I love you too.”  Suddenly he looked up, and a grin bloomed on his lips.  “Decorating the tree was the best idea we ever had.”

I could do nothing but laugh, and pull him close.